Oldie Firmware Update For Nokia 5800
Is Now Officially Released With Full Change Log

Nokia 5800 NAMNokia has officially announced availability of the oldie software update for the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic that has been quietly released more than a month ago!??

This “new” firmware version 20.0.012 further improves the performance and adds new functionalities to the device including faster data download from Internet, improved e-mail experience, better search experience with in-device search and many additional features.

“The update includes great improvements in the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. As mobile devices become more and more advanced, additional features and new functionalities are easy to install to the existing device.”

“We recommend people to take advantage of the new features and upgrade their Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and get more from their existing device,” said Soren Petersen, Senior Vice President, Devices, Nokia.

The latest software update is immediately available for downloading and flashing through the Nokia Software Update website free of charge.

Here is the official list of changes:

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Faster user interface and faster download times
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Mobile Dictionary: built-in dictionary functionality with voice playback of words utilizing text-to-speech technology, support for 38 languages
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Application Update: with Application Update people can check for available updates for applications and update them directly in the device. Applications can also be kept up-to-date by setting the checking to automatic.

“The Thinnest Smartphone” Is Coming Soon
On The Largest Wireless Carrier In The States

Nokia E71xText messaging and email are still the ‘killer app’ for mobile phone data use and ), the largest wireless carrier in the U.S is responding with a great new lineup of phones for the Spring season.

AT&T today announced a fresh new lineup of Smartphones and quick messaging phones that make it easier for customers to message with friends and family and manage their business and personal lives on-the-go.

In the Smartphone category, AT&T debuted the E71x, Nokia’s award winning fully-QWERTY S60 device. The thinnest smartphone on the market, the Nokia E71x, will be available in the coming weeks for $99.99 and features a black steel finish and award-winning design.

The Nokia smartphone, based on S60 on Symbian OSTM offers the Wi-Fi and the flexibility of many Symbian-based applications, in addition to AT&T’s most popular services, including AT&T Navigator. The Nokia E71x is just 10 millimeters thin and will turn heads when you text friends, or check your corporate or personal email.

“Smartphones and quick messaging phones are no longer for early-adopters and text-happy teens,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “The ability to text often, or check your email from a phone is easy and more customers demand these features. These phones are a great addition to our best-in-class lineup and we can’t wait to get them in our customers’ hands in the coming weeks.”

“We believe this is a great opportunity for Nokia,” says Hugo Hernandez, Nokia’s head of E-series marketing for North America. “We are bringing in a device with the right [features] and the right price point.”

With support for both corporate and personal e-mail, built in GPS, WiFi, a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and up to 8GB of memory it is no wonder that WIRED Magazine named the Nokia E71 “Test Best Cell Phone” in their November 2008 test issue and this is great news for all S60 lowers in US!

Nokia Software Updater Application Version 1.5.12 Released

Nokia Software Updater Just a quick note to inform you that Nokia Software Updater just got another minor update without any radical changes but it is anyway highly suggestible to get it!

Firmware update is the very sensitive process that could result with a dead phone, AKA ‘brick issue’ and therefore, you must make sure that you that you have latest software version.

The process of updating firmware is very sensitive; hence any disruption during the process of downloading and flashing could result in permanent damage to the device that can only be repaired at official Nokia Service Points.

Therefore it is recommended to take all precautions measures, update the client, terminate any unnecessary program on your PC, and of course charge the battery to prevent device from being powered off during the update.

This application version offers registration for information on new software updates and a new layout designed to give you a little more information when you might need it.

The Nokia Software Updater is available in 38 languages and you can get latest version of Nokia Software Updater (1.5.12) from www.nokia.com/softwareupdates or your local Nokia support pages.

Nokia Stops Outsourcing Production
The company makes this move due to weak demand on the market

Nokia says it won’t outsource production anymore

More bad news for the electronics contract manufacturing business comes from the world’s largest mobile phone maker, Nokia, which announced recently that it would not use any more outside contract manufacturers for the fabrication process of its phones. According to the company, due to weak global demand on the phone market, it would stop outsourcing its production to Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers or to Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs).

“Amid the global economic recession and slowing sales of mobile handsets, Nokia in recent months had begun the process of shifting some of its assembly operations away from contract manufacturers and back inside the company,” said Adam Pick, principal analyst for EMS/ODM at iSuppli Corp. “However, this announcement clearly illustrates just how severe the situation in the mobile handset market really is.”

Back in 2008, the Finnish mobile phone maker outsourced around 17 percent of the manufacturing volume of its mobile phone engines. The outsourcing included phones and the software that enabled its basic operations, while the companies involved were Foxconn International Holdings, BYD, Elcoteq and Jabil Circuit. Nokia’s announcement is bad news for contract manufacturing and mobile handset businesses, yet it shows that the company is able to adjust according to changing market demand.

“This doesn’t help the eroding EMS/ODM industry,” Pick continued. “Nokia’s pull-back will shed more than $5 billion in revenue from electronics contract manufacturers. That most means more overcapacity, more headcount reductions and, obviously, more problems.”

