The latest major release of TwimGo is 3.0, which brings with it several key updates and fixes including an update to make DM work again (you may have noticed it stopped, which was because Twitter changed they way their system works).

The main other changes include:

  • OAuth support
  • Annoying sound notification removed
  • Optional light theme
  • Improved speed (Harmattan N950/N9)
  • Rounded corners in UI (Harmattan N950/N9)
  • Nokia Pure Symbols

Direct Downloads below (from http://projects.developer.nokia.com/twimgo)
Symbian S60 5th
Maemo
Symbian^3
MeeGo

(Note: the version in Ovi store is still 2.x, hopefully this will also be updated soon!)

Enjoy!

Source: Substance of code

It looks like the folks over at Mozilla have uploaded the latest version of Firefox onto their ftp just days before the official release!

If you want to download version 5, just head over to the links below, just don’t forget that this has not been announced officially so there could be (minor or major) changes before it is actually expected to come out on 21st June according to sources.

This version is mostly back end stuff including performance improvements, bug fixes, privacy tweaks and support for CSS animations:

  • Added support for CSS animations
  • The Do-Not-Track header preference has been moved to increase discoverability
  • Improved canvas, JavaScript, memory, and networking performance
  • Improved standards support for HTML5, XHR, MathML, SMIL, and canvas
  • Improved spell checking for some locales
  • Improved desktop environment integration for Linux users

Downloads

Windows

ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/5.0/win32/en-US/

Linux

ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/5.0/linux-i686/en-US/

Mac

ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/5.0/mac/en-US/

Source: Mozilla via Webtrickz

The latest update for Ovi store, in the form of version 2.08.042 is now available for download (Finally!!)

To update, just load the Ovi store and it will prompt you to download.

This update brings much wanted features like app updates and the store give you better “suggested” apps, and games so you can find things you want more easily.

You can see more details of what to expect in my previous post: http://thetekblogger.com/2011/05/21/app-updates-coming-to-nokia-ovi-store-finally/

Over at E3 2011, the latest and greatest from Nintendo was announced and it looks awesome!

They have gone with the Name Nintendo Wii U, probably because it looks like it can do almost everything U would want it too, explaining it wouldn’t do it justice, so check out the video below:


source: IGS YouTube Page

Personally I can’t wait for that to come out, the only think I’m worries about is the price as it looks expensive, better start saving now!!!

Some thoughts from game developers and what games will be released at launch or just after:

Zelda Demo:

OK, it looks like Nokia’s Ovi Store will finally see something which I, and I’m sure most of you out there have wanted, a quick and easy way to update apps!

Oddly enough, I didn’t realise that this wasn’t there until recently when I knew there was an update for Angry Birds Rio but Ovi Store didn’t show it, just assumed it would be there like on other App Stores!

The update to the store will come to Symbian^3 users in the form of version 2.8 some time next week, but don’t worry if you have other Nokia devices, as they are bringing this update to you too, but there is no fixed time frame from Nokia.

The process will be as simple as opening the Ovi Store, logging it and it will tell you if there are any updates for the apps you have downloaded, which means you will always know that you have the latest version of the applications and games.

 

As well as this, the Ovi Store team have also updated the way the top recommended apps, etc are targeted to your country and device, so it’s more likely to be something you might like.

If you are browsing the Ovi store from your PC, you will also see more things like “people that downloaded XYZ, also downloaded…..” so you can find more things to keep you entertained or just make your life that bit easier!

Finally if you use your device in Arabic, you will now be able to use a Localized Arabic client, but this is on Symbian^1 (S60 3rd and S60 5th) devices, I’m not sure if it’s already available on Symbian^3 or not so please comment below and let me know!

Source

Headset Design at Nokia

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So if you have ever wondered what goes through the minds of designers and engineers when it comes to making electronic products, this video might be just for you, it focuses on relatively recent Nokia Headsets including:

  • Nokia J
  • Nokia BH-905i
  • Nokia BH-505

This is a design story of three central Nokia headsets; each of them made for different purposes but connected with the same passion of high sound quality, smooth design and ease of use.

In the video, Audio Specialist Jouni Knuuttila, Designer Jose Péres and Senior Product Manager Risto Kinnunen explain what makes the Nokia J, Nokia BH-905i and Nokia BH-505 special from their perspectives.

