THE MOBILE HORNET … for those who get turned on by mobile devices

Nokia now owns 100% of Symbian. And what this means is that Nokia has total control of Symbian to allow them to offer Symbian for free to hardware manufacturers. On top of that Nokia has promised to release the Symbian source code too.

Microsoft has not been fair to Windows Mobile by treating it like a “mistress” and Windows PC being the “wife” was the one that get the true love and attention.  Windows needs some tender loving care from Microsoft so that it can be the defacto OS for smartphones.

The free offer by Nokia coupled with the free Google Android will one day force Windows Mobile out of the smartphone market unless Microsoft wakes up and give it some well-deserved attention.  Who will want to pay for something (the OS) when you can get it for free. Until today Nokia still holds over 70% of the smartphone market.  So it is not so difficult to wallop the balance 30% market. 

NOKIA: PLUG THE LEAK?

Nokia, the giant phone manufacturer is complaining about its own product leaks on their corporate website. Charlie of Nokia cited the Nokia E71 as the most leaked product in Nokia. According to him “The whole history of some product leaks in the past few months is a mixture of dumb moves, broken NDAs, maybe some thievery,..There are a lot of folks behind a product and leaks really screw up all the efforts.”

ARE LEAKS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE COMPANY?

Leak is a double-edged sword. It can help make or break an organisation. Leaks stimulate customer purchasing decisions like whether to buy some existing product now or to wait.  It also stirred up the competitors to come our with better products. Companies get it wrong when they said they lose out because customers put off buying the current products.  This is not true. For example, if a loyal iPhone user needs a 3G or GPS feature in his phone, his loyalty might just get thrown out of the window and may opt for another brand which have this feature.  Will he wait if he knew the coming of the iPhone 3G which has the features he wanted? I guess he would.

Correct me if I am wrong, HTC pushed forward their launch of the Touch Diamond because of the iPhone 3G leak.

I think Charlie is getting paranoid about the whole leaking issue.  I can’t blame him if he associate the leaking to the Osborne company, a company that was destroyed by product leaking!  On the brighter side, if your company is of no value, no one is interested in any of your leaks and furthermore most of the new features that companies want to incorporate into their new products are already public knowledge.  Sooner or later Nokia, Htc etc will be coming out with TV phones, projector phones. Is that a leak or an answer to customers’ wishlists?

It will be a nice if companies “leak” it themselves and benefit from this kind of forward announcements. Everyone knew that Apple is coming out with their 3G phone many months ago and yet the launch is such an anticipated event.  The leak did not kill the customers’ desire…it only enhances it.

Nokia has just unveiled its newest Nseries device, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition, Nokia’s first device engineered to take advantage of new wide-area high-speed mobile WiMAX networks.  This pocket-sized device lets consumers enjoy an open Internet experience, allowing for access to the full Internet without barriers, while on the go. The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is the latest iteration of Nokia’s popular line of Internet Tablet products. For the first time, the power and convenience of the Internet Tablet platform is combined with next generation wide-area wireless broadband capability, allowing users to easily and quickly access all of their favorite Internet services beyond local area hot spots. The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is expected to be available in the United States during the summer of 2008 in areas where WiMAX connectivity is available.

WiMAX is a standards-based wireless broadband technology that delivers an open Internet experience similar to that of fixed broadband technologies with typical data download speeds of up to 2-4 Mbps per user with peak download speeds of up to 10 Mbps. Unlike current single point local area technologies like Wi-Fi which have a range of a few hundred feet, WiMAX networks consist of a number of interconnected base stations, each with a radius of up to 2-3 miles, that allow for handoffs from one base station to another as users move about a region or metro area. Additionally, WiMAX networks integrate technology designed to maximize the quality of service for each subscriber.
 
“By delivering the kind of open Internet experience that consumers previously only expected on a desktop PC, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is a compelling example of how next generation broadband wireless technology will not only change the way people think about the Internet, it will change the very nature of the Internet itself,” said Ari Virtanen, Vice President of Convergence Products for Nokia. “Much in the way that the evolution of the fixed Internet from dial-up to broadband enabled a host of new Internet services and changed people’s expectations of what an Internet experience should be, the transition to a broadband Internet experience set free from the constraints of a fixed network will spark the next wave of new mobile Internet services, and will forever change the perception of what the Internet can be.”
 
