Symbian S60, What is it?

Since its introduction in 2001, the S60 platform has been the world’s most popular smartphone platform. By early 2007, more than 100 million S60 devices had been shipped by six platform licensees. The first S60 device, the Nokia 7650 smartphone, introduced a comprehensive range of features, including personal information management (PIM), browsing, imaging, and music. Since then, S60 devices have become increasingly sophisticated, with high-resolution cameras, full Web browsing, stereo music, mapping, and voice over IP
(VoIP), to name just a few of the features now available. The range of S60 devices has also evolved, offering distinct collections of device models for consumers, enterprises, and other specific market niches.

One key factor in the success of the S60 platform is that it enables users to add features to their devices by installing third-party applications and content. At first, the platform supported third-party applications written in the Java and native Symbian C++ programming
languages. As the platform has evolved, an increasing number of development options have become available. Application developers can now choose from Symbian C++, Open C, Java platform, Micro Edition (Java ME), Python, Flash Lite from Adobe, Web Run-Time, and
Scalable Vector Graphics Tiny (SVGT) technologies. At the same time, Web content developers have been provided with support for standard Web technologies — such as HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript,Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax), Flash Lite, and
SVGT — to enable S60 devices to browse their websites

Modern Technology – Owes Ecology – An Apology

Interesting quote, right? I think its true! We all should do something to save the ecology.

Anyways, i spotted it in Bryan Adams’ music video ‘Oxygen’ today. Just wanted to share with you guys!

Definitely, we, the modern technology users/developers, owe ecology and apology.

Critical IE Bug! Patch it immediately!

This is a new critical security exploit in IE7 using mshtml.dll redirect disclosure. Ensure you quickly apply patch or use alternate browsers like Firefox or Chrome.

To patch your machines:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-078.mspx

News:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10124702-83.html

December Notebooks! Which one to buy?

I ordered for a Dell XPS M1530 today morning, expecting it at home by this weekend. Will review it along with pictures later this weekend, but before that i would like to share my experience on R&D to convince my confused mind about which one to buy!

Well, firstly, my basic need for a notebook was to have a heavy HDD so that i can have multiple OS and data, superb RAM (4GB, say 2DDRs) and a high performance processor with atleast 3MB cache. Using this i would maintain a server may be, for my R&D on Java Enterprise apps, play HD games, movies, HD audio, most importantly a lot of multi-tasking. And i would prefer it to be easy-to-carry.

As i am a born techie, i do have a good idea about which one does what, so narrowed down my list to Dell, Vaio and HP. Considering high performance, HP sucks (Well, thats my opinion) though it is a numero uno seller and perfect just for multimedia. Moreover comparing HP with Dell and Vaio is like comparing Maruti with Honda and Audi. So i’ve deleted it from the List. My hunt started with several models in sony vaio and dell. After visiting stores, internet reviews, speaking to friends who’ve got ‘em, i’ve narrowed down my list to these:
1.Sony Vaio CR353
2.Sony Vaio CS17
3.Sony Vaio CS14
4.Dell XPS M1530
5.Dell XPS M1330
6.Dell Studio 15

Frankly, Vaio has got amazing looks. Its build quality is excellent. But considering my life-time philosophy “never bother about looks, just worry about the insider performance” i had to go to XPS M1530 ultimately; i’ll tell you why.

Considering a budget of 60K, i could get the above mentioned models of Sony Vaio. But i had to go for lot of compromises, i would never get a 4Gb ram in vaio, no 320Gb for my budget, moreover i could never get an NVIDIA GT (i could get a GS ofcourse but a 128MB). But still sony’s got the best reviews about its cache management and clock speed utility. The best advantage of sony is its audio cards, the default HD audio card is equipped with dolby room/home/theater and believe me, no other notebook has such a good audio. The system performance during heavy multitasking is very soft and quiet.
PROS:
1.Excellent Build Quality
2.Good Cache managemenr and clock speed utility
3.Good HD audio
CONS:
1.Compromise on memory & graphics
2.Sensitive to carry
3.Low end configs for 60K

Here comes my all-time favorite, DELL. Trendy looks, amazing performance, cheaper deals, good quality, worth for price. Internet reviews and people reviews give an outright 10/10 on its performance. Moreover, it comes in my budget and has the highest config in the world currently for a personal notebook. I could do all that i wanted in the first paragraph.
PROS:
1.Excellent configs
2.Proved performance
3.Affordable price
CONS:
1.Not so stylish looks like vaio

I was in a paradigm of comparing between a high-end Honda and low-end Audi. I thought its better always to be a high-performer, so decided to go for DELL.

Now Studio vs XPS, which one to go! I called one of ma buddies who works for Texas Instruments, he is a chip designer out there and asked him about the difference between the processor configs and graphic memories of studio vs XPS asking him about their dependencies in different environments. Then read few reviews about Core 2 Duo T5800 vs T8100 and understood that there are several issues which a normal user would never notice on the UI. Ultimately XPS is the winner. I felt 1330 was very smaller and had lastly reached at 1530.

