Live streaming video from a S60 handset is something that only Ewan (on the AAS team) has any real world experience of - so we set him to compare the latest versions from the two main contenders, head to head. Qik vs Flixwagon. Ewan helpfully provides a couple of live-ish example videos too, so that you get the idea.
Quite scandalous really, my sympathies go out to S60-theme-supremo PiZero in his tale of woe with Handango and with the criminal fraternity. Summary: people are re-selling his free themes for profit - you'd better read the full story over at PiZero's site. How on earth do these rip-off-merchant's minds work?
The 6220 Classic was officially released several months ago, but in real life there seem to have been severe supply problems in many countries including Finland, and it's actually been relatively difficult to get one compared to other recent S60 models. However, the Finnish online electronics shop Verkkokauppa now has the 6220 Classic listed as in stock for the first time, which possibly signifies the end of the shortages.
I'm sure some of you will be wondering about the software supplied by Samsung for the i8510 CD - it turns out it's a tweaked version of Nokia PC Suite. There are several things worth noting though, so I sat down to grab screenshots and give you a quick walkthrough of PC Studio - Samsung's way.
Just another quick note from Nick Anstee that the N96 has now been added to Nokia's Mac support site, meaning that Multimedia Transfer and iSync are now a reality for Mac-owning N96 purchasers.
Guest writer Nick Anstee is pleasantly surprised by the audio quality from Nokia's latest Bluetooth accessory - the pair of MD-7W speakers. Here's his full review. We hope you're enjoying seeing Nick's writings - if you have acquired something interesting that you'd like to vent about in a formal review, do get in touch!
A quick pointer to a little web-based game from Nokia's Maps team, over on their 'Mapsters' mini-site. You are asked to pinpoint cities on a world map against the clock, with prizes of Nokia 6210s and navigation licenses.
Stuff.tv are pretty prolific in their video output, often visiting smartphone territory - in this show they look at 5 of the top camera-phones, including the Nokia N82. Despite not having as many (gimmicky?) features as the opposition, the N82 seemed to come out overall winner (if the other presenter could have picked it as well, I think she would have).
The advantages and disadvantages of lens covers on camera-equipped phones is a hotly debated topic. Recent Nseries devices have seen a mix: N78, N95 8GB and N96 (no lens cover) versus N79, N85 and N95 classic (with lens cover). In the first in a series of articles on contentious camera issues, Steve looks at the question of whether scratches on the camera's protective glass really make a difference.
There's an interesting interview here, on SymbianOne, with The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), who are behind the transitions and other animated elements in S60 3rd Edition FP2 and also, apparently, behind the Samsung i450's novel Music player application. While you're visiting you might also want to read this piece on a UIQ developer's perspective on the Symbian Foundation. Both are well worth a read over lunch or tea!
Every S60 3rd edition handset will now be able to run the Mail for Exchange application, Nokia have announced. That's a total of 43 handsets,across the Nseries, Eseries and regular S60 range. With MS-Exchange a popular corporate mail and syncing solution, removing the software barriers to any S60 device being able to run this application is a sensible move, and should help in a number of markets, including the USA. Read the full story for a video discussing the news.
UPDATE: Nokia have formally announced this, and Rogers will initially integrate Nokia Maps and the N-Gage service to their High-Speed Network. Ewan MacLeod is over at CTIA, and has posted an intersting tit-bit on Mobile Industry Review, namely that Canadian network Rogers will be "taking their [Nokia's] Ovi platform." I'm sure Ewan will post up more on this later, but for now, having Nokia provide the phone and the network software (even if it is just Ovi Sync) should raise eyebrows in a number of quarters.
Today, in an online event, Nokia summarised and demonstrated its recent additions to the Ovi.com service offering: Ovi Suite - a PC software offering media management and phone sync, Files on Ovi - an online file storage and remote access to PC files, and Ovi Sync - a service which syncs contacts, calendar events and notes to Ovi.com. Read on for more details.
Our daughter site, All About N-Gage (AAN), has launched a new section: Unofficial Games. It is a listing of some of the best stand alone S60 games. Each entry has a brief description, download link, and, in most cases, link to an in depth review. Don't forget, you can also find all sorts of in-depth N-Gage focused content in the other sections of AAN.
Hotelzon, a corporate hotel online booking company, has launched a native S60 search and booking tool, Hotelzon Mobile, with GPS integration. All very swish, and well implemented, if a little over the top for something with less than 300 UK hotels in its portfolio. Still, a good effort, and a pointer, for others, as to the way things should be done in the future. Screenshots and links below.