In case this isn't already bookmarked in your RSS reader, my video podcast the Smartphones Show now has programme 22 live, with a video review of the Sony Ericsson W950i, my thoughts and video of the Apple iPhone and a shortened version of Rafe's N76/N93i video snippets.
Ruby, the programming language, is now available for UIQ 3 phones following on from its early availability on S60. Ruby is currently in the proof on concept stage and is gradually being developed in response to feedback from interested parties, the next update should be available in February. Thanks to augeas for the heads up.
Symbian has announced it has opened an office in Beijing, China. The new office will support Symbian's efforts in the Chinese market including links with academia, developer training and localisation activities. China is already an important market and is likely to be a key battleground between software platforms and device manufacturers in the future.
Nokia today announced an extension of its relationship with Sony Ericsson, bringing Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email to two additional devices, the M600 and P990. The product allows users a fully synchronized, real-time email, calendar and contacts solution. It's available immediately. The full press release follows.
Another week, another Carnival of the Mobilists, over at TomSoft. And, in CES and iPhone week, at least there's no shortage of mobile-related stuff to talk about! Shame we forgot to submit either of ourentries though.... Maybe next time.
Maybe not so much a battle as a minor skirmish, but the Sony Ericsson W950, the Nokia N91 and the iPod Shuffle all come out of Ewan's blind listening tests with decent scores. Read the article for details and comments.
Rounding out our CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2007 coverage in style, we (well, mainly Rafe) present AAS video podcast number 6, 11 minutes long and featuring plenty of video of the new Nokia N76 and N93i, plus extensive photo sets for general CES, the N76 and the N93i. Full text reviews of both devices will be along in due course.
OK, so you're all going to laugh at my expense, but necessity is the mother of invention and I needed a tripod mount for my Nokia N93 video filming work. With the prototype DT-22 having been reclaimed by Nokia, it was back to cardboard skills and duct tape....
Antony Pranata usefully provides screenshots, details and the right download address for the new (beta) Yahoo! Go 2.0, a Java host for a selection of genuinely useful widgets (news, searching, etc.) Do note though that the 500k download has to be done in Services, not Web. We'll be knocking up a full review in the next week or so.
I was interested to see Nokia's vice president of Nseries Computers, Pekka Pohjakallio, interviewed at CES by TechDigest after the launch of the iPhone. Quotes and link below, but the general consensus is that competition is good and that the iPhone is yet more confirmation that (smart)phones are now becoming 'multimedia computers'... (still hate the term though!)
Like many of you, I've been watching coverage of Steve Jobs Macworld keynote (just finished, it had been going two hours as I write this) - he's just formally announced the iPhone (smartphone), running Mac OS X, only one hardware button and with a fingers-only touch interface. A competitor to Symbian OS/S60/UIQ? Not due in Europe for almost a year... Battery life claimed at 5 hours talk time. My initial impressions are that it's a bit of a premium device, with that large and fragile touch screen (which will be hard to read in sunlight etc.)
Now this sounds like a smashing idea. China is looking to regulate the A/C chargers used in mobile phones so they all use the same connectors (CrunchGear reports). Smashing idea. Now if they wouldn't mind an amendment asking all MP3 capable phones to have a 3.5mm stereo jack for regualr headphones as well? (Thanks to Frank for the link).
Having now had a day or so to mull over the iPhone launch and the media frenzy surrounding it, I've been pondering the fact that in one important way, the iPhone definitely IS a 'break through' device, while Ewan refutes Jobs' 'Five years' boast by casting a satirical eye back five years instead and then describing what we have today.
