New Qt Creator IDE From Qt Software

"The initial release is binary only, and under the terms of the Qt preview license, but the final release will be released with source code under a GPL compatible license. The initial release is available for Linux, Mac OS X and MS Windows.

"The Greenhouse project began as a research project within Trolltech. We are told that the design is entirely plugin based, suggesting that ultimately we will have the ability to add support for new languages, debuggers etc. The documentation suggests a plugin for the CMake build system used by KDE is in the works. At the moment things are a little too bare for the benefits of this approach to be readily apparent, but it is a sensible approach to take when developing an IDE."

Complete Story

Google launches Android SDK 1.0, release 1

As reported by our brethren over at Engadget, Google and T-Mobile officially announced the T-Mobile G1, the first mobile device that will run on Google's Android platform. That's awesome and everything, but this is a software blog, so you won't get to read our thoughts or dissections here (although on Twitter, all bets are off). Fortunately, the good people at Google managed to also officially release the Android SDK 1.0.

Until very recently, there really wasn't a lot of Android news to report. We (well, I) were even accused of having an anti-Android bias. That was totally untrue, there just wasn't anything to tell. Then, last month, Google really started ramping up Android development, releasing updates to the SDK, announcing winners of the app contest, releasing some detaails of the Android marketplace, you get the picture.

Today's 1.0 SDK release coincides not only with the G1 announcement, but also with news that Amazon's MP3 store will be available for the platform.

If you're frustrated by Apple's decidedly developer unfriendly approach, you might want to check out the the 1.0 SDK and see if the grass is greener on the other side.


[via Arstechnica]

Nokia Beta Labs release Photos 1.5 Beta

The Nokia Photos team at the Nokia Beta labs have just announced the beta release of version 1.5 for the Nokia Photos application for your PC. The application can be used to organize, manage and transfer your personal media between your Nokia device and your PC. They have redesigned the overall visuals of the application and it also comes loaded with a few new applications.

What's new in 1.5?

1. Import and manage digital media from any device such as S60 phone, digital camera, memory stuck and even HDDs.The application also sports the ability to convert your media into the proper format so that it is correctly supported on your phone.

2. Viewing of the Geotagged photos and videos in the integrated map view.

3. Ovi support

 

As usual, it is a beta release, and may have some unwanted behavior. It is available for download here.

New pics of the GPHONE

Here are some new great quality pics of the GPHONE.

7 Years of iPod: What You Paid and What You Got [Apple]

With yesterday's refresh to Apple's iPod line, it was hard not to feel at least a little deja vu. I've been following new iPod announcements—which often come more than once a year—since 2001, when the first iPod showed up in stores for an astronomical $399.

In the iPod's seven years, a sort of price mean has emerged, settling around $249 despite countless claims of "more space," "more battery life," and, err, "more smaller." It's no surprise then that $249 is the price of a new 120GB iPod classic, a few dollars more than a new model 8GB iPod touch and $50 higher than the cost of a 4th Gen 16GB iPod nano. Click the image above for the full keepsake chart. [iPod on Giz]

Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope Will Have "Blindingly Quick" Boot Times, Float on the Cloud [Ubuntu]

If you rock Ubuntu, you've probably already got your engines revved for the more immediately imminent Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release next month. But that's not stopping Canonical—Ubuntu's main developer—from jibber-jabbering about Jaunty Jackalope, the next major Ubuntu release, which is due in April. Ubuntu 9.04's code name stems from its focus on zip-zoominess, with a goal of making "booting or resuming Ubuntu blindingly quick" and a "blurring of web services and desktop applications." So it'll be a fast hybrid, just like an, uh, real jackalope.

While it's not entirely certain how Jaunty will float on the cloud, Bits notes that Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth says they're after "weblications." Either way, it's surely not coincidental that Jaunty's two major goals—a light, snappy OS with serious web app/cloud computing integration—converge to accelerate the death of the traditional Microsoft-dominated desktop. We'll know how well it succeeds in just a few months. [Ars Technica]

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 SDK now available for download

While we're waiting for the official worldwide release of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, its Software Developers Kit or SDK is now available for download on Sony Ericsson's web site.

Through the SDK, users will be able to maximize the use the Xperia X1, and put all of its features along with Windows Mobile 6.1 to good use.

Xperia X1

Also with the help of the Xperia X1 SDK, developers will be able to create all sorts of mobile content for the said handset such as games, apps for social networking, music, photography, instant messaging and video.

The Xperia X1 SDK is provided free of charge through http://www.sonyericsson.com/developer.

Google and Microsoft apparently quite keen on the App Store idea

There is no denying that Apple's App Store is leading the charge when it comes to mobile content delivery, so it's hardly surprising that other major players in the mobile field are looking to offer similar services.

Google is set to launch a new channel for Android called Android Market, that will operate as a direct line delivery service for Android applications and services. The system sounds quite different to the App Store in that developers will merely need to register as a merchant, upload their content, providing a description, and then publish it. Android users will then be able to rate the content in a feedback system similar to YouTube (presumably after they have downloaded and tried out any particular application).

It all sounds very open indeed which should definitely help foster development, let's just hope it's not the sort of development we don't want (i.e. shovelware.)

It seems that it's not only Google getting in on the action either. Over in Redmond a fresh job posting suggests that Microsoft might be looking to develop something similar for Windows Mobile. The job description details a platform called Skymarket that would be a "marketplace service for Windows Mobile,". It doesn't get much clearer than that in our eyes but let's wait for an official press release before we go getting all sure of ourselves.

More on this as soon as we have it folks…

Yahoo! oneSearch for Nokia Series60

Make search the first thing you see with new Yahoo! oneSearch shortcut, a faster way to access search on your phone. Press one key and you're ready to search for anything — from local information to sports scores or flight status. You'll get all the information you'd expect from Yahoo! oneSearch, with a single touch of one key. Yahoo! oneSearch shortcut will become the mobile service you rely on to get you where you want to go.

Free Download: just Point your mobile browser to: m.yahoo.com/shortcut

via: rodrigostoledo.com

Original enclosure

Taiwan market: HTC ranks fourth in handset sales with 9% sales value share

High Tech Computer (HTC) managed to capture a 9% share in the Taiwan handset market in terms of sales value in July, pushing its ranking one notch higher to fourth place from a previous fifth ranking, according to data provided by sources in the Taiwan retail channel.

