For mobile phone users who need a quick secondary handset for basic calling and texting functions, Nokia has just released a second version of the 5233 handset that comes without the 3G and GPS functions. Of course, for a primary handset, this device will only be useful for people who have little use of a mobile phone, otherwise, it really only serves as a reliable but fancy backup handset.
Virgin Mobile has confirmed that they are offering the Nokia 5230 Nuron touch screen handset for a bargain cost of only 20 Pounds per month. The 18 month contract will give users about 200 minutes for talk time and unlimited text messages. Overall, it’s a pretty nice deal, and even if you do not get it from an operator, this touch screen device still makes for a pretty nice phone to have around.
The biggest advantage of this touch screen handset is that it actually uses the Symbian OS 9.4 (S60) and this means that users will be able to access most of the features that one would expect from a Symbian smart phone –with the exception of GPS maps and 3G access obviously.
Nokia’s 5230 might fool some people into thinking that it is a smart phone that comes with 3G, GPS and all the trimmings; the device’s 3.2 inch touch screen display gives it an appearance of a mid range smart phone –and it does come quite close, though the use of a stylus on a resistive display might turn off some users who are used to capacitive touch screen technology.
The Nuron also comes with a 2 mega pixel camera (with video recording at 30FPS), a basic ARM CPU clocked at 434 MHz, 70 MB of internal memory (but it supports 16GB SD cards), GPRS, Bluetooth and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
The new Nokia N8 will be Nokia’s first handset to run on the new Symbian 3 platform. It promises a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash. This means that you will be able to record HD footage on this rather sexy piece of mobile phone. It also comes with an HDMI output meaning you can hook it up to any HD ready TV and watch your footage in high def quality. The N8 comes with 16GB of online storage, but this is expandable via a micro SD slot. If you want to read a more in depth Nokia N8 review, then check out Best Mobile Contracts for more info on this handset that is due to be released later this year. We think it is great, but whether it can overturn the likes of the Desire and the iPhone remains to be seen.
A facelift was given to Nokia’s Ovi Store and it brought along a few minor changes. Both the desktop and mobile clients got a makeover.
The Store desktop enhancements include a list view for search results and a fail-safe to confirm which device you are looking up content for in order to ensure that you are buying the right apps for the device.
How this works is that if the user is not logged in prior to viewing the content, the page is redirected to a Nokia Mobile Device Selector. This is simpler and more straightforward compared to the carousel-design interface previously implemented. The device option may be changed at any time simply by clicking on the mobile selection link found at the upper right corner of the store.
The mobile update focused on giving more organized app details while browsing the online merchandise. The browser for content and scrolling through sample screens is now streamlined to offer faster browsing
The rating system was increased to five stars instead of three as well. This decision was based on the user experience panels, wherein the result was that the preferred rating system was five stars instead of the existing three. This release also ensures more accurate reviews by giving only those who have already downloaded the app the ability to comment and rate on it. Details such as the time of the post as well as the device used by the reviewer will be included to help users decide better.
There are three goals for the update, according to the official Ovi blog. First, it is to make the store easier to browse and make searching for content simpler. Second, to give more accurate reviews by raising the number of the stars in the rating system and lastly, to provide a more detailed product description to assist their customers on which to buy.
There is a new Nokia smart phone in town and rumor has it that this Symbian^3 handset will be showing off how far the mobile platform has come since its shift to open source.
So far, the biggest piece of news that we have heard regarding the N8-00 is that it will be using a 12 mega pixel camera and that it will be DivX capable. The DivX feature sounds quite the practical addition; with Samsung’s Galaxy S and Wave smart phones already being the first to bring portable HD DivX to users, it makes perfect sense that Nokia’s own video-centric device should also have the same feature.
Anyway, back to the 12 mega pixel snapper, it is said that it will have a Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash (no word about video LED lights) so users can expect to be able to grab some high quality images on this smart phone. For video, it is said that it will be able to record in 720p and the playback can deliver up to 1080p. It has also been reported that the phone has an HDMI port for displaying videos and images on an HDTV or a compatible monitor.
As for the rest of the specs, everyone is still guessing what else Nokia will place in this smart phone. Many are already stating that it will be running on an ARM CPU –some believe that it may also be a new version of the A4 processor.
The Symbian^3 operating system has yet to prove itself, though it seems like Nokia is placing a lot on this smart phone. It was originally said that all the new N-series devices would be using Maemo. For Nokia to move back to Symbian for this phone, it may have plenty of amazing surprises for us to see.
Get to know more about the upcoming Nokia N8-00 at GSM Arena.
