Sweet Nokia Maps 2.0

A very useful post just went up on the Nokia Betalabs site. Many of you wouldn't know much about this website so I've just reposted it here. It talks about the new Maps Suite 2.0 which comes with the Belle update. I particularly like the photo blog option which will change the way we travel and show friends our journey on a large TV via the Nokia N8's awesome HDMI connectivity. 

Nokia Maps Suite puts all the information you need to find your way—maps, drive and walk directions, public transport, and weather—all in one smart package. And the latest release makes it even smarter and more personalized with new additions such as voice search, geo-tagged photo display, and the return of the new and improved Route Planner. Finding your way has never been better. Try it out now!

Find what you need with a tap.

In addition to fast, intuitive tools for finding your way, the new Maps makes accessing information and features faster than ever. Press and hold on a destination to choose how you want to get there—including public transport. And enjoy one-tap access to Places and Weather right from your Home screen.


Personalize the way you get around.Nokia Maps now also makes your maps more personal than ever. Turn on Photos to see your snapshots of the places you’ve been placed along your map. Create customized routes for sightseeing or to avoid traffic. You can even save your favorite routes to access them later.

Navigate safer behind the wheel.

With new voice search capability, you can speak your destination for safer and easier searching while driving. New and improved landscape views in Weather and Drive make seeing what you need easier. And Weather now automatically shows you the weather for where you are, and can even show you what’s ahead.

Turn your map into a photo-blog.

Now you can choose to see your photos from places you’ve been placed right on your map. Using the geo-tagging information in photos taken on your phone, Maps will automatically place them in the locations they were taken where you can relive good times or even share them with friends.

Symbian Belle v Symbian Anna - Screenshots

Some of you who are anxiously waiting for the N8 update to Belle want to see how the Symbian Anna compares with Symbian Belle. Here are a couple of screenshots. If you want to see other comparisons, leave a comment. 

The Home Screen is dominated by a large clock which makes it look a lot more Androidish. Messages and missed calls can be seen on the status bar (which now drops down to reveal one touch control of the wifi etc). See below what happens when you tap the top status bar.

You can now turn off mobile data, wifi, bluetooth or ringtones with two taps from the home screen and see various notifications. 

Maps looks pretty much the same. except that they've added an extra icon on the bottom right corner which means quicker access to various menu items. Live traffic deviation based on live traffic updates is now included in the phone, but I thought it was already in there? anyway.. 

The menu icons seem to have grown a little or at least their squircle has taken up more space (see Nokia Store icon on the left). Not sure but it seems that vibration is a little stronger with Belle? 

Just a sample screenshot of landscape mode with the Symbian Belle. It seems to adapt very well. 

Your Questions about New Firmware Symbian Belle

I updated my Nokia Suite to the latest version and plugged my Nokia N8 in to see whether there were any software updates. When I ran the Software Update checker, they happily reported that Symbian Belle is now available and the computer commenced downloading 257MB of updates!

There are some questions I can imagine many of you are asking in your head. First of all, how come you have the Symbian Belle update? I got the phone from London in 2010 at the Nokia World conference so the phone model is probably a UK one :) Should have checked for an update earlier.. so here are a few other questions you may have

Do I need to backup my phone contents? 
Nokia Suite will backup your phone contents. However files on the C:\ in your phone (not your SD CARD) will be wiped so they do pause the installation of the new firmware to give you time to copy C:\ into another location. I just copied it into the 8GB SD Card.

So what happens during the installation of firmware? 
The phone turns off after the installation and then asks you what language you want. Then they want you to sign in to your Nokia account to get Maps, Music, Mail and Store settings. It will then ask whether you want to transfer your phone contents from another phone. After this, you can set up your email account.

How long does it take to update the firmware? 
It took only 10 minutes for me.

When do I get my contents back from Nokia Suite's backup? 
It's quite funny because as I was adding in the date, time, and regional settings, I noticed my computer was busy in the background with Nokia Suite. It was (without prompting) restoring my phone's contents!

