Jolla unveils Sailfish OS and SDK, partners with ST-Ericsson and DNA

Jolla Mobile, the Finnish mobile startup has unveiled their new Sailfish OS with effortless and innovative User Interface (UI) at the Slush startup event in Finland as they announced last month. They have also released Sailfish Software Development Kit (SDK) for the developer community and announced that the Jolla devices would be powered by ST-Ericsson’s Nova Thor processor. They have also partnered with Finnish carrier DNA. Continue reading “Jolla unveils Sailfish OS and SDK, partners with ST-Ericsson and DNA”

Tizen Screenshots Leaked; Might Run On Samsung I9500 Smartphone

Tizen OS is an open-source Linux-based project developed by Samsung, Intel and the Linux Foundation. According to the rumors, Samsung is expected to announce its first Tizen based device next month at the MWC 2012 in Barcelona.

We already know that MeeGo is dead! For the unknown, the Tizen OS is the successor of the MeeGo OS. It is an open-source Linux-based project developed by Samsung, Intel, Panasonic, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo and the Linux Foundation. According to the rumors, Samsung is expected to announce its first Tizen based device next month at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 in Barcelona. The guys at SamMobile recently shared some screenshots of the new Tizen OS. Continue reading “Tizen Screenshots Leaked; Might Run On Samsung I9500 Smartphone”

5 N9 “Novelties” Nokia Should Keep, And 2 It Should Kill

Over the past year, a lot has been said in regards to the Nokia N9 and Meego’s future, be it in Nokia’s portfolio or with other manufacturers. We all don’t really know what the future holds, but after a couple of weeks with the N9, a lot of joy and a lot of sorrow using it, there are some Nokia N9 ideas that I think are worth having in other devices _ Meego, Windows Phone, S40, Symbian, or whatever the future Nokia devices will run _ and some others that I believe should be locked away in a drawer for all eternity. I’ll take the liberty of loosely calling these ideas “novelties” even though some of them aren’t exactly new to Nokia or the mobile industry as whole, but these have mostly been made more prominent with the N9.


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There’s A Special Spot In Hell For The Nokia N9

After a few hours with the N9 in my hands, I was even more convinced (as if that was possible) of why Nokia had to make the decision to go with Windows Phone as its main Operating System. Despite the sheer joy of discovering a new OS, using and abusing the swipe gestures, and marveling at the well thought-out package between Meego and the N9’s hardware, I have to say that Meego is simply not up to par with other OSes at this point, and the N9 also comes with some terrible decisions.

I am therefore fairly certain that despite deserving its own spot in heaven, the N9, even on PR1.1, should have a special spot in hell as well. Continue reading “There’s A Special Spot In Hell For The Nokia N9”

There’s A Special Spot In Heaven For The Nokia N9

For the past two days, I have had one of the most elite and exclusively available smartphones in my hands: the Nokia N9. Prior to trialling this unit, I was what you can call an N9-virgin: I knew it had something called Swipe, I knew there was a PR1.1 firmware that fixed a lot of bugs and added the possibility to share a picture to Twitter, and I knew everyone loved the design. That’s about it. I hadn’t seen any videos or read any extensive reviews because I wanted to avoid adding any other expectations about the N9. The device, and the OS, had already a lot of baggage and prejudice attached to them, what with Nokia’s decision to go with Windows Phone as its main platform, so I needed to leave a little bout of mystery around the N9 and give it the chance to surprise me.

In this post, and the following one that will come tomorrow, I will discuss the different aspects of the Nokia N9 and Meego that WOW’ed me then the ones that made me swear to the gods of mobile phones for the torture they were putting me through. These are, by no means, a full review of the N9, and I will try to stray away from all the tech talk that you can find in any other N9 posts. So let’s focus on the positive first.

I haz Mango on the N9! And a lot of candy next to it 🙂

Continue reading “There’s A Special Spot In Heaven For The Nokia N9”

Nokia N9 v1.1 Software Update rolling out now

While some users have already got the much awaited PR 1.1 software update for the Nokia N9 which is only MeeGo device from Nokia , others can expect it to get it soon through an OTA update. Nokia announced on it’s official blog earlier today that the software update for the device is being rolled out.  Continue reading “Nokia N9 v1.1 Software Update rolling out now”

Nokia Lumia 800 meets the Nokia N9

The Nokia Lumia 800 is the first device from Nokia showcasing the result of the partnership between them and Microsoft. However the phone which had really caught the imagination of smartphone enthusiasts all over the world was the Nokia N9.