According to rumors, there is a new Nokia Symbian^3 device coming this September. From the looks of it, video buffs will certainly enjoy this impressive smart phone.
People have been eagerly awaiting the release of the very first Symbian^3 handset ever since the OS developer announced that they will be shifting to open source. Initial images of the new mobile platform have also been quite intriguing –sporting a new look that seems to have a lot more dynamic elements that it’s previous iterations. News about new applications for the OS is still on the down low, but we expect to see plenty of support for the device in the coming months.
The new handset featuring Symbian^3 is being called the N8-00 or the Nokia N98. Images of the device feature a large touch screen form factor with a single button on the bottom of the screen.
An HDMI port has been spied on the edge of the device hinting at HD quality video output to TVs and monitors. It has also been said that the new phone will have a 12 mega pixel camera (with Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss lens) and video recording at 720p HD quality. We are hoping they would also add LED video recording light since the phone already has a good flash.
Nokia however, has yet to actually confirm that they are working on the device. The 98 will be one of the things many of us will be looking out for when the Finnish manufacturer makes their scheduled announcement this April.
The Symbian^3 is making a remarkable comeback this year after its recent troubles last 2009. The OS was bumped off by Maemo on the N series and several Symbian devices suffered from major software issues (such as the SE Satio and the N97).
Find out more about the rumor N98 smart phone at Know Your Mobile.
Nokia is really connecting people with their new “design by community” system wherein users will be allowed to vote for a number of smart phone features through a poll. The users will be able to choose which aspects they like in a certain category and move the poll slider to add an arbitrary point to that feature. Every poll will be dedicated to one category. The poll next week will focus on size and shape, the next will be about materials, then about operating system, so on and so forth until May of this year comes.
Nokia seems out to get their users feedback on what they want in a smart phone. They segregated the sections to prevent people from creating an unfeasible phone. Every week, the tally will be posted as well as the top choices for each finished category to serve as the basis for the next poll.
Every week, Nokia designers and bloggers will be giving some insight regarding the updates as well as insider info about the production process involved. At the end of the polls, the Nokia design team will be posting some concept sketches and will then be turned into another public poll. The winning design will be rendered and then revealed in Nokia’s “Conversations”.
The actual goal is not to launch the voted concept but simply to show the public the amount of thought process and effort it takes to come up with a final product. Although this is a nice touch from Nokia, it would be nice if they actually got some of the feedback and made it into a final product (yes, considering the amount of time and effort). But who knows right? The fact that they even got the idea means that they want to pay attention to user demands and hear it straight.
Read more about Nokia’s Design by Community at Engadget.
According to recent reports, Nokia has just patented kinetic energy conversion technology for their mobile phones. Not to imply that Nokia will actually develop the new technology, but considering that Nokia is one of the most environmentally friendly companies on the planet, it is not surprising to see that they have taken the steps into creating what would be the first self-recharging battery.
By combining kinetic energy and piezoelectricity, this technology would convert movement (such as walking around or lifting your phone) into energy. Of course, when applied to other devices or other activities, there is great potential to be gained in this. When attached to exercise equipment, transportation vehicles and clothing, the technology would be able to gather chunks and bits of electricity that can be stored and used by small electronic devices such as smart phones.
Getting energy from movement gives the technology plenty of sources as we humans love to move about in our lives. If attached to a small device on our arms or legs, the technology would have the benefit of being able to use the excess energy we generate while at work or at play. It can even be attached to devices that are perpetually in motion such as cars and bicycle wheels for powering small things like signal lights and others. In a children’s playground, the technology can be used on swings and merry-go-rounds as it generates power to be used for park lights in the evening.
Of course, charging by this method would never give you a full charge even after a while day of running around, but being able to convert some of that energy would still be useful in the long run.
So far, experts are not expecting to see this technology actually being applied anytime soon. While the concept can be quite helpful, the actual technology itself is far from perfect with current energy conversion rates being a little too low to support commercial distribution.
Get to read more about the new technology patent from Nokia at Stuff TV.
Looks like we will get to see how the Symbian^3 looks and works when Nokia brings out the upcoming X10 (not to be confused with the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 –which is an Android Snapdragon smart phone).
The device has been leaked in a series of videos and still images and from what we have seen; this smart phone is still pretty much in its preliminary stages of development. Specs-wise the phone sits in the mid-spec range of devices. The Cortex A8 processor runs at 600MHz, which means that the new user interface will be radically dynamic in terms of animations and transitions.
The new phone is basically a touch screen device with a slide out keyboard. It’s a great template for attracting general and business user to try out the new operating system. No word yet on what exactly is different about the new OS, but with Symbian’s move to go open source, we can expect to see a lot of third party application support for the new phone.