In the meantime, my phone was loading up an amazing, completely new homescreen! I immediately thought it looks a lot like my brother's HTC phone with the large flipclock taking up most of the screen real estate. You can see up to 6 beautiful home screens with icons customiz, get notifications covering sms/calls etc, live traffic deviation, one touch control of wifi/bluetooth/silence/vibration etc and so much more to explore!

What else needs updating? 
Nokia Store required a 4.3MB download for the latest 3.20.050 version.

So what does it look like? 

How to get the N8 E7 C6 Belle firmware now!

Whether you are in Australia, China, Indonesia or USA, if you cannot get the firmware yet and you don't want to wait your turn, one guy has uploaded it to a forum with the following link to the uploaded file you need to update your phone. Download it here

New Firmware for N8 - Symbian Belle

Nokia is starting to release the Symbian Belle firmware update to Nokia N8, E6, C7 etc. To find out whether you can get the update you will need to plug your mobile in and have the most recent Nokia Suite installed (3.3 available here).

You can see whether your region has the update ready by heading over to this link http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/nokia-belle-update/nokia-belle-update-availability

Nokia's first Windows Phone 7 - Lumia 800

Nokia Australia has finally confirmed the arrival of the first Nokia phone with Windows Phone 7 – the Nokia Lumia 800 to Australia. It will be available through all Optus, Telstra, Vodafone and all major retailers from March 2012. The phone will be available in black, blue (Cyan), pink (Magenta) and white. People in Australia will be taken by surprise by this new device which looks completely different to the Nokia phones of old. Gone is Symbian and the one-hit-wonder Meego and in comes the full force of Microsoft.

Since the Nokia N9 did not gain much traction in the Australian market, the new Lumia 800 which uses the same body as the N9 will certainly impress many mobile phone users. Nokia Australia’s managing director, Chris Carr, said, “Nokia Lumia will change the way people think about Nokia.  It signifies a new beginning for the company, bringing together the very best of Nokia’s handset design and services with the latest Windows Phone software."

Australians have continued to grow in their appetite for mobile phones with the average user owning more than one device. As many people have grown used to, or even bored with, the iphone and android platforms, early adopters could be looking with keen interest at the WP7 operating system that powers the Lumia 800. There is a greater integration of social media tools and an increasing number of apps flooding the new operating system.

Microsoft's partnership with Nokia on this phone will bring to the Lumia 800 Microoft's XBox Live games as well as Nokia's leading GPS navigation system. Prepare for a large marketing onslaught that will herald the Lumia 800 with the marketing pitch to make "Amazing Every Day"

More about our experiences with the Lumia 800 will be at www.MyN9.blogspot.com

Video of Fireworks using Nokia N8

We recently filmed some filmed a fireworks display in Perth using the Nokia N8. Check it out below.

Best use of N8 Camera

Of course we know that the Nokia N8 can take great pictures of mountains and castles and scenery but how often in your daily life unless you are a pilot will you actually use this? A friend of mine always liked having the N95 because of the camera that it had on it because as an engineer, he used the N95 to take photos of circuits and machinery which would later be used by other engineers to inspect the parts. Obviously, you can see the importance of a good camera in his daily work so he was shocked at how amateurish the photos turned out when he upgraded to a different smartphone.

Since the N8's camera is probably still the best in the market, what do you do with your N8 camera in your day to day life which makes it impossible for you to leave your N8 at home? If you are busting to share some other reason why you can't leave your N8 at home.. go on...

Random Vibrations Hidden Widgets

Every once in a while, I noticed that the N8 would vibrate randomly and I would open up the applications that are active and there was nothing I could see causing the vibrations. The usual times I can think of when the phone could vibrate is when

• Missed call / Message 
• GPS walk mode when it wants to tell you to turn a corner 
• Gmail when new mail comes in

However, none of those scenarios occurred. It turns out that although I deleted the Email widget from my home screen, it was still working in the background (but not showing up as an active application) downloading emails and when it did, it would vibrate to let me know. 

