Tag: e71x apps

Applications for productivity and fun on the Nokia E71x

So, it’s officially been over a month since I took possession of the Nokia E71x phone, which is an ATT-modified version of the Nokia E71 phone. My previous posts have focused on getting rid of the many ATT-branded applications that have littered the phone, some free & paid applications that add to the functionality of the phone and now, I’m talking about applications that are fun to have on the phone for the socially connected person. Phew. Here goes:

1) So far, I’ve spent a good bit of time researching what applications I want on my phone. I knew that I would benefit greatly from an application that would let me make screen recordings on my phone and I found an app for that: the Mobiola Screen Capture software application. It takes screenshots and can take video recordings of whatever is taking place on screen! It’s pretty impressive and if you are inquisitive like I am, you will definitely add this tool to your arsenal.

2) Again, being a blogger, I looked for a way to easily create rich posts for my blogs and I found a very robust freeware application for WordPress.com hosted blogs as well as self-hosted WordPress blog: Wordmobi. The installation is easy-peasy and it works as advertised. As a matter of fact, I’ve penned 1 or 2 posts via this application and while it could do better in terms of its user interface, I’m NOT staring this gift horse in the mouth. 🙂 It works via Wifi which is great if you aren’t signed up for a data plan so it scores major points in my book. 😀

3) I love chatting with my friends and family. I’ve signed up for practically all the top instant messaging services there are so I was looking for applications that would allow me to add, at least, Yahoo Messaging, Windows Live, Gtalk, Skype, etc. I’ve searched high and low for an application to do just that. I didn’t want to spend any more money on applications. Thankfully, there were several freeware alternatives. The top two that come to mind are: fring, Gizmo, and nimbuzz. An important source for the freebie-loving Nokia owner is this website, Freeware for Symbian. I LOVE this website because not only do they tell you about the great applications available for free, they allow YOU to visit the publisher’s website to download the program yourself! This behavior makes them much more trustworthy than a site that offers the downloads from their site. So, I feel confident in recommending them to you, but as always, caveat emptor. My recommendation on the IM applications is to install and try them out. Here’s their section on Messengers. As for me, I’ve got Nimbuzz installed on my phone and PC. It fits my needs and you might come to that conclusion yourself so up and away! 🙂

4) This fourth item is a hidden gem and I wish Nokia would do more to advertise it. Continue reading Applications for productivity and fun on the Nokia E71x

My recommended gear AND applications for the Nokia E71x phone

So, it’s been close to 3 weeks since I have had the Nokia E71x in my possession. What have I learned?

  1. For starters, get a good case for this slippery phone because it has slipped from my grasp more than once. A skin AND a case would be the recommended because your phone may slip out its case (like mine did).
  2. A good 2.5mm set of ear phones is hard to find so when I read online about the Planktronics Stereo Mobile headset, I was hooked. They arrived yesterday and I’m in hog heaven. 🙂
  3. Invest in a large microSD card. The Nokia E71x officially supports cards up to 8GB, but someone online has a 32GB card in their Nokia E71x phone. Use at your own risk. As for me, I have an 8GB Transcend microSD card and I’ve put a lot of music on it with ~ 5GBs left to spare for applications, files and whatever else. It’s a no-brainer. However, if you refuse to spend any more money on little gizmos, the phone has a generous 140MB of space.
  4. Download the Nokia PC Suite software. I’ve been a Windows Mobile user for a long while and I thought that I had seen all that there was to see. Well, this piece of software from Nokia syncs nicely with versions of Outlook 2003 to the Outlook 2010 technical preview!! I’m using the Outlook 2010 technical preview and that’s how I know. It is essentially a manager for your phone and I can’t sing it’s praises enough. Using the Nokia PC Suite is highly recommended for managing your phone. It’s free and what more could you want? You can choose to connect to the Nokia PC suite via USB or Bluetooth. Hint: use the USB cord for intense work like video transfers, etc. I use Bluetooth when I can’t be bothered with the cord and have time to spare.
  5. Don’t want to spend money on the XM radio application bundled with the phone? Nokia has a free Internet radio application! I’m serious: check it out at Nokia’s website.
  6. Don’t want to spend money on those solitaire apps? Well, I’ve got the ticket for you. Nokia has a free Solitaire application called Top Hits Solitaire. I’ve used it and I can’t see myself spending any more money on games if Solitaire is your thing.
  7. Can’t be bothered to spend yet more money on AT & T’s Navigator software, get Google Maps for Mobile here and if you’ve borked your connection settings, visit this help page on configuration by Google.
  8. Don’t want to plunk down money for a fancy schmancy E-book reader? There are two free Ebook readers available for the Nokia E71x device that I know about and have written about. There are hundreds of free Ebooks available as well for use with the Ebook reader. I will recommend getting a dictionary application if you are like me i.e. wanting to read old texts and realizing that they use a lot of ‘big’ words. Speaking of dictionary applications, I would recommend you pony up for the Merriam Webster Third New International (Unabridged) Edition which is the costliest of all versions on Penreader website, but it’s worth it because of the sheer number of words present.
  9. Don’t feel like using the trial software that ATT loaded this phone with, use X-plore to get rid of the applications and see this post on Nokia Experts for more details. You will save yourself the trouble of accidentally subscribing for something and free up a lot of memory. You’ll be glad you did.
  10. Don’t forget to spread the love by supporting the development of quality software by purchasing mobile software from the developers. My main sources for mobile software are: Handango, Handmark, Penreader and other developers talked about on blogs or websites.
  11. For more information, get product support and software from Nokia’s website here and visit here for Nokia E71x support. Nokia can be reached on mobiles by going to http://nokia.mobi on your device.

I hope this monster post was of use to you. Please leave questions or comments on this post and I’ll attend to them as quickly as I can. Cheers!

Yet more recommended apps for the Nokia E71x

As a follow-up to my series of posts about software for the Nokia E71x phone, I’m going to list a couple more applications that I am actively using on my phone.

1) Qik :- Qik.com is a service that allows you to stream live over the internet. Wherever you are, just fire up the Qik application (once you have an free account with them) and you will be broadcasting live over the internet! My Qik.com url is http://qik.com/janetalkstech and you can check their site to see if they have an app for your phone!

2) Google Mobile Applications :- Google pretty much has mobile versions of their web page, but they also have downloadable mobile applications for a lot of their web applications. Most recently, they have released a Google Voice application for Android and Blackberry devices. However, I have downloaded the Gmail and Google Maps applications for my Symbian phone. Visit http://m.google.com and browse the applications for anything that catches your fancy. Best thing about Google’s applications is the zero price you pay. Win-win, IMHO.

3) Merriam Webster :- I purchased a license for a Merriam Webster dictionary application from Penreader.com (or http://penreader.mobi on your mobile device) and I did this because I have a lust for words and like learning new things daily! Seriously. I’m subscribed to the Word of the Day email lists for both Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster so getting the dictionary application was a worthwhile investment, especially since a lot of the free eBooks I’ve downloaded contain highfalutin’ words. 🙂

PS: On a girly note, I’m willing to try out Skinny Jeans for once. 🙂

PPS: Please see my previous Nokia E71x posts on more recommended applications for your new Symbian S60 device and on tweaking the Nokia E71x phone.