The X10 is a continuation of the eXpressMusic series of Nokia devices. The last device was the 16GB version of the X6 which was a marketing upgrade over the older 32GB version. The 32GB version came with a “Comes with Music” unlimited download package with made the device unreasonably pricey.
Anyway, the X10 is also rumored to come with a 12 mega pixel camera that can record videos in 720p HD video quality. This will be the second Symbian device with HD video recording after the Sony Ericsson Vivaz.
Looks like Nokia has not abandoned the Symbian OS after all. There was plenty of news that the Finnish manufacturer might be dropping the OS after it adopted the Maemo for the N-series.
Read more about Nokia’s new smart phone at GSM Arena.
Apparently, that’s big news. According to certain reports, Nokia and Qualcomm have not exactly been the closest of buddies –so to speak. There has been plenty of talk about previous legal disputes regarding patents between the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer and the major chip manufacturer.
Now, there are news reports that a new Nokia phone is in the works. The phone will be using a Snapdragon processor and will be running the Symbian operating system. It is not surprising to know that Symbian will be the mobile platform of choice here. It was announced recently that the Symbian OS has gone open source; making it a very viable OS of choice for app developers.
Some are wondering as to why the Maemo operating system will not be running on the new high end Nokia smart phone, after all, they did announce that they will be using the Maemo on all their high end devices like the N-series. This new update confirms that the upcoming device is not an N-series phone, and that Nokia was serious when they said that they are not working on any Maemo devices for 2010.
The open source mobile platform Symbian has been around for many years but it was only a few weeks ago that the OS has gone open source. It is possible that this is the reason why Nokia chose the Symbian over the Maemo for the new phone.
In any case, it will be a long time before we actually see the new Symbian phone. With other major devices already out on the market and new Snapdragon phones from HTC, Sony Ericsson and Motorola on the way, it will be interesting to see how things shape up this 2010.
Read more about the upcoming Snapdragon Symbian phone and the Nokia – Qualcomm connection at Know Your Mobile.
USB slots are rarely the cause of issues for mobile phones; this is why the recent news on the N900 is pretty surprising. As it turns out, the micro USB slot on the device is prone to getting misaligned.
While this little technical hiccup may not seem so bad, some people have already complained that the slot has been misaligned so much that it borders on the verge of being unusable. Sadly for the N900, the device not only relies on the slot for data transfers, but also for charging as well.
So far, it has not been confirmed if this problem really is a common thing for all N900 devices or only for certain batches of the device. The bad thing is, since this is a hardware problem, no downloadable fix will be made available and users will have to send their phones in for repairs.
Should this problem be a universal defect on all N900 devices, it would be troublesome for Nokia to be able to fix all of this.
The Nokia N900 Maemo had a very interesting start. When Nokia first announced that it was adopting the Maemo operating system, many thought that they would be completely abandoning the Symbian OS. Nokia quickly released a statement clarifying that Maemo’s role as an operating system is strictly for the N-series of mobile phones.
The N900, upon launch enjoyed a pretty good sales performance and as seen with recent reports, many people are enjoying the Maemo operating system. Recent developments have allowed users to run computer code on the device allowing for games such as StarCraft to be played on the mobile phone. Emulators for various home systems are also available for playing.
Read more about the faulty micro USB slot on the Nokia N900 Maemo phone at Engadget.
For mobile phone users who need a quick secondary handset for basic calling and texting functions, Nokia has just released a second version of the 5233 handset that comes without the 3G and GPS functions. Of course, for a primary handset, this device will only be useful for people who have little use of a mobile phone, otherwise, it really only serves as a reliable but fancy backup handset.
The new Nokia N8 will be Nokia’s first handset to run on the new Symbian 3 platform. It promises a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash. This means that you will be able to record HD footage on this rather sexy piece of mobile phone. It also comes with an HDMI output meaning you can hook it up to any HD ready TV and watch your footage in high def quality. The N8 comes with 16GB of online storage, but this is expandable via a micro SD slot. If you want to read a more in depth 
Looks like we will get to see how the Symbian^3 looks and works when Nokia brings out the upcoming X10 (not to be confused with the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 –which is an Android Snapdragon smart phone).
Apparently, that’s big news. According to certain reports, Nokia and Qualcomm have not exactly been the closest of buddies –so to speak. There has been plenty of talk about previous legal disputes regarding patents between the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer and the major chip manufacturer.
USB slots are rarely the cause of issues for mobile phones; this is why the recent news on the 