The Nokia Lumia 920 Chronicle: Camera Battle with the Nokia N8

King over King, a royal battle of cameraphones right here, right now!

The Nokia N8 reigns supreme in the cameraphone space when it was introduced in 2010. It was pitted and challenged by all cameraphones from different manufacturer's and even by standalone camera's, but had proven its superiority over and over, not until the Nokia 808 PureView came into existence in 2012, overthrowing the N8 by mile with its 42MP lens and well improved optics which is dubbed the PureView technology.

The Nokia Lumia 920 on the other hand was also introduce in the late quarter of 2012 which had also a PureView technology, an 8.7MP camera lens and an advance features such as floating lens technology and low light enhancements, nominating the phone as the current ruler in the arena.

With the aforementioned informations, you already knew who the real winner is, the only purpose of this challenge then is to measure how good the Nokia Lumia 920 compared to the Nokia N8, how far or near is the phones performance compared to the later, among others.

Well, people see things differently, so I don't expect everyone to agree with mine.

Now, lets begin! (Nokia N8 image on left half, Nokia Lumia 920 on the right.)

Day Light Shots

Gumamela Up Close

The Cathedral

The Landscape

Low Light Shots

The Night Canvas

The Wall of Lights

Fantasy Land

As clear as the morning sky, the Nokia Lumia 920 had produced better pictures in daylight and a far significant low light images. If your going to look at the daylight images closely, you will see how crisp and clear the images of the Lumia 920 were compared to the Nokia N8 while its low light shots were far brighter and more polished. The N8 also tends to produce artificial colors to adjust to the scenes while the Lumia 920 makes use of the natural lights around to produce realistic colors.

Anyhow, the Nokia N8 had ruled the camerphone dominion for fairly two years without a cloud of doubt, the Nokia Lumia 920's legitimacy in the throne on the other hand is in question because of the Nokia 808 PureView. Legacy is the key!

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The Mystery of Full Moon and my Nokia N8

It has been widely believed for centuries that full moon had an effect on human behavior, that somehow it influences attitude or modes one way or another depending on a person’s emotional state. To establish this point, studies had been conducted by several scientists relegating full moon to murders, homicides, suicides, heighten level of love, care and affection, among others. Skeptics on the other hand disagree, coming out with their own scientific studies debunking the myth, but in either way, the mystique of full moon will always shed a never-ending catechism and empathy in the vast space of human curiosity.

Meanwhile, famous film director, art show curator and writer Aaron Rose claimed that moonlight is a sculpture, well, I couldn’t agree more, somehow, the effect of the moon to me was art, bringing out my imaginative side. Though I have to agree that it’s not even near the artistic level of the world renowned but this behavior is very unusual in my part, coming out barely, every “once in a blue moon” they say?

Anyways, what happened was that I went out of the house to breathe some fresh night air, saw a beautiful full moon, got my Nokia N8 and walla!, images that came from nowhere. I have never taken or saw anything like these before so I find it very weird.

Convinced about the full moon gist now? I am. :D

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Symbian Apps I Cannot Live Without

I recently reset of my 2 year old Nokia N8 Luscious Green to factory setting because it had slowed down through the years. My depleted phone memory might be the culprit as a result to numerous installed apps and blotwares which force me ponder on the apps I truly need and those that I cannot live without. It was quite an easy task actually because I’ve noticed that I only use a few set of apps over and over daily.

Well of course we use our smartphones uniquely, I was more on social media being a blogger and the greatest and the latest information’s must be within my disposal to write about, other than these, I also need apps that makes my mobile use cooler and easier to use. So which among the 200 Thousand apps made it to my elite lists?

Here we go:

1. Gravity – Due to my socially centered lifestyle, the application provides me with no less than the best mobile twitter client in smartphone world, unparalleled and unabated even across iOS or Android. Mobileways created the award winning application which focused on simplicity and intuitiveness. Users will enjoy smooth and fast browsing across Timelines, Replies, Messages, Friends and Followers by just swiping left or right and push notifications which were missing in most of other Twitter clients. Gravity also allows you to connect to Facebook, Google Reader, Foursquare, YouTube, App.net, StatusNet and Sina Weibo, making it a very abled all-in-one social media client. But being the best in its class will cost a tidy sum, currently, the app is being sold for PhP150.00 on Nokia Store but very much worth every penny spent.

