In this feature article on location based search services and software (also known as searching the world around you) Steve gives a round up, with real world examples, of the current state of the market. With options from Nokia, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Yell he asks what software or service options performs best? Read on to find out.
Nimbuzz, the all-in-one communication software which we mentioned a few weeks ago, has now formally launched. In addition to its own network, Nimbuzz supports instant messaging and voice calls for Skype, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM and Jabber. Recent additions include support for true VoIP when making voice calls on S60 devices. The functionality is used when you use NimBuzz to make a voice call to one of your IM contacts. Read on for screens and more.
You've got to admire some developers for the way they manage to release their titles across the range of smartphone platforms, in this case at least five varieties on Symbian OS. Attila Katona has been reviewing Herocraft's new Hexxagon Labs strategy game (think Othello but six-sided) on S60 and comes away quite impressed.
For UIQ 3 users who fancied using the alternative contact manager DreamConnect 3 (see our review here), there's a new version available (3.60) which adds extra touch support, plus feature and performance enhancements which make the already intuitive DreamConnect 3 even more user-friendly. Read on for more info and screens.
Guest writer 'Snoyt' takes us expertly through the wonderful world of music compression, to explain how you can get thousands of music tracks on your smartphone, efficiently and in CD quality, using the eAAC+ codec rather than bog standard ol' MP3... Who needs an Apple iPod?
GooSync's beta test for full Contacts sync through to Google Contacts just went live. It's a closed beta, so please don't email me for extra links or privileges. Below, I've tried to illustrate how it all works and some of the implications of syncing with the big G. The beta test, if the Tasks beta was anything to go by, should last a month or so.
UIQ Technology today announced that Dr. Colin Tucker has been appointed to the position of Non-Executive Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors of UIQ Technology. Other members of the board come from UIQ's owners, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. Dr. Tucker has previsouly held executive positions at a number of mobile companies including Orange and Hutchison.
If you're a retro fan, you'll be pleased to know that Krisse has done a huge update of our feature on emulators for S60 3rd Edition devices (and quite a few of them work on UIQ3 too). If you're hankering after having a Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amstrad CPC, NES, SNES, ColecoVision, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Sega Master System, Game Gear or MAME arcade machine in your pocket... you've come to the right place.
In a tutorial for beginners, and with plenty of real world examples, I look at some practical photo-taking tips for your multi-megapixel smartphone when conditions are less than perfect... and I explain that adjusting the photo later in software is cheating - but often helps a lot!
Ricky Cadden, over on Mobile Burn, takes a long hard look at the Sony Ericsson W960 Walkman phone, and finds a mixed bag, from a bright screen to a cheap stylus, a poor camera interface and of course a long look at music playback functionality, which gets a strong thumbs up albeit with a wish for a built in 3.5mm headphone socket and the ability to playback by genre. Ultimately the W960 comes up short in Cadden's estimation with a poor user interface, slow USB transfer and clunky camera to blame.
CoreCodec just announced the availability of version 1.24 of its CorePlayer Mobile for all platforms including S60 3rd Edition and UIQ 3. The YouTube support might not be interesting for some S60 3rd Edition users but for the UIQ 3 community, it is the icing on the cake because for the first time, FLV videos can be played on UIQ 3 smartphones without conversion. See below for UIQ 3 screenshots, links and comments.
Phone game developers Astraware have released the nautical adventure game Hidden Expedition: Titanic for Symbian S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3 smartphones. You can find out more about the game and purchase it on its official S60v3 page or official UIQ3 page. Naturally we'll be bringing you a review in due course. Astraware also asked us to mention that they're looking for S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3 beta game testers. Click on the headline for screenshots...
It's Insight time, covering News, the MOSH ad-sponsored games, Adobe Open Screen Project and we (shock, horror) actually try to answer a user-submitted question, talking about whether Nokia could be more aggressive in the US market. Plus, Rafe reports back from the Nokia Design Studio Day in London. You can listen (and subscribe) to Insight number 23 here.
Yesterday Adobe announced the details of the Open Screen Project. This will see Adobe, in conjunction with partners, create a consistent 'rich Internet experience' across televisions, PCs, mobile devices and other consumer electronics using future evolutions of its Flash and Air platforms. Adobe will open up Flash and Air by releasing more technical information and removing license fees and format restrictions for Air and Flash.
Attila's been playing Herocraft's newly revived (from the Java version) Revival, now for S60 and UIQ, non-stop since it came out. Here's his review of this sumptuous and unsurprisingly deep strategy game. Revival isn't for quick-fix players, but Sid Meier fans will leap for joy.