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Your Symbian � telling you All About Symbian.
Issue 09
http://www.yoursymbian.com
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CONTENTS
Editorial - Sophie
Software Roundup � Richard
The Nokia 6600 � Ewan
Letters Page � Ewan
Killer Apps for the P800 � Frank
Backstop � No Fanboys
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EDITORIAL
The big news of the last two weeks is of course the release of the Nokia 6600. It�s a Series 60 phone running Symbian 7.0s (and therefore version2 of Series 60). The screens brighter, the software is improved, and best of all there�s no funky design. Yes! We will shortly have a normal mobile phone that runs Series 60 � no sliding, rotary, horizontal, squiggly or other keypads. There�s more Symbian phones on the way too if rumour are to be believed. We will be keeping you up to date with any new releases as they happen.
Ewan talks about the new phone in his feature comment.
Hayden has got a bee in his bonnet (no change there then!), this time it�s about fanboys.
Frank talks killer P800 apps in our feature article and Richard has his usual eclectic roundup of other apps too.
Ewan�s got to D on the Letters Page. I guess no one is sending interesting letters in!
Till next time,
Sophie
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SOFTWARE ROUNDUP � Richard
"What does it say?"
"I don't know what it says!"
"Can't our bilinear codec translate it? It could be a significant lead"
"No sir. But my teenage daughter might"
"Then get her in here now"
Some time passed and the detective brought his daughter to MI6 HQ and handed her a piece of paper that contained what seemed to be random characters and symbols; "RU CUMIN 2NITE 2 C IT? IMO IS GD. NBD IF NO. TXT L8R'. Smiling she said, "Yeah, I know what it says. So, you wanna know what it says?". Within hours, the whole criminal underground was wiped out.
So, if you want to protect your Text, don't rely on some clever Texting language because somewhere, there's a teenager looking for a quick buck. Instead, you want to use Fortress SMS for the Series60 by Fortress Mail (http://www.fortressmail.net). Why? Because although it may not have the pretty XP icons that you've come to expect these days, it does encrypt your TXT MSG by doing more than whipping out the odd vowel or two. in fact, it uses AES compliant 128 bit Rijndael algorithm with cipher block chaining (sounds good doesn't it? I wonder if they remembered to re-route auxiliary power through to the deflector shield before firing the tachyon burst through the subspace anomaly?). It's only $14.95 and it's safe. If you want safe, then $14.95 is the price.
Keeping information safe is one thing, but what about the fish in your smartphone? What? You don't have a fish in your smartphone? Well, you can't have been to http://www.jacao.com and gotten one. It's only $3.95 and you can play with it and make it feel loved. Come on, if your girl (or boy) friend looks like a trout, then dump 'em and grab yourself a fish that knows what love is!
Constellation Othello is a neat game from Noumena Innovations (http://www.noumenaproductions.com - yes, a company that talk innovation and actually innovates!). Sure, it's the old game, but in a world where looks counts for so much (particularly when the Microsoft girlies wanna show your their icons), this is up there with the best, as well as providing functionality for playing over bluetooth (someone explain to the SPV owners what that is) so you don't have to rely on campaigning against your phone all the time.
Now, a game that's released for both Series60 and 92x0 phones in a Java MIDLET is Panda Mania by JSmart Technologies (http://www.jsmart.com). There are pandas being threatened by evil hunters who want the Pandas to serve tea and coffee in the National Trust country houses. How evil can they be! Well, they shall never get a wild Panda in my navel (last year, I donated my belly and accompanying belly button to the National Trust as a tourist attraction. There's a little tea-house being built at the moment and it should be ready for the Autumn (but no pandas will be serving there). If you want to rescue the Pandas from this fate, and more - then get the software for $3.95 and get cracking. Your Panda needs you!!!!!!!
Now I don't know about you, but some of my mates think I'm rich. Why? Because I have different wallpapers and logos on my phones. They think that I must be rolling in money to be able to afford a tenner for a logo, a fiver for a ringtone and so on. I just tell them, "Get on the internet and download something for free. They're all there and it's not illegal!". So you can download wallpapers, .MID files, WAV files and so on from sites that offer these for free and not end up spending $6.99 for something similar to what's called "Great Colour Wallpapers Mainly Sexy Ladies". Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to ruin trade for these guys who sell such stuff to the ignorant (no offence), but listen, there's no need! It's out there on the net and you can do it yourself for free! Keep that $6.99 for some cool software from PsiINT or Symbianware or some other cool developers, software that'll actually make your phone more functional. I mean, come on!
