Symbian in Motion

We had heard from our own sources that the firmware update would be available by the end of this month but since this statement was issued publicly, we’ll run with it. According to a Nokia support forum administrator, N95 NAM (N95-3) owners will soon be able to wipe those tears off of their tired faces. The long-awaited and highly anticipated firmware update is finally going to be issued by Nokia in early June. The following statement is from the Nokia Software Update team:

Nokia is aware of consumers’ demand for a new software release, and our development teams are working to produce the new software as soon as possible. We estimate that the new software should be available early June.

Please note that your mobile service provider, operator, or carrier may not have approved the latest Nokia device firmware available. Nokia produces many different variants of each product (for different countries and languages) and not all variants will have the latest Nokia device firmware. It is our priority to update all variants as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any delay.

To say that the update has taken an incredibly long time would be an amazing understatement. While the official change log is unavailable, we can expect the new firmware to support demand paging, web runtime and all the other goodies that other N95 variants have been enjoying for a while. Sweet.

[Via Symbian-Guru]

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(from my post on BGR)

With all the recent rumours of Nokia’s “iPhone killer” being touted around the internet, my head was spinning. We knew the code name was Tube (for some strange reason) but now the rumours have a picture to it! Yes, Symbian-Freak has revealed pictures of the so called “Tube” phone from Nokia.

Hinting that the device’s real name is something different to Tube (thank heavens), he also reveals it will not be an N Series device. I expected as much.

The brief specs for the moment are as follows:

3″-3.5″ (16:9) touch screen (No multi-touch, but has tactile feedback)
Camera with autofocus
Quad Band
Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, WLAN
Built in GPS supporting Geotagging

For the full story head on over to Symbian-Freak’s website.

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Apparently the folks at Nokia subscribe to the theory that if you’re going to do something, do it big. Nokia’s CTIA presence was just that: BIG. The Nokia booth was tremendous and very well laid out. The perimeter was lined with service demo stations for things like Mosh 2.0 and Share Online while the interior was home to a wide variety of Nokia handsets and accessories. As you’ll see in the gallery, a bunch of recently announced handsets such as the N78 (hot), black N82 (hotter, barring lack of US-3G) and the 6210 Navigator (hottest, probably the most well-built and smoothest Nokia handset we’ve seen in a while). I was a bit upset to learn that the N96 didn’t make it to the show, but fingers crossed that it has something to do with the alleged re-run that may be adding a xenon flash to the specs.

My frown was quickly turned upside down once I came across the 15+ WiMAX N810s on display in the corner. Aside from the subtle coloring changes that I like a lot, you might pass by this one thinking that it’s simply a standard N810. Oh no, a quick browse into the connectivity settings displays the oh-so-lovely WiMAX settings that are now available. Unfortunately there was no WiMAX connectivity available at the show, but it’s coming sooner rather than later. No word yet on pricing in terms of Sprint WiMAX plans but hopefully we’ll hear something soon in that department. Nokia also had the now available Hava Player client on display on one of the N810s. Hava Player, for those who don’t know, is a content streaming solution similar to the one offered by Sling Media and it features HD streaming along with a host of other features.

The Nokia fun didn’t end at the booth, by the way, or in the five other booths where Nokia had a presence. It continued out in the parking lot in front of the convention center. Nseries had a special tent set up where attendees could sign a waiver to take a ride in the “Internet Cafe in the Sky”. What’s that, you might ask? Essentially a platform housing a table and several seats. Once everyone on board was safely strapped in, a giant crane lifted the rig off the ground and participants enjoyed the opportunity to play with the new WiMAX N810 while suspended in the air. Odd? Maybe. Over the top? Definitely. Big? For sure. Hit the BGR gallery for pics.

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I just got an email letting me know that the latest Widsets beta is now available to the public with some nice new functionality. This is something that I’ve been waiting for actually, as it has been quite a while since I last tried the app / service. I have to admit that I was less than pleased with versions past. Using the app on my N80IE and E61i, I found it to be very slow and it even caused several reboots in the few times I tried to battle through the bogging. Now that Nokia has rained down a few new handsets with more RAM, more processing power and more overall S60 goodness, I’m anxious to give Widsets another go.

If you’ve yet to give Widsets a go, think of it as a widget launching pad. Yes, it is a java app unfortunately but the concept is cool. You start online on the Widsets site where you can search, select and even create your own widgets. Creating a widget is extremely simple, after all they’re simply based on RSS feeds. Once you’ve selected the widgets that interest you, a simple click will bounce them over to your mobile profile and they will automatically appear and sync the next time you launch the app on your mobile. The 2.0 beta version introduces some new functionality that is definitely worth checking out. Namely, widgets can now perform actions such as initiating calls or launching the browser without exiting the Widsets app.

There is one problem right off the bat however. Despite the fact that the SiMo widget has over 9,300 users making it far and away one of the most popular Symbian-centric widgets available, it’s nowhere to be found on the beta site. I also haven’t seen it featured on the Widsets homepage a single time while plenty of less popular Symbian widgets are featured all the time. Granted it still bears the old colors and title from before we switched the name of the blog, but Widsets users still seem to enjoy it (thanks to all who are reading this in Widsets)! Maybe someone on the Widsets team will read this and have a change of heart.

In any event, if you love your Widsets and don’t mind being without the SiMo widget definitely head over to the beta site and give it a go. They appreciate your feedback very much so don’t be shy!

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One Stop China is claiming to sell a product which would unlock your handset instantly and hassle free allowing you to use your current handset with other operators without having to pay a unlocking fee. The trick doesn’t actually unlock your handset, rather sends a signal using the original SIM card allowing you to use any other SIM card in there. The website claims the product works with the following models: Nokia 2630, 5300, 5700, 6120c, 6110 netvigator, 6500c, 6500s, N76, N95, N95 8GB, N61 8GB, E65, N73, N80, 6120c, N75, 6300… NO KEY Nokia DCT4, DCT4+, BB5 NO KEY Nokia DCT4, DCT4+, all BB5 Unlock X-SIM.

Although this does sound like a great idea and promises to unlock your handset it does however have a few things to watch out for: The product does not guarantee to unlock your device, the product does not actually unlock your handset; it only tricks the handset into thinking it is the original SIM card. The most important caution is that there is no refund accepted whatsoever, not very promising.

If you have some spare cash and are willing to take the plunge for the good of the mobile community, why not give it a go? Let us know if it works or not, or if even the product actually arrives.

For more information and brave souls visit the product page here.

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