The Nokia Beta Labs today released a limited beta of Swype for Symbian, probably the most anticipated predictive text input application to date. Swype provides a faster and easier way to input text by swiping your finger with one continuous motion across the Qwerty keypad on your device. Simply glide your finger in order through all the letters of the word you wish to type, and Swype will automatically recognise the word. Check out the video demo of Swype for Symbian after the jump.

Nokia’s Nseries duo have received new firmware updates. The Nokia N97 has been updated from v21.0.102 to v30.0.016 and the Nokia N97 mini has been updated with a rather large update from v11.0.045 to v20.0.016. There is no official changelog for either update, however reports suggest that the new update was pulled shortly after release. If it is still available in your region or for your product code, please share your experiences in the comments below. We’ll try and keep you updated as soon as we here more. New firmware updates generally contain bug fixes and optimizations necessary for the software on your device to perform properly, therefore we recommend you always keep your device up to date.

The Nokia N97 has just received a new firmware update taking it up to v21.0.102. There is no official changelog however reports suggest that the new update includes a mass memory content update feature for the newer models, desktop installation files of Ovi Suite 2.0 and Ovi Player, and preloaded maps data along with the new Ovi Maps v3.3 with free voice guided turn-by-turn navigation. New firmware updates also generally contain bug fixes and optimizations necessary for the software on your device to perform properly, therefore we recommend you always keep your device up to date. The new firmware will gradually make its way round to you over the coming weeks depending on your region and product code.

In this video, Axel Meyer, Head of Nseries Design, talks about the design and experience of a Nokia flagship device and the considerable amount of thought that goes into creating Nseries devices. He talks about what a true flagship represents, from the materials used in the construction of the device to the experience enhancing capabilities of it, he believes the device is truly an extension of you.

The Sky TV Mobile app for S60 5th Edition has just hit Nokia’s Ovi Store and is available to download right now absolutely free. Sky Mobile lets you watch Sky TV live on your Nokia handset, including live Premier League matches or highlights from previous games. Even if you’re not a football fan, being able to set your Sky+ box using the Remote Record will come in handy next time you realise you’re going to miss an episode of your favourite TV show.

In October 2009 Londoner’s woke up to see a signpost the size of two London buses suspended next to Tower Bridge, and we were lucky enough to be there for the launch courtesy of WOMWorld. The sign celebrated the release of the Nokia N97 mini with built-in Ovi Maps, and asked people to send in their “Good Things.” It swung around all day to point to all the “Good Things” from all around the world, and although the sign has since been removed, the good things remain and have got even better. Check out the event footage after the break.

It is now coming up to the two week mark since the launch of the new version of Ovi Maps for Mobile and Nokia has proudly announced that there has already been over 1.4 million downloads of the application. The one million mark was reached just one week after the launch. According to Anssi, Executive Vice President at Nokia, The download rate is averaging at one download per second. This is a tremendous feat considering that its currently only supported on a limited number of handsets.