Highlights From 2008
It’s the end of the year, and I thought this would be a fun time to look back at 2008, both in S60 and here at Symbian-Guru, to look at some of the biggest happenings and trends of the year.
January - Nokia officially confirmed it would be releasing a NAM variant of the N95 8GB (4 months after the original N95 8GB was announced)
February - At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia announced the N96, 6220 Classic, N78, and 6210 Navigator. Oddly enough, the N78 and 6210 Navigator both had NAM versions announced at launch, but the N96 NAM wasn’t announced until later. The best part of this launch, though, was the introduction of Stavros. LG also announced its latest S60 device, the KT610. Samsung announced the G810, an S60-powered slider with 3x optical zoom and digital image stabilization/facial recognition features in the camera. I was also spotted in a cameo in the N-Gage title “One’
March - Nokia announced the 6650 for T-Mobile in Germany, though secretly was working on a version for AT&T, as well. Nokia also finally officially acknowledged the Black N82, after it was leaked repeatedly. I also joined the S60 Ambassadors team (I left in September) and the program was opened to the masses. I also live-casted my wedding using N82’s and Flixwagon.
April - Finally, N-Gage 2.0 was launched, officially. Also, we were gifted with Mobbler, one of the best S60 applications out there. The 5320 XpressMusic was announced in March, with its unique Say and Play feature. One of our hottest posts ever, Skype Mobile was launched, though only as a java app.
May - This was the month in which gamers realized that N-Gage did not allow for game licenses to be transferred, and there was quite a ruckus. Quite the slow month, other than the N95-3 getting its last firmware update before unofficially being put out to pasture.
June - We officially opened the Symbian-Guru Store, to provide you a one-stop-shop for your S60 software needs. We also learned how to kill that pesky Gallery button on the N95, using MagicKey. After months of leaks and full hands-on reviews, Nokia officially acknowledged the E71, and launched the E66, too, both with NAM 3G variants announced at launch.
July - Nokia Email Beta, later renamed to Nokia Messaging, is launched. Samsung’s i8510 Innov8 slider gets official, packing an 8 megapixel camera and 16GB of internal storage. Three different S6o devices squeezed under the US$450 price point, all with U.S. 3G support.
August - My personal favorite Friday Fun video, the Bananaphone song. We discovered Keytoss. Nokia officially announced the N85, N79, and N96 NAM. The N96 NAM comes 6 months after the Euro announcement, but both the N85 and N79 were announced with both Euro and NAM models.
September - We renamed Driving with the Guru to Mobile with the Guru, with a new setting each episode. Handy Shell launches, replaces Active Standby. Both the N95-1 and N95-2 (European models) get new firmware, NAM models get nothing. Nokia attempted to defend the N96’s battery size.
October - Nokia *finally* announces the 5800 XpressMusic, first S60 5th Edition smartphone, first S60 with touchscreen. The new Symbian-Guru Forum launched, making it easier for readers to carry on discussions. N96 NAM hits Best Buy and Nokia Flagship Stores, only 2 months after being announced.
November - Nokia finally adds FOTA and the ability for phones to automatically check for new firmware. The Nokia E63 gets announced, basically just a dumbed-down E71. Nokia opened the doors to its testing facilities, showing how it beats up on phones.
December - Nokia announces the N97, the first phone I can remember that wasn’t leaked. I found this creepy Christmas Tree in Spain. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic sees a limited launch in Russia and other countries, comes to the U.S. Flagship stores for only $350! Nokia Beta Labs reveals Image Exchange, it’s everything the S60 Gallery should be, but isn’t. Samsung brings early Christmas with i8510 Innov8 NAM – U.S. 3G
As you can see, it’s been a pretty exciting year! All together, Nokia announced only 13 S60-powered phones, while Samsung announced 3, and LG launched 1. With CES 2009 coming up next week, and the 2009 Mobile World Congress coming up in February, it’s sure to be an action-packed next 60 days!
So, what was the year like here at Symbian-Guru? Well, in January, we had just over 100,000 pageviews, from nearly 75,000 visitors. In December, we’ve had over 250,000 pageviews, from over 150,000 visitors! We currently have over 380 registered Forum members, and that number keeps growing every day. In the new year, we’ll be exploring ways to offer special stuff to our registered members, so if you haven’t already done so, sign up now!
Obviously, without our loyal readers making Symbian-Guru your destination for the latest S60 news and tips, we would be nothing, so we want to say thanks. We wish you the most prosperous New Year!
Hope we will see at CES further evidence of Nokia finally getting its US act back together.