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Zabrzmi to być może banalnie, ale ciągle pracujemy nad idealnym wzorcem faktury. Okazuje się, że wielu klientów nie czuje się komfortowo nie tyle z kwotą, co z informacjami tam zawartymi. Z jednej strony im więcej danych tym faktura jest dokładniejsza i zawiera komplet potrzebnych w teorii informacji Z drugiej im więcej, tym klient mniej się [...]

Zabrzmi to być może banalnie, ale ciągle pracujemy nad idealnym wzorcem faktury. Okazuje się, że wielu klientów nie czuje się komfortowo nie tyle z kwotą, co z informacjami tam zawartymi. Z jednej strony im więcej danych tym faktura jest dokładniejsza i zawiera komplet potrzebnych w teorii informacji Z drugiej im więcej, tym klient mniej się [...]

Długo czekałem na tą chwilę i myślę że wy także , Xperia T nareszcie weszła na Polski rynek i to z przytupem, nie każdy telefon ma zaszczyt stać się tym Jamesa Bonda a moim zdaniem najnowszy smartfon Sony Mobile w pełni na to zasługuje. Design zaczerpnięty z Xperii arc oraz superszybki procesor obiecują wiele, co jeszcze oferuje Xperia T? O tym w dalszej części.

Design

Chyba jeden z najmocniejszych punktów nowej Xperii, wygląd został zaczerpniety z obsypanej nagrodami Xperi arc i według mnie był to strzał w dziesiątkę. Smartfon swoją ‚łukową’ budową wyróżnia się spośród setek nudnych i oklepanych konstrukcji, dla mnie Xperia T jest oryginalnie piękna.

             Przednia część nowej Xperii została zarezerwowana dla wyświetlacza 4,6 cala w technologii Mobile BRAVIA Engine. Po bokach odpowiednio z lewej strony mamy złącze MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), czyli połączenie złącza Micro-USB oraz Micro HDMI, po podłączeniu do stacji dokującej możemy zarówno ładować smartfona, przesyłać dane oraz wyświetlać obraz na telewizorze. Po prawej stronie znajdują się : wejście na kartę micro SIM oraz micro SD, przycisk włączania/wyłączania, poniżej przycisk regulacji głośności a na samym dole spust migawki aparatu.

           Tylna część Xperii T to kunszt designer’ów Sony Mobile, wygięta część nie jest zabiegiem jedynie upiekszającym telefon, lecz równierz służy użyteczności, dzięki łukowej budowie po położeniu Xperii T na płaskiej powierzchni, dźwiek nie jest stłumiony tak jak w przypadku pozostałych smartfonów. Powracając do rozplanowania, w tylnej części w stylowym wybrzuszeniu znajdziemy soczewkę aparatu, która została sprytnie schowana tak aby nie można było ją zadrapać, poniżej znajduje się dioda led a w dolnej cześci logo Sony Ericsson, napis Xperia oraz głośnik. Cala tylna obudowa jest lekko gumowana co sprawia iż telefon nie wyślizguje się tak łatwo z dłoni i nie klei się do niej. Podsumowywując mamy elegancki nowoczesny wygląd połączony  z użytecznością, jedyne zastrzeżenie które mam to brak zabezpieczenia wejścia MHL do którego może dostawać się kurz.

Napęd

Xperię T napędza dwurdzeniowy procesor Snapdragon 4 – Qualcomm Krait MSM8260-A o taktowaniu 1,5 GHz, za grafikę odpowiada układ Adreno 225 gwarantujący nam rozrywkę w jakości HD. Wiele osób kręci nosem na wiadomość o dwóch rdzeniach procesora a nie czterech… przecież konkurencja takie montuje… tylko po co?, większość użytkowników nie wykorzysta nawet części takiej mocy obliczeniowej. Porównując ta sytuację do samochodów, to kierowca może powiedzieć że zapas mocy może przydać sie przy wyprzedzaniu, a co w przypadku smartfona?

