Late last year, we learned that Microsoft had signed a deal with Norwegian software maker Opera, to help manage their Nokia device portfolio. While Microsoft will continue to maintain and manage the Lumia lineup, Opera would replace the Nokia Store and Nokia Xpress Browser with their own solutions on older Nokia handsets.

Starting this month, owners of class Nokia handsets running Series 40, Series 60, Symbian, Asha and Nokia X will be alerted to switch from using Nokia Store to Opera Mobile Store; and from Nokia Xpress Browser to Opera Mini.

Store

The Nokia Store will be discontinued on 31 March 2015 on devices running Series 40, Series 60, Symbian, Asha and the Nokia X platform. You may have already received an in-app notification from Nokia Store that it will soon become Opera Mobile Store. Lust like Nokia Store, Opera Mobile Store has thousands of games and apps, both free and paid, for Series 40, Series 60, Symbian, Asha, and Nokia X family phones. Developers on the Nokia Store are also being alerted to transfer their products to the Opera Store.

On Series 40, Asha, and Series 60 phone when you open Nokia Store, you will be redirected to the Opera Store mobile website. On a Nokia X family phone you are asked to download the new Opera Store app, which replaces Nokia Store on your phone. Apps purchased from Nokia Store continue to work after the transition, but apps that have been paid for are not available to re-download.

The process of migrating customers from Nokia Store to Opera Mobile Store is expected to be complete in the first half of 2015, at which point Nokia Store will be closed.

Browser

Nokia Xpress Browser for Series 40, Series 30+ and Asha devices is getting discontinued at the end of this year and will replaced by Opera Mini. Just like Xpress, Opera Mini is also a proxy browser, which compresses your Internet data, making mobile web browsing faster and highly efficient.

Depending on which Nokia device you use, when you launch Nokia Xpress Browser on your phone, you will be asked if you want to upgrade your browser to Opera Mini in a few simple clicks, or you can choose to continue using Xpress Browser until the next set of reminders. If that doesn’t work, try visiting m.opera.com on your phone to download it manually.

For more information on these changes please hit the source links below.



source - Opera Mini browser | Opera Mobile Store

The Nokia Store client has been updated to version 1.30(8) for S60 5th Edition and S60 3rd Edition. You can get the update by opening the Nokia Store client on your device and you will be prompted to download the latest version. You can also download the update by using the following link


Nokia has not released a change-log with the update, so be sure to share any new features and improvements you find on the update in the comments section below.


source - Symbian Tweet

This news comes from an event held in Bello Horizonte,  where Vinicius Costa Product Manager of Nokia Brazil talked about the evolution of the Symbian OS - Anna, Belle and future updates after Belle. While the name of the update following Belle wasn't revealed the 'under construction' icon showed that Nokia is working on it.




When questioned on future updates to Symbian^1 (S60v5) Costa responded :

"Nokia will continue to support these devices, which will also receive and interface identical to that of Symbian Ann"

While there were no further details shared on this matter, It will be great to see the interface brought in line with the modifications in Symbian Anna, which do away with a lot of the issues on S60v5. So best hold onto your old 5800, it looks like Nokia will blow some new life into your devices very soon.

The following guide will show you how to hack your Symbian S60v3, Symbian S60v5 and Symbian Anna devices using the system read/write access of an antivirus app on your device. The method will require coping three .ldd (ROM Patcher) files inside the C:/sys/bin folder.

ROMPatcher is able to hack the device only if these files are present in the system folder. Hacking is similar to Rooting on your Android device and gives you read/write access to system folders and the ability to install any unsigned apps without getting a certificate error. It will also give you the ability to install various modifications to your device.

If you own one of the above mentioned devices which you wish to hack, you can follow our step by step guide on how to hack your Symbian device below.

[NOTE] We do not recommend hacking your Symbian handset unless you are fully aware of the consequences and risks.

[DISCLAIMER] Improper use of this guide can result in loss of data or device malfunction which DJ’s Mobiles will not be responsible for. Please proceed at your own risk.

[NOTE] The following guide will not work on Symbian Belle devices.  

1. Please identify and download the correct version of the file for your device
   [NOTE] Check on your device if memory card is E:/ or F:/ and download the correct file only
   • Download this file If you have memory card is identified as E:/ on your device
     • An older phone without mass storage memory
     • Only mass storage and no memory card inserted
   • Download this file if you have the mass storage and a memory card installed and memory card is identified as F:/
     -
2. Extract the file you downloaded in Step 1 to your computer and open the folder named Private within the extracted files. Within than folder copy 20024113 (which is a folder within ‘Private’)
   -
3. Connect your device to your computer in Mass Storage Mode (Make sure that you do not connect in Nokia Ovi Suite mode and that Nokia (PC Suite) is not running on your computer.
   • If you have a memory card, you could opt to connect to the computer using a card reader instead
     -
4. Open My Computer and open the memory card (be sure to open the memory card and not the mass storage)
   • Find the Private folder in your memory card and paste the 20024113 folder you copied in Step 2 inside it. [NOTE] If you don’t see the ‘Private’ folder make sure hidden files are visible on your computer. If you still don’t see the ‘Private’ folder, you can manually create one within the root folder of your memory card.
   • Now disconnect your device from your computer
     -
5. Download Dr. Web Anti-virus and install it to the memory card on your device
   • Run Dr. Web from the menu and cancel any warning which may appear.
   • Go to Options > Quarantine and select all three files in the Quarantine using Options > Select All
   • Select Options > Restore and exit Dr. Web once completed.
     -
6. Download ROMPatcher+(signed) and install it on your device
   • Launch ROMPatcher from your menu and go to Options > All Patches > Apply.
   • AT this point the installed patches will be activated. -

Your device has now been hacked and you can install any unsigned apps and have read/write access to your system folders through X-plore. However the patches will become deactivated on restarting the device. In order keep your hack permanently activated

• Open ROM Patcher, go to Options and select Add to auto to all the patches one by one.

[NOTE] If you reset/format your device it will become un-hacked again. In that case you will have to repeat the above steps to regard your hacked state.  

 

F.A.Q.

1. What do I do if the above mentioned method doesn’t work for my device? There are some instances where this guide may not work for older devices like the Nokia E-Series. In that case you can either
   • Format/ hard reset your device and attempt again
   • Update your device to the latest available firmware and attempt again
     -
2. What if I am receiving errors when I install unsigned apps after successfully following the guide ?
• Download this file and extract its contents. (It contains hacked installservers for all S60 versions)
• Select and copy the correct installserver.exe according to your device and past it to C:/sys/bin using X-plore
• Reboot your device

source - PhoneArena (YouTube)

The Nokia N86 is a Symbian smartphone with a dual-slider design and the first Nokia handset to feature an 8MP camera. It also includes a rear kickstand, allowing users to prop the phone up for watching videos or viewing photos.

As the spiritual successor to the Nokia N82, expectations were high. The decision to replace Xenon flash with dual LED flash was surprising, especially for a camera-focused N-Series phone, but the N86 still had plenty of imaging strengths of its own.

A classic N-Series phone in a touchscreen world

The Nokia N86 arrived when the mobile industry was rapidly shifting toward touchscreen devices. Instead of following that trend, Nokia used the N86 to refine the classic N-Series formula: strong camera hardware, physical controls, multimedia features, and a familiar Symbian experience.

That made the N86 feel like a bold move. It was not trying to be an iPhone competitor. It was built for users who still wanted a traditional Nokia smartphone with proper buttons, strong media features, and dependable phone functionality.

Before getting into the review, thanks to WomWorld Nokia for providing the trial device.

What came in the box

The packaging was fairly modest for a high-end N-Series device. Inside the box, Nokia included the essentials, including a microUSB charger, adapter for older Nokia chargers, headset with volume controls, and a microUSB cable for PC connectivity.

The trial device also included a memory card, though the standard retail package may not have included one.

• MicroUSB charger
• Legacy Nokia charger adapter
• Stereo headset with controls
• MicroUSB cable
• Memory card included with trial unit

Hardware and design

The Nokia N86 was available in black and white, with the review unit finished in white. While white phones can raise concerns about discoloration over time, the N86 still looked sleek and classy in hand.

At 149g, it was not a light device, but the weight helped it feel solid. The phone was comfortable to hold and carried the premium feel expected from an N-Series handset.

The dual-slider mechanism was one of the N86’s defining features. Slide the display up, and you get the traditional alphanumeric keypad. Slide it down, and you reveal dedicated media keys for music and video playback.

Compared to earlier Nokia sliders, the N86 felt more refined. The mechanism was sturdy, the build felt confident, and the overall design showed lessons learned from earlier devices like the N80, N95, N85, and N97.

Display and controls

The front of the N86 is dominated by its 2.6-inch display. The screen is bright and vibrant, though its size and resolution felt conservative even at the time, especially as larger touchscreen phones were becoming common.

Sunlight visibility was also not as strong as expected from Nokia, which was disappointing for a camera-focused phone.

The D-pad was one of the better parts of the control layout. It was comfortable to use despite being smaller than some earlier Nokia designs. The front also included the earpiece, ambient light sensor, and front-facing camera for video calls.

The right side housed the volume rocker and two-stage camera shutter key, both of which felt easy to press. The top included microUSB, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the power button.

Back design and kickstand

The rear of the phone looked similar in spirit to the Nokia N97, especially around the camera cover design. The lens cover helped protect the camera, though it also raised concerns after some N97 users experienced scratching issues with similar designs.

The built-in kickstand was a great touch. It allowed the N86 to sit upright for watching videos or viewing photos, and by default opening the kickstand launched the image gallery.