Along with a full featured web browser, powered by Mozilla, that takes full advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition’s large 4.13 inch touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a variety of popular web-based services are also supported. Many of these applications can be found on Nokia’s dedicated OS 2008 User Site. To keep connected while on-the-go, a number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Instant Messaging (IM) clients are available, including Skype(TM), Google Talk(TM), and Gizmo5, which can also take advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition’s built-in web cam for video calls. A client for the popular Rhapsody online music service is also available, transforming the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition into a portable jukebox with millions of songs available to enjoy at a few taps of the screen. Beyond these well-known services, an active developer community has also emerged around the Linux-based Internet Tablet platform, creating additional applications - from games to productivity tools.

A number of additional features further enhance the utility of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition. With built-in GPS, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition can easily transform itself into a fully featured personal navigation device, complete with real-time on-screen maps. An integrated media player and 2 GB of internal memory, expandable to a full 10 GB of memory with the addition of an optional microSD memory card, allows the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition to store and play back a large library of music and video content. When not in range of a WiMAX network, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition can also access the Internet over Wi-Fi or via conventional cellular data networks by pairing to a compatible mobile phone via Bluetooth technology.
 
Also being introduced with the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is the newest Internet Tablet operating system. This new upgraded OS2008 introduces useful new features to the platform, including an enhanced e-mail client, support for Chinese character rendering in the browser and RSS feeds and Seamless Software Update functionality to eliminate manual software updates, making periodic updates of the operating system quick and easy. While standard on the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition, current owners of Nokia N810 and N800 Internet Tablets with earlier operating systems will be able to upgrade their device to the revised operating system for free during the second quarter of 2008.

CNET reported:

“Morph, a concept cell phone co-developed by Nokia Research Center and the University of Cambridge, is featured in an online display presented in conjunction with “Design and the Elastic Mind,” a new exhibition of art-meets-technology advances scheduled to run through May 12 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Morph is intended to demonstrate how nanotechnology might be used to make mobile devices stretchable, flexible, transparent, and easier to keep clean.

One objective of the Morph project, says Tapani Ryhanen, head of the Nokia Research Center Cambridge U.K. lab, is that its “combination of art and science will showcase the potential of nanoscience to a wider audience.”

Elements of the technology being developed for the Morph project might be integrated into consumer handsets within seven years, though initially only in high-end phones, says Nokia.

Announced in March of last year, the partnership between Nokia Research Center and the University of Cambridge is intended to initially focus on nanotechnologty applications. NRC has established a research facility at the university’s West Cambridge site and collaborates with several departments, including the school’s Nanoscience Center and Electrical Division of the Engineering Department. Although Morph technology likely will be incorporated first in high-end handsets, it eventually will find its way into low-cost mobile phones, Nokia says.”

The Nokia N96 is similar to the Symbian 60-powered N95, and is Nokia’s 5MP GPS finest, but with 16GB of internal memory and a 2.8-inch screen. This model also has a built-in DVB-H receiver for digital TV signals in Europe and Asia, and a kickstand for desktop viewing. You also get to have the backlit touchbuttons on the face, dialpad and top slider section of the phone. Approx $800 (RM2,560) but will not be available until the third quarter 2008.

Jonas Geust of Nokia: “In 2007, the Nokia N95 became an icon of convergence of Internet and mobility. With over 7 million units sold to date, the N95 has changed the way people use their mobile device. The Nokia N96 we introduced today builds on the success of N95, further enhancing the experience. Through the power of the Internet, video and TV are becoming even more prevalent in people’s lives. With its large, bright screen, and a range of high-speed connectivity options and the enhanced Nokia Video Center, the new Nokia N96 is a personal window to entertainment.”

The specs in brief:

Software giant Microsoft is in discussion with Nokia about plans to have the handset maker add Windows Mobile-powered devices to its portfolio.

iTWire reported:

Virtually all Nokia phones currently run the Symbian operating system and such a move would be a major change for the industry leader.

Microsoft’s mobile communications business international marketing director John Starkweather confirmed talks were taking place with Nokia but would not confirm when any announcement would be made.

