N800 unboksing by Symbia!

Here's a video of the n800. Fresh from YouTube and my n95's camera - which has since then gone on extended leave for a vacation at the Nokia Service Center..wonder when it'll be back...

Also this!

N95 gets yet another FW update!

After much waiting it seems Nokia has at last given the Nokia N95 its Flash Lite 3/Web runtime firmware update. Ofcourse we alrady got the utility wares for seeing youtube videos through alternate updates, atleast it's Betterlate than never. It's nowhere near as huge an update as the v20 which introduced demand paging and transformed the performance of the device turning the lowly N95 into as powerfull a machine as the N95 8GB especially with the 16 GB microSD that has since been released. The v21.0.016 is still a major firmware and well worth installing, but i wouldn't recommend it if you are fed up of the Backup&Restore formality.

What's new for v21.0.016 (over and above v20 firmware):

• Flash Lite 3 is included, so Flash video sites will work, including YouTube (just as on the N95 8GB v15 firmware from a couple of months ago)
• The Web runtime is included, meaning that standalone widgets are now possible
• Greater Bluetooth headset compatibility
• Better handling of entering lots of text into web page dialogs
• Speedier Gallery in every way
• Faster Java runtime, so Java apps start faster
• plus the usual miscellaneous bug fixes and tweaks, no doubt!

Ofcourse they still haven't included the full app of the NGage service, so I guess we ain't going to see it in the near future(even though release had been slated for X'mas '07).

More details and screens at AllAboutSymbian.

Nokia sets up design studio in Brazil

Nokia it seems,has opened a satellite design studio in Rio de Janeiro reflecting the increasing impact Latin American style and culture is expected to have on the future design of mobile devices and services. Based at the Design School of UniverCidade, it will bring together Nokia designers, students and established local designers to explore new trends and ideas that will influence products for the Latin American and global markets.

Nokia's Chief Designer,Alastair Curtis, said,

"Brazil is an incredibly vibrant and diverse place and one that is constantly transforming and developing itself in new ways. This makes it a perfect place to inspire designers. It also has a wealth of emerging new design talent that will play a key role in shaping many of the global design trends we will see in the next few years. Combining the experience of our global design team with the local creativity and perspective of the students is a very exciting and creative way to explore new ideas in this important market for Nokia."

This could maybe lead to a whole new design element coming to Nokia's wardrobe - we could perhaps expect some radical designs such as those seen one the 7610 and it' kind...

Courtesy CellularNews.

N95 gets a better slider upgrade

As I've posted over here before, I have been a victim of the dumb N95 slider from the time I'd bought it, and even though I'd sent it in to Nokia numerous times, they still couldn't find a cure for it. But last week after I'd sent it in, they were finally able to set it right and now i have an almost perfect rock-solid slider. And as shown above the slider mechanism sure is new! If they'd done this earlier there would lots more happy N95ers out here..

Photo from SymbianWorld.

N78 User Manual

It seems that the User Manual for the N78 has already arrived ahead of the phone's release. Incase any of you would be N78ers wanna check out the manual and get a sneak peek of the experience that the N78 packs download the manual now - it's in English!

Mining for lost SMS messages?

If you by chance happened to delete your messages, and feel like reading them again, then here's what Kishore from mynokiamobile.blogspot.com says you gotta do:

To do this you need to have FExplorer on your Nokia Phone. (or click on the link)

1. Open FExplorer.
   
2. Select drive C: or D: depending on the memory in which the SMS messages have been saved.
   
3. In my case I selected C: , Then open "system" folder. Then in the "system" folder open "mail" folder. Then in this folder u will see different folders (eg 0010001_s) and certain files (eg 00100000). These files are the actually messages.
   
4. Browse through each folder and chack for the file till u get the one that you are looking for.( a very tiring process..Zzzzzzzzzz)
   
5. For opening the files don't choose options>file>open as it will show format not supported rather choose options>file>hex/text viewer. By selecting the "Hex/ text viewer" you ll be able to open and read the deleted SMS message.

