Symbian Anna downloads beginning 18th August

Forums › Legacy mobile platforms (Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Web OS, Symbian, Meego, Blackberry) › Symbian Anna downloads beginning 18th August

alexx

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

#88632 19-Aug-2011 17:20

So far I’m having trouble connecting to the update service with Ovi Suite.

However someone I know with a parallel import E7 said he got his update over the air – most likely WiFi – last night, but he seems to be missing the update that brings the update adobe reader and other application software.

Has anyone here got their Symbian Anna updates yet?

Some more info here:

http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/08/18/symbian-anna-downloads-begin-today
http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/t5/Software-Updates/Symbian-Anna-We-are-live-Downloads-start-today/td-p/1114859

It looks like there are multiple parts to the update and the updated application software such as the adobe reader are coming in update part 2. The Nokia support forum thread has some of the common problems and solutions here:

http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/t5/Software-Updates/Symbian-Anna-We-are-live-Downloads-start-today/m-p/1115235#M94211

#include <standard.disclaimer>

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1315 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#509207 19-Aug-2011 21:02

OTA for NZ variants went live earlier this evening. Ovi Suite should be shortly also. Be aware that there may be a heavy load on the NSU server due to everyone downloading at the same time :)

mudguard

2118 posts

Uber Geek

#509238 19-Aug-2011 22:12

Nice to have qwerty in portrait and the predictive version is improved too. Smaller buttons, more screen real estate for the message and I seem to be much more accurate texting.

alexx

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

#509513 21-Aug-2011 01:14

I used the Nokia Software Update application (version 3.0.383 from Beta Labs) for the main 022.014 update of about 266MB on my N8-00, but found that left me with some missing components not available in NSU or Ovi Suite. Then I used the OTA update via Wifi for the remaining pieces of software.

Menu -> Applications -> SW update

Then installed:

Symbian Anna update 1/2 (28MB)
Symbian Anna update 2/2 (30MB)
Ovi Store (18MB)
Social (3415kB)

Some first observations...

1. The new release installs and adds "Communicator" to the home screen and invites you to set up Communicator, but of course the average user has no idea what Communicator is, but if they do use Microsoft Communicator at the office, then their IT staff should already be providing instructions on installing and configuring Communicator... so why did Nokia bother to install it on the home screen by default?

2. Round icons are round.

In fact these all seem to look the same and contain almost no useful visual information. Did these really need to be changed? I'm not sure what the point was, but without the recognition of the application from the shape, I find myself staring at them for a while, wondering what they are.

3. The analog clock is a big white blob with no graduations to help let you know what time it is. So a lot of the time it takes some close study of the exact positions of the hands - reading an analog clock shouldn't require careful examination - with a decent clock face it should be quicker to read than a digital clock. Thankfully the analog clock on the screen saver remains the same as before.

4. Split screen doesn't appear to be available with all apps and the portrait querty keyboard needs very small fingers on the N8 with 3.5 inch display (probably better on those models with a 4 inch display), but overall these are nice to have and long overdue improvements.

5. The web browser has some useful improvements. URL bar at the top and is quicker to go "back" (previous release needed an extra "tap" to get the back button). But Nokia loses points because there used to be some navigation buttons that let you go back (and forward) through the history one page at a time - now you just drag the pages back as carefully as you can, but even then they change far too quickly and you need luck to find the one you wanted without going past it.

Plus the updated browser defaults to loading the ovi.com home page which is slow - can change that so not a real problem.

6. Browser no longer able to browse geekzone mobile forums due to font change.

These sites I just checked and are working fine after the update.

http://www.google.com
http://nokia.mobi
http://www.gsmarena.com/
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

But http://m.geekzone.co.nz/ appears to have such a small font size as to be unreadable. It wasn't like this under PR1.2 so either the updated web browser is the problem, or perhaps the updated user agent string is not recognized by the geekzone server.

http://www.developer.nokia.com/Community/Wiki/User-Agent_headers_for_Nokia_devices

I would have though someone else would have noticed this one before now...
Perhaps I'm the last Symbian user not using the Opera browser?

#include <standard.disclaimer>

John2010

532 posts

Ultimate Geek

#509557 21-Aug-2011 11:07

alexx:

4. Split screen doesn't appear to be available with all apps and the portrait querty keyboard needs very small fingers on the N8 with 3.5 inch display (probably better on those models with a 4 inch display), but overall these are nice to have and long overdue improvements.

