News19,142 Articles

September 8, 2008

Nokia handsets now sync to Ovi service

Phone giant steps up competition with Microsoft

Nancy Gohring

Nokia is expanding the capabilities of its online content-sharing site, Ovi, as it steps up competition with other providers of services that link mobile phones to online services.

Users of Nokia phones can now synchronise their contact lists and calendars with an online calendar and address book.

The move brings Nokia closer to competing with other similar online services, including those from Apple and Microsoft, but also points to shortcomings the company faces because it is approaching the offerings as a mobile-phone developer as opposed to a software or online services developer.

For example, the new synching service doesn't connect to any existing calendar or address book that a customer might already use. Instead, a customer would begin using a new online calendar and address book from Nokia and synchronize that with the phone.

The new offerings create a service similar to Apple's MobileMe, but have some differences, too. Whereas MobileMe pushes changes to and from the iPhone, Ovi synchronises the changes per user commands.

In addition to synchronisation of calendars and address books, both Ovi and MobileMe also let users upload images from the device to an online site and remotely access files. MobileMe offers an email service, but Ovi doesn't.

Ovi is free, except for a premium version of its file-access service, while MobileMe costs £59 per year.

Microsoft also offers a free online service, Live Mesh, that lets users share files, programs and data among PCs and Windows Mobile phones.

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

% of PC Advisor readers agree with you

Yes
TBC
No
TBC

Which parts of the desktop PC/laptop experience can't you get on your smartphone?

119 characters remaining

Follow the conversation at @SmartphoneFocus

web browsing, search facilities, voip, email, word processing everything RT @Graham_D_C

<<newer story | back to index | older story>>

What is this?

Subscribe to PC Advisor now and claim your FREE gift

Keep up to date by adding PC Advisor News to your iGoogle home page or Google Reader


Google


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Latest reader comments

Latest reader comments


Top news

News index


Latest blog entries

Blogs index


 Our RSS feeds

Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now