         Aby jednak sprawiedliwości stało się zadość,  postanowiłem  sprawdzić wydajność testowanej Xperii T i jedynie o „włos” przegrała z czterordzeniowym urządzeniem!. Warto jednak skupić się na realnych odczuciach związanych z użytkowaniem testowanego smartfona. Podczas całego okresu użytkowania nie zanotowałem nawet najmniejszego przycięcia systemu, filmu czy gry. Na Xperii T można polegać jak na niezawodnym James’ie Bond’zie, a jak jednak jakimś trafem o czymś zapomni to możemy dołożyć kartę micro SD (do 32 GB), ewentualnie skorzystać z darmowych 50 GB w „Chmurze” (dożywotnio,przy zakupie do 31 Grudnia).

Wyświetlacz

W Xperii T to do dyspozycji mamy sprawdzony wyświetlacz w technologii Mobile BRAVIA Engine. Z pełnym przekonaniem stwierdzam że jest to jeden z najlepiej wyglądajacych ekranów na rynku. Pomimo swojej wielkości – 4,6 cala, kolory są nasycone , obraz ostry a kontrast naturalny. Wszystko to oczywiście w jakości HD 1080p, co pozwala na komfortowe przeglądanie zdjęć czy obejrzenie filmu lub serialu.

         Całość ekranu została przykryta szkłem mineralnym oraz standardowo folią antyzadrapaniową,przez tydzień użytkowania na wyświetlaczu nie  pojawiła się żadna ryska a nie oszczędzałem go. Jedynym minusem który niektórzy mogą dostrzec to kąty widzenia, lecz umówmy kto patrzy na telefon pod kątem większym niż 45 stopni.

Aparat

Moim zdaniem najmocniejszy punkt Xperii T. 13 Megapixeli oraz czujnik Czujnik CMOS Exmor R™ sprawiają iż wykonane zdjęcia wyglądają zachwycająco, pod tym względem Xperia T zdecydowania wyprzedza konkurencję. Ważnym aspektem jest również jak robimy zdjęcia, a robi się je szybko i dokładnie. Szybkość – naciskając spust migawki w momencie uśpienia telefonu, możemy wykonać zdjęcie w nieco ponad 1 sekundę!, takie rozwiązanie jest nieocenione gdy chcemy uchwycić chwilę. Dokładność – spustem migawki możemy zrobić błyskawiczne zdjęcie, wywołać tryb aparatu lub nastawić ostrość zdjęcia. Przytrzymując spust migawki wciśnięty do połowy nastawiamy ostrość i możemy cieszyć się doskonałym zdjęciem, nigdy mnie nie przekonywał spust migawki na wyświetlaczu, dlatego rozwiązanie w Xperii T jest według mnie najwygodniejsze i najdokładniejsze.

           Nie możemy zapomnieć o dodatkowych funkcjach aparatu, do wyboru mamy szereg udogodnień takich jak : rozpoznawanie scenerii, redukcja czerwonych oczu, wykrywanie uśmiechu, zmiana wartości ekspozycji, geotagowanie , tryb panoramiczny oraz tryb macro. Nie możemy zapomnieć o trybie filmu, aparat w Xperii T nagrywa filmy w jakości HD 1080p a przednia kamera do video-chat’u w jakości HD 720p. Tak jak już wspomniałem aparat to najmocniejszy punkt Xperii T i nie ma do czego się przyczepić, czepialskim proponuje zakup lustrzanki.

Bateria

Sony Mobile od momentu rozstania z Ericssonem w większości swoich modeli montuje baterie „wbudowane”, bez możliwości wyjęcia jej bądź wymiany przez użytkownika. W tym względzie w Xperii T nie ma niespodzianki, dla użytkowników może się to wydawać uciążliwe, lecz telefon na tym zyskuje. Dzięki takiemu rozwiązaniu jest mniej ruchomych części które mogą powodować skrzypienie i trzeszczenie obudowy. Budowa jest bardziej zwarta i telefon przy upadku nie rozlatuje się na części. Powracając do samej baterii , w Xperii T zamontowana została bateria o pojemności 1850 mAh. Bateria nie nagrzewa się w trakcie ładowania i jest wydajna.

       Xperia T w trakcie testów wytrzymywała średnio 2 dni , co jest niezłym wynikiem zważywszy na to iż testowana była wydajność telefonu, aplikacje, multimedia oraz szereg innych zastosowań tego smartfona. Wytrzymałość baterii jest zadowalająca i nie mam do czego się przyczepić, lecz do pełni sukcesu brakuje trochę pojemności.

System i aplikacje

System operacyjny to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich z nakładką Sony. Jak zwykle przejrzysty i intuicyjny, w planach jest aktualizacja do wersji 4.1 Jelly Bean, jednak producent nie podał jeszcze konkretnej daty . Z każda odsłoną nowej Xperii otrzymujemy kilka nowości i właśnie na nich chciałbym się skupić.

Okno aplikacji w tle

Według mnie  najciekawsze rozwiązanie które otrzymaliśmy w Xperii T. Przeglądając internet, grając w grę lub oglądając film, w każdej chwili możemy przywołać „boczne okno”  gdzie zapisane są ostatnie czynności które ostatnio wykonywaliśmy. Pozwala to na np. szybkie wykonanie telefonu lub napisanie sms-a i powrócenie do poprzednio wykonywanej czynności. Z poziomu „bocznego okna” możemy także przywołać kalkulator czy napisać notatkę, rzecz bardzo przydatna gdy przeglądamy internet i musimy coś policzyć czy zapisać przepis kulinarny. Oszczędzamy w ten sposób czas jak i pieniądze, bo przecież przesył danych kosztuje.

Walkman

Większość z nas ma sentyment do znaczka „W” jak Walkman, dlatego oczekiwania wobec aplikacji są spore. Aplikacja nie jest nowością lecz cały czas jest ulepszana co powinno ucieszyć miłośników przenośnej muzyki. W odsłonie na Xperia T, jest łatwiejszy dostęp do equalizera , możemy edytować informację o piosence – jeśli np. jest bez tytułu, z poziomu piosenki możemy jednym kliknięciem rozwinąć menu do udostepnienia jej na innym urządzeniu. Kolejnym rozwiązaniem jest dostosowywanie tła do koloru okładki, co prawda nie jest to rewolucyjne rozwiązanie lecz bardzo estetycznie wygląda. Facebook, jest wszędzie i w aplikacji WALKMAN też go nie zabrakło, dzięki tej integracji możemy przeglądać muzyczne rekomendacje znajomych lub samemu coś polecić.

Pozostałe

Godną uwagi nową aplikacją jest Movie Studio w której możemy tworzyć nowe projekty z nagranych przez nas filmików. Aplikacja pozwala na dodawanie podkładu muzycznego , robienie „przejść” między fragmentami, dodawanie gradientu i wiele innych. Kolejną ciekawą aplikacją jest „Xperia Link” dzięki której możemy szybko udostępnić połączenie internetowe  naszej Xperii T. Nie był bym sobą gdybym nie wspomniał o certyfikacie Playstation który optymalizuje Xperię T pod kątem gier z platformy Playstation. Do dyspozycji także mamy aż 3 sklepy w których możemy zaopatrywać się w najnowsze gry : Sklep Play, Play Now™ oraz Gry EA. Niestety część interesujących aplikacji nie działa ze względu na brak wprowadzenia ich na nasz rynek.

Podsumowanie

Xperia T to moim zdaniem wyjątkowo udany mdel, ma oryginalny design , dobrą specyfikację i w porównaniu do konkurencji atrakcyjną cenę. Bardzo cieszy mnie innowacyjność przez co Xperia T nie zostaje w tyle a wręcz przeciwnie. Oczywiście jest parę mankamentów takich jak brak zaślepki wejścia MHL lub pojemność baterii, lecz jeśli miał bym oceniać Xperię T w skali od 1 do 10, przyznałbym ocenę 9.

Sony Xperia T w ekskluzywnej edycji James Bond Skyfall ,jest dostępna w sklepie internetowym Sony : www.sonymobile-sklep.pl  oraz w sieci sklepów Sony Store/Centre , przy zakupie członkowie klubu Miles&More otrzymują 30 000 mil gratis.