This is app developer dependant. Regarding firmware apps I have only struck lack of split screen in conversations (and the old icon exists) and that is easily fixed by going to Manage Applications and deleting the two Conversations apps there as they are a redundant carry over from the old firmware. Split screen will reappear and the Anna icon will pop up without rebooting.

My general impressions: Allowing for the fact that no one except myself has developed an application of device that exactly meets my own personal preferences

I find the update fine and suits me.

So happy EXCEPT still no bluetooth from Maps application to headset yet for N8 which I understand is a firmware matter not a maps one really grumpy about that one both for in car use (passengers have to be earbashed by the speaker directions and alerts) and for cycling (can't use at all as with older versions and bluetooth I just left the phone in my pocket and used voice instructions only). Well I don't get grumpy so should say I just

about it especially as my old E52 which did do headset has now got tempremental so can't use that either now.

John2010

532 posts

Ultimate Geek

#509560 21-Aug-2011 11:19

alexx:

6. Browser no longer able to browse geekzone mobile forums due to font change...

...But http://m.geekzone.co.nz/ appears to have such a small font size as to be unreadable. It wasn't like this under PR1.2 so either the updated web browser is the problem, or perhaps the updated user agent string is not recognized by the geekzone server.

http://www.developer.nokia.com/Community/Wiki/User-Agent_headers_for_Nokia_devices

I would have though someone else would have noticed this one before now...
Perhaps I'm the last Symbian user not using the Opera browser?

I swapped back from Opera just to see how the new Nokia browser went and still using the Nokia one (I have also removed Swype to see how I get on with Nokia keyboarding)...

Hadn't tried m.geekzone but on some other forum sites I found I could not pinch or anything else to expand contract the page to make the text large enough to be readable. But it miraculously fixed itself??? After reading your comment I have just now tried m.geekzone and it works fine for me.

alexx

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

#509747 22-Aug-2011 00:22

John2010:
alexx:

6. Browser no longer able to browse geekzone mobile forums due to font change...

Hadn't tried m.geekzone but on some other forum sites I found I could not pinch or anything else to expand contract the page to make the text large enough to be readable. But it miraculously fixed itself??? After reading your comment I have just now tried m.geekzone and it works fine for me.

Thanks, is this with an N8 fully updated to Anna and when you say, "pinch" "to expand", did you need to do that with m.geekzone.co.nz to view the pages?

In the previous release PR1.2 the site was readable without doing anything special. Now with Symbian Anna on the N*, I'm able to pinch/expand to make the text readable, but then I need to scroll from side to side... the text doesn't wrap around like it should.

If I use the regular geekzone site, I'm still needing to scroll from side to side, but at least the text is large enough to be readable without the need to pinch/expand so that I can see it. It still makes it difficult and in many ways too much trouble to attempt to read a thread like that.

#include <standard.disclaimer>

John2010

532 posts

Ultimate Geek

#509830 22-Aug-2011 10:26

Hi Alex

My comments were based on experience after the update to Anna.

Yes, I did mean that for m.geekzone I had to pinch/zoom to read the text and hence had to scroll. As I said I had not previously used m.geekzone so cannot compare as to how it may have been for me with PR1.2. Also in the past I had been using Opera so cannot comment generally on how the Nokia client worked with PR1.2 and before.

Using the post Anna Nokia client I have just tried a couple of other sites using normal addresses so also testing their autodirect to their mobile pages (Nokia Discussions forum, Metservice), and they both autodirected correctly and displayed correctly being readable on the screen without horizontal scroll bars. So, for example, text in forum posts word wrapped correctly and that with the phone in portrait (narrowest) mode.

I note when looking at m.geekzone that it says it is in beta and to advise any problems. That probably leaves it at large as to whether it is the remote server or the Nokia client on the phone that is the issue?

Have to say though all my comments are based on only casual use of the phone for web browsing as I find both mobile and non mobile sites a pain to use compared to the experience on a PC and as I almost always have a PC in front of me or am carrying a notebook I use those instead.

Samsung

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firewire

107 posts

Master Geek

#509942 22-Aug-2011 14:01

Updated mine the other night and the battery life is very poor. Deleted and restored and redone the update and still the same. It drains in a couple of hours. Anybody else having this issue?

nikrolls

151 posts

Master Geek

#512401 26-Aug-2011 12:21

A few points here:

Split-screen keyboard is in most areas. The main spots that it isn't in is some of the places where it isn't needed (eg pop-up boxes that only have a text-entry box), and also Qt apps (split-screen will be available with the release of Qt 4.8)
The icon redesign is to bring a uniform look and feel to all of our operating systems. If you're used to looking at apps by outlines then this will take a little bit of getting used to, but once you do it's very easy to identify them because their icons and motifs are very simplistic and color-coded
The 'Back' system in the browser can be changed to work like a browser's back button (eg remove the page thumbnails) by changing this in the settings
Battery life: I have noticed some people running beta apps to be experiencing poor battery life since the upgrade, mainly Sleeping Screen. If you are running apps like this please try uninstalling them and seeing if this helps -- Anna should overall slightly improve battery life rather than kill it. Remember that beta apps are just that: unfinished and not guaranteed to be kind on your battery.

firewire

107 posts

Master Geek

#512554 26-Aug-2011 15:21

I think the problem is solved. I might've been the foursquare widget which I'd never had before. Seems to be ok so far after being removed.

alexx

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

#513240 28-Aug-2011 23:27

nikrolls: A few points here:

Split-screen keyboard is in most areas. The main spots that it isn't in is some of the places where it isn't needed (eg pop-up boxes that only have a text-entry box), and also Qt apps (split-screen will be available with the release of Qt 4.8)
The icon redesign is to bring a uniform look and feel to all of our operating systems. If you're used to looking at apps by outlines then this will take a little bit of getting used to, but once you do it's very easy to identify them because their icons and motifs are very simplistic and color-coded
The 'Back' system in the browser can be changed to work like a browser's back button (eg remove the page thumbnails) by changing this in the settings
Battery life: I have noticed some people running beta apps to be experiencing poor battery life since the upgrade, mainly Sleeping Screen. If you are running apps like this please try uninstalling them and seeing if this helps -- Anna should overall slightly improve battery life rather than kill it. Remember that beta apps are just that: unfinished and not guaranteed to be kind on your battery.

Split screen working in most areas that are important in any case.
Just need smaller fingers for that portrait qwerty.

I've installed Qtinfo 3.0 to check the Qt version and it says 4.7.3 for Symbian Anna. Is Qt 4.8 coming in Belle?

Icon design is still taking some getting used - quite a number of icons the same shape and colour - e.g. several yellow icons. Is there any way to improve/replace the analog clock in Anna? I notice some screenshots of Belle showing a decent analog clock, but the one in Anna seems like a backward step.

I'm getting used to the 'Back' system in the browser - did you try the browser on the geekzone forums before and after the upgrade?

This is what the geekzone forums look like for me - bearing in mind that the pixel density on your monitor might not be the same, so you might need to scale this image a little, to get a more realistic idea.

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/blog73bc7fb28f7011b87534ebb2139f5324.jpg

Unfortunately I don't have a "before" screenshot, but it was quite readable.

Battery life is good for me - as you mentioned, perhaps even improved.

#include <standard.disclaimer>

coffeebaron

6233 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#513293 29-Aug-2011 08:57

No native swype intergration? Still had to download this, then you also loose split-screen.

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nikrolls

151 posts

Master Geek

#513652 29-Aug-2011 20:43

alexx:

I've installed Qtinfo 3.0 to check the Qt version and it says 4.7.3 for Symbian Anna. Is Qt 4.8 coming in Belle?

Qt 4.8 hasn't been released yet so it couldn't be included in the Anna release. Once it is released you will get an update the first time you install a Qt application that uses 4.8.

coffeebaron: No native swype intergration? Still had to download this, then you also loose split-screen.

Split-screen Swype is on the way, but it wasn't possible before the Anna launch. Follow the Swype for Symbian page on Betalabs for an update on when it's available.

Charles000

78 posts

Master Geek

#514101 30-Aug-2011 21:30

I picked up the Anna u

John2010

532 posts

Ultimate Geek

#524326 21-Sep-2011 22:28

alexx:

...This is what the geekzone forums look like for me - bearing in mind that the pixel density on your monitor might not be the same, so you might need to scale this image a little, to get a more realistic idea.

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/blog73bc7fb28f7011b87534ebb2139f5324.jpg

Unfortunately I don't have a "before" screenshot, but it was quite readable...

Have dredged this thread up again in case this rescaling thing is still of interest.

The answer from Nokia is in post 8 in http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/t5/Nseries-and-Symbian-Smartphones/Symbian-Anna-Pinch-zoom-not-working/td-p/1118251 .

It is a web site choice whether mobile optimised web pages are user scalable or not.

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