Symbian-Guru.com

Tanks, Cars, and Football - A Trio Of Games

TheGuru — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:00:26 +0000

We’re big fans of games here at Symbian-Guru.com, and that’s why we like to tell you about cool new games that we find here and there. Today, I’ve got three to lay on you, one with tanks, one that lets you steal cars, and another that lets you kick other people in the shin. Still interested? Good, read on…

First up, our friends over at Astraware have a new game, called My Little Tank. This oldie-but-a-goodie lets you drive around as a miniature tank, you guessed it, blowing up other tanks. This is really similar to the Tankzors game we told you about earlier, except for that the graphics are a bit better, it costs $10, and you don’t frustratingly run out of ammo in the middle of a level (anyone gotten past that in Tankzors?). There’s an interesting twist to the free trial on this one - you can play (seemingly) as much as you want, but there’s a nag screen between levels, and the more you play, the longer the nag screen sits there. We think that’s fair enough.

Up next is a new one from UK publisher Tag Games, called Car Jack Streets. This game is basically like Grand Theft Auto, but designed to be played on your phone. In fact, part of the team helped develop Grand Theft Auto, so if you’re a fan of that game, you should rather enjoy this one. The game consists of a series of mini-missions. While I’m really interested in this one, I was rather annoyed to discover that it’s only available through your operator. If you’re in Europe, you can text the word ‘GANG’ to 80010, and get the game for 5GBP. However, if you’re in the U.S., you’re going to have to hold out till MARCH 2009, when it should be available through the major carrier decks. If you live in the U.S. (or India, Australia, or anywhere else outside of Europe) and you want the game, you’re basically out of luck. Sucks, I know.

Last, there’s a new title on N-Gage now, FIFA 2009. Yeah, that’s right, it’s the new version of the unexplicably popular soccer/football game that launched with N-Gage so many months ago, with enhanced graphics and gameplay. I’ve never fared well with sports games like these, as I can never keep track of which player I’m supposed to be controlling, or where the freakin ball is, and all that nonsense. I’m also an American, which apparently means I don’t know crap about football. Anyways, if you’re interested, and still buying stuff on N-Gage, you can refresh your Showroom to get the download.

Nokia E71 Application Week - Day 4: Mobireader

Dotsisx — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:00:10 +0000

Ever since it got released sometime in 2006, Mobireader has been the first application I install on any of my S60 3rd Edition phones. It’s also the one application that has survived 2 years of S60 3rd hurricanes of applications and managed to remain consistently on my top priority list. Why? Because Mobireader was the reason I fell in love with S60 in the first place. On the E71, this application looks even more awesome and much better laid out in landscape and fullscreen mode. With the qwerty keypad readily available, adding notes, making searches and everything else is even faster than on T9 handsets.

So what is Mobireader? It’s an ebook reading application developped by Mobipocket. It reads ebooks in .prc and .txt format. Mobipocket is a HUGE ebook store that offers some free ebooks, and a lot of commercial ones, but the best thing is that they offer their reader applications for free. So let’s say you purchase an ebook, you can read it on your computer, your S60 phone, your Palm, your Windows Mobile, your Blackberry, with a maximum of 4 devices at the same time… which means that you don’t have to purchase the ebook again if you change your phone for example. It’s DRM in a nice flavor I think.

Personally, I use Mobireader for two different purposes.

The first one is entertainment and reading. Since I do most of my usual reading in french, I found this site that offers free legal french ebooks. I’m pretty sure that if you look around, you’ll find other sites that offer free and legal English ebooks in the .prc format that Mobireader uses.
The second one is that Mobipocket offer medical ebooks, making my pharmacist life a LOT easier compared to running around with 10kg-weighing-books. Most of the ebooks I purchased use an index layout which means that I can search for medical term definition or drug molecules like I would search a database. Wicked!

The best thing about Mobireader is that some ebooks use a table of contents layout that allow you to access a certain chapter or part easily. Mobireader also remembers where you closed the ebook, so the next time you open it, you will be taken to the last page you were reading. You can also add Bookmarks to ebooks as you move along, as well as Annotations, Highlights. You can copy text from the ebook, or modify it. You can also link a certain word to another, in another ebook or in the same one.

The best option though is the look-up one. If you have bought (or illegally got) a dictionary ebook for Mobireader, this dictionary can be used as a base for lookups. This means that by selecting a word in any ebook in your collection, and pressing it, it takes you to the meaning of the word in your dictionary base. Dead useful stuff, and a high priority for me as I use it to look up drugs when I’m surfing my pathology ebooks, and pathologies when surfing my drug ebooks.

Check out some screenshots that show you how Mobireader looks on the E71:

You can also view my video to the Show Your S60 Smarts competition where I show a few functions of Mobireader and how I integrate it into my medical profession lifestyle.

Bonus Link: for anyone in the medical field, you might want to check this thread on Mobipocket’s forum where I posted a handful of links to legally free medical .prc ebooks.

Nokia E71 Confirmed For AT&T

TheGuru — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:58:48 +0000

Wow, first the Nokia 6650 S60-powered smartphone eases onto AT&T’s shelves, and now we get this photo, courtesy of Boy Genius, showing that the Nokia E71 is headed to AT&T, renamed the ‘E71x’. It looks as though the internals are branded identically to my 6650, which isn’t as bad as you would think (not that great, either, though). There’s no confirmation of whether AT&T removed any features, such as WiFi, but I would imagine not.

Rumored pricing is $150 with a 2-year commitment (and likely a mail-in rebate + data package, knowing AT&T), though that’s completely unconfirmed. WIth T-Mobile currently offering the unbranded version for $200 with a 2-year commitment at Best Buy, $150 sounds about right for AT&T. This has got to be some sort of record for AT&T, if it proves true.

This also makes me think that we *won’t* see the Nokia E63, which was announced last week, landing on AT&T anytime soon, although it would be rather cool to see a trio of S60-powered smartphones on AT&T’s shelves for Christmas, all priced under $200.

What’s more, since there is an unbranded version readily available, it *should* be relatively simple to get rid of the AT&T branding once you’ve got this bad boy in your hands. We’ll certainly be checking it out once it becomes available.

Nokia E71 Application Week - Day 3: Chit Chat

Dotsisx — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:00:05 +0000

No, there isn’t an application called Chit Chat for the E71 (or if there is, then I don’t know about it) but with the E71’s gorgeous landscape screen and its oh-so comfortable qwerty keypad, the E71 screams “use me for Instant Messaging!”. So I answered its scream and installed tons of IM applications on it. But out of all of them, two applications stood out for working on my 3G connection and offering lots of functionality.

Windows Live Messenger

Pinch me to see if I’m dreaming, because I can’t believe that Microsoft actually got something right! Yes, Windows Live Messenger (let’s call it WLM) is available through the Download! application of each phone I’ve had so far and works so perfectly well. If you are a Hotmail and WLM user on your computer, you will be delighted by the options that WLM brings for you mobile:

First, it’s not only a WLM but it also brings a Hotmail inbox in your Messaging application, this is an option you are offered when you first set it up. Everyone who has tried to set an IMAP inbox for Hotmail knows that it doesn’t work, so it was a delight to see that WLM brings the Hotmail inbox into my phone. Of course, I can’t change its settings to automatically update, but I can update it whenever I want and I can send email from it. Much more useful than not having it.
It also brings my Live contacts as a separate tab in my Contacts application, and allows me to edit their details, and synchronize them between the cloud and my phone. Brilliant.
The WLM interface is SO nice, it’s clean, it’s well done and it’s not bulked up by a ton of unneeded things.
Navigating between the main Contact list in WLM and the opened conversations is a simple flick to the left and flick to the right.
There’s a ton of settings for you to fiddle with, from text size, to viewing contacts by their display name or real name, to access points, notifications…
You can add, delete and block a contact from within WLM.
You can invite several people to one conversation (group chat).
The best option in my opinion is the Send function inside each conversation which allows you to immediately record a voice clip (like on the PC version) and send it, as well as send images from the Gallery or instantly captured, or send any kind of file. Genius! The Voice Clip option is dead useful when you want to speak a long sentence and don’t have the time to type it, or when you want to go crazy and start making embarrassing noises.

Microsoft had to screw up at some point and this is where it gets ugly: WLM is not free. This is absolute bullshit I think, as the application is available for free on the PC. Nevertheless, it comes with a 30-day trial and costs 1.5Euro a month, which is somehow cheap and expensive at the same time. I highly recommend trying it though if you use WLM on your computer as you will find yourself in such a cosy and known territory.

Nimbuzz

Nimbuzz is a multiple IM and VoIP client for your E71. It can import your Windows Live, Yahoo, Gtalk, Skype, AIM, IRC and tons of other network friends into one application and allow you to have conversations with them. What I love about it is that I can finally have my Windows Live, Gtalk and Skype contacts in one application that works over my 3G connection (Fring doesn’t).

Nimbuzz offers a very clean interface, plenty of options to customize how everything shows up, and a lot of functionality, be it in conversation windows or outside. Sending of files is also supported, but limited to photos and videos apparently. The main plus is that you can make voice calls to your contacts, be it through local dial-in (which routes the call through your line, but you pay for it as you do for local calls, even if the contact lives abroad) or through international calls (which is true VoIP). I love it because even on slow EDGE connection, and while out and about, I can call back home in Lebanon for local rates.

Ricky has already reviewed it here, and he was impressed, but Nimbuzz has even more evolved since then: it has now graduated to v1.0 and offers a PC client and a web client. I won’t review Nimbuzz in detail now but will leave it till later. In the meantime, please do check it out as: 1. it’s free ; 2. it’s extremely useful ; 3. it brings ALL your Instant Messaging friends into one client ; 4. it allows you to make VoIP calls ; 5. did I mention that it’s free? Oh, I did, but I’ll repeat it: it’s FREEEEEE! Go to www.nimbuzz.com on your handset to download it, or go here to download it on your PC then install it on the phone.

SymSMB Now Owned By Nokia

TheGuru — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:38:54 +0000

I caught this thread over at HowardForums today, it appears as though Nokia has taken ownership of the SymSMB application that we’ve been meaning to review for a while. If you aren’t familiar, SymSMB is a tool that allows you to do all sorts of things within WiFi networks, such as browse network folders and files. It’s really a comprehensive tool, with a pretty big feature set.

It appears as though 2 of the developers at Telexy Networks, who helped develop SymSMB, are also currently employed full-time at Nokia. As part of Nokia’s employment agreement, ‘All Proprietary Property which Employee may develop in the course of employment with Company, whether alone or jointly with others, shall be the exclusive property of company…‘ Thus, Nokia has claimed ownership of all rights over SymSMB.

The company’s statement, while somewhat sad, holds at least a bit of promise, that obviously Nokia sees the value of SymSMB and its abilities, and hopefully we’ll see the full integration of this tool into future S60 products, or perhaps even Nokia will simply rebrand it and offer it as a free download, similar to Nokia Chat or Nokia Friend View.

We wish the best on the team at Telexy, and hope that they will keep Symbian-Guru in the loop on any future ventures they take, as I’m sure they’ll be just as solid as SymSMB. You can have your say about the situation in the Telexy forums, or if you have a suggestion for a new application/development they might persue (and you DON’T work for Nokia), you can shoot them an email here.

Four-Part Video Review Of Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

TheGuru — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:00:19 +0000

We’re all waiting for the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to hit the market, to see how good it really is for ourselves. While I don’t (yet) have the 5800 XpressMusic here at CasaGuru, my bosses at MobileBurn.com do, and they’ve put together a four-part video review, showing off the various aspects of the phone. Michael (the Editor over there) has been pleasantly surprised at the 5800. After fully expecting it to be ‘a turd’ (direct quote), he’s surprised to have left his SIM card in it for the past 3 days, and not an issue.

In any case, I hope to get my hands on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic soon, and I know that Dotsisx recently had the opportunity, and will be sharing more thoughts/videos soon. For the time being, though, enjoy this four-part review from MobileBurn.com.

Traveling With The Guru: Boingo

TheGuru — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:00:05 +0000

One other tool that I used excessively while on my trip with Mrs. Guru to California was Boingo. If you’re not familiar, Boingo is a WiFi-membership service, basically, that allows you to connect to a worldwide network of WiFi hotspots for a single monthly fee. There are two packages, one for laptops and one for ‘mobile devices’, such as the Nokia Internet Tablets, and also our S60-powered smartphones. There is also a downloadable client that allows your device (be it laptop, tablet, or phone) to automatically connect to the hotspot, without having to open the web browser and attempt to login on a website.

To test through my trip, Boingo was kind enough to set me up with a review account for both my laptop and my S60-powered phones. You can use the same mobile account on several different phones, so it’s not tied to your IMEI at all, which is nice.

Throughout the trip, I used WiFi on my laptop far more often than I did on my phone. With Boingo, I never once had to hassle with making sure my browser would allow forwarding, or logging into whatever landing page that particular hotspot offered. The Windows Boingo app (there’s one for Macs, too, though I think Linux is, as usual, left out in the cold) would automatically detect that it was in range of a Boingo hotspot, and wa-la. Zero configuration from me, and more importantly, I didn’t have to guess at which of the handful of hotspots was included.

When traveling, specifically in airports, it’s not uncommon to see a handful of hotspots that *look* like legitimate access points, and often with the strongest signal. Often, though, these are ad-hoc connections, which can, potentially, be false, and used to swipe your personal info. With Boingo, I didn’t have to worry about my laptop trying to connect to these, or worry about discerning for myself - Boingo automatically connected only to approved, prescreened hotspots, which is a major plus.

I’ll be completely honest, too - I didn’t use the phone portion much at all. Mainly, because I didn’t need it. I have AT&T, and thus, I have 3G in most all major metropolitan areas, including San Francisco. However, I was able to test the S60 client out at the airport, on our way out, and it worked good - too good, actually. For some reason, once the Boingo client has found the WiFi, it won’t let go. If you’re doing some hardcore email/browsing/other data usage, this is awesome. If you’re not, and you’re concerned with battery, this poses a big problem, specifically as I was unable to turn *only* the WiFi off on my E71. It’s WiFi + GSM/3G, or nothing at all.

Also, Boingo recently picked up Opti-Fi Networks, which manages the WiFi hotspots in 25 North American airports. If you’re a frequent traveler who spends time waiting for planes, this is just plain killer.

Regardless of what platform you use it on, I’m 100% sold on Boingo, specifically when I’m traveling. The convenience of not having to pay each hotspot its own fee is awesome, and the Windows client made connecting a no-brainer (seriously, it just pops up and says you’re in range, do you want to connect). You can even get a free trial when you sign up, to check it out for yourself.

Nokia E71 Application Week - Day 2: cCalcPro

Dotsisx — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:47 +0000

For over a year or more now, I have read several people’s raving of Calcium, a very well thought and dead easy to use calculator application for S60 3rd Edition. But being in the science field means that most of the time, I have to deal with more complicated equations than + - / and *. Hence, I have been an avid user of cCalc by ChuaWelic for a few months. cCalc uses the same d-pad prompt to implement the simple actions like Calcium, but adds all the scientific functions that are accessible with 2 or 3 keystrokes, since each one is mapped to the keypad. cCalc is, in my opinion, one of those genius applications that are always overlooked because of the popularity of another one.

When I got my E71, I immediately checked to see if cCalc would work on it and discovered that it didn’t, but that there was a special version, cCalcPro that is tailored specifically for the qwerty keyboard of the E71 (and E61i, E61, E62,…). I’ve got cCalcPro to launch on my E71 using Cute Keys with a shortcut of “Chr + c”. Here is how it looks on the E71:

cCalcPro default functions

cCalcPro trigonometry functions

As you notice, each key on the E71’s qwerty is mapped to a certain mathematical function (except the number keys which are obviously used to enter the numbers) which means that you don’t have to scroll around trying to press a button.

You can still use the D-pad to enter the basic functions: up is plus, down is minus, left is divide and right is multiply.
The Shift key is the Function button which cycles through 4 different modes for the calculator: the usual scientific one, Trigonometry, Base, and Finance. The number keys retain the same function throughout the 4 modes.
The right softkey is the Formula button, which basically functions like a converter. There is a great collection of preset conversions like galons to liters, yards to meters,… but you can also create your own by pressing the right soft key again to edit a certain key’s function, and a third time to edit its label.

Basically, with cCalcPro, you never need more than 1 click to access the usual mathematical functions and 2 to access the trigonometry ones. Dead easy, dead simple, dead practical.

Need one more reason to convince you to install it on your E71? It’s FREE. Yes, free. The best E71 calculator ever is free. Go ahead, download it, install it, enjoy it, and if you can, please make a donation to ChuaWelic. And don’t forget to tell us what you think of it!

The Palm Treo Pro Has Syncing Software Internally

TheGuru — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:21 +0000

I just finished reviewing the Palm Treo Pro for MobileBurn.com. I won’t be posting any thoughts on the device itself here, but have already stumbled upon a really awesome feature that I think Nokia should *definitely* perk up and check out. The Treo Pro comes in a box that’s about a third the size of the one that my N95-3 came in, and it’s still smaller than the box that my E71 shipped out in. They’ve crammed the phone, battery, a power cord, and a stereo headset into this little box, and I can’t help but wish Nokia would do the same.

One thing that I really enjoyed seeing was that the Treo Pro does *not* ship with either a users manual OR an installation CD. That’s right, one reason they’re able to fit it all in such a small box is that there’s no CD full of synchronization software and whatnot. So then, how are you supposed to sync the Palm Treo Pro with your computer? Easy, just plug it in.

Yeah, that’s right. The Palm Treo Pro has the installation files for its synchronization software stored in its memory, so that all you need to do is connect the phone to your PC and wa-la! Setup begins, walks you through the various settings and whatnot, and then you’re done. Reboot your computer (it *is* Windows, after all), and you’re good to go. Next time you connect the Treo Pro to your computer, it syncs away.

As Nokia has been pushing for more ‘green’ and environmentally friendly steps in its shipping, loading PC Suite or Ovi Suite or whatever Suite they want onto the massive internal memory of these phones seems like a no-brainer. The sticker on the phone’s display could simply read ‘Plug me into your computer’, and the rest, as they say, would be history.

What do you think? Do you have any other creative ideas for reducing the amount of stuff in the box?

(Photo from EngadgetMobile.com)

Travel Genius Tests Your Geo-Knowledge

TheGuru — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:00:07 +0000

If you have a penchant for trivia games, it’s highly likely that you’ll enjoy Travel Genius, a new game from the folks at HeroCraft. This new and highly graphical game puts your knowledge of the planet and various countries to the test, to see how much you really know about the world around you. The game itself can be played in over 5 different languages, and features a free trial to get you started.

As you can see in the video below, the gameplay is pretty simple - use the numbered grids to pinpoint the location of a landmark or country. You can either use your phone’s d-pad, or you can use the number pad, with the numbers corresponding to the squares on the grid. As you progress, the items get harder and harder, adding to the gameplay.

I played the demo on my Nokia N95-3, and it ran smoothly, with no hiccups, despite the high-quality graphics. The music gets a little annoying after a few minutes, but you can easily turn it off, if it’s bugging you. You can also check to see your accumulated Geographic IQ, which is kinda neat. Overall, if you’re a trivia nut, you’ll likely be a fan of Travel Genius. However, if you’re looking for action, you’ll likely be disappointed.

You can download the free trial here, or you can purchase the full version of Travel Genius straight from Herocraft.

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