MobileDan’s Weblog

So, I’ve been trying out Emoze for S60…

While there are a lot of applications available for s60 now a days…
the one thing that struck me was the addition of Facebook messaging…

While I Can’t assume that all of my readers are Facebook users, I cannot fathom that if you don’t use it, you still haven’t heard of it!

In general, it is a push email service that polls for your email from various clients and sends them to your mobile device…

Some services covered are:

Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook messaging. Home/Local internet account. OWA based Corporate email account.

In a nutshell this gives you email on the go, and on top of that, access to your facebook emails!

From my reading further into it, It can run all the time, or in a standby sort of mode, meaning that when something gets detected, it will wake the application up, and show the new message

Pairing this service with the wonderful mobile application palringo, you can have instant messaging for facebook. amd check your messages via emoze.

That is just my current setup, as being on the go all the time, and sometimes unable to log on to facebook…

There is a free version which lets you check one messaging service, or a paid service they call “Pro” which costs  $12.99 a year.

There is a native app, but what I tried was the Java version, which looked really pleasing to the eye, and had number keyed menus so that once you hit menu, all you have to do is push the corresponding number (you can of course hit up or down to get to your selection )

All in all I liked this app, I can’t wait to see what other services they offer, as they also listed MySpace, Bebo
Ning, LinkedIn as well as Hi5 as up and coming supported social networks.

Also listed is that they will provide support for 40 other web
communities including Orkut, Frindster, Skyrock Network and Flicker to name a few!

Also, not to be forgotten, it’s available for nearly EVERY device, I even hear that an iPhone app is right around the corner!

While I currently use many different mobile email services, this is a really simple to use application which can get all of your messages to you directly on your mobile… Because I’m usually mobile and we’re all headed that direction and still need to get our messages…

Sorry it’s been so long, not much new has happened…

So, this Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has grown on me, but alas, It has got to start getting ready to go back…

Some of the apps that I’ve been using though, have completely made the phone, and opened my eyes for the future of S60 v.5 which is a jump from the previous v.3. I am really looking forward to how this version will react with an upper level phone such as the N97 as well as the Samsung i8910

On with the apps…

One app that totally takes advantage of the full screen resolution is Gravity, I am not much of a Twitter fan, but this app has opened my eyes. Coming from being a die hard Jaiku user, and loving the threaded conversations, it’s still a bit hard for me to try to keep up, but Gravity takes some of the headache out of it…

I can view photos taken with twitpic right in the app, and can respond and start a new tweet very easily. The app is really easy to use and is very responsive.

Shozu is a life saver. While in Colorado I was without a computer, and had to rely on this device for all of my posting and uploading of photos, Shozu made that really easy, and left me more time to enjoy my trip.

Google Maps with Latitude has also appealed to me, and now with the option of using my location to update my Google status, it’s all the more connected…
I can see where my friends currently are, and, if i’m nearby I’ll know so that I can try to meet up.
This is one of the things that I like about LBS (location based services) I can not only Call my friend, but I can text, IM them if they are on an Instant Messaging app, fire up the map and see where they are and in the future I could even video call them.

There are so many different ways that we are connected, and just think… a few years ago people didn’t think they needed voicemail, now we use it all the time, especially with SpinVox! Texting really took off as well, and people thought that would be a waste… Just wait to see how technology is going to make our lives so much easier!

Of course I’m still using sportstracker and I think you should check out all that it has to offer… especially the new package from Nokia and Polar a bluetooth Heart rate monitor for getting up to the minute Heart stats during your work-out!

Fring vs. Palringo… Hmm… I still have both installed… but I must say, that the Fring for S60v5 seems much easier for me to use… maybe it’s just me… what do you guys think? They’re both free, and both great products! if you’re looking for an IM client that ties skype into itself, try Fring… if you’re looking for an IM client that lets you use Facebook chat… go for Palringo… or, get them both!

