Merry Christmas!

It's December 24th, Christmas eve. In the last 3 months this blog has had over 500 visitors, which is the main reason I'm posting this. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming, catching up on the latest mobile news and making this project worthwhile.







I wish you all a merry Christmas and nothing but joy and fulfilment in the new year. See you in 2008!

Nokia Internet Radio (beta)

Tommi at betalabs.nokia.com/blog has news of a new, mature beta app, Nokia Internet Radio.

Basically it uses the Internet to search and stream music from stations worldwide. You can browse by genre, country and language.

I tried it with WLAN and WAP connections, and the latter did not allow me to connect to stations.

You can download it, and get some more info, here:

http://europe.nokia.com/A4668051

ExtremeCalc 1.0

My first Python app! I'm so proud of myself.
ExtremeCalc is a [pretty] complex calculator packed with functions. It's designed with everyone in mind: it has a Basic profile for quick and simple operations, and a Scientific profile for complex and advanced operations. Here's the story:

1. Installation instructions:
-If you haven't already, install "PythonForS60_1_4_1_3rdEd" and then "PythonScriptShell_1_4_1_3rdEd" to your phone's memory
-Install "ExtremeCalc.sis" to phone or memory card
-Copy the image "NokiaMobileBlog.jpg" to your Python folder on the phone



2. Description:
ExtremeCalc is a list-based calculator (you don't have to scroll over buttons and press them, just select the operations from lists). To enter numbers, press and hold the keys. In the main menu, there are the following options
-Calculator - we'll discuss this below
-Instructions - displays a brief description of the functions of the program
-About - displays version, author (yours truly :)) etc.
-Exit - exits the app *



"Calculator" is the main function, and it has this submenu:
-Operations - mathematical operations, see below
-Trigonometry - calculates functions like sin, cos, and arcfunctions (arctg, arcsin etc.) in radians, degrees or grads.
-Memory - shows, modifies or clears your memorised number, if there is one. You can memorise any number or result (in version 1.0 of ExtremeCalc just one)
-Clear sheet - all the operations you do are shown, for verifying later, on a white background. If you finish one set of operations and wish to start another, you should clear the background first so the new results won't be written literraly on top of the old ones (I'm looking into a solution for this)
-Back - returns you to the main window, so to speak



Operations has 2 profiles, Basic and Scientific, and an Expression evaluator.
-Basic is for quick, simple operations like adding, multiplying, square root etc. Here, like in Scientific and trigonometry, you can type the desired number, or import it from memory (if you have memorised it). Once you do an operation, a list is displayed showing the result, "Memorise" and "Quit". Select the result to continue using it in operations, "Memorise" to memorise the result or "Quit" to finish this session of operations.
-Scientific is pretty much the same, except it offers special operations and numbers.
-Expression asks that you enter a sequence of operations (3*(2+4)-5 for example) and calculates the result.



UPDATE: The non-functional exit situation has been fixed. Program now closes when right softkey is pressed or "Exit" is selected. The download link has been updated.

ExtremeCalc has been tested on my N95 and is compatible with all S60 3rd Edition devices. You can download it from here. And if you find other bugs or have ideas for improvement, please leave them as comments on this blog.
Important: This is an unsigned version. You have to sign it yourself (get a symbiansigned.com account and read this article http://wiki.forum.nokia.com/index.php/How_to_sign_a_.Sis_file_with_Self-Sign_Certificate)

http://rapidshare.com/files/73809646/ExtremeCalc.rar

Nokia Energy Profiler...

... is a Forum Nokia application that allows users to monitor battery usage. While it is intended for developers to measure how much battery power their apps consume, everybody can use it to take a look "under the hood" of the phone.

It is a surprisingly complex application, and by that I mean full of features, not necessarily difficult to use.

It offers a nice graph view of battery usage and a large number of settings that can be modified. To make benchmarking even easier, it has built-in screenshot capability. It also offers various charts and tables for comparison between different recorded moments.

You can see a very good quick-start guide and download here:

http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/resources/development_process/power_management/nokia_energy_profiler/

N95 V.20.0.015 firmware is out

The long awaited firmware update for the N95 has arrived. V20 brings a number of improvements, some more noticeable than others.



The first striking thing I noticed was the reduced start-up time. 24 seconds, compared to 35 on V12. After that I saw the Search application integrated in the active-standby screen. A nice time-saver, Nokia. Bravo!



Menus are the same (i.e. not N95 8GB or N81 style, which I am happy for) and now we have an N-Gage app and a Nokia Music Store app in the menu. Applications now start in like half the time, which brings us to the real treat: more free RAM. Yes, that's right. I got up to 30.7 MB which is more than enough for even the most extreme multitasking. It is rumored that the battery life has also been increased through optimization of the software, but I've yet to test this.
The camera now takes 1.5 maybe 2 seconds to start, which is a huge improvement. The flash seems a bit more powerful too, and the processing time is reduced, making it great for quick shot-to-next-shot activity. The battery indicator is shown, so you know how much juice you have left for photos and video.



Oh, and one more thing. We can kiss that ridiculous missing-key-press-bug goodbye. Key presses now generate timely and precise results.
I did however find a problem. This may be strictly my case, but when I connect my phone to PC in mass-storage mode, and more precisely when I select "Eject" from the memory card icon in My Computer, I get that "Cable can now be removed" popup for a split second, after which it vanishes. If I try to remove the cable after it vanishes, it says that "Data might have been lost...". Pretty annoying if you frequently use mass-storage mode.

Overall, this is a fantastic update. It's about 116MB, and the whole process took me 10-12 minutes so I definitely recommend that you upgrade.

Nokia Nseries PC Suite 2.0 beta

Once taken down for tweaking, the 2.0 version of Nseries PC Suite is back at Beta Labs. It is a bundle of all the other software pieces released independently so far.

The downloading and installing is done by a Web installer. You just tick the the components you want to install and they are downloaded and installed. Simple as that. Oh, and remember to uninstall your classic PC Suite first. I had a bit of a headache 'cause I forgot.

The new layout is pretty cool, I for one like it much more that the old Suite one. You can browse by the "Music", "Internet", "Photo/Video" and "Tools" tabs.

Download it from here: http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/nseriespcsuite

N810 ships!

The new Internet Table, Nokia N810, has been released to stores.
It promises to surpass the N800 in terms of specifications and functionality (it has GPS).

Press release here: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1169511

N82 official announcement

To all you camera-phone lovers out there (and me), the Nokia N82 has been announced. It looks like a combination of N73 and N91. Sort of.

Key specs:

-5MP camera with Xenon(!) flash

-100MB internal memory (+microSD card)

-1050 mAh battery

-2.4" QVGA 16M colors display

Press release: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1168264

More images: http://www.nokia.com/A4138058?category=n82#

Two gorgeous new phones

According to the recent press releases, Nokia is planning to launch 2 new S40 3rd edition phones, one in Q4 2007, and one in Q1 2008. Make that 2 new very stylish S40 3rd edition phones.

Both are variants of the 8800.

Key specs:
-2 inch OLED QVGA display 16M colors
-1000 mAh battery
-3.2 MP camera, QCIF video
-1 GB built-in memory

Seems you get quite a lot in the package:
-Nokia 8800 Arte phone
-Nokia Battery BL-4U
-Nokia Charger AC-6 (microUSB)
-Nokia Connectivity microUSB Data Cable CA-101
-Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-803
-Nokia Desk Stand DT-19
-Leather Pouch
-CD ROM with Nokia PC Suite software (version 6.83)
-User guide
-Nokia 8800 Arte story booklet

Nice, a microUSB charger is included.


The Nokia 8800 Arte




The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte

Press release: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1167998

Photos: http://www.nokia.com/A4136017?category=8800_sapphire
http://www.nokia.com/A4136017?category=8800_arte#

Data sheet: http://nds3.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Press/Press_Events/Virginia/downloads/Nokia%208800%20Arte%20-%20Data%20sheet.pdf

http://nds3.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Press/Press_Events/Virginia/downloads/Nokia%208800%20Sapphire%20Arte%20-%20Data%20Sheet.pdf

Nokia AudioBooks beta

Well, another day, another beta app. This one's a little different, though. It helps you do something we all wish for: reading books without actually having to read them.

Audiobooks are sound files with a voice reading the text of the book. Basically, you can buy audiobooks or download public ones. The Nokia apps will do the rest. For detailed info, go to: http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/audiobooks

You can convert wav and mp3 files to play in the phone counterpart application. The resulting format is awb. I found the sound quality very good considering that the resulting file is about 8 times smaller than the original.

The on-phone program works like a media player. You have volume control, FF, RW, play/pause.

Interesting features:

-possibility to add a cover image for the book

-possibility to add bookmarks for quick visiting later

-possibility to resume listerning where you left off

Beta MOSH client available

Nokia Beta Labs just announced a MOSH client-like application. It is essentially a MOSH "centre", as in all the features in one place. All you need is an account and you're all set. You even remain logged in until you manually log out, which can save some time.

The icons you see above are links to the mobile MOSH web pages, so nothing fancy here. But they are useful because you can just select them from here instead of having to browse through pages looking for them.

Download here: http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/mosh

Search 4.0 available

It seems Nokia has launched v4.0 of their Search application. A far better one that the previous, if you ask me.

First of all, if you're going to upgrade, you have to go to Application manager and remove all instances of "Search", or you won't be able to install. On my N95, there were 3 or 4.

Once inside the app, you will notice the difference when thinking back about the previous iteration of Search. Smaller font, a list of all the phones "directories", the ability to search the Net (via Yahoo!) are just a few of the features.

When you start typing a word in the search field, the potential results are updated. There's also a mini-thumbnail view of images:

Download here: http://europe.nokia.com/A4566434

Keeping up-to-date while on the go: Widsets

Today is graduation day for Nokia Beta Labs application Widsets *pops open champagne bottle*

If you've used the Gadgets in Windows Vista, or an RSS feed reader, you probably have a pretty good idea about how widgets work. Widgets "help you easily access information as soon as it's available on the Internet. They take the hassle out of trying to keep up-to-date with the enormous flood of information we are faced with every day". Simply, widgets bring the info to your doorstep.
So what I'm getting at is that Widsets itself is a program that allows you to download and use widgets on a mobile phone. Chat, RSS, Wikipedia, your favorite newspaper, you name it. Also, you can create your own widget. This is a nifty way to let people know about your blog and stuff (note to self, make a widget).

So, here we go. Go to http://www.widsets.com/ and download the widgets you want (note that you have to create a free account first, which is unusualy quick and easy to do compared to other sites). Once the program is installed on your phone (remember to check compatibility first, but the range on supported phones is quite vast) go online and everything will be set up.

In this review I opted for the Wikipedia widget.



The interface is very nice, with each widget looking like a button that you can press select (I forgot, no touch screen yet ;) ).
I normally use WLAN, but this time I was unable to so I used a rudimentary CSD connection. The needed information, meaning the article, was downloaded really fast, in under 15 seconds (on 9 KB/s that's not bad). The layout is a bit... different, but definitely acceptable.



So, with a large and ever-growing collection of widgets available, Widsets is a very nice application, and extremely useful if you frequently find yourself looking for updates on certains subjects.

UPDATE: Made my own widget, you can find it in the upper-right part of this page. The process of creating one is easier than I thought. Give it a try, it works like a charm.

N81 and N81 8GB now shipping

It's official. The game-orientated, music-focused slide phones are at large.

The two new additions to the Nseries family don't have any top-notch camera capabilities, nor are their music skills out of this world. The treat is the gaming-optimised interface and build. The are 2 dedicated game keys above the display and the N-Gage client is pre-installed, with a plethora of games being available through OVI (not sure when).

So, press release here, if you're getting one, congrats. I'm sure it's a great entertainment center.

http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1161376

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet

While checking for new press releases from our favorite phone manufacturer, I found a new set of photos, depicting a new Nseries device. And here it is, the N810 internet tablet.

This new bad boy has a stunning screen, and GPS (!). Like any internet tablet, it has a wide variety of connectivity options. And... wait for it... a QWERTY KEYBOARD that slides out from underneath.

The nseries.com site has also been updated. From there, these are the main features of this new goodie:

-High-resolution 4.13" WVGA display (800 x 480 pixels) with up to 65,000 colors
-DDR RAM 128MB; Flash 256MB
-Internet Tablet OS: maemo Linux based OS2008
-Sadly, all I could see is that it has a VGA camera, though I might have missed a few lines.

Find more pictures here: http://www.nokia.com/A4136017?category=n810

UPDATE: Found 2 youtbe videos, one is like a commercial, the other is a short demo (sort of).
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JVZ6E9EnJ3I
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dywlV40L3rA&mode=related&search=

Yet another use for our fingers: Nokia touch S60 interface

Back in August, at the GoPlay event, Nokia released a small teaser of an IPhone-like device, albeit (in my opinion) better looking.

Now, almost 2 months later, at the Smartphone Show, Nokia confirmed that the Series 60 family will be getting a new addition - a feature. That of touchscreen user interface.

