Ever since our CEO told publicly that Nokia is going to be an "Internet company", people have been wondering what it really means in practice. Well, Stephen just defined it beautifully:

"like porn, you know it when you see it."

Heh, nicely put. I can't explain what it means to be an "Internet company" either, but in a weird way I'm seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting that it's really happening. And I like it.

(for dummies: origins of the phrase)

People tell me that Fring rocks. Quote:

fring™ uses your mobile internet connection to make peer-to-peer VoIP calls, send instant messages and talk with VoIP applications such as Skype and Google Talk, at no extra cost.

As you can read from the Fring blog, they have now added support for S60 3rd Edition, and even for WiFi. Go try it and send them feedback!

Update: it's free only if you use WiFi or if you have a flat-fee data plan. If you pay per megabyte, be careful!!

Update 2: Zach has just published a very good review about Fring

As you know, I have recently started in a new job position, and I still want this blog to be valuable for both the readers (=end-users) and for Nokia/S60. Or to be accurate, I want to make it even better.

But how to do it in practice?

There's one thing that I have learned during the last year: blogging = talking + listening. So, the best way for me to make this blog valuable, I believe, is to integrate both the talking part and the listening part as closely as possible to our daily work.

In practice that would mean:
- writing with an insider voice about the stuff we do in Nokia/S60, or have recently achieved
- collecting feedback from the readers and feeding it back to the actual development process

What do you think: is this the right approach?

Dear Nokia people in my own unit and elsewhere: feel absolutely free to contact me (tommi dot vilkamo at nokia dot com) if you want me to:
- spread the word about something you think is worth attention
- ask questions from the readers (e.g. "What do you think about our new application?")

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Ps. I think there are currently a couple of thousand regular readers, some of whom are very knowledgeable, insightful, and/or influential. Consider them as a focus group with steroids, if you will.

If you want to justify blogging (= having meaningful conversations with your customers and stakeholders) as part of your job to your excel-money-addicted boss, show him/her these analyst reports:

The ROI Of Blogging
The "Why" And "How" Of External Blogging Accountability (US$379.00, 15 pages)

Calculating The ROI Of Blogging: A Case Study
A Look At The ROI Of General Motors' FastLane Blog (US$279.00, 8 pages)

If you don't have access rights to these articles - and don't want to pay those hefty fees - check out the main points from the author's blog: New ROI of blogging report from Forrester.

What is the ROI of S60 blogs?

Frankly, I have no idea. But I'd claim that S60 blogs have already (1) more traffic, (2) more incoming links, (3) better search engine rankings, (4) more people commenting, and most importantly, (5) more constructive conversations than FastLane blog. And the costs have probably been much lower, because Bob Lutz's is expensive, whereas we S60 bloggers are cheap ;-)

Bottom line: I'd guesstimate that the ROI of S60 blogs has been about 1000%. And most part of this "value" has come from truly listening to people, and from feeding back their feedback to the actual development process.

What do you think the value of S60 blogs has been for Nokia/S60 and the end-users?

Michael Mace writes in Mobile Opportunity: Where people use mobile data:

"Too much information!" I think that's what the folks at Astraware must have thought when they recently asked their users to describe where they play Astraware's mobile games. You know where this is going, right? "In the bathroom" was the most common reply. I don't think the Astraware responses were unusual.

Heh, I knew it. Seems that mobile data isn't that mobile, after all.

ps. no more lavatorial jokes in this blog, I promise.

Eugenia Loli-Queru, one of the editors behind the popular site OSNews.com, has compiled a list of her favorites: Top Ten Freeware Applications for Symbian S60 3rd Edition. Good work!

There was one detail, however, that made me wonder: (bold added)

It's been about ten months since the first S60 3rd Edition SymbianOS smartphone hit the market. Nokia made a lot of changes to the underlying OS and broke compatibility with the ~1800 S60 2nd Ed. applications that were already available. Ten months later, there are about 220 applications for the new version of S60. This is a small list of the Top-10 freeware applications for your new S60 phone.

220? I am just looking at an excel sheet listing almost 1000 apps for S60 3rd edition (can't link, sorry). On the other hand, My-Symbian lists currently 224 apps. Hmm... What causes the discrepancy? I guess the truth is somewhere in between. It probably depends on how you count, and whether you count the number of apps available globally, or the number of apps available in different markets combined.

My colleague Stephen Johnston (remarkably great chap) is looking for volunteers:

Have an N73 or E60 E61? Work for us. For free!

