If you're a mobile game company interested in publishing your games on the N-Gage platform, you may want to check out their slightly updated Developer Application Process page. This page used to only mention becoming a first party developer. However, the application form now also says it can be used to apply to be a third party publisher, so presumably you can now publish your games on N-Gage without giving up ownership of them.
Well spotted Symbian World for this find: a complete, functional touch-driven painting application for S60 5th Edition (and thus the 5800 XpressMusic) over at Forum Nokia. Although Mobile Paint is only an 'example' app, you can still save your creations in JPG form. Don't worry about all the source code bits, you only need to install one of the SIS files, etc. Screenshots and links below...
To go alongside the update of Truphone on the iPhone and iPod Touch to include Skype, CEO Geraldine Wilson told the GTD Times that because of the ease of use for the developer, they have no plans to offer future developments to platforms that were not supported by an App Store similar to Apple's endeavour.
Ooh, you all know how much I love Google Maps for Mobile (e.g. for S60, but also for other platforms). It just got itself a 'server-side' upgrade, adding in full directions support for local businesses. You don't need to update your software, just search for a business name (e.g. "Computer Training" or "La Fontana" [a local restaurant]) in 'Get directions'. Some screens below, plus link.
In the first AAS Insight (54) of the year we look back on 2008 and share our hardware highlights, rant about our lowlights, make a few daring predictions and waffle on our favourite pieces of software from 2008. You can listen to AAS Insight 54 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
In much the same way as most GMail users also run the Java-based GMail client on their phones, there's now GCal, a Java-based Google Calendar client - except that this one's not an official Google product. It's also still early alpha status, but looks rather promising for those that want a lot more than Google's existing web-based Calendar view.
There have been enough ports across from the Symbian world to the iPhone one, it's about time an iPhone app made its way in this direction. ZooZBeat (which I reviewed on the iPhone here) is an accelerometer-driven music app, now available for the N82, N95 and N95 8GB. More please, like this. (via S-F)
Nokia has often given away a 3-day trial of voice-guided, real time navigation in Nokia Maps, but it seems that this has now become a full week's free trial, courtesy of an official page here. Just enter your details and get a license code etc. Good move, Nokia - let's hope this page stays up permanently. (via Jay and others)
Python for S60 has been almost totally rewritten, it seems (around the Python 2.5.1 core), with a huge version number jump to v1.90, available here. The most obvious changes are for developers, including a new GUI-driven SIS packaging tool and far better support for 'standard' Python libraries. Here's the download page, here's the readme that you'll want to scan over (it looks like it's something of an interim release before v2.0) and here's where I read about it.
What happens when you have regular releases, and everyone expects a game on a certain day? You have a good feeling building around your platform. Will Nokia continue the regularity of the N-Gage game releases in 2009? Ewan think aloud on what could happen in the New Year.
Yes, we know we're very late in reporting this, but better late than never... The new installment of Capcom's infamous franchise Resident Evil: Degeneration is available on the N-Gage platform. Based on a recent CGI film of the same name, RE:D is a horror survival game where you have to fight zombies in an airport. Not very seasonal, but there you go! You can get the game from the N-Gage application's showroom section, if you can't see it select "Options" and "Update Now" and then "Available Games", and you may also see it in the "Latest Games" section.
UIQ stawarts CellPhoneSoft have released Padissimo, claiming to "bring novel and unique features". Padissimo "enhances navigation by providing two extra directional pads: one on the screen, and one on the keyboard". These new ways of moving around the screen can be used in any application apparently. More info and links below.
Now this is good timing for the many people (including us) now in possession of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Although many S60 3rd Edition applications run on the device, the implementation doesn't really fly very nicely with the touch-screen. Epocware have always been quick off the mark and they've now announced that all their S60 applications have been optimised for S60 5th Edition. So that's the usual Handy Safe, Handy Shell, Handy Weather, and so on. Screenshot of Handy Shell running on the 5800 below...
Continuing Nokia Beta Labs current splurge, Nokia Audiobooks has today had a big update, with a simpler installation procedure, wider compatibility, UI improvements (including a clock), different time intervals in the sleep timer, plus a better audiobook manager with tighter integration with a PC, better audio book 'ripping', plus the usual bug fixes.
Vodafone has release their own Last.FM client (in conjunction with their Vodafone Music product no doubt). Available directly from Last.FM (and thanks to CJ for the heads-up), the application is geared towards the scrobbling side of Last.FM, ie letting the web server know what you are listening to, and to recommend other artists you might like. It doesn't have an option to stream music, perhaps that's coming in a later version.
