My fear finally came. My drive slash obsession for Nokia and Symbian had ran its course. I stopped the theme making, running Carbide.UI on an i7 unit with 8GB of memory feels like it's on a 667 computer. It lags horribly.
I've been reading horrible things. And I am afraid investing on a "burning platform" might be the worst thing I had ever done. The uncertainty is just staggering.
Anna came out and as a Opera Mobile/Swype fanatic, it practically brought just new icons.
One less Nokia fan I suppose.
This is for you Nokia.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Dwindling
Has it ran its course already? I hope not.
I am finally getting the hand of Carbide.UI Theme edition. The theme is looking great but with all that I found out lately, they're all a huge shock and some were appalling.
I dove into the whole Symbian "advocating"-esque phase abruptly and as you can tell from the blog, quite recently. I liked what I saw on the coming Symbian updates, I really like the latest phones. But then as I roam the web, trying to consume as much Nokia as I could, I am finding unfavorable things, a lot of them actually. The sales, the support, the dying platform. I read about Elop's February speech back then but didn't cared because I was set to get an Android then, even though I haven't saved enough for the one I wanted, I was sort of obsessing on it, just like recently with Nokia. Deja vu. But I love Nokia. I already went through 4 Nokia phones in a span of 10 years, I really love the brand. I really want to contribute to the community but the though of the burning platform always comes and I am having second thoughts on investing to it.
Recently, there were promotions and contests for free Nokia units. I joined them all and lost. I really thought that it was my chance to own one of the latest units from Nokia. That fueled my fire more, so I joined more forums, read on more on Qt development (Qt Quick seems amazing btw) and became more passionate for it until I got hit on the face with defeat. I know it's wrong to assume that much on such things. I know that it is the most stupid thing to assume that I will be the one who'll get picked and win. It felt like I was the only one in the crowd waving the coat of arms of Nokia. Stupid, I know, but could you blame the fanatic in me wanting to get my hands on them? The angry loser in me thinks that the contest was rigged (though I wasn't alone) and the current N9 codes are just !@#$%^&*!
My 5800XM turns itself off way too many times, it's screaming for a replacement. I am just not sure if my next phone will be Nokia again.
Damn, I wish Oprah was still on. And maybe ask for an E7 or an N8 or the E6. I'm such a picky beggar. LOL
And I ramble way too much.
I am finally getting the hand of Carbide.UI Theme edition. The theme is looking great but with all that I found out lately, they're all a huge shock and some were appalling.
I dove into the whole Symbian "advocating"-esque phase abruptly and as you can tell from the blog, quite recently. I liked what I saw on the coming Symbian updates, I really like the latest phones. But then as I roam the web, trying to consume as much Nokia as I could, I am finding unfavorable things, a lot of them actually. The sales, the support, the dying platform. I read about Elop's February speech back then but didn't cared because I was set to get an Android then, even though I haven't saved enough for the one I wanted, I was sort of obsessing on it, just like recently with Nokia. Deja vu. But I love Nokia. I already went through 4 Nokia phones in a span of 10 years, I really love the brand. I really want to contribute to the community but the though of the burning platform always comes and I am having second thoughts on investing to it.
Recently, there were promotions and contests for free Nokia units. I joined them all and lost. I really thought that it was my chance to own one of the latest units from Nokia. That fueled my fire more, so I joined more forums, read on more on Qt development (Qt Quick seems amazing btw) and became more passionate for it until I got hit on the face with defeat. I know it's wrong to assume that much on such things. I know that it is the most stupid thing to assume that I will be the one who'll get picked and win. It felt like I was the only one in the crowd waving the coat of arms of Nokia. Stupid, I know, but could you blame the fanatic in me wanting to get my hands on them? The angry loser in me thinks that the contest was rigged (though I wasn't alone) and the current N9 codes are just !@#$%^&*!
My 5800XM turns itself off way too many times, it's screaming for a replacement. I am just not sure if my next phone will be Nokia again.
Damn, I wish Oprah was still on. And maybe ask for an E7 or an N8 or the E6. I'm such a picky beggar. LOL
And I ramble way too much.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Speed Bump Ahead
I'm going through a few speed bumps lately, I might get distracted and be sporadic in the coming days.
Thought just came in, why am I blogging like I have followers? LOL
See you later, me. :D
Thought just came in, why am I blogging like I have followers? LOL
See you later, me. :D
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Nokia N9 9-second Ads
Beautifully-lighted 9-second ads (just click along when asked) for Nokia's upcoming N9 beauty. Specs may be top notch for this phone but they don't boast it on these ads, they show how the phone interweaves into peoples' lives. Ain't that something, right?
via Nokia Conversations
Monday, July 11, 2011
Symbian Theming Update
First words that came out of my mouth when I launched Carbide.ui Symbian Theme Edition: OMG!
