SMS Diary giveaway - 10 free licenses up for grabs this month

We'll be giving 10 free licenses for SMS Diary in July to the 10 most valuable contributers and promoters of this blog. You may be a twiterer or a face-booker or you may love to write reviews on aspects of the Nokia E63 etc. If it's a review, email your contributions to mye63blog@gmail.com. You might contribute one review and win. It may be that your twitter reach is longer than most. We will feature some of your contributions in the coming month as "guest" blog entries, so keep an eye out and tell your friends. Just make sure we have some way of contacting you (eg follow My_E72 on twitter so we can DM you if you win).

MyE63 is here to help everyone get the most out of our Nokia E63s. Right now, people are wasting their time with working out things about the Nokia E63 that you have already solved yourself :) To warm yourself up, maybe leave a comment here about who you are, where you are from and what you do. Good luck! May the M.V.E63 win.

You have until 31 July 2009.

Keep an SMS Diary of your Inbox and Sent Items

Have you ever thought how convenient it would be to be able to see your received and sent messages in one go? You can immediately see which sms you have replied and how the conversation went. There's a program that I started using on my Nokia E65 which I had to get for my new Nokia E63 as well. It's called SMSDiary and initially, I loved it because it made reading SMS faster on the Nokia E65 which was notoriously slow. Unlike the Nokia Conversations program, SMSDiary is easier to differentiate between sent and received messages with received messages aligned to the left and messages sent aligned to the right. It is this in-and-out box feature that has made it a must-have application on the Nokia E63. You can also shortcut to create a message and select fromy your top 10 most contacted contacts. It pretty much replaces the use of the inbox. One issue is that maybe the E63 is too fast but the scrolling is not as smooth as it was in the Nokia E65?

SMSDiary: SMS and MMS appear together in one seamless display

You'll notice that this program's main "selling" point actually isn't what we have just talked about. The program is named SMSDiary because it can turn your SMS messages into a diary. You can export your SMS and MMS conversations into HTML and even categorised by contact. The program will even give you statistics about your SMS habits. You can fnd out

• What is the average length of your SMS sent / received?
• How many SMS /MMS sent and received in each month?
• How mant SMS / MMS sent and received from each contact?
• Who are the people that you message most?
• Do you send more messages or does your friend?

With these features, it also helps you to control your expenditures on SMS if you're on a more thrifty phone plan. To get this program, it will only cost US$9 via Paypal by clicking here.

150min EXTRA per month + Free Nokia E63 even on $29 cap!!

We mentioned earlier that Three is giving away the Nokia E63 at a crazy $29 cap which pays off your Nokia E63 in only 12 months! Now, they have just added a bonus for customers referred by friends already on 3, like me. So if you are a referred customer, you will get:

For $29 / month over 12 months:

• Free Nokia E63 phone
• 200min to call 3 customers
• $150 to call non-3 customers
• $25 extra credit for being referred
• 150min extra to call 3 customers every month for 12 months.
• $64 cashback if you follow these instructions

How to get referred? Get a friend who is an existing customer of 3 to log in to my3.com.au and click through to referring a friend. Give them your email address and the name you will use to apply to 3. Then, click through to the three website to sign up.

From the official 3 website

Before you doubt that it is available on the Nokia E63 $29 cap

In Search of the = sign

Last night, a reader noted that the = sign on the Nokia E63 keypad does not seem to work. The symbol is on the top of the o so normally you can press the function key and it would work but sure enough, when I tried it, I couldn't make the = happen.

So far, none of the discussion boards have yielded an answer except that you can use the symbols grid to access = sign (which isn't really an answer to this burning question of why the = cannot be accessed on the keypad).

Have we discovered an glitch in the E63 matrix?

