Today, HMV launched HMV On-Demand, its own inevitable foray into the world of video on demand. But it seems to have missed the mark and may stumble straight out of the gates. In its honour, we’ve pulled out a list of the other last-ditch tech comebacks and launched that faltered, flapped and were dead on arrival. Read more
The wait is over. Our friends at Nokia Beta Labs have just released an update to the N8’s native camera application. The update, available free at the Beta Labs website, adds support for continuous auto focus and 30fps video recording. First a Symbian Anna update and now a camera update? Not a bad month for the Symbian flagship if you ask us.
It’s no secret the Nokia N8 has an incredible camera. Up until today its video capabilities trailed behind the still photography. Taking the video recording speed from 25fps to 30fps opens the door to capturing fast-action video clips. Combined with continuous auto focus, the N8 not only replaces your point and shoot camera, it also replaces an entry-level video camera.
Nokia has been slipping Symbian Anna onto new phones for sometime but if you’ve got a Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01 or Nokia E7 bought before it was minted, today’s your lucky day. Nokia has begun rolling out the Symbian Anna update to those phones via Ovi Suite or as an over-the-air update.
Symbian Anna gives your phone’s UI an overhaul with new icons, split-screen messaging and a portrait mode virtual QWERTY keyboard. Nokia Maps also gets an upgrade with improved search and Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter integration. There’s also upgraded browser which Nokia says will load pages faster and make them easier to navigate. If you’ve got a Nokia C7, the Symbian Anna update also activates its NFC functions.
You can see the full list of changes delivered by Symbian Anna at the link below. If you’ve already installed the update on your phone, click the headline and head to the comments to give us your review.
Out now | £free | Nokia
It’s a dark day for the Finnish giant. Nokia’s second quarter financial results confirmed that fears over the future of its mobile device business were well warranted. Mobile device shipments slid 20 percent from the year ago quarter, sending net sales, operating profit, earnings per share and net cash in a downward spiral. The time to release a Windows Phone device is now.
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, it’s that time for your evening tech news round up. In today’s US Update we get to the bottom of the Xbox 360 portable rumors, preview Nokia’s MeeGo announcement, track down the Milestone 3, update the Samsung Apple lawsuit and wrap up with a look at the secrets behind the Nokia N8 optics.
Despite what you’ve heard, Microsoft has no plans of releasing a portable Xbox 360 console. The company has gone on record to state the future of Xbox gaming on-the-go begins and ends with Windows Phone. At Nokia Connection 2011 an unnamed MeeGo device is expected to headline the show. The odds on favorite is the Nokia N9.
![The secrets behind Carl Zeiss optics: Nokia N8 super powers revealed [video]](http://cdn.electricpig.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/nokiaN81-150x150.jpg)
Great minds agree — Nokia smartphones offer the best optics available. One device in particular, the Nokia N8, has shown it’s 12-megapixel sensor is something quite special. Leaving point-and-shoot cameras in its wake, the N8 is an excellent example of what Carl Zeiss optics can do for mobile photography. Here are the secrets behind the magic.
The combination of a glass lens, large sensor, and 4-element Tessar optics set the foundation. The continued partnership between Nokia and Carl Zeiss focuses on creating optics which withstand normal influences of use, drops of one meter, and deliver distortion free images with fine detail for poster-size magnifications.
It’s that time for your evening tech jolt, better known as the US Update. Headlining today’s news is a new app which promises to turn your iPad 3G into a 9.7-inch iPhone. We’ve got the scoop on the ultra-affordable Cello 3D TVs arriving later this month and huge news for N8 owners hoping to take their video skills to the next level.
iPhoneIslam, the team behind FaceTime 3G, has released a video showing an iPad 3G making voice calls and sending text messages (SMS). You’ll need to jailbreak your iPad 3G and purchase the £12.29 app, but that’s a small price to pay for a 10-inch iPhone.
The Nokia N8 touts one of the best, if not the best, cameras we’ve seen on a smartphone. Thanks to a 12-megapixel sensor and Carl Zeiss optics, taking professional-grade photos on the go is easier than ever before.
An update to the N8 is rumored to be coming soon. With it brings 30fps video recording, up from 25fps, and continuous auto-focus. The latter is one of the most highly coveted features for DSLR users hoping to replace a HD video camera.
