All About Symbian - Links of Interest News

The Gadget Show's verdict on the Sony Ericsson Satio

The Gadget Show's Jon Bentley is very experienced at handling and reviewing smart/camera phones and in this episode of their Web TV he delivers his verdict on the new Sony Ericsson Satio. Summary: crisp photos but nowhere near as pleasing as those from the Nokia N86, nice application bundle, frustrating resistive touchscreen, annoyingly AWOL 3.5mm audio jack. AAS's production Satio arrives tomorrow, so watch this space for a Satio/N86/i8910 HD photo and video head to head. Can't wait!

N97 and Satio get withdrawn?

Sometimes I think that convergence has gone too far and that modern smartphones are just too complex for their own good. And then I think 'Nah, manufacturers and networks just need to seed devices with bloggers and power users like you and I to help with testing before unleashing devices on the general public'. Witness the reported withdrawal of the Nokia N97 from Vodafone and Sony Ericsson Satio from the Carphone Warehouse after high returns and plenty of issues. Ah, life on the bleeding edge, it's not for the faint-hearted or for the great unwashed...

When Robots ruled the app stores

Remember all the fun developers had (still have) with certification and Symbian Signed to get an application through testing? Lots of automatic tests as well as a human eye checking for compatibility and compliance in the name creating dependable applications? It's going to be interesting comparing the reaction of Symbian developers to Apple devlopers now it appears the same system is in place for their App Store.

Okay the Gizmodo headline of "having to be approved by robots" might be a bit b-movie ish, but this is down to the volume and security game. Steve's already talked about the issue of volume in an App Store, but no matter what solution comes out of arguments like that, there's still a certain level that applications should be reaching in terms of code - don't crash; don't brick the machine; don't do anything that costs the user something without asking them; and so on.

To be honest the howls of protest can just stay as that - howls. If you use undocmented features and put a phone at risk, then that's fine... if it's just your phone. You should be allowed to do that. But to release that into the wild? I'm not so sure.

Rita's love hate relationship with the Nokia E52

You've got to love the way Rita el-Khoury splits her reviews into an unusual 'love' and then 'hate' list format. She's been trialling the Nokia E52 and here presents her '6 things she loves' and '6 things she hates'. Some of them I found somewhat shocking - specifically the build quality/light leakage photo.

Piracy is not the problem, piracy is the catalyst

Pinch Media, who provide analytic software for developers on Apple's phones, are estimating that piracy rates are as high as 60% on the iPhone (reports Pocket Gamer). You can be sure that this number is matched on Symbian, Windows Mobile other mobile platforms. The level of piracy nowadays is incredibly high. Apple's iPhone may be pointed out here, but a little bit of exploration online and every games console can be found to be exploited. Read on for my thoughts, though.

Part of the problem isn't the raw numbers, but the perception of each platform. With a closed ecosystem, the iPhone is not as vulnerable in the press to claims of “rampant piracy” as to other platforms. Given the Nintendo DS and PSP warez scene, I'd say they were at similar levels, but the PSP carries the “I'm a pirate target” flag while the DS keeps relatively quiet.

Nokia had to deal with this in the first generation N-Gage and never really solved the problem beyond “you might not be able to connect to the Arena with a pirate copy” but the machine was tarred and feathered and never recovered from the stigma.

So what can be done? This is a tough area, because there is no magic wand, and the rule is simple. No matter how big your team, or how much you invest, there are billions of people in the world, and enough free time to crack any system. And it takes just one to break it, and the copy is then released for everyone. The internet is rather good at copying digital data once it's hosted in a single place, you know.

Something for authors and developers to consider is that the piracy scene has created a phenomenally efficient distribution system – if you want to get something out there, the quickest way to do so is have it pirated. The catch of course (rather like the NHS) is that these copies are free at the point of download; so to have some sort of income stream, the cash and the user need to be separated a little bit further down the line.

World of Warcraft does this really well. It doesn't care how you get the client software, because once you have it you'll be logging on and paying a monthly subscription.

Ad-supported software also follows this money. Yes, it's a much smaller income per user, but it does work and uses piracy to your advantage. And ad-supported is something that the iPhone ecosystem does very well – witness Google's purchase of AdMob recently as evidence that there is money out there.

Or you could go down the route of having some in-game credit system which would allow a virtual currency to be spent and traded. Second Life has a huge economy built on this principle and many social games (e.g. FarmVille on Facebook) have the ability to buy additional credits to help you advance in the game at a faster rate.

Yes, piracy is around but the answer isn't as simple as “let's just stop it.” Rather than that, it's time for the industry to get creative alongside all those people who remember that buying a developed application helps you get more applications developed.