A couple of weeks ago, Jay over at “My Nokia Blog” noticed that a load of premium games all became free over at the Nokia Ovi Store, all with this gold robbon and box in one corner, well now finding these game just got a lot easier, with Nokia Play’s “Summer Gift of Games” application which is available now in the Entertainment section of the Ovi store.

It looks like these are only available for current owners of Symbian^3 handsets, and if I’m not mistaken that is currently the Nokia N8, C6-01, C7, and E7.

The current line up is as follows:

  • Angry Birds Rio
  • Angry Birds Seasons
  • Assassin’s Creed HD
  • Avatar HD
  • Doodle Jump
  • Farm Frenzy
  • Fruit Ninja
  • GT Racing: Motor Academy
  • Guitar Rock Tour 2 HD+
  • H.A.W.X HD+
  • Hero of Sparta HD
  • Monopoly Classic HD
  • PAC-MAN Championship
  • Rally Master Pro
  • Spider-Man: Total Meyhem
  • Tetrix HD
  • The Settlers HD+
  • The Sims 3 HD
  • World Series of Poker
  • Worms HD

If you want to get these games, heave over to the Ovi store now and get downloading!

 


Hey all,

Thanks to WOMWorld/Nokia, I have the Nokia BH-905i which is a Bluetooth headset sporting features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and wired support so it will work with virtually every device out there!

Unboxing

I’ll start off with how I first saw the device, and what you get with it.

NOTE: This is a trial unit which has been passed around a fair few times so a couple of bits have gone missing along the way.

Box Contents

As I mentioned, the unit I got has passed through several hands, so not everything is there, but here is a full list of what you should get (country specific):

  • Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905i
  • Carrying Case (CP-511)
  • 3.5mm AV Cable [~1.2m] (CA-143U)
  • 3.5mm iPhone Cable [~1.2m] (CA-182U)
  • Extension Cable [~1.7m] (CA-144U)
  • 2.5mm AV Cable (AD-52)
  • Standard 3.5mm Jack (AD-63)
  • Airplane Jack (AD-71)
  • 6.3mm Home Stereo Jack (AD-70)
  • Voip Adapter (AD-77)
  • Charger (AC-15)
  • User guide


Features

The headset supports some nice features, which you would expect and some that you probably always wanted. First off you can choose to get it in either Ice or Black with matching adapters.


Connectivity

You can connect to the headset by one of 2 ways, either Stereo Bluetooth 2.1 (with enhanced data rate) or wired, both of which produce the same quality of audio, so with the exception of some very basic phones, you can connect to almost anything. Using the Bluetooth does have the disadvantage of draining your headset and phone/device battery, but with an incredible 15h minimum talk time with ANC enabled, or an extra 9 hours without, you will have a long time between charges.



Active Noise Cancelling (ANC)

Nokia claim that the ANC is able to block out 99% of noise, and in the tests that I did, it does seem to live up to that. One thing I did notice is that it only cancels out the noise, and allows speech to pass through which means that if someone tried to talk to you while the headphones are on, you can still hear them…assuming that your music isn’t blasting too loud!! This is also great when you are on the train, and trying to listen to the stop announcements.

I did try to record some sound samples, but when I went to play them back after, it turns out they did not record, so for now you will have to take my word for how much of a difference these make!

If you ever wanted to know how it does this, it has 8 mic’s on the outside of the headphones, which detect the background noise, and it instantly plays an inverted signal back through the speakers which cancel out the noise. As well as this, there are two mic’s inside which detect your speech and run through an Advanced Digital Signal Processor for clear communication.

Sound

The sound quality on these headsets is great, and you would expect them to be at the £165 price tag (RRP)!

If I’m honest I have not used many high end headphones, but it’s been a long time since I have heard my music the way it was intended to be heard, and the BH-905i definitely do that, making the listening experience that much better.

One thing on this BH-905i which is different to the original BH-905, is that the bass does not seem as loud, but this is because you are now able to change the bass level by pressing the multi-function key (when you are not on a call) and it will beep once, twice or three times depending on the level.

