One developer that has been very supportive of the Symbian platform and continues to actively develop and improve its product is Nimbuzz. They just announced version 3.01 and posted the following 9 reasons you should be excited about the update:

1. Improved call quality thanks to peer to peer call connectivity.
2. More space for your chats for full screen chatting experience.
3. Chat bubbles bring an iPhone like chat experience to your (Nokia) Symbian phone.
4. Custom wallpapers in the chat screen choose a color or an image from your gallery to display as background for your chats.
5. Custom color for the text font in your chat screen
6. Call Quality Indicator so you can check the expected call quality before you make a call.
7. Free Avatars choose new and exciting avatars for your profile picture from N-World
8. Last Seen Online – shows you the last time your friend was seen on Nimbuzz.
9. Fast group selection straight from your contact list.

Make sure to read their full blog entry that offers more details for these 9 reasons.

I like the looks of the new chat screen and ability to enlarge the viewable area. I downloaded the update to my Nokia N8 and look forward to testing it out.

Nokia Experts

I just saw the official T-Mobile Twitter account post that they have several phones available for the next six hours for FREE with new account or eligible upgrade. Visit this page to see the deals that include the Nokia Astound. I would love to pick up one of these, but I already have five lines on T-Mobile and none are currently eligible for an upgrade.

I wish that carriers would offer some kind of discount to existing customers who are still within their contract because that would give us incentive to continue signing up for future contracts knowing we could get the latest and greatest phones rather than having to wait every two years for any kind of discount.

Nokia Experts

I noticed some Nokia people referring to Ovi Maps as Nokia Maps a couple of months ago and today Nokia announced that Ovi services will be rebranded as Nokia services starting with new Nokia devices coming in July and August. There is no planned disruption or discontinuation of services, simply a rebranding of them. I don’t think the Ovi branding ever really caught on in the U.S. and this rebranding may have something to do with the eventual Windows Phone 7 adoption.

Nokia’s EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Jerri DeVard explains the shift:

We have made the decision to change our service branding from Ovi to Nokia. By centralizing our services identity under one brand, not two, we will reinforce the powerful master brand of Nokia and unify our brand architecture while continuing to deliver compellingopportunities and experiences for partners and consumers alike.

This transition in branding and singular focus sounds like a good idea to me and will reduce the number of questions I get from people about Ovi. I wonder if the Ovi Store will be rebranded as the Nokia Store.

Nokia Experts

Last week I posted about the Nokia Care US contest and let you know I entered with a video showing how to get Amazon Video On Demand movies and Zune Pass music on your Nokia device. Voting opened up today and runs through 24 May. If you like my video and would like to see more coverage of the Nokia Astound here on Nokia Experts please vote for my video.

To vote for my video, post this from your Twitter account:

@NokiaCareUS Amazon Video & Zune Pass on Nokia N8 #NokiaCareUSContest

You can check out all the video contest entries on the Nokia Care US YouTube site. If you don’t like my video, but like another, then please vote for it too since a vote gets you entered into a drawing for a Nokia N8 (available only to US residents).

Here is a look at my video entry again too:

Thanks everyone and best of luck to all entrants, many of them are my friends so whoever wins deserves it as there are some great tips in there.

Nokia Experts

Last month at CES Slacker Radio announced it was coming soon to Symbian devices. I just read a Tweet from the NokiaUS account and saw that Slacker Radio is now available in the Ovi Store. I popped my SIM back into my Nokia N8 and downloaded it immediately. Keep in mind, the initial download to get the software is 1.3 MB so make sure you have a solid connection or are connected via WiFi before downloading.

Keep in mind, Slacker is a service with support for those in the US and Canada so this service is only available for these two countries. I understand many other countries have Spotify so it looks like we finally get a client/service in the US before others

I have been using Slacker Radio on my Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7 devices for over a year as my primary streaming music client and find it works very well at providing just the right mix for me. I actually have a Slacker sticker on my MacBook Pro since I love the service. The great thing is that favorite stations are synced to your account so you can pick up a different smartphone and listen to your favorites on any device. I like how the client on other platforms lets you cache music for offline listening so you can load up tunes for your next flight and then stream again when you land. This offline caching feature is not yet in this new Symbian client, but we may see it in the future.

This news for Slacker Radio is timed particularly well since Last.fm is going to start charging a monthly fee to stream music.

