Nokia Human Research Department

On heading back from work tonight I find a package sent to me from WOMWorld/Nokia which contains a small USB memory stick, and knowing what the team are like it is going to be something great fun to do with Nokia so I put it in and find this….

There are 2 video clips which are new adverts for the Nokia N97 Mini and a different version of the traditional ‘Nokia’ ringtone which is going straight onto the N900 which is arriving tomorrow.  One thing is for sure and that is Nokia are very creative at advertising… look at the whole ‘There’s a thing in my pocket’ for the N95 as an example, then there was the Pop4Real ‘N81′ advert which was funny yet creative.

Thanks’ to WOMWorld for the memory stick so I can share with everyone.

Nokia X6 Starts Shipping

Nokia have today started to ship the X6 ‘Comes With Music’ device and will be on sale in the UK from Friday 27th November for a Sim Free price of £449.99 which includes a whole 12 months of unlimited music downloads which when you compare to 79p a track from iTunes, plus around £530 for a 32GB iPhone 3GS, the X6 does not look a bad choice!.

Nokia’s Press Release says:

The Nokia Comes With Music Flagship phone, the Nokia X6, is now available in selected markets. Through the ‘all-you-can-eat’ music offering the Nokia X6 pioneers new ways for the world to experience music. The Nokia X6 is expected to retail for approximately EUR 450, before taxes and subsidies.

“The Nokia X6 Comes With Music edition is a stellar offering, that gives music fans the power to download all the music they could ever want – quickly, easily and for free,” said Ole Feddersen, vice president, smartphones, Nokia. “We are giving people a handy access to and ownership of a vast music library and a great new touchscreen device to play their music on.”

In addition to the unlimited access to millions of tracks available in Nokia Music Store, Comes With Music subscribers will be able to download exclusive content directly to their device or PC from both, international superstars and favorite local artists. Fans will have access to bonus tracks, remixes and other additional content, free of charge as part of the Comes With Music subscription.

The Nokia X6 is a powerful entertainment device capable of playing up to 35 hours of music, offering 32GB of on-board memory and supporting all main digital music formats, with a slick 3.2″ finger touch interface and a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens.

The ultimate device for social butterflies, the Nokia X6 has a 16:9 widescreen optimized for photos, videos and browsing. The Nokia X6 is a hive of activity that brings friends and virtual communities, like Facebook, to the homescreen, making it easy to socialize with friends and follow all the favorite blogs and celeb gossips.

The entertainment experience is completed by three embedded games, Spore by EA, Asphalt4 and DJ Mix Tour by Gameloft, and direct access from the homescreen to download more games and applications through the Ovi Store.

The Nokia X6 will initially be available in Europe, Eurasia and Middle-East and Africa. It is also possible to order the device from the Nokia Online Store: http://europe.nokia.com/buy-online

I was lucky enough to get some hands on time with the X6 back at Nokia World in September and I have to say I was mighty impressed with what Nokia have managed to learn from the 5800 and improved to get it to the next level in the X6.  32GB of memory with a 5 megapixel camera plus capacitive screen just to name a few of the highly impressive specs this phone has.

N900 Now Due 4th December

NokNok.TV have today posted the following information which was passed to them via Nokia

Due to unprecedented demand, Nokia has been forced to delay the on-sale date of the Nokia N900 by a week. This means we won’t see the new Maemo tablet on the high-street until the 4th December. The good news is: if you played clever and pre-ordered your device then you should receive it in the next day or two! Find out more about the Nokia N900 being in short supply…

Nokia N900 fever has gripped the country, with demand for the Maemo 5 tablet far outstripping Nokia’s current supplies. So much so that the decision to delay the on-sale date until the 4th December has been made.

Nokia has been in touch to inform us that the Nokia N900 has had so many pre-orders made viaNokia Online, as well as through Nokia Flagship stores in London, Manchester and Terminal 5, that Nokia is finding it hard to meet demand. So much so that they’ve been forced to give priority to those customers who pre-ordered the device.

