02 July 2009

New Version of Ovi Contacts
Brings Support For Touch Devices

It’s time for the semi-monthly update of the Nokia Ovi Contacts application (previously known as Nokia Chat).

Kristian Luoma, Product Manager, Ovi Contacts has released the new version of the Ovi contacts client which finally delivers long awaited support for S60 5th Edition devices, Nokia N97 and Nokia 5800 XM.

There is no signs of any noteworthy new features comparing it to the actual 3rd Edition variant and it only brings the touch support and finger friendly user interface.

In N97, however, there is something interesting to tell about. That is, ability to integrate your instant messaging friends with the contact cards in your traditional contact list. By doing this, you can see the presence status of your friends in the main phonebook tab too.

Also, if you use the Favourite Contacts feature in N97, you'll be able to see when your friends are online directly from the device home screen.

Here's how you can do it too:

1. Select the contact you want to link from the Ovi Contacts tab
2. Choose either create new or update existing (depending on if you have the contact in your main phonebook tab already or not)
3. Update the details, and you're done

They’ve also made some improvements for our contact list management system, so that the other Ovi services may later on utilize the same friend list and it is recommend to fill in the first name and last name fields due to this in to your profile.

For those who don’t know - Nokia Chat is a Presence and IM client that integrates to your Contacts Application.

It is more than just messaging as it allows you to share your status and your location, giving you physical presence! It’s all about keeping close to people who matter. With Ovi Contacts, you can let your friends know what you are doing and where you are. You can also check your friends' status messages to see what your friends are up to. Ovi Contacts is all about keeping in touch with people who matter.

Contacts on Ovi offers experience very close to what Nokia Chat offered to you - it’s a natural evolution of what Nokia Chat was. Contacts on Ovi application is compatible with all 3rd Ed devices but unfortunately it lacks support for the first touch based S60 phone and the 5tzh edition of the S60 platform!

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