Now, I know we've had our very own Ewan's original review of the Nokia N90, but I just came across this second opinion, from the point of view of a keen photographer, Martin Geddes. Hmm.... lives in Edinburgh, has two kids, keen on S60 smartphones - are Ewan and Martin the same person? (!)
Yes, yes, this is a bit off the wall, but it's been a slow news day and what with summer well and truly here... At the end of one of her blog posts, AAS's very own Darla revealed how she keeps her smartphone free of sand and water at the beach... and for nearly free. Great idea, Darla!
For those that like to browse for news, directions and info while mobile, note that I've done a big 2006 update on my 3-Lib Web guide. As usual, bookmark the guide in your smartphone browser and make it your starting point when surfing and you'll keep those GPRS bills at bay....
The ever reliable Jukka over at the S60.com Multimedia blog has been given a Nokia N92 to play with and has written about his experiences so far. Whether or not the N92 makes it to market in its current form, the comments still make for interesting reading.
The web site of Symbian's annual Smartphone Show is now more or less fully online. It's the 17th-18th October, of course, with the AllAboutSymbian meet on the evening of the 16th. New to the Show this year are extra developer sessions and admission to all for the main CEO keynote sessions - perhaps in an attempt to liven up what was quite a staid spectacle last year. The main floor is also extended, so there's more to see.
It seems that DVB-H digital TV is still some way off yet, dashing hopes that (for example) the Nokia N92 might arrive late summer. Nokia has announced yet another trial, this time in Sweden, in the last quarter of 2006. We're guessing that implementing country-wide DVB-H isn't as straightforward as we first thought. Press release follows...
W3C, the standards body behind the Web, have released new guidelines, dubbed "Mobile Web Best Practices" and signed off by many major names, including Microsoft and Nokia. The document is a must-read for anyone producing smartphone/PDA-friendly web content.
Widely regarded as the pinnacle of S60 2nd Edition hardware and the biggest selling smartphone of all time, the Nokia N70's also now won a major industry award, as 'Best Mobile Entertainment Handset'. Details in the press release below.
The rise and rise in demand for memory cards for smartphones seems to have sparked a huge industry in fake 'brand name' memory cards, mainly originating from the Far East. if you're about to buy a card, it's worth reading my advice about this over on 3-Lib. Feel free to name drop reputable local suppliers in the comments below this item.
Although completely underwhelmed by Sony Ericsson's Support pages for the brand new (UIQ 3-powered) M600i, we've spotted that the full user guide is freely downloadable. So, if nothing else, those waiting for UIQ 3 can swot up on the new interface and tweaked apps.
Bill Ray, over at El Reg, has penned a useful editorial on the problems facing Nokia and Sony Ericsson as new users pick up version 3 handsets and find that a large proportion of 'Series 60' and 'UIQ' software doesn't work. As ever, user education is the key here and both manufacturers and developers need to spell the third party software situation out for beginners, in my opinion.
Ewan's been asked for his recommendations of the first podcasts to try for new Nokia N91 owners - here's his reply. Note that podcasts are equally applicable to any other smartphones with Wi-Fi or unmetered 3G connections.
A concrete date at last, Katshing.se (and they should know, being in the same country as Sony Ericsson) have the P990i down for being in stock on July 18th. Still early days for firmware though, judging from the bug reports about the M600i from around the world.
