Before / After

Finally its possible to remove that annoying menu icon that makes the default menu icons smaller on the new firmware for Nokia N95 v30.0.015. Words cannot describe how glad i am to get rid of that annoying menu icon

Use this mod at your own risk!

You may damage your phone!

There are two ways to remove the menu icon. The simplest way is to download this file, sign it and just install it and it will do the job for you. I havent tested this application so im not sure how it will work!

The second way is for hacked phones. Download this text file and copy it to C:\private\10202be9 folder (using a file explorer like X-Plore) and reboot your phone!

Thats it!! no more annying menu icon!

N95 8GB New Firmware v30.0.018

Another good news is that Nokia N95 8GB has now a new Firmware update to v30.0.018. A few new features to mention are – Maps 2.0 (e.g. Pedestrian navigation, Traffic info, Multimedia city guides, satellite imagery), Full N-Gage, Nokia Search 4.0 with Google plug-in, Share on Ovi, Enablers for Comes With Music, Mosh & Ovi Bookmarks added to Browser.

Other Notable changes are Download! application updated (v 3.1.50), New baseline for Startup settings, New baseline/upgrade to Music Player, Baseline update for Flashlite3 (improved viewing of sites like YouTube), Current consumption improvements (for e.g. WLAN scanning), New baseline for VoIP (with significant error corrections), General error corrections.

You can download the Firmware by clicking here>> (File Size: 82.5 Mb)

I know a lot of us do have the high end Nokia phones that come with an inbuilt GPS and the Nokia Maps Software but we have hardly explored it. The same was with me until lately when I accidently opened the application and gave it a shot. So after using it for about a month today I finally sat down to write about it in detail. Now it was an intentional accident and I’m glad it happened as I was on vacation being unfamiliar with the neighbourhood made me feel a little insecure. Simply, you feel more in place when you know your way around and professionally it saves you a lot of time. So here is a Real Time Experience of Nokia Maps & GPS bundled together to see if the Navigation is worth or just another money minting technique by Nokia.

The events hereafter are based on my experiences with S60 based Nokia N95 8GB with the inbuilt GPS and Nokia Maps application.

1. LOADING

So it was time to get myself familiar with the neighbourhood and plan for a few outdoor events too. I clicked on the icon of the Nokia Maps, which displayed the following screen showing the Maps to be loading. It took exactly 6 seconds to load 100%, which is not bad at all.

2. ACQUIRING LOCATION

As soon as the home screen loads, three yellow dots start to flash one at a time going from left to right indicating that the GPS is trying to access the satellite in order to display your current position. Once the GPS acquires your current position, it registers it by displaying all three dots as Green and you can locate yourself by just pressing the 0 (Zero) button which will take you to your current location which is displayed on the map in a + sign. Now it was a pretty dicey for me as sometimes the GPS worked really quick and sometimes it took a little while, but on whole it gave me a satisfactory experience in terms of showing you your current position, after all you can’t compare a Cell Phone to offer you the likes of a GARMIN or TomTom. But once it acquired your location, it then functioned pretty smooth.

3. THE OFFSIDE RULE

Before we go any further i would like to add (a little offside) that even if your phone does not have an inbuilt GPS, you can still carry around Nokia Maps application on your s60 or s40 enabled cell phone and download Maps for free an view them using the Nokia Maps Loader. So in this way you will have all the Maps you need with you that you can view offline, a pretty amazing feature (but you need a huge memory card or the 8GB memory to preload all the maps.) Only thing you would miss out on is Navigation. Now coming back to the main part, the reason why I started this post was to tell you about Naivigation and a real time experience with the GPS.

Some N95 8GB versions in some countries come with a free trial of Nokia Maps with Voice Guided Navigation for a limited period of time and as for me I didn’t get one, even though my box said that I had a free trial, so the first Negative score and that too a big one as I so wanted to have a go at it. If you too are in my shoes, then don’t worry as you can always pay some money to get a Liscence Or keep Reading this to know how you can get a demo of the Voice guidance. To know more about costs and pricing click here. You can also buy City Guides, which will tell you about various locations of a city viz. Food, Theater, Malls, Banks, Clubs, Hotels etc.