“They obviously have significant investments in Symbian but there are a lot of places where we have significant synergies and we would love to see the day where those synergies would extend completely with Windows Mobile,” he told IT Wire.

While Nokia phones don’t yet have a Windows OS, they do use a range of other Microsoft software. This includes ActiveSynch for connecting to Exchange Servers and the PlayReady DRM technology used to protect purchased music and video content.

Windows Mobile currently only has just over 6% of the smartphone operating system market compared to more than 70% for Symbian. However, it is gaining acceptance among smartphone manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung that have released Windows Mobile based handsets offering similar features to the Apple iPhone which runs a mobile version of Mac OS X.
Starkweather said the existing relationship between the two companies was strong and he was enthusiastic about it developing further in the future.

“We work closely with Nokia and we would love to have them go all the way,” he said. “It’s something we talk about all the time.”

When people first started using wireless headset to talk to the phone, they look very weird because it was as if they were “talking to nobody”.  Now Nokia is coming out with a gestures-phone.  So can you imagine how you will look gesturing your hand infront of your phone.  People may think you have gone bonkers!

Read further on a news article from The Boy Genius Report about the gestures technology:

“Details of a patent filed by Nokia in June of last year are now surfacing and it looks like Nokia’s upcoming S60 Touch has the potential to be a whole lot more than just “touch”. Of course companies file patents all the time and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the concepts within will materialize, but a combination of touchless-touch (gestures) and multi-touch sounds like a pretty strong cocktail.

Some of the basic touch commands outlined in the document are cool in and of themselves; clockwise and counter-clockwise circles to scroll up or down respectively, draw an ‘X’ with your finger to delete, draw a check with your finger to accept, etc. There are also advanced multi-touch commands; for example touch and hold one finger on an item to pop up a sub-menu and then (while still holding) draw circles with another finger to scroll through the sub-menu.

What is more impressive than the aforementioned touch control however, is the touchless control. Nokia’s patent calls for a series of Ultrasonic Transducers (USTs) to be dispersed around the device’s display. These USTs use ultrasonic sound wave reflections to detect and record motion within a certain proximity of the device. So for example, the gesture defined within Nokia’s patent to select an object is to slowly ‘pinch’ it by placing one finger on the top or corner of an object, then slowly move a second finger up to the bottom of the object.

Very cool stuff indeed, but this gesture-based control surely won’t make it into the initial S60 Touch release that is due later this year.

Some day in the next few years though, people on the street might stop and stare as you waive frantically at your device in an attempt to keep Nokia’s Snake from running into its tail.”

Here are the photos from GPSandCo on the ASUS M930W which I was not able to post yesterday using the offline MOBLOG program:

The specs reprinted here:

But the specs above may be wrong.  They claimed that it is going to be Windows Mobile 6 Professional but the screenshots show Windows Mobile 6 STANDARD.  So you be the judge on the authenticity of the information.

Asus is now pushing its Windows Mobile range after its success with the Asus Eee PC notebook.

IS NOKIA INTRODUCING THE N96?

Read the comments from IntoMobile:

“Immediate thoughts are it looks like an N81, but even larger. No specifications are known, but people say it is an N95 in a new shell. That would be a sad shame.

Update: Upon closer examination it looks like it does indeed have a 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens and there is a dual LED flash similar to the Nokia 6500 Slide. The pictures of the interface clearly show S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, which isn’t out yet.”

Well Symbian is ahead of the pack leaving iPhone and Windows Mobile (which requires TCMP player) behind.  You can now install emTube and enjoy the entire collection of YouTube.

This version 1.0 application is really  impressive and is the best YouTube/FlashVideo solution for S60 phones so far.

More recent devices such as the Nokia E65, N93 and N95 should work fine.

However, this version does not allow you to upload or offer comments.  I am sure version 2.0 will tackle these issues.

GET YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD HERE:

for Symbian s60:  SYMBIAN s60 3RD EDITION

for N95: N95 WITH ACCELERATOR SUPPORT 

Installation: INSTRUCTION MANUAL

And if you can, do offer a donation to Sebastian Jedruszkiewicz, the guy who develop this software. Donate here.