2. SWYPE – One thing I hate most in touchscreen phones is its seemingly limited and difficult typing mechanism. Virtual QWERTY is a pain to use while virtual T9 defeats its purpose, but SWYPE change everything as it offers an adaptive continuous system of writing messages making it so much easier to compose messages on a touchscreen device. Just swipe through the virtual QWERTY keypad and the system will identify the pattern and gives out the word you would like to type. Adaptive because it allows you to create and save your personal vocabulary to the system.

3. Fascinate - As much as I love Gravity as a twitter client, it falls a bit short compared to Fascinate when it comes to Facebook. The application offers a richer interface by adding images and videos to Facebook’s News Feed. Dedicated separate icons for Friends, Messages, Chat, Birthdays, Notifications, My Wall, Photos and Events were nicely laid through the apps main menu drawer. Users can add photos directly to the shout-out box or check-in to places. It also have push notifications which could directly show Birthdays, Feeds and New messages accompanied by notification light, sound and desired times. Fascinate is being sold for PhP20.00 in Nokia Store.

4. T. Clock – The most capable talking clock among Symbian Apps. From the name itself, what it does is announce loudly to users the current time per hour via loudspeaker, but unlike other apps where you still need to press buttons for it to work, T. Clock is automatic and users will only need to set the time frame. I like this app a lot because it will remind me what time it is without looking on my phone.

5. Swipe Unlock – One of my most loved feature in the Nokia N9 is it’s lock and unlock system, the Swipe Unlock emulates Nokia N9’s swipe up or down unlock mechanism, the best there is in the smartphone world. Currently, unlocking Symbian Belle involves the pressing of buttons, well swiping is more interactive and cool besides the fact that you can customized the locked background photo.

6. Tong-its Tournament – It wouldn’t be called Filipino’s most favorite pastime game for nothing, it definitely hooked me up in a healthy way. I even had a workmate who bought a Nokia Symbian Phone just for the game, that’s how huge the game is here in the Philippines. Pastime means fun, and the game offers it indefinitely.

7. Foursquare – My being a Foursquare user had something to do with my travel sorties, every ones in a while I travel to places I never been to and the best way to track my travels is through the app. It also serves as a guide for me since I get to know some of the exciting places near me. Rewards system like Mayorships and Badges also adds to the boast.

8. Toshl Finance – Managing my daily finances is as important as brushing my teeth that’s why the app is one of my most used on my Symbian phone. Earning a below average salary makes me want to track my expenses religiously because I don’t want to spend more than what I earn. There were several app’s offering the same function on Nokia Store but among the app’s, Toshl is a cut above the rest being spontaneous and easy. It also had cool visuals and sound effects so it’s more fun to use.

9. Opera Mobile – No other internet browser in the Symbian world could offer the fastest and the pc-like experience yet other than Opera Mobile. There might be some claims like that of Nokia Browser with its compression technology that allows faster and cheaper web browsing but I have not seen or felt it on the current version, Opera Mobile still opens webpages faster with an easy navigable interface. 

10. Blob – Not that I like this app but being the only Blogger client in the Symbian world makes this app indispensible. In fact I even brought this one for PhP20.00, a price not worth spending because of its boring interface, limited features and most specially, its inability to attached images on the blog post. It merely became a mobile draft creator when I had something in mind that I want to write about. How I wish there were developers who could create another blogger client or for the Blob creators to further improve the app.

How about you, what were the Symbian apps you can’t live without. Share your picks in the comments section below. 

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Travel and Places: SM City North Edsa

"We got it all for you!", the infamous SM Mall jingle which capture consumers attention for decades and still is and will forever be, my travel and places comeback feature presents SM's flagship malls, the SM City North Edsa.

Got this images during my recent visit to Manila last June 2012. Well, I can't really help myself from snapping everything along the way specially if I'm out of town. Makes me remember everything that reminisce the moment. As usual, I'm using my mobilephone to take images since I don't have a professional camera to brag about, but nonetheless, my Nokia N8 takes one of the best there is in mobilephones.

What I like about this mall was that I felt at home while strolling around. Everyone is very casual and the ambiance that is truly for the mass market crowd. Compared this to let say SM Mall of Asia or Greenbelt 5, you can really see the difference. Prices were minimal as well and I found everything I need to buy or inquire about inside.

Outside Shoots:

Sky Garden: Not literally located in the sky, but an open and real garden on top of their parking lot with food shops all over. Not entirely a new concept but a welcome addition to the mall's scenery.

Sky Dome: A smallish dome actually since it only covers a few meters and can handle the least 200 spectators on my estimate. I haven't been inside the dome but I guess its was enough to handle mall tours and mini concerts.

 Interior Shoots: Sorry if I only took a few because I find it typically similar with other SM Malls.

I agree, I haven't captured everything, thats because my phone was running out of power so I don't have much of a choice. Maybe next time.

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Get a chance to win smartphones with Nokia and Gameloft’s promo

Take out your gaming caps ladies and gentlemen and get a chance to win exciting prizes from Nokia Philippines and Gameloft. By simply downloading liking Nokia Philippines and Gameloft's Facebook page and download a free Gameloft demo game from the Nokia Store your oft to win either a Nokia 808 PureView, Nokia N9, Nokia N8 or other exciting prizes. Just look for the app on Gameloft’s Facebook page, or you can directly visit http://store.nokia.com or http://store.nokia.mobi, if you’re using your mobile phone.

You can choose from a wide variety of free mobile games including The Avengers, Harry Potter DH Part 2, The Dark Knight Rises, Lego Batman, Real Football 2010, Diamond Twister, and UNO.

After you finish downloading a game, make sure to register to make your entry count. Just head on to the app on Gameloft’s Facebook page and type in the following: your name, email address, mobile number, demo game downloaded, Nokia device used, and your handset’s IMEI number.

Each download corresponds to one entry, so download as many Gameloft games from the Nokia Store to increase your chances of winning. You can also spread the word and invite your friends to download games to unlock more prizes.

Promo ends on September23, 2012. One unit each of Nokia 808 PureView, Nokia N9 and Nokia N8 are up for grabs, and several Gameloft USB flash drives, shirts and ID lanyards will also be given away to the lucky winners who will be chosen via electronic raffle.

For more information about this promo, visit Nokia Philippines Facebook Page or Gameloft's Facebook Page.

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The Nokia N8 Journal: Belle Connuability, Breaking Dawn

Twilight? Not really, in truth and in fact, I have not seen a single series of the movie no matter how my friends would want me, but my blog posts is a little related to the movie having Belle as the lead character and breaking dawn as the theme.

Belle kick off!

So lets begin with Belle, the highly anticipated new update of the prodigious Symbian 3 operating system. Like the Twilight movie, Belle was the lead rule and partly the reason why it was such a big hit, well, in Symbian, Belle takes the same rule but becomes the main reason why a lot of Symbian users are happy and satisfied at the moment. It was such a huge upgrade that it propels the system to its most competitive edge.

As mentioned on my first impression article, one of the very visible changed that I like most is the systems new touch interface, it just works remarkably fast and fluid that it makes the touch experience delightful to do. Unlike the previous version were you keep worrying if it respond to your command or not, the new system offers a cheerful experience that you just want to swipe continuously. An curve Gorilla glass display would seal a pleasurable experience.

Homescreen haven

Of all the important areas of the upgrade, the Homescreen takes the biggest refresh with new widget and icons implementation, additional 3 screens from the previous 3 and new side swipe mechanism. What I like most is the fact that you can now side swipe even if you hit an icon without activating it. I find this tedious on the old software because it limits the area where I can side wipe. I use to leave a shortcut or widget free area on each screen before so I don't get bothered by apps opening while I side swipe in between screens, now it wont matter, giving me more space for my widgets and icons.

Then comes the more optimizable individual icons were you can positioned anywhere on the screen. This is what I like most on the SPB Mobile Shell and I'm glad that its on the new software. I was a bit disappointed though because I thought the icon or widget can be adjust to preferred sizes but its plainly minor, I like the icons smaller because it makes the screen look bigger on a glance.

3 new homescreen is a welcome addition since it offers more optimization. It will allow me now to add all applications in the menu directly to the homescreen. There was a big debate lately in Nokia Connects about users preferred number of Homescreen, well, for me, the more the merrier because I love to customized and group apps according to use.