Working on a strict first-come-first-served basis, anyone who has already pre-ordered the Nokia N900 should receive their device starting from today. The decision to fulfil pre-orders has forced Nokia to delay on the on-sale date until the 4th December.

The Nokia N900 is the new 3.5-inch touchscreen device running the Maemo 5 operating system and comes with a fantastic QWERTY keyboard, 32GB of memory and ARM Cortex-A8 processor. It is set to go on sale for £499 (inc. VAT) SIM free.

So, did you play it clever and get your Nokia N900 pre-order in nice and early? If you’ve already received your device let us know how you’re getting on with it!

This is disappointing news to those people who pre-ordered via another online source (not Nokia) and with myself and Christian waiting to get our hands on a N900 the delay which was already a month has just got even longer!

Fring enables video calling on your S60 device

Yes, wipe those cobwebs off your front facing cameras, Fring has now enabled video calling via their app available for all skype users. All you need is a wifi or 3G connection and you can conduct a video call with someone on another Fring device or on a computer using skype. It really is about time people can actually use the benifits of 3G videocalling features without paying a ridiculous price for it.

Fring says:

“fring, the multi-award winning mobile application that lets users communicate and share web-based experiences from their mobile devices, today announces the world’s first mobile video calls over internet protocol (IP).

fring video enables users to conduct video calls with other fringsters as well as with Skype contacts over their device’s Wi-Fi or 3G internet connection.

The new fring version with video calls support is currently available to users with Nokia X6, N97 mini, N97, 5800, N95 8G and N95 devices”

If you haven’t already, then give it a go and try it out for yourselves!

Thanks to All About Symbian for the source.

New Nokia 6700 slide and Nokia 7230 unveiled

Nokia today unveiled two new 3G slider phones, the
Nokia 6700 slide and Nokia 7230, made for the design-conscious consumer and optimized for socializing and sharing with those closest
to you.

Available in various fresh colors, with great imaging features and quick access to popular social networking communities, the Nokia 6700 slide and Nokia 7230 make a real style statement.

Both devices are expected to become available in the first quarter of 2010, and the retail prices before taxes and subsidies are anticipated to be EUR 160 for the Nokia 6700 slide, and EUR 100 for the Nokia 7230.

Nokia 6700 slide – Capture and share quickly and easily
With a choice of six fresh and vivid colors – pink, red, petrol blue, aluminum, lime and purple – this slimline slider is sure to turn heads. Its compact size, modern design and aluminum finish feels great in the hand, and fits perfectly even in the smallest pocket or bag.

The smart capabilities of the Nokia 6700 slide are beautifully easy to use: The 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics is
perfect for capturing and sharing moments as they happen. Favorite images can be edited on the go and uploaded to the web directly from the camera menu. The device’s high speed 3G connectivity ensures your favorite communities are always as close as your Nokia 6700 slide.

Nokia 7230 – Share in style
Being connected has never looked so good. The Nokia 7230’s compact slide design, colorful looks and solid set of features are a package that offers great value for money.

Sharing special moments and joy with friends and family is effortless, thanks to the 3.2 megapixel camera, large 2.4″ display and fast 3G connectivity. With the Nokia 7230 in your pocket, you also have quick access to email, instant messaging and social networks on the go, and the subtle illumination indicates if you have missed calls or messages from your friends.

Spotify Hits Symbian!

Spotify has been a big hit on the iPhone and Android…. But now things heat up with Spotify now supporting Symbian devices with the Spotify Premium service.

Costing £9.99 a month, users get unlimited music streaming over 3G or WiFi and can also play their content offline if needed.

