Nokia has gone ahead and released a software update for its new devices, the N8, C7 and C6-01 to be exact. The update which is dubbed version 1.1 will bring great performance and features as well as a smoother experience.

Most of the updates do not come in the form of visible elements such as changes to UI or the addition or subtraction of applications on the device. Rather, the updates bring quality and stability to devices as well as better tweaks and a couple of new contents.

1. Users will not be able to accept meeting requests directly from email invitations.
2. There is bigger integration between maps and email. For instance, if a user receives an invitation to an event via an email, that address will be displayed on a map within the email.
3. Nokia N8 users:
   a. Quick Office 6.4 has arrived which offers editing possibilities and the ability to zoom in and out of Word documents.
   b. The addition of three new games is also included, Need for Speed Shift, Real Golf and Galaxy on Fire. In some regions, Need for Speed will be replaced by Asphalt.
   c. All these features will be free for current N8 owners via the Ovi Suite and Ovi Store.

The software update will be available on the device via the Ovi Suite but we will warn you in advance, the update is pretty large especially for N8 users so we would advise you to use Wi-Fi if you’re downloading it from the phone unless you have an unlimited data plan. The non-customized version is available now, service provider specific versions are said to be following pretty soon. We’ll keep an eye on it and let you know when those customized version become available.

Source: Nokia

The most interesting feature of the Nokia X3 Touch and Type is without a doubt, the keypad. This generic looking mobile phone may be easily passed up on a store shelf, but at a close look, one will see the functional value of the handset.

As stated, the keypad is pretty unique in this phone. The X3-02’s layout is a four column, three row setup, as opposed to the more conventional three column, four row keypad that is seen in most candy bar handsets. But this is actually well made, at the three left columns are the numbers one to nine while the last column is basically the bottom row of the old layout.

Quick Adjustments

There is no doubt that using this device is easy. While it does take a moment for any user to register the fact that the spacebar button is on the lower right area of the key mapping, it becomes quite intuitive after a while. One can easily see why Nokia has called this handset the X3-02 Nokia Touch and Type, it is because of the fact that typing on this device is easy.

And users will certainly want to type. One of biggest functions on the device is the ability to connect to social networking sites and tools such as Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging apps. These are all integrated in the operating system and thanks to 3G and WiFi support, getting online is a breeze.

Touch Capabilities

Of course, the Nokia X3 Touch and Type (like the similar Nokia C3 Touch and Type) is more than just the typing aspect, it also offers touch. This comes in the form of a 2.4 inch resistive touch screen that allows users to easily navigate the handset without much trouble. While it lacks gestures or multi touch, the screen is quite responsive and has excellent visual quality that users will certainly appreciate.

Without a doubt, the Blackberry’s and iPhone’s are dominating the Smartphone scene. However, Nokia is also striving to live up to the demands of Smartphone enthusiasts hoping to reach the top spot as well.

It is fair to say that Nokia’s effort won’t be put to waste at all. For the past years they have been consistent in giving exceptional mobiles to the consumers. Therefore, it is not impossible for them to deliver remarkable Smartphones as well and the Nokia E5 is one Smartphone from this Finnish manufacturer that falls into this category.

Let us discuss the features and see if it is enough to tackle the other popular brands.

Appealing Mobile

At first glance you would notice the resemblance of the Nokia E5 to some Blackberry mobiles. However, though that is the case, we can still say that it has a distinct look of its own. It measures 115 x 58.9 x 12.8 mm which makes it pocket friendly.

The highlight of the design is the noticeable QWERTY keypad that is located under the display. The buttons of the keypad are evenly spaced out for better typing. The screen measures 2.36 inches and has a resolution of 240 x 360 pixels. It is also compatible with 256K colours that will surely improve your viewing experience.

The look of the Nokia E5 is very sophisticated and classy. The design sends out a message that it can be used by professionals for work and business. On the other hand it is also for those who want to have an elegant, simple, yet functional mobile that they can rely on to satisfy their needs.

Picture Perfect

Nokia is also proud that the Nokia E5 offers a 5MP camera with a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. Anyone can use this mobile to produce wonderful photos. It is good to know that this mobile can be used for both work and for fun as well.

Nokia is coming up with new N-series handsets and it will not be using the Maemo/MeeGo operating systems. Surprisingly, Nokia will be using the older Symbian operating system –or rather, not so old, as they will be using the new Symbian^3 operating system (the open source version of the OS).

