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Symbian
Updated Nokia PC Suite
I seem to have to re-install my system to catch on to the fact that the Nokia PC Suite software has been updated. Version 7.0.7.0 is available, though there are only incremental improvements to be seen.
Most notably, Nokia has included the video manager and map manager in the installation. Then, there’s the inclusion of a Firefox browser extension.
Exactly what the function of the PC Sync 2 Synchronization Extension is is difficult to say. There’s no direct information stating its intended use and I can’t find any options in Firefox to make it do anything. Possibly it is used to synchronize bookmarks to the phone?
Symbian set free
In a bid to counter the expected flurry of Linux-based smartphones and the Android platform, not to mention Windows Mobile and the iPhone, Nokia is purchasing the remaining 52% of Symbian Ltd. to effectvely own the entire company. The idea is to create the Symbian Foundation early in 2009 which will make a new, unified development environment and mobile operating system available for free to developers and handset manufacturers.
The unified operating system is to combine Symbian, S60, UIQ and MOAP(S) into a single software plaform. With a variety of partners already onboard, Nokia itself is to be the owner of Symbian and is to contribute its own S60 and the Symbian OS to the foundation. Membership costs USD 1500 per year, but hobbyists, developers and tinkerers should be able to download and utilize the development tools without charge.
This is an interesting move by Nokia - they are obviously worried by the impending launch of the 3G iPhone. Android may be delayed, which plays into their hand if they can come up with a compelling device to pair with the new platform.
Mobile gadgets are becoming quite interesting again and their future is bright!
Nokia N96
The impending arrival of the 3G iPhone on our shores is making me excited about mobile devices again! That, and the rather inexplicable issues I’ve been facing withe my trusty E90. The E90 is probably the only device I’ve ever owned that has received all software required by me in a matter of a week after I received the phone. No additions or removal of anything else. That’s how well it is able to meet my requirements. The past two weeks have seen spontaneous reboots, failures in receiving calls and most notably, a complete wipe of all data on the device. Not a lot of fun. Thankfully, all my important data is backed up and a restore is not that big a deal. Nonetheless somewhat irritating. Maybe the software is degrading as part of an evil ploy to make me spend money on the next best thing…
By the way, the Nokia firmware updater program has spontaneously decided that it is not able to run on Vista anymore. A rather strange twist, seeing as the version I had prior to upgrading ran without a hitch. I know there’s an E90 firmware upgrade available. Just can’t get to it.
I had a Nokia N95 for a while, but that was too little business and too much phone. Some very annoying issues with that device, to be sure. The N95‘s successor, the N96 does have a lot going for it in the looks and specifications department, though. Pretty much the same dual-slide design, the N96 does the requisite media playback and Internet access. There’s WLAN, HSDPA and USB connectivity and a lot of memory. Additional micro-SD cards can up the total storage capacity to almost 24GB!
Though of little use to us right now, the inclusion of a DVB-H receiver is nice to have. The phone integrates a stand to ensure wobble-free viewing and ensuring no one has to let go of the popcorn and Coke. A 5MP camera, on of the best in the industry in my opinion and integrated GPS round out this nifty package.
If the stability of the device has improved and memory management is no longer an issue, this is a compelling device. Probably, it will be available sometime after August of this year.
Google Maps mobile edition
The Nokia E90 has not received much attention here lately. There’s a simple reason for that: in comparison to the constant loading and unloading of different applications I went through on the Windows Mobile platform, the E90 has all the software I need built-in. It’s become a workhorse for real tasks, and is not much of a toy anymore.
Google Maps for the Symbian platform provides a useful feature that makes it worthy of mention: geo-location by means of the cellular phone network. Of course, the same application is available for Windows Mobile platforms too.
Traffic information is for the US only, but the My Location is handy, especially if your device doesn’t feature a built-in GPS. A blue dot or circle appears to indicate your phone’s approximate location. In both the standard map view
and the corresponding satellite view
Overall, zooming in is quick if you have a 3G or HSDPA connection active. The accuracy is based on a triangulation calculation, so an inaccuracy exists on the calculated location, up to 1km from the phone’s actual location. That’s not too bad for general use. I wouldn’t rely on this to pinpoint something important 
Point the browser on your device here, then download the application to discover where your phone is.
Nokia N810
Here’s a picture of the new Nokia N810 with slide-out keyboard extended.
Very much like the keyboard on the E90, with the cursor control pad on the left rather than on the right. That may take some getting used to!
It runs maemo‘s OS 2008, a Debian-based operating system. With an SDK already available, and full support for GTK+/GNOME, it’ll be interesting to see what applications other than the standard ones become available. It’s even possible that a number of standard desktop Linux applications based on GTK+ and GNOME will be ported across to this platform. There’s already a healthy selection of applications available from maemo‘s download site.
Google Maps on the E90
A new version of the mobile Google Maps is available. This application looks really great on the E90 and is a pleasure to use with the HSDPA network access – maps and satellite images are downloaded in a few seconds. The download is tiny and installs in a flash. Using the application is intuitive and easy: search for where you intend going or the place of interest:
and Google Maps immediately shows a map view if the target has been found.
Zooming is supported by the joystick. Pressing the centre button zooms a rectangular view for a closer look.
The satellite view is a pleasure to behold on the E90, as the screen resolution and aspect ratio is similar to what you’d expect on a desktop. Again, zooming is supported in a similar fashion as with the simpler map view.
There are a variety of menu options available, though it seems as if Google Maps‘ ability to provide decent directions in our part of the world is a bit limited. Still, this is a very worthwhile download for your E90 and is certainly an application you’ll enjoy using. Of course, the mobile Google Maps application is also available for a number of other handheld platforms – open this link on your handheld for the download link.
E90 RSS reader decision
I can’t live without an RSS reader on my mobile device. On the N95, I tried Resco News for a bit, getting to the end of the software’s trial period, then ruled in favour of Wild Palm’s HeadLine RSS Reader. HeadLine is a really great RSS reader and wasn’t too expensive. Unfortunately, the switch to another device in the Symbian world generally implies a change in IMEI number – unless you have a cool developer willing to transfer the license, you’re stuck with a re-purchase. For HeadLine, that wasn’t even an option: there is no support for the E90 and multiple attempts at contacting the developer yielded no response. It was time to look elsewhere, and once again, Resco News made it into the finals.
Before trying Resco News on the E90, I gave Mobiz Livefeeder a trial run. The first impression was good: the application utilizes the full screen of the E90. There is a small selection of feeds to choose from, though these originate mainly from Yahoo and aren’t that useful. With a less than useful selection of preset feeds, I started adding some of my own to see how the application behaves. URL‘s for each feed have to be typed in laboriously and there is little assistance if you get something wrong. Eventually, I ended up with a couple of feeds to gather news items from. Livefeeder seems to use a backend web server to store all the information – that means a long delay upon creating the feed item and many, constant accesses to the Internet. That makes it less of a compelling on-device application. For a web-based feed reader, Netvibes or even Google is adequate.
What at first seems to be a useful and attention-grabbing display, soon turns into an annoyance: the text scrolls from side to side if it fills the screen’s width. Though it may be turned off, the scrolling text is the easiest way of seeing what the entire text line contains. The scrolling text is very distracting, but other than that, the layout is clear and easily readable.
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One week with the E90
The first week with the Nokia E90 Communicator has come and gone. Overall, I’m tremendously impressed! As someone recently mentioned: “you’re not an N95 user”, and that’s the truth. The E90 is different in many ways. First, there’s the QWERTY keyboard that allows lightning-fast replies to E-mail and SMS messages. The ability to use all features without having to flip the lid makes casual use a pleasure. The increased storage is absolutely essential on the S60 platform. The N95 frustrated me constantly due to memory issues, even when I tried my level best to keep the number of running applications to a minimum. There is no such issue with the E90. I have a bunch of applications running almost constantly and, when typing and actually trying to be productive, the number of applications increases. There’s no issue switching between applications, taking calls, browsing the web and typing a response to a message effectively all at once – similar to a personal computer, and that’s really the clincher. It’s effectively a mini notebook.
