LiMo Platform Release 1 gets loosed, R2 to come later this year

Don't look now, but mid-2008 is almost here, and for those waiting intently for the release of a LiMo SDK, you're one step closer to having your dreams realized. Announced today, the LiMo Foundation has made available what it calls the "first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices." According to Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation, the consortium is hoping that R1 will "spur rapid innovation and contributions from all LiMo members," and it's restated that software development kits for Native, WebKit and Java operating environments are set to launch during the second half of this year. Not one to sit idly, the entity has also announced that Release 2 is currently "being specified and developed," and should escape testing and greet the real world in late 2008.

Wolfenstein 3D for Nokia S60 3rd edition

Wolfenstein 3D port to S60 3rd Edition. You also need the original Wolfenstein 3D
data file - place it somewhere in the phone memory or on the memory card (the program will ask about the location of the data file when it is launched for the first time).

Free Download: wolf3d_s60v3.sis

Symbian OS just got an advanced SQL, LBS and Dobly Digital upgrade

CTIA is kick starting tomorrow and Into Mobile's own Will Park will be at the show, in the mean time Symbian just popped out 2 press releases worthy of your attention. First PR discusses Symbian's SQLite implementation, which directly correlates to their announcement back in December of last year that they [Symbian] joined the SQL Consortium, that will now go under the name of Symbian SQL. Expect devices with this technology to come out by the end of this year.

Location Based Services, otherwise known as LBS, will also be backed into the operating system therefore decreasing the time to market and complexity a manufacture would usually run into if they attempted to write an LBS implementation for their devices from scratch.

Second PR announces Dolby's entrance into the Symbian Platinum Partner Program which can only mean one thing: We're going to see phones hit the market with Dolby Mobile certification.

New Opera Mini Beta Coming Your Way

Found this info over at opera mini blog:

A new release is just around the corner! It's true! Seriously! (Check the date, it's not the 1st of April yet!) A new beta version is going to be released very soon. Even though we can't tell you about all the new cool stuff yet, we can reveal that this release will include some improvements much wanted by our users. Now, start preparing for beta testing!

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The S60 Codes to know

The codes aren't published officially by Nokia, anywhere I've seen or read, and yet they have been covered by many sites and still frequently asked for by users everywhere. A new year seemed like a good time to review these useful codes. Use these codes at your own risk. [I will not be responsible for any damage of any form]

• *#06# - IMEI (serial number).
  Structure of the IMEI:XXXXXX (TAC) XX (FAC) XXXXXX (SNR) X (SP)
  • TAC = Type approval code
  • FAC = Final assembly code
  • SNR = Serial number
  • SP = Spare
• *#0000# - Phone model, Firmware version and date
• *#7370# or *#res0# - Full phone format, wipes everything clean. Default security code 12345 until changed by the user.
• *#7780# - Phone reset, clears settings without deleting most data. Default security code 12345 until changed by the user.
• *#7370925538# or *#res0wallet# - Deleted everything in the Wallet, in case of forgotten password.
• *#92702689# or *#war0anty# - Lifetime timer, doesn't work on some older S60 devices and with older Nokias activated additional menus which has since been disabled or removed form the consumer firmware, now requiring a special Field Test firmware.
• *#2820# or *#bta0# - Displays the device's Bluetooth MAC address.
• *#62209526# or *#mac0wlan# - Displays the device's WLAN MAC address.
• [Green]+[def3]+[*+] - Fail-safe reformat, us this as a last resort if the regular format codes do not work or if the phone won't completely boot normally.

iPhone SDK beta 2 now available

I'm not sure whether to classify this as a good or a bad news for iPhone developers. On one end, the SDK beta 2 adds new functionalities and developers should be able do much more. For instance the new beta of Xcode 3.1 now includes iPhone-ready Interface Builder. Then again, weekend is coming and this may kill your chill out plans, if you had any.

Unfortunately, we still don't have the firmware version 2.0 running on our iPhones, so I guess taking a time off won't hurt anyone. If that wasn't true, we would urge you to dump the weekend plans for the benefit of the man kind, have no doubt about it.

UIQ 3.3 announced

UIQ Technology just announced a new version of its platform - UIQ 3.3. Based on Symbian OS 9.3, the new version is primarily focused on enhanced support for operator acceptance, hence the features added allow the upcoming UIQ 3.3 based phones to target broad audience. In addition, the new version brings:

• Opera Mobile 9 which guarantees full web experience
• UIQ Dashboard with (Opera) widgets support
• Unified messaging - both SMS and MMS are now under a single roof
• Java JSR 248 MSA Fullset - Mobile Services Architecture (MSA) support

Both UIQ's owners seem pleased with the new version, with Motorola's VP of Software Platforms & Ecosystem Christy Wyatt saying: "We look forward to supporting UIQ 3.3 in future mobile devices, leveraging its new capabilities to further enhance customer experiences, and working closely with UIQ to provide the essential toolsets to our developer community." On the other side, Sony Ericsson's Corporate VP and Head of PBU Open Platform Ulf Persson welcomed the release and added they are "committed to developing and delivering products on UIQ 3.3."