In terms of sales value, Sony Ericsson continued to be the top vendor with an over 31% share, followed by Nokia at 29%, said the sources.

However, in terms of unit sales, HTC was ranked the sixth largest vendor in July with less than 2% of the market, the data showed.

Arima Communications suffers exodus of top executives, says paper

Leading ODM handset maker Arima Communications is currently suffering an exodus of its top executives which might affect significantly the company's future business development, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

Vice president Wang Wei-min (translated from Chinese), who previously supervised Arima's production of handsets for LG Electronics, already left the company in mid-August, while JS Liang, vice president for the smartphone business unit, will resign from the company at the end of this month, the paper said.

Liang and a number of Arima's R&D staff are expected to join Acer to help advance the development of PDA phones at the Taiwan-based notebook vendor, the paper noted.

source

Apple, Palm, RIM under fire in GSM patent lawsuit

It's been some time since we've heard of any major lawsuits stemming from questionable patent holdings in the mobile space. We've almost lost faith in shady patent holding companies looking to make a quick buck from whatever vague patents they may or may not have.

The latest patent lawsuit involves none other than the famous smartphone trio of Apple, RIM, and Palm. WiAV Solutions, a patent holding firm, filed its lawsuit in Virginia last month. The suit names Apple, Palm and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) for violating ten patents that WiAV either owns or licenses from Mindspeed.

The 23-page complaint details WiAV's right to patents regarding GSM technology and Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) voice-compression technology.  And, as with all lawsuits standing on the kind of shaky ground beneath this particular suit, WiAV's claim generically applies to various aspects of cellular communication - from voice-detection to power management.

Interestingly, WiAV only owns the rights to two of the ten patents in question here. The remaining eight patents are actually licensed to WiAV from partner Mindspeed, who has been involuntarily dragged in to this lawsuit.

We'll keep a close eye on this one folks.

[Via: AppleInsider]

LiMo Foundation picks up 11 new members

When it comes to a Linux-based mobile platform, Google's Android captures more than its fair share of the wireless industry's attentions. The Android initiative is spearheaded by Google, after all.

But, that doesn't mean Android is the only game in the Linux mobile market. In fact, while Android struggles with bad press from unfair developer partnerships that leave Google's claim of an open mobile platform in doubt, and a complete lack of any real hardware to show the consuming public, the other Linux mobile initiative is gaining ground.

The LiMo Foundation has announced that they've recruited an additional 11 members to join the team. LiMo Foundation now boasts over 50 members that have signed on to develop applications and services for the group's own special flavor of Linux mobile OS.

LiMo actually has a hand-up on Android with real, live handsets on market. As of now, 21 handsets are available running the LiMo Mobile platform.

"The new membership intake further extends LiMo's reach in multiple dimensions: regionally, technologically and within the industry value system," according to LiMo.

Bring on the Android-killers!

LiMo Foundation

Apple can blacklist and remotely disable applications on your iPhone

Sounds a bit Orwellian, doesn't it? The idea that some corporate entity can monitor the applications installed on your iPhone and remotely disable blacklisted apps just seems wrong. But, newly discovered code within the iPhone 2.0 OS and the newer iPhone 2.0.1 OS has confirmed that Apple has built a blacklisting mechanism in to the iPhone.

The "phone home" feature essentially allows the iPhone or iPhone 3G, running newer iPhone OS versions, to connect to Apple's servers (at https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps) and check for blacklisted applications on the iPhone. Upon finding these blacklisted, or unauthorized, apps, Apple can remotely disable the applications, rendering them useless to the iPhone user.

The feature was uncovered by iPhone developer extraordinaire Jonathan Zdiarski. Says Zdiarski:

"This suggests that the iPhone calls home once in a while to find out what applications it should turn off. At the moment, no apps have been blacklisted, but by all appearances, this has been added to disable applications that the user has already downloaded and paid for, if Apple so chooses to shut them down.

"I discovered this doing a forensic examination of an iPhone 3G. It appears to be tucked away in a configuration file deep inside CoreLocation."

The discovery of a remote application disabling feature is disturbing, but Apple's motivation is likely to keep malicious and unstable applications from rolling through the global iPhone fleet and doing massive damage. It's unclear if Apple can check for and disable third-party applications installed via jailbreak solutions.

[Via: TheRawFeed]

New Samsung's S60 Powered Phone On The Horizon!

The folks over at KingMobile website have managed to get the first spy photos of the new S60 powered candybar Smartphone which is rumoured to be Samsung i7110, the little brother of the awesome S60 slider known as i8510 or INNOV8!

Photos are surprising sharp and clear for the very first "spy" shots so I guess that phone is ready to be released soon and actually all we need is official confirmation from Samsung.

Unfortunately, the most of the specifications are totally unknown and the only obvious thing is the 5 MPX camera sensor and high quality metal body in the well known Samsung's style. Samsung is known as the producer of the high quality mo... .. .

Read more:
New Samsung's S60 Powered Phone On The Horizon - full story

Missing Sync goes Symbian

Mark/Space has recently unveiled The Missing Sync for Symbian to allow wireless synchronization of Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola Symbian OS mobile phones with your Mac.

Thanks to the unique feature called Proximity Syncing, the process is done almost automatically — all you have to do is bring your S60 or UIQ based device within Bluetooth range (about 30 feet/10 meters) of your Mac and the application will take it from there.

Best of all, not only your contacts, calendars and tasks will be synced — you can also include music, photos, videos and files to the mix.

The Missing Sync for Symbian is available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish for $39.95. If you own a Mac and a Symbian-powered smartphone, it's one of those must-have apps you won't be able to live without.

[Via: TUAW]

UK: Top 10 phones, commencing 1/8/08

It's been a while since I did it, so I thought I would re-visit the "Top 1o" handsets in UK retail - with information kindly provided by Mobile Choice UK. So let's take contract devices first:

Not surprisingly the Tocco has made an appearance at the top of the chart, but it closely followed by Nokia's star performers, the 6500 Slide, and N95 8GB. Nokia and Samsung also have a smattering of other devices each, comprising most of the rest of the Top 10.

