S60 and Mac - from first principles - part 2
Published by Steve Litchfield at 17:07 UTC, August 4th 2008
Continuing the series looking at Mac options from the point of view of a S60 phone owner.
If you've been reading along so far, you'll know that I'm a complete Mac virgin, trying to get to grips with OS X and get my Nokia N95 8GB connected up and productive. In part 1, I found it fairly easy to get the two devices paired up by Bluetooth and talking to each other, following which I installed Nokia's iSync plug-in and got PIM data sync working to the Mac's Address Book and iCal applications.
So far so good then. Next up, I'd promised a look at connecting up via USB cable and the handling of multimedia. Here we go....
'Data transfer' mode (on the USB pop-up menu on the N95) seemed most obvious to try. Right on cue, 'Mass memory' (the not so subtle default name for the N95 8GB's 8GB flash disk) popped up on the MacBook's desktop.
Double-clicking this opened the 8GB disk as just another virtual disk/device in the MacBook's Finder and it was easy enough to copy files around or open them in-situ. Just as slick as under Windows - and arguably faster.
But what about the other USB modes? I tried 'Media player' and 'PC Suite', but neither prompted a response on the MacBook. In other words, if you want anything other than file copying and opening, (as I understood it) it would be necessary to stick to the Bluetooth connection, along with its speed limitations, up to a maximum of 100KB per second, i.e. a Megabyte every ten seconds or more and well over six times slower than direct cable connections. This was going to be frustrating when large files are concerned - I know the N95 8GB's built-in flash disk is slow, but it's nowhere near that slow.
But.... hold on. The next thing to look at, Nokia Multimedia Transfer, still labelled as beta incidentally, is going to try to save the day. Back to Nokia's Mac Support site (still looking badly formatted) and v1.3 of the multimedia suite was downloading happily.
Once installed, the very first thing it does is.... prompt the user to plug in their phone and set it to 'PC Suite' mode! So the cable and higher speed connection is going to be used after all!
Upon which...
There's now a new icon in the title bar and clicking it brings up the Multimedia Transfer menu:
The 'Device settings' dialog is also presented as part of the initial setup, showing clearly the functionality of Nokia's suite. Read through it carefully as the way transfers work is well thought out but (as always with the Mac!) potentially not exactly what you had in mind.
After a lengthy scanning process, during which my photos and videos were copied across onto the MacBook hard disk, I was presented with all the media from the 'E' disk of my N95 8GB, organised by month.
Yet I still seemed to be in a wizard, inside iPhoto, which was prompting me to 'Import all' or 'Import selected', presumably trying to compile an album index of some kind. I opted for 'Import all'.
A blur of photos later (the import/indexing took about 2 minutes for 300 items), I was presented with:
Well done for asking! Keeping my originals on the N95 8GB, I was shown my photos again, this time sorted by day, and showing in 'Last import'. Interestingly, the album 'N95 8GB' was shown to be empty. Hmmm.....
Selecting all photos (again), I then dragged them all into the 'N95 8GB' album - ah, that's better. I have to say that the transfer/import/filing process isn't the most intuitive in the world, but again then maybe my PC background is what's slowing me down - should I be thinking in Apple-ese?
My captured videos also showed up in the album, with a little video icon. Ah, good. I double-clicked on one. Quicktime Player leaps into action and shows the video very clearly. I'm impressed.
Now, what else did Nokia Multimedia Transfer claim to do? Oh yes, sync bookmarks. In Safari, nothing was shown on the 'Bookmarks Bar', but under 'Show all bookmarks', there was a new folder with all my mobile-compiled N95 8GB/Web bookmarks. Top marks.
One thing that puzzled me at first, until I'd read the setup dialog text more closely, was that starting off a second 'Transfer' resulted in an equally long process, this time seemingly converting and sending media items back onto the phone. I turns out that this the expected default behaviour. Nokia and Apple expect you to let the Multimedia Transfer software archive (as in delete the originals) your photos and videos, copying back (onto the device) much smaller, QVGA-optimised versions - that obviously take up far less space. It's actually a good system and reflects how a lot of people will use Nokia's S60 phones in real life, although imaging fanatics like myself will feel shortchanged by not being able to deep-zoom into the tiny photos or show them (and videos) off via TV-out so impressively.
Onto music syncing, another feature of Nokia Multimedia Transfer. Each time I synced (with 'Start transfers'), I would get an error message telling me that the 'N95 8gb' folder was empty and so sync to iTunes couldn't be done. After trying and failing to drag music files into this folder, the penny finally dropped that I needed to work with 'Playlists' and not individual tracks. I put a Playlist inside the folder and hey presto - as promised, the music files mentioned (in AAC format, in this case, which is what iTunes works with) were synced across on the next transfer to my phone.
Along with a handy reminder message. These programmers think of everything!
I was intrigued by the menu item 'Start music fill-up' and clicked it out of interest. It's a way for Nokia Multimedia Transfer to randomly pick tracks from your iTunes library, to help fill up your phone's memory card (or built-in mass memory) to a degree that you specify. Neat, but not for me, I think.
So far, a thumbs-up for Nokia Multimedia Transfer then, it integrates a S60 phone neatly into a Mac, providing a mini-toolbox of functions that complement the PIM-centric iSync functions nicely.
And I'm not done with it yet. In the next part of this Mac virgin feature, I'm going to be trying to transcode video from MacBook to S60 phone and also working out what to do with phone-shot MP4 video files on the MacBook. Stay tuned!
Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian
Categories: How To, Comment, Software
Platforms: General, S60 3rd Edition
Feature Discussion
By dragging all your images to this folder after import you told it to copy then back.
iPhoto will happily import your pictures with out having multimedia transfer installed, either set iPhoto to open on device connection or open iPhoto and then connect your usb cable, in both case wait a few seconds and import will start.
That Nokia MM Transfer looks pretty sweet, but I should probably warn you that iPhoto comes with some potential risks, due to its proprietary database format. Should that become corrupted, your precious photos might possibly be lost along with it!
More on this can be found on the Apple Discussions site:
http://tinyurl.com/6pgzzj
There are other cataloging apps available -- my favourite is this one:
http://www.iview-multimedia.com/
You do have to pay for it, but it's well worth it IMHO...
if you can do all that I do with my phone on my windows laptop, theres no stopping me from splurging into a mac!!
Am waiting for more to come from you!
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Originally Posted by fidolatry
Hi Steve,
That Nokia MM Transfer looks pretty sweet, but I should probably warn you that iPhoto comes with some potential risks, due to its proprietary database format. Should that become corrupted, your precious photos might possibly be lost along with it! More on this can be found on the Apple Discussions site: http://tinyurl.com/6pgzzj There are other cataloging apps available -- my favourite is this one: http://www.iview-multimedia.com/ You do have to pay for it, but it's well worth it IMHO... |
I switched from SE and Windoze to Nokia and Mac a few years ago. I have NEVER had one problem syncing my data. Unlike with Windows you do not need the bloatware PC Suite to move your data. You can symply sync via iSync. You can move data to your phone via BT, or you can use the Media application that Nokia developed. Either way there are no drivers to install, no .dll's to get corrupted. I am currently using an N82 with my Mac, right along with my iPhone. I even created a script to sync my data daily at 22:00 so that any changes made during the day will be there the next day. It really could not be easier.
> risks, due to its proprietary database format. Should that become
> corrupted, your precious photos might possibly be lost along with it!
Sorry, but you're wrong. Photos in iPhoto are saved as separate JPEG files. The database is purely for recording "Smart Albums" and other relationships between photos that can't be stored in JPEG files themselves.
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Post by post, review by review, you are drawing me towards a mac!! I always have wanted to own a mac but then the needs of my n 82 are much stronger than the want of a mac! if you can do all that I do with my phone on my windows laptop, theres no stopping me from splurging into a mac!! |
BUT... things like over-the-air firmware updates and online services, which work directly with the phone, are steadily eroding the need for a computer at all. If you don't need to use a computer with your phone, then you're free to use any computer OS you want.
The itunes sync is better than nokia media transfer, the abilty to encode automaticall the music from iTunes.
Maybe you can also write a review and welcome to the mac world and enjoy!
I´m running both Mac OS X (as my primary OS) and Windows XP but my phone duties (other than image and video transfer) is done with XP. The deal breaker for me with Mac OS X is the complete lack of support for eAAC+ encoded music. This makes iTunes useless for my phone collection and when this forces me to use Windows my decision was simple: use Windows for everything phone related (contacts and so on).
It would be nice if Nokia and Apple releases support for eAAC+, Nokia Software Updater and other services. That day I will gladly use Mac OS X for the phone related tasks.
I think i will need some tutoring on that from you. i also have an n 82. in 3 months time, will go in for a macbook.
hope u r a frequent here!! by that time evn our steve will become a master!!!!
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Originally Posted by Ratkat
Never had a problem with iPhoto myself in over 2 years of using it, regardless of that, should the database file become damaged, your photos are still stored in the Finder and are not affected.
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Trust me, once you've had this happen, you'll be a lot more scared of trusting iPhotos filing structure.
A safer way is to (in the newer versions of iPhoto) select in preferences the option that does NOT 'copy' your pictures into the iPhoto database. That way you can keep all your pictures in eg the 'Pictures' folder on your mac, then drag them from there into iPhoto.
iPhoto then just imports photo references to your originals which are safely stored where you can always find them.
| It would be nice if Nokia and Apple releases support for eAAC+, Nokia Software Updater and other services. That day I will gladly use Mac OS X for the phone related tasks. |
Music would still be a problem though as computers still tend to be better places to store tracks.
