You’ve overclocked it and hacked it to run OS X and Android, now you can return your N900 to its native Maemo 5 OS with the launch of a version 1.2 software update. The V10.2010.19-1 bump now available in the UK (global on Wednesday) packs several enhancements including face-to-face video calling, improved Ovi Maps, and a better email experience with bundled Facebook IM Chat and the ability to accept or decline event invitations from the inbox. You’ll also see a number of new games when the Ovi Store switches over on Thursday.
And after much speculation, Nokia’s also admitting that MeeGo will not be officially supported on the N900 once the Intel / Nokia OS is device ready. Nokia will continue to support the core Maemo OS, however, as demonstrated by today’s update. Regardless, we’re sure that the N900′s active fan-base will deliver a MeeGo update outside of official channels, especially since the N900 is already being used as a platform for ARM-based MeeGo development.
Carol Bartz and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEOs of Yahoo! and Nokia, respectively, are on stage right now announcing a “strategic relationship” between the two companies on some of their core services. Nokia will be using Yahoo to power its Ovi email and IM services, while Yahoo will be using Nokia / NAVTEQ’s competencies for its mapping and navigation services. Both companies see it as a way to grow their respective userbases, with Yahoo hoping to grab onto the 9 million Ovi users out there, while Nokia hopes that Yahoo could provide it a bit of a USA mojo. Interestingly, Olli-Pekka confronted the US problem head on: “We are an unusual global company in the sense that we are clearly a global leader in our industry, and yet we do not lead in the US.” Carol was similarly forthcoming, saying that Yahoo had “lost its focus on maps a couple years ago,” then correcting herself, saying that they “chose to focus on other areas.” The first merged services should launch in the second half of this year.
During Q&A the big answer to everything seemed to be “scale,” but we also heard Carol toss in “downstream” at an opportune moment. When asked how this relates to Android, iPhone and so forth, Carol clarified that this doesn’t change anything they’re doing on those fronts. “It’s not exclusive from that point.” Each service will be branded as “powered by Yahoo” or “powered by Ovi.” Yahoo will be announcing some “social-like” services for its mail and IM soon, but it’s unclear if that’s specifically related to this announcement. Neither company is talking financial specifics, but Olli-Pekka did make it very clear that a Yahoo-branded device wasn’t forthcoming.
Yahoo! and Nokia have taken to the stage this morning and, as expected, they’ve announced a partnership deal that will see them collaborate on mobile services. According to the deal, Nokia will be the exclusive provider for Yahoo!’s maps services worldwide, using Ovi Maps, while Yahoo! will become the exclusive global provider of Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services.
Yahoo! Maps will be “powered by Ovi”, while Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat will be “powered by Yahoo!” Ovi ID will be broadened across select Yahoo! content and services, allowing for a reasonably consistent single point of login.
The first markets to get the co-branded Ovi functionality will see service in the second half of this year; that’ll be expanded globally in 2011. Frankly this sounds, in no small part, like two companies clinging to each others’ strengths in a hope to save themselves some money playing underdog.
Press Release:
Global strategic alliance enables industry leaders to leverage strengths in e-mail, instant messaging, maps and navigation across PC and mobile devices
New York, NY, USA – Today, Yahoo! and Nokia announced a worldwide strategic alliance to extend the reach of their industry leading online services and offer people rich experiences that keep them connected to their world and the world around them.
Building on more than five years of collaboration, Nokia and Yahoo! ® will leverage each others’ strengths in e-mail, instant messaging and maps and navigation services, to provide consumers with access to world-class experiences on both PC and mobile devices.
As part of the alliance:
- Nokia will be the exclusive, global provider of Yahoo!’s maps and navigation services, integrating Ovi Maps across Yahoo! properties, branded as “powered by Ovi.”
- Yahoo! will become the exclusive, global provider of Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services branded as “Ovi Mail / Ovi Chat powered by Yahoo!”
- Nokia and Yahoo! plan to work on ID federation between their services, beginning by making it easy for people to use their Ovi user IDs across select Yahoo! properties to easily access the online content and services they need.