As regards Prepay, it looks kinda like this:

Samsung again occupy the top of the chart, but after that, it's Nokia and old favourite Sony Ericsson all the way… a real mixture of older devices, plus newer budget ones in there too!

[Via: Mobile Choice UK]

India to Hold 3G Auctions Soon

India is the world's second-largest mobile phone market with 287 million phone users (and one of the fastest-growing), and none of them are using 3G technology. But that may all change soon as India's government has announced plans to begin auctioning off 3G licenses.

Up to this point there has been little demand for high-end multimedia services because 90% of the phones in the country are used as pre-paid.

The auction, set to begin within the next few months, will require a minimum price of 20 billion rupees ($472 million US) to compete. According to Financial Times, aggressive bidding is expected from several leading firms and telecom companies in competing for key cities.

Questions still remain about how profitable this may be for telecom but it's now or never. Mobile providers realize the need to take a risk in order to continue forward, even if it means pushing through a few years with low demand.

via FT via Engadget Mobile

Upcoming Apple iPhone nano

According to rumors, Apple will release a cheaper and smaller version of iPhone during Christmas 2008. The new iPhone nano handset will retail for £150 in UK via O2. Unfortunately, there is no further info about the gadget's specs and functions. Stay tuned for more updates. [Distorted-Loop]

ShareThis

Nokia Working on Zune Marketplace Integration [Zune]

Zune Scene's been tipped off by a "well placed source" inside Microsoft that Nokia is working on integrating Zune Marketplace into its phones. What's the deal here? Would Microsoft take what they wanted to be a complete vertical solution—Zune player with Zune Marketplace with Zune software on the PC—and let other people get their hands on it? Perhaps. If the rumor is true, it could point to MS wanting to get as wide a footprint for their Zune platform as possible, even if it does mean integrating the ability to play/watch content on other devices. [Zune Scene]

Ribbit

I thought the web site for Ribbit was really nice. Just today British Telcom bought this company.

Advertisement: cell phone number People Search and Cell Phone Numbers Lookup. Find People Now

Stanford to offer “iPhone Application Programming” course

We all know how Apple is popular these days and it doesn't surprises to see many of the well established institutions trying to affiliate themselves with Cupertino boys.

That being said, we've just found out Stanford will be offering a course in the Autumn entitled "iPhone Application Programming." Apparently, the course will be taught by one or more of the same Apple employees that teach a Cocoa Programming course on campus…

It's like, there's not enough iPhone apps already. Just kidding, more is better, and the choice is what we crave for. Give us all you can make and let us select the best.

[Via: TUAW]

Rumor: Microsoft Zune Integration With Nokia Devices

Nate from Zunescene reports that Nokia is working with the Microsoft Zune team on integrating their marketplace with Nokia devices. His sources tell him that it will not be an exclusive deal and can lead to other phone manufacturers. Hmm… Zune? People actually own these things?

There's no estimated timeline when this will occur. I wonder how this will play with Nokia's Ovi Service if it is true. The Music Store is not even available yet in many countries and last time I've checked, there's no Nokia phones that run Windows Mobile.

Sponsored By: FoneGrabber Check the lowest prices on the latest phones.

Nokia has no plans to merge Symbian with Google's Android

Just in case you were wondering, despite yesterday's predictions by analysis firm J. Gold Associates, official reaction from the mobile giants aren't positive so don't expect union between Symbian, Nokia, and Google anytime soon!! Nokia is not about to roll its Symbian mobile operating into Google's Android and Nokia has "no plans" to combine its efforts with Android, said David Rivas, a Nokia vice president.

"We don't comment on market rumors or speculations," said a Google spokesperson and dismissed prediction as a "rumor"! From other hand, few days ago, Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford said that Symbian would be glade to collaborate with Google, even "on the more fundamental operating system level." Pretty confusing situat... .. .

Read more:
No Plans To Merge Symbian with Android - full story

Nokia and Google rebuff claims of Symbian, Android merger

The two largest open-source mobile platform initiatives are swirling up rumors that they'll be joining forces to combine the Symbian and Android platforms spearheaded by Nokia and Google, respectively. Allegedly informed analysts at J. Gold Associates are claiming that a merger between Nokia and Google could kick off in three to six months, citing both companies open-source mobile operating systems.

Nokia previously announced that they'll be taking the Symbian code-base public with the creation of the Symbian Foundation. And, Symbian recently extended a hand in friendship to Google, stating that they'd be "happy to collaborate with them." Analysts are apparently taking the collaboration offer as a sign of merger-things to come.

But, that's not the way Symbian, Nokia, or Google sees things. Officials from all three camps have gone on record and dismissed reports of a merger between the Symbian and Android efforts. Other analysts have also commented on the possibility of a merger between the two tech-giants, saying that the rumors are unsubstantiated.

Symbian is expected to match Android on its free-for-all pricing structure, giving open access to anyone wishing to use the mobile platform. The move should help Symbian compete on the same playing field as Android, and makes the case for both mobile platforms keeping to true to their path.

[Via: InformationWeek]

Palm OS compatibility now so close we can smell it

StyleTap have now confirmed that their Palm OS emulation system is now in private beta for Symbian OS - I didn't get an invite into this stage, but by applying to be a beta tester, you might be lucky. After a short while, it will be opened up to all beta testers, etc. The significance of StyleTap is that there are still many people in the world who are hanging onto ancient Palm handhelds and Treos because they depend on one or more specific Palm OS-only apps - StyleTap will help them move fairly seamlessly onto S60 and Symbian.

Exclusive: First screenshots of S60 5TH edition

The above is a screenshot of the VGA resolution version of S60 5th Edition UI. As you see, it is touch enabled and you won't need the application key (top left) on the keypad anymore. The screenshot was taken on Carbide UI 3.2.

A BIG THANK GOES TO ICEman_c81for kindly providing this screenshot (If the name sounds familiar, yes, he's a great theme maker too).

N78 : Where's the memory card?

Quiet some things have changed on S60 FP2, location of the memory card is one such thing.
I wanted to format the memory card but could'nt find its icon in the Tools menu, where its always been since the 2nd Edition.
Its now shifted in the FileManager application, along with its options ;)



Even timed profiles are back with FP2 and Darla is very happy about it.

