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Hey Sony Mobile fans, fancy testing your smarts to win lots of great Sony Xperia prizes?

Our “Eight hours of smartness” competition launches tomorrow, giving you the chance to grab Xperia T’s (the Bond phone no less), SmartWatches, Smart Wireless Headset pros, Wireless Speakers or even a Sony MS430 speaker.

According to our calculations; that’s a lot of prizes for a lot of lucky people!

Here’s how to get involved:

- “Eight hours of smartness” will be hosted in a Sony TV studio and live-streamed on our Facebook page

- In the studio, you’ll find two things: our presenter and a live grid of SmartTags

- This SmartTag wall is the game board – you could say it’s a little like a digital Battleships

- Simply join the queue of competitors and keep your fingers crossed as players are picked at random

- If you are selected to play, quickly choose the SmartTag coordinates you think hide a prize and then let our host do the rest…

- If you’re a winner, the onscreen Xperia smartphone will notify you there and then

- If not – no worries, re-join the queue as the game restarts every hour

The competition kicks off Thursday 1st November 2.00pm, running to 10.00pm CET the same day.

See you tomorrow!

NaviExpert pomoże bezpiecznie dojechać na groby bliskich

Wszystkich Świętych wiąże się ze zwiększonym natężeniem ruchu na drogach całej Polski. Jak co roku, tak i w tym, policja już ostrzega przed utrudnieniami komunikacyjnymi wokół cmentarzy. Kierowcy powinni być przygotowani nie tylko na zmiany w organizacji ruchu, ale także na wyłączenie niektórych fragmentów ulic. Nawigacja NaviExpert, dzięki współpracy z samorządami będzie na bieżąco informowała o zmianach na przycmentarnych ulicach.

To właśnie z powodu  czasowych zmian w organizacji ruchu, policja apeluje do kierowców, aby nie jeździli na pamięć i zwracali szczególną uwagę na znaki, które będą informować o wszelkich zmianach. Nawigacja NaviExpert proponuje kierowcom dodatkowe wsparcie. Dzięki, na bieżąco aktualizowanym mapom, NaviExpert ułatwi dojazd do cmentarzy. W bazie użytecznych punktów POI znajdują się cmentarze i parkingi, również te wydzielone przez samorządy do parkowania tylko podczas Wszystkich Świętych. Aby wyszukać jeden z POI, wystarczy w polu wyszukiwania wpisać lub wybrać głosowo nazwę nekropolii, a system wyświetli wszystkie możliwe wyniki dla danej lokalizacji, w tym listę parkingów przy każdym z cmentarzy.

W związku z tym do aplikacji zostaną wprowadzone informacje o  zmianach organizacji ruchu, utrudnieniach oraz parkingach przy cmentarzach w kilkudziesięciu miastach Polski, takich jak: Szczecin, Zielona Góra, Poznań, Legnica, Wrocław, Konin, Leszno, Piła, Kalisz, Jelenia Góra, Wałbrzych, Sopot, Gdańsk, Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Włocławek, Kielce, Łódź, Grudziądz, Opole, Bytom, Katowice, Elbląg, Koszalin, Słupsk, Częstochowa, Bielsko-Biała,  Gliwice, Chorzów, Zabrze, Radzionków, Tychy, Sosnowiec, Suwałki, Biała Podlaska, Siedlce, Płock, Warszawa, Radom, Białystok, Lublin, Rzeszów, Tarnobrzeg, Przemyśl, Zamość, Ostrołęka, Tarnów, Ciechanów.

Dodatkowo, w związku z prowadzoną przez policję „Akcją znicz”, kierowcom wybierającym sięw tym okresie w dłuższą trasę,  przyda się również funkcja CB.  Społecznościowy charakter CB umożliwia kierowcom m.in. zgłaszanie wypadków, fotoradarów oraz  kontroli drogowych. Już w chwili zgłoszenia w aplikacja pojawia się ikona z ostrzeżeniem, a informacja w formie graficznej i głosowej jest wysyłana do wszystkich użytkowników NaviExpert znajdujących się w okolicy. – Funkcja CB nie tylko poprawia bezpieczeństwo naszych użytkowników – mówi Adam Bąkowski, Prezes Zarządu NaviExpert. – Kierowcy przekazując sobie wzajemnie informacje o aktualnej sytuacji drogowej zwiększają  komfort jazdy i bezpieczeństwo na drogach.  – dodaje.

