Symbian 3.2 and 5.0 get a browser and navigation update

Nowadays taking care of its latest smartphones is mandatory for every manufacturer with any kind of long term ambitions. However releasing an update for three-year old smartphones, ranging from entry level phones to former high-enders, and showing their owners that they aren't forgotten should certainly earn Nokia some bonus points.

The Finnish company just announced through their blog that they will be releasing an update for their Symbian 3.2 and 5.0 platforms. There's a whole bunch of handsets running those - check out the lengthy list:

• Nokia E72
• Nokia E52
• Nokia E5
• Nokia C5-00
• Nokia 6700 slide
• Nokia C6-00
• Nokia C5-03
• Nokia 5230
• Nokia 5235
• Nokia 5250
• Nokia X6
• Nokia N97 mini
• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
• Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
• Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

The update will bring the new Nokia browser v7.3 to the aging phones, which should significantly improve their browsing experience. This is the same browser that owners of newer Symbian phones will get when the Anna update is released. The benefits of the new browser include improved performance, support for International Domain Names (IDNs) and also supports non-ASCII letters such as Arabic or Chinese.

The other major feature of the firmware update is the updated Ovi Maps app. The software offering free voice-guided navigation will go to version Ovi Maps 3 SR4 on Symbian 3.2 devices, bringing indoor positioning through WiFi, as well as travel and recommendation services such as those through Lonely Planet. Those with Symbian 5.0 devices will get Ovi Maps 3 SR6, adding public transport lines and check-in services to social networking sites.

The final good bit about this update is the addition of a set of emoticons to the listed devices, which can be used when sending MMS.

Nokia C6-00 and Nokia 5230 are already eligible for the update, while the rest of the smartphones will get it in the next few weeks. So make sure you have the software update autocheck switched on in your phone.

Symbian Anna running Nokia E6 and X7 now shipping, slowly

The first Symbian Anna phones, the Nokia E6 and the Nokia X7, are now shipping. Announced back in April, these two have been on pre-order for a while and now you can buy one, if you don’t mind a stretched out delivery date.

The touchscreen/QWERTY E-series messenger, the Nokia E6, will be available in Europe, Eurasia, Asia/Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Nokia Germany’s online store still have it on pre-order for €429 while Italians can pre-order it for €399. The Nokia UK online store still lists it as available on pre-order for £349 (€400) SIM-free.

It is shipping now if you want to get it on a contract (phone is free with a £25/month contract with Vodafone or T-Mobile) or on pre-paid for £339 with Vodafone, T-Mobile or Orange. There’s a note saying you should allow 11 days for delivery.

The Nokia X7 and its 4” AMOLED screen will be headed to Europe, Eurasia, China, India and other Asia/Pacific countries. Its pre-order price in Germany (according to Nokia’s online store) is €459 and €429 in Italy, which is quite steep despite all of Symbian Anna’s improvements. It’s missing from the UK store right now.

We’re expecting Nokia’s online stores to switch the Nokia E6 and X7 status to “available” soon.

New Symbian^3 homescreen leaked by Nokia Germany

Some images posted on the Nokia Germany website just lifted the curtain on one of the features to come in the next Symbian^3 update. What we are seeing is the free-form widgets that were initially rumored to come with the PR 2.0 Anna update, but apparently didn’t make it.

The new Symbian^3 homescreen with free-form widgets

Until now the Symbian^3 widgets had a fixed size and you could only fit a preset number of them on the screen. However when free-form widgets become available you'll be able to reduce those you need less often in size to make room for the more important ones.

Now there’s an outside chance that someone in the Nokia Germany PR department just went too creative on those images, but we really doubt that this is the case. After all, what would be the point in simulating such a minor feature if you don’t plan on ever releasing. It won’t attract any new customers and it might earn you some bad publicity.

So it’s a pretty safe bet that Symbian users will be able to resize their widgets once the next update becomes available. Dubbed PR 3.0 Belle, this upcoming update is expected to hit in the fall, but given that we’re still waiting for the mass availability of the Anna, we wouldn’t bet our salaries on that.

