Along with a couple of other invited guests, I was privileged to get full access to Nokia's testing labs at Farnborough this morning. Two teaser photos are below the break, but there's lots more to come, once I've digested and edited all the raw video and photos I took for All About Symbian. Watch this space!
With the Sony Ericsson C905 arriving for review in The Phones Show, I couldn't resist doing a quick head to head between it and the Samsung INNOV8 - and the Nokia N82, for good measure.], so that I could evaluate the differences between 8mp and 5mp in the real world. The C905 is undoubtedly the phone with the stills camera of highest specification at the moment - but how good is it? Is it worth overlooking the many other factors involved in choosing a camera-phone/smartphone?
Ah yes, there's always a tingle of excitement when someone shows off a whole new form factor, especially one which combines full width qwerty keyboard, wide screen and, in this case, touch PDA mode and dedicated gaming keypad as well. Presenting the iCEphone - maybe a form factor that would suit the future of Nokia's Communicator line? Comments welcome! (via Unwired view)
In AAS Insight 48, we talk about the launch of the new 'Facebook phone', the INQ1, we chat about the Nokia N96 and the new E63, plus we cover Qt, the cross-platform environment that Nokia bought recently. If you want to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
In which I muse on how far we've gone backwards in many ways, in the last 15 years... and introduce a device with 5.3" wide screen, instant response, comprehensive office suite and staggering battery life.... Am I the only one to get misty eyed over this sort of thing?
A lot of news over on All About N-Gage, with updates to the N-Gage app and new phones added to the platform, sales charts released, a new games announcement, and a couple of very interesting videos published. See below for the relevant links.
The N-Gage platform's client is now available for the Nokia N78 and 6210 Navigator. The easiest way to get it is to visit n-gage.mobi/d (note there's no "www") on your phone's web browser, and select your phone from the list, which lets you download and install the app directly. Alternatively, you can download the app from the official N-Gage website and install using PC Suite. (Other phones compatible with the platform include the 5320 XpressMusic, N79, N81, N81 8GB, N82, N85, N95, N95 8GB and N96.)
In the final part, number eight, of my Camera Nitty Gritty series, I look at some of the top smartphone cameras again, but this time looking at their video capture potential, covering the Nokia N82, N93, E90, the Samsing INNOV8, the Sony Ericsson K850i and the HTC TyTN II. Obviously just a snapshot of the phone video capture world but hopefully nonetheless interesting. Your comments welcome if you can add any comparisons of your own!
I had a small lunch time adventure today: I accidentally dropped my Nokia E71 into a raging torrent (the watery kind, not the bit kind). Aside from a chance for some quick sympathy or laughter, depending on your disposition, I thought it might be a good opportunity to refresh some of the actions you can take if this happens to you. I would also be pleased to hear your stories and recommendations for follow up action!
Nokia today announced a new addition to its Eseries range. The Nokia E63 is a QWERTY-equipped S60 phone and is effectively a mid-tier version of the Nokia E71, on whose success it will be looking to build. It has a 2.0 megapixel camera, WiFi and 3G connectivity, and runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1. The Nokia E63, which is expected to start shipping in the next few weeks, will be available in ruby red or ultramarine blue and will cost €199 before taxes and subsidies. Read on for more.
Have you ever looked at a feature on your phone and wondered why the heck it's there? In an editorial on the topic, All About Symbian takes a look at five functions that are perhaps no longer needed on modern handsets, yet continue to be added to new models. Your comments most welcome - should any or all of these functions be unceremoniously dropped?
In All About Symbian Podcast 100 (Insight #47) we talk about recent device shipment and market share numbers from Canalys. Ewan has a bee in his bonnet with regards to N-Gage, Steve chimes in with his dislike of poorly implemented DRM, but Rafe thinks things might not be as bad as Ewan suggests.
New firmware updates are now available for both the Nokia E71 (110.07.127) and the Nokia E66 (110.07.126). Updated applications include Mail for Exchange and Nokia Maps and there are improvements to the email and settings wizards, performance enhancements for Bluetooth and camera hardware as well as a number of bug fixes.
In part 3 of his Nokia N96 review Steve covers the multimedia capabilities of the phone. After comprehensive testing he delivers his verdict on the still photography, video recording, music playback and video playback capabilities of the N96 before coming to some overall conclusions about the multimedia functionality. Part 3 follows on from the general overview in part 1 and application walk through in part 2.
In May of this year there was quite a fuss when Nokia confirmed that new N-Gage games were locked to one phone forever. They then responded to the dismay by saying that transfers would be possible after all through Nokia customer services, but it now turns out that this can only be done once: you can transfer N-gage games from one phone to another, but they are lost forever if you move onto a third phone. In a follow-up editorial, All About N-Gage takes a closer look at this policy, and wonders where on earth Nokia's promised multi-transfer solution has got to. When will N-Gage users get the same transfer rights as Nokia Music and Nokia Maps users?
