Control Switch

As you may have noticed by now, Ovi Store has been brimming with a new set of applications for the last few days. As on Friday, I was not able to download any of these new applications, but things changed towards good as the weekend progressed. I successfully downloaded and installed some of these new applications and the best part is most of them are actually very useful applications. I will start with an application, which if you ask me should have been built-in into the s60 fifth edition OS but when a third party developer is providing it for free, there is no pointing in complaining about it, right? Offscr Technologies continue their goodwork and with BrightLight, they bring an easy-to-use torch light function to our 5800, that utilises the two LEDs of the camera flash for illumination and not the screen as with Ever Light, reviewed earlier.

Installation

BrightLight can be downloaded for free from the ovi store client. The installation file is around 370 kb and after installation it takes up around 450 kb of space on the phone memory/memory card (depending on where you install it). Its one of the most compact applications and installation is done in a blink of an eye.

Features

BrightLight is a very easy-to-use application and the only control option is the touchscreen switch which is the only screen of the application. There are basically two controls: ON and OFF, which are self explanatory and there is nothing much to elaborate on this. However, the application does make good use of the LEDs of camera flash as a torch which do a great job of illumination. As we discussed during the review of Ever Light, a torch application using LEDs for illumination is light on battery usage as well as being more efficient in illumination.

Pros

1. Easy-to-use interface
2. Light on battery consumption

Cons

There are none that I can think of. Share with us if you come across any bugs in this application.

Verdict

BrightLight may probably be the simplest application but it answers the most sought after feature from 5800 users. I am very much impressed with Offscr Technologies as they are churning out one impressive app/game after another for quiet some time now. They have to be the best developers for s60 fifth edition today and BrightLight should be installed on every 5800 shipped to this date.

Related posts:

1. Nokia 5800 App Review: Light Torch
2. Nokia 5800 App Review: Ever Light
3. Nokia 5800 App Review: vTap v1.11(111)

Inspired by the success of MyPhone, which definitely is the hottest application for 5800 today, MMMOOO has come up with this fully functional android emulator-M1. As with MyPhone, M1 is an application launcher for s60 devices and makes your Nokia 5800 interface like a Google Android one. As you can see, the S60 can be easily converted into many other interfaces to look like them and Nokia 5800 or Nokia N97 are good examples of touchscreen phones where the emulators are the best. Despite this, you can run M1 on your Symbian S60 3rd Edition device.

To join the contest you only need to:

- Comment in this post, saying something like: “I am in”, “I want to get a M1 App”, simply comment;

-On the comment you must put a real e-mail so that we can contact you

…and to join the contest all you need to do is that.

Rules:

-You are able to comment more than one time, but your e-mail will only count once.

-We will get the 5 winners using random.org and we will printscreen the result and send the first 10 winners printscreen to the winners.

-Those winners who don’t answer to our e-mail notification in 1 week lose automatically the opportunity to win the app, giving the chance to others and so on.

-The winners will be asked the IMEI of their Nokia 5800 so that the folks from MMMOOO can be able to activate the application.

Dates:

-The contest starts from now and will end at 16 July 2009 at 8:00 PM (GMT-Lisbon, London).

-The winners will be posted in the website by 17 July 2009 (we will not reveal e-mail winners neither the first part of their e-mail in the website, of course).

We would like to thank MMMOOO for giving to our visitors and readers this great opportunity. Just comment!

Related posts:

1. Contest: Win 10 MyPhone v2.11 apps
2. Contest: 5 MyPhone Licenses to win for Nokia 5800
3. Contest: Win 10 JoikuSpot Premium Licenses

vTap Login screen

Our dearest cellphone, 5800 has often been referred to as Tube 5800 for its video and music playback capabilities. This is kinda misnomer with no dedicated YouTube application for the s60 5th edition in market today. Thanks to vTap, Nokia 5800 can now live up to its name of Tube 5800 with support for every flash based video out there on the web today. If a flash video is out there on the web, you can definitely take a look at it, from your 5800 via vTap. Such is the capability of this amazing application.

Installation

Like they say, “The best things in life are for free“, and vTap seem to believe in this philosophy and have made the application available as a free download at their official website here. At around 370 kb vTap has been packed into a very compact package for an installation file and even after installation it takes up around 700 kb on the phone memory or memory card depending on where you install it. In all, the installation is straightforward and is done in a matter of seconds.