As stated on the Ovi Store description:

Listen to free personalized radio on your Nokia phone. The award-winning Slacker Radio application gives you access to the entire Slacker music library featuring millions of songs from thousands of artists. Listen to over 130 expert programmed radio stations or create your own custom stations. Learn more about the music you hear by reading the artist bios and album reviews. Slacker Personal Radio is the best way to discover new artists and hear your favorite songs.

Basic or Radio Plus?

The free account you setup with after downloading Slacker Radio gives you full access to Slacker Radio music, but you are limited to 6 song skips per hour, per station, there are some ads, and you get no lyrics. You can upgrade to Radio Plus and pay $3.99/month to have ad free listening, unlimited song skips, complete lyrics, and ABC News Radio. On my N8 this can actually be billed through T-Mobile.  I like the service so pay for the Radio Plus upgrade.

UPDATE: OK, I am using it up here in Alaska and when connected via EDGE the music streams flawlessly. However, if I switch to the task manager or another app the music pauses for 1/2 second and then starts back up again. This is going to be real annoying if I am trying to multi-task with Slacker Radio playing. Hopefully this is something they can fix easily enough and soon.

Also, don’t forget my tip that you can Zune Pass music on your N8 and get a taste of what kind of services a Nokia Windows Phone 7 device will provide.

View full post on Nokia Experts

Last week I wrote about the PR 1.1 update for the Nokia N8 and I was disappointed that we didn’t have it in the US. Well folks, you can now check your N8 and you should find it available. The update is just about 6.9 MB and I just finished downloading it on my orange N8. One week after it started to roll out really is not that bad, especially when we look at the history of updates for North American Nokia devices.

The way I checked was to simply go to phone dialer and enter *#0000#. Then tap on the left soft key and check for updates. After downloading you then choose to install now or later. After choosing now your phone will shutdown and then a white display with an updating status bar will appear.

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Last year I wrote that the SugarSync cloud storage and sharing service arrived for S60 5th Edition. I was recently sent a note from the SugarSync folks that a version was just released for S60 3rd Edition devices. There are something like 390 million Symbian handsets around the world so there is still a rather large market for apps.

SugarSync gives you 5GB for free with options to upgrade to more storage as well. With SugarSync you can access, manage, and share documents, photos, music, and more stored in the cloud. SugarSync works with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices too so you get a truly cross platform experience.

You can find SugarSync at the Ovi Store for free. I will need to try it out on the Nokia E73 Mode.

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I just posted an article on ZDNet about my thoughts regarding adoption of Windows Phone 7 by Nokia in regards to Zune  Marketplace services and as you can read the Windows Phone 7 experience is very broken outside the US. In my opinion, the memo supposedly from Stephen Elop has a very US-based focus which is great for Nokia fans in the US like me, but just doesn’t feel quite right for Nokia.

I now have two Windows Phone 7 devices that I use on T-Mobile, the HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro, and I personally find them both to be quite fantastic with Xbox LIVE games, Zune music services and streaming, awesome applications in a Marketplace just getting past 8,000 apps, and a very fun and fresh UI. As I point out though, these services and experiences are NOT what people around the world will see on a Nokia Windows Phone 7 device. If Nokia’s intent with WP7 is to focus these devices on the US and UK, then maybe this strategy will add a few thousand more users. However, Nokia doesn’t have a high end brand association here in the US so they would have to tell the story of both their hardware and the slowly rolling out Windows Phone 7 platform. Going with WP7 is not an easy task and Nokia will have to work just as hard to sell them as they would by putting efforts into MeeGo or Symbian with full Qt support.

View full post on Nokia Experts

My flight from Alaska back to Washington was delayed last night due to a problem with the wing and my first thought went to the Twilight Zone episode where the monster was tearing apart the wing as they flew. I then boarded another plane, fell asleep, and eventually made it home. When I landed I saw all of the Microsoft Nokia news and thought I might really be in a Twilight Zone show or I was still dreaming, but after jumping on Twitter I realized that my ultimate smartphone dream had come true.

I just posted my initial thoughts on the Nokia – Microsoft partnership on my ZDNet site and won’t repeat everything I wrote over there. As you know I am obviously a fan of Nokia smartphones and have been for years. You might also have picked up in my writing here that I am a Windows Phone 7 fan. I am probably one of the very few people in the world that have a love of both platforms and also quite a bit of usage of both under my belt. Needless to say, I am quite ecstatic about the news and think it will result in the best of both resulting in a product that easily competes and in many respects blows away the iOS and Android competition.

There is a great post on the Nokia Conversations site where Steve Ballmer and Stephen Elop provide so strong words to support this partnership, including the following:

Together, we have some of the world’s most admired brands, including Windows, Office, Bing, Xbox Live, NAVTEQ and Nokia. We also have a shared understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a mobile ecosystem, which includes the entire experience from the device to the software to the applications, services and the marketplace.

Today, the battle is moving from one of mobile devices to one of mobile ecosystems, and our strengths here are complementary. Ecosystems thrive when they reach scale, when they are fueled by energy and innovation and when they provide benefits and value to each person or company who participates. This is what we are creating; this is our vision; this is the work we are driving from this day forward.

There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them.

There will be challenges. We will overcome them.

Success requires speed. We will be swift.

Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.

I LOVE everything they are saying here and like the specifically stated they do indeed need to be swift and get something out this year.

I wrote the following points as I see them from a user perspective:

• All cameras in Microsoft’s smartphones have sucked, but Nokia rules the world with Carl Zeiss optics and imaging technology that rivals high end dedicated cameras
• Nokia has the ONLY penta-band smartphones so it doesn’t matter who your GSM carrier is you can get 3G data support (this includes T-Mobile’s special 1700 MHz band)
• Nokia brings hardware with aluminum colored bodies, Gorilla Glass, HDMI out, USB on-the-go, amazing RF reception and call quality, long battery life, and more
• Windows Phone 7 is amazingly fast and responsive while also being unique
• Windows Phone 7 is rock solid stable and after using it since July 2010 I can confirm it is the MOST stable mobile operating system I have ever used
• Windows Phone 7 gaming rocks, Zune is fantastic, multiple Exchange support is solid, Office integration is great, and developers are building apps
• Email on Symbian blows, but on Windows Phone 7 it absolutely rocks and I prefer to use my WP7 smartphone for email handling over even my Outlook desktop client

I know that die hard Nokia fans will likely react negatively to such a deal with Microsoft, but is that due to some kind of unfounded hatred for the Microsoft name? If you try Windows Phone 7 then you may change your mind. I know that Microsoft has stumbled in the past, as has Nokia. However, there are brilliant people at both companies and the potential for amazing success is there and can be realized through this partnership.

Is anyone else excited about this partnership like I am? Stay tuned for MUCH more of my writing here as I will have a platform that I am very excited about along with hardware that I love. We’ll see how it works out with WPCentral, but since there will still be other Windows Phone 7 makers and Nokia will still make non-WP7 devices we might see both sites remain as they are too.

View full post on Nokia Experts

Wow, I am almost embarrassed by my rocket launch entry video after seeing the eight winners of the Nokia N8 Producers contest. I thought mine had a fun story, but these winners all have fantastic video productions that blew mine out of the water. Thankfully, my orange Nokia N8 didn’t fly too far and end up broken since that would have been a real waste too.

These producers really showed the power of the Carl Zeiss optics and 12 megapixel camera. One great thing about viewing these winning videos is that you learn techniques and methods for how to create some fantastic videos yourself and I found them inspirational.

Which of these eight is your favorite?

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I wasn’t sure what to think about new Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, but after reading the leaked internal memo on Engadget I have new respect for him and am getting more excited about the future of Nokia. As much as I love my orange Nokia N8, it has felt like we have been living in a weird limbo world since mid-2009 when the rather lame Nokia N97 was released.

We never really knew what the strategy was with the OS as we saw S60 evolving, then Maemo released, then Maemo killed, then MeeGo talked about and after reading what Mr. Elop wrote Nokia may not have known internally where they were headed either.

A couple of quotes from the memo that struck me personally were:

The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don’t have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable.

I still believe there are several innovations and design elements (penta band radio, USB on-the-go, HDMI out, fantastic aluminum in colors) of the N8 where it does beat the iPhone, but Mr. Elop mentions the experience and that is indeed where Nokia has fallen down.

Many of us have said Nokia has been too slow to change with the times and they invented many of these technologies that Apple has been perfecting so they needed to get off the pot. Mr. Elop acknowledges this so it was nice to see we weren’t just crazy thinking things were too slow. Nokia seemed to move along at their own pace, but it sounds like that is NOT going to happen now with Mr. Elop at the helm.

