We discuss Nokia’s S60 Touch UI, or S60 Fifth edition for Symbian OS

S60 v5 SDK can’t find Eclipse

February 7, 2009 – 6:27 pm | by Alex Calva

If anyone gets an error when installing the S60 v5 SDK, just ignore the messages as it is intended for Java developers. You won’t encounter any problems during the installation.

This is the screen that you may encounter.

no_eclipse_found_s60_v5_sdk

[via: Tams - the S60 Blog]

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UK Launch of the Nokia 5800

January 26, 2009 – 5:02 am | by Alex Calva

nokia 5800 ukAfter Nokia shipped its millionth 5800, this S60 5th edition device was released in the UK on January 23rd. There were about 150 people queued that were looking forward to get the UK version of this touch screen phone.

Customers were treated with Nokia umbrellas (due to the English weather) as well as branded hand warming pouches.

Finally, after a long queue, since some of them were there since 1am, they got their device in a special limited edition bag and a WH-700 headset, for £249.

Are you looking forward to buy the N97? Please read this post on the N97 blog to find out the release date.

[via: All About Symbian]

Press release on the one millionth 5800 after the break.


Read the rest of this entry »

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News on the Nokia N97 release date

January 19, 2009 – 4:34 am | by Alex Calva

Thanks to our loyal reader Shelley for pointing this out! Boy Genius Report has reported that the N97 release date will be March 31st, 2009 in the UK. Play.com is already selling it for £479.99 meaning that UK consumers only have to wait for less than two and a half months to have this device on their hands.

n97play

They also mention that the North American variant of this device will be available soon after it is released in the UK, meaning that an early-April release date can be expected. This rumor came from Nokia Product Managers, even though these are not official news.

If you remember, we mentioned on this blog that Negri Electronics was delivering it on February 11th, but one of our readers pointed out that it was not possible due to the N97 widget competition.

This N97 release date sounds more feasible, there is a lot a hype around this device, I am really looking forward to having it on my hands! Are you as excited as I am? Go to the N97 forum and tell us what you think.

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N-Gage on S60 5th edition

January 17, 2009 – 8:37 pm | by Alex Calva

logo100I just read an article at All About N-Gage about the future of N-Gage in S60  5th edition devices, such as the 5800 and the N97. The make an analysis on the gaming capacities of the 5800, recognizing it is not a great device for playing games due to the lack of a graphics accelerator and a faster processor.

It is mentioned that if Nokia wanted to release N-Gage for the 5800 maybe the Finnish company would have to release a new version of this device with a faster processor and even the graphics accelerator which sounds a bit difficult to happen.

What we are sure will happen is the N97 being N-Gage-enabled. Which has already been announced on press releases and launch parties. We are hoping that the N97 will have a faster processor than the 5800 and even the N96, as well as a graphics accelerator which will allow for a great gaming experience.

If you’d like to discuss this subject please refer to our N97 forum.

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INQ1 vs 5th ed. Widgets

January 14, 2009 – 6:51 am | by Alex Calva

inq1Do you like Facebook? I know I do, since I can stay connected with all my friends, family and classmates and know bits of what happen in their everyday lives. I like to check on my Facebook account, but there isn’t a single Facebook app that would make me feel as if I were on a PC.

Maybe my search could be over with the release of the INQ1 the first device designed entirely thinking of Facebook, the developers say that there is no other device that is better integrated to this +150 million social network.

What can 5th ed. devices do against this? Let’s remember that there is a N97 Widget Competition going on as we speak. Widgets will let the user keep updated on certain RSS feeds, social networks, blogs, etc. and I’m thinking these widgets could also be installed on the 5800 XpressMusic.

Will these widgets be enough for you or are you a Facebook addict that needs a Facebook device?

Finally, I must point out that Facebook is not the only feature that the INQ1 has, it also comes with a great e-mail inbox, Skype calls, 3.2 MP camera, Web browser, among others.

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New apps released for the Nokia 5800

January 14, 2009 – 6:32 am | by Alex Calva

nokia5800xpressmusicThe 5800 XpressMusic by Nokia has been very successful in terms of it being the first device with S60 5th edition, which is Symbian’s Touch User Interface. Since it is different from 3rd edition, applications must be optimized to be used with a touch screen as I stated before.

The main feature of this phone is playing music as well as multimedia, such as videos or pictures. However, it is different from Nseries devices being this a direct competitor to Sony Ericsson Walkman phones, for example; Nseries devices are competitors to the iPhone instead. The Comes With Music feature allows users to download great amounts of music OTA from the Nokia Music Catalog.

The new applications that were released yesterday were for Instant Messaging Communities. Fring which allows the user to connect to several communities such as MSN, GTalk, AIM, and Skype, as well as making VOIP calls using 3G or WIFI. Windows Live Messenger for S60 5th edition also became available yesterday. I have read in several blogs about this app, and they mention that it is fantastic and feels a lot like the desktop program.

Between the above mentioned and other apps, you could really enjoy your Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

By the way, this apps can also be installed in the N97, which is said to be released on March 31st.

For in-depth discussion on Fring for 5800 and other applications for S60 v5, please click here.

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Samsung Armani Night Effect vs 5800

January 14, 2009 – 6:19 am | by Alex Calva

samsung-night-effectHello readers! Today I’d like to compare two phones which may be really different in terms of UI and design, however, they are intended for the same purpose which is Music.

The Samsung Armani Night Effect or M7500, is a candybar-style phone with a sleek design, it has a special LED lightning which is inspired by the night lights of Tokyo; as well as dedicated music buttons.

The 5800 comes with S60 5th edition which is the Symbian platform for touch screen devices. It has a touch QWERTY keyboard and a 3.2 MP Carl Zeiss camera.

An aspect that is really important for music lovers is that both devices feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning the user can plug-in his or her favorite headphones and enjoy the music loaded in the device.

Nokia has become the leader in the mobile world with its Symbian S60 platform, always trying to make it more stable, faster and efficient, which could be a great advantage for consumers. However, if the end-user is more interested in design, the Samsung Armani Night Effect should be more appealing for them.

Both devices will be available on the next days in the UK.

[via: Engadget Mobile]

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SmartphoneWare presents 5th ed apps

December 30, 2008 – 6:27 am | by Alex Calva

Due to the UI change when compared to S60 3rd ed., applications have to be optimised for 5th ed. After Epocware announced the optimisation of their apps, now is the turn for SmartphoneWare as they are presenting three of their applications optimised for the S60 Touch UI.

Best Reminder, Best TaskMan and Best ScreenSnap are available for purchase right now so you can install them on your 5800 or if you’re planning to buy a N97 on the first half of 2009, keep these in mind.

Would you like to see S60 5th ed in action? Visit The Nokia N97 Blog for a live hands-on video.

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Is the Nokia N97 the ultimate phone for next year?

December 18, 2008 – 11:10 pm | by Adm

Well that, you decide, what I can tell is that the N97 is certainly the best S60 Touch UI-based phone. If you read in some reviews, of the lucky ones who got their hands-on, or even in their news articles, you would know that the N97 is not a common phone.

The design was derived, by the looks of it, from the TYTN II, from HTC. The touchscreen? iPhone size, but no multi-touch.

Full keyboard should satisfy both Nseries and Eseries user, this is like a convergence of two categories, a true flagship. The only problem is that there is no 8 megapixel camera to beat competitors.

What’s so unique about it? The 32GB memory of course, oh, and there is a memory card slot!

What we do know is that it will be expensive, but while I wait for mine, you should check out some Nokia N97 reviews, so that you get your own opinion, in order to comment here.

So, what do you think?

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S60 5th edition audiocast

October 4, 2008 – 5:59 pm | by Adm

As we told you before, Nokia has united few of the people involved in making 5th edition happen, and these have spoken about the platform in a podcast.

You can hear it above, and also download or embed it on your own blog.

A PDF slide is also published, which you can download here, and in the same document, a rumour has come up of a Nokia Communicator with touchscreen.

A touchscreen Commmunicator is inevitable, and would really be a great addition to the manufacturer’s portfolio, especially if it looks that cool, but in the document, it does confirm that it’s just a concept.

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