Jaiku, the activity streaming and presence service (also referred to as micro blogging), has been acquired by Google. The terms of the acquisition has not been disclosed. While Jaiku is often used via the web it also has strong mobile features (including a native S60 client) and the idea of presence is a very important part of the Jaiku message.
Telefónica and Nokia have announced that the two companies are to work together on Internet services. Nokia will customise its multimedia menu on Nseries devices to enable easy access to both Nokia (e.g. Nokia Music Shop, N-Gage) and Telefónica services. The announcement is significant because its puts Nokia's own service offering on an equal footing to those provided by an operator. Read on for more.
Garmin, maker of standalone and other GPS-focussed devices, has launched Mobile XT, a complete microSD-based navigation solution for smartphones, priced at $99. Details of international availability are sketchy at the moment, but we've asked Garmin UK if they can get hold of a review sample for us to try.
In what is one of the most significant technology acquisitions of the year Nokia has announced it is to acquire Navteq for $8.1 billion. Navteq is the leading provider of digital map information which is used in car navigation systems (e.g. BMW), mobile navigation devices (e.g. Garmin), Internet-based mapping applications (e.g. Google Maps), and government and business solutions. Nokia uses Navteq data in its own Nokia Maps product.
To be filed under 'Hey, S60 Web uses the same core code as the iPhone's browser', come these links: pages of Javascript-hosted quick games and the entire text of the King James Version of the Bible (with the 'thees' and 'thous', etc). The latter works fine in Web but some of the games are a bit hit and miss. Comments?
Being something of a keen (though not that good) player, I couldn't resist loading up both ZingMagic's Backgammon and Odesys Backgammon on the Nokia E90 and N95. Both played a strong game, but there were plenty of differences between the two. One of them was native, one was Java; one of them was quirky and the other took the gaming experience to a whole different level...
Guest writer Ricky Cadden has been using the free SoonR, a service that runs on your home desktop and gives you remote access to all your documents and photos, without having to store them on your memory card. Cool idea, here's his review.
There's a new beta of DivX Mobile Player on the loose for S60 and UIQ-based smartphones. v0.89 features restructured menus and softkeys, a new file browser with thumbnail previews, plus manual adjustment for A/V synchronization. See the DivX blog for links and more info.
Smartphones Show 42 just went live, with video from the Go:Play event, featuring the Nokia N95 8GB, the N81, N-Gage gaming and the Nokia Music Store. Plus tips for GPS-equipped smartphones and my own rundown of the top 5 most desirable smartphones in the world. Read on for links and other information.
Being something of a keen (though not that good) player, I couldn't resist loading up both ZingMagic's Backgammon and Odesys Backgammon on the Nokia E90 and N95. Both played a strong game, but there were plenty of differences between the two. One of them was native, one was Java; one of them was quirky and the other took the gaming experience to a whole different level...