It's always good to get new developers contacting us. In this case, it's Anthony Rich, with the donation-ware Graphing Calculator, screenshotted and linked below. It's Java-based and optimised for smaller screens - it's also clearly early in development, I'm sure Anthony would be happy with some feedback and suggestions right about now if this is something you'd have a use for.
In All About Symbian Insight podcast no. 112, Ewan returns with a bang and, together with Steve and Rafe, brings you up to date with developments in the Symbian world. We start with news of the WordPress Symbian client, the beta release of Nokia Bots and the recent upgrades to Nokia's Ovi Store. In the second half of the podcast there are hardware thoughts on the Sony Ericsson Vivaz (Steve) and Nokia 5230 (Ewan). You can listen to AAS Insight 112 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Nokia today announced the availability of Ovi Maps 3.3 (3.03) for the Nokia E71 and E66. The updated version brings the free worldwide pedestrian and car navigation edition of Ovi Maps to these devices. Nokia says the release is a result of listening to consumer feedback: 'you spoke, we listened', says the press release. The E71 and E66 versions do not include the Lonely Planet guides due to technical constraints, but the core navigation offering is the same as that found on more recent devices.
As a commenter in yesterday's story pointed out, the fact the Nokia totally broke their Ovi Store yesterday does have a potential upside: until things get fixed up, content aimed at specific devices is now available to other devices. Potentially dangerous, but one highlight is that the official Facebook client, only ratified previously for the E71 and E72, is now offered for other S60 3rd Edition devices. Grab it while you can. Screenshots below of it running on the N86, for example.
You'll have seen my previous 'retro' article, looking at pimping the Nokia E61i, an early 2007 device that can now be picked up for pocket money but which still has a unique form factor. The same applies, but 'in spades', to the Nokia E90, released only a few months after the E61i but sporting the full Communicator form and also S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, plus SDHC support. Like the E61i, it too had a few performance bottlenecks, so how did I get on pimping the Nokia E90 to 2010 standards and might it possibly challenge the mighty (ahem) N97?
In All About Symbian Insight 111 (AAS Podcast 175), Rafe and Steve talk about the outstanding value provided by the Nokia 5230 (highlighting T-Mobile's recent offer). We also look at Mobile Documents, with an emphasis on its file streaming technology, as well as Shazam's 1 million downloads from Ovi Store, the Nokia 6788i and MM-Ovi Store before considering some listener questions. You can listen to AAS Insight 111 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Nokia have tweaked the Ovi Store with some changes that should prove popular to most users; clearer information about the content you are browsing, more stars when rating applications, and review devices noted. Read on for more about these changes, including screens and info on a new Ovi Store client.
Here and Now has formally graduated from Beta Labs and is now available for selected devices. Here and Now finds weather, movies and restaurants (etc) around you and has been in an extremely long Beta Labs test, but has now been released for S60 5th Edition and selected 3rd Edition smartphones via Ovi Store and Software Update, restricted because of the version of Web needed. Wider device compatibility in the future is promised. Some details below.
Shazam announced today that its music recognition application has been downloaded by over one million Nokia users from the Ovi Store since its launch in August last year. The Shazam app has been downloaded in more than 200 different markets onto over 40 different handsets. Read on for further details, a video interview and a demo with Shazam's Iain Dendle at MWC 2010, together with some additional App Store commentary.
Mobile Documents was one of the star performers at today's DEMO conference. Richard Bloor takes a first look at this mobile email and documents solution from Sweden’s Visiarc. The application implements patent pending “cherry picking” technology, which promises a better way to manage email and their attachments on your mobile device. Read on, in our feature article, for more details.
In All About Symbian Insight 110 (AAS Podcast 174), Rafe and Steve share news of the arrival of Ovi Map's free navigation on the N86, and the release of the Silverlight for Symbian Beta. Steve tells us about a community firmware release for the Samsung i8910 and introduces a discussion on the death of Wayfinder; Rafe talks about Navteq True (next generation digital mapping data collection) and shares some initial thoughts on Windows Phone 7 Series. You can listen to AAS Insight 110 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Navteq, at Mobile World Congress 2010, showed off their new mapping collection system called Navteq True. The system, which is placed on top of a vehicle, combines a LIDAR system, multiple panoramic cameras, and positioning (GPS and IMU) sensors. Navteq is part of Nokia and its digital mapping products underlie numerous location products and services, including Ovi Maps. In this video we get a closer look at the system, see some of the data it collects and find out what implications it has for digital maps.
Ovi Maps 3.3, with free navigation, is now available for the Nokia N86. The new version is available via the SW Update application (listed as 'Ovi Maps with free navigation') and is 8240kb in size. As stated previously, Nokia are making Ovi Maps 3.3 available across selected S60 3.2 devices, step-by-step, either via direct download or via firmware updates. Read on for a few screenshots and a compass tip.
Having linked your YouTube and Google accounts last year, YouTube has now enforced the use of the latter's password for signing into YouTube from mobile clients such as the Symbian/S60 version (available in, for example, the Ovi Store and on m.google.com). Screens and more info below.
Our latest MWC video is a tour around the Qt stand, looking at some of the Qt-enabled devices - from phones to printers and appliances. Mobile developers and users have been hearing more and more about Qt in the last 18 months. It is the future application framework for both Symbian and MeeGo (Nokia's two open platforms going forward). However, as this video demonstrates, Qt is already a well established technology and the 'Qt everywhere' slogan has already been realised.