IntoMobile » Symbian

Sony Ericsson Kurara/U5 Reviewed

Simon Sage — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:15:33 +0000

The upcoming Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) Kurara, which got a brief glimpse of last week, just got an extensive review. This is clearly Sony Ericsson’s competitor to Samsung’s OmniaHD i8910, and meets the challenge on a few levels, such as processor (Cortex A8) and camera (8 megapixels), but the display loses a few points for not being AMOLED. The Symbian-based OS is similar to the Satio, complete with Facebook and Twitter integration, but the reviewer’s final conclusion is that this handset’s success will depend entirely on the price point – there’s not a lot of innovation going on, but a 300 Euro price point would likely be enough to win over a few folks. Even with the pricetag taken into account, I’m not sure why anyone would pick up the U5 over the X10…

[via Mobile-Review]

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Brief: Spotify for Symbian launched

Stefan Constantinescu — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:06:53 +0000

Spotify, the Swedish music service that many in Western and Northern Europe have been enjoying for a little over a year now, has finally released a Symbian application! Complementing their iPhone and Android application, this new Symbian application makes the Spotify service available to over half the smartphones recently sold in Europe. I’d give you a video demo, but I’m not a Spotify Premium member. I’d like to be a Spotify Premium member, but their billing system doesn’t take my Finnish credit card, nor my American credit card for some strange reason.

To download the client, simply visit http://m.spotify.com in your mobile browser and it will automatically detect the device you’re using and begin downloading.

[Via: Spotify Blog]

The video below was recorded on September 7, 2009 and is of is of a preview version of the S60 client:

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Sony Ericsson Launches WebSDK for Android and Symbian

Simon Sage — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:24:40 +0000

In preparation for the incoming X10, Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) has opened up a new tool for developers called WebSDK. As you might imagine, it allows developers to write mobile apps in web languages like HTML, CSS and JavaScript, not unlike Palm’s webOS or BlackBerry’s recently-launched widgets. The system is all based around the open-source PhoneGap project cooked up back in March. It’s not just Android getting the love – Symbian phones will also be compatible with WebSDK, and combined with the Kurara/U5 leak earlier today, Sony Ericsson is clearly not forgetting Symbian, even in the wake of their burgeoning Android romance.

The devs in the house can read more and download the new WebSDK here, or get involved with PhoneGap here.

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Meet the Sony Ericsson Kurara

Simon Sage — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:34:15 +0000

The most promising thing coming from Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) these days is the Android-powered X10, but not so fast – they haven’t put all of their eggs in one basket. This here is the Kurara, a Symbian smartphone with 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor, 3.2″ touchscreen, and HD video recording at 720p. Also called the U5, the usual fixings like GPS, Wi-Fi (with DLNA support), 3.5mm, microUSB and HSDPA/HSUPA connectivity are packed inside. We’ll have to see more of the device to pass judgment, but maybe SE should take a hint from Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and focus on Android for the immediate future. No release date, target markets, or pricetag just yet, but we’ll be keeping an eye out.

[via GSMArena]

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Mahindra Satyam joins Symbian Foundation

Dusan Belic — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:05:43 +0000

Symbian Foundation has a new member company – Mahindra Satyam, which has officially joined the likes of Nokia (NYSE: NOK), NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM), Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) and others. We’re not sure what will Mahindra contribute to the platform, but we do know they’re instantly gaining access to the Symbian Platform code, as well as the ability to participate in the governance of the foundation, and take part in joint marketing and branding campaigns.

Commenting on the new member, Symbian’s Shaun Puckrin said: “The Symbian Foundation welcomes Mahindra Satyam into the community. Our services members ensure that companies with great ideas for the Symbian community can reach their full potential – on time and within budget. By understanding and engaging with the Symbian platform, Mahindra Satyam will contribute to a growing, evolving mobile value chain.”

[Via: Mahindra's PR]

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Video: Carl Zeiss makes the worst Symbian application ever, should stick to optics

Stefan Constantinescu — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:03:48 +0000

Carl Zeiss, makers of various lenses and other optical equipment, created a Symbian application that is … well just watch the video below. Shot by James Burland, this video demonstrates the poor attempt Carl Zeiss took at creating a guide to help people take better photos. Here is a tip boys and girls: you have a digital camera and a memory card that can store thousands of images. Just snap away until your trigger finger falls off. Practice makes perfect!

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Samsung not dropping Symbian after all

Dusan Belic — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:20:18 +0000

Samsung will not drop the Symbian support, despite the rumor that has started spreading across the Interwebs few days ago. The Korean company commented on the story, which BTW originates from Taiwanese site DigiTimes, saying the article “is not in line with Samsung’s smartphone strategy.” They went on to add:

Samsung is an initial member of Symbian Foundation and continues to cooperate with Symbian Foundation. At the same time, Samsung supports various existing open operating systems including Symbian, Linux, Android, and Windows Mobile. To provide more choices to meet consumers’ many different tastes and preferences, we will continue our “multi-OS” strategy. Our policy is to provide what consumers want when they need.

That’s cool to know but we do wonder when we’ll see a new Symbian handset from Samsung. Having multiple platforms available on the market is beneficial to the end users in my eyes…

[Via: MobileBurn]

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Emoze’s Soccer Updater is apparently the first “push content” application

Dusan Belic — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:45:34 +0000

Push-email solutions provider Emoze unveiled what they say is the first “pushed content” application dedicated to football/soccer news – Soccer Updater. The app release doesn’t come as a surprise considering that we’re slowly approaching the 2010 World Cup that will take place in South Africa. The application costs $5 and once you grab it, there are no other fees involved — you’ll get the latest news from now until after the tournament’s final in July.

In addition to the latest news, Soccer Updater also features player of the day pictures (in html format), game venues, scores and of course full tables of the team groups. The opening splash screen features a real-time countdown to the big games in South Africa, and then once the tournament starts, countdowns to individual games.

As for the platforms supported, Emoze’s app works on any Symbian and Windows Mobile powered smartphone, with Java phones to follow shortly. Download is available from Emoze’s website.

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Samsung Senior Vice President Don Joo Lee: We’re not making Symbian devices anymore

Stefan Constantinescu — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:34:11 +0000

Samsung, who is a member of the Symbian Foundation, is supposedly going to stop producing Symbian devices by 2011 if a report from Digitimes is to be believed. Senior Vice President Don Joo Lee said the South Korean company will continue to focus on Android, Windows Mobile, and the yet to be revealed Bada, mobile operating systems. By 2012 Samsung will have only 20% of their smartphone portfolio running Windows Mobile, with the rest being split between Android and Bada. Considering most Samsung Symbian devices never really did all that well to begin with, mostly because finding them was not an easy task, they’re not going to be missed. This does bring up an important question however: except Nokia (NYSE: NOK), who else is going to be making Symbian devices in 3 years?

[Via: Unwired View]

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Nokia 5230 coming to T-Mobile USA?

Dusan Belic — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:24:49 +0000

File this under “rumors” but it seems T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) will not only be known for its Android efforts and as a carrier that will probably (we still don’t have this 100% confirmed) carry the Maemo-powered Nokia N900. The Deutsche Telecom-owned operator may also get to offer the Nokia 5230. Or at least we’ve spotted a device that looks pretty much like Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s Symbian S60-running smartphone at the FCC.

Of course, AWS bands are included in the mix, meaning this baby will rock 3G as soon as it’s released. Clearing the FCC is one step, but actually announcing the device is something else. We only hope that between those two steps, we won’t have to wait for too long…

[Via: CellPhoneSignal]

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Calling all mobile app developers! Tell us why your app rocks!

Will Park — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:10:40 +0000

Do you develop mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian or webOS? Well, we want to hear from you! We’ve partnered up with “Under The Radar” to find cool mobile apps that will blow our minds. We’re asking any and all mobile app developers to submit their app for the “FAST PITCH” mobile app talent search, where your app will vie for a chance to be showcased in front of an audience of global dealmakers and start-ups. Even if we don’t pick your app for the talent search, you’ll get some serious recognition for your app (and possibly prizes, like handsets).

Interested? Here’s what you need to know:

You must be able to attend Under the Radar (in Mountain View on Nov 19)
- If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll get a free conference pass
Your app has to be live and available for download
We welcome any and all apps for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian, etc
Your app must be unique and new – no tip calculators or sudoku apps, please
You must be able to pitch your app in 2 min (and 4 slides) on stage

We’re going to make it simple for you to submit your app for consideration in the “Under The Radar” FAST PITCH mobile app talent search. Interested mobile devs need only leave a comment or tweet @IntoMobile with a quick one-liner pitch for your mobile app – Twitter is limited to 140 characters, so choose accordingly. Please make sure to include a link to your app’s download page (or homepage) and your Twitter handle with your submission.

