Just a little weekend link of interest: a writer with the marvellous name of Hagop Kavafian for the NokiaLB site has produced a detailed and fairly insightful review of the Nokia E55. Do take his opinion of the E55's camera with a pinch of salt though - I don't think he really understood the idea behind EDoF (Extended Depth of Field) and I'm tempted to suggest that there might have been dirt on his E55's camera glass....
This month saw the start of the Microsoft Browser Ballot in EU countries. As part of the deal with the Competition watchdogs in Europe, Windows users are being presented with a randomised “ballot” screen of alternative browsers, including Firefox, Opera, Safari and Chrome, as well as the company’s Internet Explorer product. Is there any implication to the mobile market in this decision? Maybe...
According to the official Ovi Blog, the enormous HRS system is beginning to appear in the homescreen of Ovi Maps 3.3 (and beyond), offering hotel searching by proximity to your current location, with navigation to a hotel handled within the application. There's also integration with other phone functi ons, to allow real time availability checking and booking. Initially HRS is appearing in just Germany and Finland, but other countries should see this rolled out quite soon too. Some quotes and screens below.
Armed with the new HP iPrint Photo utility, Steve Litchfield walks you through the process of printing photos directly from your Nseries phone - no wires, no fuss. What could go wrong? See also the PS for those without a Wi-Fi-enabled printer.
Nokia’s Beta Labs have updated the Gig Finder application, with the feedback received from the users. This current build fixes a number of bugs and increases the size of the database used to find music gigs depending on your location and music preferences.
Yep, that's our very own Matt Radford (late of All About iPhone) writing as a guest over at The Really Mobile Project and talking about a topic close to all our hearts - the cycle of lust-buy-disappointment (and hopefully) enlightenment-productivity that we all go through as part of obtaining our next smartphone. It's a Link of Interest and a good read for your afternoon cup of coffee.
Yes, yes, we know that Quickoffice, like all good carpet and furniture showrooms, have always got some offer or other 'on'. But I notice that the full editing version of Quickoffice Premier for Symbian is only £6 in the Nokia Ovi Store today, plus a similar amount ($9) on the main Quickoffice web site. Anyway, if you've been putting off the upgrade to the editing version then maybe today's the day?
After almost a year of operation, the contacts in Ovi Mail and Ovi Contacts have finally been officially merged, with Ovi Mail 2.0, according to a Beta Labs post this morning. The overlaps between Ovi Mail, Nokia Messaging and Ovi Sync have always been somewhat grey, so at least this clears up one loose end. Some quotes and links below.
Synchronising your PIM data can be a treacherous prospect at the best of times. David Gilson has been risking the safety of his PIM data to show you how you can use the commercial service Memotoo to synchronise your S60 phone with not only Google, but the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn too.
Here on our Ovi Gaming sister site, Ewan tries out Columns with a Twist - Explode sees you rotating the world around you in order to direct gravity itself to lining up balls in the playing area. Don't worry, the screenshots will give you more of an idea. Ultimately, Explode is rather spoilt by unnecessarily amateurish touchscreen controls - we're hoping the developers perservere and tune the game a little more.
Alpine Electronics today announced a strategic partnership with Nokia and Navteq to bring a new car integration technology called 'Terminal mode' to car 'infotainment' systems. It integrates Nokia smartphones with in-car systems allowing, not only the usual call functions, but also the use of smartphone-based services (e.g. Ovi Maps navigation) and content (e.g. music) via the high resolution screens and audio systems embedded in the car. The integration also offers the opportunity for automotive-specific widgets on the phone, including fuel levels and engine status.
Nokia and T-Mobile USA today announced the forthcoming availability of the Nokia Nuron. The Nuron is a T-Mobile customised version of the Nokia 5230 and is termed a 'smartphone for the masses'. It operates on T-Mobile's 3G network and will come pre-loaded with Ovi Store (including operator billing) and Ovi Maps (including worldwide free navigation). It will be one of the cheapest smartphones available in the US market.
Nokia and Skype today made the formal announcement of the availability of Skype for Symbian. The application, which was released last month, is now available in the Ovi Store. The application implements a full Skype client including full support for instant messaging, account management, sending text messages and file sharing in addition to the Skype voice calling features (Skype to Skype and Skype Out).
The Symbian world's answer to 'Brain Training', SPB Brain Evolution has received a major update, bringing support for S60 5th Edition touchscreen-based devices with OS Symbian S60 v5. The title includes a set of "addictive mini-games which have to be played in sequence: only good results in a game unlock the next one". The game allows you to "improve your mental awareness and maintain your newly achieved brain fitness". Or you could just read a good book. Only joking - more details below.
How long would it take you to find some who has “made a success” out of an application store for any mobile device? Not long, I would think, because these stories are picked up and passed around to “prove” that App Stores work. A case in point is this post on Into Mobile, highlighting the success of an app for Google Android with 6,500 paid for downloads, earning $13,000. But is that the way forward? Read on for my thoughts.
