I have been using the Nokia N8 for a while now, and it is still my opinion that it is the most capable smartphone in existence today. yes; its UI is not at the top of the tree, but in everything else put together, it blows away the competition.

While there are nthose living in denial and trying to remove Symbian from the list of smartphone operating systems, anyone who really has used the N8 knows that’s the joke of the century.

Over at Mobile Industry Review, Momchil put the N8 to the ultimate test – he basically setup the N8 as the hub of a home entertainment system, hooking it up with a USB Hard Disk, USB Keyboard, Bluetooth Mouse, & Full HD Monitor.

From the demo:

It works!!! The Nokia N8 really did it! We have a USB keyboard, Bluetooth Mouse, Full HD Video file copied from a USB Hard Drive, Full HD Monitor and a JBL Audio system connected to the Nokia N8 Simultaneously!!!

I can’t express my feelings right now… This device is really, really powerful. In addition it didn’t heat up at all while playing in HD and the battery was charging at the same time too!

WELL DONE NOKIA, I am truly impressed!!!

Basically, the N8 served as the CPU of this home media centre, and didn’t skip a beat doing it. That combination of functionalities makes the N8 one of the closest smartphones to a true PC. Need a bigger display? Hook it up to a HD monitor. Need to use files on a USB device? Hook it up via USB-on-the-go.

While these features are not things that are needed day-to-day, I can tell you that having them available has saved my skin a couple of times when all else failed. The N8 has saved the day again and again.

Now, can someone try the above with any other smartphone outside of the Symbian ecosystem and get back to me?

Source: Nokia N8 – the Ultimate Test

Canalys today published its final Q4 2010 global country-level smart phone market data, which revealed that Google’s Android has become the leading platform.

Shipments of Android-based smart phones reached 32.9 million, while devices running Nokia’s Symbian platform trailed slightly at 31.0 million worldwide. But Nokia did retain its position as the leading global smart phone vendor, with a share of 28%. The fourth quarter also saw the worldwide smart phone market continue to soar, with shipments of 101.2 million units representing year-on-year growth of 89%. The final quarter took shipments for the year to fractionally below 300 million units, with an annual growth rate of 80% over 2009 (see table below).

In Q4 2010, volumes of Google OS-based smart phones (Android, OMS and Tapas) were again boosted by strong performances from a number of vendors, notably LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, whose volumes across these platforms grew 4,127%, 1,474%, 709% and 371% respectively year-on-year. HTC and Samsung together accounted for nearly 45% of Google OS-based handset shipments.

At a regional level, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) remained the largest market, with shipments totalling 38.8 million and a year-on-year growth rate of 90%. Nokia continued to lead in EMEA and Asia Pacific, but in 2010 it was overtaken by RIM in Latin America, which shipped over a million more units than Nokia in Q4 2010. The vendor was particularly helped by the popularity of its mid-range smart phones, such as its Curve family of devices.

Source: Canalys Press Release

This afternoon, members of the Mobility Nigeria team took time out to take Matthew Dawes on a tour of Lagos. Matthew is Managing Director of All Amber, organisers of Mobile Web West Africa taking place at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos on Wednesday 2nd & Thursday 3rd February 2011.

I had my trusty Nokia N8 (remember that awesome 12 megapixel camera?) with me and put it to good use. As such, we have a few shots for you to enjoy.

I look forward to meeting some of our readers at Mobile Web West Africa in a couple of days time.

In order to properly review a product or solution, there is the need to actually use the product or solution – and for a significant period of time – in order to be able to form a valid opinion about the product and solution.

This is exactly what we do here at Mobility Nigeria. Right from day one, Yomi has abided by the principle that he will never publish a review of a product that he hasn’t used himself and he’ll never allow a Mobility Nigeria team member to do the same. As a result, our readers have come to trust our opinions on the products that we review.

We have received requests from manufacturers and retailers asking us to write reviews of their products. In one instance, the retailer asked us to go through their website and write a review of any of the phones listed there. We would do no such thing and we stood our ground despite their insistence. Our refusal also meant that the retailer pulled their ad off the Mobility Nigeria website.

We consider the advert loss a small trade-off for excellence and trust.

There are websites all over the place with “reviews” based on nothing but the manufacturer’s specifications of devices. Those are not reviews and do not reflect true pictures of the devices in real life situations.

Remember that when you read a phone review on Mobility Nigeria, you are reading a review based on real-life usage. It is one of those things that have earned us our reputation in the industry. Another is the fact that we endeavour to be objective in our evaluations of devices, regardless of whether or not a device in question is the type of device that the reviewer would purchase for himself.

The power of a Mobility Nigeria Review

We have observed a trend here. Right after we publish a phone review, that specific phone enjoys an increase in sales in our online phone store.

As such, we have come to appreciate the power of a single review. When reviews are properly done, interested buyers are well informed and those who find the review devices to be what they need are able to comfortably part with their hard-earned funds, knowing that they are not taking a walk in the dark.

Mobile Web West Africa, part of the critically acclaimed Mobile Web Africa series of events, is set to take place on February 2nd and 3rd at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.

Over the last few weeks the event has really taken shape:

- The Speaker Faculty has been boosted with the likes of Titi Omo-Ettu, President of ATCON and Jared Cohen, Director of Google Ideas who will both be delivering Keynote Addresses

- The Delegation now includes over 100 attendees from 10 different countries and all echelons of the mobile ecosystem are going to be represented

- More and more organisations are officially supporting the event with additional major players due to confirm their participation over the next few days

Five members of the ATCON Executive Committee, six representatives from Google and five representatives from Etisalat will be attending the event, along with senior decision-makers from industry-leading companies including InMobi, Storm360, Fontera, Unitel, Sponge, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, ConnectNigeria.com, the Shuttleworth Foundation and MapIT. Register your company for the event at www.mobilewestafrica.com/register.html or download a copy of the brochure here.

Due to the Interactive Roundtable Format the venue capacity is limited to 150. This event will sell out and those who leave registration until the last minute will miss out. Contact Matthew Dawes on matthew@allamber.co.uk or +44 1376 521 170 for full details or to reserve your place.

eTranzact, Lagos.
Ever since the inception of our company 2003, we have been known for innovation and spear-heading growth of the e-payment landscape of Nigeria. We done this through the introduction and development of various world-class products and services which has been of immense benefit to the general public

We have, over time, improved on our infrastructure to support and sustain card payment systems in Nigeria. We have provided a world –class electronic switching and mobile payment services and, currently have presences in seven countries around the world; Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast and United Kingdom.

We designed the eTranzact Mobile Commerce (mCommerce) application which is used to provide exceptional and cost-effective Mobile banking services to bank account holders. Mobile banking provides account holder access to their banking activities all via their mobile phones. This solution provide unique services such as Funds Transfers to any bank account or ATM cards, Bill payments – any Cable TV bills, PHCN bills, Postpaid bills, Airtime TopUp, Check account or card balance and most especially the ATM CardlexCash service.

With the ATM Cardlex Cash, you can send money anytime, anywhere to a third party’s mobile phone and the funds can be withdrawn at any ATM machine without the use of a physical ATM card.

eTranzact Mobile banking solution currently provides its services to eleven partner banks in Nigeria, which includes; United Bank of Africa, Intercontinental Bank , Oceanic Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, Union Bank, Spring Bank, Skye Bank, First City Monument Bank, Fidelity Bank and Wema Bank. Other banks are coming up soon.

And in keeping with this tradition, we recently developed a USSD for all mobile phones. This is in a bid to facilitate its mobile banking services and set the foundation for the take-off of mobile money services in Nigeria.

This interactive Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) enables all GSM users on the eTranzact mobile banking platform to utilize its menu-generated applications by requesting for services via a text or short code to a specific number.

Someone can send SMS with the following codes to:

As a mobile banking solution provider we are leveraging on the functionality to provide mobile banking services to all mobile phone users. It is a global service and can work outside and within the country. And our soon to launched MobileMoney service will ride on the backbone of the USSD , especially for those in the rural areas. This is in line with the company’s vision to be a global leader in providing innovative mobile payment services.

Mobility Nigeria is committed to helping to build a vibrant mobile developer community here in Nigeria. We want to see mobile apps developed by Nigerians gain acceptance and credibility.

We will be partnering with various organisations who have vested interests in mobile apps to provide support and an enabling environment to get things going.

As the first step in our drive in achieving this objective, we are inviting mobile apps developers to submit their details, so that we can build a comprehensive database.

Note also that only platforms that have official support for Nigeria are currently included in this drive. For now, that translates to Symbian and Blackberry.

Do you develop Symbian or Blackberry applications? Use the comments box below to submit your contact details, as well as a list of any apps that you have developed (or are currently developing). Our goal is to give you maximum exposure. Feel free to also tell us what you think we can do here at Mobility Nigeria to contribute to the developer ecosystem in the country.

Even if you are not a mobile app developer, please spread the word. This is our Nigeria. Together, we make things happen.

The Social application for new Symbian phones (Nokia N8, C6-01 and C7) has received a significant update to version 1.3.

A post on the Ovi Blog lists the new features added to Social to include:

• See your friends’ status updates right from their Contacts Card – now you can see what your friends are up to before you make a phone call.
• Linked Contacts Indicator enables you to see whose Contacts Cards are socially enabled and whose are not. Now you can manage your social networks more efficiently. No need to sync all your Social contacts at once, just pick and chose your closest friends and always know what they are up to.
• Add caption when sharing pictures from your camera to bring your photos to life.
• Higher resolution picture upload up to 4 MB so what you share is clear and sharp.
• Want to share your favorite Tweet? Now you can retweet!

To get the update, simply launch Social on your device. You may also need to login to your Facebook account after launching the app. You will be notified of the update.

Once you’ve got your update installed and running, let’s have your thoughts on the new features.

Source

2011 is definitely going to be the year of exciting developments in mobile. I got a snipet this morning that there was a press conference at which the NCC announced that number portability will commence in Nigeria in May 2011.

This is almost unbelievable. I had previously read an online official publication of the NCC last year, where NCC was talking about plans to introduce number portability. I was discussing it on twitter yesterday, while talking about the new MTN tariffs. People started saying that certain Nigerian Network would be the worst hit if number portability is effected. See its going to come on Life in May 2011.

According to a report in THIS DAY Live:

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Eugene Juwah, has disclosed that number portability will commence in the country in May this year.

The agenda the commission will pursue, includes the consolidation and integration of mobile wireless services, fixed line and broadband deployment for national development; enhanced competitive market, enhanced choice for the consumer; vigorous compliance monitoring and enforcement of regulations and directions; national connectivity for accelerated growth and enhanced international relations.

What is Number Portability?

Number portability enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another. If I am with a particular network and I am dissatisfied, I can simply move to the network of my choice without changing my number. I would not have to go through the pain of finding how to alert my contacts that my number has changed.

When number portability eventually go on live, it is going to instigate more competition among telecom operators. Hopefully, this will result in subscribers enjoying more benefits. I am really looking forward to this.

Are you as excited as I am?

What changes are you looking forward to when number portability eventually goes live?

Is this going to bring in any rapid change in the telecom services provided in Nigeria for voice calls, text, and data?

What are your inferences? The comments box is open, be the first to comment and invite your friends to join in. Thanks.

• Airtel Easy Recharge (Wazobia) will give consumers more freedom to charge phone credit with varying amounts
• System will boost availability of airtime by empowering vendors

Airtel, the 5th largest telecommunications operator in the world yesterday launched a new recharge service in Nigeria in furtherance of its plan to redefine freedom in telecommunications landscape in Africa.

The new recharge service, Airtel Easy Recharge, is expected to further empower Airtel customers across the country, offering them more convenience, flexibility, freedom, and ease in loading their phone credit.

Airtel Easy Recharge, launched as Wazobia Recharge in Nigeria, is a denomination-less recharge system which offers customers a unique opportunity to recharge their phones and those of their friends and family members with any value from N50 without having to use the scratch cards.

The new system, which has been launched in Nigeria today, will be followed shortly by an extensive roll out in 15 other markets in Africa. Airtel expects the service to make airtime readily available to its customers throughout the country 24/7 and empower its vendors to provide recharge service to consumers everywhere, more effectively.

The launch of the new system comes less than two months after the unveiling of Airtel brand in Nigeria and, is in tandem with the mobile operator’s promise to deliver the most exciting and relevant initiatives, products and services that enable consumers to accomplish more in their daily lives.

The system will additionally help Airtel to deepen the availability (distribution structure) of airtime to its retailers, vendors, non-fixed vendors and more importantly, its consumers, Airtel explained today. In addition, the new system provides consumers and retailers the flexibility of recharging their phones with varying amounts. The minimum recharge that can be done is N50.

Speaking at the launch of the new recharge system in Lagos today, Airtel Nigeria CEO, Rajan Swaroop, said: “Our mission is to deliver relevant, reliable and innovative solutions that empower our customers to overcome challenges in their daily life. At Airtel, we always listen to our consumers and we will continue to do our utmost to meet or even exceed their expectations. Mobile telephony is a key component of our daily lives; therefore, we can equate airtime to the fuel that drives our mobile communication”.

“By enhancing the availability of this important commodity to consumers we are empowering individuals, families and businesses across this great nation. By making recharges available from as low as N50, Airtel is enabling potentially over 50 million Nigerians to stay mobile and enjoy the exciting Airtel offers”.

Explaining the Wazobia campaign, Rajan said “Nigerians popularly referred to N50 as ‘Wazobia’ and the word also represented togetherness for the whole country. Airtel sees this as an original Nigerian term that captures the spirit of the people and we want to identify with such locally relevant opportunities”.

Airtel Nigeria also used the occasion to introduce a N50 physical recharge voucher which, like the Easy Recharge, will increase the flexibility and accessibility of airtime recharge platforms available to customers.

The introduction of the new system will create a positive multiplier effect by bolstering the trading channel’s ability to dispense airtime and meet the ever-growing consumer demands.

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About Airtel in Africa
Airtel is the new brand name for the 16 Zain operations across Africa which were acquired by Airtel International in June 2010. Airtel is driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all. Airtel has African operations in: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Airtel International is a Bharti Airtel company. For more information, please visit www.airtel.com.

I see people carrying around a couple of devices all the time. I understand the situations that have created the necessity to do that for some of us. Some carry two devices because the second one is an official line assigned to them at work. Others do so to have a backup line handy in case of network issues. Even more interesting, someone like Jesse carries one for voice calls, another for internet, and a third for business! PS: If I go missing in action, you know who’s the prime suspect upfront.

I have another friend who has one for business, and a second for multimedia (play).

Anyway, I got thinking today – if I could carry only one device around with me day-to-day, which device would be my choice?

I would have to consider a wide variety of factors and then arrive at a decision.

So, I am throwing this out today – if you were allowed to carry only one mobile device, which would it be, and why would it be your choice?

MTN’s official word on the TalkOn tariff plan as pulled up from their site is:

“If you make long calls to lots of people, MTN TalkOn is the best plan for you.

On MTN TalkOn, your first minute of call during the day will be charged at 50 kobo per second. After your first minute of calls, your MTN-to-MTN will then be charged at 25 kobo per second. No access fee, no hidden charges!!! Now that is what TRU VALUE is!!!“

It may be true value for some others, but it does not offer me anything worth shouting about. Note that this tariff plan only works when you make calls from your MTN line to other MTN lines.

Here is my situation: none of the calls I make on a regular basis are to an MTN line. And I mean not a single one. All my family and friends are on other networks- Dad, Mum, wife, brother and sisters, friends – not a single one of them are on MTN.

So what does MTN want me to do? Buy each member of my family and friends an MTN line so I can use TalkOn? I don’t think so.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the divide, the other members of my family and friends who are on Airtel are having a blast. Actually, they are talking on and on. And the best part is, they are billed 20 kobo per second for calls to other networks. Contrast that with the 50 kobo per second that I pay on MTN TalkOn when reaching my contacts on other networks.

I ask, Is it not time for me to move? I think now is the best time to drop my MTN line and move to 2good. The news article announcing MTN TalkOn registered a lot of angst from disgruntled subscribers. The solution isn’t so hard to find – perhaps it is time for those other dissatisfied subscribers like myself to drop their MTN SIMs and move to other networks that suit their needs?