4. FEATURES & SHORTCUTS

Navigation with voice guidance is by far a hit and a miss feature but pretty good considering that it is an early effort by Nokia. Ability to have your personal Landmarks on Maps is also pretty cool and time efficient feature. You can also save Map as an image. Alternative Route Selection, Choice between fastest/shortest routes, Nearby search, etc are a few more to mention.

Following are a few shortcuts with screenshots i have found while using Nokia Maps and they have been really useful.

0 (Zero) = GPS Position

* = Zoom In

# = Zoom Out

1 = Switch Between 2D/3D Modes while in Navigation

2 = Change background Between Light/Dark while in Navigation

3 = Send Map via test, bluetooth, e-mail or multimedia message

6 = Recieving Satellite Status

7 = Increase/Decrease Volume of Voice Guided Navigation

Also you can search a keyword by pressing any numeric key (apart 0) in the default home screen.

5. THE NAVIGATION

From the Screenshots above it would be pretty cleat that how efficient the navigation system is, telling you exactly what route to take. To use the navigation all you have to do is to select Options>Use this place>Route from and then just punch in the place you want to go and select Search Route. The application according to your settings will give you the fastest/shortest route between the two places with a set of complete instructions. Once the route is displayed, you can select Options>Start Navigation. The navigation screen will appear which on top bar will display the nest street to turn on. On top left it will display the direction of the turn you need to take with the distance to go. The bottom part will display the current street you are on below which your will be your car speed total distance to go and time passed. The ‘N’ with the white arrow is the compass pointing towards the north direction and the three green dots is the GPS. The voice only tells you to make a turn and after what distance, but it does not speak the street names. You can also use the Simulation mode to have an experiience of the real time voice enabled demo of the navigation system. During my use the Navigation was Spot on most of the time. The GPS followed us through, only missing out in tunnels and sometimes in downtown and when the phone’s lights went off.

The battery consumption was nominal as it is expected to be but surprisingly gave more backup from the regular GARMIN nuvi 660 after one complete charge to total die out. The overall performance was a bit slow. The routes were accurate almost every time.

6. THE ADVANTAGES

1. Portable
2. Offline Maps Available
3. Good Batter Life
4. Accurate Coverage
5. Pedestrian Mode
6. Live Traffic Feeds (Limited)
7. Nearby Places
8. Can be used any car
9. Additional Features – Phone, Text Message, Camera, Video, Songs(MP3), Internet, Games etc.

7. THE DISADVANTAGES

1. A Little SLOW
2. Expensive
3. Complicated GUI (Graphic User Interface)
4. Small Screen
5. No Street Names in Voice Guided Navigation
6. Not Global
7. Only Few Handsets are Compatible

8. FINAL VERDICT

You can’t beat the fact that it is not only a GPS device but a phone as well, despite a few drawbacks, i would rate it a “BIG Thumbs Up” to Nokia for providing a complete package with a rating of 8.0/10 overall. So the money minting text i wrote in the opening paragraph has been drained down as the device comes with descent quality of service on which I’m satisfied. On a final note, i personally love this application and recommend it to all. To really know what it is like you guys should give it a try and I’m sure it will totally take you in the drivers seat for a long drive to explore new boundaries.

For More Info On Nokia Maps Click Here>>

The video shows him working his way through the handwriting tool. It looks impressive but at the same time he might be fooling us with a simple magic trick.

To check out the whole story Click here>>

Well, if anyone out there knows how this works can sure have your say here.

All comments are welcome. To know about the Up-Coming Touch Screen Nokia 5800 Click Here>>

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We take a look at top five mobile phones spotted at Euro 2008 games taking place in Switzerland & Austria, and provide you with the reviews of the individual devices with main focus on how they are being used by various soccer fans. Thing that you never thought would be possible with them when you bought one. Plus we also provide you with S60blog.com Pick of the Post, to what we feel is the best device overall.