Sony Announces TransferJet Technology

It looks like Sony and a couple of other electronic companies think that Bluetooth isn't good enough. That's probably why they're working together to push Transjet, a new wireless protocol whose aim is to allow devices to communicate with each other without the current limitations of Bluetooth.

Transjet's theoretical transmission rate of 560Mbps is nothing to be laughed at, though its range of 3cm might raise a few eyebrows. The short-range might be a blessing in disguise, as it'd help users to avoid spam and other Bluetooth nasties. As there are currently enough wireless standards to confuse users, another one probably won't hurt.

Flipsilent gets Symbian Signed

Accelerometer-based apps for suitably-equipped S60 3rd Edition phones are popping up thick and fast at the moment but there aren't many around that do anything really useful.

There are some cute single-use apps like the spirit level app Pypoziomica and plenty of novelty apps like this sword fighting game, but potentially useful things like ShakeMe seem to be in perpetual beta.

Flipsilent, though, that I can see myself using quite a bit - especially now it has been released as a Symbian Signed app and I won't need to jump through hoops to get it to install.

As the name implies, Flipsilent lets you shush your handset simply by turning it over.   The app lets you configure 'flip' behaviour for hanging up calls, switching to a 'silent' profile and muting alarms.  Oh, and it's free.

Check after the jump for a video of the app in action.

(more…)

It’s the Eiffel Tower mobile phone!

There are many great things about France. The cuisine, the countryside, the Vanessa Paradis… And you can add to that list MobiFrance's FL concept mobile phone. Standing for French Luxury, it's a touchscreen handset with a 7.2-megapixel camera and stereo speakers.

Oh, and it's modelled on the Eiffel Tower. Genius. A prize to the first phone maker to do something similar for the UK market modelled on the Thames Barrier…

Nokia Touch Screen Devices To Hit Market Before End Of 2008

Nokia has been teasing all of us for a while now when it comes to their new touch screen based Symbian devices. It appears that this week Nokia has decided to let the cat out of the bag, releasing news of a final market date, and what type of phones will be featured...sort of.

First lets start with the type of phones Nokia plans to push out. According to Kai Oistamo who heads up the Nokia device division, the handset manufacturer will focus on their mid-level range of smartphones, keeping them out of competition with the likes of the iPhone, but still offering up devices to a large market.

A market so large in fact that Nokia says they decided to go after the mid-range market because it occupies nearly 50% of all handset sales.

For the most exciting news however we need only turn to the release date. Nokia is planning on a ship date sometime before the second half of 2008 ends, meaning Symbian based touch screens should hit the market in the next 5-6 months at the latest.

source

Developer Interest in Mobile Platforms

Ben Lorica of O'Reilly Radar has what I think is a contentious post where he has analysed newsgroups for references to mobile platform names from which he has tried to infer developer interest.

 

I don't think his results will be very accurate. Firstly, developers don't just use newsgroups any more. Most use web sites, wikis and forums. Secondly, the Apple SDK agreement prohibits people from talking about it - strange I know, because you would think people helping each other would help grow the platform. Thirdly, developers who already know about a platform inside out (e.g. Symbian, Windows Mobile) will seek out much less information.

Chatting with various developers, it seems most are surprised by the success of new iPhone app ecosystem. On TechCrunch you can view a periodically updated spreadsheet of how well the top 50 developers are doing. Note however, that the values are for the US app store only. Other countries have their own stores. Hence, the values are actually higher than shown. PinchMedia have a running commentary on how the iPhone app store is evolving (thanks to Sander for the links).

HELLOMOTO is dead, be prepared to join the "We Generation"

Motorola's infamous "Hello Moto" commercials were epic, but how long has it been since you've heard those words leave someone's mouth? The Illinois based company is going with a new motto, crafted by the fine folks at Ogilvy London, that you'll start hearing day in and day out on the radio/tv/internet: "We generation."

We all know how critical marketing is to the success of a product, but did the company cut their oppertunity for a second chance with consumers after the insanely popular RAZR?

One more thing, the ZN5 is supposed to start shipping in the UK by the end of this summer. According to Mobile-Review it's the best 5 megapixel camera on the market but the software that thing runs … he carries a Nokia N82 if that tells you anything.

[Via: Marketing Week]

Microsoft Equipt (subscription based Office) to go on sale this week

Can't justify spending hundreds of dollars for Microsoft Office? Starting this week, Microsoft will be offering Equipt for $69.99... per year. Equipt is an office suite which features the applications from Microsoft Office Home and Student, Microsoft OneCare, and comes bundled with several (already free) Windows Live services.

When you consider the fact that Microsoft puts out a new version of Office every few years for $300 or more, Equipt might seem like a bargain. But when you factor in the fact that you can pick up a copy of Microsoft Office Home and Student for just over $100, things might start to look a bit different.

Still, your $70 gets you working versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and other programs. You also get free upgrades. And as much as we love free alternatives like OpenOffice.org, we have yet to find one that's 100% compatible with Microsoft Office. Nothing screams unprofessional like opening a document a boss or colleague sends you and completely messing up the formatting.

At launch Equipt will be available only at Circuit City stores. Microsoft is expected to announce more distributors soon.

The i8510: Samsung's 8 Megapixel S60 Slider [Samsung I8510]

If the rumor mill is correct, Samsung is cooking up a new Symbian S60 slider dubbed the i8510 with some serious specs under the hood—including an 8 megapixel camera. The full list of specs are impressive, and would definitely pose a threat to the upcoming Nokia N96 if it is the real deal.