Have a great time mining though your collections! ;)

iGo Everywhere - Power and charge!

They sent one of these to me...and I'm absolutely Loving iT!!
There are some really annoying things about traveling around with a load of the latest gadgets with you, but the worst thing is when one of your gadgets battery runs out or is so low that you have to switch it if just to save the battery in case you will need it in an emergency. ANd the worst part is that companies like Nokia take it that they have to manufacture almost everything related with mobiles - even Mobile computing,GPS,hi-res cams,etcetera but they don't have the time to design a decent battery!

Well iGo must have been listening to the all those tech-savvy die hard travelers for they have come up with the ultimate universal wall and auto adapter, this is every adapter that anyone will ever need whether you are in the car or in a hotel room, the only thing that you should need to do is change the end of the adapter(the power tip) suitable for the device that needs power, and that's it, simple but effective for mobile phones, blue tooth headsets, PDA’s, portable music players, portable games consoles and digital cameras, plus there may be a few more that may need some charging up.

Basically it is a single power cable that fits both the mains plug and the in-car cigarette lighter. You then buy the appropriate tips to match your gadget – be it a mobile, handheld games console, MP3 player, Bluetooth headset, or basically anything, with only a few exceptions. There’s even a Power Splitter available which let’s you charge two devices at the same time. Neat,eH?

This product is so versatile that it's quite possible that all other chargers would become obsolete, as it's much easier to carry around one charger than a whole bag of different chargers and adapters for each device that you own.

This is an essential piece of travel kit, which can get the traveler out of a bit of bother if one of those essential gadgets runs low on power, the price for the set is only around £20 or $40 US. The whole lot of iGo Everywhere tools can be seen here.

Internet Radio v1.2

Listen to the world through internet radio. Explore the universe of mobile Internet radio. Browse hundreds of stations and find your favorite show. Listen to music and news from all over the world. Choose from a large variety of stations and shows, including news, sporting events and music. Browse for your favorite radio programs by genre, language, or country, or search by station name. Explore the most popular stations and stay in touch with the mobile Internet radio community. Nokia Internet Radio service is supported by both packet data and WLAN connections. Enhance your mobile device and your life with Nokia Internet Radio (Beta). Download and use the Nokia Internet Radio Player (Beta) application for free* and get started with music and news broadcasts. The following tips may be useful as you start using the Nokia Internet Radio Player (Beta). To best enjoy high-quality content, we recommend using the Nokia Internet Radio Player (Beta) with a WLAN access point. If you already know the name of a specific station, you can easily find that name using the "Search" option. Use "Station Directory" to discover new Internet radio stations, by choosing your favorite genre, country or language. Use the "Top stations" menu to find the most popular choices of other Nokia Internet Radio (Beta) users (Station Directory > Top stations). Use the "Settings" menu to configure the default Internet access point and the audio quality available for different data bearers (Options > Settings). Use "Help" to get extra instructions from the application main page (Options > Help). Setup of WLAN is not managed through the Nokia Internet Radio Player. Refer to your Nseries device user guide for instructions to set up WLAN access points. Supported devices: Nokia 6110 Navigator, N73, N75, N76, N77, N82, N91, N91 8GB, N93i, N95 and N95 8GB.

N96 - is it worth it?

From what I've heard the N96 doesn't have anything new to go with it except the looks... This smartphone is based on the Symbian S60 3rd Edition operation system, with Feature Pack 2, and sports a DVB-H digital TV receiver and innovative kickstand for watching video on the handset’s beautiful 2.8″ QVGA display. There are connection options aplenty, including quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual-band WCDMA (850/2100MHz) as well as WiFi and support for HSDPA for high speed data connections.

A built-in GPS receiver works with the new Nokia Maps 2.0, preloaded on the N96, to keep you on the right path. Nokia’s updated Share Online enables the N96 to automatically geotag your photos and upload them to Flickr or Share on Ovi so that the world can see where you travel. 16GB of internal flash memory and a microSD memory card slot with support for cards up to 16GB mean you’ll never run out of space for photos, music, and games.
The N96 makes it easy to share your media with friends via a TV-Out cable and UPnP support. This slider smartphone is expected to start shipping in Q3 2008 with pricing set at 550EUR (US$802) before taxes and subsidies.

