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Nokia toys with context-aware smartphone settings switch, Jigsaw provides better context for apps like this
If Intel prognosticated correctly, context is the future of apps -- your device's array of sensors will determine where you are and what you're doing, and clever programs will guess from there. Problems arise, however, when one tries to run those accelerometers, microphones, radio antennas and GPS tracking devices constantly on the battery life of an average smartphone and determine what the raw data means, and that's where a group of Dartmouth researchers (and one Nokia scholar) are trying to stake their claim. They've got a bundle of algorithms called Jigsaw for iPhone and Symbian that claims to be able to continually report what you're up to (whether walking, running, cycling or driving) no matter where you place your device, and only pings the sensors as needed based on how active you are. (For better or for worse, Jigsaw also dodges the privacy concerns Intel's cloud-based API might raise by storing all personal data on the phone.) Of course, we've had a very basic version of context-aware functionality for years in apps like Locale for Android and GPS-Action for Symbian -- which modifies your smartphone settings under very specific conditions you specify. Now, Espoo's doing much the same with an app called Nokia Situations. Presently in the experimental stage, Situations is a long ways away from the potential of frameworks like Jigsaw, but here you won't have to wait -- you can download a beta for Symbian^3, S60 5th Edition and S60 3.2 at our source links without further delay.
Nokia's mid-tier 'Mystic' to be dubbed C6, will hit stores in May or June?
We can't say we were overwhelmed by the first leaked photos of what we've come to know as the Nokia Mystic, but there's something about this QWERTY candybar form factor that Nokia just does so well that we have to hang onto the benefit of the doubt. The latest news on this front is that the handset will be dubbed the Nokia C6, which makes a lot of sense as a counterpart to the numeric keypad-equipped but similarly styled Nokia C5 that was recently leaked. Word is that the C6 should retail for around 200 Euro (about $274 US), and that it should be released in May or June. It seems logical that we'll see both of these S60 3rd edition phones at MWC this month, but there's nothing solid on that front just yet.
Nokia's first TD-SCDMA-based 6788 ready for China Mobile's 500 million subscribers
Nokia might be hemorrhaging smartphone marketshare to North America's meddling upstarts but it still dominates in total handsets sold worldwide. Today's news can only help that cause as Nokia taps into China's homegrown TD-SCDMA 3G marketplace for the first time. The Nokia 6788 does the honor via collaboration with China Mobile, China's (and the world's) largest mobile phone operator. The handset itself brings a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash, 4GB of memory plus microSD expansion, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, all riding atop S60 3rd Edition -- not 5th as we're accustomed to seeing by now. Unfortunately, it won't start contributing to Nokia's sagging bottom-line until the end of December.
Nokia takes S60 3rd edition corporate with Exchange ActiveSync support
43 devices representing some 80 million mobile phone users -- that's the largess of Nokia announcing Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync support on all its S60 3rd edition devices. Mail for Exchange will also be available out-of-the-box in future E-series and N-series devices. That means future phones like the Nokia Tube and existing, high-end, media-centric devices like the venerable N95 and new N96 will now feel just as comfortable in the beige cubicle as you do.
Nokia copies self, crafts S60 Touch theme for 3rd Edition phones
Realistically we're still a good half year (at least) before we see any S60 Touch-based devices from Nokia or its software partners on store shelves, but in the meantime, Nokia's made it just a little easier for us all to fool ourselves into believing we're living on the bleeding edge of Espoo tech. Their Touch-inspired theme for S60 3rd Edition handsets is now freely available -- and while we wouldn't count on it magically adding a touchscreen to your N81 or N95, you can blur your eyes just a little bit here and play make-believe while you wait for the real thing. Actually doesn't look half bad, if we do say so ourselves.
Nokia's N95 gets FCC approval
The lovingly gracious FCC has yet again spoiled the secret party on another handset, as we spied the Nokia N95 with all its technical and RF detail at the FCC website. This means, umm, the N95 will probably be here in the U.S. by maybe June (or not). With the average delays we see from FCC approval to hitting carrier shelves being months (many months sometimes), the N95 should wash ashore by early summer -- and maybe late Spring. With the N95 being such a high-end handset, though, maybe Nokia is planning to sell it directly from its new retail storefront(s) instead of going straight to a carrier. Both T-Mobile and Cingular (err, at&t) are not that known for carrying manufacturer flagships (and the N95 may be that in some form), so will Nokia shun the carriers this time around with this UMTS / HSDPA unit? Most likely, yes.
Nokia E61i clears FCC
The QWERTY device market is perhaps hotter now than it's ever been before (and that's saying a lot); far be it from Nokia to let good ol' Symbian get left out of the party. The E61i -- which we've now seen plenty of ahead of its official unveiling -- has cleared the FCC, and while we're certainly not taking that to mean it'll bring any 3G bands us yanks can use (what a novel concept!), we take this to be a good sign that we'll all be able to head down to our friendly local Nokia flagship store and pick one up for quadband GSM / EDGE use. As a refresher, the E61i picks up where the E61 and E62 left off, adding a cam and microSD expansion (so we hear) -- but let's be honest, in the year 2007, it's probably gonna take some UMTS to catch much love.
Get a Nokia E65 now (but there's a catch)
Where we come from, we like our phones to -- how should we say this -- work. Readers feeling the same way shouldn't get too excited here, but those just looking for a little pocket candy might head on over to eBay where E65 dummies are starting to show up ahead of a probable 3GSM announcement in Barcelona next month. Pictures of the dummy confirm that it's a business-oriented S60 slider, though the red accent here gives it a little flair that a previous prototype was lacking. With a 2 megapixel cam, UMTS 2100, and WiFi -- in the real phone, of course -- this thing should do a decent job shoring up Nokia's smartphone slider lineup alongside the N80.[Via Ring Nokia]
Nokia upgrades N93 with N93i
Calling the N93i an "upgrade" over the N93 might actually be a bit heavy handed. Though the monster clamshell gains S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 on its predecessor and shaves a solid 3.2 millimeters of thickness, virtually every other change is more of a sidegrade than anything else. The keypad ditches that pesky third dimension to take on a RAZR-esque etched metal look (a first for a Nokia device), the front gets a mirrored finish with a concealed 128 x 36 OLED display, and software for photo / video blogging to the newly-minted Vox service. Granted, the mods add up to something a little meatier than your average Internet or Music Edition, but N93 owners are still probably best off hanging onto their wallets here. Non-owners, though, well... that's another story entirely; you folks can get your N93i on before the quarter's out for €600 (about $785).
Nokia puts Nseries on a diet: the N76
Nokia has taken its Nseries line of smartphones in a decidedly more fashionable direction than it's used to going, announcing the 13.7 millimeter thick N76 clamshell this week. Specs aren't quite up to snuff with Nokia's latest and greatest, but hey, they're not bad either: QVGA display, 20MB of internal memory, and 2 megapixel cam, topped with a standard 3.5 millimeter audio jack (which may not be internal to the phone itself, but rather provided via dongle -- we need to investigate this one) and UMTS data for 2100MHz-friendly portions of the globe. As we've seen with other Nokia models, a second variant of the N76 will be made available for us broadband data-hating Americans that simply removes the UMTS support while retaining quadband GSM with EDGE. Look for the N76 to find its way into fashion-conscious hands starting later this quarter for around €390 ($510, give or take).
Nokia E65: a slider for the suits?
Nokia's business-friendly (but not necessarily uptight) Eseries has yet to pay host to a slider, which is kinda strange considering the overwhelming goodness of the N80 and the soon-to-be-goodness of the N95. No worries -- Finland's favorite phone company looks ready to right its wrongs with the 16-millimeter thick E65. The S60 3rd Edition smartphone rocks a full assortment of connectivity options, ranging from IrDA and Bluetooth to UMTS and WiFi, though HSDPA is a no-show (as is any trace of a North American 3G band). The cam clocks in at a respectable 2 megapixels, which we think is about right for a circa-2007 corporate smartphone, and the microSD slot will come in handy when it's time to supplement the 70MB of internal storage. If the details all pan out, look for this one to drop midyear for about €340 ($450, give or take).
Hands-on with the Nokia N80 Internet Edition
Even as it celebrates its one-year anniversary in public circulation, Nokia's N80 keeps on scrapping with the best smartphones the world has to offer. After all, S60 3rd Edition is still fresher than anything Microsoft or ACCESS has to offer, the 3 megapixel camera is well above and beyond the standard fare, and the 416 x 352 display simply blows lesser QVGA screens out of the water. It makes sense, then, that while we all wait for the next-gen Nseries devices, Nokia would be looking to extend the useful shelf lives of the elder statesmen in their lineup by tweaking, bundling, and renaming. Among the devices to get a makeover is the N80, becoming the recently-released N80 Internet Edition with a slightly revised software bundle and two fantabulous color choices: black and bronze. Since the hardware is identical to the original N80, we'll concentrate on a couple of the Internet Edition's software goodies -- and don't worry, original N80 owners, most or all of it comes with yours, too, or can be downloaded free of charge.
Hands-on with the Nokia N93
In the mobile world, there are phones... and then there are phones. Those who have seen the N93 from Nokia in person know that it falls squarely in the latter category. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that the term "phone" really doesn't do it justice; its generous dimensions come close to that of a small camcorder. It's no surprise, then, that that's pretty much how Nokia's selling it: as a video camcorder that (oh, by the way) just happens to have a phone built in. That's all well and good -- after all, video recording is the next logical step now that cameras have infiltrated virtually every cellphone, right? -- but can it pull off the dual personality without serving either role poorly? Now that the US has been getting a pretty good stream of these bad boys filtering in, we thought it was a question we had to ask.
Nokia E62 shipping on Cingular
It may not share the WiFi radio of its pricier sibling, the E61, but the E62 still rocks all that landscape QVGA, QWERTY, S60 3rd Edition action that made the original famous -- and as expected, it's gone live with Cingular today for a relatively reasonable $150 on contract. Besides the lack of 802.11, the E62 gives up the E61's UMTS 2100 support, but Cingular's guessing its average buyer isn't going to mind (seeing how we don't do UMTS 2100 in these parts). With the QWERTY market heating up in the next few months, it's unclear whether Nokia and Cingular ultimately have a winner here, but any way you look at it, it's a win for American S60 proponents who generally get pretty well starved for handsets of any form factor.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
