Nokia Chat is a new, GPS-aware software and instant messaging service which is being previewed through Nokia Beta Labs. Nokia Chat is an instant messaging and presence application with added location features. Generic location information can be shared via your presence message, via matching GPS position with selected existing (Nokia Maps) favourite places or you can send an ad-hoc exact location as a chat message. Read on for more information, a brief review and screenshots.
Following on from the initial Symbian Foundation announcement Nokia today announced that a further 9 companies are endorsing the plans for the Symbian Founation. The comapnies are mobile operators 3, América Móvil and TIM, semiconductor manufacturer Marvell and services and software providers Aplix, EB, EMCC Software, Sasken and TietoEnator.
Short and sweet. Carnival of the Mobilists 131 is up, with a surprising amount of Symbian-related content, for once! That's your bedtime reading sorted out, anyway.
UI Rendering Platform TAT Kastor has announced that TAT Kastor is now available on the S60 platform. TAT Kastor is a core system to provide designers with a lot of 'whizz-bang' effects in a UI; particle effects and3D rendered elements are two highlights in the plug-in based system. Of special interest to hardware designers, you can find out more at the product page.
Continuing our MOTO Z10 smartphone coverage, Motorola have been holding a competition to see who can create the best video entirely ON the phone itself - i.e. all shots and editing on the Z10. And here's the winner - the Z10's video quality isn't the best, but the editing software's certainly up the job, it seems. (via IM)
Why is the mobile platform not being innovated on as heavily as the web? It's been bothering Ewan MacLeod over at SMSTextNews - and when I say bothered I mean full on ranting on the mobile scene, VC's, entrepreneurs and networks and the consistently closed world. Well worth reading this one over a nice cup of coffee and a digestive biscuit.
Guest writer Luke Barton has been trialling the new CoPilot 7 satellite navigation system for S60 3rd Edition - here's his full review after using it for several weeks on his Nokia 6110 Navigator. Summary? It has some usablity issues, plus laggy voice instructions, but there are plenty of compensating features which will appeal especially to small businesses.
Smartphones Show 62 is now up, with a hands-on review of the UIQ 3-powered MOTO Z10, plus my Top 5 (Smart)Phones for mid-2008 - a personal choice, with reasons!
Typical - I take a day out to play golf (on the N95) and some updates I've been waiting for all happen. Nokia PC Suite v7 is now official - here's the download page. No huge changes, but plenty of detailed improvements and it always pays to stay up to date. And Flixwagon just went public and has a vastly improved S60 client. In addition, Nokia N81 users just got a firmware upgrade via Nokia Software Update. v20.0.056 brings the N81 bang up to date with demand paging and Flash Lite 3, among other improvements, according to p@sco.
Ewan's on a train speeding down from bonnie Scotland but he's still found time to set up a Friday rant. Ewan reckons there's a gap in the market for a network operator to set up a 'no surprises' all inclusive 'flat rate for everything' plan. Your comments welcome, this one could run and run.
Files on Ovi, which provides access to files on remote computers, is the latest Ovi service and is now available in beta form. After installing a software 'connector' on your PC you can then access files on your computer from any web enabled device (e.g. another PC or your phone). Files on Ovi is the results of last year's acquisition of Avevnu by Nokia.
Telenor and Nokia today announced a cooperation on mobile services using the Ovi service platform. Specific Nokia devices will be customised with services such as Nokia Maps, N-Gage, Telenor Music Store and Mobile TV with more to come in the future. Ovi services will be launched in the second half of 2008 and will be offered to Telenor customers in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Hungary.
The Office of the CTO (OCTO) at Nokia is a key stone in Nokia's innovation and vision efforts (self described as a network of researchers and though leaders). CTO.nokia.com is a recently launched site which is intended to help to spread OCTO's vision of the mobile future and engage the outside world. It is a sister site to research.nokia.com and will feature editorial content from Nokia and selected third parties.
Nokia today announced the European Commission has given unconditional approval for Nokia's planned acquisition of Navteq. Nokia has now received all the necessary regulatory approvals and expects to close the deal in the next 5 days. Nokia is acquiring Navteq for $8.1 billion.
