The Nokia Phone Blog

Would it be worth it for a gamer to go for a tablet?

ang — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:47:39 +0000

Would it be worth it for a gamer to go for a tablet?

One aspect of our world is that the technology around us is always moving along in order to create easier and better solutions to our everyday problems.

One such invention that has taken the world by storm is the smartphone and its larger counterpart the tablet. These devices have changed the way that we communicate with the world and have also allowed us to have access to all the information on the internet at the touch of a screen. These have also allowed Nokia and other companies to seize upon them and grow their own industry – one such industry has done this incredibly well.

Because of smartphones people can now play their online games even easier than before, casino games have been big business on the internet for many years now but with people making both apps and websites that support mobile devices it has never been easier to play on the go.

The Nokia Communicator was the real first big step for smartphones becoming a device for people to carry around with them in order to do more than just call and text others with, it was a small palm computer that allowed business people to access the internet and thus all the information at the touch of their finger. Not only this but later with more popular smartphones even younger people could now game wherever they were, these devices are powerful enough to run casino games just like those you play at home on your PC without any trouble. Anyone could soon play online blackjack in any location, at any time of the day, interacting with friends in a mobile gaming environment that had never before been seen.

One thing that might be lacking however on a smartphone, even the larger models, is the screen size – sometimes you just can’t see enough of the game details to fully enjoy the experience. This problem is easily solved with a tablet as they are bigger than a phone and so can display more information at any one time than a smartphone could. As well as this because tablets are usually more powerful also if the gaming app is designed to take advantage of this the tablet version can both look a lot better and also include more features.

Nokia N9 Announced: Packs MeeGo, 8 Megapixel Camera, and Swiping

ang — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:51:27 +0000

The N9: It's not a Windows Phone.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything really worthwhile on this blog. Then again, it’s been a long time since there’s been any worthwhile Nokia news. And so, after a four-month hiatus, it’s time again to look at one of Nokia’s latest phones: the oft-rumored N9.

When we last left Nokia, the company had announced that it would be going the way of the Windows Phone, in what was probably one of the biggest deals between two of the largest tech companies out there. Nokia’s two last platforms – Symbian and MeeGo – were going to be jettisoned, in the hope that moving to Windows would give Nokia the flexibility to innovate both software and hardware. Symbian had, more or less, become a dying platform, and MeeGo wasn’t living up to its expectations as a savior for the company:

Months later, Oistämö still struggles to hold back tears. “MeeGo had been the collective hope of the company,” he says, “and we’d come to the conclusion that the emperor had no clothes. It’s not a nice thing.”
(BusinessWeek)

But the release of the N9 proves that maybe, just maybe, MeeGo isn’t completely done for.

Let’s start with the specs. Nokia isn’t pulling any punches here with the N9 (which honestly looks like an iPod Nano mixed with an N8), a candy bar that sports a 3.9-inch AMOLED display, 8 megapixel camera (featuring Carl Zeiss optics), HD video recording, Gorilla glass, and NFC support. It runs MeeGo 1.2. It also looks (granted, this is from the promo video) smooth as hell, with an interface that looks, for once, slightly ahead of the curve.

Gone are the Home buttons (hardware or software) of yesteryear. Nokia’s touting the simplicity of the N9 over everything, in that all it takes is just a simple swipe. Swipe to scroll, swipe to move through your home screens, and even swipe to minimize your applications. And speaking of the home screens, you’ve got three of them here: your application launcher, your multitask view (similar to the N900′s), and finally, your notification page which shows missed calls and social media updates.

Everything about the N9 looks impressive – too impressive, maybe. What’s Nokia’s doing here? They’ve cast aside MeeGo for Windows Phone, but put the spotlight back with a hell of a device. I don’t quite get it. But I have to hand it to Nokia: the first release candidate of MeeGo (1.1) looked nothing like this. I’m amazed that it got this far.

Unfortunately, there’s no talk about price or availability (yet), other than the generic “The Nokia N9 is scheduled to be in stores later this year, with availability and local pricing to be announced closer to the sales start.”

