Przedstawiciel PLAY LUBLIN

Mobile technology has made more of us film makers than at any other time in history. This amazing ability to record our lives has had a dramatic effect. From thirty second clips to reportage, smartphone videos have changed the world. Of course, using the power of moving images to highlight issues is nothing new. Cinematic art has a long history of  getting a grip on our emotions, too. To see how effective they’ve been, we’ve taken a look at some films, which made the world think, argue and ultimately, change.

Battleship Potemkin  (1925) – Director: Sergei Eisenstein

A film that inspired pro-Bolshevik (later communist) sympathies, filmmaking techniques and even later artists like Francis Bacon. Eisenstein was a contradiction, wanting to make films for the ‘common man’ but also loving intellectual concepts. His use of montage was greatly inspired by his knowledge of Japanese and love of haiku.

The Jazz Singer (1927) – Director: Alan Crosland

Squeaky voices beware when the first commercial talkie appeared. Edison had already shown us the technology. The Jazz Singer netted a $3.5 million profit (the film cost $500,000) and made Warner Brothers the dominant voice in cinema it still is today. Film had a voice.

Gandhi’s first interview (1931)

In this tiny piece of film, we heard the man who prompted eventual Indian independence from British rule talking about being ‘…prepared to return to jail’ but not wearing ‘artificial’ European clothes to meet the King. When asked ‘Would you be prepared to die for India’s independence?’ he said quietly: ‘It is a bad question.

The Triumph of the Will  (1935) – Director: Leni Riefenstahl

Riefenstahl was a slippery interviewee, claiming her Nuremberg rally film as too artistic for audiences. In reality, it was shown widely in schools and local halls and used manipulative emotive telephoto lens technology. Goebbels denied propaganda but called it a ‘Grand vision of our Fuhrer.’

Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967) Director: Stanley Kramer

Once insulted by a director in an audition, who told him that he was ‘just a dishwasher’ – Sidney Poitier became more determined to succeed. Morgan Freeman, who considered him a role model who paved the way for other black actors in the industry, called the handsome dignified star a ‘bright light.’

The China Syndrome (1979) – Director: James Bridges

Soon after the film’s release, there was a real accident at Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. When once challenged if she was anti-nuclear, Jane Fonda simply said she was ‘… interested in the alternatives.’ Both film and incident prompted caution and discussion of all things nuclear.

The Times of Harvey Milk  (1984) Director: Rob Epstein

Epstein stated that Milk ‘… understood his place in history.’ Milk’s killer Dan White was convicted of manslaughter and the term ‘Twinkie defense’ was born – referring to White’s consumption of junk food as evidence of his depression. Harvey Milk gave hope and pride to a generation of gay men and women; this documentary sealed his legacy.

Rosetta (1999) - Director: Luc Dardenne

Rosetta prompted the Belgian Government to change the law to award teenage workers minimum wage. When someone complained of nausea from the hand held camerawork, the director suggested  ‘…see your doctor and ask for some motion sickness tablets, then go see the film.’

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) – Director: Davis Guggenheim

Al Gore bluntly told interviewers that George Bush had not wanted to see the film and that’s why he wrote the book that prompted it in the first place. He also aptly described political will as a renewable resource. Controversial, it opened up debate and action on climate change that continues today.

Your smartphone probably has a better film camera than the camera used in nearly half these examples. Surely then, it’s only a matter of time before smartphone documentaries join this list. A naive dream or perceptive insight? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.

Image credit:Emmandevin

Nokia has a long history of creating close partnerships with industry leaders to bring the best mobile phones to the market. One such partner is Dolby, delivering better audio clarity and a more natural listening experience on your Nokia smartphone.

Dolby has made appearances in numerous Nokia handsets; including the Nokia N8, Nokia 700, Nokia 808 PureView, and the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, to name just a few. It’s this inclusion of Dolby in many Nokia products that gives an unrivalled, more pleasurable experience when listening to music or watching movies on your mobile device.

But what exactly is Dolby Headphone and how does it provide a better experience? At the moment, you’ll probably think that the sound you’re listening to with your favourite headphones is fine. And it probably is – just fine. However, with Dolby Headphone technology even the best headphones will become better, enveloping you with a comfortable and natural sound – almost as if you were not using the headphones at all.

Shawn Richards, Sales Director or Dolby Europe explains:

“Dolby has consistently delivered state of the art tech. We know how to make a good sound even better. That’s where Dolby Headphone comes in.”

