Merry Christmas!

Wishing all the readers of this blog and everyone out there a Very Very Merry Christmas!

Have a nice time and Happy Holidays!

-Stephen

Mobbler 3.0 - The Last.fm scrobbler for S60

One of the favorite applications on my Nokia N95 8GB device, is 'Mobbler'. Well people using Last.fm (the social music website) needing a Track scrobbler and an Last.FM Internet Radio player on their S60 Powered Nokia devices then this is the Application you wanted. Well most of you guys out there are using this application from quite a while now and even Mobbler 3.0 has been out for more than a month or two but then I felt I needed to post about this great application.

Its a really cool application allows you to tag tracks you "love" and ban songs you "hate" from the Radio of Last.FM. The other option allows you buy the current playing track from Amazon.com , Now thats a really cool mobile application for all you music lovers out there.

The latest version of Mobbler (version 0.3.0) is made to look really sleek and it also automatically checks for updates for you to download.

You can download this application from my MOSH over here.

Nokia viNe Released

Nokia has finally released the Nokia viNe service. Nokia viNe is released in version 1.02. It is basically the "Nokia Sports Tracker' application that has been given a new look. It tracks your position and journeys with the phone's GPS and adds the media(photos, videos, music) taken on the routes. This is then uploaded to the Nokia LifeviNe site for you to share.

Well you can download the application from here. Currently its compatible with E71, N78, N79, N82, N85, N95 8GB and N96.

You can register for an account from your phone itself from the application. So download your application now and tell me how you feel!

Evolution: Nseries Devices

Long time since my last post, well the thing is that I have absolutely no time left for blogging these days. I had thought about this post about 3 weeks back and I have finaly got a chance... :)

I feel Nseries devices have evolved keeping an 'All-in-one' device in mind. So lets rememberand read a bit of those old devices that have made our lives so much better ;) 

N70 and N90:

Well these were the first Nokia 'Nseries' phones. They mainly were high quality imaging devices and both had a 2 MP camera which was Excellent for a phone at that time. Seriously I still remember my N70. I felt that it could take really good images for a phone. The N70 having a candy-bar form factor whereas the N90 which had 'Carl-Zeiss' optics had a twist form factor.

Now N90 was quite a big phone to be a clam shell cum twist device. BUT it took really good quality videos and photos at that time.They also were equipped with lower resolution front cameras for video conferencing.they also were 3G compatible. These phones were powered by S60 2nd Edition. 

N91 and N91 8GB:

These devices really Music on Nokia to a higher level. At that time Sony Ericsson was considered to be the best music phones, but then the N91 and its 8GB version (which was released a bit later) changed a lot...

The N91 was loaded with 4Gb of internal memory and could store upto 4000 songs! it was one of the first devices to sport a 3.5 mm jack for headphones, thus any headphone of your choice could be used! with dedicated music keys it was one of the best music phones available at  that time.

N72, N71 :

 

Nseries devices which couldn't be that successful as others for some reasons. Both having 2 MP cameras.The N72 resembles an N70 in looks and other stuff the only difference being the front camera. I can say the N72 sold quite well in India though.

N92:

One of the first devices to have DVB-h technology i.e. mobile TV! I still don't know how successful this device was But I NEVER seen a single N92 in India atleast.

N73, N93: 

Imaging took another leap with N73 and N93. Both devices having 3.2 MP cameras. Both photos and videos were quite Good. The N73 and N93 were really successful and the N73 which now comes in the Music Edition is also very successful.

N80:

Nokia N80 was one of the internet oriented devices. Having WLan connectivity etc., It was one device that was a a sleek slider with a 3.2MP camera. I really liked this one.

Nseries Music Range:

The N70, N73 and the N91 were availabe in two editions: one of them was the Music Edition. In which they got an all black look new themes (music ones) and then they came with higher storage memory cards. the N91 8GB as it states came with a 8GB on board hard drive for storage of upto 8000 songs.

N77:

Another device with DVB-H technology but only a lot more sleeker than the N92. with its candy-bar form factor it was a good device for all those TV fans.

Nokia N95: 

'There's a thing in my pocket, But its not one thing..... Its Many.' Remember this ? of course you do! 

The Nokia N95 one of the best devices by Nokia, the Ultimate device in a true sense. I don't need to talk about this device! because everyone knows this Device In-depth!

