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Whenever you have the chance to talk to one of the researchers from the Nokia Research Center (NRC), you’re almost certain to walk away with a bewildered smile on your face.

NRC has just opened up a new hub in Espoo and it will become one of Nokia’s most important research hubs. The close proximity to strategic partners at universities is a key element of NRC’s open collaboration strategy.

“There’s huge value for us in sharing ideas and learning from current research, and hopefully real value to our partners from the academic community, in seeing their research ideas incorporated into products which will be used by billions of people every day”, says Hannu Kauppinen, Head of NRC.

To prove their point, the researchers gave us a sneak-peak into some of their forward-looking demos.

One brilliantly simple idea is the Social Camera.

“You have probably been at a birthday party where people take a lot of photos and need a simple way to share them amongst themselves,” says Guido Grassel from NRC. “What people often do is share them in Facebook or Dropbox, but not everyone has access to these channels.”

“Sharing images via the Social Camera application is very easy: you simply create an album on your device and invite others to join via NFC. Once you have shared the album, it takes only one click to share a newly captured photo straight into your friends’ phones – and to get photos of yourself from the others. This way, everyone will have all the party photos before leaving the party – no need to exchange email addresses. And there’s no chance of forgetting to share the photos later.”

Hmm, seems simple enough. What about the man in the corner, wearing an odd-looking thing on his head? I am guessing he is demoing something called Capacitive Facial Activity Measurement, which is also fondly nicknamed the Facehugger.

“The Facehugger includes electroids, which register your facial activity. The machine measures when you for example nod your head or smile,” explains Akos Vetek from the Nokia Research Center.

Your facial activity includes a huge number of data that we rely on during social interaction. Normally, this all happens subconsciously.

There may be numerous ways to use this technology, but phone conversations are one obvious use case. In phone meetings, for example, you can never be quite sure when it is your turn to speak. In the future, technology can tell you when to jump in.

In my mind, I can already see my phone warning me of potentially dangerous situations. Even if my husband sounds normal on the phone, my phone will tell me he is actually frowning. Now that’s what I call intelligent technology!

Far from being stamped out by the arrival of newer media, comic books have had a renaissance in recent years. The Web has extended the commercial possibilities for publishers, allowed for new digital formats and seen the rise of dozens of independent authors.

Thousands of older comic books have passed into the public domain, while a lot of newer writers have chosen to publish free comics on their own websites to build up their following. Here’s a terrific list of sites to get free, legal digital comics.

Now they are coming to your Lumia smartphone. The first way you can get your comic fix is by keeping up with the latest news. Arguably the best app for this is actually a free one. Fresh Comics automatically provides updates on the latest releases from leading publishers, together with full details and downloadable covers. It also contains a database of physical stores, along with full maps and contact details, which is a really useful addition.

Next you’ll want to fill your RSS reader with comic blogs (Marvel, DC, Image and Vertigo, for starters). DC Comics actually has its own app for Lumia that contains all the latest news, specially formatted for a smartphone screen. Here’s the equivalent for Marvel, produced by a third-party, slayerCAS, who has also made a version for Image Comics.

Now, it has to be said that a three or four-inch screen is not the ideal way to read a 12-inch x 30-page comic book. I think one reason the comics industry has thrived, rather than fallen, in the digital age is that electronic editions are quite different to the real, physical thing, which retain a unique value that can only be approximated with bits and bytes.

Nonetheless, it’s perfectly possible and I can always access my latest reading list from my Lumia 900.

Amazing Pocket Comic Viewer works with your Dropbox account to read comics in the popular CBR format. So you upload your digital comics to your account from your PC, and then read them on your Nokia Lumia without using up all its storage space in the process. Couple it with Comic Book Reader, which does the same thing but works with SkyDrive, and you can potentially have access to gigabytes of comic book goodness from anywhere.

One last app I’d recommend is one for shorter comic strips like Dilbert and XKCD. Get hold of Comic Strips for access to over a hundred of these, all for free. In the latest version, you can turn any strip into a Live Tile for one-tap access to your favourites.

Any other comic-related apps you’re using we should know about?

image credit: Shutterstock

Cameras are not just functioning things; a few have also gained iconic – even mythological –  status. This has been either because of those who used them, the historic events they captured, their giant technological leaps or simply downright beautiful design. Everyone will have an opinion about their favourite camera, but here’s the ones we think make the grade.

Bullet Proof… Literally

First introduced in 1959, the Nikon F was partially responsible for the all conquering rise of the SLR and featured elements that stayed with the Nikon brand for the next fifty years. It was legendary for its robustness and therefore unsurprisingly favoured by war photographers and photojournalists around the world. This particular F was also responsible for saving Don McCullin’s life. Whilst working in Cambodia in 1970, an AK47 round was deftly deflected away from McCullin’s head by the cameras body.

Now, Now, Now!

In a climate of instant gratification, the Polaroid no longer holds the capacity to amaze that it once did. But it was a truly revolutionary idea: instant photographic records of the moment before the moment has even passed.  The first Polaroid, Model 95, appeared in 1948. And just under twenty years later, in1965, the Model 20 Swinger, aimed purely at the domestic market, was launched. It remains one of the best selling cameras of all time.

Tripping all the Way to the Eighties

The Olympus Trip 35 was a ground-breaking point and shoot which sold over ten million units. Although aimed at the ‘average user’ wanting decent holiday snaps, (hence the name Trip), it was a little camera that was capable of getting great results. Battery-less, thanks to a solar powered light meter, it was simple to use and small and tough enough to easily carry around. The Trip 35 set the bench mark for nearly twenty years – before Olympus finally ceased production in 1984.

From Here to Eternity…

Nokia’s journey into the world of cameras started with the Nokia 7650 back in 2002. Jump forward ten years and the glowingly received PureView 808 continues the ground breaking trend. The astonishing 41mp camera has grabbed all the headlines – with both phone and camera geeks! Whichever way you look at it, this is a camera that has caused people to sit up and take notice and could genuinely spell the end of the point-and-shoot market.

Medium Format Perfection

Although Hasselblad began life in Sweden in 1841 it wasn’t until the 1960s that the company became a household name amongst the world’s top photographers. Having gained a reputation for their aerial cameras with the Swedish Air Force during WWII, it was to Hasselblad that NASA turned when they needed cameras aboard their 1962 space flights. Funding from NASA was then directly responsible for the world’s first motor-drive on a stills camera. And as if that wasn’t glamorous enough, the top studio photographers of the 60s soon made the Hasselblad their camera of choice.

The Red Dot

No list of iconic cameras is complete without a Leica. In 1925 the Leica I began the 35mm revolution and is therefore also widely regarded as the ‘godfather’ of photojournalism. Above is the classic M3, which was first introduced in 1954. The list of Leica users is almost a who’s who of 20^th century photography: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, W Eugene Smith, Garry Winogrand, Philip Jones Griffiths, Leonard Freed… Quite simply legendary.

That’s our amazing selection of iconic cameras, but what about yours? We’d love to know if you think there are others that deserve a place in our hall of fame.

That’s what we ask when you are on our Trial A Nokia program. Pretty simple really, and there are many ways to let others know what you think, depending on how you prefer to communicate with your readers/followers/viewers online.

The following have chosen to use the power of their blogs to share their opinions:

Marius Malasar (in part 3 of his review) -

‘some­how a sense of ‘me’-ness is built into the core of the Win­dows Phone mentality’

That kind of sums up his entire thoughts on the Nokia Lumia 900. He also had praise for the Nokia Transit app, CityLens (which even revealed new and interesting places to him in a city he thought he knew pretty well), and the Local Scout music search which is

 ’built into the oper­at­ing sys­tem. It’s awesome.’

The Girl With The Train Tattoo has just got her hands on her trial Nokia Lumia 900, but has shared the photos you see in this post, and has had the following to say about it

‘The camera is glorious and windows on a phone is a nice new treat’

Definitely worth a follow to find out what else she has to say about it once she’s had a chance to test out all the capabilities.

