My Most Used S60/Java Applications

I have had my Nokia N82 for sometime now and have installed many apps which have come and gone! Well now that i have fianlly settled with the best i’ll let you know what i’m currently using. Of course there are the inbuilt apps like Maps, Browser, email etc. But think of the applications available for the S60 OS they are immense in numbers and very easy to get hold of, either free or paid for they are easy to find!

I’ll start from most used to least in a Top 10 of my most used applications for a S60 mobile, in my case the Nokia N82!!

1: Nokia E-Mail

I use this on a daily basis, my phone is constantly connected to either wi-fi or a network internet connection to get my email account pushed to my phone. While Nokia provide this service with no charge it would be advisable to have some sort of internet bundle with your provider, to curb data transfer costs! (Updated to include multiple account support and hotmail users can get email pushed too)

2: EBuddy

A great IM application which will provide you with mobile access to your fave IM protocols including, MSN, ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, GTalk and Facebook. Again it would be advisable to have a flat rate data plan unless you are only going to use this occasionally.

3: GMail

As Nokia email can only support one email account at present i find it essential to have Gmail running in the background aswell, of course that is if you have more than one gmail account to keep an eye on?

4: Mobitubia

I have used Mobitubia for about 8 months now and have found it very usefull, saving clips is great if you want to watch stuff offline with your friends, the app sits quite comfortably within your applications menu and is ready to connect when you want. I have posted the new youtube application today but this app lacks the save functionality!

5: Handy Shell

This app will increase the active standby functionality by a good mile, it adds extra features like switch on BT with one click, calendar entries, it also adds a customizable shortcut menu as well as Handy Weather if you have it…………..

6: Handy Weather

Well worth the purchase or if like me i got it free with S60.com, it’s a nice littele weather app which also pugs in to the Handy Shell application. It adds a nice weather service to your phone, and i have to say it is rather reliable and has served me well so far, with a good couple of different weather screens!

7: Screenshot

I use screenshot a lot now i write this blog, as the title suggets it takes a screen shot of what your phone is doing at any given time! All the screen shots from the Nokia N82 on this site are taken with my phone and this program.

8: Handy Blacklist

This is a feature which drew me to the S60 OS, having an app that can block calls from certain numbers is a must. I get called on a weekly basis from call centers and salesmen which i do NOT want. This app will let you block their numbers and your phone will not even seem to ring, you can of course check a log which lists all numbers in the blacklist which have tried to call and at what time! Great App!

9: BBC iplayer

This app is only supposed to work on certain Nokia handsets, however if you know what your doing you can get it working on your N82 over a GPRS/3G network!

10: Opera Mini

While the inbuilt webkit browser on my N82 is good, it does not do as well as the Opera Mini 4.2 browser. Most websites are a joy to navigate with the zoom feature working a treat on my N82, couple this with access to the Opera Community and speed dial it’s a great addition to the inbuilt webkit from nokia.

YouTube App For S60 Released

Youtube/Google have released a new application for Nokia S60 handsets today, it’s what a lot of heavy mobile users have demanded since applications were made available for other phone OS, as well as adding the in browser flash player ability which i posted about a couple of days back.

Users can download the application from http://youtube.com directly from your mobile browser or the sisx file can be found at Symbian-Guru, the application is very easy and a joy to use.  Below i have provided some screenshots of the sleek looking interface for the new S60 application…………..

As you can see from the shots above, you can change the connection point whenever you want which is ideal for situations where you are out and about then walk into a wi-fi enabled area like your home or a hotspot.  check it out and let us know what you think?

Flash Player For You Tube Mobile Portal

You Tube have added a flash based player to their mobile portal, so users can now play video from directly within the site as opposed to opening up your handset streaming player like Realplayer on S60 devices from Nokia.

I haven’t been able to test this on my Nokia N82 (30.0.019) as yet because the link does not show up but is has been mentioned on another site that a user with an E71 can. The same user also mentioned that if he changes his browser agent class to that of an N96 the link would not show up!

So it seems that some users will have this added extra while others are sat waiting for it to be rolled out to other handsets.

http://m.youtube.com

3 Androids From HTC In 2009

Along with the HTC Magic and the leaked HTC Hero we are to expect at least another Android phone from HTC this year according to HTC CEO Peter Chou. The Magic has already been accepted by Vodafone in europe and will also be released as the G2 from T-Mobile at some point this year.

Orange Launch HTC Dream! (Read On)

Orange have recently launched the HTC dream, the  google android based handset. The phone has already been marketed as the T-Mobile G1 in the states and europe.

• Orange is offering the HTC Dream™, the first Android™-based handset launched in France with preinstalled applications such as Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™.
• The HTC Dream™ is being sold from 99 euros with the Origami “plus version” packages, with a 12-month commitment.

Notice the bold red text and some of  you’ll will sigh and ask yourselves, when will it be in the UK? Well i honestly don’t know and i’m not sure it would ever make it to Orange UK. Not to say that i am psychic but i’m not sure it fits with Orange UK’s profile. They’ll probably prove me wrong though, who knows?

T-Mobile G1 (Android) Announced 23/09/08

T-Mobile have unvelied their new HTC handset with Googles Android O/S installed, US buyers will have the chance to pre-order the handset as of today in limited supply. The G1 will feature in select T-Mobile stores and online outlets in the US from Oct 22nd, The handset will also be available in the United Kingdom beginning in November, and across Europe in the first quarter of 2009. Countries include Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

The handset has top notch capabilities by all accounts including rich HTML support for email, sync seamlessly with Gmail including calendar and contacts, and supports most pop and IMAP providers at the same time. Full HTML browsing allows you to see a webpage how it was designed to be viewed and a zoom function much like Opera Mini.

T-Mobile To Launch Android 23rd Sept?

T-Mobile are looking set to launch their HTC – Android based handset  at 10:30am EDT (14:30 GMT), a press conference is being held which will be attended by the Android Community and a live blog will be broadcast here from the event itself.

The handset everyone is expecting to see officially unveiled is HTC’s Dream, which is thought to be branded the T-Mobile G1. The September 23rd event ties in with the previously leaked suggestion that the carrier would be announcing their Android handset on this date, with availability by the end of October.

Both T-Mobile and Google executives will be presenting the G1, and we’ll have all the details as they happen. The Live Blog address is http://Live.AndroidCommunity.com/ so join us on September 23rd!

Google Sort Of Reveal Android! (London)

Today seen Google have it’s Developer Day in London (UK) and the semi reveal of the new android based smartphone from the search giant and HTC. Those lucky enough to be there witnessed a working handset albeit somewhat masked to reveal carrier details and the like. It did however look like a polished, finished device broadcast on a large screen in an arena.

The footage below shows the devices webkit based browser over a Wi-Fi connection and it does look like it performs pretty well. It also shows it’s unique pattern based security system whereby you have to draw a line sequnce on screen before the device opens up, google maps also gets a look and it does look like a sleek o/s to have on your next mobile.