Specifications for the Nokia N96

Operating System
Symbian S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
Band
GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, UMTS 900/2100MHz
Data
GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA/HSDPA/WiFi
Size
103mm x 55mm x 18mm(4.1″ x 2.2″ x 0.7″)
Weight
125g (4.4oz)
Battery Life
Up to 9 days (GSM), 8 days (3G) standby
Up to 3.6 hours (GSM), 2.5 hours (3G) talk time
Main Display
2.8″ 16m color TFT, QVGA (240×320 pixel) resolution
Camera
5 megapixel with auto-focus
Video
Playback/capture
Messaging
MMS/SMS
Email
POP/IMAP/SMTP
Bluetooth
v2.0, A2DP (stereo)
Memory
Up to 16MB internal, microSD card slot
Availability
Q3 2008 (manufacturer’s estimate)
Other
DVB-H mobile TV support, GPS receiver, TV-out support, 802.11b/g, stereo speakers

See More Here!

An N95 on Val's Day is a perfect idea

Gifting your girl friend a N95 would be the best gift ever. But whatif you have it with a cute lil' pink housing that comes with a softsmooth finish? Now that would be really something 'cuz she'd know thatyou really put your mind into giving her something nice, rather thanjust spending money on the best in the market. And when her friendssee the pink N95 they're bound to ask about it. nice eh? ;) Did you know that Darla Mack also has a pink one!!

How to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer

While many of us now use cell phones everywhere, the primary benefit of cell phones remains their portability - however, so as to get the most out of your phone you need to get the most out of your battery.

Increase Time between Charges
1. Turn the phone off. This is probably the most effective and simplest way of conserving your battery’s power. If you don't plan on answering the phone while you're sleeping or after business hours, just turn it off. Do the same if you are in an area with no reception (such as a subway or remote area) or in a roaming area, since constantly searching for service depletes the battery fairly quickly. Some phones have an automatic power save feature, but it takes about 30 minutes with no service to kick in. By then, much battery power has been used.

2. Stop searching for a signal. When you are in an area with poor or no signal, your phone will constantly look for a better connection, and will use up all your power doing so. This is easily understood if you have ever forgotten to turn off your phone on a flight. The best way to ensure longer battery life is to make sure you have a great signal where you use your phone. If you don't have a perfect signal, get a cell phone repeater which will amplify the signal to provide near perfect reception anywhere.

3. Get the most out of your battery. Switch off the vibrate function on your phone, and use just the ring tone instead. The vibrate function uses up a lot of battery power. Keep the ring tone volume as low as possible.

4. Turn off your phone's back light. The back light is what makes the phone easier to read in bright light or outside. However, the light also uses battery power. If you can get by without it, your battery will last longer. If you have to use the back light, many phones will let you set the amount of time to leave the back light on. Shorten that amount of time. Usually, one or two seconds will be sufficient. Some phones have an ambient light sensor, which can turn off the back light in bright conditions and enable it in darker ones.

5. Avoid using unnecessary features. If you know it will be a while before your phone’s next charge, don’t use the camera or connect to the Internet. Flash photography can drain your battery especially quickly. If your phone has bluetooth capability, disable it when not in use.

6. Keep calls short. This is obvious, but how many times have you heard someone on their cell phone say, "I think my battery’s dying," and then continue their conversation for several minutes? Sometimes, the dying battery is just an excuse to get off the phone (and a good one, at that), but if you really need to conserve the battery, limit your talk time.

Prolong the Life of Your Battery
1. Initialize a new battery. New batteries should be fully charged before their first use to obtain maximum capacity. Nickel-based batteries should be charged for 16 hours initially and run through 2-4 full charge/full discharge cycles, while lithium ion batteries should be charged for about 5-6 hours. Ignore the phone telling you that the battery is full--this is normal but is not accurate if the battery is not initialized.

