Well I've been waiting for someone to compare the xenon flash of the Nokia N82 to the flash of a dedicated digital camera. I've been speculating in my head since the release of the Nokia N95 if a camera phone can replace a digital camera for everyday and night use. Of course the led flash of the Nokia N95 fails vs. a digital camera. But take a look at these comparison pictures done by Symbian World. In a battle of dark lighting between the Nokia N82 vs. a Kodak Z740 5MP Camera, the Nokia N82 came out on top. This is great news for those who are trying to decide if they don't want to lug their digital camera around all over the place.

Check out a few samples below:

left: Nokia N82, right: Kodak Z740
























So what do you think. Obviously the N82 the trophy in this shootout. The average price is about $230 bucks for that Kodak Z740. If you look hard enough, you can find a Nokia N82 for no more than $550. For me the extra couple hundred bucks would be worth it. It depends on the user. For me, I would no longer need a digital camera. These samples are proof enough for me that it's just not necessary. All the tests I've seen show that the camera starts up in about 2 seconds on the Nokia N82, just as fast as my digital camera. Zoom functions are much better on a digital camera, but I rarely use zoom at all.

Click here to check out the article at Symbian World.

Well it's already the end of 2007 and I'd like to say Happy New Year now, since I'm probably gonna be too hung over to get up and post tomorrow. This marks the first year of me using a Nokia or Symbian phone, and I must say it's been a damn good year for me as far as phones are concerned. Here is a small list of my favorite s60 applications of 2007 for my Nokia N73 and the Nokia N95, both commercial and freeware.


Freeware Applications


Google Maps for S60:
This is probably one of my most used applications of 2007. The most recent version allows is faster, gives your approximate location within a mile or so without needing gps (useful for me Nokia N73), satellite view, recent searches, and a ton more. Extremely useful for finding businesses near your location. I can't even count how many times I've searched for a gas station or liquor store in a area I'm not familiar with. I also pop open the Google Maps application every morning before I get on my way for work to look at the traffic conditions. I have two freeways near me, both which I can take to work. The traffic is usually bad on both since I'm in LA, but I usually get a really good idea of which way would be the best to go. I would say that 95% of the time the traffic conditions of Google Maps are correct.

Slick Instant Messenger:
If you read my review of Slick Instant Messenger, you already know that this has became one of my favorite applications. It's simplicity, functionality, and usability make it my favorite instant messaging application. I was a big fan of Palringo Instant Messenger, but for now Slick has taken that spot.

RotateMe:
The developer Samir is one of the best and most famous Symbian developers out there. RotateMe is installed on my Nokia N73 & N95. On the Nokia N95 autorotation is used with the built-in accelerometer. Rotate the phone and the screen switches to landscape. I actually don't keep this program always running on my N95 because I only like the rotation during certian applications like Web, Music, & Games. On the Nokia N73 RotateMe is used with a 2 key shortcut to rotate the screen. Pretty handy indeed. Of course this application is free, but you are urged to donate some money to the development of Samir's applications. He does so much for the S60 community and puts in so much time.

Nokia Internet Radio
Nokia is always developing new applications, and they send them through Nokia Beta Labs before giving them the official go ahead. Nokia Internet Radio is a great application that allowing you to stream hundreds or radio stations and also allowing you to add applications that you like on Shoutcast. I don't use this application a lot, but it comes in handy for times when I'm bored and don't feel like listening to music. One of my favorite talk shows "Stephanie Miller" is available in the mornings through the Air America channel, so that's a plus for me.

Symella Peer To Peer Network
I'm not a huge fan of downloading music from the internet, but once in awhile I'm itching to hear a certain song when I'm away from the computer. I just launch this application and start searching. About 90% of the time I find what I'm looking for and the download speeds are pretty good even on a non 3G connection. Once the track is downloaded, fire up your music player, refresh the library, and your new song should be there.

Shozu Image & Video Uploader
This has to be one of the best applications to come out for Symbian S60 devices. Add images & videos automatically straight from your phone to popular services such as Picasa, Flickr, Blip.TV, Blogger, Kodak, YouTube, and a ton more. You have tons of settings. Set it to automatically upload all images, or you can have it ask you on each photo you take. All uploading is done in the background. Make sure you have an unlimited data plan while using this application. On my Nokia N73 I don't use this application as much as I'd like to since it always has a process running in the background and takes up a good chunk of RAM. This obviously isn't an issue with newer devices. I haven't written up a full review for Shozu, but I will in a few weeks.


