Symbian OS9.3 with S60 v3.1 Feature Pack 2 reviewed

Rafe over at All About Symbian has reviewed the Nokia N78. The important relation between the N96 and N78 is definitely the Operating System.

I decided to provide the readers with some extracts of the software bits contained in his review. A lot of this is ungrouped, and everything is really Rafe’s words:

The usual standard suite of software is present, including the PIM trio of Contacts, Calendar and Messaging. Web, Search and various office applications are all present. Feature Pack 2 brings a number of minor updates to these applications, but it is usability changes to the user interface that get most of the immediate attention.

The most obvious user interface change is the addition of a central softkey. This, for the most part, explicitly labels functionality that was already there, but should make things clearer to new users. Multi-tasking is made more obvious thanks to a redesigned task-switcher and the addition of an ‘Open applications’ item to the top of all Options menus.

Other changes that should be popular among N78 users include support for progressive downloads (start playing media during download), faster loading Java applications, full-screen picture caller ID for incoming calls, the inclusion of Flash Lite 3 (watch YouTube and other Flash videos in the browser), and inclusion of the WRT runtime (widgets).

The N73’s Gallery application was notorious for being sluggish, especially when viewing carousels of photos (thumbnail drawing rarely kept up with on screen movements). The good news is that the carousel has been re-designed from the ground up for the new Photos application and it also benefits from the faster processor of the N78. The end result is much better performance, with little or no lag time when moving around the carousel or viewing photos. A nice touch is the inclusion of an on-screen indication of where you are on a carousel, making it easy to navigate around large groupings of photos. When viewing an individual photo, you are able to add album and tag information, as well as the usual send, print, edit, slideshow and use image commands.

Share online, which allows the upload of media to online services such as Flickr, Share on Ovi, and Print online, which allows you order prints directly from your phone which are subsequently delivered by post, are all available out of the box and serve as ways of getting photos off the phone. Share online is particularly important here, as it integrates with both the Camera and Photos application, allowing for one click uploads to the web. Read more

Syntrax – Professional DJ application for Symbian!

Symbian software has no limits, pretty much everything that you do on the computer, is possible to be done on your phone. With the upcoming release of the Nokia N96, users new to Symbian, or even Symbian experts can look forward to these programs. Not everyone has a taste for music, especially for writing and mixing it. Turn tables and DJ components are often too expensive, and even computer software for that purpose is overpriced. Now you can have it all in the phone, and compose music on the move, without disturbing anyone if you use your earphones.

Syntrax has all modern musician wants when away from the studio. A sequencer, sound synthesis and sample editor all wrapped up in a nice little package.

Features:

* Up to 8 stereo audio channels simultaneously (previously only 6)
* Playback of samples with bi-directional looping support
* Realtime sound synthesis with 15 sound generation effects
* Realtime effects like filters, morphs and echoes
* A built in small sample editor
* A full featured sequencer
* Dynamic playback options (songspeed, groove, muting etc..)
* Realtime instrument parameter changing
* Full library of preset songs and sounds for you to start working with
* User adjustable sound quality for slower devices
* MIDI compatibility.

Download it here

Source: The Nokia N82 Blog

Comment and Discuss here

Interview with the man behind Screenshot, Antony Prananta!

I decided to interview a great man I admire, for developing the application that all us reviewers love, Screenshot. Antony has been in the software business for long, and is and important developer at Nokia.

Good evening Mr Antony Pranata, I am really glad that you accepted my invite. The readers and I are expecting to find out quite a lot about you and your contribution to the Symbian society.

To start, would you care to tell us what which phone was your first?

My first mobile phone was Siemens C25.

When did you acquire this mobile phone, and what was the price (comparing to the prices today)?

I bought my Siemens C25 in August 1999. At that time, I was still living in my home country, Indonesia. The price was around US $135.

What phone are you using at the moment?

I am currently using Nokia N95 8GB. Read more

N96 Official pictures

Comment and Discuss

N96 Official release

Mobile World Congress 2008, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland – Nokia today unveiled the Nokia N96, a multimedia computer truly optimized for video and TV. With a large 2.8″ screen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and support for high-quality videos in a wide range of formats, the dual-slide Nokia N96 represents an exciting new chapter in mobile media. The Nokia N96 multimedia computer is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated sales price of approximately 550 euros, before subsidies or taxes.

 

 

“In 2007, the Nokia N95 became an icon of convergence of Internet and mobility. With over 7 million units sold to date, the N95 has changed the way people use their mobile device. The Nokia N96 we introduced today builds on the success of N95, further enhancing the experience,” says Jonas Geust, who oversees Nokia’s Explore category. “Through the power of the Internet, video and TV are becoming even more prevalent in people’s lives. With its large, bright screen, and a range of high-speed connectivity options and the enhanced Nokia Video Center, the new Nokia N96 is a personal window to entertainment.”

 

Accessing internet videos is quick and simple. The Nokia N96 supports common video formats including MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video, making favorite videos easy to view. Transferring and accessing videos is even faster with the high-speed USB 2.0 connection and WLAN and HSDPA support. In select markets, the integrated DVB-H receiver offers live broadcast TV with an automatically updating program guide. The massive memory can store up to 40 hours of video content. The storage capacity of the Nokia N96 can even be further expanded with an optional microSD card, such as the new Nokia 8GB microSDHC Card MU-43 which increases the available memory of the Nokia N96 to a total of 24 GB. For added convenience, the Nokia N96 features a ‘kickstand’ on the back cover that allows for hands-free viewing.

 

The Nokia Video Center offers one place to discover and access a variety of mobile content ranging from movie trailers and comedy to news from world-leading content brands such as YouTube, Reuters, and Sony Pictures. The catalogue of internet video feeds is continually expanded with more regional and country specific content.

 

For a superb music experience, the Nokia N96 features media keys, a 3.5 mm headphone connector and built-in 3D stereo speakers. The Nokia Maps application offers richer maps with urban details and satellite views and has upgrade options such as City Guides, turn-by-turn pedestrian mode and voice-guided car navigation.

 

The Nokia N96 boasts a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash and video light. It allows DVD-like quality video capture at 30 frames per second. Further, with the integrated A-GPS, consumers can now ‘geotag’ their pictures with location data and share them with their online communities.

 

The Nokia N96 naturally supports the Ovi family of Nokia internet services, including maps, music, media sharing and more.

Comment and Discuss

« Previous Page