Nokia have tweaked the Ovi Store with some changes that should prove popular to most users; clearer information about the content you are browsing, more stars when rating applications, and review devices noted. Read on for more about these changes, including screens and info on a new Ovi Store client.
Read on in the full article.
What I now like about the desktop version is that it remembers the handset I had set without signing it. The previous one would never remember that
Works for a while then crashes with a 'memory full close some applications' error on my N97 Mini with nothing running in the background, first time i've seen that error in ages
Yes, Nokia do seem to have pushed the Web Runtime widget idea about as far as they can with the Ovi Store client. What's needed now is a full Symbian native client - it would be far, far, faster and more efficient. IMHO.
a step in the right direction. even search now seems to work as it should and at least on the n97 the app seems a lot faster. If they now manage to implement an update system, the ovi store will slowly approach a state that should have been there at release...
Three years have passes since iPhone introduction and Nokia still cannot even copy the basic app store functionality properly. I cannot figure out how to update a program downloaded form Ovi Store to the new version... Is it possible that the smartphone market leader is not capable of implementing such a basic functionality for so long?
Five star ratings makes much more sense, before nearly everything had two stars.
> "No official word on how the old three star ratings have been bumped up, but assuming 3 on the old is 5 on the new, and 2 on the old is 3 on the new makes sense. "
Mobbler went up from 2 stars to 4 stars, and there are lots of other new 4 stars, so they'll have stored all the real 1-3 star ratings and they've just scaled that up for 1-5 stars. So an old 2.2/3 is a new 3.67/5, and rounded to 4/5.
Hugo
Great change - all apps had two stars, now all apps have 4 stars... More stars, better sales I guess...
slitchfield wrote:Yes, Nokia do seem to have pushed the Web Runtime widget idea about as far as they can with the Ovi Store client. What's needed now is a full Symbian native client - it would be far, far, faster and more efficient. IMHO.
So Nokia is not only unable to implement basic functionality (like updates), they are also not capable of writing native Symbian applications? I cannot understand what happened to this company...
Will they ever port Nokia Internet Radio to touch OSes? And Nokia Sports Tracker (officially)? I guess programming for Symbian is too difficult and not worth it... Maybe Qt versions will come for S^3? Qt is too slow and memory consuming for current underpowered Nokia devices...
Ian2 wrote:So Nokia is not only unable to implement basic functionality (like updates), they are also not capable of writing native Symbian applications? I cannot understand what happened to this company...
malerocks wrote:This is an unfair comment. There are multiple languages available out there for creating applications and each has its pluses and minuses. If you think that WRT is bad, then it applies to all the applications out there created in this.
So Nokia chose to use WRT for Ovi Store. Whats wrong with that? The advantage here is even some S40 phones can install it.
Personally I do not event think WRTs are real applications. Even Nokia calls them "widgets" or "small, focused web applications ": http://www.forum.nokia.com/Technology_Topics/Web_Technologies/Web_Runtime/
Please remind me few names of good software written as a WRT for Symbian, because indeed I don't know even one (just a few very simple web widgets).
Still doesn't work. "Service Error" when I try to log on. This has got to be the biggest PoS in the history of technology.
Welcome changes but not outstanding.
I don't want to see reviews that aren't in English though. Surely these can be filtered?
Unregistered wrote:Personally I do not event think WRTs are real applications. Even Nokia calls them "widgets" or "small, focused web applications ": http://www.forum.nokia.com/Technology_Topics/Web_Technologies/Web_Runtime/Please remind me few names of good software written as a WRT for Symbian, because indeed I don't know even one (just a few very simple web widgets).
Good examples are the Facebook ones, Accuweather, etc.
I now see a load of touch applications on my n86�
�I think Nokia are again reminding me I bought the wrong phone
s60v3 fml ;[
I cannot figure out how to update a program downloaded form Ovi Store to the new version...
SW Update?
I like this version - the download screen is tidier and the review section greatly improved. Still getting the odd crash but generally works very well and a welcome improvement.
malerocks wrote:Sorry I just used a generic term. When I said applications, i generally meant something that enables me a carry out a particular activity - like Ovi store.Good examples are the Facebook ones, Accuweather, etc.
We definitely disagree here. You need to select right tool for the job. WRT is good for simple web widgets when you do not have (or don't want to pay for them) skills or resources for real programming.
For serious application like app store I would guess Nokia did this as a "quick and dirty" solutions because they were unable to make a real program in reasonable time. I am sure they finally will release native (or Qt?) version of the store. They just need more speed and competence in programming, because whatever software they write lately is a disaster (like first releases of slow, bloated, Ovi Suite that needed months to be remotely usable or Ovi services each with it's own login).
Mr Mark wrote:SW Update?.
No, SW Update updates only Nokia programs, nothing form third party developers. Plus some of my older phones (line N82) do not have SW Update.
Ian2 wrote:We definitely disagree here. You need to select right tool for the job. WRT is good for simple web widgets when you do not have (or don't want to pay for them) skills or resources for real programming.For serious application like app store I would guess Nokia did this as a "quick and dirty" solutions because they were unable to make a real program in reasonable time. I am sure they finally will release native (or Qt?) version of the store. They just need more speed and competence in programming, because whatever software they write lately is a disaster (like first releases of slow, bloated, Ovi Suite that needed months to be remotely usable or Ovi services each with it's own login).