      Przy zakupie Xperii T do 31 Grudnia 2012, dożywotnio otrzymujesz 50 GB przestrzeni „W chmurze” (aplikacja box). Więcej infoirmacji oraz dane techniczne : www.sonymobile-sklep.pl .

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

It cannot be easy trying to get over 100 technology and electronics companies working together towards a common goal.

However, this is the job of Menno Treffers, the chairman of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which was founded in late 2008 to make sure that wireless charging products are all able to work together.

“When they work together then the end value for the consumer is much better than if it is a proprietary solution only. We cooperate because we think it benefits the end user,” says Menno. 

The Qi standard 

Eighteen months after its first meeting in Hong Kong, the WPC adopted the Qi (pronounced chi) wireless charging standard. Any product bearing the Qi logo is a guarantee of interoperability, which offers both convenience and peace of mind for the people who buy them.

Nokia is a member of the WPC, and the new Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820 (when used with the wireless charging shell) both feature wireless charging that conforms to the Qi standard. 

Conversations spoke to Menno, who lives in the Netherlands, about the WPC, why innovation is not being stifled and how we will soon be able to recharge our phones practically everywhere we go.

What’s your background, Menno?

I have a PhD in physics, although that was a long time ago! I worked in R&D with Philips Electronics mainly in software engineering but in the last 10-15 years I have been involved with creating interface standards. I have been involved in DVD-recordable, Blu-Ray, Super Audio CD and all kinds of optical recording standards.

How does the WPC work?

We have five to six meetings every year. They are three-day meetings and hosted by one of the members in turn. Companies like Philips, Nokia and Texas Instruments they each send two to four people.

It is a significant investment, not just in time at meetings but there is a lot of homework done, prototypes built, which are also shown at the meetings for testing and to compare them, to see if they really work together.

What are the major obstacles facing the WPC?

I think the obstacles are not in the technology but it is in organising the ecosystem around it. You have to design an interface specification, test procedures and test labs have to work together. 

Also, there is the chicken and egg problem. For example, if Nokia puts this in their phone, then there is more value if more companies do it as well. So companies are all looking at each other, discussing what is the right time, when do we start, if the costs are low enough, if the added value is enough and do we do this together?

This coordination of bringing things together, but at the same time still differentiating your products; that is the most complicated part. You don’t want to do it on your own and you also want to be the first.

Doesn’t working together stifle innovation?

We are only specifying what is necessary to make the products work together and we don’t discuss anything else outside of that.

It’s not product specification and that is a very important difference. It is a bit like the GSM standards for mobile phones – they are interface standards. They don’t say anything about what the phone looks like, the displays or the battery consumption. So this is really an interface standard and it does not stifle innovation at all.

So if companies want to make a charger that is using different coils or different frequencies then they can get the Qi logo on the charger providing that they can prove that it still works with all the other receivers. You will still see a whole range of chargers appear and they will do all kinds of interesting stuff.

As well as mobile phones, what other products can benefit from wireless charging?

On the receiver side it is everything that has a battery at the moment. Still cameras will be another big category, particularly if you want a camera that is waterproof. It is completely sealed and you don’t need to have a connector anymore.

On the transmitter side, there are things like speaker docking stations. Nokia already has one for the Lumia 920. The difficulty with audio docks is that you need power, so you’ll always have to use USB connectors but they are in different positions and it is all very inconvenient.

With wireless power, the need for a connector is gone. You have the power already and for data you can use Bluetooth; for video you can use WiFi or WiFi Direct and for pairing you use NFC. 

How much of a boost for the Qi standard is the release of the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820?

It is a boost, particularly in the US, Europe and China. I can’t wait to have the Lumia 920 available in Holland!

In Japan, wireless charging has been mainstream for a while and you can already see the benefits appearing. The more people that have wireless charging phones, then the more places will provide wireless charging facilities. It’s a very strong network effect.

If more people have it then it becomes more interesting for coffee shops to offer it, for public transport to offer it and to have it embedded in cars. This could not happen with a proprietary system because it would be too expensive to develop an ecosystem for just a small market of phones.

What progress do you see being made in 10 years?

Wireless charging will be everywhere: hotel rooms, office furniture and coffee shops. People will be able to top up the battery of their phone everywhere. 

The transmitters work forever, as there are no connectors and no moving parts. So there are no maintenance problems, you just build it in the infrastructure and keep it there.

The WPC in its current form will be finished and it will become an organisation, which is licensing the Qi logo and making sure that the compatibility tests are properly done.

Typically, sending files from PC to phone – or vice versa – requires a USB cable, or an email account that acts as the middleman, passing data back and forth. Dukto is a multi-platform, file transfer app that works on your Nokia Belle smartphone and enables you to pass information to and from your computers, via Wi-Fi.

For Dukto to work, you need to have the app installed on more than one device, due to the primary function of the app – to transfer files to another device.

With the app installed onto your Nokia Belle smartphone, and a version installed on your computer(s) – Windows XP or later, Mac OS X 10.6.x or later and Linux Ubuntu and Fedora – you’re ready to share files across all the devices as there’s nothing at all to configure. To download Dukto onto your computer, head over to the Dukto website to find the suitable version.

In order to share files, your phone(s) or computer(s) must all be linked into the same network. If at home, the chances are that you’ve only got the one network, the wireless one you connect to to access the Internet. However, you don’t need an internet connection to use the app. Even if your Internet has failed – like it often does in my home – your devices are still connected to one another, through the network.

With Dukto running on your phone and on your computer at the same time, you’ll see that the app automatically finds other devices on the network. This saves searching for IP addresses of other machines – although there’s the option for that if you prefer.

The app on both your phone and the computer has been designed to be identical to maintain a level of consistency throughout the transferring experience. The developer of Dukto (Emanuele Colombo) has chosen the Windows Phone style UI for the app, which invites you to flick left and right to access other parts of the app.

Sending files is easy. Tapping on the destination device in the app brings into view some options: send some text, send text from clipboard, send some files, and send a folder. Now, I’ll be honest, I couldn’t get the send some text option to work on my Nokia 701. I’m not sure if it’s a problem with my phone, or the app, but I’m hoping this is looked at from the developer. However, all the other options worked perfectly.

Let’s say I’ve got a photo on my phone that I want to send to my computer, pressing the send some files option will open up the phone’s file manager, and you can look for it there. Once you’ve selected the image, the app on the computer will spring to life and receive the file in super-quick time. Again, one criticism here is that I’d like a preview option of the file I want to send on the phone before I send it. Sometimes, selecting a file by filename alone isn’t the easiest way to browse files, for me.

Nonetheless, the sharing experience is a good one and it’s quick.

If you want to send something from your computer to your phone, you can select your phone from the app on your computer screen. Alternatively, a nice drag and drop feature means that you can also drag a file or folder into the app and have it automatically send to your phone.

Overall, this is a great app that’s very useful if you regularly want or need to send files from your phone to your computer – or vice versa.

Download Dukto from Nokia Store today, for free. It’s available on most Nokia Belle smartphones, including the Nokia 701, Nokia N8, Nokia C7 and Nokia 808 PureView.

Image credit: Jemimus

It is no coincidence that the JBL PowerUp speaker, with NFC and wireless charging, is the perfect companion for Nokia’s new Lumia 920 smartphone. 

Neither is it a matter of luck that the speaker and the smartphone both share a similar design language and colour aesthetic.

The speaker is, in fact, the result of Nokia’s technical innovation in smartphones and design heritage combined with JBL’s audio expertise.

The JBL PowerUp is joined in the line up with the JBL PlayUp speaker, a portable and wireless speaker that is also Bluetooth and NFC-enabled. 

Together, these two speakers offer Nokia Lumia owners a seamless choice of audio accessories that they know will not only sound great and look fantastic, but also work alongside their smartphones as well.

Partners in sound 

Lasse Lautsuo, Head of Gear product marketing at Nokia, told Conversations about the seeds of the relationship with JBL.

“We learnt as we worked with Monster [on a range of headphones] that we can create different and interesting products with brands that consumers appreciate but in areas that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with Nokia,” says Lasse. 

Nokia wanted to work with a company to create new and exciting audio products and JBL was a perfect fit.

“JBL had the combination of being a cool and youthful brand but they also had the heritage of audio expertise in high end speakers for public and professional use.”

“So after we had launched the Monster partnership it was logical from the music side to start making better speakers.” 

Design

The speakers were made in close collaboration between the two companies, however they clearly follow Nokia’s design story.

Nokia was also able to embed much of the functionality, such as the ability to charge your Lumia 920 or Lumia 820 (with the recharging shell) on the PowerUp speaker without the need for any wires. You just place it on top.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

JBL’s role was to manufacture the speakers, with their knowledge of the best components and make them sound as good as possible.

So, although it is not branded as a Nokia product on the box, much of the design work, including the design language and colours, is very much of Nokia’s choosing.

“We wanted to continue to bring out products that capture the eye,” says Lasse. 

“We cherish the colour range that the Nokia Lumia has for the phones as well as the accessories.” 

Nokia fans will probably recognise that the PlayUp speaker shares much of its DNA with the Nokia Play 360 speaker. This has been made from double-shot plastic, which gives the body durability, a two-tone look and the transparency of the outer layer helps to maximise the colour effect.

As you would expect of any product that is associated with Nokia, they look great and have a fantastic feel to them.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Offering consumer choice

Although Nokia has got this successful partnership with JBL, and several others, such as Monster and Virgin Atlantic, they would still welcome other manufacturers to join in as well. 

“I am sure that all of us in the Windows Phone ecosystem would be really happy to see a vibrant ecosystem where we see various brands making different accessories,” says Lasse.

After all, with NFC and the Qi wireless charging standard, it is not just Nokia smartphones that can take advantage of these beautiful speakers.

By going with JBL, though, Nokia has ensured that there are accessories available already and also demonstrated that there is still the scope to re-imagine something as common as a speaker. 

“We want the accessories to show the consumers and other companies that you can really innovate and differentiate.”

“I believe we have done that with the wireless charging integrated into a more traditional accessory like a speaker or something cool like the proximity sensor that lights up when the device lands on it.”

For now, though Nokia can celebrate the fact that using their mobile expertise and design flair they have worked with JBL to produce two speakers that are worthy of the Lumia smartphones.

Our wonderful community have been getting creative again! It is truly amazing what you guys can do with a Lumia 900 in your hands. If you are reading this right now and thinking to yourself “what is this Nokia Connects: Go you talk of” and “I want to get involved”, then please head here for more information.

Right now though I’m going to give your eyes and ears some fresh beats and nourishing views using our favourite entries from this monthly competition. Be warned, these songs are about to explode through your screen…only joking, but seriously make sure the volume is at a suitable level before you embarrass yourself in the office. We’ve all been there.

Here is Becky Rose with her music video ‘Don’t Settle Me Down’, a video she shot entirely on her Lumia 900. The song is pretty uplifting and I think she has a very bright future. I’ll let you judge for yourselves though, I know the people at 4:19 into this video agree with me!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

From a talent individual to some talented individuals. Up next we have an Indie Rock band called the ‘Book Thieves‘ with their track ‘Running Joke’. These lads really embrace the whole jamming in your garage thing, it’s great to see! Another top track and one I think you’ll like regardless of your taste in music (again, please don’t shoot the messenger!). Props go to Dan Marsh for directing this video on his Lumia 900.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Finally, I think you should also check out this really cool and relaxing Nokia Connects: Go entry by Andri Permana. Andri is a music and film blog editor who created a video about travelling around his town in Bandung, Indonesia (looks like an awesome place to go on holiday).

Do you want to get involved in Nokia Connects: Go? Send us a tweet (@Nokia_Connects) or leave a message about what you would love to create on your Nokia phone. If you don’t have one then you can apply for a trial here.

Have fun and continue putting the create in creativity!

1. Press the Search button on your Nokia Lumia and then tap Vision
2. Scan the QR code
3. Tap on the link when it appears on the screen
4. Install the application from the Windows Phone Marketplace

Tired of having to look at different apps for the latest news in music, movies and entertainment? Wish you had a one-stop destination where you could listen to your favourite bands and also check out what’s on at the cinema? 

