6 posts tagged “s60”

Mobile Web Server - resources and links

Jun 23, 2007
4 comments

I've been getting quite a bit of traffic on my mobile website the past couple of days! It's interesting when I see the traffic statistics... I know when someone is loading my gallery page when it jumps up by a bunch. And the idle time gets reset to zero quite frequently. And then there's the occasional picture request (yeah I switched from running the MWS on the E62 to N95). Btw if you don't get a response, please try at least one more time. I could have the camera lens shutter closed or something. And since I'm kinda camera shy, you'll probably get a pic of my surroundings: my desk, my dashboard. my room... depending on where I am. But so far nobody has specifically asked for a pic of me anyway!

If only I can log where the hits and requests are coming from, which shouldn't be too difficult given the development tools available. Check out Forum Nokia's Mobile Web Server page. You can find a bunch of documents and guides to get you started; the MWS S60 SDK Plug-in (based on apache and python) you can use to create your own content and services for the MWS; as well as links to wikis, discussion boards and other resources.

All these things you can do with the current install of the application (access to calendar and gallery, send SMS, take a picture, host a blog etc.) - while interesting and fun - is not what the Mobile Web Server is ultimately about. The true potential lies in the fact that now, our mobile devices are no longer passive consumers of content and information from other servers and sites. Instead, they can now play the roles of service and content providers.

It's not even about serving stuff to the whole internet (especially given present limitations of bandwidth, cpu and battery life). I imagine most use cases to be between a select group of people - family and close friends. Checking each others calendar to schedule a get-together. Snapping a picture of the surroundings to see where I've (mis)placed my phone. Taking a peek at my co-worker's playlist to see what he's tapping his foot to without disturbing him. And finally not feeling too lost without my phone if I leave it at home (or at a friend's place after a long night of partying... not that I do that a lot) -- as I can check for missed calls and messages, set up automatic sms reply for callers to reach me at an alternate number, and still have access to my contacts and calendar so I won't miss my appointments.

I could go on... but there are also many great write-ups on the MWS technology in the blogosphere that deserves a read. Enjoy them while I go fiddle with my mobile site...

Harri: MWS and mobile applications for families
Tommi: Is that a Web Server in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
Rafe: Previewing Nokia's Mobile Web Server
Darla: A Look Into Nokia's Mobile Webserver
Darla: Customizing Your Mobile Web Server Template
Stefan: Put on a sombrero because the bright minds at Nokia are shining
Stefan: Nokia launches Mobile Web Server for S60
Ricky: Nokia Mobile Web Server - Useful?

Mobile Web Server

Jun 19, 2007
4 comments

I see a lot of potential for this. No time for a lengthy write up now. Work is killing me.

For info check out these links:

And of course my mobile site:

http://cybette.mymobilesite.net/

Login: visitor
Pass: visitor

If you don't log in, you'll have read-only access to the blog and guestbook. By logging in you can comment and leave messages, send me text message, and view my gallery. Yes, all content on my phone, served from my phone.

There are other things that can be shared, like calendar, camera (request a pic).... but currently I'm running it on my E62 so no photo requests :P

Let me know if you've set up a mobi site too!

New S60 bloggers: PhoneBoy, LonelyBob and I

May 16, 2007
4 comments

This is the "project" that I think I mentioned in an earlier post. I'm now an official S60 blogger, along with LonelyBob and PhoneBoy!

LonelyBob and I are blogging for the S60 Multimedia Blog, while PhoneBoy joins Phil over at See Into S60.

Here are our first posts:

That reminds me, I need to finish up my next post asap! See ya'll over at S60 blogs (don't forget to subscribe)!

Meme: Symbian history

Apr 9, 2007
7 comments

I've been tagged by Stefan to list all the Symbian devices that I've had in my purse at one time or other. It took me a while to come up with the list... I didn't even realize I have been using Symbian devices for 4 years now! And the list is quite long too, to my own amazement. Interesting how these meme things help me discover not just more about others but also about myself...

Without further ado, here are the devices that I can remember using as a personal phone anywhere from a few days to 2 years. And yes, most are prototypes. And SOS = Symbian OS.

