Series60-Remote - Manage your Symbian mobile in Ubuntu

Goddddddddddd! Had I known this by afternoon, I'd have saved half a day.

Finally, I got a tool with which I can manage the messages, contacts & files in my N95 with Ubuntu.

This tool is simply awesome and available for Debian, Fedora, Windows & MacOS. It's based on Python and needs a client to be installed in your mobile. You need to install PyS60 as well on your mobile. I used PythonForS60_1_4_5_3rdEd.sis for my N95 8GB since that was the latest available release. It uses sqlite or MySql in the backend for storing messages/contacts etc.

Apart from these, I had to install obexftp & python-obexftp [both available in Synaptic] as well.

Once all the required software are installed in your PC & in your mobile, you should initiate a bluetooth pairing between PC and Mobile and then open S60-remote in your mobile. I guess only bluetooth connectivity works as of now and you can not use USB mode yet. The client needs to be running all the time so you can not close it in your mobile but minimize it by pressing Menu key.

Then, open up Applications -> Internet -> Series60-Remote in your Ubuntu.

The application will list all available bluetooth devices.

Select your mobile from the list and click Next.

Application will ask if you want to push the client and PyS60 to your mobile if not done already. Ignore that and click next since we have them installed already.

After couple of screenshots explaining how to use the mobile client, application will connect to the phone and Ta-Da!

You'll see the phone is connected to the PC and it shows the battery and signal level of your phone.

From the left panel you can create a new message, manage contacts & files, see device information etc.

To see existing messages, you need to select 'View history' from Messages menu.

Once a new message come in to your mobile, the Series60-Remote in your Ubuntu will show a popup, just like a gtalk or skype chat popup, and ask if you want to continue as chat.

The app seems pretty neat, simple, fast and does a wonderful job. Unfortunately, this is available only for Symbian60 mobiles though! But still, great work by the developer.

So, those who have Symbian & using Ubuntu/Fedora/Mac or those who are not happy with the super slow message management in Ovi Suite, this app is exactly for you guys - GO FOR IT.


-Jeeva

Moved to Gnome for the very same reasons I loved KDE

I moved to gnome today for the same reasons I preferred KDE when I started to use Fedora during pre-[K]Ubuntu days - Graphics.

I personally didn't like the graphics in KDE with Kubuntu 10.04 and had very minimal [you can read it as NONE] success in making my favs like compiz, emerald & awn work in KDE. On the other hand, gnome was super duper with all these and it was pretty easy to configure them all.

I feel the Ubuntu guys dropped the ball [courtesy: Martin :-)] on KDE and are focusing more on gnome these days. Sigh...

Anyway, I'm happy that I got some good effects on my desktop now :D


-Jeeva

How to tune Thunderbird to automatically check for new emails in remote IMAP folders [in Kubuntu]

I was breaking my head with why Thunderbird [in Kubuntu] is not showing up new emails that come into remote folders even after I told Thunderbird to check mail every minute.

Thanks to kb.mozillazine.org, my bad that I didn't search for it sooner, I found the reason and the fix.

All you have to do is

Step 1:

1. goto Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> General ->Config Editor
2. Search for "mail.check_all_imap_folders_for_new" and set that to "true"

Step 2 - this is a bit frustrating, actually:

1. Now right click on EACH, you read that right E-A-C-H, remote folder -> Properties -> General Information
2. Select the "Check this folder for new messages" option, click "OK".

Thunderbird now really checks for new emails in every folder :-)


-Jeeva

Youtube from within Amarok

Discovered a cool feature in Amarok today which allows users to watch the corresponding video [from youtube] of the currently playing song.

All you got to do is add Videoclip applet to your Amarok

Then add the song you want to listen [& view in youtube] to the playlist and play the song.


The videoclip applet will then pull the related videos, from youtube, for the song that is being played. You can either add the clip to the playlist or play the desired clip immediately by right clicking on the clip.


There you are, viewing the youtube video right in your Amarok :-)



-Jeeva

Managed [some how] to sync my iPod with Kubuntu Lucid Lynx

After little struggle and lot of googling, which let me down this time though, I managed to sync my iPod nano 4G with Kubuntu 10.04.

All the articles I came across mentioned abt using Banshee, Amarok etc for syncing iPod. I was desperate that I installed almost all the packages related to 'ipod' in KPackageKit. I kept on looking in Amarok to see if it detects the iPod, it didn't.

Meanwhile, I was able to see my iPod as a data storage media in Dolphin & was able to mount the same and browse through the files as well. This made me to go back to Amarok and try File -> Play media... and then select the iPod which got displayed in the pop-up window. As soon as I selected the iPod, I can see it listed in the Media sources panel under Local Music section. Woohooo...

I am now able to transfer music from/to my iPod, edit the tags for songs in the iPod, delete songs from iPod.........

:-)


-Jeeva

Followup:

Okay, I've been so stupid that I didn't notice the support for iPod was present by default in Kubuntu. The only thing was I didn't know how to use it though.

Just connect the iPod, Open it via Dolphin once [to mount the device] and there you are... your iPod will be available under Local Music section in Amarok!!!