Having heard many a user refer to 'upgrading' from (for example) a Nokia N95 8GB to an N85, I thought it worth examining an important way in which all is not necessarily positive when going from an older phone to a newer one. With SPMark benchmark figures to back up my arguments, I'm rather disturbed by the hardware inside Nokia's current and upcoming (announced) ranges.
After attending the recent Symbian Foundation Developer Day in San Francisco, former VP of Palm and now Consultant Michael Mace has blogged in detail his view of what was on display. "Every time I think about Nokia and Symbian, I can't help picturing a man knee-deep in molasses..." You can read more on his blog, and then check out the reply from David Wood, Symbian's EVP, on his blog.
Wikipedia, the reference site that had already spawned a thousand (ok, I exagerate a little) unofficial mobile versions, has now launched its own 100% official mobile site at mobile.wikipedia.org. It is also available in several languages. Definitely one for your permanent on-device bookmarks. (via CJ)
Mac owning S60 fans might like to note that OS 10.5.6 is just out, with one of the highlighted features being 'improved reliability of Address Book syncing with iPhone and other devices', so if you've been having trouble syncing S60 Contacts using iSync then it's well worth a try updating. Use the Apple menu 'Software update' feature to grab 10.5.6.
If you're stuck for a last minute Christmas present for a gadget-owning loved one (or yourself!) then note that I've arranged an exclusive one-week-only 15% discount for AAS readers over at Proporta - look out in particular for their (rightly) award-winning mobile chargers. Just enter "ALLABOUT" in their shopping basket system.
With Symbian Signed having been maligned by some in the past, David Wood reminds us in no uncertain terms of all of the reasons why such a scheme has to be in place. Google's Android marketplace is now hitting some of these issues, while the iPhone's App Store is artificially protected by the iPhone not allowing background applications of any kind. But David's arguments hold fast for all phone platforms that want to make it into the future...
Hot on the heels of the last one (I don't know, you wait forever and two come along at once), it's the latest Insight podcast from All About Symbian. Catching them between flights, Steve chats to Rafe about Sony Ericsson and the Open Handset Alliance and some of the shorter news pieces, while Ewan talks about a brief hands-on with the N97 and the welcome regularity of N-Gage games.
In which I explain, for beginners, how to get hooked up to a Bluetooth wireless keyboard and dramatically increase the speed of text entry on your phone... It's a very quick and simple solution, once you've gone through the initial two minute setup process...
A few days later than usual, but hey, at least you've got some weekend listening - it's AAS podcast 104, a.k.a. Insight 51, in which the usual AAS team discuss all the announcements at Nokia World 2008, including (of course) the Nokia N97.
So PC Suite's working OK on your PC at the moment? Better not rock the boat. But in case you fancy doing just that, or if things have got rocky and you think a fresh install might do the trick, note that there's a new non-beta version of Nokia's PC Suite now available, v7.1, with the previously beta Communication Center product built-in. If you do install, let us know how it looks! (via Symbian Guru)
After three days mostly in the dark (in terms of economical data), Ewan has a few choice words for manufacturers and software designers - don't assume that an Internet Connection is always present. Because there are times, especially when roaming, when an always-on data connection can be as much a curse as a blessing.
(Nearly) all of the keynotes and presentations made at Symbian's Smartphone Show 2008, over the two days of the event, are now online for you to watch/browse through. There are Powerpoints and/or Flash Video movies (of speaker or slides, as appropriate) and a lot to get through, so allow some time. Or just back fill from the interesting bits that you missed at the Show itself.
For the first time, BBC World Service in English and BBC World Service's 24-hour rolling news in English (plus their Arabic news) are now available through Nokia's free Internet Radio application, following an agreement between BBC World Service and Nokia. The stations are available for live streaming 24 hours a day.
I apologise for yet another non-directly-Symbian link of interest, but Stephen Fry has just put up his latest multi-thousand word essay, returning to his favourite theme of smartphones, in which he cautiously praises the Blackberry Bold, assassinates the truly horrible Blackberry Storm and put the T-Mobile G1 into proper perspective. Good writing and I agree with most of what he says. And yes, there are loads of Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Symbian references along the way. And a few swear words too....
With Christmas fast approaching, it's high time for a detailed hands-on head to head between the three smartphone platform flagships: Nokia N96, HTC Touch HD and Apple iPhone 3G. Can I pick a winner? Do I need to? Plenty of opinion, facts and device lowdown here, but your comments most welcome.
