gregsmithsays: January 2010

Tips & Tweaks for S40 Mobile Phones – Going Beyond Limits

I love my S40 Nokia – granted it’s not an android and nowhere near an iphone, but still …

According to Wikipedia – “Series 40 is … the world’s most widely used mobile device platform and found in hundreds of millions of devices.”

So here are 10 Good reasons to prefer an S40 phone:

1. Ubiquity – as outlined above, it’s the most widely used platform;
2. Speed – the S40 platform is light and fast – faster than an iphone and faster than S60’s;
3. Battery life – I’m guessing based on experience that the light OS draws less power;
4. Simple UI – easy to use, intuitive functions;
5. Free applications – you’ll find plenty of free light-weight J2ME apps;
6. Compact – size has done a 360 but I’m still a less in more fan;
7. 3G – good speed especially where HSDPA is dodgy; the combination with light OS works;
8. Low Cost – usually at the lower end of the phone market & thus great value;
9. Solid – they work, hassle free
10. Opera Mini – runs Opera Mini 4.2 (or the beta version 5)

Ok, so it’s NOT an iphone or a fancy Windows Mobile smartphone but sometimes, just sometimes it’s refreshing to find a product that lets you maximize functions within it’s apparent limitations. The limits themselves become challenges and inspiration for valuable workarounds.

MY 10 Favourite S40 workarounds:

1. Keypad
Life without a QWERTY keyboard need not be unimaginable. Pre-plan handy usernames and passwords with the numeric keyboard in mind. For example – 258456 is a good username for fast one punch entry on a phone. On your PC it’ll look like this Ajtgjm (258456) – remember to start with an upper case letter as this is how your phone will automatically type and you’ll save a keystroke by planning for it. 258456 is the shape of a cross + on your phones numeric keypad and you’ll find it much faster to input when you learn these types of usernames. Remember to not repeat numbers or letters in sequence. That adds a millisecond delay.
Example of a fast Username and Password : Ajtgjm(258456) and ptwgjmab (78945623)
[Tip – Invent a rhyme to remember the letters and picture the numbers in rows on the phone)

1.1 Keypad continued / Predictive Text
Most phones have T9 predictive texting. Practice will have you thumbing along faster than most could manage on an iphone or QWERTY smartphone.

2. Assign Key Shortcuts
Most S40 phones have programmable key functions. I’ve set various keys to open frequently used applications. My SMS editor opens in one touch as do my mobile internet, calculator and camera.

3. Voice Commands
Many S40 phones also have programmable voice prompts. When you’ve used up all your assigned keys, use Voice Commands. My voice recorder opens when I say ‘recorder’.

4. Speed Dials
Often unused, set your speed dials, you’ll appreciate the time savings later.

5. Phonebook System
Power users know the value of an organized phonebook. My tip here is list your email in web services at the beginning of your phonebook like this: aaaaFacebook then aaaEvernote or aaPosterous and aTumblr or aFlickr. Saving these as contacts, you can use the built in email application to very rapidly send off stuff you’d like to share. I’ve added my own gmail address too so I can inbox myself important reminders via aaaGmailme.
Handy email/sms in services:
Facebook, Posterous(send in voice recording –Tip create a public & private account), CCBetty, Evernote, Flickr, My Opera, Picasa, Pixelpipe, Zoho, Google Docs, Tumblr, Tweetsms, Twitpic, Ubernote, Zyb and OVI.

6. Notes
I use my built in Note organizer to store all my personal info. I’m a bit worried about security so I jumble up the info with letters and digits I easily recognize as garble but which would render it useless to anyone else. For example – My mother is 63 and dad 71 so I’d put mom + dad and my passport number into this format 208498634422971. (fictional example) I do the same with credit card numbers and any banking or other sensitive personal data. Suitably camouflaged, I believe it’s perfectly safe.

7. Calendar
My calendar is a work of art. It have over 5 000 individual entries and spans at least 24 months into the future. It’s a bit over-the-top but with a little work, you too can enjoy the benefits.
The trick is loading the data via a PC. I’ve settle on 5 calendars. I use Google Calendars, Yahoo Calendars, Outlook Calendar, OVI Calendar and my phones inbuilt calendar.
Load all the data you wish to have available and then sync them according to how you wish to make the information public and/or private.
I went a step further and got Google SMS alerts – to be sure, to be sure ! I know, compulsive !
A last tip – make a HUGE jpg image snapshot of your full year planner and save the image on your phone. You can’t edit the picture but you’ll be able to get a quick look at an entire year and be able to zoom in and around it perfectly legibly.

8. Opera Mini
S40 phones come alive with Opera Mini. I use version 4.2 but beta version 5 is out.

There are plenty tricks to getting the most out of Opera Mini but I’ll try be brief:
1. Set Opera Mini to open with a one of your keypad shortcuts;
2. Use Opera Sync;
3. OBML Saved pages offer free data at your fingertips;
4. Bookmark – hopefully no explanation needed but be sure to include google mobile products;
5. Get an Opera Brower on a PC or get the USB version and sync bookmarks;
6. Sync’ed notes can be saved as OBML saved pages & are handy for ebooks;
7. Saved pages (OBML’s) of Facebook phonebook;
8. Java Bookmarklets – see o.yeswap.com
9. RSS feeds – spend time to set them up;
10. Google Profile – configure and use for links;

9. Essential Apps

1. Google Maps
2. Ebuddy
3. Kaywa Reader
4. scanR
5. World Clock
6. Translator
7. Converter II

10. Skype
IM+ for Skype is another essential and because 3G handles the voice data efficiently, I can recommend this application which needs a paid Skype out account.

And that’s it. Along with a couple other small tweaks, like local look4me services, you’ll be doing what any iphone user can. I’m convinced my Nokia 6234 performs as efficiently as phones 10 times its price and it gives me satisfaction to know I bagged the savings without much inconvenience.

greg smith
@gregsmithsays