Nokia maps… I really want to get into this app, but… I just don’t find myself needing everything that it has to offer… maybe if I was on foot… or not in a rush… But I drive almost for a living, and know my way around pretty well… the only thing I don’t know is physical addresses… and for that Google Maps helps me out so much… I will try it out now, for a bit and will try to report back…

So… That’s about it… I need to update a bit more, and I am sorry, but there really doesn’t seem to be much in the way of change, and need for me to update… and I’m not one to repost the news… I don’t feel it’s necessary to do that, it kinda bores me… Just give me the device or the app to play with and I’ll tell you if I like it, and, if by my description you want to try it, so be it!

First video taken with the Nokia 5800 XM on my way in to the city this morning…

I need to work on my “um’s”

Here I discuss How I’ve come to really like everything about the unit, and how I keep finding out new things about it all the time!

OK, so last night didn’t count… I got the phone opened up and played with it, but I didn’t really leave the house with it…

Today I did…

I am on the road a lot… at least 600 miles a week, and I still need to be connected… OK, you got me again… I don’t NEED to be connected, I WANT to be connected… I’m out there trying out these devices, making sure that they can handle whatever anyone can throw at them, and being the multi-tasker that I am, who better to do it then me?

On with it!  As I mentioned before I was against touch screens… but I think it was made up for by the addition of the Alphanumeric Keypad…

One problem I found today was when I was using Palringo to talk to friends I got annoyed at the steps that I had to take just to post anything!

I have organized some screenshots (Oh, before I forget, there is a really sweet app for that http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/How_to_take_screenshots_on_the_Nokia_5800_XpressMusic.php)

On with the screenshots… with my commentary…

The first thing to realize when entering any information on this phone, is that there are 4 different ways of entering text!

Handwriting

Mini QWERTY keyboard

Alphanumeric Keypad

And of course Full Screen QWERTY, which I could not show because the screenshot I am using apparently does not do so well in rotation mode…

K, now that that’s out of the way…

Here is my main buddy list, I’ll go ahead and select Ping.fm, Lets now update my status…

Now that I clicked that buddy, I want to type to it, I tap the part that says “Type Message Here” and it brings me to the screen below me… (I know the top part is hard to see, I am sorry…)

Next I am brought to this screen, this makes no sense to me, because I cannot DO anything with it, since I don’t actually have a keyboard… So, again I am forced to tap it again… I think it does this by default, thinking that I might use the Handwriting, but when It’s not in that mode, I really wish it could cut this step out…

After tapping the screen I am brought to my last used setting, the Alphanumeric Keypad

NOW I can finally type out my message…

finish typing, tap the green check mark and…

Back to this screen, this redundant screen… this damn stupid screen…

I next have to tap the options button

And hit Ok…

Which brings me back to the actual Palringo application screen with my text entered…

I next tap the screen where it says “Send”

And Voila!

My status is updated!

Versus on the N78 I would have been able to type in the fields and just hit send…

I don’t mind a few extra steps, but I really wish I could take out the Handwriting screen… or at least not have it be default…

I also have this problem when sending texts…

I’ve gotten it down though, and am pretty quick about it.

The learning curve was very short, and I definatly prefer this over QWERTY, and I fear that I am alone on this one…

UPDATE:

As per Ricky Symbian-Guru suggested below, I went and downloaded the native Palringo app

So much better using the right tool for the right job, here you see how much better and more efficiently this works!

Off the bat, this application makes better use of the screen.  I can’t believe that when I went to download the app, it gave me the other one…

Here, we can use the plecturm or our finger to scroll around, and hold on the contact we wish to talk to…

sending a message, from this screen…

…will take you to your default text entrly

leaving more room for typing, reading and less room for extra, unnecessary buttons

There you have it, Palringo v.99 for Symbian S60v5

Keeping up with what the users want and need, even as they themselves find something new that they MUST use!

