The Nokia Guide

Joikuspot lacks infrastructure support?

I recently found myself using what seems like one of the best S60 apps available: Joikuspot. Especially having unlimited 3G service, my N95 8GB, a notebook and of course Joikuspot means I can hop online at fairly high speeds anywhere where 3G is available on the island, which in my case means everywhere!

Recently I really have gotten into gaming and the media possibilities of the Playstation 3 and found myself going to friends with my PS3 and needing high speed internet access. One of the easiest solutions I turned to was the N95 8GB + Joikuspot +3G. The PS3 is able to detect WLAN connection and connect wireless, but no matter what I did it just didn’t want to see the Joikuspot connection.

After a bit of searching, it was clear what was wrong: Joikuspot on S60 based smartphones only supports the ad hoc mode, while devices like the PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and IPod Touch require WLAN in an infrastructure mode. To make sure this works all you need to do now is check if your device can get online via infrastructure mode.

In the end I’m left with one question, is this a limitation of Joikuspot or Symbian S60? The reason why this is unclear is because of these two phrases used on the Joikuspot FAQ section:

“E) Why doesn't JoikuSpot work with Sony PSP or Nintendo DS?

Sony PSP and Nintendo DS require WLAN infrastructure mode. JoikuSpot does not support this yet.”

“D) Why does JoikuSpot appear as computer to computer (ad hoc) network?

Currently Symbian OS used in Nokia phones does not support WLAN infrastructure mode.”

A 3G-enabled Nseries, 3G service and joikuspot is a killer combination, but a whole lot of devices can be added if infrastructure mode can be added. Is this a limitation of Symbian S60 or Joikuspot? What do you think?

Turning your Nseries into a Super Nintendo System: Step by Step

I had previously talked about how the Nseries could be used to play your old Nintendo classics like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong Country, right here. Now here are the steps to get things up and running and how to optimally run the games which in fact are emulated.

1) First things first. The software needed for this to work is called vSsun, a Super Nintendo Emulator for S60 devices. Yes I know it’s not free, but once you have it; there are literally thousands of games to be had. All those bulky cartridges are replaced with your Nseries device with only the phone’s internal storage being the limiting factor.

2) Search for Super Nintendo SMC ROM files, thousands of these can be found online.

3) Once the program is installed and you have your SMC ROM files, connect your Nseries to your PC or Notebook using the USB cable in “PC Suite mode.”  Launch PC Suite and open the File Manager and go to: Phone Memory>Data>Others>Vsun. Here you should see the preinstalled “Color Demo.” Copy as many .SMC ROM files as you like to this location. Alternatively any wireless connection such as Bluetooth can be used.

4) Fire up the vSun app and you will now see a list of all the detected games, select the desired game and click to launch.

5) One launched, the game might look odd or it might even take only half of the screen. Press either the left or right soft key until a menu pops up.  Go to Graph and set Size to “Full” and Output to “Bitmap”. If you want audio go to Sound and Switch to “Full” and adjust the volume as needed. Press to right softkey to exit and go to Exit. Restart the game and your good to go.

You can save or load your game by pressing the right softkey and going to “Game” and selecting one of the appropriate slots from 1-5 to where you can save or load your saved game. And lastly if the mobile gaming is just not doing it for you with the small screen, play those classics using the usual way on your TV where the Nseries device is your controller. Or how about a more 2008-ish approach with a Bluetooth keyboard?

It takes a bit to get the whole thing going, but once you do chances are you’ll agree that it’s well worth it. Ah, Mario and Donkey Kong are back!

Nseries: A matter of printing

A big part of the Nseries is imaging. The process of capturing and sharing these images can be done in its entirety without the use of a single PC. Interesting how we dedicate so much time to capturing these images and digitally sharing them with others through email, blogging or online picture sharing sites like Flickr, yet we forget an important part of the chain: Printing.  Sometimes I have to wonder if hard copies are dying a slow death and even if these are environmentally responsible, but I guess that will be the topic for some other occasion, but in the mean time I have to admit that there’s something special in actually receiving a hard copy of that Pulitzer Prize winning photo for Feature Photography or a picture of the kids for granny. Just like books, there’s something special about actually having a real hard copy of an image: you can rip it to pieces, draw a moustache on your boss’s picture or just stick it on the wall! In the case you decide to print your next masterpiece or just want to share a copy with others I found out that for something as simple as printing the Nseries devices offer a great deal of possibilities without ever having to touch that evil PC or notebook.