-- Ewan Spence, Nov 2009.

Ovi Store downloads rise by 70%

Bill Perry, one of the senior services managers for Forum Nokia, has blogged about the Ovi Store and some of the numbers driving the growth. Over 100 devices, in 20 countries, with the N97 and the 5800 being the top devices. The average user has downloaded 8 items and there's been 70% growth in October's downloads compared to September.

It's interesting these numbers are coming out through a personal blog rather than a full blown Nokia press release, although it does indicate that Nokia are happy for Ovi to be just there, rather than actively promoted. Maybe telling people about the success of Ovi requires a large army of success stories and they only have a handful at the moment who are happy to go public?

Of course without knowing what the September numbers were, we don't have a fixed number, but any service that can gather a 70% growth is going the right way, so let's acknowledge that something is going right.

Thanks to CJ for the link.

-- Ewan Spence, Nov 2009.

Phones Show 95 and PSC 13

Just to let people know that The Phones Show 95 is now live, with the main Symbian interest being in the 'user story' and in the 'top 6 eBay smartphone bargains' - you can watch it here or subscribe via RSS (QVGA/phone version and VGA desktop version). Also, Phones Show Chat, the audio followup show, no. 13 is also now live here. Happy watching/listening!

N97 mini wins 'Best Mobile Handset' award

The GSM Association has announced the winners of the Asia Mobile Awards 2009, with the Nokia N97 mini walking away with the only hardware award, that of 'Best Mobile Handset'. It has been a good month for the 'mini' - you may remember it was named no. 1 in my Phones Show Autumn 2009 'Top 5' as well. And, I suspect, there are a few more awards to come from various corners. Watch this space.

"The Asia Mobile Awards were created by the GSMA as a platform to showcase leadership and diversity for mobile content, products and services across Asia. Judged by a panel of independent analysts, journalists and industry experts, this year’s Awards attracted more than 100 entries from operators, vendors and the broad value chain from across the mobile industry that provide products and services that are commercially available in at least one Asian market. For the first time, this year’s winners will also be shortlisted for the Global Mobile Awards, which take place next year at the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona."

Swiss Manager Pro launches

CellPhoneSoft, UIQ specialists until a year or so ago, have launched their new flagship title for S60. Swiss Manager Pro 3.0 is a 'task manager, system information tool and file manager in one' (I've pasted the feature list below, along with a screenshot). It also includes a 'memory cleanup function' which sounds interesting. Comments welcome if you've tried this and/or want to review it formally for AAS(!)

"Swiss Manager Pro is compatible with all Symbian S60 smartphones by Nokia, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson, working equally well on keypad-based phones and on the latest touch-screen devices, like the Nokia N97 and X6, the Samsung i8910 (Omnia HD), and the SE Satio.

Major features:

Task manager, system information, file navigator in one application.

Full control over running and installed programs.

Advanced memory cleanup functions to maximize free memory, both manually and automatically.

Useful system information (device characteristics, system uptime, status reports, and much more).

File manager providing fast and convenient operations (copy, move, delete, rename, etc.).

Status icon displaying time, free memory, CPU usage, battery level, and drive usage.

Floating menu for instant access to all major services.

Fully customizable Favorite list for convenient application launch.

Recent list providing automated access to the most frequently used programs.

Key-press shortcuts for all major functions.

Many options for full customization and convenient use."

Rafe speaks up at The Way We Live Next

Our very own Rafe has been caught on camera yet again - this time with Brad Rees (MediaCells) and Micky (NokiaUsers.net), talking about their thoughts of the The Way We Live Next 3.0 event, held in Espoo, Finland on the 10-11 November. I've embedded the 6 minute video below, but here's the YouTube link as well.

Twitter welcomes MMS as Orange turn on UK Twits

As well as switching on SMS support for Twitter users in the UK (and joining Vodafone and O2 in supporting the service), Orange have added their own little twist into the mix by allowing pictures taken on your smartphone to be shared on the micro-blogging service via MMS.

Twitterers on smartphones can already upload pictures using email or a Twitter client such as Gravity but the use of MMS makes it much more convenient for the majority of users, and assuming you have an MMS bundle, it should cost less (although if you have a data bundle with no MMS, stick with the upload route!).

That might not be the end of it though, as Steve O'Hear writes at TechCrunch Europe:

However, SMS and MMS integration is just the start, say Orange. The telco, which operates as a quad-play in some countries (IPTV, fixed line, mobile and broadband), plans to work with Twitter to “create a range of simple but innovative new services” right across its offerings. One idea is to put Twitter on the television through ‘interactive’ Twitter feeds that appear alongside particular TV programs. For those of us who regular follower Twitter during shows like the UK’s X-Factor, this may make some sense.