Top 5 Mobile Phones @ Uefa Euro 2008

· Nokia N95 – 8 GB

· iPhone

· Nokia N82

· BlackBerry Pearl 8120

· Sony Ericsson K850i

Nokia N95 – 8 GB

The first thing you notice about this phone is its huge memory of 8 GB. A solid dual way slider that is packed with features ranging from the very simple to the very complex. Yes, this phone can be a bit complex at times but once you have the hang of it, it’s fairly easy to find your way through. Not the best of the designs from Nokia as it lacks the classy appeal and tends to be thicker when it’s in your pocket. A great Carl Ziess Optics of 5 MP Auto focus, the best at present in any mobile device. S60 based OS, thus many third party software are compatible.

Uses (apart telephoning)

1. Click Pictures

2. Record Long Videos

3. GPS Navigation

4. Web Browser

5. Music Player & FM Radio

Drawbacks

1. Thick Cross-section

2. Flash Not Good

3. No Auto-Rotate

4. Less Battery Life

Our Verdict : 9.2/10

Good to Click pictures with good quality (thanks to auto focus). Music Player is also pretty cool. Never ending 8 GB Memory.

Click here for More Info>>

Apple iPhone

The name says it all. Stylish and Sexy Design with minimal thickness. The Metal back is really cool. Best Touch Screen Interface on the planet. Huge Memory to store your data. iPod, Phone, Internet, Navigation all in one. This device was spotted far more number of times than expected. The camera tends to drop the device rating by a substantial amount. Huge Screen is a big plus point with accelerometer technology enabled games are pretty awesome.

Uses (apart telephoning)

1. iPod

2. GPS

3. Internet

4. Games

5. Wide Screen

Drawbacks

1. Camera

2. Lacks 3G (at present)

3. No Flash

Our Verdict : 8.6/10

The down log of this beautiful device is all because of its poor camera optics.

Click here for More Info>>

Nokia N82

They call this the Story teller’s phone and sure it is. One of he best s60 based device with great picture quality. Xenon flash with 5 MP Af Carl Ziess is the best camera ever integrated in a phone so far. The image processing is super. nGage is also a cool feature with needs a mention here, why cause you can play games with the TV out and the graphics are brilliant. TV out is the best part along with the Auto Rotate function. Criticism was bestowed upon the crowdedly placed numeric pad & the absence of the pencil key.

Uses (apart telephoning)

1. Best Camera

2. Great Video

3. TV Out

4. Music Player & FM Radio

5. nGage

6. GPS

7. Web Browser

Drawbacks

1. Slow & Sluggish Interface

2. Design

3. Crumpled keypad

Our Verdict : 9.6/10

A must for a person who wants a great camera with a great phone.

Click here for More Info>>

Sony Ericsson K850i

This one came out of the blue and is a big time stunner. Amazing picture quality with its 5 MP Af camera. Yes, it’s another Cybershot. With its inbuilt image stabilizer even the shaky times come still. Xenon flash is also a great feature. Good sound quality as well. Easy internet surfing and a cool sleek design. It hits your pocket far less than the others on the list.

Uses (apart telephoning)

1. 5 MP Af Camera

2. Amazing Sound Quality for a MP3

3. Xenon flash

4. Less Expensive

5. Cool Games

Drawbacks

1. No GPS

2. Less Memory

3. Complicated UGI

Our Verdict : 8.8/10

Considering the price it’s tagged at, its not at all bad for a the take. Yes, it has an amazing picture quality.

Click here for More Info>>

BlackBerry Pearl 8120

A surprise for us as it was not on our prediction list to be amongst the top five phones that soccer fans would bring with them at the Uefa Euro 2008. Since we bumped into quite many of them, I would like as well to elaborate more on it. Solid built is what catches the Eye at first glance. Wireless Email is by far the only and the best reason why people carry this around. It sure is addictive if you are a regular mailer. Great finish in design with only 91g of weight. QWERTY keypad is great.

Uses

1. Email on the go

2. Blackberry Maps

3. QWERTY Keypad

4. Music

Drawbacks

1. Camera

2. Battery Life

3. Limited third party applications

Our Verdict : 8.1/10

The best possible use of this device is Email. Camera quality is good but sure is not the best. All in all it’s a phone to try if you are a regular mailer.

Click here for More Info>>