For anyone who wants a Symbian handset, this device is a great addition. It brings together good multimedia playback, has plenty of internal memory, a great camera for taking images and shooting videos and a decent mobile platform that has support from the Nokia Ovi Store. As expected, this handset comes with AGPS support so expect to receive free Nokia Ovi Maps voice guided satellite navigation services as well.

For a touch screen smart phone, the N8 can be a little bulky. While the hard edged form factor is sure to attract tech fans, the back side of the device suffers from an unsightly lump because of the digital camera (though it looks rather nice in images).

In terms of specs, the device is pretty much well rounded with the exception of the CPU. The device sports a powerful 12 mega pixel snapper, a 3.5 inch OLD touch screen display, the Symbian^3 OS, 16GB of internal memory, support for microSD cards up to 32GB and plenty of media playback capabilities. It is lacking a little in the speed department with the ARM 11 680MHz CPU, so expect a bit of slowdowns when running resource heavy functions.

For its specs, the device is a respectable 12mm thick, though they could have done better by eliminating the excess bulk near the camera. And it is quite light -135 grams for a smart phone with these many features is actually pretty good.

Overall, it is a great phone to look forward to if you want a Symbian handset, but for those looking for a full smart phone experience, better hold out for an Android instead.

To say that the Symbian is an old, dying mobile platform would be wrong.

The Symbian OS may be old, but it has been continuously evolving and updating throughout the years to adapt to new and better technology. Just a few weeks ago, it has been announced that the Symbian OS would be going open source in order to attract more developers to making apps for Symbian.

According to the developers, open source Symbian is far more open than other mobile phones –allowing devs access to more hardware and software features than other open source platforms such as the Google Android. The Symbian Os is currently being used by various mobile phone manufacturers but mainly by Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

A recent announcement by Symbian will certainly bring a lot of delight to the OS users as the phone will be getting VoIP through the Skype software. The app is currently uploaded on the Nokia Ovi store. It’s a big help having access to VoIP since this will make calls a lot cheaper and easier to make.

People are encouraged to talk more since the cost of the call is completely free –when accessing free internet that is. When used overseas, the roaming charges on the internet access are pretty steep so users are not advised to use Skype when outside the country.

At the same time, access to the VoIP app is also limited to mobile network operators. O2 has taken steps to enforce the rules in their contract with subscribers preventing the use of streaming online technology –which includes VoIP.

Aside from making voice calls, Skype can be used as a regular messaging application to send and receive calls, messages, files and other info. Contact lists are saved online as well.

Read more about Skype for Symbian at Know Your Mobile.

Nokia have a huge reputation for designing quality and reliable mobile phones. Many people will have owned a Nokia phone at one stage in their life, as they really helped develop the mobile phone market. The newest release from Nokia is not a mobile phone at all, but a laptop, designed to keep you in contact with friends and family, and even business partners.

The Nokia Booklet 3G is designed to help keep consumers in touch with the friends and family, and this is achieved by using up to date 3G technology, which allows surprisingly fast internet speed for something which doesn’t connect to the wall.

The Nokia Booklet 3G uses a built in web cam and microphone to allow you to have businesses meetings over the internet, saving you from having to fork out money for expensive ones. The Booklet features connectivity with the Ovi system, Nokia’s download system. You can download over 4 million songs, thousands of movies and many games and other accessories for your laptop. Nokia expect this laptop to be a great selling product, and high sales figures have already been released.

With the rise of Television phones and other gadgets to accompany them, Nokia have released their new phone, the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition. This phone features some of the most recent technology available on the market today, and incorporates watching your favorite TV shows and movies on a portable device, with a great performing mobile phone to be used for making calls, taking photographs and other phone uses.

The phone comes with some basic free channels included on the contract plan, and these channels can be watched as much as you like, up to 6 hours on one battery charge. Additional channels can then be purchased as extras, and the list goes on, including dedicates sports channels, music channels, kids TV channels and much more. You do not need to connect the phone to anything as it is all built in, and usually loading times do not take long at all. This allows you complete freedom to stop, pause and re wind live TV as you please, giving you a fantastic all round experience.

The 5330 Mobile TV Edition comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera built into the back, allowing you to take photos whilst on the go and then email them back to friends wherever you are. The photos can be viewed on the large 2.4 inch screen with high resolution providing you with excellent quality picture, as well as space to actually see what you are doing unlike many other mobile phones.

