September 9th, 2008 / 2 Comments » / by Jason Harris
Image Courtesy: mobiletopsoft.com
A big announcement today came out of Espoo, Finland as Nokia extended Exchange email support for all Symbian S60 3rd edition phones. Mail For Exchange used to be only available on Nokia’s business-centric ESeries devices but now the company is extending support to the more numerous NSeries line as well.
With Mail for Exchange, Nokia handset users will be able to sync email, contacts, tasks, and calendar items, adding a whole new realm of usefulness to an already strong mobile phone product. Mail for Exchange is unique because, in most cases, it doesn’t require IT support to use. Users simply enter in the web link for their email server (also known as Outlook Web Access server) along with their username and password. With this information, Mail for Exchange does the rest and automatically syncs your Outlook email to your mobile phone.
The inclusion of the new handsets means about 80 million mobile phone users will be able to access their Exchange work email. The collaboration between Microsoft and Nokia will no doubt benefit both companies as Nokia carries the largest market share for smartphones and Microsoft is dominant in the enterprise email market with Exchange Server.
This news was seen last week, but now we have the official announcement from Nokia.
Which Handsets Are Now Suported?
Nokia Eseries: Nokia E71, Nokia E66, Nokia E90 Communicator, Nokia E70, Nokia E65, Nokia E62, Nokia E61i, Nokia E61, Nokia E60, Nokia E51, Nokia E50
Nokia Nseries: Nokia N96, Nokia N85, Nokia N79, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia N95, Nokia N82, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N81, Nokia N78, Nokia N77, Nokia N76, Nokia N75, Nokia N73, Nokia N93, Nokia N93i, Nokia N80, Nokia N91, Nokia N92, Nokia N71
Other Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices: Nokia 3250, Nokia 5500, Nokia 6290, Nokia 6110 Navigator, Nokia 6120 Classic, Nokia 6121 Classic, Nokia 6122 Classic, Nokia 6124, Nokia 6650 Fold, Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, Nokia 5700, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 6220 Classic
The full press release is pasted below:
Nokia Brings Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Corporate Mobile Email Solution to 80 Million Mobile Devices
43 Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices – the largest range from any device manufacturer to enable Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync – now feature the latest version of Mail for Exchange with fast and easy email set-up
Nokia today announced that it is expanding its device range which enables Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to all Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices. 43 Nokia devices will now feature the Mail for Exchange mobile email application, making Nokia’s device range the largest ever to enable the solution chosen by more businesses than any other messaging solution. Nokia also announced today that Mail for Exchange will be available out-of-the-box in future releases of Nokia Eseries and Nokia Nseries devices.
With this announcement, Nokia is enabling about 80 million* mobile phone users – which is the number of Nokia S60 3rd Edition converged devices shipped globally to date – to connect to their email accounts on the Exchange Server.
“The Nokia-Microsoft collaboration to bring corporate mobile email to businesses and mobile professionals is truly unbeatable. No other device manufacturer provides the wide range of devices that we have which immediately mobilize the hundreds of millions of email accounts from Microsoft Exchange,” said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Markets, Nokia. “The costs of mobility are contained as companies are able to utilize existing Microsoft Exchange infrastructure, and there is also the strong possibility that a large number of employees already have one or more of the 43 Nokia devices that enable Exchange ActiveSync.”
“Nokia is a valued partner and we are pleased they are making it easier for their 80 million S60 3rd Edition customers to realize the benefits of Exchange Server,” said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President, Exchange Server, Microsoft Corp. “This announcement with Nokia further demonstrates the importance consumers and businesses place on accessing Exchange Server data from mobile devices in addition to traditional desktop clients. Nokia’s announcement today will help give its users that access and help make them more productive.”
Nokia owners whose companies use Exchange can set up Mail for Exchange for free on their devices in various ways without paying additional services or subscription fees – from the email set-up plug-in on the home screen, by launching the application from the Download! folder, or via the Settings Wizard**. Once the application is set up, users utilize their current data plan service to get real-time access to their office email, calendar, contacts, tasks and company directory over a secure connection.
