With my tongue slightly in cheek and with the news that sheds(!) are now firmly back in fashion, I wanted to mention a growing trend in the tech world - that of fiddling, customising and tweaking. Of devices, of their firmware and of their software. It's all huge fun, of course, but if you want to keep your life on track and blood pressure down then I'd suggest having a second, fallback device, also synced to everything you know and love...
No, not a video editor, as the name might suggest, but rather an experimental way of jumping around your video collection. Working on any S60 5th Edition phone but so far only tested on the N97 and 5800, Nokia Video Cuts is available for trial and feedback now. I've included screenshots, links and an intro video below. If you like or dislike the app then please feedback to Nokia Beta Labs using the links they provide.
Skyfire, the proxy-based web browser which can handle Flash video, is reportedly tightening its belt, closing down its support, availability and operations in most countries from Thursday (1st July), according to Mobile Royale. A shutdown notice, curiously worded to only apply to Windows Mobile and Symbian users, is presented when attempting to use the browser [updated] anywhere other than the USA, the UK or Canada. [further update] There has now been an official Skyfire blog article on this, albeit with some mixed messages.
PhoneTorch has been one of the most popular utilities for S60 5th Edition for the last year - and users like myself have been pleading with the author Harald Meyer to say the magic words and sacrifice the necessary goats to the masters of Symbian Signed in order to get it working for S60 3rd Edition FP2 too. And it's finally here, using the dual LED flash lights to revolutionise your walk home from the pub or find your way around the house in the dark without waking everyone else by turning on the main lights. Links and more below.
Sports Tracking Technologies, the company behind Sports Tracker, has opened an online shop where you can buy a 'Polar WearLink transmitter with Bluetooth' (a heart rate monitor) for €69.99. If you're serious about tracking your exercise regime it is the must have accessory for Sports Tracker. The Sports Tracker application lets you track exercise activities and turns your Nokia smartphone into a GPS sports computer is available for S60 3rd Edition and S60 5th Edition devices (compatible with more than 100 million Nokia phones).
As you'll have been aware, HyperX and his team have been pumping out various Samsung i8910 HD 'alternative' firmware updates for many months now. 'HX6-Speed', released today in 'Public beta' form, effectively gives you the fastest Symbian touchscreen experience available - at least until the Nokia N8 arrives to challenge. There's a feature summary below, plus links and other comments.
Remember my review of Exclusion and the closing line of "I'm not yet convinced that collecting swirls to reveal a hidden picture adds anything to the game..." Turns out that this is only part of the bigger picture, as the Nokia Ovi Blog now reveal Exclusion is a gateway drug game into the Conspiracy for Good project. Developed by Nokia and Tim Kring, the writer of US TV series “Heroes”, it’s going to mix Alternative Reality Gaming (ARG) music, storytelling and other elements to “effect social change.”
Zahir Mahmood is, I suspect, a big Phones Show fan, partly because he links to my video podcast, but also not least because he's come up with his own take on the idea of postulating a number of smartphone use cases and then delivering a winner (or, in his case, a winner, a mid-level alternative and a budget suggestion) for each. His use cases are 'Photography and media capture', 'Entertainment and games', 'Office and work' and 'Internet world'. So familiar territory for me then, but his choices are both interesting and very Symbian-relevant.
Multiple IM client application Nimbuzz has been updated to v2.4. This client now has closer ties with your smartphone’s address book, adds kinetic scrolling throughout the interface for touch enabled devices, has finer options to control Twitter update, and the ability to limit usage while roaming. More below.
IM and voice network specialist app Skype is now available on the Sony Ericsson S60 handsets. Usable over WiFi or cellular data connections, you can download the application direct to your handset by visiting skype.com/m in your browser. Skype is, of course, also available for many Nokia S60 devices via the Ovi Store.
Nokia’s Nseries Blog has an N97 mini to give away as part of the promotion of the N97 Owners Club widget. All you need to do is let the team know (via a comment on the blog or Twitter) the “most unusual use you’ve ever found for your Nokia device.”
The website for Sports Tracker, an application which turns your phone into a GPS sports computer, is now accepting pre-registrations for its online service. The online service will allow you to upload workouts (tracks) from your phone to be visualised, analysed and shared on the website. By registering now you can reserve the username you wish to use, get a notification when the site will goes live, and import your existing Nokia Sports Tracker data.
Thanks to a heads-up, we've learned that TV CatchUp, a free, on-demand all-channels system for UK residents, is now working with Symbian OS and Web. It's a public beta, so expect a few things not to work properly. Point Web at m.tvcatchup.com, sign up for a new account, and away you go. More details below.
With the football World Cup 2010 (eh, what, is something happening today?) starting this evening and going on for all eternity a month, you'll be wondering how you can keep track of the goings on in South Africa on your smartphone. Whether out and about or on the sofa, there are plenty of options to keep you informed and entertained. Read on for some suggestions.
The Nokia 5228, a variant of the Nokia 5230 was launched in Germany yesterday, reports Symbian World. The 5228 has the same styling and design as the Nokia 5230 and broadly similar specifications. However it lacks the 5230's 3G cellular radio and integrated GPS. It ships with a range of Ovi services including Ovi Store and Nokia Music Store. The Nokia 5228 will be available in July 2010 at a price of €139 including taxes.