Mobile Updates: April 2012

30 April 2012

My Nokia Blog

Firefox 12 for Nokia N9 available at Nokia Store
Nokia Lumia 900, Pre-Order at Amazon UK
Finnish MP’s Nokia E7s breaking often?
Small update for Belle – improves Qt app stability
Nitroid for N9 updated: Alpha release #3
N9 Vs Lumia 800 – Random Functions (Notes, Audio Recording, Calculator) #MeegoVSWP
Lumiappaday #166: 3D Akranoid demoed on the Nokia Lumia 800
Nokia 808 PureView available for Pre-Order, Singapore?
Nokia Lumia 900, available for pre-order at KPN Netherlands.
Indiagames, first developer to reach 100M at Nokia Store

Firefox 12 for Nokia N9 available at Nokia Store

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 08:19 PM PDT

Apologies that I missed this the first time around when it was shared a couple of days ago. My schedule is getting rather busy all over again.

Anyway, as you can see from incognito’s screenshot, he now has FireFox mobile 12 on his Nokia N9. Timo says this is available at Nokia Store and incognito said it was able to install without the need for uninstallation.

For those that have updated, how have you found FireFox 12 so far?

Cheers Timo & incognito

Nokia Lumia 900, Pre-Order at Amazon UK

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 04:27 PM PDT

There’s a product listing at Amazon UK for the Nokia N9. It suggests a date availability for May 15th, priced at £479.99.

Nokia Lumia 900 – Amazon

Given the price of Amazon’s other Lumias, it suggests you may be able to find it slightly cheaper directly from phone retailers, some of which actually sell the handset unlocked WITH a SIM. You’ll just have to check before purchase first as that might end up cheaper for you instead.

Cheers Prashant for the tip.

Finnish MP’s Nokia E7s breaking often?

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 04:20 PM PDT

A smartphone, despite all of its advertised features, must do the core applications people rely on flawlessly. Keyboard, email, calendar, browser, and all other aspects of the phone as generally stable, reliable, and quick to use.

A story on iltalehti.fi yesterday points to some phones used by Finnish MPs whose phones never worked properly.

Freezing
Keyboard failures
something that got translated as ‘charging contact failure’
calendar
email problems etc

http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2012042915505136_du.shtml

The translator is rather hard to follow. If you’re lucky enough to understand Finnish, you can click that link above for yourself.

These phones, in the hands of Finnish members of parliament, have been replaced countless of times and some seem to have gone and bought themselves their own phones that would work. It seems only in the last update with Belle have things began to work properly but that might be too little too late.

Nokia mobile phones has been a huge amount of bugs. That has been discussed many times among my colleagues. Either the telephone or was not broken, then the properties were poor. Now that I got a new software update, E 7 has finally begun to work properly.

Although the E7 was capable of many awesome things, the underlying S^3 made it problematic. As I replied to a user a couple of days ago, initially, it seemed like an ok experience.

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/04/27/nokia-number-2/comment-page-2/#comment-562663

But over time, I don’t know why, things eventually break requiring a hard reset for maintenance. There shouldn’t have to be any special way we would have to interact with our phone to minimise the need for hard reset. Things should just work. My N8 unfortunately after a month or so, started locking up, freezing, mails not opening (or taking ages to open) and my HD games crashing or not starting up at all. The keyboard was a sad affair, though E7 users are saved from this as they have a physical keyboard. The browser was always an unfortunate experience given that Nokia had spoilt me with MicroB and promised they would do better than this for Symbian – even with the latest iteration, they have not.

Belle FP1 seems to have changed things a lot for the better and were this what N8 came with in April 2010 when first announced, or even October when it was available, perhaps things could have been much different for Nokia.

BTW, was any hardware problems mentioned? My N8 is now not working and I still haven’t managed to get to the awkwardly located repair place.

Source: iltalehti.fi

Cheers Janne for the tip

Small update for Belle – improves Qt app stability

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 04:10 PM PDT

Not quite sure what this is but we got sent a screenshot saying there’s a minor update for Belle that improves the stability of Qt.

Anyone noticed this yet?

Thanks for the tip and screenshot Tuomas.

Nitroid for N9 updated: Alpha release #3

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT

There’s an update to Nitdroid for Nokia N9. Quite a lot of things shifted to the ‘working’ section since I was last looking at the project.

Working:
- based on Android Open-Source Project (AOSP) v 4.0.4_r1.2 (IMM76I)
- Google Applications (GApps), PlayStore (Android Market)
- dualboot kernel (without reflashing), ability to choose OS after power on.
- N950 supported (see http://forum.nitdroid.com/index.php?topic=134.0)
- 3D drivers, OpenGL, hwrotation
- touchscreen (multitouch)
- hw buttons (volume, power)
- ECI accessory (headset buttons)
- USB networking
- lcd off in sleep mode, electron beam effect (demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFMTofYt_2g)
- alarm driver, RTC
- mounting MyDocs as “SDCard” [realized; NOT FIXED, but HACK EXISTS]
- basic video decoding (sw) and playback, youtube
- wifi (only basic functionality: able to connect to AP, linkspeed/RSSI (signal strength) indication. no tethering).
- basic CellMo functionality: network registration, USSD, SMS, data (GPRS/EDGE/3G), signaling. Actually, ofono/ofono-ril stack is used: all things that it able to do on the n900. “Roaming problem” seems to be fixed (please, confirm).
- bluetooth (scanning, can pair devices. I’m able to send files between SGS2 and N9. Rapoo keyboard – ok. I didn’t test deeper.).
- reliable charging, battery status. Battery information at system level (you can use third-part apps for battery/charging monitoring)
- sensors: accelerometer
- audio: playback (audio routing to: loudspeaker, headset or earpiece), jack switch in kernel (h2w), preliminary microphone support (voicesearch, shazam/soundhound – ok)
- lights HAL (lcd brightness)
- fakeGPS (ability to trick system and set any location as GPS fix), no real GPS support yet!
- root access (via adb shell; su/Superuser.apk)

a lot of minor and major bugfixes since alpha_2.

Known bugs:
- little gfx glitch while horizontal scrolling.

http://forum.nitdroid.com/index.php?topic=335.0

Cheers Morpog for the tip

N9 Vs Lumia 800 – Random Functions (Notes, Audio Recording, Calculator) #MeegoVSWP

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 01:24 PM PDT

Apologies in the large gap between the last comparison and this one; but I’ve been swamped with midterms and now finals in a couple of weeks, so many things going on so little time to nap. Anyways today’s comparison is basically a look at the preloaded functions and capabilities of each device when it comes down to random everyday things that you usually don’t consider while purchasing a device.

What’s covered:

Alarms- As I mentioned I find both alarms a nuisance to use simply because it takes to much effort to set something so simple, the Lumias is quicker to set due to the presence of an AM/PM toggle; but the double confirmation usually leads to me forgetting the second one and missing the alarm all together. (I know I’m over-complicating things but I’m really a Lazy person so forgive me.)
Notes- Notes on both devices are great and extremely functional, much more functional than Symbian, Android or iOS; bringing an almost Office/Word experience to your phone. The ability to sync your notes online practically got rid of any need for Evernote for me; but the downside is that it appears to require an internet network to save any form of note. (not sure about that.)
Audio Recording- This might not be high on many people’s lists but it’s important for me as a student- and the fact that it wasn’t included by default on either device is a real shame (also there doesn’t seem to be an option to record phone conversations either), but thankfully there are 3rd party applications to cover that shortcoming on both devices.
*Note: although you can add audio notes to the Notes app in WP it doesn’t really count as it’s not a standalone app and it can’t record while the screen is locked.
Calendar- Calendars are pretty straight forward and simple on both devices (a bit more-so on the N9); but to be honest I’m not the sort of person who jots down everything on his calendar, usually just Exams and flights- and hardly any are synced through Gmail or any other Email service so can’t give an honest opinion there.
Calculators- I love the WP calculator on the Lumia as it’s not just one nor two calculators but actually three (Props to Kunwar91 for tipping me off in the Youtube comments section); the Lumia actually has a normal basic calculator in Portrait mode, and two different ones depending if you rotate it right or left (Trignometric & Complex Decimals).
Actually I saw this image online today and thought it fit my post perfectly:

Added bonus that it's a WP; shame it's not a Lumia :/

Wifi Tethering: As mentioned it’s ready out of the box on the N9 and should be coming soon to the 800 (and 710)- if you’d like to check it out on WP just check the video of L900 hand’s on from MWC

I think that’s about it; as mentioned HOPEFULLY I can push out another video or two comparing Location/Maps services as well as one about Telephony as soon as I grab my brothers sim from his iPhone; if not sorry but I got finals coming up and then some Vacay time.

