GLOBAL – Nseries handsets have often been referred to by Nokia as multimedia computers, but we all know there still remains a line (though fading fast) between smartphones and portable connected computers, or netbooks, or whatever you want to call them. Is it now a question of when that line will disappear, or can it ever really vanish? In reality do we even need device clarity and categorisation?
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – It’s long since been an alien or frowned-upon concept for us to consume reams of written words in digital format – be it lengthy blog posts or e-books (despite our growing appetite for bite-size mobile apps).
ROME, Italy – It’s the Nokia Games Summit this week (29-30 October) in the Italian capital, and as well as marking the announcement the Mobile Games Innovation Challenge winners, it’s also the perfect excuse to gather all the leading minds in mobile gaming to show off and discuss the plans for the future of this fast-evolving fun-focussed field.
GLOBAL – Peacocking is hardly the most attractive trait, so excuses out of the way I’ll continue feathers fanned with the news that the Nokia E71 was awarded Best Mobile Phone in WIRED magazine’s 2008 Best of Test.
ROME, Italy – Undoubtedly thumbs will be worn down to the bone at the Nokia Games Summit which kicks off next week on Wednesday 29 October in Rome. It’s here that this year’s winners of the Mobile Games Innovation Challenge will be announced – Nokia’s open games development competition that’s in search of innovative concepts for new mobile games. The shortlist of finalists has been revealed, with some interesting concepts bubbling to the surface, featuring ideas such as games that use Nokia Maps, and even a title that sees your mobile phone’s camera connected to your TV for fun-loving purposes.
GLOBAL – Looking backwards is healthy and can be entertaining, but it’s no secret that the guiltiest vice of being immersed in the mobile world is looking forward and seeing our future relationships with devices come into focus. Over the past couple of years we’ve witnessed the reality of high-speed data and Internet connectivity on the move, triggering an explosion in mobile Internet services and encouraging innovations such as location based services. Recent developments with HSDPA and the emergence of 3.5G networks has helped cement this, but already the seeds of a 4G planet are being sewed.
GLOBAL – Surely invisible interfaces that rely on our instincts, rather than pre-meditated physical interactions, are the holy grail when it comes to engaging with devices. Wouldn’t you agree? Okay, so we’re some way off that at the moment, although many would argue that we’re so well practiced at texting, inputing info and navigating menus that it’s second nature. But that’s the easy answer, and not the innovation-hungry attitude that’s required to push us to the next level when it comes to behaving unconsciously with mobile technology. Pushing this angle Nuance Communications has been announced as a company that will be working alongside Nokia on next generation predictive text and mobile interface solutions.
GLOBAL – Crack out the umbrella, we’re soon going to be caught in a torrential shower of fresh-faced S60 applications eager to be soaked up. This is as a result of QT Software (formely Trolltech, bought by Nokia back in June) porting its QT cross-platform application framework to S60, which in real-world speak means it’s now going to be dead easy for developers to port existing applications available on other devices and platforms to S60 Nokia devices with little fuss, fast.
GLOBAL – The nature of being immersed in the realm of mobile technology naturally dictates that we hungrily devour current developments, simultaneously keeping one eye on the telescope firmly fixed on the horizon. Truth is looking backwards isn’t a typical behavioral trait when it comes to our breed, but of course it’s healthy, can be refreshing and is often entertaining, as proved by Symbian Freaks’ A Look Back At Nokia History piece that ran over the weekend.
GLOBAL – The mobile phone has gradually nudged traditional buzzer off the bedside, with many of our handset’s built-in alarm clocks now on night duty.
The evolution of the mobile alarm clock is mirroring this subtle shift from the traditional wake-up routine, with innovative developments shining light through the curtains in the shape of a smart new app called HappyWakeUp. This S60 3rd Edition sliver of software doesn’t deliver the usual rude awakening, but instead monitors your sleep and wakes you up at the optimum moment to ensure you feel most refreshed. Hocus pocus or genius? Read on for more about this intriguing “arousal clock”.
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