Nokia N95

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Recently got a Nokia N95 smartphone, and these are my notes about it.

General N95 configuration

Note: ignore the Psiloc Connect stuff below - it turns out it's a demo version only, so still looking for a better solution to this:

  • Set up a local wireless network, check it works for browsing the web, then insert a SIM card, and then go: Menu -> Download! -> update the catalog, then install "Psiloc Connect". (This apps auto-switches to a WLAN connection if one is available, which saves a lot of hassle).
  • Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Wireless LAN -> Show WLAN availability: Yes; Scan for networks: Every 2 minutes.
  • Open the Web browser, the do: Options -> Zooming Options -> 75%; Settings -> General -> Access point -> "Psiloc Connect"; Settings -> Privacy -> Form Data saving: Form and password; Settings -> Page -> Screen size: Full screen.
  • Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> General -> Personalization -> Display -> rotate screen: Off; Light Sensor: Set to maximum (improves readability); Light time-out: 80 seconds; Font size: small.
  • Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Phone -> Call -> Summary after call: On; Show call duration: Yes; Speed dialing: On.
  • Menu -> Applications -> Camera -> Options -> Settings -> Default Image name: Date.
  • Press Multi Media key once -> Options -> background images -> graphics -> theme 1. Also Options -> Image effects: Off. Also Options -> Start-up animation: Off.
  • Menu -> Applications -> Share Online. Set this up with Flickr username and password, and select Flickr and mark "set as default".
  • Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> General -> Date and time -> Clock type: Digital, Time Format: Digital, Network Operator Time: Auto-update.
  • Menu -> Applications -> App. Mgr. -> Welcome -> Options -> Remove (after have seen the welcome once, it's not useful any more). Also remove the "welcome demo" app.
  • Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Applications -> RealPlayer -> Streaming -> Network -> Default Access Point: Psiloc Connect; Also Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Applications -> RealPlayer -> Streaming -> Proxy -> Use Proxy: None.
  • Menu -> Maps -> Go online at startup: Always ask; then Options -> Internet -> Default access point: Psiloc Connect.
  • Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> General -> Personalization -> Tones -> Say caller's name: On, and Warning Tones: Off (turning warning tones off will stop the annoying Nokia startup sound).
  • See and update time to divert to voicemail: Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Phone -> Call Divert -> Voice Calls -> If Not Answered -> check status -> voice calls -> details -> then write down the mailbox number. Then to change the divert time go: Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Phone -> Call Divert -> Voice Calls -> If Not Answered -> activate -> to voice mailbox -> 30 seconds. If this says "not allowed", then dial: **61* (voice mailbox number WITH the "+" symbol, if it includes one) **30# and go "Send service command"; replace the "30" with the number of seconds desired if you want a shorter ring time (30 seconds is the max).

Links to recommended free N95 apps

You can click on any of the following links, to install the software directly onto the phone from this web page:

  • Google mobile apps - install the following apps: Gmail + YouTube + Maps. Provides an easy way to use Gmail, view YouTube videos, and use the Google Maps with your location shown with a red dot using the inbuilt GPS.
  • PuTTY - then click "S60 third edition" to download, then open the ZIP file and install the PuTTY sisx installer file. Provides an SSH client on your phone.
  • Enhanced Calculator for S60 - Nokia source, or Calcium calculator. Provides a calculator that uses fewer keystrokes than the standard inbuilt one (by not overloading a single key for all the numerical operator functions).
  • DivX player. Need to have registered for DivX labs first, using a throw-away email address, before you can login to download this installer. Allows playing DivX and Xvids on your phone.
  • Nokia's snakes game. Or install via Menu -> Download! -> Games -> Snakes. Provides a 3D snakes game.
  • "System Rush: Evolution" game demo: install via Menu -> Download! -> Games -> System Rush. Provides a 3D racing type game, in tubes.
  • Nimbuzz. Provides Skype voice calls, and gmail chat and ICQ chat.
  • Nokia Device Status - Nokia source. Provides a way to view system information about the phone.
  • Nokia internet radio. Or install via Menu -> Download! -> Applications -> Internet Radio. Provides a way to listen to internet radio on your phone.
  • Screenshot. Provides a way to take screenshots.
  • Large clock screensaver - info page. To enable, go Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> General -> Personalisation -> Themes -> Power saver -> Select "Large Time"; then Options -> Change -> Black for background colour, and Yes to saving power. Provides an easier to read clock screensaver.
  • Nokia mosh client - info page - link to MOSH. Or install via Menu -> Download! -> Applications -> MOSH. Provides an app for downloading new applications from the MOSH website.
  • Nokia's Global Race game. Provides a car racing game.
  • Nokia Location tagger - info page. Provides a way of using the phone's GPS to record your location in the EXIF tags of pictures you take.
  • Multiscanner to scan business cards or other printed material in English: installer. Note: later versions are reported to not work on the N95. Provides OCR for printed English words, using the phone's camera. OCR quality is so-so, mostly fun as a toy.
  • Wellness Diary - general info page.
  • Nokia conversation - install Nokia_Internet_Services_Support_Package, then go Menu -> Applications -> App manager - > Find and uninstall the "Nokia Contacts Service Support Package", then install Phonebook Extension Manager, then install the conversation application.
  • Shozu. Provides a way to upload photos and updates to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
  • Nokia Magnifier - Info page. Provides a way of using the inbuilt camera to magnify text.
  • Qik - Provides an easy way to stream videos live online directly from the phone. Makes it easy to take and share videos, although by default they're visible to the world, so be aware of the privacy concerns about what you put up there.
  • Classic Space invaders game.