Cheers.

Lumiappaday #166: 3D Akranoid demoed on the Nokia Lumia 800

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 10:47 AM PDT

3D Akranoid is another version of a block breaker ‘Arkanoid’ game. This one is in 3D more than most, though the game is not so much about having that paddle and catching the ball, but more like whack-a-mole as you only need to tap the bricks to engage the ball to smash them. You have to do destroy all the bricks before they cross the white line. The whole game can rotate all the way around

#166) 3D Akranoid

Price: Free

Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-GB/apps/7c71d608-afbc-4931-b08e-f2d9673454a4

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU4CpSr75kI&feature=youtu.be

Developer Blurb:

Inspired by 2d classics like breakout/arkanoid, but based on unique 3d gameplay and smoothly rendered with amazing graphics, realistic 3d physics.

Infinite levels with progressive difficulty. How far can you go?

Real-time global leaderboards and unlimited fun!

Very small download (less than 8 Mb!) and completely free to play!

Rating:

Design: 7

Usability: 8

Performance: 8

Price: 10

Nokia 808 PureView available for Pre-Order, Singapore?

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 03:13 AM PDT

This flier was supposedly snapped in Singapore indicating pre-order availabilities. It doesn’t exactly tell me where though. You get a free Bluetooth headset apparently (though the printer didn’t quite reach and it says Headse)

Staff at the Nokia store didn’t dare quote me a price or a firm date of release. They were also unable to confirm if the phone will be available through a service provider.

Most likely, official retailers for Singapore may be updated at the main site:

http://www.nokia.com/sg-en/products/phone/808/

Thanks Muhammad ‘Jon Jon’ Zahari for the tip!

Nokia Lumia 900, available for pre-order at KPN Netherlands.

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 03:06 AM PDT

Quick heads up: The Nokia Lumia 900 is available for pre-order in the Netherlands through KPN, which mitun tells us is the largest operator with KPN. Owning the brands Hi, Telfort, combined they make a biggest telecom brand apparently.

http://www.kpn.com/mobiel/alle-telefoons/Nokia-Lumia-900.prod?VerlengFee=no&AboType=&sku=991594&SpeechSubscriptionSku=980281&AddonSubscriptionSkus=

Cheers mitun for the tip!

Indiagames, first developer to reach 100M at Nokia Store

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 03:00 AM PDT

I thought it would have been Pico Brothers since they were reportedly close and on the road to 100M, but UTV Indiagames, part of the Walt Disney Company is actually the first at Nokia Store to surpass 100M downloads.

Congratulations guys! 100M is a huge number of downloads. Developing markets are apparently going mad for localised content that are very accessible on Nokia Platforms. Indiagames will soon launch for WP, bringing both current and new games.

http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/04/26/indiagames-hits-100-million-downloads/

Cheers Cocco Bill for the tip!

GSM Dome - Mobile Phone News

Control Your Android Smartphone Using the PC: Here’s How, With the AirDroid App!
Mystery Samsung Galaxy S III Countdown Appears on Russian Official Website
BlackBerry 10 Developer Phone Gets Pictured, Get a Free One at BlackBerry Jam
iPhone Pro Concept Features a 3D Camera, Detachable DSLR Lens
Nokia Lumia 900 Price Listed on Amazon UK, Clove Also Drops its Price For the Model

Control Your Android Smartphone Using the PC: Here’s How, With the AirDroid App!

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 04:09 PM PDT

If you want to access the bulk of the functions on your smartphone via the PC, there’s an app called AirDroid that you may be interested in. In order to use it you’ll have to use a smartphone and PC that rely on the same wireless network.

All you need to do is download the app on the handset, start it and you’ll see an address and password. Insert that on the PC browser and login with that password and you’re all set. There’s a nice UI available and all the options one could dream of available and handy. We have real time info about the phone shown here, stuff like battery level, GSM or WiFi signal strength, available storage and more. Even the texts and calls can be accessed through this UI and you can even answer the texts, a very cool feature.

The media playback is supported as well, so you can listen to your favourite songs on the phone easily and move pics and other files, if you want. You can also control apps by uninstalling them, installing or exporting .APK files. AirDroid is in beta phase and there were no glitches found just yet. All you need is patience if you want to copy a large amount of data. You can download AirDroid from here.