What happens if I cancel my premium subscription?
If you purchased a Spotify Premium subscription and then decide to cancel, your account will automatically revert to a Spotify Free account after that month’s subscription period expires. You can find out more about Spotify’s paid for services in our Terms & Conditions.
I don’t have a Spotify account, can I buy a day pass?
Day passes can only be purchased by Spotify Free users. If you don’t have an account at all you can purchase a Spotify Premium account.
Can I use Spotify to play music in my bar, restaurant, store, etc?
No, the Terms & Conditions that you agree to when registering for Spotify states that Spotify is for personal, non-commercial use.
How do I get new invites?
Getting invites is one of the benefits of being a Premium subscriber in one of the countries where Spotify Free is available. You receive two new invitations each time your Premium account is renewed (yearly or monthly, depending on your payment method).
I’m going to travel outside my profile country, can I use Spotify there?
If you are a free user you can log in abroad for up to 14 days. If you are traveling for a longer period, you might consider a Premium subscription. Premium users are licensed for unlimited travel. You would be able to enjoy Spotify, without ads, in any country…

I have installed Spotify on a Nokia N97 Mini (with thanks to GerryMoth from NokiaAddict) and am upgrading to Spotify Premium tonight so expect a hands on review of this music service in the next few days

Nokia N900 meet: A Brief round up

AS you may or may not know, both me and Dan attended an exclusive meet up yesterday at a swanky hotel in Covent Garden where WOMWorld/Nokia and Nokia direct held a meet up about the N900. This gave me and everyone else our first glance at a N900 and an in-depth play around before its launched. Having never used or even seen one in real life, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

As we approached the swanky hotel, we couldnt actually tell it was the right place, or even a hotel at all until we asked at the front desk. It was all very modern and sleek. The Waiting chairs were surrounded by giant chess peices, a very old chair, some very 70s looking stalls, and some random blocks of wood with some candles in glasses. Very strange.

Anyway, onto the important things. The N900. I had seen so many pictures and reviews on the device before but hadnt actually seen one in the flesh. Was it really going to live up to the hype? To be honest, I wasn’t really getting that exited about seeing it while we were sitting outside waiting to be let in. Ive been let down so many times before with Nseries devices with the promise of better build quality, better screen, better camera, more stable etc etc, so to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much.

When you pick the phone up for the first time, you can definitely feel like they have made a massive effort with build quality. Im not talking about Nseries, or Eseries, its something different. Its got a weight to the device. Not a bad weight, but a quality, sturdy weight. It feels like the phone is a solid block rather then a plastic front and back, like alot of the Nseries devices feel like. I’d go as far as saying it feels as sturdy as the original iphone, which is probably the best built phone I can think of at the moment! There arent any creeking pieces of plastic or anything, it really is great. The screen is like nothing I have seen or used on a Nokia before. Im not going to go into the capacitive vs Resistive debate, and we all know the N900 uses a resistive. It works really well. Anyone experienced it with the N97 where you need to push really hard to get something to register? Well there was a completely different feel on the N900. It felt like you barely pressed at all and it would just work.

Next was the OS, probably the biggest deal in todays phone world. With the iPhone and Android starting to literally take over the world of phones, Nokia will have to come up with something big. I personally feel that this is definitely the start of something big, and Nokia have really made the right decision to switch to Maemo from symbian. In my opinion, Symbian is dead. Its buried. There isn’t anymore chance for it with the big guns like Apple and Google in the Market. I didn’t have a huge amount of time to play around on it, but from using it for 5 minutes or so, you could tell instantly that there was some spark in there. It was ALOT quicker then

ANY Symbian phone I’ve used in the past, a lot easier to navigate, and a lot more customisable. We had a few short speeches from guy from the Maemo community and really things are looking very impressive. One app allowed you to sync all your contacts in your phone with contacts from Twitter or Facebook, which meant you no longer have to send days taking photos, updating birthdays, and updating telephone numbers for your friends and family. Really simple, but not something that has really been looked at in the Nokia community before. Something it offers what the iPhone doesn’t, and really should, is multiple windows of multiple things. They have taken a page out of Apples book with OSX and actually allow you to have 4 different desktops, all with different contacts, email addresses, pictures web favourites all on each homepage. It also allowed you to get a quick glimpse of all your windows open (which apparently is a huge amount, one person reported 20 in one go!). It reminded me a lot of Exposé, something you will be familiar with if you used Apples OSX.

Now lets cut to the chase. Nokia are all out with this phone. This is the one for them. Make or Break time for Nokia. Its their phone which has been made to seriously compete with the Androids and the iPhone, and only time will tell if it does, but for the brief moments that I used it, it really did make me think “this is it”. Its not like any phone Nokia have produced before, and considering that the phone hadn’t been launched yet, it really was amazing. Now coming from an iPhone (which I’m embarrassed to say I actually own) and an N97, would I make the switch? From what I used yesterday, most definitely. You have to look at this device with an open mind, no pre-judgements. Its the first one of its kind, and hopefully the first of many. Alot of people have been stung with Symbian handsets in the past, but please, don’t judge the N900 on those experiences before you have played with it yourself.

I only had a brief time on it, but that was enough to settle my mind into thinking that this is the start of something big for Nokia. There are still improvements to be made and always things round the corner, but as a starting point this is where they want to be. My main thought at this point in time is why are they not marketing it more? Nokia have this great device, yet it seems to be getting no publicity at all compared to what the N97 got at launch, so I hope they really do start to push this one to the market.

Another thought I had while I was standing there holding the device was about WOMWorld/Nokia, and thought about this more and more. Part of WOMWorld/Nokia is about getting the consumers feedback about devices etc back to Nokia, and ultimately making a better device. I, as well as many others out there, have expressed feedback for along time now about certain issues. This device really puts it into perspective. It really shows that they are listening to what the consumer has to say, and what people like me and you want from a phone. For instance, the build quality of the phone. The Nokia community have fed back countless times that they need a Nseries phone with decent build quality to rival Eseries, and stabability to rival Eseries, and I think this really does sum up all the work WOMWorld/Nokia have done and it really does make a difference.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a trial device, so keep your eyes peeled for a more in-depth review with pictures and videos, hopefully very shortly!

Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition launched

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition, an entertainment hub that combines mobile broadcast TV
(DVB-H), social networking, music and gaming in one compact 3G device. With mobile broadcast TV consumption on the rise – by 2012 there will be over 300 million people worldwide watching TV on their mobile phones – this handset offers easy access to anyone wanting to enjoy an exceptional live, on-the-move TV experience.

Nokia vice president Mark Selby said, “The introduction of the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition responds to the arrival of DVB-H broadcast
mobile TV networks in new markets and offers an affordable device for new and existing customers alike. Customers are increasingly watching a variety of programmes on their mobiles, such as drama programs, news and sport, for a longer period of time. The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition has the sound and image quality to hold audiences captive.”

Watch TV. Anywhere.
Thanks to the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition’s DVB-H technology, programs burst through the QVGA 2.4″ screen in full-colour, crystal clear, sharp images. Plug in 3.5mm headphones for personal viewing or use the loudspeaker option to share the experience with friends and family.

With one-click access to live broadcasts, the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition can pick up the best channels around. Set reminders for favorite shows to make sure key episodes aren’t missed and create personal channel lists with Nokia’s innovative Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for a truly tailored mobile broadcast TV experience.

The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition provides broadcast picture quality while the headset acts as an antenna for outstanding reception, so no blank screens or interference during those all important moments.

Long battery life gives up to six hours of DVB-H usage; enough time to watch three football matches – or six episodes of a soap opera -
before recharging. The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition will retail for 155 Euros before taxes and subsidies.

Franklin Selgert, Chairman, Broadcast Mobile Convergence Forum said,

“It is essential for DVB-H service providers to have a variety of devices capable of serving the mass market. Having a complete portfolio of handsets is pivotal for the commercial success of mobile
TV. The new Nokia DVB-H enabled mobile phone, the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition, is a great addition to the current portfolio of broadcast TV-capable handsets.”

Catch up with friends Anytime.
The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition comes with all the latest social networking software, making it simple to stay in touch with friends
via Ovi Contacts, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. Post status updates for friends and family to follow or instant message (IM) them via
Windows Live(TM) Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, AOL and many others.

Capture photos and video clips, day or night, using the 3.2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and LED flash before uploading and sharing favourite shots via sites such as OviShare and Flickr. Alternatively, email them via Ovi Mail, Nokia Messaging, Windows Live Messenger, Gmail, or Yahoo! Mail.

Play music. Whenever.
Accessing music and other apps is easy with dedicated music keys and links to the Nokia Music store (where available). The Nokia 5330
Mobile TV edition is also compatible with Nokia’s innovative Comes with Music service – providing free, unlimited access to millions of tracks. Download free music anytime, anywhere – and keep all the music forever.

Keep up-to-date. Wherever.
Check out the choice of personalized media and applications in the Ovi Store. A one-stop-shop for thousands of applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services
and more, means personalizing the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition is just the touch of a button away.

Mobile TV. Roll-out.
Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks work with more than 30 operators worldwide on Mobile TV implementations. Commercial launches with Mobile TV services based on DVB-H and OMA BCAST standards include
Austria, Finland, Ghana, Kenya, India, Italy, Namibia, Nigeria, Netherland, Philippines and Switzerland. Additional commercial
launches can be expected during the next 12-18 month in more than 20 countries.

Stefan Schneiders, Head of Mobile TV solutions at Nokia SiemensNetworks said,

“It is great that Nokia has affirmed its commitment to DVB-H by launching the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition. 2010 brings a series of high-profile global sporting events and this is a good opportunity for operators to create, drive and bundle innovative mobile TV services based on DVB-H. In fact, during the 2006 World Cup, Italy saw the launch of the most successful mobile TV
Broadcasting service in Europe.”

Francois Theron, CEO at DStv Mobile comments:

“DStv Mobile has rolled out DVB-H networks in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Namibia and we are currently rolling out a number of new networks in other African countries. Our success has been built around offering innovative and premium television content at an affordable price while facilitating access to inexpensive handsets which suit the requirements of consumers in Africa. The introduction of the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition is a welcome development as Nokia is a trusted brand in Africa and will further encourage television viewers to access entertainment, sport and news on the DStv Mobile platforms.”

Vincent Grivet, Vice President, Mobile TV TDF, France said

“We are very excited by the launch of the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition. It is a highly seducing and compelling device and will be the perfect platform for introducing both European mobile users and operators to a high quality and constraint free mobile TV experience. This is exactly what the industry has been waiting for to accelerate the broadcast mobile TV roll out, and we look forward to the successful and fast distribution of this innovative device in our key European markets such as Finland, Austria, Germany and France.

Vincenzo Novari, CEO at Hutch 3G, Italy, said:

“As the largest handset producer in the world, Nokia’s announcement is real evidence of their commitment to the development of the broadcast mobile TV market. Networks, content and handsets made for mass consumer consumption are the key ingredients for fuelling the market’s growth”.

Erik Sylvestersson, Vice President Sales & Marketing at DNA Finland said:

“Live digital TV broadcasts over DVB-H networks is becoming more accessible to more people. In Finland, we have found that sport and news are the key driver for broadcast mobile TV consumption among consumers. People want to be able to watch the action as it happens – rather than settle for highlight shows once they get home. Consumers expect an exceptional on-the-move TV experience at an affordable price, something the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition is fully
equipped to deliver.”

Nokia N900 London Meetup On 17/11/09

What do you get when you mix a group of Nokia fans, Nokia staff, Nokia addicts and some N900’s thrown into one room?.  Sounds like a great time and that is exactly what will be happening on Tuesday 17th November in London.

Limited places were available to attend and both myself and Christian have bagged places and we cannot wait!.

There is very limited information about this meetup at the moment only that it is being held in London, It’s on Tuesday night and if your name is not on the list… YOU AINT GETTING IN!

Expect to see some great coverage from both myself and Christian during the event on here and also over at twitter at @worldofnokia

Rihanna Comes With Music Launch

Rihanna has teamed up with Nokia to help launch the Nokia X6 Comes With Music handset on the 16th November 2009.  Anyone can watch Rihanna perform live by checking out http://nowplaying.nokia.com/join-us/

Here is the Nokia press release:

Nokia today announces the launch of a groundbreaking new global music partnership – Nokia Play 2010 – with the Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) and Universal Music Group International (UMGI). This announcement coincides with the global availability of the Nokia X6, a powerful entertainment device in combination with Comes With Music, Nokia’s ‘all-you-can-eat-music’ offering.

