Continuing a long run of success, Nokia has scored again with the N86 8MP at the annual TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) awards. The N86 won in the 'Mobile imaging device' category - perhaps a little premature given that the device hasn't hit the streets in production form, maybe Nokia has been handing prototypes to the 'right' people? Previous winners in the category were the Nokia N82 (2008) and N95 (2007), so at least it does seem as if the judges have got their heads screwed on straight.
Lee Williams, writing on the Symbian Foundation blog, shares a few photos on Symbian ^1 (effectively the current version of S60 5th Edition) running on an 'off the shelf Intel Atom based motherboard'. The Intel Atom is one of the processors regularly used in netbook computers. The concept highlights the flexibility and maturity of Symbian platform and demonstrates that there could be potential areas for it to be used beyond mobile phones. Read on for further thoughts.
Slightly erroneously (see below), but at least it's informing them! As shown (again) below, Nokia Software Update, recently updated, now informs users of the main benefits of installing specific firmware updates. As well as the simple numeric enhancement, users now get plain English 'this is why you should update' prompts. Add in the recent use of official Nokia press releases to push major firmware updates and the slow but steady stream (e.g. here) of general minor update articles and it seems that Nokia's update servers are really cranking into gear.
It may not have Xenon flash, but the Nokia N86 8MP does have a camera with the next level of performance: a bigger, better sensor, variable (and wider) aperture, wide angle optics and faster shutter speeds. In theory, this means, among other things, that it will cope much better in low light situations without needing to use flash at all. Using photos from the latest N86 8MP prototype and comparing them to those from the current imaging king, the N82, I explore the theory below. [Text amended 11.30am]
Tucked away in my office for days on end, exploring the frontiers of technology, at least in the smartphone world, it's exciting to tinker with the latest touchscreen smartphones and generally live on the bleeding edge. But heading out into the 'real world', as I've been doing for the past week, a world inhabited by parents and cousins and grandchildren, it's best to fall back on hardware and software that's going to be 100% reliable. And, in this case, with the classic Nokia N82, to do some things that no other smartphone could have matched anyway.
Now firmly ensconced back in Scotland, Ewan lets his hair down (literally) to spend some time with the new Nokia E75. Thanks for the positive comments on the 5800 video diaries - this is the first in a series of (roughly) four diary entries featuring the E75, in similar irreverent vein. Roll the credits!
In All About Symbian Insight 65 (AAS Podcast 123) we welcome Ewan back from the USA and tell him about a few additions to the AAS team. We round up some of this week's news including Yahoo Mobile Home, Nokia Messaging 1.1, Nokia Point and Find Beta, Real Football for N-Gage, Nokia E71x and more. You can listen to AAS Insight 65 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Although the ZOMGitsCJ site might have an unusual name, don't let that fool you as it takes phones very seriously. The site's owner CJ has put together an absolutely ginormous sprawling epic review of the E75 with lots and lots and lots of pictures of the phone itself plus screenshots of the interface and various applications. The verdict? Well, you'll have to see for yourself...
According to a Nokia press release, the E75 QWERTY sliderphone is now making its way into shops, and may even be available already in some areas. As mentioned in previous stories, the E75 features Symbian S60 3rd Edition FP2, a 2.4 inch QVGA screen, side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, GPS, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, 3.5G HSDPA and Wi-Fi support. It's also the first Eseries device to be compatible with the N-Gage platform. The full release is below.
Another in our series of beginner's 'How to's for the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and S60 5th Edition, Tzer2 here walks you through every aspect of connecting up a Bluetooth wireless keyboard to the phone - it's not something officially supported but it does work extremely well - if you know how! (As always, you can see a complete listing of these guides on our 5800 tutorial index page.)
Infamous tech news site The Register has been taking a look at the new Nokia E75, concluding that "It's a beautifully compact do-it-all smart phone with slimline Qwerty keyboard. Could this be the end of the Communicator?" The Register's closing para on the E75 was: "But with good email and browser services, document creation and viewing, a decent camera and music player, aGPS and N-Gage games, plus access to loads of additional Symbian apps, this all adds up to a very powerful phone both for work and in-between jobs." Rafe and Ewan now both have E75s and our own coverage of this qwerty newcomer is imminent.
From the Symbian Foundation and Texas Instruments comes the news that the Zoom OMAP34x-II mobile development platform will be the first reference platform for the Symbian Foundation. This is a test device, capable of running various mobile operating systems, that can be used, to test code, by those wishing to contribute to the open source platform. It is also useful for developers wanting to explore and conduct tests on upcoming Symbian platform releases.
