In browsing the Ovi Store, Ewan has come across some new (to him) applications and lots of indications that the the Store is “more than just apps” and that it will prove to be one of the most useful resources to developers and consumers alike. So what delights has he found? Read on for a 'magnificent seven' of examples from the Ovi Store.
Another new batch of games has appeared in Ovi Store, the full list is below. (Incidentally, if anyone from Nokia is reading this, could you please take a look at the Ovi Store servers and find out why some games are constantly appearing and disappearing!) Anyway, on with the new games, you can see them listed below in alphabetical order. Most of the new games seem to be from the publisher Playfon, who are apparently making their Ovi Store debut.
The quirky and charming Java-based arcade puzzle game Go! Go! Rescue Squad! is available in Ovi Store and we've been taking a look at it on the Nokia 5800. To see our review, along with a ten minute gameplay video and lots of screenshots, head on over to the Go! Go! Rescue Squad! game page on Ovi Gaming.
We've added a review, screens and a video to ZingMagic's WordSearch game page on Ovi Gaming. We've based the review on the installment called Alphabet WordSearch, but it applies to all the WordSearch games as they're practically the same with just different word packs to distinguish them from each other. Alphabet WordSearch and Starts With WordSearch are free while the other editions cost 2 euros each, so this is very much a low-budget impulse purchase game series.
Google's incredibly popular social network, Orkut, is now available through a java based smartphone client, which is optimised for S60 phones. Orkut has a presence with as much, if not more, impact than Facebook or MySpace in both Brazil and India and providing greater access to the network.
If you have a look at the Cooking Mama game page on Ovi Gaming, you'll see we've added a brief review of the game, several screenshots and a 7 minute video of the game in action on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. We'll be gradually adding more and more to the game pages over time, so that they build up into a place where you can find out what Ovi Store games are really like.
Fring, the IM and Social Network client for smartphones has been updated to version 3.4, and the big new feature is consolidation. If you have a friend on Skype, AOL and and Gtalk, you can add those separate accounts into one single “mega profile” of your friend. This unification approach also extends to your Contacts data on the handset, with Fring able to suggest “I think person A in your phone is person B on MSN Messenger.”
A Chinese website has posted screenshots and video of the N97 running the N-Gage application, see the third video for N-Gage. It seems the N-Gage app has been redesigned somewhat for horizontal use on the N97's large touch-sensitive screen, but the only game shown (Asphalt 4) seemed to be running at 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the full 16:9. (via brainimpact on Twitter)
The Nokia 5800 has a very large high res screen which is compatible with many touchscreen Java games in full-screen mode, for example Cooking Mama works on the 5800 in full screen. Unfortunately the default setting for many Java games and applications (including Cooking Mama) seems to have the on-screen "virtual keypad" switched on automatically, which makes the game or app shrink into half-screen mode. However, there is an easy solution to this problem which should let touch-compatible Java software use the 5800's entire screen. See below for a quick step-by-step guide...
In All About Symbian Insight 73 (AAS Podcast 132) Steve, Ewan and Rafe discuss SkyFire's 1.0 release, introduce Ovi Gaming and offer some perspective on the Ovi Store 3 days after the formal launch. In the second part of the show Rafe talks about the launch of the Sony Ericsson Satio (formerly Idou) and then the team discuss the E75 in 60 seconds. You can listen to AAS Insight 73 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
For all those bemoaning the lack of a Facebook client for S60, the void has now been filled with an official Facebook application for S60 5th Edition, now live in the Ovi Store (mobile link). Implemented as a Web Runtime widget, it's not the speediest thing in the world, but hey, it's official and it's here and it's free. Read on for loads of screenshots and additional comments.
One of the most commonly-asked questions about the 5800 from advanced users is "Where the flipping heck is that flipping blue blistering blarndarsted flipping Sync flipping application on this flipping thing?" Well you'll be glad to know there is Sync on the 5800, and it is also very easy to access but you have to know where to look. As a special tip-of-the-day we've got a guide to finding Sync on the 5800 below.
Ovi Store can be accessed from almost any Nokia phone by just going to store.ovi.com on the phone's web browser, but certain phones also have an Ovi Store application available which lets you use Ovi Store much more easily. Some people have managed to find the Ovi Store application available through the Download! icon, but it now appears that you can also download the app directly from the store.ovi.com website. The availability of the app seems to currently vary depending on which model you have and which country you live in, and the easiest way to find out if you can get it is to visit the Ovi Store mobile site and see if the link appears for you. See the screens below for details.
There's a fascinating (and welcome) post by Phil Northam over on the Symbian Foundation site talking about the new i8910HD. Particularly interesting is the quote "the i8910HD is packed with a host of powerful options: Qt, Python, Ruby... All these run out-of-the box without change on the i8910HD". Good news all round, I say, though I suspect there's a degree of firmware-updating, downloadable addons and poetic license still involved. Anyone able to shed more light on this? See also Samsung's accelerating Mobile Innovator programme.
Possibly as part of the whole Ovi server shake-up, possibly as part of the new Ovi Maps server architecture, Nokia's Maps servers have now been 'fixed' and will, after a frustrating couple of months of being broken, successfully match full seven character UK postcodes. Phew - just thought you'd like to know.