When it comes to public transport there is one important app here in The Netherlands: 9292 and it’s now available for Windows Phone.

This not only marks the arrival of an important application for the Dutch market, but also shows the state of the Windows Phone market. The number of apps available for Windows Phone is growing rapidly (currently at 70.000 apps), adding not only many of the required big names, but perhaps most importantly those important niche apps, such as the 9292 app.

Worth nothing is the awareness factor. Despite holding the top mobile OS position for years,  many simply weren’t aware of Symbian’s existence, especially in the US. Windows Phone, perhaps due to the entire Microsoft ecosystem and Nokia definitely is on people’s radar. The US market is arguably an important one when it comes to this awareness factor as it seems to almost dictate the success of products. The rule is simple: the more aware people are about a platform, the more likely it is able to attract the apps and judging by the recent spotlight on the Lumia devices, things are looking good for Windows Phone, even on the app front.

Engadget has released their Windows Phone 7.5 app and  has been updated to support the new features in Windows Phone 7.5 like multitasking, landscape mode and Live Tile support . This allows you to use the built-in Podcasting feature to play podcasts in the background and some fancy new Live Tile goodness.

There are also some social features to share posts using Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Evernote, Instapaper and Read it Later.

You can find the app right here, or just look for it in the Marketplace.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Appscelerator devs are now showing more interest for Windows Phone, giving Nokia’s recent push towards Windows Phone as the primary reason. The increased interest for Windows Phone also seems to have come at the expense of RIM, which fell by 7%.

This is good news for Nokia’, but we still have take into account that there wasn’t much development going on for RIM devices, meaning that even if this is a step ahead, it’s a very small step. However I do expect interest to grow as Nokia starts pushing the sales Windows Phone upwards and starts releasing even more interesting models like the rumored 900 device.

Nokia and Microsoft still have A LOT of work to do, but this definitely is a step in the right direction.

Also worth noting that we aren’t talking about the entire dev community, but just Appscelerator devs, but it seems to accurately represent the industry as a whole.

Source: Appcelerator

Source: Engadget Mobile

I’ve got some great news to share, The Nokia Guide app is now on OVI Store and can be downloaded right here or you can simply search for “The Nokia Guide” in OVI Store. I’ve also included a handy link on the side bar on the right where you can also download the app. Any feedback about the app is welcome. I would also like to thanks my friends at Nokia for helping me out.

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I never used to play games on my mobile devices, leaving all of my gaming time for consoles. It was Angry Birds that opened the flood gates and got me into mobile gaming. I wouldn’t consider myself a mobile gamer in the sense that I spend hours and hours playing these games, but they’re great when I have 10 to 30 minutes to spare waiting in line at the bank or relaxing on the couch.

On one hand you have the N8’s browser and the use of Adobe Flash, which also allow of Flash-based games straight from the browser on Facebook game, classics like Bejeweled and even play roulette online. But this list is purely about applications and these are my top 10 must-have games for the Nokia N8.

1.Angry Birds

If I could only have one game on my N8, it would probably be Angry Birds and many seem to agree. Angry Birds is in a category all on its own, gaining an almost iconic status and can be found on anything that can play games. Even the unveiling of any new device can’t seem to happen without a demo a showing “how smooth Angry Birds runs on it.” Angry Birds has a very reasonable price and the fact that it’s updated regularly with free new content makes quite a good deal. No need to describe the game itself as you probably know it by now, if you don’t, all you should know is this: Get it now!

2.Angry Birds Season

The season versions of Angry Birds is a holiday themed version of the original. It’s a fresh take on the original game with frequent updates that also make it a great deal and a different look that should keep things interesting. An

3.Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja is simple and addictive: touch the screen and slash the flying fruit. That description makes it sound respective and pointless, but the actual result is nothing short of  amazing. Everything from the squishy, splatty sounds to the moments of pure action make for a game that’s addictive, yet difficult to put down. Fruit Ninja scores high on presentation despite it’s simplicity it makes good use of the 3D graphics.

4.Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD

Spider-Man is one of my favorite action games for the N8. The game has some great graphics and fairly large levels. We’re not talking about free-roaming 3D levels, but considering the large size of the levels, the amount of details it’s amazing that they managed to squeeze this on a phone. To make game manageable for a phone they created pre-determined paths in which you can move around freely. This is one large game, so do make sure you use Wi-Fi and install it on the Mass Memory. Highly recommended.

5. Asphalt 5 HD

Asphalt 5 HD is all about good, fast fun racing, but low on realism. It has this bright, almost cartoony level and car design that looks good. The game puts a lot of emphasis on action, definitely not the game to look for if your looking for realistic car crash, damage and driving dynamics. The game looks good and fun, although I do wish the frame rate was smoother. In certain regions the N8 gets an update that includes a free copy of Asphalt 5 HD.

6.Avatar HD

Avatar is basically a clone of Spider Man,  with about the same controls. Avatar shares a lot more with Spider Man: same great graphics and amazingly large install file. The game is fairly true to the movie but just like Spider Man it sometimes feels like the main charater is a bit too stiff. Even if you’re not a fan of the movie, chances are you’ll like Avatar HD. Considering the similarities between this game and Spider Man, it might be overkill to buy both.

7.Wooden Labyrinth 3D

Wooden Labyrinth 3D has a cool effect 3D, using a combination of the accelerometer and tilt based perspective. The sound effect used is of very high quality and the graphics are very nice, but they could have done it more photo-realistic.

8.UNO HD

UNO HD is a faithful reproduction of the game and the overall presentation is that of a quality game. If you loved UNO, you have to get the Symbian version.

9.Monopoly Classic HD

Just like UNO, Monopoly Classic HD stays true to the original game, all in beautiful 3D graphics. The overall quality of the game is high and  works great using the N8’s TV-out function. It might look like a simple digital version of Monopoly, but a closer look reveals extensive use of the Symbian^3 use of the 3D graphics system.

10.Need For Speed Shift HD

Compared to Asphalt 5 HD, NFS is more realistic and the in car driving view is a nice touch. The graphics are more realistic again making great use of the graphics power. Despite a large game with graphically a lot happening on screen, NFS is able to run at very high frame rates. In some regions, the N8 gets a free copy of Need For Speed Shift HD.

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Nokia Social has been updated to version 1.3 (1.3.189 to be exact) and in the process gained the following new features:

• Contacts improvement:
  -Status update directly in Contact Card
  -Linked contact indicator in Friends List
  
• Share improvements:
  -Add caption when sharing photos from camera
  -Removing photo upload compression > high resolution picture upload
  
• Facebook/Twitter enhancements:
  -Retweet
  -View followers list

Nokia has also shared what features they’re working on for the next release and will probably include automatic Contact linking, Facebook notifications and new widget functionalities. Especially the automatic contact linking feature is something I’m looking for and should make programs like Socially obsolete.

Still carrier or region dependent?

Nokia Social is a great application, but the not so pretty side of this application is that it seems to block access in certain regions or carriers. I’ve talked about this before and the same holds true for Social 1.3. The application is notorious for checking what carrier your on and the SIM card you’re using and simply giving you a blank screen with no Facebook or Twitter if the carrier is not in the list.

One example is that I’m using a local providers like UTS and Digicel and Social blocks access for of these carriers. If I put in a SIM card from SETAR, a provider all the sudden I have access to all social networks. Social seems to also work fine with a Truphone SIM. I’ve said and I will say again, after buy an UNLOCKED device, a device should work with all carriers, including all of its programs and services. I really hope Nokia fixes this soon as this one of the most important application on their Symbian^3 devices.

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One annoying issue with the N8 and all other Symbian^3 devices is the inability to disable the Screen/keylock time-out. This means that the screen locks after a predefined period. There is no way of turning this off. To unlock it, you’ll either have to press the menu button and then press “unlock” or use the lock switch. This can get frustrating after doing this several times a day.

One cool way to solve this is PocketLock, which uses the front light sensor to detect whether to lock or unlock the device. When you put it in your pocket for example it will detect this and lock the device, when you take it out, it detects the brighter light and unlock it.

I found another cool way to use this app. When I’m sitting at my desk, the N8 would lock after a few minutes. With PocketLock I can just swipe my hand in front of the light sensor and the device would unlock quickly without ever touching it!

PocketLock is a free app and can be found in the Ovi Store.

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One of the preinstalled apps I’ve been excited to test is Nokia’s own Social Networks. After finally deciding to buy my very own N8, I wanted to give this a try. I’ve been hearing good things about in the sense that it works quite nicely with plenty of features and not just the basic. Until now I’ve been only using Gravity, but what I like about Nokia Social is that stays true to Facebook and Twitter’s look and feel, well at least if you can get it to work.

My issue with Nokia Social is that I can’t even get it to work and apparently its due to the fact that it checks for specific carrier, otherwise it simply won’t work! When I tried to setup the application with my Facebook and Twitter accounts it tells me to login with my OVI account, which I did and then I get a blank screen, with no way of setting up my social networks. My only option here is to cancel and exit the application.

After asking around it seems this application behaves this way when you don’t have a SIM inserted and when it detects a SIM from a mobile carrier which isn’t known or that hasn’t signed a deal with Nokia’s Messaging services. A quick call to Nokia also revealed that this service is “Carrier dependent.”

I was amazed. An unlocked phone, with specific features tied to specific networks? I quickly inserted a Truphone SIM card and voila, Nokia Social immediately started working, which basically confirms all of this. So now I was stuck with Social with now way of suing unless I moved or maybe switched to another carrier. Can you imagine if they did the same with the Nokia browser: not working because I was using an unknown or not supported carrier. Isn’t it just bits and bytes and it should simply just work? I bought an unlocked device and as a result I expect this to work with any carrier, using  any data plan.

Nokia has been really pushing updates lately: for their core apps, software updates, porting or creating software necessary for Symbian^3 (Like Nokia Internet Radio) and even a steady stream of cool beta apps. Now they really seem to be getting creative and I like this direction they are going.

Nokia Bubbles is a product of Nokia’s Beta Labs that completely replaces the black standby screen with clock and unlock button, instead giving you more useful alternative. They are using the concept of bubbles to not only unlock the device, but also go straight to a specific task. Basically merging unlocking and shortcuts in one neat. 

Nokia could very well be a sign of how Nokia wants to change the UI. We know a new browser, including some major updates are coming and now we have the first building blocks of a possible new standby screen. Things are really starting to move in the Symbian camp. Let’s just hope Nokia keeps the momentum going. Nokia Bubbles can be downloaded here.

Back in 2009, I asked for the Kindle app on Nokia devices, but I guess the idea wasn’t ready for mainstream smartphone users. Now as eBooks, eBook readers, in particular the Amazon Kindle are gaining lots of momentum, Nokia users are now starting to wonder when they’ll be getting the Amazon Kindle app. There are Kindle apps for virtually every platform out there, even the recently released Windows Phone 7! Strangely, Symbian, the most widely used operating system is left out.

@Smartfonefan has started  petition to get Amazon to create a Kindle app for Nokia phones. This last part for me is also very important as it would be ideal to get Kindle not only on Symbian but also upcoming MeeGo devices.

While I’m sure some people will read entire books on there mobile devices, the  beauty of having Kindle on a mobile device is the ability to read tiny portions of a book throughout the day. Kindle has a Whisper Sync feature that remembers you last read page.

So if I read 3 pages on my mobile device , it will remember this location on the Kindle devices or Kindle for PC, after a while this byte size reading can add up, allowing you to get even more reading done.

Would you like to see Kindle on Nokia devices? Please sign the petition here or let @AmazonKindle know that you are a Nokia user and would like to use Kindle on your device.

Via: Allaboutsymbian