Natomiast z myślą o wszystkich niezmotoryzowanych użytkownikach NaviExpert, piesza nawigacja będzie rozszerzona o  uruchomione z okazji Wszystkich Świętych, linie kursujące na cmentarze oraz aktualne rozkłady jazdy.

Nawigacja NaviExpert najlepszą nawigacją zdaniem użytkowników serwisu Android.com.pl

Chcielibyśmy podziękować wszystkim osobom, które oddały głos na na NaviExpert w plebiscycie serwisu Android.com.pl na najlepszą nawigację działającą w systemie Android. Jest nam niezmiernie miło, że NaviExpert zdobył niemal 40 procent wszystkich głosów i wygrał rywalizację z 9 innymi systemami nawigacyjnymi na OS Andorid. Wasze uznanie motywuje nas do jeszcze większych wysiłków i rozwoju NaviExpert.

This week we saw the launch of Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco, and Microsoft’s annual developer conference, BUILD, in Redmond. We asked Nokia’s head of developer experience, Marco Argenti, what made Windows Phone 8 so important and exciting for developers and end users alike.

“For me, it’s that there is now a common Windows experience across every screen. And Microsoft’s announcement that they’ve sold four million Windows 8 upgrades in just a few days should be very exciting news for developers,” says Marco.

“Windows Phone changes the way that you interact with your screen. On other operating systems, the home screen is like a springboard. There’s not really anything there. You have to move in and out of all your other apps in order to get to the information.”

“With Live Tiles, however, it’s really personal. The information is on the surface to a far greater extent. It’s as though we have removed an entire layer of effort from using a smartphone.”

“And now, three different sizes of tile means that it’s you, as the phone’s owner, who gets to decide exactly how much of the information inside an app is displayed on the outside, as well as the order in which it comes.”

“Also new to Windows Phone 8 is a much improved lock screen. This takes the same principle but shifts it up a whole extra layer. Owners can personalise the notifications that appear on the lock screen, so there’s even more available before you even start using the phone, like photos or app content, for example.”

But as Nokia’s developer champion, it is the behind-the-scenes story around the creation of smartphone apps that excites Marco the most.

“Windows Phone 8 now shares a considerable amount of common code with the desktop Windows 8 operating system. That means that the same app can be made available with minimum effort across all screens, leveraging the power of the combined consumer base of phones, tablets and PCs.”

“Another welcome addition, which has been at the top of the list of developers’ requests, is the support for native development. That’s particularly important for game developers, who can now port their games engines with little modification and push performance to the limit. Another piece of great news for game developers is the support of Unity engine both for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.”

“Monetization is one of the most important topics that comes up when talking to developers. At Nokia, we’re particularly focused in covering that aspect of the developer journey which includes helping developers successfully bring their applications to market and reaching the right audience in all corners the world. Earlier this week we announced the Nokia Ad Exchange, a full featured, cross platform ad exchange which will help developers monetize their apps through in-app advertising.”

Marco concludes that customers will find that Nokia Lumia is the perfect partner for the new OS:

“Windows Phone 8 is the most innovative operating system in the world. And Nokia Lumia is the most innovative hardware: we’ve pushed it to the limit in the Lumia 920 with technologies like NFC, the imaging capabilities, the low light performance, the complete integration of those technologies into the core OS. And great, innovative apps is what will turn differentiating features into unique experiences for consumers”.

With Windows Phone 8 officially introduced last Monday and the first smartphones based on this platform being shipped or reviewed, it’s time to have a quick overview of its location-based apps and experiences.

As you may already know, Nokia is delivering the backbone for all location experiences on Windows Phone 8 and offering Nokia Drive to all Windows Phone 8 partners, empowering this new OS with voice guided turn-by-turn car navigation.

