Nokia to Improve on Symbian

I mentioned last time that Nokia's move to the Maemo from Symbian maybe a disaster if they keep on continuing the same way they treated Symbian. It's great news that Nokia has focused on improving Symbian by focusing on the User Interface (UI) to make it look less cluttered and a lot more easier to reach your fave apps (for example tap twice instead of eight times to get to your application). This will surely make Nokia phones so much faster and efficient for its users. Scrolling will be supposedly be faster from 15 frames per second to 60.

However, Nokia will still push through with their lone Maemo powered phone next year--most likely a parallel run to truly test which smartphone OS would best suit the majority of their customers. Why not have two smartphone operating system running with their phones? Will it be too much of a stretch for them? HTC (supposedly one of the forerunners of Android phones) have done it with both Microsoft Mobile and Android in the past. Although it looks more like Microsoft's getting kicked hard in the butt by Android, there are still hardcore people out there who use Microsoft Mobile as their OS of choice.

Another question is why did they just move now since they had Symbian way before the Android was even thought of. Whether Nokia lost its focus on its smartphone OS all this years is no longer the issue, but rather how do they move up the charts again? Will they be able to do it with a vastly improved Symbian or a new kid on the block Maemo? Looks like will see next year.

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Maemo: Linux Powered OS for Future Nokia Smartphones

Image via Wikipedia

Although the Symbian OS for the Nokia N-series has been profitable to both parties, there seems to be a Linux powered OS coming over the horizon in the next few months: the Maemo. We reported last time that Nokia is thinking of dropping Symbian for Maemo but it will do so in a very slow and deliberate way. We're reading reports now that are saying that only one Nokia will carry Maemo next year. Actually there's already one in production: the Nokia N900.

The question begs: why not just continue with Symbian and help develop it further? According to Reuter's:

"Nokia's Linux Maemo operating system is seen as a key for the top cellphone maker in its battle against Apple's iPhone, and many analysts and industry players have expected the firm to roll out numerous Linux models already next year."

What makes the iPhone OS such a hit with the "in" crowd is not just its Operating System but also its technology. Unless Nokia does better at that category, it doesn't matter what OS they use on their smartphones. Another to look into would be the applications that are one of the selling points of having an iPhone in the first place. Although Symbian does have its fair share of applications available for its user base, some are just way too expensive or cumbersome to be used on such a small screen as Nokia's. Lastly, it's the "coolness" factor. You look better with an iPhone on your hand rather than a Nokia's. In this case, it's a marketing problem that has been haunting Nokia for a long time in the US.

Hopefully with the new Linux powered Maemo, they also take a step back and look at the overall Nokia phone as something to overhaul.

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Symbian OS Dropped? Casio Cam Roughed Up?

It's just the way of the world I guess: out with the old and in with the new. It's inevitable but the "old" should always be recognized for being a pioneer or trailblazer in its time. This is the case with Symbian and Casio now. Both old brands but which will survive?

Nokia: Goodbye Symbian, Hello Maemo?

With the smartphone market about to explode with the Android and iPhone, one of the first smartphone OS: Symbian, is about to be dropped by Nokia. According to some officials at the N900 meeting, Maemo: a Linux-Debian powered OS, will be eventually released into the market by 2012.

The transition will be a gradual one with further Symbian-based N-Series handsets already in development. Whilst the N900 was acknowledged to be a ‘bridge’ device firmly aimed at the developer and enthusiast community, subsequent devices will target the mass-market and Maemo-based devices will grow to fill all of Nokia’s flagship range by 2012.

Although this just may be a possibility for now, but with Symbian losing its popularity to the Android OS it's not really that much of a surprise. Is it a marketing issue? As far as I've read there's not much problems with Symbian except that it seems to have dropped off the radar and applications development seems to have dramatically decreased. Maybe the Android is the OS of the future with Symbian as the pioneer. Whatever happens the consumer will win in the end.

Casio Does a Rugged Thin Cam: EX-G1

I've always known Casio for their great digital watches and calculators, but they seem to be a good camera company as well! They have created the slimmest camera on the planet: EX-G1.

At just 0.78-inches thick, Casio claims the 12.1-megapixel EX-G1 is the world's slimmest, ruggedized camera. The first in a new Exilim G line, it has a reinforced 2.5-inch rear LCD, non-extending 3x optical zoom lens, microSDHC expansion, and intelligent autofocus.

Not only that but it also seems to be a rugged thin camera as well! It can work underwater for an hour ad be dropped from seven feet and it still works! You can get this come December with a $300 tag.

Symbian Dropped Source
Casio EX-G1 Source