Nokia E65 - Your Computer's New Remote Control via Bluetooth or WIFI

I mentioned earlier that Apple Iphone's bluetooth is severely restricted to audio headset use. They can get away with this because to many people out there, bluetooth is what you might get when you eat overly coloured fairy floss. Bluetooth is actually the ability for your phone to communicate with another device wirelessly such as a printer, computer, PDA or another phone. You could use bluetooth to send a contact, calendar entry, print job, file etc. I recently tried out a program called Salling Clicker. I was completely hooked when I realised that with this program's use of the bluetooth technology on Nokia phones, I can:


- Automatically lock my computer when I walk away from it.
- Control my computer's media player with my phone (change track, browse files, pause, play etc).
- See on my computer screen what number is calling my mobile phone
- Control a Powerpoint presentation
- View the next slide for the Powerpoint presentation
- Show a countdown of how long I have left for my presentation
- Move my mouse around on your screen from my mobile
- Shut down my computer from my phone
- Automatically pause my music coming from my computer while I answer a call
- Mute computer volume and then unmute when I hang up

AND Control all the above via bluetooth OR my wireless network!

The two outstanding features of this program for me is the fact that you can lock your computer by walking out of range of bluetooth from your computer. Once you wander away beyond the bluetooth wireless radius of 10m, the computer senses that it has lost connection with your phone and realises that this means it should lock up. Try do that with your car central locking system!!

The other outstanding feature is that you dont need to use bluetooth to connect your phone to the computer. You can use the wireless network in your house/office and connect to your phone through that! This means that if you have a network set up, and you wander away beyond your 10m radius for bluetooth, you can still shut down your computer or turn up the volume on your computer so that you can hear your music from another room. This program is definitely worth looking at if you are a gadget savvy E65 user that I assume most people are on here.

Bluetooth Hack - Would you like to accept connection?

Do you get annoyed about how every time your phone connects to your computer, you need to say YES I do want to allow my computer to connect to the phone?

There is an easy fix. On your E65, or other Nokia phone, go to MENU --> CONNECT --> BLUETOOTH. Then press across -> to access the "PAIRED DEVICES" tab. Scroll down to the connection to your computer/otherphone/PDA/bluetooth kit that you want to always allow your phone to connect, and go to OPTIONS. Select "Set as authorised" and from now on, you won't be asked whether you would like to accept the connection from your computer. When your phone comes in range with your computer, they'll say hi to each other, update each other on what's been happening with them (sync your calendar, notes, address book, files, pictures or whatever else you want to sync with PC Suite) and send whatever changes you made to your phone or PC to the other - and this will allo happen without bothering you about it. This is how technology has advanced (actually it advanced 4 years ago to make this possible), unless you are an iphone user. The iPhones DO have bluetooth but Apple has made it that they dont allow you to do anything with bluetooth except connect to the wireless headset which you can be certain did not come in the box with the iphone.. but thats another story.

Nokia v Apple for Media Dominance in Mobile Markets

An interesting article recently came out about Nokia's plans for the future. The intuitive mobile phone deisgners are looking to re-create Nokia into a media company with key alliances to Sony and Universal. Some of the plans include 1 year FREE music mp3 downloads! Watch Nokia's space as this unfolds and remember the name Tero Ojanpera... he may be Nokia's answer to Steve Jobs.

Read more in the article here.

WARNING about Apple iEnvy - What Nokia E65 actually has over iPhone (part 1)

Its iPhone madness around the world, especially Australia which will get its first official bite of the Apple iphone when it is launched on the 11th July. I know anyone can say how much the iphone is better than any other phone so... whilst some E65 users will already be pre-booking their iPhones, I'll dare to mention a few things in which the Nokia E65 beats the iPhone.

Cost Lots has been said about how the iphone is US$199 and how cheap that is but the problem is, the news reporters are just reading from the media release put out by Apple. You actually need to sign up to a data plan with AT&T which doesnt come cheap. In Australia, Optus and Vodafone have not released what plan or prepaid arrangement must come with the iphone. They just want to assume you are an Apple fanboy with no qualms about price. For the E65, although its on its way out, in Australia you can get it free with a $19 cap plan with optus.

Change battery anytime Who would have thought that this would one day be considered a feature but one sad thing about the Apple Iphone is Apple's way of sucking money out of its consumers in every possible way and one of the most ingenious ways is to solder the battery into the iphone to stop you buying a generic battery from China. Instead, when you need to change your battery, you will need to seek out an Apple store to have it changed. Is there a service fee? You bet.

Cut and paste Your Nokia E65 has the side button with the pencil on it, which enables you to copy and paste:
* Website addresses from SMSes
* Phone numbers from your address book
* Notes to SMS
* WEP passwords to your WIFI password request field etc
Believe it or not, while the iPhone can also surf the net, you cant copy and paste! So if I sms you a website where you can see free wifi locations around australia, you will have to type this out: http://mye65.blogspot.com/2008/01/free-wifi-hotspots-around-australia-see.html

iTouch, but I dont want to. You think a touch screen is a good idea? wait till you get KFC all over your screen when someone calls you. Also, we dont know what it is like smsing someone using a touch screen which gives the user no feedback as they call or type. It might sound like a good idea but wait till you try it out.

