Nokia Has Announced Cheap Nokia 109

Remember those small,old Nokia phones which had monstrous battery lives ?Well,Nokia has just announced the Nokia 109 entry-level phone. It packs a 1.8-inch TFT screen with 128x160 pixels resolution, dual-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, FM radio and microSD card.
                         Nokia 109 runs on S40 platform and comes with Nokia’s Xpress Browser, which compresses the web pages up to 90% and saves you data traffic.A few social apps are also pre-installed .
The phone's dimensions are  110x46x14.8 mm and it weighs just 77 grams. According to Nokia the battery will last 33 days in stand-by.Impressive!
           Cyan and Black versions of Nokia 109 will hit the shelves in Europe, Asia Pacific and China very soon for $42 before taxes.

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Angry Birds Roost Exclusively For Lumia Users

Good news for Lumia users.Angry Birds Roost is an exclusive app for Nokia Lumia handsets. But before you get ready to play the latest Angry Birds battle, you need to know one important thing. Angry Birds Roost is actually not a game but is a virtual store where you can buy all things regarding the game. Wanna buy a ringtone or Angry Birds video? This is the place to for those things as well as a holiday gift for the super Angry Birds fan on your list.

You can also catch the latest Angry Birds news direct from developer Rovio. In addition, one cool feature allows you to snap a picture, add your favorite Angry Birds character, and send it to your facebook and twitter fans. This is sure to make your iOS and Android owning friends jealous ! If you own a Nokia Lumia model and just need to know what is going on with the Angry Birds, you can install the app for free .If you want the next Angry Birds game, Angry Birds Star Wars is coming out November 8th.

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Nokia Lumia 820 Up for Sale In UK

                         After Windows Phone 8 was released it is now time for Nokia & Microsoft's other partners to unleash the potential of WP8.The first WP8-powered smartphones should probably be introduced to us in the next week, so it's time we learned the prices
               Carphone Warehouse has released the info about the Nokia Lumia 820 in the UK. The smartphone outlet is offering the device SIM-free for £379.95.

                      Other major UK stores such as Expansys and Phones4UK are taking in pre-orders for the Lumia 829, but they haven't revealed the asking price yet.
                         
                 The device is already on sale in Germany and has started shipping in Europe.

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Are Nokia Asha Phones "Smartphones"?

                  Yesterday,I saw a Nokia commercial that if you buy a Asha 'smartphone' you will receive some kind of a gift voucher.Now I wan't exactly paying attention to the ad but when I heard the word 'smartphone' I was quite stunned
     
                       .Surely,I agree that Asha phones are the best feature phones available in the market at present but for that reason a "smartphone"??Isn't that a bit too much?Moreover ,they lack one of the main things that a smartphone possesses-multitasking .
                                   Yes,that is the main point of having a smartphone. You don't need to close an app to see your email or make an urgent call,it will stay active in the background until you resume the app.For me,it is the main thing in a smartphone(besides other things of course) and I just can't live without it
                              I just think that Nokia should stop calling its Asha phones smartphones.Cause that is gonna mislead the customers.Asha phones are about 5,500-6,500 INR in India while the lowest Android phones are above 7,000 INR. Obviously ,if one needs a cheap smartphone one will buy the Asha one,thinking it to be a smartphone.
                In the end it is true that the Asha phones are the best featurephones but they are simply not smartphones.Thats the truth.So, Nokia stop misleading your customers please.

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Lumia 920 Is Fat Says HTC

            HTC called Lumia 920 a fatty on its Facebook page ,comparing it to the HTC 8X and didn't just stop there.They added that Lumia 920 is 20 pennies heavier than its HTC counterpart.

                        The American penny weighs exactly 2.5 grams. So 20 pennies weigh 50 gms, meaning HTC is referring to the 55 g heavier than the WP 8X Lumia 920.

Here’s the picture attached to the post.




                              This rivalry over who’s Microsoft’s favorite started when the HTC Windows Phone 8X and 8S were released as “signature” devices. Nokia’s Head of Marketing Chris Weber took to Twitter to call out HTC as just tactically rebranding their portfolio unlike Nokia, which is “driving an industry-leading smartphone franchise exclusively around Windows Phone”.

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No Multi-User Support In Android 4.2 Phones

   As I have already said in my article about the new features of Android 4.2 one of the best features by far is the ability to have multiple user accounts.I was really waiting for this. Tablets are now becoming the new “home PC” and these get shared all the time. If your older kids are going on a trip, it’s always great to lend them your top-notch Android smartphone for them to use features like navigation and others. Sadly, Android 4.2 only provides multiple-user support for tablets even if the functionality is built-in to smartphones as well.
It’s still unclear as to why that is, but some area already speculating that Nokia is to blame.Nokia filed a patent in 2005 where they make this feature an exclusive Nokia service, though I can't remember they ever launched a device with this feature working.