Nokia Drops the Bomb: Plans to Use Windows Phone as Main Platform

ang — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:09:45 +0000

Nokia dropped a bombshell announcement today.

It’s the beginning of a new era for Nokia: the company announced a “strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a global mobile ecosystem based on highly complementary assets.” That means that yes, Nokia will be adopting Windows Phone for future smartphones. But it’s more than that: the partnership means that Nokia will also integrate its current apps with Microsoft products, while Microsoft will bring its developer tools to the table.

Is it the right move? And what about Symbian and MeeGo? Details inside.

The move wasn’t completely unexpected. Nokia could have taken three possible routes for its smartphone line: MeeGo, Android, or Windows Phone. Actually, going full steam ahead with MeeGo probably would have sounded a death knell for the company, considering how ridiculously late to the game it would have been released. So the shift would be either to an Android or Windows Phone platform, and I think most people assumed that it would be the former, despite Stephen Elop’s previous high-level position at Microsoft. (for the record, I certainly did)

But if Nokia’s stock price today was anything to go by, investors were definitely expecting some other news. Shares of Nokia fell 14% on the news.

Meanwhile, the jump from one OS to another leads to some big questions, namely about Symbian and MeeGo.

Symbian’s future is pretty obvious: Nokia’s press release says that the company will turn it into a “franchise platform, leveraging previous investments to harvest additional value.” My translation: they’re going to suck it dry. It makes sense, considering that Symbian is clearly on its last legs (or already on the ground, depending on how you look at it).

As for MeeGo, its role isn’t quite as well defined:

Under the new strategy, MeeGo becomes an open-source, mobile operating system project. MeeGo will place increased emphasis on longer-term market exploration of next-generation devices, platforms and user experiences. Nokia still plans to ship a MeeGo-related product later this year.

This of course came on the news that Nokia had already dropped its next MeeGo phone.

Sound decision or not, the real winner here is Microsoft. With millions of Nokia Windows Phone devices slated to release sometime in the future, worldwide, it now has a fighting chance to level the playing field against the likes of Android and iOS.

Press Release
Nokia drops new Meego phone, bemoans plight – Reuters

Nokia’s Q4 2010 Earnings: A Faint Glimmer of Hope

ang — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:43:15 +0000

It could happen.

So, yesterday Nokia announced its first-quarter earnings. The numbers kinda sucked, to put it bluntly, but they beat the estimates. Still, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, and no, we’re not talking about MeeGo.

Some of the highlights:

Overall sales rose 6% to 12.7 billion euro, compared to last year. Devices & Services rose 4%, but was offset by a 37% jump for NAVTEQ and 9% increase for Nokia Siemens Networks (gasp!)
Profit fell 23% (from last year), to 884 million euro.
Nokia shipped 28.3 million smartphones/mobile computers in Q4
The average selling price (ASP) rose to 69 euro vs. last years 65 euro
Market share fell to 32%, from 34%
Nokia will host a Strategy and Financial Briefing in London on Feb. 11

That last one matters for a very interesting reason:

“Nokia must compete on an ecosystem-to-ecosystem basis. In addition to great devices, we must build, catalyze, and/or join a competitive ecosystem.”

Spoken by the CEO himself, Mr. Stephen Elop, it’s the “money quote” according to Business Insider. And the biggest shred of evidence so far that suggests Nokia just might be considering a foray into the Android or Microsoft “ecosystem.”

Branching out makes sense on a lot of levels.

Symbian, as proven by reviews of the latest Nokia high-end devices, is not going to cut it. It would take a complete makeover to become a viable high-end consumer OS, and that would take time. A lot of time. And a lot of positive PR. But let’s not forget MeeGo: as of three months ago, it was ridiculously slow, unfinished and unusable. As of April 2011, it’s supposed to be handset-ready. At that point, Android will be 2 years, 7 months old. iOS will be 3 years, 3 months old. And Windows Phone 7 will be 5 months old.