N76, N93i :

   

The N76 one of the best devices I have ever seen in my life. A computer made so beautifully. It is a masterpiece! but was very disheartening to see it lose its chrome....  Seriously it was something that broke my heart!....  I thought my N76 was flawless but within 2 weeks the truth was in front of me. And I know it wasn't just me but more than a million people out there who were shocked at this. Well I request Nokia to make sure your products are reliable.

The N93i had also made its debut with the N76 and the N800 internet tablet. It was the improved version of the N93.

N95 8GB, N81, N81 8GB: These Devices marked the arrival of Ngage 2.0 The much awaited gaming platform that provided High quality gaming. N81 has dedicated gaming keys. My current device is the N95 8GB.

N82: One phone that could match the N95 was the N82. In its candy-bar form factor I feel today most people prefer the N82 over the N95 8GB. With a 5 MP camera its one phone that stood out like the N95.

N96: The Daddy of all Phones ! LOL ! 16GB internal memory and a Memory card slot! How much memory do you want ?! 5 MP camera. Well this is ruling the mobile world at the moment!!

N85 & N79: the upcoming two phones that are soon gonna be a BIG hit !

The ONE.... N-gage and Nokia's BEST GAME!

I've got 'The ONE' on my N95 8Gb this evening and I'm am so so so excited ! This is the BEST GAME for a mobile phone atleast! (of course Gameloft's- "Brother's In Arms" is also My favorite)

If you don't know what this game is all about let me explain to you, in this uber-short review sort-of post!

The ONE is a game based on one-on-one fighting. There is this story mode in which you have to fight various 'fighters' of this world. It has an awesome story line at the start(I have just started playing but I know it's gonna get really exciting!)

The other play modes are: Versus, Survival and training

The good thing is the Multiplayer mode in which you can play via bluetooth with an other player. that is just two players can play via bluetooth on multiplayer.

Your character can be customized with outfits,hair colour,sex (yea male and female characters) shoes and other accessories.

N-gage arena mode for submitting scores to the Arena.

Overall I feel this game has fantastic graphics ! seriously for a mobile game its one of a kind!

And surely N-gage and Nokia have taken mobile gaming to a whole new level!!

So are you the ONE ?...!

Diwali in Mumbai!

Diwali in Mumbai celebrated with firworks!

Happy Diwali!

Well its time for Diwali in India! the Festival of Lights is here! So wishing all the readers of this blog and everyon else out there a Very happy Diwali!  :)

-Stephen

N-Gage Gamers’ Gang

What’s N-Gage all about?N-Gage is not a console or a single device. It is a gaming platform, which is now available on a fast growing range of smart phones.   

Owners of N-Gage compatible handsets can buy or try the new N-Gage games from N-Gage - http://www.n-gage.com/ngi/ngage/web/g0/en/home.html 

 

N-Gage games can be downloaded straight onto the phone through mobile phone network or Wi-Fi. Alternatively, if you are near to a PC ,you can transfer them to your phone 

About N-Gage Gamers’ Gang

N-Gage is the mobile gaming brand of Nokia. It has a tremendous

following world over and has evolved as a popular platform for gaming enthusiasts. Carrying that thought forward, we are building a community of gaming enthusiasts who enjoy playing and sharing games within their own communities

 

They have launched two communities on Facebook and Orkut, the two of which have a large reach amongst technology and consumer communities. The idea is to create a touch point for N-Gage, where gamers can get latest updates, insights, communicate with a like minded community. 

 

The thought: A community for N-Gage, which can be joined by gaming freaks and can be cultivated as a platform for gamers to share their experience with N-Gage, announce their scores, compete with gamers and get to know the latest on N-Gage. 

Nokia N-Gage Promotion 

Also, this is complimenting a special promotion that Nokia is running on www.nokiangageindia.com N-Gage users can share their player ids, password and phone number over here. Within 24 hours, they will receive free code. This is on till October 31, 2008. Gamers have been asked to share their player ids on N-Gage Gamers’ Gang so that can start sharing their scores and experiences with a wider gaming community. 

Well so when are you going to start gaming!? I tried out the above procedure and got a free N-gage title and when are you getting yours ?

Nokia Nseries Feature Pack 2 Themes

If you wanted the feature pack 2 Nseries themes(like the ones on the N85,N96 etc.) on your Devices then your at the Right place!

Here are two themes Nseries Orange and Nseries Blue which are made to work on the S60 V3 devices.

