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Video: Nokia 5230 touchscreen seen lagging the competition
Ok S60 5th edition fans, here you go: another touchscreen Nokia slate to admire before it could be leaked by Eldar Murtazin. The new 5230 brings a 3.2-inch touchscreen riding HSDPA data, A-GPS, 2 megapixel camera, microSD expansion, and Bluetooth 2.0 with the promise of 33-hours of music pumped over its 3.5-mm audio jack. It will launch in two flavors in Q4: a €149 model and €259 Comes with Music version. Backside pic and video demonstrating the importance of long pink finger nails for navigating its resistive touchscreen after the break. Note to Nokia: you really should review your marketing videos more carefully unless the severe lag / unresponsiveness seen when scrolling at 36 seconds is a feature.
Nokia 5900 XpressMusic spotted from the back?
At a quick glance, you might think that you're looking at the back of a 5530 here, but look closer -- the camera's a little different, and we don't know what's up with that grille or the slits underneath. Indeed, we could very well be looking at the back of a rumored 5900 XpressMusic, a phone allegedly set to bow at Nokia World in Stuttgart next month with a 5 megapixel camera, S60 5th Edition FP1 (first we've heard of an S60 5th Edition feature pack), and -- get this -- support for SDXC, which would give the phone truly insane expandability options. It's also apparently a bit thinner than the 5800 it'd be replacing, though the SDXC rumor is truly off the wall -- we'll need to wait right up until Nokia World until we believe that particular tidbit. [Via mobile-review] Update: Looks like the photo's been floating around for a while -- hard to say whether it's legit or not -- but these spec details are new. Of course, time'll tell whether they turn out to be legit -- everyone got their German vacations booked? Thanks, Symbian Freak!
Nokia N97 review: a tale of two bloggers
Thomas Ricker and Chris Ziegler came away from their N97s with very different opinions of Nokia's premier superphone -- and they weren't afraid to let those opinions be known in a series of vicious verbal volleys. Head on over to Engadget for all the drama!
Nokia E72, 5530 XpressMusic get official
You'd think that Nokia would want to do a better job of building up such important product announcements with a long, drawn-out series of frustratingly unhelpful teasers, viral videos, and global PR campaigns, but instead, it turns out that the rumored E72 and 5530 XpressMusic have been officially unveiled at the company's Connection 09 event in Singapore. The E72 is arguably the bigger announcement of the two, succeeding the E71 by adding a whopping 5 megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack (thank goodness), integrated compass, 10.2Mbps HSDPA, and an optical navigation pad; it'll hit in the third quarter for €350 (about $489). Follow the break for video of the E72 in slick, polished, high-orchestrated marketing action. Next up, as we'd heard, the 5530 ends up being a small step down from the 5800 in the S60 5th Edition totem pole, offering just EDGE data without any form of 3G (though you've still got WiFi). It's got a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, 3.5mm jack, and a 640 x 360 touchscreen display. Like the E72 it'll be available in the third quarter; it'll retail for €199 (about $278) unlocked.[Thanks, nabs]Read - Nokia E72Read - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
Nokia Messaging graduates to S60 5th Edition
Well, if you're the proud owner of a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic -- which runs S60 5th edition, in case you don't keep up with that jazz -- you can now join the mobile pioneers using this free -- at least for now, for some -- service. So, if you've never heard of Nokia Messaging, it is an email aggregator that will connect to 10 different webmail accounts and put the mail all in one place on your handset. Nokia Messaging support thousands of email providers, includes support for HTML, Windows Live Hotmail, and can be configured via the app on the phone or from the web. So far, so fantastic, and it is a grand thing when a beta app graduates to the real world. Congrats Nokia, and congrats to all you 5800 owners out there, follow the read to get at it.[Via UnwiredView]
Rumored Nokia 5900 XpressMusic is actually a lower-end 5530?
We were cautiously optimistic after seeing the alleged 5900 XpressMusic leak out a few weeks ago that Nokia was taking a keen interest in upgrading the plain-vanilla looks of its midrange 5800 to give it more of a premium feel, but strangely, it sounds like there might be very different forces at play here. Cellpassion says that it can "confidently say" that the silvery device here is actually a downgrade from the 5800 -- a model 5530 codenamed "Kenzo." Rumored specs include a 3.2 megapixel AF cam (same as the 5800), a lower-res QVGA display clocking in at 2.9 inches, 150MB of onboard storage, and -- here's the kicker -- no 3G or WiFi. It's said to be looking at a retail price under $200, which makes us wonder if this couldn't actually be the domestic Chinese version of a device that could launch in other markets with 3G and / or WiFi enabled. Just a guess, but here's hoping we get some concrete answers shortly.
Samsung i8910 HD comes to Orange UK
Say what you will about S60 5th Edition, but here's the thing -- of the smartphones in the news today, only one has a massive AMOLED display. Samsung's i8910 HD is almost irrefutably the baddest-ass S60 device ever produced and one of the most heavily-spec'd smartphones ever made for any platform, featuring the aforementioned 3.7-inch 640 x 360 capacitive touchscreen, an 8 megapixel camera, an S60-specific implementation of TouchWiz with 3D enhancements, and HSUPA. Bottom line is that if this phone can't get you worked into a lather, S60 definitely isn't for you -- and lucky Brits now have the opportunity to make that gut check thanks to Orange's retail launch. You can grab it for a totally reasonable £97.50 (about $151) on a £35 per month plan, which seems like a pittance to pay for one of the monster handsets of 2009. [Via All About Symbian]
Nokia XpressMusic 5900 leaks out?
Sure, this could just be a really nice KIRF, but we've got a hunch these pics of an upcoming Nokia XpressMusic 5900 are the real deal -- it's just too understated to be shanzhai. Compared to the 5800, the updated handsets are said to feature a slightly larger 3.5-inch display, a five megapixel camera, and more or less the same build of S60 5th edition, all in a slightly thinner case. That's all we know for now, but we're told we'll find out more soon -- keep it locked.
Nokia's flagship N97 gets its own website, pre-order link ($699)
If flash animations and S60 5th edition are your idea of a good time then you'll want to head on over to Nokia's new interactive N97 landing page. From there you can get as close as you'll ever get to Nokia's flagship slider with 3.5-inch, 640 x 360 pixel resistive touch-screen display prior to its expected June launch. So go ahead, take 'er for a spin and then hit the newly live pre-order button after you're convinced that this is the smartphone for you. Sure, there's lots of potential June competition out there but take heart: the Android-powered Samsung i7500 lacks a QWERTY, there's no guarantee that a next-gen iPhone will launch in June, and the Palm Pre might be a big fat dud. There, feel better about your choice?Update: Tipster Chris just let us know that the N97 shows a $699 phone-only price on the "find products" tab over at Nokia USA. That's $6 cheaper than the N96, strangely enough. See screen-grab after the break.Update 2: Pre-order is go for the US.[Via mivadika, thanks Nikos K.]
Mobile OS shootout: iPhone OS 3.0 enters the fray
Now that we know what iPhone OS 3.0 holds, we wanted to circle back and take stock of all of the major mobile platforms. Who wins? Who loses? Who's in the penalty box? Head on over to Engadget for the in-depth look.
Samsung OmniaHD hands-on, now with more TouchWiz
Its TouchWiz implementation is still a little raw -- first time they've done this on S60, so we'll cut them some slack -- but otherwise, we're seriously stoked by everything we've seen of the OmniaHD this week. The display simply has to be seen to be believed, clocking in at a breathtaking 3.7 inches -- and we noticed that it has a rather uncanny capability for washing out any other display within striking distance. Check out this Memoir here, held side-by-side for comparison: taken alone, the thing has a gorgeous display, but it pales in comparison to that glorious AMOLED alongside (also notice how the already-large Memoir gets dwarfed by the OmniaHD's massive package). Despite its size, the phone was comfortable in the hand -- and even in its rickety pre-beta state, the firmware was really flying through crazy 3D transitions, so we're hopeful that this is going to be one of the most desirable phones of the year when it hits. Follow the break for a video tour of the interface!
Samsung Acme i8910 gets caught flashing its S60 5th Edition
If there's a single phone that could steal even a sliver of spotlight from the GSM Pre, Windows Mobile 6.5, and a barrage of Android announcements, this beaut could be it. We've already seen the Acme's hardware, but now we have the first shots of Samsung's lovely new slate with the screen on -- and guess what? It's not going to be a WinMo 6.5 launch device, because it just so happens to be running S60 5th Edition. Not only does that make us forget the 5800 ever existed, it seriously puts our pending love for the N97 in jeopardy -- especially when you take into account the alleged 8 megapixel cam, frickin' HDMI support, and a display that would put our own HDTVs to shame. More on this little gem at MWC, we presume.
Leaked Rogers slides make us want to move to Canada
We're not really sure where to begin with this one, because the awesomeness is so thorough and so intense that we're basically at a loss for words; we'll see what we can do here, though. In brief, a HoFo poster has thrown up what appear to be slides from a Rogers event detailing the carrier's release plans for the better part of 2009, and seriously, if you name a badass handset, odds are it's here. Samsung will apparently be bringing the 8.1-megapixel Pixon, for starters, and Sony Ericsson will be throwing its name into the huge-cam hat with the C905. Turning our attention to Windows Mobile, the X1 is scheduled for release "around August if not sooner," Motorola brings the lowly Q11, and HTC adds the Touch Pro, the Touch Viva (an unusual choice considering HTC's intention to send it to emerging markets), and possibly the Touch 3G. Nokia will be offering the 5800 XpressMusic in the middle part of the year, Moto will be bringing a pair of 5-megapixel phones in the VE66 and ZN5, and finally, it seems RIM is signed up to bring the all-GSM 9520 Storm with WiFi -- a feature sorely missing from the Verizon and Vodafone versions -- and a 3G remix of the 8200 Pearl series flip that'll have a front-facing cam for video calling (yeah, no joke, they offer it up there). So look, AT&T, you have two options here: either crib off this presentation and make it happen, or we hope you get bought by Rogers. Your choice.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Mysterious new Nokia touchscreen interface and handset unveiled (sort of)
In a presentation given at Nokia's Capital Markets Day 2008 last week the company quietly displayed a previously unseen handset, complete with an edge-to-edge touchscreen and subtle, attractive stylings. Perhaps even more interesting is that the screen is sporting an all-new heretofore unseen S60 touchscreen interface, giving hope to folks let down by S60 5th Edition's minor changes to the formula. Unfortunately, Nokia hasn't made any other reference to this phone or the revised OS, and could have very well trotted them out as a proof of concept of the company's direction -- particularly likely due to the fact that they were trying hard to butter up investors at the meeting. Still, the "Tube" started off as little more than a presentation (complete with hints at interface improvements that have yet to emerge), and look how that ended up.[Warning: PDF link; via Boy Genius Report]%Gallery-38846%
Nokia hints at new touch-based Communicator
Every so often, Nokia will pop out a brick-like beast of a clamshell smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard -- a black sheep in Espoo's lineup in every sense of the word. These so-called Communicators even had their own custom Symbian-based operating system, Series 80, until the E90 came around and brought 'em in line with the rest of the S60 crowd. Of course, S60 just took a big leap to the world of touch today, and that means the E90's starting to fall a bit behind -- so what's next? Nokia dropped a little teaser during its webcast today in the form of a stylized touch-based concept bearing strong family ties to the E90 and its ancestors, suggesting S60 5th Edition won't spell doom for the form factor. If it materializes, history suggests it won't be a mainstream device -- but if the real thing can look as good as this render, who knows?
S60 Touch screen shots look like... S60 with touch
A heaping handful of fresh alleged screen shots of S60 Touch's user interface are floating around, apparently yoinked off the platform's PC-based theme editor -- not as cool as if they'd been lifted from a Tube, granted, but still good enough to give us some clutch insight into where Nokia's taking this thing. As revolutionary as the move to touch control might be for S60 as a platform, the UI looks shockingly evolutionary so far; in fact, to the untrained eye, there are portions that are virtually indistinguishable from S60 revs of yore. That's good news (we suppose) for S60 diehards who aren't interested in learning a new paradigm -- and we're all for the VGA support here -- but it's bad news for anyone who was planning on having their noodles positively baked by Espoo's engineering manpower and massive R&D budget. Let's all just hold off on the negativity until Nokia gives us something official to ogle; for the time being, though, our boring UI-dar is definitely on high alert.[Via Symbian Freak, thanks Misha]
