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