EDIT: Just thought I would test the other keys and summarise what I've found

• Function key + O does not give = and nothing shows up | Shift + O doesn't work either
• Function key + @ does not give ( but instead / shows up | Shift + @ works
• Function key + / does not give ) but instead / shows up. | Shift + /works
• Function key + ' does give the & sign
• Function key + ? does give the ! sign
• Function key + U does give the * sign
• Function key + J does give the # sign
• Function key + I does give the + sign
• Function key + K does give the - sign
• Function key + , does give the ; sign
• Function key + . does give the : sign

As mentioned before my Nokia E63 firmware is:

100.21.110

14-11-2008

RM-450

Nokia E63-3

Please list your firmware when leaving a comment as well. Type *#0000# to get firmware

Why Nokia E63? It reads out emails and messages to you!

OK the admission is that the Nokia E63 is definitely not the first phone to do this but many people probably don't realise that their Nokia E63 can read out their emails and messages by pressing and holding the left selection key when a new sms or email comes in.

If an sms just arrived, the phone will read out the SMS. Then, if there are emails in your mailbox which are still marked as unread, it can continue reading those emails as well. The voice is reasonably easy to understand.

If you press the left selection key, it will pause the reading. Pressing the right selection key will stop the reading altogether. This is extremely useful if you are driving and would like an sms read out to you or if you are in bed and don't want ot open your eyes to read the sms :) How many of you didn't know this? Leave a comment if you are a little wiser after this post.

10 Free SMSDiary licenses coming soon in July

I'm currently exploring the ins and outs of a program called SMS Diary for the Nokia E63. Back in the day with my Nokia E65, it solved the problem of the inbox taking forever to load up. For those that have a lot of people smsing and sometimes you lose track of whether you replied or not, this program will be very useful.

The friendly people at SMS Diary have kindly provided 10 licenses to give away to you guys. Just keep yourself updated on twitter or subscribe to updates on the right. Everyone loves a free giveaway but until then, more tips coming your way from my E63.

Blogs have the final say in purchasing decisions

With the interconnectivity of the world in the last 10 years, people no longer call up a friend just to ask about their recommendation on car insurance or something. Most google their questions and inevitably trust blogs and other "third party" opinions like CNET to decide on what they will buy.

When I bought my E63, it was mainly the result of online research and reading up blogs and reviews on the Nokia E63, looking at what people say is bad about the phone and seeing if those criticisms concern me. The more familiar a person seemed with a product, the more I trusted their advice.

As many people do come for such information, this blog becomes more valuable if you leave your thoughts and comments as well. If you have found this blog to be particularly helpful in your decision about whether to buy the Nokia E63, please share and tell us what finally made you decide. This blog is not run by Nokia, and is only supported by online advertising from Google. My main goal is to share the little tips and tricks I discover as I use my E63.

Keyboard shortcuts for Nokia E63

We're all busy people so we like to find the fastest way to do everything. Nokia E series developers know this and have once again provided many shortcuts for power users like yourself to enjoy.

Fn key - bottom left corner. Press once to use numbers keypad. Press twice to keep using numbers.

Ctrl key - use to select items on a list individually. Combine with + C to copy, +V to paste, +X to cut.

Up (shift) arrow key - holding down Up arrow allows you to select text to copy and paste, which can be accessed by +left selection key (for copy) and +right selection key (for paste)

0 key - hold down to get to Web Browser

# key - hold down to switch between Silent and General mode

* key - hold down to turn on and off bluetooth

Don't forget that the foud buttons in the middle (Home, calendar, contacts and messaging) can be customised to go to whatever program or bookmark that you want. Go to TOOLS --> SETTINGS --> GENERAL --> PERSONALISATION --> ONE-TOUCH KEYS.

Add more to the comments if any come to mind. We are here to find out the easiest way to get to everything that the Nokia E63 provides.

Cut and paste numbers - similar to Nokia E65 here: http://mye65.blogspot.com/2008/03/inserting-phone-number-in-sms.html

Amaze GPS - where did the sound go?

Based on a recommendation over twitter, I added Amaze to my Nokia E63 the other day. Amaze is a GPS navigation software which gives you free turn-by-turn voice navigation to your destination. Since the program downloads the maps "on the fly", it does not take much disk space on your mobile phone.

