Nokia is continuing to push the photo capture abilities of the Nokia N8. In the HD Horizons project, sponsored by Nokia, Jason Hawkes, who has specialised in taking aerial photographs for twenty years, has been capturing UK landscapes and landmarks from the air. We've got access to some of the early images, which offer a remarkable demonstration of the N8's capabilities.
Purnima Kochikar, Nokia Vice President with responsibility for Forum Nokia, has released an open letter to Nokia's developers, which looks to reinforce Nokia's recent messages about the continued importance of Symbian and Qt. The letter offers some details on upcoming updates that will aim to make the Symbian platform more competitive and notes that Symbian devices will continue to be sold long after Nokia's Windows Phone device shipments start.
NAVTEQ, the Nokia-owned company behind Ovi Maps, have announced a new product called “Destination Maps”, which aims to provide the data that would enable guidance services inside public buildings. Initially, the data will cover more than 200 shopping malls in the U.S. One of the possible indoor location technologies that could use this data was previewed at Nokia World 2010, where I interviewed one of the development team about this technology. Read on for more information on its background and implementation.
Snaptu, the startup company which produces the well-known J2ME mobile app, have agreed to be acquired by social networking giant, Facebook. Snaptu is the first Israeli start-up company to be acquired. According to Israeli news site, Calcalist, this buy-out has brought investors approximately a six-fold return on their investment. The Snaptu application has a massive reach by targetting Java compatible mobile phones, most of which lack any sort of app store. Furthermore, the wide range of social networks and content offered by Snaptu bring services to feature phones which are otherwise restricted to more advanced smartphones. Read on for more.
Corning, the company that makes the Gorilla Glass used in the recent Nokia handsets, has released a concept video that I just couldn't resist embedding below. Entitled "A Day Made of Glass" it shows the complete integration of technology and the glass displays it powers, including numerous instances where the smartphone is a vital tool in the information chain. It's five minutes long but well worth watching - it's a glimpse into the future, probably five to ten years away.
Every year Ewan disappears to South by South West (SXSW) in Texas with his podcaster's hat on - and every year we give him something interesting to road test. This year, the kilted road warrior is taking his turn with the Nokia E7 Communicator and in this third video in the series (embedded below), he looks at Food, File Formatting and Finland. All delivered in inimitable chatty Ewan style.
A group of companies, drawn from both the consumer electronics and automotive industries, today announced the formation of the Car Connectivity Consortium, to help develop, maintain and promote in-vehicle connectivity solutions such as Terminal Mode, NFC and wireless charging. The stated goal of the organisation is to have "a seamless, safe, effortless and delightful user experience when using a smartphone in a car".
For almost all aspects of smartphone-desktop connectivity, Mac owners haven't been too disadvantaged. In fact, some aspects (e.g. PIM sync) are arguably a lot better under Mac OS X. However, a notable hole in overall functionality has been being able to check for firmware updates and install them over a microUSB cable. Yes, 'Over the air' updates are usually sufficient, but it's good to have a second source of vital software improvements. Nokia Beta Labs just released a Mac version of their Software Update tool and I've been trying it out. Screens and links below.
Our friend, Asri Al Baker, brought my attention to a discovery he made about how to access one's Google Docs account as a WebDav drive. This is thanks to an experimental service, the "Dav-Pocket Lab". This services uses Google's API, providing a WebDav portal into one's account. Other sites have reported a method which requires one to log in with their Google credentials. However, since the news originally broke, the Dav-Pocket blog has announced an OAuth addition. Read on for more details.
As I write this, Jason Hawkes, one of "the world’s most respected aerial photographers", is flying round some of the UK's most stunning (large) locations on a 5 day 'shoot', attempting to capture some innovative aerial photos using just the Nokia N8, to show what can be achieved with "the phone that's always with you". Well, yes, if you also have a helicopter chartered, in this case! Embedded below is an intro video to the project, plus some quotes from the press release. We'll have more from the 'HD Horizons' project in a week or so's time, complete with some of the photos captured on Jason's N8.
Google Chrome users might like to direct their attention to the Chrome Web App Store. An unofficial app for Nokia's Ovi Store has recently appeared, giving users a direct shortcut to the Ovi Store on their 'new tab' page. Google's move to bring apps to the browser has seen varying amounts of innovation. Some "apps" are nothing more than glorified bookmarks to websites. The Ovi Store Web App falls under this category, so don't expect any extra functionality. Read on for screenshots.
The alternative browser company, Opera, has announced that the Opera Store is now available for users of the various browsers from the Norwegians. Powered by Appia, the store can be found at mobilestore.opera.com and will be on the initial speed dial for new users to Opera. In tandem with the launch, their Publisher Portal is also open for business.
Digia, a Finnish software company, has signed an agreement with Nokia to acquire the commercial licensing and professional services arm of Nokia's Qt. The major portion of Qt, including all core development and LGPL licensing remains with Nokia. Nokia plans to continue to invest in the future development of Qt, which remains core to its Symbian (150 million additional devices) and MeeGo (future disruptions) activities. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the month; neither company are disclosing cost details.
Read on For Four Fabulous Friday links of interest, for perusal over your morning coffee or orange juice. Firstly, over at the somewhat prolific Ovi Daily App blog, you may have noticed a few AAS writers guesting in recent months? It's my turn now with my comprehensive review of Sparkle. You'll recognise it - shooting coloured balls from a cannon - but don't switch off, as it's also one of the best implemented games I've ever played. Yes, EVER.
The Qt SDK beta 1.1 was launched today. While the SDK is a beta release, the Qt (4.7.2) and Qt Creator (2.1) releases within it are final (i.e. not beta or previews). This means that Qt Quick can now be considered to have been officially released. Qt Quick is a crucial step forward for Qt, bringing easy UI creation, which allows developers and designers to work together more easily to create applications with great user experience.