“We take corporate and IT security policies seriously, and a comparison study showed that the device management and security policies for devices such as the Nokia Eseries are robust,” added Mr Vanjoki. “This should give business heads and IT managers greater confidence when choosing between device brands to mobilize their workforce.”
By connecting to the Exchange Server 2007, Mail for Exchange enables features such as Autodiscover, which drastically simplifies the set-up process by requiring the email account holder to only enter their email address, password, domain and usernames; ‘Out of Office’ messaging, enabling busy professionals to set their out-of-office messages directly from their Nokia device; synchronization when roaming, a must-have feature for travelling businesspeople; and also Flag status for follow-ups.
While the Exchange ActiveSync protocol is compatible with many types of devices, Nokia device users will have access to features that are currently not available in other Exchange ActiveSync licensees’ devices. Setting email priorities, alerts for meeting request conflicts, a standalone global address list application to search for a colleague’s contact details quickly, downloading and editing all types of attachments, not just image files, are must-have factors that users will expect from their mobile email application.
Microsoft Exchange Server is the industry’s leading server for e-mail, calendaring and unified messaging. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is the foundation for a dynamic and holistic unified communications experience, and has been designed to meet the challenges, and address the messaging needs, of today’s businesses. Exchange Server 2007 provides customers with anywhere access to information, advanced built-in protection and greater operational efficiency.
* As at end July 2008
** On-device set-up of Mail for Exchange may vary between devices
Nokia Devices Enabling Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
Nokia Eseries: Nokia E71, Nokia E66, Nokia E90 Communicator, Nokia E70, Nokia E65, Nokia E62, Nokia E61i, Nokia E61, Nokia E60, Nokia E51, Nokia E50
Nokia Nseries: Nokia N96, Nokia N85, Nokia N79, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia N95, Nokia N82, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N81, Nokia N78, Nokia N77, Nokia N76, Nokia N75, Nokia N73, Nokia N93, Nokia N93i, Nokia N80, Nokia N91, Nokia N92, Nokia N71
Other Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices: Nokia 3250, Nokia 5500, Nokia 6290, Nokia 6110 Navigator, Nokia 6120 Classic, Nokia 6121 Classic, Nokia 6122 Classic, Nokia 6124, Nokia 6650 Fold, Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, Nokia 5700, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 6220 Classic
Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.
September 4th, 2008 / No Comments » / by Jason Harris
After previous questions on whether third party mobile VoIP comanies such as Fring and Truphone would be able to run a VoIP application on the news Nokia handsets, Fring announced today that users can install and run Fring on the N78 and N96.
Up until this point, VoIP was thought to be missing on the new Nokia Nseries. Has Fring adapted their software to utilze VAS, the new VoIP API from Nokia? I imagine so.
I’ll update this post with further details as they occur.
September 4th, 2008 / 3 Comments » / by Jason Harris
The Controversy
On September 23, Om Malik wrote a post regarding Nokia’s support of mobile VoIP service in the newest Nseries handsets from Nokia. For those unaware, Nokia has been very hospitable to using Internet telephony on their mobile handsets by 1) including Wi-Fi as an on-board capability and 2) by supporting VoIP via included software (called DLL files).
Om’s post noted the absence of the VoIP software mentioned above in the latest Nseries handsets, namely the N78 and N96. Malik went on to hypothesize that Nokia had turn its back on mobile VoIP companies such as Fring, Truphone, and Gizmo5 by removing the VoIP software from these and future Nseries handsets because of pressure from cellular carriers.
Nokia’s Reaction
A few days later, Nokia countered Malik’s view and stated they have not removed VoIP from the new handsets, they just changed the code around and therefore mobile VoIP software companies needed to re-configure their software to adapt to the new APIs Nokia had released.
The Reality
So, GigaOm says one thing, and Nokia quickly counters. What is the real story? I sought to find out.
Through recent interviews with Tom Carter, Truphone President of North and South American Operations and Alistair Cambell, Truphone’s CTO; here is what I have gathered:
Truphone Caught Off-Guard
A few months ago, when the N78 and N96 arrived at Truphone, the Truphone engineers noticed that the Internet telephony menus and folders were not present on the new devices. Further digging revealed that the 2 or 3 key .DLL files that support the VoIP client were not present. Truphone contacted Nokia to find out why the DLLs were not present, and Nokia confirmed the absence and offered only vague answers as to why.