By using state-of-the-art digital processing technology, Dolby Headphone creates an acoustic illusion. Much like when you’re in a cinema, at a concert or listening to music through a home entertainment system, your ears pick up direct sound from each speaker as well as sound bounced from other surfaces and furnishings in the room. Dolby Headphone technology recreates this audio experience, producing the sonic signature you’d expect from a perfect acoustic environment.

Nokia Music with Dolby Headphone is the perfect way to feel like your listening to your favourite band on stage without actually having to stand up for hours in the cramped confines of a venue, all from the comfort of your own personal space.

Dolby Headphone can be found in other high quality consumer devices. However, on mobile phones, it’s exclusive to Nokia.

 We have a special guest post from our Dutch friend Freek de Jong for you this week. Freek works for Music and Sports BV; a sports agency that develops and promotes new sports around the world.

One of the sports they focus a large percentage of their promotion on is called ‘Bossaball‘, a mix between volleyball, football, gymnastics and capoeria! The sport takes place on an inflatable volleyball style court that features a trampoline at both ends (I promise you, I’m really not making this up, check the video below). It is the ultimate beach sport, takes place between two teams and is predominantly played in Europe and South America, but it can also be played indoors. 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Freek travels all over the world with Music and Sports BV to open up newcomer’s eyes, both young and old, to this adrenaline fuelled sport. He also competes at an international level for Holland. Recently he travelled to Venezuela with his Lumia 800 in tow to document his trip for us. Time for me to hand you over to Freek! 

Freek de Jong – Lumia 800 Bossaball experience

In addition to reach-ability and maintaining on-going connections, an ‘enhanced multimedia’ phone has been indispensable in my work as a developer of Bossaball. I have to stay in touch with people all over the world, even if I am on my way to Venezuela. This northern Latin American country became one of our new partners as they launched Bossaball at the beginning of September.

I arrived at Vargas State, a coastal region where the launch of the sport is taking place, the scenery there was so breathtaking (as you can see from the photo above). But enough of taking in the scenery, we had to get to work! Upon arrival we were immediately called to head straight up to the Bossaball stage. The opening was attended by Venezuela’s Vice-Minister of Sport and we were all concerned with the smooth running of proceedings.

I had just had enough time to make a quick Skype call with my brother-in-law, who was about to become a father for the first time! After the congratulations, I contacted some Brazilian Bossaball players who were also on their way to Vargas. Thanks to Venezuela, the number of countries involved from the vast region of Latin America has increased to seven. Bossaball has continued to become more and more well-known, thanks to countries like Venezuela realising that the game could work particularly well there. The region has good weather, a relaxed vibe and they love the game, so the rest is just pretty much a coast downhill.

To celebrate this, we decided to organise an official ‘continental’ match between players of Latin America and Europe. A mixture of players from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and host country Venezuela took on Dutchmen, Belgians and Slovenians representing Europe. It was so great to see so many nationalities coming together and the Europeans eventually lifted their continent to victory.

One of the players, who is one of the most avid fans of Bossa Nova, took my Lumia 800 and put some music on, celebrating the European success with a characteristic ‘Latin’ rhythm. If it wasn’t for my phone, he still probably would have danced the night away in Venezuela anyway! Music is an integral part of this sport and it helps to get everyone’s skills flowing. Due to the battery boost with a recent software update he could play lots of tracks, even though I had been using the phone all day.

A successful day had come to an end. In other parts of the world, night was now morning and I needed to consult widely with my colleagues back home about the next event on my phone. Working as a developer of Bossaball is just like the game itself: the show must go on!

The take-up of the sport is spreading very fast, so if you’ve not seen or heard of it before you can head here to find out more about whether Bossaball is available in your country. 

Update: Nokia started to deliver a software update to Nokia 808 PureView, Nokia 603, Nokia 700 and Nokia 701 today. We have encountered some technical difficulties in delivering the update, and are currently investigating the issue. We will continue delivering the software update as soon as possible.

The Nokia 808 PureView is one of the best camera phones ever made, but now a new software update is set to improve the revolutionary device even further.

This update will enhance the imaging experience on your 808 PureView, and lucky owners will know that it is already pretty fantastic! 

