lip
13
When we think of ancient Rome, we think of togas, gladiators and a conquering civilisation. Without being there, it’s difficult to know exactly what it was like. However, the new Romance of Rome game for Nokia Belle smartphones whisks you away to a land of mystery and excitement.
Naturally, as with any great adventure story, this one is about winning the heart of the Emperor’s daughter. But to do so, you must search the Roman Empire for legendary lost relics.
As you enter each scene you’ll need to find these lost relics and just tapping on them will collect them. Fortunately, it’s not just a big guessing game as the inventory of what you must find is shown below. You just simply have to find them.
With 30 levels across seven episodes, there’s lots of bounty to be found which should keep you busy for quite a while.
Along your treacherous journey you’ll earn money, unlock trophies and complete quests for your hard work. The money you earn can be used to customise your character to buy items of clothing, accessories or even a small dog.
Once you’ve found the missing artefacts and completed all the quests you’ll reveal the deepest secret. It’s this that will help you win the heart of the Emperor’s daughter.
With great, colourful graphics and easy to use interface this game is fun to play. However, it does take quite a long time to install, so be patient while it installs.
Romance of Rome is available now from Nokia Store and available for most Symbian smartphones.
Tags: None
lip
13
With the recent arrivals of TIME Mobile, CNN and a newly-overhauled New York Times app keeping us abreast of global goings-on, we felt it time to take a look at the best Windows Phone Marketplace additions that make the Lumia 900, Lumia 800 or Lumia 710 a one-stop-shop for the latest updates from around the globe.
Best for current affairs – Time Mobile
The new TIME Mobile app brings the latest news from the website, but also offers the storied publication’s trademark first-hand insight and perspective beyond the facts. It’s packed with stunning imagery directly from the magazine’s awesome Pictures of the Week section. Just ten minutes a day with the TIME app keeps you involved in any interesting office discussion, from Barack to Baghdad.
Best for quality journalism – The New York Times
The newly-redesigned New York Times app for Windows Phone brings the world’s most recognizable newspaper to your Nokia Lumia smartphone You can pin your favourite sections to the Start screen and sync articles to read on other devices. You will need to subscribe to get past Mr. Murdoch’s infamous pay-wall, but you enjoy a four-week trial for just 99c. Without the subscription you can still view video content, but you can’t read squat.
Best for conservatives – Fox News
It’s election year and so the political news coverage is going into overdrive. Fox News created this fast and beautifully designed app that brings a host of text and video content from the channel, including clips from shows like Hannity and The O’Reilly Factor. Also, the Live Tile will instantly update with the latest stories.
Best design and UI – Huffington Post
Amanda Huffington’s hip, digital-only newspaper comes to Windows Phone with the slickest, most attractive and fastest offering of any news app. The app also offers, perhaps the most in-depth and varied news coverage you’ll find on any app and a great entertainment section. HuffPo also brings a news agenda that promotes interesting stories outside of the mainstream media, collated from around the web.
Best for video news – CNN
The CNN app brings live video of breaking news and a large selection of reports from the TV channel, as well as video podcasts from that handsome sonofagun Anderson Cooper. For all of you citizen journalists out there, CNN’s iReport functionality is also on board, allowing you to send in videos shot directly on your 720p-friendly Lumia 900 – If you find yourself in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time.
Best for sports news – ESPN
A recent update to this Nokia Lumia exclusive app asked us, “Do you want to receive live tile score updates from today’s biggest games?” Erm…. Damn right, I do! So, next time you’re in a meeting and the Phillies are deadlocked heading into the bottom of the 9th, a simple glance at your Start screen will keep you informed and inconspicuous.
Best for movie and celebrity news – Imdb
Everyone has Imdb on their smartphone (what do you mean ‘not me’?) It’s a great way to instantly get show times, view trailers and solve those ‘what else was he in?’ arguments. However, it also brings together the latest cinematic news from around the web from sources like the Hollywood Reporter, E! Online, TotalFilm and more. If you’re a ‘slebritee’ gossip hound, you can also get the latest from ‘wow check out this mugshot’ story from TMZ with related content from Imdb.
Best for Windows Phone news – WP Central
If you’re reading this, then it’s fair to assume you have a vested interest in the Windows Phone platform, and there are few better independent news and review services than WP Central. The neatly designed platform brings the best apps, games and wallpapers as well as access to videos and podcasts for just 99c. There’s also an offline mode to save stories for later.