Since we made these announcements, some legitimate questions have been asked on Twitter, on this blog and in the first reviews of Windows Phone 8. I would therefore like to summarize them and provide some clarification.

What does it mean that the Nokia Location Platform is powering the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem?

It basically means that location-based apps for Windows Phone 8 developed by Nokia (e.g. Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, Nokia City Lens and Nokia Transport), apps developed by Microsoft (e.g. Bing Maps) and apps by any other developer make use of basic functionalities provided by Nokia.

It also means that some features like offline maps are now completely embedded into Windows Phone 8. You can find this option in your smartphone settings.

Is Nokia Maps on all Windows Phone 8 smartphones?

The Nokia Location Platform is powering the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem, not Nokia Maps, which is an app. On non-Nokia Windows Phone 8 smartphones, the default mapping application is Windows Phone Maps. This is running on top of our map data. It is using our geocoding, our traffic information and our routes, but it’s ultimately developed by Windows Phone, with a custom UI, search and POI database.

Where is turn-by-turn navigation?

Nokia Drive is the application that provides voice-guided turn-by-turn car navigation on Nokia smartphones and with Windows Phone 8 it’s also being made available to other manufacturers. Nokia Drive has been rewritten from the ground up specifically for Windows Phone 8, to leverage the power of this OS and offering new features.

We are currently testing it and a beta version will be made available very soon. On a Nokia smartphone like Nokia Lumia 920, you will find a tile on the start screen that will take you to the Windows Phone Store to download Nokia Drive Beta. Other manufacturers and Microsoft will decide in which countries and on which devices Nokia Drive will be offered to their customers.

You will be very pleased to know that one of the features you have requested the most, route planning options to avoid toll roads, ferries, etc., has been included in this release. However, while currently in beta, Nokia Drive for Windows Phone 8 won’t support My Commute just yet and we strongly suggest you to make use of the offline maps to enjoy your travels.

What’s new in Nokia Maps for Windows Phone 8?

On Nokia smartphones with Windows Phone 8, the default mapping application is Nokia Maps. We’ve been working hard during the past few months to develop a great new release specifically for Windows Phone 8. In a previous blog post I’ve explained all the features we are including in Nokia Maps for Windows Phone 8 or currently working on.

While the first version of Nokia Maps for Windows Phone 8 was being preinstalled on our newest smartphones (v 2.9), we were already working on an update with even more features. This is why, when you first start your new Nokia smartphone with Windows Phone 8, we encourage you to immediately update Nokia Maps and enjoy all the latest features (v 3.0).

In a nutshell, you won’t only be able to use offline maps but also offline search and routing, also for public transport. You can use turn-by-turn walk navigation or start Nokia Drive to get voice-guided, turn-by-turn car navigation. Last but not least, you will also find your way indoors with the support of venue maps in almost 18,000 buildings in 40 countries (and counting).

‘Nokia Maps offers the most advanced mobile maps offering to consumers today with largest global coverage, highest quality mapping data and true offline availability’ said Francisco Jeronimo, Research Manager, European Mobile Devices, IDC. 

What’s new in Nokia Transport for Windows Phone 8?

Nokia Transport (aka Nokia Transit in North America) has also been updated with great new features. Just like Nokia Maps, we started working on a new version of Nokia Transport immediately after preinstalling it on the Nokia smartphones with Windows Phone 8. This is why you will find an update in the Windows Phone Store in coming days.

With the new version of Nokia Transport for Windows Phone 8, automatic over-the-air updates help ensure you have the latest information on schedules and routes as well as on newly supported cities. You can now get a combined segment map and detail view to orient yourself at a glance: just tap or swipe a specific segment of your journey to expand an intuitive map and detail view that easily lets you see where you are and where you need to be.

New display settings will give you the options to select miles or kilometers, the time of departure or the time you have until the next departure and plan ahead by setting time and date of your journey.  From Nokia Transport, you can now also launch the turn-by-turn walk navigation provided by Nokia Maps to get to the next stop or to your final destination. The search history has also been redesigned to be easier to use and to support entries management. For example, you can now manually delete previous searches and keep the history tidier.