Commericial Applications

Core Player:
Core Player for me is the best solution to watching movies & videos on an S60 phone. You have so many video formats & so many options and settings. The interface is very ugly and turns a lot of people off, but once you get the movie start it's awesome. Even better is it doesn't use that much RAM. I've watching countless hours of movies and tv episodes that I've converted from DVD or downloaded from the internet. The formats supported are MP3, MP2, AAC, MKA, WMA, WAV, OGG, Speex, WAVPACK, TTA, FLAC, MPC, AMR, ADPCM, ALaw, MuLaw, Midi*, H.264 (AVC), MKV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4 part 2 (ASP), DivX, XviD, WMV*, MJPEG, NRE, MSVIDEO1, Matroska, AVI, PS, TS, 3GPP, MOV, MPEG-4, OGM, NSV*, FLV*. Pretty awesome huh?

Main Features:

• Blutooth ready!** (A2DP and AVRCP)
• Podcast, Enhanced Podcast, CoreCaster Ready
• GPU support for the Intel 2700g, ATI Imageon with more coming!
• Available for Symbian, CE, PocketPC, Windows Mobile, Smartphone, and Palm (soon for XP/Vista, Linux and OS X)
• Universal skins allows you to create a unique custom user interface exactly how you want it!
• Best in Class audio and video codecs like CoreAVC our High Definition H.264 video decoder
• CoreTheque media library allows for easy management of your playlists, bookmarks, and databases

There are a few other applications I could've added to the list, but I just don't use them enough to be one of my favorites. The awesome thing about my list is they are mostly freeware, which is the great thing about the Symbian community. Of course it's always good to donate some extra cash to the developers if your using their applications a lot.

Let me know your favorite applications. With 2008 coming up I can't imagine all the awesome applications that will be developed. Hoping that we see Nokia release a touchscreen S60 phone, that will open doors to a ton of new ideas.

This is a minor tip, but it comes in handy for me. Instead of using the the volume keys as your zoom in/out, you can use the up/down buttons on the d-pad, which are actually left/right when holding the phone in landscape for pictures. This is a big help for taking those quick one handed shots since you don't need to use your other hand to zoom.

That's right folks. Someoone is developing an iCrap style music player for the Nokia N95 & N82, and hopefully all S60 devices. The music player is actually one of the cool things about the iPhone. The description of the video when you go to the actual YouTube site says that it's made using the Flash Lite player, I'm assuming Flash Lite 3. As you can see in the video below, it has one up on the iPhone. You can use the accelerometer in the Nokia N95 & N82 to control the playback and tracks by moving the phone in a certain direction, much like is already implemented in the NokMote application. Once again, this proves that the possibilities of the S60 3rd Edition platform are endless.

Check out the video below:



If anyone has anymore information on this application or a link to the developer that would be greatly appreciated. I just randomly came across this video on YouTube.

Vote in the poll at the top left of the website. This is mostly for North American residents that don't have an option of the Nokia N82 US Version with 3G like we have with the Nokia N95. Europeans have both variants and are still encouraged to vote.

I'm kind of curious to see if people would rather have the Nokia N95 or N82, assuming that a 3G connection is available on both phones. The Nokia N95 is considered Nokia's flagship phone, it will be interesting to see the Nokia N82 outsell and be more well liked by the smartphone audience. The Nokia N73 had great sales and is still loved by many I think because of the solid feel of the phone. The sales of the N82 will probably not be able surpass the Nokia N95 simply because of the timing of there releases, but the overall gratification and satisfaction of the Nokia N82 could be higher.

I already have my mind made up that I'm going to be getting a Nokia N82 Black now that it's official, whether they come out with a US 3g Version or not. The Xenon Flash and the form factor of the Nokia N82 puts it over the top for me.

Today at Handango.com it is Free Application Friday. They are giving away the popular Handy Calendar application for S60 for free!

Here are some of the features you'll find in this nice alternative to the built-in calendar.

-Enhanced views: Month, Week, Day, and Tasks
-Zooming in views
-Notes support for all entry types
-Repeating for entries: Monthly by day, Yearly by day, and -Working days
-Busy bar to estimate how busy the day is
-Advanced entry viewing that allows to see all the attributes at once, open URLs, send e-mail or make a phone call
-All entries can be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook

This application uses the same database as the built-in calendar, so it doesn't really replace it. It just gives you an alternative way to view your calendar entries. And yes, this can still sync with Outlook.

Normally this application is $40, so you mine as well go pick it up and try it out. If you don't like it, just take it off your phone. I personally don't use the calendar enough to have a program like this, the built-in calendar serves me just fine.

Click here to check out the official website for Handy Calendar.
and...
Click here to get Handy Calendar for free from Handango.

Check out www.then82blog.com for more information on the Nokia N82.

THANKS TO THE SYMBIAN ADDICT COMMENTER, BLACK IS FINALLY HERE!
The other day I made a post about how cool it would be to have a black n82. You can see some of the photos I found by clicking on this article.

Well, low and behold, Mobile City Online are taking preorders for the Nokia N82 Black & White, which will be available on the 15th of February. I personally can't wait for the black version and I should be able to afford it by then.