Currently on release in various countries, the new Nokia phone is expected to reach the next 20 countries in the next 2 years. Details regarding contracts are very unclear at the moment, but it has been announced that the phone will retail itself at approximately £130, a pretty good price for what you are getting.

Nokia 6700 Slide and Nokia 7230 announced, and their introduction into the market confirmed for the early part of 2010 by Nokia. Both of these phones are 3G Sliders. They are reasonably prices (mid-range) and are scheduled to be available in retail stores around the globe and online, sometime during the first quarter of 2010.

The Nokia 6700 is the higher-priced of the two.  It has more features, many which are offered by much more expensive smartphone. The phone makes available to its users VGA video recording, 16.7 million color display, a 5 megapixel camera, 2.2 QVGA display screen, the ability to edit photos and upload them to the internet.  It also comes standard with a music player, FM radio and internal memory of 45 MG. Individuals who need to, can add up to 16 gigabytes of memory via the microSD card slot.  The 6700 is currently priced at €160.

The Nokia 7230 is about €60 cheaper.  It has fewer features, and thus is a cheaper mobile phone.  It does, however, have a larger display screen then the 6700 with its 2.4 inch display screen. The 7230 has a FM radio, gives a small alert when calls and messages come in. It also has messaging capabilities, 267K color display. The phone comes standard with a 3.2 megapixel camera which has a dedicated key.

As mentioned above, both of these phones should be available during the early part of 2010. Those who are fans of the Nokia brand and are in the market for a new phone may find either of these mobiles a good option. The 7230 is cheaper and has less features but it may be the perfect choice for people that are looking for a good, solid phone without all of the frills Those who want more features and are willing to spend more money for them, may prefer the Nokia 6700.

Telecommunications giants Nokia reveal that plans are underway to move into the energy sector. Nokia which offers infrastructural solutions in telecommunications, plan to use its present portfolio of solutions alongside its network of partners already created, to achieve this goal. The company plans to emphasize on environmental responsibility, smart meters, intelligent power grids and demand for renewable energy.

Nokia Siemens believe that the generation of sustainable energy brings about a lot of opportunities in the sector and segments are geared towards growth include renewable energy generation, managing of user demand and consumption and the transformation of power grids into smart grids. Nokia Siemens plan to use its existing mediation, charging, service management and network management solutions to profit from these opportunities. Furthermore, it plans to include the energy sector division into its Business solutions organization as from January 1, 2010.

According to Juhani Hintikka who is head of Operations and Business software, “when you look at what is required to manage power grids, or to make full use of unpredictable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, as well as bringing greater transparency and flexibility to billing, the synergies with the core of our existing telecoms business is obvious”. She also went further to say “while our research and development remains focused on communication service providers, we will look to exploit opportunities where we can create clear value for our customers by entering new growing markets with our current product services.”

Nokia reveals that it was working in partnership with Servusnet, a software company to “help wind power operations optimize power generation and delivery.”  Servusnet uses the open element management system to (EMS) suit form Nokia Siemens Networks designed to for utility and telecommunications network management compatible with existing different technologies vendors.

Freshly released in the United States, Nokia N900 features Maemo 5, which is a Linux based operating system, developed by Nokia to support phones like N900 for delivering a quality user interface and internet browsing experience. The Maemo operating system further offers a number of applications for various functions to its users, which enables them to connect to the internet and to play multimedia files.

Nokia N900 uses the brand new Firefox mobile web browser, which offers a substantial level of control and detail to its users, completing the experience of using Nokia N900, which is simply more than just another internet tablet. The Maemo browser has the option to offer full-screen browsing to its user, which is always convenient, as the screen of a portable device can never be large enough, although that of Nokia N900 is a 3.5 inch WVGA touch screen display. Maemo also provides full flash support to enhance the browsing experience to its users. Maemo 5 also features support for various connectivity alternatives for its users.

Maemo 5 also offers a high quality multimedia experience with audio and video playback, with easily accessible and widely accepted file formats. With 32 GB of built-in space, the users of Nokia N900 should not worry about how they will listen to music or store other multimedia data in their phone. The phone also comes with a photo editor that can help process and edit the work created through its 5.0 mega pixel camera.

Another outstanding feature of the Maemo 5 software featured in the Nokia N900 is its pre-installed Ovi maps to support the integrated assisted GPS receiver in Nokia N900. This adds to yet another value added feature of Nokia N900, made possible through the ingenious Maemo 5 software. Make sure you look out for the Nokia N900 on contract when it is released in the UK.