Nokia N95 classic firmware - v31.0.014 out !!

Perhaps for the final time, Nokia has rolled out a new firmware for the Nokia N95 - v31.0.014. The new firmware apparently just brings bug fixes and perhaps an end to the ‘platform hack’. Since the phone doesn’t support UDP (User Data Preservation) make sure you back up the device before you update via the NSU. If you are keen on hacking, hang on to v30 as this firmware has nothing special to offer, no transitions N81 style and so on.

Via: AAS

Nokia Point and Find Demo

Nokia N97 Announced !!

Here it is guys ...The swashbuckling i-phone kicking touchscreen+qwerty n-series phone that we all have been dreaming of for so long ..has finally been announced !!

 

 

The N97 packs a 3.5-inch, 640 x 360 pixel (that's a 16:9 aspect ratio) resistive touchscreen display with tactile feedback and QWERTY keyboard into this sliding communicator with an "always open" window to favorite internet or social networking sites. Nokia calls it the "world's most advanced mobile computer." To back up the claim they've dropped in HSDPA, WiFi, and Bluetooth radios, A-GPS, a 3.5-mm headjack, 32GB of onboard memory with microSD expansion (for up to 48GB total capacity), and a battery capable of up to 1.5 days of continuous audio playback or 4.5-hours video. 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss glass and "DVD quality" video capture at 30fps, too. The specs are certainly impressive, let's see if the S60 5th Edition OS can support it. The N97 will launch with a retail price set at around €550 ($693) excluding subsidies and taxes, phone to ship in H1 2009.

 Watch the Demo video here :



And the Hands on Video here :


 
 Here's some more info :

The home screen of the Nokia N97 mobile computer features the people, content and media that matter the most. Friends, social networks and news are available by simply touching the home screen. The 16:9 widescreen display can be fully personalized with frequently updated widgets of favorite web services and social networking sites. The Nokia N97 is also perfectly suited for browsing the web, streaming Flash videos or playing games. Both the physical QWERTY and virtual touch input ensure efficiency in blogging, chatting, posting, sending texts or emailing.

The Nokia N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more. This is complemented by excellent music capabilities, full support for the Nokia Music Store and continuous playback time of up to 1.5 days. The Nokia N97 also has a 5-Megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, 16:9 and DVD quality video capture, and support for services like Share on Ovi for immediate sharing over HSDPA and WLAN.
This is also the first symbian device to feature screenplay technology that allows users to run multiple applications on a single screen with varied levels of transperency , and easily switching between them.  

This seems like the ultimate dream device to ever come out of nokias design lab. I for one cant wait for this to land on Indian shores. The apple iphone / sony xperia / Htc touch diamond / Android G1 are surely gonna feel the heat !!

Nokia N95 Classic v30.0.015 Firmware out !!

A new software update is available for the Nokia N95. From what we can tell, it’s a major update as it brings the firmware version from 21.0.016 to 30.0.015.

As usual, the new update optimizes the device’s performance and improves the overall stability. Additionally, once the upgrade is completed the N95 has more software installed and some of the existing apps are updated. Here’s what’s changed:

• Nokia Maps 2.0 built-in
• Full N-Gage client
• Nokia Search 4.0 with Google plug-in
• Share online 3.0
• Enablers for Comes With Music
• Download! application updated (v 3.1.50)
• Upgrade to Music Player
• Update for Flash Lite 3
• New baseline for VoIP (with error corrections)
• Autorotate
• Added 5th theme

To update your Nokia N95, simply start Nokia PC Suite and follow the instructions…

Nokia Announces two new N-series phones , The N79 and the N85

Nokia announced two new N-series phones to its already crowded lineup of N-series phones.It'll be interesting to see what the next N7x series phones are gonna be rebranded as , since the N79 is the last number in the N7x series.  

