The legendary Nokia N8 is about to be revived thanks to a new custom firmware project called Reborn, which is breathing new life into Nokia’s classic phone.

The revival comes as many of us might have long forgotten our old Symbian phones, a move which is expected to restore the N8’s lost former glory.

This Nokia phone made a mark in 2010 for its impressive hardware, featuring a “touchscreen monoblock” design with a powerful 12MP Carl Zeiss camera and a Xenon flash that could rival many contemporary smartphones.

The reason for its decline became Symbian, an operating system originally designed for physical buttons rather than touch input.

As iPhone and Android began to dominate the market, Nokia tried to fight back with Nokia Belle, an enhanced user interface, and by the time it was ready, the update servers had started shutting down. 

This could be evident if you somehow find an N8 today and get irked since it is slow, outdated, and filled with broken app links.

But now over fifteen years later, the developer community has stepped in, introducing the new ROM that addresses the primary issues of the original Nokia N8 device and is based on Nokia Belle, the last version of Symbian released by Nokia.

The developers have also designed a functioning, updated app store, making the N8 a usable phone which was formerly a mere collectable, finally allowing it to showcase its capabilities.

A recent video of the nostalgic Nokia N8 is out there pleasing millions of eyeballs, demonstrating assembling a working N8 and installing the new software, revealing a smooth interface and a fully operational camera.

But if somebody, by any chance, decides to try this, they must have a backup plan, as recent projects have shown that Windows 10 drivers can dispute older Nokia flashing tools, leading to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

It’s also noteworthy that many N8s may have deteriorated hardware, but their revamped design allows to swap parts to create a fully functional device.

Kevin James looked back on the movie that nearly ended his career, and the friend who saved it.

Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show to promote his latest romantic comedy, Solo Mio, James revealed that the first cut of his 2009 comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop left him terrified.

“We shot it, and we edited it. And you know what it’s like seeing the first cut of a movie. It’s horrendous,” he admitted. “I thought my career was over. And we were so panicked.”

That’s when Adam Sandler, who produced the film, stepped in.

“He saved me. He made my movie Mall Cop. I would never have gotten that made,” James said.

“Adam goes, ‘Relax, buddy. Let me check it out.’ He looked at it. He let areas breathe, and he just knew what to do with it. And he made the movie that was. It was just amazing.”

The comedy, which James also cowrote and coproduced, went on to gross $183 million worldwide on a $26 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

Its success spawned a sequel in 2015 and cemented James as a comedy star.

James has since reunited with Sandler on multiple projects including Grown Ups and Here Comes the Boom.

He told Barrymore that he considers Sandler “the greatest.”

“Everything he does, I listen,” James said. “I just follow him.”

• Court seeks full forensic record by February 14.
• CM says USB sent under court orders.
• Police await court direction to probe CM.

PESHAWAR: Fresh controversy erupted in the May 9 case after reports from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency and Nadra linked video evidence to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, prompting the court to seek a complete report on February 14, The News reported. 

According to official reports received from the Punjab forensic agency, the evidence submitted in the case has been linked to CM Afridi, while a separate verification report from Nadra has also identified material related to him.

The court has directed that the complete forensic and verification reports be presented on February 14. Police have maintained that if directed by the court, they will formally investigate the KP chief minister in the matter.

Meanwhile, questions have surfaced on social media over whether the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police themselves sent the evidence relating to the chief minister to the Punjab forensic laboratory or whether the material was dispatched strictly on court orders.

Speaking to The News, CM Afridi said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police had not sent the material on their own. He said the court handed a sealed envelope containing a USB drive to the investigating officer and ordered that it be sent to the forensic laboratory.

According to the chief minister, neither his lawyer nor the investigating officer was informed about the contents of the USB. He said his lawyer requested that the material be shown in court, but the judge did not allow it, adding that the material was sent in what he described as an act of injustice.

Sohail Afridi further said that the court asked forensic experts to determine whether the individual appearing in the video was him. He said the experts confirmed that the person in the footage was indeed him.

“However, the real issue is whether Sohail Afridi has any connection with the May 9 incidents or not,” the chief minister said. He added that no investigation had so far been conducted against him by the police in connection with the case.

Separately, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed told The News that police had already completed their investigation in the case and submitted the challan to the court.

He said that after the defence lawyer produced certain material before the court, the court ordered that the USB be handed over to the police. Subsequently, the court directed the police to send the USB to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency and Nadra for verification.

The CCPO said that both the forensic and Nadra reports had been submitted to the court and formally made part of the case record. He added that further action would now be taken in line with the next court order.

According to the CCPO, if the court issues instructions, CM Afridi will also be investigated. He said it would now be for the court to determine whether the video and images have any connection with the May 9 incident in Peshawar.