Keys

  • Multifunction key
    • Power on / off
    • Answer / End Calls
    • Voice dial / redial
  • Wireless audio modes
    • Bass booster on / off
    • Stereo widening on / off
  • Volume up
  • Volume down
  • Play/pause
  • Next track
  • Previous track
  • Active noise cancelling on / off


Conclusion

These are some great headphones, and do exactly what they are supported to. They have a solid build, quality feel, a huge battery life, great features and will connect to almost anything from phones to planes, with the included connectors. If you are a music lover and are thinking of getting a new set of headphones, I would seriously consider these, the only downside I can think of is the price, it is quite expensive, but then again, if you look at some similar alternatives, like those made by Bose,  you are looking at over 60% more in price (£270+) for something that is 20% heavier, and has less features.

Personally, I’ll be honest, these headphones are not for me, and the only reason for that is because I hate wearing headphones with a head band (doesn’t go with my spiky hear!), so if Nokia were to bring out a version of these with just the earphones separate, I would definitely buy it (like a more advanced version of the BH-505).

Ovi Maps 3D

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Nokia is known for a lot of things hardware wise, but in recent years, their software capabilities have gone from strength to strength. With the acquisition of Navteq, in 2008, Nokia have been able to support and accelerate the development of the software and now 3 years later, they have brought the world a promising alternative to Google Earth!

Although this is still officially in the Beta stages, it works really well, is intuitive to use and has some nice animations.

I could make you sit here reading how everything works, but I thought I’d show you:

Note: there are a couple of places where it looks like the screen has gone blank and the panning “stutters”, but this is not the Ovi Maps 3D, it’s my graphics card playing up, so hopefully when you try your self it works a lot better!

To see it for your self, head over to: maps.ovi.com/3d/
(You will need to install the add-on/plugin for it to work)

Technical Info

Supported Browsers:

  • Mozilla Firefox 3.0+ (Mac and Windows)
  • Google Chrome 9.0+ (Mac and Windows)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0+ (Windows)
  • Safari 4.0+ (Mac)

How can I navigate around the world using my mouse?

  • Panning – Hold down the left mouse button and move around to pan the map
  • Tilt – Hold down the right mouse button and move up to increase the tilt level or move down to decrease it
  • Rotation – Hold down the right mouse button and move left or right to change the rotation of the map
  • Zoom – Double click with the left mouse button to zoom in, and with the right mouse button to zoom out. You can also use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out

Source

Update:

Locations currently available in 3D:

  • San Francisco (+ Street Level view – real images)
  • New York
  • Miami, Boston
  • Chicago
  • Los Angeles
  • Las Vegas
  • Toronto
  • London (+ Street Level view – real images)
  • Helsinki (+ Street Level view – real images)
  • Stockholm
  • Oslo (+ Street Level view – real images)
  • Copenhagen (+ Street Level view – real images)
  • Milan
  • Venice
  • Florence
  • Barcelona
  • Madrid
  • Prague
  • Vienna

3D Models info:

To make this possible Nokia has partnered with C3, the leading provider of 3D mapping solutions, offering photo-realistic models of the world.

C3 uses modern camera equipment to capture as many as one image per second of the same object from up to 100 different angles. The images are then used to automatically reproduce the shape of the objects with very high accuracy. After that, an image processing software automatically drapes each shape with the texture chosen from the pictures of each object. The same process is being applied for all objects – buildings, houses, trees, and hills – the result is a seamless canvas of 3D-data where the resolution (8 to 12 centimeters per pixel) and quality is consistent over the entire model. This is the secret to C3 maps’ realistic look compared to competitors’ hand-made and cartoonish appearance.

source

Over the last few month’s there has been a lot of speculation over the Nokia X7 an the E6, but it seems now that for a very short period of time, Nokia uploaded video’s of both devices before very quickly making them private!

Although small and poor quality, you can catch a quick glimpse from these thumbnails (sorry I don’t have better at the moment):

Nokia E6 (Snapshot from official video)

Nokia X7 (Snapshot from official video)In my opinion, these do match up to what people expected the device to look like, from the leaked photo’s below, could this be the “announcement” which is due in just a few day’s time?

Some earlier reports about the leaked devices can be found here:

http://mynokiablog.com/2011/03/29/nokia-e6-00-most-detailed-leak/

and here:

http://mynokiablog.com/2011/01/07/an-insight-into-the-leaked-music-centric-nokia-x7/

We will just have to wait and see!

Update:

The network (cellular provider) Three UK have uploaded a video of the X7 with the new symbian ^3 OS: