05 September 2012

My Nokia Blog

My Nokia Blog


It’s 05.09.2012 today :D Nokia World 2012 (Countdown)

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 05:10 PM PDT

Happy Nokia World 2012 day :D Two simultaneous events take place. One in Helsinki Finland and another in New York.

Please tune in to:

www.nokia.com/webcast

No listed schedule but get yourself ready around 10am EDT/2PM GMT. We’ll be poised on chairs and laptops well before then though :)

If you’re not sure what time it will be in your area, this countdown might be useful.

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?p0=179&iso=20120905T10&year=2012&month=9&day=5&hour=10&min=0&sec=0&msg=05.09.2012%20NOKIA#

I’m gonna catch me some zzzs first :) See you all shortly.


Damian Hints/Confirms LED Flash for Lumia 920

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 02:08 PM PDT

One factor that has been almost consistent in all great Nokia Camera-phones has been Xenon flash, which really light up the night allowing for proper picture taking. However it would seem that LEd has been chosen as the way to go for the 920, as you can see from the tweet above, where Damian defends LED flashes stating that the new advances have closed the gap between them and the more superior Xenon flashes. Hopefully he is right, and as I’ve mentioned before I trust Damian when it comes to knowing his stuff towards cameras; and I seriously doubt he would lose a Xenon flash if it were to have a major effect on the resultant image. For now all we can do is sit back and wait for those samples.

Is no-Xenon a deal breaker for you? Or will you wait to see the results then judge?


Lumiappaday #293: Accurate Tuner (Free) demoed on the Nokia Lumia 900

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 01:45 PM PDT

Accurate tuner is a really good app for tuning your musical instruments. A free version is available though the paid one does come with plenty of worth while added benefits.

It works really well. The developer of this app contacted us ages ago about it but I’ve only gotten time and an instrument now to test it out.

#293) Accurate Tuner (Free) 

Price:  Free (paid version at $2.99)

Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/eaf8a5de-87b8-4aa7-a062-795787e840e4

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi5a0wW1jG4

Developer Blurb:

 

Needle and stroboscope chromatic instrument tuner.

The needle enables fast and comfortable rough tuning, while two optional stroboscopic animations facilitate fine tuning. Both methods are used at the same time, so it's not necessary to choose one of them.

Detected notes are shown on a musical staff. Adjustable sensitivity will help in not so quiet environments.

 

FREE VERSION FEATURES

- Fully working needle and strobe tuner with no time limit, supported by ads
- Strobe accuracy: +/- 0.5 cent
- Needle accuracy: 5th octave: +/- 0.2 cent, 6th octave: +/- 1 cent, 0th octave: +/- 6 cents
- Range: A0 – B6

The tuner is able to measure tones in the 0th and 1st octaves for some harmonically very rich instruments only, as common phone microphones are not able to detect these low frequencies. Still the tuner tries to compute these tones from higher harmonics, sometimes successfully. Even a human ear works this way.

- 126 instruments + "Any instrument" mode
- Transposition: +/- 4 octaves, two transposition modes
- Adjustable sensitivity
- US (CDEFGAB), German (CDEFGAH), scientific (C2, C3, C4) and Helmholtz (C, c, c') notations

PAID VERSION FEATURES

- Tone Generator able to play notes from A0 to C8 (88-key piano range) or any frequency from 27.5 Hz to 4186.01 Hz. You need solid external speakers or headphones for the two lowest octaves.

You can set the frequency directly and also set the levels of harmonics and form the wave shape this way (not the wave envelope).

- Screen Lock Blocking
- Adjustable base frequency (note A4) in the range of 300 – 500 Hz
- 32 temperaments
- Many alternate instrument tunings, including 70 guitar, 25 banjo and 19 mandolin tunings
- Unlimited number of custom instruments and tunings
- No ads (on rare occasions it may recommend another app in a non-intrusive way)
- Bigger stroboscopic part

FUTURE PLANS

- Metro design

www.accuratetuner.com

Rating:

Design: 8

Usability: 8

Performance: 8 (9 for paid version) 

Price: 10 (9 for paid version)



Windows Phone rises to 32% of sales in Finland, catching up to Android on 36%

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 11:20 AM PDT

Earlier today we glanced at statcounter details for Finland. Something we often note is that this shows all phones in use (via browser and thus extrapolated marketshare), and NOT current sales. This means that gains in marketshare with relatively small percentages might actually indicate larger overall percentage of current sales given that there is little to no userbase for WP prior to Lumia.

http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-FI-monthly-201202-201209

Janne found an article from Iltalehti.fi reporting that currently, Windows Phone has risen to 32% in Finland (also note, Finland’s population is quite small). Android is slightly ahead at 36%. Given how recent Lumia’s introduction was to Finland vs Android/iOS, that’s not too bad.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/digi/2012090416039779_du.shtml

Finland is a very interesting market since it is the land of Nokia. People do have a sense of loyalty towards the Finnish brand but they are also open to phones from other manufacturers using other OSes, actively choosing the non home grown OS since at least 2009 (possibly 2008, but there is no data before this).

Statcounter makes a note that from April it stopped including S40 into Symbian.

Quite correctly, global marketshare is quite modest. Sadly what happens in Finland is not immediately the same in the rest of the world (they have growth but very modest…well except Brazil). But come Q4, things may finally start working out for Nokia, what with new WP8 Lumias and potentially hundreds of millions of expected new W8 users getting accustomed to Metro.

 

Cheers Janne for the tip


Supposed Nokia Lumia 820 back in Royal Purple/Plum…?

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:24 AM PDT

Why not one more :)

Here’s the back of the 820 again, aka, Nokia Lumia Arrow. This looks like a more official version than the render seen last week.

The purple was was seen in another post but only the side was visible.

https://twitter.com/evleaks

It’ll be a battle of the purples as HTC are apparently lining up a very lumia like Accord. This Royal purple is a little more classy than what appears to be more of an electric purple from HTC.

Again, as nice as these rectangles with rounded corners are, I’m not too keen on Nokia going down that route.


Evleaks Confirms Lumia 920 in White, Black, Grey, Red & Yellow; Cyan Nowhere to be Seen

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:13 AM PDT

Here’s one more look at the Lumia 920 showing off its colors, as you can see it appears to be available in 5 colors, White, Black, Grey, Yellow and Red; I can’t really understand why Nokia ditched the Cyan considering how well the Cyan L900 was selling, hopefully it’ll make a reappearance soon enough. The colors in the image above strengthen the theory about one of Nokia’s latest teaser videos, it would seem that the colors of the shoes correspond to the available shades of the L900.

Two things I noticed about the image above, it would seem that the plating on the back of the phone is no longer the scratch lover silver but a darker tint of black (matching the new color on the buttons); I highly approve of this change if it means less visible scratches. The other thing is that it seems as if the phone is also curved vertically (not just across the width) but that could be my eyes playing tricks on me.

Source


More Video Teasers, This Time Pointing to Wireless Charging

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 08:42 AM PDT

Well you must give Nokia credit for consistency, the day is almost up and they’re still teasing tomorrows event, this time with a bit more obvious point towards the Wireless Charging coming in the upcoming range of Lumias. In the vide below you see the same girl who’s been teasing us all day, fumble with a bunch of wires then give up on them, presumably heading towards the gorgeous wireless charger.

Video titled “One More Day”:


Leaked Prototype: Nokia “Lauta” RM-742 – Cancelled “Immediate” N9 Successor

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:44 AM PDT

Another day, another leak. Here we have 7 images of the N9 successor, codenamed Lauta. It was to be “immediate successor” launched right after N9, also in Q4 2011. Of course, we all what happened with the Feb 11 Announcement, so no point bringing that up again. The email mentioned “Elop saying only 3 MeeGo Phones in 3 years was huge lie”. This is rather annoying to see such talent wasted.

Specs I have been given, are that it was identical to N9, both in design (as seen in pic above) and internal components, with the only differentiator being a full HW Keyboard. To me, this is THE device that should have been launched as an N900 successor. It has the beauty of the N9, but the thing everyone wanted when upgrading; hardware keyboard.

You can also seem from the picture, it is fully functional. There is also images of a Black & Magenta combo, however this is in-house prototype only. Retail units were to have the screen and body same colour. I assume it would have also been in Black, Cyan and Magenta.

Update: In the hype and rush of getting this post out, there are a few things I forgot to mention. The FFC appears to be positioned top right (if device in Portrait orientation). Secondly, looking at the image above, you can see the Camera is off set from the center, with the dual flash housed inside the silver plate on the back.

Take a look at all the images in the gallery below.

rm-742-1 rm-742-2 rm-742-3 rm-742-5 rm-742-4 rm-742-5 rm-742-6 rm-742-7

Michael


MNB Reader Generated: Can Nokia and WP turn the tables tomorrow?

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 07:15 AM PDT

This article was sent in by Aabir Jawaid from Pakistan.  For 12 years since the age of 10 he’s been using Nokia phones. In this post, he sums up tomorrow’s make or break moment for Nokia.

____________________

Nokia and Microsoft are loading up for their best shot for tomorrow’s big day to re enter the market once again.

God forbid, if new Lumia phones do not appeal to consumers when they are unveiled tomorrow, it could mean the end for Nokia? Or Nokia has some back up still left if WP8 fails?

“This is very high stakes,” said Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley. “Nokia bet everything on Windows, and if this doesn’t succeed the next step might be having to do what’s best for shareholders, and that might include selling off key assets or selling the whole company.”

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/7610014/Nokia-Microsoft-at-Last-Chance-Saloon

Nokia is rumored to launch two new Lumia phones on September 5, on the same day that phone maker Motorola, now owned by Google, also unveils a new product. Which shouldn’t be a worryfull situation for the Finns.

The launch of the two Lumias will go up against the iPhone, and is expected to feature a larger, brighter screen; a powerful camera on both sides; Qualcomm Inc dual-core chips; Skype calling; voice recognition; short-range radio technology for wireless payments and built-in maps for navigation.

But will Lumia will need something completely different to beat the iPhone and Android? Nokia is already teasing a lot, building enough hype for the consumers.

One thing Elop has in his ammunition bag is support from big US mobile service providers who want to see Windows become a strong smartphone platform.

Top U.S. wireless providers Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp and Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA have all said they will support Windows Phone 8, and AT&T Inc said it will sell Nokia phones based on the Microsoft software.

“Everybody’s liking what they see coming from Microsoft with the Windows 8 (mobile) platform from the user experience perspective and the integration perspective,” said Bill Versen, a Verizon Wireless executive who works with business customers on their smartphone strategies.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/7610014/Nokia-Microsoft-at-Last-Chance-Saloon

Leave in your comments if you think WP8 will turn the tables.


Video and Pics: Preparing for Nokia World with Omni Beanbags from Sumo Lounge (filmed Nokia 808 PureView)

Posted: 04 Sep 2012 05:51 AM PDT

 

Name that Nokia.

Last year at Nokia World 2011, they had giant bean bags near the entrance for people to sit, lay down and chillax on. I really enjoyed lounging around with Iain, Ed and Danny whilst we blogged about the days event. With Nokia World happening tomorrow and the Nokia bloggers gathering not happening, I thought I’d recreate it with some bean bags :) .

 

I’ve got a bean bag at my house already but this particular one we’re looking at today is from Sumo Lounge and it’s called the Omni. You can find that here:

https://www.sumolounge-uk.com/omni.php?re=uk

 


We’ve taken some pictures and recorded a video using the Nokia 808 PureView. It’s all in automatic PureView mode with mainly natural light coming from the window (with some sun/clouds outside). Another bonus of PureView mode is that the pics can actually fit here. :p. The 38mp shots can only fit in Flickr.

Tons of filling.

I chose white as it matched my desk, but perhaps a different choice would have been better as it might stain. Also with the white, the beads are really visible. The material looks and feels strong despite it making sounds like its ripping when you sit on it. To be fair, we were recommended the red one. And red seems to be the new colour for Nokia this season.

It’s situations like these I wish the 808 had an external flash with a swivel head. Much like speedlights on a DSLR. Not so much to provide light but to modify the direction and colour by bouncing off walls and such. All of the direct flash we took today were a bit too harsh for what we wanted (though perfect for nights out. Hopefully we can see this with the 808 when Uni starts).

These giant bean bags are pretty awesome. You can use them as chairs, sofa, beds etc. They mould around you, either your bum or your back or your front as you lay on them and support you. I’ve found it pretty useful for my dodgy back. This particular one from Omni is packed with way more bean bags than an alternative I picked up myself. I love these bean bags for reading or blogging whilst lying down as I can passively shove the beanbags towards my back and  angle my knees where my knees can hold the book or my laptop. The beans then fill up to the side and spontaneously mould as arm supports.

 

I like that they can also be used as a spare bed i

Being lightweight they’re easy enough to carry up and down stairs. A chair/sofa bed of this size IS definitely a pain to get up the stairs.

One of the poses we saw on the adverts for the bean bag was straddling it like a horse. Lol.

The rest of the family enjoys relaxing on it too (60D photo)

It’ll sit opposite my desk (these are the old desks I painted myself). Sorry for the mess. Two people can sit on it when on its side.

Here’s our set up for the video. That’s the tripod mount included in our swagbag. Lights were on for the video but it was really dim and mostly useless. The reason this photo looks bright because my 60D bounced its flash off the ceiling – again, another reason to want bounce flash/remote flash options for future Nokias.

We wanted to take some pics outside but the grass is still wet. Oh, this bean bag is also good for propping you up if you’re lying on your bed.

I’m gonna be keyboard on the ready bubbling with excitement on the SumoLounge Omni beanbag tomorrow as I’m tuned into

Nokia.com/webcast

The more I’m using the 808, the more I’m getting frustrated with the camera controls. They’re improved over previous generations but still, some things take more taps than necessary. e.g. Switching something to macro. Sometimes it takes a few taps, sometimes it’s inconsistent and can be done more easily with long press.

Cropped 808 from MS Paint


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