Ewan's been trying out a Bluetooth novelty. BlueRader will scan for specific Bluetooth smartphones in your vicinity and alert you when they're close by. Plenty of suggestions for use and a few caveats in Ewan's review. (There's also a S60 3rd Edition in development, by the way)
I've been sent a trio of Krusell designer cases for S60 3rd Edition smartphones. Here's my joint review of the three. Don't worry, they'll all be there on the AAS door prize table at the October pre-Expo pub meet!
Steve Litchfield looks at the Nokia N80 and finds that cutting edge specifications do not automatically give the N80 the title of best S60 smartphone. Here's the review. Update: there's now a video review, too, as part of Smartphones Show programme 12.
N-Gage and N-Gage QD owners can now buy and download the rather excellent N-Gage exclusive arcade game Mile High Pinball for just €9.99 from Nokia's online gameshop. Hopefully this heralds the start of more sensible pricing on Nokia's behalf, and some excellent value titles for N-Gage owners.
Route 66 have announced actual availability of its Mobile 7 satellite navigation package for all S60 3rd Edition smartphones and confirmed more details. It comes in both software-only and full kit form (miniSD or MMC Mobile). A review is in progress, but in the meantime, the official press release follows...
Ewan Spence reviews Checkers for S60 3rd Edition and finds an immaculately presented and pitched version of the board classic, spoilt only by an unintuitive piece moving system.
The ever reliable Jukka over at the S60.com Multimedia blog has been given a Nokia N92 to play with and has written about his experiences so far. Whether or not the N92 makes it to market in its current form, the comments still make for interesting reading.
Here is the AAS Week in Review. Recognising that it's easy to miss a few days and fall behind with what's new on All About Symbian, we do a weekly round-up of new content and news on the site in the last 7 or so days. If you're really pushed for time, this is the weekly list of articles and links to check out.
Steve shows how easy it is to publish your thoughts to the world with this 'How to' on blogging from your smartphone, using nothing more than the built-in Contacts and Messaging applications.
It seems that DVB-H digital TV is still some way off yet, dashing hopes that (for example) the Nokia N92 might arrive late summer. Nokia has announced yet another trial, this time in Sweden, in the last quarter of 2006. We're guessing that implementing country-wide DVB-H isn't as straightforward as we first thought. Press release follows...
Wayfinder is now availale for S60 3rd Edition devices. Wayfinder is a GPS navigation and mapping solution for mobile phones. In contrast to other navigation system Wayfinder downloads mapping data and routing information over the air. This means Wayfinder requires far less installation space and maps are often more up to date. However a 3G, WiFi or GPRS connection is required to download data. A free 5 day trial is available from the Wayfinder web site.
Route 66 Mobile 7, a GPS navigation and mapping solution, is now available for S60 3rd Edition devices. Route 66 allows you to navigate by following on screen directions/maps and spoken prompts. Features include free real time traffic information, automatic re-routing when you diverge from pre-planned route, and an address book look-up with fuzzy search and (in theory) full postcode support at last. We will be reviewing Route 66 on S60 3rd Edition next week.
The rise and rise in demand for memory cards for smartphones seems to have sparked a huge industry in fake 'brand name' memory cards, mainly originating from the Far East. if you're about to buy a card, it's worth reading my advice about this over on 3-Lib. Feel free to name drop reputable local suppliers in the comments below this item.
Bill Ray, over at El Reg, has penned a useful editorial on the problems facing Nokia and Sony Ericsson as new users pick up version 3 handsets and find that a large proportion of 'Series 60' and 'UIQ' software doesn't work. As ever, user education is the key here and both manufacturers and developers need to spell the third party software situation out for beginners, in my opinion.
Ewan's been asked for his recommendations of the first podcasts to try for new Nokia N91 owners - here's his reply. Note that podcasts are equally applicable to any other smartphones with Wi-Fi or unmetered 3G connections.