The Nokia N85
 

Operating System	Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
Band	GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz or 850/1900/2100MHz
Data	GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi
Size	103mm x 50mm x 16mm (4″ x 1.9″ x .6″)
Weight	128g (4.5oz)
Battery Life	Estimated 12.5 days standby time
	Estimated 4 hours talk time
Display	2.6″ 16 million color QVGA AM OLED, 240×320 pixel resolution
Camera	5 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash
Video	VGA resolution 640×480 record at up to 30 frames per second
Bluetooth	2.0 with A2DP
Memory	70MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 8GB card included
Other	Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer
Availability	Planned Q3 2008
Pricing	EUR450 (US$665) before taxes and subsidies

 



The Nokia N79
 

Operating System	Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
Band	GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/2100MHz
Data	GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi
Size	110mm x 49mm x 15mm (4.3″ x 1.9″ x .6″)
Weight	97g (3.4oz)
Battery Life	Estimated 17/15 days standby time (3G/GSM)
	Estimated 3.5/5.5 hours talk time (3G/GSM)
Display	2.4″ 16 million color QVGA TFT, 240×320 pixel resolution
Camera	5 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash
Video	VGA resolution 640×480 record at up to 30 frames per second
Bluetooth	2.0 with A2DP
Memory	50MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 4GB card included
Other	Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer
Availability	Planned Q3 2008
Pricing	EUR350 (US$521) before taxes and subsidies

Firemint Real Raching coming to the N95 !!

This looks so awesome !! And controlling the car by just the accelerometer is such a cool concept. I've been waiting for a game like this to hit the shelves for a long long time.. Some of the game specs include:

The most exciting HD racing experience on mobile

• Ultra realistic HD graphics
• Multi channel surround sound
• Realistic dynamics with natural accelerometer control

A truly competitive experience with "just one more go" gameplay

• Head to head multiplayer via WiFi or OTA
• Track your friends' performance using Real Racing's Facebook and OpenSocial applications

Relish your achievements

• Publish your best laps to YouTube with the press of a button
• Mash up and publish your results with web tools from Real Racing's user portal

I'm sure this is game is gonna be a huuuuuuuuge hit !! Cant wait for it to be released... :)

New N95-1 (classic) firmware on the way ??

This screenshot has been floating around on the web , but could just be another prankster or some clever photoshop work.

Lets wait and see...

Skyfire accepting BETA requests for the Skyfire symbian OS based web browser.

This browser is going to be the next big thing ....throwing the likes of the S60 browser and opera mini out of the window !!

Previously the beta was only open for windows mobile users , but looks like now they've started developing a symbian OS version too. at the moment the beta is only open to U.S residents, but others can register too and will be informed as and when the browser is available for their region.
Head over to http://www.skyfire.com/sign-up to book your spot on the waiting list..!! :)

Samsungs 8 megapixel stunner !!

Samsung INNOV8 (Samsung i8510) takes mobile handset photography and multimedia experience to new heights with its 8 megapixel camera. It offers users top of the range camera technologies, a surround-sound cinematic video experience, the best mobile internet browsing experience and mobile gaming capabilities. The Samsung INNOV8 has the latest in imaging applications such as smile shot, blink shot and face recognition allowing memorable moments to be stored in their best quality. Users can also personalize and edit their photos, videos and music with Movie Maker and Story Board applications. The handset also acts as a digital photo frame, allowing users to display their favorite images. For the gamers, the Samsung INNOV8 comes pre-embedded with two of the world’s most famous games, Asphalt and FIFA 08. Additional features include an optical mouse and 4-way navigation key for enjoying PC-like browsing experience. And HSDPA high speed Internet and WiFi connection offer convenient and seamless internet experience wherever users are.

Feature Overview

• 8 Megapixel camera
• 2.8” QVGA Display
• Optical mouse and 4-way navigation key
• A-GPS
• FM Radio with RDS
• HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (900/2100)
• EDGE / GPRS (850/900/1800/1900)
• Symbian OS V9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
• Memory: 16GB Flash + External Memory slot : microSDHC™ (up to 16GB)

 Finally a phone that has everything !! I cant wait ... :P

Nokia E71 : Initial Observations !

The great people at Womworld sent me a Nokia E71 to trial. This device is everything you have read about it and much much more..!! I was seriously skeptical about how much praise was being heaped on this "E-Series-Posterboy" phone, but once you get your hands on this stunner ..trust me ....you wont feel like looking at any other e series phones ... ever ! I'm sure a lot of people are going to dump their blackberrys for this baby !

