Mozilla Browser for Nokia N800

The latest buzz on the InternetTabletTalk forums has been about a beta release of a Mozilla based browser for the Nokia N800s. The browser is based on the Mozilla Gecko engine, and as well as supporting web standards, it also supports things like AJAX & RSS feeds.It looks as if you can also use Firefox plugins (but they will need to be recompiled first). It does look like you need to have the latest OS2007 update (which was released a few weeks ago).

People are reporting that Google Docs now works (which it didn’t on the standard Opera browser). I will try and see how Google Calendar works too (nothing was mentioned about this in the forums).

There are even some very simple installation instructions to get the browser installed.

Source: InternetTabletTalk

Source: More information & download

(Image from Mozilla Browser site)

New Firmware and Skype for the Nokia N800 is finaly here!!!

It lo0ks like that the new firmware for the Nokia N800 is out. It’s called ‘OS 2007 edition v. 4.2007.26-8. This has got the following changes (from the Nokia N800 Support site):-

Skype client support

After downloading the new software for the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet and installing Skype, users are ready to make free Internet Calls to other Skype users and low cost calls to landline or mobile phone wherever there is a wireless connection. From coffee shops to offices, to hotels or even on the beach, users will now be able to make Skype calls anywhere they can find a wi-fi hotspot. The Skype user experience familiar from desktop includes also chat, presence, contact details and account management features. The feature upgrade includes easy and quick installer for Skype client.

Adobe® Flash® 9 browser plug-in

Adobe® Flash® 9 browser plug-in has been one of the most wanted features requested by the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet users. The upgrade to Adobe® Flash® 9 browser plug-in opens the door to many rich media websites and considerably improves web usability. It also improves substantially the media performance when using video streaming services.

Up to 8 GB memory card support

More music and more videos imply more memory resources. Memory card support has increased from 2 GB to up to 8 GB, covering most part of the range of memory cards available in the market nowadays.

With two memory card slots the devices memory capability is extendable up to 16 GB. Over 2 GB SD memory cards must be SDHC compatible.

Other Improvements

A lot of work has been done into increasing the battery life of the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet. Most of the improvements have been done around the wireless connection, resulting in remarkably longer online usages.

The new Internet Tablet OS brings some improvements at an application level as well. The most visible change is clarification of Now Playing and Library modes for Media Player. The contents of the cards are also scanned faster than before.

Touch screen sensitiveness has been improved through software enhancements. Now the screen areas with most intensive use register events more efficiently.

Nokia Internet Call Invitation (BETA) application

Nokia Internet Call Invitation (BETA) trial period has ended. The invitation mechanism has been removed and service will not be accessible after 31.8.2007.

New pre-installed content

• Tableteer info applet
• Updated Internet radio channels
• Real Rhapsody player easy installer (available for US. residents only)
• Piquant new web sites

You can download the new firmware now from here. I am just starting Windows now (as the firmware updater doesn’t work on a Mac), so I will post an update later on today when I’ve loaded the update.

Source: Nokia N800 Support Site

Skype on a Nokia N800 update

I’ve been following some of the post on InternetTabletForum again, and it appear they Skype is back again on the Nokia N800.

After updating the Application List (I went into Application Manager, then into Tools/Refresh Application List), then went into ‘Browse Installable Applications/Multimedia’ you can see several Skype installation packages, all with the version number 1.7.23.27.4. The packages won’t install, as there are about 15 missing libraries.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

Reference: Previous Post

Skype coming to the Nokia N800 really soon ?

There has been some chatter on the InternetTabletTalk website today about Skype finally being seen (and them promptly removed again) from the Application Manager on the Nokia N800 (when the local packages were updated). I don’t think anyone has got it to work yet (as the files seem to have been removed very quickly), but the fact thet it appears to be have seen, might mean that a Skype release is coming really soon. Some people are indicating that the new firmware will be a requirement too.