2. Keep the battery cool. Your battery will last longest if used near room temperature, and nothing wears on a battery like extended exposure to high temperatures. While you can’t control the weather, you can avoid leaving your phone in a hot car or in direct sunlight, and you don’t have to carry your phone in your pocket, where your body heat will raise its temperature. In addition, check the battery while it’s charging. If it seems excessively hot, your charger may be malfunctioning.

3. Charge your battery correctly, in accordance with its type. Most newer cell phones have lithium-ion batteries, while older ones generally have nickel-based batteries. Read the label on the back of the battery or in the technical specifications in the manual to determine which yours is. * Nickel-based batteries (either NiCd or NiMH) suffer from a phenomenon known as the "memory effect." If you charge the battery partially enough times, eventually the battery "forgets" that it can charge fully. A nickel-based battery suffering from memory effect can be reconditioned, which requires the battery to be completely discharged, then completely recharged (sometimes several times). The appropriate length of time between reconditionings varies. A good rule to follow for nickel-battery cell-phones is to discharge them completely once every two to three weeks, and only when you have a charger available. * Lithium ion batteries, on the other hand, do not suffer from the same memory effect. However, many devices that use lithium batteries have a battery meter, showing the user how much charge the battery has left. Starting with a battery's manufacture at the factory, lithium ions oxidize in the battery, shortening its life. After a certain amount of time, the battery exhibits slightly different electronic properties, which the device can only detect when the battery is discharged. This type of problem is known as a "virtual memory effect" and occurs when your battery meter can show a high charge, then suddenly drop to low charge when the battery is almost dead. Every thirty cumulative cycles, you should discharge lithium ion batteries until the phone gives a low battery warning, then recharge it. If you discharge lithium ion batteries to zero voltage, the internal safety circuit may open. In that case, a normal charger will be inadequate. Reconditioning ensures that the battery meter on a lithium ion cellphone is accurate (although it will not affect actual battery capacity). * Regardless of the battery type, use only a charger rated for your battery, and discontinue use of a charger that causes the battery to heat up excessively.

4. Store batteries properly. If your battery will be out of use for a while, disconnect it from the phone and store it in a cool place (the refrigerator is good, but freezing temperatures do not slow oxidation) and away from metal objects. Ensure that the battery is not exposed to moisture; try putting the battery in an airtight container or bag. Lithium ion batteries are not rated to operate at refrigerated temperatures, so let the battery sit outside the refrigerator for at least an hour before using it again. Lithium ion batteries oxidize least when they are stored at 40% charge. Never store a lithium battery at low voltage. Recharge batteries after storage.

5. Clean the battery contacts on the battery and on the phone. Over time, contacts may accumulate dirt. Clean them with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to maximize the efficiency of energy transfer. In addition, if the contacts are two different metals, such as gold and tin, accelerated corrosion known as "fretting" occurs. Cutting the corrosion from fretted contacts often requires solvents, such as acetone or nail polish remover. Be careful: these solvent dissolve plastic, so use a Q-Tip to avoid damaging the battery housing or the phone.

Battery Failure Indicators

* The usable time after recharging is shortened. * The battery becomes unusually warm during a rechargecycle. * The battery becomes unusually warm during phone use. * The battery case often is swollen. This is detectable by feeling and viewing the inside/phone-side of the battery case. Also, when the battery is placed inside/phone-side down on a flat, smooth surface, it will rock and will sustain a spin motion. The case of a healthy battery is flat and will not sustain a spin motion. * The battery develops a hard spot. This is detectable on the inside/phone-side surface of the battery by gently pinching about the surface between one's fingers.

Tips

* Regardless of how well you care for your battery, it will die eventually. When it does, you may be able to have it refurbished by sending it to the manufacturer or bringing it back to the retailer. If it cannot be refurbished, or if you just want to get a new battery, be sure to recycle it, either by returning it to the manufacturer or retailer, or by bringing it to a recycling center. Most major retail electronics stores have drop-off boxes for recycled phones. * You should not have to turn off your phone to charge it. Most battery chargers deliver more than enough current to power your phone and charge it at the same time. Doing so will not lengthen the charge time, and leaving a phone on allows the user to be aware of its fuel gauge, so that you can remove it when the battery is full. * When using a car charger, do not charge the battery when the inside temperature of your car is hot. Wait until the car has cooled before you plug in the phone.

