29 June 2012

My Nokia Blog

My Nokia Blog

Unleash The Phones’ Nokia 808 PureView Review

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 08:56 PM PDT

Hello MNB Readers!

Our friend Clinton Jeff (CJ) over at Unleash The Phones has posted his excellent Nokia 808 PureView review aptly titled “Ye Giant Nokia 808 Pureview Review”. He covers the software and hardware ins and outs of the 808 PureView, a host of UI screenshots and provides picture and video samples from the groundbreaking, make you spit out your coffee, blink twice and check the EXIF data in disbelief, 41MP Sensor on the 808 PureView.  The video samples are excellent, especially demonstrating zoom, low light and Rich Recording in various environments.

The review weighs in at 7800 words and is a worthy read with CJ starting off by saying:

Symbian's last stand. And the mobile OS is going down fighting. So in the spirit of one of my, Ye Giant Reviews, here's what I thought, of the last homegrown Nokia.

and goes on to say…

No doubt the camera is the most talked-about feature of the 808, it flat out beats anything on the market, and in good lighting even matches some entry level DSLRs, nevermind point-and-shoots. That zoom alone is worth the price tag. Then there's the Xenon Flash and that level of detail. Gah.

 

I don’t want to spoil the review for you so head right over, just know that no amount of throwing money at the screen or sliding your credit card between the keys on the keyboard will make the 808 appear next to you! :)

Thank you for choosing MyNokiaBlog!

Source: UnleaseThePhones

Lumiappaday #226: Flickr demoed on the Nokia Lumia 900

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:33 AM PDT

Here’s a look at the Flickr App for your Lumia. I’ve only been using Flickr recently and so I’ve only just been using the app (though it was on my 800 pretty much since I’ve had it).

It’s quite well made and works pretty decently over 3G connection (though snappier on WiFi).

BTW we have a flickr page here:

- Account http://www.flickr.com/photos/mynokiablog

- Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mynokiablog 

#226) Flickr 

Price:  Free

Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/2e49fb07-592b-e011-854c-00237de2db9e

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbk_RlcmJVw

Developer Blurb:

 

Official Flickr Windows Phone App. The best way to share your life in photos – now on your Windows Phone. Take beautiful photos with our in-app camera and instantly uploaded them to Flickr. Keep up with your family and friends through recent activity on Flickr and comment or favorite the images they share with you.

 

Features:

- Take high-quality photos directly from the in-app camera.

- Share the story behind your photo with titles, descriptions, comments and tags.

- Share photos only with the people you want with easy privacy settings.

- Full screen browsing and slideshows for your photos, your contacts’ photos or any of the public photos from the global Flickr community.

- See the most interesting Flickr photos, galleries and photos around you with our Explore module.

- Pin additional Live Tiles to your Start screen for quick access to the in-app camera, contacts’ activity, and your photostream.

Rating:

Design: 9

Usability: 8

Performance: 9 

Price: 10

Nokia RM-839/840/841 leaked at navifirm

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT

 

New on Navifirm are devices whose codes are RM-839/840/841.

These might be symbian devices. The core platform is BB5 for the RM-840/841 and it’s saying unknown for RM-839.

We may get to see these devices announced at the summer Nokia event, Nokia Connection.

Regards:
Prashant.

Risto Siilasmaa interview on HS.Fi – board of directors fully trusts Stephen Elop

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:22 AM PDT

Joni has been most kind again and sent us some more snippets from key Nokia personnel recently interviewed.

This first part is from the new Chairman at Nokia, Risto Siilasmaa who says the board are fully behind the current strategy.

  • Elop has been partly criticized too heavily.
  • It is totally impossible to measure CEO´s success in the short run with economical measures, because Nokia´s difficulties in smartphones started already in 2008.
  • Despite of that, in the long run economical result, competitiveness and feasibility are the only things crucial to CEO.
  • Stephen has brought a more open corporate culture to Nokia, where difficult subjects are treated together.
  • Stephen Elop has operated extremely well because he has brought a lot of people to make decisions.
  • He engourages employees to give critical feedback and make products better.
  • Board of Directors fully trust him.
I believe this may be the link:

Joni also mentioned a follow up to some questions to Stephen Elop:

The headline is: Do You regret decisions you have made, Stephen Elop?

  • During the last 1,5 year there has been situations, where we have estimated how the market will change. On certain issues we might  have done differently if we knew  that our industry is changing fast, even faster than nobody expected.
  • One example is price drop in Android Phones in China. It has been so quick that in the short run our situation has become more difficult.
  • Always, when it is difficult to make forecasts about future, situation is tricky. I always regret when we face this.

Here’s Reuter’s report on this story:

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/us-nokia-chairman-idINBRE85R0WY20120628

Cheers Joni for the tip!

SymbianApps: Sonic Unlock : unlock your Symbian phone with Voice on Nokia N8

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 07:58 AM PDT

This is a pretty awesome video on two grounds. First, what the app itself does, but more so because it’s the first time I’ve ever heard ‘s voice on video. I thought that was pretty cool since we’ve seen hundreds of his videos but I’ve not heard him speak yet (or at least I don’t think I did).

Anyway, onto the app itself. Something voice related, hence  speaking (I was wondering how he would demo this silently, but I was pleasantly surprised!). It is a voice controlled unlocker. Unlock your phone with a predefined recording.

Video by  from Nokia-Touch.fr

 

Nokia WP8 proto spotted again

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:57 AM PDT

This news is coming from the TechEd conference where a Nokia representative is hold a Nokia’s WP8 prototype device.
Well the prototype device is same as we saw at Microsoft Summit on June 20 2012, you can see the snap below if you haven’t seen it:

The snap taken of prototype device at Microsoft Summit:

This is the snap taken at the conference:

At the TechEd conference someone took a picture of the prototype device from Nokia running WP8.

Have to admit that the prototype device looks ugly;  it’s really thick, the curves are not too impressive, overall design is just basic and we don’t expect this design in the upcoming Nokia phones. And the point is still the second screen (the app list) is not shown in the photo, it was just the new start screen of the WP8.

Source: www.wp7.nl

Elop interviewed at Aamulehti, more PureView, more location, more differentiation.

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:27 AM PDT

 

Joni emailed in an interview with Elop by the Finnish newspaper, Aamulehti. I believe the online link is here but it is not the full article (I think it recommends to read the printed magazine).

http://www.aamulehti.fi/cs/Satellite?c=AMArticle_C&childpagename=KAL_newssite%2FAMLayout&cid=1194750476414&p=1194626958999&pagename=KALWrapper

Questions are in bold, Elop’s reply in block quotes.

Summary:

  • PureView in future Nokia
  • Nokia can bring much more to location than maps and navigation to its products
  • Samsung as an Android competitor may be too strong for Nokia (but some how as a WP competitor, Samsung is not?? :/)
  • Allowing MS to focus on software lets Nokia focus on the ways  they can differentiate.
  • There may be more user end features in WP7.8 unique to Nokia
The way PureView for future devices is reiterated, I can’t help but prepare myself for upcoming disappointment if it doesn’t appear this year on the Lumia phones. Now, we know the original time frame put Lumia PureView for 2013, but we need this ASAP. Differentiate in imaging, location, user experience (vs Droids).
Speaking of droid differentiation, did anyone notice how Android now has the Windows Phone gallery swipe from the camera view finder? It also has improved notifications like Nokia Air promo. This is yet another example of Android’s Borg like integration of features from other companies. It’s how it swiftly adapts to the changing market; what’s good, what’s not good, where to go that keeps it growing. We need to see Nokia and Microsoft be much more flexible and adaptable to the market.

- 2/3 of Lumia development is in Finland
- apologises that Nokia has to make decisions that are not fair from
employees standpoint.

Do You regret Burning Platform -memo?

- It was a leak, so there was more publicity than i expected. Part of
my style is that every employee knows everything possible about the
situation of the company. We had to act quickly. Thousands of
employees had new tasks in order to have the  first Lumia phones ready
in six months. We wouldn´t have current knowledge  if Lumia was a tiny
secret project.

Why Windows Phone is better solution than Android, Meego or Symbian?

- It´s a battle of ecosystems. There is a lot of Android phones in a
shop, but take three steps back and you won´t notice a difference.
Samsung is doing well with Android, but not the other manufacturers.
We estimated that it would have happended to us too.

Why Nokia doesn´t develop its own platform?

- The added value is not in the basic functions of the OS. For example
In Tampere we have developed PureView Technology, and you might see
that technology in future models too.
- Our current operation model is much more efficient. We use to have
thousands of people developing Symbian and MeeGo. Now we can focus on
things, that differentied us from competitors.

About Windows Phone 7.8 and effect to sales figures?

We havent disclosed all the new features that are unique to Nokia.

In Windows Phone 8 everyone gets Navteq maps. How does Nokia
differenties itself anymore?

- I´m more worried about Android manufacturers than WP8 manuacturers.
- We have presented to our employees new features in location based
services, and no one inside company asks this question anymore. If
maps is step 0 and navigation step 1, then in Nokia we know steps from
2 to 5.

 

 

Cheers Joni for the tip!

Magenta Lumia 900 Just Around the Corner for Launch at AT&T?

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:59 AM PDT

 

AT&T may be close to getting the magenta Nokia Lumia 900. The mango firmware spotted on Navifirm suggests the launch of the magenta variant is near.

The magenta variant of the Nokia Lumia 900 has been leaked many times after the launch of the standard colours at AT&T.
Beside the magenta variant of the lumia 900 there were two more uannounced color variants to be launched.

Do you think the Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T sales will be boosted with more colour variants?

Regards,
Prashant.

 

-Co edit Jay

Nokia granted patent for haptic controlled steering wheel

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:17 AM PDT

I should have found this patent application from Nokia before but it’s neither too late now. This may be related to the thigns going on between Microsoft, Ford and Nokia and Nokia Maps, it may be not.

Nokia was granted an patent application filed at United States patent & Trademark office(U.S.P.T.O).

This patent explains that on the steering wheel, there are some sensors to be fitted in and those sensors may also be on the other device too, most probably on your Lumia.The sensors could give you some combination of vibration feedback that will let you know about the action being performed on your device or car. The good thing is that we can control all the basic actions that your device does like media controls, G.P.S, Calls, etc through touch and vibration feedback. The sensors can be piezoelectric or it could be microphones also (which hints about the actions can be performed by voice). Well the piezoelectric sensors raise the doubt more here as the feedback can be touch based also(as it’s not clear what types of piezoelectric sensors are to be used).May be the feedback could be touch, vibration and voice all three together.

The list of awesome controls that can be performed on your device and car:
1.Select next song or channel.
2.Fast forward/backward.
3.Volume up/down.
4.Mute/unmute.
5.Answer/end call.
6.Increase/decrease cooling/heating.
7.Activate navigation.
8.Turn on/off spoken feedback.
9.Switch on/off traffic announcements.
10.Show the current location through car/device’s GPS.

So all this brings our story to down here below:

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/06/27/press-release-ford-and-nokia-research-a-smarter-and-more-personalized-driving-experience/

Just made this post for the readers to provide a better explanation for the above post.

Source: USPTO

Regards:
Prashant.

Tango now rolling out for WP 7.5 devices

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 12:38 AM PDT

I posted yesterday that the Tango availability map was now online, and we should expect the update to start rolling out soon. Well, it has! My mum’s carrier branded Lumia 800 had a notification earlier today (but was too busy to post until now). As of 3 AM (GMT +10), the update began rolling out. There are quite a few countries that have the majority of their product codes listed as “update available”, so I suggest you plug your device into Zune and hope for the best.

Don’t forget to check to out the availability map.

 

 
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