Hasta La Gadget!

If Intel prognosticated correctly, context is the future of apps — your device’s array of sensors will determine where you are and what you’re doing, and clever programs will guess from there. Problems arise, however, when one tries to run those accelerometers, microphones, radio antennas and GPS tracking devices constantly on the battery life of an average smartphone and determine what the raw data means, and that’s where a group of Dartmouth researchers (and one Nokia scholar) are trying to stake their claim. They’ve got a bundle of algorithms called Jigsaw for iPhone and Symbian that claims to be able to continually report what you’re up to (whether walking, running, cycling or driving) no matter where you place your device, and only pings the sensors as needed based on how active you are. (For better or for worse, Jigsaw also dodges the privacy concerns Intel’s cloud-based API might raise by storing all personal data on the phone.)

Of course, we’ve had a very basic version of context-aware functionality for years in apps like Locale for Android and GPS-Action for Symbian — which modifies your smartphone settings under very specific conditions you specify. Now, Espoo’s doing much the same with an app called Nokia Situations. Presently in the experimental stage, Situations is a long ways away from the potential of frameworks like Jigsaw, but here you won’t have to wait — you can download a beta for Symbian^3, S60 5th Edition and S60 3.2 at our source links without further delay.

Nokia toys with context-aware smartphone settings switch, Jigsaw provides better context for apps like this originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firstly, let’s be absolutely clear that we don’t know this is Nokia’s X7, but given the polished, entertainment-centric design (it has four speakers, apparently), we’re inclined to believe that it’s the real deal. Its screen looks to be the same 4-inch affair as on Nokia’s E7, it’s running the latest Symbian OS (formerly known as Symbian^3), and pictures of its rear reveal an 8 megapixel camera. The last detail of import, naturally, is the reassurance that comes from knowing that this supposed X7 can crunch through Need for Speed quite nicely. Jump past the break to see it on video.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: The video’s been thrown into private mode pretty quickly. Let us know if you find any copies of it floating about the interwebs.

Update 2: Thanks to the lightning-fast gang at Mobile Bulgaria, we’ve got a new copy of the video up past the break. We’ve also spotted that this handset has four homescreens rather than the three available on currently released Symbian handsets. A newer version of the software? Might well be.

Continue reading Nokia X7-00 spotted feeding its Need for Speed in the wild (video)

Nokia X7-00 spotted feeding its Need for Speed in the wild (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jo Harlow, Nokia’s Senior VP of Symbian Smartphones was in Amsterdam for the kickoff of the Symbian Exchange and Exposition, giving us the chance for a sit down with the seven year Nokia veteran. How could we resist given the recent launch of Symbian^3, Nokia’s new iterative approach to Symbian updates, and then Monday’s (expected) bombshell that the Symbian Foundation would hand over operation responsibility for the OS to Nokia. While the full transcript is available after the break, we wanted to highlight the following:

• Symbian user interface improvements are Nokia’s top priority. According to Jo, “We are planning a few user interface improvements in early 2011 including split screen text input, portrait QWERTY — there will be other improvements coming shortly after particularly in the visual appeal of the graphics of the device.”
• While Jo stopped short of saying that changes in the Symbian Foundation will accelerate Symbian updates, she did concede that it eliminates a step making things “simpler” — and that’s a positive thing.
• Jo also reminded us that Nokia’s plans for MeeGo stretch beyond traditional handset formats. And just like Symbian handsets will form a “fat center” in Nokia’s device portfolio, she expects Nokia’s more diverse MeeGo offerings to be “pretty big and fat as well.”

Read on for the full interview in addition to Jo’s thoughts on Symbian’s “infinite possibility to surprise people,” Stephen Elop’s performance in his first two months on the job, and her frustration at not being able to move faster amidst all of the “Symbian bashing.”

Continue reading Nokia SVP of Symbian Smartphones talks portrait QWERTY, Symbian ‘bashing,’ and MeeGo devices

Nokia SVP of Symbian Smartphones talks portrait QWERTY, Symbian ‘bashing,’ and MeeGo devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So it seems the Symbian Foundation isn’t necessarily going away, but it’s transitioning its role in a big, big way. They’re undertaking a “strategic change” that will involve the Foundation moving to a new role where it controls the product’s patent portfolio and licenses the Symbian brand and its research and development activities, but the meat of the operation — the actual platform development — will move over to Nokia beginning the end of March next year. For its part, Nokia says that it’s still “strongly committed” to the platform, it just won’t be the Foundation throwing it together. Interestingly, the Symbian Exposition is this week in Amsterdam, so we suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about this over the next few days. Is it just us, or is Mr. Elop making his presence felt very, very quickly? For what it’s worth, the Foundation is explaining that a board meeting held just today played a big role in this decision and sudden announcement — though there was a call for media, we received notice of it just minutes before the event. Follow the break for both Symbian’s and Nokia’s press releases.

Continue reading Nokia taking over Symbian development, Foundation responsible for licensing

Nokia taking over Symbian development, Foundation responsible for licensing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Canalys numbers are out, and with Android coming off an 886 percent jump reported at the end of the second quarter we were expecting something big. So, here it is: Android is up 1,309 percent worldwide from this time last year, taking over 43.6 percent of the US smartphone market in the third quarter. In terms of mobile operating systems that makes it the dominant player in America, but with Apple capturing 26.2 percent it now jumps into the lead when it comes to hardware, beating out RIM’s 24.2 percent. That’s a swap from last quarter, where BlackBerries beat iPhones 32 to 21.7 percent, and worldwide things are looking the same: Apple at 17 percent compared to RIM’s 15. However around the globe it’s Nokia and the Symbian Foundation still dominating the stage as the leading smart phone OS vendor, owning 33 percent of the market compared to 38 last quarter, while Microsoft sits at a lowly 3 percent. With WP7 ready to rock the world, and Ballmer ready to release the advertising hounds, that’s a figure we’ll be keeping a close eye on for the next few quarters.

Update: NPD has posted its third quarter smartphone market share and Mobile Phone Track reports; they basically back up Canalys’ report, though NPD gives both Apple and RIM slightly less market share. Interestingly, RIM’s BlackBerry Curve 8500 series is identified as the second-best selling phone in the US in the quarter, while the lowly LG Cosmos for Verizon takes third. Weird, huh?

Canalys: iPhone becomes most popular smartphone in the US, Android continues as most popular OS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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