Note:

* Do not store a lithium battery with a very low charge for a long time, the battery monitor will draw a small current, which might cause a 'deep discharge' which may cause damage to the battery. * Avoid cheap, knockoff chargers as they may cause excessive battery heating. * When buying lithium ion batteries, be aware that oxidation begins at the time of manufacture, not the time of first use. As such, older lithium batteries will have reduced capacity (about 20% per year stored at room temperature). If you buy a battery at a clearance sale price, expect that you will get less life out of the cell phone. * Never dispose of old batteries in the trash. Batteries contain toxic metals, and electronic waste from batteries and other electronic components is becoming a major problem. Improper disposal of toxic batteries is illegal in many jurisdictions.

My Portfolio for s60-3 released: get your Google Finance data to your mobile!

SymbianGuru released the new Freeware business solution My Portfolio for Series 60-3 mobile phones. My Portfolio updates Google Finance courses information directly from your Google Finance account to your mobile. You have only to enter correct login and password for Google Finance and have Google Finance account active.

My Portfolio is a free Series 60 v3 finances application that updates your Google Finance portfolio in the real time on your mobile. You get the most needed information from your own portfolio displayed, such as: company name; symbol, last price and percent change.

All other data about your portfolio units is also available, exactly as you can get it online.

There is an auto refresh option available: My Portfolio will be automatically refreshed with the updated data every set period of time. Please note: the auto refresh function will work only if the My Portfolio application is open.

You can also get the history of every unit in your portfolio, based on time period defined by you.

My Portfolio key features:
- Easy setup and login
- Detail view of all stocks
- Auto-refresh function
- History for a certain stock can be requested
- Help feature implemented
- Totally freeware!

My Portfolio is freeware, users who like it are asked to donate at www.symbianguru.com

N800 - an overview

The N800 is an evolutionary step above the older model, the 770. Featuring a 320 Mhz TI CPU, two SD slots, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB flash storage, dual mini-SD slots, 4.1" 800x480 touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphones jack and mini-USB port. On the top of the device you will find the zoom buttons, the fullscreen on/off button and the microphone while on the front of the device there is a 5-way joypad and 3 additional buttons: close application/window, application's menu and task-switch. On the left side there is a retractable VGA video-call camera. Below the device you will find a very practical kickstand, which is very nice if you are using your N800 to watch movies in style. The kickstand has two levels, allowing the N800 to "sit back" nicely.

The Nokia N800 is by no means a replacement for a cellphone, rather it is intended to complement them enhancing their usefulness. The Nokia N800 is actually a new breed of gadgets, called Internet Tablet, which are designed to perform an Internet related task. The Nokia N800’s sole purpose is to provide easy access to Internet related features, such as web browsing, instant messenger, Internet calling, Internet radio, e-mail and so on as well a slew of other cool features..You could keep it as a replacement for your coffee table book maybe?!

The touch Screen of the n800 is pretty nice but it is extremely prone to scratches, and as they accumulate over time things it tends to get really bad.

Another problem that I've found also relating to the is flickering. It becomes really noticeable especially when you're playing music at full volume and the screen goes into standby. I think it's got to do with the power management program since it occurs only when the screen is dimmer.

And speaking about music playback, my first impression judging by the size of the speakers turned out to be a rather big underestimation..my nokia 5300 has better sound output.

The handwriting recognition software is really great once you get used to the experience. It can even recognize strike out and will erase the striked text.

In the following post I will be focusing on the N800 and it's stuff, with videos here ,until then Adios!

N95 in pink!

Some real ccol pics of the N95 in pink clothing, i luv it.. reminds of a post that I'd done some time back..
I've included one pic here, you can see the rest of them at Dailymobile.se.

