News From Symbian Smart Phones World...

Press: Nokia Ovi Store Wins Meffy Award!?

3 Jul 2009 10:12:49 GMT

The Nokia Ovi Store has been recognized with a Meffy Award for Technology Innovation. The Meffys are given out by the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), a global trade association for the mobile media industry, to recognize products, services, apps and projects that are leading the mobile entertainment industry into the future.

The Ovi Store is Nokia's one-stop shop for digital media, where mobile users from more than 170 countries download and use applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, Web and location-based services and much more.

The honor underlines Nokia's work to bring unique content and services to customer devices, including kSnap & translate, which allows users to photograph printed text in 11 langu... .. .

Study: Nokia #1 choice for mobile navigation in Europe and Russia

3 Jul 2009 08:05:24 GMT

According to the study conducted by Frost & Sullivan amongst European and Russian consumers, Nokia is the number one choice for mobile navigation over other leading handset manufacturers.

The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the perceptions, understanding, expectations and motivations of European and Russian consumers towards navigation and location-based services.

The key objectives of the study were to analyse consumers' awareness of, and level of satisfaction with different types of navigation systems (e.g. PND, mobile phones), the different features available (e.g. navigation, 3D imagery, voice guidance, tou... .. .

Mippin Homescreen Widgets For Nokia N97 Now Live!

3 Jul 2009 07:06:50 GMT

Mippin, the brilliant news and content discovery service just announced they have released a set of Buzz Widgets for the Nokia N97.

Mippinsays that S60 version is the next step in its commitment to provide the best experience for each phone, and in turn further enhance content discovery.

Mippin is a browser-based, mobile-optimised service delivering a huge range of content sourced from across the web to a mobile site that is individually personalized using Mobile 2.0 feat... .. .

Nokia N97 Plug-in For Theme Designers & Skinners!

2 Jul 2009 21:05:11 GMT

Forum Nokia has just issued a Nokia N97's plug-in for Carbide.ui Theme Edition that provides theme designers with the ability to skin Nokia N97 specific elements such as greatly improved home screen, various highlights, icons and Nokia N97 specific applications.

By extending the features of Carbide.ui, the plug-in lets designers easily create high quality themes for the company's flagship Smartphone.

The new Nokia N97 plug-in contains additional or updated theme components and previews for the new S60 home screen in landscape and portrait orientations. There is an also new preview screen for Music Player 4 which is only available in portra... .. .

QT Labs Recruiting and Hiring Good People For QT R&D!

2 Jul 2009 17:13:03 GMT

Qt software is now recruiting for good developers, QA people and technical writers who would like to work for Qt R&D in Nokia. You can find all the details at the QT's job portal, so don't waste any time, polish up your CV and get applying!

Company needs a people who think creatively and come up with new approaches and solutions at the right time that deliver value. The Brisbane, Berlin and Oslo offices all have ads out looking for Software Engineers who would like to be a Troll, as part of Qt.

As sculpturs are required to show their portfolio so they require all developer candidates to submit source code together with their application. You can become an active contributor to WebKit, or work on tuning innerloops in our graphics syst... .. .

New Firmware Update For Nokia E71 & E66 [300.21.012]

2 Jul 2009 16:14:55 GMT

I just want to give everyone a quick heads up that Nokia has rolled out yet another firmware update for their award-winning Eseries device!

Firmware upgrade for Nokia E71 version 300.21.012 is now available through Nokia Software Updater for most of the generic product codes from EMEA and APAC region and is expected to be available for the rest of the world (NAM and branded devices) shortly.

Unfortunately full change log is not available at the moment but as you would imagine, the firmware update is always recommended because it usually improves the performance and reliability!

Finally, just in case you wonder if firmware is hackable or not you'll have to wait a little bit more as there is no reports aout hacking for now but if you don't care about hack... .. .

New Version of Ovi Contacts Client Brings Support For Touch Devices

2 Jul 2009 13:27:07 GMT

It's time for the semi-monthly update of the Nokia Ovi Contacts application (previously known as Nokia Chat).

Kristian Luoma, Product Manager, Ovi Contacts has released the new version of the Ovi contacts client which finally delivers long awaited support for S60 5th Edition devices, Nokia N97 and Nokia 5800 XM.

There is no signs of any noteworthy new features comparing it to the actual 3rd Edition variant and it only brings the touch support and finger friendly user interface. In N97, however, there is something interesting to tell about. That is, abi... .. .