This Youtube video was taken at the event, and shows us some interesting moves with the new device. I especially liked the trick that any alarm can be turned off by flipping the phone face-down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3uPxep2OIk

Press release: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1160272

Podcast interview: http://blogs.s60.com/voiceofs60/2007/10/podcast_30_minna_korvanen_s60.html

A "Beta" of Nokia Beta Labs

Well, will the irony never cease! Nokia Beta Labs itself has now entered a beta stage, and by that I mean the site has been revamped.

See?

I for one like the new look better. And there are new features, too.

The Blog there is Tommi's S60 blog, now conveniently located on the Beta Labs domains, for easy one-click access. It's a great way for users to find out more info about the apps before trying them out, through users' comments. Also, like on the original s60.com blog, the comments can be used as a way of giving feedback about applications.

Hot Topics is a nice way to let people know about the latest campaigns from Forum Nokia etc.

One thing I didn't like that much was the fact that the list of apps, once large and attention-drawing, is now a small list of "Latest applications" in the lower-left corner. If they could just enlarge it a bit, or move it somewhere more visible...

Let's give the guys a hand, eh? They've done a pretty good job so far, and with some tweaking, the beta beta labs can become a stable release.

The URL remains the same, http://www.nokia.com/betalabs

For more info about this, go to Tommi's blog, http://blogs.s60.com/tommi/

3,2,1 We have lift-off!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you (well, actually Nokia gives you) the N95 8GB!
The device has started shipping today and is supposed to hit stores very soon.

Just thought I'd make a reminder about pros and cons if you're looking to upgrading from the original N95:

For -Larger 2.8 inch screen
-Longer battery life
-8Gb flash storage
Against -No lens cover
-No memory card slot
-Slightly smaller buttons on the top half
The different theme and menus are matters of personal taste, so I can't give it a + or -.

For paying EUR 560 before taxes or subsidies, as a "thank you", the Spider-Man 3 movie comes
pre-loaded on the hard drive.

The press release can be found here: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1159826

Nokia Device Status 1.1 beta

What can I say? A troubleshooting godsend, Nokia Device Status gives us never-before seen info and details about our device, all in an easy to use interface.

I know, this sounds like an advertisement, and I apologise, but the app is really worth praising.

This software is a two-piece bundle. First you install it on the PC. After that, you connect the phone (via PC Suite) and it uploads the install kit to your phone. Install it on the phone too, run it once and that's it. All done.
I had no trouble with the installation. As you can see from the screens below, the level of detail about firmware, device model, various settings and running applications is astounding. You can refresh the info any time.

On the PC, you get essentially the same info about the phone. The neat thing is, you also get detailed info about your PC specs, so finding out exactly why the phone and the PC aren't compatible should now be a breeze. Also, in the lower left corner, there's a nifty thing that you can drag onto an email or any text field and it instantly transfers the info there.



To quote Tommi at blogs.s60.com, "Technically it's quite mature, but as a concept still under development. Right now, the development team is evaluating different options how to make it useful for mainstream users, and how to integrate it effectively with customer care systems."
You can download the app here.
http://www.nokia.com/A4596393

The Next Episode... a hint?

Interesting activity going on on the UK Nokia site http://www.nokia.co.uk/play.

When you add a message, you can give your email address, and you will receive a message that says you will be among the first to know what the next episode is. It also says the next episode "airs" November 2nd.

Could it be the N81? The N95 8GB? Ovi? ALL?!?!

Nokia Share Online 3.0 beta

Today Nokia Beta Labs published a beta version of the Share Online application. V3.0 to be exact.

Currently, N95 and N73 are the only "officially" supported devices, but more are bound to be coming.

As you can see from this table taken from the Beta Labs site, there aren't many improvements over 2.0, but the added ability to comment and subscribe to feeds is nice:

For those of you who haven't used Share Online before now (including myself), it is a "1-click media uploader". Well actually about 3 clicks. All you have to do is set up a http://www.flickr.com/ account (with a Yahoo! ID), log in once (the app remembers your ID and password) from Share Online and you're good to go.

Presently, Flickr is the only supported photo site.

I (on an N95) had a smooth experience with the app, as the installation was fast and flawless, and the program itself was stable. Here are some screens:

You can download the app here (1.26MB). Also, your feedback is welcome. https://www.nokia.com/A4568208

Hello and welcome!

I started this blog to help promote and debate about mobile subjects. Feel free to comment any of my posts and here's to a future of mobility.