Among the widgets, I personally like the Digital Clock, though it looks like that of HTC's, what matters was that it looks fairly attractive. The music widget looks hot as well as the radio and not to mention the Wi-Fi on/off switch. I do hope Nokia could add more great looking widgets to the existing ones particularly to its most usable application like the calendar, clock alarm, battery level, themes, notes among others.

Drop it down!

Nokia must have realize the importance of drop down menu on Android and adopt it for Symbian, what they have not realize was that they copied the same problem that I raise against it on the way this was implemented by the former. Its had been called a drop down menu because it needs to be access on top of the phone and drop it down to open, now for one handed operation specially on phones with bigger and longer screens, the command becomes tedious because users have to exert effort to reach the screens top. What Nokia should have done was put the command on the bottom of the screen and implement a "pitch up" gesture so it can be effortlessly access. It would have been so much easier.

I also like all the application switch on the pull down menu most specially the Mobile Data switch which allows me to turn on and off, mobile data connection in a single touch command unlike before that it needs to be access on the settings menu, then a few more commands. I'm fun of using mobile data on my phone having subscribe to a mobile internet data plan.

Menu menance

As much as I like the Homescreen changes, the menu was a bit of disappointment. The big icons and the three row implementation looks to intense. Worst is the visible drag when you scroll downwards, unlike the homescreen, the icons touched during the swipe down or up gestures opens carelessly. It would be best if it gets the same swipe mechanism to that of the homescreen.

Breaking Dawn

Breaking the blog post for now, but thats not the main point why I specifically tag it as it is, the software upgrade definitely gave the Nokia and the whole Symbian Ana entourage a new day and life in a very competitive environment of Smartphones. One way or another, it evens the competition software-wise but with the superior hardware of i Nokia smartphones, novelty and exclusive apps and features offered and low price, they are heading for a major upset. Like the breaking of the dawn, the scenario wont last long as morning comes and that is why Nokia has to prepare for the next phase to ensure that they would shine the brightest in a day, Donna is on the works as well as the new camera king to replace Nokia N8.

Belle connuability journal continues, stay tuned!

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The Nokia N8 Journal: Belle Connubiality First Impression

If there's two words that I'm proud to say to Nokia at the moment, it will be a simple Thank You, for giving its Symbian Anna users a beautiful and astounding software upgrade like no other in the world!

I was very wrong when I said the other day that the upgrade was merely aesthetic, it was also partly systemic since there were changes in some mechanism on doing stuffs. I fact, it was almost a new software that it took me several minutes to re-learn, discover and familiarize its features.

It gave me a wide grin on the face while trying it up for the first time, it was impressively fast and fluid, it respond to commands right away and open application without lags. The experience was 50x better than Anna with 100% satisfaction tagged along.

The new Homescreen implementation seals its delectable delight with its colorful and vibrant icons, useful and customizable widgets and additional Homescreen for easy navigating pleasure. I like the idea of smallish icons on the Homescreen, it makes the screen look bigger which would have also look as impressive when applied on the Menu but unfortunately, Nokia retained the big icons.

I can share everything all day long but I have to cut the blog post for now because I still need to discover a lot of good stuffs. Daily journal is up next, detailing every aspect of the new software, stay tuned for that, for now, enjoy this few screenshoots of my customized Homescreen.

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Whats Your Last Ideal Symbian Device?

Rumors are circulating in the web recently about Nokia N8's successor being the last high end device base on Symbian, well, I don't think its true since Nokia is still planning to release upgrades of the current software with the likes of Symbian Donna and Carla and will still be shipping about 150 million devices for the next 4 years but if its indeed true, what will be the last ideal high end Symbian device?

Well, for me, I want it to be the best of the best being the last hooray of the legendary mobile operating system that shape the mobilephone industry as we know today. It must be outstanding both hardware and software with a class and finesse of its own, that it can survive the test of time.

Class and finesse of its own. This would mean that the phone must have a unique, never before seen, impressive, cutting edge design, must likely the same public impression when the Nokia N9 came out. Its extraordinary looks must be unparalleled and must be countered with an extraordinary tactile impression, the very feeling of happiness and satisfaction every time you held the phone on your hand.