One version I would love for them to include is displaying the version of the app on offer. Atleast then I have one way of knowing what version I am downloading and when a newer version is available on OVI (even though it is manual)
malerocks wrote:This is an unfair comment. There are multiple languages available out there for creating applications and each has its pluses and minuses. If you think that WRT is bad, then it applies to all the applications out there created in this.
So Nokia chose to use WRT for Ovi Store. Whats wrong with that? The advantage here is even some S40 phones can install it.
It is completely a fair comment. Much of the Symbian OS simply is too slow. Add these WRT "things" and the pain level increases. Also you comment about the wonder of S40. Who cares really? Nokia needs to decide on a road and stick to it. The only thing keeping them afloat is the lower end models. Nokia should either split the development into two or three groups. One for the high-end, middle-tier, and emerging markets phones. Nokia is doing many things across the board but doing none of them extremely well. The Ovi is a step forward from the utter disaster that it was. In all fairness it is much better. Nokia needs to create a hardcore native app, plop it on the phone desktop and make it easy to use. I am tempted to use Ovi but the moment it starts up and I get in, I just look at the mess and opt out. Nokia can do better than this.
BTW, I do agree that a native app is always, always the best, but sometimes if the objective can be achieved in a simpler way, I dont see a reason why someone would put in the pain to develop a native app.
Take opera for example. There is java based Opera Mini and the native Opera Mobile. If native is always what should be used for a S60 phone, then all S60 users should install the native Opera Mobile only and should refrain from installing the Opera Mini.
Unregistered wrote:. Also you comment about the wonder of S40. Who cares really? Nokia needs to decide on a road and stick to it. The only thing keeping them afloat is the lower end models. Nokia should either split the development into two or three groups. One for the high-end, middle-tier, and emerging markets phones. Nokia is doing many things across the board but doing none of them extremely well. The Ovi is a step forward from the utter disaster that it was. In all fairness it is much better. Nokia needs to create a hardcore native app, plop it on the phone desktop and make it easy to use. I am tempted to use Ovi but the moment it starts up and I get in, I just look at the mess and opt out. Nokia can do better than this.
I agree, I could not care less about S40. S40 becomes lowest common denominator in this case and drags whole app store to the bottom. So it is the worst app store on the market now (compared to iPhone and Android), lacking the most basic functionality (like showing the version numbers of the programs and allowing any updates, not to mention automatic warnings of available updates). Ovi Store is a step forward form incredibly bad and updated once a year Download, but is's a small, copycat step. Nokia, copy with pride and copy fast! 😊
malerocks wrote:BTW, I do agree that a native app is always, always the best, but sometimes if the objective can be achieved in a simpler way, I dont see a reason why someone would put in the pain to develop a native app.Take opera for example. There is java based Opera Mini and the native Opera Mobile. If native is always what should be used for a S60 phone, then all S60 users should install the native Opera Mobile only and should refrain from installing the Opera Mini.
But don't you think that Nokia is the last developer in the world that should be using such tools? Would you imagine Apple doing widget-pseudo-software instead of using it's own development tools? Doesn't it show that native development is too difficult and not worth it even for Nokia? For them development for their own platform should be piece of cake, yet they cannot port their own software like Nokia Internet Radio, Nokia Wireless Keyboard driver etc. and program widgets instead of real software... Something is very wrong here - maybe they are waiting for Qt?
I have installed native Opera Mobile only and did not install Mini 😊 You do not need Mini on S60, Opera Mobile has turbo mode which does the same thing.
Unregistered wrote:It is completely a fair comment. Much of the Symbian OS simply is too slow. .
???? What is slow about Symbian OS? Back that up with facts or be completely discredited.
Ian2 wrote:No, SW Update updates only Nokia programs, nothing form third party developers. Plus some of my older phones (line N82) do not have SW Update.
Some well written third party apps have updating built in. Gravity and Profimail are two examples that come to mind straight away.
Lots more bull spouted about Symbian/S60 phones being hard to code for. Totally ignorant BS. Nothing difficult about it at all. Lazy crap developers might have trouble with it, but they would have trouble with anything.
IAN2, that IS the ideal way, but Nokia has chosen not to. Why, is anybody's guess.
Mine was that instead of developing one for S60 and one for S40, they just developed one that works on both. As far as my opinion goes, I really dont have any issues with the OVI Store widget. It works fine and now provides all the features that I would expect (only one missing - app version is not displayed) from it.
As you suggested, maybe they will create one in QT. After all in S^3, it is supposed to provide a better user experience and maybe a QT app will be needed to match that.
Unregistered wrote:???? What is slow about Symbian OS? Back that up with facts or be completely discredited.
Dumbest post on the planet.
How are you going to discredit an anonymous post? Go rethink that again.
slitchfield wrote:Yes, Nokia do seem to have pushed the Web Runtime widget idea about as far as they can with the Ovi Store client. What's needed now is a full Symbian native client - it would be far, far, faster and more efficient. IMHO.
Steve, are you sure OVI Store is not a native app? Installation file has .sisx extension where widgets have .wgz :/