The official mobile DivX player, DivX Mobile, has received a major update which adds support for DivX’s video on demand service.
DivX Inc. (the company) makes DivX (the video codec) which allows for high-quality video compression with relatively low file sizes. DivX Inc. have launched a VOD service that allows participants to download movies in DivX format from several partner content suppliers.
The mobile version of the client software - which until now only offered playback of locally-stored content - runs on Symbian S60 and UIQ devices. Version v.90 also includes numerous bug fixes.
The app is available free (alongside a windows program that will let you convert other formats to DivX) although you will need to register with the company to be able to download it.
Sony Ericsson has announced that it is planing to release a first of its kind software solution that will bridge the Abobe Flash Lite and Java ME development platforms. Billed as Project Capuchin, the new tech will make it possible for developers to make use of each platform’s unique strengths when coding ‘content-rich’ mobile applications.
Although this might not mean much unless you are really interested in how the guts of your mobile phone functions, what is interesting is that Project Capuchin will basically allow for Flash Lite content to be lodged in Java ME applications, effectively making content created by Adobe Flash technology appear as Java ME applications. That means lots of apps that make of use of flashy (excuse the unintended pun) graphical flourishes running on the ubiquitous Java platform that almost every mobile phone supports.
Sony Ericsson is hoping to make the technology available later this year which means it will probably be 2009 before we are actually able to buy applications that benefit from Project Capuchin. We’re guessing the platform will be given a snappier name before then; hmmm, Flash, Java - how about Flava? Actually, maybe not.
Nokia Beta Labs has released an update to the Nokia Maps app for S60 3rd Edition phones that adds realtime traffic updates to the device.
Using data gathered from collaborators ARC Transistance (they only sound like a form of radiation, they are in fact a Europe-wide body of automotive clubs like the AA) the Maps app will show traffic troublespots near your vehicle updated in as near to real time as your connection and their servers will allow which will let you steer your way trhough any roadworks, jams or other hazards.
Not that you should be gazing at your mobile while driving, of course. Hmm. Maybe you should get a passenger to check it for you.
There seems to be a slight bug in the current release that causes the app to download too much trafifc data at once, so it might be worth holding off on this one for a couple of days.
Nokia’ chief designer has dropped some hints about the kind of user interfaces the company are investigating.
You might assume that Alastair Curtis would be gleaning ideas from iPhone, Android, the OLPC wiior any number of communications or computing devices but no, he was spending a lot of his time playing with his Nintendo Wii and checking out the emotional feedback from his nunchucks.
“I bought the Wii almost the day it came out. The emotional feedback is three or four times more emotionally engaging than PS3 or Xbox 360,” says Curtis, “We’re starting to do that in the 6600 Fold. We have to do that more and more.”
Curtis uses the example of turning a phone upside down to put it into silent mode as an example of ‘meaningful insight’ into the kind of emotional feedback people can get from their handsets.
Interestingly, much of what he is talking about is already being implemented by the homebrew programming community. FlipSilent does exactly what he describes and there is even a project out there that lets your control your N95 using an actual Wii remote.
With many environmentalists concerned with the amount of energy that is wasted by devices that remain plugged in on standby it is worth bearing in mind that most phone chargers spend more time plugged in and not charging anything at all. Even if you unplug it when not in use, if you charge your phone overnight, the phone will be fully charged after a few hours and you are wasting energy.
Nokia has come up with one solution in the form of the ‘Zero Waste’ charger. This clever little device works a little bit like one of those power-surge protectors you might use with a lawnmower or a drill. A big green button on the back of the charger turns on the power. When your phone is charged, the button pops out and the power is cut off.
Nokia news blog NokNok.tv got their hands on a prototype model and put together this video for your viewing pleasure:
It looks like you won’t need either a hacking hero’s knowledge of binary code or a dodgy corner shop to get your phone unlocked in a hurry anymore. Enter SIMable, a completely idiot proof method for unlocking handsets.
