Earlier this year we brought you a cool demonstration of Augmented Reality on the Nokia N900. Augmented Reality is a technology that overlays computer generated information over a users view of the real world. Today we would like to update you on this project with two more, very exciting videos, showcasing shadow mapping and virtual interaction using the Nokia N900. The guys over at Rojtberg.net are really making some head way with this project, and although it may be some time before the application is available through the ‘maemo-extras’ repository, it surely does deserve some more attention. Videos after the break.
The Nokia Ovi Suite version 2.1.0.87 has been released for existing Nokia Ovi Suite users. The new update contains many improvements, bug fixes and brings some cool new features. The Nokia Beta Labs started distributing the update to Nokia Ovi Suite last week, and so many of you may already have the latest release. Some new features include ovi.com contacts sync, video transfer and playback and device application updates. There is also support for Mozilla Thunderbird in contacts sync. There has also been a lot work put into increase the general performance of the suite.
The Symbian Foundation today announced that it is joining the Open Screen Project, an industry initiative led by Adobe dedicated to enabling the Adobe Flash Platform across a broad range of devices. The work of the Open Screen Project will help deliver Adobe Flash Player on future versions of the Symbian platform. The rich and open capabilities of the Symbian platform combined with the Flash Player will enable Symbian device users to benefit from the huge amount of Flash-based web content for a vivid and complete Internet experience. Adobe has also announced advancements to the Adobe Flash Platform including the unveiling of Adobe AIR on mobile devices, a consistent runtime for standalone applications to come out of the Open Screen Project.
Nokia WRT is a development and delivery platform that allows the creation of applications (widgets) based on standard web technologies. Forum Nokia have just release a video demo of the Guarana UI Library – A complete UI and application framework built on top of jQuery to create and deploy Web Runtime widgets in a friendly way. Check out the goods after the jump.
The Symbian Foundation has just announced that Symbian, the worlds most popular smartphone operating system, is now officially open source. In 2008, Symbian Software Limited was acquired by Nokia for USD 410 million, and in April 2009 a new independent non-profit organisation called Symbian Foundation was established. The foundation includes Nokia, AT&T, LG, Motorola, NTT Docomo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone. The Symbian Foundation’s decision to make its code open source means that any organisation or individual can now use and modify the code for ‘any purpose.’
Late last year WOMWorld kindly provided me with the Nokia E72 for trial, which I have been using as my main device for around a month. The Nokia E72 is Nokia’s latest Eseries flagship device, that has all the business orientated features you need, packed nicely into a slim and compact design. The E72 is also the first in the Eseries range to sport a 5 megapixel camera, finally bringing Eseries up to par with the Nokia Nseries. The Nokia E72 does have a lot to live up to, bearing in mind the success of its predecessor the Nokia E71. The latter was by far the greatest Nokia handset of 2008, winning multiple awards in Best Smartphone and Phone of the Year categories. I personally still have the Nokia E71 as my companion, and so its time to see whether the E72 has what it takes to carry the torch forward.
Augmented reality is a technology that overlays computer generated information over a users view of the real world. The possibilities of this technology have been demonstrated on many occasion, and now we have a cool new demo using the Nokia N900.
In June 2008 Nokia acquired Trolltech ASA to enable the acceleration of their cross-platform software strategy for mobile devices and desktop applications, and to develop its Internet services business. On September 29, 2008 Nokia renamed Trolltech to Qt Development Frameworks. Qt is a cross-platform application and UI framework used by hundreds of thousands of developers worldwide looking to create amazing user experiences on a wide range of platforms. Have a look at this short video clip after the break and find out how Qt will shape the future of application and UI development.
Earlier last month we held a video contest where you had the chance of winning a Nokia N97 mini trial courtesy of WOMWorld. Naypalm was the lucky winner and he has spent his time thoroughly reviewing the device over at Howard Forums. He concludes:
From the squeaking battery door to the self-harming camera lens slider, the mini’s build quality has indeed improved from the N97. It’s speedy 434Mhz processor can run any program with ease. With it’s large screen, you can watch movies, pictures or surf the web with ease. And with the camera, you can capture priceless moments in the blink of an eye. It is a very impressive phone and I’m glad I had the chance to try it, but I believe the one thing Nokia could have done to make this phone 10,000% better would be to add more RAM.
Nokia Ovi Suite has just received a minor update of 57MB, taking it from v2.0.0.10 to v2.0.1.35. The new update states that it brings new features, updated applications and performance improvements. If you do not currently have Ovi Suite installed, you can download it here.
