N95 Firmware update

Ok, so in the last few days there's been firmware updates for the N73 (Although talk on the SF forums suggest that's been removed for now) an update for the N80 and now it seems there is going to be an update due pretty soon for the N95.

Symbian Guru has a post on possible updates in the new firmware, which include support for A-GPS!! Pop over and take a look, there's a couple of screenshots too.

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N80 major software update available

Story spotted over at Symbian Freak

Coming just a few days after a major update for the N73, we now have one for the N80, taking the latest firmware revision to 5.0719.0.2

I don't have my N80 anymore, so if anyone here does the upgrade, let me know what changes you get. I am curious, first the N73 now the N80 both getting major software upgrades. Does anyone know if the new updates include support for 4GB cards?

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iTunes Plus on the N95

I don't mess much with iTunes. I mainly use it for Podcasts. But since the announcement of iTunes Plus a lot of people have been looking forward to downloading music and playing it back on their N95.

It seems that there have been problems. The file once downloaded wouldn't play on the N95. Or other phones tried, either. You can see more here As ever when there are problems, pretty soon someone comes along with the solution. And riding to the rescue here is Joshua King from Tech Transit. Check it out here

For myself, I'm happy to stick to ripping CD's, downloading podcasts, or downloading proper DRM free music. That all works fine.

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N73 Snake

If you do the new update for the N73, afterwards there is no snake game in the games folder.

I spotted on the E65 blog a link to the Nokia Asia site where you can download the game. And it works fine on the N73.

Download Snake

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Opera Mini Beta on the N95

As in my previous post, I have today downloaded the new Opera Mini Beta browser. I managed to download it fine on my N73, but I couldn't get the WAP page to load on my N95. I guess sometimes there is a case to be made for having separate WEB and WAP browsers....

Anyway, if anyone is interested in trying the new browser, and especially if you are using the N95, you can download the file to your PC from here. Just copy the file to your memory card and install from there.

Opera Mini for N95

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New Opera Mini Beta

There is a new version of the Opera Mini browser available. I like Opera Mini, there are sometimes when it just does the job so well. I keep it on my N73, and although I have Opera Mini on the N95 too, I've never used it there.

Anyhow, the new Beta. Point your phone's browser to mini.opera.com/beta and download the new file. It won't currently overwrite any existing Opera Mini you may have, so you will have two icons in your menu.

The new browser looks very good. It has a mini map style, similar to the Nokia browser. There is also a mouse pointer, again similar to the Nokia Web browser.

There is a demo video here and more info here

A couple of screenshots:

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Updated N73

I updated my N73 last night, to firmware version 4.0723.2.0.1 As noted in the Symbian Freak forums and AAS forums the new update changes the old standard N73 music player to the new design, as found on the N73 Music Edition. The icons are changed, they seem a lot brighter and clearer than before. The snake game is gone, (I guess this can be downloaded feom Nokia support as a .sis file??) and there is now an internet folder in the main menu. In the internet folder are the icons for the Web and WAP broswer and the N73 downloads. So, no new integrated browser included in the update. Will Nokia ever be able to release the new browser for phones like the N73 and N80? I hope so.

It is reported that the new update has enabled A2DP support, but I haven't as yet had chance to try this. Check out the forum links above, I'm sure someone there will have tried this by now.

The camera seems to take just as long to load from opening the slide as before. I don't really use the camera that much on my phone, so I can't really comment on the picture quality, etc.

Overall the new firmware seems stable enough. It's nice to have the new music player, and the menu looks sharp and crisp.

Some screenshots below:











































































































Edit - Two more Screenshots showing the new simple music player layout and the media key still working as it should. On the N73 ME the media key becomes a shortcut to the music player only:

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N73 Major Firmware Update

Seen here there is a new firmware update available for the N73. Seems the changes are quite major, including adding FOTA update capabilities and the N73 ME music player.

It's also suggested that A2DP is enabled with this update. I'll be looking to update my N73 this evening, I'll post up once done. If anyone has already done theirs, let me know what you think.

Story also here and here

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YouTube Mobile Live

I saw this posted earlier on the S60 Blogs, the YouTube Mobile service is now up and running. I quickly checked it out on the N95 and it works fine. Load your phone browser and go to http://m.youtube.com

Screenshots below:

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N77 Digital TV Phone starts shipping.

