Nokia has released some updated news on upgrades to Symbian Belle user interface, the first of which is a name change to just Nokia Belle. It will also become available for download onto existing Nokia phone soon and become preloaded on new smartphones. The interface is already on Nokia 701, 700 and 600 phones, with N8, E7, E6, X7, C6-01, C7, and Oro handsets getting the update in February.
A user's manual for an upcoming Nokia smartphone, the 803, has been sent in to PocketNow, revealing it will run on the Symbian Belle OS. The technical drawing shows a large bump for the camera that suggest the handset will have a powerful camera, likely getting an optical zoom and a larger camera sensor than that in the 12-megapixel N8. The user's manual isn't finalized, however, so its contents are subject to change.
Nokia has posted the Symbian Anna OS update for the C6-01, C7, E7 and N8 handsets. The update has been made available in several key European and Asian markets where it is available either over-the-air, or through the software update module of Ovi Suite. The download, which brings a raft of features and enhancements, lobs in at 27MB and typically takes between 15-30 minutes to install depending on the speed of a user’s Internet connection.
Canadian wireless provider Rogers has now confirmed it is getting Nokia's flagship offering, the N8, becoming its first provider in North America. The Symbian device focuses on photography first and sports a 12-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens as well as a Xenon flash. The video recording quality tops out at 720p and there is support for Dolby Digital Plus surround sound.
Smartphone maker Nokia on Monday announced using Twitter that its E7 smartphone will ship on December 10 in some, unspecified markets. A quick glance on Nokia's USA site doesn't have any details related to this news, so the phone is likely to arrive in Europe first. Like the flagship candybar N8, the device uses Symbian^3 and an aluminum shell but adds a tilting display and a hardware QWERTY keyboard.
Nokia has begun shipping its Android and iOS challenger, the Symbian^3 powered N8. The first to receive the anticipated handset will be customers who placed early pre-orders for the device in Nokia online stores and its retail outlets. Nokia says that it expects the device to be broadly available in the coming weeks, although this will vary by carrier and country. Confirmation that the device is now shipping supports Nokia’s claims that it would meet its shipping target.
At the Nokia World expo this week, Nokia was showing off a prototype interface for its flagship N8 smartphone that can turn any HDMI-connected external display into a touchscreen. Dubbed Plug and Touch thus far, the software uses the device's camera to recognize a user's hand or finger and translates it into an input. It can work on HDTVs, such as the Sony TV in the video demo, below, or projectors.
The flagship Nokia N8 is now available for pre-order in the US, with a ship date set for the end of September. It will be the first Nokia handset to use the Symbian^3 operating system, bringing with it multi-touch support, multiple home screens and live home screen widgets. Users can record full HD video on a 12-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and play it back on HDTVs thanks to the included HDMI cable.
A recent blog post maintains that Nokia will release the flagship N8 in Europe on September 25, or a month later than originally promised by Nokia Eurasia PR-director Victoria Eremin. The delay is said to be due to Nokia trying to refine its implementation of Symbian^3 before the launch. The phone is also said to be shipping in limited numbers and markets as well while Nokia sorts out the software.
Nokia's long-awaited flagship, the N8, has now gone on pre-sale in Italy. The handset costs the equivalent of $613, though this includes local taxes and isn't locked to a carrier. It's listed as shipping near the end of September.
Nokia has released sample images taken by its upcoming Nokia N8 flagship handset. The images are said to be unedited, and represent the 12.1-megapixel camera's capabilities. Each 12-megapixel image has relatively little noise and potentially illustrates why the Nokia camera may beat out the iPhone 4's, which proved superior to both the Droid X and Evo 4G in testing.