There are a few different ways of viewing maps, 3D, heads-up or north-up. When you are guided to a destination, you can just view the "arrows only" view which only tells you how far it is to the next turn and the arrow shows you which direction to turn. This is very useful if maps confuse you more than they guide you.

Then I ran into a problem. Yesterday, for some reason, Amaze stopped talking to me. The directions still showed up as I drove along, but the "Female UK" voice was no longer audible. I went to google, amaze GPS website, forums and to the program's help file and found nothing. I tried reinstalling the program and still there was no success. Here is when you come in. If you know what caused the sound to disappear, please let me know. I'm starting to think that voice navigation on Amaze is only for a limited time.

Edit: Found the solution... yeah.. it was on the Amaze website under their FAQ hehe

What can I do if I don`t hear the voice guidance sound on my Nokia handset?

First of all make sure that you choose your preferred language for the voice guidance under Tools -> Regional settings, and that your phone is not in the `silent` or `meeting` modes. Then you should make sure that the "Warning tones" are turned on in your phone`s settings.

FREE! Upgrade your QuickOffice to 6.0 on your Nokia E63

Nokia E series phones can upgrade to a new version of QuickOffice, which allows word processing on your mobile phone. Some changes in the new version include:

• View password protected files
• ZIP file support
• "Word Count" function in Word
• View Microsoft Excel 2007 (.xlsx) charts
• "Go to Cell" in Excel worksheets
• Support for transparent .PNG images
• Microsoft Office version support: 97, 2000, XP, 2003, & 2007
• File formats: DOCX, DOC, XLSX, XLSM, XLS, PPT, PPS, ZIP & TXT

This free update will save you USD$19. Download the new update by going to your menu --> OFFICE --> QUICKOFFICE --> OPTIONS --> UPGRADE.

Press reslease from Quickoffice below:

Dallas, TX - June 15, 2009 - Quickoffice, Inc., the leading global provider of mobile office productivity software, today announced it will be offering free upgrades to the latest version of Quickoffice for users on certain Nokia Eseries phones. Currently this program includes the Nokia E51, E52, E55, E63, E66, E71 (excluding AT&T E71x model), E72, E75 and E90 devices.

Starting today, users of the above devices can download Quickoffice 6 as a free upgrade via Quickmanager®, Quickoffice’s secure on-device, e-commerce portal. Quickoffice 6 includes more advanced document viewing and editing functionality of Microsoft Office 2007 documents, ZIP file support, password-protected file handling, Excel 2007 chart viewing and multiple usability enhancements. Subsequent software updates released by Quickoffice for these select devices will also be available on a continual basis, including PowerPoint 2007 format support. Quickoffice 6 will initially only be available in English and a fully localized update will follow in the near future.

"Through our long-running partnership with Nokia, most S60 users have already benefited by receiving Quickoffice on their devices as part of their phone’s initial firmware, providing users with essential viewing and editing functionality of Office documents," Gregg Fiddes, VP of sales and strategic partnerships for Quickoffice. "Recently, we’ve been working with Nokia to provide these S60 users with an easy and reliable way to update their Quickoffice software. Now, through Quickmanager, they can easily access the latest version and begin utilizing these new enhancements and feature improvements we’ve developed."

Why Nokia E63? Recurring and Multiple Alarms!

I don't know about you but I have had my fair share of lapses where I completely forgot to set my workday alarm, only to realise it the next day. I don't know what it is with the slow evolution of alarm clocks in the nokia phones but with the Nokia E63, you can set a recurring alarm for every workday at say, 8am, and another recurring alarm for every Sunday at another time. The Nokia E65 didn't have this function which seems so basic.

How do you get to the alarm clock? This one always gets people. Go to the menu --> Office --> Clock and then press right. Press the left selection key for options.

One basic feature that Nokia still hasn't built into its phones even with the E63 multiple alarms, is the ability to set different alarm tones for different alarms. With the ability to use mp3s as alarm tones, I was hoping to start the week with "I don't like Mondays" but to do that with the E63, everyday would be a Monday, so scrap that.

