Symbian-Guru.com

It’s Symbian Not S60

Wampyre — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:51:45 +0000

We’ve already talked a little about this in our previous post The truth about S60, Symbian and Maemo, but now it’s official. According to the official Symbian Blog, Symbian is the branding name, including the platform, applications and the device itself. S60, on the other hand, will be phased out.

The most interesting part is that the post reveals a new PDK (Production Development Kit) for the Symbian ^2 release. Featured in this PDK are technologies and platforms such as Symbian OS, S60, parts of NTT DOCOMO’s and parts of Sony Ericsson’ UIQ platforms as well. The first handsets compatible with the new Symbian are the Nokia N97, 5800, 5530, Samsung i8910HD and the Sony Ericsson Satio.

Symbian ^3, the next release of Symbian, is said to be rolled out during autumn which means that we can expect new handsets coming out featuring this OS.

I find it interesting that Symbian is continuing to evolve. Also following a clear roadmap means that they can keep up with the stronger competition from the other operating systems. What do you think?

Friday Fun: Evolution Of Cellphones

TheGuru — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:31:32 +0000

I came across this video today and thought it was rather fun -- there’s no doubt that cell phones have come a long way since the mid-80s when they were first commercially available to consumers. My first cell phone was a Qualcomm candybar, I don’t remember the model number but I remember it had a massive scroll wheel on the side that let me buzz through my contacts. I also remember it was humongous.

For today’s Friday Fun video, we thought we’d let you take a walk down memory lane. No doubt some of you had some of these phones, so see if you can pick out all the phones you used to own in this video. Have a great weekend, too!

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Nokia N86 8MP Panorama Mode Video Demo

Dotsisx — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:00:01 +0000

One of the new features implemented and bragged about in the Nokia N86 8mp is the new Panorama mode in the Camera. If you remember clearly, Nokia aquired Bit-Side GmBH, the makers of the former panorama application for S60 devices, Panoman, in January of this year. Seeing their application implemented and functional on the N86 8MP a few months later was a nice surprise and a proof that when things are well-done and essential, they can be put in place quickly.

So how does the Panorama mode work on the Nokia N86 8mp? It’s now there, in the Camera, as a separate mode from Image and Video modes, with a separate icon in the toolbar. Click on it and you see a black ribbon appear on the lower part of the screen, acting as a viewfinder and an end-result display. All you have to do is click the camera capture button for the first picture, then you simply move your hand in the direction you choose and the N86 will automatically click the following pictures and stitch them together. The operation is made even more simple thanks to the viewfinder which shows you the placement of your current screen compared to the previous ones and helps you, through arrows, determine the perfect position to take the next image in the sequence. I think the whole process is dependent on the accelerometer which determines if you’ve moved your hand or not, as well as the level it should be on for the picture alignment to be perfect. I know this sounds very abstract, so I shot a video of the Panorama mode in action, from launching the Camera to processing the image as well as opening it and zooming on it in the Photos application.

Here is the end result image (4 images stitched) of the picture I took during the demo above, as well as another Panorama picture (3 images stitched) I took at the Louvres museum in Paris. Clearly, I just took them as they came, no modification, no special attention. I bet if you put a bit of effort into it, the results would be a lot nicer. (Click on the images to be taken to the full resolution)

As you see, taking great panorama pictures is now as simple as clicking the first picture and moving your hand. You don’t need to be a genius or to have amazing photographic or computer skills to choose the angles and do the stitching. What do you think of this mode? And would you like to see it included in future Nseries and Eseries devices, or even in future firmware updates for exisitng devices?

Watch The Time Easily With Key Lock Clock

Wampyre — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:34:44 +0000

For the recent N97 users, there is no inbuilt screensaver that displays the time. If you search for the word screensaver on the inbuilt help it doesn’t even show up! Neither is there a way to assign a flash file to be a screensaver.

The solution is to install third party applications on the N97 such as Pikko to be able to do that.

