mobilenerds

Nokia X6- Stunningly beautiful!

2009-09-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

Among the many devices Nokia is showcasing at Nokia World '09, a member of the much rumoured Xseries, the X6 really caught my attention. Below are the specs:

* SW Platform: Symbian OS, S60 5th edition 5.0
* Processor speed: 433.9MHz
* 35 hours of music playback
* 32 GB of built in memory
* 3.2 inch touch screen at 640 x 360 pixels It is 111 mm x 51 mm x 13.8 mm
* 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash,
* quadband GSM/EDGE, triband WCDMA (850/1900/2100 MHz).
* Games included: Spore by EA, Asphalt4 and DJ Mix Tour by Gameloft

View the full specs sheet here

Can only be bought with Nokia’s “Comes with Music” service for 450 Euros when it starts shipping in Q4 of this year।

Maemo- How it started with Linus Torvalds

2009-08-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

I was honoured to do a short write-up on Maemo mobile platform at maemoforum. Below are exerpts from the article (of course with their permission):

"Every achivement, since the begining of time started as a single thought in someone's mind!

We owe the success of Maemo to Linus Torvalds, who had the wonderful dream that marked what the very begining of Open Source is based on. He thought of creating a FREE Unix-like operating system and Viola, with the collaboration of thousands of other like-minds, Linux is born!

Using Linux, Nokia initiated the first mobile project that takes the Linux desktop paradigm to mobile devices, this project became known as Maemo. Maemo, based on Linux and GNOME, has indeed come a long way, evolving and improving. It powered devices like the first Nokia internet tablet, the N770. Nokia further released the N800 and the N810 both powered by the Maemo mobile operating system.

Maemo is maintained by communities of open-source developers. This enables the Maemo community to freely modify and continually develop software as part of a shared goal: to develop a free mobile operating system that is truly human.

The Maemo creative team comprises over 19,000 members working on more than 800 projects, a number growing all the time, with a hub, aimed at enabling users, developers, and designers to openly collaborate on all things Maemo.

The latest version of Maemo, Maemo 5, powers the new Nokia mobile computer, the N900. It includes cellular connectivity for the High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) data with an amazing interface to go with it. Telephony and full messaging capabilities are also incorporated."

Those guys at maemoforum have started something that will eventually become big!

Nokia N900 goes official!

2009-08-27T06:40:00.001-07:00

Hmmm.....the specifications are here at last:

* ARM Cortex-A8 processor running at 600 MHz (Texas Instruments OMAP 3430)

* 1GB of application memory (256 MB RAM and up to 768 MB of virtual memory) and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration

* 3.5 inch 800 × 480 resolution touch screen

* 110.9 mm × 59.8 mm × 18 mm (19.55 mm at thickest part); 181 grams

* BL-5J battery with 1320mAh of power

* 10.2 Mbps HSPA (900/1700/2100 MHz), quadband GSM/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.1 and WLAN

* Browser powered by Mozilla technology, full Adobe Flash 9.4 support, the ability to copy and paste from the browser!

* 32 GB of storage built in, expandable to 48 GB via microSD

* 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics; 800 × 480 resolution video recording

* GPS

Let me add this: It has a REMOVABLE battery!

The Nokia N900 will be available in select markets from October 2009 with an estimated retail price of EUR 500 excluding sales taxes and subsidies.

Detailed specifications are available here.

Nokia N900 . The Next BIG THING in the Smartphones World!

2009-08-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

The upcoming Nokia's baby, the N900 has been confirmed to be a device with telephony and full messaging capabilities rather just an internet tablet like its predecessors. This is great news!

The device will feature the next generation release of Nokia's Linux-based Maemo platform, Maemo 5 and will be powered by an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU likely to be clocked at 600MHZ, much like Samsung Omnia HD. Information on the amount of available RAM is not available yet.

Other features include but are not limited to:

* 3.5" resistive touchscreen display with a
resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.
* 32GB internal memory
* Wi-Fi
* GPS
* Bluetooth
* Micro USB port
* TV-Out
* Haptic feedback and DivX support
* Slide-out QWERTY keypad

The device also sports a nice Flash-enabled browser which is also a variant of Firefox web browser.

