Download! - Still broken on S60 5th Edition

[slitchfield]

The sad state of Download! has been a topic of discussion in Symbian S60 circles for quite some time. Other consumer device platforms from Nintendo's Wii to Apple's iPhone have managed to show how successful software and content download shops can be if they're easy to use, so why can't this happen on Nokia's Symbian devices? Tzer2 has taken a look at the latest version of Download! on S60 5th Edition, on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, to see if it's any improvement...

Read on in the full article.

[alsiladka]

Inspite of their being the special News&Info folder, quite a lot of the applications inside the applications are simply links to news sites!
That is simply insane!

It means somebody is adding new contnet to the Downloads!, but what a worthless crap are they adding.

[ltv]

I remember once seeing a folder called "Sales" right in the middle of some unrelated stuff. It had a bright yellow-red Sun icon, and inside were two hindu mythology themed games and SMS Spam Manager.
Maybe they were just taking the motorcycling lobster concept forward, but I find Download! rather psychedelic anyway :-)

But that was at least when Download! used to work - these days I only get a "file not found" error.

[talhamid]

Another gripe besides the fraudulent prices: Has anyone tested this on an EDGE connection (you know, in indian subcontinent, one of the major markets for this, 3G and wi fi are still rare commodities)?

It doesn't work. The app won't even start downloading the catalogue.

Hello? Anybody home, Nokia?

IS there a market opportunity here? Where is the 3rd party who will step in and offer the ideal solution and clean up in the process?

[neilhoskins]

IANAL, but awareness of consumer law is part of my dayjob. If I worked for Nokia, my advice to my superiors would be that the misleading pricing is unlawful in the UK. It's only a matter of time before somebody makes a formal complaint to their local Trading Standards Office.

[clintonjeff]

Heh I actually went through that same thought process and procedure @ checking out Marble Maze Revolution from Download! . I was expecting a lot better from it on S60 5th edition. Sigh.

[ltv]

I just found out why I was getting the "file not found" error (this article prompted me to take another look at Download! after a gap of about a month)

When I opened the Download! app, I could see two catalogs named "Catalogs" and "Download!". Stay with me, please...
It was when I clicked on the Download! icon (no, not the one in the main menu, the catalog named Download! inside the Download! app, you know, next to the catalog named Catalogs), that I would get the "file not found" error.

I chose each one and did Options->Remove to remove the catalog. After the list was empty, I did a refresh again. This time it loaded a set of catalogs - Office, Fun & Achieve, Internet etc. These were inside the Download! catalog earlier. But now there is no Download! catalog. These catalogs are directly in the menu now. That explains the error. I was clicking on the Download! catalog which no longer existed server side, but which the refresh did not remove automatically.

Hope this helps someone.

[svdwal]

A couple of points about Download!

1) AFAIK, a developer must use the Tanla (formerly OpenBit) License Manager to be incorporated into !Download. Using this license manager is not cheap.

2) !Download is only available to Forum Nokia PRO developers (see http://www.forum.nokia.com/I_Want_To...okia_Channels/). Forum Nokia PRO is invitation-only, and this explains why there are so few apps out there.

3) Again AFAIK, not telling the price of an item is illegal in the entire European Union. But even if it was not illegal, it is a prime example of how not to interact with potential customers.

[Nemoi]

In my view there is nothing more important right now for Nokia than fixing download. In terms of hardware, they are still ahead of the competition. But if they don't offer more accessible software soon, I think a lot of people will seriously consider switching to the competition, if they not already have.

This says it all about Download!
mobilephonedevelopment.com/archives/751

The problem is twofold:

1. The Download! catalogue is basically rubbish, and always has been. Any new Nokia owners who visit Download! may never go back there.

2. Even if users do visit Download! periodically, the content remains cr*p because it never seems to be updated.

It seems to me that Nokia have really missed a trick with Download!. Whether you like the iPhone or not, and whether or not you agree with Apple's restrictive policy (I personally don't), their App Store has clearly shown how things can be done, and possibly should be done.

I think iPhone users buy apps in iTunes on a PC/Mac, it's much easier on a big screen than on the phone and iTunes is already there to manage music/podcast/video. Nokia needs a similar combo app for music/video/applications. Having said that, a polished app store on the phone is also a must have.

[bartmanekul]

Originally Posted by Mobile Observer

I think iPhone users buy apps in iTunes on a PC/Mac, it's much easier on a big screen than on the phone and iTunes is already there to manage music/podcast/video. Nokia needs a similar combo app for music/video/applications. Having said that, a polished app store on the phone is also a must have.

Couldnt agree more, thats what I have been saying for a while now.

Nokia does actually have an online store, of sorts, but its even more of a hash than the phone version.

Theres no search function,

The apps are not grouped correctly with the device you choose,

The same problem of it saying its free, and its actually a limited trial version,

There is so very little on there as to whats actually available.


Download, and the accompanying joke of the online version is among the 2 things that really confuse me about Nokia. It's just so shockingly bad, and reasonably easy to fix and sort out, from a company with the resources Nokia has.

I just don't understand it, I really don't.

[viipottaja]

A couple of comment/suggestions/questions to AAS staff:

[Yes, I agree Download sucks. I don't need to repeat any off that]

1) I distinctly recall Nokia having some kind of a survey on Download (or was it on the online app dowload service?) last fall. Have you guys at AAS tried to ask Nokia about what happened with it and what their plans are (you must know a ton of people in Nokia, and it would be worth a shot to try to talk to them and also convey your points to them directly)?

2) Second, why don't you guys actually tell Nokia that you are considering filing a complaint on the misleading pricing information? That would VERY likely get them off their butts at least on that particular point.


I guess its remotely conceivable that Download is not being developed due to something else being in the works or because its not considered strategically important compared to e.g. Ovi suite of services (which would arguably a mistaken strategic priorization but that's a matter of debate).