Then, Entrance by AOL, designed exclusively for Nokia Lumia smartphones, is the app you have been waiting for.

This app is a unified gateway that offers the latest news in music, movies and entertainment from AOL’s top brands, such as AOL Music, Moviefone and The Huffington Post Entertainment.

Reading about the news is only one part of Entrance by AOL’s rich entertainment experience. 

You can also listen to over 55,000 SHOUTcast radio stations and there is free music streaming via AOL Music, such as its exclusive CD Listening Party (CDLP), which showcases a full album by an up and coming band.

Augmented Reality at the Cinema 

This unique app has plenty of special features for movie fans to enjoy as well.

Using a first-of-its-kind Augmented Reality function, users will be able to find cinemas, film posters and the screening times by just holding up their phone. This information will display itself on your Lumia’s screen overlaid as if by magic with the real world around you.

There is also integration with Moviefone so that you’ll be able to watch trailers, see nearby showtimes and even buy your cinema tickets directly from within the app.

“Augmented reality, live streaming music and movie trailers are the perfect use case to show off the capabilities of both the Lumia smartphones and AOL’s Mobile development team,” said David Temkin, Senior Vice President of Mobile and Mail at AOL.

“Entrance shows what’s possible when you combine great content with an elegantly designed, incredibly fast handset.”

Music and Movies together

Entrance by AOL has been designed to make the music and movie experiences as seamless and easy to use as possible.

For example, if you like a movie, then you can see the entire cast with a single tap and then, if you wish, continue to find out all the news related to a single actor. Similarly, if the film has a soundtrack, you’ll be able to listen to it and even download the tracks.

“Entrance by AOL leverages the depth of AOL’s content, whilst demonstrating the unique and differentiated experiences partners can bring to Nokia Lumia smartphones,” said Mark Fletcher, Nokia’s Director for Global Partnering & Application Development.

“With innovative features such as Augmented Reality, personalized and contextual Live Tiles and beautiful app design, enabled through the rich Windows Phone UI, we believe Nokia consumers will love this exclusive one stop shop for entertainment.”

There are some great apps and games installed on the Nokia Asha 311 for you to enjoy straight out of the box.

Both Facebook and Twitter are there and you only need to login before you can start catching up with your friends and followers.

Last week, I wrote about the 40 free EA games that you can download and keep forever. Another free game, and one that comes pre-installed on the Nokia Asha 311, is the world-beating Angry Birds.

The Asha 311 also has terrific tools such as Nokia Maps, the photo gallery with extensive editing features and the FM radio.

Of course, all this is just the start. Inside the Nokia Store there are further riches waiting to be discovered.

Everyone has different interests, so what is a useful app for me could be a useless app for you. Nonetheless, here are some essential apps that I have been using on my Nokia Asha 311. 

WhatsApp

“Are you on WhatsApp?”

It has become a popular question that’s been heard over and over again ever since this mobile phone instant messenger service started gaining popularity.

WhatsApp Series 40 Messenger works on all Nokia Asha devices, although you might need to check with your local operator as well because it runs on cellular data.

It’s easy to see why WhatsApp has become such a hit. It works across different mobile platforms and when you are connected via WiFi it means that sending messages are essentially free. This is particularly good news if you are sharing photos or video. 

Nokia Nearby 

Nokia Maps is wonderful for getting you from A to B but this app has a slightly different function.

Nokia Nearby helps you to discover places around you, whether that is restaurants, coffee shops, or other places of interest. I use it most often to find the closest ATM.

It goes further than just highlighting places on a map – you can also read reviews of places, save them for later and even share them with your friends.

YouTube on Nokia Browser

The good news about watching YouTube videos on the Nokia Asha 311 is that you don’t need an app to do it – they can be viewed straight from the Nokia Browser.

Just go to www.youtube.com on the Nokia Browser as you would normally on a computer or a laptop. You can search through all the videos and just select the one you want to play. 

The video will then start playing full screen on the phone and give you the full playback controls of pause, fast forwarding, rewind or stopping. Bookmark YouTube on your browser and it becomes just as easy as having specific app! 

ESPN FC

I actually got my first smartphone specifically because I wanted to be able to get live football scores when I was away from the computer or the radio.

ESPN FC, formerly known as ESPNSoccernet, gives you live scores, results and football news from all the major football leagues around the world. 

If you’re a fan of the beautiful game then this ESPN FC really is an essential app for your Asha phone.

CNN

Staying informed with the latest news is another important thing for me, and the CNN app does a great job of this on the Asha 311. As well as top stories, other categories include technology, business, sport, travel and entertainment.

My favourite feature of this app is the push notifications that can be enabled. So, even if the app is closed you will still be alerted if there is a major news story breaking.

You can also use the iReport function to contact CNN and send them your pictures if you ever find yourself as an eyewitness to a breaking news story.

Nokia Internet Radio

As I mentioned earlier, the Asha 311 has a FM Radio app installed but you will need to plug in your headphones (which acts as the antenna) and you are limited to whichever local or national FM broadcasts that you can pick up.

With this Nokia Internet Radio app, you can open your ears to all the radio stations of the online world. How great is that? 

It is especially good for the Nokia Asha 311 because you can listen using your WiFi connection and not use up any of your precious cellular data.

Have you been using any of the Asha Touch smartphones? Let us know which apps you can recommend.

Typically, sending files from PC to phone – or vice versa – requires a USB cable, or an email account that acts as the middleman, passing data back and forth. Dukto is a multi-platform, file transfer app that works on your Nokia Belle smartphone and enables you to pass information to and from your computers, via Wi-Fi.

For Dukto to work, you need to have the app installed on more than one device, due to the primary function of the app – to transfer files to another device.

With the app installed onto your Nokia Belle smartphone, and a version installed on your computer(s) – Windows XP or later, Mac OS X 10.6.x or later and Linux Ubuntu and Fedora – you’re ready to share files across all the devices as there’s nothing at all to configure. To download Dukto onto your computer, head over to the Dukto website to find the suitable version.

In order to share files, your phone(s) or computer(s) must all be linked into the same network. If at home, the chances are that you’ve only got the one network, the wireless one you connect to to access the Internet. However, you don’t need an internet connection to use the app. Even if your Internet has failed – like it often does in my home – your devices are still connected to one another, through the network.

With Dukto running on your phone and on your computer at the same time, you’ll see that the app automatically finds other devices on the network. This saves searching for IP addresses of other machines – although there’s the option for that if you prefer.

The app on both your phone and the computer has been designed to be identical to maintain a level of consistency throughout the transferring experience. The developer of Dukto (Emanuele Colombo) has chosen the Windows Phone style UI for the app, which invites you to flick left and right to access other parts of the app.

Sending files is easy. Tapping on the destination device in the app brings into view some options: send some text, send text from clipboard, send some files, and send a folder. Now, I’ll be honest, I couldn’t get the send some text option to work on my Nokia 701. I’m not sure if it’s a problem with my phone, or the app, but I’m hoping this is looked at from the developer. However, all the other options worked perfectly.

Let’s say I’ve got a photo on my phone that I want to send to my computer, pressing the send some files option will open up the phone’s file manager, and you can look for it there. Once you’ve selected the image, the app on the computer will spring to life and receive the file in super-quick time. Again, one criticism here is that I’d like a preview option of the file I want to send on the phone before I send it. Sometimes, selecting a file by filename alone isn’t the easiest way to browse files, for me.

Nonetheless, the sharing experience is a good one and it’s quick.

If you want to send something from your computer to your phone, you can select your phone from the app on your computer screen. Alternatively, a nice drag and drop feature means that you can also drag a file or folder into the app and have it automatically send to your phone.

Overall, this is a great app that’s very useful if you regularly want or need to send files from your phone to your computer – or vice versa.

Download Dukto from Nokia Store today, for free. It’s available on most Nokia Belle smartphones, including the Nokia 701, Nokia N8, Nokia C7 and Nokia 808 PureView.

Image credit: Jemimus