Dell To Shut Down Mobile Division

Even though Dell’s Venue Pro is doing pretty well, Dell will be shutting down it’s independent mobile division as it is not able to match the figures it was aiming for especially with models like the Dell Streak.Dell’s Mobile Division head Ron Garriques will be resigning from his post on January 28th 2011 and the division will be shut down. He will receive a payment of 1.44 Million US$ and other payments.

He will continue to provide Consulting Services to Dell till the end of 2011 for which he will receive an additional 6.3 Million US$.

The move does not mean Dell is stopping production or introduction of new smartphones, it’s just that the mobile division will be absorbed into the main company.

Nokia N8 handy shortcuts!

These shortcuts and tricks will work on other Symbian^3 phones like C7, C6-01, E7 too.

Keypad shortcuts (Select “Call” from homescreen)
- Bluetooth ON/OFF: longpress on ‘*’-key
- Call log: press call key
- Contacts: press on contacts icon
- Open browser: longpress on ’0′-key
- Silent profile: longpress on ‘#’-key

Keypad codes (Select “Call” from homescreen and type…)
- *#7370# does hard reset
- *#7780# does soft reset
- *#06# shows your IMEI
- *#0000# shows info about phone software
- *#92702689# (*#war anty#) shows lifetimer

Clock and Profile -widget
- Active and edit profile: press on profile name on the widget
- Calendar: press on date on the widget
- Clock: press on clock on widget

Notifications popup (press on battery icon)
- Clock: press on time on the popup
- Connectivity settings: press on connectivity icon on the popup
- Powersave mode ON/OFF: press on battery icon on the popup
- USB mode: press on USB icon on the popup (when connected) to switch USB mode without unplugging
- WLAN-manager: press on WLAN connection on the popup (when connected)

Miscellaneous
- Alarm Enable/Disable: Set alarm to repeat, then you can disable and enable it
- Animated Themes: Nokia default themes (not Midnight pack) have animated backgrounds, just active it from theme settings
- Disconnect all networks: longpress with red call key
- Edit Homescreen: longpress on anywhere on the homscreen changes to edit mode
- Faster Homescreen: turn of theme effects from Themes settings to make switching between homescreens instant
- Favorites Widget: you can scroll the favorites widget horisontally and add more than four contacts, unlike in N97 homescreen
- Forced Reboot: press power key for eight seconds simulating “battery removal”
- “Full” Reset: hold “Volume Down + Camera Key + Menu Key” and press power button until your phone shake (Warning! Will remove some apps permanently like Ovi Store and Qt!)
- Predictive QWERTY: predictive text and word auto-completion are also supported on QWERTY, not only in keypad
- Screen Saver Notification: Use ‘Music Player’ screen saver to show new sms and missed calls icon on screen. Time, Date, Profile and Music being played will also be shown if enabled.
- Silence Calls/Snooze Alarms: turn around your phone upside down to silence calls or snooze alarms (set it on from Settings > Sensor settings)
- Special Characters: longpress on ’1*’-character on QWERTY keyboard to input special characters like õ, ü, etc.
- Torch (n/a in N8): hold down keylock to use LED flash as a torch
- Two way Charge: Both USB and regular thin-pin adapters can be used for charging
- Two way Keylock: open keylock by sliding keylock button on side OR by pressing menu key and then press on the screen where it says “Unlock”
- Two way TV-OUT: use HDMI cable to get digital TV Out (only N8/E7) with HD resolution or use 3.5mm cable for composite TV out
- Voice Command: hold Call button in homescreen (setup voice command first)
- USB OTG: you can directly connect almost any USB device to the phone (including USB mouse, -keyboard, -pendrive and -external HDD)
- Widget settings: in homescreen edit mode, press on widget (Notifications, Mail, Search and Shortcuts)
- Widgets Online/Offline: select Options > “Widget to Offline mode” from homescreen

Applications
- Calendar: browse through days by swiping through screen from left to right or vice versa to browse back
- Camera: use Pinch zoom to switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios (9Mpix vs 12Mpix on N8)
- Camera: double press on screen to zoom (like with browser)
- Camera: you can also zoom by using volume keys
- File Manager: connect to a network drive by choosing the setting from options menu (instead of Settings)
- File Manager: jump down on folder tree by pressing on one of the folder icons on top of the screen
- File Manager: open search bar by lightly pressing on camera key
- Gallery: Three ways to zoom pictures; by making a double press, a pinch zoom or by using volume keys
- Mail: Collapse and expand all days by doing longpress on a day
- Menu (App. Grid): instead of leaving it to background, choose Options > Exit
- Profiles: set profile (except general and offline) to change based on time of the day from profile settings
- Ovi Maps: share current (or favorite) location via MMS or E-Mail to any other Nokia device with Maps
- Task Manager: open Task Manager by doing longpress on (physical) menukey on the phone
- Task Manager: longpress on any of the apps to bring out option to close invidual or all running apps
- Lost Application (general): in case you accidently delete some of Nokia applications, like Communities or Midnight theme pack, use Software Update re-install it

15 Interesting Facts about Nokia

It is time to add some more facts in out facts lists and this time it is about the largest handset manufacturer of the world, Nokia. Nokia fans and mobile phone users will find some of this stuff new and interesting, so let us get started.

1. Nokia (Finish pronunciation) is a town on the banks of the Nokianvirta River with 31000 population. Fredrik Idestam, a mining engineer, founded Nokia in 1865 in this town.
2. Nokia created first electronic device in 1962, a pulse analyser designed for use in nuclear power plants.
3. In 1987, Nokia introduced one of the world’s first hand-held phones, the Mobira Cityman 900 for NMT-900 networks.
4. The world’s first commercial GSM call was made in 1991 in Helsinki over a Nokia-supplied network, by Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri, using a Nokia phone.
5. Nokia released first touch screen mobile phone in 2004, Nokia 7710 was a huge success.
6. In 2007, Nokia announced that its Nokia 1100 mobile phone (launched in 2003) was best selling mobile phone of all times. Over 200 million Nokia 1100 were sold.
7. Nokia released N82 in 2007, its first N-series phone with Xenon Flash.
8. In 2008, Nokia released E71. First QWERTY keyboard device to compete against Blakberry.
9. According to a Japanese ancestral superstition, the number 4 is considered unlucky in most parts of Southeast/East Asia. It doesn’t appear in any Nokia model either.
10. Nokia is sometimes called ‘aikon’ (Nokia backwards) by non-Nokia mobile phone users and by mobile software developers, because “aikon” is used in various SDK software packages, including Nokia’s own Symbian S60 SDK.
11. The ringtone Nokia Tune, Gran Vals, is the work of Spanish guitarist of the 19th century, Francisco Tarrega. Originally the ringtone was called Grande Valse.
12. Nokia has its own font known as AgfaMonotype Nokia Sans, which was invented by Eric Shpikermannom. The font was used in advertising and in the instructions for the phones before.
13. Nokia mobiles are sold in 150 countries and the company has employees in 120 countries.
14. Nokia marked their one billionth mobile phones sales with a Nokia 1100 sold in Nigeria.
15. Nokia is at number 8 in BusinessWeek’s best global brand of 2010 (first non-US company).

These are some of the interesting facts about Nokia, let use know if you have any other facts to share related to Nokia.

Why smartphones will be the books of the future

Is this too bold a prediction? You might think so until you look at the stats. According to Forrester Research, eBook sales were up almost 200 percent in 2009 and in 2010 they’re expected to top $500 million in the U.S. alone. This July, Amazon announced that 180 digital books were flying off its shelves for every 100 hardcovers. While Mike Shatzkin, CEO of the Idea Logical Company, which advises book publishers on digital change, predicts that within a decade, fewer than 25 percent of all books sold will be print versions. But how can we be so sure that those digital books will be read on smartphones?

Screens are getting bigger and better

One thing that has stopped people reading on their smartphone has been the size and quality of the screen. But displays are getting more reader friendly all the time. Take the Nokia N8 with its 3.5 inch display made from scratch resistant glass. Or the E7, with its 4 inch Clear Black Display. With every new innovation reading text becomes easier on the eye.

Reading on the go

Your smartphone might not be the best reading device, but when you’re waiting for a bus or stuck in a traffic jam, it’s a heck of a lot better than nothing. And rather than lug another gadget around like an e-Reader, why not rely on something that fits snugly in your pocket? Books have always been great portable entertainment. Smartphones take that one step further.

A library in your pocket

There are some fantastic mobile apps for bookworms, giving you access to hundreds of thousands of titles, which are available from various places. eReader, for example, is the ‘world’s largest eBook store’ with dozens of different genres available. Wattpad not only gives you access to great writing but great writers too, enabling readers and authors to connect with each other.

The cheapest way to read

Dedicated e-Readers are getting cheaper all the time, but they’re still a hefty investment for anyone other than the most avid reader. You don’t buy a smartphone to read books, but it does the job so why not make the most of it? Add to this the fact that ebooks are up to 50% cheaper than hardcovers and the savings really start to add up.

Go digital or die

Printed books have been around for more than 500 years, and despite radio, TV and the Internet, they’re yet to be consigned to the cassette tape bin of history. But the publishing industry is changing. More and more authors are bypassing publishers altogether. Best selling authors like Seth Godin are giving up on traditional publishing. It’s easy to see why. Ebooks are cheaper to produce, easier to distribute and more profitable for authors. Smaller publishers are either having to rely on charity or disappearing completely. To thrive in the future, publishers will have no choice but to go digital.

Are you convinced? Can you imagine a future where you’ll read the latest bestseller on your Nokia Nseries? And if not, why not?

What does the colour of your Nokia N8 say about you?

It’s probably no surprise to discover how passionate the Nokia N8 design team are about form and function. However, the fact they’ve been able to introduce a little colour into our lives has got them buzzing too. Most us have a favourite colour, but have you ever wondered what the colour of your smartphone says about you?

The Nokia N8 comes in five cool colours. A while back we had a vote on which of these rocks your world the most. The results showed that black, silver and blue were the most popular choices. Curious as to what this result showed about you, This is what I discovered.

Black 
Black is the colour of mystery and people who choose this colour want to be dignified and impressive without being showy. You are also probably artistic and sensitive. Apparently, your choice might indicate a suppression of desires and worldly aims, suggesting hidden depths and inner longings. The colour black is often associated with power and sophistication. Easy to see why it was the top choice, then.

Silver
Rather than being sentimental and looking to the past for inspiration, people who like silver tend to be modern and futuristic in their outlook. Resourceful and flexible, you’re open to new possibilities and are more likely to try anything once. Silver is associated with elegance, so you like to aim for an understated air of sophistication and classiness.

Blue 
If you choose blue as your favorite Nokia N8 colour, you are more likely to love harmony and be compassionate and caring. Blue is serene and tranquil, the colour of peace and contentment, deliberation and introspection. You like to be admired for your steady character and wisdom and tend to be suspicious of flamboyant behavior.

Orange 
Orange is the only colour named after an object. It’s the colour of youth, strength, fearlessness, curiosity and restlessness. If you choose orange as your favourite N8 colour, you’re likely to be a flamboyant and fun-loving person who loves to socialize. Orange fans hate being alone and may be inclined to dramatize a bit, but they are generally good-natured and popular.

Green 
Studies show that the colour green increases wellbeing and calmness. Green symbolizes hope, renewal and peace, and is usually liked by the gentle and sincere. If you choose green, there’s a good chance that you’re frank, loyal and community minded. Green lovers are also aware of what others think of them and consider their reputation very important. Fairly sociable but preferring peace at any price, fans of green tend to be refined, civilized and reputable.

Of course colours can mean different things to different cultures. In China for example, brides wear red as it symbolizes a good life, while in South Africa it’s the colour of mourning. But the study of colour has a long history. So what do you think? Does your favourite Nokia N8 colour give us a clue about you?