What is Nokia City Lens?

Nokia City Lens turns sight into the next interface for searching the world around you. The app provides information about each building or landmark in the area, giving people an at-a-glance understanding of what restaurants, museums, shops and others places of interest are nearby. Seeing a place of interest through augmented reality provides a wealth of information not available with the naked eye, allowing you to see the world around you using your smartphone instead of having to perform web searches.

The technology powering Nokia City Lens is particularly advanced and accurate. We are capturing real world dimension, fueling more realistic and interactive experiences. It’s like having X-ray vision, revealing hidden spots you might otherwise miss.

Nokia City Lens comes preinstalled on Nokia smartphones with Windows Phone 8 and we are already busy working on the next release, which you can learn more in this previous blog post.

Image credit: Walt Stoneburner

What do you do when you have the Nokia 808 PureView on trial and you’re in a band made up of ‘soon-to-be engineers’? Well, you do exactly what HumanWires have done, and showcase your latest tune using the audio recording capabilities of the phone, showing it’s not all about the awesome photos you can take with the 808 PureView.

Firstly, they recorded each of the instruments separately using the 808 PureView in the garage where they practice and then stitched them together to make a complete video (including a comparison to the studio version):

Turned out pretty well, I think you’ll agree. Next they decided to go all out and record the entire band at once. As they say in their description of the video -

‘We think the phone handled all the sounds pretty well. We didn’t hear any distortion in the original audio track and all the instruments can be distinguished from each other’

What do you think?

What do you think of the band? For more of their music, there’s a Soundcloud or Facebook page. There’s lots of sound to go at here to make an informed decision as to how you think the phone performed, so let us know in the comments, or (as ever) on Twitter.

Today we announce the Nokia 109, the latest step forward in our strategy to connect the next billion and beyond to the Internet.

It’s designed for people who want an easy-to-use and affordable Internet-capable phone with the familiarity of a traditional keyboard.

Happily, armed with the Nokia Xpress Browser, they’ll find it easy-going. This cloud-accelerated browser reduces the data consumption of web pages by up to 90 per cent to deliver an easy and inexpensive web experience.

Made social

Facebook and Twitter access right from the home screen will serve social networking needs, while the eBuddy instant messaging client is available for download from Nokia Store to make it easy to keep up-to-date with your closest contacts. Plenty more apps and hundreds of free games, including ten premium titles from EA, are available in the Nokia Store.

The battery life on this phone is extremely enviable, with up to 33 days standby time specified, or 7.5 hours talk-time.

The phone includes a media player, as well as an FM radio, with radio recording in some markets. The built-in speaker packs a punch for whole room entertainment, reaching a volume of up to 103 phons (phon is the unit of apparent loudness). Owners can expand the external memory using an SD card for up to 32GB of storage.

Let’s put this phone into context. As a reader of Nokia Conversations, you’re very likely to be a phone connoisseur, an expert who demands everything from NFC to LTE and OIS on their next smartphone. But, of course, everyone is different, and we can all think of people we know who don’t want any of those things in their phones, and especially don’t want to pay the extra that these features entail.

The Nokia 109 will be available in black and cyan from this quarter in China, the Asia Pacific region and Europe. Before any local taxes or operator subsidies, it will cost around $42 (USD).

Nokia has recently been recognised as the greenest manufacturer in the telecoms sector, according to Newsweek’s Green Rankings. Of course, it’s by no means the first such award, with the company’s sustainability record receiving plaudits from the likes of Greenpeace, the Dow Jones and CDP in recent years.

Almost every component of a Nokia mobile phone, at every stage in its lifecycle, is affected by the company’s commitment to delivering greener products.

We asked Nokia’s Arja Mehtälä to talk us through the Lumia 820, and the ingredients that make it a worthy eco hero.

Materials

The story here is as much about what doesn’t go into the phone as what does. Thanks to a full material declaration, we know exactly which substances our devices contain. Restricted materials are named in our Substance List and Nokia doesn’t use materials containing PVC, BFR or RFRs; and they are free of nickel on the product surface.

