All About Symbian - General News

A letter from the iPhone world

2008-07-08T15:47:13+01:00

Part rant, part apologetic, part FAQ, in this article I reply directly to a long and interesting email fired in by a Mac-owning, iPhone fan at my championing of the Nokia N95 (8GB) in Smartphones Show 62. Not your typical troll, Nikolay makes some good points in his missive but hopefully I make some equally good ones in return!

Read on...

S60 TAT to Drive Advanced UI's Now Available

2008-07-07T17:56:15+01:00

UI Rendering Platform TAT Kastor has announced that TAT Kastor is now available on the S60 platform. TAT Kastor is a core system to provide designers with a lot of 'whizz-bang' effects in a UI; particle effects and3D rendered elements are two highlights in the plug-in based system. Of special interest to hardware designers, you can find out more at the product page.

"TAT’s technology enables S60 developers to push UI boundaries to even greater heights. Developers can now easily add advanced graphics such as 3D, change effects and also add skins without having to change existing software or add expensive hardware."

TAT's full news post is here.

The Z10 and Brotherly Love

2008-07-07T11:43:12+01:00

Continuing our MOTO Z10 smartphone coverage, Motorola have been holding a competition to see who can create the best video entirely ON the phone itself - i.e. all shots and editing on the Z10. And here's the winner - the Z10's video quality isn't the best, but the editing software's certainly up the job, it seems. (via IM)

Trapped in Mobile Hell - A Warning For Entrepreneurs

2008-07-07T09:25:36+01:00

Why is the mobile platform not being innovated on as heavily as the web? It's been bothering Ewan MacLeod over at SMSTextNews - and when I say bothered I mean full on ranting on the mobile scene, VC's, entrepreneurs and networks and the consistently closed world. Well worth reading this one over a nice cup of coffee and a digestive biscuit.

It’s been said — by someone, I can’t recall — that being an entrepreneur is about being naieve, i.e. If you actually knew how difficult it might be, you wouldn’t bother. Most of us don’t. But now and again, a chap or chappess wakes up one morning, sticks a door horizontal on a pile of bricks in his garage and sets up Amazon. And thank the Capitalist Dieties that he or she does. The world thrives on innovation. Without innovation we’d still be trying to get those square wheels to work. Almost every industry you can name thrives on innovation too. Everyone benefits. It’s nigh on exactly as dependable as the laws of physics.

But — and this, I know, a sweeping statement — generally, most innovation in mobile never actually gets past the starting block. Because it’s a closed world.

More on being trapped in Mobile Hell at SMSTextNews.

CoPilot 7 gets full review treatment

2008-07-06T17:51:49+01:00

Guest writer Luke Barton has been trialling the new CoPilot 7 satellite navigation system for S60 3rd Edition - here's his full review after using it for several weeks on his Nokia 6110 Navigator. Summary? It has some usablity issues, plus laggy voice instructions, but there are plenty of compensating features which will appeal especially to small businesses.

Read on

The Smartphones Show take on the MOTO Z10

2008-07-05T12:04:58+01:00

Smartphones Show 62 is now up, with a hands-on review of the UIQ 3-powered MOTO Z10, plus my Top 5 (Smart)Phones for mid-2008 - a personal choice, with reasons!

PC Suite, Flixwagon and N81 updates!

2008-07-04T20:16:29+01:00

Typical - I take a day out to play golf (on the N95) and some updates I've been waiting for all happen. Nokia PC Suite v7 is now official - here's the download page. No huge changes, but plenty of detailed improvements and it always pays to stay up to date. And Flixwagon just went public and has a vastly improved S60 client. In addition, Nokia N81 users just got a firmware upgrade via Nokia Software Update. v20.0.056 brings the N81 bang up to date with demand paging and Flash Lite 3, among other improvements, according to p@sco.

Should We Have Fixed Price Mobile Contracts?

2008-07-04T10:43:26+01:00

Ewan's on a train speeding down from bonnie Scotland but he's still found time to set up a Friday rant. Ewan reckons there's a gap in the market for a network operator to set up a 'no surprises' all inclusive 'flat rate for everything' plan. Your comments welcome, this one could run and run.

How much will your mobile phone bill cost you this month? Or next month? You've probably got a rough idea in your head, but it's never going to be precise. You might decide to spend an hour on the phone to your Aunty Jean in Inverness in the afternoon. You might suddenly need to have a hugely involved conversation with your boss via SMS. Or, bank managers be praised, you might need to go online to check your email while roaming in northern France.