Download both the themes from here

Below are the screenshots taken from my N95 8GB:

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The 'Tube' as it's commonly known is finally unvieled by Nokia yesterday. The Nokia 5800 is Nokia and S60's first "touch-screen' device!

It's the first device to be powered by S60 5th edition software and this brings a lot more features and applications.

This device's features are mainly: a 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-fi, Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual UMTS (900/2100) or (850/1900MHz), a standard 3.5mm audio jack, a GPS reciever etc.

The Nokia 5800 will come along with a 8GB microSD card and a desktop stand, also with a stylus that fits along the side of the device.

The device is black in colour but has a red/blue  strip on the sides.

Being a touch-screen device the text-input method are : on screen full QWERTY keyboard which can be used by fingers also, and the device is well equipped with hand-writing recognition where you have to use the Stylus of-course! 

This device being powered by S60 V5 software, the important part is that the applications designed for V3 deivces are compatible with it, now that is great news!

the technical specifications of the Nokia 5800 are as follows:

Operating System: S60 5th edition

Data: GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/Wi-fi/HSPDA

Size:111mm x 51.7mm x 15.5mm

Display: 3.2" 16 million colour HD, 640 x 360 pixel resolution

Camera: 3.2 megapixels with Autofocus and Carl Ziess optics and dual LED-flash

Video: Resolution 640 x 360 with recording upto 30 fps.

Memory: 81MB internal with microSD card slot and 8GB microSD card included

FOR FULL SPECIFICATIONS CLICK HERE

you can watch the product video over here

Well I personally geel this device is going to be a BIG hit ! and this is truly what I call an 'iPhone Killer'!!!

Music: N91 vs N81 vs N95 8GB

Well today I decided to do a music test among Nokia's best Music Nseries Devices. I got my friend's N81 and N91, as they are one of the Best music Nseries Devices.

Nokia N91: As we all know this device was Nokia's first official Music Nseries device that came in two versions namely the N91 and N91 8GB. The N91 comes with a 4GB hard disk.

This was the first nseries device to come with a 3.5 mm. slot for headphones.

It has volume keys on the side and the music keys(play/pause, stop, backwards,forwards) on top of the 'actualy keypad.

I've used standard Nokia headsets that is the 'AD-54' that I got with my N95 8GB. The sound quality on the N91 is very impressive. It can give a good fight to many of the music players in the market. The sound was extremely clear and the volume was really good.Also speaker sound quality was good enough. Music on this phone is a really good experience plus we it has wi-fi. But there are many drawbacks of this device. First of all is the device design. The phone is really too BIG and heavy for pockets and to carry around. Secondly is the SLOW user interface. The device is way too slow to use and when it comes to the 'start-up' of the 'music player' it just takes a serious amount of time to load the music on the device.

But I must say that being a quite 'old' device, its music and sound qualities are just too good!

Nokia N81 : Most people say this device is a successor to the N91 in terms of music quality. Well yes this can be called the successor to the N91 and more exciting that this phones is an all together better and 'SMALLER' package compared to the N91. 

This device also has the same Music keys like on the N91. Its a much more smaller and lighter phone compared to N91. User -interface is obviously fast and smooth and just flows nicely!

But the main problem was that the music sound quality on the N91 was slightly better than the N81 ! shocking!  though the volume was almost the same on both the devices, somehow the sound quality was better on the N91. In an earlier post (you can read it here) I had tried out the music on the N81 and I found that it was quite good and even beat the N95 8GB for music qualities on headsets, but today I was shocked to find out that it wasn't as good as the N91. Speaker sounds are almost same as the N91. But I must say that the N81 is a very good package. A neat and small device with N-gage and wi-fi connectivity. Also the N81 comes in the 8GB version that is the N81 8GB, so you can have more space for music.

Nokia N95 8GB : The N95 8GB maybe an 'all in one' device but the sound quality and volume isn't that good when compared to the N91 and N81. This is surprising, I mean why doesn't Nokia make thier similar devices have same sound quality etc. ? the music keys are placed at the top and the slide needs to be slided downwards to see them (we all know this)

But its not that disappointing also, I mean its not hat bad its good enough! The speaker volume on the N95 8GB is the highest among all 3 phones. We all know when all the technical speciafications are compared the N95 8GB stands on top of all the 3. But it qould be really nice to have N91 sound capabilities on the N95 8GB.

