Jul 23
Apple has been putting the antenna of the N97 Mini to test in a recently uploaded video that shows the signal bars on the Symbian smart phone dropping from a full 7 down to 2 bars just by being held in the hand. While this may seem like collaborative evidence to the argument that Apple is presenting, they are taking the whole concept out of context.
Sure, looking at the video might seem like Apple was right all along. But many are forgetting the fact that the Nokia N97 Mini has been out since last 2009. That has given Nokia owners more than enough time to air whatever possible complaints they may have. So far, the only issues that Nokia has had to contend with are some firmware freezing issues that were easily resolved (most likely left over from the more unstable firmware on the original non-mini Nokia N97).
Simply put, the N-series handset does not suffer from the antennagate issue. Never has Nokia ever needed to pull an emergency press conference to explain their handsets, nor does the N97 Mini need to be used with a casing to work properly.
The biggest clincher would have to be the fact that even if the signal drops to a lower bar, it is not enough to drop calls. Maybe, bringing the N97 Mini to a very low reception area might suffice for a dropped call. But in almost a year of use, N97 Mini owners has never had a problem with dropped calls (else they would be openly complaining about it).
Apple presents a very intriguing argument for anyone who is not too familiar with the facts and the nature of the problem. And in that regard, they would succeed. But misdirection can only go so far –particularly when they are dealing with devices that are already tried and tested.
Jul 06
While Nokia is still sorting out what to do with the whole Symbian-MeeGo thing on the N-series, the development of the Nokia N9 smart phone continues. And from what we have seen in the initial leaks and videos, no matter what name Nokia decides to give to the N9, it will be one smart phone to look forward to.
The biggest thing about the Nokia N9 that we are certainly excited about is that focus on HD video. The device supports not only an HDMI output port, but it can even hook up to a component cable (which is not as nice as HD, but a welcome feature for anyone who has yet to upgrade their living room telly). Of course, the onboard 8 mega pixel camera is able to take high quality images and more importantly, video is 720p HD quality too. No details yet on how big the internal memory will be for this smart phone, but regardless of the memory space, users would certainly want to use the more versatile microSD cards instead.
The screen is reported to be a 4 inch capacitive touch screen display using nHD 640 x 360 pixels (not quite the 800 x 480 pixel screens on other handsets, but the nHD is a nice touch). For those wondering what nHD means, it refers to the fact that the aspect ratio is exactly proportionate to that of a 1080p display –in this case, one third.
As with most N-series devices, the N900 sports a nice, flat, slide out QWERTY keyboard. The buttons seem even better spaced than before and this would certainly improve the typing experience for many users.
The big clincher in the latest update is that the N9 might just be a MeeGo handset after all. Despite the initial videos showing the device running the Symbian^3 OS, it is possible that Nokia might decide to turn the phone into the very first MeeGo smart phone.
Jul 02
Nokia and Intel’s latest creation, the MeeGo operating system has been confirmed to be set for an October unveiling. Should this latest report be true and the other rumors about upcoming mobile platforms push through, there will plenty of things to look forward to once October comes around: the first Windows Phone 7 handsets, MeeGo unveiling and possibly, the launch of the Android 3.0 Gingerbread OS.
Anyway, going back to the MeeGo, this new mobile platform is actually the combination of Intel’s Moblin and the Nokia Maemo, both are mobile platforms designed with smart phone users in mind (though the OS can be used in other devices too). With the slight success of the Maemo on the Nokia N900, it is possible that the same community that supported Maemo would also be supporting the upcoming MeeGo OS.
In the meanwhile, Nokia has already announced that the N-series would now be making use of the MeeGo OS. The upcoming Nokia N8 smart phone will be the last N-series handset to make use of the Symbian operating system. Despite this announcement, recently leaked images and videos of a device that has been tagged as the Nokia N9 showcase the Symbian^3 mobile platform –which is not what most people expected to see.
Close ups of the device clearly show that the handset is labeled as the “C0-00”, but the software indicates that it is an “N00 Model”. With Nokia not yet making an official announcement regarding the images and videos, it has yet to be confirmed if the device is indeed the N9.
Developers are now being enticed by Nokia and Intel to help develop and support the new MeeGo OS. The platform, despite being co-developed by Intel will be compatible with both Intel and ARM made processors. This will make the MeeGo easier to adapt to other phone manufacturers.
Feb 05
For those who are wondering why they have not heard much about the Symbian operating system in the past few weeks, it is because the mobile platform has been sitting deep in the sidelines ever since the news about the Bada and the Maemo came out.
Originally, Finnish manufacturer Nokia is the foremost supporter of the Symbian Foundation (they are a part of it), but despite the manufacturer’s close ties to the developers, it did not stop them from adapting a completely new and different OS for their main N-series line. While Nokia’s sales are not dependent on the N-series, that line of mobile phones does represent the company’s best achievements in terms of mobile innovation and technology –these phones are the face of Nokia’s brand.
Last year, rumors about Nokia and Samsung dropping the Symbian OS spread like wildfire when it was announced that the N-series would be using only the Maemo OS from then on.
Nokia was quick to deny the allegations that they would be dropping their long time partner and announced that they will continue to use the Symbian OS. Another major phone manufacturer, Sony Ericsson, continues to produce high end Symbian devices such as the Vizaz and the Kanna.
Now, it has been announced that the Symbian will become an open source platform and will be offering developers so much more access to the system code and specifications. Originally, the Symbian was to shift to open source in four month’s time. It appears that financial and marketing factors have forced the foundation to play their hand earlier. Statistics show that the Symbian is continuously losing its market share in the mobile phone industry while its main competitor, the Google Android, is continuously growing.
Read more about the Symbian OS and the market analysis of the Android and Symbian’s market shares at the Times Online UK.
Oct 06
One of Nokia’s most well known mobile phone lines is the N-Series. This series has seen many of Nokia’s flag bearing mobile devices. Though this series is also notorious for producing some of Nokia’s odd novelty phones, most of the models on this line are solid and excellent phones that work well and generally look good. Two particular models, the N900 and N97 are well known in the mobile community for being really good mobile phones.
N-Series and Symbian
As with all models in Nokia, the N-series utilizes Symbian software technology. This is a Java based programming technology that is developer friendly and is easy to use for many application developers. The current Symbian community is comprised of developers, both independent and corporate with varying skill levels and interests who are constantly contributing to the pool of resources that will further enhance using Symbian technology.
The N900 and PUSH
Nokia recently started the PUSH program for the N900 of the N-series. PUSH encourages developers, hackers and other programmers to tap into the vast potential of the N900 and encourages them to look for new possibilities, develop new apps and even find security risks and vulnerabilities. This is a very wise move for Nokia since it allows them to test their system in a level not achievable within the capabilities of most manufacturers. The creation of third party software is also encouraged because developers feel the support of the company throughout the programming process.
The Future of the N-Series
The N-Series is composed mostly of smart phones that focus greatly on having a wide variety of applications and ever progressive software. PUSH also allows Nokia to get a really good look at the side of the consumer market that is rarely seen by corporate marketing studies. Client created content is truly making the world of mobile technology different.
