Users of the third party Mail for Exchange service, NuevaSync, may be interested to know that they have added a new feature allowing for read-only synchronisation to mobile phones. Currently, the feature is only available via the NuevaSync Labs page, as it is still in development. This feature will be useful to anyone using NuevaSync and finding that their device is duplicating or modifying data in other undesirable ways. Users have fine control over read-only access, being able to set it on a per-data-type basis, for each device they are synchronising with NuevaSync.
Open up the Ovi Store client on your Symbian^3 smartphone and you should have a mandatory update available, which offers 'full Arabic Support, better installation support for Qt-based apps and numerous fixes', plus a new blue/green startup screen, miscellaneous other small fixes and, significantly, for all phones of all vintages, an upgrade (at Nokia's end) to their Search algorithms.
The Nokia Bicycle Charger accessory is now available in select markets. It can be bought from Nokia's online shops and other select retailers; the Nokia UK online shop is selling it for £25. The accessory uses pedal power to recharge the battery in your phone. It works by attaching a dynamo to the wheel that generates power as you move. Those using the accessory will need to maintain a speed of at least 4 mph and no more than 31 mph to provide sufficient energy for effective charging.
You may remember our spot on getting Internet Radio working on Symbian^3 phones? We concluded that the S60 5th Edition version of Nokia Internet Radio worked but didn't get on well with the multitasking in Symbian^3? Thankfully, Nokia has listened (no pun intended!) and has produced a new, Symbian^3-optimised version of Internet Radio, now available in the Ovi Store for all the Symbian^3 phones. Some screenshots below.
The Ovi Daily App blog has posted today about their new Appitype questionnaire, which is a novel way of helping people with application discovery. By answering a series of questions about your usage pattern with your phone and applications, Appitype will recommend six applications for you to try, as well as what should be your 'ideal' Nokia phone. The latter point may make for some awkwardness if you'd received a different phone at Christmas! Appitype complements work that Nokia is doing with Trevor Pinch, professor of science and technology studies at Cornell University.
In just two weeks, Mobile World Congress 2011 will be kicking off in Barcelona. Nokia will be there and has just announced details of its talks, exhibitions and press briefings. On each day of MWC someone from Nokia will be speaking, including new CEO Stephen Elop and Mary McDowell. Nokia will have three exhibition stands, for NavTeq, Qt and Nokia Siemens Networks. Nokia will also be hosting a developer day at the AppPlanet event. Finally, Nokia will be showing off its deveice portfolio and Ovi services at the Pepcom Mobile Focus event.
Even though we first reported on the standardisation of mobile phone chargers two years ago, the International Electrotechnical Commission has finally published its IEC International Standard IEC 62684, entitled "Interoperability specifications of common external power supply (EPS) for use with data-enabled mobile telephones". This final push has partly been made possible by the IEC signing a "memorandum of understanding" with the USB Implementers Forum. The standard has been based on specifications from fourteen companies: Apple, Nokia, Research in Motion, Emblaze Mobile, Huawei Technologies, LGE, Motorola Mobility, NEC, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, TCT Mobile (ALCATEL), Texas Instruments and Atmel.
The N8 has been something of a landmark device for Nokia. It was proclaimed at Nokia World that the fight back started with the N8. As part of this fight back, Nokia have thrown a lot of marketing muscle behind the N8, of course focussing on its outstanding 12 megapixel camera. Specifically, there has been the Nokia Push N8 contest and the N8 Producers competition. Besides those official adventures of the N8, its users and reviewers alike seem to continue to put the phone through its paces in the most unconventional ways. It is surely a testament to the admiration people feel for the device. Read on to see what some people have been up to with their N8.
Two separate stories showing Nokia’s global efforts continue to deliver for the company, this time in China. First up is the agreement with SINA and Tencent to provide location based services via Ovi Maps, closely followed by last week’s report from IResearch that 65% of China Mobile’s users are regularly using the Ovi Store. Links and comment below.
After the publication of Nokia's 2010 Q4 results, there has been much fevered discussion across the Internet about why Nokia, with (ex-)Microsoft's Stephen Elop at the helm, may turn to other operating systems for its phones. The alternative operating systems in the spotlight being Android (Q4's biggest seller) and Windows Phone 7. Here at All About Symbian, we have been considering these options and finding that they just do not stand up to a reasoned analysis. An article entitled "Should Nokia Be Looking At Android or WP7? Not Yet", over at Gigaom, broadly agrees with our appraisal of the options.
Canalys, a market research company, today published its figures for "Q4 2010 global country-level smartphone market data", which show Android (33.3 million) overtaking Symbian (31.0 million) as the biggest smartphone platform, with Apple (16.2 million) and RIM (14.6 million) in third and fourth places respectively. The figures will not be without controversy as there are differing estimates to both sales and overall market volumes from different sources. Nonetheless, the figures underline the huge growth in sales of Android based devices in 2010.
One of the more interesting comparison videos I’ve seen comes via Daily Mobile and Macintosh Morrison. It’s the Google Nexus Sand the Nokia N8, strapped together and playing Need for Speed Shift. The point? Well it’s a direct match up of the game to compare speed, control and fluidity. Who do you think will come out on top?
Figures are now in, according to IDC, for overall phones sales worldwide for Q4 2010, for all manufacturers (we're still waiting for further breakdown into smartphone stats, though see Rafe's own chart in the Nokia Q4 results story for his (usually accurate) take on this. Quotes and a table below. Summary: Nokia down 2% year-on-year, but still selling almost as many as the companies in second, third and fourth places put together, Apple slip to 5th, but still almost double Q4 sales, YoY.
You may remember Ewan reviewing Barclaycard's promotional extravaganza, Rollercoaster Extreme, here on AAS a few weeks ago? We're giving you double review value now though, with Rafe guest writing for the Ovi Daily App blog and reviewing Rollercoaster Extreme from his own perspective, concluding that it's "pitched perfectly". See the title here on the Ovi Store for all Symbian^3 handsets.