N800 - builD!

It looks quite sophisticated with the chrome rimmed black and silver design. The Build quality and ergonomics of the N800 is excellent, feels solid, with no squeaks unlike my N95.. I’ve didn't like the cheap "chrome" plastic on the N95, which eventually came of to show the transparent plastic beneath, but on the n800 it looks and feels like it's actual chrome! Stand: The stand creates a 90 degree angle with the Nokia N800 when fully extended and can be adjusted to a 45 degree position as well. It allows the N800 to rest in a nice angle allowing for easy viewing of whatever you have playing on it.

Camera - The camera is used for video calls, capable of 640 x 480 resolution. When the camera is ejected with a press, the video application automatically loads, so there’s no need to fumble through the menus. Don’t expect stellar results from this video camera, the video quality is rather poor, noise is very apparent even in excellent lighting conditions. The camera can also be rotated a full 180 degrees.

Storage - The Nokia N800 has two memory stick slots, the external one is found on the bottom right while the internal is positioned to the left of the battery. Supported memory stick types are as follows; SD, MicroSD, MiniSD, MMC, and RS-MMC. Maximum capacity for a single memory stick is 2GB, so overall memory capacity can reach 4GB. There is a key difference between the external and internal memory, the internal can be used as virtual memory while the external cannot.

In this post I will be focusing on the N800 and it's overview, with videos here ,until then Adios!

DLNA for n95-2

Espoo, Finland - Nokia announced yesterday that the Nokia N95 8GB had the distinction of being the first ever mobile phone to receive Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certification. The DLNA is a body advocating the interoperability of wired and wireless consumer devices. For the consumer, this accolade translates into convenient and intuitive connectivity between your DLNA Certified home electronics devices, personal computers, and your Nokia N95 8GB.

DLNA technology enables multi-vendor home ecosystems of consumer devices by building a common connectivity platform for a variety of multimedia experiences. This vision is fully in line with the Nokia’s aspiration for openness and seamless interoperability between devices and services from different brands.

Read the rest of this post at dailymobile.se

Major Firmware update for N73 ME

Symbian-Freak has discovered yet another new Nokia N73 Music Edition firmware,the version: 3.0705.1.0.31. And as usual, no change log has been found as of yet.

It seems as though it's more stable and a tad quicker than previous builds, but I'm still skeptical. However, I'm very tempted to go ahead and complete the package. I'll update if we have a changelog or anything pop up. In the mean time I plan to install the firmware on my friends N73 Me and see how it turns out ;)

N95 8 GB onto firmware V15.0.015

A lot of new changes have been announced with the arrival of the New firmware for the N95 8 GB he v15. A list of the slew of features that have been spotted on the new firmware as well as the bugs that have been "Quashed under the hood!" as Steve and Rafe from AAS say, well it's all here. Just move onto their page and checkt things out!
CLiCk HeRe!

ARGH n95 Screen Flip?

I saw this post at the Nokia Forums the other day. It seems someone's N95 has decided to incorporate Samir's rotateMe app all by itself - ending up rather Topsy-Turvy..
This is the post:

nicbh New User Posts: 1 Message 1 of 1 Viewed 11 times		Okay my n95 has started flipping the screen upside down (neither of the two regular ways it would go) randomly. Especially if I turn it off and on again. Any suggestions?
29-Dec-2007 02:58 PM

If any of you can help him out, please do so - this is the link.

Mail for Exchange

If you're using Exchange for the corporate email, you should install the Mail for Exchange application. Mail For Exchange program will provide you with access to your Exchange mailbox.which also features push email. This way you won't have to check for emails each time, the email are pushed to your phone the second they arrive at your mailbox so that you get them instantly.It's Very handy, andyou can even set it up so that it doesn't push any emails in the weekends! :) Tip: The application doesn't work with the normal "TDC WAP 3G+GPRS" setting, since it uses a proxy. You have go use a non proxy setting. You can get the TDC non proxy setting by going here and choosing the "internet" setting.