The full list of specs are as follows:

•2.8-inch QVGA (240×320 pixels), 16m colors
•8 megapixel camera with auto-focus, xenon flash and 120 fps video recording
•UMTS with HSDPA support, WiFi, GPS, TV out, DivX support, dedicated 3D graphics chip
•Optical mouse (same as i780 and i900 Omnia)
•200 mAh battery
•106.5×53.9×16.9 mm metal case
•16 GB internal memory (possibly an 8 GB version as well)

Impressive. Conflicting reports have the i8510 running either Feature Pack 1 or 2 and there is no word on whether we are talking tri-band or quad-band GSM here. However, as with any rumor, we will just have to wait and see what holds true. [Forum2 via Estato via IntoMobile via BGR]

Apple: Yellow iPhone 3G Screen Is "Warmer" and "By Design"

Those pee-tinted screens Blam discovered in the Gizmodo iPhone 3G review are there on purpose, and are meant to make the screen "warmer" and easier to see, Apple said today in its first official response on the matter. Apple's senior director of iPhone product marketing, Bob Borchers, told MacWorld that the yellow hue was neither a defect nor a bug.

The first gen iPhone's whiter coloring was reminiscent of harsh, fluorescent lighting, he said, and the 3G was designed to be sunnier and warm. Jason Snell of MacWorld did some follow up on the comments, and apparently they're accurate. The new iPhone 3G's color temperature is roughly 6800 to 7300 Kelvins, compared with approximately 8300K on the first iPhone. MacWorld tests also confirmed that at maximum brightnesses, the new display is brighter than the old one. Borchers hinted, but did not confirm, a future software update could include color settings. UPDATE: Testing was completed by Richard Baguley of WirelessInfo.com [MacWorld]

My Nokia and Mobile Me

With today being another 'iPhone day' and with Apple's new commercial Mobile Me service going live, it's worth noting AAS regular Matt Radford's comparison between Nokia's free My Nokia service and the $100/yr Mobile Me. Matt's notes complete the picture somewhat and his conclusion is spot on, although I suspect that within a few months, Ovi Sync will have rectified the relative lack of integration.

What’s so great about the iPhone?

Someone please help me out here, 'cause I'm on the verge of giving up. I've tried - really - to understand the iPhone hype. I've become used to it in the mainstream media, because the mainstream media are gullible, and thus easy prey for Apple's unstoppable spin machine. But here, on a site which specialises in mobile tech, I really thought I might hear some sense amongst the hysteria. But no.

OK, anyone? All I want to know is the answer to one question. What, precisely, is so damn great about the iPhone? I really can't see it. I hear it's "revolutionary" - but it contains hardly any features not seen already on other devices, many of which have been around for quite some time.

It has 3G? Great, there must be at least 50+ devices doing that now. They're pushing a 2Mpx camera with no videocapture when "normobs" are offering 5Mpx or more WITH videocapture. The lack of videocapture means it's actually irrelevant that it lacks a front-facing secondary camera for videocalling. It still can't handle MMS, and Apple's only (weak) response to that has been "but it has full email capability, you don't need MMS" (oh really? And how are you meant to exchange picture messages with the 95% of the market who don't have email capable phones, or is the truth that iPhone users are trying to form an elitist clique where they'll only converse with the similarly equipped while looking down disdainfully on the "normob wielders"?). Can you copy and paste yet in messages? Errrr… OK, what's Uncle Steve's explanation for that one, is copy & paste obsolete now too?

My personal current favourite is the ludicrous congratulations being heaped on Apple for the new App Store. Yeah! Great! Apparently, iPhone users now have the incredible ability to… wait for it… actually install new applications on the devices they paid for! Congratulating Apple for that is a bit like saying Nelson Mandela should thank the people who imprisoned him for eventually releasing him (i.e. he shouldn't actually have been imprisoned in the first place, so why the hell should he thank them?) Just curious, does the app store also include the facility to install your own ringtones instead of being limited to just the ringtones you've had to pay Uncle Steve yet more money for? Mmmm… let's see… oops, let's not go there. The App Store? Every major mobile OS has an "App Store" out there on the web, offering umpteen times the amount of software Apple's does, and when Android-based devices eventually arrive, they'll have an "App Store" everyone will struggle to match. For God's sake - if Steve Jobs physically kicked these people in the nuts, they'd probably thank him for it.

We'll also just gloss over the fact that if I want an app. for a Blackberry, Palm or Symbian-based device, I just need to Google it, and if I can't find what I want… well, I could always write it myself and slap it on there! I could do the same for the iPhone, couldn't I? Well, no. Because the only way of getting an app onto an iPhone is via the iTunes App Store, which means that Uncle Steve STILL gets the last word on what you can put on YOUR device (remember, the one you paid for) and what you can't. Speaking of money, although I can't blame Apple for this directly, the tariffs offered by O2? Still in excess of what you pay for any other device. Same with AT&T in the US, and there's been a virtual revolution in Canada over Rogers's initial data plan offerings.

Bottom line, the iPhone has one (or two, if you're picky) thing(s) going for it - Mobile Safari is the best browser out there, and combined with the multi-touch screen, it offers the best browsing experience currently available on mobile (you trade that off for messaging though, tests have proved the iPhone touchscreen is no faster to type on and suffers from the same error rates as predictive text keypads, both being roughly 3 times as slow as a physical QWERTY a la Blackberry). But for how long? Speaking of RIM, rumours are beginning to circulate that they've seen the iPhone as a shot across their bows, and are going to respond full-force with the upcoming Thunder (or Storm, no-one's quite sure of the name). Electrokinetic touchscreen? The same engine in their new browser as M-Safari? Ouch. If they get multi-touch on that too, the iPhone's only true market-leading features just bit the dust and quite probably got aced. Hard to believe the browser bit considering the existing 'berry browser is so bad, but this is what Apple have brought on themselves in a way - they set new standards in this area, now everyone else is going to copy them.

Still, keep believing the hype. Of course, I forgot the iPhone's other big advantage - ooo… doesn't it look cool sitting there next to the skinny latte and the organic carrot cake? I'm waiting for one of the iPhone poseurs to start claiming that Steve Jobs actually INVENTED 3G. Eh? No, He DID! He really, really, really did. And the internet. Or was that Al Gore?

Palm closing up MyPalm portal

With their market share dropping ever lower these days, Palm's taken a proactive approach to streamlining its operation. Rather than finalize and launch their MyPalm portal out of beta-land, Palm has apparently decided to close-up shop on their Palm information portal.

On September 1, 2008, MyPalm will cease to exist.