I dived head first in this and almost got drowned. The personalization level on themes is just staggering, but in the best way possible because that way you really can make your dream theme. I just had no idea that it was that detailed.
I haven't made one yet, I'm still trying to get a feel of what I could do in it. I was surprised that the theme engine uses the RGB color model in it. Down to borders and 2-toned gradient backgrounds.
So I made a theming to-do list.
Ok, I need some paletting to do.
I dived head first in this and almost got drowned. The personalization level on themes is just staggering, but in the best way possible because that way you really can make your dream theme. I just had no idea that it was that detailed.
I haven't made one yet, I'm still trying to get a feel of what I could do in it. I was surprised that the theme engine uses the RGB color model in it. Down to borders and 2-toned gradient backgrounds.
So I made a theming to-do list.
- First is to finalize the concept and design of the theme.
- Prepare a color palette list for reference when assigning it on Carbide.ui.
- Prepare images to be used.
- And this may be cheating but base the theme or work on top of a theme that already has a solid icon set. I think there would be too much tinkering if I were to assign icon on each and every iconable items especiall for this theming virgin.
Ok, I need some paletting to do.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Welcome to my sudden obsession
Yes, it came out from nowhere.
It was just a normal day of reading tech news and reviews. Nokia just announced the latest to their mobile phone line, the Meego-powered N9. It was gorgeous and so I needed to learn more about it. Found the spec sheet and it was on the verge of perfection. But the urge didn't started there, it began after reading a review of their business-centric E7 (E7-00).
One review after the other, the phone just gets more and more enticing to me. It's the sliding-tilt that caught my eye at first, it looks really great and sounds sturdy from the videos I had watched. My brother used to have an E-series phone, and I was amazed with the build quality of it and from what people are saying around, E7 is a design and engineering feat.
Then it was the screen. Looks so vibrant and with Nokia's CBD, it even surpassed some of Samsungs' on comparison. Then the USB-on-the-go. Then the HDMI out. I could go on but I'll stop.
And then it was the amazing quality of the camera and the videos it could capture. I love taking photos occasionally but I am more into capturing moving pictures. Cameras on phones is the one that least interests me because I already have an existing gear so the need for a good shooter on a phone seems not that significant. But then I saw samples of the HD videos that the E7 produced. I was shocked. I remember saying that how the heck that video came out from that phone that irked most of the reviewers because of Nokia's EDoFcamera? Yes, the camera couldn't take a decent macro photo but with that quality on video, I say who cares? And on that moment, I fellin love obsessed.
For a second, I did thought that my dream phone has one major flaw, it does not have Android on it. I've been following Android since Froyo came out and I had always thought that I'd have a Droid next for my phone. It was the apps that's the most enticing. It is the apps that drive people to a specific platform. And after reading a few articles about the "supposedly" death of Symbian because of Elop and his nudge on WP7, I did thought at first that I wish E7 has Android instead and I will miss Symbian when it "dies".
Trying to justify my recent change of the dream phone, I made a mental list. What are the apps that I need on my phone? But then, I have a phone now, the old Nokia 5800XM, and all the apps I need are all in there already. Why find it on a different platform when they are already there, right? The vastness of options was the one that nudged me into Android-ism before but suddenly it isn't that enticing anymore. And to think that I have all that I need on a Symbian^1 phone.
And so it was settled, and with this current obsession, seems like it's etched in stone, that my dream phone is the E7. And you know that feeling of not having what you needed (or wanted), I got it bad, really bad.
And so I did what is most probably the most "deteriorating" thing to do, I looked into Nokia, Symbian and even on Qt even more.
Suddenly, I wanted to make themes for Anna. So I downloaded Carbide.ui. While downloading, I wondered more. Ended up in Nokia's Design & User Experience Development Library. Unaware of everything, I finished reading the whole section. Wanting more, I found myself reading on the Qt section with all the intention of learning it. I even thought that maybe, if more people would make apps for Nokia then Symbian won't fade at all. That I, will be that one guy that would add to the huge pool of Nokia/Symbian loyalists. And I'm pretty sure that I am on the verge of delusion at that point. lol
Before I proceed, and maybe you have forgotten, that with all those things above, I don't even own a Symbian^3 phone and I am pretty sure it would take me about a year to save up and buy one or half a year for a pre-owned unit. But I kept the fire burning sort of speak, putting more wood in it to make it warmer and brighter.
So I needed a Twitter account and a blog to vent out this obsession, and now I have both (@annaandbeyond). Then I said I will make themes and share them on sites and forums at first. Then once I got the hang of it, maybe make premium ones and sell them. There are millions of people out there paying for themes and I need maybe 600 of them to buy one and help me buy my dream phone. Then the idea of monetizing an unknown recently launched all things Nokia/Symbian blog (this blog) also came. See, I told you I got it this bad.