Form factor. I want it to have a sliding mechanical QWERTY but with a lock mechanism as solid as a monobloc. I've used all the mobile form factor in the world, but nobody can beat mechanical QWERTY yet when it comes to messaging in any given situation.

Screen. 4.3 inches with an extended width will do. It must sport an IPS technology and ClearBlack display like that of the Nokia 701 or even better. It doesn't have to be the brightest as long as it becomes the most beautiful natural screen in the world when lit up. 3D is nothing more like an eye sore in reality with smallish screen so no 3D for this phone. Curve unscratchable glass display is a must and might also be unbreakable so it could last a lifetime.

And speaking of nonscratchable and unbreakable screen, why not try to extend this impressive technology in all sides of the phone and cover everything for good so it will be fully protected. It will definitely becomes slippery being an all glass device, but it can be tweak to make it very satisfying to hold.

Processor must be multicore with more than 1Ghz speed so it can handle applications smoothly and swiftly. With people living in the fast lane nowadays, speed matters a lot.

Camera and video. The current unbeatable king of cameraphone is the 12MP Carl Ziess Camera of the Nokia N8, being the successor of a legendary camera device, it must outpaced the current camera specs and performance in both still image and video.

Battery. Bigger is better but it should not also compromise the phones design and construction. Power is very important element of mobility so the phone must be power efficient at the same time, power productive, like it must have the ability to power up on its own in any given situation. Wireless charging is a huge news for Nokia lately but it should be more than that. The phone must be able to harness all possible powers around it so it won't drained out.

Operating System. As little as it may be, we already have an idea on how the upgrade of the current Symbian OS might look like, but as advance as it may be, the last version must be rooted on the principles and ideas that made the Operating System legendary, its simplicity and user friendliness. It must have the sense of users being able to adopt to the system easily and do everything effortlessly.

So how about you? What is your last ideal high end Symbian device? Share your thoughts.

(Image courtesy of pocketnow.com)

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Mobilephone Price Watch, Pre-Christmas 2011

Most of you where probably planning to buy something for yourself, friends or love ones for Christmas, well, if mobilephones is part of the list, then set your eyes here to find their current market price.

Lets start with the highly regarded and no less than the best mobilephone in the market for 2011, the Nokia N9. The cheapest store price you can find will be around PhP23,500 for the 16GB variant and PhP27,500 for the 64GB variant. Nokia N9 is also currently offered FREE at All-in Plan 3,500 and Unlimited Data Plan PhP2,000 on Smart Telecom. Nokia Flagship stores and eBay power sellers offers it a thousand more than the store price.

Of the Nokia phones currently sold in the market, the one year old Nokia N8, the current camera king comes next in the Nokia price hierarchy. The cheapest store price you can find will be around PhP17,500, merely the same to that of eBay.ph's power sellers. It is also currently offered FREE at All-in Plan 2,500 and Unlimited Data Plan PhP1,500 on Smart Telecom, Sun Cellular offers this FREE on Elite Plan 2,500, forget about Globe, they suck for not offering this phone in their line-up. Nokia Flagship stores offers it a thousand more than the store price.

Then came the E-series flagship, the Nokia E7. Even if it has a better specs and feature than that of the Nokia N8, the phone is currently being offered less, the cheapest store price is currently offered for PhP17,000, very much similar again to eBay.ph power sellers. The phone is FREE at All-in Plan 2500 and Unlimited Data Plan 3000 at Smart Telecom, Globe and Sun doesn't offer the phone. Nokia Flagship stores offers it a thousand more than the store price. I will flag this as the best buy among the phones, you will get more than what you pay for.

My dream form factor, QWERTY Capacitative Candy Bar, Nokia E6 is now being offered with the cheapest store price of PhP13,500. Globe Telecom offers this for FREE on Plan 2,499, this time around Smart and Sun sucks

Nokia 700, the most affordable Symbian Belle with 1Ghz processor is being sold in retail store the cheapest at around PhP13,700. No telecom offers yet for the phone. Well, if you want to experience a better and faster user interface in a pocket friendly pitch, then this is the perfect phone for you.

Then we have the Nokia Asha 303, another QWERTY Capacitative touch candybar phone, my dream phone factor, its currently being offered at around PhP6,450. If you want a fast, powerful yet affordable phone to satisfy your socially connected lifestyle, look no further.