Here's Palm's explanation for killing of MyPalm:

We?re [sic] working hard at Palm to deliver great products and services to our customers. The MyPalm Beta program gave us an opportunity to provide certain offers and service to members. We collected great feedback from our valued customers on ways to improve customer experience. Participation in new offers and services will not require customers to sign up for the MyPalm Beta program.

Sounds like a roundabout explanation that essentially tries to avoid saying what we all know to be true - MyPalm just didn't work out.  But, once MyPalm turns off the lights for good, at least it's comforting to know that future services and offers won't require the user to sign up for MyPalm.

Confused much?

Palm 

[Via: PalmInfocenter]

Nokia completes its acquisition of NAVTEQ

Nokia announced today that it has completed its acquisition of NAVTEQ, a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information.

As part of Nokia, NAVTEQ will continue to develop its world-class expertise in the navigation industry, service its strong customer base, and invest in the further development of its industry-leading map data and technology platform. It will continue to build out and expand coverage of countries already included in its database as well as add new pieces of both static and dynamic content.

Powered by NAVTEQ's industry leading maps data, Nokia will redefine the Internet and connected experiences by adding context - time, place, people - to web services optimized for mobility. By bringing context to Internet services, Nokia will lead the next generation of web innovation.

"Nokia and NAVTEQ together make a powerful combination, and customers will benefit as the transaction enables NAVTEQ to accelerate its expansion into new regions and introduce innovative new content. This is an industry poised for further growth and NAVTEQ will play a major role in the field," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President and CEO, Nokia. "The addition of NAVTEQ comes at the right time for Nokia's business, allowing us to create the leading location platform just as context-aware and location-based Internet services expand rapidly into mobile communications devices."

Judson Green, President and CEO of NAVTEQ, said: "Nokia has a deep understanding of the requirements for the industry. As part of Nokia, NAVTEQ will further invest in its map and content capabilities and make our products and services easier for all our customers to use and access."

NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map data for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 3 000 employees located in 168 offices in 30 countries.

"NAVTEQ's map data already play an important role in Nokia Maps service, which brings downloadable maps, voice-guided navigation and other context-aware web services to people's pockets. Now that the acquisition has been completed, this role will become even more important as context-aware Internet services grow," added Niklas Savander, Executive Vice President for Services & Software, Nokia.

Nokia Maps covers over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable. Nokia Maps 2.0 has improved its optional Car Navigation, enhanced its pedestrian navigation, added multimedia city guides, offers satellite images, and is sporting a redesigned user interface.

Nokia Chat - Presence and IM with friend location features

Nokia Chat is a new, GPS-aware software and instant messaging service which is being previewed through Nokia Beta Labs. Nokia Chat is an instant messaging and presence application with added location features. Generic location information can be shared via your presence message, via matching GPS position with selected existing (Nokia Maps) favourite places or you can send an ad-hoc exact location as a chat message. Read on for more information, a brief review and screenshots.

Joikuspot Premium Turns Phones To Enterprise Hotspot

JoikuSpot has become one of the more popular S60 applications out there, and its position is justified by its ability to turn users WiFi S60 devices into a hotspot, and when that includes 3G, it's even better. JokiuSoft has now released JoikuSpot Premium, which adds VPN support for corporate users and removes the forced Joiku-branded landing page when users first see when they connect to their "hotspot". The Premium version is currently going for €15 (about $24).

NTT DoCoMo Going To China

It seems like NTT DoCoMo has its sights set on China as they have established DOCOMO China Co., Ltd. as a wholly owned subsidiary in Shanghai, China. Their new office is expected to start operating from the end of July, once the necessary governmental and commercial approvals are obtained.

Based on their official announcement, DOCOMO China will mainly focus on "providing mobile solutions for corporate customers, especially locally based Japanese companies". Does that mean it doesn't make a difference to the average end user? Let's wait and see how things turn out.

Nokia Says 9 More Firms Sign Up for Symbian Pact

Top cell phone maker Nokia announced today that nine more firms, including telecom operators "3" and TIM, have agreed to support its new open mobile software alliance Symbian Foundation.

Nokia said on June 24 it would buy out other shareholders of the UK-based smartphone software maker Symbian for $410 million and make its software royalty-free to other phone makers, in response to new rivals such as Google.

Nokia said the foundation has now 30 members after also mobile operators 3, America Movil and TIM, chip firm Marvell, and services and software providers Aplix, Elektrobit, EMCC Software, Sasken and TietoEnator joined.

The initial board members are AT&T, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung Electronics, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone.

Firefox 3.1 is due out in the New Year

InformationWeek is reporting that Mozilla is already preparing Firefox 3.1 for release in the New Year and Firefox 4 is apparently already being discussed.    This despite Firefox 3 only being released less than a few weeks ago.   Take that Internet Explorer!

When it comes to discussing features, the big bone of contention is apparently the AwesomeBar (the URL bar that throws up every kind of previous URL when you type in it).  It has its fans and its enemies (I'm an enemy and I disabled it on day one).   Apparently, Mozilla is convinced that the enemies will eventually come to their senses and come to love it, so they have no plans to remove it.    Well I can safely say that I will never come to love it and mine will stay permanently disabled.

As one reader in the InformationWeek article says :

The awesome bar sucks. My biggest problem is that it displays what you have been browsing to anyone looking over your shoulder. Lets imagine you have have been visiting a jobs site. You boss walks up and asks you to pull up something. You create a new tab and start typing 'www'. You get that far and FF3 displays a huge banner with hotjobs or whatever. What a stupid idea.

What about you?  Do you love Firefox's AwesomeBar?   Is it awesome for you?   Or is it intensely annoying?

Via InformationWeek

Windows XP ain't the only OS retiring this year: Goodbye Windows 3.11

Microsoft may have sent Windows XP into partial retirement in June, but did you know that you can still pick up a copy of Windows 3.11 for Workgroups? Microsoft has been allowing OEMs to license the ancient operating system for embedded devices for years. But Windows 3.11 for Workgroups will no longer be available after November 1, 2008. So hurry up and get your copy (if you're an equipment manufacturer) now! Or don't.

In other news, CNET reports that Windows XP is selling like wildfire at online retailers like Amazon. That's because while Microsoft may no longer be offering the operating system through retail channels, any store that's still got a few boxes in stock can continue to sell Windows XP until the inventory is gone.