So, your problem may be caused by a widget that is still downloading stuff long after it was removed from the home screen. Hope this helps.

025.007 Firmware Update Released

If you haven't heard yet, the new firmware update for Symbian^3 (that's you, N8 users) is now available over the air by going to your dialler, type in *#0000# and in options, check for updates. No one really knows what this update does but from what we know, it's to introduce you to Nokia Store (changed from Ovi Store) and to fix some bugs from the previous release. You'll get a screen something like this except of course it will be a Nokia N8.

N8 Problems Updating to Anna

Here's a troubleshooting guide that Nokia released to help those that are struggling to get Symbian Anna update installed on their Nokia N8. I have a feeling Anna is partially installed on my N8 and I am in the process of figuring out what I need to do as well. Good luck to all, leave comments about your problems

Generic Symbian Anna update troubleshooting:

• FA136052: Why don’t I see Symbian Anna update packages in the software update client on my phone?

There could be several reasons.

1) Symbian Anna has not been released for your country yet and therefore no update is available yet.

2) Symbian Anna has been released for your country but you are using

                a) a productcode that belongs to an operator that has not approved the update yet

                b) a productcode that belongs to a country that has not released the update yet

3) You have checked for software updates in the last 24h and your phone is not showing new available updates, as it is only connecting to the server once every 24h and any other time only check its memory. To clear your phone’s cache, tap the Clock on your homescreen and change the date of your phone to next day (via Settings). For example, if todays date is 6th Nov, then set the date to 7th Nov. This will make existing updates visible.

• FA136053: Why don’t I see Symbian Anna update packages in OviSuite?

There could be several reasons.

1) Symbian Anna has not been released for your country yet and therefore no update is available yet.

2) Symbian Anna has been released for your country but you are using

                a) a productcode that belongs to an operator that has not approved the update yet

                b) a productcode that belongs to a country that has not released the update yet

3) You have checked for software updates in the last 24h and OviSuite is not showing new available updates, as it is only connecting to the server once every 24h and any other time only check its cache. Available updates will get visible after 24h – or try to update via the software update client in your phone (by using WiFi).

• FA135977: Why don’t I see Symbian Anna after just having my phone updated over the air via the Software Update client?

In some product codes/phone variants when updating via OTA (over the air) it is not possible to jump from the existing software version directly to Symbian Anna, if another software release has been accepted for that phone variant in between the old software and Anna. In this case when using OTA the intermediate software versions need to be installed first.

If using Ovi Suite or Nokia Software Updater (NSU) all variants of Symbian Anna supported phones can be updated directly to Symbian Anna.

• FA136073: Why can’t I download Symbian Anna application packages (Installation fails)?

The reason for this is most likely a problem with existing QT files on your phone. Please try the following:

A) Solution1 – especially if you have “Nokia bubbles” on your phone

-          Install the following QT files on the C: drive of your phone in exactly this sequence

        * http://dl.nokia.com/ns/sdo/QtSA4.7.301.sisx

        *http://dl.nokia.com/ns/sdo/QtWebkitSA4.8.0.sisx

        *http://dl.nokia.com/ns/sdo/QtMobilitySA1.1.301.sis

-          While you install above QT files you MUST keep the following things in mind:

*Installation must be done to C: drive of the phone. If you by mistake select E: drive, you can cancel the installation and re-install again. If E: drive installation is complete, you can re-install one more time and select C: drive for installation.

*Installation order must be met. First it has to be QT (QtSA4.7.301.sisx).

-          Open the software update client on your phone via Menu>Applications>(Tools>)Softwareupdate

-          Select the shown Symbian Anna application packages and start the update

B) Solution2:

- Launch the File manager on your phone (Typically found: Menu -> Applications -> Office -> File mgr.)