Nokia will be holding their Capital Markets Day on Friday where Mr. Elop will reveal his future strategy. There are rumors that he might partner with Microsoft and release Windows Phone 7 devices or go with Android in an HTC-like multiple platform approach. As a fan of both Nokia and Windows Phone 7 you know what I would prefer. If Windows Phone 7 is brought to Nokia hardware then get ready to see a LOT more writing here on Nokia Experts as WP7 is my personal preferred platform at this time.

What do you think of the memo and Mr. Elop’s statements?

View full post on Nokia Experts

I really enjoyed playing with the Nokia E7 at Nokia World last Fall and was thinking I might pick one up. My orange Nokia N8 is performing quite well at the moment and I cannot justify the $800+ likely unlocked price of the E7 so unless Nokia sends out an eval unit for a bit I won’t be writing a review here on Nokia Experts. However, my buddies over at All About Symbian will indeed be providing full coverage of the device and now that the E7 is shipping you can check out Rafe’s first part that covers an overview of the hardware and some first impressions.

In the past, the Eseries devices have all been priced quite low compared to Nseries smartphones, but with the E7 that looks to have flip-flopped. Rafe’s first part is very detailed and after reading it I started trying to figure out what I could sell to pick one up for myself

I have to try the keyboard though to see if that is enough for me to give up the better camera, smaller form factor, and expandable memory of the lovely N8. As great as the E7 looks, I am not sold that a physical QWERTY keyboard justifies getting rid of my N8.

How many readers are planning to pick up an E7 when they become available?

View full post on Nokia Experts

Nokia issued a press release today stating that the Nokia E7 was finally arriving in select markets. The Nokia USA site doesn’t have it up for pre-order yet and the only one I could find on Amazon shows a price of $849 with a due in stock date of 31 March. I personally am very happy with my N8 and can’t justify these high prices for a phone with overall less capability than the N8.

The E7 is definitely an attractive device with the large 4 inch ClearBlack display and full QWERTY keyboard. I am not a big fan of the non-expandable 16GB memory and 8 megapixel camera when I have the N8 with 16GB and a microSD card slot with 12 megapixel camera and Xenon flash. The E7 does have the USB on-the-go feature and HDMI out capability though.

The E7 is designed as a business-focused device with some of the Eseries features such as a full version of an Office application and VPN support. I do hope to get one for an evaluation period because I did enjoy using it at Nokia World last year. Any readers looking to pick up the Nokia E7?

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I just read over on All About Symbian that a minor firmware update is available now for the Nokia N8. Unfortunately, this is NOT the one we have all been waiting for with the new web browser and portrait QWERTY keyboard support, but it does look to improve some aspects of the device.

The changelog, as posted by All About Symbian, includes:

• Web updated to 7.2.8.10
• Quickoffice updated to 6.4.166, editing functions now enabled on the N8 (i.e. don’t have to pay to upgrade), improved zooming functions
• Adobe Reader updated to 2.5.653
• Big update to Nokia Email; performance improved; ‘unread emails’ flag added to homescreen widget; meeting requests can be accepted directly from email invitations; maps integration, which means people can view the meeting location on the map when the address is mentioned in the location field in the invite
• General performance improvements
• Dialer now works in landscape mode
• Previous performance updates are rolled in and, in the full (Ovi Suite-installed, >100MB) image, there’s the facility to provide a better working starting point than hard resetting a PR 1.0 device

One fix that is actually quite important for me is the ability to now respond to meeting requests in email. This limitation actually kept me from using my N8 at times since I need to be able to respond to these for work.

I plan to perform the update this morning, but REALLY want to see the 2.0 update with the improved browser and QWERTY keyboard support. I am not seeing it available yet, but will keep trying. Make sure to access the Device Manage by entering *#0000# in the dialer to check for the update. You can also go to /Settings/Phone/Phone management/Device updates to check for the update. This update WILL NOT be found in Software Updates, which is where I went first too

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Last week I heard a lot about a new Nokia Beta Labs utility called Nokia Bubbles and I finally went and downloaded it for my Nokia N8. Nokia Bubbles is a utility that lets you interact with your N8 in a rather unique way to perform several different functions, such as unlocking your device, responding to new messages, managing your profile, enabling the flashlight (doesn’t work on N8 with Xenon though), and many more. Check out the more info page for more about what Nokia Bubbles can do and view the video below as well.

Bubbles appears when you press the Apps key while your device is in sleep mode and then you grab a bubble and drag it to a drop point to perform the action.

I am having fun with it and plan to see if my wife likes it on her Nokia N8. I have been playing with it a LOT more and Bubbles is a real kick to have on your device. BTW, while the Xenon flash doesn’t work on the N8, using the Flashlight bubble will turn your display fully white. Any readers try out Bubbles yet?

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I received an email from Nokia linking to a fun little quiz that gathers data on the apps you use and then tells you what type of app user you are. Visit the What’s your Appitype? page and go through the eight simple questions. Nokia is working with Cornell University sociologist and professor Trevor Pinch on this analysis and as you can see below there are some interesting results for US smartphone owners.

My quiz results

I took the quiz and was told I am a Live Wire. Here is the definition of a Live Wire from the quiz site:

You’re a realist who enjoys technical, outdoor and athletic pursuits. Clever and investigative, you’re sociable, have lots of friends but also seek adventure and relish a good challenge. You’re reliable and productive, and this is reflected in the apps you download which tend to be a mix of health/ fitness, social and travel-related apps.

Interestingly, I would have to say that is just about spot on and very truthful. The quiz also told me the Nokia C7 is my ideal smartphone and that actually is a very attractive device that I would pick up if I didn’t already have a love my orange Nokia N8.

You can check out the Nokia Conversations site for a short description of each App Type. Let us know what you are in the comments.

Study data results

I can be found with 25 to 40 apps on my smartphone, but generally only use about 5 main ones every single day and most are there for those times when I might need them, such as games. I also live in the West region (as described below) and personally do enjoy music applications as I have mentioned here before. Check out some of the data captured so far.

National Key Facts:

• 68 per cent of people in the USA have up to 30 apps on their device, with men more likely to download an app (83 per cent) vs. women (69 per cent).
• The most popular apps to download are social networking (39 per cent), games (37 per cent), music (26 per cent), news/information and utilities (21 per cent).
• The most popular apps people actually use are social networking (32 per cent), games (27 per cent), news/information (19 per cent) and utilities (18 per cent).
• Women (35 per cent) are much more into social networking than men (28 per cent), with the majority of younger users downloading and using these types of app.
• 48 per cent of people like to download apps because they know they’ll benefit their life.
• Most smartphone users frequently rely on apps throughout the day (42 per cent) while a further 14 per cent log on and use them once a day.
• 35 per cent of people use apps they have when at home while 26 per cent use them whilst travelling around their town or city.
• 51 per cent of Americans only download the free apps available for their phone.

Regional highlights:

Midwest key facts

• 63 per cent of people in the Midwest have up to 20 apps on their device.
• Keen socialisers, those in the Midwest use social networking apps the most (49 per cent) with 15 per cent citing that they could not live without them.
• 46 per cent of people from the Midwest frequently use the apps on their smartphones at various points throughout the day – more than in any other region.

North East key facts

• 49 per cent of those in the North East download social networking apps – more than any other region.
• 45 per cent of people in the North East download gaming apps – more than in any other region.
• 50 per cent of those in the North East like to download apps because they feel that they will benefit their life.
• Almost one in four in the North East (24 per cent) use the apps on their smartphone on their commute to or from work – twice as much as any other region.

West key facts

• 18 per cent in the Western US use music apps – more than in any other region.
• 16 per cent in the Western US download apps two or three times a week – more than in any other American region.
• Almost one in five in Western US (18 per cent) use the apps on their smartphone mostly at work – more than in any other region.

South key facts

• One in four (25 per cent) of those in the Southern portion of the US are likely to download news and information apps – more than in any other American region.
• 53 per cent of those in the South only download the free apps available for their phone.

View full post on Nokia Experts

Like most of you, I am a very busy person and don’t have time to sit around clicking links to hundreds of sites to get my daily news. I have been using Google Reader for years as an RSS aggregator and also use this through Gravity on my Nokia N8. I just read over on the Nokia Conversations site that a new Nokia Beta Labs product is available for reading RSS feeds. The Nokia Reader app looks pretty slick, as you can see in the video below, and I just downloaded it to my Nokia N8.

If you are reading this site, then you likely know about RSS and use some kind of reader to browse through information. The cool functions in this new Nokia Reader app include a home screen widget and push notifications. I would LOVE to see support for Google Reader sync so I did not have to setup all my feeds in another application, but this is an early beta so maybe we will see this added. They should have support for importing OPML files though since setting things up by searching directories or manually typing URLs is a bit tedious.

Nokia Reader is compatible with S60 5th Edition (excluding Nokia 5800 XpressMusic) and Symbian^3 devices. Nokia Reader has been tested to work with Nokia N97, Nokia N97 Mini, Nokia X6, Nokia N8 and Nokia C7.

Any readers try this out yet?

View full post on Nokia Experts

I love checking out applications on my smartphones and I was pleased when Nokia reached out to me asking if I wanted to help check out some apps and post reviews over on the Ovi Daily App site. Of course I jumped on the opportunity to offer some variety over on the site, along with several other writers, and my first review is now live. Please go and check out my review of four Usablenet optimized web apps and then visit the Ovi Store for over 100 more from them.

At first I was thinking there wouldn’t be much to these apps that are essentially optimized websites. However, the four that I selected to check out are directly applicable to my life and actually offer a greatly enhanced web experiences, all for free. Since the current browser on Symbian^3 devices is still the older S60 browser, it helps to find apps that actually make the browser experience good. Maybe when the new updated browser is released you may find it better to visit the websites for these companies, but given how functional and enjoyable these apps were on my N8 I think I will likely stick with them even after the update.

I particularly like the Dell app where I was able to quickly search out the unlocked Nokia deals. The FedEx one is also handy since I send most of my evaluation gear back via my FedEx account. Do you find any of the Usablenet apps useful?

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I have talked a number of times about Gravity here on Nokia Experts and can’t say enough about this fantastic application. The application is so good that it keeps me using Nokia devices more than other devices and honestly, without Gravity I likely would have stopped using many of my Nokia devices and moved on. I saw on Twitter that Jan Ole Suhr released a new version of Gravity with some cool new features that seem to be pushing Nokia to step up to the plate.

Gravity is not just a Twitter client, but has support for Facebook, Google Reader, and Foursquare all in a single application that is well worth the $10. I have purchased something like 4 or 5 licenses so far for my devices and am happy to support great developers.

You can download this new version here and for a fairly detailed walk-through of all the new features and updates I recommend you check out Nitish Kumar’s blog post.

Here are the main new features and improvements:

• Embedded web browser
• Split screen keyboard
• Enhanced Facebook module with conversation view

I was testing out the latest alpha version before and love that I can enter text and see the context of why I am entering text using the keyboard and hope Nokia provides this split screen capability with an update.

The embedded web browser is pretty slick and is good for checking a quick link in a Tweet rather than going out to the default browser.

The enhanced Facebook support is actually what interests me most with this latest update as I have been using Facebook more and more lately with more family and friends joining the social network.

What is your favorite newest feature or improvement?

View full post on Nokia Experts

I was reading an article written by my buddy, Philip Berne, over on Phonescoop that discussed all of the over-hyped features us smartphone enthusiasts focus on a bit too much. We are into the latest tech and features while “normal” people likely do not care much about these features. Philip talks about 4G, video calls, dual-core processors, HD video recording, and NFC technology. The funny thing is when you read the section on the under-hyped features that really matter it is pretty clear that a device like the Nokia N8 is exactly what Philip should probably consider.

The under-hyped features he mentions that are important to him are call quality, a good camera (Xenon flash is mentioned), and threaded text messaging. The Nokia N8 leads the world in call quality and the best camera on any smartphone while also having a very enjoyable and functional threaded text messaging application.

Are you focused on the over-hyped features? Do you think we should stop focusing too much on technologies that won’t be applicable to the masses for 6 months to a year?

View full post on Nokia Experts

It was way back in September when I told you about the North American Calling All Innovators contest and how a Nokia Symbian^3 device would be coming to the US. Actually, the contest details stated that “Nokia will release a new device in the US which is compatible with apps developed for the N8 in early 2011.” While I thought it might be the N8, several people contacted me to say it was more likely the C7 with a lower price range. We then heard about a Nokia X7 device that looks similar to the N8. Pocketnow.com just posted a rumor that the X7 may be getting canceled.