According to iSuppli, the EMS/ODM market was expected to contract around 9.9 percent of the global manufacturing volume in 2009, or around $270.8 billion, registering a lower demand than a year before, when it reached $300.7 billion, yet Nokia’s announcement will drive iSuppli to downgrade its prevision for the ongoing year, as well as that for the years to come.

“Nokia is an operational juggernaut with leading procurement and supply chain techniques,” noted Jeffrey Wu, iSuppli’s senior EMS/ODM analyst. “You have to give Nokia credit for maintaining a hybrid manufacturing system that adjusts pursuant to volatile demand patterns.”

T-Mobile USA Launches Its First 3G Modem
The webConnect USB Laptop Stick supports 3G, Wi-Fi and EDGE/GPRS connectivity

T-Mobile webConnect USB Laptop Stick

T-Mobile USA announced the release of its first 3G USB laptop stick, called T-Mobile webConnect USB Laptop Stick. The company launched the new device on Wednesday in North America and it is meant to allow users to connect to the web while on the go, either via Wi-Fi or by using the carrier’s 3G wireless broadband service.

T-Mobile’s webConnect USB Laptop Stick has been manufactured by Huawei and it offers users the possibility to connect either via 3G high-speed data network (HSDPA) or through Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) networks, while also allowing them to install on it up to 8 GB of additional storage space, eliminating the need for another memory stick for storage.

“Our customers are increasingly accessing a wider variety of information, entertainment and services through their laptops while on the go,” said Jeremy Korst, director, broadband products and services, T-Mobile USA. “The T-Mobile webConnect USB Laptop Stick provides a true plug-and-play experience for customers to stay connected — virtually anytime, everywhere on the T-Mobile-owned network.”

The new 3G USB laptop stick comes with support for tri-band 3G connectivity, offering users compatibility with mobile networks around the world, and proving to be a great option for those who travel a lot outside the country. Those who travel to places where 3G networks haven’t been deployed just yet will also find it suitable due to its support for the carrier’s EDGE network, as well as for worldwide used EDGE/GPRS bands.

Users who would like to acquire the new webConnect laptop stick can do so by accessing T-Mobile’s official website, though they can also find it at the carrier’s stores and at third-party retailers in areas where T-Mobile offers 3G connectivity. The device is priced at $49.99 upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement, but it can also be purchased contract free for $249.99.

The Sims 3 Will Not Use DRM
Launches in June

No DRM attached

It seems that The Sims 3, the life simulation game that will arrive at the beginning of June for the PC, will not be using any Digital Rights Management. The announcement was made by Rod Humble, the executive producer on the Sims series.

Writing on the official website that Electronic Arts has dedicated to the game, Humble stated that “To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed. We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorisation server access in the distant future.”

The Sims 3 is being published by Electronic Arts, which attracted the ire of gamers last fall, when it released Spore, another sim everything title from Maxis, overburdened with heavy DRM features that only allowed a limited number of installs before having to contact the publisher in order to get permission for more of them.

The Sims 3 will only use a CD key to authenticate the game. You will need to input it once as you install the game and you will be the only one to play it. The use of a CD key also means that re-selling The Sims 3 would be very easy. This might actually turn out to be a great strategy on EA’s part, considering that a game like The Sims 3 is likely to get a whole lot of expansions. If games are re-sold, rather than left to die somewhere in an old closet, then their inevitable expansions will move much more copies, bringing in more revenue for Electronic Arts.

It would be interesting to see if the game uses Steam to authenticate itself, considering that both Dawn of War II and Empire: Total War went down that route successfully in the last few months.

Molyneux Reveals Next Fable II DLC, Teases Fable III
You’ll get to “See the Future”

New content incoming for this game

Peter Molyneux is one of the most flamboyant game designers currently working in the industry. While he didn’t really break the mold with his games, he did become famous for his uncanny ability to hype them up and make them sound like the best titles ever.

The latest game from his studio, Lionhead, was Fable II, which introduced some very interesting concepts to RPGs and sold very well. It already received the first expansion, entitled Knothole Island, which added a brand new land for players to explore and fulfill quests there.

But recently there have been some pretty serious talks about the next expansion to the game and, thanks to BBC presenter Jonathan Ross, the next game in the series has been all but confirmed. Now, Molyneux comes to talk with Kotaku and reveals some fresh details on the upcoming See the Future DLC add-on.

“The next DLC comes out in the spring,” he says. “We’re in the spring now so don’t think months, think more like weeks. It’s called See the Future. The first (DLC) was done very close to Fable II and the team was tired and we sort of pushed ourselves to get something out early for the fans. This time we’ve taken a little bit more time on it, it’s a little bit more story driven. It answers some of the questions, if you’re a real fan of Fable, it answers some of those questions. It’s going to test you a little bit emotionally as well. But I think the real unique thing here is it starts to tease and hint at what it [is] starting to happen in the world of Albion and what is happening in the future.”

He further talks about the future game, although he emphasizes the fact that nothing is concrete at the moment and the announcement is still far from here. “If we were to take the franchise even further, going on from Fable II, I’m not announcing anything, but if you play See the Future you’re going to be getting a flavor at what’s going to be happening,” he says. “My ideal is what I would want to happen is something big.”