Non-free apps can trial from Mosh

Non-free apps to install

  • mobile dictionary
  • T9 Nav
  • Nokia Maps 3.0, and then download the Aus + NZ map ZIP from this page.

currently testing

To install:

one more:

Have installed:

other apps to try

try once get 3G internet set up:

  • JoikuSpot. Menu -> Download! -> Applications -> JoikuSpot premium.

To do

  • Find a free countdown timer & stopwatch, since the N95 lacks a built-in countdown timer and stopwatch. Apps that don't work for me: Buzzer (I don't get a buzzing sound since I have disabled warning sounds on the N95, and Java apps unfortunately uses this setting).
  • Try TTpod.

Useful mobile websites

Some sites are particularly useful on a mobile phone when out and about, these are some of the most useful ones:


Reference for infrequently used configuration settings

  • To restore the phone to it's out of the box state, and wipes everything clean, do this: dial *#7370#, and then use 12345 as the "lock code".
  • To change voice mailbox number, such as when changing mobile carriers, go to: Menu -> Tools -> Utilities -> Call mailbox -> Options -> Change number.
  • Show phone's IMEI: dial this on the main screen: *#06#

SIP VoIP configuration for the N95

VoIP is great if either:

  • you want to make cheaper calls (with slightly worse voice quality) and you have either WiFi or an unlimited or very cheap mobile data plan, or:
  • it's fantastic if you are traveling overseas and want to be able to make and receive calls home, and you will have WiFi, but don't want to pay absurd roaming rates. These characteristics mean VoIP is especially useful overseas in countries where ubiquitous fast WiFi is often included as standard in the accommodation, such as Japan.

You can use any VoIP provider - there's a great big worldwide list of companies here, with ratings, including for Australia.

These following setup details were for PennyTel because people were using them on Whirlpool, and they had a plan with no monthly fee + reasonable rates called "Free Access Untimed". But use whichever company you like, it makes no difference to me. If you want to use this company you will need to go to http://www.pennytel.com.au/ and register. Be sure to record your "PennyTel Phone Number/Username" and your password, you will need those in the steps below. You'll have to give your email address, residential address, and a phone number to register, but you don't have to pay anything until you want to be able to make outgoing calls.

To set up the N95 to use this, I did the following:

  1. Define an Access Point (AP) [Only if have not already done so]
    • Go to: Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Access points and enter AP info, it could be Wireless LAN(WLAN) or General Packet Radio Service(GPRS). For GPRS settings, please consult your mobile operator
  2. Define a SIP profile
    • Go to: Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> SIP Settings, Select Options -> Add New
    • Set Profile name to Pennytel
    • Set Service profile to IETF
    • Select your access point(AP)
    • [Tip: In the next line, copy the "sip.pennytel.com" part onto the Nokia's clipboard by holding down the pencil, and dragging the cursor over this text, then pressing copy, then releasing the pencil. This will save in data entry time, because you can then paste in "sip.pennytel.com" as needed].
    • Set Public user name to sip:<your pennytel username>@sip.pennytel.com
    • Disable use of compression
    • Either set Registration to "Always on" (to always connect to VoIP and be able to receive incoming VoIP calls), or "when needed" (which I think will only activate VoIP when calling out and selecting "internet call"). I used "Always on", but this option may place more of a drain on your battery.
    • Set Use security to NO
    • Proxy server - no configuration
    • Registrar:
      • Registrar server address: sip:sip.pennytel.com
      • Realm: sip.pennytel.com
      • User name: <Pennytel VoIP Username>
      • Password: <Pennytel VoIP Password>
      • Transport type: Auto
      • Port: 5060
  3. Define Internet Telephony Settings
    • Go to Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Internet tel -> Options -> New Profile
    • Name: Pennytel
    • SIP Profiles: Pennytel
    • You should then see two icons in the status bar (near the battery indicator), one consisting of 4 small squares (representing the WiFi AP connection) and second new one showing handset and the globe (representing VoIP).
  4. Then make a test call to 771 - this automated number will tell you your pennytel balance (even if it's zero dollars) and then hang up on you.
    • To dial, type 771 (just like a normal phone number), and select "Internet call", and see if it works and if you can hear the automated voice clearly.

