To go alongside the update of Truphone on the iPhone and iPod Touch to include Skype, CEO Geraldine Wilson told the GTD Times that because of the ease of use for the developer, they have no plans to offer future developments to platforms that were not supported by an App Store similar to Apple's endeavour.
Ooh, you all know how much I love Google Maps for Mobile (e.g. for S60, but also for other platforms). It just got itself a 'server-side' upgrade, adding in full directions support for local businesses. You don't need to update your software, just search for a business name (e.g. "Computer Training" or "La Fontana" [a local restaurant]) in 'Get directions'. Some screens below, plus link.
In much the same way as most GMail users also run the Java-based GMail client on their phones, there's now GCal, a Java-based Google Calendar client - except that this one's not an official Google product. It's also still early alpha status, but looks rather promising for those that want a lot more than Google's existing web-based Calendar view.
In a splurge of activity over at Nokia Beta Labs in the last day or so, here's a roundup of news: Nokia Email has graduated from Beta Labs to become Nokia Messaging, though the full announced functionality (e.g. IM) still isn't in place. Nokia Communication Center 2.0 has graduated and is now part of the latest PC Suite (7.1.18). Finally, Enhanced Calculator has been 'archived' and will at some point be reworked and brought into devices - meanwhile you can still grab it as-is if you like.
In AAS's latest beginner's tutorial, I explain how to use Mobitubia, a popular third party video tool to archive your YouTube favourites for later offline viewing and as part of a long term archive. You'll never be bored on a train journey again...
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.
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)
A couple of interesting links of interest for you from the N82 Blog - bringing news that Slick IM, a popular free Instant Messaging utility, has been updated with full theme support, plus news of a big update to MyPhone, a commercial iPhone skin/launcher that sits on top of S60 (though its use seems to be mainly novelty value in front of easily-swayed friends...)
Yes, so many of us have been playing with the new proxy-based, video-friendly, S60-native browser Skyfire over the last few weeks. It has now gone official though, with links, press release extracts and an official Skyfire FAQ below.
Popular IM client deluxe Palringo has had an S60 client for a while, but as of now (v0.97) it's properly Symbian Signed, it's got cell tower location, GPS support and Wi-fi beacon detection built-in, plus a mountain of bugs have been fixed, settings added and the interface has been massively overhauled. Screenshots and download link below the break.
Today at Nokia World 2008, Nokia has released (via Beta Labs) the latest version of Nokia Maps, v3.0, as well as a full personalized 'online mapping experience' on Ovi (also now available). The combination of Nokia Maps 3.0 plus Ovi is claimed to be "the first free service that allows people to pre-plan a journey at home and synchronize with their phone, giving access to pre-planned routes and favourite destinations while on the move." Nokia Maps has also been updated to include higher resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for 216 cities across the world and terrain maps. Screenshots, info, download link (for selected devices) and notes below.
In AAS Insight 49, we have brief news of a new version of Mobile Web Server, and a forthcoming TD-SCDMA S60 phone. The main part of the podcast is divided in to two parts: Rafe discusses his time at a recent Developer Day in Budapest while Steve, from the 17 minute mark, tells us about his visit to Nokia's hardware testing facility. If you want to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
The Java-running, proxy-based, web browser Opera Mini v4.2 has now been officially released, with new Skins support, faster servers, compatibility with the mobile version of YouTube and Opera Desktop note syncing. Read on for more.
Today, Nokia and IBM announced Lotus Notes (which has 140 million licensed users) support for all S60 3rd Edition-based phones. 'Lotus Notes Traveler' can connect to corporate email accounts via Lotus Domino Server, and provides real time access to email, calendar, address book, journal and to-do list data. Availability is December 2008.
Opera Mini just went up to v4.2, in beta form at least, with new Skins support, faster servers, compatibility with the mobile version of YouTube and Opera Desktop note syncing. Opera also announced that Opera Mini is being used by 20 million unique monthly users worldwide. Read on for more.
