Category Archives: News

Symbian Anna Change-log

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Guess you are all enjoying the new Symbian Anna.  It’s two dates now and I can’t just stop loving it.  I thought this update was worth waiting for.  it remains to see now what Symbian Belle would bring into the game.  Then possibly, Symbian Susan, or Symbian Catherine would be next. LOL.

Okay! I decided to share the changelog of the Symbian Anna.  It’s good you go through them to see if you are lacking one of them.  This is the official Changelog.

New Icons

  • This is the first thing you see in the update, and it’s quite beautiful in the eyes.  I just love the round icons.

Improved text input

  • There’s a portrait QWERTY keyboard for fast, single-handed typing.
  • There’s also a split-screen view while you’re typing, so you can see the web pages, forms and message threads you’re replying to.

Better browser

  • The browser is easier to use and faster, and offers better compliance with recent standards.

Enhanced Maps

  • Ovi Maps now has a simpler and quicker search function.
  • It also includes public transport routes.
  • And you can check in to social networks, send emails and SMS messages sharing your location.

Business features

  • Email improvements include full meeting request support.
  • Hardware-accelerated encryption of your phone’s data for true business-grade security.
  • Secure intranet access for business users who need IPSEC and SSL VPN enablers.

Near-Field Communications

  • Symbian Anna also activates the NFC hardware in the Nokia C7, for easy sharing, games, use with NFC-enabled accessories and reading NFC tags on other items.

For developers

  • Flashlite 4, Java Runtime 2.2, Qt Mobility 1.1 and Qt 4.7 bring things up-to-date for developers.

N/B- If you feel you cannot see one of these features, then you would like to either re-instal the version update using Nokia Software Updater (the Ovi Suite software update has a problem re-installing this update. I don’t know why).  You can also visit a Nokia Care center to help you do that.  For those who haven’t got any update indication yet should still wait, because it’s coming to your region very soon.

Symbian Anna Officially rolls out

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YESSSS!  It has finally arrived.  After over 6 months of suspense and waiting, the newest Symbian^3 update which is called Symbian Anna has been officially released.  This update comes out gradually in various regions of the world, and I can confirm that I got the update too from Nigeria, West Africa.

The update I got asked me to use the Nokia Software Updater or Ovi Suite to update my C7.  This means that I cannot update it using OTA.

Various sites indicate that in other regions of the world, the update can be done through OTA as well as through the Ovi Suite.

The easiest way to know if it has been released in your region is by tapping the SW update on your Nokia C7 to see if it has landed in your region.  You can also do so using the PC applications: Nokia Ovi Suite or Nokia Software Updater.  Symbian^3 devices have UDP (User Data Preservation), which preserves your personal files even after update.  Yet, it is adviced that you backup your files on your PC before going on with the Symbian Anna update.

The good news and a point to be proud of about your Nokia C7 is the fact that this update activates the NFC function on your C7, and this is only available for the C7.  Even N8 lacks that feature.  Isn’t that COOL?

I will try to post the Changelog as soon as possible.  Enjoy this first and feel the fast and elegant difference.

Nokia Ovi Suite 3.1.1.40 Beta

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The newest version of Nokia Ovi suite is a major improvement to previous version.  The User Interface looks familiar but you would notice new features and designs in it. It is simpler and faster.

You get access to many information and files just from a simple window.  I preferred the Old Nokia Pc Suite for my Nokia phones including my C7 due to its simplicity, but this version gave me a rethink.  Nokia intends to use the Ovi suite as the one and unique PC suite for Nokia phones by
eventually stopping its support for the Old Nokia PC suite and the other variants.  It integrates smoothly the main features from Nokia Photos,
Nokia Software updater and Nokia Map loader.  The most welcomed change log in this version is the ability to download from Ovi store once you
login from the Nokia Ovi suite.  This makes application and game download easier for Nokia phone owners.

Here are the features

  • A simplified Maps view with which you can instantly see which maps you have on your phone.
  • The direct download and installation of Ovi Store applications, games, and so on, from the online Nokia Ovi store.
  • You can move messages your files and contacts between your PC and your Nokia device.
  • Keep your Nokia device and computer in synchronisation, and update your Nokia device with the latest software.
  • Support for quicker and smaller Nokia Ovi Suite updates which doesn’t require updating a whole new update.  This means it has patch support.  Nevertheless, major updates would still require you download the full package.
  • Over 30 crash errors are said to be rectified in this version.