Video Categories

Features

The USP of vTap is its search capabilities which works pretty much like searching in indexed locations on a windows PC; meaning videos are shortlisted with each letter typed, as and when typed. This makes finding a video on the web much easier and faster.

Users can link vTap to their YouTube accounts, and record videos on their 5800 and upload them on YouTube, all within the same application. However, when I clicked on uploaded video in my YouTube account, the application couldn’t list the video uploaded by me. I even tried to upload a video from vTap and even this didn’t show any items in the uploaded videos section for me. This may be a bug in the application or may be I did something wrong, which I doubt. I would like to read from our readers if they are facing similar problem or found a way around it.

As I mentioned earlier, the application can find any flash based video out on the web and if you don’t know what you are looking for, you can always browse through the different videos indexed in appropriate categories from the home-screen. Check the gallery below for some screenshots of hits for TV shows category.

Pros

1. Video search is fast
2. Indexing of videos is very helpful

Cons

1. Not one of the best video qualities when compared to streaming from YouTube client
2. Not optimized for finger touch browsing
3. Some of the videos displayed in search results cannot be played

Verdict

vTap is a great application, no doubt but it does need some fine tuning, especially in optimizing the interface for finger touch browsing. The search button is so minute and is placed in the top right corner of the screen, making it very difficult to reach without the help of the stylus. Also the developers need to account for unavailability of some of the videos shown in the search results as well as indexed locations. However vTap is a very useful application for searching for flash videos on the web and highly recommended for video browsing on 5800.

Homescreen

TV-Shows Listing

Video hits for TV show-Lost

Related posts:

1. YouTube client for 5800
2. Nokia 5800 App Review: Photo Browser (Updated)
3. Nokia 5800 App Review: BrightLight v1.00(0)

Welcome Screen

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 for Nokia 5800, yes, you will get this game for free for your Nokia 5800. Champions League 2009 may have concluded in Rome, a couple of months ago with Barcelona being crowned the champions. But the soccer spirit inside us refuses to abate. With the runners up, Manchester United trading their start striker Christiano  Ronaldo, in a record breaking deal of US $ 130 million  with Real Madrid. Its the right time to bring out the Ronaldo inside you and sharpen a few tackling skills on Europe’s most preferred phone, Nokia 5800 with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer.

Game-screen

Installation

We know how much our readers love the beautiful game and in continuation of our efforts of bringing the best apps and games to our readers, we are offering this game as a free download, exclusive for followers of our blog. PES 2009 is a java application and at 370 kb is rather a pretty compact package and installation is a cakewalk.

Features

PES supports full screen gaming and the audio effects are pleasant and go well with gameplay. As can be seen in the screenshot above, a small icon is displayed at the center (showing a soccer ball in this case), which is the control for this game. When the gamer is in possession of the ball, the icon displays a ball, tapping on which leads to pass or kick depending on the direction and when the ball is with the opponents, the icon is that of tackling. There are plenty of other control options for other moves (sprint, shoot,  curving shot, dipping shot etc), which can be seen in Help-> Controls.  With loads of customisation options, gameplay is fun as well as addicting.

Pros

1. Full screen gaming with no virtual D-pad hogging screen real estate
2. Pleasant audio effects
3. A plethora of customisation options

Cons

1. Not optimized for finger touch gameplay

Verdict

PES 2009 brings most of the features of the popular game to our 5800s and in a very compact package. Gameplay is a delight and addictive if you are into soccer. With its minute icons, its not fully optimized for finger touch gameplay but you won’t be complaining much when armed with a stylus. The gamut of customisation options included in this small package is mind-blowing and every gamer (amateur to expert) will enjoy this game. If you are a soccer fan, you dont want to be missing this game on your 5800 and for the rest, PES 2009 is a great game to start acclimatising with the beautiful game. In all, its the best java based game I have reviewed so far.

Related posts:

1. Nokia 5800 Game Review: Pacman (updated)
2. Game Review: Solo Noble
3. Nokia 5800 Game Review: Spb Puzzle v1.00(0)

Million Dollar Poker is now available for Nokia N-Gage and to celebrate, our sister blog, nokian96.net has teamed up with Nokia N-Gage and Gameloft to offer one lucky reader of this blog a fantastic Nokia N-Gage prize including:

1x Nokia N96

1x copy of Million Dollar Poker

And other Nokia Goodies

To join this contest, just check the rules and fill the form on this post answering a  simple question, on Nokia N96 website. And then you are in to the contest!

