After months of struggling with low RAM (in which CellPhoneSoft came up with RAMblow) on the Nokia N97 and N97 mini, we now have firmware for most N97 product codes that has more free RAM and handles memory much better. Still, the appearance of RAMblow, screenshotted, linked and detailed below, may help anyone trying to clear extra RAM for a big game, for those whom the new firmware has not yet been released and for those with other devices with RAM problems.
Ovi Maps Racing is now available in the Ovi Store and, for a limited time, it is available for free. The game, which is available for Nokia's S60 5th Edition (Symbian^1) phones, is a top down style racer. The aim is to set the fastest possible lap times. There's a number of built in tracks with global leader boards, but the standout feature of the game is the ability to create your own tracks based on your current location. Using Ovi Maps (Navteq) mapping data you can create, and then race on, a track based on the map of your home town. Read on for more details.
In All About Symbian Insight 103 (AAS Podcast 167), the team start with news of Nokia's Q4 results, which saw an encouraging 5% upswing in smartphone market share (QoQ). We then discuss the Apple iPad news, which leads into a discussion of the importance of service ecosystems. Finally there's news of Skyfire and listener questions on advertising subsidies and dual boot devices. You can listen to AAS Insight 103 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Ewan takes a look at a new 'TV' system for Symbian smartphones, 'Television', from digital media specialists Makayama. The lawyer in him wants to take the app to task for a misleading name and the consumer in him wants to take it to task for some channel errors and outdate content. But, overall, it's a competent video on demand applet that largely delivers what it (almost) says on the tin...
Not to be left out, the Nokia N97 mini also got a firmware update today, with very similar content to its bigger brother. Version 11.0.045 is only (so far) available via NSU as a 160MB download. Comments welcome if you can add to the changelog/overview below
Nokia Beta Labs has debuted a utility for both S60 3rd Edition and 5th Edition phones to enable the editing of words in your phone's predictive text dictionary, a long-awaited function. You are also able to import and export the custom dictionary, meaning you can transfer it from one phone to another. There's a video to explain what's covered and links below.
Well, it missed the original rumoured deadline (last Thursday), but it's here now - v21.0.045 firmware for the Nokia N97 (classic), available via NSU as a 143MB download, featuring 'better call reliability and smoother touchscreen scrolling'. Comments welcome if you can add to the changelog/overview below. In view of the limited free space on disk C:, see below for my installation recommendations. (The previous firmware version was v20, the first to bring in Symbian^2-like full kinetic scrolling in all screens.)
A hat tip to Andrew Seftel for spotting the Nokia 5230 on Vodafone pay-as-you-go in the UK for £99. This, as far as we know, is the first instance of a non-contract S60 5th Edition smartphone coming in at under £100, a staggering price point. And incredible value given that the 5230 is one of the Ovi Maps Free Navigation handsets. So 3.2" display-equipped touchscreen smartphone and worldwide free navigation all for under a ton, with no contract, no obligations. What do you think?
Just a note that Phones Show 101, out now, has an interesting interview with the CEO of Vlingo, the email/text/search voice recognition system for Symbian, talking about how it works on the likes of the Nokia N97 and the future for voice. There's also my extended take on the hottest new competition for Nokia and Symbian, the Google Nexus One. Can Android 2.1 make up for the hardware shortcomings?
We live in interesting times. Nokia and Symbian (in particular) are regularly savaged in the tech press, yet managed to turn in (on Thursday) a surprisingly positive set of results, with over a billion Euros profit in Q4 2009 and with their smartphone market share up (not down, as the analysts would have you believe) 5%, worldwide. Read on for my thoughts on how Nokia has managed this particular feat and on why Symbian's market share is also not going away anytime soon - it's all a question of RANGE.
Are you in Kuala Lumpur in early February? Or are you planning to be there? Asri al-Baker is organising the first KLSS (Kuala Lumpur Symbian Stammtisch) and would like to call all Symbian enthusiasts in Kuala Lumpur and the nearby places to attend. Full details below. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Stammtisch is apparently German for 'regular get together' or 'pub meet', and is a term you'll start to see quite a bit in the Symbian Foundation's activities.
Standing up in front of the world’s press, or quietly letting the numbers be published and just nudging people to draw their own conclusions? In their own ways, both Apple and Nokia this week laid claim to be the “the biggest company in mobile devices.” Steve took the stage, and Olli-Pekka left it to the annual results. And they were both right. Read on.
Nokia has released their Q4 2009 results, reporting an operating profit of EUR 1.141 billion, with net sales EUR 12 billion (down 5% YoY). Nokia's device and service division's profits were EUR 1.14 billion, up 130% year on year. Margins in devices and services were 14.9% (up 5.5% YoY and 3.5% QoQ). Converged devices sales (smartphone) were 20.8 million, compared with 15.1 million units in Q4 2008 and 16.4 million units in Q3 2009. As such, worldwide converged device ('smartphone') marketshare increased from 35% to 40% sequentially.
David Gilson and Panashe Ngwerume review the new Rseven online sync and backup service, uncovering a number of browser compatibility issues that the developers need to address. They find the beta-status Rseven understandably immature from a functionality standpoint, requiring more development in order to deliver its aims and ambitions in a modern multi-platform environment, but Panashe in particular calls the service a 'gem', implying that there's great potential here for the future.
Just a note that Tim Salmon and I went rather overboard on Symbian-powered phones in the latest Phones Show Chat, no. 23, here. Though in theory cross platform, we found ourselves debating Nokia N97 mini, Samsung i8910 HD, Sony Ericsson Satio and even Nokia N85, in the usual mix of review material, Q&A, tips and rants. If you want to subscribe in Podcasting, here's the feed to add.
