Review: This Week’s Top S60 5th-edition Applications
Most Innovative Application: JoikuSpot Premium v2.5
JoikuSpot is an innovative application that can convert any 3G-enabled S60 device into a mobile Wi-Fi router. Developed by JoikuSoft, a Finnish company, the application is the winner of the Navteq LBS Challenge 2008, bagging a cash award of US $ 275,000.
The application combines a very easy-to-use interface with various customization options to configure the ad-hoc Wi-Fi hotspot. By default the hotspot is decrypted, but users can set a password to prevent unauthorised usage.
Available in two forms: Light is a freeware, and Premium offers certain value-added features. The Light version supports standard web browsing and sets the default homepage to JoikuSpot's official website. The Premium version is priced at €15 and offers advanced features such as VPN, SSH, and HTTPS.
While the Light version should suffice for most basic users, advanced users can rely on the premium version which is a very cost-effective solution, considering the featureset offered.
JoikuSpot Premium and Light versions can be downloaded from our forum.
Guide: How to hack S60 v5 phones
June 30, 2009 by Aditya Singhvi
Filed under Coverage, Guide, Manufacturers, Nokia, S60, Software, Symbian OS
GLOBAL - Symbian S60 has evolved in great terms over a period of time. Each evolution brought different bouquets and brickbats. From a humble software found on Sendo, Siemens, and Nokia phones, it evolved to become one of the most-widely used operating system for phones. In fact, it virtually created the 'smartphone' segment.
Over the years, as competition has become fierce in this industry and technological leaps have taken place, S60 too has moved ahead and progressed. With the introduction of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic aka 'Tube', S60 evolved from S60 v3 to v5. This change in numbers might seem little, but in terms of what it allowed a smartphone user to do, expanded greatly. Still as is the case with all operating systems, people realized that more can be done.
Enter applications, when this wasn't enough, it was the time to go under the hood of S60 v5 and 'mod' it. Just like how cars are modified, the software is 'hacked' to make it do more than just what it is programmed to do.
Hacking S60 has become the only way to install unsigned applications and change a few settings. But there are risks of hacking a S60 v5 device: if not done properly, it can damage the device. All the forums that show how to hack a S60 v5 device post this warning first. But for all our readers who still feel that hacking is the way to get more out of their device, we have elaborated on the steps. There are a few methods to go about hacking an S60 v5 device.
Before you proceed Phone Report would like to warn you that hacking could damage your device. PhoneReport and its contributors are not accountable for any loss arising due to hacking.
Review: Nokia N86 8MP
June 29, 2009 by Meraj Chhaya
Filed under Coverage, Manufacturers, Nokia, Reviews, S60, Software, Symbian OS
STUTTGART, Germany - Following from our review of a prototype Nokia N86 8MP at the Mobile World Congress 2009, we were presented with a production unit of the Nokia N86 during our Carl Zeiss tour in Germany. The phone contains the highest megapixel count in any Nokia, and is the flagship of camera-phones for the manufacturer.
The N86 features a dual-slider design resembling the N85, while its position in the camera market shows continuity from the N82; the N8x series is one dedicated to high-end camera phones.
In terms of specifications, the N86 contains a 2.6" AMOLED display with QVGA resolution (240x320 pixels), a microSD memory card with 8GB included in the package, Bluetooth, HSDPA,DLNA-certified Wi-Fi, A-GPS, a 3.5mm audiovisual jack, an FM transmitter, Ngage gaming platform, and a kickstand.
The kickstand is comparable to that of the Nokia N96, a phone which was also used in this review for comparison purposes. The N96 unit was kindly lent to us by Dan Carter from World of Nokia.
Note: Further Nokia N86 images are available at our sister project, Nokia N86 Blog.
Review: This Week’s Top S60 5th-Edition Software
June 28, 2009 by Sushant Ghargi
Filed under Coverage, Reviews, S60, Software, Symbian OS
Best Widget: Blogger
There are very few widgets in the market today that do more than linking to the default browser and sourcing some information from the web. Rarer are the widgets that combine usability and functionality in one seamless package. Blogger is one of these rare breeds and the best part is, that it is free.
Developed by PhoneyTunes, Blogger is a widget that acts as a standalone client for blogging from Symbian 5th-edition devices. The widget supports basic blogger functions such as creating and publishing a new post, editing a post, and viewing blogger posts.
Although the widget performance is not as breezy as some of the other widgets in market today, Blogger excels at usability and with a well designed interface; blogging from mobile devices is a much easier task now.
While most commonly used blogger features such as uploading pictures/videos, editing in HTML mode, embeding links, and scheduling a post are not yet supported on the widget, the basic features offered are more than satisfactory for a free widget.
Blogger widget can be downloaded for free from the Ovi Store.
Review: This Week’s Top S60 3rd-Edition Software
June 23, 2009 by Sushant Ghargi
Filed under Coverage, Reviews, S60, Software, Symbian OS
YouTube Streaming on Skyfire
Best Browser: Skyfire v1.0
Skyfire, which recently released its v1.0 browser for S60 v3.0 and Windows Mobile, is one of the latest browsers on the mobile platforms today and is the only one to support JavaScript, Flash, and even Silverlight plugins on a mobile platform.
With its innovative proxy technology, it's not the mobile device that is doing the data compression, but the Skyfire servers which access the links requested, compress the data and then stream it to the Skyfire application on the mobile device. This translates into seamless browsing experience irrespective of the plugins and scripts embedded on the webpage.
While there is no considerable difference in browsing experience for webpages with more text, Skyfire just beats the competition by miles when it comes to browsing medi-rich webpages such as YouTube. Skyfire provides that computer-like browsing experience on mobile devices.
Skyfire has won several awards including the 2009 Webby award for People's Voice Best Mobile Application, Laptop Magazine's 2008 Mobile Maverick Awards, and is highly recommended by some of the most reputed online publications.
Skyfire can be downloaded for free from here.