So as we see even though being for quite a long time in the market the N91 has a better sound quality among nearly all nseries devices I guess (cause i haven't heard music on N82, if you have please let me know!) Please let me know about your Music experience!

It would be really nice to have better sound quality integrated onto latest Nseries devices like the N96, N85 and N79 etc. Music on Nseries has improved a lot, and I hope it improves even more further in the future. With Music store and Internet radio and other stuff Music on Nokia is a really good experience!

P.S. :The photo is taken by a Nokia 6300 (sorry for the bad quality I didn't have a better devices to take it at that moment)

Micro-blogging with Jaiku Mobile = FUN

As mentioned in my previous post about the Bharti Airtel Internet GPRS connection, I also could use my Jaiku Mobile application !

I must say it was really nice to stay connected all the time from the phone. It took very less time to get it all setted-up and the Jaiku was up and working! it downloads (fetches) all the comments and 'Jaikus' (posts) of your friends within no time and if you have set it to 'have a better battery life' on your phone then you need not take tension cause I used it for at least 3 hours or something and yet didn't loose much power of the battery. All your friends 'current status msgs.' and 'locations' are displayed on the contact list. Its very easy to post comments in conversation threads.

Jaiku Mobile can also be started up in the background when your phone boots (starts) and it continues to work in the background when minimized (as you can see in screenshot 2)

So if you wish to use Jaiku Mobile you can download the application from here

And if you wish to add me to your contact list, my screen name is : stephen1

have fun!

Nokia Internet Radio, Unlimited music!

Yesterday I got my Bharti Airtel Internet connection up and running to test it and compare it with my Vodafone connection, and found that its damn good for people always on the move and who frequently use Mobile Internet.

So I decided to use 'Internet Radio' application of Nokia on my N95 8GB. My experience was just one of a kind! I was thrilled with the breath of fresh air! Seriously there is a huge directory of Internet radio stations and it doesn't take much time to connect because of the EDGE connection. thanks to the unlimited Internet usage on the connection i used it continously for about 2 hours! the sound qualtiy was good enough and there wasn't any lag and stuff.

Well I must say if you have a Unlimited Data plan with your GPRS/EDGE provider or WLAN and you love music, then Nokia Internet radio is the application for you!

*UPDATE* Download the Internet Radio Update from here
Do tell me of your experience in using it!

Imaging: N95 vs N95 8GB

Got to play with my friend's N95 today! soI decided to check out its imaging quality myself and compare it with my N95 8GB. First of I seriously feel Nokia should try and get the camera lens shutter back on its Nseries devices. Well the N95 slider was something your fingers really had to 'work-on' to slide it! hmm.... good improvements to the N95 8GB !

                                        

 Then I took these two pics below. they are of a 'fan' in my classroom ! LOL ya I know its funny but i didnt find a better thing than this to take a pics of ! 

Nokia N95                                                                  

N95 8GB

 Well above we see two pics. first one that is the one above is taken by the N95 and the one below is taken by the N95 8GB.

I didnt spot any difference in the two pics but I must tell you that the image sizes were way different. The N95 image was about 500kB and the N95 8GB image was 1MB.

RE-EDIT :

Well I got these stats from flickr.com about both the images nd the camera's.

For N95 click here

for N95 8GB click here

Stats say that Shutter speed for N95 is 3921/1000

and for N95 8GB is 5107/1000. Interesting! ;)

Nokia N95 8GB Update : V30.0.018

I have successfully updated the Firmware on my Nokia N95 8GB to version 30.0.018 yesterday.

The update file is a total of a 105.3 MB. It was fun! really :P
My earlier Firmware version was 15.0.015.

It took about 11 minutes to Update the Firmware.

The New additions were mainly:

• N-Gage was updated to its latest version in the update
• Maps 2.0 included
• Screen -Auto rotate
  
• Share online updated with a link installed on the main home screen.

• Google search added to the 'Search' application

After the update i have successfully re-nstalled the applications and other stuff on my N95 8GB like N-Gage games etc.
My Device Is looking NEW and SEXY now !!!!

N81 sound quality damn good !

I got a chance to play with my friend's N81 in college. i checked out the device and its display remined me of my N76's smaller display compared to my N95 8GB. the N-Gage experience was good, a decent camera and picture quality.

BUT what surprised me was the sound quality and volume on the Nokia AD-54 headset (the ones got with my N95 8GB). It was BETTER than the N95. Well the speaker quality and volume on the N95 was way better compared to the headsets quality. it was really surprising because I used the same headsets on both the devices. Anyways it doesnt matter much because the N95 8Gb is far more better than the N81 !

