Mobile platform-specific Google Maps!!

Wow.. finally Google Maps specifically created for S60 Symbian platform.

Here are some screenshots of the new Google Maps installed on my Nokia E61 :).









By the way, I found this review at All About Symbian about the new Google Maps very useful.

I knew this would eventually happen. This is what I was suggesting to Schrep in my comments to his post. I was mentioning about my thoughts on how Firefox for mobile phones should follow a strategy where first they come up with a Java based firefox so that they can capture the mass market and then they followup with a platform specific firefox application which gives a better performance.

Now, Google did just that. They first came up with a java-based Google Maps. This ensured that most of the phones start using Google Maps (capture the mass market). Now they've come up with a platform-specific Google Map which is available for Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Symbian and Blackberry, which gives a better performance and also utilize phone-specific features. For example, the new Google Map uses the phones' GPS if that's available. So if you install the new Google Maps on your Nokia N95, then it will automatically use the inbuilt GPS to show your location on the map.

For those who are not familiar with mobile applications.. what this means is that the previously available Google Map application (software) for the mobile phones was written (developed) using Java. Which means any Java enabled phone was install and use Google Maps on their phone. So you must be asking whats the big deal about Google Maps now?!!

Well, any Java-based application runs on top of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) which in turn runs on top of the mobile OS (platform). Which means there will be a comparable difference in performance between a Java-based application and a platform-specific application. Obviously, platform-specific applications are must faster. Also, developing mobile applications using the platform specific APIs (Application Programming Interface) will let us utilize any in-built phone features like GPS (as I've mentioned above).

[Article moved from http://mohasinz.blogspot.com/2007/10/mobile-platform-specific-google-maps.html]

Free Screen Capturing on Symbian Phones

Are you a reviewer like myself who wants to take screenshots of your symbian phone. Whatever might be the reason for screen capturing, many of us find it difficult to locate a free tool for doing the same.

Eventually we would end up finding this nice free tool called Screenshot for Symbian OS which was developed by Antony Pranata.

This mobile application is a freeware and its source code is also available for you to modify under GPL.

Screenshot for Symbian OS is available for Symbian OS S60 (1st, 2nd and 3rd editions) and UIQ 2.x platforms.

Features of Screenshot for Symbian OS:
- Capturing Mode: Lets you capture one shot (default) or shots every 1, 2, 5 and 10 seconds.
- Shortcut: Lets you choose from 5 predefined pair of keys which need to pressed for taking a screenshot. Default is + key combination.
- Image Format: You choose to save the image as JPEG or PNG of different qualities.
- Location: You can either choose to store the capture screen images either in the phone memory or external storage card.
- File name: Choose the prefix text that is used to form the name of the captured image file.
- Directory: Choose a directory name under which the screen capture image files are stored.
- Delay of first shot: You can choose to give a delay before taking the first shot. Default is "No delay".

When you launch the application, it has a back button for hiding the application in the background. The application shows the last captured screenshot on its home screen. You can choose to send this to a different phone or your PC based on the connection capabilities of the phone. You can also choose the deactivate screen capture if you choose to such that screen capture does not work if you press the keys combination.

Ironically, this tool does not let you take a screenshot of the settings screen of this application.

On a whole, this application does a great job of capturing the screenshots on your phone.

Home screen

Folder showing the captured images.

Settings screen captured on a Nokia E61