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Nokia's ESPN App Updated

                                Along with the official launch of Windows Phone 8, Nokia also updated their ESPN app .  The update mainly deals with increasing how you can be notified on scoring and news updates through the Live tile and toast notifications.

                            The update adds the ability to save and pin your favorite teams and sports to your Windows Phone Start Screen, customize the Live Tile score updates and you can now receive toast notifications for news and score updates.



                                   This update allows Nokia ESPN app keep you informed on game day when you might not be able to give the game your undivided attention. The Nokia ESPN app is an exclusive to the Nokia Lumia line of Windows Phones. It is a free app that you can find here at the Windows Phone Store or from the Nokia Collection on your Lumia Windows Phone.

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Nokia Lumia 920 Hands-On video

                 
           The Nokia Lumia 920 is not  expected to start selling until November 12th, but Swedish operator 3 Sverige seems to have accidentally put a full hands-on review of the handset on its official YouTube channel.

                  Not just that, 3 Sverige has also leaked out the LG Nexus 4 in a similar hands on video. The video shows the Windows Phone 8 new start menu, music app, browser, and Nokia Drive, and all seem to be perfectly smooth.

                Finally, the reviewer throws in the FatBoy wireless charging pillow and shows just how easy it is to charge the device. However,its camera performance was not shown much.

Here is a link to that video

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Nokia Lumia 822 Is Official

Nokia has just announced the Lumia 822,specifically made for Verizon.The phone comes with features like  the Nokia Drive+ offline navigation with US maps which is pre-installed, the City Lens and Transit apps and several camera apps (Smart Shoot, Cinemagraph, Panorama and Creative Studio).
              The free, no-ads, no-log-in Nokia Music streaming service will be available on the phone too, to make use of that fast 4G LTE connectivity.
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The phone also comes with different shells,which  can be put on the back of the Lumia 822 to enhance its looks and functionality, including a shell that enables wireless charging.

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Nokia Music Gets Minor Update

 Today an update is heading out for Nokia Music which is their free to listen music service.The release notes for version 3.5 are scant

Here is the marketplace feature list:

1.Download all types of mixes to listen to offline
2.'pin to start' any mix, so you can quickly play your favourites
3.See what mixes and songs you've previously listened to by tapping 'recent mixes'
4.Search for gigs by artist, venue and city
5.Share details of the song you are playing to social networks, via email and messaging
6.Fixed disappearing menu options

Owl City Image Gallery - Nokia Music 3.5

                This is actually  a very minor update, certainly enough so that any real changes can be determined. If you have a Nokia smartphone then you should check out this app, its listed in the Nokia section of the marketplace. If you already have the app installed then clicking on the marketplace link below will trigger the app to show as an update you can then click on.

                   

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1080 p Screens,What Next?

Almost a year has passed since we first started seeing smartphones with 720p displays. Since then, they’ve rapidly become the norm for smartphone screens, such that it’s hard to accept even a qHD display on an upper-tier handset. Now, 1080p displays are about to arrive, with the first-such Android models already announced. Will we be seeing these super-high-res screens migrate to the other major platforms, or is 1080p going to end up like 3D displays, and quickly fizzle out?

1080 p manufacturing process

The Rise Of 720p

LG premiered its Optimus LTE last season, with a 4.5-inch 720p display. That may have gotten the ball rolling, but Google really helped move things along with the announcement of the Galaxy Nexus and its 4.65-inch 720p screen. Seeing Google accept the technology like that signaled to OEMs that this was more than just a fad.

Now, we’re about to see the first 720p screens come to Windows Phone devices, and RIM will be introducing 720p models for the full-touch offerings in its BlackBerry 10 lineup next year. Even Apple’s sort of gotten on board, with the iPhone 5′s 1136 x 640 screen inching-up closer to 720p (though it’s still got 20-some-percent fewer pixels).

1080p Comes To Android

           We recently saw the announcement of the HTC J Butterfly for Japan, featuring the company’s first five-inch 1080p display.There are plenty of rumors that other Android manufacturers will follow with similarly-equipped models. We know that LG has been working on phones with 1080p screens, and have seen rumors that manufacturers like Samsung and Pantech could also be getting ready to join the gang.

Already, 1080p sounds like it’s going to make a bigger splash than 3D displays ever did; if what we’re hearing is true, there appears to be some strong support from major manufacturers (Samsung never jumped on the 3D craze), and 1080p could, like 720p before it, quickly become something consumers look for in their high-end smartphones.

It Doesn’t Matter That 1080p Won’t Look Better

I recently wrote an article ,pointing out all the reason why we just don’t need them. Sure, as we move into tablets that’s not so true anymore, but for the moment I’m just concerned with 1080p on phones.