Check out the image:














Also there will be a Nokia N95 8GB US 3g Version coming out with the 2.8" screen. Thats huge for the USA & Nokia. They are really taking a plunge into the market here. All we can hope for now is the N82 US 3g version. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Head over to Mobile City Online to check out the new Nokia N82 in black and white, and the Nokia N95 8gb US Version.

Update: I made a post with all my black looking N82 photos in one place. Click here to check them out.

Samir has just released the first beta version of NokMote for people to try out as long as you make a small donation. I personally haven't tried this out, but so far the reviews are coming in great. Check out this article by Symbian-Freak about how applications like this can revolutionize mobile gaming.

The video below shows how the NokMote application combined with Quake on your Nokia N95 will allow you to play Quake on your TV set and use your Nokia N95 like a Wii controller. Move and shoot with the flick of a wrist. Imagine your away from home in a hotel or at a friends/relatives house and you get board. Bust out your phone and hook it up to the tv. This program can be uses the accelerometer in the Nokia N95 & N82.



And here is another video of NokMote in action performing basic functions on the Nokia N95.

Nokmote
Uploaded by soueldi

Head over to Samir's Website to Get NokMote!

This is a shortcut that I just discovered yesterday while playing around with a Nokia N95. I'm sure this works for most of the newer devices, not sure about the older ones like the Nokia N73.

Normally when you push the multimedia key you get a circular array of icons that are shortcuts to Web, Music, Gallery, Lifeblog, etc. I never used this shortcut since I already have web, music, gallery shortcuts on my standby screen. The thing I never realized was you can change all of these shortcuts to other applications that you choose. Holy crap batman! So I removed all the default ones and set my own. This gives you a handful of applications just a click away. Kind of like a quick start menu.

Some of you may have already knew about this shortcut, but I've never seen it nor have I seen it talked about around the web. And of course I never read the instruction manual.

Just wanted to say happy holidays to all of you. I've had a busy few days like many of you, and I'll be posting a ton of articles by the end of the weekend. A look at some of my holiday photos, comparison photos of the Nokia N95 vs. Nokia N73, a video editing tutorial straight from your N95, and a few others. Check back tomorrow evening.

THANKS TO THE SYMBIAN ADDICT COMMENTER, BLACK IS FINALLY HERE!
Update: I made a post with all my black looking N82 photos in one place. Click here to check them out.

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. Which phone would I like more. The Nokia N95 with US 3g or the Nokia N82 without it. There are lots of factors that come into play, and it's such a hard decision. I don't even know why I'm worrying about it right now since I don't have enough money to afford either phone. Hopefully I get a Nokia N82 soon from WOMWorld to review so I can start using it and feeling it in real life to see if I think it's worth buying. I'm going to do a basic rundown of the pros and cons of each phone to help me decide which to go with. At the end of the article, you can find some photos of what the N82 might look like in black which is what I'm waiting for.



Nokia N82

Pros vs. N95:

• Xenon Flash makes an amazing difference. Especially for taking photos indoors and at night, which is what I love to do when hanging out with friends and family.
• Candy Bar Form Factor which I love a hell of a lot more than a slider form factor. No moving parts is awesome for me.
• A solid battery. From the reviews I've read, the 1050mAh battery gives the phone even better life than the Nokia N95 US version 1200mAh battery.
• A keypad that I've read around the net ends up being easier to text than the N95. Everyone is complaining about the tiny keys, but apparently people with fat fingers are loving it because the keys are very spaced out and are very easy to push. It'd be hard to accidentally hit a wrong key.
• I don't like the color of it now, but I can't wait till they have a Nokia N82 Black version. that would be awesome.

Nokia N95

Pros vs. N82

• Bigger Screen 2.6" as apposed to the N82's 2.4"
• USA 3g High Speed Internet version available
• Dedicated music buttons.

So what does this mean?

Well obviously there are more things I like on the Nokia N82 than the N95. That extra .2" inches on the N95 isn't a huge thing, but it would be nice to have that on the N82. The dedicated music buttons I really don't even use on the N95, mainly because I hate sliding the phone open to get to them.

The Biggest Pro of the N95? USA 3g. Simple as that. When Nokia starts putting USA 3g in all there Nseries phones, they obviously are going to really start making a dent in the market. The internet speed is amazing. But I just asked myself, the speed for what? Here's what I use the internet for on my phone:

Browsing - Edge can be slow, but usually it's fast enough. 3g would be nice, but so far I've done fine without it.
Google Maps - I have no problems at all with the internet speed of Google Maps. The maps load immediately, and the application stores the map or caches it so you don't have to reload the same map twice
Nokia Internet Radio - Each station takes about 10 seconds to load, and then no buffering at all. 3g is not needed in my opinion.
Symella Peer To Peer Application - I use this application maybe once a month or so to get a song or movie right away on my phone. A 5mb song takes about 10 minutes on my Nokia N95, which isn't too bad. I would use this application a lot more if I had 3g, but as of right now I don't use it often.

So as you can see 3g isn't extremely crucial for me, but it would be really, really nice.