New Version Of The Ovi Maps Now Available For Download

2 Jul 2009 11:45:12 GMT

The latest version of Ovi Maps application for your device is enhanced through additional features and services, opening up a new world of possibilities with better maps than ever before: high resolution satellite and terrain maps - both in 2D and 3D views - 3D landmarks for over 200 cities, rotation, tilting, night view, and fly-overs and fly-throughs.

Ovi Maps on the device offers also enriched POI information by Lonely Planet, Michelin and Wcities, as well as a weather service that provides 24 hour and 5-day forecasts.

Walk from one place to another using WALK, our pedestrian navigation with routing optimized for those on foot, providing better orientation in a city or outdoors. Or use DRIVE, our fully fled... .. .

Brief: Nemesis Service Suite Gets Support For 5th Edition

2 Jul 2009 07:26:52 GMT

NSS is the very useful, actually a must-have tool for every Nokia mobile phone user who has to deal with Nokia Software Updater, phone flashing, changing product codes, language packs and especially debranding devices.

Its ability to change the product code and decustomize the handset from the default operator bonding made it the number one service and tweaking tool for so called power users for the last couple of year.

The software includes a one click tool for changing the product code which in combination with NSU allows you to change the language pack, flash phone to different edition or get the rid of the branded software and update your phone to latest avail... .. .

The Betavine Summer of Widgets Competition: Win Samsung Netbook Bundled With a Nokia N96

1 Jul 2009 22:46:14 GMT

Betavine, Vodafone's mobile developer community, is offering weekly prizes to mobile developers throughout July and August in its Summer of Widgets competition.

Each week during the competition, three prize packages of a Samsung NC 20 Netbook bundled with a Nokia N96 handset will be awarded to the three best new widgets uploaded to the Vodafone Widgets Developer Platform - which also allows developers to distribute their widgets to Vodafone customers in some of the company's major markets.

Running from 6th July to the 30th August, the Summer of Widgets competition will offer three prizes every week to the developers who have submitted the best widgets based on the follo... .. .

Nokia N97 User Review By Marc Obermann

1 Jul 2009 22:21:37 GMT

Well my N97 arrived from Nokia, it's a white version made in Finland not that makes any real difference in my personal opinion but it's just what it is.

I've waited until I updated the firmware today as felt that was the right and fair thing to do especially as I got off to false a start.

This was entirely due to the Ovi Suite 1.1 included in the box I wont dwell on this to much other than to say it took 2hr 25 min to download and install the 9 parts I had selected and I wasn't happy or impressed to say the least. It actually got much wor... .. .

Nokia Rolled Out New Firmware Updates For Nokia N96 and Nokia E51

1 Jul 2009 21:16:26 GMT

Exceedingly busy day for Nokia Software updater team brings many firmware upgrades to Nokia N and E series devices.

Highly-anticipated firmware update for the Nokia N97 went live this morning and now it is followed with probably the last update for company's ex 'flagship' device and one of the most overpriced S60 devices ever.

Of course, I'm talking about Nokia N96 and software version 30.033 which is now available for download as FOTA update. Unfortunately there is no detailed change log at the moment and even most importantly we still can't confirm that new software is hacka... .. .

Speaker Test: Nokia N97 vs. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

1 Jul 2009 18:00:25 GMT

So, I know a lot of you were wondering about the speakers in the N97. Honestly, I don't think they're that bad. but they are a lot different than those found in the 5800.

I was messing around tonight and noticed that basically the bass line was absent, almost entirely, from my tracks when I played them through the internal speakers.

Of course, the output is brilliant over headphones and I can't really fault it at all for that. If I had to guess, I would say Nokia tuned these speakers much more for voice-calls and not for music. The fidelity is very treble heavy and seems to boo... .. .

Skyfire For S60 Devices Gets Minor Update [1.0.0.12114]

1 Jul 2009 17:45:48 GMT

Just a quick heads up that Fring dev team today announced minor update to its popular free to download and free to use mobile phone application, related to minor bug fixes and general stability improvements.

As you remember, Skyfire has released the version 1.00 a couple of weeks ago and their R&D team has been hard at work going through users' feedback, and they are pleased to release first update that should solve the bugs you reported and make the browsing experience even smoother and easier.

Perhaps the most significant improvement is reduced memory footprint which should help folks reporting issues on memory constrained devices such as the Nokia N95-1. According to official Skyfire blog, there are also number of other minor impr... .. .

Nokia N97 Software Version 11.X.021 Officially Released

1 Jul 2009 09:42:23 GMT

As expected, Nokia has rolled out the first firmware update for Nokia N97 earlier this morning.

Software will be progressively available for most of the generic product codes as FOTA update but additionally this software release is also available through the Nokia Software updater so you can get it through your PC as well.

According to Nokia Software Updater team, this software release includes significant improvements in the software stability, especially email, imaging, USB detection, widget stab... .. .

Unboxing the Nokia N97 .. in a different Way! ;)

1 Jul 2009 06:32:15 GMT

Weeeell, Daddy has a new Toy to play with! I've received a shiny white Nokia N97 aka Social Networking Powerhouse and immediately thought I wanna do something cool to unbox it.

Since I currently have no decent Camera to do a Video, and there are also Tons of Unboxing Videos around, I thought I'd do something cooler and gave my first Stop Motion Video a Try!

It's not really long, but gives you a good Look of what you can expect, so please watch it and tell me what you th... .. .

REVE Systems Joins the Symbian Ecosystem To Grow of its Range of Mobile VoIP Solutions

1 Jul 2009 06:11:59 GMT

REVE Systems, a VoIP solution provider, has joined the Symbian Foundation to partner and support the growth of mobile VoIP solutions.

By becoming a Symbian member, REVE Systems hopes to ensure further close integration of its VoIP solutions with mobile phones based on Symbian OS.

As a Symbian member, REVE hopes to extend the convenience of its winning mobile environment VoIP offerings by providing enhanced new features. At the same time, the company, which has several innovative solutions in the field of VoIP billing, Sw... .. .

Symbian Exchange & Exposition (SEE 2009) Announced!

30 Jun 2009 22:36:40 GMT

The main annual gathering of the Symbian community has had several different names over the years. In the early years after the formation of Symbian Ltd, the event was called the Developer Conference or the Developer Exposition which is followed with the unconventional name Symbian Exposium has been used for a couple of years.

In more recent times, the name adopted has been the Symbian Smartphone Show and now, the first Symbian Foundation annual gathering will be named as Symbian Exchange & Exposition and it will take place on 27-28 October, at Earls Court 2, in central London (the same venue as the 2008 event).

The SEE 2009 is basically a the open source replacement for Symbian Smartphone show, an informal 'unconference' in which everyone participates, but there'll also be key... .. .

First Firmware Update For N97 To Be Released Tomorrow - Change Log Is In Da' House!

30 Jun 2009 21:58:13 GMT

The first firmware update for the Nokia's flagship Smartphone has been a hot topic of discussion in the blogosphere this morning and now, Nokia Conversations Twitter account has officially confirmed the news that Nokia N97 will be getting the first public firmware update tomorrow (July 1st).

'Official: N97 SW 1.1 (11.x.021) to be released to first variants on July 1st 2009'

As you would imagine, the firmware update is always recommended as it usually improves the performance and reliability of the phone, reduce number of bugs and brings functionality optimizations across many pre-installed applications. The update is expected to be available over-the-air (FOTA) or through The Nokia Software updater as well so there is no excuse for not experimen... .. .

Gameloft's Million Dollar Poker Goes Live on N-Gage!

30 Jun 2009 20:23:23 GMT

Gus antes up with N-Gage's first online multiplayer poker title, Million Dollar Poker! Featuring the world famous poker superstar, Gus Hansen, Million Dollar Poker is now released on N-Gage.

Mobile players can now bring their skills to the online table, and play against N-Gage users world-wide or against artificial intelligence developed with poker legend Gus Hansen.

As usually, all you need to do is to navigate to the Showroom tab, select 'Update Now' and it should appear at the head of the games list. Alternatively, you can get trial version directly from the game page linked below

Hansen is one of the best and now you'll have a chance to play against him on your N-gage compatible mobile phone. Million Dollar Poker is only card game on mobile that integr... .. .

PyS60 Gets Minor Update - Version 1.9.6 Now Released

30 Jun 2009 17:20:22 GMT

The new PyS60 version is the latest update for development series of PyS60, which is now based on the new Python 2.5.4 core and brings more opportunities for Python developers and the end users as well.

Python for S60 version 1.9.6 brings minor improvements and fixes bugs and issues known from previous version.

