Nokia 3650 Software
Extra programs extend the value and
convenience of your phone
The Nokia 3650 GSM cellphone
uses the Symbian operating system, and can have additional
programs loaded into it (much like you can also add extra
programs to a PDA).
Symbian OS - Making the Phone
Extendable
The Symbian operating system
is increasingly being featured on high end phones by Nokia and
by other manufacturers, too (eg Sony Ericsson) and an increasing
number of add-on applications are being developed. As phone
screens become better, and phone memory and processor power more
extensive, the value of these applications are quickly
increasing from what were, to start with, little more than
additional pointless games to now valid and useful business
productivity tools.
Best of all, prices for
these addon programs tend to be very reasonable - nothing seems
to cost more than $50.
Software is available from
several different websites, for example,
here and
here.
Here are brief reviews of
some of our favorites.
IM+ Instant Messaging
Many
of us make extensive use of instant messaging - Microsoft
Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, or ICQ to
keep in touch with colleagues, clients, and friends. This
amazing program from
Shape Services enables your phone to connect to any - or
all, simultaneously - of these four networks and chat with your
regular chat associates from your phone. It uses the $20/month
TCP/IP GPRS service provided by T-Mobile to communicate with the
various messaging services.
Sure, using the phone's
keypad isn't brilliantly convenient, although the T9 predictive
text entry makes it much easier than it otherwise would be, but
as an 'emergency' way of keeping online, it is absolutely
brilliant. This single application has revolutionized the value
of my Nokia 3650 for me, and potentially could do the same for
you, too.
The software is easy to set
up, and simple to use, although the registration process is
cumbersome. At $30, it is amazing value, and it even comes with
a free three day trial for you to test it before committing to
purchase.
WorldMate SE
This
is a simply stunning and award winning program from
MobiMate that offers several different features. It is a
slightly slimmed down version of their PDA version product - if
you're like me, you'll end up buying both.
Its first screen shows the
time in your selected home city and in four other cities that
you can choose. The other cities show both the local time and
also the day of the week - a helpful reminder when dealing with
places that might be a day ahead or behind your day. It also
automatically adjusts for daylight savings.
The second screen is
amazing. It shows the current weather and the weather forecast
for the next three days for more than 250 different cities
around the US and around the world.
Any time you wish, you can
download updated weather information through the T-Zones WAP
GPRS service. It takes about 40 seconds to download the
information and update its database.
The third screen has one of
those lovely world maps that shows which parts are in sunlight
and at night. You can scroll through the same 250 cities and see
where each is located on the map, the local time there, and the
current weather.
The fourth screen is a
currency converter - with an extra twist. You can specify three
currencies (your home currency and two foreign currencies) then
enter in an amount in any currency and have it converted to the
other two currencies. This is fairly basic.
The extra twist is that the
program will download the exact current exchange rates for the
conversion. Of course, these rates are always better than the
real world rates you'll actually pay, but it saves you the
bother of having to think about what the exchange rate is, or of
needing to check if it has changed overnight.
This program - or really,
suite of four programs - normally sells for $30 but the
developers are currently selling it for only $14.95.
Registration is quick and easy. An amazing bargain.
Lie Detector?
Is
this a novelty or a reliable tool? Studies have shown that when
a person is lying, the extra tension they feel - consciously or
unconsciously - causes 'micro-tremors' in their voice. The human
ear can't detect these micro-tremors, but they can be found with
signal-processing software.
This
program claims to monitor the speech from the other person
you're talking to while you are using your phone and to provide
real time graphs to show the level of micro-tremors (and
therefore, perhaps the amount of lying) present in the other
person's voice.
It seems to simply listen to
the entire conversation, and shows what it thinks is your own
level of truthfulness as well. This is actually quite helpful,
because it enables you to mentally calibrate and understand the
results. It seems that all conversation always creates some
level of 'lie' factor on its lie meter. The key thing in
spotting an egregious lie is apparently to tell when the lie
meter goes much higher than normal. Alas, to date, I've
seemingly been blessed with only honest people at the other end
of the phone!
To use the detector it is
necessary to be looking at the phone's display. This means that
you need to use it with a headset - obviously, if the phone is
pressed against your ear, you can't see what is shown on the
display.
NOTE : The program inserts a
semi-regular beeping into the conversation that both you and
your caller will hear. This makes it impossible to use
surreptitiously, and so removes the value and appeal of the
software to most of us.
The software costs $20.
Buying the software and getting it registered was difficult.
After having purchased and downloaded the software, you then
have to send off, by email, a request for a registration key. In
my case it took six days to get a registration key back, even
though I sent requests to several different people in the
company and stressed the need for urgent registration so as to
meet the deadline for this review.
I subsequently emailed them
asking for help in how to turn the incessant beeping the program
makes. They never replied.
An Essential Hardware
Accessory, Too
Of course you'll want to use
a headset with your phone much of the time, and the phone is
typically supplied with a standard generic headset.
But you should also have a
look at our review of
The Boom
noise-cancelling headset. This is an amazing (albeit pricey)
headset that enables you to talk quietly and be clearly heard,
even in very noisy environments. A very clever product that, for
many of us, can be very valuable.
Lots More
There are lots more
intriguing applications - for example, using your phone as a
remote control to operate your television! I'll add reviews
of extra products as I try them.
Related Articles, etc
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Originally published
21 Nov 2003, last update
21 Jul 2020
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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