Since we haven’t heard officially from Nokia yet, I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions yet on the Symbian^3 device that is supposed to be coming to AT&T in early 2011. There has actually been quite an enthusiastic response to developing with Qt and Nokia issued the following statement that extended the 10 million dollar prize contest:

Due to overwhelming response from developers adopting Qt and feedback from developers attending the Qt trainings around the world we have extended the deadline for the $10M Calling All Innovators contest to March 31, 2011.

I started working on development for Qt myself and was registered for one of the local events (other obligations prevented me from attending thought). I am trying to find the time to work on this some more, but am not sure I will be able to get any apps up in time for the contest. Are any of you readers developing for the contest?

The contest is still going on and there are LOTS of prizes for developers so even if this rumored X7 is canceled, it looks like AT&T will be getting some kind of Symbian^3 device this Spring.

View full post on Nokia Experts

You may notice on here and on ZDNet that I try not to post too many rumors and news right away since so much of it today seems to come from fairly unreliable sources and I would rather wait and get the truth with some of my own personal perspective out there. This morning I woke up and started reading Twitter before I went for my run and saw Tweets all stating that Nokia was shutting down and killing Ovi Music Unlimited service. The problem with Twitter was that there was no context to this news or the rest of the message that stated they indeed stopped selling new subscriptions back on 31 December 2010 in order to make way for new services and that those with the service would still get full support.

I highly recommend you read the Nokia Conversations post for the full story that actually has me excited about the possibilities of these new services. The whole Ovi Music Unlimited service was never even applicable to the North American market so I don’t know why anyone in the North American market is even reporting on the news, except for the apparent need to find ways to slam Nokia whenever possible. Actually, when you do a Google search for the news I am very disappointed in the main stream media’s irresponsible reporting on products that are not even available in the US and very little, if any, mention that the reason is also tied to new upcoming services being rolled out.

As you can read in the story from Nokia, they stopped selling new subscriptions a couple of weeks ago and anyone who has a supported device or even someone who buys a device still out in stores will get uninterrupted access until their subscriptions finish, including the ability to keep their downloads forever as promised. This change is also not universal and Nokia will continue to offer 12-month subscriptions in China and India, while offering six-month subscriptions in Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.

Check out the video below to hear more about the changes.

For those of us in North America, remember that you can use your unlimited Zune Pass subscription, Mobbler, Soundtrckr, and soon Slacker Radio so there is really nothing to see here for those in North America while there is the possibility that something may come to us here from Nokia.

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I posted about the Nokia N8 Producers contest a couple of weeks ago and have since created three video entries, with a couple more planned before the end of the deadline. The one that carried the most risk and that I thought most people would enjoy was the one I just posted today when I strapped my orange Nokia N8 onto a custom, experimental model rocket that I built many years ago.

While I embedded the YouTube video of the launch preparation, launch of other rockets, and launch of my orange N8 below, please make sure to visit my Facebook page and Like the video since I understand that this counts for part of the judging.

I won’t give away what happens when the N8 is launched and I’ll let you check it out in the video. Make sure to watch the end since I had the video camera on the N8 turned on and captured the launch from the rocket’s perspective as well.

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Remember Rita El Khoury from Symbian Guru? Well, she and Ricky Cadden have a site called Mobile R’n’R where they make a post every Monday on something mobile related. This week Rita posted a fantastic post for Symbian owners called 10 Steps to Make Sure Your Symbian Experience is Enjoyable and even though I have been using Symbian for years I discovered a few helpful tips and apps myself.

I tried using the Nokia Situations utility and it does a pretty good job, but I decided to give the Nokia Bots utility a try instead based on what Rita wrote about it. I don’t theme my orange Nokia N8 at the moment since I have an updated version of SPB Mobile Shell 3.7 that fixed that calendar bug I wrote about.

I have Gmail working fairly well for me now with the integrated email client, but it took several tries to get it to this point. I heard about Mobile Documents before, but never knew it handled email so I went and installed it on my N8 as Rita recommended and look forward to trying it out.

I completely agree with the Opera Mobile, Gravity, and Nokia Maps 3.06 recommendations. A couple other apps she recommended that I haven’t yet tried and just downloaded include WhatsApp, Socially, and the new Nokia Big Screen utility. The Nokia N8 is an excellent device (my wife still hugs me regularly in appreciation of her blue N8) and with amazing tips like this you can make it work just how you want it to.

Do you have any steps or apps to add to Rita’s thoughts?

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