Perhaps what can what can be best described as Nokia’s Mobile Codes taken to the next level, Nokia release its new Point & Find service. It pretty much does what the name implies: pointing the mobile phone’s camera at real-life objects and the system comes up with the relevant information. In it’s current state it pretty much looks like an ad-based system: “pointing their camera phone at a poster for a new movie, people can watch the trailer, read reviews, and find the closest cinema where it is playing,” said Philipp Schloter, General Manager, Nokia Point & Find.” With the right support this service can have huge potential. Currently,a beta version of Nokia Point & Find, focusing on movies, is now available in the UK and US. We can imagine many uses for such a useful service, but again third party backing is crucial. What do you think? What direction do you think this should go?

Nokia introduces Nokia Point & Find, a new way to connect with information and services on the go

New platform enables businesses to engage with consumers in real time with relevant content

San Francisco, CA, USA – Nokia introduces an innovative service concept that enables people on the move to access relevant information and services on the internet, simply by pointing their mobile phone camera at real-life objects.  A beta version of Nokia Point & Find, focusing on movies, is now available in the UK and US. Capabilities will later expand into other services and countries.

“With Nokia Point & Find, businesses are able to target engaging experiences and calls-to-action to consumers. We believe that this first Nokia Point & Find-based service for movies will add something special to the cinema experience. Simply by pointing their camera phone at a poster for a new movie, people can watch the trailer, read reviews, and find the closest cinema where it is playing,” said Philipp Schloter, General Manager, Nokia Point & Find. 

Nokia Point & Find is an open service platform on which other companies can build innovative customized experiences to drive better engagement with potential customers. Nokia is inviting businesses, content providers and agencies to discuss how the Nokia Point & Find service could help them with specific applications, campaigns or promotional activities.  Unique experiences can be created through the self-service Nokia Point & Find Management Portal, or by working with the Nokia Point & Find professional service team.

Businesses have already recognized the potential for Nokia Point & Find in their campaigns.

Casey Harwood, Senior Vice President, Digital Media at Turner Europe said: “Nokia Point & Find is an innovative new service which will enable users to point their camera phone at various Cartoon Network related objects and receive relevant show or product information direct to their handset.  In an on-demand world, this technology represents an exciting development for both content providers and consumers.”

“BODY WORLDS appeals to adventurous and curious people of all ages. We see Nokia Point & Find as an intriguing new way for people to find out about BODY WORLDS & The Mirror of Time at the O2. By integrating this technology with our outdoor advertising in London we have created not just another special promotion, but also a chance to experiment with something quite innovative,” said Nicky Hewgill, Marketing Manager, BODY WORLDS London.

“The Nokia Point & Find service marries the digital world with the physical world in a way that actually has meaning for brands and consumers. Not only does it allow consumers to engage with brands in an innovative way but provides brands ‘point and purchase’ opportunities with an on-the-go audience,” said Julian Pate, Client Partner, AKQA.

Nokia Point & Find uses advanced real time image processing and recognition technologies to link the user to digital content and services.  It also recognizes bar codes, integrates GPS positioning technology, and supports category-specific text-entry search.  When the phone is pointed at an object, Nokia Point & Find uses a variety of the phone’s capabilities including the camera, internet connectivity, and GPS positioning to evaluate the object. Then, by rapidly searching through a database of virtually tagged items, the system identifies the object and returns a set of links to associated content and services.

Companies interested in using Nokia Point & Find for their own campaigns can visit http://pointandfind.nokia.com to request further information. Nokia Point & Find’s beta release is available for download into select mobile devices in the UK and US at http://pointandfind.nokia.com as well.

Nokia has just announced that Nokia Messaging will now support Windows Live Hotmail (finally!). Even better news is that the popular Nokia 5800 XpressMusic support will be added in May as the application is still in it’s Alpha stages. Word is that the developers are still working on on refining the touch input and that the “UI design is also being polished, and home screen integration is on the to-do list.” If you haven’t used Nokia Messaging yet or want to get the updated version go to the official site here. The press release can be found below.

