The Nokia E61i just scored a victory by being PDA Essentials magazine's Group Test Winner in its seven page 'Email smartphones' feature, in issue 64, out now in the UK and selected world destinations. PDA Essentials concluded that 'the excellent voice quality and immense battery life helped tip it that one step higher to take the top spot in a field of mobile messaging monsters'.
The Nokia Research Center has released the Nokia Computer Vision Library (NCV). NCV builds on Symbian OS on S60 to provide additional imaging related functionality to developers for use in third party applications. The library includes motion sensing from the camera (for use in games), advanced image capture functions (algorithm constructions, panorama) and image post processing functions (morphing, image compositing).
AAS's Steve Litchfield has long been very sceptical about touchscreen-based phones, but the iPhone's new technology touchscreen and User Interface have wholeheartedly converted him to the concept. However, he's not impressed by the iPhone's lack of features and immature Operating System, and thinks this is where Symbian has the upper hand. Click on the link to read Steve's vision of a future where smartphones combine the best of both worlds, with iPhone-style interfaces and Symbian-style cutting edge features.
The Tao of Mac has some good advice on how Nokia should address the challenge of the iPhone , and generally sort out S60 for the consumer market. I particularly enjoyed agreeing with them on "The Series 60 UI is Horrendously Complex." Finland is probably drafting a reply right now... to point out they call it S60 now. As to the other issues, time will tell.
Well, that's the theory anyway. See here for details. Apparently, v1.05(4) is a customised version of Google Maps for Mobile that takes your position from Vodafone's cell network. Except that it did nothing for me. Comments welcome if you manage to get it working on your Vodafone SIM-ed smartphone....
LocatioNet has launched amAze, 'the UK's first free mobile mapping, navigation and local search solution', with voice guidance, maps and satellite imagery. As with Google Maps for Mobile, it's Java-based with heavy reliance on a data connection, but it's reported to work with both Bluetooth GPS and built-in receivers. The press release and link follow....
I doubt most Nokia N76 buyers in the UK (it's been an exclusive with Vodafone, remember) were reading my review, so I'd love to know the reasons given by users, but a reliable source is quoted as saying that "Vodafone has decided to withdraw the Nokia N76 with immediate effect. This is due to the high level of customer returns of the phone." Can anyone at Vodafone fill in more detail?
In a not-too-surprising statment, Nokia has announced the intention to equip all of its future devices that have built-in GPS with 'Assisted GPS' (using satellite ephemeris info, loaded over a data connection to give the GPS locking procedure a big head start - see also my feature on Assisted GPS technology). This includes the N95 now, of course, through the v12 firmware update, though watch out for the keypress bug.
OK, so I got my hands on an Apple iPhone for a while (it's had to go back now... sob). Lovely piece of kit, but what I really wanted to know was how it would stack up against the Nokia E61i (effectively one of the smartphones ridiculed by Steve Jobs as 'having too much plastic'). Smartphones Show 38 is the result. Oh, and I threw in the W950i as well, to add some music focus... Links: YouTube, MP4 format, RSS. Enjoy...
Now this is interesting. Ratza in our forums has determined that the Nokia E70's camera (the same as that in the likes of the N70 and a dozen other S60 smartphones?) is optimised to focus at 1 metre, rather than infinity, as was previously presumed. He's even knocked up a Python script to prove the point.... More in the forum thread!
WOM World has been asked to pass on the following warning from the Healthy Computing Volunteer Group to Rafe, myself and anybody else thinking of using the Nokia N95. Video link...
AAS's Steve Litchfield has long been very sceptical about touchscreen-based phones, but the iPhone's new technology touchscreen and User Interface have wholeheartedly converted him to the concept. However, he's not impressed by the iPhone's lack of features and immature Operating System, and thinks this is where Symbian has the upper hand. Click on the link to read Steve's vision of a future where smartphones combine the best of both worlds, with iPhone-style interfaces and Symbian-style cutting edge features.
How do you case the world's best selling smartphone? Not easily, as Steve finds out in his latest in-depth, real world case trial, looking at accessories for the Nokia N95. Comments welcome if you've found something better!