N85 is here !

The Nokia N85. Just announced today, looks really sexy and classy !.It is a dual-slider, like the N95 and N96, It is the first S60 device to have micro USB charging! now thats is a really good addtition to the features!

It has a OLED 2.6″ display, Like the N95, N82 and N79 the n85 also has a 5 megapixel camera with dual flash and of course Carl Zeiss optics. Also it has a GPS reciever with Wi-fi. The Nokia N85 is powered by S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2, it comes with 8GB micro SD card. There’s a built-in accelerometer and a 3.5 mm audio pport for your favorite headsets! This is a really awesome device and looks super cool!

Nokia N85 Technical Specs
Operating System:
Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
Band:
GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz or 850/1900/2100MHz
Data:
GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi
Size:
103mm x 50mm x 16mm (4″ x 1.9″ x .6″)
Weight:
128g (4.5oz)
Battery Life:
Estimated 12.5 days standby time
Estimated 4 hours talk time
Display:
2.6″ 16 million color QVGA AM OLED, 240×320 pixel resolution
Camera:
5 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash
Video:
VGA resolution 640×480 record at up to 30 frames per second
Bluetooth:
2.0 with A2DP
Memory:
70MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 8GB card included
Other:
Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer.

you can get the FULL technical specifications over here.

Nokia N79 makes Debut!

Nokia has finally announed the N79 ! which is a device that runs on Symbian 9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, its a Quad Band GSM phone with Wi-fi on board!

It flaunts a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss and dual flash for excellent brightness, Video recording is VGA at 30 fps and there is 4GB micro SD card for sufficient space. The Nokia N79 comes along with GPS reciever and Accelerometer and a FM transmitter like we seen in the N78. The display is a 2.4″ QVGA TFT and there is a 3.5mm audio jack for headsets of your choice.

Nokia N79 Technical Specs
Operating System:
Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
Band:
GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/2100MHz
Data:
GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi
Size:
110mm x 49mm x 15mm (4.3″ x 1.9″ x .6″)
Weight:
97g (3.4oz)
Battery Life:
Estimated 17/15 days standby time (3G/GSM)
Estimated 3.5/5.5 hours talk time (3G/GSM)
Display:
2.4″ 16 million color QVGA TFT, 240×320 pixel resolution
Camera:
5 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash
Video:
VGA resolution 640×480 record at up to 30 frames per second
Bluetooth:
2.0 with A2DP
Memory:
50MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 4GB card included
Other:
Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer

You can get the full technical specifications here.

Nokia N96 released in India !!

We all have been waiting for the 'Father Of All Phones' i.e. the Nokia N96 ! and yes it has been released in India just yesterday ! as you all know the Nokia N96 is a Multimedia wonder! with 16GB on board memory + slots for memory cards, GPS, a 5 megapixel camera with dual flash!, WLAN, Live-TV with the DVB-H technology ! and lots more !

You can get all your technical specifications from here

Its the ultimate device as its loaded with features! Also the iPhone has been also released in India yesterday, so this could be a good battle in the market for the N96 !

So which one are you going to pick ? :)

Nokia N95 8GB vs Nokia N82, Which one would you pick ?

The Nokia N95 8GB and the N82 are mostly similar on Technical specifications but the differnt form factor and size, etc. gives each device a special quality.

Both the devices are well equiped with 5 megapixel cameras, GPS systems, accelerometers and OS. But yet we have all seen in many reviews how the two devices maybe slightly different and better in some cases from each other.

So I wanted to ask you people, which device with you go for, from the N95 8Gb and the N82 ?

you can vote in the poll box at the sidebar of my blog! Please do it! :)

you can also give me your useful comments because I really need them ! :)

Nokia Step Counter

This is Nokia's new application that uses the accelerometer on your phone to 'count' the steps you take while walking/exercising etc!
Its a small application and uses hardly any disk space on your device!
All you have to do is start the application and then select 'Start Step Counting'.
Then you can put your device into your pocket,to your belt or your arm and it will count the steps you take! trust me its accurate!, I have tried it out and its just awesome!. Well you can download this application from here. Its currently available for Nokia N95, N95 8GB, and N82. Well these screenshots are taken from my Nokia N95 8GB. do reply in comments about your experience with the step counter !