Also in the forum thread, it mentions that the new release will be called ‘chinook’ (all the internal development has code names – the current one is ‘bora’, and the previous one was called ‘mistral’) and that files are starting to appear on the Nokia site. I checked this site last week, and all that was there was an empty folder called ‘chinook’, now there are files in there!!! One of the posts seem to mention that the firmware update may be out as soon as tomorrow (5th July), and to keep fressing F5, but the post seems to have been deleted now… hmm…

Source: InternetTabletTalk Forums

Syncing iCal to a Nokia N800 part 2

Recently I wrote about how to connect Apple’s iCal application to a Nokia N800 using a product called SpanningSync. The SpanningSync software did the job wonderfully. But since then I found that the new beta 3.0 version of Plaxo does the same job for free!!!

Plaxo (according to their website) is “the only online address book and calendar that syncs with Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, the Mac, Thunderbird, and your mobile phone!”. So you can see that you can link iCal to Google Calendars, then link Google Calendars to the N800 using Erminig.

Also, the Erminig software written by David Hautbois, now support syncing to Google Calendars. I will try and get around to writing some instruction on how I’ve set this update later!!!

Plaxo is starting to get some good reviews from various people (including Robert Scoble – ex technical evangelist at Microsoft), and I’ve been using the new version 3.0 beta for about a week now.

Previous: Syncing iCal to a Nokia N800

Erminig Software: David Hautbois

Plaxo service: Plaxo 3.0 beta

Apple iPhone v Nokia N95

I know it’s not quite N800 related, but as the N800 sits somewhere around the iPhone in form factor and functionallity (except for the mobile phone bit obviously) and it’s got the Nokia heritage, CNet in Australia have written a quick point by point comparison of the Apple iPhone verses the Nokia N95. Things like the camera, 3G & GPS win for the N95, and the interface, email and the web browser win for the iPhone.

Stil, the N800 is here, and is cheaper than both of them!!! And if we get Sype soon…

Source: CNet AU

Skype on a Nokia N800 ?

The latest rumor to hit the net today is that Skype for the N800 is comming really really soon. Kevin C. Tofel from the JKonTheRun website has been to Digital Experience show in the US, and when Kevin was at the Nokia booth, he managed to see a N800 running Skype. Looks like a July release for the Skype software finally (which mean the Q2 release date mentioned in the InternetTabletTalk forums will be miseed – well there is only one working days left to go before we hit the start of Q3 – and it is iPhone day). The next thing to wait for is video camera integration!!!

Now all we’ve got to do is to get Google Gears working on the N800 so I can get my calendar offline (well this is supposed to be an internet tablet), and Plaxo so I can see all my contacts.

BTW, the podcast that these guys do is really good if you’re into your mobile technology (which I guess you must be of your reading this!!!)

Source: JKontheRun

Podcast: Subscribe to the Mobile Tech Roundup using iTunes

Two Weeks with a Nokia N800

Pros

• Great battery life, even with Wifi turned on (although I am turning it off automatically after 5 minutes of non use.
• Great web browser (Opera Mini I think), and you can load Minimo on too (with is Mozilla based)
• Loads of 3rd party apps can be downloaded OTA, and a very active open source development ecosystem.

Cons

• No built in calendar application
• The calendar apps you can download, don’t seem to support two way sync’ing
• No Google Docs support
• No Google Gears support
• No Skype client. Yes I know that it does GTalk and SIP, but most people I know are using Skype.

Is there anything you think I might of missed on either the Pros or Cons ? If there is, please post it!!!

Syncing iCal to Nokia N800

Problem

I want to have one one calendar on my Apple Mac & on my Nokia N800.

