Posts filed under 'Cell phone'
I’ve just noticed, that Google has opened for mobile access to Gmail. This means that by pointing any cell phone browser at http://m.gmail.com it should be possible to check any Gmail account. This provides a nice alternative for the email applications for cell phones I’ve posted on ealier.
After trying it out I had some positive and negative experience. First of all I could not make it work on my Nokia 6610i but it seemed to work fine with the Samsung E330. Secondly it seemed to take just a little longer, and be a little more difficult to check mail than using my current favourite, Flurrymail. On the positive side it did a very nice overview of the complete mailbox and had the familiar Gmail-look.
July 4th, 2006
A week ago I discussed the possible ways one could sync the cell phone with an external calendar. Here I will show more specific how syncML can be used to synchronize a standard cell phone calendar with Outlook. The advantage by this is that that once it is up and running it is much easier (or at least on the phones I’ve tried) than using infrared or bluetooth, thus giving the user a calendar which is always close by, and backed up on a remote server if the phone should be lost, or your Dell laptop should explode.
In order to achieve this, a few thing are required:
- A syncML compatible cell phone (most newer phones, and a lot of the older is)
- A working WAP connection (GPRS, 3G or similar)
- Outlook (this is possible with other applications too, but this guide is about Outlook).
- An account at a syncML server
From here on there are two ways to go, this can either be done for free but with a little more hassle in the setup. Or this can cost a bit of money and then have an easier setup.
The free solution
The only way I could make this work for free, is by using Funambols free syncML plugin for Outlook. Since this is the only free syncML plugin I could find. It seems that this plugin has some issues since I could only make it work with Scheduleworld.com. I would have preferred to use it with zyb.com, since I prefer them to scheduleworld, but I could not make the connection.
The first thing to be done is to make the synchronization between Scheduleworld and the cell phone work. In order to do that one need to start by going to Scheduleworlds website and set up an account. Then the phone needs to be set up (this is very different from phone to phone) with the following values, I can take some time to make it work.
- Server url: http://sync.scheduleworld.com/sync4j/sync
- User name: (this the costumer number which can be seen by logging in on the website and select preferences)
- password: (the same password as selected for the website)
- Application URI (often called a variety of things):
- calendar:cal
- contacs:card
When the synchronization is working between the phone and Scheduleworlds syncML server, it is time to focus on Outlook. The first thing which needs to be done is the installation of Funambols free syncML plugin for Outlook. The next time Outlook is started it will have on more menu called sync4j. In this menu configuration is selected and communications settings, synchronizations settings and Remote settings are set up as shown. With the “xxx..” in the username being the same user number as used when setting up the phone.
The problem with cyb.com’s server with Funambols plugin, was that the plugin crashed every time I tried to sync. If someone else can make that work I would like to know.
The paid way
The first thing needed is to setup an account at cyb.com, and get the synchronization connection between the phone and the cyb server. This was actually easier done than said for me, all I had to do is go to zyb.com, and they helped me identify the phone and sent me the settings for the phone by text message.
The next thing to be done is to install and configure a plugin for Outlook. Since the funambol kept crashing, I’ve downloaded a 15 days trial version Nexthause’s Outlook plugin, the full version costs 29 dollars.
Like with cyb things a just a little smoother with this plugin. The first time Outlook is started after installing this plugin, a wizard is started.
At the dialog, shown above, the server is url is set. After that the password and username hs to be set.
In the third dialogue box I choose to test the server setting. When this is choosen the server found the remaining settings itself like shown below.
After pressing “Finish” Outlook starts normally with a synchronize icon appears in the toolbar.
No matter which of the paths has been chosen, at this point one can now get Outlook and the cell phone in sync very fast. Just remember that it is an ecternal server, meaning that if you have made some changes on the cell phone since you last used Outlook you have to start by syncing aswell as end by doing it, and vice versa so that the external server is always up to date.
June 28th, 2006
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This post is outdated, and a updated version has been published
syncing Google calendar v2
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I’ve been trying to get an overview of how it is possible to sync Google Calender. Here are the main ways I could find/think of. There are some solutions for mobile devices Ipod and Java compatible cell phones, and som solutions for desktop applications Ical and Outlook.
