Part of All About Symbian's tutorial series for absolute beginners to Symbian-powered smartphones, here are the things a newcomer to the Nokia 5230 really needs to know. If this is you, then read on. If you have a friend with a 5230 then do them a favour and print off this article on their behalf!
Tap, tap Like any other touchscreen phone, on the 5230 you basically tap to select something or launch it. The media have made much of the need to sometimes 'double tap', but this is really just a way of saying that, in a list of things (contacts, photos, menu options, etc.), your first tap selects an item and then, once you're sure your tap was accurate and the right item is selected, your second tap will do whatever's needed (depending on which app and screen you're in).
The system is actually all very logical and consistent. You might ask "Why can't every tap count as an action, as on the Apple iPhone?". The answer is that, on the whole, your 5230 has an operating system and apps that can do quite a bit more, which is why many functions have to be put on a traditional menu - there simply isn't room on the screen. And, if you watch an iPhone-owning friend when they're trying to do something complicated, they'll be diving into sub-sub-screens and tapping away just as much as you using one of the 5230's various application 'Options' menus.
Entering text There are (at least) four different ways of entering text on the 5230, according to preference and previous experience. On any of the text entry screens, look for a little keyboard icon - tapping this will let you change text entry to whichever mode is easiest for you: many people find that a virtual T9 keypad, with predictive text turned on, is fastest - after all, the virtual keys are far bigger than the physical ones you used to use. Others prefer a virtual qwerty keyboard - choose the full one and then you'll have plenty of space in 'landscape' mode. Experiment!
Installing new applications One of the huge benefits of owning a smartphone rather than a 'feature phone' is that you can now install any of thousands of add-on applications, from social networking to puzzle games to streaming music services. On the 5230, it's best to start with the 'Ovi Store' icon. Create yourself an Ovi account if you don't already have one and see what you fancy. If you're overwhelmed by choice, why not start with a browse through the reviews section here on All About Symbian or the equivalent games reviews here on Ovi Gaming?
And it's worth noting that you're not limited just to titles in the store - it's really easy to discover new Symbian applications (often marked as for "S60" or "S60 5th Edition") on the wider Internet and to download and install them. Just stay away from the darker corners of the web - installing apps from dodgy sites is a sure fire way to risk installing something that can mess your phone up!
Camera tips The camera in the 5230 isn't top of the line, it has to be said, but Nokia's cameras are still better than most of the competition. Here are a few tips that will help you make the most of what you've got:
Don't 'zoom in' (i.e. digital zoom) - you're simply throwing away quality. If you need to get closer to your subject then get closer! Or take the shot at full resolution and then crop it later using your desktop's photo software.
Don't try and shoot/film too close to the phone, as there's no focussing in either still or video modes. Stick to subjects more than a metre or two away.
For both stills and video, shoot only in good light; you'll be very disappointed by anything shot in dim conditions.
The ones you love the most With S60 (the interface in your 5230), there's plenty of scope for customisation in terms of which application shortcuts are shown and in what order. Unlike on some other smartphones, you get complete control of app icons, including being able to organise them into themed folders. Nokia start you off with some defaults, but it's easy to use 'Options > Organise' to create new folders and move icons around on the main menu, or to use the slightly more hidden away 'Settings > Personal > Home screen > Shortcuts' to change the main four shortcuts shown on your home screen.
Don't be afraid to Multitask No, multitasking isn't a new invention, Symbian-powered phones have been doing it for many years. Don't keep switching back to the home screen feature-phone-style by using the Hangup button - this usually closes the current application - in other words, it acts as 'Exit'. If you want to keep the current program running in the background (so you can get back to it quickly without losing your place or interrupting whatever it's doing) then press the central Menu button instead - or press it twice if you want to get right back to the home screen.
Where your content lives Like many modern smartphones, the 5230 has both flash memory inside and a memory card slot ("microSD"). If you didn't get a memory card with your phone then go grab one from Amazon or similar, we recommend you get at least a 8GB card - this represents very good value for money. The internal memory (sometimes shown as disk "C") is relatively limited, so the idea is to just put your day to day content (messages, contacts, etc.) and new applications there, while you should put your music and video files, both of which can be quite large, on the memory card (sometimes shown as disk "E"). Don't worry, you won't have to choose very often - some applications automatically go onto 'C", while most media files will get put onto your microSD card by default.
Connecting up to your desktop Although there wasn't a CD in your 5230's box, or indeed a microUSB data cable, it's still easy to connect your phone to your Windows PC or Apple Mac. Start by downloading Ovi Suite if you're a Windows user or the relevant iSync plug-in if you use a Mac. Follow the instructions to sync your 5230 to your desktop using Bluetooth. If you have a PC which doesn't have Bluetooth then grab a USB to microUSB cable from your local accessory shop instead.
Don't forget the Media key With all the focus on the main touchscreen on the Nokia 5230, don't forget that little extra touch sensitive area above it. The 'Media key' will pop up shortcuts to Music player and other media-related applications, whatever you happen to be doing on the phone at the time. So, for example, you could have music playing in the background and want to change the track. Just touch the Media key and tap on the Music player icon to bring it back to the foreground. When done changing track, you can switch back to your previous application by pressing and holding the main Menu key or by using the usual Menu or homescreen shortcuts.
Upgrade your headset The headphones shipped with your phone are likely to be fairly basic, just a simple wire. Instead, grab the AD-54 adaptor (e.g. on eBay here) - usually found as part of a bundle, but inexpensive. This will let you a) control your music using hardware buttons without interrupting what you're doing on the phone, and b) still let you plug in some really decent in-ear headphones of your own, for superior quality.
Getting your music and media onto the 5230 Windows users will want to use Ovi Suite, mentioned above, to rip music from your CDs and sync both these and any digital downloads with your phone. If you have an established iTunes library then look out DoubleTwist, which will import your iTunes playlists and library and help you transfer content to your device. On the Mac, the best automated solution is to use Nokia's Multimedia transfer.
For both desktop platforms, if you have bought a microUSB data cable, the all round simplest solution is just to plug in the 5230 and choose 'Mass storage' mode, after which your 5230's memory card becomes just another disk on your desktop. Use Windows Explorer or Mac Finder (as appropriate) and drag as many folders of music files as you like to the card. The exact folder isn't important, though using the existing 'Sounds' folder would seem sensible, to keep things together. If your new songs don't appear in Music player straight away, choose 'Refresh library' from the library home screen - and then go off and have a cup of tea while the phone indexes everything!
Firmware, firmware Smartphones are complex devices at heart and there will always be some bugs or problems, however large or small. Which is why it's vital to stay up to date in terms of firmware, i.e. the software inside your smartphone - Nokia are always at work fixing bugs and periodically releasing new versions of the smartphone's operating system. In the old days, you'd have had to have backed up all your data and jumped through hoops when applying a firmware upgrade, but with the 5230 (and other modern Symbian-based phones from Nokia) it's all painless and over the air.
You can check for firmware at any time by entering *#0000# on the virtual dial-pad and choosing 'Check for updates'. If one is available, you can download it in a few seconds and apply it - the whole process shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes and you shouldn't lose any data or apps!
Preserving battery life Even with the power improvements in modern smartphones, battery life can be an issue for some people, especially considering the amount of high-tech goodies they've got to power. Here are a few tips to last longer on your daily charge:
Firstly, make sure you charge the 5230 each night, so at least it's starting the day on 'full'
It's fun to surf the mobile Internet and use online services such as email while travelling. But the single biggest power drain on your phone is its 3G data connection - keeping radio connections going with cell towers that are either far away or moving (relative to you!) is a very quick way to hammer your battery. Try to enjoy your 5230 offline as much as possible while actually mobile - so games, ebooks, watching videos, listening to music, all of which are less power hungry.
Watch what applications you leave running in the background (by switching away from them, using the main menu button or red 'Hangup' key) - some games and Java applications are especially processor hungry, even when paused! If things are chugging along in the background, you'll know because the 5230 will start to get quite warm to the touch!
When using the phone as a navigator in car, with display and GPS both active, do yourself a favour and buy a $10 12V adapter/charger, so that instead of draining the battery at a rate of knots you're actually gaining extra charge.
Experiment with using the display at less than full brightness - those photons have got to come from somewhere!
Software update Usually abbreviated to 'Sw update' and found under 'Applications' on your 5230's menu, this goes online to check the version numbers of any core Nokia applications that you may have installed and to notify you of new Nokia-official software that you may be interested in. For example, new versions of Ovi Maps - this now has completely free world voice navigation, so it's well worth upgrading! It's important to remember that things offered here are all completely optional - only install items that you know you'll use. If you install absolutely everything then you run the risk of gradually running out of internal memory (see below).
Know your tariff One thing the 5230, advanced though it is, doesn't have is Wi-Fi. This means that, even at home or work, all your phone's data comes in through its 3G data connection. Even if you don't intend streaming music all the time or downloading huge files, it's still absolutely vital that you understand how much data is costing you (on pay-as-you-go, usually a fixed cost per day and an 'overage' charge if you exceed a set limit; on contract, usually a set amount of data per month, again with overage charges). Smartphones can be hungry beasts in terms of data - even modest use, with a few web pages, some application installs and a few photo uploads will see you well into the Megabytes. Know your tariff!
Quicker removal To remove applications from your phone, the quickest way is to go back into 'Options > Organise' and tap on 'Delete'. Allow a few seconds for the removal to work - some applications may have spread themselves out over many files and it'll take a short time to delete every one of these.
Camera tips
Where your content lives
Don't forget the Media key
It's fun to surf the mobile Internet and use online services such as email while travelling. But the single biggest power drain on your phone is its 3G data connection - keeping radio connections going with cell towers that are either far away or moving (relative to you!) is a very quick way to hammer your battery. Try to enjoy your 5230 offline as much as possible while actually mobile - so games, ebooks, watching videos, listening to music, all of which are less power hungry.