“Delivering great user experiences — both online and on your mobile – is what this alliance is all about,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia. “We’re enabling millions of Yahoo! customers in key markets including North America to discover the unique capabilities that Ovi Maps brings.
Similarly, Yahoo!’s online expertise will bring exciting mail and messaging enhancements to millions of Ovi Mail customers across almost every country around the world, many of whom will have their first Internet experience on their mobile.”
“What a combination,” said Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo!. “We’re excited to expand the reach of our best-in-class Mail and Messenger services, bringing personalized experiences to more people across the mobile web, particularly in emerging markets where we are seeding the next generation of Yahoo! users. At the same time, we believe Nokia’s strength and continued investment in maps and navigation will greatly enhance our existing products, enabling us to focus on areas that are core to our business.”
Together, Yahoo! and Nokia will continue to deliver compelling Internet experiences that address the core needs of consumers, developers, operators and advertisers. The companies will utilize their respective global distribution advantages and brand recognition across consumer audiences.
Select, co-branded service offerings are expected to become available from the second half of 2010, with global availability expected in 2011.
Nokia is the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, with hundreds of millions of devices sold each year and a leader in digital mapping, with continuing investment and innovation focused on developing comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, now covering 77 countries in 46 languages. With more than 600 million users of Yahoo!-branded sites per month, Yahoo! is a global Internet powerhouse, a one-stop web destination enabling consumers to enjoy their online life anywhere and everywhere – all customized for their interests. As one of the leading Internet brands, Yahoo! is focused on growing its audience by providing seamless web experiences across PC and mobile devices.
Note to editors: Media materials, including a webcast replay, can be found at pressroom.yahoo.com and www.nokia.com/press.
Fifteen times around the world every day; that’s the distance Nokia’s Ovi Maps guides users every day, and with the quiet introduction of Ovi Maps SR4 (v3.0.4) that number is likely to get even bigger. The first significant update since Ovi Maps went free four months ago, Nokia have already passed the 10m download mark and, while they’re not talking updated figures quite yet, are still apparently seeing a new download every second. Ovi Maps SR4 brings with it over 2m kilometres of newly navigable roads, boosts points of interest (POI) to over 25m and speeds up zooming and searching, not to mention slipping in Qype reviews and recommendations. We sat down with Marcel Duee, Places project manager on Nokia’s Ovi Maps team, for an update on why SR4 is special and what’s still in the pipeline.
Update: Video demo of Ovi Maps SR4 on a Nokia N8 after the cut!
The first thing Ovi Maps users should see is increased speed, both of the app itself and of the positioning lock. Nokia have developed their own WiFi triangulation system, which now means you’re more likely to get a positioning fix while indoors or in “urban canyon” style built-up areas. They’ve also set up a dedicated team to track hotspots, and the WiFi positioning system will be available as an API for other location-based services (LBS) to access on compatible Nokia devices. Meanwhile to speed positioning in larger countries, such as the US and China, Nokia have used a nifty shortcut to narrow down GPS/A-GPS positioning by factoring in cell tower ID.
While the technology might be getting more complex, the Ovi Maps UI has been tightened up. User feedback said the positioning indicator was too easily confused with the data meter, trying to give too much information when people only wanted to know if they had a fix or not, and if so how accurate it was. Now there’s a better partial-fix display, defaulting to a zoomed-out view that shows the limits of its accuracy. Zoom in, meanwhile, and that radius disappears so as not to overlap with the 3D landmarks, which have also seen a boost in number. City searches, meanwhile, default to a zoomed-out view that encompasses the whole city, rather than zooming in to the closest level.
Duee is particularly pleased with the Qype integration, which currently shows up as a new POI icon on the map itself and as an information source alongside wcities in a POI profile. Tapping that shows user ratings, information and reviews, all within Ovi Maps itself, plus you can tap through to more informationon Qype’s mobile site. Right now you can’t add your own Qype reviews through Ovi Maps, however, only rate the POI as before.
Nokia are pushing out nine “navigation packages” which will bundle an in-car holder and charger with an Ovi Maps compatible phone, and soon any Ovi Maps device will come with those accessories as standard. According to Duee, they’re also looking at other accessory possibilities, for instance tailored to the bike and pedestrian navigation guidance Ovi Maps offers.
As for what’s further down the line, as part of their recent corporate reshuffle the Ovi Maps teams have been made more focussed, and the end result of that should be faster releases in future. That should also include quicker NAVTEQ mapping data updates, and Duee’s team are looking at ways they could improve distribution for future releases, rather than users downloading a whole new version every time. They’re also considering how they can build user contribution into map and POI accuracy, whether that be a TomTom-style on-device flagging of incorrect roads, addresses or numbers, or some other system. What’s telling, though, is the amount to which Nokia are relying on consumer demand to shape the Ovi Maps service. Faster positioning, for instance, wasn’t top of the team’s list to tweak, but in-app feedback showed that it was at the top of the users’ list, and so it got prioritised.
Ovi Maps SR4 on Nokia N8:
We also asked Duee what he’d expect – or at least like – to see in five years time. He reckons that mapping and navigation will evolve to be a central context layer in mobile devices, not just an app you dip into to get from A to B or find a nearby restaurant. That might include augmented reality (AR) and Latitude-style updates on when friends, family and different social groups are nearby, but it will also likely incorporate new interaction technologies like voice search. Since Ovi Maps is integrated into a phone with a camera, you could take a photo of something and use that as a search trigger: pull up a digital menu from a photo of a restaurant sign, for instance, or get route information by snapping a shot of a bus stop. He’s also looking to gaming and online collaboration.
That’s all still to come, of course; for now, Ovi Maps SR4 (v3.0.4) is faster than before, looks better and packs more information. It’s available to download free from maps.ovi.com today, complete with new mapping data for Malta and the Maldives, among other places, and as before you can store maps on-device and not pay a cent in data fees while you’re on the move. Let us know how you get on!
It’s strange what you can come across while out and about in town; SlashGear bumped into a developer friend of ours today, and they just so happened to have a Nokia N8 burning a hole in their pocket. With Symbian^3 still not ready for public consumption powered-on shots of the smartphone weren’t allowed, and it’s worth noting that this is still prototype hardware, but it’s some of the most impressive pre-production hardware we’ve seen.
It’s also surprisingly light, with the anodized aluminum chassis adding up to a handset that’s sturdy but won’t weight down your pocket. Think considerably lighter in the hand than, say, a Google Nexus One. We had our doubts initially about the bright orange color scheme, but in the metal it’s far more attractive than in press shots. Meanwhile the slightly curved edges make for comfortable hands-feel, though we do wish Nokia had added a lens cover for the 12-megapixel camera since that whole portion of the back panel does extend considerably.
Of course, we never really had any doubts about the N8’s spec sheet; its success in the market will all depend on how well put together Symbian^3 turns out to be. That’s a sizeable challenge, as we’ve said before, but Nokia still hold the top smartphone spot and they’ve plenty of strong features to leverage like Ovi Maps. We’ll have to wait until the N8 arrives in Q3 2010 in order to see whether they’ve delivered on that; until then, check out the hands-on gallery below.
Though Microsoft, RIM and possibly Google are already vying to be the center of the automotive infotainment push, a certain Finnish phone manufacturer says it wants to take charge — in what seems to be the latest phase of its Terminal Mode initiative, Nokia’s tapped infotainment provider Harman to “standardize” the interface between phone and car. Like Harman’s last in-dash venture, a touchscreen and physical controls will be the focus, while your handset (rather than an Intel Atom) does the heavy lifting. Connected via Bluetooth or USB, your Nokia will play music, deliver Ovi Maps, respond to voice control and more, with the entire phone display duplicated onto the car’s larger touchscreen for easy access and a set of auto-specific apps planned for Nokia’s Ovi Store. It all sounds pretty swell, but it’s still not clear how the companies intend to standardize anything beyond their balance sheets; we’re not sure how much Nokia will appreciate you connecting a Droid to their Ovi-powered car. PR after the break.