- Choose Options -> Find -> E: Mass memory -> Root folder

- In the “Find text:” window, type “*.sisx” (without double quote) and the select find.

- It will display many sisx files starting with “TMP”. Example: TMP3efa4.sisx.

- Now select Options -> Mark multiple items  and now mark all sisx starting with “TMP”.

- After marking them select Options -> Delete and delete all of them.

- Now tap the Clock on your homescreen and change the date of your phone to next day (via Settings). For example, if todays date is 6th Nov, then set the date to 7th Nov. This is needed to clear the software update cache and make new updates visible.

- Open the “SW update” application.

- Select the shown Symbian Anna application packages and start the update

• FA135984: Why have I lost Quickoffice and Adobe pdf reader after downloading and installing Symbian Anna?

It’s crucial that you not only download the operating system but also the Symbian Anna application packages. They are available via Ovi Suite update or over the air (depending on your country and operator) as well. The package called Symbian Anna 1/2 contains the Quickoffice and pdf reader, and Symbian Anna 2/2 contains other important service updates, so we recommend updating everything you see in Ovi Suite or the Software Update client.

• FA136033: Why do I get an error message “Phone setup: Feature not supported” after the update to Symbian Anna?

The message will vanish as soon as the application package Symbian Anna 2/2 is installed, which is part of the Symbian Anna update.

• FA136059: Why do I get Error 12017 when trying to update to Symbian Anna via OviSuite?

Error 12017 (FailDeviceError) means that the device is not responding.  

1. Check if the device reboots normally. If it doesn’t, Nokia OVI suite cannot talk to it.

2. Check if it connects to Windows through USB normally and it is in “OVI Suite” mode. Make sure USB connection works reliably and the USB driver is up to date. You can also try to change the USB port if there is USB hub or internal hub in laptop computer that can work less reliably.

• FA135962: What happens if I skip the application updates (i.e. have only downloaded the operating system update) while updating to Symbian Anna?

Application updates are classified as either mandatory (Symbian Anna 1/2), important (Symbian Anna 2/2), or optional (Social, Ovi Store, Angry birds). If those application updates are not done, your experience will not be optimal. Without these updates you'd:

- not have Adobe PDF reader. 

- not have Quickoffice.

- not have Microsoft Office Communicator.

- not have In Device Search.

- not have Internet Radio.

- not have Social client.

- not have a working music store.

- have issues with Phone feature is not supported appearing every boot.

- have subtitle support missing from Video player.

- miss all Surround icons for apps that are included in the application packages  

- miss all the error fixes to the service/TPO clients.

- miss all the enablers ( NAC, Qt, SSO, Ovi Notifications ..).

- The email attachments can’t be read as Quickoffice/Adobe reader won’t function.

-  You might see mixed old & new icons in the menu or Homescreen.

No further application updates can be done unless the mandatory Symbian Anna package is installed.

• FA135983: Why do I get the message "Phone feature not supported" after the Symbian Anna upgrade?

This message is displayed if only the Symbian Anna device upgrade has been installed, but not the Symbian Anna Application packages. Install the Symbian Anna Update 1/2 and Symbian Anna Update 2/2 as that will solve the issue.

• FA136026: What is included in the Symbian Anna Update ½ and 2/2 application packages?  

Symbian Anna Update 1/2 includes the following:

Adobe (PDF) reader 10.00(245) / Quickoffice 6.04(460) / QT 4.7.3 / QT Mobility 1.1.3. / Qt webkit 4.8.0. / CPService_2.0.11119 / CWRTCore_1.0.11124 / LKM_1.0.11051 / ONSP_1.2.11120 / OVI 1.0.11121. / SCP_2.0.11121. / SSOUI_1.3.11120 / SSO_1.3.11120 / SSOUserName_widget_1.0.0 / ServiceProvider_1.0.11124 / CP_ launcher 2.1.1 / Veveo Indevice Search 2.39.201

Symbian Anna Update 2/2 includes the following:

2.3.6 - NAC. / 13.2.24 - Ovi Music 1.1. / 3.6.688 - Maps 3 SR6. / OviMaps-OriginOfDownload-3.6.1. / SignInEnabler_92_1_0NOCS. / Maps_ODML. / Internet Radio 3.03(0) / MS Communicator 2.01.369 / Psiloc font magnifier 3.2.0. / Shazam 3.01(0) / Jolkuspot 3.10. / Video Player 9.23(62). / Here and Now 2.0.3 / Internet Search Engine 3.0.8 / Home Screen Search Widget 2.0.5

Additional SW Update may contain the following optional applications:

Ovi Store 2.12.042 / Social 1.3.237 / NFC Sharing + Angry Birds Free with Magic

• FA135982: How should I update Symbian Anna if I’m in an area with weak network coverage?We recommend to do the Symbian Anna update via Ovi Suite or via WiFi because of the update size (>80MB for over the air updates) and corresponding download times.

• FA136058: How do I update to Symbian Anna when my productcode belongs to a “SWAP” device?

Nokia doesn’t offer Symbian Anna updates via OviSuite or OTA for productcodes that are linked to a SWAP device at the moment. Please go to your local Nokia Carepoint to get your phone updated.

iPhone 4S vs Nokia N8 Camera

Claims that the iphone 4S has the best camera on a smartphone has angered many commentators and now AllAboutSymbian author Steve Litchfield puts the numbers up to show just how much the new iphone falls short of the Nokia N8.

In his analysis, the Nokia N8 as more than twice the amount of light captured by the camera or "raw light gathering ability", making dimly lit rooms a challenge for the new iPhone 4S. He also looked at the sensor size of the N8, which has the biggest sensor of any mobile camera on the market, compared to the Apple iPhone 4S camera, finding it 75% larger and more able to create photos that have more depth.

Head over to www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/13334_For_those_who_were_wondering_a.php for the whole article.

N8 Firmware Update: Anna's features

In Singapore, Nokia Connections was the venue for more announcements about the upcoming Anna firmware updates. Nokia will start shipping N8, E7, C7 and C6-01 with Symbian Anna in July but it will be possibly August when existing owners can get the download. If you don't have a new Nokia, it's probably best to wait till July and get one with the new firmware installed.

The new firmware promises the following features:

• New interface 
• Faster web browser (and we all know we need that!) 
• Portrait orientation QWERTY keyboard on screen 
• Improved OVI Maps allowing Public Transport options and location sharing
• Access to Intranet and Business level security for emails
• Social media integrated to the address book and homescreen

What's New in Ovi Maps 3.08?

Drive Enhancements: 

• Live traffic routing takes traffic information into account to avoid traffic jams automatically (available in Germany, France, US, UK and Russia).
• Turn on "Avoid traffic" in your "Route settings" to take traffic conditions into account while you drive. Always get the best route for right now.
• New Drive look & feel - home screen now has buttons for "Set destination," "Drive home" and "Just drive."
• "Just drive" or Drive assistance shows your accurate speed, gives speed warnings, the distance driven and real time traffic.
• New information bar on Drive navigation and Drive assistance screens.
• Also easily toggle between Estimated Time of Arrival in minutes or distance to your destination - just tap the icon on the screen.
• New option menus in Drive.
• Set a contact as a destination.
• Easily change your settings during Drive navigation. Changes in settings are immediate and can been seen instantly.

Additional improvements

• Long tap is now available to give quick access to "Drive to," "Walk to," "Share" and various lists.
• Settings reorganized to "General" "Maps & Walk" and "Drive."

Hop to it here

N9 brings Meego to reality

Stephen Elop, Nokia's new CEO, has announced the upcoming Meego Nokia device, the Nokia N9. Touted as the first completely touch device, the Nokia N9 will have a awesome 8MP autofocus camera which is one step back from the N8 12MP and will also include new technology which allows you to transfer files by tapping the phone on to another device. The device will be encased in a polycarbonate cover which apparently improves antenna performance.

The change to Meego will be an interesting one seeing as WP7 will be the future for Nokia. Not much is known about the N9 but if you want to check out the features and specs, head over to this page.

Anna arrives in July

Nokia N8 fans are all waiting to wow their friends with  the upcoming Symbian Anna update in July. Perhaps the delay in releasing the firmware update is related to timing of the two big announcements coming up. After months of bad press reports and a demoralizing drop in Nokia's share price, the new over the air update to the N8 firmware will bring some massive changes that could keep Nokia fighting whilst it awaits the arrival of the first of the WP7 enabled Nokias. The firmware must be strong enough to keep investors hopeful of Nokia's recovery from its current form slump and Elop's reputation goes on the line with the introduction of this new girl.

Amongst the updates, there will be the ability to film HD 720P videos at 30 frames per second and auto-focus will be set to continuous. More soon.

Optus offering N8 on $29 cap

For those that have been eyeing the Nokia N8 for quite a while at a safe distance, perhaps your time has come. Optus has just released the Nokia N8 on their $29 cap and considering the problems that Vodafone is currently having, this may be the right deal to get you the 12MP media animal that the Nokia N8 is.

The Optus $29 cap includes $180 worth of value, 200MB of data, free social networking website access and two months free. The total commitment over two years is a minimum of $638 which should be low enough for most people to get on board.

N8 Apps - Gravity

Gravity
App Price: $12.00 AUD
App Category: Application > Social Networks

Available on Nokia’s latest smartphones - Nokia C7, Nokia E7 and Nokia N8, plus many more

Gravity - http://store.ovi.com/content/6855?clickSource=search

For serious social network addicts, Gravity is an application by mobileways.de that allows you to watch multiple social network accounts at the same time, including Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and many more.

The dashboard displays an overview of new messages, replies and last updates from all your social media accounts.

For Twitter, for example, you can select a tweet and a context menu pops up which makes replying or retweeting an easy two-step process. And for the commercial user, you can save Twitter searches to keep an eye on what people are saying about your company or product.

The application has also utilised the touchscreen on the Nokia N8 very effectively – the large screen means you catch more of the action in one look.

The verdict

If you haven’t tried out Twitter, Gravity will have you tweeting like an addict in no time.

Nokia N8 Apps - Camera Pro

CameraPro
App Price: $4.00 AUD
App Category: Application > Photo & Video

Available on the Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia X7

CameraPro - http://store.ovi.com/content/101266

This app was tested on the Nokia N8 and has been the talk of the twitterverse. CameraPro by software developer Harald Meyer takes the incredible 12MP camera on the Nokia N8 and supercharges it with features that are found on more advanced point-and-shoot cameras. Adding to the impressive N8 imaging capabilities, CameraPro introduces burst mode to allow you to take more than one successive shot in time lapse mode, so you can capture amazing changes in scenery such as sunsets and incoming storms.

This application will appeal to photography enthusiasts who want to do more than take a group photo with friends. Also, the continuous autofocus will automatically adjust the video focus as you are filming.

The verdict

It seems you can only use the video mode in the lowest resolution setting. However, this is a very promising app and a must-have for the diehard photographers and gadget fans out there.

N8 Firmware Updated 014.002 but apparently not

I updated the Nokia N8 firmware quite a few weeks ago and even posted on here to mention it however, today I plugged it into my computer and used the ovi services, which reported that there was an update available for my N8. My thoughts went straight to the talk about PR2.0 and thought that Christmas had come early. However, the software updater was saying that I have firmware version 013.016 and 014.002 is now available. If you remember further up in this paragraph I already told you that I updated to 014.002 and I also checked my phone *#0000# and yes, it is using 014.002. Anyway, I decided to let Ovi have a go at updating my software (again) and see what happens. Well the installation finished and nothing seemed to change but it seems that Ovi is satisfied that I have 014.002.