New release of Nokia Drop supports Nokia Belle and includes auto-update, silent installation, and Store&Forward.

Written by Päivi, Nokia Drop team

Hey all you beta users!

First of all I want to thank you all for giving feedback and finding bugs which haven't all been noticed by us. So thanks for your contribution!

Second we have good news for you. Finally we have released some new features in Nokia Drop (version 1.4), including:

With automatic update you will have always the latest client available. We will send you normal drop message (will be received in manual mode) to your client and you can download and install update whenever it is convenient for you. Also free applications from Nokia Store are now silently installed to your device, you don´t need to click ok anymore to confirm the installation on the device. But there is a possibility to cancel download and installation from recent download –list in Anna + S1 versions and in status panel in Belle version in case you need to.

There has also been feedback that people don't know what to do with Nokia Drop. That´s why we have added an informative first-time-use tutorial, which will be shown after Nokia Drop installation and after that can be shown again via Options > Help. Hopefully this gives some idea to new users  what you can do with this service.

Then we have an amazing feature called Store & Forward. Items get stored for you if your client is not online. You´ll receive them when you go online next time. Nokia Store is also supporting this Store & Forward feature.  This feature is new offering of Nokia Notification API server. More info about the feature and API can be found here: https://projects.developer.nokia.com/notificationsapi

Last but definitely not least we have made a new version for Nokia Belle software. It is more integrated to device software and we don´t have the recent download list anymore. All activities are shown in status panel and pop-ups. In the Belle version we are more automatic and we don´t have manual mode available anymore. Store&Forward features are shown as manually downloadable in status panel despite that everything else is automatic. The Belle version also has the new features mentioned above.

Feedback of this “more integrated to device software†version is very valuable for us when we are planning the future development. So try it and give feedback via the Nokia Beta Labs forum. Also, you can still use the Anna version in Belle if you want to use manual mode and see the recent download list.

I hope that you like these new features and there is more to come, we promise. Stay tuned and give your feedback here at Nokia Beta Labs.

- Päivi

Update to Store QML client for Symbian, version 3.22.053

A new version of the Store QML client for Symbian phones has been released today for beta testing.

Version 3.22.053 includes some critical bug fixes found since the previous one (3.22.044) and it aligns with the latest Nokia Store back-end.

Please try it out and let us know what you think of it.

Nokia Maps Suite 2.0 - Everything you need to navigate smarter

Nokia Maps Suite puts all the information you need to find your way—maps, drive and walk directions, public transport, and weather—all in one smart package. And the latest release makes it even smarter and more personalized with new additions such as voice search, geo-tagged photo display, and the return of the new and improved Route Planner. Finding your way has never been better. Try it out now!

Find what you need with a tap.

In addition to fast, intuitive tools for finding your way, the new Maps makes accessing information and features faster than ever. Press and hold on a destination to choose how you want to get there—including public transport. And enjoy one-tap access to Places and Weather right from your Home screen.

Personalize the way you get around.

Nokia Maps now also makes your maps more personal than ever. Turn on Photos to see your snapshots of the places you’ve been placed along your map. Create customized routes for sightseeing or to avoid traffic. You can even save your favorite routes to access them later.

Navigate safer behind the wheel.

With new voice search capability, you can speak your destination for safer and easier searching while driving. New and improved landscape views in Weather and Drive make seeing what you need easier. And Weather now automatically shows you the weather for where you are, and can even show you what’s ahead.

Turn your map into a photo-blog.

Now you can choose to see your photos from places you’ve been placed right on your map. Using the geo-tagging information in photos taken on your phone, Maps will automatically place them in the locations they were taken where you can relive good times or even share them with friends.

Nokia Maps Suite 2.0 is now available for Symbian phones with Nokia Belle.  Please try it out and let us know what you think of it.  We look forward to hearing from you!

The Nokia Maps Team

Main elements of earlier Camera Update now part of Nokia Belle

Nokia Beta Labs contributor of the month, January 2012: mth0th

This month, the Nokia PlayTo team has nominated mth0th to be recognized as an outstanding contributor to Nokia Beta Labs.  His persistence in gving input to the product team and step-by-step debugging successfully uncovered the root cause why his and some other phones were unexpectedly rebooting - something which the team would have otherwise be unable to do.  This is valuable not only for Nokia, but for the others using the PlayTo application.

Thank you mth0th!  In honor of this, we'd like to send you a few things as a token of our appreciation (check your email).

- John, community manager @ betalabs.nokia.com

New beta release of Store client for Symbian offers next generation of in-app purchase

Today we're releasing a new beta version of the Store client for Symbian, version 3.22.044.

This release includes fixes for bugs found since the previous one and is now based on Qt 4.7.4 and Qt quick components 1.1

Feature-wise, this release offers the next generation of in-app purchase based on QML.  This feature is available through applications that support in-app purchase.

Please try it out and let us know what you think.

Soundtracker updated for Symbian, S60 5th Edition, Series40

Today updated releases of Soundtracker are available for the Symbian, S60 5th Edition, and Series 40 versions.  Changes include the following:

S60 5th Edition, S^3, Symbian Anna and Symbian Belle (v1.7.5)

S40 (v2.2)

Be sure to grab the update and give your feedback on the forum.

- John

Nokia Beta Labs contributor of the month, December 2011: mikko.tenhunen

The year 2011 has come and gone, but we'd still like to pay tribute to to a contributor who's been active over the past months in many of our beta trials and especially so in December: mikko.tenhunen. We appreciate the answers and guidance Mikko provides to other community members as well as the thought-provoking questions and suggestions directed towards product teams.

Congratulations on being selected as the contributor of the month for December 2011!  In honor of this we'd like to send you a few things (fleece and touchscreen gloves other goodies) as a token of appreciation (check your email).

- John, Community Facilitator @ Nokia Beta Labs

Feedback about Windows Phone version of Soundtracker also welcome

Just a quick note that we've brought the Windows Phone version of Soundtracker into the mix at Nokia Beta Labs.  As before, the app can be installed via the Windows Phone Marketplace, but feedback is welcome on the Beta Labs forum where the team is already active for the Symbian/S60 and Series 40 versions. 

We've created forum categories for each of the versions available for Nokia phones to keep things tidy.  The team at Soundtracker will do their best to stay on top of your feedback and take it into accont when developing new versions.

Enjoy!

- John, community manager

Nokia Configuration Tool version 6.3 graduates from beta

Thanks to everyone that participated in the beta trial of Nokia Configuration Tool verison 6.3! This version has now been deployed as the commercial version available through nokia.com.

Nokia Configuration Tool is a Windows PC application which you can use to manage the settings of Symbian phones through a USB cable or Bluetooth.  It is primarily designed for system administrators who configure phone profiles within an organization.

With it you can configure various settings like WLAN, email, Internet access points, and VPN on a single phone or several phones at the same time. Files, contact cards, and applications can also be transferred from the phone to the PC and vice versa.