Nokia Maps and Messenger services upgraded
Nokia has released new versions of its mapping and navigation service along with a new messaging service in an effort to build out its mobile services
The upgraded Nokia Maps offers new features, such as high-resolution aerial images and 3D landmarks. The new software also allows users to share their location using GPS. Nokia has also tied the latest version of Nokia Maps more closely with its PC-based service Ovi. And the new Nokia Maps allows users to plan their journey ahead of time on their PCs and sync the information with their mobile phones for when they're on the road. Currently, the pre-planning function is only available for Windows-based devices. Continue reading...
Nokia N97: Back once again with the messaging master
Mobile PhonesThe wait is over: today Nokia announced an N-series touchscreen phone that boasts some truly mouth-watering features. An 89mm (3.5-inch) tiltable touchscreen sits in an elegant white casing that hides a full Qwerty keypad underneath -- think Nokia E90 with a little more style.
Inside this messaging master lies 32GB of on-board storage, with the option to expand via microSD up to 48GB, plus assisted GPS, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 5-megapixel camera with dual LED photo lights.
But it's not just another N-series phone crammed with features -- the N97 also boasts integration with messaging clients such as Windows Live and Yahoo, and gives you fast access to Facebook and MySpace, among others, with just a few clicks. Continue reading...
Nokia N79: Clever chameleon
Mobile PhonesBefore this week's big Nokia announcement let us introduce you to the Nokia N79. Boasting HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, an FM transmitter so you can play your tunes through a radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 5-megapixel camera, the Nokia N79 is a rather nifty phone if ever we saw one.
What's clever about the Nokia N79 though is that when you change its battery cover to one of the three provided covers in the box, it automatically changes the N79's theme to match. OK, so it's not a mind-blowing feature but it does show how software can be integrated with hardware to offer users something different. Continue reading...
Nokia's Home Control Centre lets you manage devices via mobile
Mobile PhonesWouldn't it be nice if you could manage all your home appliances, electronics, entertainment and security, plus your climate control system, from your mobile phone? That is exactly what Nokia is promising with its Home Control Centre solution.
The beauty of this Linux-based platform is its comprehensive compatibility with most existing smart home technologies. This allows a unified user interface for these competing offerings which can be conveniently accessed from a mobile phone and Web browser. Continue reading...
iPhone: Beat 10MB 3G download limit
Want to break the 10MB limit for downloading podcasts over 3G on the iPhone? It's easy, and I'm going to tell you how to do it. Continue reading...
O2 Xda Zest: The Xda brand lives on
Mobile PhonesBefore O2 got involved with the iPhone and its wondrous touchscreen, it used to shout about its Xda range of Windows Mobile handsets a lot more. But if you thought the Xda was dead, then think again, because O2 has been quietly releasing a whole bunch of new handsets, including the Xda Zest.
The Xda Zest is a small chubby Windows Mobile 6.1 handset that packs in a lot of modern features, but can't help looking like a blast from the past. You get HSDPA, GPS, Wi-Fi and a 3-megapixel camera -- all lovely, but let down by an inexpensive plastic casing that picks up fingerprints very easily. Continue reading...
Photos: Hands-on with the Sony Ericsson W705 Walkman
Mobile PhonesEarlier this month we wrote about Sony Ericsson's latest Walkman slider phone, and it's a stunner. Released next year, the W705 is perhaps the most beautiful Walkman we saw in 2008. And we can reinforce that now we've got a working model in-house!
At this point, our model is not fit for reviewing, as the software is still subject to change. But physically there's no kidding we'd be asking for its number after very few drinks. Continue reading...
Nokia to announce new phone next week
Mobile PhonesA while ago we got a mysterious phone call from someone claiming that they had inside knowledge of an exciting new Nokia handset coming out at the end of this year. At first we didn't take them very seriously but days later a roadmap of Nokia's future handsets was leaked online and we started to pay attention.
Last night at a Nokia press event we heard further whispers that next week a N-series handset is indeed going to launch, so we revisited the leaked Nokia handset roadmap. From what we can see it could be an N85 refresh with 16GB on-board memory and an analogue joystick. Continue reading...
Apple in trouble over iPhone advert
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an iPhone ad after consumers complained it exaggerated the speed of the device.
A recent TV ad for the iPhone 3G stated: "So what's so great about 3G? It's what helps you get the news, really fast. Find your way, really fast. And download pretty much anything, really fast. The new iPhone 3G. The Internet, you guessed it, really fast." The ad showed a close-up of the phone being used to surf a news Web page, view the Google maps service and download a file -- and all the actions had waiting times of only a fraction of a second. Continue reading...
Nokia 6260: 6600 eat your heart out
Mobile PhonesIt's only been a few months since we reviewed a cute little Nokia slider called the 6600 and already Nokia has unveiled another similar phone in the form of the 6260. But unlike the 6600 that was a fairly simple mobile, the 6260 is a fully fledged smart phone with similar features to the Nokia N95.
The 6260 runs on Series 40 6th Edition that supports Nokia's open source browser for full web look and feel, Adobe Flash Lite 3.0 so you can see mobile ads and other flash content, and a Java-based location application programming interface so that people can develop location based apps. Continue reading...
New iPod touch quicker than iPhone 3G
MP3 PlayersApple appears to has upped the processing speed of the iPod touch in order to help it go after the portable-game market.
iPhone gaming site Touch Arcade reports that the applications processor inside the second-generation iPod touch unveiled in September is actually running faster than the processor inside the iPhone 3G, which runs at the same speed that the original iPhone and iPod touch used. The new iPod touch's ARM-based processor is running at 532MHz, while the iPhone 3G's processor runs at 412MHz.
A game developer interviewed by Touch Arcade noticed a huge difference in 3D-rendering speed as a result of the speed bump. As we remember fondly from our 'megahertz madness' days of the Intel-AMD competition in the PC, processor speed is not the only measure of performance, but it is an important one.
With the arrival of the App Store, Apple has been marketing the latest iPod touch as a gaming device in its latest round of commercials, almost completely ignoring the fact that it's a music and video player as well. Continue reading...
Apple releases iPhone 2.2 firmware
Mobile PhonesJust in time for pay day and free pay day beers in the CBS Interactive lounge (if you work here, that is), comes the iPhone's 2.2 firmware. It's a free download for all iPhone users, and includes all the features included in firmwares 2.0 and 2.1, should you have not snagged those yet.
Along with a Chuck Norris of performance improvements, iPhone 2.2 adds support for Google's Street View service, as seen in the recent T-Mobile G1 -- this service is set to go live in the UK sometime soon. Walking directions in Google Maps are also included in the update.
Wrapped in as well is support for over-the-air downloading of podcasts using the built-in iTunes application. Remember that Podcaster app that Apple ejected from the App Store like a Republican from the White House? Well, it does what that did. Continue reading...
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1: Photos and impressions
Mobile PhonesThe Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 has been one of the most elusive handsets we've ever had to deal with. We initially heard about it in February this year and then it disappeared, occasionally popping up at the odd press event, but always as a prototype and never the finished article. Today it finally emerged from the shadows when we received the final version.
Opening the box faster than a present on Christmas morning, we tore the X1 out of its packaging, the sweat trickling from our brow. Pictures don't do the X1 justice: it's gorgeous, and a bold departure from Sony Ericsson's usual bland designs. The X1 screams its class at you -- it looks superb. Continue reading...
A recession is just what the mobile industry needs
Every day I read several stories about mobile manufacturers struggling under the weight of the global recession and while it saddens me to hear that some may collapse, I'm not sure it's necessarily a bad thing for the industry. Continue reading...