Now it is very clear that the Nokia 800 borrows heavily from the design of the N9 but why change something which is obviously gorgeous ?  So what has changed between them ? Read on to take a closer look at some of the obvious (and non obvious differences) ! Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 800 meets the Nokia N9”

Nokia N9 is Sexy – Photo Gallery

We hope you have seen Michael’s (@MichaelxHell)Swipetastic review of the Nokia N9. Now, we let the Nokia N9 do the talking through this photo gallery of the device. Continue reading “Nokia N9 is Sexy – Photo Gallery”

Nokia N9 Review – a Swipetastic Device from Finland

It’s been a week since I picked up my (test-) Nokia N9 from the kind of folks of Grayling, an agency for Nokia Austria in Vienna. Of course, I was not too anxious to get it in my hands as soon as possible, i just wanted to save them some money for the delivery 😉 In this week I have tried and tested almost everything possible, and to give you a first conclusion of what i think: I love the N9. This is no fanboy rubbish or something like that, I simply speak as an honest, independent blogger, who has tried Android, Windows Phone, Symbian and even iOS. The N9 does not have the most powerful processor, it does not have the most Megapixels and thank god not the biggest display. It’s a smartphone with solid hardware, and the one thing Nokia needs so desperately: a decent OS. Yes, I know the whole story around Meego’s end before it really started, however, this is not subject of this review. For now, let’s have a look at what the N9 has to offer and what you can expect from it!

Nokia N9 front

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Nokia N9 Ninjas Hit the Streets of Singapore

Nokia has organised shows in Singapore to highlight the release of the Nokia N9. It’s called N9 Ninjas and it is basically a competition in which you could win a Nokia N9.

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Nokia N9 Video Recording Samples – Autofocus Action

The Nokia N9 has added a lot of new features to the Nokia smartphone range. Of course, it’s the first Meego device, and with Meego comes an almost unknown wind of freshness. One feature I’m particularly proud of though, is the enhanced video capturing capabilities. I have been using the N9 for 5 days now, absolutely love it to bits, and the new video features just add to the fun. The Nokia N9’s 8 Megapixel camera is shooting videos in 720p HD resolution at 30fps, and now finally features a very nicely working Autofocus while shooting video! As opposed to the Nokia N8, the N9 also seamless switches to Macro functionality, bringing your world up close. The one thing i love the most though, is touch to focus while shooting video. Since the N9 has no hardware camera button (which is a point not everyone might like), the whole focussing business happens directly on your display, so a decent touch AF system was the next logical step – and it’s my pleasure to report that Damian Dining, Nokia’s camera mastermind and his crew have done just that. I know this might be already present in other devices, however, it’s a well needed addition for the Nokia N9 camera, and it works oh so fine! How nice? Here are 5 short video samples, showing you what’s up:

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Video: Nokia N9 unboxing

Nokia N9 front

Yes indeed, it is finally here in my hands: Nokia’s long awaited first (and hopefully not the last) Meego Smartphone, the Nokia N9! I got my test device for the upcoming weeks this Friday, thanks to Nokia Austria, enduring a rainy trip to Vienna just to get it as soon as possible! I did not waste much time and proudly present to you now, the unboxing of the georgeous 3,9″ Touchscreen device – a true pleasure for me, as i hope it is for you! Enjoy, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll answer them as soon as possible!! Watch the video after the break!

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GoodBye MeeGo, Intel and Samsung team up for Tizen

Looks like the clouds surrounding the future of MeeGo have finally cleared up. Intel has announced today that it is bidding farewell to MeeGo and joining Tizen project which is part of the Linux Foundation.  The Tizen project was announced yesterday by the Linux foundation and the LiMo foundation as an open-source Linux based device software platform. Tizen covers smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, netbooks and in-vehicle infotainment systems. The first devices powered by Tizen are expected to hit the market in mid-2012.

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Nokia and Polar Mobile to launch over 300 mobile apps for Symbian , Meego and Windows Phone

nokia symbian windows phone meego

Looks like Nokia is still supporting Meego and Symbian as it plans to launch over 300 apps for Symbian , Meego and Windows Phone devices over the next 12 months. The handset maker has entered into an agreement with mobile app developer Polar Mobile to launch apps for top media brands. The first 50 apps will be available on Nokia Ovi Store for Symbian phones.All these apps are expected to use the Qt framework which enables developers to reuse code across various mobile platforms. It’s not clear what is the strategy for Windows Phone as there Qt does not support the platform as of now.  Continue reading “Nokia and Polar Mobile to launch over 300 mobile apps for Symbian , Meego and Windows Phone”

SIM-Free Nokia N9 to land in UK through Unofficial Channels

nokia n9 uk price

When the Nokia N9 was announced during CommunicAsia we stumbled upon a list of countries which would get the device,  many countries including UK, USA and India were missing from that list. Now Nokia has confirmed to some publications that the device wont be coming to UK or US. Now couple of leading online retailers in the UK – MobileFun and Expansys are taking pre-orders for the device. Continue reading “SIM-Free Nokia N9 to land in UK through Unofficial Channels”