Nokia Will Let Mobile Devices Access Home Systems

Nokia is working with its partners to develop a smart home platform that will enable any mobile device equipped with a Web browser to serve as the remote control for household security , monitoring and energy-management systems.

Nokia's research has determined that consumers want control of home systems whether they are at home or on the go. With mobile devices ubiquitous, they are an ideal interface to home systems -- especially when the user is not at home, said Nokia Vice President Teppo Paavola.

"The home of today has intelligence everywhere, but to date there has not been a solution that is interoperable with the wide range of home systems that can easily be controlled," Paavola said. "We want to create an open solution where external partners can develop their own solutions and services on top of our platform."

'Any Device with a Browser'

The remote-control function will not be limited to mobile devices made by the cell-phone giant, noted Toni Sormunen, director of Nokia's smart home program.

"The APIs and protocols are open and specified as part of our software development kit and available to our partners currently," Sormunen said. "Any device with a browser can connect to the Nokia Home Control Center remotely or locally."

The initial platform, planned for release in late 2009, which Nokia is developing with Europe-based energy company RWE, will enable mobile devices to remotely access a central unit linked to thermostats installed throughout a home. Nokia and RWE also plan follow-up offerings that work with the latest smart meters.

The goal is to provide consumers with real-time information about their energy consumption and even allow them to control their energy bill remotely. Sormunen noted that smart electricity readers can deliver information in real time, which means consumers will be able to determine how much electricity their homes are using at any given moment.

"In the evening when going to bed, I can check from my phone whether my home is also in a 'sleep mode,'" Sormunen explained. "I can easily see if the electricity consumption is on the normal rate so I know I haven't, for example, left outdoor lights on and there's no kettle boiling on the stove."

Opening the Door

Nokia and its smart home partners eventually intend to develop technologies covering five key areas: Safety and security, energy savings, wellness, real-estate management and building technologies, and home automation. For example, the consumer research that Nokia has conducted shows wide interest in home safety and security.

"People with small children want to know whether their kids are safe and sound back home," Sormunen noted. The technology also could be used to remotely monitor the blood pressure of an elderly family member and relay the results to the family physician, he said.

Nokia even wants to make it possible for consumers with busy work schedules to remotely enable visitors to enter their homes.

"If somebody rings my doorbell back home," a message is sent that includes a picture of the visitor, Sormunen noted. "I can recognize the guy -- tell him 'Yeah, come on in' -- and open the door."

Source : http://www.newsfactor.com

Nokia N79 Gets Company from New Nokia N79 White Edition

 

Colour variants of mobile phones is not a new phenomenom, however the new Nokia N79 has found company with another in the range that is a little different.

Rather than simply changing the colour of the external casing Nokia have reverted back a few years to a time when personlising a mobile phone was a major craze, we are only talking about a couple of years ago but the fad of buying and changing exterior fascias looks set to return in a big way.

The Nokia N79 is supplied with three different coloured fascias also known as Xpress-On covers, depending on the users mood these panels can simply be 'popped off' and replaced with a colour of the users choosing, the new Nokia N79 White edition is no different to the original model.

The Nokia N79 back panels or fascias come in many different colours, these include: Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red, each Xpress-On cover has a built in chip which will automatically change the colour of the interface theme accordingly. ie: Slipping on the green fascia will change the colour of hte wallpaper, menu options and selections to a green theme.

This is a step further than the personlisation of days gone by and makes for a great USP, if for example you were a girl about town out in a nightclub not only could you match the colour of the external casing to match that great new dress but when the N79 lights up this will also compliment the look!

Aside from the cosmetics, this new N-Series handset packs a punch when it comes down to features and makes for a real alternatrive to the other latest releases from this high specification range including the Nokia N96 and Nokia N85.

The latest Nokia N79 White edition offers exctly the same technology, features and candy-bar design as the original model which is also known as the grey edition.

The Nokia N79's 5 mega-pixel camera & Carl Ziess optics lets users capture moments in amazing clarity whilst the dual LED flash allows for quality photographs even in the poorest lighting conditions. Geo Tag support automatically records the location of photos, to let users see when and where their pictures were captured.

The Nokia N79 offers built in AGPS technology alongside Nokia maps software providing instant navigation, on foot or by car, letting users find their way to a destination quickly and easily. An extensive POI (Points Of Interest) database means that new places can be found in the users location, find cinema's, clubs, bars or even cash points.