This is only the review of the physical features of the E71. I will be posting a detailed software review later.



As you can see in the picture ... the E71 looks absolutely stunning , The amazing metallic finish feels good to look at and to hold too. Also as with the other newer E-series phones .The phone runs on symbian OS 9.2 and has the new "home" and "delete" keys .. and also features a "CTRL"(which i'm assuming is used to in VPN and Remote Admin functions) function on the dedicated "special characters" button.Also visible in the picture are the Dedicated calendar , phone book and messages button.Also hiding beneath somewhere is the GPS chip. this is the second E-series phone to get inbuilt GPS functionality after the E90. The GPS lock on is fast and takes under 10 seconds as compared to nearly a minute on my N95.The full qwerty keypad is amazing ! it might look minuscule here ... but the buttons are so well contoured that even a guy like me with big fingers can easily use the keypad without pressing two keys at once. Also the combination of predictive text + auto correction + qwerty keypad makes typing out even the lengthiest emails on this device a real breeze.



The side view of the E71 , in all its stunning glory.The only disappointment here was 2.5 mm headphone jack in lieu of the standard 3.5mm one , but i guess it had to be done due to space constraints. So this means you cant use your normal mp3 player headphones like you can in the N95 and certain other N series phones. There button with the dot in the center is used to mute calls.





The back casing of the E71 has a nice feel to it. All the squares you can see are actually carved into the metallic cover , which ensures that this sleek phone does not slip out of your hand under any conditions.Also provided is a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus & geo tagging , and a LED flash.The E71 also does away with the front camera found in most N series phones. The camera quality is fairly acceptable for an E-series phone , and cannot be compared to the likes of the N73 or the N95 for that matter. Still , I wish the camera was a little better .



These are some of the accessories that come with the E71 box. A nice red and black lanyard and Case. The case is of really good quality and has a nice red interior and looks very very classy (a nice addition to those Armani suits :P ) . Also included are a 2.5mm headset and the usb data cable (unlike Motorola and Samsung ...you cannot charge the phone with this) and a travel charger.

Comparisons with the Nokia N95 : (physical features)

The E71 is THIN !! Just comparing it with my N95 was like comparing the size of a mac book air to a Panasonic toughbook !!
And I dunno how nokia engineers managed to squeeze a full qwerty keypad in there ...but I must say ..its real impressive to see the amount of stuff they've crammed into this device !



The E71 as you can see is only slightly longer than the N95 in the closed state.




In terms of thickness ... There is no comparison at all !! The E71 is wafer thin as compared to the N95 .. which is really good for all those business suits out there ...so you don't have an awkward bulge sticking out of your trouser/suit pockets !

This concludes my review of the physical features of the E71. I will be posting a detailed software review of the device and its features later. Do let me know if you have any questions about the device and i will try to answer them in my next post. :)

Nokia Chat out at Nokia beta labs.

Finally Nokia releases their twitter-esque location based chat and messaging app. I've been waiting for such an app for so long ... and i'm really glad that Nokia has finally released it !!

From the beta labs website :

Nokia Chat is more than just messaging. You can share your status and your location, giving you physical presence! Start a Nokia Chat with your friends with instant and voice messaging and finish it face-to-face. Get together with Nokia Chat – it’s where we are now.

• Meet one-to-one
• Update your status
• Share your location
• Message friends

Features

Chat helps you hook up with no hassles by sending your real-time location in an instant message. This unique feature lets your friend pinpoint your position and share her own on Nokia Maps.

Chance meetings with friends are made easy. Pick out your places on Nokia Maps and choose where you want to publish your presence. Chat automatically updates your location status when you arrive at your hangouts.

As well as sharing your location, you can edit your status with what’s going on and stay up-to-the-minute with your friends. Status symbols on Chat show when you’re available, on the phone, or away.

Chat puts quick and easy instant messaging at your fingertips. You can also record and send voice messages to friends.

Tested with:
Nokia N95 8GB, N95, N82, N81 8GB, N81, N76, E71, E66, E51, 6290, 6120 Classic, 6110 Navigator

Should work with:
Nokia E90 Communicator, 6124 classic, 6121 Classic, 5700 XpressMusic

To download this app , head over to : http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/chat

Remember , you have to install both the files in order for the app to work !!