I'm helping out some colleagues of mine at Nokia who are looking for some informal pre-release testing on one of our forthcoming consumer internet services. Criteria would be:
i) London based (easier for me)
ii) you already have an N73 or E60 E61
iii) willing to provide feedback in return for, say, a beer?

We don't need real mobile or tech experts, but a sense of humour would be good, especialy regarding the foibles of alpha/beta level stuff. If we get enough people, we could do a meetup for drinks and feedback on the company tab. Testing period wil just be a few weeks. If interested, leave your details in the comments, or email me at stephen dot johnston at nokia dot com.

Heh. The blogosphere might be an effective way to recruit knowledgeable, insightful, and passionate volunteers.

Stephen: after you're done, please tell us if the experiment was a success. I might be interested to do similar stunts in my own blog.

Bonus link: TechCrunch writes about recruiting people via blogs. Also worth thinking.
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Update: it was E61, not E60. Sorry for the typo. And don't worry if you are not from London; you can still join. Being in London just makes the beer part easier.

A colleague of mine from Nokia asked me to promote the Nseries Internet User Study:

What are the features you use and what would you like to improve? We would like to know how you browse the Internet with your NSeries device today and what needs to be done to serve you in the future. The suggestions and comments you give are used to develop your next mobile device.

Sounds good. Although, it's somewhat silly that the survey is only for Nseries owners, even though the same S60 browser is also in Eseries devices and Nokia 3250, 5500, and 6290. But I digress... Your feedback is valuable - go and fill in that survey!

P.P.S. Be warned: there are 41 questions in total, including some pretty tough ones:

16) Please describe last time you used an Internet browser with your mobile device.

What was the service you used?
Google Reader mobile.

What was the situation- where were you, where there other people present?
Toilet. No.

How was the use of the service linked to your activity?
No, thank god.

Why did you use a mobile browser? How normal a situation was that for you?
I know it's abnormal, and you are not supposed to do it. No need to go Freudian on me...

How would you describe your experience?
Quite pleasant, thanks.

Oh, I'm so funny.

The big and hairy 3GSM World Congress is approaching fast. No, I'm not going this time. But if you are, go and have a chat with Phil at S60 stand, so that I'll be able to listen your podcast or watch your YouTube video.

Anyways, a couple of important S60 managers are going to the show, and they asked me about what they should check out. Heck, let's answer them in LazyWeb way ;-)

What do you think, what will be the most interesting exhibitors and speaker sessions this year?

For the last three years, I have been wondering what is the authoritative source to follow new S60 applications, released by Nokia and by 3rd party application developers.

To this day, I'm still wondering.

Anyway, my shortlist for following the scene has been:
- My-Symbian
- All About Symbian
- Handango
- Blogosphere (see my link list)
- Nokia and Symbian internal sources: yep, I do have additional sources inside corporate firewalls. But to be honest, I increasingly prefer public sources. I wonder does this have something to do with walled garden dynamics?

What are your favorite sources?
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ps. during the last couple of days, I have learned about the availability of Vox Mobile, Nokia Team Suite, Nokia Business Card Reader, etc. via blogosphere. I can't help feeling that there's something odd about this. I wonder should it be Nokia's job to set up a centralized website and RSS feed to notify about these?

On 1st of January, I started in a new job position inside Nokia.

As many of you know, I worked three years in a quite remarkable S60 application development unit, hands-on in the development. Once more, I want to thank all my old colleagues. It was truly a great ride.

In the new role, I have a much wider scope, and I'm looking at things from a more strategic perspective. Primarily, my job is to understand what is happening out there - in the business environment of S60 - and to ensure that we do right decisions. I haven't updated the about page yet, but I will, as soon as I understand the new playground better.

Anyway, I have agreed with my new boss that I can keep using ~20% of my time in blog related activities (= writing this blog, replying to your comments and emails, and reading and commenting other blogs). I can keep writing about the same topics as before, but most probably the topics I find worth interest will evolve hand-in-hand with the new job responsibilities.

Thanks everybody for your attention so far! I hope this blog will be worth your attention also in the future.

Moshe Yudkowsky wrote thought-provokingly in O'Reilly Emerging Telephony: (bold added)

I see that my fellow bloggers here on this page are searching for the correct term to use for highly-restrictive business models built into several pieces of new technology, such as the iPhone and IMS.

People usually borrow the term “walled garden,” which implies that wonderful things grow inside while keeping baneful influences on the outside.

I propose we borrow a different term: “prison farm.” Yes, you can grow things on the inside; and yes, they will work and keep you alive. But guards with legal sanctions keep you locked up inside, and all the good things in life are happening someplace else.

Nicely put.

Personally, I think it's perfectly ok to build the walls, but only if they help you provide superior experience to your customers. Unfortunately, most walled gardens tend to look like prison yards: barren and boring.

If you build the walls, you'd damn better ensure that you have the most beautiful garden in the planet, so that people want to pay you money to get in (instead of looking for an escape). If you are not able to do it, go tear down the walls.

Rajen commented that he had found the following passage in Nokia USA site FAQ:

Q: How do I update my Nokia N80 to the Internet Edition?

A: Nokia N80 Internet Edition

You can update your Nokia N80 to the Internet Edition by using the Nokia Software Updater.

To download the Nokia Software Updater, please do the following:

1. Go to http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/N80
2. Select "Support and Software for Owners"
3. Select "Phone Software Update"

Since I don't have a N80 to test it, I don't know for sure does it work as they say. Please comment if it does. I have to run to a meeting now...
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Update: it seems that the FAQ answer above was misinformation. As Kevin commented: "The Nokia USA entry has been pulled since yesterday, so all looks like a mistake by a hapless support bod."

I'm sorry for spreading misinformation.

Google Reader and its mobile version rock. I find myself using it more than any other functionality on my Nokia N73. And I love the fact that I can access the same feeds via work computer, via home computer, and via mobile. In most other RSS readers, the items are stuck in that particular client.

Now, go try it yourself - you won't be disappointed:
- create a Google Account (if you don't already have one)
- login to Google Reader using your desktop browser, and subscribe to your favorite feeds
- bookmark Google Reader mobile page to your S60 browser

Question: What is RSS?

Hugh MacLeod says: "When people ask me what the future of media is, I always answer, “RSS” "

Hehheh.... For a more serious explanation, check out what BBC, SixApart, and Wikipedia say.

Question: Why do I need it?

Using an RSS reader, you'll be able to follow 10x more websites, news, and blogs in the scarce and precious time you have. And as an additional bonus, you won't be the last one at the watercooler to hear the news...

So, Techmundo and Antony Pranata tagged me in this Five Things meme, in which you are supposed to tell five things about yourself that most people don't know.

Heh, you asked for it...

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I was probably the last person in Finland to buy a mobile phone.
2. I hate the debate about "Is this cup half-full or half-empty". Like Sinuhe the Egyptian, I demand my cup full.
3. I was kicked out of a band 15 years ago (I sucked). Eventually, they became the Children of Bodom. I became an engineer. Well, sort of.
4. In 2002, a couple of months before they hired me at Nokia, I was so broke that I had to volunteer as a human-guinea-pig in testing new medicines. My piss turned red.
5. I never pass on chain letters. Not even those that I enjoy.

Zach, an active contributor of various mobile forums and one of the admins of Mobile9, has started a new blog called Nokia S60 3rd Edition Applications Review. Quote:

Welcome to my new blog and thanks for stopping by! My name is Zach and over the coming weeks and months I'll be reviewing various applications and games created for the Symbian S60 3rd Edition platform.
...
I will be reviewing freeware and payware on this blog and I'll always include links so that you can download the app (or a trial). If you know of an app that you would like me to review, please by all means contact me here or over on the mobile9.com forum.

Subscribed.

Quick note: I just noticed that quite a many of new applications have appeared in the Download! client of my Nokia N73, compared with the last time I checked it. The availability of apps varies, depending on your phone model, operator, country, and the position of the moon. Some of the apps are free, while others cost a few bucks. Anyway, go and check out if you have some new goodies there...

I have tried to avoid this overly-talked-about subject, but can't help since Jari asked so kindly:

It would be fantastic to hear a bit more about your thoughts on the iPhone, the (positive) challenge it throws on S60 and Symbian to innovate and improve intuitivity etc.

Sure.

However, I have to be extra careful with my words, for three reasons:
- It's not polite (nor wise) to bad-mouth your competitors
- I'm not allowed to comment about Nokia's competitive response, strategical or tactical
- I don't want to make a fool of myself by doing false predictions

Moreover, I think all that needs to be said about iPhone (at this stage) has already been said, and said well. Here's my shortlist of great posts to get you started: Engadget and Engadget Mobile, Mobile Opportunity, MobileCrunch, Open Gardens, and iLounge (the last quoting Mr. Jobs saying: “You don’t want your phone to be an open platform”, about which some of us might disagree).

Question: what do I think about this myself?