I asked Campbell if Nokia had disclosed the absence of the VoIP software prior to the discovery by Truphone and he said earlier specifications from Nokia about the N96 and N78 showed VoIP as a shipping feature. However, Nokia does state that such specs are subject to change at any time, and apparently, they decided to remove the DLLs without any notice prior to Truphone receiving the handsets.
Both Campbell and Carter said that they have been grateful that Nokia has offered the hardware/software capabilities that enabled Truphone to run on Nokia handsets, but the move to take away VoIP software components was a step backwards for the Finish mobile company. Truphone was unaware and caught off-guard by the absence of the VoIP software on the new (and future) S60 handsets.
Where Nokia and Mobile VoIP Stands Today
Both Campbell and Carter believe Om was not completely accurate in his September 23rd post. They both said they don’t have any reason to believe Nokia removed the VoIP software because of any pressure from carriers. Campbell stated he thinks Nokia has a strategy in mind and for some reason they are not revealing it at this time.
As of today, it is not possible for Truphone to run on either the N78 or N96. To enable Truphone on the new handsets, according to Cambell, Truphone would either have to build their own VoIP client or license some third party implementation.
To enable VoIP on the new handsets, Nokia has implemented a new application interface (API) called the VoIP Audio Service API (also called VAS). Nokia claims this new API, which replaces the former VoIP client that Truphone has used for years to power their service on Nokia handsets, vastly improves call quality and adds new functionality, such as the ability to switch between speakerphone and hand-held calling.
In Om’s blog post, Nokia states to him that they would “cooperate with third-party developers to support them in porting their applications from S60 3.0/3.1 releases to S60 3.2″. However, according to Campbell, there has only been minimal communications from Nokia to this effect, rather than an active collaboration to get Truphone restored on the new Nokia handsets.
I asked the Truphone executives what steps they are taking to get Truphone working on the new Nseries handsets. Campbell replied by saying they have a working prototype of an implementation, but wouldn’t go any further in detail. I suspect that Truphone will soon release a new Truphone client for the N96 and N78 built on a self-engineered VoIP client that utilizes the afore mentioned VAS API.
Conclusion
Obviously, Nokia has an intent that is not known to the mobile VoIP industry. The handset maker apparently has re-engineered the VoIP client for some reason. Does Nokia have an initiative that involves their own mobile VoIP offering? If this were true, I can see Nokia re-engineering third-party provider’s access to the VoIP software and giving them a less functional implementation. This is called ’sandboxing’ in the software world and is exactly the same approach Apple has taken with the iPhone and iPhone application developers.
Unfortunately the active non-inclusion of the VoIP software is directly impacting the bottom third party software developers such as Truphone. A more friendly way of implementing this change would include advanced notification for your development partners and an active collaboration between Nokia and companies like Truphone.
With Symbian going open source and Android devices coming on the market soon, hopefully the application development process will become more transparent and those companies who depend on components existing as new devices will see changes of this nature.
September 4th, 2008 / 1 Comment » / by Jason Harris
Nokia Email For Exchange, which is Nokia’s email client built on ActiveSync, allows for you to utilize Exchange email on your Nokia handset. On the E71, I’ve used Nokia Mail for Exchange to keep connected to my work mail while I’m out and about.
Now, Nokia has announced that Mail for Exchange is available for all NSeries devices. This is a huge deal and instantly adds value to your existing NSeries handset, if you are an Exchange user.
Additionally, the new 2.5 version will allow you to set up out of office auto-replies straight from your Nokia handset.
With Nokia continuing to add this type of functionality to their handsets, they are just building equity and becoming more of a Swiss army knife of the mobile world.
September 2nd, 2008 / 1 Comment » / by Jason Harris
Google Chrome was announced yesterday via a Google comic book. Basically, Chrome is a Google-enhanced web browser that Michael Arrington of Techcrunch thinks is intended to dethrone Windows.