Then the Dual SIM line ups that highly recommend, the Nokia 101, X1-01 and C2-01. All three with different market targets, C2-03 for the young and fashionable, price at PhP4,300, the Nokia X1-01 for the music oriented individuals, price at PhP1,870, then last but the least, my business phone, the Nokia 101 which cost at around PhP1430 on retail stores.

So there you go folks, pick one that best fits your lifestyle. Have a merry Nokia Christmas to all. Enjoy shopping!

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Symbian Anna Rolling In.. Finally!

Symbian Anna, the most awaited Symbian^3 upgrade starts to roll out! I have just posted an article about this 4 days ago and Nokia answered back with a surprise release 10 days before my predicted date.

At the moment, feedback's were coming in from Europe and Asia enjoying the said upgrade but not here in Philippines yet as of post time, might be in a few days.

I'm more than excited to test this out and share my thoughts.

Symbian Anna key features:
- Virtual portrait QWERTY for fast, one handed typing
- Split screen view while typing; so you can see message threads, webpages, contacts or email
- An easier to use and faster browser, delivering quicker page loads and improved navigation
- Refreshed Nokia Maps including simpler search, new public transportation routes and the ability to check-in to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or local social networks
- A feature to share your location via email and SMS (even to non-Nokia phones)

Features for business users:
- Instant messaging and presence with Microsoft Communicator Mobile
- E-mail enhancements including full meeting request support
- True business grade security with hardware accelerated encryption
- Easy and secure intranet access for business users who want to access their company intranet

My Nokia N8 gets continuous auto-focus in video recording plus a higher video framerate (30fps), while the C7's NFC capabilities are also finally enabled.

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Promotional Videos For Nokia E7, N8, C7 and C6-01 with Symbian Anna

The Symbian Anna upgrade seems to be unstoppable now as Nokia loads promotional videos for the Symbian^3 carrying device's. Well, it's about time since that upgrade is due past its target. As I mentioned in my article yesterday, I expect a lot from this upgrade and I do hope it meets my expectation.

The video would also mean that all the current aforementioned phones will now be carrying the Symbian Anna.

The videos went live silently on youTube few days ago but whats interesting among the videos were the number of views they currently have at the moment. The views could automatically correlates popularity with the most viewed as the forefront of the race.

Base on the current tally, the obvious prevails, N8 is still the flagship as to popularity among Nokia phones with 37,155 views followed halfway by C7 with 14,171 views, then the E7 with 12,663 views and finally on far fourth, the C6-01 with 7,542 views. I believe that the Nokia N8 is also the frontrunner among number of units sold.

And so without further ado, the aforementioned the Symbian Anna-nized videos.

Nokia N8



Nokia C7



Nokia E7



Nokia C6-01

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All Set For Symbian Anna...

Nokia announced a month ago that the Anna upgrade on existing Symbian^3 will be coming end of August, well, today set mark half way to that and I'm very excited to try it on my lust green Nokia N8. I do hope it won't be extended again because they broke their promise twice already as the awaited upgrade was suppose to be release June, then it became July and now August.

Why am I excited on the upgrade? Its a given fact that it gain a good review from critiques because of its noticeable improvement from the previous, I would like to affirm or deny this personally and share my thoughts on it. Symbian Belle, the next upgrade to Anna was even appearing now on videos showing a more improved user interface specially on the Homescreens versatility and degree of personalization but lets not cross to that line as it is not official yet.

So Anna, what to expect with the sweet femme name?

1. The new Symbian icons, the circular, colorful and playful icons that emanates the new direction of the operating system. I have used quite a few themes that replicates the icons and I have to say that I'm not very much sold out to it. I find it a bit simple and not very much creative.

2. Text input has also been improved: there’s the long-awaited portrait QWERTY input, plus a split screen when entering text into web pages and apps, so you don’t lose sight of what you’re filling in.

3. The browser now offers faster performance and is easier to use. I need this more than ever being a frequent user of the application. The current browser is fine but compared to the competition, its behind in few features and savvyness.

The enhanced browser (v7.3) has high value touch UI improvements, including URL entry bar, always visible ‘Go Back’ and extended toolbar buttons and search-integrated address field; better user responsiveness, faster history navigation and page loading, split screen virtual Qwerty keyboard.