Note: You can receive incoming calls on your N95 now, but you can't make any outgoing calls without buying some credit for your account. So now go and make an incoming call from your landline to your VoIP phone, to check if it works.

If you want to use VoIP calls by default, with plain phone as a fallback if VoIP is unavailable, then go: Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Phone -> Call -> Default Call Type: Internet Call.

On VoIP codecs: By default Nokia uses the g7.11 codec which uses 90kbps each way, which is more than the 50kbps that you get from 3G. So if you're on 3G the best codec to use is probably g7.29 which uses about 40kbps each way. If you need to change the codec priority order, then download and install Nokia's SIP VoIP Settings app.

The N95 and Linux

How to Sync contacts between Evolution and the N95

There are a couple of ways to do this.

  • Have successfully set up syncing over bluetooth, of Evolution's contacts and the N95's contacts, using this guide, on Ubuntu 8.10.

However, the recommended method is below. Following the steps below, it's achievable to have 2-way syncing of a Nokia phone + evolution, from scratch, including installation/configuration/setup/running, within about 30 minutes.

Setting up the Nokia N95 to sync to ScheduleWorld

Setting Evolution up to Sync to SyncML server on Ubuntu 8.10

Platform was Ubuntu 8.10. The short version is: 

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

... and add these lines: 

# For genesis-sync packages, currently unauthenticated:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/frederik-elwert/ppa/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/frederik-elwert/ppa/ubuntu intrepid main

# For syncevolution packages, currently unauthenticated:
deb http://www.estamos.de/download/apt stable main

... then: 

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install genesis-sync syncevolution-evolution

... "yes" to the untrusted packages (it's up to you though).

  • Run Genesis: Applications -> Accessories -> Genesis.
  • Click on the Genesis-Sync panel icon to setup genesis. Server name = "ScheduleWorld", server template = "ScheduleWorld"; next; enter username + password; next; tick address book, select desired contacts folder, click apply.
  • Click the Genesis-Sync panel icon again to run the sync.
  • Once you're happy with this, if you want to have Genesis-sync available whenever you need it, right-click on the Genesis-Sync icon -> Preferences -> Tick "Launch Genesis on startup".

N95 likes

I'm coming from a very old phone before this, so I'm easily impressed:

  • It has a real browser, based on WebKit (used in / related to Safari & Chrome & KHTML).
  • It can run SSH (requires installing the free PuTTY port).
  • It has WiFi.
  • It runs fine with no SIM card inserted - great for testing stuff and exploring the phone's functionality.
  • It has a pretty decent camera (5 MP).
  • Inbuilt stereo speakers, although the quality of the audio is significantly sharper using the headphones compared to the speakers.
  • Automatic screen rotation based on handset orientation (has an accelerometer).
  • Has inbuilt GPS.
  • You can copy and paste text - it's not as quick as on a keyboard, but it's usually much quicker than retyping.
  • Has an inbuilt reasonable VoIP client - so if you have this phone + WiFi or mobile data, then you have a portable VoIP client, which integrates well with all the usual mobile phone functions. E.g. calls show under missed calls/received calls/dialed numbers, incoming VoIP calls have caller ID, and make a call using VoIP you dial a number normally but just choose "Internet Call" as the calling method, and when you receive a VoIP call it rings just like a normal call, and so forth.
  • The integrated "Share Online" app is good if you have a flickr account, allows posting photos to flickr directly from the phone.
  • You can run applications in the background and switch between tasks (unlike the iPhone, which from my understanding, cannot do this).
  • Has an in-built SyncML client, which makes it easier to sync your contacts and calendar with online services.

