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Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions

by Vladislav Savov, posted Jul 7th 2009 at 8:06AM

Augmented reality applications to this point could be best categorized as tantalizing to the mind, but otherwise pointless. Thankfully, it seems as if that's no longer the case. AcrossAir, a nascent app builder for the iPhone, has conjured up a slickly executed digital guidance application that augments video with real-time distance and directions to the nearest subway station. With the iPhone 3GS pimping an improved camera, inbuilt compass and GPS, we had a hunch that it wouldn't be long before someone slammed them all together and gave commuters and tourists alike a reason to smile. Presently only capable of serving up directions in London, this app should find plenty of user interest that will hopefully drive its development for other metropolises around the world. Click through to check it out for yourself, and expect to see it ready for download as soon as someone (or something) at Cupertino decides to start approving live video programs. Any day now, Apple...

[Via Tokyo-Genki]

Continue reading Video: Nearest Tube iPhone app augments reality with directions

Nokia ships one millionth 5800 XpressMusic, does a little dance

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 23rd 2009 at 2:53PM

Okay, so we're going on the assumption that the 500,000 figure uttered by Nokia CEO Olli Pekka Kallasvuo during this week's Q4 earnings call was a touch old -- you know, considering that the outfit is now trumpeting the shipment of a cool million. Following a (very!) successful UK launch, Nokia has just shipped its one millionth Tube, which is the handset maker's first mass market touchscreen device. And to think -- it hasn't even debuted in many corners of the globe yet.

Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic goes on sale somewhere in the world

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Nov 27th 2008 at 9:55AM

If you've been gritting your teeth and letting the PR onslaught of the iPhone 3G, Storm, and G1 knock you around as you waited for Nokia's entry into the widescreen, touchscreen superphone market -- that wait appears to be nearing it's end. Nokia has gone and gotten all official and release-y with it's anticipated (if somewhat disappointing) 5800 XpressMusic... or as we know it, the Tube. According to the company's PR, the device "is now, or will be soon" available in Russia, Spain, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Finland, "among others." If you'll recall, the phone boasts a 3.2-inch, 16:9 resistive touchscreen (hey, they throw in a guitar pick stylus), a 3.2-megapixel camera, 8GB of on-board storage, and the constant assurance that you're using a phone once called the Tube. No word on price or plans, but we expect cheap, and lots.

[Thanks, Pdexter]

Engadget Podcast 113 - 10.13.2008: The Engadget Podcast returns!

by Trent Wolbe, posted Oct 13th 2008 at 4:30PM

You read that right -- the Engadget Podcast is back... with a vengeance. Recently we've been getting a ton of emails and comments suggesting we bring back the show, and since we're all as much a fan of it as you are, that's just what we did. We've been dying to get the podcast back in action -- especially with the holidays, CES, and Macworld on the very near horizon -- so now seemed like the ideal time. We've just wrapped the official reintroduction, and you can listen in via the links below. This week we cover quite a few exciting developments in the world of gadgetry, including (but certainly not limited to) RIM's new Storm, the upcoming Apple laptop event, and Nintendo's unveiling of the DSi. We hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for more!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel
Guest: Ryan Block (gdgt)
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Professor Murder -- Dutch Hex (Brothers)

01:02 - BlackBerry Storm 9500 hands-on
14:06 - T-Mobile G1 launch day roundup
20:10 - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic hands-on
26:58 - Apple "notebook" event is on, October 14th!
48:21 - Nintendo announces DSi with dual cameras, "DSi Shop" content store (updated)

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)

We're working on getting the proper iTunes / Zune / AAC / OGG feeds up and running -- hopefully they'll be ready for next week's show!

[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.

Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com

Nokia shocks no one, confirms N-Series touchscreen handset

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 11th 2008 at 11:34PM

Hey, it's not like you really expected Nokia to ride the coattails of its N95 / N96 forever without adding in a dash of innovation, right? At a recent Nokia event held in New Delhi, Devinder Kishore (the director of marketing for Nokia India) was quoted as saying that "We will have lots of touchscreen phones coming up, including an N-series device very soon." Granted, it's not at all shocking to hear that the engineers in Espoo are already conjuring up touch-friendly N-series handsets, but at least you know there's a fingertip-lovin' Nokia coming for you if the XpressMusic 5800 just ain't rubbing you the right way.

Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic gets reviewed, coddled

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 7:33AM

Given that most of the world won't see Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic until 2009, you may be better off just forcing yourself to overlook this here review until you can snag one without importing. If you're just too impatient for all that, however, you should know that an early critique of the affectionately dubbed Tube deemed it mighty impressive. Call quality was solid, the OS was stable in most areas, and the display was a joy to look at and interact with. In fact, reviewers had a difficult time finding anything exceptionally negative to say, noting that this is the handset for anyone after a "well-rounded, do-it-all solution." It was also made clear that this phone and the iPhone were really two different animals not worth comparing (advantage, Tube), but that didn't stop critics from confessing that the 5800 packs an "unparalleled price / quality ratio that changes the rules for all phone makers out there, including Nokia itself."

Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic to mature markets: see you in 2009

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 3:19PM

The Foundations said it best in their 1968 classic, but seriously, why let us down like this? Nokia didn't mind busting out a litany of press shots and all the specifications one could need to get amped up about the 5800 XpressMusic, but it obviously has something holding it back from launching in "mature markets" before 2009. In an announcement that's just as disappointing to the suits in Espoo as it is to those in North America and Down Under (just to name a couple), we've now learned that the touchscreen-dominated handset will only be available in seven countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe before 2009 dawns. Even worse? Not knowing how deep into next year we'll have to wait for this thing here in the US of A. Catch our feelings spelled out in video form after the break.