Your app will be judged for its “uniqueness” and the all important “awesomeness” metric. We’ll be accepting mobile app submissions through Friday, Nov. 6 Monday, Nov. 9 (deadline extended). The 6 lucky finalists will be contacted directly through email and/or Twitter.

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Video: Opera Mobile 10 Beta being demoed on a Nokia N97

Stefan Constantinescu — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:24:30 +0000

Waking up and receiving good news doesn’t happen often enough, so when I opened my crusty teared eyes at 10 in the morning (Helsinki time) and got this press release in the mail, I hit the roof. Opera, the Norwegian company we all love, makers of the Opera desktop browser, Opera Mobile for Windows Mobile, and Opera Mini, one of my favorite mobile applications of all time, has released Opera Mobile 10 Beta for Symbian.

At this point you’re expect a full on review/preview of the application, but I would be wasting my breathe trying to say something genuinely new. It’s literally Opera Mini 5 Beta, but written in Symbian code rather than J2ME code. It’s noticeably more responsive than Opera Mini 5 Beta, the copy and paste actually works now, best of all it is possible to copy and paste text from the browser to another application. Opera Turbo support is included, but disabled by default. Turbo is the same technology that powers Opera Mini. You type in a URL, Opera intercepts that request, feeds it to a server sitting somewhere next to a moose in Northern Europe, renders the page, compresses it, and then spits it back to your mobile phone. I’d be lying if I said a website rendered with Opera Mobile 10 Beta consumed the same information as the same website rendered in Opera Mini 5 Beta; the J2ME client wins hands down at using the least amount of data necessary to display a website.

Things of note: this works on both touch (S60 5th Edition) and non touch (S60 Everything Else Edition) devices, and with the ability of Opera Link you’ll be able to sync bookmarks and passwords between the desktop version of Opera and the mobile version.

Check out the demo video below:

Oh and if you want to download it yourself, just type m.opera.com/mobile into your mobile browser.

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Video: Google Mobile App 2.03 now brings voice search to Symbian devices

Stefan Constantinescu — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:50:51 +0000

Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has just released Google Mobile App 2.03 for Symbian devices and it now includes voice search! The iPhone, Android and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) have had this for a while if I’m not mistaken, so this feature is welcome for us Nokia (NYSE: NOK) users. Just launch the application, hold the green call key, and say your query. I tested it by saying “five hundred thousand Vietnamese dong in euros” and it worked beautifully, but then again I’m sitting alone in my dead silent flat. Does this work for you outdoors?

To download the app just go to m.google.com in your mobile browser.

Update: An official blog post from Google detailing the new application, along with a video that has been produced for UK audiences, has been published.

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Qualcomm, Fujitsu join Symbian Foundation

Dusan Belic — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:27:59 +0000

Two major companies are joining the Nokia (NYSE: NOK)-led Symbian Foundation. They are Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) and Fujitsu (OTCPK: FJTSY), both of which will get a seat at Foundation’s board of directors.

Qualcomm joined through its subsidiary Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC), which will “optimize open source software for use with Qualcomm technology.” Does this means the company is looking to somehow link BREW and Symbian. Hmmm, interesting point. We’ll see…

Fujitsu, which is an old guard Symbian heavyweight with more than 40 million Symbian phones sold in Japan, will also try to find its interest by working with other members of the organization. As far as I can tell, they’ve managed to profit from the “old Symbian” and now that the platform is free, they should be able to repeat the success while saving few bucks on licensing along the way.

And that’s all we got for you in this story. You can check out the two official press releases if you care for corporate quotes.

[Via: Unwired View]

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Nokia Surge Arrives on Rogers

Simon Sage — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:44:12 +0000

As expected, the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Surge 6790 has arrived on Rogers (NYSE: RCI) for the rabid texters out there. An unexpected bonus is a cheaper price point than the originally anticipated: a mere $29.99 on three-year contract. This is one of the cheapest new smartphones you’ll find out there, though the form factor might seem awkward to a lot of folks. Still, it’s packing a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, microSD memory card slot, and a 2.4″ QVGA display. It’s not in Rogers’ online store just yet, but it should be up soon.

