The Nokia Guide

Another N95, another N95 case

I always like to look at accessories before getting a new phone as that always takes a good junk of the final amount. Well, I’m planning on getting the N95 8GB pretty soon and was looking for new accessories and I noticed that Nokia was offering a case that looked like the CP-191 for the N95. Initially I didn’t think much of it, but only after looking closely did I notice that it’s a different case called the CP-235. It’s an all-black wallet-type case that look like a cross between the APAC case included with the classic N95 and the CP-191. As it plus it has access to all the some buttons, but just like the CP-191 it has no belt-clip. I just might end up getting this, bur only wish it has some kind of belt clip. Have a look at the CP-235 and let me know what you think. Should I get?

Black N93i now available for the APAC market

I love all-black phones and it seems that a big part of Nseries fans also prefer this color. Just look at all the reviews requesting an all-black N95, the countless mobile threads talking about changing to an all-black face plate/back cover or even those just getting the N73 ME for the color alone. Nokia listened to us and will be releasing the N95 8GB in black. But now it seems like there’s also an all-black N93i. The Just AMP Blog has found pictures of a black version of the N93i. I must say that it looks really hot. If you’re looking for one of these it might be a bit more difficult to get as these seemed to be limited to the Asia-Pacific market, but when has that stopped us?  If you guys know where you can get one of these, do let me know!

TWIT comments on Nokia’s recent aquisitions

I really love the podcast app and I listen to and subscribe to many podcasts episodes. One of of my favorites is This Week in Tech (TWIT), a weekly podcast of the TWiT.tv network. TWIT is hosted by Leo Laporte and many other former TechTV employees, many of them from the Screen Savers. Remember them? Well, I was listening to episode number 107 and Leo Laporte (A N95 owner) mentioned the fact that Nokia has bought social networking site Twango. The guys don’t understand why Nokia is going around buying all these Web 2.0 and services company. They just can’t see the connection with their current mobile device business. Panelist John C. Dvorak thinks that this is Nokia’s way of getting out of the cellphone business by saying that Nokia has jumped from different businesses in the past and thinks that they might be doing the same thing right now.

It’s pretty simple why they are buying different (web) services. Obviously they are doing this to make some kind of a web backbone of services to compliment there mobile devices. They mention Nokia’s current acquisition of Loudeye, Gate5 and Twango. The Loudeye purchase was basically there way of going into the music business and provide Itunes-like functionality to the Nseries. Gate5 is behind the technology used in Nokia Maps available in devices such as the N95 and E90 and Twango should offer the ability to share multimedia content through their desktop and mobile devices. All of this fits nicely in Nokia current plan to offer desktop-like media sharing and social networking. Have a listen to episode 107 of TWIT (they talk about Nokia in the last 15 min of the show) and let me know what you think. Are Nokia’s recent purchases odd?

Preparing your Nseries for the Hurricane season

As a resident of the Caribbean, year after year we have to deal with the hurricane season. Being prepared is one of the best ways to deal with Mother Nature’s fury. As I found out it actually pays to have several communication options, in my case we lost Internet access during the passage of hurricane Felix. Luckily the cellular networks were still working, so I used my N95 to connect using GPRS to keep in touch with loved ones. Here are a few tips to make your Nseries device Hurricane Season ready!

1) Protect year device: This might be an obvious one but many people forget to actually protect their device from the elements. You can go low-tech by just putting in a Ziploc bag, but personally I recommend something a bit more heavy duty that’s both water- and drop-proof. There are various products, but personally I recommend Proporta’s Armor 1900 and 3600 cases. If you have a flip-phone there’s Proporta’s Aquapac Flip Phone Waterproof Case (Not drop-proof).

2) Do a backup: This one is pretty straightforward: use PC Suite to do a simple backup just in case something does happen to your phone. If its sensitive information make sure you make copies of your backup data and store these copies on several backup media. The good ol’ CD and DVD recordable discs are pretty cheap nowadays, but thumb drives or memory cards have been proven to be very water-resistant and drop-proof.

3) Use the S60 browser: Nokia’s 3rd edition introduced the wonderful S60 browser, this thing is capable of displaying webpages like you would see them on your PC and should work with most weather and hurricane related sites like The Weather Channel, Stormcarib and Weather Underground. If you need another free option there’s always Opera mini.

4) Stay up-to-date: Nseries are basically mini computers with the ability to install apps. One of the best and free weather related programs is Mobile Weather for S60 Smartphones. The Weather Channel also has this informative section called Tropical Update (StormWatch) and is also available as a downloadable podcast. Just use Nokia’s free Podcast app to do a search for “Tropical Update” and just subscribe to the feed. You could also use the Widsets app to subscribe to numerous weather-related widgets.

5)Use the GPS: Devices like the N95 have built-in GPS, but others like the N80 or N73 could always use external units. This feature could really come in handy as you could use the GPS to find your exact coordinates to see how close the eye of the storm is. You could also use the “GPS data” app to use your device as a compass (accessible from: tools, GPS data). As a blogger or journalist any of these devices could come in handy as a very portable high quality video and imaging device. You could then use programs like Locr or Shozu to quickly upload and geo-tag your images. During or after the storm weather conditions could impede you from getting a GPS signal, these tips should help you get signal lock. Make sure you update your device to enable A-GPS, this will you to get a fix on satellites faster and more reliably.

What other tips do you have?

DivX Mobile Player 0.89 Released

The guys over at Allaboutsymbian are reporting that a new version of the free Divx mobile player is out! The latest version 0.89 is is a Beta release that will expire on 1-Apr-2008. The Divx Labs blog thoughtfully remind us to “correctly set your phone to today's date before you install DivX Mobile Player.” This has happened to me and the thing just won’t install.  Divx mobile player now features: Version 0.89 new features:

• Restructured menus and softkeys
• New file browser with thumbnail previews
• Manual adjustment available for A/V synchronization

There are a few known problems but these are limited to UIQ and Windows Mobile so we shouldn’t worry about that. The updated Divx Mobile can be downloaded here. You will need a Divx account to download it, so if you don’t have one yet, you can create one here (of course that is also free.)

Nokia to acquire Enpocket:Could this be the start of free games with ads?

Nokia has come to the final and definitive stages of purchasing mobile advertising based Enpocket, here’s the press release:

Nokia and Enpocket today announced that they have entered into an agreement for Nokia to acquire Enpocket (www.enpocket.com). Enpocket is a global leader in mobile advertising; providing technology and services that allow brands to plan, create, execute, measure and optimize mobile advertising campaigns around the world. By acquiring Enpocket, Nokia will accelerate the scaling of its mobile advertising business, leveraging Enpocket's platform and strong partnerships with advertisers, publishers and operators. In addition to key assets, through this transaction Nokia is gaining a team with strong expertise in global mobile advertising across disciplines.

"Nokia has already announced its intention to be a leading company in consumer Internet services and we believe that mobile advertising will be an important element in monetizing those services for our customers and partners. Enpocket's mature leading edge platform and people expertise are a strong fit with Nokia existing capabilities in the mobile advertising market," said Tero Ojanperä, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia. "This acquisition is a game changing move to bring the reach and depth of Nokia to organize the market across the world, and make it easier for an ecosystem to develop."

Enpocket is a privately-owned company, established in 2001 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The innovative technology that drives the Enpocket platform is a mobile advertising campaign management and delivery system distinguished by advanced consumer insight, targeting, and measurement. The platform can deliver mobile advertising across multiple formats including SMS, MMS, mobile Internet advertising, and video. Enpocket is powering mobile advertising for leading mobile operators and publishers across the globe and has an ad sales force that is working with large brands. 

"Effective interactive advertising on the mobile device can create tremendous value for the mobile industry while bringing new Internet services to people around the world," said Enpocket President and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Baker. "Enpocket and Nokia are combining to provide the leadership needed to define, build and standardize globally the business of mobile advertising so that brands can easily and efficiently engage consumers on their personal devices."

I see a lot of potential in this, but as always this can also take the annoying route. Nothing worse then getting those annoying adds on your mobile phone while surfing or sending an SMS, not even if it’s targeted to my tastes! The huge potential of this comes in the world of mobile gaming. They could place in game ads during the loading or downloading time. They could also put billboards or brand specific virtual products throughout the game. It would be great if we could even choose the brands. For example it would be a small but nice detail if the main character uses an Nseries device. The add placement should be subtly done as too many ads start to affect the overall gaming experience. They could then use the income to offer lower cost games subsidized by the ads. If the new Ngage platform becomes hugely successful they could even offer free games. Of course there should always be an option to get games add-free for those us who prefer that. If they somehow manage to this everyone could benefit from this, even the group that almost never benefits from this sort of thing: the consumer, in this case the mobile gamers.

Blog update

Hey guys, Devin here. I know, I haven’t posted quite as much as I normally do as I was busy moving my files from my old PC to the new one. Getting everything up and running took more than had originally planned. On top of that I have been busy with some projects.  Everything is almost set, so expect the usual Nokia Guide goodness.

Updates from the Guru

One of the best places for all things Symbian and Nokia is of course Ricky’s Symbian Guru blog. He just returned from Nokia’s Go Play event with a bag full of goodies. One of them is Nokia’s newest MD-6 Portable Speakers. Head on over to his blog to see what he has to say. He’s also pointing to an interesting article at the Mobile Opportunity blog. The article talks about the upcoming battle between Apple and Nokia. It’s a long one but it’s definitely worth a read.

Another IM app and it’s free!

Staying with the IM theme, Symbian In Motion is reporting that a new and free IM app has been announced. It’s called Palringo (where do they get these names) and supports ICQ, MSN, Gadu-Gadu, Yahoo, AIM and Google Talk. One particular feature I like is that it allows you to send voice clips and images. This is similar to the one found on the official mobile MSN messenger. With all these free apps it’s going to get pretty difficult for the pay apps unless they add some killer features quick! Head on over to Palringo, give it a try and let me know what you think.

And another thing….

Sometimes there is no spy picture to talk about and all that’s left to do is just speculate. Well, this is what I’m speculating and I guess it can be considered wishful thinking at the same time. Remember when the N93 got a revamp in the form of the N93i and shortly after that we got the N95? Could the N95 8GB (and US 3G N95) be to the N95 what the N93i was for the N93? Could Nokia pull an Apple-like “And another thing…” in the form of a new flip phone at Nokia world 2007? I hope so. In the mean I guess it’s just wishful thinking.