Sure, like the iphone you can say that you can get an app for that but another app means more battery life and memory being used to run another application in the background. Anyway, enjoy the multiple alarms if you have only recently upgraded from an older Nokia phone.

More tips on all the things you cando with Nokia alarm clocks can be found at MyE65.blogspot.com.

By the way, if you havet houghts on favourite alarm clock tones, leave a comment below.

How to get MSN Live Messenger working on 3 phone

For those that are on a 3 X-series pack with 3 Australia, you get free Windows Live Messenger to use on your mobile phone. Go to your web browser and connect via Planet 3. Go To Address: http://three.net.au/go/On3/IM. This will take you here and you can download the application for connecting to MSN.

After that, its just a matter of going to the Installations menu item and opening Messenger. When prompted, you shoul connect via Planet 3 and not Mobile Internet (or it may freeze).

How's Windows Live Messenger on Mobile? Its surprisingly easy to use. Each new conversation becomes a tab at the top which you can toggle by pressing left and right. When talking to someone, the OPTIONS menu gives you options such as Sending a file/photo, vibration alert and changing your status. Not sure yet if you can receive files from other MSN messenger users to your mobile.

Emoticons are a little harder to use, requiring [1] or [2] to make smiles or go to the OPTIONS and select the emoticon you would like to send.. but you can't send an emoticon in that way with text on the same line.

How do you stop it from asking what "Select Access Point"? I am yet to figure this out :P

Porting number from Optus to Three - my experience

I am sure this is something many of us are interested in knowing more about. Having signed up to three's $29 cap for 12 months with the free Nokia E63, I had to transfer my number from Optus to Three, here are some FAQs about porting mobile numbers to 3 Australia (may be different for other services).

What's the first step? Sign up to your new carrier and yes, they will issue you a new mobile number. Once you have the phone and sim delivered to you, download the MNP(mobile number porting) form from 3 Australia here.

What's the existing Optus customer number? This is where I was delayed. Three called me up because I provided the wrong customer number to them which doesn't match with optus records. I have had two customer numbers and assumed wrongly that they were chasing the NEW number, when in fact they wanted my old 8-digit Optus customer number. Use this instead if you have two customer numbers.

What happens next? I kept both phones on, anticipating what will happen next. After a while, incoming calls to the number I wanted to port to 3 started coming through on the 3 phone. Strangely though, I could still call using the Optus phone. I still can. I tried to call my own number using Optus and it rang on the 3 phone which was quite interesting. Not sure when my Optus number will stop allowing outgoing calls.

Why Nokia E63? Typing made easier with predictive text

As we go through the "honeymoon phase" of having a new phone, we'll do a couple of posts about features on the Nokia E63 that put a smile on our face. Suggestions for posting topics can be made in the comments, anonymously or otherwise.
I don't know about you but even with a QWERTY keyboard, I still have apprehensions with having to type antidisestablishmentarianism on the Nokia E63. Today while playing with the phone, I suddenly (re)discovered the predictive text feature.

In notes, Create SMS, email or whatever, press the left selection key and go to Input Options --> Predictive text --> On. As you type a word, the phone will try to guess what you are trying to type. To accept the suggestion, just press spacebar. If not, keep typing and the phone will continue to try guess the rest of your word. It's quite nifty, especially if the phone is learning words as you go along. Does it? not sure. Anyway.. try out this feature and next time you need to use a 21 character word, you'll smile to yourself as you save heaps of time

Ovi Maps 3.0

This is when it is important to have a Nokia E63 and above. The new Nokia Maps, now called Ovi Maps 3.0 is available only to the following devices:

• S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 (E63, E66, E71, E90 Communicator, N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95, N95 8GB)
• S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 (E55, E75, N78, N79, N85, N86 8MP, N96, 5320 XpressMusic, 5630 XpressMusic, 5730 XpressMusic, 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, 6650, 6710 Navigator, 6720 Classic)
• S60 5th Edition (5800 XpressMusic & N97)

So have you tried Ovi Maps? what are your thoughts? I'm still at the installation stage.