Playstation 3 + N95 8GB: Setting it all up

I recently purchased a Playstation 3 80GB not only for the gaming, but also for the fact that it’s a Blu-ray player and because it acts like a media hub: displaying, downloading and managing your media. Well, It just so happens that the Playstation 3 is the first DNLA certified gaming console and the N95 8GB the first mobile phone to receive this certification. DLNA-compatible devices serve two different function: Server, Client or both. "Servers" distribute media such as image, music, or video files, and "clients" receive and play the media. The PS3 is a client from where you can display images, or play music or video files that are stored on a device with DLNA Media Server functionality over a network, while the N95 8GB is classified as a Mobile Media Server, allowing you to make the content available to clients like the PS3 and printers If this sounds familiar to you in some ways it is because it is related to the term UPnP, which was introduced with the N93, allowing UPnP devices to share digital media amongst each other. What do UPnP and DNLA have in common? “The DLNA certification program requires Universal Plug and Play certification for products that can be tested for UIC certification. Similarly, for products that support IEEE 802.11 wireless interface, Wi-Fi certification is required in order to obtain DLNA certification.”

To give you an idea what DNLA/UPnP on the PS3/N95 8GB can do, this video here should do the trick:

How was it done? How do you configure this setup allowing the PS3 and the N95 8GB to work together?

Playing Youtube Videos on your Nseries.

Until Nokia’s adds Flash Lite 3 to the S60 browser or if you have an N800 or N810 internet tablet, you’ll have to wait a little bit more to full enjoy Youtube.  Sure, currently there are many methods that work like Nokia’s own built-in Video Centre or m.vtap.com in your mobile browser, but most of them require streaming of the media which might not be a good thing when you don’t have coverage like in an airplane or some remote corner of the world. The best solution that works best for me right now is one that doesn’t require data usage and which allows me to keep the video and access it anytime from the gallery. Here are the steps in getting your vids on your Nserie and the great thing is that it’s completely FREE! Just the way we prefer things here at The Nokia Guide.

Step 1: Go to Youtube and get the link of the video you want.  Youtube doesn’t allow you to right-click and save their videos so you’ll need a special service for this.

Step 2: Go here to the eRightSoft’s KeepVid service that allows you to extract the Flash video. When you enter the link, make sure to choose Youtube on the right. As you can see this service is very handy and can work with many flash-based sites. Press “Download” and after a few seconds a menu will pop-up with a link to download the video.  Give the file an appropriate name followed by .flv. For example: Nokia.flv At this point you can actually playback this Flash Video on your PC with various software programs on the PC, I recommend FLV Player.  But we don’t want to stop here, as we want the video to be playable with your Nseries built-in Real Player. When the full version of Flash Lite 3 becomes available you can actually play these FLV files without converting them, but because Real Player can’t play FLV files,  so we’ll have to convert them to something suitable.

Staying up-to-date with podcasts and vidcasts

Ever since Nokia introduced its podcasting app I’ve been a fan, listening literally every day. The Podcasting app, the S60 browser and the Music player are probably the apps I use the most. If you’re unfamiliar with the term here’s a quick update: “Podcasts are regular digital audio or video broadcasts that can be downloaded and played on mobile devices and personal computers. News agencies and other sources offer podcasts on a wide range of topics. Often podcasts are regularly updated in a series of new episodes, so users often subscribe to their favorite shows.” The video podcasts are sometimes called Vodcasts or Vidcasts.  Browsing various Nokia blogs is one way of keeping up to date with the latest Nokia and S60 news, but why not stay up to date through podcasting? Reading is good, but sometimes It’s just relaxing to sit (or lie down in my case) and listen to or watch a good pod or vidcast. Here are a few Nokia and S60 based podcast that I recommend.

1)The Smartphones Show:  The Smartphones Show is probably one of the best vidcasts when it comes Nokia or Symbian based devices. It’s hosted by Allaboutsymbian writer Steve Litchfield, so the usual Allaboutsymbian goodness can be found here, but it isn’t updated as regular like some daily shows. It should provide a quick update as to what has been happening in the mobile world. While the show is available on Youtube or as a video download file, you can add the RSS Feed to your Nokia podcasting app. The Smartphones Show feed.

2)Allaboutsymbian Vidcast and Podcast: The Allaboutsymbian vidcast and podcasts are basically the regular site content in audio and video form with the usual interviews, news, updates and commentary by the Allaboutsymbian guys. While it isn’t updated daily, there’s new content more frequent then the Smartphone show. Allaboutsymbian Vidcast feed and Allaboutsymbian Podcast feed.

3)Voice of S60: The Voice of S60 podcasts is the official S60 podcast. Hosted by Phil, this bi-monthly podcast is all about interviewing people from the S60 community, both in and outside of the S60 team.Voice of S60 MP3 Feed or Voice of S60 AAC+ Feed.