The runtime is better than I expected. I use a Bluetooth headset constantly, browse the web and utilize push mail. Generally, the battery lasts twelve hours easily, and would probably handle most of a second day. I do charge the battery to top it up once a day – heavy browsing and HSDPA usage guarantees that the unit will be without power after ten hours or so.
There are some negatives, of course. Let’s get those out of the way. The dreaded marks on the screen have appeared. That’s a well-known issue. The keys on the keyboard are too close to the screen. When closed and in a pouch, there’s obviously too much pressure. The screen is already marked – a most frustrating business! I’ve stuck a screen protector on, but the damage is done. Not immediately noticeable, but an irritation. That’s probably the worst of it. The 2.5mm audio jack is a let down, as is the supplied stereo earphone set. The N95 comes with a better unit that permits a standard earphone to replace the supplied Nokia pair. I’ve started using the radio on the E90 more and more, and I hate having to use the crappy pair supplied with this rather expensive piece of kit. The 512MB MicroSD card should have been a 1GB or maybe even a 2GB. Given the price of memory cards nowadays, that would have been nice. I understand the 1GB supplied with the N95 due to the DVD-quality recording and 5MP camera. But with the E90 there’s so much potential for viewing videos, listening to audio and storing documents. Oh well. A 2GB MicroSD is rougly ZAR 250. But it’s still an extra cost…
I don’t want to harp on the negatives. This is a compelling device. Something the N95 simply wasn’t for me. Never having been someone who considered a mobile device with a keyboard a good idea, I’ve been converted. The stylus is simply no longer enough – enough of that hunt-and-peck typing!
I have heard that Vodacom has withdrawn the E90 as a supported device. Primarily due to the screen-scratch issue and possibly an issue with another well-known problem, the faulty microphone. Thankfully, I’m with MTN! If you have any requirement for a mobile device that permits you to work whilst away from a full-size notebook or desktop computer, this is certainly something you should be considering.
Nokia E90 Communicator
I’ve never been a fan of previous Nokia Communicator models. Previous models ran arbitrary operating systems, felt heavy as bricks and operated differently based on whether or not the unit’s clamshell was open or closed. Effectively, the small screen on the phone, or outside, was primarily used to place and receive calls. To utilize any of the extended functionality, the device was opened to reveal access to the large keyboard and applications on the wide screen. Applications were specific to the model and not widely available. The new E90 is a true S60 3rd Edition device, meaning a whole range of existing applications is already available.
Even better is that the unit may be operated with one hand, not only to handle calls but to interact with any application. Need a bigger screen and keyboard? No problem. Flip her open, set her down and start working away where you left off. The keyboard is small, but typing is fairly easy. When held, two thumb typing is an option. When set down on a table, faster typing is possible. The keys are surprisingly responsive and the large directional pad with integrated selection button is used to scroll and select on-screen items.
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Syncin’ on the Road
If there’s one thing I liked about my JAMin, then I’d have to point to ActiveSync‘s ability to push mail to the device. That functionality was built into Windows Mobile 5, but is sadly lacking on the Symbian platform. There’s nothing wrong with Nokia’s Mail for Exchange. For one, it’s free. It’s also reliable. But it involves setting a schedule for mail retrieval that I simply don’t consider very convenient. I like to have mail when it arrives. By chance, I stumbled on a product by DataViz whilst browsing through Handango‘s offering of software for the E90. That product is RoadSync and is a third-party application to provide a myriad of devices with the ability to have access to push mail capabilities. Of course, the prerequisite is a backend that is capable of providing push functionality. Microsoft Exchange Server 2003/2007 are the right versions.
The installation file for S60 3rd edition devices is roughly 850KB in size. Installation is simple and over in only a few seconds. This application has to be commended for its seamless execution and stability. The application executes and requests the necessary information to complete the connection to the Exchange Server. Then, the first synchronization is started. Once completed, the application runs in the background, waiting for a message from the server to activate a pull of any content. The main program screen is…yellow. Nothing more to say about that, except that it reminds me of the yellow vurt feather..
All the usual settings are provided for. Choose how various content is to be synchronized – size of mail messages, peak times, etc.
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