It’s old news that Nokia bought Symbian, the software used to power many mobile phones today. The deal finally closed, and now the Symbian Foundation is officially in charge of Symbian development. There are currently ten participants in the Symbian Foundation, though membership is open to anyone with $1,500 to spare. The Symbian Foundation has big plans for the platform. Read on for a glimpse, and some thoughts on what the future might hold.
I’ve been cogitating a lot about many of the little things I learned while at Nokia World 2008. The N97 is a neato device, but Nokia has a lot more going on that merits discussion. For example, we met with Kirsi Sormunen, head of environmental affairs at Nokia, and she had some very interesting things to say. Read More
Ever lose your hotel keycard? Ever have it get de-magnetized? Both of these are simple to resolve – just go to the front desk – but wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t need to worry so much about the darn things? Nokia is working with VingCard to allow you to use your cellphone to open your hotel door.
As described in the video above, the goal is to allow frequent guests to bypass the front desk for check-in altogether. The guest can register online and get an SMS sent to their phone from which they install a small application. Then they simply go to their hotel room and use their phone to unlock the door! No more lost cards! When the guest checks out, the RFID-enabled lock resets to a new code, making sure that the previous occupant can no longer gain access.
The key part of this technology is the near field communication (NFC) chip, which isn’t largely deployed in cell phones yet. These locks aren’t likely to become commonplace for awhile, but I think it’ll be an extremely popular addition to hotels.
Nokia is working hard to merge mobile phones with mobile computing, making it easier to access and use of the full suite of Internet resources from a variety of devices. Annssi Vanjoki, Nokia Executive Vice President of Markets, said at the Nokia World 2008 keynote “I want to surf the entire Internet, not just some pieces of the Internet.” That’s a great idea, but the reality is that many parts of the Internet simply don’t work well on the small screens and limited input mechanisms prevalent on most mobile devices. Read More
I’ve just left the Nokia World 2008 keynote, in which the new products and services were announced, like the Nokia N97, Nokia Maps, and Nokia Messaging. The presentation was interesting, and highlights Nokia’s vision for mobile communications. Read on for a quick summary and some thoughts.
Nokia is pushing hard for consolidation, looking to make their smartphones the go-to device for communication. One of the major announcements at Nokia World 2008 this year is about their Nokia Messaging solution. It is essentially a multi-platform messaging solution that enables email considerably more gracefully than the original Symbian interface. Read More
At Nokia World 2008, Nokia announced their new Nokia Maps product. The most compelling feature is the ability to plan your trip on your PC, and then sync the route to your Nokia phone. Also included are 3D landmarks for 216 cities, to help users visually identify where they are! Camera locations are included for select cities, so folks can avoid those pesky speeding tickets. Neat stuff.