Download it HERE

Gameloft’s Asphalt 6 Adrenalineare and Dungeon Hunter out in Ovi Store!

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Gameloft’s two HD game sequels Dungeon Hunter 2 and Asphalt 6 Adrenalineare are now available for Symbian^3 and Anna devices over Nokia Ovi Store.

 

Dungeon Hunter 2:


“The epic tale of Dungeon Hunter continues in this thrilling action RPG. – Play the campaign solo or with up to 3 adventurers in co-op multiplayer mode. – Enter Gothicus’ dark fantasy atmosphere with high-definition graphics.”

Dungeon Hunter levels up!

  • 3 new difficulty levels
  • Open world 5 times bigger than before
  • Deep customization system: 3 classes, 6 specializations, dozens of skills, and hundreds of unique items to collect.

Download

Get Dungeon Hunter Here at Ovi store

Asphalt 6 Adrenalineare:


Get your adrenaline pumping for the newest edition of the Asphalt series.

  • Discover 42 cars & bikes from world-class manufacturers like Ferrari or Aston Martin.
  • Tune your vehicle & customize it with decals before tearing up the streets
  • L.A., Tokyo, the Bahamas & other beautiful locations, each rendered in HD.
  • You ’ll be driving against tough opponents
  • 11 different leagues with 55 events
  • Online/Local Multiplayer for up to 6 players

Get Asphalt 6 here at Ovi Store

 

Symbian Anna Browser Web 7.3 vs Web 7.2

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Allaboutsymbian did a comparison of the Symbian Anna web browser (Web 7.3) and the Web 7.2 which is actual browser on Nokia C7 and other symbian^3 devices.  The result was impressive.  Take a look at it.

How the Test was done.

The Nokia C7 and X7 were tested over the same WiFi connection (4 Mbps ADSL) from the same location (router about 1 metre away). Each website was loaded in turn by typing the URL into the address bar. This was repeated five times with the highest and lowest times discarded and the remaining times averaged to give the results below. The testing methodology was designed to replicate real world usage conditions, rather than aiming for the fastest possible results, while still maintaining a valid comparison.

The methodology used did allow for the use of caching. This does give Web 7.3 an advantage, as it makes better use of caching than Web 7.2, but the updated WebKit engine also makes a significant contribution. The use of caching does reflect the reality of mobile browsing, where both multiple visits to the same site (e.g. news, search) and multiple pages (with common header and footer elements) on the same site are common.

 

Browser comparison results

Web comparison chart

From these results, it is possible to draw out a number of conclusions:

  • Web 7.3 loaded pages an average of 23.5% faster than Web 7.2 across the pages tested.
  • There’s a significant variation in performance improvements across different websites, ranging from 30% slower to 44% faster.
  • In general, larger web pages (1MB+) show a greater performance improvement than smaller pages (<100kb).

Here are the tabulated results:

Site Nokia C7 Nokia X7 Difference Percentage
google.co.uk 1.6 1.2 -0.4 -26%
news.bbc.co.uk 22.9 13.1 -9.8 -42%
youtube.com5.4 10.9 7.2 -3.7 -33%
en.wikipedia.org 6.5 8.5 +2.0 +30%
allaboutsymbian.com 20.6 14.9 -5.7 -27%
mobile.allaboutsymbian.com 5.4 4.9 -0.6 -10%
global.nytimes.com 33.7 18.7 -14.9 -44%
theregister.co.uk 13.6 9 -4.6 -33%

You should bear in mind that these results should been taken as indicative only. It’s not really possible to carry out a fully valid comparison on the live web, giving the dynamic nature of most pages and the constantly changing network and connectivity conditions. Moreover, it is increasingly common to serve up different versions of web pages to different devices and different browser capabilities may dictate whether some resources (e.g. JavaScript) are loaded or not. This may explain the en.wikipedia.org result.

One of the things that the raw numbers do not show is the time when it is possible to start moving (dragging) around a half loaded web page. For both Web 7.2 and Web 7.3, this is usually about two thirds of the way through the page load, but this does vary. Web 7.3 seems to handle this better than Web 7.2, but is hard to measure this effectively, as at least part of this is due to improved page scrolling performance in 7.3 over 7.2.