Mystery Samsung Galaxy S III Countdown Appears on Russian Official Website

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 12:49 PM PDT

And here’s another teaser, this time appearing on the official Samsung Russia website. They posted a countdown to a mystery day, that doesn’t seem to mean anything, since it shows a date that’s 6 days from now. This is not May 3rd, the date when Samsung will announce the flagship phone…

I tend to believe it’s a mistake or something, since the countdown keeps resetting if you refresh the page and stays at around 6 days and a couple of hours. This could be a puzzle, just like the name of the page where Samsung posted the teaser for its new phone on Monday. Once again those mystery spots in blue and white appear, looking like some shiny fluid or sorts. Maybe Samsung Russia will hold its own launch event for the Galaxy S III or maybe they’ll start selling the device on May 5th….

Anyway, if you can figure the mystery of the countdown, you can post the solution in the comments area below. I’d say it’s a mistake if I didn’t know that Samsung likes to tease and mess with the minds of their fans.

BlackBerry 10 Developer Phone Gets Pictured, Get a Free One at BlackBerry Jam

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 06:03 AM PDT

Next week BlackBerry Jam will start in Orlando and it will gather all developers and BB OS enthusiasts. Also, developers will be lucky enough to receive a special developer phone like the one pictured below. What you see here is the BlackBerry 10 Developer Alpha device that people at BB Jam will get.

There will be a lot of talk about the BB 10 OS, apps and the compatibility with Android applications. The CrackBerry forums are the source of these leaks, mainly Crackberry member Trippin. This is an early development device, an alpha unit that won’t ever go on sale. BlackBerry World is just days away and rumors said previously that RIM internal development phones are supposed to look like Mini PlayBooks, which is not the case here. BlackBerry Dev Alpha is also rumored to be the BlackBerry Colt model, that’s been speculated on in the past.

The good thing about this prototype is that RIM may take it into account when launching their next Bold/Curve/Torch model. We’re certainly waiting to see what they can do in the full touch dual core/quad core area, if they really intend to evolve on the smartphone market…

iPhone Pro Concept Features a 3D Camera, Detachable DSLR Lens

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 02:54 AM PDT

If you ever imagined the iPhone as a DSLR machine, then your wet dream is finally turning into reality. Meet the iPhone Pro, a concept phone with a sleek design, a 3D camera and a special mount for a detachable DSLR lens. Designer Choi Jinyoung is responsible with this design, that gave birth to a fantastic concept product.

The iPhone Pro comes with a 4.5 inch edge to edge display, a 1.2 megapixel 3D camera and a mount for variable DSLR lenses. The same mount can host a removable hard disk and even a projector accessory. The device is merely 9.6mm thick and its design looks like a combo between the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4S model. That separate camera sensor is also pretty impressive, but hopefully it won’t be too heavy, as it looks so in the pics. I guess that top notch photo processing would also require a brand new CPU, so maybe this would need the Apple A6 quad core CPU.

In the end I’d like to ask you if you’d buy such a device. We all know that the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are the top Flickr “cameras” for a while now, so imagine what a model like this would produce. Canon and Nikon would have a serious rival here and maybe they could get involved in this idea by launching their own accessory.

Nokia Lumia 900 Price Listed on Amazon UK, Clove Also Drops its Price For the Model

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 02:24 AM PDT

Nokia Lumia 900′s release in the UK may have been delayed, but at least the May 14th date is staying still. Know that the black Lumia 900 has appeared on Amazon.co.uk for preorder and know that it’s offered SIM-free with about $780. No trace of cyan or white models just yet.

The shipping info of the handset says that the phone is due for release on May 14th 2012, but I can’t really guarantee it will ship on that date. At least delivery in the UK is free with Amazon’s Super Saver Delivery. Amazon and retailer Clove are the ones that will allow you to purchase the Lumia 900 from them. Clove’s preorder price for the unlocked Windows Phone unit is about $745, so it’s more appealing than the Amazon offer. Originally, the phone was supposed to launch on April 27th in the country, but it was pushed to May 14th because of high demand in the USA.

You may also want to know that Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder said that the Lumia 900 is superior to any Android model out there and that he loves the design an UI. So, are you going to get one of these 4.3 inch smartphones with 8 MP camera, Windows Phone Mango, 16GB storage, 512MB of RAM and 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU?