The #NokiaNav video

Below is the official video of the #NokiaNav event that took place last month.  See the cars being prepped, then delivered to the bloggers (myself included), see the challenges, and ending with the final meet in London with some more participants and the people behind the tech.  Awesome stuff.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgxVsxbhYhs

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the awesome guys at WOMWorld/Nokia again for the amazing experience.

At the end of #NokiaNav Challenge 2, I was able to unlock the mystery black box in the boot of the Maserati.  Inside was a pair of Nokia BH-905 Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones with the below card:

Since then I have been trying hard to think of noisy locations where I could test the headphones.  Unfortunately in rural Somerset it’s pretty quiet. So with the instructions ‘creativity is the key’ I took a different slant and went down the line of; because the headphones are great at blocking-out the outside world around you, you can then get more immersed in the sound experience you are listening to and can virtually get transported to all sorts of places:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL1Mp6rlnoQ

I’ll have a proper review of the BH-905 coming soon!

Keep your eyes fixed on mypocketOS.com or follow me (@nechbi) on Twitter to find out more about my final #NokiaNav Challenge.

Have Apple now become Big Brother from it’s 1984 advert?

Way back in 1984 Apple launched an iconic marketing campaign for their brand new Apple Macintosh.

Set in a grey dystopic time, where people are prevented from their own thoughts and ideas, and were ‘brainwashed’ by a Big Brother, who during the 60 second advert, celebrates the anniversary of the “Information Purification Directives” which he claims will be an end to “contradictory thoughts”.

Apples aim was clear -- to free and empower the people, combat conformity and allow originality in the computer market.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

Now lets look at Apple today, and what they are doing with the iPhone:

• Apple have a massive influence over its loyal fan base
• They have tight control over the iPhone platform
• They dictate what functionality a user can have on the iPhone
• They dictate what apps are appropriate to run on the iPhone

Hmm, it now seems that the reverse is true of the original 1984 advert, where Apple once aimed to break the controlling nature of the computer industry they are now themselves the controlling Big Brother of the mobiles.

While I appreciate that what makes Apple’s products stand out over everything else is the thought that goes into the user experiences, this though brings an element of ‘this is how you are going to do it’ which may not always be in the users best interests.

Dictating too much, not allowing openness, and freedom for the user does bring some parallels to 1984.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive fan of the iPhone, I just think that they need to loosen control of their grip on the handset, and make it a little more open.  Let the users decide what they can do with the incredible iPhone platform.

What do you think?

Q&A session with Jussi Mäkinen about the Nokia N900

Jay from My Nokia Blog recorded a video of the Q&A session with Jussi Mäkinen, the Product Manager for the N900, during the onedotzero event last weekend.

Filmed on a N97, the video shows the question and answer session set-up for us by WOM World / Nokia, where we were able to ask Jussi about the N900 and the Maemo platform.

For a transcript of the video head over to Jay’s article on My Nokia Blog.

mypocketOS gets beamed onto the National Theatre London

During the onedotzero event at the BFI in London, we were given the opportunity to play with the Nokia ‘Identity’ installation which featured a Nokia N900, connected to 6 large projectors outside the building beaming text onto the National Theatre opposite.

Using the accelerometer of the N900 we were able to change the text beamed onto the building by tilting, shaking and rotating the device.  Check out mypocketOS.com in all it’s glory on the Royal National Theatre and see how the installation worked:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTgg1H84jFU

Spotify is coming to an S60 mobile near you

Now that Spotify is now available for Android and iPhone mobile phones, the company behind the music streaming service have been good to share the news that S60 handsets will not be left out, as they are in development with Spotify for S60. Although in it’s early stages they have demoed the product in the below video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipygzjcEyRU

Like Spotify for Android & iPhone, Spotify S60 will require a Spotify Premium account.

