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.
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.
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.
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
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?
I have to admit that, like Rita el-Khoury, when I saw the proud boast by a Palm Pre Plus reviewer that they had managed to run 50 apps at once in its 512MB of RAM, I'd thought: well, some Symbian devices of yesteryear and a few from today could match that. Rita's taken the time to demonstrate this on the Samsung i8910 HD, managing 50 apps (and more) at once in only 256MB of RAM. Cool little post. Though I reckon I could get close to 50 on the unmodified Nokia N95 8GB, E90 or E71, for example. Anyone care to try?
With the launch yesterday of a cheaper, CwM-less Nokia X6, with lower capacity, Ewan assesses its chances of success, with reference to his own existing multi-part review of the device. The original was underpowered and overpriced - can its successor fare better?
While some of us are still waiting for our favourite Symbian smartphone manufacturer to widely embrace capacitive touch screens, have you spared a thought for the next leap in touch screen technology? Well, your next generation touch screen could be utilising Quantum Tunnelling Composites (QTC).
Nokia today announced the X6 16GB device. The X6 16GB comes in a range of new colours: black, white, white with pink highlights and white with yellow highlights. Compared to original X6 there's no Comes with Music included and the internal memory has dropped from 32 GB to 16 GB. The X6 will be available in shops this quarter. Read on for further details.
The latest roundup in a long series, Steve Litchfield looks at a number of commercial case designs for the Nokia N97 mini. Can any of them please the undisputed case-meister of the Symbian world? Which slip on and off with ease and which ones need chiselling off with a screwdriver (no, really)?
In All About Symbian Insight 102 (AAS Podcast 166), the team start with news of Sony Ericsson's Vivaz and its continuous focus HD video capture capabilities. We move on to an in-depth discussion of Nokia's Ovi Maps announcement last week. The final item in this weeks podcast is a quick mention for the new beta version of Ovi Suite. You can listen to AAS Insight 102 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Another writer whose opinions I trust is Rita el-Khoury and here she reflects back on four months with the Sony Ericsson Satio and on the imminent arrival of the new Vivaz. She writes about the evolution of Sony Ericsson's take on S60 5th Edition and Symbian - it seems that she too sees the Satio as a testbed handset (as I'd argue are Nokia's N97 classic, N900 and Samsung's i8910 HD) with the Vivaz being the one that will make an impact on the market.
Guest author Matt Radford (of All About iPhone) borrowed my Nokia N97 mini for a few weeks recently. His aim? To see if he could switch to it from his beloved Apple iPhone. Matt was a hardened Symbian user in times past with a love of the S60 2nd Edition-powered Nokia N70, so this was an especially interesting experiment.