How Long Does the Nokia E63 battery REALLY last?

Ever wonder how long the phone battery actually lasts? For the first use of my Nokia E63, I charged the phone for 24 hours after receiving it (still not sure if this is necessary), then took it off the charger Saturday afternoon. The battery low warning first sounded 54 hours later. This was after

• Calls: Around 15 calls made and about 3 calls received, with almost 40 minutes call duration in total.
• Data: 726kb data sent and 3.96mb downloaded
• WIFI: About 20 minutes of WIFI use
• Applications: Use of Skype and Gmail application as well as a bit of Nokia Maps and Google Maps

The battery eventually gave up after 2 more hourse of standby. The Nokia website says the following about the Nokia E63 battery:

• BP-4L 1500 mAh Li-Po standard battery
• Talk time (maximum): GSM up to 11 hours; WCDMA up to 4h 40 min
• Standby time (maximum): GSM up to 18 days; WCDMA up to 20 days;WLAN idle up to 170 hours

If you are wanting to make comparisons with the Nokia E71 battery life, this is what the Nokia website claims for the Nokia E71. The Nokia E63 and E71 both use the same battery - BP-4L 1500 mAh Li-Po battery but E71 is slightly more demanding on the battery life.

• Talk time:- GSM up to 10 h 30 min- WCDMA up to 4 h 30 min
• Standby time:- GSM up to 17 days- WCDMA up to 20 days- WLAN idle up to 166 hours

If you are willing to help, maybe you can do the same experiment for your Nokia E63. Use the call logs and the data counter under "Connectivity" and measure how long your Nokia E63 battery lasts with "normal" usage. Report your findings in the comments below and someone just as curious as you googling battery life E63 will also benefit from your efforts.

Your mobile habits may not be as demanding as me but I hope this helped you in your battery life calculations for the Nokia E63.

To charge a battery from empty to full, it took 2 hours and 40 minutes.

New Black Nokia E63 has arrived - what next?

MyE65 nervously captures the arrival of its new younger brother MyE63

After two weeks and numerous calls to Three, the Nokia E63 finally arrived today at work.

Many people wonder, what do you do next?

Plug the phone into the charger and leave it connected as long as you can. Ignore the user guide (not advisable but it happens). Insert sim card and battery. Try calling and SMS another phone. It worked. Turn off the key tones (don't know why people have them on). Try out the internet connection, worked well. Register for My3 website. Didn't work and spent 1 hour with 3 customer care whilst:

• Transfer Contacts and calendar from the old Nokia E65 via Tools -> Transfer -> Bluetooth.


• Connect the phone via bluetooth to Nokia PC suite


• Install Google Maps. Change internet connection to WIFI. Test GPS dongle. Works well.


• Install GMail application. Login and check mail.


• Install Australia Maps via PC suite to Nokia Maps (now called Ovi Maps?)


• Check phone firmware is up to date. The latest firmware for the Nokia E63 is up to date
  E63 RM-450
  Firmware date 14/11/08
  Firmware version 100.21.110
  To check firmware version, enter *#0000#


• Test Skype, worked very well.

I've also emailled the IMEI number to myself as well as the documentation for the phone and contract. This way, I can have it electronically available.

Call settings -> Show Call duration on, Summary after call on, Call Waiting on, Caller ID yes.

What were your first steps?

Another comparison of Nokia E71 and Nokia E63

Nokia E71 side by side with the Nokia E63

Everyone asks, what's the difference? Here are some comparisons between Nokia E63 and Nokia E71. First of all, in Australia the Nokia E71 retails at about $200 more than the Nokia E63.

* The E63 has a plastic casing and the E71 has a metal casing. The metal casing attracts fingerprints.

* Size E63 = E71 except for the depth where E63 is around 1.5 times fatter

* The E63 has a normal 3.5mm jack on top versus the E71’s 2.5mm jack on the side.