Right now Windows XP Home version is #15 in software sales at Amazon, while Windows XP Pro is #14. It's not clear how many copies the retailer has left, but the operating system is currently listed as "in stock."

iTunes App Store open for business, with 500+ apps for download

Apple opened the iTunes App Store today, just ahead of the Friday release of the iPhone 3G. The phone is already out in some parts of the word -- lucky Aussies and New Zealanders! -- but while North America is waiting, there's the iPhone 2.0 firmware update and a new version of iTunes to play with. If you install these updates, you don't have to wait for a new iPhone before you start buying apps! iPod Touch users, however, will apparently have to wait until tomorrow for the firmware update, which will cost $9.95 -- compared to a free update for the iPhone.

What about the apps themselves? Well, for starters, there are over 500 of them, and 25% of those are free. So far, games are leading the pack, with Sega's much-hyped Super Monkey Ball as the most downloaded app. Other hot games in the Top 10 are Enigmo, Cro-Mag Rally and Bejeweled 2. Apart from games, the most popular download thus far is OmniFocus, the powerful productivity app from Omni Group, coming in at #4.

Forum Nokia Virtual Developer Lab (VDL) announced

DeviceAnywhere today unveiled the new Forum Nokia Virtual Developer Lab (VDL) - a remote testing service designed to dramatically reduce the time and resources required to develop, test, monitor, and deploy applications and content for Nokia handsets.

The on-line service supports the most popular Nokia devices running on the Series 40 and S60 platforms and is available globally to all members of the Forum Nokia developer community.

Forum Nokia VDL is powered by DeviceAnywhere, a revolutionary online service that provides access to real mobile handsets that are each connected to live netwo... .. .

Read more:
Forum Nokia Virtual Developer Lab - full story

Nokia: Only 3% of people recycle their mobile phones

Nokia surveyed 6,500 people in 13 countries — including Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil — to find out people's attitudes and behaviors towards recycling.

The findings highlight that despite the fact that people on average have each owned around five phones, very few of these are being recycled once they are no longer used.

Here are the highlights:

• Only 3% said they had recycled their old phone!
• However, only 4% of old devices are being thrown into landfill. 44% are being kept at homes never used, while others are either passed to friends or family (25%) or sold (16%).
• 74% of people surveyed said they don't think about recycling their phones, while about the same number of consumers (72%) think recycling makes a difference to the environment.
• Half of those surveyed didn't know phones could be recycled, with awareness lowest in India at 17% and Indonesia at 29%, and highest in the UK at 80% and 66% in Finland and Sweden.
• Two thirds said they did not know how to recycle their old phone and 71% were unaware of where to do this.

Responding to the survey findings Nokia is developing a series of campaigns and activities to give people more information on recycling. More information about Nokia's program is available from here.

Android, LiMo demos working on Nokia smartphones...

It's interesting how marketing works these days. We don't have devices yet, but we have a chance to see new mobile OSes in action working on other devices. Mentioned Android and LiMo demos are only Java ME based apps, but this forced me to ask the question: will we have a chance in the future to buy a smartphone with the mobile operating system of our choice - just like in PC world? In case of Nokia Internet Tablets it's possible to run Android (not officially, of course) - I wrote about it here. It looks that the platform is even more flexible - Nokia is actively sponsoring an Ubuntu ARM port. 

 

I'm wondering how many people would be interested in experimenting with other mobile operating systems (let's assume that we'll have a possibility to easy (re)install mobile OSes on the same device)... What's your opinion on this topic?

Bonus links:
Android API demo
Android UI demo
LiMo R1 UI demo

Google Lively: a 3D social networking/chat tool that nobody asked for !!!

If you've ever thought it would be a good idea to embed a chat widget on your web site, Google has another proposition for you: Why stop there? Why not embed a 3D environment, let users create avatars, decorate a room, and chat with one another? The company has taken the wraps off of Lively, a 3D social networking/chat service that does just that. You can create or join Lively rooms through Lively.com or you can embed rooms on any site using a small snippet of HTML code.

We got our first clue that Google was up to something in the social networking/virtual world space last year when a student at Arizona State University snapped a screenshot of the signup page for a top secret Google project. At the time we guessed that Google was building a Second Life competitor. But since it's a web-based service, it looks like Lively is more of an IMVU competitor. That should come as no surprise, since as VentureBeat points out, one of the founders of IMVU now works for Google.

Continue reading Google Lively: a 3D social networking/chat tool that nobody asked for

Which Is Faster - an Android or a LiMo?

Making good software for mobile phones is hard -- even for a technically adept company like Google. Indeed, it's so difficult that the fleet-footed champion of search advertising finds itself in the unaccustomed position of playing catch-up to normally slow-moving industry behemoths. As Google scrambles to release its mobile phone code sometime later this year, a nonprofit consortium of some of the world's biggest telecommunications companies and handset makers has quietly beaten the search giant.

Nokia reminds remaining 97% of mobile phone users to recycle old units

Before you go off to purchase that new N78, Nokia N96, or even the iPhone, have you already sat down and thought about what you'll do with the phone that you'll replace? Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. What's clear is that even if you did sit down to think about it, chances are, recycling it never occurred to you.

That's because according to the results of a global consumer survey conducted by Nokia with 6,500 people in 13 countries including Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil, only 3% of people recycle their old mobile phones, even though they have no more use for it.

The survey finds that people either never even thought of recycling, or thought of it but just didn't know how to go about it.

At first, it might not seem like such a big deal, but if you consider the fact that the estimated number of mobile phone users in the world is 3 billion, up to 240,000 tonnes of raw materials could be saved, not to mention the dramatic reduction of greenhouse gases.

This is very alarming news, and goes to show that people may not be so faithful, if not alien to the thought of saving the environment through recycling. But let's face it, recycling, per se, means giving up old stuff for the dumps so they can be turned into something new and usable again. However that means that you'd have to give up a joyous piece of tech that you maybe bought a few years ago for more than half a grand. It's not unlikely that people would rather keep their old mobile phones in dark, dusty drawers where they can always see it and say, "I bought that for $500," than bring it to a recycling plant and have a chance to save the world.