LG Prada 2: Hands-on with LG's refitted fashionista
Mobile PhonesYesterday we sashayed along to the launch of the chic new LG Prada phone -- aka the LG Prada 2 -- to find out what the fashion-conscious phone has to offer. The original Prada phone was one of the first touchscreen handsets to hit the UK market, but it was fiddly to use, especially for texting. LG has taken this on board and tailored the Prada 2 to include a dedicated slide-out Qwerty keypad.
But there's much more -- the Prada 2 might look similar to its predecessor, but our first impression is that it's one of LG's best touchscreen phones yet. Continue reading...
Google adds voice search to its iPhone app
Mobile PhonesIf you're too lazy, too tired or just too annoyed to use the iPhone's text interface to search for something on Google, you'll be pleased to know you can now just say what you're looking for.
No, you haven't woken up in an episode of Star Trek, it's just plain old voice search, similar to Nuance's technology. What's great is that it's very accurate -- most of the time. We tried 'CBS Interactive' and it came up with results for 'CBS Construction'. But while it's not perfect, it's still very useful for simple terms.
All you need to do is download the Google search app or upgrade to the new version and go into settings -- you'll see an option for voice search that you'll want to turn on. Once it's on, a little mic icon appears next to the search app. Continue reading...
Adobe bringing fully fledged Flash 10 to phones
SoftwareInspired by a new generation of smartphones, Adobe has begun a new, higher-power effort to spread its Flash technology to mobile devices.
The company has worked for years on a lightweight incarnation of its Flash technology for mobile phones, but now it's working to bring the fully fledged Flash Player 10 to higher-end smartphones, chief technology officer Kevin Lynch said at Adobe's Max conference in San Francisco.
"We are in the midst of evolving Flash Player 10 for mobile," Lynch said. "We're taking the full Flash Player and making that run on the higher end of the mobile market." Continue reading...
Stocking-filler alert: Mobile phones for Christmas
Mobile PhonesIf you're on a tight budget this Christmas, but still want to get a loved one something techy, a mobile phone could be the perfect fit. You may be surprised to hear that for only 20 -- or even less -- you can pick up a pay as you go phone.
These aren't cutting-edge handsets, but hey, they'll make calls and send and receive text messages, which is better than no phone at all. Take the Samsung B130, for example, which we reported on the other day -- it's pretty basic, but it's only 5 (plus 10 of credit), from the Carphone Warehouse.
LG KP100, on the other hand, will set you back a swingeing 10. For this extortionate fee, you get a colour screen and a slim candybar design. Continue reading...
Samsung B130: It's only a fiver, guv
Mobile PhonesIf you're a little strapped for cash these days, but still need a new mobile phone, you'll be amazed to know that for as little as 5 you can buy a Samsung B130. For the price of two McDonald's meals you could be blabbering away on a brand-new mobile, which we think is pretty impressive.
To keep costs down, the Samsung B130 is totally basic, as you'd expect. It features a slim casing that weighs only 65g, a colour display -- and that's about it. But the B130 keeps things admirably simple and has a large, easy-to-use keypad. It's definitely not one for smart phone fans, but if you need something simple it's ideal.
The Samsung B130 is available for a fiver on pay as you go from the Carphone Warehouse when you buy 10 of credit from T-Mobile or Orange. Continue reading...
3 INQ1: Mobile social networking for everyone
Mobile PhonesToday Crave went along to see 3's latest offering, the INQ1. Designed as a low-cost social-networking phone, the oddly named INQ1 gives you access to a panoply of services that will keep you connected to your friends almost everywhere you go. What makes the INQ1 stand out is how well integrated everything is, especially Facebook.
With just a few clicks of the INQ1 you'll be able to access most of Facebook's features. What's particularly clever is that it then ties all your Facebook contacts into your address book, along with your Skype and Windows Live contacts. The INQ1 then connects all that information in your phone's contact list, alongside telephone numbers. Continue reading...
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