TamsS60 - the S60 Blog

The folks at BrightHand’s have managed to somehow generate stats that show which devices stir up the most “user activity” - their results are posted once a month and usually provide pretty interesting reading.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here’s an overview of the “Mindshare” distribution. Palm and S60 get one device into the top list, Apple manages to squeeze in two, and PocketPC’s take up the remaining six boxen. Windows Mobile Smartphones are not represented this month:

Here is a list of the devices:

1. HTC Touch Diamond
2. Apple iPhone 3G
3. HTC Touch
4. ipaq 210
5. Nokia N96
6. Palm Centro
7. HTC Mogul
8. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
9. ipaq 110
10. iPod touch

What do you think?

The folks at Symbian-Freak’s somehow managed to get their hands onto a beta of Nokia’s upcoming version 7 of PC Suite. As of now, little is known about what is actually improved/changed by the latest version.

Nevertheless, daring folk can always visit symbian-freak and try it out - please let us know how you fared!

The Sony Ericsson BeiBei has been claimed dead a few days ago - nevertheless, new spy shots are leaked on an almost daily basis.

The latest leak involves the infamous HowardForums - a user posted the following shot of two newly-acquired BeiBei devices:

As of now, it’s really difficult to decide whether these devices will ship or not. The hardware seems to be ready to go - the question is SE’s willingness to risk a deployment…

So far, Nokia’s N76 has been critically acclaimed for its horrible product quality - the paint job chips off literally days after unpacking the phone. Nokia nevertheless seems to believe in the product - JAMPB managed to gather up a gallery of shots showing an all-black version of the flip phone.

Here are a few - visit JAMPB for the full gallery:

P.S. In case anyone of you wonders: yes - a “black” version of the N76 has been released a few months ago. However, it isn’t all black, but has a few silver elements on the front…

So far, Opera for S60 has been an excellent browser - I really enjoyed using it on my Nokia N71.

However, the Opera team recently fired up a blog post announcing a beta of Opera 9.5 for Windows Mobile (available on July the 15th) - Symbian was not mentioned anywhere.

We have sent an inquiry to Opera yesterday - and while the company usually responds very fast, the silence that followed can be considered a very bad sign…

Do you think that Opera 9.5 will ever hit S60 and/or UIQ?

Nokia has just announced that its Nokia N78 is now available to US customers.

Nokia’s press service claims that the N78 is:

Now available through select consumer electronics and wireless retailers, online retailers and at the Nokia Flagship Stores in Chicago and New York. The Nokia N78 retails for approximately USD 560. Specific information on retailers offering the Nokia N78 and other Nseries devices can be found at www.nseries.com.

In case anyone of you spots such a box, please send us a photo!

TamsS60 currently awaits its own sample of the E66 and/or E71. Meanwhile, we present you the following bits of news from other analysts from all over the world:

Nokia E66/E71 commercials
The first bit of news consists of two TV commercials for the latest E-Series babies. Symbian-Freak managed to upload them to YouTube - should you have a flash compatible browser, give them a click via this link.

Nokia E71 vs Multimedia
Even though Eseries devices are not intended for media freaks, AllAboutSymbian’s Steve Litchfield still tortured his E71 a bit. He was pretty happy with the playback side of things, but wasn’t really satisfied by the camera.

In case you wish for a bunch of sample images, pay him a visit at the URL below:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/Nokia_E71-focus_on_multimedia.php

Engadget managed to get their hands onto a E66 and an E71 - and used the opportunity to create an impressive gallery of action shots and two hands-on videos. In case Steve Litchfield’s review didn’t satisfy you, give the boys a click at the link below:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/16/video-hands-on-with-the-new-e66-and-e71-from-nokia/

AllAboutSymbian’s Steve Litchfield somehow managed to get his hands onto a preproduction sample of the E71. He considers the device to be the iPhone’s nemesis - but does he like it?

First of all: he notes that the device is a lot smaller than the current E61x boxen. While Steve doesn’t have a problem with that, others(er.g. me) are likely to be unhappy about this. His main gripe is the media suite of the box: he dislikes the 3.2MP camera and the video/audio playback features.

However, he considers the device a great Eseries device - in case you feel like reading his full review, you can find it here:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/Nokia_E71.php

The Nokia E66 and E71 are now official - Nokia has confirmed their existence in an email to journalists a few minutes ago. Both devices are expected to retail at 350€ before taxes and subsidies and will begin shipping in “key markets” in July.

Both devices will be available in white and black casings - here are a few pictures for your enjoyment:
Nokia E71


Nokia E66

As of now, no further specs are available - stay tuned!