That’s problem one. Problem two is that each “ecosystem” already holds a competitive advantage that’s attracted some kind of consumer following. Windows Phones have Xbox Live, Office, and Zune integration. iPhones have iTunes, the highest (and maybe lowest?) quality apps, and the most intuitive interface. Android phones have Google services, lots of apps, and a large variety of handsets.

MeeGo has its open-source nature, which is great for developers/stakeholders, but not something most consumers will care about.

In other words, it’s a tough bet for Nokia, and an uphill battle for MeeGo at this stage of the game.

Investing resources into either Android or Microsoft, however, would be the equivalent of hedging its bet. If MeeGo does well, Nokia loses little by producing, say, Android phones. If, however, MeeGo does not (in my opinion a larger possibility), Nokia has something to fall back on, besides selling all those “budget” priced handsets.

Either way, we’ll find out on February 11.

Nokia Q4 2010 Press Release
Is Nokia About to Embrace Android?

The N8 Moves into Cover Shots With Glorious Results

ang — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 04:35:42 +0000

Whoa.

I’m a fan of the N8′s camera. I’m also a fan of pretty girls. So I have to give two thumbs-up for the December issue of PiX magazine, whose cover model was shot entirely with the Nokia N8. That’s right. A CELL PHONE.

Sure, in a photo shoot you can control all of the variables: the lighting, the subject, and the post-processing. But this is still a pretty amazing feat. Apparently, it’s also a world’s first, and I’m not too surprised.

Check out the behind-the-scenes YouTube video:

“It’s a CELL PHONE!”

The full article (ok, it’s a short one) can be found over at PiX Magazine – December/January 2011 Cover Shoot Using the N8.

Thanks Alan.

Nokia says “no” to multi-touch virtual keyboards

ang — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 04:50:10 +0000

Say no to drugs. Say no to alcohol. Say no to multi-touch virtual keyboards. According to a YouTube comment posted by the official Nokia user account, the company isn’t keen on adding the feature to upcoming Symbian phones.

On the other hand, multi-touch has been confirmed for the next major update of rival-OS Android, code-named Gingerbread.

So what’s all the hoopla about multi-touch, anyway? A multi-touch keyboard would add a real shift key – press down to type in capital letters, release for lowercase – and, more importantly, would result in a speed improvement for typists with itchy fingers (like myself) who can’t seem to type faster than 20 words per minute thanks to godawful virtual keyboards.

Nokia users can rest assured that a portrait-mode QWERTY keyboard will be coming to Symbian^3 devices sometime in early 2011.

Source: YouTube via Electronista

Deal: Nokia N8 for $429 at Amazon or $386 at Newegg (Updated)

ang — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:15:51 +0000

Doesn't get much cheaper than this: the N8 is $429 for today at Amazon.

Amazon’s gearing up for Cyber Monday with some nice Gold Box deals, including this one for the Nokia N8: $429 shipped free. Retail price is $549. This also beats Nokia USA’s joke-of-a-Black-Friday sale price of $499. Update! It’s now $386 over at Newegg. Use coupon code NOKIANCP.

I have to say that I’m a bit conflicted about this one. It’s one of the cheapest prices I’ve ever seen on the N8, but at this price point you can get some damn fine smartphones that have impressive hardware combined with equally impressive software. Judging by every single review that I’ve read so far, the N8′s only managed to hit one of those (hardware).

Still, if your heart’s set on the N8, you might want to consider the Gold Box deal. It’s good for the rest of today.

Nokia N8 for $429 Shipped – Amazon

The Best of Black Friday 2010, Nokia Edition

ang — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 02:31:40 +0000

This Black Friday brings some okay Nokia phone deals.

Looking for cheap Nokia phones this Black Friday? Well…you’re in luck, sort of. Deals aren’t as plentiful this time around (then again, you could also argue that Nokia phones have been on sale for the past year as Nokia cut prices), nor are they as discounted.

