You drop your smartphone into a bucket full of water while washing the car. You’re panicking, running around in search of a towel or a napkin to dry off your soaked handset, shouting wildly at anyone around you to “grab a cup of rice” to soak up the excess liquid.

At one point or another each and every one of us have dropped, scratched, trampled on or misplaced our personal assistants in a moment of involuntary clumsiness.

Fortunately, modern handsets are equipped with measures to protect against certain forces or misfortunates which may befall them. Nokia vigorously test every device model on the assembly floor for resistance to a number of factors such as temperature and sudden impact before shipment.

Nokia handsets are highly regarded for this quality. Over the years, we’ve made absolutely sure that our devices are able to handle tough conditions without losing functionality.

Nokia Design: humidity resistance test

The Nokia Lumia 800 is a great example. Recently, the device was tested for resistance to winds at a speed of Mach 5 (over 6 000 kp/h) in a controlled environment. As we expected, the handset survived and continued to function throughout the test – meaning that if you happened to throw a Nokia Lumia 800 out of a fighter jet mid-flight, you shouldn’t bat an eyelid.

This Nokia N8 was dropped from a height of 3 metres (roughly 2 stories) during a stress test. Although one might expect other smartphones in the same category to crack or break, the N8 merely encountered a few scratches.

Extreme sub-zero conditions aren’t much of a challenge for some of our feature phones either. During an investigation into which devices cease to function first in cold environments, PC World determined that the Nokia C1-01 and Nokia E65 were the most resistant to the cold – operating smoothly at a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius.

If that’s not proof enough, how about living in the belly of a fish for a week without incurring damage? This man reportedly dropped his Nokia 1600 into a lake while playing with his dog. A few days later, he got a call from a local fisherman informing him that his mobile phone had been found, still functioning, inside a 2 metre long Cod. Amazing!

While we are happy that some Nokia devices could take this kind of stress, but of course we do not recommend you try this with your Nokia!

The most important and also easiest thing to do is to schedule a routine backup using Nokia Suite. Given how much most of us tend to use our handsets, you might want that backup to be at least once a week. You can even set it to automatically backup every time the phone is connected to your computer.

With this in place, if your handset is stolen or lost, all of the data can be restored to a new one quickly and easily – right down to the installed applications, settings, all personal information, even the wallpaper.

That takes the (considerable) sting out of data loss, even if you have to claim on insurance or pay for a replacement phone. It’s a good idea to password-protect your smartphone to prevent anyone else from accessing your data.

What about applications? You’ll be pleased to learn that there are plenty available. Most will ensure that your phone is unusable to the thief.

- Should your Nokia Lumia  go missing, you can execute a remote wipe through your Microsoft Outlook Web App or your Microsoft Exchange Server administrator. If you don’t have an Exchange account, you can use Windows Live to locate, lock and erase from where you are.

- Security Lock introduces a lock code before the handset can be used. It also has an alarm that can be turned on from a distance to expose a thief; and it has a remote information wipe command that deletes information if your phone is lost (remember to back-up on your PC).

- foneSherpa Mobile Security takes mobile security a little further by providing cloud based mobile backup in addition to anti-theft security software. With this, your most valuable data isn’t dependent on the PC – you can lose the handset, have your computer crash and still restore your information to a new phone. Other features are similar to those of Security Lock, while foneSherpa also blocks phishing and malware sites.

- Track and Protect actively tries to help you get your phone back – and catch the perpetrator, too. Track and Protect does so with a number of tactics: it offers remote lock, an alarm, the ability to report the phone’s location on a map, conduct a backup and restore and call back. It even uses the camera to take snaps of the thief and send them back to you – all via the web even if the scallywag changes the SIM card.

Nobody likes to think about their mobile phone going missing, but they are prone to getting pinched. What measures do you have in place to protect your mobile phone and information? Tell us below.

You can check out our timeline to learn how we connect more than 46 000 people, whether they are utilising one of our older or newer phones.

Nokia South Africa Facebook Timeline

For happy snappers and those who are naturally lucky

If you are looking for high-resolution photos of gorgeous natural vistas, then you’ll find a plethora of breath-taking photo entries on the various Nokia N8 Photographic Challenge posts, which includes the Africa Photo Academy posting.

Nokia fans also get the opportunity to win some awesome prizes, as many competitions are announced through our Facebook page. The most recent of these is the QWERTY movement challenge, which will see lucky winners grab hold of either a Nokia Asha 303 or Asha 201.

Join the QWERTY movement

Staying current on the latest Nokia developments

There is an abundance of news surrounding local launches and product previews on our Facebook timeline. For instance, you can read details and see the photos of the Nokia N9’s launch in Cape Town, which took place in September last year. More recent launches and product reveals include the Nokia Lumia and Asha range.

Besides revealing details of actual products, you’ll also be able to check whether the latest update, for example the Nokia Belle software upgrade and the availability of Microsoft Office for Belle-running smartphones is available for your device. Users can then learn how the new features contained within these updates, will rock their mobile world.

Nokia doesn’t only aim to connect those who utilise its handsets, but also makes moves to improve the lives of the less fortunate within South Africa. If you click on the month of November on the timeline, you can learn how the Nokia SA team supported the Movember initiative, in order to effect some positive change and help raise local awareness around the issue of prostate cancer.

Nokia South Africa team supporting Movember

If you can’t watch it live…view the photos on Facebook

Nokia makes great mobile handsets and accessories that will enhance your music listening experience and we also bring some of your favourite acts such as Kings of Leon to South Africa. If you can’t make it to one of our cool events, you can always check out our Facebook timeline for photos, videos, band interviews, as well as news of upcoming events.

Check out the Facebook timeline to connect, interact and share in the latest Nokia South Africa news.

We bet people R100 that the Nokia Lumia 800 was simply faster than their smartphone. So the challenge started… and the end result, the Lumia 800 beat 100% of smartphones it challenged on the day. Surprised? We’re not! Watch the video to see how it did it.

Want more amazing? Visit Nokia South Africa to find out more about the Lumia 800.

His latest single “Love Angel” featuring Lydia Caesar is now available for download, and is taken from his upcoming album “Footprints”. Although the album will only be available in the last week of May, there has already been a great deal of attention and anticipation around it. When describing this album, Tuks sees it as far more light- hearted than his previous works, wanting to step away from serious content, and, “have fun and experiment”.

Tuks recently performed to an audience of over 14 000 Hip Hop and Motswako fans at the Back to the City Festival held in Johannesburg. “It was brilliant”, he remarked.

In as much as he enjoys performing, Tuks feels in his element when in studio. He said, “I just do me – I just do Tuks”. When I asked him to give me some insight into what a recording session is like, he laughed and said, “I think you have to be an artist to know what it’s like”.

Until recently, there has been a perception that mobile downloads are thwarting album sales in the South African music industry. In reality the real limitations experienced by South African artists are finances, piracy and an unclear strategy regarding the development of the music industry.

The effects of Tuks and many other South African artists using mobile technology are far reaching. Using the Nokia Music Store allows artists to reach a wider listenership in a secure environment and expose global audiences to local genres.

Tuks is currently using a Nokia Lumia 800 and if you needed to hear one more appraisal of the smartphone he said, “It’s a real gadget… a guy’s phone”.

“Special thanks goes to Next Music and Nokia South Africa”- Tuks

It’s all too easy for us, as able bodied members of society, to take for granted just how natural moving around, communicating and connecting with friends and family really is.

Picking up the phone or greeting a colleague with a warm handshake is little more than second nature for the vast majority of the South African public. As a result, the world around us is built upon the expectation that we are all able to simply stand up, and walk around.

There are individuals who are unable to perform this critical action that we often take for granted. Despite this, there are strong people who continue to live their lives, unaffected, finding new and inventive ways to overcome daily obstacles.

