Nokia and Microsoft Working Together?

Going through my Google Reader just a moment ago, I was taken by surprise when I read on Engadget Mobile that Nokia and Microsoft might be working on integrating the Zune Marketplace into some of the Finnish phone maker’s handsets. My first question was “is this going to co-exist with Nokia’s own  Music Store?” While still not launched in the US, it is expected to be at some point.

Then I thought that the Zune Marketplace is more than just a place to download music. Other types of content can be had from the Zune Marketplace, i.e., tv shows, video podcasts, etc. In my opinion, it would certainly be interesting and would give consumers more choices, which is always a good thing.

Let’s keep in mind that this is still just a rumor and nothing has been confirmed. Still, it’d be interesting to see what others think about this.

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Jaiku Beta Photos

Jaiku Beta Photos

Originally uploaded by admartinezjr

Jaiku has a new private Beta of their S60 client. The new one includes support for photos. It is great and allows me to see thumbnails of the photo feeds and comment on them right on my S60 device. How cool is that!!

Kudos to the Jaiku team for continuing to develop the S60 mobile client and adding new features.

Things I Do With My S60 Device

I love my Nokia E61i, that’s no secret. So I thought “heck, why not write a post about the things that I use my E61i for?” Well, that’s exactly what this post is about: a simple list of the things that I do on my device. Oh, and did I say I love the S60 Symbian platform? 🙂

1. Push Email with Mail4Exchange. I use Cortado (I wrote about it here). Push email and support for attachments.

2. VOIP calling with Gizmo. I use voip occasionally to call internationally (maybe two or three times a month). I also use Fring for Skype calling.

3. Instant Messaging. Using Gizmo IM at the moment which supports AIM, Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger. I also have Fring installed on the device for GTalk.

4. Jaiku. One of my favorite things to do. Jaiku is a Web 2.0 social network with a nifty S60 application.

5. Full Browsing Experience. Using either S60 browser or Opera Mini (my favorite), I can view full HTML pages, not just crappy WAP pages.

6. Google Maps. Sure, it’s not GPS but I love it and it has come in handy so many times for me. Simply love it!

7. Documents. I can view and edit Word and Excel documents and view PowerPoint slides using QuickOffice, which came loaded on the device.

8. Podcasts. I subscribe, download and listen to my favorite podcasts right on my phone using Nokia’s Podcasting application.

9. E-Books. Using MobiReader I can read all kinds of e-books. I do realize that not everyone likes to read e-books on such small screens but it works for me. I have read entire books on this and other devices.

10. Games. Truth be told, I don’t play too many games but I can play the occasional game, such as GolfPro Contest 🙂

This is just some of the things I do with my device. I also take pictures (2MP camera – not the greatest) and upload them to Flickr using ShoZu; take occasional videos and listen to music. The E61i is WiFi enabled and has been an awesome device filled with great features.

 

Jaiku 0.80 Released To Public

A couple of days ago, I wrote about Jaiku and the then soon-to-be-release private beta for S60 handsets. On Friday, the Jaiku team released the client to the general public. It can be downloaded from here.

I encouraged anyone to download and use this mobile client. I had the priviledge of being part of the private beta program and can tell you that I am a Jaiku addict now. I can’t see myself without it 🙂

The Jaiku team has done a tremendous job with the development of this client. Big kudos to them!!

Jaiku: Your Conversation

With so many social networks popping out on a daily basis it seems, it is hard to find one that fits all your needs and likes. Personally, I have found a home with Jaiku. I have to admit that I was initially shy about presence/microblogging sites such as Jaiku but I am so glad that I decided to give it a try.

Some of the things that make Jaiku enjoyable are the way in which the posts and conversations are streamlined and the threaded comments on posts. Additionally, you can also have your own feeds added to your updates. There is also a soon-to-be released S60 application for which I have had the priviledge of participating in the private beta.

Zach at Symbian in Motion has a great write up on the S60 application. Head over to his blog and read all about it.

Nokia Wants You To MOSH

Nokia’s MOSH or Mobilize and Share is a social network in its Beta stages right now. The service allows mobile phone users to collect and share content (pictures, ringtones, videos, docs, games, and applications). You can sign up at http://mosh.nokia.com. When prompted for a password, enter ALLACCESS.