                       The problem is, as I see it, that 1080p displays are simply going to look awesome. Even if they’re battery hogs, and even if we can’t even see the difference between one pixel and the next, they’re going to look just as good as 720p screens, if not slightly better.

                            The idea of 1080p being superior to 720p is firmly ingrained in the minds of consumers by this point. Anyone who’s shopped for an HDTV in recent years has seen how great 1080p can look on a big screen, where the difference between 720p and 1080p is more easily appreciated. This isn’t like 3D, where no one knew quite what to make of it; the superiority of 1080p has already been well established.

               So, whether it’s a significant improvement or not, 1080p on smartphones is already set up to succeed. The only thing I can see standing in its way is if some of those other problems Michael mentioned, like power consumption, end up substantially detracting from the user experience; in essence, smartphone manufacturers would have to really botch things – and in a big enough way that the public takes notice – in order to convince customers that 1080p isn’t something they should desire from a new phone.

Ultimately, I expect to see 1080p screens on Android devices start claiming a substantial share of the market for new, high-end phones by next summer.

After Android ,Who Next?

 
            Apple has the potential to be the wild card here. It loves “wow”ing its fans, and its Retina Displays have really drawn attention to what’s possible with screens featuring very high pixel densities. That said, it hates to be seen playing catch-up, and has a history of dismissing otherwise-accepted technology (like NFC) when that just doesn’t suit its own vision for its platform. If anyone’s going to be able to stand up and say “you guys don’t really want 1080p; here, let us show you what you’ll actually like”, it’s going to be Apple. Combined with its distaste for jumbo-sized smartphones, making the small improvements 1080p offers even less apparent, I’d say we can probably count Apple out of the 1080p race.

                       Microsoft’s attitude towards new technology has shades of Apple’s, but I think that’s less a matter of wanting to dance to its own tune, and more about taking a slow approach to introducing change. If Microsoft sees Android users flocking to 1080p phones, it’s going to have to consider giving its own users the same option. Considering the pace it moves at, though, it might not even get around to evaluating such a thing until well into next year. Maybe we’d see some Windows Phone 9 handsets arrive with 1080p screens in 2014, but I can’t see it bringing 1080p to its platform anytime soon.

                          As for RIM, it clearly wants to be seen as a manufacturer with current, desirable hardware, but 1080p might be biting off more than it can chew. For one, it’s still too early to say whether or not BlackBerry 10 will be a hit. Follow that road long enough, and I’m left wondering if RIM will even still be making smartphones by the time it has to seriously think about 1080p. On the other hand, if it gets the sense early-on that 1080p is here to stay, it might want to take the initiative and beat Microsoft to the punch. If it can squeeze ahead of its competition in even that one area, that could go a long way towards making BlackBerry still seem relevant.

                             In the end, I’d have to put my money on Microsoft. Of all the companies running major platforms, I don’t see it having a fundamental issue with 1080p (like Apple might), and regardless of how Windows Phone 8 fares, it’s still going to be around and kicking a couple years from now.

1080 P ,what next?
      

                  Well,after 720 p,came 1080 p whats next?Personally I  don't think that there should be anything else.Mainly because between 1080 p and 720 p,the difference is not really that much noticeable on a mobile screen.Anything more than 1080 p the difference will be negligible.

        

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FantasyCar Game Review

FantasyCar is a mobile agme that gives you the choice of five different vehicles and four landscapes (farm, dirt track, moon and Mars) and a selection of increasingly tricky obstacles to slam your vehicle over. No matter that you'll virtually destroy the vehicle in the process, the physics are 99% spot on, making it all more fun than should be legal when in charge of a billion dollar space car....

FantasyCar is a game, but it's also, at heart, something of a simulation, being built on the Box2D physics engine. What this means is that, as you drive up and down ramps, as you bash into obstacles, as parts are knocked off your vehicle, as objects fly through the air, everything behaves impeccably. The physics even go as far as modelling the weight and power (and drive wheels) of each vehicle, and of the gravity on the planet you're currently driving on!



Unlike the traditional 'start on easy levels and then work your way up' model, FantasyCars takes a much freer approach - you can drive any car in any location and over any level, anytime you like. The satisfaction then comes from trying to get awarded three stars for each of the sixty or so levels, stars being awarded for speed in getting to the finish line. There are no opponents, nothing's locked out, it's just you and your satisfaction. And quite a lot of pure fun.



Once into a level, there are only two controls - forwards gear and reverse, each of which operate on the driving wheels with some sense of inertia  so you can't just stop the wheels going full tilt clockwise instantaneously - a change of direction requires some planning and timing of your pulses on the forwards/backwards accelerator keys.



The levels are filled with obstacles, naturally, each of which falls and slides realistically, as if it has the appropriate mass, from barrels to blanks to sections of metal fencing to seesaws to windmill arms - oh, you get the idea. There's a lot to push, to climb, to duck under, to traverse....



