The best (also just about the only) database system for S60, HanDBase has had a big update. v4.0 was announced in December and has been going through test builds. v4.00.55 is now online and working well. See below for a changelog, links and some screenshots. Also of note is that the desktop client has also had a big update and looks a lot more modern.
Google has launched a revamped version of its mobile search for select markets. The service is available in the UK, USA, France, Germany and Canada. The new system offers blended results and has a stronger location-based element. Blended results mix in local and news search results with web search results. In practice this means that Google shows the result type that it thinks is most relevant first. Read on for more and lots of screenshot examples.
Showing off the power of Python (again) and the usefulness(!) of the S60 accelerometer plug-in, ShakerRacer is a project to control a (model) racing car using just your smartphone. And you can now grab the source code and hardware mod instructions for free, to have a play yourself, if you've got the time and inclination.
Over on All About N-Gage, we're getting excited about an unconfirmed video which appears to be a trailer for Worms on Next Gen N-Gage. It's from a fairly reliable source, and it features the N81 plus graphics never seen on the original gen N-Gage version. Worms publisher THQ has already said they're supporting Next Gen N-Gage, so a new version of Worms would make a lot of sense.
PDA Essentials magazine issue 71 is out today (in the UK) and is notable for a five page 'Real World Test' between the iPhone, the Nokia N95 8GB and a smattering of HTC, Palm and Blackberry models. Tests included 'Outdoors' (contrast in sunlight), 'Pub' (ease of use when err.... inebriated) and 'Bus' (ease of use on shaking transport, possibly one-handed). There was also a seven page 'Smartphones with GPS' round-up. Read on for results and comments!
Amidst the flurry of Location Tracker activity at Nokia Beta Labs, it seems Conversation (SMS threading) and Gizmo (free VoIP and chat) both received attention. Conversation has been relaunched (bug fixes, apparently) and the Nseries-only Gizmo has seen bug fixes and support for multiple locations.
Ah yes, I was wondering where my Nokia E90 had got to. Krisse has been using it in Finland, comparing it head-to-head with the N810 'Internet tablet'. Here's the first part of this report, covering the physical form factors and all the various communications possibilities. There's no real overall winner, but plenty of food for thought if you've been wavering as to which to get.
It seems that Nokia Maps just got new data. Or at least when I started up Map Loader just now, a popup message informed me that there was new map data and that my existing map sets (on memory card) would be deleted and replaced. Alas, there are no clues as to what exactly has been improved, so comments welcome if you spot any changes in your neck of the woods!
Skyfire is a new proxy-based browsing solution that uses the Firefox 'Gecko' engine on the handset and which can apparently cope with Flash video and other advanced page objects. According to PhoneBoy, it's coming to S60 this quarter and should give both the Webkit-based S60 Web and Opera Mini 4 a run for their money.
In the second and final part of his definitive review of the 'Silver Snapper', the Nokia N82 , Rafe proves that this smartphone is a lot more than just a great camera. Looking at GPS and navigation functions, music, general applications and overall performance, Rafe concludes that, despite a few problems and annoyances, the N82 is "an outstanding handset".
Location Tagger, an application that enables the geotagging of photos captured on your phone, is the latest release from Nokia Beta Labs. Location Tagger serves as a preview release, Nokia are planning on building Location Tagger's technology into the core Camera and Gallery apps themselves. Much more below the break, with comment, screenshots and examples.
Nokia today announced that it would acquire Trolltech a company which provides software development platforms and frameworks. Trolltech is best known for its Qt product, a multi-platform graphical user-interface framework. Qt is used in KDE, the web browser Opera, Skype and Google Earth applications. Nokia intends to use Qt to enable cross platform development environments.
Competition for Nokia's Music Store perhaps? Amazon have announced the expected expansion of their DRM-Free MP3 Store from the American market into international territories will happen in 2008, although the press release does not give any indication of when this will happen. Thanks to the MP3 format, pretty much any smartphone should be able to handle Amazon downloaded songs, as opposed to the DRM restrictions Nokia's Windows Media based store will have; and Nokia's in-device advantage is limited to a subset of N-Series devices.
Photos have appeared on a German site (and reposted here in English) of a new Nokia E90, apparently a 'version 2', with totally redesigned, flush keyboard, presumably to stop any possibility of greasy fingerprints on the keys transferring to the screen. Comments welcome if this has made an appearance in other countries or if you can shed any light on timescales and distribution details.
