With the upswing of developer interest in the new Symbian^3 platform, one of the questions that might be lingering in their minds is “what could I write for Symbian?” With all the promise of millions of devices and a perceived empty application store, what titles and areas should a developer concentrate on to make a big splash in the market?
On show at Nokia World 2010 were several exciting examples of future technology. One of those was a research project brought from Nokia's Beijing research and development labs. Named "Plug and Touch", it's an application which can turn any type of visual display (TV or projector) into a Symbian-powered touch screen display. Click through to read our commentary and see the demonstration video.
You'll remember that I wrote a piece six months ago looking at the (then) new camera technology EDoF (Extended Depth of Field), used in Nokia's super-lightweight smartphones, the E52 and E55? It's entirely possible that some people either missed this or didn't 'get' how EDoF works, even after my piece, because there still seems to be some confusion over whether Nokia's decision to put EDoF cameras in their new C6-01, C7 and E7 is a good one or bad one. I'm definitely in the former camp, but agree that E7 users might be disappointed. Read on for some genuine C7 EDoF photo samples and commentary.
Did you see it? The secret weapon unveiled at Nokia World? The phone to not rule them all but at least provide a strong army? No, behind the E7! And behind the C7! I mean the Nokia C6 (or the C6-01 to give its full name). This little phone packs a huge punch and could well have been the most important phone announced at the ExCeL center. And I wonder if its unique qualities are being lost in the shiny rush to discover the E7?
How do you let everyone know you have an App Store? That's a question that Nokia are still answering over the Ovi Store (and to be fair even Apple continue to think about this question), as the availability of Apps has become one of the key marketing lines in 2010 for the smartphone. Someone in Nokia has been smart though, and they've not only lined up as the 'brand sponsor' for The X-Factor this year, but put together a Qt application to feed the fans of the show.
As the dust settles on Nokia World for another year, what have we learned from the annual smartphone event? Quite a bit actually, and I wonder if Nokia have learned a few things as well? Just to keep everyone on their toes, here’s some lessons that I hope various people have learned after their time at the ExCeL Centre.
And so the E7 has been announced and shown off, at Nokia World 2010. And you've already had your say, in our big launch news article and the hundreds of comments. Anssi Vanjoki made a big deal about how the E7 is being pitched as the new 'Communicator', the replacement for the venerable E90. With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful to produce a blow by blow comparison of the two. Can the E7 really replace the E90?
With the first Symbian^3 device now imminent - the Nokia N8 - and with other Symbian^3 phones about to be announced, it's worth taking a look at what's new. Is it a case of a tarted up S60 5th Edition rehash, or is there in fact plenty that's worthy of serious note? Will Symbian^3 convince the tech doubters? Starting with a genuine user 'first impressions' that had been sent in, I attempt a rebuttal and an exploration of the underlying changelog.
You'll remember that, exactly a year ago, I published a piece here, 'Three apps on my smartphone...', looking at what I reckoned was a common fallacy when looking at smartphone app stores and the numbers quoted? Presenting a 2010 take on the matter, with a slight upgrade from three to (ahem) five, with a semi-serious suggestion for a premium download store or area, and, yes, with an even sharper tone of ridicule at some of the stats and opinions being quoted in the popular press.
In this feature, I've been taking a long hard look at the top-end smartphones in the Symbian powered world over the last three years, pointing out their flaws and frailties, and - where appropriate - pointing out what should have been done to fix things up. Yes, Symbian has been cracking along at record momentum in the mid-tier, with Nokia trouncing the iPhones, Blackberries and Android phones in terms of raw unit sales, but as many others have pointed out, Symbian's partners have been scoring rather a lot of own goals in recent times. And what of the 2010 Symbian^3 crop - will these suffer a similar fate?