I'm still not sure where all of this would go to or end up. I'll continue this as long as I feel I need to (to avoid going crazy lol).
I really genuinely feel that I want to be a Symbian enthusiast or maybe an advocate sort of speak, I mean making something for a thing I don't have should say a lot, right? It's that feeling that letting others know that just because people are flocking into one side, does not mean the less flocked one is bad, it means that it needs more passionate folks to continue to make it grow.
Holy crap, I think I just went a little envangelist-y right there. OK, I'm ending this here, for now.
It was just a normal day of reading tech news and reviews. Nokia just announced the latest to their mobile phone line, the Meego-powered N9. It was gorgeous and so I needed to learn more about it. Found the spec sheet and it was on the verge of perfection. But the urge didn't started there, it began after reading a review of their business-centric E7 (E7-00).
One review after the other, the phone just gets more and more enticing to me. It's the sliding-tilt that caught my eye at first, it looks really great and sounds sturdy from the videos I had watched. My brother used to have an E-series phone, and I was amazed with the build quality of it and from what people are saying around, E7 is a design and engineering feat.
Then it was the screen. Looks so vibrant and with Nokia's CBD, it even surpassed some of Samsungs' on comparison. Then the USB-on-the-go. Then the HDMI out. I could go on but I'll stop.
And then it was the amazing quality of the camera and the videos it could capture. I love taking photos occasionally but I am more into capturing moving pictures. Cameras on phones is the one that least interests me because I already have an existing gear so the need for a good shooter on a phone seems not that significant. But then I saw samples of the HD videos that the E7 produced. I was shocked. I remember saying that how the heck that video came out from that phone that irked most of the reviewers because of Nokia's EDoFcamera? Yes, the camera couldn't take a decent macro photo but with that quality on video, I say who cares? And on that moment, I fell
For a second, I did thought that my dream phone has one major flaw, it does not have Android on it. I've been following Android since Froyo came out and I had always thought that I'd have a Droid next for my phone. It was the apps that's the most enticing. It is the apps that drive people to a specific platform. And after reading a few articles about the "supposedly" death of Symbian because of Elop and his nudge on WP7, I did thought at first that I wish E7 has Android instead and I will miss Symbian when it "dies".
Trying to justify my recent change of the dream phone, I made a mental list. What are the apps that I need on my phone? But then, I have a phone now, the old Nokia 5800XM, and all the apps I need are all in there already. Why find it on a different platform when they are already there, right? The vastness of options was the one that nudged me into Android-ism before but suddenly it isn't that enticing anymore. And to think that I have all that I need on a Symbian^1 phone.
And so it was settled, and with this current obsession, seems like it's etched in stone, that my dream phone is the E7. And you know that feeling of not having what you needed (or wanted), I got it bad, really bad.
And so I did what is most probably the most "deteriorating" thing to do, I looked into Nokia, Symbian and even on Qt even more.
Suddenly, I wanted to make themes for Anna. So I downloaded Carbide.ui. While downloading, I wondered more. Ended up in Nokia's Design & User Experience Development Library. Unaware of everything, I finished reading the whole section. Wanting more, I found myself reading on the Qt section with all the intention of learning it. I even thought that maybe, if more people would make apps for Nokia then Symbian won't fade at all. That I, will be that one guy that would add to the huge pool of Nokia/Symbian loyalists. And I'm pretty sure that I am on the verge of delusion at that point. lol
Before I proceed, and maybe you have forgotten, that with all those things above, I don't even own a Symbian^3 phone and I am pretty sure it would take me about a year to save up and buy one or half a year for a pre-owned unit. But I kept the fire burning sort of speak, putting more wood in it to make it warmer and brighter.
So I needed a Twitter account and a blog to vent out this obsession, and now I have both (@annaandbeyond). Then I said I will make themes and share them on sites and forums at first. Then once I got the hang of it, maybe make premium ones and sell them. There are millions of people out there paying for themes and I need maybe 600 of them to buy one and help me buy my dream phone. Then the idea of monetizing an unknown recently launched all things Nokia/Symbian blog (this blog) also came. See, I told you I got it this bad.
I'm still not sure where all of this would go to or end up. I'll continue this as long as I feel I need to (to avoid going crazy lol).
I really genuinely feel that I want to be a Symbian enthusiast or maybe an advocate sort of speak, I mean making something for a thing I don't have should say a lot, right? It's that feeling that letting others know that just because people are flocking into one side, does not mean the less flocked one is bad, it means that it needs more passionate folks to continue to make it grow.
Holy crap, I think I just went a little envangelist-y right there. OK, I'm ending this here, for now.
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