It is expected to start shipping in the last quarter of 2009.
We are waiting with our fingers crossed!

Windows Mobile Office coming to Nokia?

2009-08-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

I seem to pay more attention to the tech stories making rounds these days; FCC questions Google and Apple, Facebook buys FriendFeed, Twitter recovers from denial-of-service attack(s)……

The latest, which is quite interesting to know, is that Microsoft and Nokia (according to NY Times Tech. News) are considering bringing Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Office suite to Nokia’s high-end gadgets.

This is interesting because both Microsoft and Nokia have been arch enemies as far as the mobile platform is concerned.

The alliance, according to the source is expected to be announced this week. Let’s hope this works.

Competition drives innovation!

USB TurboCharger from Proporta

2009-08-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

I came accross this must-have while nosing around. According to its makers:

Charge anywhere, recharge anything – standard USB input and output.
Comes with retractable cable and range of interchangeable connector heads including 1 x DS Lite, 1 x iPod, 1 x Nokia, 1 x Sony Ericsson, 1 x Micro USB and 1 x Mini USB.
LED display shows level of charge.
Impressive 3400 mAh storage – enough to recharge your devices several times.
Includes World AC Power and Car Power Supply (with USB)

Its available here.

Nokia E75. A closer look

2009-07-28T22:48:00.001-07:00

The form factor of this little gem is astonishing, yet, it appears many people are not aware of this Nokia's recent member of the E-series family.

Key features

* 369 MHz ARM11 CPU
* Symbian OS with S60 3.2 UI
* 2.4" 16M-color TFT display of QVGA resolution
* Four-row side-slide QWERTY keyboard
* Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G (with HSDPA) support
* 3.5mm standard audio jack
* microSD card slot, 4GB microSD card prebundled, expandable to 16GB
* 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera with a dedicated shutter key, geotagging and VGA@30fps
video recording
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP technology
* Built-in GPS receiver and Nokia Maps with 3 months of free voice-assisted navigation
* USB and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) connectivity
* Steel battery cover
* FM radio with RDS
* Remote Wipe functionality
* Carrier-independent VoIP support
* Office document editor
* User-friendly Mode Switch for toggling two homescreen setups
* Smart dialing
* Accelerometer
* Talking theme

A WISH LIST

Hoping the people at Nokia design labs would come accross this list, we hereby request that:

1. The number pad on the front panel is done away with, leaving just the D-Pad and the system keys thereby giving room for a wider screen.

2.The screen should be replaced with a touch screen to enable dialling and other functions without sliding out the QWERTY keypad.

3. Though the battery cover is metal the plastic frame should be replaced with a metal one.

4. Nokia, please replace the LED flash on this phone with a Xenon flash and a 5MP camera.

5. We need a dedicated power button just like in the E71

A full review is available here

Rescue plan for the ageing Symbian UI

2009-07-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Symbian has lauched a new blog called UI BRAINSTORM asking for the help of anybody who cares to assist to come up with suggestions on how to improve the Series 60 User Interface.

According to them:

"This site is a user interface (UI) brainstorm, where visual sketches of your suggestions will be shared. Text can be included in the sketches, but the blog is meant to be nearly all visual. It was inspired by the Gimp UI Brainstorm. As a proper brainstorm, no comments or trackbacks are supported on this blog."

Lets get cracking!

Nokia X and C Series

2009-07-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Nokia has now registered the Cseries and Xseries trademarks which cover mobile phones, replacement parts, smartphones, and accessories. We are not so sure what these two new series will present.

GSMArena speculates that the new “C” could stand for Classic series or even “Computer” series due to Nokia and Intel working on something that may just fit into Nokia’s Connect category.

And that this new “X” series could mean XpressMusic. Of course all this is guessing, but no doubt sooner or later we will find out for sure on just where and what these new Cseries and Xseries will cover.

The Pre Can Now Sync With iTunes!

2009-07-26T08:50:00.002-07:00

After its blocked access to Apple's iTunes (Update 8.2.1), Palm has released a counter-update (Update 1.1.0) which now enables the Pre to sync with iTunes.

The procedure?
Go to Menu on your Pre and touch the Update icon (gift-box icon) and let the party begin! Only works on a fast internet connection.

Pre owners, rejoice!