Solution

1. Download SpanningSync from http://www.spanningsync.com/ , This software will allow you to sync your iCal with Google Calendar. This software will cost you approx $25 per year, or $65 one off payment.
2. Setup SpanningSync from within System Preferences.
3. Enter your Google Calendar email address and password in the top two boxes, and in the bottom half of the window, select your iCal calendar, and which Google Calendar you want to sync it to. N.B. I’ve also ticked the box for automatically sync’ing every one hour.
4. Press ‘Sync Now’.
5. Wait a few minutes to see the calendars in Google Calendar.
6. Now, in Google Calendar, press the ‘Manage Calendars’ button.
7. Click on theGoogle Calenda you sync’d with in step 3.
8. At the bottom of the screen, you should see a section called ‘Private Address’.
9. Right click on the green ‘iCal’ button, andcopy the link location.
10. Goto you email client, past the link you’ve just copied, and send an email to yourself (that you have already configured on your N800). This will save you having to write down & retyping the private URL.
11. Now on your N800, install GPE Calendar. You can download GPE calender from here.
12. Open up your email on your N800, and retreive your emails. You should see the email you sent to yourself.
13. From the menu, select ‘Edit’ then ‘Select All’, the URL should be highlighted (i.e. the one you copied and pasted from Google Calendar).
14. From the menu, select ‘Edit’ then ‘Copy’.
15. Open the GPE Calendar application.
16. From the main menu, click on ‘Tools’ then ‘Calendars’.
17. Click on the first icon, the one that looks like a peice of paper.
18. Name the Calendar, and select the ‘Type’ and ‘Subscribe’.
19. Click in the URL box, and the keyboard should pop up. Press the ‘Menu’ icon (should be bottom left of the keyboard if your using the pointing stick). Select ‘Paste’. The URL should now paste in.
20. Enter your Google Calendar email and password in the ‘Username’ and ‘Password’ boxes.
21. Select an updae interval that works for you, and press ‘Save’.
22. Sometime nohing seems to happen. If you get this, just close the Calendar application, and restart it.

Requirements

• Apple Mac (I’m using OSX 10.4.9 – it may work on other versions too)
• SpanningSync software (to get iCal information to Google Calendar)
• Google Calendar account
• Nokia N800
• GPE Calendar on the Nokia N800
• A working email account on your N800 (for getting the private URL from your Mac to your N800)

There is another (free) way to get your iCal sync’d with Google Calendar using a Java program called GCALDameon. See macosxhints.com and the GCALDameon tutorial (I’ve not tried this way, I just too lazy!!!).

Any appointments you make in GPE Calendar DON’T get sync’d back to iCal, but because your using Google Calendar, you can change any appointments on the fly (as long as you’ve got an internet connection).

Proporta Nokia N800 case review

I have had my Nokia N800 now for 10 days, so I thought it was time to do a quick mini review of the unit.Since I got the N800, I’ve bought x 2gb SD cards (one internal – next to the battery and one external – under the stand on the front) and the Proporta case.

I decide to get the 2gb SD cards and not the 4gb SDHC cards, because for what I can find, the SDHC cards (i.e. the higher capacity and higher speed ?) cards are not nativly supported on the unit (you only seem to be able for format them to 2gb). There does appear to be some type of firmware hack to fix this, but I’m not brave enough to try this on my new machine.

The Proporta case is a nice well built and handmade peice of kit. Its got a aluminium inset in the front cover which should stop most damage to the screen. It’s also got a stand (which is linked to the back of the case by Velcro) built into the case, but I don’t really find it that sturdy. I tend to just place the unit on the bottom of my monitor stand at work, and that seems to work OK. When I actually use the machine, I tend to use it in my hand. The N800 is held in place by 2 ‘C’ clips which hold the N800 on each side of the unit. Thetop third of the back cover also bends back slightly so that you can get the stylus out easier. The C clips seem to hold the N800 very well, but I haven’t really drop tested it yet ;-).

There are two minor disapointments with the case (which I guess I new about from the Proporta site. The first is that there isn’t any credit card slots or SD card holders on the inside of the front cover. I personally think this would have made the unit more useful. The second, it that there isn’t a belt clip option, which I understand is availible on most of the other Proporta cases.

Overall all though, the case is well worth the £24 I paid.
Link: Proporta Nokia N800 Case