The Biggest Pro of the N82? Xenon Flash. It's simply amazing. It lights up the area at night, so you don't get grainy, blurry photos like you do on the N95. Try and take a picture with the N95 in a dimly lit room and it looks awful. The xenon flash gets rid of that. I've seen ton of comparison pictures of the N82 vs N95 and the N82 is the clear winner. I take tons of pictures all the time. This is a huge factor for me.

The Verdict

The Nokia N82 is the winner in my book. The xenon flash outweighs the 3g internet. Of course this is just my opinion. Others that don't need the flash would rather have the N95 for the 3g and the bigger screen. I don't blame them.

I haven't got a chance to sample a Nokia N82, I'm hoping that I get a chance to though. I'll be posting some comparison photos from other websites around the net so you guys can get an idea of what I mean. Hopefully I can have that post up today or tomorrow.

Now Check Out The Nokia N82 In Black

Ok folks. Having the N82 in black would really put me over the top. Right now there is no such thing, and I don't think there's an official announcement by Nokia about it. But the reflective surface of the N82 gives off some shades of black when the phone is near a dark surface. I've found a few photos of what I mean around the web.

Black Nokia N82 Photos:




Reviews that have helped my decision:
Nokia Creative
Symbian World
Symbian Guru
and a few message boards.

It seems that Nokia always keeps its fans excited about the next product. Heck, I'm still excited about the Nokia N82, and I don't even have one yet. The N95 is still fresh in everyones heads as well. Yesterday the Nokia buzz all over the internet was a few photos in the wild of the Nokia N96. These are actual photos folks. I'm not too sure if I like what I see so far, but this phone hasn't even been officially announced yet so who knows.

Heres what we know so far:

• Based on the same design as the Nokia N81, except with a slider that goes up for gaming i'd assume similar to the music slider on the N95.
• Will be the first phone released with Symbian S60 3rd Edition with Feature Pack 2.
• Looks to have a 5mp camera with double led flash (no xenon is a mistake i think).
  
• Lacks a camera slider to protect the lens.
• Dedicated music keys around the navigation wheel.
• Looks to have a great 2.6" screen with VGA colors.
  
• Has a little stand that you can pull out so the phone sits up, maybe for movies or something.

Heres what I hope it has:

• GPS
• Accelerometer
• Good battery of course
• Wish it will have a Xenon flash
• USA 3g is crucial
• Louder, clearer speakers than the N95

And here are the photos:



Sources & Props:
Flickr Set
Mobile Review
Symbian-Freak
Howard Forums Discussion

The sound quality is the absolute best I've heard from any phone. You can always here the person on the other end clearly, I get no hiss or crackling. The call signal is great, I've never got a dropped call. Only once did I get interference. That was when I was working at the docks in Long Beach, California. A certain terminal at the port extends out the ocean about a half a mile doesn't get any reception. This is the second phone I've had that I can make a call with in this area. All my older crap phones get no reception. The other that does work in this area is my Nokia N73.

The loudspeaker on the Nokia N95 is also awesome. It's one of the loudest I've heard, and I think even better is the microphone that picks up your voice. In my car I keep my N95 in a cup holder in the middle console. When a call comes through I hit loudspeaker and just start talking away. The person on the other line can here me perfect. Once again, I've never had to repeat myself. With my Nokia N73, the sound on loudspeaker is loud enough for this, but I find myself having to talk a lot louder for the person to here me. The external speakers are located on the top left and right side of the phone, which is much better positioning than the Nokia N73 which are at the top and bottom.

I've already talked about the music quality of the Nokia N95. I think the speakers on the Nokia N73 play music more clear and full than the Nokia N95, but maybe not quite as loud. That is through the external speakers though. As far as listening through headphones, the Nokia N95 is the best phone I've heard, and even rivals my old Ipod. To tell you the truth I really can't tell the difference. The main thing I would ask for from the sound is more bass. Other than that, I can't complain.

Nokia has always led the pack when it comes to sound & reception quality.

Read below for other parts of my Nokia N95 Reviews.

Nokia N95 Build Quality
Nokia N95 Browsing Speed
Nokia N95 Music & GPS
Nokia N95 Initial Thoughts: Battery, Sound, Screen

After using Slick for a few days, I gotta say that I'm hooked. The usability is solid. You have so many features all bundled up in a nice little application. The battery and memory usage of this application is minimal, which is a major factor when you have an application constantly running. Of course it does drain your battery a bit, but not as much as you'd think. I ran this program for about four hours straight and only lost a few bars on my Nokia N95, which has a weak battery. Thats with about 3 calls and 10 text messages. You can login to your Yahoo, Aim, Gtalk, ICQ, or Jabber accounts all at the same time.

I'll start with the nitty gritty features of what you'd want from an instant messaging application on your S60 device.

Settings




















This is where I think this program excels. Here's a list of the settings you can control:

Hide Offline
Show Groups
Set Away After X Amount Of Minutes
Sounds -

• On or Off
• New message sound file and volume
• Nudge sound file and volume
• File Transfer Success/Failure sound file and volume
• Online/Offline Notification of your buddies sound file and volume

Vibrate Alert
Send By Enter Key
Show Message Times
Message History X amount of days
Text Coding
Font Size
System Application (prevents from closing under low memory conditions)
Auto Connect
Auto Re-Connect After Data Interruption (call)
Access Point
What a list right? That list completely blows away other free Instant Messenger applications like Palringo.

Chatting

Extremely simple and easy to chat with your buddies. The chat interface is nice, and you can talk with more than one at a time. In the screenshot you can see where it says "kevin" right below the chat window. If I was talking with other people at the time, you would see other tabs that you can easily scroll over to. Chatting makes good use of T9 Text Input, so you type words just as if you would type a text message. While chatting you can see if someone is typing out a message for you. There would be a pencil icon at the top of the screen next to the screen name of the user your talking to. This little feature is something that makes this application such a joy to use. You can also push menu and add smileys, send files, clear history, and go back to your buddy list. Of course when you go back to your buddy list you won't lose your conversations. All you have to do is click the buddy you were talking to and the whole chat is still there. Pretty Slick.






Buddy List

This is the main screen of the application which is pretty nice. Here you can see all your buddies online or offline along with there current status. To talk to a buddy just hit the enter key and you get the chat window. By pushing the left softkey which is Menu, you have a ton of options. Make groups, move buddies to groups, rename buddies, change your status (online, away, not available, invisible, custom, disconnect), configure your protocols, sort buddies by name or recent, edit accounts, go to your settings, data counter, program update, and about.
































Standby Screen Notification

This one is huge. When you have the application in the background you get a notification in the top right corner of who IMed you when you were away. This is great if you are busy or didn't hear your message alert. This is a big step up from other free instant messaging applications.















Things I Would Change

Not much. This application is pretty solid especially for being free and still in the beta stage. I'm not sure if they are eventually going to start charging, but it's probably something I'd pay for if they did. I would change or give more options for the colors of the application. I think they are horrendous. Purple and yellow? My two most hated colors. It would be really great if it can automatically use your theme colors. I would also give an option to turn off the standby screen notification, as it might bother some picky people (but not my I love that feature). One more thing is a battery save feature like I've seen in other applications. After you don't use the application for more than 20 minutes or so, it would be cool if it can disconnect and reconnect every 15 minutes or so to check for new messages and alert you automatically.

Thats about it for this application. I'm still going to write up a review about the other free instant messaging application I mentioned earlier this week called Palringo, but in my opinion Slick Instant Messenger is just way better.

Here are the features from Slick's Official Website:

• Supported protocols:
  ICQ, Yahoo, AIM, MSN, Google Talk, Jabber
• Text messaging
• Emoticons
• Alerts - sound, backlight, vibration, notify window displaying number of new messages
• Group and buddy management (add, delete, rename)
• Message history
• File transfer - send and receive files
• Sending / receiving offline messages
• Downloading files sent as links
• More features to be added

Click here to download Slick.

Right now at Carphone Warehouse you can get a Nokia N82 for completely free with a contract. Thats in England though. THIS PHONE JUST CAME OUT! Here in the states, I'd still have to pay $50 just to get a new Nokia N75, which is the only Nseries phone American carriers have. Will America ever catch up? I don't think so.

Phone carriers here in America have a strangle hold on consumers. A free phone here gets you a piece of crap LG phone that does nothing but text and call. One of the things that can change this though is Nokia taking the lead in selling phones made for the USA. Like they did with the Nokia N95-3. The more people that buy this and use it instead of the crap phones that are available, the more pressure it will put on companies to jump on the bandwagon.

But that will only happen if more and more Americans start buying unlocked Nokia smartphones like the N95-3, which will cost you around $600 dollars. For an mp3 player, gps, gaming, internet, camera, office files, email device, not to mention a phone, I think it's worth it. Not many people know about Nokia NSeries devices yet here in the USA. I'm sure if Nokia releases there touchscreen device next year with US 3g that will completely change the playing field.

Anyways, enjoy that link UK residents.

Free Nokia N82

This isn't out yet, but Samir (I feel like I mention his name everyday) is developing NokMote, which allows you to control the d-pad functions of your Nokia N95, with movement of the phone instead of buttons. This goes for games as well, which is pretty amazing. It's pretty much the same functionality as a Wii's controller, except you have it all on your phone. Check out the video below to see all the awesome games you can play using the movement of your phone with the built in accelerometer of the Nokia N95. Games include Quake, Snakes, System Rush, Asphalt 3d, Midnight Pool and pretty much any N-Gage games as well. Seriously, this guy needs to be hired by Nokia, or be paid for his ideas. In my honest opinion, I'd rather play games on a Nokia N95 with NokMote than a Playstation Portable. I keep forgetting these are just phones.

Watch The Video:

Nokmote in action
Uploaded by soueldi

I'm always looking for ways to access my currently open applications faster. I hate having to hold down the menu key for a few seconds to see what applications are currently open.

Well I just realized that if you have an application open in the background that also just so happens to be one of your active standby shortcuts, you can just scroll over to that application and click the icon just like if you were to launch it normally from the standby screen. This quickly switches to whatever you were doing in the application when you last minimized it. Like I said this is only a minor thing since it's only handy for your active standby shortcuts, but it can save some time if you already have one or some of those applications open in the background.

Example is right now I have Slick Instant Messenger, Google Maps, & an email I'm working on open in the background. From my standby screen, I can just scroll to any one of those icons and it comes to the front instantly. Just a little faster than holding down the menu button to get your list of open applications.

Many of you know that Best Taskman has a quick switcher key that works like "alt-tab" on a pc, but some people don't prefer to use that application, and it also is having problems working on the Nokia N95.

So if your one of those power users like me who love to mult-task, this may help a bit.

I'm always on the lookout for a really good instant messaging application for my Nokia N95, or any other S60 3rd Edition phone. For awhile now I've been using Palringo. Palringo is a free instant messenger application that also bring push to talk functionality. I've also tried Slick instant messenger in the past, but gave up on it due to it being buggy. But recently I came across on thread on Howard Forums that made me interested in Slick once again. Apparently they've had a few new updates, fixing a lot of the bugs and added GTalk support.

During the next few days I'll be testing out Slick & Palringo, taking turns each day with each application. I'll have a review on both applications and see which is better for everyday instant messaging with my Nokia smartphone.

If you haven't tried either of these free instant messaging applications for Symbian, click below to try them out. Check back here and post your comments on which you like better.

Download:
Get Palringo
Get Slick

With Christmas being only a week away, Ricky at Symbian-Guru.com found some great holiday themes made by a few popular theme creators. Head over to this post to check out some of the themes and try them out. These should help get you in the holiday spirit if your not already.

Oh and don't forget to check out Symbian In Motion's themes of the week. The most recent post has some great ones.

Well a few weeks ago the buzz around the net was an upcoming application called ShutUp, which is being developed by Samir (the same guy who brought you RotateME). He is quickly becoming a legend. All we new about the application was the name of it and that it uses the accelerometer in the Nokia N95. Everyone speculated what they thought it might be, and I figured it would silence your phone when you turn it over. Well sure enough Samir posted a video that puts the rumors to rest. Beware of the cheese factor of the video. Check it out below:

ShutUp - bySamir
Uploaded by Ali-Parodisiaque

Here is the link: ShutUp

Well, just as my Nokia 95 is going back to WOMWorld, my Nokia N73 breaks. Such a bummer because I was just getting to love it again, and not miss the N95 (suprisingly). But damn! I was at work yesterday lifting up a pallet with my N73 in pocket. The pallet starts slipping, and the corner of it smashed my Nokia N73. I thought my phone would be dead for sure. But low and behold, I pull it out and notice the music is still playing, but the screen is cracked. It's showing rainbow colors and has no image at all. I decide to mess with the buttons and see if I can call out. BINGO! It seems as though everything still works besides the screen. It turns on and off just fine, the keys (as far as I can tell) still work. So I found a website that sells the replacement lcd screen for around $60. I've gotta plenty of good reviews about the site, and I think I'll be able to install the screen myself. I'll give you the link when I find it again.

Well, since I'm tight on cash, it's gonna take me a few weeks to order the screen. So in the meantime, I found the Nokia N75 is onsale at AT&T for only $19.99. What a deal. I know the camera ain't nothing, but this will definitely serve as a good backup for when something happens to my Nokia N73. It has a same size screen, dedicated music buttons, S60 3rd Edition of course. Click here if you want to see that deal.

So hopefully my new phone will arrive on Monday. Of course the first thing I'm going to do is de-brand the phone, and get all the AT&T crap out of it, so it will be just like I bought it from Nokia. I'll be posting a tutorial on debranding the Nokia N75 as soon as I get a chance. I can use the downtime of my N73 to start reviewing the Nokia N75 and see how it does as a backup S60 smartphone. I think it will do just fine.

Have any of you guys had experience with the Nokia N75?

Many photo enthusiasts are very hesitant to use a phone as there dedicated camera. And I don't blame them. Even one as good as the Nokia N95, I've always though, isn't up to par with a digital camera. But Nokia Creative made a post that shocked me. I know the N95 takes great pictures, but I never knew they would look professional quality. Nokia Creative and other Nokia N95 users formed a group on Flickr dedicated to photos taken with the Nokia N95. They decided they'd have a contest to determine the best photos, split into different categories. The photo below is my favorite. Be sure to click the link below the photo for rest of the winners.