Nokia Messaging, now available with Windows(TM) Live Hotmail®

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will enable the Nokia Messaging push email service in May

Espoo, Finland – Windows(TM) Live Hotmail®, one of the world’s most popular web-based email solutions, is now available on Nokia Messaging, the service that enables people to access their personal email on their Nokia devices*. In May, Nokia Messaging will also be supported by the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia’s first mass-market touchscreen device, adding to the tens of millions of popular Nokia devices in the hands of consumers that already support the service.

Nokia Messaging is currently free to download and set-up, and supports the world’s most popular email accounts – Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL Mail – and accounts from thousands of other email providers. Easy to use, it enables access of up to 10 personal email accounts on a Nokia device, and through one single icon. Once Nokia Messaging is set-up, email accounts can be added to the service directly on the phone, as well as via the Nokia Messaging website (http://email.nokia.com).

With the addition of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia Messaging will be available on 20 different device models worldwide, including the recently announced Nokia E75 which is the first device to come preloaded with Nokia Messaging, Nokia E71 – the world’s slimmest qwerty device, Nokia E63, Nokia E66 and Nokia N79**. More Nokia device models, including the Nokia E55, Nokia N97 and Nokia N86 8MP, will support Nokia Messaging when they begin shipping.

"We’ve come to understand that a key barrier for mass email adoption is not the lack of features, but the usability. Nokia Messaging was designed for ease of use and mobility. While offering people a full feature set, Nokia Messaging still minimizes user actions and simplifies the complex, such as eliminating the need to know technical information. This reduces confusion and the amount of time taken to set up and start using the service on the phone. By prioritizing common actions and needs, we bring the most relevant and frequently used actions upfront," said Atif Hussein, Vice President, Products, Nokia Messaging. "With Nokia Messaging on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, we bring the service to people no matter what their input preference – touch, qwerty or monoblock."

* To begin using Windows Live Hotmail, existing users will have to download the latest Nokia Messaging software. Instructions can be found at http://email.nokia.com.

** To see the full list of devices that support Nokia Messaging, visit http://email.nokia.com.

Image Courtesy: Symbian-Addict

Thanks to reader “AJK” for pointing this one out. On S60 devices you could do a soft reset by pressing *#7370# , this should restore all settings to the default value and works without any problems on the 5800 XpressMusic. A hard reset reset deletes everything in phone memory and restores the phone to the  factory default status. On devices with a keypad, this was done by pressing the “Green Dial button”, “3” and “*” while the phone boots up. Due to the lack of these button on the 5800 XpressMusic during bootup, it made this key combination pretty much useless on this device. Making matters worse, the 5800 XpressMusic has User Data Preservation and there’s no way of overriding this.  The reason why I mention this is  installing/reinstalling the firmware via Nokia NSU has the same effect as a hard reset,  but the presence of UDP leaves everything intact.

Luckily there IS a hard reset code for the 5800 XpressMusic and it’s: pressing and holding the “Green Dial button”+ “Red End Call button” + Camera button while the device boots up. Just make sure backup before trying this one out. 

The N95 will most likely be remembered by mane as one of the most important and iconic device in Nokia’s history. Back in 2006 when it was introduced, it was touted  as “what computers have become.” We were all lured in by the plethora of features, the integrated GPS, a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, high speed connections, DVD-like video capture, TV-out feature, UPnP and 3.5mm audio jack. Fast forward to 2009 and we have a soon-to-be-released N97. It is one of the most anticipated devices of the year, even here at The Nokia Guide we recommend the N97 as the device to get. But a quick look at the features reveals that not much has changed. Sure, the N97 has a much bigger screen with touch functionality and QWERTY keyboard, but in fact the core features remain the same. The question whether the similar features is a good or bad thing, will remain for another discussion. The more appropriate question should be: If newer or better features is not what is attracting many to the N97, than what is? The answer could be very simple: I think it’s the social aspect of the N97 and the polished experience it’s promising. Social aspect and experience? Devices pioneering new features could be less important while a solid, polished experience and social-media could be the new “it” features for new devices. And this is exactly what the N97 is offering.

As for the polished experience over new features, current trends seem to support this, just look at the 5800 XpressMusic and the E71. They aren’t Nokia’s most advanced devices with the most features (the N96 could easily beat both in having more features), but yet they are one of the more popular devices out there. How come? Again, despite the lack of very high-end features they simply work because the overall experience presented by the software and hardware is so pleasant. In Allaboutsymbian’s recent posting “Ten Things that Nokia Did Right in making the 5800 XpressMusic”Steve best describes this polished user experience found on the software side of things:

"the fact that it runs S60 5th Edition means that it's building on every previous version, every previous Feature Pack, every previous codec and library addition. This isn't immediately apparent until you start comparing a S60 5th Edition phone with something like the Apple iPhone or Palm Pre or the Android-powered G1. In each case, these much newer 'built recently' platforms appear to be 'all there' (they certainly have lots of eye candy) but when you need something detailed, such as adding a phone number from your call log to a specific field in an existing contact or sending a Note to someone else's phone using Bluetooth (to pick just two everyday examples that can't be done on some newer competitors) you'll find that S60 5th Edition is now very complete indeed. Add in the most up to date audio and video codecs so that almost any file type can be handled and the real time maturity of Symbian OS in handling multiple data connections, applications and interruptions seamlessly, and you end up with a phone with a rock solid base – even if the top soil is still in motion a little” 

This is clearly visible on the the E71’s speed and stability and ability to get things done and quick.  The same can be said about the 5800 XpressMusic that just now has reach firmware version 20 but yet feels quite snappy and is indeed very stable, while also getting the job done in both creating and consuming media.  Add the seamless integration of Nokia’s army of apps and services into something like the 5800, it’s understandable why such an “experience” could be more important than megapixels or features. If the promise behind the N97 is to be believed, the polish and experience should be even greater as it rides on the same proven S60 5th used on the popular 5800 XpressMusic, that in turn builds on previous versions. The N97 should add even tighter integration into all of these services in an even more polished manner, just look at for example to Skype integration and the Widget-based front screen. (Including more eye-candy).

The other “it” feature that should make the N97 a success is the social aspect of the device. At the launch Nokia introduced the concept of 'social location'. Basically:

“With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the Nokia N97 mobile computer intuitively understands where it is. The Nokia N97 makes it easy to update social networks automatically with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their 'status' and share their 'social location' as well as related pictures or videos.”

With social-media quickly getting more momentum it’s getting increasingly more important for the consumer to keep track of friends and family rather than having the latest and greatest features. To name a few I could mention the integration of various Widgets like Facebook, Skype integration and OVI contacts. This brings the focus of the N97 and in fact the Nseries in general more towards a social, communication device, instead of power house pioneering new technology.

At first the N97 doesn’t seem to be adding much when compared to the the N95 that was introduced back in 2006, but upon closer inspection it’s clear that the N97 is not about new features, but rather building upon Nokia’s previous experiences and making a more polished overall experience and with the integration with the various services that make it a social device. Although the N97 lacks the Omnia HD’s High Definition video recording or 8 megapixel camera, it makes up for this with features that should matter: Experience, Polish and Social aspect.

What do you prefer in a flagship device? Superior features or a social device with the great experience?

The situation seems to be getting  better for the 5800 XpressMusic and S60 5th edition. While we are still waiting for an official Live Messenger client that also install the Hotmail program in Messaging, Microsoft has released world wide POP3 access, allowing you to use

the built- in email program. Things are also looking good when it comes to Nokia Messaging. Symbian-Addict has received news that Nokia Messaging is for 5800 XpressMusic and upcoming 5th edtion devices is on the way. An interesting piece of news is that the 5th version is said to be using a touch-and-hold gesture, but sadly HTML still has not been implemented in what is still a BETA version. I’m sure a lot will be fixed and added before the final release. More info can be found here.

The 5800 XpressMusic is an incredible device and I just love! After the N95 (and N82, which are basically the same thing with the exception of the Xenon flash), Nokia has produced two significant devices: the E71 and its media-centric equivalent the 5800 XpressMusic. Despite a lower performing camera, lower than what I’ve come to expect from devices like the N82, the overall experience is so polished that you completely forget about the camera. Let’s not forget the extraordinary music capabilities: extremely loud speaker and finally a recent device that finally matches the N81/N91 in sonic performance. I can mention many hardware features that make 5800 XpressMusic such a great device, but it’s the overall experience and integration with OVI and Nokia’s other cloud services that make this device so significant. This from a device that’s relatively affordable and what is considered a “N97 lite.” I can go on and on about the 5800, but I won’t ; ).

The 5800 is one of those rare beats, where there’s hardly something to complain about on the hardware side of things and adding more polish to the experience(software) should only make it more even more addictive. Here is how the 5800 XpressMusic could get even more additive. (And yes, not single hardware change!

Read the rest of this entry »

Take a look at this picture of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic resting on its DT-29 stand, what’s wrong in this picture? The 5800 XpressMusic sports a built-in accelerometer which allows it to seamlessly switch the screen orientation in all applications. Strangely the Home Screen doesn’t get any accelerometer love, as the screen  stays in portrait mode when the device is resting in landscape mode. Judging by the included stand and the wide landscape-oriented screen it’s clear that 5800 will spends a good amount of time resting in landscape mode. But when you do return to the Home Screen your faced with this. The screen strangely stays in portrait mode, almost pushing you to awkwardly turn your head to the side and to see what’s going on. Even worse is the fact that we have a 3.2” screen and yet we only get 4(!) customizable icons to choose from. The unused space could comfortably fit at least another row of 4 icons. Better yet would be that amazing widget based Home Screen found on the N97. Nokia firmware wizard, please do your magic in the next available firmware.

This is one of those neat little tricks that I had to ask myself, why didn’t I know about this earlier? Among many great tips and tricks, Cosmin over at Softpedia explain that by pressing on the Green Dial button “will activate the Voice command function. If you ask the phone ‘What time is it?’ it will respond by telling you the time.”

Initially, Hotmail POP3 access was only available to the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. But as of March 12th, POP3 access is now available to Hotmail users worldwide! For most Nokia S60 users this wans’t a  big problem since installing the Windows Live Messenger client, also installed a Hotmail program that allowed you to easily sync your email. While we have seen a S60 5th edition version of the Live Messenger for the 5800 XpressMusic floating around, it strangely doesn’t install the Hotmail program in Messaging. Until that happens, you could always visit mobile.live.com using the S60 browser, but POP3 access means that we can easily set it up using the built-in email client and it’s just a few clicks away from getting your emails. Here are the settings:

POP server: pop3.live.com (Port 995)  
POP SSL required? Yes
User name: Your Windows Live ID, for example yourname@hotmail.com
Password: The password you usually use to sign in to Hotmail or Windows Live
SMTP server: smtp.live.com (Port 25)  
Authentication required? Yes (this matches your POP username and password)
TLS/SSL required? Yes

Update: Confirmed  working on my 5800 XpressMusic

Update 2: As a reader has pointed out, adding your Hotmail email when asked, will just result in the 5800 XpressMusic adding a bookmark to the S60 browser. The trick is to set a fake email, like: 2@123.com with all the correct settings and password and just change the email later on.

Also, the settings given by Microsoft don’t specifically talk about: Outgoing and Incoming email settings. I was confused about this, but in fact the “POP server” are those for the “incoming email settings” and the “SMTP server” are those for the “outgoing email settings.”

Source: Windows Live Blog

Yesterday we told you about Nokia’s upcoming “Your Music Player is Ringing” event planned for tomorrow and as expected these devices were expected to be leaked just before the launch. And Voila! We now have the scoop on the three new devices a few hours before the launch. The Allaboutphones website has all the info you need on tomorrow’s launch.