4)The Nokia Cast: Nokia Cast is a podcast by AME Info that takes a look at all the latest Nokia activities and products across the Middle East. Not the most in-depth podcast as it’s pretty short, but it sometimes has some interesting content with recordings done live from a few Nokia events. There are also the usual interviews, info and news. The Nokia Cast feed.

5)Symbian-Guru’s chatting with the Guru: Chatting with the Guru is hosted by Ricky a.k.a the Symbian Guru. In each Episode he talks to a member of the Nokia or S60 community. He also has a Vidcast that consists of random videos, video tests and Drving with the Guru. Chatting with the Guru feed or Guru Vidcast feed.

Mobile Diva Darla Mack is also expected to have her first podcast by the end of Novemeber.

And lastly, here’s a quick tip that might be usefull in adding the feeds to the podcasting app. Just copy the feeds and SMS them to your phone using any online SMS service. When you receive the message, just do as if you’re going to forward the message: this will allow you to edit and copy it. You can go into the podcasting app and “Add a new podcast” and paste the appropriate feed. And voila, instant podcasting! Do you know any good podcasts or vidcasts that covers S60 or Nokia content, let me know.

Update: Symbianworld from the Symbian World blog also has a handy tip when it comes to adding RSS feeds. He proposes using Barcodes. Didn’t think of it, but it sure beats typing those long URL. Howard Forums (HoFo) member Dr Tran was kind enough to send me all the podcasts links here into an OPML file, a much more convenient solution. Just send the OPML file to your phone and the podcasting app will add them to its directory.He also pointed out that OPML files can be easily created using an OPML builder. One can be found here. Here's the OPML file..

Wikipedia: the mobile alternative

One of the most useful sites on the net for me is Wikipedia, I find myself several times a day looking things up either when doing a report for the university, doing a review, looking up a new word or just browsing around looking for something new. Our Mobile Diva Darla Mack has found a handy little  tool to take Wikipedia with you on your mobile phone. It’s called WikiMobile by Bonfire Media.  More info, screen shots and links can be found in Darla’s post.

I was excited to put this app on my device when I noticed that it’s only for US Verizon and AT&T handsets, darn.  So those of us outside the US are completely out of luck? I went looking and found several alternatives. But I have say that these are not quite as good as Wikimobil, but it should get the task done. First of all thanks to the wonderful S60 browser we can access the full-blown Wikipedia site, but do expect to do a lot of side to side scrolling. If you zoom out the text will become too small. If you want something more fitted for the small screen there quite a few non-official versions aimed at WAP browsers, among them: Wapedia, 3G.co’s Wikipedia page and Axa.instinct.co’s Wikipedia page.

Another option is Widsets. Widsets is a free Widget app for S60 devices and surprise surprise it has a Wikipedia widget that works quite well and looks really good too. My only gripe is that it’s a RAM-heavy Java app. Among all of these I prefer the Widsets option, but it’s about time Nokia worked on a non-java version.

Do you know any other Wikipedia WAP sites or mobile apps for S60, let me know!

The A,B,C of WIFI Browsing

One of the great features of the N95 is its ability to surf using a WIFI connection. Here are a few quick tips addressing some fairly common issues.
Tip 1: The N95 is capable of sniffing out most WIFI signals, but it has its limits. When you’re surfing the net and it keeps disconnecting or it’s not connecting due to a poor signal? Try this. Switch the N95 to landscape mode. I have found that this somehow improves its ability to hold connections or find those connections with a poor signal.

Tip 2 : A common question asked by those that are just getting started with S60 is: I’m trying to connect to my home WIFI or my WIFI at work but it keeps asking for a pre-shared key, what do I do and where do I get this key? If you’re lucky you can find some open WIFI networks that will allow you to connect without the hassle of pre-shared keys, but most networks nowadays are protected with WEP, WPA and or MAC address filtering. Here are the basic steps to get you started.
WEP/WPA: 1) If you’re going to use those networks you will need the pre-shared key (WPA) or WEP key (WEP). If you’re at work or any hotspot you will need to ask the system admin for the WEP Key or pre-shared key. If you’re at home you can find it by entering your routers setup page. For most routers this can be accessed by entering: http://192.168.1.1/ in your browser. (do not change any settings if you’re unfamiliar with wireless networks)

WEP/WPA: 2) Once you have the WEP key or WPA pre-shared key go to your phones stand-bye screen and there should be a WLAN wizard. You’ll recognize it by the text: “WLAN scanning off”,” WLAN network found” or “No WLAN network found”. Click on it (sometimes may require 2 clicks) and choose “Start Web Browsing”. Select the appropriate network and then choose “connect”. Once you do this it will ask for the key and if everything goes well it will automatically setup the network and connect.
MAC Address filtering: Some networks use MAC Address filtering in conjunction with WPA or WEP or alone. When MAC Address filtering is used without WPA or WEP it will seem as if the network is open but you will not be able to connect. In the case of the MAC address filtering you will need the system admin to include your MAC address to permit your phone to connect to the network. Just key in *#62209526# on your phone to get your MAC Address.

Tip 3: These WIFI enabled Nokia’s have a feature where they can automatically search for WIFI networks, this takes quite a hit on your battery. Here’s a tip to save some battery life. Go to the WLAN wizard on the stand-by screen I talked about in tip 2. When you’re done make sure it’s set to “WLAN scanning off”. If it’s tuned on, turn it off! Now go to tools, settings, Wireless LAN and make sure Show WLAN availability is set to: Never.

Tip 4: As smartphones these multimedia devices are capable of having several programs open at once. Same thing for downloading, you can have several apps downloading and or accessing the web at the same time. But did you know that you could have several connections open at once? Sometimes I like to set my N95 to download the latest podcast or videocasts in the background. The podcast app would use the WIFI connection, while I can check my mail using a separate GPRS or 3G connection. Nice!

Tip 5: When an app that accesses the web closes down it supposed to end the connection automatically. This isn’t always the case: the app closes but the connection is still open. This can be seen by the active WIFI, 3G or GPRS icons. Just go to Tools, Conn. Mgr, Active data connections, go to options and end the connection.

Tip 6: Is your WLAN connection constantly disconnecting after a period of time ? Well this is actually a power saving feature on the N95. You can easily turn it off, to have a constant connection. On the other this will reduce your battery life a little bit. Here’s how to do it. Go to tools, Settings, Connection, Wireless LAN, Options, Advanced settings. If it asks to continue anyway, just choose: Yes. Now go to “Power Saving” and set it to “Disabled”

These basic tips should help you get started and happy browsing! If you know any more helpful WIFI tips leave them in the comments section.

How to: Upgrading to a larger memory card

Ok, so just got a larger memory card for your smartphone what do you do next? Chances are you’ve installed some apps on the card and it’s probably filled with your content. Swapping out the old card and sticking the new one in mean loosing your data. Here’s an easy way upgrade to a new card without loosing anything.
1) With the old card inserted, connect your phone with the included USB cable and when a prompt appears on the phone, select “Mass Storage.”.

2) When the dialog appears choose “Open folder to view files” and a new window should open showing the content of the memory card.

3) Now we are going to make sure that all data, including the hidden data on the memory card gets copied. Go to the top of the window and choose “Tools” and go into “Folder Options.” Now select the “View” tab and under “Hidden files and folders” make sure the “Show hidden files and folders” option is selected. When done press OK.

4) Now go to “Edit” and select all, after this you can copy and paste the content anywhere you want. Disconnect your phone, take out the old card and insert the new one in following the proper procedure (tools, memory card, options: remove memory card)

5) Insert the new memory card in, connect the phone with the USB cable. When the dialog appears choose “Open folder to view files” and a new window should open showing the content of new the memory card. Go to the folder where you copied the content and go to edit and choose “select all.” Now copy and paste the data into the old card.

6) Do a quick reboot and you're done!

Barcodes, the next big thing?

First introduced on the N93, the barcode reader app now comes as standard on the Nokia N93i, N95, E90 and can be installed on the N80. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept you could easily compare them to the barcodes found on many consumer products. Compared to the traditional barcodes they also contain “hidden” data, but their matrix structure can hold a lot more information. These 2D codes are called “barcodes” but a lot of times they also contain elements that look more like squares, but to make it easy on myself I’m just going to call them barcodes. Why are these funny looking figures useful? “You can convert a web address (URL), a phone number, an email address or plain text into a mobile code. After scanning it with your camera phone, you will have instant access to the encoded information straight on the display of your mobile device.” While this is far from a one-click experience, it beats typing URLs, remembering business contacts or long phone numbers or even passwords. You get the idea. While Nokia has been part of the barcode action for quite some time, I didn’t know they actually had a dedicated site that explains the concept and even allows you to create and save your own barcodes. The Nokia Mobile Codes site is part of Nokia’s Beta Labs and can be accessed here.

If you haven’t test your phones bar-tastic capabilities just open the barcode reader app and point the camera to the barcode on the right, what does it say?