A new handy and simple application has surfaced, developed by Dr. Jukka who have brought us many nice applications. Updated in his portfolio of applications, he introduces the application Key Lock Clock. Now you can easily display the time when pressing the menu button on the N97. This free application also offers the function of being used as a table clock when you are charging your handset and an option to set the light intensity which I find very nice.

All you have to do is head over to his site and download the application which is still in it’s alpha phase. Unfortunately the application needs to be signed but as it supports OpenSigned it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Best of all it is free and the application is said to support older handsets as well.

I do fancy the N97 homescreen but I find the Key Lock Clock giving better visibility. Do you find this application an unneccessary duplicate or do you find it handy like me?

[Via Nokialino ]

Thursday Themes: Michael Jackson Themes

MMCForums — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:20:21 +0000

It’s Thursday boys ‘n girls. I must be getting old because the weeks are just becoming one big blur. It’s definitely true that time passes faster as you get older. It’s already been 2 weeks since Michael Jackson passed away, even now it still hasn’t quite sunk in. I watched the memorial tribute on TV and thought it was very well done and fitting. His little girl really choked me up when she did her small speech.

So I thought the ideal topic of this weeks Thursday themes would be Michael Jackson. Special thanks to all the artists. The third theme works awesomely with Eseries handsets. R.I.P King of Pop.

Michael Jackson 3rd edition Theme

by DustyJaneway

Michael Jackson 5th edition Theme

by Sunnylovesman

S60 Michael Jackson Theme

by Longhairsteff

The Nokia N86’s Welcome Wizard Simplifies Setup For New Users

Dotsisx — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:56 +0000

One of the things that stroke me when I first turned on the Nokia N86 8MP was that I was greeted with a totally new Welcome Wizard, which is now appropriately called Phone Setup. We have been asking for a new welcoming screen for months now that would make it simpler to get started with a new handset, as opposed to the silly Setting Wizard, Email, Switch icons that appear out of nowhere and leave you puzzled as to what their purpose is.

Phone Setup solves that issue by taking the new user through 4 consecutive steps and helping him understand each one with a question. These steps allow to personalize the device (language, sounds, themes), as well as get all the user’s information on board (Switch and Email), and here are the explanations given at the beginning of each one:

Change phone language
Move your contacts and other personal data to this phone? (launches Switch, allowing you to import over bluetooth your contacts, calendar, notes, messages, landmarks, media items, bookmarks,… from your previous handset)
Quick personalization makes your phone follow your style (device bluetooth name, ringtones, themes, wallpapers)
Take your email into use with quick and easy setup (launches Nokia Messaging’s setting wizard).

As you see, the process is now more extensive, yet more simplified. You can also easily skip each of these steps if you wish to. I shot a demo video showcasing this new Phone Setup wizard in action, so you can clearly see what it allows you to do.

I usually storm past the old Welcome Wizard, but I found myself enjoying this new one on the N86 as it allowed me to easily set things up, like I want, without having to fiddle everywhere around Settings. I reckon that it’s not yet perfect, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction, from the mess that was the old Welcome Wizard. What do you think of it? Is it something that you would find useful, even if you’re an expert S60 user? And what other settings do you think should be included in this Phone Setup wizard to make even more useful and easier for new users to settle down?

Symbian Exchange And Exposition 2009 Announced

TheGuru — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:00:22 +0000

Last year, it was called the Symbian Smartphone Show, but this year, they’ve changed it to the Symbian Exchange and Exposition (SEE), which is a bit easier to abbreviate. So, what is it? It’s an opportunity for Symbian community members to ‘get together to talk, promote their ideas, and drive development together through conversation’. SEE ‘09 will take place at Earls Court 2 in London this year, October 27-28. There will also be the annual All About Symbian meetup the evening before, which usually looks like an awesome get together.