As I commented in Jouni's MRKTNGman blog, I consider iPhone as one of the greatest things that has happened in a while for the whole mobile ecosystem - including Nokia and S60. I don't know if it's going to be successful or not, but at least the ripple effects will be huge.

Question: who will win?

Since I'm very much biased here, I have to refer to authorities. My favorite strategy thinker, the legendary Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, said in his 2003 book Innovator's Solution (page 34):

A sustaining innovation targets demanding, high-end customers with better performance that was previously available. Some sustaining innovations are the incremental year-by-year improvements that all good companies grind out. Other sustaining innovations are breakthrough, leapfrog-beyond-the-competition products. It doesn't matter how technologically difficult the innovation is, however: The established competitors almost always win the battles of sustaining technology. Because this strategy entails making a better product that they can sell for higher profit margins to their best customers, the established competitors have powerful motivations to fight sustaining battles. And they have the resources to win.

Powerful words.

Apple iPhone if clearly a sustaining innovation, using Mr. Christensen's terminology. And if he's right, the dynamics of innovation are on our side. Let's see what we can do :-)

Question: aren't you tempted to do at least some mockery?

Yes, I'm tempted. For example, I would like to quote what my favorite venture capitalist thinks about "1% strategies". But I won't. Apple has created a remarkable product, i.e. something worth making a remark about. I like to have such a worthy competitor around - makes things more interesting around here.

Watch this space.

After piloting event blogging with From the World blog last December, I thought we had learned how to do it right.

Well, not quite. Here's Nokia Nseries at CES Blog (click "Blog" from the link list at the top)

Is it just me or is there something wrong about it?

Here's how I'd improve it:
- posts in reverse chronological order (the core definition of a blog)
- permalinks (if you are not linkable, people can't link to you)
- RSS feed (so that people like me can subscribe)
- comments (not a requirement for a blog, but would enhance the content dramatically. See TechCrunch poll)

I can't even link to the blog, or the webcast of Nokia CEO speaking at CES. Urgh... Could somebody upload it to YouTube?

All About Symbian's Rafe Blandford has published a great round-up of the year 2006 in the Symbian world.

Definitely worth a read, if you want to understand how fast Symbian/S60 ecosystem is evolving, and to what direction.

And yes, I believe too that 2007 will be even busier. Stay tuned.

Last September, Samir asked will it be possible for existing N80 owners to update their devices to N80 Internet Edition. I promised to ask from N80 product manager. I did, and they promised to look into this, although they warned that it might be unfeasible or too risky. Or that people with (subsidised) operator variants would get frustrated as they can't get the generic update.

Now, I'm starting to see these extremely unofficial hackety-hack guides about how to update from vanilla version or operator variant to the Internet/Music edition:
- How To: Update Nokia N73 Firmware to Internet Edition
- How To: Update Original Nokia N73 Firmware to Music Edition
- Nokia N80 Firmware Update to N80ie
- N80 to N80ie
- N80 - N80i firmware upgrade guide
- How to update your N80 to v4.0623.0.41
- etc.

Warning: don't try this at home!! This kind of unofficial hacks may kill your device, and most probably will invalidate your warranty. Don't come crying to me.

In any case, quite a many people don't like the situation, not being able to update the software. For example, Stefan from Ring Nokia rants:

It kills me to have to link you to this. Why should users have to hack their phone in such a fashion just to get the latest and greatest features their device is capable of?! I loathe Nokia does this, wouldn't you if you knew a better phone was just a software update away?

Déjà vu. Remember our discussions about the new version of the Web browser, about the WLAN Wizard, and about the Barcode Reader? Seems that every time we introduce a new piece of software that - for one reason of the other - does not work in existing devices, we get an angry blog crowd biting our ass.

Sigh.

Note for Nokia people: let's try to release our latest software stuff also to existing Nokia users. I have a gut feeling it would pay off.

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Ps. As said many times before, I'm not in any way working with firmware update stuff. I wish the team would start a blog, as there seems to be a great demand for it, but I digress...

Andrew Orlowski says in The Register:

Nokia's S60 user interface is a sprawling mess: even Nokia can't seem to remember where it's put the configuration options. You'll find Bluetooth over here, Profile settings over there, and something like SIP buried four menus down. Themes is nowhere near Display.

Touché. The situation used to be that sad, indeed.

Luckily, we have recently made significant improvements in making the settings more logical. Already in Nokia N95, which is based on S60 3rd Edition FP1, there is a general settings application, from which you can do all the settings. That is, in addition to having the settings in applications, application related settings are found from the general settings app as well.

Andrew, please let us know what you think about the new approach :-)