Nokia today launched the Nokia 6788 - a TD-SCDMA Symbian phone. TD-SCDMA is a China-specific version of 3G, which is used by China Mobile. The Nokia 6788, which runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, has a vertical slider form factor, a 5 megapixel camera, and 2.8 inch QVGA screen. The phone is expected to become available at the end of December 2009.
In the run-up to SEE 2009, I'd been mulling over which smartphones to take for blogging purposes - and one of my requirements, obviously, had to be something with a camera that was good enough. Below are my thoughts and findings, in which I discover that one of my own theories wasn't necessarily true...
To wet your appetite for SEE 2009 on Tuesday/Wednesday, here's a weekend video to enjoy, embedded below, in which Symbian CEO Lee Williams talks freely about why Google's Android isn't the best way forwards. He also talks about Symbian's strategy to add new ODMs (original design manufacturers) from China and the Far East. Interesting stuff, though sure to provoke comments!
Hulk smash!!! Or in this case a giant panda, as Ewan takes a look at the B-movie-inspired Mega Monsters from Nokia on N-Gage. It's a stomping, rip-roaring rampage through the city, either against miniature opponents or against these plus the clock/another online opponent. And it all hangs together rather well, rounding off what has been a relatively good week for N-Gage.
S60 3rd Edition users might like to know that there's a new version 2.0 of Nokia's 'Here and Now' concept application available. It has a four-paned interface, with local weather, events, movies and restaurants. It's free and interesting, but note that the data sets aren't necessarily complete in your area and that all functions require clicking through to a mobile web page.
The Gadget Show's Jon Bentley is someone who usually manages to produce a good, informed account of anything technical, without dumbing things down too much. In Gadget Show Web TV 54, embedded in high quality below, he gives the Nokia N86 8MP a full review, concluding that it's a good successor to the N95 but doesn't match the N82 in some evening situations and feels, in 2009, a "little old fashioned". Comments welcome.
If you've been registered with Nokia's official 'Dicusssions' board (effectively their official support forums), note that the login system has now been merged with the global Nokia/Ovi login that you've almost certainly also got. The next time you log in, you'll be asked for the latter and thereafter only the Nokia/Ovi one will work. Now....what other Nokia systems still use their own login names....?
Nokia today announced that it is suing Apple over patent infringements. Nokia says that Apple's iPhone models infringe on Nokia patents relating to GSM, UTMS and WLAN standards. Nokia has one the industry's strongest and broadest patent portfolios (10,000 patent families). The patents in question are considered essential to industry standards and as such are licensed on the principle 'fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms'. However it appears that Apple has chosen not to license the patents.
Yesterday the Symbian Foundation announced the release of the EKA2, together with supporting development kit, under the Eclipse Public License (EPL). This marks a major stepping stone is the process to opensource the entire Symbian platform, which the Symbian Foundation is currently undertaking. The microkernel is the heart of the operating system and comprises of a 'robust, fully multi-tasking architecture', which 'manages all system resources and frameworks necessary for the co-existence of the processes and applications that make up the complete system'.
Just a quick note that in two hours time, at 5pm BST, Symbian are giving away a second batch of 50 free tickets to their Tuesday night party at the Science Museum. You know the drill - free drinks, entertainment and all the industry networking you could want didn't get a chance to get done during day one of the Show.
Electronic Arts PGA Tour series of golf games dates back to 1990 - which should give this latest mobile incarnation some pedigree in terms of gameplay. But how well does it all work on the phone, how much (or how little) has been done for the official N-Gage incarnation, and how does it compare both to the Java version and to the established Pro Series Golf for N-Gage? Find out in my Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 review here on AAS's Ovi Gaming.
A lot of people hold up Apple's iPhone App Store as the perfect solution to app distribution, but that's not always the case. Long term app developer Gedeon Maheux of Iconfactory (behind apps such as Twitterific) has a detailed post on why he believes the store has failed him. It's worth a read not just because it illustrates the problems behind an app store, but also because other app stores are likely to have exactly the same problems.
It's one of the smallest S60 smartphones ever and yet (GPS aside) it's full featured and highly stylised. In any case, given the XpressMusic tag, we fired the Nokia 5630 off to Ewan Spence to review. On the plus side, it's loud and testosterone-inspired (apparently) - on the downside, the screen's a little small and the absence of location features has got to hurt in late 2009...
Good news for fans of Nokia's Sports Tracker application – the technology is being spun out of Nokia and into a new company. Sports Tracking Technologies Oy (STT) has been started by Jussi Kaasinen and Yka Huhtala, the core developers behind Sports Tracker. Nokia will continue to have access to the app, and will be a client of STT.
The Monday evening before the Symbian Show, branded SEE09 this year, traditionally provides fertile ground for mobile related 'fringe' events - and this year is no exception. Fitting around other events, we will be having a small, informal pub get together. So from 5:30pm or so until around 8:00pm we'll (Rafe, Ewan, Steve) be in the Windmill pub, which is just a few minutes away from Oxford Circus. More below, including a map, if you're in London and want to come along!
