In another of my periodic hardware head-to-heads, I pitch a variety of full-screen, full-qwerty hybrid smartphones against each other, ranging from the 3 year old Nokia E90, still supported but hard to find for sale now, through to the N97 mini, the HTC Touch Pro 2 and the spanking new Motorola Milestone. Which devices punch the heaviest when the rubber really hits the road?
Thanks to Nokia Users for pointing out that a new firmware for the Nokia E72 is starting to make its way around the world. v22.007 promises 'new features' and 'updated applications', but I don't have a device to check with. Comments welcome if you can spot any of the aforementioned!
I want to take a little break away from the major Nokia X6 review I'm doing just now to directly address one of the issues that I'm seeing in the comments both of the X6 review and in other products that are reviewed both here on AAS and on other tech sites: the use of third party software to compensate for a manufacturer's omissions.
S60 has long been without any form of Wikipedia application besides the mobile web site. There are now two applications in early development, but do either of them significantly add to the mobile web site experience? David Gilson has been comparing all three and answers that question in this feature.
The Nokia N86 8MP just got a minor update to v21 firmware. Version 21.006 replaces v20.115 and is, unashamedly, a maintenance release, improving performance further and fixing a number of minor bugs. We might have to wait for an official changelog for this one, but please comment if you can add a specific observation. v21 is 700kb and is now available via Nokia Software Update and over the air on the phone itself in most regions. There's full User Data Preservation, but back up to memory card, just in case? (via CJ)
What happens when you get challenged to break an unbreakable phone on the floor of CES in Las Vegas? Well Dan Simmons from the BBC's Click team managed to do what every one of us has secretly tried to do, and break the phone. The out-take is now online at BBC News.
Kudos to Jon at tehkseven for a couple of beautifully done 'simple' themes. Just White (in 5th Edition, 3rd Edition and Eseries-tailored versions) and Just Black (again in 5th Edition, 3rd Edition and Eseries versions), the latter with full Ovi icons. Recommended if you just want something clean, clear and efficient.
Following on from the first three review parts: Sony Ericsson Satio - part 1: Form, Design, Build Quality and Sony Ericsson Satio - part 2: The Camera and Sony Ericsson Satio - part 3: Applications and interface, here's my last look at the new Sony Ericsson flagship, rounding up its media suite and overall worth. It's fair to say that bugs and inconsistencies rather ruined my overall Satio experience, but hey, at least I've got photographic proof. Yet another manufacturer living with a buggy flagship? Gah.
In All About Symbian Insight 100 (AAS Podcast 164), we first look back at the decade just gone and consider how far we've come, before looking ahead to what will happen in the next decade. Steve brings news of an i8910 firmware update, Ovi Maps Racing and more and the teams answer questions relating to N97 Exchange support and briefly discuss what to expect at MWC You can listen to AAS Insight 100 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Tomi T Ahonen is about as authoratitive an industry analyst as you can get and has written a lengthy but all-encompassing analysis of the smartphone world going into 2010. Where will the fortunes of Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, RIM and others lie? Read Tomi's session with his crystal ball to find out!
Ewan continues his multipart look at the new Nokia X6 Comes with Music with, appropriately, a look at its music playing prowess - and sometimes the lack of it, with bugs, memory leaks, missing functions and unwanted clicks... See also part 1 of this review, looking at the X6's externals.
We're having an embedded video day here at AAS, at seems. Anphase, the guy who did the i8910 HD petition and then met with Samsung, has now done a video showing most of the changes for the upcoming big new firmware update and I've embedded this video below. Summary: similar partial implementation of kinetic scrolling as on the Nokia X6 and 5530, but improvements as well in Camera and Web. Anphase also shows some of the Qt and native OMAP3 demos.
At CES, the huge Las Vegas event happening this week, Nokia has a big stand and you can see some of the setup behind it in a video, embedded below. In addition to the Climate Mission game (see previous news item), Nokia has announced (but not made available yet) Ovi Maps Racing, another homegrown title, integrating the real world streets around your position (or another destination of your choice) with a virtual racetrack - so, effectively, you can race around your own local roads. I've also embedded the trailer for Ovi Maps Racing below, for your interest.
Nokia just launched a free 'eco' game in the Ovi Store, for its S60 5th Edition phones. 'Climate Mission' is based around a series of environmentally aware mini-games, the stated aim being to learn about important ecosystems while having fun. The game trailer is embedded below and you can download the game straight from the on-device Store.
A few brief updates from the world of The Phones Show. Programme 99 is now available, with my nine minute recommendations of smartphones to buy for seven different categories of user (you'll remember that I shortlisted these on AAS?) Plus our very own Tim Salmon and I have finished Phones Show Chat 19 and 20, one hour audio podcasts, both now available for download. Comments welcome on any of this content.