One of the cutest aspects of FantasyCar is the way your vehicles fall apart. As they get knocked, bits start falling off - bumpers, engine cowlings, and so on. If you bash the vehicle up enough, you can even disconnect the engine from its mountings, and the wheels from the chassis, with the disastrous example result above. Happily, a 'retry' icon is top and centre and then you're off driving again, with a newly restored vehicle.



I mentioned Mars above - there's also the moon, with very low gravity, presenting a slightly different challenge and different obstacles. Shown above is the moon buggy, but the game's happy to let you rev up the 'monster car' and drive that on the moon, too - with predictably overpowered results.



Shown above is a Mars rover (oh, look, a few bits have fallen off already - NASA aren't going to like this!) on the surface of the red planet. In truth, the physics aren't that different to that of Earth, but at least there's a bit of natural variation.



Getting three stars for a level isn't trivial, so the gameplay's pitched about right, especially as there's no competitive aspect other than competing with yourself to get perfect scores all the way through.

The backgrounds are photo-realistic and well done, panning smoothly in parallax fashion, to help the illusion of progress, while on the sound front you get not only appropriate engine noises ('put-puts' from the tractor diesel to more sci-fi like whines from the space rovers), but also appropriate vibrations from the phone's vibrator whenever you hit something or land hard - I've always felt that vibration was under-used in phone games, so it's good to see FantasyCar come good here.




And, after all, where else could you drive a farm tractor on the flippin' moon?

FantasyCar isn't perfect - I experienced occasional lock-ups from the Box2D engine  but the developer has shown that he's willing to keep updating the game, so I'm sure he's tweaking the code even as I write this. But for a 'casual' game, FantasyCar has a surprising amount of longevity, I'd estimate up to a hundred hours of gameplay.

And for 1 pound( 86 INR) it is a fantastic choice

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Nokia No Longer In Top Five

Nokia

 The worldwide mobile phone market grew 2.4% year over year in the third quarter of 2012 (3Q12), driven by heavyweights Samsung and Apple as Nokia dropped off the Top 5 list of smartphone vendors. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 444.5 million mobile phones in 3Q12 compared to 434.1 million units in the third quarter of 2011.

Samsung Vs Apple

                  Samsung sold 56.3 million smartphones in the third quarter of 2012, more than any other company and twice as many as its nearest competitor Apple, according to latest research by IDC. The two companies combined sold nearly a half of the total 179.7 million smartphones in the quarter.

As Samsung grew sales, though, the smartphone top 5 changed a lot and for the first time in years Nokia is not in it. The Finnish manufacturer, known for basically creating the smartphone, sold only 6.3 million smartphones.That is less than RIM, less than ZTE and less than HTC.

The dynamics of the smartphone industry change the top 5 manufacturers very rapidly, and we could well see RIM become the next company to drop out of the top 5 next quarter.

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Shutter Speed On Nokia 808 Pureview

The Nokia 808 PureView,with its monstrous 41 MP camera  is considered to be the best camera available on a smartphone at present. Since the release of the device, the closest that we have seen to 41MP on multiple models is the 13MP shooter seen on some devices like the Sprint variant of the LG Optimus G and some newer Sony models like the Bondsian Sony Xperia T. Of course, a large MP size doesn't necessarily guarantee outstanding pictures as so much more goes into the making of a great picture.

41 MP camera 'bump'

  One important part of a good camera is a fast shutter. Just how fast is the shutter on the Nokia 808 PureView? A gentleman that goes by the name of Rehmanhere on Flickr decided to find out. Even though he had enough light to snap the picture during daytime, he decided to turn on the powerful Xenon flash. He increased the ISO to 800 which in the old days when people actually used something called "film", meant that faster action could be captured. ISO 800 requires 1/8th the amount of light to capture the same image as an ISO 100 setting would demand. He also took the exposure down to -4.0. The result ?Well,it produced a shutter that took the picture in 1/2747 of a second.

The Nokia 808 PureView with its 41MP shooter

What about the longest shutter time? That would appear to be the 2.7 seconds achieved by a Mr. Sheridan. The later says that the ND filters that come with the phone are not sufficient to do the job. So he uses various Hoya filters, a tripod and two elastic bands for his long exposure pictures. It might sound kinky, but if you check out the sourcelink, you can see how it is all done. He also suggests using flowing water as a subject.

So there you have it, the long and short shutter times for the Nokia 808 PureView. No, 41MP won't automatically make you an artist, but the technology offered with PureView will help you take pictures that you will cherish forever.

This picture was taken with a shutter speed of 1/2747 of a second.

Shutter was open for 2.7 seconds

The kit required to take long exposure shots with the nokia 808 PureView.

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