Like I said earlier, obviously the Nokia E65 cannot compete with the iPhone. E65 came out earlier than iphone, is cheaper and its the Nokia N96 that iPhone is competing with. My points here are that the E65 has some points over the iphone which many people will not be aware of. There are other points I will cover later.

Edit: Part two can be found here

Speaking SMS - All I had to say in 160 characters or less

The following are some tips from Lifehack.org on what you can do to write concisely when preparing an SMS. Since each sms is only 160 characters long, here are some ways you can make your point and still stay within the "limit".

• Every character counts, so use strong verbs and a minimum of adverbs - you just can’t afford to say in two words what you can say in one.
• Avoid "big words". Almost every long word in English has a short, blunt word that means the same thing. Use it instead.
• Forget about breaking your thoughts into two SMS. You have no control over how your SMS will get read or whether they will stay together.
• Write first, then rewrite. It’s hard when you can feel that 160-character limit breathing down your neck. Spill it all out and then trim.
• You can usually cut "that" and "which". "The toy train that my sister got for Christmas" can be "The toy train my sister got for Christmas."
• Take your cue from Spanish (and Obama) and eliminate personal pronouns. "I am going to the Apple store" can be "Going to the Apple Store".
• Write short sentences. They stand out more. You share a page with dozens of posts. Many short sentences looks like something worth reading.
• Use punctuation! Many will tell you to rely on forceful words, not exclamation marks, but when words are limited, punctuation adds impact.
• Be personal. Short SMS are very conversational but you have to remember to let the person know its personal.
• Get to the point. Say what you want me to do and why I should do it. You have no room to build anticipation - cut straight to the chase.

More tips can be found in the original article here

Perth Bus and Train times at your fingertips

Now in your pocket!

The Western Australian city of Perth's public transport provider TransPerth has launched a new service which enables Mobile phone users with access to the internet on their phone to look up the the next service for ANY bus stop, train station, ferry terminal in Perth!! The website is www.136213.mobi.

Did you swipe your SmartRider card and forgot to check the balance? You can check your SmartRider balance on this website too. Just enter the smart rider number in your phone and it will tell you how much you have left to spend. You can even use this website to find out about last minute delays or changes to Transperth services in the News section. Even the name of the website impresses me because 136213 is also their helpline so if you store that website in your phone and you can't access the website, you can't say you don't know what number to call. With this service as well as Google Transit coming online soon, which will enable you to map your public transport route, there will soon be not enough reasons left to drive a car when in Perth. This website is a public transport solution that many other cities around the world should consider. Since your Nokia E65 can freely access any FREE WIFI hotspots publicly available, websites like this are a gem to have stored on your mobile, when you are out. Do you know of any such useful websites? Leave a comment and maybe you can help someone else.

Offering a cake you can't have yet.. Google Mobile Maps 2.2 introducing Public Transport

One thing I hate about public transport is not being able to change your plans without a timetable hanging out of your pocket. Now Perth's joins a list of cities which have bus, train and ferry timetables integrated on Google Transit, an online way to find out the best public transport route from A to B (see http://google.com/transit). Now why is this mentioned on a Nokia E65 blog?

Well, Google has announced that Google Maps for Mobile 2.2 will include the ability to show public transport routes using Google Transit. However, while they have trumpeted the joys of this new feature... its not available at the time of this post for Nokia E65s... but go check www.google.com/gmm on your phone and see if 2.2 has landed yet. If you can download it, come back and leave a comment that its available. This application will mean that if you find yourself in a suburb you dont know, you can use your mobile via Google Maps for Mobile to find a way home. Its convenient and makes public transport that little bit more accessible and... you're doing your bit for the environment going public.

Read more about this new feature at Google's own blog at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/get-your-transit-schedules-and.html

Fring 3.35 for better MSN, skype, VOIP, AOL on your Nokia E65

Fring has been upgraded! You can get the latest version for E65 and other Symbian phones by going to www.fring.com with your mobile phone or by downloading it and installing through PC suite.

So what's new?
- Improved stability – with significantly less interruption, logouts, etc
- Made voice quality even better all round
- Added speakerphone for Symbian 9.2
- Enabled file transfer from Yahoo! & Skype so you can now swap music, pics & vids over WiFi or 3G from mobile to mobile and mobile to PC! Its quick, reliable and of course free! No need for MMS, cable, Bluetooth or Infrared.

Got comments about the new FRING? If you are wondering what FRING is, its basically a program that allows you to use MSN, other instant messengers and VOIP (even Skype now!) over a wifi network through your phone! Read more by following the Top 5 Applications link to your right.

Address book Hack: Change your friend's name to something useful

Just a lighthearted post... Did you know that you don't have to name your friend's number by their name? OK that was obvious but you would be surprised how many times someone calls you and you have no idea who they are, yet they are in your phone book. When adding their name, add some details about who they are at the end. If there is someone you don't like, maybe name their number "Don't pick up! Its ___ " Further application could be getting a friend to call you when they want to remind you of something for example, using their office phone, rename it "Picking you up in 5min".

You can also change your name on someone else's phone and maybe call them up later to send them an unusual encouragement or message. Imagine your friend calls you and your phone flashes "God still loves you" or "Don't just look at me, pick me up!"

On a similar note, you can use your address book to store information that is not confidential such as your Virgin loyalty card number or something like that. The first name can be Virgin and the Surname can be your membership number.