Of course, Jaiku's been in such a moribund state since Google bought it that it's arguably not as earth-shattering - we now have a world where Twitter is king of the microblog and Google's own Maps/Latitude is arguably king of location sharing. But location-aware blogging tool Jaiku still has a place in many people's hearts and news is just in that not only is Jaiku now Open Source and running on its final destination server (Google App Engine) but a new S60 native (and presumably also Open Source) client is also coming very soon. Can't wait.
Gameloft's action adventure Prince Of Persia is now available on the N-Gage platform. Go to your phone's N-Gage application's showroom tab, select "Options" and then "Update Now" to see it. For more info about the N-Gage platform including a list of compatible devices, see All About N-Gage's FAQ section.
In All About Symbian Insight 62 (AAS Podcast 118) we briefly discuss the recently released S60 5.0 SDK (and consider broader uses), follow up on kinetic scrolling on the N97, get Ewan's view point on Monopoly for the N-Gage. In the last part of the podcast Steve and Ewan relate their experience of video recording on the N85 versus the N95. You can listen to AAS Insight 62 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
The Nokia Events site is showcasing an upcoming Nokia virtual launch (online only) event, which is related to music. It's likely we'll hear about new XpressMusic device(s), as well well as updates around Nokia's music strategy. The announcement will be made at 10am CET (9am GMT). DRM-free music in the Nokia Music Store, updates to Comes with Music, new market roll out plans, price cuts? Let the speculation begin!
TextArt is a new 'generative' text-to-MMS applet from Nokia, ostensibly for the E71 but working on other qwerty devices such as the E63 and E90, I'm sure. It's Java-based, but don't let that put you off. Eye-candy, to be sure, but cool. (via NC)
It is just a matter of time before the Nokia Music Store (purchase per track) goes DRM free, but reports from Nokia's 'Comes with Music' launch in Singapore cite Adam Mirabella, Director of Global Digital Music Retail at Nokia, as saying DRM free music is also 'on the roadmap for the future integration of Comes With Music'. Clearly such a move is still some time away and the statement is not definitive, but it's a sign of how keen Nokia is to push its music offerings.
In All About Symbian Insight 61 (AAS Podcast 117) we look back at some of the software highlights of MWC (including a quick N97 mention), discuss the Nokia Netbook rumours / ideas, talk about Ovi Contacts and go over the latest N-Gage developments. You can listen to AAS Insight 55 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Thanks to a clever developer DOSBox, a DOS emualtor, has been ported to S60. This could potentially give you access to an essential applications from the past as well as a variety of games such as Tank Wars or Prince of Persia. Less usefully, given the speeds involved, it also means is now possible to run Windows 3.1 (and possibly Windows 95 too) on your phone.
The beta of Ovi Contacts (the service formerly known as Contacts on Ovi, which was formerly known as Nokia Chat...!) has been updated for S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 phones (e.g. the Nokia N96 and N85). For existing users, there are no major feature additions, but a number of bugs have been fixed and the application and service is more stable, which should broaden its appeal. Read on for a quick look at Ovi Contacts.
It seems that Samsung Mobile Innovator's team signed a version of Python for S60 a few weeks ago - and then forgot to tell anyone. You can grab it here, look for post no. 10. Note that this isn't a complete system, in that there's no signed 'Script shell', so you can't run scripts directly. However, Python apps packaged properly as SIS files should now work OK on the Samsung INNOV8 and i7110, which is a good start. Screens below the break. Now, Samsung programming wizards, how about a working firmware update mechanism, eh?
Working on the venerable Nokia N95, N82 and E90 (and compatibles - but not the newer devices with different chipsets), Nokia Magnifier is a new free utility that automates the use of a smartphone camera in focussing 'close-up' mode to provide a virtual magnifying glass, for looking at small print, for example. Video below the break.
Slightly different format for the podcast this week as Rafe is in Barcelona. Steve and Ewan pick up the reins to talk about the announcements and products on show at the Mobile World Congress in the AAS Podcast #113. In Monday's recap, they set the scene, talk about the annoncements from Sony Ericsson, and discuss Nokia's Monday morning press conference.
