S60Tips.com

Can we access files stored on our PC’s somewhere from our S60 phones? Yes, absolutely. There are already some solutions available out there, but this time I will discuss the free one, i.e. SoonR.com. Thanks to Yasugi Hidenobu from Osaka, Japan who has pointed out this nice service.

One feature that I like from SoonR is that no additional software needed on our S60 phones. The built-in web browser, such as S60 OSS Browser, will do. Furthermore, SoonR allows us accessing some other applications too, such as Microsoft Outlook and Skype.

How does SoonR work? It works by installing an agent on your PC, called SoonR Desktop Agent. The agent will then share your files to your phone’s browser via SSL connection (128 bit SSL to be exact). It works the same way to access applications, such as Outlook and Skype. Your phone acts as remote control to the applications via SSL connection.

OK. Let’s start experiencing SoonR.

• Download and install SoonR Desktop Agent from SoonR web site. Follow the instructions to register a new account too.
• After installing SoonR Desktop Agent, you should be able to see it on the Windows task bar.

• Open the agent to configure which files you want to share. You can do it by right clicking SoonR icon in Windows task bar and selecting Open menu. Click Folders button to select which folders to share.

• Now, we are ready to access the files from our mobile phone. Open the web browser on your S60 phone and go to http://www.soonr.com/. Enter your user name and password in the login screen.

• After login, you will see your shared files and applications. Now you are ready to go…

• You can access your remote files, such as accessing photos or videos.

• You can also access your Inbox, Calendar and Contacts on your Microsoft Outlook.

Note: Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to make phone call via Skype. SoonR is able to call the phone, but I couldn’t hear anything. Well, it is still in beta phase, so this might be one features that is not really working yet.

Update (16-Aug-2006): I have managed to make a phone call via Skype. The problem last was that I used a phone without SIM card. IMHO, calling via Skype is one of the coolest features of SoonR.

A couple of months ago, I have listed some secret codes on S60 phones to display various useful information. Some of the readers have provided some feedback to me with more secret codes. Here they are:

*#92702689# (*#war0anty#) - Display the life timer information of your S60 phone, i.e. the total time of phone call (in minutes). Some users have asked how to reset this timer; as far as I know the only way to reset it is by flashing the phone.

*#7780# (*#rst0*) - This will soft reset your phone. It is different from *#7370# because all data, like contacts, calendar and notes, are not removed. It will only reset the phone settings, such as profiles, themes and shortcuts. The default lock code is 12345.

There is another key combination which is used to hard reset the phone (similar to #*7370). It is useful in some cases, for example when the phone cannot reboot. The trick is by switching off the phone then press and hold Call key (Green key) + * key + 3 key + power button for a couple of seconds. Note that you have to press and hold the four keys at the same time; otherwise it won’t reset the phone. This key combination doesn’t work on some S60 phones.

Update (12-Aug-06): Thanks to Jukka for the correction. You don’t need keep pressing Call key + * + 3 + Power.

It might not be really fair to feature my own application. However, I have been thinking that it is worth to mention this application in the Featured Freeware section. Why? Because all the screenshots at this site (S60Tips.com) are taken using this application. Besides that, the new version has just been released.

What does Screenshot for Symbian OS (S60) do? As the name implies, it is used to capture screenshots on your S60 phones. Currently it supports almost all S60 phones, including Nokia N-Series and E-Series, but except Nokia N92 .

Capturing the screenshot can be done by pressing a shortcut. By the default, the shortcut is Edit+OK keys. The Edit key is sometimes called Pencil key or ABC key. On Nokia E61, it is the Shift key. The OK key is the center of the joystick.

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

Update (27-Feb-07): Screenshot for Symbian is officially launched as an open source project.