Continue reading Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic to mature markets: see you in 2009

Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic phone intimately detailed on video

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 3:02PM

If you've been enjoying those still pictures of Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen phone, but feel you're lacking an in-depth experience, we think we can help. A slew of demo and instruction videos have just been slapped up on the Ovi Share site, allowing you to get a better idea of just how the device works, and what it looks like when it's doing it. Luckily for you, we've taken the trouble of including all of the videos after the break for your viewing pleasure, saving you the painful and laborious experience of hitting a read link. Enjoy.

[Via Cellpassion]

Continue reading Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic phone intimately detailed on video

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

by Chris Ziegler, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 12:30PM

While it may not be Nokia's first touchscreen phone (anyone out there remember the 7710?), the 5800 XpressMusic is certainly the first to come out of Finland with a mainstream appeal. What we've alternately known as the "Tube" throughout much of its development cycle is the first production device to run S60 5th Edition -- the fourth major overhaul of Nokia's ubiquitous smartphone platform since 2002 and the first to support fingers, styli, and high-res displays. Speaking of high-res displays, the 5800 comes equipped with an impressive 3.2-inch 640 x 360 resistive touchscreen to go along with its 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam, Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, GPS, WiFi, 3.5mm jack, and a microSD slot with support for 16GB cards. It'll be available in three versions -- European HSDPA, North American HSDPA, and GSM only -- and ships this quarter in black, red, and blue for €279 (about $392) unlocked with an 8GB card thrown in for good measure. Music fans with voracious appetites for new tunes might want to hold out, though, for the Comes With Music-equipped version that follows on "early next year" at a to-be-announced price.

Gallery: The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Reuters: October 2nd is go for Nokia Tube launch

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 26th 2008 at 5:17AM

October 2nd: mark it down 'cause Reuters says that's the date that Nokia will launch its Nokia Tube -- aka, 5800 XpressMusic. According to a pair of industry sources, Nokia will launch the much anticipated, long overdue, S60 touchscreen device at a media and analyst event in London -- exactly as Pocket-lint's source told us earlier. All that's left now is for the invites to be distributed.

Nokia 5800 Tube press shot leaks into the wilds

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 24th 2008 at 8:42AM

One day after Google goes touchscreen, along comes what looks to be an official press shot of Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic -- aka, the Tube. No new details here, though Nokia appears to have cleaned up the industrial design around the buttons of some of those earlier prototypes we've seen. October 2nd looks like the date that we'll finally get our fill of the first S60 Touch handset. Though given the number of leaks and rabid competition Nokia faces in the touchscreen OS space -- our appetite for this device might be quickly satiated.

[Via unwired view]

Nokia's XpressMusic 5800 Tube launching October 2nd?

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 23rd 2008 at 5:38PM

Okay, so first we heard that Nokia's Comes with Music service would be good and ready by October 2nd. Then we heard October 17th. Now, a certain "anonymous industry source" has revealed that the long-awaited XpressMusic 5800 (or the Tube, as it were) will be launching on the 2nd of next month. With so much conflicting evidence out and about, we're firmly in "wait and see" mode at this point, and considering that "launch" gives no indication of a ship date, we reckon you're better off doing the same.

[Thanks, Mikkel]

Nokia 5800 Tube browser screenshots appear, underwhelm

by Nilay Patel, posted Aug 5th 2008 at 10:52AM

Well, we've seen the Nokia 5800 Tube's keyboard, home screen, video player, and uh, Bat-Sonar, so we might as well keep going with these shots of the browser. Kudos to Nokia for delivering something just slightly more impressive this time around than we're used to from S60 Touch, but we're still not feeling the super-90s aesthetic -- check out those icons at the bottom. We're still hoping to be blown away when this thing finally launches, but it's looking less and less likely with each new screenshot.

[Thanks, Marie]

Nokia 5800 gets touched in the wild -- again

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 26th 2008 at 12:15PM

At this point, we've seen the Tube from everyone but Nokia -- heck, even Morgan Freeman got a chance to show it off -- and it looks like that trend isn't going to abate any time soon. Another round of in-the-wild shots of the supposed XpressMusic 5800 have popped up (yes, the latest prototype seems to have dropped the "XpressMedia" badge), showing off a pretty uninspiring keyboard that we can only hope has no bearing on the final product. Guess that's why they haven't announced this sucker yet, eh? We hope?

[Via The Nokia Blog]

Screen Grabs: Nokia's XpressMedia 5800 "Tube" plays big role in The Dark Knight

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 19th 2008 at 2:36AM

Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

Even for gadget freaks, it was tough to take one's attention away from the outstanding action that filled The Dark Knight from beginning to end, but when Morgan Freeman had to hand over his Nokia XpressMedia 5800 (or Tube, as it were) at a stop in Hong Kong, we had to take a moment and gush. Nokia's still-not-official handset had a few critical scenes where it was highlighted, though we'd wager it was only viewable for 4 to 5 seconds in total. Beyond that, Nokia's peculiarly designed 6630 (circa 2004) was Gordon's handset of choice, which we risked an MPAA thug kneecapping in order to also snag and host up below. It's not really important that you go see it for a live shot of the Tube (though the incentive is nice), just make sure you go. Soon.

[Thanks to everyone who kept us on the lookout!]