After the update has been installed on your Nokia 808 PureView you will benefit from all these new imaging features: 

• Gallery Grid view when you have the phone in landscape
• Access to more functions when you open your images from the Gallery widget on your home screen – swipe through other images, zoom, share, edit, and send images faster.
• More information about your images, such as image resolution, ISO value, white balance setting, and file size,  and the location. When you are connected online, one click will show you on Nokia Maps where the photo was taken.
• Select and delete multiple photos in Gallery Grid
• New reset button in Creative mode to change all the settings back to default with a single touch

As well as all those imaging enhancements, this software update will also enable you to use these new functions on your phone:

• Updated browser (to version 8.3) with enhanced HTML5 support
• New and significantly faster keyboard
• Nokia Car Mode – easy access to your phone’s key features when you’re driving

Getting the update

This software update is being rolled out globally from today, 2 October. However, there may be regional variations in the precise delivery due to country and operator variants. 

To check if the update is available for you and to install the update, connect the phone to your PC and open Nokia Suite, or alternatively check the Software Update application on your device.

The Nokia 603, Nokia 700 and Nokia 701 will also get an update that includes the features such as the faster browser and Nokia Car Mode.

However, the imaging and gallery enhancements are for the Nokia 808 PureView only.

Here’s a great example of just what is possible with a smartphone, a smartphone with PureView technology to be precise.

This short Nokia 808 PureView film by Matjaz Klemencic of Slovenia, truly is a testament to the innovations Nokia have brought to the camera phone table, and also the wonderful country wherein Matjaz lives. Watch in HD

“The filming was without any story, I was just filming and filming, hoping to come up with something good in the end” – Matjaz Klemencic

Personally, I think the video speaks for itself and I tip my hat to Matjaz for sharing such a beautiful and inspirational film.

How about you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section and on Twitter.

Download the StyleSaint app

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

StyleSaint is a well-known community for those wanting to get inspiration from other fashion lovers from around the world. When you become a StyleSaint, you can create your own digital fashion magazine, based on your choices and inspiration that comes from editors who put cutting edge items out there for members to mash up.

Now, Lumia owners can grab the StyleSaint application and check out the latest fashions, clip them and make your own ‘stylebook’ based on your taste and your choices. What’s even cooler – you can share your stylebook for the world to see.

Inspiring you with awesome looks

The team at StyleSaint will put out inspiring choices three times a week, adding fashion tips, images and discussions to make sure the clipping and sharing doesn’t stop. With the editor’s injected choices, you can then create your own stylebooks that have your favorite images, tips and styles. You’re in charge – you’re the editor of your own fashion magazine!

Do it on your Lumia

Working within the app is easy. You simply browse the images in the app and clip them using a swipe of your finger. You can also check out other StyleSaint users’ StyleBooks and when something catches your eye – add it to your own StyleBook by clipping it.

Within your StyleBook, you can move and edit images – or when something better comes along, you can replace the image with ease.

Share it

So what happens when you build a StyleBook and you want to get your friends to look at your marvelous creation? With Facebook integration, StyleSaint allows you to let friends sign-in and see your stuff and discover their own sense of style as well. You can share your StyleBook, get feedback and also check out others’ books as well. It’s all about sharing and it’s all about looking great.

The new StyleSaint app is out for Nokia Lumia and coming for Nokia Asha phones.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook as well!

We love our smartphones so much that we don’t just use them; we touch, swipe, tap and pinch them. They’re very human gestures and it is one reason why we have become so attached to these devices. They’re playful and easy to use.

Nokia is now taking this relationship even further with new super sensitive touch displays.

This new ability to use the touch screen with your nails, or even with your gloves on, is the biggest leap forward for capacitive touchscreens since multi-touch gestures were introduced.

Super sensitive touch technology will be featured first in the PureMotion HD+ display of the Nokia Lumia 920 and the ClearBlack display of the Nokia Lumia 820.

As Nokia’s senior vice-President of Smart Devices, Kevin Shields, said at the launch of the new Windows Phone 8 smartphones:

“Nokia has been a leader in display technology, and we are setting a new standard with Super Sensitive Touch technology on the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820.”

Nails & gloves

Using a normal touchscreen is extremely tricky if you’ve got long nails – you need to angle your finger carefully. Neither can you use a pen or wear gloves.

Nokia has been working for some time – and with different partners – on getting around these problems, and were finally able to make the final leap thanks to some new hardware innovations from Synaptics. 

Nokia’s super sensitive touch displays now allows for a wonderful touchscreen user interface, regardless of the input method. Right now, there is nothing else on the market that offers the same experience.

Adaptive technology 

“The technology is adaptive so it reacts to any conductive object that is touching the screen,” explains Senior Technology Manager Jussi Ropo who has worked on super sensitive touch technology. 

“In other words, whether you are using it with gloves or a nail or stylus, it will automatically adjust the sensitiveness to provide the best possible touch screen experience.”

It should also be stressed that super sensitive touch technology does not make the screen more fragile, affect the water resistance or increase the likelihood of coins or keys in your pocket accidentally making calls on your behalf. 

Super sensitive touch will make a big difference, not just for people with long nails or when you are wearing gloves but it enhances the whole touchscreen experience for everyone.

“What has made this possible? You need a lot of experience working with capacitive touch to be able do this. I would say it is a combination of the new hardware and the way it’s built into the phone but even more it is about knowing how to use it,” says Jussi.

Nokia gave birth to the idea of super sensitive touch displays, and then with help from component suppliers, they have now been able to fine-tune and perfect it.

image credit (home page): espejo

Mobile technology has made more of us film makers than at any other time in history. This amazing ability to record our lives has had a dramatic effect. From thirty second clips to reportage, smartphone videos have changed the world. Of course, using the power of moving images to highlight issues is nothing new. Cinematic art has a long history of  getting a grip on our emotions, too. To see how effective they’ve been, we’ve taken a look at some films, which made the world think, argue and ultimately, change.

Battleship Potemkin  (1925) – Director: Sergei Eisenstein

A film that inspired pro-Bolshevik (later communist) sympathies, filmmaking techniques and even later artists like Francis Bacon. Eisenstein was a contradiction, wanting to make films for the ‘common man’ but also loving intellectual concepts. His use of montage was greatly inspired by his knowledge of Japanese and love of haiku.

The Jazz Singer (1927) – Director: Alan Crosland

Squeaky voices beware when the first commercial talkie appeared. Edison had already shown us the technology. The Jazz Singer netted a $3.5 million profit (the film cost $500,000) and made Warner Brothers the dominant voice in cinema it still is today. Film had a voice.

Gandhi’s first interview (1931)

In this tiny piece of film, we heard the man who prompted eventual Indian independence from British rule talking about being ‘…prepared to return to jail’ but not wearing ‘artificial’ European clothes to meet the King. When asked ‘Would you be prepared to die for India’s independence?’ he said quietly: ‘It is a bad question.

The Triumph of the Will  (1935) – Director: Leni Riefenstahl

Riefenstahl was a slippery interviewee, claiming her Nuremberg rally film as too artistic for audiences. In reality, it was shown widely in schools and local halls and used manipulative emotive telephoto lens technology. Goebbels denied propaganda but called it a ‘Grand vision of our Fuhrer.’

Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967) Director: Stanley Kramer

Once insulted by a director in an audition, who told him that he was ‘just a dishwasher’ – Sidney Poitier became more determined to succeed. Morgan Freeman, who considered him a role model who paved the way for other black actors in the industry, called the handsome dignified star a ‘bright light.’

The China Syndrome (1979) – Director: James Bridges

Soon after the film’s release, there was a real accident at Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. When once challenged if she was anti-nuclear, Jane Fonda simply said she was ‘… interested in the alternatives.’ Both film and incident prompted caution and discussion of all things nuclear.

The Times of Harvey Milk  (1984) Director: Rob Epstein

Epstein stated that Milk ‘… understood his place in history.’ Milk’s killer Dan White was convicted of manslaughter and the term ‘Twinkie defense’ was born – referring to White’s consumption of junk food as evidence of his depression. Harvey Milk gave hope and pride to a generation of gay men and women; this documentary sealed his legacy.

Rosetta (1999) - Director: Luc Dardenne

Rosetta prompted the Belgian Government to change the law to award teenage workers minimum wage. When someone complained of nausea from the hand held camerawork, the director suggested  ‘…see your doctor and ask for some motion sickness tablets, then go see the film.’

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) – Director: Davis Guggenheim

Al Gore bluntly told interviewers that George Bush had not wanted to see the film and that’s why he wrote the book that prompted it in the first place. He also aptly described political will as a renewable resource. Controversial, it opened up debate and action on climate change that continues today.

Your smartphone probably has a better film camera than the camera used in nearly half these examples. Surely then, it’s only a matter of time before smartphone documentaries join this list. A naive dream or perceptive insight? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.

Image credit:Emmandevin

Nokia has a long history of creating close partnerships with industry leaders to bring the best mobile phones to the market. One such partner is Dolby, delivering better audio clarity and a more natural listening experience on your Nokia smartphone.

Dolby has made appearances in numerous Nokia handsets; including the Nokia N8, Nokia 700, Nokia 808 PureView, and the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, to name just a few. It’s this inclusion of Dolby in many Nokia products that gives an unrivalled, more pleasurable experience when listening to music or watching movies on your mobile device.

But what exactly is Dolby Headphone and how does it provide a better experience? At the moment, you’ll probably think that the sound you’re listening to with your favourite headphones is fine. And it probably is – just fine. However, with Dolby Headphone technology even the best headphones will become better, enveloping you with a comfortable and natural sound – almost as if you were not using the headphones at all.

Shawn Richards, Sales Director or Dolby Europe explains:

“Dolby has consistently delivered state of the art tech. We know how to make a good sound even better. That’s where Dolby Headphone comes in.”

By using state-of-the-art digital processing technology, Dolby Headphone creates an acoustic illusion. Much like when you’re in a cinema, at a concert or listening to music through a home entertainment system, your ears pick up direct sound from each speaker as well as sound bounced from other surfaces and furnishings in the room. Dolby Headphone technology recreates this audio experience, producing the sonic signature you’d expect from a perfect acoustic environment.

Nokia Music with Dolby Headphone is the perfect way to feel like your listening to your favourite band on stage without actually having to stand up for hours in the cramped confines of a venue, all from the comfort of your own personal space.

Dolby Headphone can be found in other high quality consumer devices. However, on mobile phones, it’s exclusive to Nokia.

 We have a special guest post from our Dutch friend Freek de Jong for you this week. Freek works for Music and Sports BV; a sports agency that develops and promotes new sports around the world.

One of the sports they focus a large percentage of their promotion on is called ‘Bossaball‘, a mix between volleyball, football, gymnastics and capoeria! The sport takes place on an inflatable volleyball style court that features a trampoline at both ends (I promise you, I’m really not making this up, check the video below). It is the ultimate beach sport, takes place between two teams and is predominantly played in Europe and South America, but it can also be played indoors. 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Freek travels all over the world with Music and Sports BV to open up newcomer’s eyes, both young and old, to this adrenaline fuelled sport. He also competes at an international level for Holland. Recently he travelled to Venezuela with his Lumia 800 in tow to document his trip for us. Time for me to hand you over to Freek! 

Freek de Jong – Lumia 800 Bossaball experience

In addition to reach-ability and maintaining on-going connections, an ‘enhanced multimedia’ phone has been indispensable in my work as a developer of Bossaball. I have to stay in touch with people all over the world, even if I am on my way to Venezuela. This northern Latin American country became one of our new partners as they launched Bossaball at the beginning of September.

I arrived at Vargas State, a coastal region where the launch of the sport is taking place, the scenery there was so breathtaking (as you can see from the photo above). But enough of taking in the scenery, we had to get to work! Upon arrival we were immediately called to head straight up to the Bossaball stage. The opening was attended by Venezuela’s Vice-Minister of Sport and we were all concerned with the smooth running of proceedings.

I had just had enough time to make a quick Skype call with my brother-in-law, who was about to become a father for the first time! After the congratulations, I contacted some Brazilian Bossaball players who were also on their way to Vargas. Thanks to Venezuela, the number of countries involved from the vast region of Latin America has increased to seven. Bossaball has continued to become more and more well-known, thanks to countries like Venezuela realising that the game could work particularly well there. The region has good weather, a relaxed vibe and they love the game, so the rest is just pretty much a coast downhill.

To celebrate this, we decided to organise an official ‘continental’ match between players of Latin America and Europe. A mixture of players from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and host country Venezuela took on Dutchmen, Belgians and Slovenians representing Europe. It was so great to see so many nationalities coming together and the Europeans eventually lifted their continent to victory.

One of the players, who is one of the most avid fans of Bossa Nova, took my Lumia 800 and put some music on, celebrating the European success with a characteristic ‘Latin’ rhythm. If it wasn’t for my phone, he still probably would have danced the night away in Venezuela anyway! Music is an integral part of this sport and it helps to get everyone’s skills flowing. Due to the battery boost with a recent software update he could play lots of tracks, even though I had been using the phone all day.

A successful day had come to an end. In other parts of the world, night was now morning and I needed to consult widely with my colleagues back home about the next event on my phone. Working as a developer of Bossaball is just like the game itself: the show must go on!

The take-up of the sport is spreading very fast, so if you’ve not seen or heard of it before you can head here to find out more about whether Bossaball is available in your country.