All About Symbian - S60 News

Utility triumph or UI disaster?

2008-09-05T08:25:46+01:00

Some folks are gonna love this. Others will hate it. But Handy Shell is coming, taking over the whole S60 standby/menu/control key schema and making it remeniscent of a Windows Mobile home screenadding new functionality. Ricky Cadden's been playing with the Handy Shell beta and you'll find his thoughts and screenshots right here.

Catching Shazam ID out

2008-09-05T08:13:11+01:00

Shazam have been at the music recognition game for a while - and they've come up with a native S60 version of their flagship Shazam ID utility, which samples music snatches from the radio and then lets you know where it's from. Ewan's been trying to catch it out but ended up quite impressed.

N95 classic firmware v30 now available

2008-09-04T18:03:00+01:00

An updated firmware, v30.0.015, has been made available for the Nokia N95 classic. Updates include the latest versions of Nokia service applications (Nokia Maps 2.0, Share online 3.0), inclusion of the full N-Gage client and smaller updates to a number of applications. The updates also adds automatic screen rotation to the N95 classic. Read on for more details and screenshots.

Nokia N96 starts shipping, in shops soon

2008-09-04T16:35:55+01:00

Nokia yesterday announced it has started shipping the Nokia N96, which means it will become available, SIM-free, in shops over the next few weeks. Availability via operators will take a little longer; the UK launch on the 3 network is scheduled for October 1st. The N96 is a high-end Nseries device with a focus on mobile TV and video (large 2.8 inch screen, video stand, DVB-H receiver, and preloaded movie content). It also features a 5 megapixel camera and integrated GPS. Read on for more details.

Sauna Talk returns!

2008-09-03T16:59:21+01:00

There's a new episode of Sauna Talk on the N-Gage developer site, where once again host Arnold Faber discusses mobile gaming with Nokia's Miikka Skaffari while not wearing any clothes.

Jumping ship back to the Nokia N93?

2008-09-03T07:30:25+01:00

And I thought it was just me. James Burland's written an eloquent rant about how he keeps wanting to go back to his trusty Nokia N93, which still outperforms allcomers on the video recording front (stereo sound, optical zoom). With photo and video capture being critical to many people's phone use these days, is he right to criticise Nokia's direction? Although agreeing with him in a way, I'd also point to GPS, larger screens and 3.5mm audio output as modern boons.

Internet Radio for the E71

2008-09-03T07:08:21+01:00

Ah - you see, Nokia do keep tweaking their apps and compatibility lists after all - the E71 finally has a proper version of Nokia Internet Radio made especially for it. (via the E71 blog)

Hands-on preview of the Nokia N79

2008-09-02T14:13:06+01:00

Rafe gives his first impressions of the Nokia N79, along with detailed analysis on exactly who it will appeal to and where it fits into Nokia's burgeoning Nseries range. The hardware is the main focus as Rafe takes an early look at a prototype of Nokia's latest Nseries 'candybar' handset.

Comes With Music to Debut in the UK via Carphone Warehouse

2008-09-02T11:51:18+01:00

Nokia have announced that Comes With Music will make its debut in the UK, through an exclusive deal with The Carphone Warehouse. Available with the the S40 based 5310, the deal is an exclusive for Carphone Warehouse pre-pay customers until Dec 31st 2008. As advertised, the service will allow users to download as much music as they can from the Nokia Music Store for a year. Pre-orders can now be made at www.carphonewarehouse.com.

Why Do We Expect What We Get On A New Smartphone?

2008-09-02T09:03:02+01:00

What was once the latest hot feature on our smartphones has become the 'without that I'm not buying it' necessity. Ewan takes a look at the features that were once the hot news but have become little more than requirements in the spec list and why this march of progress isn't going to stop in the near future.

Nokia 5320 Review - updated to take account of N-Gage compatibility

2008-09-01T18:30:53+01:00

As the N-Gage platform has recently been released for the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, All About Symbian has updated its review of the phone to take account of this expanded functionality. It definitely adds a great deal of value to an already-inexpensive device, and you can find out more (including the new score) by clicking on the link.

Flash info - S60-powered hardware

2008-09-01T16:05:36+01:00

For completeness, I've updated my comprehensive guide to S60 hardware of the past, present and future, adding Nokia's new devices and also camera flash information. Hopefully worth bookmarking, if you haven't already....

Insight 37: N79, N85, G810 and Sync on Ovi

2008-09-01T10:41:33+01:00

In All About Symbian Insight #37 (AAS Podcast #90) Rafe, Steve and Ewan chat about Nokia's new Nseries devices - the N79 and N85. Also in this Insight: Steve reports back on his Samsung G810 experience, there's discussion of Sync on Ovi and how it points the way for three pronged future of Nokia's service platform.

6650 and G810 video reviews

2008-08-31T21:49:27+01:00

In case you're not already subscribed to the standard or hi-res RSS feeds, note that Smartphones Show 64 is now out, with video reviews of the Nokia 6650 and Samsung G810. Comments welcome!

N-Gage now available for the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic

2008-08-31T19:13:59+01:00

The N-Gage application is now available for download for the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic. If you want to download the app directly onto the handset, just go to the 5320's Games folder, click on the N-Gage logo and then click on the 5320 XpressMusic link from the list of downloads. If you prefer downloading the app via your computer, click here to find out how to install using the PC and Mac method.