Symbian in Motion

Sounding very close to “you make”, Yamake allows you to create your own games for N-Gage! Now obviously it won’t be as advanced or detailed as the games found on N-Gage, but it is very simple and will allow you to create your own mini games to share with your friends.

Yamake allows the user to create custom puzzle and quiz games using their own personal content from their device. The user can use pictures, texts, sound clips and movies to create a custom game which then they can share with their friends on N-Gage via the N-Gage Arena.

“Yamake is a groundbreaking new game for the N-Gage platform. Players can make, play and share games that are customized using user-generated multimedia content, and we are proud to be pioneering this new way of playing,” said Dr Mark Ollila, Director of Technology and Strategy and Head of Games Publishing, Nokia. “This is exactly what the future of mobile gaming should be about - creating games that you love and want to play, then sharing them with other players.”

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Although there have been rumours of it’s existence, even a video of it on Youtube, there hasn’t been any official word on the availability or release of Worms for the N-Gage platform, until now. In a joint statement between Nokia and THQ Wireless they have finally announced that it will be available for the new N-Gage platform.

Adam Comiskey - International VP THQ Wireless commented, “Worms has always been a great success on mobile devices and the N-Gage technology has allowed us to produce the most advanced, faithful and visually impressive mobile edition of Worms to date.”

This new version will include some improvements and new features:

• Vibrant graphics allowing the player to visualize enemy terrain
• A slick new look including the much-loved, hilarious Worm animations
• Worms voice taunts which really bring the game to life
• Six level themes inspired by the best of the Worms series
• All the classic weapons, including the Super Sheep
• Four player multiplayer in the Arena
• Online matchmaking

It is expected to be released in the 1st half of 2008. I for one will be looking forward to it.

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Last month, acclaimed developer SHAPE Services released a cool app that builds upon the ever-growing popularity of GPS-related services. Their preliminary entry into the LBS space is called GPSed, and it packs quite a punch I must say. At first glance you might think to yourself, “why should I bother with this app, I already use Nokia Sports Tracker?” It’s true that each app offers similar functionality, but GPSed takes the concept of track recording and applies a social networking / sharing twist as opposed to a sports tracking twist. Social networking = popular within our online target demographic. Working out = not so popular within our online target demographic. Sad but true, and lord knows I certainly fall within that first category lately.

At the core of GPSed lies an app and a service working in tandem to record GPS tracks and publish them to the GPSed site. The site uses Google maps as the backbone, and displays paths that you track and provides coloring options to distinguish one path from another. Tracks are recorded by the app and then uploaded to the site. You can even upload GPS tracks that you already have (in a variety of formats as opposed to just GPX, as with Sports Tracker) if you have been using a different service prior to GPSed.

Next come the management and social aspects of GPSed. The web service provides a variety of management functions to enhance core functionality. Options like changing track colors, managing multiple tracks and adding track information are among a few supported functions. In terms of social aspects, users can also adjust privacy settings to determine whether or not each track record is available for public viewing. Individual trips can also be shared with friends very easily. What’s more, a recent update allows users to add waypoints either from the mobile client or from the online account. Waypoints are essentially notes that can be tied to a specific point on a trial. For example, while on a walk a user can input “great cafe, check it out” as a waypoint in the app. The map will add the note to the tracks along with the latitude and longitude reads recorded while the note was being typed.

The web service is complemented by Take’n'pin; a PC application that allows you to geotag photos and upload them to your GPSed account. Photos can be taken with a camera phone or any other digital camera. Take’n'pin will then add location data and tie each photo to a point on your tracks. You can use the software to preview photos on a map using Google Earth and upload your them to any service you like (Flickr, Picasa, etc). Photo support within the GPSed web app itself will be added shortly - remember it’s currently in beta right now so development is fast and furious.

In terms of where I would like to see this app go, why not take the social aspects of it a step further? The wide device compatibility and ease of use make this app tremendously accessible. The GPSed mobile client is java-based which is usually a bad thing in my eyes. For a social LBS however, it’s great that GPSed is compatible with a huge range of smartphones and standard-OS handsets as well. If your device has internal GPS or is capable of communicating with an external GPS unit, odds are pretty good that you can utilize this app. As such, I’d like to see SHAPE expand on friends, sharing and communication. Features like the ability to instantly share waypoints across two devices running the app would be great. Imagine walking around town and hearing a chime. You glance at your device and a pop-up message from your friend states, “meet me here in an hour!” Enhance that with the ability to export waypoints to Google Maps and Nokia Maps so that you can easily get directions or even navigate to the location, and now we’re in a whole different league.