Conclusion

The results clearly show that Web 7.3 offers faster page loading and rendering times than Web 7.2. Although the testing was done on the X7 and C7, the same should apply on other devices. A small testing sample comparing the N97 mini (upgraded to firmware v30 and Web 7.3) against the Nokia 5230 (using Web 7.2) showed a similar improvement (around 30%).

It is worth pointing out that it would be possible to use a different testing methodology and get a different set of specific results. However, the overall result – a 25% improvement in load times – does feel about right after using Web 7.3 in day to day usage over the last month or so.

The result makes us glamor for the new Symbian Anna more.  Note that to get the best browsing experience (for now and even against the symbian Anna) you should go for Opera Mini v11.

SYMBIAN ANNA FEATURES

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We owners of the Nokia C7 have been hungry to see the new OS update called Symbian Anna.   I for one, I have become so frustrated waiting for this.  My thirst to just have a feeling of Symbian Anna made me fall into a site that gave a mouth-watering analysis of the update.  You too want to know what’s coming in and what’s going out.  Let’s take a look at this review from http://zomgitscj.com.

 

We’ve checked out Symbian^1 and Symbian^3 in detail before, and now here’s the new Symbian Anna. Nokia India hosted a little “Get to Know Symbian Anna” event with the launch of the Nokia E6 and Nokia X7 today, so we figured, why not take a look at it in a little detail just to see what’s new, eh?

First up, Symbian Anna is also known as the PR2.0 update to Symbian^3, and brings along a host of new features to the operating system, and tweaks the user interface and visuals too. Most of them though, are under the hood. The update debuts on the Nokia X7, a new media centric device, and the touch-and-type business oriented Nokia E6. There’s full legacy support too, so it will eventually arrive on previous Symbian^3 devices.

So take a look at some of the main new features here, shall we?

The Visual Update:

Nokia X7 Review

The Symbian Anna update comes with a new set of rounded icons which freshens up things considerably. There’s real time scrolling, so transitional animations will follow your finger in real time, and you can also scroll between homescreen panes as well.

Nokia X7 Review

The Functionality Update:

The general consensus of the Symbian browser as of recently, was that it’s slow and desperately needed an update. Thankfully Symbian Anna brings that along, with HTML5 support (ish), hardware acceleration for smooth CSS animations, and a much cleaner, minimalistic UI with support for searches right from the address bar, and an always visible back button.

Nokia X7 Review

(Darn, no wifi!)

Yup Browser version 7.3 brings that all in, with support for Flash Lite and multi-touch too. Performance is also improved slightly, but can appear choppy at times on heavy websites.

Nokia X7 Review

Apart from that, there’s also a nice new full QWERTY portrait virtual keyboard (some call it “split screen” keyboard) that replaces the triple-tap numeric keypad. Interestingly, Nokia’s positioned the numbers in a few rows, instead of placing it on one row like other keyboards. Definitely much appreciated.

Nokia X7 Review

Maps have also been improved, but it’s the same as the latest version that’s available on Nokia Betalabs, allowing you to download full maps without needing a computer, and for quicker searches and integrated public transportation routes. The calendar app also has been updated, with a Dual Pane layout in monthly view. You can tap on any day on the left side, while on the right side, you can view any appointments on the date. Fun thing we noticed: You can also use multi-touch to zoom in or out of monthly and weekly views!

The Email application has also gotten a minor update with more space to check out your emails, an improved UI, and is slightly quicker to use. However it remains mostly the same at its core.

The Conclusion:

Here is a video overview of what’s new with Symbian Anna, right from Nokia India’s Product Manager himself:

Symbian Anna review

So yes, Symbian Anna definitely touches on some of Symbian’s major issues. It might not be the “revamped UI” update that everyone’s waiting for, but it’s much better than the current iteration.

Nokia X7 Review

 

The incoming Symbian Belle update has promised a complete overhaul of the platform, with Nokia setting the bar high, saying “If you like Android, you’ll love Symbian Belle“. In the meanwhile, Anna does a pretty good job. Will it convince folks to stick to Symbian though, remains to be seen.

Beautiful!!! I just can’t wait.

