Filed under: Symbian

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry, iPhone, Mobile, Android, Windows x64

Palringo for Windows / Windows Mobile updated

by Paul O'Brien Sep 18th 2009

Palringo, the multi platform rich messaging client for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (via WINE), Windows Mobile, Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Java (phew!), that we first covered back in 2007, has just received an update to it's Windows and Windows Mobile iterations.

Palringo is an IM client with a twist - as well as supporting a multitude of instant messaging services (Windows Live, AIM, Yahoo IM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, iChat / MobileMe, QQ, Gadu-Gadu and Facebook chat), Palringo provides some features not seen in competing products such as chat groups, location sharing, picture sharing and push-to-talk speech.

Changes in the new release include support for contact avatars (although these can be disabled if required), flick / kinetic scrolling, the ability to toggle the status bar (useful for devices with small screens!), variable font size, the ability to set online-status for all services at once, an improved installation process and many other improvements and fixes.

The Symbian client was also updated last week, adding a host of new languages, reduced data usage which also results in a speed increase and a number of bug fixes including improved compatibility with the Samsung i8910.

Palringo is free to download (a premium version is available on iPhone) from the Palringo website or from your mobile device's application store.

Tags: aim, facebook, im, instant messaging, InstantMessaging, palringo, windows live, WindowsLive, yim

Filed under: Audio, Symbian, Mobile

Spotify Mobile S60 client previewed on video

by Paul O'Brien Sep 16th 2009

Hot on the heels of the release of their Android and iPhone clients, online music streaming service Spotify have posted a preview video of their forthcoming S60 client on their blog.

Aimed at Premium subscribers in the handful of European countries that Spotify currently supports, the application appears to support all of the features available in the existing mobile offerings and is a nod to Spotify's mission to support the largest possible mobile userbase - we'd like to see a Windows Mobile client next please!

Spotify is yet to make clear it's intentions with regards to launching in the US, however such a move seems highly likely provided the appropriate deal can be cut with the labels.

Tags: nokia, s60, spotify, symbian

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry, Mobile, Android

Moving to Android? Sprite Migrate makes it easy.

by Paul O'Brien Sep 10th 2009

Many of us change our phones regularly.

The phone world moves on quickly and with carrier subsidies, upgrading to a new device is often cheap or even free, particularly in Europe. While physically transferring your phone number to the new device is usually as simple as swapping in a new SIM card or getting the device activated by the carrier, migrating data can sometimes be a real chore - particularly if you're switching to a different type of phone.

With the arrival of Android in the Smartphone space and it's continuing growth, this is a pain point that is being felt by many users who are switching to Google's new baby from other Operating Systems such as Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Nokia's Symbian OS or RIM's Blackberry OS. Thankfully, there is a solution if you are in one of these camps!

Sprite Software, makers of 'Sprite Backup' have just released a Beta version of their 'Sprite Migrate' tool into the Android Market as a free download. Sprite have a very good reputation in the mobile space, and rightly so. Their products are relied on by millions of users worldwide, shipped by carriers on a number of devices and Sprite certainly have a glowing pedigree!

Sprite Software was founded in 2001 by two former employees of Binary Research, developers of the well known Ghost software that was sold to Symantec in 1998. Any computer technician that has been in the business a few years will tell you how vital Ghost was to their toolkit, and how infallible it was!

How well does it work? For me and my test device, it did exactly what it said it would... everything made it across intact!

Tags: android, backup, blackberry, migrate, sprite, sprite migrate, SpriteMigrate, symbian, windows mobile, WindowsMobile

Filed under: Security, Symbian, Mobile Minute

Mobile Minute: ESET to release security app for Symbian smartphones

by Lee Mathews Aug 23rd 2009

ESET is one of the most respected antivirus providers around, and they're not new to the mobile world. They've been selling a WinMo product for some time.

Now, they're making a push for another segment of the smartphone ecosystem -- those running Symbian OS.

The new product will not only provide protection against malicious software targetting Symbian phones, but ESET also plans to include a remote wipe feature. For the $24.95 annual price tag it's likely to carry (or just north of $37 for two years), that's not a bad deal at all.

There will also be a built-in firewall for added protection. The SMS spam filter which ships with the Windows Mobile version will not, however, be included.

[via ComputerActive]

Tags: antivirus, cellular-phone, eset, firewall, nod32, remote-wipe, smartphone

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Office, Microsoft, Mobile

Microsoft, Nokia announce Office Mobile coming to Nokia phones

by Brad Linder Aug 12th 2009

Microsoft has been making a mobile version of Office for years. But it's only been available on devices running mobile versions of Windows (what we now call Windows Mobile or Windows Phone, and what was once called PocketPC). Today, Microsoft and Nokia announced a deal that will bring Office Mobile to Nokia smartphones.

This is the first time Office Mobile will be available on handsets that don't run Windows Mobile. The two companies have announced plans to work together on a range of mobile solutions. One of the key points is that is that Nokia's Symbian powered smartphones will be able to run mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. Users will be able to "view, edit, create, and share" Office documents from their mobile phones.