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Originally Posted by Unregistered
I've had the database corrupted with iPhoto & yes, your originals are still on your hard drive but because of the way iPhoto saves them (in literally a thousands of nested folders) it can be an absolute NIGHTMARE retrieving them again.
Trust me, once you've had this happen, you'll be a lot more scared of trusting iPhotos filing structure. A safer way is to (in the newer versions of iPhoto) select in preferences the option that does NOT 'copy' your pictures into the iPhoto database. That way you can keep all your pictures in eg the 'Pictures' folder on your mac, then drag them from there into iPhoto. iPhoto then just imports photo references to your originals which are safely stored where you can always find them. |
pictures/iphoto library/originals/year imported/date imported (or event name, if you have changed it)
It doesn't get much simpler than that to be honest.
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Originally Posted by Tzer2
You won't necessarily need Software Updater on future S60 models, the updates will go straight onto the phone over Wi-Fi or the phone network.
Music would still be a problem though as computers still tend to be better places to store tracks. |
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html
or a better way is to use a virtual machine like Vmware Fusion
http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/
This allows you to install XP or Vista on you mac and then install programs like Nokia Software Update or Map Loader, and anything else you want, the Vmware Fusion allows you to have both Mac OSX and Windows running at the same time in near perfect unity with windows programs appearing on the Mac desktop and dock.
There is a great video showing a mac running windows through vmware fusion on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIApJMzGzDQ
As a developer I have been using this format for nearly two years now with no problems, I will be interested to reads Steve's last two parts as I have yet to find a showstopper.
I wonder what happens to songs bought from the iTunes Music Store....will the iTunes sync convert them (no way)? I'm pretty sure the Nokia one won't.
In any case, I look forward to Steve's foray into the Linux world. I'm sure he'll have a lot more to criticize then :D
Actually, it is surprising how much functionality is supported, at least in Ubuntu, though some functions require the obligatory hacking...maybe not long before it'll be usable, hopefully.
Max.
| I wonder what happens to songs bought from the iTunes Music Store....will the iTunes sync convert them (no way)? I'm pretty sure the Nokia one won't. |
The more expensive DRM-free tracks should be fine on all devices though.
| With regard to the more expensive drm free comment this changed several months ago and now all iTunes tracks are the same price. |
I generally use my laptop and my phone, n 82 for following tasks. If these can be done on a mac os x, then i will be just fine.
1. Syncing pim. Very very imp.
2. Upload my vids and pics. Am getting jittery with all these talks of file corruption but will get more guidance on that once i come to that.
3. Installing various s60 apps which i download on my laptop and then install on my phone. Somehow not very comfortable with direct to phone mode.
4. Using my phone as a tethered modem for my laptop's internet connectivity.
5. Something not to do with phone, a general question. Am used to work on ms office for so long that have got used to them. Can i use ms office on mac?
I have got quickoffice 5 on my phone and often create documents on phone only. (silly me! But what to do, am a sales guy and always on the move. ). I often review my team's excel report on my phone. Will i be able to send to my mac? Very crucial. If it can not be done, then i will be done with mac!
Waiting eagerly for steve's 3 and 4. Would like to see, if his trial one is taken, would he fall in love with mac enough to buy one. That will be a very strong signal!!
Forget about Steve and concentrate on your own opinion. Steve has a bias against Mac. You can almost see him looking for a reason for it to fail. I have been using Mac OS X and Nokia for quite a while and I can say simply that it works. No drama, not hesitation. It just does what it is supposed to do. You want to sync music (non DRM), it will do it. You want your contacts from teh Apple address book, on your phone? It will put them there, same with calendar. Hell, with my Mac, I even wrote a small script to do daily synchronizations at a certain time so I do not have to think about it. If you want viruses, maleware, and a security patck a week, stay with Windows. Not to say that Mac OS X is perfect, but it is the best OS out there right now. So, like I said, listen to yourself, not me nor Biased-Steve and go with what works for you.
But it's all down to the best tool for the job. As you'll see from parts 3 and 4 in this series....
Oh, and there's no Linux series - you guys are putting words in my mouth now! It's a good idea, but my past experiments with Ubuntu have been disastrous. If a Linux user here wants to write such an article, I'm VERY happy to edit it and polish it for publication though....
Fair enough. Bias accusation withdrawn.
By the way, were you over on Appleinsder a few weeks to a month ago? Someone that sounds like you (the way you write) was posting over there defending Nokia against the "over the top" Apple Fanboys.
If you do manage to keep it, let me know and I can send you some good software links.
Have gone through several articles of yours and I know you are not biased towards anything but ""Symbian""!
@unregistered,
Thank you for firming my mind up. The result of this two week of mac, symbian exploration has been a positive one for me. The procastination is out of the window and here I am, just out of an Apple store in my town holding the brochures and thumbing this post from the street from my soon to be married to mac nokia n 82!
Am sure it will work.
Thanks guys. this debate resulted in a $1000 buy. great..:)