[via Nokia]

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Sony Ericsson Satio: Consumers get a 1000 mAh battery while employees get 1350 mAh

Stefan Constantinescu — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:01:37 +0000

Steve O’Hear is in London this week for the 2009 Symbian Exchange and Exposition and had a brief sit down with Anders Westin, Head of Software Relations, Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE). Several questions were asked, mainly concerning Sony Ericsson’s current portfolio which spans every single smartphone operating system under the sun, including, hopefully, Android 2.0 on the XPERIA X3, but the kicker was Steve asking Anders why the Sony Ericsson Satio had such a piss poor battery. The Satio, for those unfamiliar with the device, has a 3.5 inch touch screen, runs Symbian S60 5th Edition and has a 12 megapixel camera. It eats batteries for breakfast. Sony Ericsson has been shipping the Satio with a 1000 mAh battery, and when Steve brought this up to up with Anders, he seemed a bit shocked. “Don’t you mean 1350mAh?” he said, lifting the battery cover off his device to reveal a 35% larger 1350 mAh battery, to which Steve, and many customers around the world, replied “ummm no. what the fuck?”

What gives Sony Ericsson?

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Nokia 6788: Nokia’s first TD-SCDMA smartphone; China only, looks like a round N95 8 GB

Stefan Constantinescu — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:31:39 +0000

China has their own 3G standard. First thing you may be asking yourself is why? China has always done their own thing, and by developing an alternative to WCDMA they save themselves the burden of having to pay for WCDMA royalties. Every decision in today’s mobile world, and I mean every single bloody decision from the materials used to make the body of a device, to whether the instruction manual inside the package comes printed in color or black and white, comes down to money. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) feels that with China’s population of 1.3 billion people, playing their game and making devices that work on their network would be beneficial to their bottom line.

Politics out of the way, does anything make the 6788 special? Well it has two 8s in the product name, which is a big thing in China. Some Chinese, a fair bit actually, are still superstitious and believe that the number 8 will bring them good luck. When picking a mobile phone number, they want to make sure it has as many 8s as possible, and they’ll even pay to have a phone number with a lot of 8s. Specification wise you have a massive 2.8 inch screen that is sadly QVGA (320 x 240) resolution, a 5 megapixel camera, and it’s powered by S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. The 6788 will star shipping in December on China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), price unknown. Looks like Colin Giles, Nokia Senior Vice President for Greater China, Japan and Korea, kept his promise.

[Photo below via All About Symbian]
[Press Release]

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Nokia’s Here and Now adds movies and restaurants

Dusan Belic — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:55:25 +0000

Remember Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s Here and Now project we covered some time ago? It has been updated recently to include movies and restaurants to the mix. This means that now (and here ) you will also be able to check out movie listings in theaters around, as well as good places to eat — all from a comfort of your Nokia (or other manufacturer’s) Symbian S60 smartphone.

In addition to the feature upgrade, the latest version of Here and Now also fixes some of the known bugs reported by the users. The download link remains the same…

[Via: Nokia Beta Labs]

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Video: Symbian CEO Lee Williams has balls the size of planet Mars

Stefan Constantinescu — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:54:43 +0000

SEE 2009 is coming up, Symbian’s yearly exposition. I went to the previous two, but I’m not going to attend the one this year. It’s more of a business to business event, and while it would be awesome to see my UK friends, I’m in bootstrapping mode for a project you’ll hear about in Q1 2010. That aside, the CEO of Symbian, Lee Williams, drops some quotes in his interview with Om Malik that make the edges of my lips curl slightly upwards to form a grin. You just have to hear the stuff that comes out of his mouth when he talks about Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Android:

[Via: All About Symbian]

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Allerta’s inPulse Watch Accessory to Show Notifications from BlackBerry, Android and Symbian Phones

Simon Sage — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:16:55 +0000

A couple of University of Waterloo students have put together a company called Allerta which will be making a cool little smartphone accessory that will keep you apprised of e-mail, SMS, and call alerts via Bluetooth while masquerading as a normal watch. I was a little dubious about these concept renderings of the product (they look like something even I could cook up in Pov-Ray), but after seeing this picture from a year ago posted in the comments, outlining some of the features and use cases, inPulse started to look a lot more real. Considering the university is right next door to RIM, it’s no surprise that the inPulse will work with BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), but hopefully it will work other smartphones as advertised back in 2008; Android and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) (Symbian) phones were explicitly mentioned. After a quick call, I was told more information would be made available this week, so stay tuned.

P.S.: Shoutout to Ronen for spotting the Flickr link.

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