In the fourth and (probably) last part of my series investigating whether a Windows-using S60 user should consider switching to an Apple Mac, I look at tethering, installing applications, backing up and updates. I also sum up my Mac experience and end up perched in a painful position right on top of a fence...
Read on in the full article.
Hi Steve,
As a Mac user, the mention of Missing Sync piqued my interest. Does it save SMS messages in a proprietary format? Any other advantages over the freeware SMS Export app?
Also, SplashID is an alternative for HandySafe that works with Macs, though I'm not sure how easy it is to move data between one app and the other...
If you want to play wmv file formats on your mac downoal flip4mac. It makes quicktime able to decode those files. Perian is also a good little tool have have in this category
fidolatry wrote:Hi Steve,As a Mac user, the mention of Missing Sync piqued my interest. Does it save SMS messages in a proprietary format? Any other advantages over the freeware SMS Export app?
Also, SplashID is an alternative for HandySafe that works with Macs, though I'm not sure how easy it is to move data between one app and the other...
I think it does save sms's in a proprietary format, but the advantage is that whenever your phone is in bluetooth range of the computer it will automatically sync
Intersting to hear that Nokia is making an Ovi suite for Mac. Any idea when it's due to come out?
essentials like MapLoader and Nokia Software Update need native Leopard versions as soon as humanly possible.
IMHO the software update (i.e. firmware update) application isn't really going to be needed at all in the future, as more and more new handsets have Over-The-Air options, and the OTA updates themselves are much smaller and quicker to install than a full firmware flash. On top of that, 3.5G is making phone network downloads much faster, and wi-fi is also allowing fast downloads, so it's quite plausible for many people to download a multi-megabyte file onto their phones without a computer.
Phone updates are becoming very much like desktop computer OS updates, small occasional patches that go straight onto the device without having to back anything up or reinstall anything.
Yeah, there's no official Map Loader for Mac. However, you can download the map .zip files via this page on your Mac fine. Works for me (it's actually quicker than using the official map loader).
so the bottomline is, mac is still not as seamless as windows for your ops if you are using a nokia smartphone. Hmmm. Ok. I have always found the back up operation very useful for me either when i change my phone for firmware update. The card backup is not as smooth as pc backup from my experience.
Forget the anecdotal evcidence that software update can be done on a mac running windows - its not anecdotal, it works just fine!
richardyates wrote:Forget the anecdotal evcidence that software update can be done on a mac running windows - its not anecdotal, it works just fine!
Yes it does work just fine, I have updated various s60 phones firmware on my mac using VMWare Fusion many times, it works perfectly.....as does Map Loader.
And Steve, just for the record unlike VMWare Fusion and Parallels, Apple's Bootcamp is NOT a virtual machine, what it does is allow you to partition your harddrive and install windows natively on that new partition with all the necessary drivers for the apple hardware, Simply hold down the Option key when you power up and choose OSX or the Windows, more details here http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html
"the lack of support for WMA and WMV (hey, the PC can play Mac file formats)"
On a new install of XP a PC will play less video formats than a mac, you need to install extra codecs on a PC, exactly as you also have to on a mac.
Flip4Mac pluin for WMA and WMV can be found here
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/flip4mac.mspx
If you like 'Open' formats why bother with WMA/WMV anyway?
@ashu,
Yes and no. The OS's are different. There is no comparison other than the fact they power computers.
For me, my Mac is seem-less when I want to do Symbian related things. I never once missed the installers that PC Suite require. I simply highlight the file, and BT it over to the phone, install via a click on the phone and bam, it installs. Same as adding files. Browse device via BT, or use a card reader, or even the USB cable. I defy Steve to do more on his Windows device than I can do with my Mac. I recognize that they are different and approach them as such.
Loading maps under OS X is very easy..
Just download the maps from : http://diabo.110mb.com/symbian/indexmaps.htm
and put them manually on the memory card..
Also, I suggest to use the freeware and VERY nice application called Keepass .(http://keepass.info , Http://keepassx.org)
This is a password/secure info keeper application that runs on OSX (Keepassx) and you can copy the database of it on the memory card of your mobile.
xChris wrote:Loading maps under OS X is very easy..
Just download the maps fromand put them manually on the memory card..
Also, I suggest to use the freeware and VERY nice application called Keepass
This is a password/secure info keeper application that runs on OSX (Keepassx) and you can copy the database of it on the memory card of your mobile.
Hi xChris,
thanks for the link.BUT how and where to put the maps on the memory card without overwriting the installed maps?I made a backup of the Nokia files on my Mac (OS X 10.4.11)already.
Thanks for help
Jacon