Click here to check out the 2007 Nokia N95 Photo Awards at Nokia Creative.

Well, my time with the Nokia N95 is up, and I have to revert back to my Nokia N73. It's been a wonderful time enjoying the big bright screen, big easy buttons, fast and smooth menu navigation, and of course the beautiful images and gps functionality. I'll be posting some more reviews of the Nokia N95 in the coming weeks, talking about the photo and video quality, call quality, and overall feel of the phone.

I thought going back to my Nokia N73 was gonna be torture. But the second I picked it up, even with the power off, I felt a sense of gratification and relief. I don't know what it is, maybe the build quality. I never though I would prefer candy bar style phones instead of sliders or flips, but it looks like thats my new preference. It's just way more solid and comfortable in my hand. Of course the phone is slower and more laggy, but I can get over that. The screen isn't quite as big, but it's still bright and sharp. Camera is still great, and the sound is wonderful. When Nokia makes a phone as good as the N95, a beast, and you go from using that for 2-3 weeks to a phone made over a year before with half the specs and speed, you should feel let down and bummed. But I don't, and thats when you realize how good of a product Nokia makes.

Thought I'd throw that out there today. I'll be making a few posts tomorrow, one will be about a new application called YTplayer, which is still under beta and is buggy. It will someday be our solution to watching YouTube on your Nokia handset. Even better is it's being developed by Samir, the guy who brought you the amazing free application RotateMe.

Apoc from Symbian Freak always brings us the latest and greatest news first. This may be old news, but I just came across this. Head over to this article to read all about the new Feature Pack 2 coming out for Symbian S60 3rd Edition Phones. He explains everything really well. Head over to Fernando's Blog for a crapload of screenshots of the new Feature Pack 2. I'm not sure when this is going to be released, this article came out back in February and I haven't heard much about it since then.

Nokia Beta Labs is at it again. I wake up this morning and find that they have a new application called Nokia PC Phone. It allows you to call, text, and manage your contacts from the web browser. I'm going to test it out within the hour and write up a short follow up review about it. Right off the bat, I can see myself using this all the time to text message people from my work computer instead of pulling out my phone. Plus, you have a full keyboard to type out those long texts. I'm not sure that I would use this for calling, or even how it works.

Here is the overview from Nokia:

"Nokia PC Phone is an experimental service that gives you a possibility to use your mobile phone with your Web Browser.

You can call, text and manage contacts from your phone.

You can communicate by using Nokia PC Phone with your friends and family even though they don't have the Nokia PC Phone themselves. Your friends are not able to tell the difference whether you are using the Nokia PC Phone or not, because your calls and text messages are actually made from your own Nokia phone."

Oh and one more thing. It currently only works with Firefox, which I absolutely love. Support for Internet Explorer will be coming soon, but I'll have nothing to do with that.

For now, go check it out at Nokia Beta Labs.

Update: It seems that you need a usb cable connected to your phone, or bluetooth. I won't have either until this evening, so I may not be able to review this till tonight.

I can't test it out right now, but so far the page looks really clean and it's something that I would probably keep open all day when I'm at a computer. I have the software installed on my computer, and no it doesn't include PC Suite. This is something totally separate from PC Suite.

Few known issues I found on the net:

- Internet Explorer 7 is not yet supported
- Text messages sent with Nokia PC Phone are not stored with certain Series 40 phone models
- Disconnect/reconnect cable with certain older models does not work reliable
- The date of call log entries do not always obey correct time zone difference
- Support for Series 60 phones is preliminary (only Series 60 3.0 Feature Pack 1 with USB are supported)
- SMS recipient selection from dropdown menu or contacts is not working; to send an SMS type the number or
select the recipient using the "Options" button from Messages or Calls tab
- Some times "You are calling to" dialogue adds two extra characters to the end of the phone number;
delete them before dialing
- "Send Text Message" button in the Contacts tab (that is used to send SMS to several recipients) does not work
- "Send Text Message" button in the Contact Details does not work

I made a post a few weeks ago about the latest accelerometer application for the Nokia N95 called Activity Monitor. Well it's officially released and still under beta I believe. I have sent back my Nokia N95 already so I'm not going to be able to test this application. Obviously this isn't an extremely crucial application, as people who like to stay healthy will only find this valuable.

From The Official Website:
"The Nokia Activity Monitor displays charts and statistics, in real-time, about your movements while walking or running. It counts the number of steps, and determines the distance covered and the energy expenditure. Summaries are stored in a diary so that you can compare your activity level on different days, and over longer periods of time. Your steps are detected by analysing the output from the accelerometer in an S60 smart phone. It is most accurate when you attach the phone to your belt, or upper arm, and it also works well if carry your phone in a pocket of your clothing. It might underestimate the number of steps if you keep the phone in a bag that you hold in your hand (as opposed to over your shoulder), and the most difficult case is when you hold the phone in your hand. Inevitably, false steps are detected sometimes, for example when you are cycling or driving. The Activity Monitor currently runs on the N95 and the N95 8GB. You must have a memory card in your phone for the application to work. Be aware that the Activity Monitor's use of the accelerometer requires a fair amount of battery power. It does not shut down gracefully when the voltage drops, so keep an eye on the battery indicator during the day, and don't forget to stop the Activity Monitor before you go to bed! Your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please use the contact forms on this page to send us your impressions."