Registration is free, so if you’re in the London area and want to participate to get a better idea of the Symbian community, you can sign up right here. We’re working on having someone on the floor this year around, to bring you coverage as-it-happens right here at Symbian-Guru.com.

How To: Disable Homescreen Share Online On The N79

TheGuru — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:00:21 +0000

One of the things that I really love about my Nokia N79 is how informative the homescreen is. At a glance, I have quick access to 6 applications, can quickly see if I have any new emails or upcoming calendar events, and see if there are any WiFi hotspots in range. Unfortunately, I also have some junk on there that I don’t really care for, such as the Search (which I find to be absurdly slow) and the Share Online entry. Share Online is a particular annoyance because it doesn’t really work with Pixelpipe, my uploader of choice.

We previously showed you how to use Pixelpipe to breathe new life into Share Online, and if you’re using it, you’ll know that the homescreen plugin doesn’t display anything, it’s just a shortcut to open Share Online. While tinkering in the settings last night, I stumbled upon a way to remove that from my Nokia N79’s homescreen, and perhaps this will work for other S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 handsets, such as the N85, N96, and others.

To get there, navigate to the Share Online application on your phone. You could quickly do this by clicking on the soon-to-be-eliminated homescreen shortcut. Now, you should see a list of destinations – click Options, and scroll to Settings. Go to the Advanced settings area, and the 4th option should be ‘Show In Home screen’. Change that to ‘disabled’, and wa-la!

As you can see in the screenshots – removing Share Online also opens up more space for my calendar entries, so that I can now see that I also have a Dentist Appt tomorrow, which I wasn’t able to see when Share Online was wasting space. I’m not 100% sure which other phones this will work on, so if you test it on something other than the N79, please do let us know in the comments.

Larsson Updates Blue Touch Pro Theme

TheGuru — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:20 +0000

Larsson is one of my favorite themers, mainly because his themes are simple and use brilliant colors. A great example of this is Larsson’s Blue Touch Pro theme, with a very calming tone of blue. This theme was released previously, but had a few bugs and other issues, and so he decided recently to spruce it up a bit. As you can see in the final version, it’s incredibly clean, and there are even 4 different icon packs you can choose from!

For starters, there’s a default icon pack available. This is a great option if you already have a phone with those beautiful Ovi-style icons, such as the 5800 XpressMusic, N97, and others. If your phone doesn’t have those icons, such as the N79, E71, or E63, then you should choose the 5800XM icon pack, which will change all of your icons to those awesome Ovi-styled ones. If you don’t much care for them, there’s also a Flahorn icon pack, which definitely looks nice, or a new version with custom Moncc icons.

You can get the full scoop on each version here at Larsson’s own blog.

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Nokia Is Finally Working On A Ruggedized Phone

TheGuru — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:00:23 +0000

Nokia is finally working on a ruggedized phone, though they have yet to officially announce it. It is believed to be the Nokia 3720, leaked several weeks ago, but not yet confirmed by Nokia. The Conversations team has a handful of units and have been testing them in a knock-up of different real-life situations, including being dropped from high distances and the ever-popular pint of beer test.

The phone miraculously manages to survive each test, which is a good sign. Unfortunately, from the videos, we can see that this is most likely going to be an S40-powered featurephone, or dumbphone, as I like to call them. That means it will *not* run the Symbian operating system, will not be able to multitask, and will most likely include a crap camera, no GPS, and other limiting features. It’s a shame, really.

With Ovi Maps now offering walking maps, new phones including built-in compasses, and high resolution cameras, it makes little sense that Nokia doesn’t currently offer a fully ruggedized smartphone powered by Symbian. After my experience with the Casio G’zOne Boulder and a few other ruggedized phones, I can easily say that I would purchase one, as it would be handy in many an outdoor activity. They did once before, with the 5500, but it was only tri-band GSM, and a NAM variant was never built.

At least we know that Nokia apparently knows how to manufacture the phone. Now all we need is for them to design a smarter one. Below are all five videos, showing various tests: