All About Symbian - News Headlines

News Headlines - Hardware

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Nokia X6 Executive Wallet Case

In a blatant attempt to overthrow me as 'chief AAS case reviewer'(!), Ewan takes on SCreate's Executive Wallet Case for the Nokia X6. Thankfully, he's as fussy as me when it comes to wanting a great case and this one seems to fall distinctly short in a few areas. Watch this space for more X6 case reviews from the bearded one.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware at 9:14 BST, Apr 19th || 1 Comment

Camera Nitty Gritty: Supplemental - EDoF

In a late-breaking(!) addition to his extended Camera Nitty Gritty series, Steve Litchfield looks at the EDoF cameras in some of Nokia's S60 smartphones, explains how the Extended Depth of Field technology works and compares performance to traditional focussing units. With photographic examples, he shows how choosing EDoF for the upcoming E5 was a very smart move indeed for the (skill level of) target users.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Miscellaneous, Editorial Thoughts at 18:19 BST, Apr 15th || 16 Comments

The Nokia N86 8MP gets v30 firmware update

Arguably the last firmware date for the Nokia N86 8MP, but extremely welcome anyway, version 30.009 firmware mainly features the latest Ovi Maps client and is now available via Nokia Software Update (142MB) and soon Over The Air as well in most regions. The usual caveats about network-branded phones getting this at a later date apply, as do taking precautions by backing up first - just in case. More details and screens below.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware at 12:12 BST, Apr 15th || 82 Comments

Nokia strike a blow for reasonably priced smartphones

David Gilson looks at Nokia's new C6 and E5 smartphones in the light of the models they either replace or will be compared to. What's outstanding is, naturally enough, the prices, though David goes into significant technical detail in justifying the comparisons and conclusion.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Industry, Editorial Thoughts at 16:26 BST, Apr 14th || 40 Comments

Multitasking challenge: Now 66 full applications running at once. Any advance?

As if any more proof was needed of Symbian OS's multitasking prowess (following the 62 apps on the i8910 HD last week), Jay spotted this YouTube video, embedded below, showing 66 full apps running at the same time on an unmodified Nokia N82. It was going to be 65, but there was still 11MB of RAM left and the videographer spotted an app that he had installed which wasn't running yet 8-) If a few more apps had been physically installed, surely we could have been up to 70 or more? And, impressively, the interface still seemed to be running smoothly. So.... any advance on 66?

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Miscellaneous, Links of Interest at 14:52 BST, Apr 14th || 5 Comments

It's raining QWERTYs - market zeitgeist

In an editorial double header from Steve and Ewan, we put today's C3, C6 and E5 announcements in their context. Steve explains how they fit into the rising trend of QWERTY-phillia and also set new pricing ground. Ewan argues that today's announcement makes a 'strong statement of how Nokia read the market for people communicating on the move' and how the messaging emphasis underlines the trend that 'you don't just buy the phone, you buy a solution'. Read on for the full editorials.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Industry, Editorial Thoughts at 14:35 BST, Apr 13th || 21 Comments

Nokia E5 - affordable QWERTY Eseries with messaging software

Nokia today announced a new addition to its Eseries line up. The Nokia E5, which runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, is a mid-range device in a QWERTY slab form factor, with a 5 megapixel EDoF camera, comprehensive connectivity (tri-band 3G, WiFi), integrated GPS and 256MB of RAM, the first of the new raft of Nokia Symbian-powered phones to have this. It has a comprehensive social messaging software suite, with support for email, instant messaging and social networks. The Nokia E5, which can be considered a successor to the E63, will be available in Q3 2010 at a price of EUR 180 before taxes and subsidies. Read on for specs, photos and our thoughts.

# Posted by Rafe, Steve in Hardware at 9:01 BST, Apr 13th || 29 Comments

Nokia C6 - mid-tier touchscreen with slide out QWERTY

Today Nokia introduced the Nokia C6, a mid-range touchscreen smartphone, with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and comprehensive social messaging software suite. The C6 runs Symbian^1 (but with pervasive kinetic scrolling and widget homescreen, N97-style) and features a 5 megapixel camera, integrated GPS and comprehensive connectivity options. It ships with a full range of Ovi services, including Ovi Maps (free car and pedestrian navigation), Ovi Store (content downloads), Ovi Music (music store), and Nokia Messaging (email and instant messaging). The Nokia C6 will be available later this quarter at a price of EUR 220 before taxes and subsidies. Read on for more.

# Posted by Rafe in Hardware, Editorial Thoughts, Events at 9:01 BST, Apr 13th || 44 Comments

Nokia have forgotten your favourite phone - Get over it

Let's try and work out two end points on the line of support for hardware. If you bought a new Nokia phone yesterday, you would expect the Finnish company to support it with the latest products and updates. But you wouldn't expect Nokia to be supporting the very first S60 phone, the 7650 in 2010? Agreed? Now read on, because that thought is important.

# Posted by Ewan in Hardware, Editorial Thoughts at 10:16 BST, Apr 12th || 62 Comments

101 smartphones and I can't recommend any of them. Even the ones I use myself!

Tim Salmon and I (in Phones Show Chat) often remark that if the perfect smartphone came along then we'd have nothing to debate and nothing to write about - but the current situation in terms of what I've tried and rejected is starting to get ridiculous. Am I too fussy in wanting something that's remotely close to perfect? Having seen, tried and rejected 101 smartphones, what the heck do I recommend to others?

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Miscellaneous, Editorial Thoughts at 20:06 BST, Apr 11th || 28 Comments

Getting started with...

As part of a new series for absolute beginners (AAS regulars, we're looking at your friends and family here, I suspect, or others coming in via Google), here's my first cut at 'Getting started with the Nokia 5230'. We'd genuinely like your feedback on improving this format of article. What else does a complete 5230/Symbian/S60 5th novice really need to know up-front? Your comments will be built into updates of this piece and into future versions for other popular 'entry' smartphones. Thanks!

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Miscellaneous, Editorial Thoughts at 8:11 BST, Apr 9th || 11 Comments

AAS Insight 112 - WordPress, Ovi Store update and Nokia Bots

In All About Symbian Insight podcast no. 112, Ewan returns with a bang and, together with Steve and Rafe, brings you up to date with developments in the Symbian world. We start with news of the WordPress Symbian client, the beta release of Nokia Bots and the recent upgrades to Nokia's Ovi Store. In the second half of the podcast there are hardware thoughts on the Sony Ericsson Vivaz (Steve) and Nokia 5230 (Ewan). You can listen to AAS Insight 112 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.

# Posted by Rafe in Software, Hardware, Miscellaneous, Events at 11:52 BST, Apr 7th || 5 Comments

Never mind the DT-22, here's the 'Mobile Phone Tripod Holder'!

It's true that the accessory title rather gives the game away and isn't inspiring, but this is an accessory that's much needed in the smartphone (and general camera phone) world. Steve Litchfield muses on a predecessor and and reviews the latest product that claims to be able to hold your phone while it snaps or videos away.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Miscellaneous at 8:36 BST, Apr 7th || 7 Comments

The Vivaz on video

If you thought my text reviews of the Vivaz here on AAS were a little generous to Sony Ericsson, then you might appreciate my Phones Show 107 review of the phone, where - maybe - it's possible I got out of bed on the wrong side that morning. Or maybe the Vivaz really is that flawed... There's also your Desert Island Smartphone (poll) results. Enjoy.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Miscellaneous, Links of Interest at 10:40 BST, Apr 5th || 0 Comments

A walk on the wild side: HXing the i8910 HD (part two)

Last week saw my departure from safe waters into the world of hardware modding, in an attempt to get round the problems in Samsung's latest firmware for its i8910 HD flagship, ending with me installing firmware 3.17 (which has itself since been updated!). In this followup article, I talk about what came next, some of the issues I faced, how I tried to overcome them and what I've had to learn to live without.

# Posted by Steve in Software, Hardware, Miscellaneous at 7:48 BST, Apr 4th || 10 Comments

The all purpose desktop Nokia battery charger

Over on his own blog this time, our own David Gilson has been reviewing the latest idea for charging your 'spare' smartphone batteries - the SBC, or "Smart Battery Charger". With spacers to fit most Nokia batteries, this does seem a great way to charge your spares without having to cycle them through the actual phone(s).

# Posted by Steve in Hardware, Links of Interest at 15:26 BST, Apr 2nd || 2 Comments

Pimping the Nokia E90 and replacing the N97?

You'll have seen my previous 'retro' article, looking at pimping the Nokia E61i, an early 2007 device that can now be picked up for pocket money but which still has a unique form factor. The same applies, but 'in spades', to the Nokia E90, released only a few months after the E61i but sporting the full Communicator form and also S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, plus SDHC support. Like the E61i, it too had a few performance bottlenecks, so how did I get on pimping the Nokia E90 to 2010 standards and might it possibly challenge the mighty (ahem) N97?

# Posted by Steve in Software, Hardware, Miscellaneous, Editorial Thoughts at 7:37 BST, Mar 31st || 28 Comments

AAS Insight 111 - Nokia 5230, Mobile Documents and more

In All About Symbian Insight 111 (AAS Podcast 175), Rafe and Steve talk about the outstanding value provided by the Nokia 5230 (highlighting T-Mobile's recent offer). We also look at Mobile Documents, with an emphasis on its file streaming technology, as well as Shazam's 1 million downloads from Ovi Store, the Nokia 6788i and MM-Ovi Store before considering some listener questions. You can listen to AAS Insight 111 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.

# Posted by Rafe in Software, Hardware, Editorial Thoughts at 12:30 BST, Mar 30th || 8 Comments

A fresh look at the Nokia N97

David Gilson is a S60 veteran, mainly using 3rd Edition, but hadn't used a touchscreen device until recently (with the 5530). Going for broke, we arranged for a him to go all the way, to trial a Nokia N97 for a month, looking forward to the chance of getting a fresh take on this most-talked-about Nokia flagship, unencumbered by disappointments from the device's early firmwares. Not that it made much difference in terms of the N97's known hardware limitations, but it's still good to get David's take.

# Posted by Steve in Hardware at 7:33 BST, Mar 30th || 30 Comments

Review: Sony Ericsson Vivaz, part 4: Applications and wrap-up

If you've been following my continuing review of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, you'll know that it has a small but perfectly formed body and a great camera/camcorder, plus a glitzy new homescreen and media suite. But how does it stack up as an overall smartphone, in comparison to devices like the Nokia X6? What about application load-out and compatibility? Here's the final part of my Vivaz review.

# Posted by Steve in Software, Hardware at 18:25 BST, Mar 28th || 32 Comments