Yay !! I got featured on Overdrive !!

My picture in the july 2008 edition of the Overdrive India magazine :)





...And the bike i won as a first prize in the contest. Thanks Nokia :)







You should hear this baby roar...!! Awesome ... :)

Please Become my fan.

The Nokia Fusions challenge is on . Please help me improve my chances of winning this contest by becoming my fan. It only takes a few seconds.

Click on the link : http://tinyurl.com/5emc94

Thanks :)

N95 v/s N82 Night shots !!

The great guys at WOMWORLD had sent me a N82 to review a few weeks back. I wanted to post this article sooner , but I was really busy for the past few days. I tested out how the N95 fared compared to the N82 xenon flash. The photos were all clicked in pitch darkness just because I wanted to compare the effect of the xenon flash compared to the LED equipped N95.The result ? The N82 wins by miles. Simply no competition here. Although the N95 did manage to shoot some decent pics when the subject was in focus . Else ...its the N82 all the way !! If you're the type of person who parties a lot ..or clicks a lot of snaps in really dark places...then the N82 is definitely the phone for you !!

Check out the comparison photos here :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotojunkie/sets/72157604318666969/

Lemme know what you think.

Nokia N95-1 V21 Firmware Out !!

Grab it while its hot ..!! :)

Nokia N95-1 firmware v21.0.016 changelog out !! Actual firmware not out yet !!

The Symbian World blog has reported that the changelog for the Nokia N95-1 v21.0.016 "yet to be released" firmware is already out. This is strange considering the changelog usually only appears about a few days after the firmware is out. This also means that we can expect the firmware to be released in the next few days. I'm particularly happy about the youtube support and the inclusion of web runtime widgets. Now its time to keep a watch for the firmware on NSU. :)

Here's the changelog :

New features
* Flash Lite 3 support added
* Widget (Web runtime) support added
* Default year changed to 2008

Improvements
* General stability improvements.
* Pre-defined access point kept after switching to different type SIM card.
* Localization improvements.
* Standby time improvements.
* Improvements to BT headset interoperability.
* Improvement to Calendar data restoring.
* Switch from landscape to portrait mode & screen rotations improvements.

Browser
* Improvement to long text writing to web page text boxes.
* Browsing from WLAN wizard improvement.

Media Player
* Localizations improvements in Music player.
* Windows Media Player recognizes device as Nokia N95.

Gallery
* Image rotation improvement in album view.
* Gallery & Slideshow performance improvements.

Messaging
* Improvement to SMS reception.

Java
* Midlet installation improvement.
* Improvement to Java application start.
* Java midlet certificate checking improvement.

Navigation
* General improvements to Maps application.
* Localization correction to Search in Maps application.
* Improvement to Navigate To -function when started from search application.

SIM
* Contact names with accents and more than 11 characters can be copied to SIM card.

Google Launches Native S60 Search App !!

This just in ...the folks from the all about symbian site are reporting that google has launched a native s60 search plugin . The app is activated by pressing the pencil key and provides similar functionality to the Nokia inbuilt search application. Check out some screen shots and point your mobile browser to mobile.google.com to download the app !! I haven't tested it yet ..so do let me know what you think of it !








Head over to AllAboutSymbian.com to check out the rest of the article !

Nokia Maps V2.0 Beta Released !!

The guys over at nokia beta labs are on a roll and have recently rolled out yet another juicy beta .this time of the new n improved Nokia Maps application. The New v2.0 Nokia Maps features a all new interface with the options to view maps in 3D , Google maps and hybrid maps. It also includes the "pedestrian" mode where you can have breadcrumb trails of your walk around the city streets. This is something unique which i have never seen in any other GPS mapping software. Kudos to Nokia for including this. I tried out the app and found the new interface very refreshing and less buggy than the old version.




Head over to http://betalabs.nokia.com/blog/tag/maps/ to download the application , and do let me know what you think !

Nokia Announces Four New Phones !!

The N96 is the successor to the N95. The new phone is optimized for video and TV and hence supports high-quality videos in a host of formats. Besides, it features a large 2.8-inch screen and 16GB of internal memory. The N96 is expected to be available by Q3 of 2008.

The N78 is targeted at music, navigation and photography experiences. Also it combines Nokia services like Nokia Music Store, Nokia Maps, and Share on Ovi. The N78 will hit the stores in Q2 of 2008.

Nokia 6220 is another high-end phone showcased at MCW. The new device features a 5 megapixel camera with A-GPS functionality. Furthermore, the phone also allows users to edit, tag and share images online. Users can also view the images on TV. The Nokia 6220 will start shipping in Q3 of 2008.

Nokia 6120 Navigator is Nokia’s first GPS-enabled phone that is equipped with an integrated compass for pedestrian guidance. Also the new phone incorporates newly launched Maps 2.0 software. Like the Nokia 6220, the Nokia 6210 Navigator will ship in Q3 of 2008.

Nokia Location Tagger Beta

Nokia Beta labs have churned out yet another amazing application this month ...and this time its called the "Location Tagger". Basically what this app does is that it starts off your GPS ..and gets your current or last saved co-ordinates and embeds them into the EXIF data peresnt in the JPEG pictures header.And when you upload such pictures on flickr , picasa or google earth , you will be able to see the picture in the exact position on the map you had clicked it on.



Shozu has been offering this feature in its app for a long time ..but its nice to see nokia jump into things and offer an app of their own. So if you have a Nokia N95, N95 8GB, N82, and E90 using the integrated GPS, or any S60 #rd edition device with a bluetooth GPS ..head over to :

http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/locationtagger

to download the app. Is it as good as shozu ? Post your comments.

Nokia Share Online v3.0 Beta updated !!

The Nokia Share online v3.0 beta has been updated to support Nokia N95 / N82, Nokia N76 / N81 and the Nokia N73.



This is an important update as when i used the previous v3 beta on my v20 firmware N95 ..it just gave me an upgrade error. Hopefully this version has fixed all those quirks. I wouldn't really say this is a great app... as I use shozu and it does all this app can do + much more. But still..if you are a fan of nokia apps....then don't miss out on this one. To download this app..head over to :

http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/shareonline

ICICI Bank Launches iMobile

This one is for all my fellow Indians who read this Blog :

ICICI Bank iMobile


iMobile is a breakthrough innovation in banking where practically all internet banking transactions can now be simply done on mobiles phones. Customers can now transfer funds to ICICI and Non ICICI Bank accounts just with the click of their mobile. The application covers Savings bank, Demat, Credit Card and Loan accounts. Customers can also pay their utility bills and insurance premium through this facility. ICICI Bank offers this facility free of charge to customers.





Customers having GPRS facility on their mobile phones can directly download this application by simply sending an sms iMobile to 56767661.

Or...Download the App Directly by clicking HERE.

Nokia Conversation Updated To v3.1

Nokia beta labs has updated the version of its popular conversation app to v3.1. Apparently this update fixes some bugs with the ability to send sms that some users had reported in the last release.



To download this app , head over to :

http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/conversation

Youtube releases official mobile app for Symbian Phones

Youtube.com has released an official beta of a mobile app for select symbian phones , that lets you upload and download content to or from your phone directly from your handset.



According to the site ..the app lets you :

Access millions of YouTube videos at any time right from your mobile phone. This download able application puts YouTube in your pocket.

Which videos are hot?
Access the latest, the best and the most viewed videos.

Search...
...and watch any YouTube video.

Stay tuned
Watch your subscriptions, play lists and favorite videos any time.

Upload
Upload videos directly from your mobile phone.


To download this app on your Nokia's N73, N95, E65, 6110, 6120 ,SonyEricsson k800 and w880 , head over to :

m.youtube.com/app

from you mobile phone browser.

Or if you want to know more about the App.. head over to : http://www.youtube.com/yt_mobile_app

Now to see how this stacks up against emTube...another favourite of mine. Let me know what you think of it .

NiiMe Lets you use your N95 as a PC Gamepad

A video which shows The N95 being used as a PC game controller has surfaced on youtube. The Operation is similar to that of Nokmote ..except here you can use the N95 as a bluetooth enabled Game Controller. Looks pretty cool ...And I'm really looking forward to the release.



EDIT : The download Link : http://niime.com/download.htm