GLOBAL – The evolution of applications on our devices has been quite rapid. The first step was of course giving the device extra functionality – the ability to watch certain types of video codecs, or view your messages in a different way. Then it got a bit more involved, bringing little bits of the Internet into your device one bit at a time, bringing things like Maps onto your device, along with info sucked from the Internet and combining it with functionality on the device (GPS) to create a whole new experience. Now though, I think we’ve reached a whole new level.
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LONDON, England – With the Nokia N97 already being snapped up in different cities around the world, we thought we’d check out the kind of deals folks are getting when buying one. When Nokia announces product prices, it is usually a suggested retail price before taxes and any operator sweetening. In the end, the operator decides not only when a device comes out but the real street-price as well.
So we expected some deals close to maybe £299 (what might be expected from a two-year contract on a 32GB touch-screen smartphone), or at least some sort of up-front payment of, say, £99. But we weren’t expecting to not have to pay anything up-front for the N97. Yep, Orange and Vodafone both have offers where the N97 will be available gratis, free, for nada when you sign up to an 18 or 24 month contract.
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GLOBAL – Uncharacteristically, we have another “administrative” announcement. The last one was pretty recent and mentioned things like Blogbite, @nokconv on Twitter, and blogs.nokia.com. This time around we want to introduce something a bit larger.
One thing that we’ve been wishing for is a central place that has all the information on a particular product or service. No, we don’t mean some static page with fancy graphics and long lists of technical specs. What we wanted was a page that had some info on the product, some photos, some dynamic ever-changing info about the product, and something fun. A jumping-off place for all you would want to know about a particular product.
What we came up with is The Almanac. And we think it’ll be a hit. Read on for more details.
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LONDON, England – I feel somewhat like a werewolf trapped outdoors on a full moon, only the transformation I’m currently undergoing is fully consensual and I’m not howling.
Back in December I posed the question “N97. Will it change me?” sparking a heap of comments and debate from many of you on the topic of anticipation versus reality when it comes to new devices, and how we often think and hope that our mobile behavior might alter (for the better) with a new product. And how it often does change our behavior, but not necessarily how we think it might. Especially a flagship product of the stature and near unparalleled expectancy of the N97.
I was lucky enough to get hold of an early N97 last Friday, and in less than 72 hours my new device has indeed triggered a rapid metamorphosis in my mobile behavior. One I may not (and hope not) to recover from.
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SALO, Finland – Factory visits aren’t usually high up the agenda for us at Conversations, but when the chance came to visit the facility responsible for bringing the N97 to life came up, we simply couldn’t turn it down. Carita did the decent thing and trekked over to Salo to shoot the footage and check out how it all works. The early start wasn’t an issue with the opportunity ahead of her of seeing the first N97s rolling off the production line. Stepping into the Salo facility was like stepping into a whole new world – the platform 9 and a half of mobile phones.
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GLOBAL – 
First let’s look at the facts. 32GB of storage (expandable), 3.5-inch screen, qwerty keyboard and all the connectivity you could want. That’s not to mention the stuff we wouldn’t normally associate with a laptop or netbook, such as GPS and a camera. Oh. and it can make calls too. So, having established it’s credentials, most already well known, why cover old ground? Well, we’ve just got our hands on a couple to play with and I have to say, the device is probably more than I was expecting.
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LONDON – We’re here at Nokia’s design event in London, The Inside Story, and user interface designers Juliana Ferreira and Lee Cooper have just given us an interesting look at what goes into designing Nokia homescreens, and highlight just how significant the homescreen is for most of us. Click through to find out what happens behind the scenes at Nokia for the designers exploring new ways to improve the homescreen interface.
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SAN JOSE, USA – We’ve herded the best videos from the Nokia booth at this week’s Where 2.0 event, including clips of the first Ovi Maps Player mash-ups and Ovi Maps in action on the upcoming Nokia N97. The folks from the Associated Press have been working on a smart maps mash-up with Nokia, as has Lonely Planet. Click through to see demos of both Ovi Maps Player mash-ups in motion, plus get a fresh glimpse of Ovi Maps running on the N97.
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GLOBAL – The evolution of applications on our devices has been quite rapid. The first step was of course giving the device extra functionality – the ability to watch certain types of video codecs, or view your messages in a different way. Then it got a bit more involved, bringing little bits of the Internet into your device one bit at a time, bringing things like Maps onto your device, along with info sucked from the Internet and combining it with functionality on the device (GPS) to create a whole new experience. Now though, I think we’ve reached a whole new level.
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