Guys, this is just my personal opinion which i’ve arrived after a little research. Nothing offensive!!!

Vista SP2 Beta is out

Microsoft is continuing to broaden the pool of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) testers beyond the fairly small, select group who’ve been working with test builds for the past few months.

On December 2, Microsoft made the latest beta build of SP2 available for download by any TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers.

The highlights of the Service Pack includes native Blu-ray burning, VIA 64bit security support, Hyper-V hypervisor, WMP upgrade DRM issues fixed, feature pack for WiFi, event logging support in SPC, reduced resource hogging by sidebar gadgets and improved power settings for Windows Server 2008. Along with these, Microsoft also promises to include support for proprietary file systems used in Flash memory like exFAT/FAT64.

As per sources on the web, SP2 beta download size will vary from 302MB to 390MB for 32-bit version supporting five or 36 languages. Download size of Vista SP2 64-bit version will vary from 508MB to 644MB including support for five or 36 languages.

The iPhone Killer: Nokia 5800 Specs

Guys, the phone is not out yet in Hyderabad, so would update with the review in a while, check-out the detailed specifications for now!

Size

* Form: Classic with full touch user interface
* Dimensions: 111 x 51.7 x 15.5 mm
* Weight: 109 g
* Volume: 83 cc
* Touch user interface optimised for one-hand use with tactile feedback

Display and 3D

* Main display
- Size: 3.2″
- Resolution: 640 x 360 pixels (nHD)
- Up to 16 million colours
- aspect ratio 16:9
- automatic orientation sensor (Accelerometer) for display rotation
* 3D image engine

Keys and input method

* Stylus, plectrum and finger touch support for text input and user interface control (alphanumeric keypad, full and mini qwerty keyboard, handwriting recognition, full screen handwriting for Chinese language)
* Dedicated Media Bar touch key for access to music, gallery, share on-line, Video Centre and web browser
* Voice commands
* Physical keys for application launch key (menu key), send & end, power, camera, lock, volume up & down

Colors and covers

* Available in-box colours:
- Red
- Blue
- Black
Available colours may vary per region.

Connectors

* Micro-USB connector, USB 2.0 High Speed
* 3.5 mm Nokia AV connector
* MicroSD card slot, small DC jack, Micro USB cable interface to PC (CA-101), TV out interface (CA-75U)

Power

* BL-5J 1320 mAh Li-Ion battery
* Talk time (maximum):
- GSM 8.8 h
- WCDMA 5 h
* Standby time (maximum):
- GSM 406.2 h
- WCDMA 400 h
* Browsing time with packet data (maximum): 3.4 h
* Video playback time (maximum): 5.2 h, Video playback time (maximum, nHD/Mpeg4) 3.4 h, VGA video playback using TV-Out with Stereo BT Headset 3.8 h
* Video recording time (maximum): 3.6 h
* Video call time (maximum): 3 h
* Music playback time (maximum): Up to 35 h
* Gaming time (maximum): 5.6 h

Memory

* MicroSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 16 GB
* 81 MB internal memory
* 8GB microSD memory card in-box, expandable up to 16GB

Operating frequency

* WCDMA 900/2100
* GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
* WCDMA 850/1900 (Latin America and Brazil variant only)
* Automatic switching between GSM bands
* Flight mode

Data network

* CSD
* HSCSD
* GPRS/EDGE class B, multislot class 32, maximum speed 296/177 kbps (DL/UL)
* WCDMA 2100/900 with simultanous voice and packet data, maximum speed PS 384/384 kbps (UL/DL), CS maximum speed 64 kbps
* HSDPA cat 6, maximum speed 3.6 Mbps (DL)
* WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g (3G version only)
* TCP/IP support

Local connectivity and synchronization

* Bluetooth version 2.0
- Bluetooth profiles: A2DP & AVRCP
* MTP (Mobile Transfer Protocol) support
* TV out with Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, in-box)
* Support for PC synchronisation with Nokia OVI Suite

Call features

* Integrated hands-free speakerphone
* Number screening for messaging and calls
* Automatic answer with headset or car kit
* Any key answer
* Call waiting, call hold, call divert
* Call timer
* Logging of dialled, received and missed calls
* Automatic redial
* Speed dialling
* Voice dialling: speaker independent dialling and voice commands (SIND)
* Fixed dialling number support
* Vibrating alert (internal), also with tactile feedback
* Side volume keys
* Mute/unmute
* Contacts bar for 4 contacts with images and communication history (SMS, IM, email, web feeds)
* Talking ring tones
* Conference calling with up to 6 participants
* Video calling: up to 3h, QCIF 176 x 144 pixels, low up to 5 fps, normal up to 10 fps, smooth up to 15 fps

Messaging

* SMS
* Multiple SMS deletion
* MMS version 1.3, message size up to 600 kb
* Automatic resizing of images for MMS
* Nokia Xpress audio messaging
* Common inbox for SMS and MMS messages
* Number screening for messaging
* Distribution lists for messaging
* Instant messaging client
* Cell broadcast

E-mail

* Supported protocols: IMAP, POP, SMTP
* Support for e-mail attachments
* OMA e-mail notification support
* Mail for Exchange 2008 in DL client, in 2009 embedded

Web browsing

* Supported markup languages: HTML, XHTML, WML
* Supported protocols: HTTP, WAP, JavaScript
* TCP/IP support
* OSS browser
* Nokia Mobile Search

GPS and navigation

* Integrated GPS for pedestrian and car navigation
* Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch application

Photography

* 3.2 megapixel camera (2048 x 1536 pixels)
* Image formats: JPEG
* Carl Zeiss optics
* 3x digital zoom
* Autofocus
* Dual LED flash
* Flash modes: On, off, automatic, red-eye reduction
* White balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
* Centre weighted auto exposure; exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step
* Normal, Sepia, Black&White, Vivid, Negative
* Dedicated camera key
* Landscape (horizontal) orientation
* Photo editor on device
* Direct printing to compatible picture printers

Video

* Main camera
Video recording at up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps (TV high quality), up to 640 x 352 pixels and up to 30 fps (widescreen quality), up to 320 x 240 pixels and up to 30 fps/15 fps (email high/normal quality), up to 176 x 144 and up to 15 fps (sharing quality)
- Up to 4x digital video zoom
* Front camera for video calling
* Video recording file formats: .mp4, .3gp
* Audio recording formats: WAV (normal), AMR (MMS), AAC/MP4 (high quality)
* Video white balance modes: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
* Scene modes: automatic, night
* Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, vivid, negative
* Clip length (maximum): 1 h 30 min (high or normal quality). Dependable on available memory.
* RealPlayer
* Video playback file formats: MPEG4-SP playback 30fps VGA, MPEG4-AVC playback 30fps QVGA, WMV9 playback 30fps QVGA, MPEG4-SP playback 30 fps nHD
* Video streaming: 3GPP and CIF
* Landscape mode video playback
* Video editor on device
* Video Centre service supported: download and stream video content, WMV support, video feeds

Music and audio playback

* Nokia Nseries digital music player
- Playlists
- 8-band graphical equalizer
- selection by artist, composers, album and genre
album graphics display and audio visualisations
bass booster, stereo widening, loudness
* Music playback file formats: .mp3, SpMidi, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA
* Dedicated volume keys & immediate access to Music Player from Media Bar, dedicated music keys in the headset control unit AD-54
* Stereo FM radio
* 3.5 mm Nokia AV connector
* Music Player
* Nokia Music Manager
* Nokia Music Store support
* Nokia Podcasting support
* Ring tones: 3D stereo ring tones, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 & video ring tones (3 videos and 9 mp3 songs built-in)
* Integrated stereo speakers with surround sound (crystal clear hi-fi sound quality with dedicated audio chip)

Voice and audio recording

* Voice commands
* Speaker-independent name dialling (SIND)
* Voice recorder
* AMR, NB-AMR, FR, EFR
* Digital stereo microphone

Personalization: profiles, themes, ring tones

* Customizable profiles
* Ring tones: 3D stereo ring tones, 64-tone polyphonic, mp3 & video ring tones
* Themes

Software platform and user interface

* S60 5th edition
* Symbian OS version 9.4
* Active standby
* Media Bar
* Contacts bar

Personal information management (PIM): contacts, clock, calendar etc.

* Support for assigning images to contacts
* Support for contact groups
* Clock: analogue and digital, world clock
* Alarm clock
* Reminders
* Calculator
* Calendar with week and month view
* Converter
* Notes
* To-do list

Applications

* Java TM MIDP 2.0
* Flash Lite 3.0
* Games: 3D Bounce and Global Race, DVD: Ulead VTB
* Nokia Music Store
* Nokia Maps
* Map loader
* PC Download
* PC Photos
* OVI Suite with Nokia Music
* Download!
* Share on OVI
* Adding more applications:
- Over-the-air (OTA) downloads

Gaming

* Games: 3D Bounce and Global Race

* 5800 XpressMusic with pen stylus
* Battery (BL-5J)
* High Efficiency Charger (AC-8)
* Music Headset (HS-45, AD-54)
* Video-out Cable (CA-75U)
* Connectivity Cable (CA-101)
* 8 GB microSDHC card (MU-43)
* Carrying Case (CP-305)
* Stand (DT-29)
* Stylus plectrum in wrist strap (CP-306)
* Extra pen stylus
* User guide and Quick guide
* Mini DVD