Anyway, since it's never too late to chance, you can still gather up all those unused mobile phones lying around in your home to be turned over in places like Nokia's collection points. You can start by checking out http://www.nokia.com/werecyle or communicate with the people in your community for a more focused effort.

Via Nokia

The Open Mobile Future

Recently the mobile phone market has undergone a radical transformation with an explosion of open source initiatives and projects. Here is a brief description of some of them.

Openmoko

Providing both the hardware and software, this is by far the most 'open' of all the mobile projects. Not only is the software totally open source and completely customizable, the CAD files for the physical phone are avaliable as well.

Unfortunately this phone is really only for the uber geek, since its primary value is in customizability and openness. If those aren't your main concerns, you can get a lot more for less.

Android

Created by Google for the Open Handset Alliance, Android provides what Google calls a complete mobile platform. This means that it comes with all the software needed for a mobile phone, from the kernel to the core libraries to the basic applications.

In addition to the basic Android system, the are already quite a few third party applications built, due to Google releasing the SDK early and then running the developer challange. You can find many of these early applications at helloandroid, and if you want help building you own you can visit anddev.

Aside from the current lack of actual phones, the biggest problem with Android is their implementation of Java. Instead of sticking to a Java standard, which would have allowed for possible cross-compatibility with many existing applications, they went and created their own virtual machine called Dalvik. For the reason see this article.

LiMo Foundation

As opposed to Android, the LiMo Platform does not come with any applications whatsoever. Instead, each handset manufacturer is responsible for creating all their own applications, from the most basic onward. This means that the software on LiMo phones from different manufacturers will be unique in appearance and even function.

While there is currently no SDK for the LiMo Platform, the APIs are avaliable and well documented, and the SDK is slated to come out late 2008. There are also about a dozen phones already avaliable running the LiMo Platform.

The main issue that the LiMo Foundation has is a lack of a public following and hype. While Android and Openmoko are leveraging the power of community, LiMo seems to be relying solely on the will and desire of the Foundation's companies to use LiMo for purely technical reason. In other words, no one is clamoring for LiMo and very few third parties are writing software for it.

Symbian Foundation

After all the other open source excitment, Nokia bought Symbian and announced the new Foundation which would set it free. Despite the publicity stunt feeling this gives me, most tech news sites are at the least hopeful about the new Symbian Foundation.

Because I don't really know all the details, I am just going to link to some of the more informative news articles.

First Symbian Foundation handsets due in 2010 (zdnet). Link.

Nokia buys Symbian, will open Symbian OS (linux.com). Link.

Other Important Articles

Android vs LiMo: What's the difference? Link.

Crossing the chasm with Android: Can we view disruptive initiatives like Android in the context of the existing value chain? (This is a detailed and slightly hard to read analysis of the mobile market and how android might affect change). Link.

Try out Android on the Nokia N810

If you are curious about all this new-fangled Android malarky, and happen to have one of Nokia's N810 internet tablets, why not load it up and give it a whirl?

By downloading a specially compiled and patched copy of Android and a special loading app from here you can run an Android environment as an app under the N810's own operating system.

Reportedly, the touchscreen is supported and both the web browser and Google Maps apps are fully working.

You'll need a memory card with at least 110 MB free and, of course, arelaxed attitude to bricking your N810 - although as it just runs as an app I shouldn't worry too much.

Symbian launches Symbian Partner Network

Symbian Limited launched a new partner program called Symbian Partner Network (SPN) to enable members to innovate more easily, collaborate more closely with the Symbian ecosystem and "accelerate developments with Symbian OS."

The program is designed to deliver maximum rewards to both Symbian customers and members of the Symbian Partner Network by enabling companies to efficiently develop and market products and services on the Symbian platform. Symbian customers enjoy access to the highest quality ecosystem solutions, while members make use of a range of technical, marketing and business development tools and resources, including the Symbian OS Binary Access Kit.

According to Symbian, the key benefits of the new partner program include:

• Simplified sign-up process, click-through licenses and online payment system
• Reduced annual membership fee of $1,500 (from $5,000)
• Access to SDN++ containing the SPN Zone
• Improved self-service technical support (wikis, forums, SPN Helpdesk)
• Early access to information such as technology roadmaps and other documentation
• Enhanced marketing and business development opportunities including admission to private events, such as the annual Symbian Partner Event.

More information about the Symbian Partner Network is available from here.

And before I let you go, I need to add my two cents. This doesn't effect end-users, at least not directly. The good thing, though, is that as a result of this program we could see companies from Symbian eco-system collaborating more extensively and ultimately developing better products…

South Korea wants to ship $70 billion worth of mobile phones in 2012, did $29 billion in 2007

The South Korean Ministry of Knowledge (that sounds like a totally bad ass department for a country to have) has said that by 2012 they want to export $70 billion worth of mobile phones versus $29 billion in 2007.

When I say South Korea I really mean LG and Samsung. This isn't the first time the small country has beat its chest, Samsung recently became the number 2 mobile phone manufacture in the world and LG broke a record in terms of devices shipped in a quarter for Q1 of this year. They're hungry.

[Image of Seoul via Flickr]

Is 3G a necessity for mobile phones these days?

The fact that we're seeing brand-new handsets being cooked up in R&D labs around the world without 3G radios in tow is a surprisingly sad revelation indeed. With the almighty Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 failing to give complement its 5 megapixel Kodak camera with an HSDPA data connection, we figured the 3G oversight was limited to Moto's somewhat myopic vision.

Alas, it seems Samsung has given in to making new mobile phones without any 3G guts to back up its smartphone roots. Powered by Windows Mobile Professional 6.1, the Samsung i740 brings integrated GPS, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, and 3 megapixel camera to the table. And, seeing as how WinMo's Professional-flavored mobile OS is running the show, the 2.8-inch touchscreen makes sense. But, with nary an EDGE connection to speak of, the Samsung i740 will be hobbling along at GPRS speeds. Sad, isn't it?

The decision to keep the pricier 3G chipsets out of handsets is likely motivated by both financial and demographic factors. Of course, saving a few bucks on every handset allows for larger margins. But, are handset manufacturers catering to demographics without a need for high-speed data by doing away with 3G data? And, if they are, how large a market is there for devices with pokey-slow wireless data connections?