Nokia Launches Custom Dictionary for Symbian 60 v3 and v5 Phones

After the updated release of Nokia Ovi Suite 2.1 Beta, Nokia Beta Labs now launched Custom Directory for Symbian 60 V3 and V5 users. This application is still in its experimental Phase and can be used to insert and store your personal words to dictionary and then use them as predictive input text. According to Beta Labs Custom Dictionary gives you the following features.

You can add and view all words in the custom dictionary, delete words that you do not want, export the dictionary to other devices as XML files, similarly you can also import dictionary from other devices in the same way, import words from any text file to dictionary, transfer complete dictionary to other phones and view custom dictionary in other languages.

This application will be fully compatible with Nokia E 71, Nokia E 63, Nokia 5800 Express Music and Nokia x6. Beta Labs also provides a list of models on which Custom Dictionary will run with limited functionality, they are Nokia N96, Nokia N95, Nokia N82, Nokia N78 and Nokia N 79. And models like Nokia N97, E 72, E 75, E 55 and E 52 might experience some performance issues.

Free ESET Mobile Antivirus for Symbian S60 Phones

ESET, the company behind award winning NOD 32 Antivirus already running on Windows Mobile, BSD, Linux and Windows. They have now built a Antivirus software for Symbian Mobile Phones more popular as S60 platform cellphones.

ESET’s Mobile Antivirus is compatible with Symbian S60 3rd Edition, both Feature Pack 1 and Feature Pack 2, and on smartphones powered by Symbian S60 5th Edition. It requires 1MB of free memory to run on a Symbian OS-powered handset.

Features of ESET Mobile Antivirus

- Activation – performed online via graphic user interface.
- Archive Scanning – variable in-depth scanning of archives
- Heuristics – pioneering proactive protection for mobile platforms
- Logs and Statistics – provides information about scanning tasks and virus signature database status as well as a report on scanning history
- On-Access Scanning – scans newly-created and opened files; scanning of files received via Bluetooth, IR and Wi-Fi
- On-Demand Scanning – scans running processes and storage (including specific subfolders); standardized logs.

ESET Mobile Antivirus for Symbian OS is available for free download.

Download Skype Symbian Application for Nokia Mobile Phones

Nokia has announced the availability of a Symbian version of Skype which can be downloaded free from the store of applications from Nokia: Ovi Store. For now compatible with 23 company phones including the Nokia N97, N97 mini, X6, 5800 XpressMusic, N96, N95, N85, N82, N81, N79, E66, E63, E51, 5320, 6220 Classic and 6210 Navigator. Skype for Symbian S60 works with WiFi or mobile data networks (GPRS, EDGE, 3G).

Nokia opens the door to Internet calling with the Skype launched officially for the latest version of Symbian. Skype for Symbian can be downloaded from the Official Website via visiting http://skype.com/m from your mobile browsers. The application allows a completely free calling to other Skype users and very cheap prices and mobiles. Also you can send and receive photos, videos and other files for free.

Skype Compatible Nokia Handsets

Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia X6, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia 5530 and the following non-Touch screen devices Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E90, Nokia E63, Nokia E66, Nokia E51, Nokia N96, Nokia N95, Nokia N95 8Gb, Nokia N85, Nokia N82, Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8 GB, Nokia N79, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 5320.

Symbian Anna OS is the latest evolution of Nokia Mobile OS – What’s New!

The latest version of Nokia Symbian OS named as Symbian Anna came to light today through images Videos published on web. The New Symbian boasts renewed interface with several internal changes to provide a better user experience.

Among the changes highlighted are: new line of icons, split screen with onscreen keyboard and faster web browser. The New Symbian Anna OS comes pre loaded in Nokia X7 and E6 smartphones and expected to arrive on Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia E7 and Nokia C6 through a firmware update.

The most notable changes are:

• Web browser (v7.3).
• Ovi Maps (v3.06): more intelligent search, check-in on facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, view public transport routes, download maps via Wi-Fi.
• Ovi (v2.06.xx).
• Social (v1.3): better integration, higher high-resolution images, etc.
• Ovi Suite (v3.x) .