Nokia Pulse gets big update

We have posted about Nokia Pulse a fair few times here. Its one of the Beta apps Nokia has that we feared may be relegated to Beta forever, never getting an update. We knew recently a fix was coming for WP8, but it seems it was more than just a fix. In fact, the whole app has had a huge revamp. Alongside the update on Windows Phone, the HTML5 version has been pushed to be accessed by iOS and Android (although any HML5 browser should work as I have used it on my N9).

We have versions for Lumia and also for non-Nokia Windows Phones. I assume the difference with those is how navigation is handled, whether via Nokia Maps and Drive or Bing.

Here is what the Beta Labs page has to say:

Nokia Pulse

Nokia Pulse Beta is now available for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7 devices as well as all phones with an HTML5-enabled browser, such as Android and iOS devices.  For details on supported devices and OS versions, see Versions supported below.

Messaging. Now with location.

Nokia Pulse is smarter messaging. It lets you easily send private messages that are automatically tagged with your current location, so syncing up with or letting people know where you are is as easy as a few taps. You can also suggest a place to meet up, with rich information like reviews and directions contained right in the message.  So whether you’re making plans, changing plans, or on your way, a single Pulse message gets everyone on the same page.

Key features:

• Share your location and send messages to your friends and family with Windows Phone or the mobile web. Pulse automatically adds your current location to each message you send.  Suggest a place for your next gathering or simply say “I’m here,” and Pulse does the rest.
• When you suggest a place to meet, you share rich details that everyone can access with a tap—ratings & reviews, map, directions, and more, without ever leaving the app, thanks to Nokia Maps integration.
• Create live tiles for the Pulse app, a specific conversation, or even the Compose message screen.  The Pulse live tile notifies you of any new messages while the conversation live tile tells you of a new message for that conversation.
•  Send your message to only the people you choose—no complicated privacy settings needed.
•  Start entering a friend’s email address and we’ll auto-fill the email address if it’s already in your contact list.
• Share your Pulse message to Facebook or Twitter when you want to let more friends know where you are or what you’re doing.
• When you send a Pulse message to a friend, they can use their Facebook log-in with Pulse if they don’t already have a Nokia account.

Versions supported:

Pulse is available for use with various Windows Phone devices, including all Nokia Lumia phones and also Samsung Focus, Samsung Omnia7, HTC Pro, HTC HD7, HTC Mozart, HTC Surround, HTC Trophy, LG Optimus, LG Quantum, and Dell Venue Pro.  Additionally, Pulse is available as a mobile web app for the following HTML5-compatible devices: iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 that are running iOS v5.x or 6.x and Android versions 2.3.x (Gingerbread), 4.0.x (Ice Cream Sandwich), and 4.1.1 (Jellybean).  It also remains available for Symbian, the Nokia N9, and web users, but the functionality has not changed for these users. You can find installation instructions for all of these phones on the “Try it” page.

Setup’s a breeze. Download Nokia Pulse, and sign-in with your Nokia account or Facebook log-in

New features in the Nokia Pulse Beta 0.10.19.0:

•    On Windows Phone 8, you can get turn-by-turn navigation to any place posted in a conversation.
•    Receive real time conversation updates while within the app.
•    Share your Pulse message to Facebook or Twitter when you want to let more friends know where you are.
•    Now you can set any photo within a conversation as a featured photo. When you pin the conversation to Start, your cover photo will appear on the Live Tile.
•    Emoticons for Windows Phone 7.
•    Removal of comments. See below for more info.

What happened to Comments?

In order to streamline and simplify the Pulse user experience, we have removed the comments functionality. Now when you respond to a message, you will respond with another message, which, unlike a comment, can contain such rich information as a photo or a place. On older web and mobile clients, you will still see a the choice to write a comment, but it will become a Pulse message behind the scene. If you don’t see the comment you just wrote, try looking to see if it now shows as a separate message in the same conversation.

This beta software is still under development, may have bugs, and is published for testing and feedback purposes. By installing it you agree to the Nokia Beta Labs Terms & Conditions http://betalabs.nokia.com/terms.

We’d love to hear your feedback so be sure to visit the “Give feedback” page with your thoughts!

Enjoy!
Nokia Pulse team

If you want to give it a go, just visit pulse.nokia.com using your computer or your phone. Its really fun when you have a large group.

Fun fact: Apparently there are around 55k active users worldwide (beta labs has 65k “trialing”). Not bad for a beta product that gets no advertising.

Source: Beta Labs

Category: Applications, Beta Labs, Nokia