Juliana Peña is at a different stage of his trial than Marius, Juliana uses his first post on the trial phone to discuss the size of the device. Despite being ‘afraid’ of a screen size that he was unused to, he says that it

‘became wonderful after a day or two’

Gadgetero isn’t totally glowing in his opinion of every aspect of the phones. He lists his quibbles, including some comparisons to other hardware and OSs, but ultimately summarises that the Nokia Lumia 900 is

‘fast and fresh’

How would you let people know what you think of the Nokia Lumia 900 if you got one on trial? Have you applied to get your hands on one? We’re always looking for people with fresh ideas, so drop us a line and who knows?

Whether it is a fast food restaurant or a Michelin-starred fine dining affair, eating out always feels like a treat to me.

The very idea of someone cooking my meal on demand and then having someone else bring it to my table, while I do absolutely nothing, strikes me as being an excellent way to pass an afternoon or evening.

At university my diet consisted almost exclusively of sausage rolls, crisps and apples. As I have grown older, I would like to think that my palate has also matured and I can now appreciate the gastronomic creations of a skilled chef.

Even when you are planning to eat out, or actually sitting at a restaurant, your Nokia Lumia is always there to help you. How so? Here are some dining companion apps for your Nokia Lumia.

Finding a restaurant

The first step towards satisfying your culinary craving is to find a restaurant. In the past, this would have meant relying on word of mouth or newspaper reviews but thankfully we now have more tools (well, apps) at our disposal.

An app like TripAdvisor can help you to find somewhere to eat on the other side of the world. Similarly, the Unlike City Guides are also extremely helpful if you are searching for something away from the tourist crowds on your holiday.

For digging out local treasures you may want to give Foodspotting a try.

This lets you search for local restaurants, as well as filtering places by the type of food they serve.

You can pin your favourite restaurants and even specific dishes to your start screen, and there is also a Live Tile, so that you’ll be alerted if there’s somewhere new worth booking a table for.

As well as finding somewhere to eat, another key feature of Foodspotting is the ability to take photos of dishes and post them online within the app.

For another local restaurant finder and to have fun with some Augmented Reality, you can also use Nokia City Lens.

Special offers

Eating out is great but it can also be a real strain on the finances. Even here, there are a couple of apps that can help you out.

There are excellent deals to be found on Groupon but there is also the foodie-specific Specials Board. 

This app lists the best deals from bars, cafes and restaurants in your area. This might range from 2 for 1 on drinks or a discount off the final bill.

The deals are shown on a map, you can save them to your favourites and share them with your friends. This is great for eating out on a budget.

The main meal 

Your dining companion might very well get annoyed if you are checking your Nokia Lumia instead of eating the food.

However, I would argue that in between courses you are well within your rights to unlock the screen and tap away. There is still plenty of food-related things that you can do.

Before you get tucked in though, you may want to consult the TableEtiquette app (£0.79p). It doesn’t mention anything about using your smartphone at the table, but it can help you with picking the right spoon for the right dish. 

MyFoodDairy helps you to track everything that you’ve eaten. This might sound superficial but it can be genuinely useful, for example where you are trying to pinpoint a food allergy.

Using this app your personal food data can also be emailed or exported as an Excel file.

The health conscious may also want to ensure that they are eating five fruit and vegetables a day. This app, 5 A Day, keeps track of your daily total for you.

The Calorie Counter app does exactly as its name suggests. It has a database of common foods, meals and even restaurants to make it as easy as possible for you to track your calories and the nutritional information of everything you eat. 

You can also use it to keep a food diary, exercise diary, diet calendar and to track your weight.

If counting calories during a meal is too depressing for you to contemplate then you can stick to good old-fashioned reviews with the DishOnIt app. This is a social network for foodies who like to take photos of their food and give recommendations, or not as the case may be.

Paying the bill 

After every great meal there is always a great bill that needs to be settled.

If you are eating out with a large group of friends then this can often lead to a tedious few minutes trying to calculate what everyone owes. Bill Splitter makes this task much easier.