(Also congrats to Steve O'Hear on the new editor role at TC:EU)!

Nokia's weekly guide to the best of the N86

Cherry picking Flickr photos taken on a particular phone has been a popular pastime for a while, but Nokia's official 'Conversations' team has been so impressed by results from their N86 on the popular photo-sharing site that they've started a weekly 'best of' roundup. No idea whether the ecosystem will be able to keep up this sort of quality, but check out the first photo set and be prepared to view the N86 in a new light.

I don't get App Stores

The title's not mine, it belongs to Robert Hall who, in his blog, makes the interesting observation (and one which in a way complements my own 'Three apps on my smartphone' piece from last month) that the more add-on apps considered important for a device, the more the admission that the software on the device itself can't be that complete. Us, jealous of the iPhone App Store? Possibly, but Robert does make a thought-provoking point.

Nokia PC Suite now Windows 7-compatible

Nokia PC Suite has been updated to version 7.1.40.1 today (from 7.1.30.9) and it weighs in almost 300MB in total. Is it worth it? Yes, if you run Windows 7, which is now fully supported. If your current PC Suite installation doesnt prompt you for the update, you can download it over at the Nokia PC Suite web site. (via Clinton Jeff)

Maps Booster enhances GPS performance in urban areas

Skyhook has launched a plug-in for the Positioning system in S60 phones, dubbed Maps Booster and illustrated/reviewed below. Essentially, Maps Booster hooks into the Location sub-system in Symbian OS and adds WiFi-based location services, especially useful in urban areas, where GPS struggles on account of tall buildings and lack of sky coverage. Read on for more.

Skyhook has been around for a while, I interviewed them a couple of years ago, for AAS. Essentially, they maintain a (somewhat) self-healing up to date database of Wi-Fi access points across parts of the developed world, which they then make available to mapping software on various platforms. Try to get a mapping fix on an Apple iPod Touch and you're using Skyhook's system, for example.

They've now made this system available to S60 phone owners, via Maps Booster (support web site here), now available for selected devices (listed below) in the Nokia Ovi Store. The unique selling point is that the Skyhook system excels in dense urban environments, where GPS systems struggle to get a fix - the two location technologies thus complement each other well.

I live in a suburban area, but decided to give Maps Booster a try anyway:

After installation, confirmation that Maps Booster is installed and working

Within the standalone Maps Booster config utility - confirming accuracy (left), quite impressive and GPS comparable in a middle class UK suburban street with about 10 WiFi access points, and 'About' (right)

On the left, Google Maps with just Maps Booster enabled; on the right, with just GPS/Assisted-GPS enabled

You can see that, in suburbia anyway, the GPS fix is generally more accurate than the Skyhook/Maps Booster fix, in which case, the mapping software (Ovi Maps/Google Maps/anything else) will use the more accurate of the two. In covered areas (e.g. malls) and in dense areas (e.g. city centres), I'd expect Maps Booster to be much more reliable, and it's great to see it integrated so tightly into the Symbian Location system.

It's also worth noting that the Skyhook system doesn't work as well as GPS once you're moving (since the WiFi-scanning operation takes a finite number of seconds) and so is better suited to pedestrian use or in slow-moving urban traffic.

There are also caveats in terms of device support (see FAQ below) and database coverage (ditto, see the link), but Maps Booster is certainly something I'm going to keep loaded for those trips into The Big Smoke.....

From the Maps Booster FAQ:

Coverage and phones

Q:

Where will Maps Booster work?
A:

Maps Booster will automatically be utilized in areas that have Skyhook Wireless coverage. In general, you will see the biggest improvement when you are in cities and urban locations. Maps Booster also works when you are indoors where your GPS normally struggles. Check out the Maps Booster/Skyhook coverage map for more information.
Q:

What phones is Maps Booster available for?
A:

Maps Booster is currently available for the following Nokia phone models: Nokia E71x, Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, Nokia N79, Nokia E55, Nokia N95, Nokia N86 8MP, Nokia N85, Nokia E52, Nokia E63, Nokia N96, Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia E66, Nokia N78, Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E75, Nokia N82, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N81, Nokia E51, Nokia N95 8GB, and Nokia 5630 XpressMusic.

We are currently waiting for Ovi store approval for the following S60 5th edition phones: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N97, Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, Nokia X6, and Nokia N97 mini. These five phones should be added within a week or two.