First impressions…

I like buttons… I like T9 buttons to be more precise… I don’t hate QWERTY, I just don’t like it very much…

for the same reason that I don’t like most other 2 handed devices… or things that really distract me, or my eyes from the road…

I think I’ve become a master at driving and T9 typing… My Perry Farrell vision is amazing…

Anyway…

The package arrived… turns out it’s a 5800 XM NAM!

I get home, sync the phone from the N78, seems to have taken a bit longer then usual, and I think it was because it was also syncing all my music from the 4 gig card over to the 8 gig card…

I walked around the supermarket in a daze, checking out all the neat things that could be done to change the experience of the phone… the home screen theme of contacts bar, having 4 main easy to touch and call contacts, seems cool, if I had more then my GF that I called on a regular basis… maybe more like 12, fill up the whole screen… but 4 is better then none…

I really like the feel of the screen, if that makes any sense, since it’s the screen that feels me… It reminds me very much of the screen on my N800 Internet Tablet, responsive enough for handwriting, I think I could get to like this phone!

Texting has proven to take a bit, when sitting down, I can easily turn the device to use the full screen QWERTY, but this is not so handy when driving, which I do a lot of… the mini QWERTY keyboard makes me feel like I should be using the included guitar pic or stylus, or keep going back and forth deleting my errors… there is also handwriting, but I haven’t set it up yet… but wait…. there is also the option for an Alphanumeric keypad… that is about as close to T9 as I am going to get… well, it is, but it does not have actual buttons, but… it is T9!  I am very very happy.

downfalls… no sportstracker… BOO… no contacts on Ovi, and no Conversation and no Nokia Email… so far… I need to find other things that I CAN do with this device… expect more updates as I start playing with this device more and more… for $338.39 from Dell Small Business, it’s so far sounding like a sweet deal!

As you’ve read, I received a Nokia N96 from WOM World / Nokia, I’ve had it for 1 week so far, and am loving it.  I am part of a test group using Nokia’s new LBS (location based services) App, NokiaviNe which is in beta testing.  I was asked to contribute content and feedback on this new and exciting mobile app which uses the phones GPS to track your mobile entertainment content (photos, videos and music listened to), and where and when you make use of such material.  As my ongoing review of the N96 continues, I will bring you more details regarding the actual device… But for now, let me focus on the NokiaviNe application and it’s accompanying web site…

Due to embedding problems, please click the picture to be taken to the video by Nokia which will help to explain it.

As of now, the NokiaviNe Website is not functioning properly, I hope that this due to them adding new features, but we’ll see.  For now, peoples’ “vines” are being uploaded to the Nokia Sports Tracker website, and labeled “My viNe” with the corresponding date and time following that…

When I first heard of NokiaviNe, it reminded me a lot of Sports Tracker which is another LBS application and web site designed by Nokia Beta Labs to be used for tracking exercise and comparing your “stats” to your friends… They are both very similar, but make use of different tracking information.

Nokia Sports Tracker Website.

When I first tried Sports Tracker, I immediately loved it!  I drive frequently and wanted to use it to track my day.  It reminded me of the early works of Stavros’ “Position Art”

Just a snippit of one of his works, dedicated to his neighbor.

Eventually, the Sports Tracker application was upgraded and let the user upload photos to their “workout” as long as it was taken while “tracking” and was taken of course, taken on that mobile device .  I first noticed the addition of photos on my October 28th Workout I am still waiting for music that I listened to to appear on Sports Tracker.  As of now, music that I listen to, while “tracking”, shows up on the device, giving hope of seeing it implemented soon, but right now, is not synced to the Sports Tracker Server… This was something that when I first noticed brought to the device app, I didn’t think would take long to also bring into the web based form.  It seems that the Sports Tracker platform is nearing it’s end, as nothing new has been going on with it, but I can, and hope that I am wrong!

This brings me to actual screenshots of “My viNe” and My “Workout” both from the Sports Tracker website, both tracked at the same time… They both don’t show my music listened to, but the Mobile app below them both does… Funny isn’t it?  I think not…

One of my "workouts" from Sports Tracker.

One of "My viNe's" from Sports Tracker.

Screenshots of the N96, notice the last 2 on the bottom row...

Noticing the last 2 screenshots…  I’ll enlarge them… The left one is showing my music listened to on the device, also giving the location, and the right is an actual cropping of the above NokiaviNe / Sports Tracker map cropped to compare.  as you can see. music is not included… We’ll see once the NokiaviNe site comes back up…

Close up of the above...

I think and hope that maybe NokiaviNe is going to pick up where my use of Sports Tracker is leaving off… adding my user generated content (photos and videos) as well as tracking listening habits.  As of now though, the “vines” I have added do not share music listened to either. I wish that maybe Sports Tracker would keep the tracking function, and share all of the new and interesting things that NokiaviNe is adding, I’d much rather track my speed, and have the function of tracking my music listening secondary, but that might just me me.  There’s always last.fm and the S60 Mobbler… But some people couldn’t be bothered with all the information that Sports Tracker offers.

Going through my stats on my Sports Tracker profile, I see that as of this writing, I

I thoroughly enjoy Sports Tracker, but can see where NokiaviNe is headed, and how I can use it in my daily life.  We’ll see how it turns out.  The nice thing is that I can install them both…

What do you think?

As you may remember in a previous post I talked about some of the apps I was using in June…

“Share 3.0

Gmail

Google Maps

Google Search

Screenshot

Fring

Palringo

Device Status

Sports Tracker

and of course

Jaiku“

I’d like to talk about my current Apps, what they have replaced, and what I’ve also added to my arsenal.

Starting with Share, I’ve currently upgraded to Share 4.0 Although I haven’t gotten a chance to put it through it’s paces, I believe that it was a worthwhile upgrade as things seem quicker.

Gmail I still have loaded, but I’ve since moved on to Nokia Email as it lets me pull from up to 6 Email addresses! AND it can run in the backround.

Google Maps is still currently being used as I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s a solid App!

Google Search is still a favorite, although I’ve also been using the installed Search that comes with most newer S60 devices

Screenshot although I don’t use too often, I still wouldn’t even bother trying anything else, this is a free app that does the job perfectly!

Fring, hmm… My only problem with Fring is that whenever it’s running in the backround, and I am doing something else, it takes precedence, this gets very annoying when I am doing something else and the screen changes.  Even still, I prefer it to Palringo, but I have also been trying out Slick IM, so we’ll see…

Device Status, while nice to know info, I have not needed and have removed it from use.

Sports Tracker I am a HUGE fan of, and have recently received a device from WOM World with NokiaviNe installed, I am looking forward to comparing both!

and Jaiku, I wish there were a newer version, but there is not, but the tried and true version .80 is still great when I’m away from a PC (which is often )

Mobbler is a Last.fm scrobbler for devices, I like that I can also track my listening via my S60 device as well as my nano

Friend View is a new LBS (location based service) social app by Nokia, I like it so far because it lets me keep track my friends.

Flixwagon I have only recently started using, and it’s to replace Qik which I added since my last App review.  Flixwagon is now tied to Ovi.com and lets me stream video as well as save to my Ovi Share account.

Widsets is another interesting app which lets me customise my widgets and not necessarily install things to the device

The facebook app is really not an app, so much as a desktop shortcut, but it does the trick! it can be found in the downloads section of your S60 device

Any other Apps I might have missed, anything you think I should be using?  Drop me a comment!

EDIT! I completely forgot T9nav which is a handy app which lets me type in the numbers which corespond to the letters of apps, names of contacts or songs…

“Find anything on your mobile device instantly.

Music, websites, calendar entries, phone functions, contacts, whatever.

Just type in the first few letters and there it is. Unlock the power and potential of your mobile device with T9 Nav™.”

I am still trying it out, but have not noticed any battery drain because of it’s usage, but maybe I should put Device Status back on so I can test it further

Thanks for reading!