From their website:

What exactly is MOSH?

MOSH is a content sharing site where community members upload, distribute and manage content to be viewed and enjoyed on mobile devices. With MOSH, anything from applications like mobile games, to videos, blogs, songs or photos are now accessible and distributable on your mobile device.

There is also an S60 app that you can install on your S60 device. I have already installed the application on my E61i. You can download it from http://mosh.nokia.mobi/start right from the S60 browser.

S60 Browser Shortcut: Duh!

Sometimes we find tips and shortcuts in the most casual and unusual of situations. In my case, while reading an entry on the S60 Devices blog about a new E61i theme, I stumbled upon a comment made by a reader (Lehmann) after observing that the theme had the S60 browser icon in the Standby Screen. Lehmann suggested to just use the shortcut “Press and hold 0” to access the browser and therefore free up one valuable icon space that could be used for another application.

Now, I say duh! because I don’t know how I didn’t think of doing this before. I mean, I have used this shortcut before in other S60 devices and even a Sony Ericsson device but for some reason I have had the S60 browser occupying an icon space on my standby screen. Thanks to Lehmann, now I can use that space for some other application.

Nokia and Microsoft PlayReady DRM

Reports are indicating that Nokia has signed a deal with Microsoft to license the company’s PlayReady DRM technology. It appears PlayReady will be a part of upcoming devices (S60 and S40) beginning in 2008. Now, all of this seems to be undeniably linked to Nokia’s plans to get into the online music business. A big announcement of sorts is expected on August 29.

Via: Engadget Mobile

Handy Taskman For S60 3rd Ed

One essential application for my S60 devices is Epocware’s Handy Taskman. This application replaces the built-in S60 task manager.

Once you launch the application, you have memory information (RAM, Phone Memory, Memory Card), applications that are open, and also the time and date, although I just noticed that the date stamp does not include the month. You can use the options menu to switch to an app or simply close them all.

Another feature that I loved from the beginning upon trying out the application was the ability to look up and open any application on my phone by simply starting to type the name. This is great and saves me some clicks in looking through menus.

You can also go to the most recent applications by simply scrolling to the next tab. Helpful for applications that you constantly use and if you don’t feel like typing. Personally, I find that I don’t use the most recent tab much, opting instead to type the name of the app. It’s so cool and easy…I guess this is why 🙂

Handy Taskman is a great addition to any S60 device and it won’t break the bank. Cost is $9.95

My Thoughts On The E61i

Today it has been a full 4 days since I received my Nokia E61i and I wanted to take the opportunity to share my thoughts on this wonderful device. I should point out that the E61i is replacing my N80IE. My initial reaction upon unboxing was that it seemed a little wider than I thought but upon handling the device for a few minutes, it didn’t seem or feel as wide any longer.

Here are some of my observations in key areas:

Screen -> Wonderful screen although not as good as the N80 in terms of pixels and brightness. Yet it is great to count with that much real estate on the screen, especially since I tend to read ebooks on my devices.

Keyboard -> Initially felt like it needed an “extra push” or extra effort to type, however after 4 days I seem to be getting used to it and getting faster at typing on it. It’s nice to have a full QWERTY keyboard again 🙂

RAM -> This is better than the N80 (also due to the fact that it has more RAM to begin with) and the E61i has not exhibited the memory leakage that I used to experience with the N80 at times.

Camera -> Not as good as the N80’s but not bad for a 2 megapixel camera phone. In good light, images come out decent but nothing to write home about. To be honest, I’m not too worried about the camera.

Battery -> WOW…what a difference. I can go 2 days with a single charge. I still keep a car charger for emergency situations but this is a great relief for me.

Miscellaneous -> One of the things that I love on this device is having direct access keys to Contacts, Email and the Own key, which can be configured to access an application of your choosing. Also worth mentioning, the device feels very solid in the hands and there is no creaking, which speaks to how well it is built. It’s also nice to be able to not only view office attachments but to edit them.

Although this is a 3G capable phone, it does not support US 3G so I have to settle for AT&T’s EDGE network.

In conclusion, I do not regret for one second the decision to buy this device. I reloaded all my essential apps and am enjoying every minute of my ownership. Reactions from co-workers and friends have been positive so far. I’d recommend the E61i to anyone anytime!