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If you haven’t already seen this posted on Saara’s blog or in my post on BGR, definitely give this 2:27 quickie a watch. It’s a Nokia-run demo of the latest S60 Touch development build and some of the first live footage of the upcoming OS. No that’s not a potential handset that will be powered by S60 Touch; it’s merely a unit to demo the OS. My three main comments after viewing:

1. The app launch response time in the video is quite slow. Of course the new OS is not in its releasable state, but you would think Nokia could ensure that the device they used to demo the UI was able to handle its operation quickly and smoothly. This might lead us to believe that the new OS is resource-intensive and we can only hope the upcoming handsets being developed are powerful enough to accommodate it.
2. The UI is… well… boring. Nokia is wise in their effort to maintain the overall look and feel of S60. This tactic will benefit both users as they transition to it, and developers as they begin to port their apps. The issue however, is that the UI is in desperate need of some modernization. What about transition animations and other forms of visual stimulation? We hope that Nokia surprises us down the road with a release candidate that has a few bells and whistles thrown into the mix.
3. The UI looks nice and responsive to the touch. Again, this is an early build and it’s shown on a demo device but it seems to follow the finger quite well. From the footage it looks like it falls somewhere between the fluidity of Mobile OS X and the often misstep-afflicted Windows Mobile.

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Today was a pretty important day in the world of S60 and I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss it here on SiMo. Day one of Mobile World Congress has been a HUGE day for Nokia in my eyes. Forget about the services that Nokia announced and forget the specifics with regards to the handsets they previewed today. It was a huge step forward for Nokia simply because they announced two handsets - the 6210 Navigator and the N78 - that would each be released with varying 3G / HSDPA compatibility at the same time. This is the first time that Nokia has ever done this with a high-end HSDPA-compatible S60 handset, let alone two.

In my rant of sorts last month, I plainly stated that I would not be picking up the NAM version of the N95 8GB and I explained why. This is not the first time I’ve expressed my feelings on this matter here or elsewhere, and it may not be the last. My view is that Nokia can release devices in any manner that fits its business model, even if that means releasing a Euro-spec version and then a NAM version at a later time. The problem I’ve had with their strategy of late is that Nokia brings Euro-spec handsets to the US and hocks them knowing perfectly well of course, that a NAM version will follow shortly. This tactic hasn’t been eliminated completely; you’ll notice that only one version of the N96 was announced. As Nokia’s new flagship device, you can be certain that a US HSDPA version will surface this year. I’m certain however, that the Euro-spec version will make its way to my side of the pond long before that official announcement.

But looking at the bright side, two upcoming Nokia handsets will break the disappointing trend that we’ve been seeing from our favorite handset manufacturer in recent history. Oddly perhaps, both handsets replace current models that haven’t had great success in the US compared to other devices (like the N95). The first is the 6210 Navigator which of course replaces the 6110 Navigator.

Nokia will actually be releasing three region-specific versions of this device; HSDPA 900/2100MHz, 850/2100MHz and 850/1900MHz. I won’t get into all of the specs here because you’ve already seen about 50 posts that list them for you. My highlights: The 3.2 megapixel camera and full Nokia Maps navigation access at no additional charge. Why the 3.2 megapixel cam? I like that 3.2 seems to be the new bottom-end for S60 devices, replacing 2.0. Why Nokia Maps? I happen to really like the nav within Nokia Maps but for God’s sake, asking users to pay a monthly fee for navigation in this day and age is preposterous. GPS navigation is now a one-time fee service and it has been for quite some time. If I was in the market for a lower-end S60, this puppy would jump to the top of my list just so that I could ditch Garmin XT and Wayfinder. My lowlights: The 2.5mm audio jack and a 950 mAh battery. The 6210 Navigator will be available in Q3 2008 for $440 / €300.

The second handset is an Nseries through and through. In terms of styling, you’re either going to love it or hate it (especially the funky buttons) but the specs are solid. The N78 has some big shoes to fill; its predecessor, the N73, was and is well-loved by some very loyal owners. So much so in fact, that many still carry the device despite its lack of WiFi and anemic internal memory. I personally think that the N78 will see a good amount of success in certain regions and the US could very well be one of them. My highlights: The 1200 mAh battery and the integrated FM transmitter. Why the battery? 1200 mAh should be the bear minimum for a battery in an S60 handset. Why the FM transmitter? Although I would rarely use it due to audio quality issues, it does make it easy for users to broadcast audio to a wide range of devices quickly and easily. My lowlights: 70 MB of internal memory and the buttons. The N78 will start shipping in Q2 2008 and is priced at $510 / €350.

So once again Nokia, kudos and thanks. There is plenty of business to be had in the US and treating customers right is a good step towards upping your market share. Of course Americans as a general rule are quite superficial, so the next step is to spice up that UI a bit! But that’s a whole different fish that needs to be fried…

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