Smartphones may be the go-to category for every consumer and his dog these days but Nokia’s E-Series continues to deliver business focussed devices to match changing needs.
Essentially the Nokia E71 in a different form factor the E66 delivers business performance in a consumer handset. Blackberry Pearl may have a monopoly on this particular market with Apple taking the other end, but is there a place for the E66 - we think so.
In a major shakeup Nokia has announced its intention to purchase the remainder of Symbian Ltd to create a non-profit Symbian foundation aimed at turning the OS into a single open source mobile platform.
The acquisition requires Nokia to shell out 264 million Euros for the remaining 52.1% of the organization currently held by Ericsson (15.6%), the Sony Ericsson joint-venture (13.1%), the Japan-based Panasonic (10.5%), the German-based Siemens (8.4%) and Samsung (4.5%).
The new company will combine Symbian, S60, UIQ and NTT DoCoMo’s MOAP(S) into a a single open-source platform creating an environment to encourage rapid innovation in what is already the most popular mobile platform in the world.
The news could dampen excitement in Google’s own ‘open’ Android platform and will have Apple and Microsoft’s ‘closed’ platforms re-thinking strategies perhaps with select components of the Symbian Foundation available at launch and the entire platform available within 2 years.
Love Surfing the internet on your phone? Take note. A first outside the Apple iPhone, the Samsung L870 S60 Slider will feature Apple’s much loved mobile Safari browser.
The Symbian powered OS is the same as featured in N Series Nokia smartphones and when combined with the sleek brushed stainless steel 13.55 mm thick body, 3 mp camera, 3G HSDPA 3.6Mbps and 2.4″ 16M TFT display this is one spicy addition to Samsung’s smartphone ranks.
S60 and Safari what more could you want? Well regrettably the phone lacks WiFi functionality, more proof that when it comes to cell phones you just cant have it all.
Skype have released a Beta version of Skype For Your Mobile that operates on java-enabled phones to connect you to your friends.
The Beta features chat, presence and you can receive calls with SkypeIn however the service does still use the minutes on your phone as it diverts calls through a local number, rather than being a true VoIP solution.
Outgoing calls are limited to those in Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden and UK but other functions will work elsewhere.
Set to deepen Skype’s market penetration and possibly opening the door for mobile VoIP solutions for Sony Ericsson P1i among others, the Skype Beta is a promising step forward in affordable mobile communications.
For more information on compatibility and functionality options visti Skype’s website here.
Nokia has announced new version of its Widget WRT platform for S60 that will allow context sensitive widgets to access location information and services through GPS.
The new Web Run Time platform envisages widgets that can give weather forecasts for the users current location without the need to enter the information, it will create widgets that can download flight information and set alarm reminders and provide updates of any changes in a flights status.
Great leap forward for business users in particular and bound to create consumer bonds with their environment and locality.
Never get lost again with your Symbian UIQ smartphone. Google has finally released its Google Maps as a native application for Symbian UIQ smartphones. Point your Mobile Browser to www.google.com/gmm and take it from there. For more info , click here
If you hate sharing your toys, yes I’m looking at you, there are two new phone apps that allow you to operate a Robot from your N95 and build Lego structures on your iPhone.
The iPhone’s touch capabilities have been used to beautiful effect for the LEGO-Touch allowing users to choose from all manner of Lego pieces and literally drag and drop the pieces onto your masterpiece.
Of course there’s always the option of building an army of world dominating LEGO robots controlled through your Nokia N95. Using Lego Mindstorms NXT, a programmable robot kit, and using an NXT brick, users of S60 phones such as the N95 can operate heir robot minions through Bluetooth.
Okay so 10 meters range is meagre for a planned coup de tat in micro-asia, but its something. All tremble at the might of the Robot army, or you know, enjoy the video.