Certainly in the UK and European Union, the regulators are constantly taking a look at the pricing of elements of mobile phone contracts. The deadline for the networks to look at their roaming charges and SMS costs passed at the end of June, and in all likelihood we'll see some EU directive to cut down those portions of the bill in the near future.

But I'm wondering if it would be better to take this a step further. With churn still worryingly high, and as customers bounce around networks looking for the best deals and shaving a pound or so off their 'average' bill, perhaps an innovative mobile provider can grab the bull by the horns and provide a fixed, flat rate, monthly plan.

There are already a few flat rate items you can get on your mobile bill, including data, but what I'm talking about here is a 100%, all the way, flat rate plan. You pop down your forty or fifty pounds a month and everything is covered. You get your calls in that bundle; you get your SMS included; it's a flat rate data plan - in other words, it's a fixed bill in all ways. You get the phone and a modern media connection, and the complete confidence to use it as much or as little as you want.

Sure it might not give a network the variance to make a short term profit on a monthly basis, but I think that handing consumers the confidence of never being surprised by their monthly bill will be a very attractive prospect for people looking for a new contract and those looking to switch contracts. With a contract like that I think I'd be happy to look at an 18 or even 24 month contract.

Okay there are going to be gotchas. You pretty much have to have some definition of fair use in there, but really that should just be set to stop people using it as an always-on tethered connection for their desktops or laptops – say 5GB a month as a 'warning limit?' And you might need to have fair use for foreign calls as well.

The tricky (or should I say profitable?) part of the equation is roaming. Well let's put a fixed price on that as well. How about an additional twenty five pounds a month top up that gives you a month of 'no surprises' roaming from the day you call the help desk (as opposed to a single billing period).

This could certainly have a short term impact on the bottom line of a provider who decides to go with it, but the long term benefits to that carrier in terms of increased subscriber numbers, reduced churn and a big PR boost in the press would seem to make it a winner.

In battle, whoever controls the high ground has a good chance of winning the battle. With so many mobile operators sharing the same ground, maybe it's time for one of them to strike out, get some distance, and make a real difference.

Ewan Spence, All About Symbian, 4 July 2008

Files on Ovi now available in beta

2008-07-03T16:39:08+01:00

Files on Ovi, which provides access to files on remote computers, is the latest Ovi service and is now available in beta form. After installing a software 'connector' on your PC you can then access files on your computer from any web enabled device (e.g. another PC or your phone). Files on Ovi is the results of last year's acquisition of Avevnu by Nokia.

Browsing the files on my PC from my phone.

Files on Ovi acts as a bridge allowing you to access files on your own PC from any remote device. Access is through the Files on Ovi website which displays a file and folder structure similar to Windows Explorer (see screenshots below). You can preview certain file types before downloading them (Word, Excel, PDF, images). You can also upload files from the remote device to your PC (e.g. upload a document from your phone which means it will be sitting in your My Documents folder when you return to your PC).

Image listings and a preview of an Excel spreadsheet.

A key feature of Files on Ovi is the ability to access files even if the host PC is switched off. In order to do this files or folders must be marked as 'anytime files' (you do this on the website), the connector software will then upload these files from the host PC to be stored in the cloud (Files on Ovi server). As you add, update or remove files on the host PC they will be automatically synced up to the cloud. Each Files on Ovi subscription comes with 10GB of storage.

Anytime files can thus be accessed even if the your PC is switched off. If you upload files from a remote device when your PC is switched off they will be downloaded to the host PC the next time it is switched on.

The ability to share files and folder with others is another important feature. You can opt to share a file or folder for a given length of time by sending a sharing message, by email, to anyone you like. You can, optionally, revoke sharing privileges at any time.

On a mobile device most operations take place on the page for each file / folder:

Note the links at the bottom for sending (to others), downloading and adding to anytime files. You can also see how the image has been resized (previewed) to give the optimium display on the mobile device.

Files on Ovi is the first Ovi service to use the new unified Nokia / Ovi login (account.nokia.com). It may be worth signing up for an account now to ensure you get the username you want.