Nokia’s Symbian Laziness

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Alright, it took me about a month to get my hands working back. But I’ve been lucky it took just a month, considering I wrecked my bike at around 90km/h. But all is well that ends well.
Now back to the reason I’m posting this blog. Nokia.

Nokia-Symbian

Last year, they made us believe we’ll be seeing major Symbian updates in Q1 of 2011. We all know how that turned out. The updates we saw were all about fixing mails, and a landscape dialer. That’s all about the update Nokia has been giving us. And we have all the reasons to be neglected.

Speculations were high that the Symbian world will see Symbian Anna in the first week of June. And since it’s been termed as the first major update for Symbian, everyone got excited.

But lay down people, Nokia is at their hammering best yet again. A couple of leaked videos from nokia shows that now Nokia intend on releasing the update of Symbian Anna somewhere in the third quarter of 2011. That means, at least 2 more months. And considering Nokia’s track record, that might very well turn out to be 5-6 months.

Symbian Anna is in development hell right now, not yet ready to be rolled out, and people at Nokia are already working on the “Next” update after ANNA. “BELLE”.

Yes, Belle got me very much excited, simply because of the interface changes, but wouldn’t it be great if the people at Nokia first concentrated in the things they have to roll out before Belle, that is Anna.

They’ve got their one foot on a burning platform, and they are trying to put their other foot on a rather active volcano top.

Nokia, if you can’t deliver, then just don’t promise the world.

Nokia C7 deals

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Nokia was known for its simple and long lasting phones which gave extremely long battery back up. Now, with the new Nokia C7, the company has changed its place in the smartphone market. The new Nokia c7 is said to give its customers, full satisfaction. The Nokia C7 packs in an brilliant touch screen and houses the some powerful hardware inside it.

The new Nokia pay as you go concept is pretty good. You can now pay how much you want to use and you can keep track of your spending. You can pay for a month in advance and use your phone till you run out of that money. You dont need to be locked into one single service provider also. You can change the service provider after each month if you want. This is something that interests me.

There are not going to be any plans where you have to give a monthly rental. So this is going to be very cheap a deal. Plus, there are other plans where you may be able to get stuffs like LCD TVs, PSP, XBox and other cool stuffs. So watch out for the latest Nokia C7 deals.

Nokia C7 leaked

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Another Nokia C7 has been leaked to the world a recently and a Russian website, Mobile Review has reviewed it. The phone, Nokia C7, got a review done before the actual release of the phone. The website has given pretty much the same specs details as there are the rumors.

According to the website, the new Nokia C7 will be a touch screen phone. The phone will be running on the Symbian ^3 operating system.This is supposed to the second phone from Nokia to run on the Symbian ^3 operating system, after the Nokia N8. The phone will also have an 8 GB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot with a support of up to 32 GB. So you can use the device to store a lot of media if you are wishing to buy for your multimedia needs.

The phone will feature a Wi-Fi radio and a GPS, so you can get good internet connectivity with hotspot, and you also dont get lost as you can use the built in GPS to track down yourself. You can take some good quality photos with the phone as the phone has an 8 mega pixel camera with flash.

These are the details given by the website. We have to wait for some more time if we want a proper and official word on the phone. Keep watching this space for more info and some inside news about the new Nokia C7.

Nokia C7 available in India?

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As far as my, and every other tech enthusiast’s knowledge goes, Nokia C7 has not yet been officially announced by Nokia. We dont even have confirmed news about the specs of the device. And can you say you know how much it is going to cost? No, right? But an Indian website has posted the specs and the price of Nokia C7. How can the price be announced without official words from the company?

PriceIndia has posted details about the device. The specs of the device that the website gives are listed below:

  • Company Nokia
  • Product Mobile
  • Series C-series
  • Model C7
  • Music and Video player
  • Stereo speakers
  • 3.5-mm headphone jack
  • Bluetooth device
  • Zoom function
  • Dual-LED flash
  • GPRS/WAP/JAV
  • Web browser
  • 3.5-inches touch screen display
  • 8 megapixel camera

The site also says that the price of the new yet to be launched Nokai C7 will be Rs. 16,000, or $341.9. Can this be true or just another rumor? Or is it a spam? The website has no option to buy the phone. So its not a spam. Its either a leak or a rumor.