Nokia USA’s Black Friday Presale – Blah

Head on over to Nokia USA for a measly 10% off any phone (except for the N8). Also get 20% off accessories. Come on guys, where’s the real sale?

Nokia USA Black Friday Presale Click the monstrously large banner on the front page.

Nokia 5230 Navigation Edition – $119.99 or $104.98AR

First up is Newegg’s Black Friday sale, which features the Nokia 5230 Navigation Edition for $119.99 (phone only), or bundled with a Bluetooth headset for – I bet you couldn’t guess this one – $124.98 – $16 = $104.98 after rebate. The heck?

The 5230 Navigation Edition comes with the standard retail stuff, a car mount/holder, and the latest version of Ovi Maps 3.0. The bundle adds the LG HBM-235 Bluetooth 3.0 headset.

Nokia 5230 Navigation Edition for $119.99 – Newegg
Nokia 5230 Navigation Edition Bundle for $104.98 After Rebate – Newegg

Nokia X6 Phone – $229.99

Nokia’s mid-range capacitive-touch-screen music phone is almost half price at Amazon. Lots of nice features such as 16GB internal memory, 5 megapixel camera, and quad-band connectivity (850/900/1800/1900 + WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100). Runs S60 Fifth Edition though.

Nokia X6 for $229.99 – Amazon

Nokia X3 Phone – $99.99

Now only $99.99 shipped at Amazon (and Newegg), the X3 is a budget Series 40 slider with a 3.2 megapixel camera and stereo speakers. It’s the “U.S. Version” with warranty but there’s no 3G connectivity.

Comes with a 2GB microSD card.

Nokia X3 for $99.99 – Amazon

IOGEAR GBMh121 Bluetooth Audio Transport – Free After Rebate

Not a cell phone, and not even a Nokia product, but Mwave is selling this BT audio transport device for $19.99 – $20 rebate = $0.00. Requires a free Mwave Mclub membership.

This device allows you to connect your favorite set of wired headphones wirelessly to any A2DP-supported phone. It also doubles as a microphone and includes controls for volume/play/pause/track.

IOGEAR Bluetooth Audio Transport for $0.00 – Mwave

NFC Is Coming: No, Seriously

ang — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:29:17 +0000

NFC is coming in 18 months. Mark your calendars!

It’s been a long, long time since I last wrote about near-field communication, a technology that makes all kinds of mobile phone transactions possible. For the past couple of years, it’s been lying low in a number of international trials. But it never seemed to make any real progress in the United States. Until now.

The Big Three carriers, Verizon, AT&T, and T-mobile, have banded together to create Isis, a new NFC-based payment service. And joining them are Nokia, Google, Apple, Discover, and Barclaycard US. With this many major players, something is going to happen, and potentially something huge.

Nokia recently confirmed that the newly-launched C7 already has the NFC chip built-in, and would be leveraged sometime next year through a software update. Google has announced that Gingerbread, Android’s next software update, will include support for NFC. And Apple has reportedly hired its own NFC expert.

Isis is expected to roll out in 18 months to “key geographic markets.”

Verizon, ATandT, T-Mobile Join to Launch Isis NFC Payment Service

A Tour of MeeGo 1.1

ang — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 21:25:41 +0000

A tour of MeeGo 1.1.

Even though MeeGo 1.1 is a developer-only release, it’s still a preview of things to come next April. I’ve taken the plunge and installed it on my N900. Let’s take a little tour, shall we?

The phone application.

MeeGo 1.1's main menu.

Firefox looks intriguing.

The default Music Player application.

The album view in the Music Player.

The Android-like Settings view.

A look at the multitasking menu.

The Nokia Conversations blog wasn’t kidding when they mentioned that MeeGo 1.1′s unfinished. You can’t really do much, outside of the applications mentioned above and a few others. It’s pretty buggy, and laughably slow. You can, however, kick back and listen to smooth Italian jazz that Nokia thoughtfully placed on there.

But something about MeeGo 1.1 is intriguing. A part of me hopes that the interface doesn’t look too different six months from now when the release is finalized.