ULTIMATE COMPUTING PLATFORM. The Smartphone?

2009-07-23T04:59:00.012-07:00

Some argue that the iPhone is a mobile computer that just happens to have phone capabilities. Some even go on to assert that there are only two smartphones; the iPhone and others!

Sure, the iPhone is a great mobile computer but it’s not without its own shortcomings. Among these are lack of real multitasking (which I can’t live without) and lack of a physical keypad. The iPhone, with its hip interface has set the stage in the mobile industry and competition is rife.

Other players in the industry have come up with their own would-be iPhone killers. And, while these have features not found in the iPhone, all including the iPhone are yet to occupy that position of the mobile computing platform.

The concept of mobile computing has to be considered in the right frame of mind. The ultimate mobile computer has to be that gadget that would be fully customizable right out of the box like a desktop.

Based on people’s opinions the following features are what most users would like to see in what is herein called “the Dream Mobile Computer” or DMC:

1. Upgradable memory and processor: I conceived that idea long time ago that a smartphone should be something you’ll take to a service shop and upgrade the hardware (or DIY if you have the nerves). The dream mobile computer should be capable of handling huge computing tasks without hangs.

2. Great battery life: Overheating batteries are a thing of the past. We need batteries that can run for many hours with heavy use on a single charge.

3. Storage: The storage capacity should be above 200GB. The highest today is a mere 32GB.

4. Physical QWERTY keyboard: It should have a slide out quality keyboard to make room for screen space. I’ll never but a phone without one. The Nokia N97, the E75 and many HTC smartphones are doing well in this area.

5. Docking station with Bluetooth and USB connectivity: Either for work or for play we should be able to connect our dream mobile computer to a docking station with universal connectivity, a large display and a real ergonomic keyboard.

6. Comfortable display: Capacitive or resistive, the screen should be considerably large for comfortable use.

7. Open Source SDK: Proprietary software policies don’t allow for innovation. The dream computer should be capable running any OS the consumer is comfortable with. Installation and customization should not be rocket science.

8. Cloud aware: It should be able to sync your data with the cloud for backups and to Google Docs/Calender in one click. It should also be able to interface with different backup storage devices.

9. Security: Nokia has done well with the remote-wipe technology. The dream mobile computer should have features like this.

10. 8MP Camera with Zenon Flash: Some of today’s smartphones still sport LED flash, yuk!

11. Accelerometer, Compass, GPS (with voice control), AM/FM receiver/transmitter, DivX / XVid Video support, Wi-Fi, Wimax, Video In/Out……. : All these should become standards in our dream mobile computer.

Oh, did I mention our dream mobile computer should be able to make calls (worldwide quad-band) with good voice clarity?

NOKIA MOBILE WEB SERVER- Give Your Smartphone a Web Presence!

2009-07-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

When I first read about the idea of a web server (yes, Web Server) running on a Smartphone in one of Prodigits forums in back in 2004, I deemed it a futile effort.

But last month, while nosing around on the web for cool mobile stuff, I came across the Web Server for the second time, this time better packaged, at Nokia Beta Labs . Five years later, it has become fine-tuned and could be setup but just any geek with an above-average curiosity.

Within an hour or so I had it up and running on my Nokia E61i and also linked it to my Facebook account via the Nokia Mobile Web Server app.!

The Mobile Web Server allows you to:

Host your personal blog right on your Nokia Smartphone
Integrate the Smartphone’s native messaging with the Web Server to post blog entries
Remotely access the phonebook, calendar, photo gallery and call log (PC Suite, sort of)
Remotely access the Smartphone’s camera
Remotely access Messaging (SMS)
Use your Smartphone as a surveillance camera
Start/ stop the Web Server remotely
Post photos of your surroundings to your blog visitors upon request (also possible via the Facebook app.)
Leave your Smartphone at home when travelling overseas, yet your access to call-log, messaging etc is not restricted- thus avoiding heavy roaming charges
Post the Web Server’s geographical coordinates using GPS
Update Facebook status message in one click

After using it for a month or so I think the Web Server could be improved by:

Enabling the camera to remotely take snapshots at intervals to give a full James Bond experience
Enabling remote access to notes and service commands
Remote restart or power-off function

The Web Server is available for downloading here.

Ideas are welcome.