Firmware and software over-the-air updates on mobile phones make sense. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) already prepared over-the-air updates of its firmware for UK users (selected phones) and Opera is working on the same goal with Red Bend Software to keep its mobile browser fresh.

Now, the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), where all Symbian OS handset manufacturers are present, has published a new standard that allows mobile phones to be updated over-the-air without making manual changes to the entire operating system. Firmware Update Management Object (FUMO) creates a standard for telecom operators who have been reluctant about supporting proprietary technology and being locked into a specific supplier. Read the full article »

I find it interesting to speculate how will mobile phones look in the future. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Design Contest is the place for designers where they can present their ideas for the exactly such cellphone. To be more specific – the goal was to design phones that would hit the market in 2015.

Daniel Meyer of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design won the contest with not-that-much revolutionary idea, but very acceptable from the current point of view. I find Daniel’s work to be more of an evolutionary, and therefore more probably to be sustained. This isn’t to say that I don’t like the winning design, on the contrary – can’t wait to get my hands on such device.

Check out the video where Daniel presents its masterpiece on Mobility Today.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and SingTel announced their collaboration to bring together the best of two worlds, 2G/3G and WLAN in an integrated dual-mode telephony solution on three of the Nokia’s devices with SIP-based VoIP support – E60, E61 and the newly launched N80 Internet Edition. SingTel’s VoIP on mobile service combines the mobility of cellular and the cost-effectiveness of wireless broadband. Selected SingTel Mobile subscribers will be invited for a service trial which will allow them to use voice and data services from home and on the move through SingNet Wireless Surf Zones.

SingTel’s VoIP on mobile service will be available later this year to non-business customers on postpaid mobile plans. The service can be accessed using the WiFi network at home or through more than 330 SingTel Wireless Hotspots across the island. The subscription fees for the service will be announced in due time.

Ruby – a reflective, object-oriented programming language with sort of a hybrid syntax which combines elements from Perl, Python, Lisp, Dylan and CLU – now has its Symbian version.

Though the S60 devices are the main focus, other Symbian platforms could also be supported. The eventual goal is integration into mainline Ruby.

Ruby for Symbian is currently in a preview release.

UPDATE: Symbian is releasing Ruby for Symbian OS to the Open Source software developer community, and will provide the project with an initial proof-of-concept (POC) library that can do Rendering, Messaging and Persistence. More info and download instruction here.

NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) keeps adding new phones. The latest is FOMA Raku-Raku PHONE III, an easy-to-use Symbian OS handset which includes the MOAP platform, and is manufactured by Fujitsu (OTCPK: FJTSY). This is 38th Symbian OS powered phone shipped in Japan.

FOMA Raku Raku Phone III includes large-character iChannels, a one-touch alarm, noise cancelling functionality, brightness sensor, megapixel camera, “Magnifying Mirror” finder display, and several other features for Japan’s aging population.

I couldn’t find the specs of the FOMA Raku Raku Phone III, and would suggest you to search for them on the DoCoMo’s website.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Flagship Stores keep their pace – after setting the new stores in Moscow, Chicago, Hong Kong and Helsinki, they’ve reached New York City. This is the second Flagship Store in the US and is located in New York’s exclusive Fifth Avenue shopping district at 5 East 57th Street.

Read the full article »

From 19-20. September 2006, Forum Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s S60 Tech Days will be in Hyderabad, India. Developers and anyone interested in the leading smartphone platform, S60, is invited to join the mobility movement and learn how to create and market mobile applications and profit from them.

The event consists of four parts:

• Business Track
• Tech Tracks
• One-2-One Meeting
• Showcase

More information is available on the S60 Tech Day official site.