Nokia have announced the first shipments of the digital TV phone, the N77. Press release below:

Finland is the first to experience optimized mobile TV with the Nokia N77 multimedia computer. Later this month also Vietnam and India will start shipments of the Nokia N77. Consumers will now be able to keep up to date with news and sports and enjoy their favorite TV shows live on the move*. The affordable Nokia N77 comes in a stylish and pocketable form factor with complete Nokia Nseries functionalities.

"The Nokia N77 takes TV out of the living room," said Jonas Geust, head of Nokia Nseries Players Category, Multimedia, Nokia. "The wide 2.4" flat screen and high quality stereo sound makes it the ideal personal mobile device for enjoying TV programs on the go."

The dedicated TV key on the Nokia N77 gives users direct access to a world of TV programs. It even remembers the last channel viewed when switched off the TV. Viewers can also set reminders to alert when a program is starting and access it at the push of a button.

The Nokia N77 also offers the advantage of 30 second replay and live TV watching continues after the replay clip. Through the Program Guide in the mobile TV application viewers can see program information up to seven days, browse TV channels, purchase new channels if desired and select the TV program they are interested in.

With practically all the features people would expect from a true Nokia Nseries multimedia computer, including MP3 player, 2 megapixel camera (1600 x 1200 pixels), web browsing, email access, calendar and to-do lists, the Nokia N77 is much more than just live TV and entertainment - it's the key to an entire world of multimedia computing.

The Nokia N77 is based on S60 3rd Edition software on Symbian OS and is offered in markets where commercial mobile TV services based on DVB-H technology are available.

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S60 v S40

Krisse from AllAboutSymbian has written a great article on which platform is 'the best' S60 or S40. He uses the Nokia 5700 and 5300 for his comparison. Click here to read the article.

For my own views, I like S40 handsets but the better functionality that S60 offers, makes S60 the winner for me. And the last line in the article strikes a chord, too:

What a modern smartphone needs in order to become truly mainstream isn't a faster processor or a larger amount of RAM, but quite simply a better battery.

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Battery or features?

Battery or features? It's an interesting question, and one that currently guides my choice on handset.

I use an N73 currently. Ever since I heard about the N95, then got to try one, I knew it was the handset I would buy next. I just knew. But during the wait for release, I got cold feet. I call it N80 syndrome. See, I was waiting for the N80 for ages. I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. And when I finally did I was so disappointed. I was lucky and got an N80 with decent build quality, so no dodgy slide. And the screen on the phone was just amazing. But that battery, it sucked. So much that after a couple of weeks my N80 went the way of most of my phones, onto Ebay. I started to fear the N95 wouldn't be as good as the promise, so I stick pretty much with my N73 (although I have had a few other phones now and then.)

The N73 is fantastic, the battery life is amazing it goes for days with web, email, sms, bluetooth connections, I always leave it on 3G and it just goes and goes. For my money the battery is the best of any NSeries device to date.

So, to the point of this post. I saw via Womworld a link to a post on Atmasphere which mentioned a post on Symbian Guru (I hope I credited all the right people there!) which compared the connectivity between the N95, N75 and N73. The question boils down to whether feature power or battery power is more important. Pop over, take a look and leave your comments, let them know what you think.

As I mentioned at the beginning, in my opinion the N73 has it covered. I've not used an N75 so on that handset I can't really comment. But I've had an N95 for the last two weeks to try out. And really, what does the N95 have that the N73 needs? Or maybe I should ask, What does the N95 have that my N73 doesn't that *I* need? I have a phone with an excellent camera, I can use Tom Tom via a BT GPS unit, I can download podcasts via 3G (Orange don't currently have HSDPA where I live/work) I can text, email, use IM, and on and on. I don't use WiFi. I have an E60 I've never used WiFi. I had the E65, I used WiFi once. So that's not an issue. But battery life is an issue, and for that the N73 can't be touched.

Until the top end all beating phone comes with a top end all beating battery, the N73 will be my phone of choice.

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Nokia E65 blog

When I first started my blog there were not many around dedicated to NSeries handsets. Most enthusiast blogs were about the Nokia E61. There are a few more blogs these days, and one I found just today is dedicated to the Nokia E65. I had a Nokia E65 for a while and it is a very classy handset. Ultimately it was the focus on business and not multimedia that put me off the handset. I will forever be jealous of the E Series Today Screen though. Well, at least until we see the same on the NSeries.

Pop over and take a look at the blog here

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