What Google offers is first of all import and export of cvs and ical files, but doing this manually is too much of a hassle. Secondly, they offer the chance to make the calendar available as a feed or a public ical file, but this is read only, which means no two-way syncronisation. Thirdly they offer some more specific services, texting in events via the cell phone, but this does not seem that attractiv to me and they don’t support my service provider.
As I noted earlier it is possible to sync with advanced cell phones via the free application gcalsync, but I just read on Matthew Millers blog that there is also a commercial solution called Companionlink. I am hoping that this maybe supports more phones.
Ipod users can sync one way with the getcals pc application.
As for the desktop solution by Scheduleworlds, which I mentioned earlier, this does not seem to work. Whenever I try to set it up I get a weird error message.
Tuaw.com has published a guide for setting this up in Ical and Grinn Productions has published one for setting one-way sync up in Outlook using the remotecalendars, but this graphic tutorial shows how to-way sync is possible in the current version.
I anyone know of more ways to sync Google Calendar - don’t hesitate to comment.
June 24th, 2006
Since I wrote the post on syncing the cell phone calendars I’ve discovered a few more syncml servers, from reading up on other blogs.
Gsmsync is a web based service (although still in beta), where one can sign up, and sync calendar and contacts with the server via syncml. Thereby using the server as interface for the calendar, and backup for contacts. The website looks and functions really well, most of the way, I never recieved the setup sms (until 30 minutes later), so I had to set the settings up by hand. In addition when looking in the documentation it is clear that they are in beta. In time they plan to make it a paid service, but as fare as I could see it is free right now.
ZYB is a service very similar to GSMsync, in the way that they offer a very similar product, calendar and contacts sync via syncml and a nice web interface, for adding appointments and contacts. Contrary to GSMsync their documentation is very good, and it is a free service, which they plan to keep it free, and make their money from selling additional services like outlook integration (I however have a hard time seeing how they will keep users from connecting with Outlook via Funambols free syncml plugin for Outlook).
Of the two ZYB gave the best impression, it worked right out of the box, and even helped the user identify the phone model during the signup, and sending the settings right to the phone. All in all ZYB is in my mind clearly the most consistent solution for syncing the cell phone calendar, making it an best choice for the non-experienced user.
June 23rd, 2006
With the risc of repeating myself, I will try to deepen the post from yesterday concerning the possibilities for upgrading cell phone with Java applications, and take a deeper look at the email applications as I feel I did not get to the buttum yesterday.
The premises are still, that I’m limited to my Nokia 6610i phone, and the apps which function on that one. Furthermore, there seems to be a significant difference between what the website getjar reports compatible, and what I can’t find compatible (maybe a firmware problem).
I’ve been trying out three applications which I could make work: the hardcore no nonsense email, and the servicebased Flurrymail and Movamail.
Yesterday I was very positive about Simon Judge’s “email”, and I still really like that it takes up so little memory and that it is a fully blown client without the need for signing up for a service. It has however some series limitations. First of all, it does not support html mail. Second I could not make it work with several of my email accounts (including my Gmail), my guess is that this is due to Gmail only accepting encrypted connections. The application serves its purpose, if one can accept these limitations and that the look isn’t “polished”.
Flurrymail is the first of the service based email systems; I covered this in detail yesterday. I will just say that the interface is absolutely excellent. It not only looks, but it seems that everything has been thought through. On signs up very fast with the email address and the password for the email account. I did so with my Gmail account and it worked right away. Adding to this the interface on the phone is very intuitive.
If one goes to the website it is possible to add further email accounts and to news feeds via rss. Yesterday I was very positive about this feature, but I only tried it today. I signed up for my 6-7 favourite feeds, and when I tried it on the phone this morning it turned out that the feeds a shown as emails on the phone. This makes it very hard to find the emails and apparently caused some of my mails to not be loaded to the phone, since I encountered a limit around 60-70 messages. So this is absolutely not a full rss client, I’ve unsubscribed to all the feeds now, and is just using it as a mail client.
Movamail are in some points very similar to Flurrymail, since it is also a service. It just takes a lot longer to sign up, and depending on where you are from in the world it is only free for 60 days. The app looks very well, but I don’t find the control as intuitive as Flurrymail (but this probably differ according to the phone). It is claimed on the website that Movamail is faster than many other apps, I would guess that this should be due to compression, but I do not see this difference in loading times between Movamail and Flurrymail. If any I would say that Flurrymail is the fastest.
After trying the apllications a little more, there is very clear which one I will be using from now on. The limitations in Simon Judge’s email are too big, even though it does count in its favour that it is a complete client. Flurrymail seemed to be the most functional in the interface, both on the website and on my Nokia, and it is free.
That was just my 2 cents let me hear what you have to say.
June 22nd, 2006
Within the last year it seems that the number of JAVA applications for cell-phones have exploded. Today it is possible to expand the phone with more games, and the option of checking e-mail, gmail and a lot more.
I’ve tried out just a few of these apps, to see what they could do for a simple phone like my Nokia 6610i, but most of this should be relevant for a large array of phones.
When I first got my phone a few years a go, it seemed that the java capabilities in the phone could only be used for the already built in games, and some simple games and apps which was too expensive in my mind. After becoming aware of websites like getjar.com, it seems to me that this has changed. From getjar and other websites, it is possible to download loads of apps, some free other demos or shareware, to the pc or directly to phone, without expenses other than the bandwidth for downloading.
I’ve tried out a small sample of the apps on my Nokia 6610i, just to get an idea. To keep expenses low I downloaded the applications to the pc and transferred them by infrared connection. This is made pretty easy by the Nokia software; after the connection was made I was automatically asked if I wanted any Java app uploaded to the phone when I selected it for download.
My main priorities were an instant messaging client, as I figured it is probably cheaper than sms and e-mail since it is always nice to have.
Even though Getjar make it possible to only see the apps compatible with your phone, it seemed that half the applications I tried out did not work or was to large a file.
At first I tried out eMSNlite, this turned out to be a real pleasant experience; I was on my messenger account within seconds. I know there is a lot other IM clients out there but for Messenger fans this one seemed to do the trick.
The first mail app I tried was the simple one, a shareware called “Email“. When it is not registered it has a nagging delay screen. What I liked about this app was it no-nonsense simplicity and the low memory usage.
Flurrymail
Flurrymail is not just a Java app but a whole service, I must say I was a little skeptic at first, it just seemed to good. The service is free, and once signed up, you can add multiple e-mail accounts and news-feed (RSS) to the subscription. These are accessed through the flurrymail java-app. The website, and the client app for the phone looks very nice and cleans-shaven.
When installing I had the problem, that the file was too big (apparently the phone has a limit on how large the java apps can be), but after signing up I was offered an address, from which I could download it directly to the phone. It refused to work with the first e-mail I gave (even though it should work with pop3 and Imap) but accepted my Gmail. At the time of writing it still has not found my old e-mail (they say it takes some time and the 2000+ mails in the account could be the problem), but it have sent a mail to myself without any problems.
There is however two things which bother me, first of all the privacy issue, I don’t like giving up my cell phone number and e-mail account passwords to an unfamiliar website. Adding to that I can’t figure out how they plan to make money. The second thing which bother me, is that I have a hard time figuring out how much memory it would occupy on the phone, and how much bandwidth it would use especially in this case with a ridiculous amount of unread mail. But if none of these turn out to be a problem this could be really great.
Movamail
Movamail is another e-mail service which boasted that they save bandwidth by compressing the data. The app worked on the phone but I have not tried setting it up with an account. This also seemed like a really nice service.
All in all there should be really great possibilities for upgrading the old phone. It would be nice to hear from others which have experience with JAVA- apps. So don’t hesitate to make a comment.
I also tried out some games here is the list of compatible Games
- Aqualife X: Kingdom of love
- Black Metal
- Yikiyo
A list of the Java apps I found to be non-compatible with Nokia 6610i
- DynamoKid
- Mobile Fighter
- Alien War
- Whoosh
June 21st, 2006
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