How I Use My N95 (part 2)

In the next part of how I use my N95, I will share with you what are the other softwares I use that optimizes the hardware of my little machine. For those of you that have either the N95 classic or the N95 8GB, you have to know that your machine is so much more than you give credit for! In my earlier post, I showed you how it was possible to actually use the N95 with an unlimited data plan to make free phone calls, SMS, instant message and video calls over the internet. Right now, I’m going to share with you how I use my device to entertain me on the go.

Movies and Videos

The screen of the N95 isn’t as nice and big as the iPhone, but watching videos on it can still be a very pleasant experience. There are many options out there for watching videos out there, but my personal favourite has got to be CorePlayer. Now, note that this is payware, and you’ll have to part with abit of money for this, but this will be worth your investment. This little application can play your standard .avi movie files including those encoded in the DivX format WITHOUT the need of further encoding. Alot of players out there will need you to put the video files through another software in your PC to convert the video into a more "phone-friendly" format, but CorePlayer plays all my movies smoothly without a hitch.

CorePlayer on the Symbian OS

Another thing to note about the CorePlayer, is that you can also watch YouTube videos directly off your phone, although its not my favourite way to do that. More about YouTube videos later on. If you can spare some dough on this nifty little app, please do. Watching videos and movies will just be a drag-and-drop away.

YouTube Videos

Even though CorePlayer has a built-in option for watching YouTube videos, I still prefer this software called Mobitubia. The videos are somewhat sharper and the user-interface is very similar to the N95’s.

Mobitubia’s interface for N95

Watching YouTube videos everywhere is a real blast, and it is a great time-killer especially when waiting for your friends that are never punctual. Loading the videos is fast and painless, and videos appear sharp. I haven’t tried hooking up the TV-out cable to a TV yet, but if anyone has, do let me know how the YouTube vids look on screen okay?

Internet Radio

Nokia has released an internet radio app that you can download from their website. With an unlimited data plan, you could listen in to all your favourite radio stations online anywhere. The loading is fast and it is simple to use. In my opinion, Nokia should’ve added this app when it first shipped in, but well, they have it now, so no complaints there.

Internet radio by Nokia

Podcast

Why go through the hassle of downloading podcasts to your PC and then syncing them to your phone when you can do that anywhere you want? To be honest, I never subscribed to a single podcast until I got hold of my N95. A great little app that allows you to search for podcasts, including video podcasts, and download them straight to your phone! Another great time-waster, especially the video podcast bit. Note that this app can be found in your music folder of your phone.

Listen to Podcasts on your phone!

Hopefully if you’ve been clueless about your N95 phone, you will get more out of it now by making it your portable entertainment centre. There are tonnes of sites out there that go deeper into details of your phone, so do go check a few of them out. Also, do share with me how you use your phone, and what other softwares you use to make the N95 an even more killer machine. After all, I just want to do my bid and share my knowledge with people who also use the N95.

How I Use My N95 (part 1)

Having a portable internet device can be very economical. My subscription fee is a little over $20 bucks a month, and with the right softwares, it could really really stretch its value.

I mentioned in my previous post that I originally used my data plan to access Windows Live Messenger on the go so I could keep in touch with my girlfriend for next to nothing. So an instant messaging was on the top of my list. I've used a few before, and my absolute favourite has gotta be IM+ by Shape Services.

IM+ by Shape Services

Why I like this software more than others is because it is highly customisable, and unlike freewares like Fring, IM+ will vibrate everytime a message comes in. Just like an SMS! Its also fast, and transfering files over the network here is stable and seldom gets cut off. Even though it is payware, it is worth considering. If cost is really an issue, then you might want to check out Fring. Fring is free and you get to make free calls via VoIP. Speaking of which, if you want to make free phone calls and SMS, check out Truphone!

Truphone on Symbian OS (S60 3rd Edition)

What I really like about Truphone is that its free to use, and it is totally invisible. What I mean is that you don't need to fire up another software to make a call. Truphone runs in the background, and when it is active, you can see the logo circled above in the standby screen. To make a phone call via Truphone, you select your VoIP contact in your contact list and you choose to make an internet phone call instead of voice or video call. To be really sure you're not making a voice call, what I did was to bar all my outgoing calls under my phone settings. If you're not sure still, the ringing tone you hear everytime you make a call with Truphone is very distinct and obvious, so you can always call out and be sure you're not making a very expensive phone call instead.

Another thing really cool about Truphone is you can send an SMS to another Truphone user for free. You simply compose a message as you normally would, and when you send it out, there will be an additional prompt, asking you whether you want to send the SMS via Truphone or via your GSM carrier. :D Awesome thing, I tell you!

If you're wondering if it is possible to make free video calls over the internet using the 2 cameras of your N95, then you're in luck. A software called TiViPhone allows just that for free. It allows me to chat with another TiViPhone user, make free VoIP calls just like Truphone, and on top of that, the video call. I use it only for the video call function though. I let Truphone and IM+ handle my free phone calls and messaging needs. Check out how it works with the YouTube video below.

The TiViPhone interface on the N95

I think I've covered pretty much most of how I use my N95 to keep in touch for free or almost next to nothing. In my next post, I'll most probably share with you what other softwares I use to make my N95 a more productive machine.

My N95

See the dude on the left? LoL.. That's a really funny picture. Of course there are many options out there that allow you to bring out the power of a computer. My personal favourite right now is the Nokia N95 8GB.

Ever since owning one, I've never felt more helpless without it by my side. There are plenty of reviews done about this phone, and if you're looking at this post, you most probably know about this phone already.

Right now, I'm using a N95 8GB with a unlimited data plan. Which basically turns my phone into a screaming internet device which delivers the whole world into the palm of my hands.

Most people have different usages and ideas of their mobile phones. I have two. The main phone that I'm using for my SMS and voice calls is a Nokia 6110 Navigator. Very handy device, especially its built-in GPS capabilities. The other phone that I use, would be the N95 8GB.

The Nokia 6110 Navigator (top) and the Nokia N95 8GB (bottom)

When I first signed up for the unlimited data plan from M1, my main intention was to use it to replace all my SMSes to my girlfriend, which was racking up a huge phone bill. We both signed up for it, and we got ourselves a couple of old Dopod 838 Pro handsets, which was pretty good for this purpose until we realized that maybe one-hand typing would be more productive.

So I made the first switch when I traded my phone with this really nice guy at work for a Motorola Q9H, and viola! A full QWERTY keyboard which I could access with one hand. Turned out it was great for awhile, but I always had to keep an eye for any mistakes as I hammered out my replies to my girlfriend on Windows Live Messenger. Its not really the same on a mobile phone, this QWERTY keyboard thing. Sure, it might be better if you use it for emails and stuff, or if you need to type long long documents on a mobile handset, but it can get clumsy at times, and it is still better if you actually used it with 2 hands.

So I considered the N95 8GB, and after awhile, I decided to go for it and traded in the Q9H for a second-hand set. Its been a few weeks, and I'm still awestruck by it. In fact, I'm so impressed by this phone, I went out and bought my girlfriend a N95 classic. Will post some pictures of her phone soon (it's all wrapped in a damn nice G-Mask). So do you own a N95? If you do, please share with me some of the things you use your handset for and the softwares you have installed in your phone. In my next post, I'll talk about what I use my N95 8GB for.

Hello!

This is my first post! I have a N95 8GB which I am very excited about, and I will be writing about it soon. If you have a N95 and you live in Singapore, do check back and share how you use your N95.