There you have it, classic Molyneux style, while nothing is certain, it will be something big. Hopefully we will see a concrete release date for See the Future and after that some more details on the next title.

Mainger Rolls Out 13.3-Inch mX-L Notebook
Comes with optional custom laser engraving

Maingear’s new 13.3-inch laptop is dubbed mX-L

It would seem that the 13.3-inch notebooks are gaining ground, as an increasing number of PC vendors are rolling out their latest notebooks with this form factor. The latest company to announce its own such system is Maingear, which has just rolled out the new mX-L portable PC. Designed to take advantage of one of Intel’s latest mobile
platforms, the new mX-L comes in an ultraportable form factor and offers an option for a custom laser engraving on the back of the lid.

According to the available specifications on the company’s website, the new mX-L has been built on Intel’s GM45 and ICH9M chipset combo, offering support for some of the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, with clock speeds ranging from 2GHz to 2.8GHz. On the memory side, the laptop is ready to provide support for up to 8GB of DDR2 667/800MHz memory modules. The familiar integrated Intel GMA X4500MHD graphics solution comes with support for DirectX 10 and is ready to deliver the required support for the display’s 1280×800 resolution.

On the storage side, the mX-L offers a choice for either an Intel 160GB X25-M solid state drive (SSD), or a higher-capacity 500GB Western Digital traditional hard disk drive. On the connectivity side, the ultraportable notebook comes with one D-Sub connector, three USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, S/PDIF, Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 and one modem RJ-11. Equipped with a 4-cell battery, this system is said to weigh 4.45 lbs, which is approximately 2.02Kg.

An entry-level model starts at US$1,100 and is powered by a Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, 802.11n Wi-FI and DVD burner, which can be upgraded to a Blu-ray combo unit. The system is already available for ordering on the company’s website.

Eee PC E1004DN with DVD Burner to Get April Launch
The line between netbooks and notebooks gets thinner

Eee PC E1004DN to boast DVD burner, launches in April

According to the latest details in the industry, ASUS is planning an April launch for a new Eee PC model, which will provide users with something that most netbooks don’t. The Eee PC E1004DN will apparently boast an integrated optical drive, although it will feature the same 10-inch form factor as most of its competitors. The new system should
become available sometime next month and will likely receive a favorable welcome, given that it will probably be the first in its class to boast an optical drive.

The new netbook was first showcased earlier this year, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The netbook will boast the HD-capable GN40 chipset, which has been combined with the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor. Additional features include a 120GB hard drive, ExpressCard slot, three USB 2.0 ports, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and an 8-in-1 multi-card reader. However, the most significant feature of the E1004DN is the fact that it has enough space to house a DVD burner, in addition to all of the aforementioned hardware components.

This netbook should become available sometime next month with an estimate price tag between $531 and $590. After the E1004DN, ASUS is said to be planning the release of another Eee PC, the 1008HA. As the name suggests, this is yet another 10-inch netbook that will boast pretty much the same technical specifications as other netbooks on the market, namely a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth and the aforementioned Intel Atom N280 processor.

Despite earlier reports, ASUS appears to stay committed to its previous strategy, that is to further expand its Eee PC range of netbooks, providing users with several configurations and similar designs. This strategy is somewhat unfortunate for end-users, as they are forced to go through a number of models to find out which one best fits their needs.

MSI Wind U123, MSI’s First Atom N280 Netbook
Should become available in April

MSI’s Wind U123 will boast Intel’s Atom N280 processor

Much like ASUS, Acer and almost every other netbook vendor on the market, MSI will reportedly launch a new Atom-based netbook early next month. According to available details, the company is planning the release of its first netbook to boast one of Intel’s latest Atom processors, the N280. The MSI Wind U123 will boast a familiar 10-inch design and is expected to go on sale in Japan on April 11.

As most other Atom-based netbooks on the market, the new Wind U123 will ship with 1GB of RAM memory, but will provide support for up to 2GB of memory, further increasing the system’s performance. The netbook’s other specifications include a 160GB hard drive, a 10-inch WSVGA display, wireless 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR connectivity, integrated 2MP webcam, multi-format card reader, three USB 2.0 ports and a single VGA connector to support an external display.

The new Wind netbook will boast a 6-cell battery pack and will weigh 1.23Kg. According to the Taiwanese company, the system should be available in four color options, including blue, white, red and gray. On the graphics side, the U123 is equipped with the same Intel integrated GMA950 graphics solution.

For the time being, these are the only available details on MSI’s new Wind netbook, which is expected to become available on April 11, though there is no info as to when it will be made available for the worldwide market.

With said launch, MSI appears to be adopting a strategy that is similar to that of ASUS, namely to provide its users with a number of netbook configurations that are only slightly different from one another. However, the Taiwanese company has at least one netbook that is fairly interesting, namely the Wind U115 Hybrid, which boasts MSI’s Exclusive Hybrid Storage Technology, combining an SSD and an HDD, for optimum performance.