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.
Purely gratuitous, but it's the weekend. It's amazing what a difference a theme can make. And I've fallen in love (despite my preference for white themes) with the next gen N95 8GB black theme and wondered how it would look on my E90. Pretty darned sexy is the answer - or at least, as sexy as it's possible for the E90 to get! Photo below.
If you've ever looked at an aspect of the Symbian or smartphone world and asked 'Why?', then you know exactly how I sometimes feel. This being Friday, here are some of my puzzlers for weekend pontification....
Nokia has announced Mail for Exchange 2.0, available now, for anyone using Microsoft Exchange Server with Nokia Eseries and selected Nseries devices. Version 2.0 "will improve the user experience" and offers access to meeting request handling and directory look-up, for the first time on a mobile device. The full press release follows...
If you love (like I do) live blogging from interesting events, keep an eye on Jay's My Nokia Blog this evening while he and other uber-bloggers party along with Nokia and WOM World. Bound to be some interesting photos and gossip...
The launch of Nokia's new marketing campaign for the likes of the US-spec N95, "Open to", is also made notable by the availability for sale in consumer electronics shops (well spotted Stefan), independent phone shops and chains (in addition to Nokia's own flagship stores). So far only stores in New York and San Francisco are listed, but you can bet this list will expand...
Samsung's S60 GPS phone, the SGH-i550 which has been rumoured for some time and was recently spotted at the IFA show in Berlin has now been officially announced. The i550 boasts an impressive specification with a built in GPS, 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, HSDPA connectivity, and a 3.5mm audio jack which suggests it will be positioned against the N95 as a multimedia all rounder. More information and pictures in the full story.
After my initial look at Adobe Reader 2.5, it became apparent that a comparison to the established third party offering Pdf+ was needed. And so, I give you a three way comparison, Adobe Reader 1.5 versus Adobe Reader 2.5 versus Pdf+ 1.68. Summary: this one's almost too close to call - but I called it anyway.