Created to deliver unique and exclusive music content to fans around the world, the partnership will see IDJMG & UMGI launch international superstar Rihanna’s highly-anticipated new album, Rated R, with Nokia via an exclusive live, streamed concert and simultaneous listening parties in multiple locations around the globe on November 16th 2009.

Streamed live from London, Rihanna will perform for the very first time a select number of tracks from her new album. In front of fans in London and an audience globally, the exclusive gig will showcase Nokia and IDJMG’s ability to bring fans closer to artists, and artists closer to fans via its home on www.nokia.com/rihanna.

IDJMG, UMGI and Nokia will take advantage of the latest technology solutions to promote and broadcast this unique event via Nokia mobile music, video and communications services. Selected bloggers at the event will record, broadcast and share elements of the exclusive live concert with fans around the globe linking them all via Web-based social computing technologies. Fan participation to the groundbreaking live event will be free of charge from Nokia Music Stores. Plus Nokia Comes With Music customers will be able to download an exclusive version of Rated R with a bonus track, remix and other additional content free as part of their subscription. Nokia will also make available an exclusive Rihanna application and exclusive footage from her London gig in Ovi Store and in selected territories an exclusive window to a track, ‘Wait Your Turn’ from the album before its release.

The announcement marks the first unique music partnership of its kind for Nokia and delivers an exciting artist connection to fans across the globe.

Liz Schimel, Head of Global Music, Nokia, said; “Nokia is extremely excited to collaborate with Island Def Jam and Rihanna to truly redefine the connection between artists and fans and to deliver unique experience and content across the globe. History will be made on November 16th when Rihanna performs for a global audience via Nokia’s live streamed concert to officially mark the launch of her much anticipated new album.”

“We are thrilled to join forces with Nokia for this innovative, global partnership, one that seamlessly merges technology and artistry in a truly unique way,” said Steve Bartels, President & COO, Island Def Jam Music Group. “Alongside our chairman L.A. Reid, we continually challenge ourselves to develop new and creative strategies to market our artists in this rapidly changing business environment. With her technologically savvy fan-base and her remarkable history with the digital and mobile platforms, Rihanna is the perfect artist to launch this groundbreaking initiative.”

Nokia Music Now OVI Player

Nokia have just renamed the Nokia Music application.  In a Nokia Blog post it was announced the new name is OVI Player.

The blog post is quoted as:

For all those music lovers out there, I’ve got some good  news. It’s called Nokia Ovi Player. While not entirely new, I think there are some things you’re going like about this software.

Ovi Player is the new name for the earlier Nokia Music application. Ovi Player is not a ground-up rebuild of Nokia Music, but it does contain some new features that will make it even easier to use.

Ovi Player contains some new views to help you navigate and enjoy your music collection. The ‘recently added’ view is used by many people as a way of keeping track of their new music. This enhanced view shows your recently added music grouped by albums together with cover art. In addition, the introduction of a ‘filter column’ on the detailed view will also help you browse your music collection more easily.

We’ve also redesigned the player controls to be more compact and to offer a more responsive volume control and track position selector.

Ovi Player is compatible with all existing Nokia Music Stores.  When viewing Nokia Music Store using Ovi Player, the ‘music queue’ is now retractable to allow the best possible browsing experience. The queue is retracted by default but can be exposed by hovering over a simple arrow control.

When getting new music, the download progress is now displayed in a consolidated ‘progress panel’ at the bottom of the application. This panel also lets you monitor your device music transfer status.

As well as containing numerous defect fixes and some performance enhancements, this is the first version of our application to fully support Windows 7.

We’re confident that this is by far the best version of our application yet. We hope you and the millions of other active users continue to enjoy it as we work on the next round of improvements. So give it a try and let us know what you think below.

Mark

I really hope Mac support comes sooner than later because I am getting fed up of using iTunes and a Mac version of Nokia Music has been far too long in the making.

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