You can choose to split the bill evenly, which is a simple division but the magical feature is the uneven split, where it calculates exactly what everyone ate and what they need to pay.

Another aspect of the bill that exercises a lot of diners is the tip. The Perfect Tip Calculator has a lovely scrolling wheel to help you work out the tip as a percentage of the final bill.

Scroll one way for a low percentage; scroll the other way for a higher one.

What else can your Nokia Lumia do after helping you choose a restaurant, keeping track of what you eat, sharing photos of your favourite dishes and calculating the bill?

How about Nokia Maps and Nokia Transport (also known as Nokia Transit) to get you home?

Let us know if you have ever used your Nokia Lumia smartphone as a dining companion.

Mam przyjemność poinformować, że od jutra do oferty podstawowej wprowadzamy nowe modele: LG Swift Vu Emporia Click Dodatkowo zmian cen m.in. następujących modeli:   PS Vita Sony Xperia S   Cennik Jednocześnie informujemy, że 31.10.2012 z oferty wycofujemy poniższe modele: HTC Cha Cha, HTC Desire HD, LG KP500 Cookie, Nokia 5800, Nokia 6220 Classic, Nokia [...]

Mamy dziś dla Was testową wersję naszej najnowszej aplikacji dla systemu Android (w wersji 2.2 lub nowszej) – Play The Music. Bardziej zaawansowani poznają w nim N7 Playera. Faktycznie, chłopaki z N7 wykonali dla nas osobną wersję. O ile N7 Player jest płatny, to Play The Music jest darmowy dla użytkowników Play!   Jak pobrać [...]

Mam przyjemność poinformować, że od jutra do oferty podstawowej wprowadzamy nowe modele: LG Swift Vu Emporia Click Dodatkowo zmian cen m.in. następujących modeli:   PS Vita Sony Xperia S   Cennik Jednocześnie informujemy, że 31.10.2012 z oferty wycofujemy poniższe modele: HTC Cha Cha, HTC Desire HD, LG KP500 Cookie, Nokia 5800, Nokia 6220 Classic, Nokia [...]

Mamy dziś dla Was testową wersję naszej najnowszej aplikacji dla systemu Android (w wersji 2.2 lub nowszej) – Play The Music. Bardziej zaawansowani poznają w nim N7 Playera. Faktycznie, chłopaki z N7 wykonali dla nas osobną wersję. O ile N7 Player jest płatny, to Play The Music jest darmowy dla użytkowników Play!   Jak pobrać [...]

I love taking photos with my Nokia Lumia. Photos of flowers, the setting sun, or cobbled streets. Whatever it is, as long as I find it charming, or beautiful, I want to capture the moment forever. Sometimes, though, some things need a little help to make them even more beautiful. Fortunately, Lomogram is on hand to add some much needed assistance.

Like many other photo editing apps, Lomogram offers a selection of special effects and frames. But, unlike most photo editing apps, this one has a vast number of lighting effects that really change the mood of a photo.

Take these two images I took the other day, for example.

The first one is the unedited version, and the second one has had a filter, a frame and a light effect added to it.

As you can see in the second image, the effects highlight certain areas in the photo, adding more depth and drama.

In total, Lomogram offers 121 different effects. If we break that down, you’ve got 33 filters, 57 lighting effects and 31 borders to play with. With the endless number of combinations that brings, your photos needn’t look plain again.

Interestingly, all of the effects have peoples names. David, Albert, Martin, Betty are just some of the names you can choose from. I suspect the thinking behind that is to give them a more human feel, rather than ‘sunny’ or ‘blur’. Plus, it’s different, which isn’t always a bad thing.

Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820

Our first Windows Phone 8 smartphones.

Be a part of it.

As is always the case with photo editing apps such as this, it’s got to have the functionality to share to social networks so that you can show off your works of art. Naturally, Lomogram lets you share your photos with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and VK. Additionally, you can just save them to your phone to keep them with you and distribute wherever you want.

Lomogram is free and available to Windows Phone owners. While there’s no enforced community element to the app, you can always share your photos with Lomogram on Facebook.

Download Lomogram today, on your Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 900.