A new Market in Android 1.6 is coming

An updated Android Market is on its way in Android 1.6.  The changes to the look and feel of the place that Android users buy and download games and applications will bring some much needed improvements to the discovery of products.  The Android Market will now feature Top Paid, Top Free and Just In categories making the user experience more like that of Apple’s App Store.

Check out the Android Market in the video below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ma9Xh67Eyo

T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G is being advertised by Whoopi Goldberg

Popular movie star Whoopi Goldberg is one of 3 big names that will be fronting T-Mobile’s new advertising campaign in America for the myTouch 3G (the HTC Magic as the rest of the world knows it). Also on board are Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson and TV personality Jessie James.

You can check out the new video below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLU2_w91QEU

It’s great to see big names getting behind the Android platform, and hopefully pushing it more into more people’s concious for it so stand a better chance against Apple’s iPhone.

[Via: TechCrunch]

Nokia enters the laptop market with the Nokia Booklet 3G

Today saw Nokia announce a new product in its hardware line-up, this time it’s not a new mobile phone, instead Nokia have ventured into the laptop/netbook market with the Nokia Booklet 3G.

The mobile Internet is a massively growing area, as more and more WiFi Hotspots and faster 3G data connections provide us with easier ways of staying connected and working in places that would have been unheard of 5 years ago.

Nokia is currently the number one manufacturer of mobile devices, pumping out millions of handsets a year, with some powerful little devices like the Nokia N97 -- a micro-computer that fits in your pocket.  Although these little handsets are getting more and more powerful, sometimes it just isn’t practical enough and you need a decent size keyboard and screen to carry out your tasks.

Nokia know that the mass-market aren’t all interested in squinting at a small screen, and so have wisely tapped into the laptop/netbook market.  Also with the likes of Apple now starting to tread on Nokia’s toes and change the way that people use their mobiles,  Nokia need to up their game and broaden their horizons.  Ovi is key to this, and by getting their cloud-based services (Music, Share, Contacts & Maps) accessed via more mobile devices (phones and laptops) they are starting to square up with the likes of Apple and Google who already offer similar products.

Nokia have always said that they are more than just a mobile manufacturer and will evolve when needed.  Remember that they first started off as a tyre manufacturer!

First Look Pictures

Taking a leaf straight out of Apple’s design book, the new Nokia Booklet 3G, has a sleek aluminium chassis, and looks just gorgeous with its clean and simple look.

The finish also looks fantastic, see how the speakers sit on the edge of the laptop and follow its subtle curves:

Even the keyboard has that certain apple-esque feel to it:

If Nokia are to be taken seriously with their new laptop, then I think that they have certainly made people sit-up and pay attention.  We can only hope that the user experience will be as good as the device looks.

The technical specs

Not only does the device look great, it also has some impressive specs.  The device will be Microsoft Windows powered with an Intel Atom Processor, as well as the following:

• Size: 264mm x 185mm x 19.9mm
• Weight: 1.5kg
• 10.1in HD Display
• HDMI
• 12 hours Battery Life
• 3G Broadband
• WiFi (B,G&N)
• A-GPS
• Bluetooth
• Front-facing Video Camera
• SD Card Slot
• Stereo Speakers

Full day usage without charging

Being mobile is all well and good, but rarely can you actually achieve that, as your battery usually gives out after a few hours. The Nokia Booklet 3G aims to be leaders in laptop battery life with 12 hours of battery life, providing all day mobility. This truly will be a device that can live up to today’s mobile demands!

Nokia Booklet 3G video

Whet your appetite even mre with this Nokia Booklet 3G video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIHWM4liM2g

Pricing & Availability

Details are yet to be released on pricing and when we can expect to get our hands on one.

Keep watching mypocketos.com for more information.

Upload videos direct to YouTube straight from your iPhone 3GS

Here is the first video that I took on my iPhone 3GS -- that I uploaded to YouTube straight from the handset.  As you can see the results really aren’t too bad at all.  The iPhone does compress video before it is uploaded, so the real results are much better than you can see below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeKOI4EEXhI