Best aggregator – Pulse
What do all of these aforementioned news services have in common? You can bring their news feeds into just one application. The Pulse service allows you to completely tailor the news agenda to your own tastes. With a beautifully simple design and user interface along with that all important offline mode, it’s possible for this to be your only destination for daily news… but then you’d be missing out.
image credit: NS Newsflash
Tags: None
lip
13
Last week, the Nokia N9 began to receive its latest software update, delivering over 1000 quality improvements. This brings the Nokia N9 software to version 40.2012.21-3, or as it’s most commonly known, PR1.3.
While this update adds no new features, it does improve the usability of your device – so we recommend you update.
The main improvements include:
- Mail for Exchange (MfE) now supports client certificates.
- Localisation improvements and support for new error codes with the Facebook app.
- Twitter API changes that reflect the back end infrastructure of Twitter.
As well as these main updates, there are also some general updates.
- AccuWeather widget weather update fixed.
- VoIP calls now work via Skype/Gtalk when in flight mode and connected to WLAN.
- Changing the “week starts on” date within the calendar error now fixed.
There are also a lot of small improvements on network and connectivity performance.
To receive the update, head to the applications section in your Nokia N9 – Settings > applications > Manage applications > Updates (bottom right button) > Refresh. You should see the following screenshots.
Have you updated yet? Noticed any other improvements? Let us know, below.
Tags: None
lip
13
Last week, we gave you some useful pointers to help you get the most out of your Nokia 808 PureView.
This device, of course, is the revolutionary cameraphone that allows you take stunning images that are comparable, if not better, than some digital SLR cameras.
That’s no idle boast – check out the results of this blind test conducted by GSMArena.com.
Most people will take great photos, most of the time with the 808 PureView but here are some more tips and tricks to make your images just a little more amazing.
Zoom
You can zoom in with the Nokia PureView 808 by sliding your finger vertically across screen.
The camera must be set to 2/3, 5 or 8 megapixel resolution in order to use the zoom function.
The magnitude of the zoom depends on the resolution, but the zoom is always lossless and for 5 megapixel output resolution you can zoom up to 3x.
For the best image quality, it is recommended use the zoom in daylight only.
Close-up
Within the ‘Scenes’ shooting mode (Automatic and Creative are the other shooting modes – see the first part of our tips and tricks for more information on this) you can select pre-defined settings to take the best close-up photos.
You can also select ‘Close-up’ when you’re in Creative mode with a long-press on the phone screen.
To take the best close up photos, use the 5 megapixel PureView mode with the maximum 3x zoo. Only use the flash at an approximate distance of 15cm.
The ‘Bokeh’ effect
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
Professional photographers often have a specific subject in focus with a very blurred background. This is called the ‘Bokeh’ effect.
The 808 PureView is able to offer the ‘Bokeh’ effect similar to a SLR because of its very long focal length of 8.02mm. A typical cameraphone will have a focal length of 4mm.
For optimal ‘Bokeh’ effect, the subject should be less than half a metre away from your 808 PureView and the longer the distance between the background and your subject, the greater the effect.
Video
As well as photos, the 808 PureView can also shoot great video.
In one test, a TV programme filmed a segment of their show using the 808 PureView to see if their viewers could tell the difference.
Video mode is selected from the top right of the screen when the phone is in camera mode.
You can choose from three different resolutions, including full HD, and they all have lossless zoom, which is operated by sliding your finger across the screen.
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
At the bottom left of the screen, you can select ‘continuous autofocus’ and the video camera will automatically track the subject in the centre of the frame.
Alternatively, you can tap on the screen to select and lock an area for focus.
In low lighting conditions, you can use the additional LED video light. This is useful to a distance of approximately one metre.
Tags: None
lip
13
Not everyone is lucky enough to have been blessed with musical talent.
I can’t play any instruments and several tentative stabs at learning the guitar ended with the dawning realisation that the only guitar that I will ever wield in anger is the one that’s made of air.
However, thanks to the wonder of my Nokia Lumia, the fact that I am devoid of any musical training does not preclude me from making some music of my own. Or at the very least, creating a joyful noise.
There are a plethora of free drum kit and piano apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace for your Nokia Lumia, so they have been omitted from for the crime of being ubiquitous.
Instead, here are some of the cooler, funkier and more unusual free musical instrument apps for your Nokia Lumia.
I used to play the maracas in my school’s percussion group when I was about six. So, you can imagine the waves of nostalgia that swept over me when I saw this app in the Windows Phone Marketplace.
I couldn’t keep to a rhythm back then, and unfortunately not much has changed.
Shake your Lumia to play the maracas.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa gave us many things – great football, excitement, drama and worthy winners in the all-conquering Spanish team.