Google is aiming Chrome to be a web browser for “today’s” Internet, which IE is ill-equipped to handle. This means that Chrome is enhanced to handle web applications heavily laden with JavaScript and other dynamic features such as Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, and others. Chrome is based on WebKit - the same rendering engine that powers Safari on the Mac and the popular iPhone, but more importantly in my world - my S60 browser on Nokia mobile handsets.
What impact with Chrome have on the mobile web? Well my first reaction is that, with it’s tie-in to the mobile world (as Om points out), Chrome will help strengthen the web browser as a platform for building mobile web applications.
Back in March, I wrote a post about mobile web applications. In it, I argued that applications for the mobile platform should be written in the native language for each mobile platform. This is a predicament that many mobile developers face - should I write my app as a web application or a native executable?
Let there be no doubt: After Windows, Mac, and Linux, Chrome will undoubtedly be released on mobile handsets. First they’ll release it for Android, then probably for Nokia, RIM BlackBerry, and iPhone consecutive after that. Chrome, with it’s native support for Gears and super-fast implementation of JavaScript, will be a very lucrative bed of users for mobile web developers.
Theoretically, if Chrome is released and widely-adopted, there will be millions of handsets out there for mobile web developers to get their code utilized upon. That’s huge.
August 29th, 2008 / 2 Comments » / by Jason Harris
After you get home from a trip or vacation, the first thing you do is share your photos and experiences of your trip with family and friends. Have you ever wanted to do this in a more rich, environment - perhaps with your photos and videos layed out on a map? Well, in the near future, all you’ll need is a Nokia handset and some great new software to accomplish this.
Nokia has been busy rolling out new handsets this week, but they also let out a bit of news regarding a cool software/web-service they’ll soon be releasing.
Based on the wild success of the Nokia Sports Tracker application, that allows you to capture, upload, and share your workout data with friends and family; Nokia is developing an application called LifeviNe.
With LifeviNe, you will be able to capture your journeys by uploading and geotagging your photos, music, and videos. Then, you can share your journey with friends and family who can see all your trip-related media embedded on a map.
The software is in alpha testing right now and when I get my hands on it, expect to see a more detailed review and examples of how it will work. Ever since I’ve started to use Nokia Sports Tracker, I have desired a similar application for my travels and I am very happy Nokia is rolling it out.
LifeviNe is a perfect marriage of the technologies found in the Nokia Nseries handsets including the high-quality camera, on-board GPS, excellent video capabilities, and a data connection which allows for sharing and networking.
Also, software such as Sports Tracker and LifeviNe serve as an example of Nokia trying to become more than just a handset maker by providing lucrative online services to take the mobile experience to the next level.
After some searching, I think I’ve settled on a new theme - the fabulous Firebug theme for WordPress. Also, a special thanks to Jason Grigsby for his Photoshop skillz.
It’s been a while since I changed the look and feel of my blog, and I really like this theme. What do you think? Leave a comment, please.
Please tinker around with it and let me know if I need to change anything.
August 27th, 2008 / 5 Comments » / by Jason Harris
Gnomedex is a yearly conference held in Seattle during the late summer. It’s a conference that, according to the website:
…… hundreds of the world’s leading bloggers, podcasters, and tech-savvy enthusiasts will once again descend upon the city of Seattle, Washington. The eighth Gnomedex conference is generating buzz in the blogosphere, which underscores our reason to produce it. Indeed, we will once again become the crossroads between producers and observers, between users and developers.
Basically I define Gnomedex as a tech conference where anyone who produces content, consumes content, or just has a tech bone in their body comes together to talk to other geeks about their passions.
This year was no exception as highly passionate people arrived in Seattle ready to meet, greet, and get our geek on.
The Ride to Gnomedex
About two month’s ago, Alex Williams from a local startup called Iterasi asked some Portland folks whether we’d be interested in riding in a converted bus with WiFi, beanbag chairs, and comfy couches to Seattle for the conference. My first reaction was “Of course”! What better way to drive 4 hours than with other blogging buddies and the folks from Iterasi.
The ride was well publicized because everyone I met at Gnomedex that knew I was from Portland asked me if I was on the bus. We had a slow start getting up to Seattle, but the road trip up was great. Iterasi, by sponsoring and arranging the bus ride, sought to build the Portland community up and bring us together. We had an amazing time. Thanks to Alex, Londa, and Pete Grillo who joined us for the ride up to Seattle.