The Beta SDK (Software Development Kit) for UIQ 3.3 is already available for download from UIQ DevCom website.

Motorola splits in two But only in 2009

Motorola has split itself two, separating its loss-making mobile phone manufacturing division from its highly profitable broadband and mobility solutions division. Motorola really had no choice, as its weak mobile phone division was dragging the company down, despite its enterprise mobility solutions division reporting record profits of $1.2 billion in the most recent quarter, a jump of 43%. Motorola will still be selling mobile phones. However, its focus will now obviously be on its more profitable division, leaving Nokia and Samsung free to carve up the US as the company's mobile phones division simply cannot compete effectively.

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N95-1 Firmware v21 - Available

 

The latest v21 fimrware for the N95-1 is finally available via NSU after being available at Nokia Service Points for some time now. This update brings the Web Runtime support and Flash Lite 3 support to the N95; flash based video in the web browser is finally a go! The complete changelog curiously was out well ahead of the firmware itself and I had posted it here.

This firmware as always will still not be available for operator branded handsets and for some product codes; just wait and watch for now! However this will go to further sadden the hearts of N95-3 owners who are still waiting for a firmware update.

For all N95-1 users who are not prepared to wait, have a look at the unbranding and updating guide here.

The firmware changelog is listed here again: 

New features
* Flash Lite 3 support added
* Widget (Web runtime) support added
* Default year changed to 2008

Improvements
* General stability improvements.
* Pre-defined access point kept after switching to different type SIM card.
* Localization improvements.
* Standby time improvements.
* Improvements to BT headset interoperability.
* Improvement to Calendar data restoring.
* Switch from landscape to portrait mode & screen rotations improvements.

Browser
* Improvement to long text writing to web page text boxes.
* Browsing from WLAN wizard improvement.

Media Player
* Localizations improvements in Music player.
* Windows Media Player recognizes device as Nokia N95.

Gallery
* Image rotation improvement in album view.
* Gallery & Slideshow performance improvements.

Messaging
* Improvement to SMS reception.

Java
* Midlet installation improvement.
* Improvement to Java application start.
* Java midlet certificate checking improvement.

Navigation
* General improvements to Maps application.
* Localization correction to Search in Maps application.
* Improvement to Navigate To -function when started from search application.

SIM
* Contact names with accents and more than 11 characters can be copied to SIM card.

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Via: S60 Blogger

Qantas opens up SMS and email for Aussie flyers

Just days after Emirates announced plans to offer in-flight mobile connectivity, Qantas has revealed its going ahead with a plan to provide passengers with SMS and e-mail functionality on planes, also using Aeromobile kit.

The launch follows a trial which finished earlier this year. During 2008, Qantas will start rolling out the service on some domestic B767-300 and A330-200 aircraft. Aussie flyers wanting to use the service will need either a roaming-equipped GSM mobile for texting or a GPRS BlackBerry for email - voice calls aren't on the cards.

No word again on the pricing or where the service will be used. It's interesting that Qantas is only offering the service on inter-Australia flights - you'd think that longer haul trips would be more likely to induce the sort of boredom texting relieves. I wonder if it's a regulatory issue?

Why Nokia is No. 1 in India, China

Nokia is the No.1 handset vendor in India and China and Rediff has put an interesting article about why it is so. Although, I agree about its numero uno status, I never got any convincing answers about why it remains on top.

Every other brand out there has an equivalent phone to almost every Nokia model make-wise and price-wise. If you search the net there are plenty of posts about bad customer service at Nokia Care. Then there was this exploding battery thing last year.

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Yahoo pays price for good deed to Google

Almost eight years ago, Yahoo decided to lend a little startup a helping hand, featuring its search technology on the Yahoo home page and giving it money at a critical juncture.

In cutthroat Silicon Valley, no good deed goes unpunished.

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Nokia leading mobile browser wars

Despite all the talk of the iPhone being the data consumer's phone of choice, it seems Nokia is still holding its own. According to research from StatCounter, Nokia's browser has 0.15 percent of the UK browser market share (the stats take in browsers on both PCs and mobiles), with the iPhone making up 0.6 percent.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry made up 0.02 percent and SonyEricsson has 0.01 percent. In the US, it's a different story - there, the iPhone is beating Nokia with 0.18 percent to 0.01 percent respectively. However, globally, Nokia is way out in front with 0,25 percent compared to the 0.06 percent that the iPhone has.

While the US stats don't look good for Nokia, it's worth remembering that it's one of the markets where Nokia hasn't traditionally been the number one. That said, the iPhone's performance should be more than enough to worry the Finnish manufacturer, when the numbers of iPhones and Nokia handsets in use throughout the world are compared.

Google Maps for mobile, now on UIQ3

Take the power of Google Maps with you on your mobile phone -- now available as a native client on UIQ3. Running on both Sony Ericsson and Motorola phones based on Symbian and UIQ, Google Maps for mobile has features like 'My Location' and touch navigation on the map, so you'll know where you are, what's around you, and how to get there. To download the free application, navigate to www.google.com/gmm on your mobile browser.

Android, Schmandroid: Linux on the iPhone

Apple has been battling renegade Linux hackers, upgrading the iPhone's firmware every time they hack into the device. "It has been a little bit of an arms war," said Saurik, aka Jay Freeman. Will things change now that Apple has opened up its SDK to developers, welcoming the gaming community and targeting the enterprise space?

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Apple iPhone has hidden screenshot utility - who knew?

Why were we fussing around with third-party screenshot utilities all this time? Probably because there wasn't anyway to enable the hidden screenshot function in iPhone firmwares v1.1.3 and after.

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FOMA™ NM705i launched today is based on Symbian OS

Symbian Limited today welcomes NTT DoCoMo's launch of the FOMA NM705i, which commenced shipping in Japan today.

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New V21.0.016 Nokia N95 firmware

A new N95 classic firmware has been released. Here is the changelog from Symbian-freak.

New features
* Flash Lite 3 support added
* Widget (Web runtime) support added
* Default year changed to 2008

Improvements
* General stability improvements.
* Pre-defined access point kept after switching to different type SIM card.
* Localization improvements.
* Standby time improvements.
* Improvements to BT headset interoperability.
* Improvement to Calendar data restoring.
* Switch from landscape to portrait mode & screen rotations improvements.

Browser
* Improvement to long text writing to web page text boxes.
* Browsing from WLAN wizard improvement.

Media Player
* Localizations improvements in Music player.
* Windows Media Player recognizes device as Nokia N95.

Gallery
* Image rotation improvement in album view.
* Gallery & Slideshow performance improvements.

Messaging
* Improvement to SMS reception.

Java
* Midlet installation improvement.
* Improvement to Java application start.
* Java midlet certificate checking improvement.

Navigation
* General improvements to Maps application.
* Localization correction to Search in Maps application.
* Improvement to Navigate To -function when started from search application.

SIM
* Contact names with accents and more than 11 characters can be copied to SIM card.

South Korea now allows the sale of foreign made mobile phones

Filed under "Things I didn't know," up until now if you lived in South Korea you could only buy South Korean made mobile devices. As early as this year the big three mobile operators, SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom, are looking to start selling devices made by Apple, Nokia and Sony Ericsson. South Korea choose CDMA as opposed to the world standard GSM, but with the transition to WCDMA they can now support any standard 3G mobile phone.

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Samsung Miniskirt Season 2: It's Not What You Think

You horndog! You just want to see some pretty Korean girls in short mini-skirts, don't you? Well, it seems that Samsung is willing to fulfill those wishes, but they've got to promote some of their products too, right? Strangely enough, the Samsung Miniskirt Season 2 has nothing to do with fashion, per se, but that's the actual name of the new slider cell phone.

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S60 Ambassador program now open

The S60 Ambassador program is open for applicants again. No geographical limitations this time around. If you own an S60-based phone, you are in. Sign up here!

This is the 3rd and hopefully final pilot before we get the new S60 Ambassador website launched.

Widsets 2.0 beta now available

The Widsets 2.0 beta site recently went live which means you can now download and test the latest version of the Widsets client. New features include better integration between Widsets and the rest of the device including the ability to initiate a phone call or open a browser window. Widsets is a way to get web content on your mobile via widgetisation.

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Google syas "Android will outsell Apple iPhone"

Google has been taking a swipe at fellow mobile operating system purveyors Apple. According to IT Week, at a conference last week, Google's mobile platforms manager Rich Miner said:

"Once you have devices out there from Motorola, HTC, Samsung, and so on, there's a much larger potential market on Android than for the iPhone. There's a single manufacturer, it's targeted at a particular demographic, and it falls far short of the 1 billion mobile phones sold every year worldwide."

Miner probably has a point here: the Android platform is going to be available to any number of device manufacturers making both high and low end devices. As a result, there's definitely a far larger potential market for Android. But, that said, Apple's iPhone was never a mass-market play - it was always going to be aimed at those with a bit of cash to spend - so the two aren't necessarily rivals to start with.

As a footnote, it's not all trash-talking: Miner also said if he were a developer, he'd be working on both platforms.

Skype For Linux Goes 2.0, Gets Video Calling

Skype for Linux has just reached 2.0 status, bringing to it free video calling (interoperable with Mac and PC users) and other features that we've seen on other platforms already. Does it bring free video chats with a hot blonde called Tricia McMillan? We'd totally switch to Linux for that. [ Skype ]

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Google Gears for Mobile

Mobile Apps Get a Shot In The Arm with  Google Gears for Mobile

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