Since Apple launched the App store for the iPhone, the way that we use our phones has changed. Almost all touchscreen smartphones now have a version of the App store, where you can download free and paid for applications to your phone to increase it’s functionality.
Andriod Market
I’ve been playing with the HTC Hero & Android Marketplace for a few days now and have been trying out some of their most popular apps. As my phone is an iPhone, there are a few comparisons to the iPhone in here but these are my favourites Android Apps so far. (more…)
If you’ve read our Ultimate Guide to GPS on Mobile Phones you’ll know that GPS isn’t all about Satellite Navigation and turn-by-turn directions. Using a Bluetooth GPS receiver with your mobile phone will open it up to a whole range of applications that will allow you to do things you may not even realise were possible on a mobile phone.
This guide will run through some of the free and paid apps for Symbian, Java, Windows & BlackBerry phones for each of the 5 types of application – Sat Nav, Tracking, Mapping, Location Aware & Geo-Tagging.
Sat Nav | Free | All Phones that support Java, Windows Mobile & BlackBerry
amAze GPS is probably the best free Sat Nav application available. While it’s not quite as pretty to look at, the features of this amazing free app really make up for it. It has detailed maps of Europe, North America and Australia, and unlike most applications that store all this map data on your phone, taking up valuable space, it downloads the maps as and when you need them. amAze will automatically rotate the map in the direction that you’re driving, and will even overlay your route with a satellite image of where you’re driving. Weather updates are included at no cost. If you want to reduce the amount of data being used, you can also switch to a simple mode that will just display an arrow pointing the way instead of downloading the detailed maps. Speed Camera alerts aren’t available just yet, but are coming soon. amAze GPS is easy to download and install.
The application is free, but as it relies on an internet connection and downloading very small amounts of data, we’d recommend adding an internet bundle to your account to prevent any nasty surprises on your bill.
GPS has been around in mobile phones for a few years now, but for a lot of people it’s purpose isn’t all that clear. As well as being a basic requirement for Satellite Navigation, GPS has a number of other really useful applications that you may not be aware of. This guide explains the basics of GPS and runs through the different types of GPS receiver and software available.
So What Is GPS?
GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers use a network of satellites in orbit around the earth to pinpoint your location (longtitude and latitude) to within a few metres. GPS receivers don’t require a signal from a mobile phone company to work, they just need to be able to see the sky. Locking on to GPS Satellites normally takes a couple of minutes, sometimes longer if you’re already on the move.
Over the last couple of years GPS receivers have found their way in to a number of mobile phones. Mobile Phones work slightly differently to stand alone GPS receivers as they can triangulate their location using nearby transmitters. Mobile phones combine the information from nearby transmitters with the information received from the GPS receiver to give them an exact location. A brief internet connection is normally required to find your location. This type of receiver is called A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System).
Both GPS and A-GPS have their strengths and weaknesses. External GPS Receivers tend to lock on to more satellites for more stable tracking. They also have better battery life than A-GPS as they don’t need an internet connection and have no screen to run the battery down. Phones with A-GPS tend to lock on to your location a little bit faster and may still be able to track you if you are indoors or under cover.
GPS Receivers
Generally speaking most GPS receivers are designed to communicate over a Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth is a way that 2 devices can talk to each other wirelessly and is found in most mobile phones and computers. If your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth built in, you can add this function easily by purchasing a USB Bluetooth Adapter.
If you want to use a GPS receiver with your phone, you just need to make sure that your phone has Bluetooth and you’ll need to pair the GPS receiver with your phone. When you launch an application on your phone that requires GPS data, your phone will automatically make the connection to the GPS receiver as long as your receiver is turned on.
External GPS Receivers can add functionality to your phone
It’s finally here! It might have taken 2 years, but there is finally an official Sat Nav Application for the iPhone.
TomTom demonstrated the software at last nights WWDC conference in America and have said that it will be available soon in the app store. As well as the Sat Nav application, TomTom also revealed the iPhone car kit – a charging cradle that takes advantage of the new iPhone 3.0 software, and uses a GPS receiver in the cradle to boost the GPS Signal being received by the phone for greater accuracy. The cradle is an optional extra and the sat nav will work perfectly fine with out it. TomTom software will be compatible with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S.
Updated Cradle Specs:
GPS Receiver built in to enhance Internal GPS (might also work on iPod Touch but not confirmed)
Charges iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S
Built in loud speaker for turn by turn directions
External microphone for calls
Built in FM Transmitter for playing music through car stereo
Can be used in landscape or portrait mode
Mini USB Charger connection
More details can be found on the TomTom website, although they’re staying tight lipped about pricing and a possible release date.
Update: Sat Nav manufacturer Garmin have confirmed that they are not working on an iPhone solution as this could do damage to their upcoming Nuivfone, However Navigon & TeleNav will be releasing applications.
TomTom posted this video on their YouTube channel as a teaser for what’s to come.
The Nokia Beta Labs Boys & Girls really have been busy this week! Normally we have to wait months for new software to play with, but they’ve just released a new version of their ‘Point & Find’ application. Point & Find is an application that lets you access information and services on the internet, just by pointing your camera phone at everyday objects. It then uses GPS data, along with a database of virtual tags to figure out what you’re looking at, and then sends the relevant information back to your phone.
You’re probably thinking, “sounds great but what does that actually mean?” so I’ll give you a few examples:
You’re walking down the street and you see a poster for a new movie. By pointing your camera phone at the poster, you’ll be able to view movie trailers, check showtimes, book tickets and get directions.
You’re out shopping and the latest gadget catches your eye. You scan the barcode with your phone, and are able to read more detailed product information & get the latest reviews. You also get a price comparison from leading online retailers so you can check to make sure you’re not paying too much.
This software is still a very early Beta, so that means that there will be bugs and times that it won’t quite do what its supposed to, but I’d say its still worth a try!
Point & Find is available at the moment for Nokia Symbian S60 handsets (Most NSeries) and is available to download from the Nokia Point & Find website.
Download it, Try it, and let us know how you get on with it.
The boffins over at Nokia Beta Labs have just released a clever little photo application for the Nokia 5800. Imaginatively called “Nokia Photo Browser,” the application adds a flashy looking interface to your photo gallery. To view your photo’s you can now just swipe your finger across the display and all of your images will flow nicely across your screen. Double tap to view an image, and you can now tap your photo to bring up a magnifying glass to zoom in.
The cleverst part of it though seems to be the face recognition. When you double tap on a face in a photo it zooms in to the face, and as you swipe the display, it moves to the next face in the photo. No more scrolling around to refocus on people faces! The Photo Browser is only available at the moment for the Nokia 5800 (and N97 when released) and is available now to download from the Nokia Betalabs website.
Nokia have put this video together to show it in action:
Ever found yourself struggling to read the small print on labels, receipts and instruction manuals? The boffins over at Nokia obviously have, which is why they’ve just relesead a Beta (trial) version of Nokia Magnifier.
The concept is simple (to the point of why didn’t I think of that,) it uses the camera on your phone to zoom in to what ever you point it at and make it larger on your screen. It only works on Nokia Symbian 60 phones ( for example the N95, N82, N85 & N73) and is available now to download from the Nokia Betalabs website.
Nokia have put this video together to show it in action:
One of the biggest handset launches of the year so far was the HTC Touch Diamond. Its got a decent camera, touchscreen, compact design, full internet, email and built in GPS to help you get around, which is great, if, like me, you’re hopeless at finding your way around – but, it doesn’t come with any mapping software built in.
So far there hasn’t been a Sat Nav solution available for the HTC Touch Diamond as most third party Sat Nav software is installed onto a memory card. As the Touch Diamond doesn’t have a memory card slot, this made it impossible to install – until now!
CoPilot have just launched CoPilot Live 7, a fully featured Sat Nav system designed exclusively to run on the HTC Touch Diamond. Supplied on a DVD, the software is quick and easy to install and completely eliminates the need to use a memory card as installation is done through your PC.
The software features a large, clear touch based user interface, and can navigate using your phonebook contacts, address, or search for an address using a UK post code. CoPilot Live 7 aims to keep distractions to a minimum, so clear spoken instructions will guide you to your destination, while the clear 2D and 3D mapping will show you where to go and automatically zoom in when needed. Safety Camera alerts are also included at no extra cost with free periodic updates. Maps for the UK and Ireland are included as standard, and additional maps can be downloaded using CoPilot Central – a desktop application that allows you to plan and print your routes in advance, upgrade your services to include traffic updates and buy the extra maps.
JUNE 2009 UPDATE: TomTom software has been confirmed for the iPhone – Read More.
Since the launch of the iPhone 3G last week, stories are surfacing on the availability of a full Sat Nav application. Rumours were flying around prior to its launch that TomTom had a full version of its mapping software ready to launch, and according to Gizmodo, TeleNav have a version ready for release too. Nothing as yet has been confirmed on release details, but it would seem that there are a few issues that the software vendors will need to resolve first.
Software developers have stated that the iPhone SDK (software development kit), bans the use of real time navigation, presumably to avoid any potential lawsuits from people directed into a ditch by their iPhone. No doubt developers such as TomTom and TeleNav will be working closely with Apple to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Nokia have just launched a Beta version of their free push email service. Users with mobiles running Symbian 60 3rd Edition software, such as the Nokia N95, can sign up to use it on the Nokia Email website.
Once you’ve created your account, and entered your existing email details, you are sent a link to download the application to your phone. The service works by checking with your existing email provider for new messages and then pushing them over the air to your handset.
Push email works in a different way to email on your Desktop PC. Rather than logging on and retrieving your emails at specified intervals, the email application maintains a constant connection to the email servers so emails are delivered straight to your handset almost as soon as they are sent.
The great thing is that its doddle to set up, unlike the native email application on Nokia Handsets. You don’t need to change your email address and the service works with all POP3 and IMAP email providers. Corporate email and Hotmail are yet to be supported, but this could change in a future version.
The application runs quietly in the background, without any noticable drain on your battery. Emails can be set to come through instantly or you can manually check for new emails.
The one slight negative that I’ve found so far, is that it doesn’t mark emails as read on the server only on the handset. Not a problem for me, as I only get about ten emails a day, but for heavier business users this could lead to spending extra time sifting through the inbox figuring out which emails have been read. Hopefully this is something that will be addressed in future versions.
With Nokia Email you are able to:
View, respond, forward, compose and delete emails.
Manage your email inbox, outbox, drafts, and sent folders.
Set the days and times your device receives email.
Search contacts already stored on the handset.
Call the sender direct from the email.
Currently there are 11 officially supported handsets, the E51, E61, E61i, E65, E66, E71, E90, N73, N80, N81 8gb and the Nokia N95. We’ve also tried this on the N82 and the N95 8gb, and it seems to work fine.
It’s finally here! It might have taken 2 years, but there is finally an official Sat Nav Application for the iPhone.
Nokia have just launched a Beta version of their free push email service. Users with mobiles running Symbian 60 3rd Edition software, such as the Nokia N95, can sign up to use it on the 
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