Related posts:

1. Contest: Win 5 SmartMovie applications
2. Contest: Win 5 Handy RSS applications
3. Snake Deluxe Contest Winners

SMS Interface

iPhone like SMS interface

We did tell you about the iPhone style SMS interface in our earlier post and now we are providing you with a few screenshots to drool over as you wait to get your hands on the latest version of MyPhone.

While the earlier versions of MyPhone just provided the front end enhancement for various applications, developers at MMMOOO have now successfully incorporated a SMS client which will blend perfectly with the theme of iPhone or rather MyPhone on 5800. With this new SMS interface, MyPhone is inching towards its slogan of Exceeding iPhone and we definitely love it. Its not only an interface as with other applications, its a fully functional SMS client in the sense that users can edit and send their SMS within the same interface for that extended  iPhone like feel.

Other than the new SMS interface, MyPhone packs in another surprise package in the form of all new sketch pad application. Its a standalone paint like application very much similar to the “Drawing” application on N97. Check out our gallery below for a few screenshots of the iPhone like SMS interface and the all new Sketchpad application that comes along with MyPhone v2.2.

Just a few more days and you could very well be toying with this application on your 5800s. You can buy here the MyPhone Infinite latest version.

Related posts:

1. Exclusive: 20% discount on MyPhone Exceeding iPhone only from 5800.net
2. Exclusive: MyPhone Update Coming Soon
3. MyPhone Infinite v2.11 Contest winners

OfficeSuite v5.1

If you have been looking for a  full fledged office application for  your 5800, it must have been a frustrating quest indeed. With the popular office application Quickoffice not supporting touch screen input, there are very few alternatives available in this genre. This is when I came across  OfficeSuite v5.1 from Mobisystems, an award winning office suite for s60 fifth edition devices.  The  application is a complete office suite meeting all your office requirements for a mobile client.

Installation

The application can be downloaded from the official website of Mobisystems here. Its a paid application, costing € 19.99 but a 30 day free trial is also available for free download. The installation .sisx file is around 3.5 Mb and it supports several European languages in addition to English. During the installation, the application prompts for selection of languages to be installed for dictionary support and this should be beneficial for non-English users of 5800.

Features

The application supports .doc, .xls and .ppt files along with .docx, .xlsx and .pptx, making it compatible with both versions of office files. The application can be used in two modes: view mode-for just reading the files and edit mode which is self explanatory. Users who download the trial version can continue using the application in view mode even after the trial period of 30 days.

OfficeSuite can open and edit doc, rtf and txt files while docx files can only be viewed. Other document features include spell check for 6 different languages (English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch), word auto-complete, underlining of misspelled words and password protection. There are some advanced formatting options like embedding tables, images and hyperlinks but these operations are difficult to perform on our 5800s because of the lack of physical keyboard.

The application can read and edit xls, xml and csv files along with view mode for xlsx. Some of the best features of this application have to be support for charts, over 100 formulas and preservation of the orignal format after editing. Now I can edit some spreadsheets on my 5800 and after transferring them to my desktop, I can straightway start editing from where I left on 5800, without having to worry about re-aligning and other changes in formatting.

Moving over to powerpoint features: Officesuite can open and edit ppt and pps files. Some of the powerpoint features included in the application are: different view modes (slide view, slide show and notes) along with  embedding images and charts. There is a fullscreen mode but this is not exactly full screen as the soft buttons occupy some 20% of the screen space in this mode. (Check out the screenshots in the gallery below)

Pros

1. A complete office client for s60 5th edition devices
2. Most of the commonly performed tasks are supported
   

Cons

1. Some of the editing options are not easy to use on mobile devices lacking external keyboard (5800)
2. Fullscreen mode needs to get rid of the soft buttons
3. No editing for 2007 formats

Verdict

Since OfficeSuite is the only application to provide office support for 5800, there is no real scale to compare it with other applications of the same genre. However, going by the feature set it offers, its definitely one of the best office applications providing complete office solutions for s60 devices. This is one of the applications that can help you in being truly mobile by letting you work almost anywhere as long as you have your 5800 with you. At € 19.99, its more on the expensive side but the feature set do justify the pricing. If you are a workaholic working on either doc, xls and ppt for most part of your work, this application is definitely a must have on your 5800s.