The Nokia N79 offers high speed 3G (HSDPA) and Wi-Fi connectivity allows user sto stay up to date with the latest news, sports, views and gossip plus fast connections to on-line neighbourhood- friends, deeds and favourites user scan also connect to the web with the Nokia MiniMap web browser, which displays complete websites just like a desktop.

Browse, stream and download millions of songs at the Nokia Music store, downloads can then be stored on the 4GB microSDHC memory card. 3G services also allows for face to face video calling with compatible handsets making communication that little bit more personal and facilitating professionals.

A relatively new software addition to this range of phones is Nokia lifeviNe which simply and automatically documents mobile activity creating unique personal files about whatever a user wants. Photos, videos and music can be tagged on a map wherever a user may be and uploaded on-line to be saved, searched or shared with friends.

The new white edition of the Nokia N79 has initially been made available as a SIM Free device which is unlocked to all of the UK networks operators, this is great news for consumers who may struggle to pass the strict network credit checks or who may need to replace a lost or stolen phone. It also opens up the possibility of purchasing the N79 as a present for tohers as there is no registration required at point of purchase.

The Nokia N79 White may be classed as a fashion phone but with the onboard features and technology this phone has to offer it will be an attractive proposition for busy professionals and business users alike. The Nokia N79 is the first candy-bar designed phone to be launched since the previous Nokia N82, with the new features and personlisation aspect this phone should appeal to those users now looking to upgrade their older model.

Source : http://www.itworld.com/

Nokia's new N97 vs. the iPhone: Latest smartphone showdown

Nokia Tuesday released its high-end N97 3G smartphone, combining a touchscreen with a tilted 3.5-inch display, a full QWERTY keyboard, and inviting a straight-up comparison with Apple's trend-setting iPhone.  (See the Nokia 97 up close.)

The handheld combines advanced hardware features with a bundle of services, including assisted GPS, which are intended to merge the device tightly with location-based applications, social networks and the mobile Web. The company also unveiled an improved Nokia Maps service and a new Nokia Messaging service, both part of its Ovi online services set.

Some of the drawbacks: early consensus is that the N97's touch interface is not quite up to fluidity of the iPhone standard; it's pricey (nearly $700 without a carrier subsidy); and won't be available in the United States until sometime after mid-2009.

Besides the iPhone, rivals include Research in Motion's just-introduced BlackBerry Storm, and two Windows Mobile smartphones, the Sony Ericsson X1 and the HTC Touch Pro.

N97 users can create a customized home screen with the widgets of their preferred Web services and social-networking sites. The Nokia Web browser, unlike Apple's Safari browser on the iPhone, supports Flash and Flash video. The combination of the touchscreen and a full slide-away QWERTY keyboard (the iPhone uses a virtual keyboard) is intended to unite an intuitive touch interface with the thumb-driven keyboard for heavy duty texting and e-mail.

Online video is available, including this one from Engadet.com, at Nokia World 08, the annual conference this week in Barcelona, Spain.

Promoted as a "mobile computer," the N97 supports up to 48GB of storage, including 32GB of onboard memory, expandable with a 16GB microSD card for music and other media. It runs on the latest version of Nokia's S60 Symbian operating system.

It supports a range of WCDMA and EGSM cellular frequencies and HSDPA for 3G wireless. It has a 802.11bg adapter and Bluetooth 2.0 and enhanced data rates. It supports a Micro-USB connector and Hi-Speed USB 2.0. In addition, there is a built-in GPS receiver with support for assisted GPS services.

Nokia is opening widget development to third-party programmers. For now, users will have to make use of the existing Symbian application, called Downloads. Nokia hinted it will release an improved download service, akin to Apple's popular App Store in 2009.

Continues : http://www.networkworld.com/

Aguilera: Another working mom on the red carpet

It's hard to be a working mom, even for Christina Aguilera.

The 27-year-old pop star said she's navigating the "balancing act" she expected when she took on parenthood with her husband, Jordan Bratman.

"I wasn't going to give up who I was before I had the baby," Aguilera said on the red carpet outside the Nokia Theatre, where she performed Wednesday during the "Grammy Nominations Concert Live!"

"It's important to stay true to that as an example — also for my son to find out what his goals are, what he's passionate about doing, so it's sort of leading by example in that sense," she said. "It's a tough thing. I had a moment leaving him today to get ready for tonight of missing him, but every working mom goes through it. They know what it feels like."

Aguilera performed "I Loves You Porgy" from George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess."

Source : http://www.google.com/