And how does it work? What startling technological advance has taken this long to arrive? Well all it is, is a tiny little ultra thin chip that when attached to a SIM card, tricks most mobile phones into thinking that they are footloose and network free. The device apparently works with the majority of handsets, even high end 3G efforts, which are notoriously difficult to unlock.
Basically the kit you get when you order one of these gizmos includes a tiny little device that can punch a tiny little hole in your tiny little SIM card. Then it’s just a matter of slotting the chip into place, locking it in where the hole is, aligning it accordingly and slotting it into your handset.
And now for the cherry on top. Although this all sounds a little less than legal the SIMable chip does its thing without interfering with the handset itself, keeping your warranty intact and freeing up your mobile at the same time. Not bad for £16.99, though we have to admit it does all sound a little too good to be true so, you first.
Whisher is a wifi sharing service that asks its members to share their home wireless connection in return for free access to its network - by sharing you effectively become part of that network, allowing Whisher members in your area to use your link.
The service has a substantial number of hotspots worldwide. including hundreds in the UK but the network only supported connections from a Windows or Mac machine running Whisher’s software.
Until now, anyway. Whisher has just launched a client app that will give access to any wifi-enabled Symbian S60 3rd edition Nokia phone.
The app is free to download for Whisher members and installs as a plugin to the Nokia wifi app. Selecting “1Click Whisher” from the connections menu will bring up a list of local connections with icons indicating if they are Free, Commercial or part of the Wisher network.
If any of you have any experience of using Whisher, please let us know in the comments. Is it any good? Just how common are their hotspots in your area?
By all accounts, the Nokia 3600 slide appears to be a budget version of the Nokia 6600 slide, also announced today. Though it still sports some nice metallic design details, it doesn’t seem to house quite so much steel as the 6600 slide, though it does share much of it’s feature set including a 3.2 megapixel camera and pre-installed Nokia Maps application (also sans GPS sadly).
Gone is the double tap feature of the 6600 fold and 6600 slide but extras include a TV-out feature, and a background noise cancellation gizmo, a first for any Nokia handset apparently. Music is also much more on the agenda here with a 4GB micro SD slot tying the feature set into a cohesive whole.
This one’s a little lighter on the wallet too at just 175 Euros (about £140) which by all accounts isn’t too steep. Hit the jump for more pictures.
Continue reading ‘Nokia 3600 slide completes the trio of new releases’
The 6600 slide bears the not insignificant accolade of being one of Nokia’s smallest sliders to date. The main selling point here however seems to be the high quality materials that have been used for the device’s manufacture, including glossy steel covers and an aluminum center key.
Like the 6600 fold, also announced today, the 6600 slide has a feature where if you tap it twice it indicates time, snoozes, alerts and silences or rejects incoming phone calls. There is also a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.2″ QVGA display and integrated Nokia Maps application. Strangely, the device does not sport in-built GPS but does support the optional Nokia Bluetooth GPS Module LD-4W and separate navigation license.
Estimated to retail at about 250 Euros (about £200) it’s really the fancy shmancy design you are paying for here, but it is a handsome looking handset even if the feature set isn’t mind blowing. Hit the jump for proof.
Continue reading ‘Nokia 6600 slide makes its debut’
Nokia has gone and announced three elegant looking new handsets out of the blue today.
The first is the reasonably interesting 6600 fold. Before you go getting all excited, the device does not include any futuristic folding screen tomfoolery. It seems rather that the word clamshell is just too passe for Nokia these days, hence the name. Interestingly, the 6600 fold does have a unique automatic opening mechanism where you press a button and the device opens smoothly to reveal its 2.13” OLED screen.
It also has a pretty nifty high gloss front surface which when tapped twice, bursts into life with all sorts of info such as missed calls and messages, or if you are looking to ignore your life for a while, cancels alerts and rejects incoming calls.
The handset houses 3G which is good, but the 2.0 megapixel camera is a bit of a disappointment, especially considering the 275 Euro (about £215) asking price. Hit the jump for more pictures and look out for incoming posts about Nokia’s other two new offerings, the 6600 slide and the 3600 slide.
Continue reading ‘Nokia announces three new handsets - introducing the 6600 fold’