Nokia is also working on improved Exchange ActiveSync support, and expects to roll out support for other features including mobile access to intranet portals build on Microsoft SharePoint Server.

Tags: microsoft, microsoft-office, nokia, office-mobile

Filed under: OS Updates, Symbian, Mobile

Next Gen Symbian platform won't run S60 apps

by Brad Linder Aug 7th 2009

The Symbian Foundation is looking ahead toward the next few generations of the mobile operating system. And according to the Foundation's David Wood, the group plans to replace the S60's Avkon API with Qt when Symbian^4 is released in late 2010. In other words, applications that are designed to run on today's S60 devices probably won't run on future Symbian phones.

Of course, Palm also broke backward compatibility when the company launched the new WebOS featured on the Palm Pre. But the company decided to partner with a third party to build an emulator that would allow WebOS users to run older Palm apps. Perhaps we'll see an S60 emulator for Symbian^4 one day?

[via Engadget Mobile]

Tags: s60, symbian, symbian4

Filed under: Symbian, Mobile

App Stores for everyone: Symbian jumps on the bandwagon

by Brad Linder Jul 16th 2009

Symbian is the latest company to announce plans to launch a mobile app store... sort of. What Symbian is actually expected to announced today is more of an App Store platform that will allow developers to market and sell their applications through a variety of stores including Nokia's recently launched Ovi store.

Nearly half of the world's smartphones run the Symbian operating system, but a relatively small portion of US customers have Symbian-based phones. And while there are app stores for BlackBerry, iPhone, Google Android, and Windows Mobile phones, which make it easy for users to download and install applications directly on their devices, Symbian users (with the exception of Nokia owners) have been left out in the cold.

Symbian isn't looking to profit directly from its app store platform. It won't be taking a cut of profits from developers. Rather, the idea is to encourage developers to write programs for the platform to help keep Symbian competitive, although with Symbian's global smartphone marketshare hovering around 49 percent, this sounds like more of a long term goal than a short term one.

Tags: app-store, symbian

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Browsers, Mobile

Skyfire 1.0 web browser brings Hulu, full web experience to Windows Mobile

by Brad Linder May 27th 2009

Skyfire is a web browser for Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 series phones that puts Microsoft's mobile version of Internet Explorer to shame. And I'm not talking about the kind of shame where you're a bit embarrassed to tell your friends about it. I mean the kind of shame that makes you move to a remote island and avoid human contact for the rest of your natural life.

The browser has been in beta for about a year and a half, but today the Skyfire team released Skyfire 1.0 to the public.

While the mobile browser that ships with most Windows Mobile phones can handle basic web pages, Skyfire can handle pages with rich media content including Flash 10, Quicktime, Silverlight, and Realplayer audio and video files. In other words, this is the first mobile browser that you can point at a web page like YouTube, Hulu or ESPN and simply watch web videos on the site. There's no need for a separate application just to play videos from those sites.

The browser also features the zoomable interface we've come to expect from modern web browsers. You can either view a whole web site as it would appear on a desktop browser (albeit, with tiny, unreadable text), or zoom in on the area you want to view.

Skyfire includes tools for keeping up with your friends on social networks including Facebook and Twitter. There's also an option to share any web page with your friends either via SMS or by posting a link to sites like Facebook.

Tags: skyfire, skyfire-1.0

Filed under: Symbian, Mobile

Nokia Ovi mobile app store goes live... and crashes

by Brad Linder May 26th 2009

Nokia opened the doors to its Ovi Store today. The Ovi Store is Nokia's answer to the iPhone App Store, and it provides access to 20,000 programs that you can download and install on a number of Nokia phones running the latest Symbian operating system. Or at least it's supposed to. Because for much of the morning, the Ovi Store has been unreachable.

Here's how it's supposed to work. Users with more than 50 different Nokia devices should be able to download an Ovi Store app onto their phones and use it to browse, download, and purchase software. You should also be able to visit the Ovi Store with a web browser at store.ovi.com.

But TechCrunch reports that the web site has been going offline intermittently for hours, and some applications that were available earlier this morning are no longer available now. A number of Engadget readers have left comments saying they can't even download the Ovi Store application anymore. And even if you do manage to get the store installed on your phone, All About Symbian reports that the experience leaves a lot to be desired, thanks to confusing navigation and slow page load times.

Tags: nokia, nokia-ovi-store, ovi-store, symbian

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Office, BlackBerry, iPhone, Mobile, Web, Android

Zoho Docs goes mobile

by Brad Linder Apr 28th 2009

Zoho has launched a new mobile interface for its web-based office and productivity applications. That includes a mail and calendar app, as well as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database utilities.

To launch the mobile version of Zoho, just visit m.zoho.com in any mobile browser. Or if you just want to see what the interface looks like, you can use the same URL in a desktop browser.

Zoho says the mobile interface supports mobile devices running Windows Mobile, Symbian S60, and Google Android as well as the iPhone and BlackBerry devices.

Zoho Mobile is available in English and Japanese. The team plans to develop mobile interfaces for additional Zoho office applications in the future.

The move means that mobile phone users who are unhappy with the built in office applications on their devices have another alternative -- although one that you'll have to use up some mobile minutes in order to use.

Tags: zoho, zoho-docs, zoho-mobile, zoho-office

Filed under: Internet, Video, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Google

YouTube launches video player for Windows Mobile, Nokia S60

by Brad Linder Mar 20th 2009

Google has launched a new mobile video player for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 phones. The application adds support for additional phones, boots faster than previous versions, and streams video optimized for 3G and WiFi connections.

You can use the application to search or browse for videos and play them on your device. When you click play, videos will launch in full screen mode.

To install the application, visit m.youtube.com on your mobile device and click the download link. There's a list of supported S60 devices, but no support list for Windows Mobile. Having tried unsuccessfully to install the YouTube player on my Dell Axim X50v, I can tell you that it does not support Windows Mobile 2003SE. But I suspect if you've ot a device with Windows Mobile 6.0 or a newer operating system you should be covered.

[via CoolSmartPhone]

Tags: nokia, symbian-series-60, windows-mobile, youtube, youtube-mobile

Filed under: OS Updates, Symbian, Mobile

Symbian moves to a 6 month release schedule

by Brad Linder Mar 13th 2009

The Symbian Foundation is planning to move to twice a year release schedule, which means user -- and more importantly, cellphone makers -- will be able to plan for updates. The Symbian operating system is found on millions of cellphones.

Symbian won't be the first operating system to be released on a regular schedule, as opposed to "when it's ready." The folks at Canonical have been releasing a new version of Ubuntu Linux every six months for the last few years. It's true, that not every new build is loaded with dramatic changes from earlier versions. But that's a good thing. Can you imagine using a cellphone or desktop operating system that launched an entirely new interface every six months? There's a reason Windows has been using some form of the Start Menu for years, while Apple has adopted the Dock. It makes the learning curve a lot simpler when users simply have to get used to minor tweaks and changes and not a whole new paradigm.

That's not to say that Symbian, Canonical, or any other groups putting out software on a regular schedule won't occasionally have releases that proide a major shakeup. Those are important too. But when you're shooting for a six month release schedule, the most important thing is to make sure that all the features work by the time a new version is unleashed on the public.

[via Techmeme]

Tags: release-schedule, symbian

Filed under: Internet, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Google, Mobile, Web

Google wants to know where you are, make spying on friends easier

by Brad Linder Feb 4th 2009

One of the first things people do when buying a first computer and connecting to the internet for the first time is look up people they know (or would like to know, or are upset that they don't know anymore). Now Google-stalking is about to go to a whole new level though, because Google has launched a new service called Latitude that lets you see the locations of people you know on a map.

Here's how it works. You can install Google Latitude on your mobile phone so it can report your geographical position. Or you can use it on a computer by adding Latitude to your iGoogle homepage. Then when you're friends are looking for you, they can see where you are on a map or contact you through Google Talk, Gmail, or SMS. It could be a great way to find out if you're just around the corner from the coffee shop where your friend is sitting.

Of course, it could also let you find out when people you know are walking into a health clinic, gun shop, or some other place they'd rather not broadcast to the world. So Google has made Latitude an opt-in service. If you don't sign up for it, your location won't be broadcast. And when a friend wants to add you to their list, you'll receive an email asking if you want to grant them the ability to track your wherabouts.

Google Latitude is available for phones running BlackBerry, Symbian S60, or WIndows Mobile operating systems. Android and iPhone versions are due out soon.

Tags: google-latitude, location, maps, privacy

Filed under: Symbian, Palm, Commercial, Mobile

Run PalmOS apps on Symbian with StyleTap

by Brad Linder Jan 16th 2009

While we're still waiting to find out whether StyleTap will bring its PalmOS emulation software to the new Palm Pre, the company has officially launched a utility for Symbian S60 series phones that allows users to run thousands of Palm applications.

The Symbian version of StyleTap has been in closed beta for a few months. The company says the program supports more than 30,000 apps designed to run on PalmOS devices. There's also a version of the program for Windows Mobile phones and PDAs.

StyleTap is available as a 14 day free trial so you can find out whether your favorite Palm apps work. A full license will set you back $49.95, which may seem like a lot of money, but it's much cheaper than purchasing a spare Palm III to carry around in your pocket in addition to your phone.

[via Palm InfoCenter and Symbian Guru]

Tags: emulation, palmos, s60, styletap, symbian

Filed under: Symbian, Mozilla, Browsers, Mobile

Firefox Mobile for Symbian coming in 2009

by Brad Linder Dec 16th 2008

The team working on the mobile version of Firefox has been primarily focused on developing the browser for Linux and Windows Mobile devices so far. But around 50% of all the Smartphones in the world actually run the Symbian mobile operating system. So it should come as no surprise that Mozilla is also working on a version for Symbian phones.

The plan is to have a working browser by the end of April, 2009 although there's no official release date for a beta version just yet. Of course, since the browser an open source project, I wouldn't be surprised if Symbian users were able to download and test early builds as soon as February when the roadmap predicts "basic/limited browsing" fucntionality.

[via Gizmodo]

Tags: fennec, firefox, firefox-mobile, symbian

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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