Files on Ovi is currently in Beta. In the future the anytime files function will be a premium service for which you will have to pay a fee. Using the service using only the connector shoudl remina free (if the Avvenu model continues to apply). However the anytime file functionality is where the most value is; for the time being you can sign up and receive a 90 day trial.

You can download files (or folders) from Files on Ovi or Upload files from your phone to your PC. If you
upload a file from another device it will automatically be downloaded to local storage on the host PC.

You can search for files on your PC (if you have Google Desktop Search installed).

You can also access Files on Ovi from a PC browser. This more cloesly replicates the experience of using a file manager on a PC.

Viewing the contents of a folder full of pictures.

Showing a preview of an image.

Previewing an Excel Spredsheet

The connector software runs silently in the background.
Here it shows the anytime files that have been updated.

Although branded under to Ovi name Files on Ovi, like Share on Ovi, can be used on a wide variety of devices. There's currently no on-board client software for viewing and downloading files - all you need is access to a web browser - as such it should run on most recent phones.

Currently the PC component (the connector software) in Windows only, but Nokia intend to extend this to other platforms in the future.

Thanks to Taskussa (a Finnish blog) for informing us of the availability of Files on Ovi.

Telenor goes Ovi

2008-07-03T11:17:46+01:00

Telenor and Nokia today announced a cooperation on mobile services using the Ovi service platform. Specific Nokia devices will be customised with services such as Nokia Maps, N-Gage, Telenor Music Store and Mobile TV with more to come in the future. Ovi services will be launched in the second half of 2008 and will be offered to Telenor customers in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Hungary.

The Telenor follows on from similar announcements from Vodafone, Telefonica, TIM, Orange and T-Mobile. It is interesting to see that 10 months on from the birth of Ovi that initial operator resistance to Ovi has largely crumbled away, much as we expected. Nokia is placing itself in a very strong position to deliver its Ovi service platform to a larger number of users. Its agreement with operators should give it a significant strategic advantage over it rivals.

Here's an extract from the press release:

"Our ambition is to be a leading operator providing new and user-friendly services accessible on mobile devices. The agreement with Nokia is the beginning of an exciting collaboration where we will extensively deploy the capabilities of our high-speed third generation mobile network," said Morten Karlsen Soerby, Executive Vice President and Head of Telenor Nordic.

"We are pleased to announce this cooperation with Telenor and strongly believe that it will lead the way in the Scandinavian market in integrating devices and services together. Openness is at the core of the Ovi environment and we are constantly looking for new ways to offer consumers a great variety of experiences that they can choose from according to their own preferences," said Timo Ihamuotila, Executive Vice President of Sales, Nokia.

CTO.Nokia.com talks mobile futures

2008-07-03T00:01:03+01:00

The Office of the CTO (OCTO) at Nokia is a key stone in Nokia's innovation and vision efforts (self described as a network of researchers and though leaders). CTO.nokia.com is a recently launched site which is intended to help to spread OCTO's vision of the mobile future and engage the outside world. It is a sister site to research.nokia.com and will feature editorial content from Nokia and selected third parties.

There's already some insightful content on the site, the first topic is a look at how the mobile industry is set to take advantage of nanoscience. There also a blog from Nokia's current CTO Bob Iannucci.

You can read more information about plans for the site here, a short extract is below:

Since Nokia embraced the Open Innovation research model two years ago, the collective work of OCTO extends far out into a global network of researchers and thought leaders at universities, think tanks, and the broader industry. OCTO’s eight hundred or so employees are its heart, but this broader community is becoming ever more critical to its success. Sharing OCTO’s vision for the future of mobility with the worldwide community, sparking an active dialogue, and fostering feedback channels are all necessary for bringing OCTO’s ideas to ever-higher thresholds.

The initial set of content revolves around blogs from Bob Iannucci, internal staff, and eventually external partners. There is also information on upcoming speaking events where OCTO and NRC staff will be presenting, and a stream of news stories that impact Nokia and the mobility industry as a whole.

In the upcoming months further content, features and new communications capabilities will be added to the site, evolving it into a full bilateral communications portal going forward.

It is great to see Nokia continuing to role out these types of initiatives. Interacting with the community through sites like CTO.nokia.com, Nokia Conversations, Forum Nokia Blogs, Nokia Beta Labs and the S60 Blogs not only sends a general positive message, but also opens up opportunities for discussion which will be to the benefit of all.

