SymbianER

According to a Verizon Wireless press representative that contacted us, Verizon Wireless customers will be able to get a free ringtone download from the company on New Years Eve. Verizon customers simply need to text the word "Tone" to the number 2007 with their phone and they will receive instructions as to how they can download a free ringtone of their choosing.

Potential New Year's Eve freeloaders can check out the list of available ringtones at the Verizon Wireless Get It Now website. Just remember that the code only works for Verizon Wireless customers and is only valid on New Years Eve, December 31st.

The i-mate SPL is a device that, quite honestly, surprised me. After my shaky experience with the i-mate JAQ, I didn't have particularly high hopes for the SPL. There is no denying that i-mate has taken a page out of Motorola's design book, with the SPL looking and feeling strikingly like a SLVR, but at just 12mm (0.5") thick, the SPL proves to be a very capable smartphone despite its small size.

The SPL is a very solid feeling device, and apart from the cover for the miniUSB port, it is very well designed. The miniUSB port is the sole port on the handset, handling both charging and connectivity - this is great for business users, allowing them to charge the handset with, for example, a laptop computer (which I did on several occasions). The cover for this port is frustratingly hard to get out of the way when you are trying to plug the handset in though; the small rubber link between cover and handset needs to be about twice its current length to be usable.

Measuring up at 115mm x 49mm x 12mm (4.5" x 1.9" x 0.5"), the i-mate SPL is one of the smallest Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphones around. You can barely feel the device when it's in your pocket. Slim handsets are all the rage these days, but most are not smartphones, so the SPL comes to us as a pleasant surprise in this regard. A weight of just 102g (3.6oz) also puts it in a very exclusive class of lightweight smartphones.
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Looking for something new and fulfilling in the New Year? Sony Ericsson's continued growth has created a role for someone with an outstanding test management record and knowledge of the mobile industry. Richard Bloor finds out more about this strategic role from Mikael Nerde.
Testing is gaining an increasing profile in the mobile industry; Java Verified and Symbian Signed are rapidly becoming the benchmark for all new applications. In parallel with this, Sony Ericsson has achieved impressive growth since its formation in 2001 and its Developer Program team is growing too.

"Testing has always been important to Sony Ericsson," says Mikael Nerde, head of Sony Ericsson Developer and Accessory Programs & Content Planning. "Until now however, responsibilities for the various aspects of mobile-applications testing has been shared among the Developer Program team. Our growth as a company and the increasing importance of testing means we have identified the need for a dedicated resource."
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Google Maps for mobile combines maps, traffic updates, directions, local listings and sat - all on your Symbian phone. To download, visit google.com/gmm on your mobile web browser.

Combining directions, maps, and satellite imagery, Google Maps for mobile is a free download that lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across the country - right from your Symbian phone. To download, just visit www.google.com/gmm on your Symbian phone's web browser. (US, France, Italy, Germany, Spain)

Detailed directions: Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions.

Integrated search results: Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.

Easily movable maps: Interactive, draggable maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually.

Satellite imagery: Get a bird`s eye view of your desired location.

Real-time traffic:New! See where the congestion is, and estimate delays in over 30 major US metropolitan areas.

Send  pictures of any format via SMS. Let it be jpg, gif, bmp or png, send them all as picture messages.

Steps:

1. Create/ Draw a picture of 72 pixel width and 28 pixel height using any picture software such as Adobe photoshop, Microsoft paint etc and save it as gif, jpg, bmp or png.

2. Transfer this picture to the phone via USB or bluetooth or Infrared and save it in phone gallery (c:\nokia\images in phone memory or e:\images in memory card).

3. Open Symot PictureSMS and select this picture and hit forward to send it as SMS picture message.

Note: Picture can be of the size which are multiples of 72x28 like 144x56, 216x84, 288x112 etc and formats such as gif, jpg, bmp or png. But for best clarity, monochrome pictures of 72x28 pixel size is preferred.
  
Creating monochrome 72x28 pixel pictures in Adobe Photoshop

Open Adobe Photoshop and hit New under File menu. Set the width as 72 pixels, height as 28 pixels and the mode as Bitmap. Zoom In the picture canvas so that it will be easier for you to draw. Draw your picture and save as bmp (windows), png or gif.

Creating monochrome 72x28 pixel Pictures in Microsoft Paint

Open Start > Programs > accessories > Paint on your computer (Windows Operating System). Hit Image > Attributes and set the image width as 72 pixels and height as 28 pixels. Hit View > Zoom > Large size to Zoom In the picture canvas. Draw your picture and save it as Monochrome Bitmap or gif, jpg, bmp or png.

This C++ example demonstrates how to use the Document Handler and the Recognizer to open and handle certain file types in a dedicated application. The example consists of three components: a caller application trying to open a specific file, a recognizer (a dll component implemented as an ECom plugin from S60 3rd Edition onwards) detecting the file extension, and a document handler opening the file. Note that for the recognizer, a developer certificate is needed due to its ProtServ capability requirement. Usage of the document handler is described in the S60 Platform: Document Handler API Developer's Guide document, available at www.forum.nokia.com. Main classes: CDocumentHandler, CApaDataRecognizerType.

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This C++ example demonstrates the use of Bluetooth technology: device and service discovery, connection establishment to one or more devices, communication between devices, and disconnection. The Bluetooth RFCOMM protocol (RS-232 serial port emulation) is used as a transport protocol. Main classes: RSocketServ, RHostResolver, CSdpAgent, SdpSearchPattern, RSdp iSdp.

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