The ride back had the added fun of featuring Sarah Lacy, the Business Week writer. I had a great conversation with one of the leading women of the blogosphere. She’s a smart cookie who I hope continues her success.
The Sessions
Chris and Ponzi Pirillo really took attendee’s feedback to heart after last year’s drama surrounding Calacanis/Winer drama. The theme of this year’s attendee list was “Where Tech Meets Social”. We had some amazing presentations this year including:
An intro to Mars 3.0, given by the Nasa Engineer who drives the Mars Rover.
Gnomedexers raised $3000 to send a young Cambodian girl to College, thanks to Beth Katner
Keeping track of your laptop, the open source way with Adeona
Wonderful photography tips and techniques from the amazing artist Kris Krug.
Every session at Gnomedex was fabulous and I just don’t have enough time to run through each of them. The videos will be up on the Gnomedex website soon and I urge you to take a look when you get a chance.
The People
The people you meet in the hallways and during meals define Gnomedex. This is a conference where Chris Brogan and Robert Scoble are just other bloggers in the crowd, rather than being the haughty “A-listers” some might expect them to be. Everyone who comes to Gnomedex comes to merely network and exchange ideas.
Last year, I sat with Josh Bancroft at Gnomedex and thought it would be fun to have more Portland people in 2008. This year, there was an awesome Portland group that made the journey up! I had an especially great time networking with Rick Turoczy, Jason Grigsby, Josh Bancroft, Brian Westbrook, Marshall Kirkpatrick, and Amber Case.
Again, it’s the people who make Gnomedex such a draw. I made some amazing buddies and got to meet some very interesting people from all around the social web.
My Boingo account just became more valuable. According to GigaOm Daily, Boingo, the ubiquitous Wi-Fi network, just added NomadISP to the list of partner networks.
This means that while traveling to KOA’s, RV parks, campgrounds, and other NomadISP locations, you can log in and gain Internet access with your Boingo subscription.
If you travel quite a bit, either Stateside, Internationally, or wherever - that $21.95/month Boingo subscription is well worth the money.
Nokia, hot off the announcement of the N79, has also pubilicized the availablity of the Nokia N85. Like the Nseries devices from the Finnish-handset maker, the Nokia N85 features GPS and Wi-Fi. However, as we all know, these useful yet power-draining capabilities can quickly drain the battery faster than you know it.
Which is why Nokia is very happy to give us some battery relief by combining the N85 with an OLED display. This power-saving display technology is also one that looks absolutely beautiful on-screen. Videos and images will pop with higher contrast and more vibrant colors, saving previous juice all at the same time.
Nokia has paired with N85 with a powerful 1200 mAh battery, meaning it will be able to web surf, take photos, and talk for longer periods of time. The feature list of the N85 is rich with items such as: an FM transmitter (allowing you to easily consume your digital music on any radio), a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, and 3G connectivity.
The N85 is advertised as Nokia’s slimmest two-way slider yet. More importantly, the N85 features a tri-band 3G chip, meaning it is the first S60 device to have 3G connectivity in Asia, Europe, and the United States (on AT&T). Up until this point, to gain global 3G access, Nokia would sell different versions of 3G handsets: a Europe/Asia version and a North American edition.
Also new to the N85 is the ability to charge over Micro-USB. That’s right! Now you can charge the N85 over the same cord that you use to hook it up to your PC or Mac for data transfer.
Nokia has included a built-in accelerometer with the N85, meaning you can switch between landscape and portrait mode. Also a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack doubles as a TV-Out port so you can watch videos on your TV.
I am a technologist who constantly likes to tinker. As my love for technology grows, so does my desire to share it with those around me. My writing centers around technologies that cause real change in people's lives. I focus on the fields of mobile hardware/applications/platforms, web services, consumer electronics, and hardware/software.
On September 23, Om Malik 
Now, Nokia has announced that Mail for Exchange is available for all NSeries devices. This is a huge deal and instantly adds value to your existing NSeries handset, if you are an Exchange user.
Based on the wild success of the 
Nokia, hot off the announcement of the N79, has also pubilicized the availablity of the 