Nokia 3620, SOS 6.1, S60 1st Ed FP1. Marking my first Symbian experience around March 2003, after working with mostly Series 30 and 40 phones. It's the then-popular 3650 with regular keypad instead of the awkward circular one, as well as 850Mhz band.
Nokia 6620, SOS 7.0s, S60 2nd Ed FP1. Moved from a Mobile phones product group to Series 60 (before it became "S60") platform group. I only used this for about a month, but it's significant because it's my introduction to S60 2nd Edition, and the longest wait between two Symbian devices for me (more than a year).
Nokia 6630, SOS 8.0a, S60 2nd Ed FP2. My team spent countless weeknights and weekends (including my first trip to Finland) to deliver the video engine for this phone. It has been my primary device for the longest time, from Q3 2004 to Q3 2006. Although there was a break of a few months when my handbag was stolen in Vienna and the phone was in it... so I had to find a replacement. (And the one in the bag was a retail unit, not a proto!!). Many people don't like its funky shape, but I kinda adore that... 6630 will always have a special place in my heart. I even bought a pretty purple faceplate for it.
Nokia 7710, SOS 7.0s, Series 90. I think this is the only Series 90 device ever sold. Shortly after, Series 90 merged with Series 60 and became S60. 7710 has a touch screen and supports DVB-H. I used it on and off throughout 2005.
Nokia 6680, SOS 8.0a, S60 2nd Ed FP2. Started using this when I lost my first 6630. The two are very similar actually. However the 6680 I had was an early prototype and many things didn't work well, including the camera (which didn't work at all) so I chucked it in a corner of my drawer after less than 2 months.
Nokia N90, SOS 8.1a, S60 2nd Ed FP3. Another reason why I gave up on the 6680 so quickly is because I got my hands on the N90, my first NSeries device! I think it was the first flip and twist "camcorder" form factor, the predecessor of the N93. The picture quality from it was quite good actually (is this the first one with Carl Zeiss optics?), but my impression was that the FP3 was slower than FP2. Plus it was kinda bulky. Plus it was a flip (I prefer candybars). So while I had fun showing it off in Q4 2005, once I found another 6630 to use, I switched back.
Nokia 9500, SOS 7.0s, Series 80 v2.0. The only "Communicator" I've had so far. Because of its size, I don't use it much. But I really like the qwerty keyboard on this one, and it renders webpages and displays documents quite nicely (although quite slowly too - by todays standards). I brought it with me on a couple of trips in 2006: in place of a laptop on a leisure trip and to supplement my laptop on a business trip.
Nokia E60, SOS 9.1, S60 3rd Ed. Two firsts here: first ESeries device for me and first look at 3rd Edition. I used this more for development and testing than anything else, although I do like the form factor and its minimalistic look, and probably would have used it as my primary phone if I didn't have the 6630 (yeah, I had a long love affair with the 6630, so don't be surprised if I mention it again before this post is over!)
Nokia N93, SOS 9.1, S60 3rd Ed. I've had this for a long time... well, more precisely, I've had different proto versions of this over the course of one year. From one that you can't even charge a battery in to the current one which takes better pictures than my N95 (in my opinion). I would probably carry it around more if it were slimmer and shinier (i.e. N93i). Good phone to have as a backup nonetheless. (N93 as backup? I'm definitely spoilt!)
Nokia 3250, SOS 9.1, S60 3rd Ed. While I like most candybar or block designs, I didn't care for this one. Too boxy. Even the pink version of this couldn't look cute. And the keys are too small. I tried it out for a few days, and passed it on to someone else who needed it for testing. I did think the "twist" idea was kinda cool though.
Nokia E70, SOS 9.1, S60 3rd Ed. Another handset I used mainly for development. I tried to use it for my personal phone briefly, but found that this flip-out qwerty keyboard does not work for me too well. I actually type faster with one hand on a regular keypad like the 6630 (with T9 predictive input) than with two hands on the E70. It does have a decent camera for an ESeries device however.
Nokia E62, SOS 9.1, S60 3rd Ed. I received this mid-2006 to test the Chinese input feature. I didn't think too much of it at first... no camera, no WLAN. So after the initial Chinese testing, a coworker asked to borrow it for a while and I didn't see it again for several months. Got it back ~ two months ago, and began rediscovering it. The qwerty on the E62 works for me in fact. Great for SMS and emails... big screen nice for browsing the web. And I fell in love with it when I brought it with me to Hawaii. Wonder if it's something about Hawaii or something about E62? :) Anyway it's one of my current devices.
Nokia N73, SOS 9.1, S60 3rd Ed. With the merger and name changes of AWS / Cingular (which one are they now?) I was getting less and less reliable signals with my 6630, so I desperately needed a phone with the 850Mhz band, and found myself a quad-band N73. For making calls and surfing the web, it was more than adequate. Looks great too. But the photo quality was bad... I wasn't sure if it was a hardware issue (proto) or firmware, and I couldn't locate any updated firmware to try out. It could have continued to be my main device past Q4 2006 if the photo quality was better (like the production units). Or maybe not! Since I was lucky enough to get a .....
Nokia N95, SOS 9.2, S60 3rd Ed FP1. The initial firmware when I received it last November was very buggy. Apps were crashing left and right. When I updated it in January things were MUCH better. It's really fun to use and it's actually thanks to N95 that I started here on Vox. I've since gotten another firmware update, and together with the E62 (and the non-Symbian N800), they keep me happy and satisfied.
Nokia 6290, SOS 9.2, S60 3rd Ed FP1. Not my personal phone, but currently I use it everyday for development at work. So sometimes when I bring work home, I'll have it in my purse ;)

Whew... a great trip down memory lane. And looking forward to see what future Symbian devices will be like! In the meantime, I'm gonna tag you folks to pass on this "Symbian History" meme:

Penguin crazy

Mar 7, 2007
4 comments

Thanks to nokiadownloads, we can get some really cool Dark Themes for S60 3rd Edition devices (Part 1 and Part 2). And I happen to like dark themes.

Really like this one called "Tux Army". Having watched three penguin themed movie in the past couple of months (Happy Feet, March of the Penguins, Farce of the Penguins).... there's something about penguins

And I got Tux on my work desk too

The only thing that bothers me is using the iPod as the Music Player icon. Why? S60 devices are not iPods :P

Well, maybe I can try creating my own themes. I just downloaded Carbide.ui S60 Theme Edition 3.1. It's a full WYSIWYG creation tool for customizing the UI look and feel on S60 phones.

Looks like a powerful program. Don't think it'll help my creativity though (or rather lack of)

Fun with photo edits and wallpapers on N95

Feb 14, 2007
12 comments

The edit feature in the Gallery on the newer N-series devices are so much fun. Take an ok picture, adjust the contrast and brightness, add a fun border and voila, it becomes cool.

Top left pic taken when my friends and I were having lunch at Panda's Super Buffet. Hmmmmm ice cream. Damn it I'm hungry now.

Bottom right is a pic of sleepy me, bordered and colour adjusted. Original one looked quite crappy actually (dark eye bags and all, plus using low res camera on front). A few minutes of "photoshopping" on the phone and we have a pretty decent picture.

For my wallpaper, I'm switching between two keyboards that I love: piano and computers... (lots of finger excercise!).