Ama Wheelies is a registered Non-Profit Organisation which aims to help disabled Mpumulanga residents to live active and healthy lives. Specialising in the needs of quadriplegics and paraplegics, the group has been running outreach and training programs since 2007 which focus on equipping disabled men and women with the skills needed to achieve a meaningful existence where they can continue to remain economically active.

Situated in Lydenburg, the Ama Wheelies home acts as a haven for quadriplegics and paraplegics and provides amenities in line with government safety standards which cater for people living with these challenges.

Recently, Nokia heard about the exceptional work that Ama Wheelies is doing within the Mpumulanga disabled community and lent a helping hand to their cause.

A few weeks later, Nokia delivered a number of mobile devices to the home in the hopes that these devices might be put to good use in helping the Ama Wheelies family to connect with friends and family.

The education program was a resounding success, and enabled Ama Wheelies staff to train eleven disabled members over a period of seven days at a number of locations across the province.

According to a spokesperson for Ama Wheelies, Nokia’s contribution to the program made a significant difference to both the participants and the instructors.

“Words cannot express the joy that Nokia’s involvement in this project has brought. Training the disabled members of Ama Wheelies has been a life changing experience and without Nokia’s help, would not have been possible. I look forward to future training events where hopefully every member of Ama Wheelies can benefit from free training and technology.”

To find out more about Ama Wheelies, click here or visit the organisation on Facebook and Twitter.

Three seems to be a lucky number for them. This weekend saw them walk away with three South African Music Awards for: Best Group, Best Dance Album and Record of the Year. They’ve been on the music scene for almost a year and achieved a record amount of success. Lead singer J’something says “when we look back, it looks like a dream”.

The group is comprised of Dr. Duda who “builds the beats”,  J’something who woos the ladies with lyrics and vocals and Mo- T the talented trumpet player.  South African audiences are flocking to their live shows and playing Mi Casa’s songs on repeat.

The video displayed the group wearing the Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headsets by Monster on a trip from South Africa to Brazil. As seen in the photograph, the headsets will be available in black, white, cyan and fuchsia. They provide the ultimate mobile audio experience and are designed for comfort and long listening sessions.

Mi Casa wearing Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headsets

Dr Duda, J’something and Mo- T bring a distinct and entertaining sound to the South African music industry. Kudos to Bruno, the Creative Director of the 3D music video. The video goes beyond 3 Lego men going to Brazil to “live”. The boys recall playing with Lego as children and they describe their career as a similar process of building (themselves and their flair for music).

If over 23 000 likes on Facebook and over 26 000 Twitter  followers don’t convince you of their talent, check out Mi Casa’s music videos on Soul Candi’s Youtube page and once you’re  persuaded download the self-titled album “Mi Casa” from the Nokia Music Store.

Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster  are available currently from retailers listed below:

Musica (Sandton, Rosebank, Canal Walk and Waterfront)

Alisom

Ambrosia

Cellularmall

‘Emoticons’, ‘smileys’ or even a ‘pictorial representation of facial expressions using punctuation and other symbols to depict a mood’– it doesn’t matter what you call them, these graphical tools are as universal and widely accepted as the mobile handsets and messaging clients on which they most often appear.

Although emoticons have been extensively adopted by modern youth culture and are generally regarded as a creation of the millennial generation, they actually boast a deeper and far more interesting history than many give them credit for.

According to Mashable, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist by the name of Scott Fahlman was the first person to propose the use of a hyphen and a bracket as a method to convey emotional meaning over plain text.

Below is an excerpt from Fahlman’s original proposal to the Carnegie Melon computer science board:

This event occurred almost three decades ago, on the 19^th of September 1982, and gave rise to the usage of emoticons within the digital realm.

Similarly, The National Telegraphic Review and Operators Guide of 1857 documented the use of the number ‘73’ in Morse Code to depict ‘love and kisses’. This means, that in some shape of form, emoticons have been with us for 155 years.

