Now online is the second of my beginner's guides to smartphones - Getting started with the Nokia 5530. Again, it's not aimed at hard core AAS readers. This is one to point new 5530 owner/friends to. Also updated is 'Getting started with the Nokia 5230', following your comments and feedback. I hope this growing series will prove useful to newbies throughout 2010.
In All About Symbian Insight 115 Ewan, Steve and Rafe share their thoughts on the China bound Nokia C5-01 and Nokia X5 (TD-SCDMA handsets for China Mobile). We also take a detailed look at Nokia's Q1 2010 financial results with discussion of Nokia's Symbian^3 plans. Finally we cover Offscreen's 25 million Ovi Store downloads. You can listen to AAS Insight 115 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Version 50 firmware, that is! Guest writer Jon Satherley has been a long time user of the Nokia 5800 and below he puts into print his summary and brief thoughts on the version 50 firmware that has given the device yet another new lease of life, along with his intentions to try another smartphone platform.
Today Nokia introduced the Nokia C5 for TD-SCDMA (C5-01), an affordable and classically styled candy bar smartphone. It runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 on Symbian OS 9.3 and features a 5 megapixel camera and stainless steel materials. It ships with support for a number of services including 139 mail box, Fetion IM, MM Ovi Store and a range of pre-loaded content. The C5 for TD-SCDMA will be available, in China, from Q3 2010.
Nokia today announced the Nokia X5 for TD-SCDMA, a mid-range music focused handset for the Chinese market. It runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 on Symbian 9.3 and features a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, a dedicated music key allowing one touch access to CMCC Music and ships with a range of services including MM-Ovi Store and Fetion IM. The Nokia X5 for TD-SCDMA will become available, in China, during Q2 2010.
With the arrival chez-Phones-Show, Spring 2010, of the Sony Ericsson X10, the very latest from the world of Android smartphones, I wanted to pitch it head to head against the current flagship in the Symbian world, the Samung i8910 HD. On paper, there's a good match here... Smartphones to your corners: Fight!
A major new firmware, version 31.023, is now available for the Nokia E72. The update introduces several new pre-installed applications: Ovi Sync, Advance Communication Manager, Smart Connect, and Internet radio. Additionally, a number of the core applications have been updated including Ovi Maps (free navigation and location sharing version), Web (to version 7.2), and Ovi Store. There are also the usual bug (e.g. the spacebar bug) and performance fixes. Read on for further details and screenshots.
If you're in the 'why can't Nokia do a camera phone with 18 megapixels and 10x optical zoom?' camp then Nokia imaging supremo Damian Dinning (the guy behind the N73, N82 and N86) waxes lyrical here on the impracticalities of fitting such optics, sensor and supporting elements into a phone form factor. These things, as you'll see, are always a lot more complicated than meets the eye!
In the run up to their Q1 2010 earnings call, Nokia are getting a number of firmware updates out the door. The Nokia E51 has now had a big update, from v300.34.56 to v410.34.001 firmware, available as a 80MB download through Nokia Software Update or Ovi Suite. A full backup and restore is needed for the E51, since it's old enough not to have User Data Preservation.
No, not a cheap attempt at Google search traffic on male enhancements, but another serious look at the ever changing, ever growing statistic that is phone screen size. Steve Litchfield looks at devices and use cases past and present, from Psion Series 5 to Apple Newton to Dell Axim to Nokia 7710 and through to the Samsung i8910 HD in the current day. Initially cautious over whether phones might get too big, Steve points out that a 4" display is more a 1995 phenomenon than a 2010 one....
In All About Symbian Insight 114 Ewan, Steve and Rafe share their thoughts on Nokia's announcement of the Nokia C6 and Nokia E6. We also shares news of Sony Ericsson's Q1 2010 results, the renewal of Sports Tracker, firmware updates for various phones and Numo Solution's Ovi Store success. You can listen to AAS Insight 114 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
In a blatant attempt to overthrow me as 'chief AAS case reviewer'(!), Ewan takes on SCreate's Executive Wallet Case for the Nokia X6. Thankfully, he's as fussy as me when it comes to wanting a great case and this one seems to fall distinctly short in a few areas. Watch this space for more X6 case reviews from the bearded one.
In a late-breaking(!) addition to his extended Camera Nitty Gritty series, Steve Litchfield looks at the EDoF cameras in some of Nokia's S60 smartphones, explains how the Extended Depth of Field technology works and compares performance to traditional focussing units. With photographic examples, he shows how choosing EDoF for the upcoming E5 was a very smart move indeed for the (skill level of) target users.
Arguably the last firmware date for the Nokia N86 8MP, but extremely welcome anyway, version 30.009 firmware mainly features the latest Ovi Maps client and is now available via Nokia Software Update (142MB) and soon Over The Air as well in most regions. The usual caveats about network-branded phones getting this at a later date apply, as do taking precautions by backing up first - just in case. More details and screens below.
David Gilson looks at Nokia's new C6 and E5 smartphones in the light of the models they either replace or will be compared to. What's outstanding is, naturally enough, the prices, though David goes into significant technical detail in justifying the comparisons and conclusion.
