Recent News Headlines - Hardware
...and Canalys too, with touchscreen breakdown
Canalys stats are another important data point for the smartphone industry, they usually bring out something of interest. Here, in their 2009 summary, (mirroring Tomi's numbers and our analysis), they give Symbian-powered smartphones 47% world marketshare for the year, with RIM in second place on 20%. With their press release focussing on touchscreen numbers, Canalys points out that 55% of all smartphones sold in Q4, 2009 had touchscreens, with Nokia being the leading touchscreen smartphone manufacturer.
AAS Insight 104 - Symbian goes open source
In All About Symbian Insight 104 (AAS Podcast 168), Rafe and Steve start with a quick look ahead to Mobile World Congress and then round up a number of small news items, including multiple firmware updates (N97 mini, X6, 5730, E52), details of a new version of the Ovi Store client, information on Greystripe and the Ovi Store and the lowdown on 1.4 million Ovi Maps downloads. In the second half of the podcast we discuss the big news that the the open sourcing (EPL) of the Symbian platform (40 million lines of code) has been completed four months ahead of schedule. You can listen to AAS Insight 104 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Nokia X6 Firmware updated to v12
It’s been making its way around the various territories in the last few days, and now we’re happy to say that we have the updated firmware running on the Nokia X6 here at AAS (link to our review). The update to v12.0.091 can be installed (once available) either Over the Air or via the Nokia Software Updater on your PC. Even though your data should be preserved during the update, we would always recommend backing up any phone before an update is started.
IDC figures confirm SA and Tomi figures
Following on from Strategy Analytics and Tomi's stats for smartphone sales in the whole of 2009, summarised here by me last week, we now have confirmation, courtesy of the USA-based IDC, of the very latest Q4 2009 smartphone world unit sales: again, Nokia lead the market with 38% for its S60-based smartphones, while RIM's Blackberrys are in second place with 20%. Q1 2010 results will be even more interesting, expect these in the first week of April.
The Nokia N97 Story: Choosing Classic or Mini?
With the release of the new (v21 or v11, depending on the device) firmware for the Nokia N97 and N97 mini, both smartphones suddenly got distinctly more appealing, running more applications at once and with their software finally becoming 'fit for purpose'. So you like the unique, patented, hybrid form factor? So do I. But the big question is: which one should you buy? In this feature I look at every single difference between the two phones, commenting where needed and.... I try to pick an overall winner.
The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic gets the big v200 update
Thanks to Norman John for the heads-up on a big v200 firmware update to the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic. v200.12.87 is available both over the air and via NSU for unbranded phones in most parts of the world. As ever, network-branded phones may take a lot longer. Changes from the old v101 firmware include the Next-Gen version of Web and a multitude of performance tweaks.
Optimising (and rationalising) RAM on the Nokia N97
Steve Litchfield explores the world of RAM on the Nokia N97 and N97 mini, demonstrates that you can still multitask well over a dozen applications at once, discusses what Nokia got wrong and gives some pointers as to what you can do to keep things on the rails...
Nokia E52 v31.012 firmware now available
A new firmware update, version 31.012, is now available for the Nokia E52. The update is currently only available via Nokia Software Updater (PC). We've not noticed any major changes, but a number of bug fixes and small version updates to built in applications (Web, Email, Music Store, Maps) are included. The phone's noise cancellation parameters have also been updated, which should improve audio quality of calls.
Vivaz sample videos now online
In the run up to availability of review samples of the new Sony Ericsson (S60 5th Edition) Vivaz, it's interesting to see a batch of (admittedly YouTube-processed) sample videos - start with the last two (rock concert and radio control) - very impressive for a 'phone'. Thanks to Michael for the heads-up. I've embedded the r/c one below in case you just want a quick peek.
2009 Smartphone Stats Worldwide, Nokia and Symbian dominate but competition is fierce
Now that figures from (almost) all smartphone manufacturers are 'in' for Q4 2009, it's possible to look back over the entire year just finished. Was it an 'annus horribilis' for Nokia and for Symbian? Or was it a case of the market heading for a new equilibrium, in the face of new competition? Using figures collated by TomiAhonen Consulting and Strategy Analytics, I deliver my verdict.
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