Today, both Western and Eastern cultures have adopted text based faces as a means to express emotion during text conversations. Their sustained popularity has allowed for a great deal of imagination to creep into the creation of new expressions.

This fish, <*)))-{, and rose ————–<@ are good examples. Although we’re not entirely sure why one might choose to include a fish graphic in a conversation, the creativity and thought that must have gone into building it is undeniable.

Eastern culture is widely regarded as a hotbed for this kind of inventiveness. Just take a look at this baby (‘;’), a tadpole (゜゜)～, and this man with sunglasses (^0_0^) : they may seem a  little strange, but they certainly get the job done when trying to convey a message.

Although many have bemoaned the emoticon as a symbol of decaying respect for proper grammar and punctuation, their popularity is unquestionable. Just as many mobile users, if not more, recognise them as a convenient tool and an important part of how we communicate digitally.

To find out more about how you can use Nokia phones to stay in touch with your friends, click here.

That’s something our poll has shown to be overridingly popular with users. While the sample is small, over half of all who have shared their preference have confirmed that there is merit to both methods by indicating that both is best.

Check out the poll; if you haven’t already, add your voice, we always love to hear from you.

With 47 of the 92 votes cast as of the writing of this blog (51.09%), we think that means a resounding ‘yes please’ for the recently-announced Nokia Asha 303. The key differentiator for this affordable feature phone is…you guessed it…the combination of touch and type.

What do our readers have to say about Asha 303? Quite a lot; Busisiwe gets right to the point, noting “The best of both worlds indeed, at a great value too. I love that Nokia is made from durable materials; they do not get damaged as easily and as quickly as other brands. It’s a good investment for me”. Looks like the Asha was made for people like Busi!

Meanwhile, Thandile appreciates the design and the versatility of the Asha 303, noting, “Nice look, and features, I’d luv to have a qwerty phone like this with a dual sim NOKIA ALL THE WAY!!”

Tapping into something a lot of us are likely thinking, Linda says, “nice phone when can I get one for me?”. The Asha range retail between R999 and R1799 and are available from Vodacom, MTN and Virgin Mobile outlets

Of course, there’s more to the poll than that; some 33 votes (35.87%) indicated a preference for touch input. Great news for these users, too, since the Lumia flagship range is designed with this interface – and it features the Windows Phone operating system, too, winning praise for its performance and ease of use.

Check out Asha and let’s hear your opinion. Don’t forget to cast your vote in the poll. The more responses we get, the more accurately we can understand what cellphone users prefer.

Top level specifications for the Lumia 710 include its 5mp camera, Gorilla Glass touchscreen, a powerful 1.4GHz processor and 512MB RAM. The 3.7″ LCD touchscreen (480×800 pixels) and 8GB of flash memory round off the handset and swappable covers mean you can customise the look of your Nokia Lumia. Of course, the software powering this Lumia 710 is Windows Phone ‘Mango’, which is receiving rave reviews the world over.

Getting a Lumia 710 means one very important thing: joining the world of Nokia/Microsoft which offers rapidly expanding horizons. From social media sharing, to surfing the web, to chatting (over the phone, by SMS or Instant Messaging), navigating with Nokia Drive, keeping the beat with Nokia Music and more, the Lumia 710 delivers premium features and access to the world’s fastest growing ecosystem. That means more apps are available on a daily basis to make your smartphone suitable for your digital desires.

With the internet playing an expanding role in our daily interactions, the inclusion of Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 mobile and Bing on the Nokia Lumia 710 means your handset can provide the answers to anything you might need to know. The Nokia/Microsoft partnership provides clear and easy integration of Office files (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and Outlook Mobile for email.

It’s a midrange device, but with top of the range features in the hardware – pay particular attention to the 512MB RAM and 1.4GHz processor – the Lumia 710 is built to perform where it matters most.

If you’re lucky enough to own one in the coming weeks, please share your thoughts on the Nokia Lumia 710.