Update: It appears that this is part of Nokia’s Terminal Mode initiative, which — as some have noted in comments — we’ve actually told you about before. Whoops!
We’re not alone in grumbling about Nokia. Investors are miffed — to put it gently — over Nokia’s inability to ignite the industry (and profits) with innovative, high-margin handset sales since the launch of Apple’s iPhone some three years ago. And let’s not forget about that feisty upstart Google, Microsoft’s revamped Windows Phone OS, or HP’s new-found love for mobile devices. Investor unrest was made clear last week as Nokia shareholders gave CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo an earful. But as slow moving as Nokia can be, it’s not immune to the situation by any stretch. Following up on its announcement to combine services and devices, we now have details about Nokia’s planned re-org, the second in seven months. The goal, as described by OPK, is as follows:
“Nokia’s new organizational structure is designed to speed up execution and accelerate innovation, both short-term and longer-term.”
The heat will be on Anssi Vanjoki (pictured) to deliver as he’ll be assuming responsibility for the Mobile Solutions group on July 1st. That gives him direct control of Nokia’s MeeGo Computers (led by Alberto Torres), Symbian Smartphones (headed by Jo Harlow), and Ovi Services (led by Tero Ojanpera) — the holy trifecta that interests us the most. Mary McDowell will head the Mobile Phones unit while Niklas Savander will head up the Markets unit. The loser in all of this appears to be Richard Simonson, the former CFO currently leading the Mobile Phones unit, but soon to be retired. Full press release after the break.
Hot on the heels of TomTom’s new Star Wars voices for their PND range comes Nokia’s alternative: the ability to record your own voice prompts for the Ovi Maps Navigation app available free for multiple Nokia handsets. Fresh to the Ovi Store – as a free download, no less – Own Voice for Ovi Maps asks you to record 53 different speech prompts and then bundles them together into a custom voice pack.
Not only can you use that voice pack yourself, but they’re shared on Nokia’s new Own Voice site so that others can download them too (we’re guessing you can keep them private as well). It’s a brilliant idea, and it might just put custom voice prompt vendors out of business.
Of course, if you’re friends with James Earl Jones you could always get him to record some Nokia prompts and save the £7.95 TomTom are asking. Alternatively, prepare for April Fools Day 2011 by recording a load of incorrect directions to install onto your friends’ phones, telling them to go left when they should turn right.
Yo TomTom, wake up and smell the competition. While the original gangster of navigation devices is still mulling over an app store, Nokia has raised the smartphone pathfinding bar a little higher by letting people record (and share) their own voice instructions. It’s not the most complex process in the world, you just get the extra Own Voice app to go with the latest version of Ovi Maps and set your vocal talents free. At the end you’ll get a neat little voice pack to utilize on your handset or to share with the world, which is surely just dying to hear your Mr. T impressions. Let the silliness commence!
Nokia’s Ovi Store may still be seriously losing in the app war to Apple and Google, but something tells us Espoo’s betting on its new Ovi App Wizard to help it gain some ground. Putting mobile software creation in the hands of the code-illiterate, the auto-generated application wizard lets anyone — and we mean anyone — turn any RSS or Atom feed out there into an app, and publish it to the Ovi Store. Surprisingly, it really is that simple. While we could have made a personal app with our Twitter and Facebook feed, we went ahead and finally made an Ovi Engadget app by simply going to oviappwizard.com and going through the four step process — we put in all three RSS feeds, uploaded our logos, tweaked the colors and hit publish. According to Nokia it should only take 24 hours for the app to be approved — yes, there’s some sort of approval process — but we’re still waiting for our app to show up in the storefront so we can download it on our N97. There’s the ability to serve up third party ads, but you’ll have to prove that you own the content you’ve placed in your app. Again, super simple, but we’re a bit wary of the sorts of apps that will start to pop up, and not sure we need everyone’s own personal feeds/sites overtaking the store. But we’ll let you be the judge of that — go on, hit the read link, create an app, and Ovi-populate.
Hot on the heels of TomTom’s 