On the other hand, we do use recycled metals for some of the internal components and also bioplastics, which are refined from non-edible plants rather than fossil sources.

Manufacturing

As the diagram below shows, component manufacture and raw materials together account for the biggest part of the environmental impact of a mobile phone, so any improvements here are very important:

It also underlines the importance of recycling. The more materials that can be recovered from old products, the less needs to be created from scratch.

A further consideration is that a smartphone can take the place of multiple devices, such as a camera, camcorder, GPS, music player and more. Additional devices for these individual functions are no longer a necessity and so raw materials can be saved and extra component creation is unneeded.

Eco-content and services

We’d draw particular attention to our Location services here. Nokia Transport encourages the use of public transportation; Nokia Maps helps with pedestrian and cycling navigation, while Nokia Drive ensures that if you do need to take a car, then you get to your location as quickly as possible. Also look out for Nokia’s Climate Mission 3D in the Store, which delivers a better understanding of the environment in a fun way.

Charging and efficiency

The Lumia 820, as with all Nokia Lumia phones, has a battery saver feature and automatic brightness adjustment for a longer time between charges, in addition to the efficient Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm. Our 5-star chargers have been refined to work efficiently and only draw a minimal amount of power when they’re idle.

Recycling

Every part of the Lumia 820 can be recovered, either into materials or energy. We also actively encourage customers to turn in retired Nokia phones to Care Points where they can be sent for recycling.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Packaging

The size of our boxes has shrunk in recent years. This is important in terms of using less material, but also in terms of fitting more phones onto every palette, so that fewer truck journeys are required for deliveries across the world. It’s also worth noting that we’ve reduced the amount of materials inside the box, and that the cardboard itself contains both recycled fibres or comes from wood in certified forests.

Of course, we realise that all customers won’t necessarily buy the Lumia 820 because it’s eco-friendly. It will be for the generous screen, powerful performance and beautiful design. But it’s great to know that while you’re enjoying all those things, you’ve also made a choice that benefits the planet.

Check out the phone’s eco-profile to learn more about the Lumia 820’s credentials.

Do you remember when you switched from using a dial-up modem to using broadband Internet on your computer for the first time? Didn’t it seem magical the way websites seemed to load up instantly?

A similar transformation is now happening to smartphones and the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 are fully equipped to let you take full advantage of the new high-speed networks.

If you want faster HD video streaming, to download large files in less time, apps to work without lags, video calls that don’t get stuck and to enjoy all the latest website plug-in technology just as you would on a laptop – all on your smartphone – then the wait is over.

Rolling out on operator networks around the world, this new, high-speed network technology gives you super fast data speeds, in comparison to previous generations. And best yet, the new Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 are fully equipped to take advantage of the revolution.

These new generation operator networks are called LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G/LTE. Although you may hear different people using the different names, they are both essentially the same thing. We explored the evolution of mobile phone technologies from 1G to 4G  in a previous post on Conversations.

Getting connected

To use these new generation networks you will need a smartphone that is equipped with 4G/LTE capabilities, such as the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, and a local operator that has deployed its 4G/LTE network.

We had a short chat with Timo Joutsenvirta from Nokia Technology Marketing team on how 4G/LTE networks can benefit the users of the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Mobile operators around the world are still rolling out their 4G/LTE networks. To get a full picture of the situation where you live, you should check with your local operator. 

As Timo highlighted, if you are lucky enough to have a Nokia Lumia 920 or Lumia 820 and a local operator with a 4G/LTE network already, you will be able to take advantage of ultra fast connectivity straight out of the box.

Travelling

However, even if you are able to access 4G/LTE in your home country, you should beware that it may not work when you travel abroad. At the moment roaming may not be supported by 4G/LTE and there is a possibility you may not be able to receive phone calls or SMS when travelling.

In this case, you can change the cellular settings to 3G as the ‘highest connection speed’ and the phone will continue to function perfectly normally. To do this, go to ‘Settings’, tap ‘Cellular’, and ‘highest connection speed’ and choose ‘3G’.

(Click on the image to see a larger version)

Network readiness

Even if your local operator has yet to launch its 4G/LTE network, you can still count yourself very lucky to own a Nokia Lumia 920 or Lumia 820! They are superb, innovative smartphones and always use the fastest available network connections.

Even when using 3G networks, your new Lumia will be an extremely responsive and speedy performer thanks to the Snapdragon S4 processor and Windows Phone 8 operating system. And once 4G/LTE is available from your operator network, Nokia and your local operator will release an over-the-air (OTA) update that will enable your phone to connect to the new high-speed network.

This week we saw the launch of Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco, and Microsoft’s annual developer conference, BUILD, in Redmond. We asked Nokia’s head of developer experience, Marco Argenti, what made Windows Phone 8 so important and exciting for developers and end users alike.

“For me, it’s that there is now a common Windows experience across every screen. And Microsoft’s announcement that they’ve sold four million Windows 8 upgrades in just a few days should be very exciting news for developers,” says Marco.

“Windows Phone changes the way that you interact with your screen. On other operating systems, the home screen is like a springboard. There’s not really anything there. You have to move in and out of all your other apps in order to get to the information.”

“With Live Tiles, however, it’s really personal. The information is on the surface to a far greater extent. It’s as though we have removed an entire layer of effort from using a smartphone.”

“And now, three different sizes of tile means that it’s you, as the phone’s owner, who gets to decide exactly how much of the information inside an app is displayed on the outside, as well as the order in which it comes.”

“Also new to Windows Phone 8 is a much improved lock screen. This takes the same principle but shifts it up a whole extra layer. Owners can personalise the notifications that appear on the lock screen, so there’s even more available before you even start using the phone, like photos or app content, for example.”

But as Nokia’s developer champion, it is the behind-the-scenes story around the creation of smartphone apps that excites Marco the most.

“Windows Phone 8 now shares a considerable amount of common code with the desktop Windows 8 operating system. That means that the same app can be made available with minimum effort across all screens, leveraging the power of the combined consumer base of phones, tablets and PCs.”

“Another welcome addition, which has been at the top of the list of developers’ requests, is the support for native development. That’s particularly important for game developers, who can now port their games engines with little modification and push performance to the limit. Another piece of great news for game developers is the support of Unity engine both for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.”

“Monetization is one of the most important topics that comes up when talking to developers. At Nokia, we’re particularly focused in covering that aspect of the developer journey which includes helping developers successfully bring their applications to market and reaching the right audience in all corners the world. Earlier this week we announced the Nokia Ad Exchange, a full featured, cross platform ad exchange which will help developers monetize their apps through in-app advertising.”

Marco concludes that customers will find that Nokia Lumia is the perfect partner for the new OS:

“Windows Phone 8 is the most innovative operating system in the world. And Nokia Lumia is the most innovative hardware: we’ve pushed it to the limit in the Lumia 920 with technologies like NFC, the imaging capabilities, the low light performance, the complete integration of those technologies into the core OS. And great, innovative apps is what will turn differentiating features into unique experiences for consumers”.

What do you do when you have the Nokia 808 PureView on trial and you’re in a band made up of ‘soon-to-be engineers’? Well, you do exactly what HumanWires have done, and showcase your latest tune using the audio recording capabilities of the phone, showing it’s not all about the awesome photos you can take with the 808 PureView.

Firstly, they recorded each of the instruments separately using the 808 PureView in the garage where they practice and then stitched them together to make a complete video (including a comparison to the studio version):

Turned out pretty well, I think you’ll agree. Next they decided to go all out and record the entire band at once. As they say in their description of the video -

‘We think the phone handled all the sounds pretty well. We didn’t hear any distortion in the original audio track and all the instruments can be distinguished from each other’

What do you think?

What do you think of the band? For more of their music, there’s a Soundcloud or Facebook page. There’s lots of sound to go at here to make an informed decision as to how you think the phone performed, so let us know in the comments, or (as ever) on Twitter.