Nokia released today a public beta of MeeGo PR1.2 for the Nokia N950 (the MeeGo developer device). The update is available as an OCF (One Click Flasher). The exact version number for this release is 3.2012.02-6_PR_RM680.
Changes since Harmattan 1.1 release
New languages
Persian
Hebrew
Kazakh
Thai
Vietnamese
Software update notifications for content in Nokia Store
Face recognition for gallery and face tags for Facebook
Support for folders in the application view
Mail for Exchange global address book lookup
Mail thread support in the Email client
Extended copy-paste support
Media sharing with DLNA compatible devices
Improved browser history view
Compass support in Maps
QtWebKit update to version 2.2
New font taken into use
Front camera support
Video editing support in the Gallery application
Bug fixes
There are ~122 public bugs fixed in this release. The complete list is available at harmattan-bugs.nokia.com.
Other important improvements
MeeGotouch Framework
Visual hint for differentiating swipe close gesture from normal swipes
Timestamps shown in notifications
Notifications sorted by timestamps
Improvements in Event Feed area
Music controls in Lock screen
New feedbacks added to MeeGoTouch theme:
priority2_callbutton_press
priority2_callbutton_release
priority2_close
priority2_close_multiple
priority2_move
priority2_popup
Kernel updated to be in sync with the upstream kernel version 2.6.32.48
Connectivity
Android NDEF Push Protocol disabled
NFC polling enabled in lock screen
Separate switch for controlling mobile background connections while roaming
Camera
Self Timer support
Composition grid + on/off control
Calendar
Better handling of To-Do lists, recurring events and timezones
Private flag support for events
Support for read-only events
Ability to forward/reply/reply-all for received events
Clock
Clock alarm becomes silent by flipping the device face down instead of snoozing
Updated time picker
Gallery
People view added to the grid toolbar
Improved multiple selection indication in grid view
Music Player
Audiobook and podcast support
Ability to create playlists
Ability to delete music files from music player library views via object menu
Possibility to see songs that are on the current play queue
In addition, there are numerous bug fixes related to the implementation of new features, improving the overall user experience and reliability of the device.
Those lucky who actually own a Nokia N950 can follow this link for a download of PR1.2 beta.
We wrote yesterday that Nokia is preparing to release PR1.2 for the N9 in the very near future. Now, Director for Applications for MeeGo at Nokia has tweeted that we’ll also see PR1.3 released soon after PR1.2. When asked about the date for PR1.2, he tweeted that it could hit on the “one extra day of the next month”, meaning February 29 :)
MeeGo users out there can soon celebrate with the release of software version dubbed PR1.2. The update has just started going out to registered N950 developers. It should take roughly a month before the final update will hit N9 owners out there.
We will be shortly releasing a developer edition of MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan 1.2 beta (feel free to crack a joke v 1.2 here) to developers with Nokia N950 Developer Device. The goal of this early access release is to enable developers to verify that their applications do not exhibit any regressions in the new platform version.
This release will be available as a one-click-flasher for Nokia N950 Developer Device. In other words, in order to participate in this beta you need to already have a Nokia N950 Developer Device.
First evidence of Nokia N9′s firmware version 22.2011.44.2 appeared today on Navifirm. This usually happens right before the firmware is officially pushed to end-users. What firmware is this? Could this be PR1.2 that everyone is waiting for? Just for the record, PR1.1 is v20.2011.40-4. Keep on waiting!
Nokia used their Conversations blog to announce that a glossy white color alternative of the Nokia N9 is on its way. All of the other colors are matte, so this is a nice new addition to the N9 collection! The new color will arrive by the end of this year. First up for delivery is the 64GB version, followed by the smaller capacity options.
They also wrote that a software update is in its finishing stages, meaning that we’ll see PR 1.2 released before the end of this year.
Changes in PR1.2:
The update includes usability improvements, like music controls keys from the lock screen or closing apps by swiping them down by default and NFC tag reading is also added.
My Nokia Blog noticed that Damian Dinning, one of those behind the N8′s camera, is currently working on bringing a software update for the N9 and Lumia 800. He simply tweeted that he is working on a software update to both devices, but didn’t go into detail on what this will bring.
Damian Dinning’s tweet:
working on sw updates to both to improve performance, no further details for now.
We don’t have a date, or an estimate, on when this will be released, but it is still good to know that something is coming!
Check out this really amazing mini-documentary of how the Nokia Lumia 800 was made. However, the video doesn’t mention the N9, which is thought to be the origin for the Lumia 800. Which came first? The N9 or the Lumia 800?
Here is the description of the video:
We go behind the scenes at Nokia’s London design studio with Stefan Pannenbecker, VP of Industrial Design at Nokia, Chris Linnett, Head of Lumia UX design and Kate Freebairn, Creative Director for Lumia UX design to explore the story behind the creation of Nokia’s first Windows Phone.
Nokia N9 users out there can now download software version 20.2011.40.4. Those of you who can’t get the over-the-air update, should be happy to hear that the update can also be obtained via the Nokia Software Updater. The OTA update is roughly 200MB, while the NSU update is 1.1GB.
Highlights of software version 20.2001.40.4:
NFC Tag Reading
Music control on lock screen
Photo and video shooting with colour filters
More power multitasking
Swype for faster typing
Faster MfE, syncing only the active folders
Noise cancellation
Swipe down gesture is default to close all apps
New notifications for standby screen and many more improvements
There are a few of you lucky users out there who have a Nokia N9 in their hand now. Most of you are running PR 1.0 as of now. The PR1.1 update has been rumored to hit in the very near future. The update is said to bring updated swipe functionality, improved boot speed, Chinese language support, and so forth.
Now we have an image of a Chinese Nokia N9 running PR1.2. This could be the Chinese alternative of PR1.1, but we can’t really say for sure. What we can say, is that the update is coming for sure! Stay tuned!
