S60Tips.com

Update (28-Oct-2007): Now there is an easy way to access GMail account from your S60 phones. Google has a nice standalone application, called GMail for Mobile.

Google provides us a service, called GMail Mobile, where we can access GMail account using web browser in our mobile phones. Actually, as S60 phone users, you don’t need web browser and GMail Mobile to access your GMail account. You can use Messaging application and download your messages to your phone using POP3 protocol.

Which method is better, using web browser or POP3? Each of us has our own preferences. I myself would prefer POP3 because I can download my messages to my phone. Later when I need to read my email again, I don’t need to connect to the Internet. Once again, it is just a matter of taste. You can compare it with accessing email using Outlook/Thunderbrid and Web-based email.

How can you setup GMail mailbox on your S60 phones?

• Firstly, you need to enable POP access on your GMail account. Logon GMail and click Settings | Forwarding and POP.
• Enable your POP Download by selecting “Enable POP for all mail” or “Enable POP only for mail that arrives from now on”.
• I would also recommend selecting “keep GMail’s copy in the Inbox” so that you can still access your email from the web interface.

• Next, you need to setup a new mailbox in your S60 phones. Launch Messaging application.

• Select Options | Settings | E-mail | Mailboxes. When the phone ask to create a new mailbox, Select Yes. If you have already a mailbox, the phone will not ask you to create a new mailbox. In this case, select Options | New mailbox. Enter the following information for your new mailbox (note that some S60 phones might have different menus and labels):
  • Mailbox name: GMail
  • Access point in use: [Select Access Point of your operator]
  • My e-mail address: [Enter your Gmail address]
  • Outgoing mail server: smtp.gmail.com
  • User name: [Enter your GMail address]
  • Password: [Enter your GMail password]
  • Incoming mail server: pop.gmail.com
  • Mailbox type: POP3
  • Security (ports): On (SSL/TLS)
  • Port: Default (993/995)
    Note: On some S60 devices, you have to specifically enter port number. In that case, enter 995 as port number for POP3.
    If you need to enter port number for SMTP too, then use 465.
  • APOP secure login: Off

• There are actually some other settings you can set, for example your name, signature, etc.
• Now you are ready to go. If you go to the main menu of Messaging application, you should see your GMail mailbox there. You can download your messages or write new messages.

Update (04-Jan-2007): You can also use GMail Application for Mobile to check your email. It is a Java-based application developed by Google.

Don’t you know that you can display the running application in S60 phones, just like Windows Task Manager? Symbian OS, the operating system underlying S60, is a multitasking operating system. Although you can only see one application on the screen, actually more than one application can run at the same time.You can display the list of applications that run by pressing and holding Menu key (). Press and hold Menu key for about 1 second; otherwise the list of applications will not appear.

What can you do with the application list? You can switch between applications. Locate the application you want to activate and then press OK key.

What else can you do? You can kill an application. Locate the application you want to kill and then press C key. It is the key that you usually use to delete a character. This feature sometimes is useful when an application freeze and you cannot access Exit menu.

FExplorer is a file explorer application for S60 phones, similar to Windows Explorer. It allows you to browse file system of your S60 phones and do many file operations. Although there is a built-in file manager in S60 phones, you can’t do much with it. This file explorer is a must-have for any S60 phone users.

Click here to download FExplorer

Compatible devices: S60 1st, 2nd, 3rd Edition, Nokia Nseries, Nokia Eseries.