All About Symbian - UIQ News

How to: use eAAC+ to put FAR more music on your smartphone

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:58:32 +0100

Guest writer 'Snoyt' takes us expertly through the wonderful world of music compression, to explain how you can get thousands of music tracks on your smartphone, efficiently and in CD quality, using the eAAC+ codec rather than bog standard ol' MP3... Who needs an Apple iPod?

Smartphone sync to Google Contacts now a reality

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:59:18 +0100

GooSync's beta test for full Contacts sync through to Google Contacts just went live. It's a closed beta, so please don't email me for extra links or privileges. Below, I've tried to illustrate how it all works and some of the implications of syncing with the big G. The beta test, if the Tasks beta was anything to go by, should last a month or so.

UIQ Technology appoint Chairman of the Board

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:57:58 +0100

UIQ Technology today announced that Dr. Colin Tucker has been appointed to the position of Non-Executive Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors of UIQ Technology. Other members of the board come from UIQ's owners, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. Dr. Tucker has previsouly held executive positions at a number of mobile companies including Orange and Hutchison.

Classic computer and console emulators for your S60 3rd Edition

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:47:59 +0100

If you're a retro fan, you'll be pleased to know that Krisse has done a huge update of our feature on emulators for S60 3rd Edition devices (and quite a few of them work on UIQ3 too). If you're hankering after having a Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amstrad CPC, NES, SNES, ColecoVision, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Sega Master System, Game Gear or MAME arcade machine in your pocket... you've come to the right place.

How to: Make more from your smartphone snaps

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:49:48 +0100

In a tutorial for beginners, and with plenty of real world examples, I look at some practical photo-taking tips for your multi-megapixel smartphone when conditions are less than perfect... and I explain that adjusting the photo later in software is cheating - but often helps a lot!

Ricky Cadden Reviews the Sony Ericsson W960

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:04:09 +0100

Ricky Cadden, over on Mobile Burn, takes a long hard look at the Sony Ericsson W960 Walkman phone, and finds a mixed bag, from a bright screen to a cheap stylus, a poor camera interface and of course a long look at music playback functionality, which gets a strong thumbs up albeit with a wish for a built in 3.5mm headphone socket and the ability to playback by genre. Ultimately the W960 comes up short in Cadden's estimation with a poor user interface, slow USB transfer and clunky camera to blame.

CorePlayer Mobile updated. Now supports YouTube!

Sun, 11 May 2008 03:37:42 +0100

CoreCodec just announced the availability of version 1.24 of its CorePlayer Mobile for all platforms including S60 3rd Edition and UIQ 3. The YouTube support might not be interesting for some S60 3rd Edition users but for the UIQ 3 community, it is the icing on the cake because for the first time, FLV videos can be played on UIQ 3 smartphones without conversion. See below for UIQ 3 screenshots, links and comments.

Astraware releases Hidden Expedition: Titanic for S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:20:59 +0100

Phone game developers Astraware have released the nautical adventure game Hidden Expedition: Titanic for Symbian S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3 smartphones. You can find out more about the game and purchase it on its official S60v3 page or official UIQ3 page. Naturally we'll be bringing you a review in due course. Astraware also asked us to mention that they're looking for S60 3rd Edition and UIQ3 beta game testers. Click on the headline for screenshots...

Insight 23 - Adobe, MOSH, Nokia in the US

Tue, 06 May 2008 09:40:22 +0100

It's Insight time, covering News, the MOSH ad-sponsored games, Adobe Open Screen Project and we (shock, horror) actually try to answer a user-submitted question, talking about whether Nokia could be more aggressive in the US market. Plus, Rafe reports back from the Nokia Design Studio Day in London. You can listen (and subscribe) to Insight number 23 here.

Adobe Open Screen project

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:37:56 +0100

Yesterday Adobe announced the details of the Open Screen Project. This will see Adobe, in conjunction with partners, create a consistent 'rich Internet experience' across televisions, PCs, mobile devices and other consumer electronics using future evolutions of its Flash and Air platforms. Adobe will open up Flash and Air by releasing more technical information and removing license fees and format restrictions for Air and Flash.

Revival revived - and terrific it is too

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:41:26 +0100

Attila's been playing Herocraft's newly revived (from the Java version) Revival, now for S60 and UIQ, non-stop since it came out. Here's his review of this sumptuous and unsurprisingly deep strategy game. Revival isn't for quick-fix players, but Sid Meier fans will leap for joy.

MyStrands Social Player Updated, includes Last.FM Support

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:12:55 +0100

Strands, The team behind the social music site, MyStrands, have updated their Social Music Player for Symbian S60 (and java) equipped phones. Picking up all the music on your device, Strands can recommend similar artists and songs, match you up with users that have similar musical tastes, and helps you navigate your musical neighbourhood. Conscious that other services are available, the big news for this update is the inclusion of support for UK based Last.FM, and the sending of your track information to that service as well.

Software That's Worth Paying For

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:14:34 +0100

Free software for our smartphones has never been so abundant. From Nokia's stream of useful freebies to technology demos from big companies to small utilities from home developers, everything now seems to be free. With so much freeware around, is there still a market for paid-for software? And which would be the top picks of the All About Symbian team, for both S60 3rd Edition and UIQ 3-powered smartphones?

Win a Motorola Z10 and �10,000

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:14:43 +0100

Yep, Ben from IntoMobile has spotted this Motorola competition for (very) amateur film makers. Interestingly, the second 'round' of the final (the bit to actually win the £10k) has to be shot on the Z10 itself. Very cool on all fronts.

Skype for mobile in beta - runs on S60 and UIQ

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:56:05 +0100

Skype has released an official mobile client. The application is written in Java so it should run on a variety of phones including both S60 and UIQ phones. The application uses an Internet connection for status and contact information and for Skype chat (instant messaging). However while the application does allows you to make calls, it routes them through the PSTN (phone) network rather than over the Internet. This means you will be charged for both incoming and outgoing calls of any type. Read on for more.