As you can see below, you get lots of real-time details about your activity. You can get them in chart formats and graph.

Screenshots:














Click here to download the application.

Update: Some people are reporting problems if you have Sports Tracker already installed. Nokia is working on this issue. Also, I'm seeing reports that it works for the N82 as well. Update: Confirmed working flawlessly on Nokia N82.

After using the Nokia N95 for a few weeks, I was amazed at how many people were interested in the phone by just laying eyes on it. It appealed to both the nerdy gadget guys, the business people that need emails, calendars, notes, etc, and just the normal guy that just needs a basic cell phone.

I think the first thing that catches peoples eye is the big beautiful screen. The knuckle heads say "ooo is that the iphone". AHHHH it makes me wanna yack on them. Once they start to see all the features and functions of the Nokia N95, they realize that the possibilities of what you can do with it are endless. Most people are shocked that this phone isn't available from any of the providers in North America, and even more shocked that Nokia isn't putting these devices all over tv and magazines and electronic stores. Well, good news is apparently a few Best Buys in North America are carrying the Nokia N95 and Nokia N73, so that people can get a hands on feel for the phone.

Here is an awesome post by Pachi at Howard Forums talking about how his Nokia N95 blew his class away. Check it out here and share your thoughts. It's really a great read, making you proud of being a Nokia user.

What experiences have you had with people seeing your Nokia N95 for the first time.

Here is the post I've been promising you guys for awhile. I had a long weekend, moving sucks. So thats why I couldn't get this post up sooner. Anyways, below is a huge list of shortcuts for most Nokia S60 3rd Edition phones. Some people say that the "silent profile" shortcut doesn't work with some versions of the Nokia N73, it seems to work fine on mine. If you have anymore shortcuts that aren't listed please share.

Generic Shortcuts

1. To get the Task Manager

To close a running application you can press and hold the Menu button until all the running task can be seen. Then to close an application highlight it and then press the key

2. To switch to Silent profile

This shortcut is very handy. Press and hold the ( ‘0′ key) until the profile changes to Silent. To switch back to normal, press and hold again

3. To select multiple items

In file browser, address book, gallery or anywhere, when you need to select multiple items hold edit key while pressing

To select many files / items press and hold then, (while holding down edit ) move key to the desired direction until the required files are selected.

To remove the selected files /items press

4. Launching the music player

Press and hold the multimedia key until the music player shows up

5. Launching the Browser

Press and hold the 0 key until you see the browser window

6. To get the list of last dialed numbers

press the Call key. Select a number and then again press the Call key to dial that number

7. To get to the Voice Mail Box

Press and hold the ‘1′ key . If voice mail box is not defined, it will ask you to define one.

8. Speed dialing

You can set the keys 2-9 for speed dialing. Press and hold the key until it starts dialing. To define speed dials, press and hold an unused number. It will ask you to select a number.

For eg: press and hold the key 2 . If a speed dial is not assigned to this number it will ask you to assign a number for this key. If it is already defined, it will start dialing that number

When working with Text

9. To turn predictive mode on or off

quickly press # key twice.

10. To insert numbers in character mode

This is a useful shortcut. Press and hold the key until the pressed number appear. For eg: to insert 2 in character mode (normal press will only produce the alphabets associated with it), press and hold the key until ‘2′ is inserted

11.To switch between the letter and number mode

Press and hold

12. To insert common punctuations like . ? , etc

Press key 1 repeatedly until you get the desired character

13 To open the special characters window

Press * key .

14. To insert multiple characters from the special characters window

Pressing will open the characters window. But if you select a character with the Enter key , the window will be closed. To insert multiple characters without closing the window, use key 5

15. Selecting and Copy/Pasting text

Press and hold down the edit key and move the joystick in required direction. Press edit key again to get cut/copy/paste option

In Applications

16. To return to camera from anywhere

If the camera is open and you’re in standby mode or in another application, press and hold the shutter keyuntil you get the camera application

17. To view the last image in gallery

press to view the last image in gallery. Press again to get the gallery view.

18. In Image Editor (Select the image. Then Options -> Edit)

Press to view the image in full screen. Press again to return to normal view

Press and to rotate the image anti clockwise or clockwise respectively

To zoom in or out, press or

19. In Video Editor (Select video -> Options -> Edit -> Cut)

To save the current frame as image, press the edit key

20. In Browser

To go to the end of the page press

To go to the beginning of a page press

To get the bookmarks while browsing press and hold

Closes the current window (if multiple windows opened) - Press

To o