N95 dislikes

Dislikes for the N95 hardware or standard software:

  • The battery life is very short - you literally have to charge it every night, or it will bleep repeatedly during the night and then run out of power at about 3 AM (unless you turn off the warning tones). This contrasts with my previous basic phone which could run for a week without being recharged. Update: If you have wifi disabled, then the battery life is much longer - about 4 days.
  • The phone should be able to update its firmware over the Internet. It has Wifi, it has a real browser, it can download directly from web sites, it has several gigabytes of spare space, so why do I need a Windows computer to update? Instead it should let the user check for an update on the phone, which connects to Nokia, tells the user if an update is available and asks if they want to proceed, then downloads the right installer, and updates the firmware, all without requiring a PC. Note: this seems to have been added to the N96 (the N95's successor) and is known as "Firmware Over the Air".
  • The built-in browser has no "open link in new window or tab" function, although it does support multiple windows / tabs (allows up to 5 of them). Also the built-in browser does not remember the zooming option (e.g. if set to 75% zoom, will reset to 100% zoom next time you start the browser). Also the built-in browser has some bookmarks (like "Download Themes") which cannot be removed.
  • You can't use the inbuilt FM radio without a SIM card in the phone (starting "Visual Radio" gives an error like "cannot activate in offline mode"). That's just odd - since when does an FM radio require a SIM card?
  • You have to pay for turn-by-turn voice navigation on the N95. You can download the maps and even the audio data for free using the inbuilt mapping application, but the voice navigation won't work unless you have a subscription. This is a bit of a bait-and-switch because GPS was one of the key features of this phone, and GPS in a phone is only really made useful with turn-by-turn voice navigation. Furthermore, generally other personal GPS devices have no ongoing usage costs (apart from for updates to later map versions) - so when you say the phone has GPS, the standard assumption is that it will also have turn-by-turn voice navigation. In my personal opinion, turn-by-turn voice navigation really should have been included with the phone out-of-the-box ... but then it would have competed with the Nokia 6110 navigator, and we couldn't have that!
  • The GPS takes about 2 - 4 minutes to lock on and give the current location and has some limitations. That's much longer for a lock-on than my dedicated GPS (which takes about 1 minute). I'll try later with A-GPS enabled, which supposedly improves things significantly.
  • You have to have the keypad slider in the open position for best GPS reception. This requirement was removed in the N96.
  • The CPU is just a little bit too slow to play standard TV resolution DivX or XviD files - there's a bit of lag or dropped frames or blurriness, enough to detract from the smoothness, and after about 10 minutes of watching an XviD or DivX video, I find I have a headache - if the hardware was about 30% beefier, then it would probably be enough.
  • The screen looks like it should be a touchscreen, so people touch it, leaving finger prints on the screen. It doesn't have a touchscreen, but the N97 (2 generations on) will have a touchscreen.
  • Why does a SIM card need to be inserted to use the "share online" app? For example, I should be able to upload my photos to flickr without having a SIM card in my phone.
  • The Menu -> "Download!" app does not work: it says "catalog list needs to be loaded. Continue?", then you have to say "yes" for the app to do anything, then it says "Updating catalog list", then it gives an error: "Some catalogs failed to load. Try again." This is on a Wifi link that works fine for all other purposes with the phone (browsing web pages, making VoIP calls, sending emails, etc). Update: This app works fine with a SIM card inserted - but a) the error message should explain this, and b) why is this needed? It should work fine without needing a SIM card to be inserted, there's no technical reason to require this.
  • Nokia's Download! application needs to distinguish between full apps, and demo / evaluation apps. It currently does not, and there's a big difference from the end user perspective. At the moment, you often only find out that something is an evaluation copy when it just stops working and asks for money ... which sucks.
  • The http://mobile.nokia.com site in the default bookmarks (e.g. "download apps") is completely and utterly useless, and seems to have been outsourced. Nokia: Stop trying to sell crap to your customers, and just provide a gateway to Nokia's best free downloads. For example, why did I have to assemble by hand the above list of the best free apps with direct download links? Shouldn't the http://mobile.nokia.com site do this for me?
  • When you change access points (access points are the means by which you have a data connection, so for example moving from one WiFi network to another, or moving to/from Wifi and 3G), you have have to manually change the access point to use in order for Internet apps to work and to select the most cost-effective and fastest access point. You can buy 3rd party add-on apps that do this automatically (e.g. Psiloc Connect for around AU$20, or BirdStep's SmartConnect app which is apparently no longer available for sale), or it was included out-of-the-box in s60 Feature Pack 2 (the N95 has FP1, the N96 has FP2). Nokia recognized this shortcoming, and licensed SmartConnect for the E-series phones as a free download (available through the Download! app), but regrettably they did not do the same thing for the N-series phones (such as the N95). This is a silly omission, since a mobile device will by definition be traveling between different access points, and having to manually change access points every time you move in every app you're using becomes very tedious.
  • Although the phone can save images with the date as part of the file name, the naming format is DDMMYYYYxxxx.jpg, rather than YYYYMMDDxxxx.jpg, which would have been preferable, since it would help sort images in order of when they were taken.
  • You cannot hot-swap the batteries, even if you have the recharger connected. I.e. you have the charger connected and plugged in (so the phone has mains power), and you want to change from one battery to another. If you try to do this, the phone will turn off. Instead it should allow hot-swapping of the battery.
  • The n-gage gaming software has a bug where it gives a "system error" when trying to start if any of your Access Points have an apostrophe in their name. The solution is to edit the any access point names with apostrophes, and remove those apostrophes.
  • The screen resolution and size are a bit low - 240 by 320 pixels on a 2.6 inch screen seems low compared to the phones that came a few years later.
  • The Symbian S60 operating system seems slow and clunky, especially after using something like Android.
  • The are fewer third-party applications compared to iPhone and Android, and the Ovi store for installing seems clunky compared to the Android market or the iPhone app store.