Improvements includes support for a virtual 4-way directional pad is added for Canvas and text widgets. This D-Pad is displayed at the bottom of the screen and this feauture is enabled by default on touch enabled devices. Currently, this is suppor... .. .

Nokia Java Runtime 2.0 for S60 5th Ed: Enjoying Java Apps Made Smooth and Simple!

30 Jun 2009 16:56:23 GMT

If you here for a long enough than you already well aware that I am not huge fan of java applications, or to be precise MIDlets.

Apart from the stone-age user interface and general slowness, the most annoying issue are endless, annoying and worthless security prompts! Ironically most of the phone users don't even understand what the heck the prompts are saying and confirms all of them without thinking twice whether they really know it's safe to do so or not.

However, it's also important to say that Java is deployed on more than 2 billion devices. It is s the most wide-spread mobile runtime in the world ensuring the best market reach for developers and widest selection of mobile services and solu... .. .

Nokia Messaging IM BETA Adds Instant Messaging To E75

30 Jun 2009 16:14:45 GMT

Davis Fields, a guest writer over at Nokia Beta Labs, has just rolled out the first Beta version of the Nokia Messaging/IM application for the Nokia E75.

"E75 IM Beta" is deeply integrated into Nokia Messaging application and offers a near desktop-like instant messaging experience on your mobile device.

It allows you to stay in contact with your friends across multiple communities, easily switch between and save conversations and login invisibly. IM is initially available for the Nokia E75 - the first Nokia S60 device bundled with a lifetime subscri... .. .

Leading Mobile Phone Manufacturers Back Micro-USB as Standard Phone Charger In Europe

29 Jun 2009 22:16:11 GMT

Leading Mobile Phone Manufacturers have agreed to back an EU-wide harmonisation of phone chargers, the European Commission said on Monday, hailing the pact as good news for consumers and the environment.

The implementation of a standardized universal charger solution is long-overdue as its benefits are obvious on many levels, from the environmental aspects of producing a more energy-efficient product, to smoother supply logistics, to simplifying the lives of consumers.

Ultimately, it means that customers will not have to replace their charger with each device upgrade. This makes life easier for them and is good for the environment not to mention that proposed charger could be made available as a stan... .. .

Report: Sony Already Working On A PlayStation Smartphone?

29 Jun 2009 16:14:02 GMT

The Sony Ericsson partnership has produced several rumors of in-fighting between the companies, particularly in the case of the much-rumored PSP phone because Sony has refused to grant the PSP license to Sony Ericsson, supposedly until the 'product proposition lives up to brand promise' but Nikkei, a major Japanese business publication, reported that Sony has a team working on the product now.

The development of a cellphone-game gear hybrid is seen as a way of better competing with Apple's iPod and iPhone, which is deemed to be encroaching on the gaming space traditionally dominated by the likes of Sony's PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's DS.

A growing number of game-makers including Capcom Co Ltd and Square Enix Holdings are now offering software for the iPod and iPhone to take advantage of the Apple products' popularity, posing a threat to Sony's PlayStation Portable and Ninte... .. .

Mobile Effort Launches SMS Planning Soft for S60 Platform

29 Jun 2009 10:37:45 GMT

The software development company Mobile Effort offers the customers the first release of “Message In Time", SMS planning application that never forgets to inform people about important things.

Let's imagine that you're going to send your friends greetings for Independence Day with the help of SMS. Or maybe you want to say “Happy Birthday".

Or you intend to remind your colleagues about some important things tomorrow morning. But being beyond the wall of business you can forget these vital details. Message In Time offers you to write SMS when you have time and make it sched... .. .

Survey: 35% of Teens Admit to Using Cell Phones to Cheat

28 Jun 2009 12:47:15 GMT

Common Sense Media today released the results of a national poll on the use of digital media for cheating in school.

The poll, conducted by The Benenson Strategy Group, revealed that more than 35% of teens admit to cheating with cell phones, and more than half admit to using the Internet to cheat.

More importantly, many students don't consider their actions to be cheating at all. The results highlight a real need for parents, educators, and leaders to start a national discussion on digital ethics. “The results of this poll should be a wake-up call for edu... .. .

Leading Assistive Phone Screen Reader Now Available For Symbian S60 Devices

27 Jun 2009 09:03:49 GMT

Nuance Communications, Inc., today announced the availability of TALKS & ZOOMS 4.0, Nuance Mobile's assistive software that converts displayed text on a handset into highly intelligible speech and magnified content for blind or visually impaired mobile consumers.

The latest version of TALKS&ZOOMS features a new text-to-speech (TTS) audio system for Series 60 third-edition phones that enables users to look up or enter contacts, find notes, access and update calendar appointments, manage multiple calls, mute and hold calls, and more - all while the phone is already being used for a call.

With Nuance's TALKS & ZOOMS, blind and visually impaired users are able to take advantage of the many features found on today's popular mobile phones, including contact direc... .. .

Weekend Watching: Video Walkthrough The OVI Store On Nokia N97

26 Jun 2009 19:50:12 GMT

It's time for another episode in Nokia's ongoing series of Nokia N97 demo videos. Following on from the nice Nokia N97 Homescreen and Facebook widget promo films, here is the latest installment focusing on the new Ovi Store on the N97.

The Nokia N97 is the first Nseries device to ship with a launcher to the eagerly awaited, but sadly not as good Ovi Store, a one-stop-shop for thousands of applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services and much more.

Ovi Store has premium and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers including Facebook, MySpace, Qik, Glu and Netflix. The introdu... .. .

XpressBeer: Very Simple Yet Fun App For Your Phone!

26 Jun 2009 17:47:35 GMT

Liquids and electronics never get along well, but apparently, the XpressBeer and the Nokia Touch devices such as 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia N97 go down well along with one another!

XpressBeer is very simple yet fun Python based application that provides you with unique opportunity to brew and drink beer without damaging your liver and making your motor skills worse ;)

It fills up phone screen with a virtual lager and hook into the accelerometer to detect phone orientation, so every phone movement will result in a corresponding beer swish... .. .

Nokia Launches New Music Store in Poland With Over 4.5 Million Tracks

26 Jun 2009 10:27:38 GMT

The Nokia Music Store is now available in Poland. On Music.nokia.pl music fans can buy their favourite tracks and albums from the Nokia Music Store, choosing from over 4.5 million tracks (about 400 000 CDs) by Polish and international artists representing all music genres.

The music is provided by major and independent labels, and includes a special exclusive offer to buy Moby's latest album, or download David Guetta's “When love takes over" music single, before they are widely available.

Nokia Music Store is an online, easy-to-navigate music store that lets you browse and buy music, using recommendations and searching your favourite artists, tracks, or albums dire... .. .

VIDEO: Qt 'Tower' Pre-release Demo On A Nokia N97

25 Jun 2009 23:06:26 GMT

Three months after their latest release, commonly referred to as 'Garden', the Qt to S60 porting and dev team is pleased to provide another pre-release (based on Qt 4.5.2.) of the S60 Qt port.

Qt for S60 is now getting close to being feature complete, it is also much easier to install than before and if you did not already, this is the perfect time to start playing with Qt for S60!

This time, the pre-release code name is 'Tower' and nearly all functional areas which are wrapped by Qt's beautiful Api are now doing their job also on S60 devices. Besides the usual optimizations, fixes, code cleaning and various improvem... .. .

The Noisettes' Video Set For 'Saturday Night' Shoot With Nokia N95 8GB and Nokia 5800 XM

25 Jun 2009 17:23:05 GMT

One of the best new bands of the year, The Noisettes, recently teamed up with Nokia UK to offer their fans a very special opportunity.

Over 70 fans were invited to the shoot of the Noisettes new music video to film their own footage of the band armed with N95 8GB and Nokia 5800 XM.

Noisettes (occasionally written as NOISEttes) are an indie rock band from London comprising singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their second album, "Don't Up... .. .

VIDEO: Experience Online As It Happens - Create You Own Widgets

25 Jun 2009 16:37:58 GMT

The Nokia N97 Widget Competition that is currently running on the new Online as it happens web site allows you to create your own widgets, and keep track of your personal interests as they happen online. Once you have created a widget you can take it with you from the site. Embed it on your own site or blog, or access it directly with a unique URL to your widget.

Get started straight away, and enter the competition for your chance to have your widget developed and made available for download from Ovi Store. All 10 winners in the competition will also receive the Nokia N97 with their very own widget pre-installed in the device.

You will be able to follow the development process right here on the Nokia Nseries Blog. Winners will be selected by a jury, and the selection is based on the creative exec... .. .