With all these avenues opening up it would be good to see a central gateway and, ideally, aggregator, leading to all these resources. Blogs.Nokia.com or Connecting.Nokia.com perhaps? A single point of entry would make it easier for interested parties to find and follow these resources. And why not expand this list at the same time?

Here's a screenshot overview of the site:

Nokia's Navteq deal gets go ahead

2008-07-02T23:14:53+01:00

Nokia today announced the European Commission has given unconditional approval for Nokia's planned acquisition of Navteq. Nokia has now received all the necessary regulatory approvals and expects to close the deal in the next 5 days. Nokia is acquiring Navteq for $8.1 billion.

Nokia has said that Navteq will operate independently as a separate unit within Nokia in order that 'current and future customers continue to have a dedicated and strengthened unit serving them' (in other words being able to serve other customers who may be competitors of Nokia).

Nokia believes that location will be a corner stone of future mobile and Internet services. Navteq, or mores specifically its GIS data (maps plus geo-meta-data) represent a core building block in this future and having direct control puts Nokia in a very strong position to fully exploit the potential.

One area that is drawing particular attention is location aware advertising on mobile devices. The idea being that if first generation context senstive ads have worked well (e.g. Google AdWords / AdSense) then second generation context sensitive ads (that can call upon location context) will work even better.

Clearly the Navteq acqusition can be seen, at least in part, as a competitive response to Google with its Maps and Advertising products.

Nokia is paying a lot of money for Navteq (which had revenues of $581 million in 2006). However in the years to come I suspect we'll look back with hindsight and think this was an attractive price and a shrewd move on Nokia's part.

From the press release:

"We welcome this news. NAVTEQ will play a key role in our Internet services strategy with world-leading maps and navigation industry expertise, a strong customer base and industry-leading map data and technology platform offering the broadest geographical coverage," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President and CEO, Nokia.

"We are pleased that the Commission has reached the same conclusion we have regarding NAVTEQ's ability to continue providing broad access to all our customers," said Judson Green, President and CEO, NAVTEQ. "We believe NAVTEQ will be better positioned to serve all our customers under Nokia ownership."

I would also remind you of what Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said around the intial announcement last year:

"Location based services are one of the cornerstones of Nokia's Internet services strategy. The acquisition of Navteq is another step toward Nokia becoming a leading player in this space. By joining forces with Navteq, we will be able to bring context and geographical information to a number of our internet services with accelerated time to market. We also look forward to maintaining and enhancing the services and support provided to Navteq’s existing and future customers."

Thanks to IntoMobile for the heads up.

Nokia Backup in action

2008-07-02T11:49:05+01:00

So we've been waiting months for Nokia's Ovi Sync. And along comes Nokia Backup instead, ostensibly everything that Ovi Sync will be. The two have got to be linked, surely? I've been trialling Nokia Backup and it's a bigger and better system than you might think, with what I think is a world first. Read on.

After the initial sync, which is VERY fast, much faster than GooSync, Nokia Backup shows all your Calendar, Contacts, To-dos and Notes on the web. This is the very first time that I'm aware of that a full, free, end-user system for two-way syncing of ALL your PIM data has been made available. Most systems miss out Notes, or to-dos, or both.

To-dos are shown as part of Calendar, just as on S60 handsets. In all the data modules, you can edit information or add new entries, for syncing back down to the phone on the next sync.

Here I am editing a note, for example...

Contact sync is flawless, as you'd expect. Here I am entering details of a new contact on the Nokia Backup web site.

It's quite amazing that this has just popped up. Surely, surely, this is going to be renamed and inserted into Ovi as 'Ovi Sync' - if you can shed any light on this service, please comment!

To get started with Nokia Backup, here's the sign-up link. And here's the home page to bookmark for getting back to your PIM data every day.

Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian

Nokia push email and Nokia backup

2008-07-02T07:13:25+01:00

Darla's back on the scene and in good investigative form, as she uncovers Nokia Backup, an official online backup service that may or may not be related to Ovi, plus she announces and demonstrates a brand new beta service, Nokia Email, offering push email from your existing mailboxes. Comments welcome.

How to: Print photos using PictBridge

2008-07-02T06:25:33+01:00

PictBridge compatibility is something often forgotten in Nokia's Nseries smartphones - in a real world example, I show how it works. Now you can print photos directly and quickly, wherever you are in the world!