* Keyboard layout, E63 adds a ‘/’ button next to the space bar.

* Screen size The E63 has a slightly smaller dimension screen but resolution = E71 @ 320x240 pixels.

* The E63 has no GPS, HSDPA data (internet is slower) and no side buttons for volume

* The E63 has a 2MP camera versus the E71’s 3.2MP and has a fixed focus.

* The E63 adds a flashlight function that allows the camera’s LED flash to be used as a torch which the E71 doesn't do.

The Nokia E71 also comes with the following, which don't come with the E63.
* An additional memory card

* Leather slip case

* Micro-usb cable

What about you? Leave a comment. Why does the E63 make the E71 look overrated? Or maybe you are proud of your shiny E71 and the fact that it knows where it is without assistance. Or are you sitting on the fence at the moment?

Normal Headphones finally fit in a Nokia phone!

Its something to celebrate really. After many years of insisting that users buy a NOKIA headset, the Nokia E63 allows you to plug your normal earphones in. So basically you can use your expensive Sony earphones to listen to your mp3s with the Nokia E63 and when a call comes through, the phone will pause the music and let you answer your call. Once you are done, the phone will resume playing your favourite tracks. Handy, yes?

Nokia E63 specs... but no cable!!

I can't believe that the Nokia E63 does not come with a USB cable. Here are the essential measurements for the Nokia E63. In bold are the features that particularly stand out. 

Nokia E63 Mobile Phone Specifications

Network

2G Network: Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (EGPRS)

3G Network: WCDMA 900/2100

Data

WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3

MP4, 3gp, codecs H.263, MPEG-4 VSP

RealPlayer

Supported mark-up languages: HTML, XHTML, MP, WML, CSS

Supported email protocols: IMAP4, Mail for Exchange, POP3, SMTP

JPEG

FM radio applications

Quickoffice (Word, Excel, PP)

PDF

Dimensions

Size: 113 x 59 x 13mm

Weight: 126g

Colour: Ultramarine Blue or Ruby Red and Black

Battery

Standby: 18 days

Talk Time: 11h/4h 40min (WCDMA/GSM)

Display

2.36in TFT QVGA (320x240 pixels) with up to 16 million colours

Memory

Internal memory: 110MB

Memory card: 1GB microSD memory card slot included (hot swappable, max 8GB)

Connectivity

WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g (Security: WEP, 802.1X, WPA)

Full-speed 2.0 MicroUSB connector

Bluetooth with A2DP

3.5mm stereo headset plug(!!)

Operating System

Symbian Os 9.2, S60 3.1 Edition, Eseries

Web Browser

Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map, visual history, HTML and JavaScript support, Flash Lite 3.0 and Flash video support

Messaging

SMS, MMS, email, text-to-speech message reader

Ringtones

Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True Tones, MP3, vibrating alert

Camera

2 megapixel camera

CMOS sensor

digital zoom

Focal length: 4.5mm

Focus range: 10cm to infinity

LED flash

Video Camera

Video capture in MPEG-4, QVGA at 15fps

Features and Entertainment & Maps

Nokia Maps 2.0 application

Free downloadable maps of over 150 countries, millions of locations, location details

Satellite imagery available for download

Upgrades available for purchase (GPS receiver, Multimedia city guides, Drive or Walk turn-by-turn guidance)

Other

Full QWERTY keyboard

Dedicated one-touch keys: home, calendar, contacts, and email

Data encryption for both phone memory and microSD content

Remote lock

Voice recorder

Voice commands

Integrated voice conferencing

Music player

Media player

Reminders

Calculator with advanced functions

Calendar with week and month view

Converter

ActiveNotes

Quickoffice (Word, Excel, PP, PDF)

Customisable home screen content in Business and Personal modes

Nokia Mobile Search

Printer synchronisation

LED torch

Various other applications

Sales Package Contents

Nokia E63

Nokia Battery (BP-4L)

Nokia Charger (AC-8)

Nokia Headset

NO CABLE!