Day: August 19, 2011

“The roll out of the Symbian Anna software update for the Nokia N8, C7, E7 and C6-01 has now started (the editorial N8 now has it, over the air). It is now available in key European and Asian markets including the UK, France, Russia, Indonesia, China and India, with additional markets to follow in the next week. Key features of Symbian Anna include virtual QWERTY keypad in portrait mode, split-screen text input, an updated web browser, stronger security, an updated icon set and improved Maps functionality. Plus the Nokia C7 gains activation of its NFC chip. Changelog below, but we’ll be adding to the story through the day.In the UK and most other markets the Symbian Anna update is (or will be) available simultaneously for SIM-free and operator branded handsets.The update is available through the software update module of Ovi Suite (version 3.1.1 and higher) and, in some cases, over the air (via Sw update application on the phone), as shown here on the editorial N8. However, given the size (large, at 27MB, just for the basic OS), scope and complexity of the update, we strongly recommend you use Ovi Suite to carry out the update (the full ROM image is 290MB or so). The update process will take around 20 minutes, with the exact timing being largely dependent on the speed of your Internet connection. While all your apps and data will be preserved, we would still recommended following the prompt to perform a backup before downloading and installing the update.” Read more here:

“We knew HP was having trouble selling webOS devices, and as part of their quarterly fiscal announcement, they announced that they plan to discountinue operations for webOS devices, to include the TouchPad and webOS phones.In the press release sent out this afternoon, HP confirmed that they were in discussions for an acquisition of Autonomy and announced preliminary results for Q3 2011, with revenue up to $31.2 billion in comparison to $30.7 billion this time last year.But this is PreCentral – we don’t care about any of that, and we’re pretty sure you don’t care either. Needless to say, our minds are completely blown by this news. HP didn’t give any reason in their press release for the shut down (we’ve reached out for comment and will update if/when we get it).So what does this mean? The statement was carefully worded to state that they’re “discontinuing operations for webOs devices,” not webOS as an operating system. If anything, this should add fuel to the second option we discussed earlier today when the shocking word of an HP breakup first surfaced: HP is more interested in webOS than devices. They tried to give it a go with hardware, but quickly realized that they weren’t going to be able to make it work without massive long-term investment and commitment. So less than a year after acquiring all of Palm for $1.2 billion, we’re looking at a hazy future for webOS.Today it became approximately one thousand times harder to recommend anybody buy a TouchPad or Veer or Pre3. The entire ecosystem is in doubt. Now it’s pretty clear why HP has had trouble telling us when or where the Pre3 might actually be available. There’s the possibility that maybe someday some other mobile device manufacturer might pick up webOS and use it on their handsets, but if/when that happens is anybody’s guess.”(full press release here)