Now then, before I fall off my high horse, or slip off the soapbox, let's get our heard around the latest melon twisting brain-bamboozler from FreEpoc (http://www.freepoc.com). Quad is a simple game. You make squares with your marbles and block your opponent with your stars. Nothing could be simpler - but the bottom line is that you are likely to lose a few marbles as this gets you sucked into its tantalising just-one-more-shot addictivness, just as with all the games that are coming to the 9210 from FreEpoc right now. What next!? We have Vexed, SFCave, Quad...... where will it end? Shouldn't FreEpoc be concentrating on world peace!? Nah, keep 'em coming! We can take it.........
Finally, a note for all you budding developers. There's a new OPL package been released from http://opl-dev.sourceforge.net. OPL is a marvel in itself you know. Guys, to develop applications for some mobile platforms involves the learning of complicated stuff and the spending of pretty pennies, but OPL is both powerful and free, so go get it, whip it on your device and give it a rub! Who knows what could come out! Get it from here --> http://opl-dev.sourceforge.net/
Well, the sun is shining and I want to get some before the Merthyr Bingo Bus comes and nicks all my dandelion and burdock.
Keep it real 'til next time!
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The Nokia 6600 - Ewan
So we have another of the 21 'in development' Symbian OS phones. Announced last week, the Nokia 6600 is a lovely example of the Finnish strategy - build a base device and just tinker round the edges with the form factor and features for a few years. That�s why Series 60 will becoem the standard. It�s already in the 7650 and 3650, and we now know the n-Gage and the 6600 are coming. I�m sure there will be a few more announced filling in gaps up till next summer, and of course the other manufacturers (Siemens, Samsung, Mitsubishi, etc).
So, the 6600. Well, at first glance it�s nothing startling, and the best way to describe it is 'an updated 7650.' It's clearly aimed at the businessman, and with lots of 7650�s up for contract renewal at the end of this year, it seems the perfect time to launch an 'new improved device.
The change from Symbian OS 6.1 to OS 7.0s is something that the end user won�t see. 7.0s is binary compatible with 6.1, so any application that runs on the existing Series 60 OS 6.1 devices should run on the OS 7.0s devices. That's a good move - providing not only an upgrade route but preserving the existing applications for developers and end-users. The developers don�t need to re-code, and you don�t need to buy another registration for WirelessIRC.
The timing (Oct-Dec 2003) is again classic Nokia. Announce the new phone a few months ahead, so all those people looking for an upgrade will hold off for the familiar and trusted Nokia. I'm sure the likely autumn launch of the Siemens SX-1 will have been thought about when deciding the fate of the 6600. Siemens may be licensing Series 60, but all's fair in business and war. I�m pretty sure the market is going to be big enough for all the Series 60 licensees (after all, it�s big enough for all the current phones).
And of course competition can only enhance the drive for bigger and better features � something the current crop of Palm and Pocket PC devices are missing.
Nothing stands out on the device. We've got a bit more memory (6mb as opposed to 4mb), space for an MMC (just like the 3650 and N-Gage), an improved XHTML browser (networks and content providers take note), and... well... that's about it. It's a slow evolution and I'm sure it's aimed at users of the 6210 series of phones - there's not much to tempt an existing user to upgrade.
Or is there? Look at the device in more depth, and you can see the continual improvements. Not least is the fact that, finally, we have a Series 60 phone with a 'normal' keyboard. No slides, rotary dials, or strips down the side. The size is just right for a shirt pocket � the prime location for a PDA, which of course is where the Symbian devices are all aimed at. Those two things alone should lead to this being the best selling Series 60 phone in the financial districts and big businesses in the Capital and beyond.
I haven�t even mentioned that the colour screen technology (improved on the 3650 form the 7650) is even more improved. The colours themselves have more depth, there�s a better contrast, and it just looks better. The camera, while still on 640x480 resolution, at least has digital zoom when the girl you fancy is on the other side of the dance floor and not right next to you.
Nokia have started to show their hand. Now I want to see what everyone else has. Out of those 21 devices, about half of them are still 'under wraps.' It's going to be a good year when they all finally come out.
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LETTERS PAGE � �D� � Ewan
DIGITAL RED
An award winning games developer from China. Producing things for all devices..
DIGITAL RIVER
Handango isn�t the only game in Registration Village. Digital River also provides services for selling software, through full packages to simple shareware registrations. Have a look and see if they can be any use to you.
DOMINIQUE HUGO
Author of the hugely popular (and free) File Explorer application for the Series 60 phones. It gives you back the screen that Nokia have hidden � ie what�s on your C:\ drive and where. Now all we need is a DOS Prompt window and I�ll be happy (www.gosymbian.com)
DOOM
It seems to be a right of passage that no computer platform has truly arrived until someone locks themselves away in a bedroom and ports ID Software�s Doom. Now Open Sourced by ID, WildPalm (for the 9210 and 7650) and Peter Van Sebille (P800) have made sure we�ve got it for our phones. Thanks guys! (www.yipton.demon.co.uk and www.wildpalm.com)
DREAMQUEST
Purveyors of the other obligatory card games (after Solitaire) in the form of Hearts, Spades, and Euchre, along with Cribbage (you know, that game your Grandad always tried to explain to you with lots of 15-2 15-4 and 3 4�s for 6 that you had to repeat correctly!) (www.dq.com)
DUMBLEDORE�S ARMY
(Is this is the obligatory Harry Potter quote? Well seeing as my copy hasn�t arrived from the mainland yet, I�m not going to read this � and neither is anyone else � Sophie)
Spoilsport � Ewan.
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Killer P800 Apps, by Frank
Ever found yourself lost ploughing through the increasing amount of 3�rd party software for your smartphone? Looking for those �must-have� applications to improve the function of your handheld buddy, but getting more and more confused when you find the list to display hundreds of items, many of which seem to be very similar? -Don�t worry we�ve all been there, and I am here, to try to narrow the search down for you. So I thought I would mention a few of the programs I use on a daily basis, apps which I feel makes the strongest statements, standing out from the crowd, separating the boys from the men, and so on and so forth.. Now, I feel I should also mention that this is strictly from a user point of view. I have no financial or otherwise relationship with any of the companies or individuals developing these programs. I�m just an enthusiastic owner of a Sony Ericsson P800 taking an interest in and following the development of software for his baby ever since it�s birth back in December (admittedly to the point of being a freak).
I and many of my fellow P800 owners got this beautiful beast looking for an �all-in-one� type device. Having a phone, a PDA, an MP3 and video player, e-mail and internet access, games, and a simple digital camera all in one small package makes for convenience. In this respect my most used 3�rd party application is the brilliant �Tracker� from Symbianware ( http://www.symbianware.com ). Tracker serves as my �desktop� -where you can set up shortcuts to all your favourite applications all in one or two views on top of a background image of your choice, much like your PC�s desktop. But that�s not all it does, it also has a full-featured task manager where you can see and manage all the apps running in the background. Apps running in the background will consume power, and by closing the apps you�re not using at the moment you will not only be saving battery power, but also leave more memory available for those more �power-hungry� applications. And the list continues with a file manager which gives you access to the whole file system of your P800. Here you can view, delete, move, copy and rename files, as well as the option to send them via Bluetooth or Infrared. And last but not least, Tracker has a �Today-view� where you can view and manage all your appointments, tasks and messages all in one fully customisable view. Along with the already impressive list of features, Tracker�s functions can be set to operate with the P800�s hardware buttons, as well as a device lock which can be set to lock your P800 automatically at the intervals of 1 to 30 minutes.
If there�s one thing I really cannot live without, it has to be music. Using my P800 as a music player when I�m out and about, often getting caught up in my own little world listening to the tunes of my favourite heavy metal band blasting in the headphones, you�d better watch out for this reckless pedestrian! But when listening to MP3�s there�s always the question of having enough space to store all those great tunes, and even with a 128MB Memory Stick DUO I find myself running out of space. That�s when the excellent OggPlay by Leif H. Wilden ( http://www.geocities.com/p800tools ) comes to the rescue. OggPlay is a player for the Ogg Vorbis audio compression format which is not only Open Source and of a higher quality format than MP3, but by converting a CD track to Ogg in 64 kbps you get approximately the same quality as a regular 128 kbps MP3, but with the size of the file then cut in half. So I can now fit twice as many music tracks on my P800! 
OggPlay is completely free of charge, but it is still in Beta stage. It has a nice interface and works in both Flip-Open and Flip-Closed mode. You can even set it as one of the shortcuts with the flip closed. You can shuffle the play list as well as fast forward /rewind, and you can even set an alarm time which will then go off playing your favourite music. It�s really a great way of starting the day. I use OggPlay as my alarm clock all the time, although as a second one, being the slow starter that I am I need more than one alarm clock�
Are you the travelling type? Do you have a lot of business contacts or friends abroad? -WorldMate from MobiMate ( http://www.mobimate.com ) might be just what you�re looking for. It�s beautiful interface has four different views. The first one comparing your home time to the time of four other cities of your choice , with more than 250 cities from around the world to choose from. You even get a 5-day weather forecast for each of the cities directly from �The Weather Channel�, which is fast and easily updated through GPRS. In the next view you get a world map for locating places around the world and viewing their day/night status.Thirdly you have a very fast and easy currency converter, where you can view three currencies at once. The currencies gets updated together with the weather.
And at last you have a converter for temperature, volume, speed, length, distance, area and weight.
Ever taken a few pics with the integrated communicam that you�ve wanted to make some quick changes to, like resizing, rotating, adding some greetings, a funny hat or whatever? Well, now you can do all this on the go right from your P800 with Photo Editor from Bitween (http://www.bitween.com ) and ship them off to your friends through MMS, e-mail, Bluetooth or Infrared.
Photo Editor truly is an amazing piece of software with a ton of features. It would take forever to go into detail about it and I�m running out of space here..-Just try it for yourselves. Believe me, you wont regret it! With it�s feature-set almost being comparable to that of Adobe Photoshop for PC�s!
With Symbian�s increasing popularity and growing manufacturer support, more and more 3�rd party software developers is bound to notice this, which will then boost the competition, resulting in higher quality applications for the end user. Recent sales figures also concludes with �Smartphones� or PDA/Phone hybrids becoming more popular than your standalone PDA�s (probably completely replacing them or making the manufacturers work really hard on a better integration of phone functions eventually), making the future look quite bright for Symbian. Which will probably be forcing Symbian developers to direct their attention more towards office type applications, rather than primarily focusing on multimedia and games, and leaving me with more of those �killer� apps!
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BACKSTOP � Fanboy, Spamboy � Hayden
Fanboy - Spamboy
Fanboy (n) - A person who has an unshakeable belief that the team/show/thing he/she is a fan of is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Fanboys have existed for years in various guises, and the most obvious place to find them is sports competitions. In recent decades they have appeared in the computing sphere, and now in the phone & PDA areas. The problem with Fanboys in technology is that they generally ignore all the flaws in their machine and put forward it's good points to all and sundry, even those who have better machines in an attempt to persuade people the equivalent of the sky being green.
The more recent Fanboy things in the Symbian world I can comment on now are the Pocket PC Thoughts people and their belief that M$ invented the Smartphone, and even have the technology that's been standard on phones for years. Arguments such as the SPV being better than a Cray Super Computer are the sort of thing that wouldn't be unexpected in some cases as people seem to forget all the reasons why the SPV isn't selling. Closer to home we've received lots of mail regarding Ewan's review of the P800, not saying he's spot on (even though he is and more important people than the Fanboy's agree) but the Fanboys have responded in force defending their Smartphone in the face of adversity and a review pointing out what's wrong with it.
The major problem with a Fanboy is that despite the ability to talk the hind legs off of a horse, they cannot accept and objectionable review of their chosen device, it's superb in every respect and they refuse to listen to bad points or just suggest what is good about it to take your mind off of the problems. I cannot stand innocent of this either, in the late 80's early 90's I was there for the Atari vs Amiga Fanboy wars, staunchly telling Amiga owners how crap their systems were for their lack of a MIDI interface, the fact that the computers despite minor differences were on a par with each other was neither here nor there, it was justifying that yours was BETTER. A lesson learnt here was that Fanboys can help increase sales by convincing the people on the fence to buy your product, but you lose your Fanboys when something is blatantly better than what they had, which happened when the IBM Compatible PC discovered sound cards and high-res high-colour graphics cards, and the majority of Amiga and Atari people jumped ship.
Personally I'm disappointed with Fanboys now, I realise I was the same, but we need to listen to arguments against as well as for devices. The only way the companies can get good feedback from us is if we tell the truth rather than gloss over the bad sides. Because some people think the P800 is the greatest thing since sliced bread with no faults they should have presented a counter argument for the letters rather than saying that Ewan was wrong. Arguments from the pro-M$ camp that their devices are better because of the MP3 and video playback, seem to forget that people may wish to do something useful with a device, but their only argument is silly features and not usefulness. At the end of the day Fanboys need to realise that although they support something wholly that there are flaws and that by acknowledging them they can help companies by explaining problems, they can stop themselves sounding like idiots arguing that black is white, and they can allow people to give opinions that may lead to people looking at things in a new light and possibly solving a problem.
Comment on this article at http://www.thesoundlab.co.uk
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CONCLUSION AND FEEDBACK
And that�s issue 9. I hope you�ve enjoyed reading and if you have any feedback, you know where to send it.
Let me know what you think! A short email to [email protected] with what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you would change, would go a long way to making a better magazine.
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COPYRIGHT AND NOTES
Your Symbian was brought to you by the letters "Y" and "S" and the
number "9"
Copyright (c) Your Symbian 2003. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be coped in any form without written permission.
Some trademarks are referred to in this publication; these are for information purposes only. All trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. The views expressed within are not necessarily the view of Your Symbian, but rather the individual authors. The accuracy of the contained information is not guaranteed. Penguins like Harry Potter and are H/Hr.