Related posts:

1. Nokia 5800 Widget Review – Google translator
2. Exclusive: MyPhone Update Coming Soon
3. Nokia 5800 Widget Review: Blogger

And we came to the end of this contest and we will announce the 10 Nokia 5800 addicted who won licenses of JoikuSpot Premim. We got 84 validated comments and we randomized them using random.org. Only 10 of those 84are able to activate with us the JoikuSpot Premium Application and they will be contacted by e-mail with a license to activate their JoikuSpot Premium App and showing the steps to the activation. An e-mail will be sent to all the 10 winners with the printscreen from random.org containing the first part of each e-mail winner, (before the @). Below, you are only able to see the names/nicknames of the 10 winners:

1) Stone

2) Kimi

3) Cityhawk

4) Manuel Garcia

5) Emil

6) Evelio

7) Deepak bhat

AcaPAWN7

9) Karan Malik

10) Blindkangaroo

We have not revealed the first part of the e-mail because we support the privacy of each one of those who joined this contest.

We would like to thank you all who participated on this contest and we would also like to thank JoikuSoft for giving us this 10 licenses to distribute to all our readers.

Related posts:

1. Contest: Win 10 JoikuSpot Premium Licenses
2. Snake Deluxe Contest Winners
3. MyPhone Infinite v2.11 Contest winners

Game-screen

Solo noble is the today’s game review. Remember that solo board with marbles, you used to play with during those hot summer afternoons? It used to be one of my favourite board games during my childhood and am sure most of you would identify with me.

But now, neither do I have that board nor the marbles, but I just found an application that lets me play this classic game on my 5800. Offscr Technologies are building on their reputation of offering the best applications/games for the s60 fifth editions devices with yet another adaptation of board game to a touch screen device.

Installation

For some reason this game was pulled off from Ovi store from where I had originally downloaded the game but fret not we do care about our readers and we make sure that we source them the links to the best applications/games available over the web. So we are hosting the demo version of this game and our readers can download the same from here . The installation file is around 350 Kb and as with most apps/games from Offscr Technologies, installation is simple, fast and you can start playing in no time.

Features

Game over, I couldnt solve it :(

Solo Noble has a very simple and fully functional interface which is very similar to other games/apps from Offscr Technologies. There are only three buttons: help, play and exit which are very much self explanatory.

Since the gameplay involves moving marbles over each other, touch screen implementation is never easy with tiny marbles and small boards owing to the screen size limitations of mobile devices. However Offscr Technologies have mastered this art and the developers have delivered a near perfect adaptation of the board game on to a touch screen application. One can easily play with finger touch without having to rely on stylus for game-play. The developers of this game have to be lauded for providing the optimum size of board and marbles making finger touch play a possibility.

There is a tiny timer in the lower left corner that shows the time elapsed since the inception of the game.

Pros

1. Simple and easy to use interface
2. Fully optimized for finger touch browsing

Cons

1. There is no option to pause the game

Verdict

Offscr Technologies have yet again developed another excellent adaptation of a classic board game with their Solo Noble. With features like finger touch gameplay and a no non-sense interface, this is one of the best board game clients for 5800. If you are a fan of Solo Noble, this game is a must on your 5800s and for the first timers of this game, this is a good client to learn a few tricks of this game on your 5800s. So go ahead and download this game to enjoy hours of engrossing game play of Solo Noble.

Related posts:

1. Nokia 5800 Game Review: Fifteen
2. Nokia 5800 game review: Sudoku master
3. Nokia 5800 Game Review: Micro Pool v5.05

There is a new firmware for 5800 doing rounds in the inter-circles of web since June 22. Available for a selected few product codes (maily HongKong) and the firmware version is v21.0.101 and not v31.0.15 as has been widely rumored in blogosphere, which was previously covered in our blog here.

While there has been no official changelong released by Nokia, users who have updated their firmware have reported improved browsing experience on the default symbian browser and as with every firmware update the phone is more responsive and faster with the new update. There is a marginal improvement in the camera performance as well, which has been one of the most sought after feature by most of the 5800 users, ever since it was launched. Its good to know that Nokia have finally responded to requests from 5800 users. However Kinetic scrolling continues to baffle 5800 as of now.

Screenshot of Navifirm (Courtesy: mELIANTE from dailymobile forum)

Seen above is the screenshot from Navifirm, showing the product codes for which the update is available. Since the update is available only for 5800 users in Hong-Kong as of now, please update us if you are able update the firmware, while we will be updating you on its availability in other regions.

Related posts:

1. 5800 to get Firmware Update Soon?
2. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in Portugal next week
3. 5800 Firmware v21.0.025 now on Nokia Software Updater