I do hope the upgrade will close the gap down or even surpass the current mark set by competing systems. Looking forward to the text flow after zooms, a more fluid scroll and faster page loading.

4. The usability of the photo gallery has also been improved. Just like the browser, I expect a more fluid scroll and a faster loading of images after zoom.

5. Enhanced Ovi Maps (v3.06) is said to have a smarter search, check-in to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or local social networks, ability to share places via email and SMS, and also with friends using non-Nokia phones, public transport network lines view and update and download full country maps via WLAN.

I do hope these were true because my Nokia N8's Maps and Navigation is performing peculiarly after a reboot and after installing the Nokia Maps v3.08 via BetaLabs. At the moment, the phones GPS won't work with the use of WIFI to check in to Foursquare, Facebook or Twitter, it needs operators mobile internet connection to be able to do so. Anything to figure out here?

Oh well, as mentioned earlier, the upgrade is coming in 15 days time so that won't be long enough. Will the Anna make the grade?

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High Five Theme For Nokia N8 Green

It’s been awhile that I have featured a theme on the blog, for more reasons than one, I kinda became choosy on themes to highlight and have not been impressed with anyone of theme lately except this one which perfectly fits with my luscious green Nokia N8.

High Five created by MMMOOOO perfectly blends with the phones aesthetic through the presence of green dominant background homescreen image and the seemingly colorful Symbian Ana derived icons. It also has a clear messaging input mechanism of white letters against a black background.

Icons where not complete in terms of covering every applications available on Ovi Store but I’m glad that the creator made a few for the basic applications. On the menu though, it has no customized icon for Web TV, hope MMMOOO could update this together with a customized icons for Gravity, Email, Social, Opera, Maps among the rest of the most used apps, that if it wouldn’t be too much MMMOOO.

Anyways, the theme have not been changed for the past week now, that’s a remarkable feet to reached from a theme freak like me.

Here are few screen shoots of the theme and you can download it on this Ovi Store link, enjoy!

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Ovi Store Wont Work After A Hard Reset On Your Nokia N8? Try This!

It all started when I downloaded and installed an application in Ovi Store called Sketch Me. The app did something to my precious Nokia N8 that I can't anymore open Application folder in the Menu after the installation and that every time I tried to do so, the phone restarts. Everything is working though except this but since I got a lot of important apps on the Application folder that I cannot access, I have to find way to restore it.

And so I uninstall the app via Settings and reboot the phone but it didn't work. I decided then to do a soft reset via *#7370# but it also didn't help so have no choice but to do a hard reset using the *#7370#.

Everything seemed restored after the hard reset except Ovi Store which won't open after installation. After a few reboot, nothing happend so I decided to look for solutions on Goggle only to find out that it's the most common problem encountered by users after the reset. Well a lot of solutions were presented though via Nokia Support Discussion page but its more complicated that I expected it to be like the need to intall QT package on PC, etc. but most of them didn't solve my problem.

So here is what I did.

1. I did another hard reset of the phone since I cannot stand using the phone without Ovi Store.
2. After the reset, I downloaded and installed the latest Ovi Store version which as prompted after clicking the store icon.
3. Tough after installation and just like what happened on my first hard reset, the store still didn't work, so I decided to give it a quit and just bring the phone to Nokia Care for reflashed.
5. As I restore the phones set up from Contacts to Calendars, I visited Nokia Beta Labs to download Nokia Bubble and Nokia Sleeping Screen. It so happen that I got a glimpse of the CNN app and decided to download and install it as well.
6. Then came a huge surprise, after installing CNN which by the way installed 5 supporting apps on the background, my Ovi Store worked again unexpectedly like holy cow bells. Must have something to do with the supporting apps it installed on the phone. I suspect Ovi Store needs these QT support apps to work and luckily CNN installed them by chance.

Well it does really pay to read news, don't they?

At the moment, I'm still trying to recover everything I lost after the hard reset, a few apps was lost like the free games, my downloaded maps and a few promotional videos and images pre-installed. No matter, as long as Ovi Store is back, I can recover them as easy as ABC.

So there you go folks, hope this method works for you. c",

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