Bluetooth Cell Phones

On July 17, 2002, Apple introduced iSync, an application that allows Mac users to easily synchronize their calendars and contacts. This functionality has eliminated the need for users to have two separate calendars and contact lists. I have discussed setting this up before, so we won't tread on covered ground. The purpose of this piece is to introduce you to some other resources that can make your mobile life a little easier.

My motivation for writing this article is two-fold. I have had a Nokia 3650 since August, but today just moved to a Sony-Ericsson T616. I still have intentions of using the Nokia, but wanted a smaller phone for certain occasions as well. When I got my Nokia, it was difficult to find a lot of resources for the phone. It seemed like I was living on Google. The same thing seems to be true with the T616. I hope to use this article to introduce you to some resources for your Symbian smart-phones and your SE cell phones.

Nokia 3650

The Nokia 3650 runs Symbian OS. The Symbian OS is owned, in majority, by Nokia and offers text messaging, multimedia messaging, multimedia (video/photo), data synchronization via SyncML, Java support, among others. The latest version of the Symbian OS is version 8.0. No phones have been released using this new OS, but I am sure they will be out by the end of the year or early next.

One of the many things that users are interested in is external modification of the phone: face plates, keypads, batteries, etc. The best resource I have found for this stuff is DayDeal.com. They have several third-party faceplates available, flashing keypads, a desktop charger for the phone, etc.

Visit Daydeal's Nokia 3650 Page

With the exterior of our phone pimped out, we need to customize the interface to make it our own: wallpapers, ring tones and themes. One thing you will notice about searching Google for this stuff is that finding anything free (read: useful) is nearly impossible. Never fear, I have compiled a nice list of places to get stuff.

Wallpaper

• Wallpaper from LoGoGo. If you don't mind forking out some cash for some high quality stuff, these guys are great.
• Wallpaper from MobileMedia. Free
• 36fifty.net. Along with wallpapers, 36fifty.net offers ring tones, games, applications and movies you can send to your phone. All free.
• 24 Wallpapers. If you are a fan of the television show 24, I have created a few wallpapers and posted them on my personal blog. They are free for the taking. :)

Applications

My-Symbian is the best resource on the net to find any application you want. Here is a list of the applications I find most useful on my phone.

• SeleQ is a file browser that makes it insanely simple to change the operator logo for your phone. The operator logo is the located between the clock and battery meter. It will usually say T-Mobile, Cingular, AT&T Wireless or whatever other carrier you happen to be using.
• Palette Extender allows you to enable all six color palettes for your 3650. For some reason, Nokia has a few of the palettes disabled by default.
• Salling Clicker is the award-winning remote control for your Macintosh. Version 2.1 added support for Symbian phones. With Salling Clicker, you can control iTunes, Keynote, and several other applications. The application is also a proximity sensor so that when you walk in and out of a room, you can set certain actions to happen (play/turn off music for example). Very cool.
• Veta Universal is like Salling Clicker in that it allows the control of a Mac remotely. It is used in association with Romeo.
• Romeo is Salling Clicker's little brother. For a little less money and a little less functionality and elegance you can control iTunes, Keynote, DVD Player and other apps.
• Putty for SymbianOS is an SSH client for your phone. If there is ever a need to remotely connect to your Mac or a Web server, this is your tool. Don't mind how geeky you feel doing such a task. Sometimes I am sure it is useful. Typing commands in the application is somewhat tiresome, in my opinion.
• Doris Browser is an upgraded web browser for the SymbianOS. It supports cookies, SSL, bookmarks and has a 500 kB cache so that you won't use nearly as much of your internet allocation (the amount you get varies with your service plan).
• Kablog is for the bloggers reading this. I use this application to remotely post an entry to my MovableType weblog.
• Nokia 3650 Video Recorder Update is very useful if you ever use the video recorder included with your phone. One thing you have probably noticed is that there is no sound included with the video. This update fixes that.
• mReader is an RSS aggregator for your phone so that you can remotely parse the MacZealots RSS feeds. :)

Miscellaneous

Talk-Mobile's forums are some of the best for discussing Nokia smart phones. You should also check out HowardForums. They offer information for several phone brands, service providers and PDA forums.

Sony Ericsson T616

The T616 runs Sony Ericcson's proprietary OS. While not as feature packed as the 3650, it is still easy to use for the medium to advanced user. The T616 doesn't come with any sort of video playback capabilities like the 3650, for example. Like before, if you want accessories, the best place to go is DayDeal.

Visit Daydeal's Sony Ericsson T616 Page

Without a doubt, the best resource for customization is myt610.net. T616 is the North American specific version of the T610. The T610 works on 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands, of which only the 1900MHz band is used in the US. On the other hand, the T616 uses the 850, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands. Thus the usability of the T616 outside North america is limited to places that utilize the 1800 MHz band. Anyway, myT610 offers software, wallpaper, ringtones, games, themes and screen savers. Did I mention it's all free? Better yet, there are a lot of Apple stuff when it comes to themes, screen savers and wall papers.

Software

• MobileSync is from Salling Software and lets T616 users synchronize Microsoft Entourage with their Sony Ericsson cell phones.
• MacMedia's PhoneAgent lets you manage contacts, SMS messages, MMS, Themes and bookmarks. It also other things from your Macintosh desktop. The application makes it simple to create your own theme to customize your cell phone.

An excellent resource for everything T616 is this thread on HowardForums. It lists links to ringtones, games and even more theme/wallpaper sites. This is a definite bookmark and reference. I have not had the phone long enough to recommend any games, so anyone that has had this phone for awhile, I invite you to offer any game recommendations in the comments.

Miscellaneous

Again, HowardForums is your friend. Seriously, if you are a phone freak, you need to frequent these boards.

Conclusion

Like I said above, this is by no means an exhaustive list of resources for cell phone stuff. Feel free to post your favorite resources in the comments below. I hope to update this in a few months with resources for the Nokia 7610, my next cell phone. :)