But don’t forget the noise. Yes, the greatest legacy of the 2010 World Cup was the droning and persistent call of the vuvuzelas.
Hated and adored in equal measure, blow into the bottom of your Lumia to remind yourself that there is a very fine line between music and noise.
What’s the difference between a piano and a harpsichord? Why have I banned piano apps but included this? Hmmm.
With proper instrument apps (with apologies to the maracas and the vuvuzela but they are rather limited, musically-speaking) there is the potential to create something genuinely musical. Unfortunately, it just leads to greater frustration when you can’t play it like Beethoven.
Another one that brings back a lot of school memories.
I think the xylophone strikes the perfect balance between being a proper instrument for accomplished musicians and also being great fun to play for amateurs.
The chimes are so inherently pretty that you can hardly fail to create a sweet melody even when you are just tapping at random.
Plus, it comes in pretty colours.
Now, we’re talking! Lovers of psychedelic and prog rock, your prayers have been answered.
Famously, the Theremin is an instrument that you play without even touching it. Very spooky. On this version, you can select your waveform, the pitch and then tilt your Lumia from side to side until you get the desired sound.
Beware, this is great fun, but the Theremin can, on occasions, make the vuvuzela sound mellifluous.
No one can resist having a go on the bongos, so why deny yourself the pleasure on the Lumia?
Tap the side and the top of the bongos to get a beat going. This app also includes a whistle just for a bit of variety.
What’s really great though is that you can record your beats within the app and then play another layer of beats on top of your recorded effort. So you are playing accompaniment to yourself.
The ocarina is an ancient wind instrument, much like a flute, but this modern version on your Lumia comes with fairly sophisticated controls.
You blow into the Lumia’s microphone to create a tone, and control volume by raising and lowering the opposite end of the phone. You can also tilt your Lumia towards the left to add a vibrato effect.
Master the technique and you can create some really soothing melodies.
So, finally, we come to the greatest instrument of them all, your voice.
Use this app to record yourself singing and then you can alter the pitch of your voice, from grand and deep to high like a chipmunk.
You can also add echo and, if you’re really pleased with it, play it on a loop. Is there anything we like more than the sound of our own voices?
Let us know what are your favourite musical instrument apps for your Lumia.
Image credit: woodleywonderworks
Tags: None
lip
13
With the recent arrivals of TIME Mobile, CNN and a newly-overhauled New York Times app keeping us abreast of global goings-on, we felt it time to take a look at the best Windows Phone Marketplace additions that make the Lumia 900, Lumia 800 or Lumia 710 a one-stop-shop for the latest updates from around the globe.
Best for current affairs – Time Mobile
The new TIME Mobile app brings the latest news from the website, but also offers the storied publication’s trademark first-hand insight and perspective beyond the facts. It’s packed with stunning imagery directly from the magazine’s awesome Pictures of the Week section. Just ten minutes a day with the TIME app keeps you involved in any interesting office discussion, from Barack to Baghdad.
Best for quality journalism – The New York Times
The newly-redesigned New York Times app for Windows Phone brings the world’s most recognizable newspaper to your Nokia Lumia smartphone You can pin your favourite sections to the Start screen and sync articles to read on other devices. You will need to subscribe to get past Mr. Murdoch’s infamous pay-wall, but you enjoy a four-week trial for just 99c. Without the subscription you can still view video content, but you can’t read squat.
Best for conservatives – Fox News
It’s election year and so the political news coverage is going into overdrive. Fox News created this fast and beautifully designed app that brings a host of text and video content from the channel, including clips from shows like Hannity and The O’Reilly Factor. Also, the Live Tile will instantly update with the latest stories.
Best design and UI – Huffington Post
Amanda Huffington’s hip, digital-only newspaper comes to Windows Phone with the slickest, most attractive and fastest offering of any news app. The app also offers, perhaps the most in-depth and varied news coverage you’ll find on any app and a great entertainment section. HuffPo also brings a news agenda that promotes interesting stories outside of the mainstream media, collated from around the web.
Best for video news – CNN
The CNN app brings live video of breaking news and a large selection of reports from the TV channel, as well as video podcasts from that handsome sonofagun Anderson Cooper. For all of you citizen journalists out there, CNN’s iReport functionality is also on board, allowing you to send in videos shot directly on your 720p-friendly Lumia 900 – If you find yourself in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time.
Best for sports news – ESPN
A recent update to this Nokia Lumia exclusive app asked us, “Do you want to receive live tile score updates from today’s biggest games?” Erm…. Damn right, I do! So, next time you’re in a meeting and the Phillies are deadlocked heading into the bottom of the 9th, a simple glance at your Start screen will keep you informed and inconspicuous.
Best for movie and celebrity news – Imdb
Everyone has Imdb on their smartphone (what do you mean ‘not me’?) It’s a great way to instantly get show times, view trailers and solve those ‘what else was he in?’ arguments. However, it also brings together the latest cinematic news from around the web from sources like the Hollywood Reporter, E! Online, TotalFilm and more. If you’re a ‘slebritee’ gossip hound, you can also get the latest from ‘wow check out this mugshot’ story from TMZ with related content from Imdb.
Best for Windows Phone news – WP Central
If you’re reading this, then it’s fair to assume you have a vested interest in the Windows Phone platform, and there are few better independent news and review services than WP Central. The neatly designed platform brings the best apps, games and wallpapers as well as access to videos and podcasts for just 99c. There’s also an offline mode to save stories for later.
Best aggregator – Pulse
What do all of these aforementioned news services have in common? You can bring their news feeds into just one application. The Pulse service allows you to completely tailor the news agenda to your own tastes. With a beautifully simple design and user interface along with that all important offline mode, it’s possible for this to be your only destination for daily news… but then you’d be missing out.
image credit: NS Newsflash
Tags: None
lip
13
When we think of ancient Rome, we think of togas, gladiators and a conquering civilisation. Without being there, it’s difficult to know exactly what it was like. However, the new Romance of Rome game for Nokia Belle smartphones whisks you away to a land of mystery and excitement.
Naturally, as with any great adventure story, this one is about winning the heart of the Emperor’s daughter. But to do so, you must search the Roman Empire for legendary lost relics.
As you enter each scene you’ll need to find these lost relics and just tapping on them will collect them. Fortunately, it’s not just a big guessing game as the inventory of what you must find is shown below. You just simply have to find them.
With 30 levels across seven episodes, there’s lots of bounty to be found which should keep you busy for quite a while.
Along your treacherous journey you’ll earn money, unlock trophies and complete quests for your hard work. The money you earn can be used to customise your character to buy items of clothing, accessories or even a small dog.
Once you’ve found the missing artefacts and completed all the quests you’ll reveal the deepest secret. It’s this that will help you win the heart of the Emperor’s daughter.
With great, colourful graphics and easy to use interface this game is fun to play. However, it does take quite a long time to install, so be patient while it installs.
Romance of Rome is available now from Nokia Store and available for most Symbian smartphones.
Tags: None
lip
13
Last week, the Nokia N9 began to receive its latest software update, delivering over 1000 quality improvements. This brings the Nokia N9 software to version 40.2012.21-3, or as it’s most commonly known, PR1.3.
While this update adds no new features, it does improve the usability of your device – so we recommend you update.
The main improvements include:
- Mail for Exchange (MfE) now supports client certificates.
- Localisation improvements and support for new error codes with the Facebook app.
- Twitter API changes that reflect the back end infrastructure of Twitter.
As well as these main updates, there are also some general updates.
- AccuWeather widget weather update fixed.
- VoIP calls now work via Skype/Gtalk when in flight mode and connected to WLAN.
- Changing the “week starts on” date within the calendar error now fixed.
There are also a lot of small improvements on network and connectivity performance.
To receive the update, head to the applications section in your Nokia N9 – Settings > applications > Manage applications > Updates (bottom right button) > Refresh. You should see the following screenshots.
Have you updated yet? Noticed any other improvements? Let us know, below.
Tags: None
lip
13
Last week, we gave you some useful pointers to help you get the most out of your Nokia 808 PureView.
This device, of course, is the revolutionary cameraphone that allows you take stunning images that are comparable, if not better, than some digital SLR cameras.
That’s no idle boast – check out the results of this blind test conducted by GSMArena.com.
Most people will take great photos, most of the time with the 808 PureView but here are some more tips and tricks to make your images just a little more amazing.
Zoom
You can zoom in with the Nokia PureView 808 by sliding your finger vertically across screen.
The camera must be set to 2/3, 5 or 8 megapixel resolution in order to use the zoom function.
The magnitude of the zoom depends on the resolution, but the zoom is always lossless and for 5 megapixel output resolution you can zoom up to 3x.
For the best image quality, it is recommended use the zoom in daylight only.
Close-up
Within the ‘Scenes’ shooting mode (Automatic and Creative are the other shooting modes – see the first part of our tips and tricks for more information on this) you can select pre-defined settings to take the best close-up photos.
You can also select ‘Close-up’ when you’re in Creative mode with a long-press on the phone screen.
To take the best close up photos, use the 5 megapixel PureView mode with the maximum 3x zoo. Only use the flash at an approximate distance of 15cm.
The ‘Bokeh’ effect
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
Professional photographers often have a specific subject in focus with a very blurred background. This is called the ‘Bokeh’ effect.
The 808 PureView is able to offer the ‘Bokeh’ effect similar to a SLR because of its very long focal length of 8.02mm. A typical cameraphone will have a focal length of 4mm.
For optimal ‘Bokeh’ effect, the subject should be less than half a metre away from your 808 PureView and the longer the distance between the background and your subject, the greater the effect.
Video
As well as photos, the 808 PureView can also shoot great video.
In one test, a TV programme filmed a segment of their show using the 808 PureView to see if their viewers could tell the difference.
Video mode is selected from the top right of the screen when the phone is in camera mode.
You can choose from three different resolutions, including full HD, and they all have lossless zoom, which is operated by sliding your finger across the screen.
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
At the bottom left of the screen, you can select ‘continuous autofocus’ and the video camera will automatically track the subject in the centre of the frame.
Alternatively, you can tap on the screen to select and lock an area for focus.
In low lighting conditions, you can use the additional LED video light. This is useful to a distance of approximately one metre.
Tags: None
lip
13
Not everyone is lucky enough to have been blessed with musical talent.
I can’t play any instruments and several tentative stabs at learning the guitar ended with the dawning realisation that the only guitar that I will ever wield in anger is the one that’s made of air.
However, thanks to the wonder of my Nokia Lumia, the fact that I am devoid of any musical training does not preclude me from making some music of my own. Or at the very least, creating a joyful noise.
There are a plethora of free drum kit and piano apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace for your Nokia Lumia, so they have been omitted from for the crime of being ubiquitous.
Instead, here are some of the cooler, funkier and more unusual free musical instrument apps for your Nokia Lumia.
I used to play the maracas in my school’s percussion group when I was about six. So, you can imagine the waves of nostalgia that swept over me when I saw this app in the Windows Phone Marketplace.
I couldn’t keep to a rhythm back then, and unfortunately not much has changed.
Shake your Lumia to play the maracas.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa gave us many things – great football, excitement, drama and worthy winners in the all-conquering Spanish team.
But don’t forget the noise. Yes, the greatest legacy of the 2010 World Cup was the droning and persistent call of the vuvuzelas.
Hated and adored in equal measure, blow into the bottom of your Lumia to remind yourself that there is a very fine line between music and noise.
What’s the difference between a piano and a harpsichord? Why have I banned piano apps but included this? Hmmm.
With proper instrument apps (with apologies to the maracas and the vuvuzela but they are rather limited, musically-speaking) there is the potential to create something genuinely musical. Unfortunately, it just leads to greater frustration when you can’t play it like Beethoven.
Another one that brings back a lot of school memories.
I think the xylophone strikes the perfect balance between being a proper instrument for accomplished musicians and also being great fun to play for amateurs.
The chimes are so inherently pretty that you can hardly fail to create a sweet melody even when you are just tapping at random.
Plus, it comes in pretty colours.
Now, we’re talking! Lovers of psychedelic and prog rock, your prayers have been answered.
Famously, the Theremin is an instrument that you play without even touching it. Very spooky. On this version, you can select your waveform, the pitch and then tilt your Lumia from side to side until you get the desired sound.
Beware, this is great fun, but the Theremin can, on occasions, make the vuvuzela sound mellifluous.
No one can resist having a go on the bongos, so why deny yourself the pleasure on the Lumia?
Tap the side and the top of the bongos to get a beat going. This app also includes a whistle just for a bit of variety.
What’s really great though is that you can record your beats within the app and then play another layer of beats on top of your recorded effort. So you are playing accompaniment to yourself.
The ocarina is an ancient wind instrument, much like a flute, but this modern version on your Lumia comes with fairly sophisticated controls.
You blow into the Lumia’s microphone to create a tone, and control volume by raising and lowering the opposite end of the phone. You can also tilt your Lumia towards the left to add a vibrato effect.
Master the technique and you can create some really soothing melodies.
So, finally, we come to the greatest instrument of them all, your voice.
Use this app to record yourself singing and then you can alter the pitch of your voice, from grand and deep to high like a chipmunk.
You can also add echo and, if you’re really pleased with it, play it on a loop. Is there anything we like more than the sound of our own voices?
Let us know what are your favourite musical instrument apps for your Lumia.
Image credit: woodleywonderworks
Tags: None