N95 add-on software dislikes

  • Fring was unreliable and flaky with both ICQ and Skype (drops skype calls after 10 seconds, poor quality skype audio, loses ICQ chat messages, loses transferred files). Probably more a fring problem than an N95 problem. Which is a pity, because fring sounds super-userful, but it's just nowhere near reliable enough for practical use, in my opinion. Nimbuzz was a better replacement.
  • Why can't nimbuzz make video skype calls? Would be quite handy. I asked their support email, and response was: "Thanks for your interest, but unfortunately we do not support video calling yet. It is on our road map, but we do not know when it is going to be working. We will announce it as soon as it is available."
  • Nokia messaging: when setting up my email, why do I have to enter a "phone number"? And this is a completely bogus reason. There is no technical reason to require this information whatsoever that I can see.
  • Worldmate is buggy - could not even get the demo version off their website to start up correctly! Seems unable to use the default access point, even though I used that very access point to download the software - others have reported the same problem, but the solution (remove, power off, power on, reinstall latest version) did not work for me. Update: This software works with a SIM card inserted, but not without a SIM card. Again, this software should work without needing a SIM card.
  • Nokia's Podcasting app seems impossible to install. I cannot install the PC suite application because my desktop runs Linux and it's a windows-only app, and the windows machines I have access to run windows 2000 (PC suite demands XP or Vista). Installing the SIS directly via the web generates an "update error". Copying the SIS over to the phone via USB, then running that file, also generates an "update error". I have tried it with this version, this version, and this version , and not a single one of them will install correctly (i.e. they are all broken). Furthermore, the instructions given on the podcasting info page suggests using the Download! app (although the podcasting app is not available there), and using the mobile.nokia.com site (which also has the podcasting nowhere to be seen). This is easily the most frustrating-to-install S60 app I have encountered. Hopefully Escarpod for S60 will be completed soon and provide equivalent functionality.
  • The Nokia messaging client, which is just an email client, used to free, but from April 2010 is charged at AU$2.50/month. (This is just for the app, and does not include data charges). A decent free email built into the phone (or as a free download from the phone's manufacturer) is essentially a "must have" nowadays for smart phones. Charging for this client does not seem like a smart move to me.

Copying pictures off the phone on to computer without using Nokia's software

  1. Plug in USB cable.
  2. Phone shows warning that "memory card not accessible from phone during this time".
  3. then go to the \Images folder on the phone
  4. cut all the contents and paste onto computer
  5. then go to the \Videos folder on the phone
  6. cut all the contents and paste onto computer
  7. Eject the device
  8. unplug USB cable
  9. On phone: gallery -> images and videos
  10. On phone: options -> mark -> mark all
  11. On phone: options -> move and copy -> move to memory card
  12. Repeat steps 1 to 8 inclusive, to get the data off the phone's memory (as well as the memory card) too.
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