Combined with the media keys, stereo speakers, and FM transmitter, the kickstand made the N86 feel like a proper pocket media device.

Software experience

The Nokia N86 runs Symbian S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. By this stage, Symbian had matured significantly, and on the N86 it felt fast, familiar, and reliable.

Compared to early touch-based Symbian devices, the N86 benefited from using a non-touch interface that Symbian was already very comfortable with. Menus were quick, the accelerometer rotated the interface smoothly, and the overall experience felt stable.

The refreshed icons gave the interface a more modern look, influenced by newer S60 5th Edition devices, while still preserving the familiar Nokia workflow.

• Symbian S60 3rd Edition FP2
• Fast and mature interface
• Strong phonebook and messaging tools
• Calendar, notes, recorder, calculator, and file tools
• Ovi Store, Ovi Maps, and Ovi Contacts support

Ovi services

The N86 included Nokia’s Ovi ecosystem, including Ovi Store, Ovi Maps, and Ovi Contacts. These services were central to Nokia’s connected-device strategy at the time.

Ovi Maps had the advantage of offline map downloads, which meant users did not need to rely on constant mobile data the way some competing mapping services did. However, the GPS experience during testing was inconsistent, and location locking proved frustrating.

Ovi Contacts and Ovi Share also felt limited compared to what users would eventually expect from more open social and cloud-connected platforms.

Telephony and connectivity

As expected from Nokia, the N86 performed well as a phone. Reception was solid during testing, and voice quality was decent across calls.

Connectivity options were strong for the time, including GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and microUSB. Wi-Fi added a more convenient way to browse, download maps, and access Ovi services without relying on mobile data.

Web browsing was usable, but after becoming familiar with touch-based browsing, using a traditional keypad phone for the web felt less appealing.

Multimedia features

The Nokia N86 was built as a media-focused phone. Audio quality was good, and the dedicated media keys made music playback more convenient.

The FM radio and FM transmitter were especially useful additions. The FM transmitter allowed users to play music through nearby FM receivers, making it handy for car use.

Video playback was decent, but the lack of DivX and Xvid support out of the box was disappointing for a device positioned as a multimedia phone.

Camera performance

The camera was the main attraction. The N86 featured an 8MP Carl Zeiss camera with autofocus, a 28mm wide-angle lens, dual LED flash, variable aperture, mechanical shutter, and geotagging support.

In good lighting, the N86 captured excellent photos with strong detail and pleasant colors. Landscape shots benefited from the wide-angle lens, making the phone especially enjoyable for travel photography.

Low-light performance was more complicated. Without flash, the N86 did surprisingly well thanks to its variable aperture and image processing. However, dual LED flash simply could not match the Xenon flash of the older Nokia N82.

That made the N86 feel like an improvement in some areas, but not a true camera successor to the N82 in every way.

Video recording

Video quality was decent at VGA resolution and 30fps, but the absence of HD recording was disappointing for an 8MP camera phone.

By this point, expectations for mobile video were rising quickly, and the N86 felt behind competitors that were starting to push higher-resolution recording.

Final thoughts

The Nokia N86 was a strong addition to the N-Series family, but it was not quite the Nokia N82 successor many camera phone fans expected.

Its design, build quality, media controls, kickstand, FM transmitter, and mature Symbian interface made it one of Nokia’s best traditional smartphones. Its camera was excellent in good lighting and genuinely useful for travel, but the lack of Xenon flash and HD video limited its appeal as a camera flagship.

For users who were not ready to move to touchscreen phones and wanted a feature-rich camera phone with classic Nokia strengths, the N86 made a lot of sense. But looking back, the Nokia N8 would become the more natural successor to Nokia’s great camera phone legacy.

• Maps 3.03 Lite which has Free Navigation support
• Music Player upgrade
• Quick Office v6.2 which has Office 2007 support
• Ovi Store upgraded to 1.6.0.18 and Download! removed
• Lotus Notes traveler v8.5.1 > Localization support is present only for 10 languages.

• Windows Live removed from the memory card
• Ovi Suite included in Memory card
• CS Helps baseline upgraded to fix localization issue
• Start Up settings baseline upgraded
• Ovi Store Link provided in “Set Up Internet Telephony”
• Download! removed

• Emergency call termination with RSK key corrected
• Corrected Bluetooth link drop when an outgoing call is made in a carkit

• Fix for Israel written instead of Jerusalem
• Corrected Argentina names issue in World Clock
• Corrected localization issues in world clock

• CMCC Java application download corrected
• Fix provided for accessing a link that has appended space characters

• Fix provided for selecting desired mailbox when multiple mailboxes are configured

source: Test-Mobile.fr (YouTube)

 The Nokia 7650 is a smartphone which features a 2.1 inch display, slide-out alphanumeric keyboard and the first from the company to feature a camera.

The full Nokia 7650 specifications follow: