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By GREG SWAIN Mobile Magic Using a PC to Drive Your Mobile Phone Looking for an easy way to send text messages from your mobile phone? Or how about a fast and easy way to update phone­book entries? A PC or laptop computer is the answer and the right software can also turn your mobile phone into a wireless modem for sending and receiving email. 14  Silicon Chip The Nokia Data Suite comes with a cable that connects your phone to the serial port of a PC. It’s the same story when you want to store numbers in your mobile’s phonebook. Once again you have to cycle through the various letters to enter a person’s name and this can take quite some time if you’ve just upgraded your phone and have a new SIM card and a long list of numbers. So what’s all this leading to? Elementary, my Dear Watson – you can use your PC (or a laptop) to control your mobile phone. Depending on the mobile phone, this not only makes it easy to send SMS messages and edit your phonebook (or contacts) but allows you to do lots of other fancy things as well. Taking control S IT DOWN TO WRITE something about mobile phones and you open the proverbial can of worms. These things (mobile phones not worms) come with a bewildering array of features that can take some getting used to, especially if (like me) you’re over 20 years old. One of the most popular features is the “Short Message Service” (or SMS), which is used for sending short text messages from one mobile phone to another (for the cost of a local call). What, you didn’t even know that your mobile phone could do that? Don’t feel bad – hell, my brother didn’t even know about the “Snakes” game on his Nokia 5110 mobile until given a demonstra­tion by his 5-year old son! If you don’t know about SMS, ask any teenager – they’re busily punching out messages to each other on their mobiles every day and racking up big bills in the process. It must be a gold­ mine for the telco companies. For those who don’t know any teenagers, we’ll briefly ex­plain how SMS works. It’s a very simple concept – all you have to do is scroll to the “Write messages” (or similar) area of your phone and punch in a short message using the buttons on the keypad. Then, when you select “send”, you are prompted for the destination number (ie, the mobile number that you want the message sent to). When you enter this, the SMS message is sent to the desti­nation phone via the “message centre” of your mobile carrier. If the destination phone cannot be contacted, the SMS message is stored at the message centre and immediately forwarded when the phone reappears on the network. The big advantage of this scheme is that the destination phone doesn’t have to be switched on when you send an SMS mes­sage. Instead, the message goes via the carrier’s message centre and the number for this is usually programmed into your SIM card when you buy the phone. If it isn’t, it’s simply a matter of obtaining the number and entering it yourself. As well as the PC, you also need software to suit your particular phone – assuming that it’s available. Oh yes; one more thing – your phone must either have an infrared (IR) port or a socket to accept a data cable. There’s no point trying to cover every conceivable brand and model of phone here – life’s too short for that. You can check out the details for your particular phone in the manual and on the manufacturer’s website. In our case, we played around with the popular Nokia 5110 and 6110 models ‘cos that’s what everyone in the office has – apart from the office techno-freak with his Nokia It’s clumsy but ... SMS messages are entered by cycling through the six upper case and lower case letters associated with each button on the telephone keypad. This can be a tedious process, particularly if the message you want to send is more than about 10 or 15 charac­ters (SMS messages can be up to 160 characters long). This Nokia 6110 mobile phone features both a data connector and an infrared port. MARCH 2001  15 Fig.1: adding new contacts, editing existing contacts and sending messages from your mobile phone are a breeze with Nokia’s Data Suite. You can even import address books from other applications, such as Outlook Express or Excel. 8210 (he always has to have the latest). There’s lots of software that lets you “do things” to these phones but let’s start by looking at Nokia’s own Data Suite 3.0 package which runs under Windows 95, 98 and NT. Nokia Data Suite There are just three items in this package: a manual, a CD-ROM and a data cable that connects your phone to a spare serial port on the PC. Naturally, you have to buy the correct package to suit your phone, as the data connectors vary. Our review package included a DAU-9P cable which works with Nokia 5110, 6110, 6150 and other compatible Nokia phones. The main program itself features a vertical toolbar that offers six main functions: Contacts, Messages, Calendar, Dialler, Profiles and Settings (see Fig.1). You don’t really have to learn how to use this stuff because it’s all fairly self-explanatory. Click the Contact button, for example, and up comes the list of contact numbers that you’ve programmed into your phone. Using the PC, you can easily edit these contacts, add new contacts and even import .csv (comma separated value) text files exported from other applications such as Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. The mobile’s memory is updated in real 16  Silicon Chip time and it’s certainly a lot faster than trying to add contacts or edit existing contacts using the keypad. Right-clicking on a contact brings up a drop-down menu with a list of options. Among other things you can choose to call the contact, send an SMS message or assign the contact to one of several Caller Groups (Friends, Family, VIP, Colleagues, Other), so that a distinctive “dinky” little graphic flashes on your mobile’s screen each Fig.2: the Nokia Data Suite Message Editor window. Typing a message on a PC is much easier than entering it on a telephone keypad. time you receive a call. You can also choose a distinctive ring tone for each Caller Group. Of course, all these features can be programmed in via the phone keypad anyway – it’s just far easier to do it using the Nokia software. Note also that Caller Groups are only featured on some phones, such as the Nokia 6110 and 8210 models. They’re not featured on the popular Nokia 5110. Sending an SMS test message is an absolute snack. You just bring up the Message Editor, enter your message and choose the recipient from the list of contacts (or type in a phone number yourself). You can then either immediately send the message to the destination mobile or save it to the Drafts folder. Incoming messages are stored in the Inbox folder and are viewed by click­ing on them (Fig.3). The Calendar and Dialler functions are self-explanatory, while the Profiles button lets you tailor individual Caller Group ringing profiles and load different icons. The program also makes it a simple matter to set up call diverts and tweak other settings. Finally, the Nokia Data Suite package includes four other utilities: Nokia Database Converter, Nokia PC Composer, Nokia PC Graphics and Nokia PC Restore. Among other things, these utilities allow you to back up (and restore) your phone’s settings and to compose your own ring tones and onscreen graphics, provided your phone supports these features. What about infrared? As well as the data connector, some Nokia phones (eg, the 6110) also include infrared capability while others have infrared capability only. There’s a catch here, though – the Nokia Data Suite for the 5110 and 6100-series phones will only work via infrared if your PC is running Windows 95. It won’t work with Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows 2000. That’s because Windows 98/Me and Windows 2000 configure their IR ports in a different manner to Windows 95 and Nokia hasn’t modified its software to suit. The problem is, how many people are still using Win95? In addition, many of Nokia’s earli­er phones (including the 6100 series) are not IrDA compliant and work in DirectIR mode only. OK, so that’s Nokia’s official line but that’s not the end of the story. Fig.4 (below): Nokia PC Restore lets you backup and restore your phone’s settings – handy if you’re duplicating or changing phones. Fig.3: clicking the Messages button lets you view incoming SMS text messages directly on the PC’s monitor. Incoming and outgoing messages are stored in folders, just like in an email program. There are a lot of smart cookies in this world of ours and it doesn’t take long for someone to find a way around this kind of problem. Take a look at the accompanying panel if you want more information on this subject. Handset Manager Nokia’s Data Suite might not work over an infrared connec­tion for Windows 98/Me (at least not officially) but here’s third party software that will. It’s called “Handset Manager” and it works with a range of phones, including the Nokia 6100 series; Nokia 7110, 8210 & 8850; Siemens S25, S2588, S35i & S3568i; Ericsson R320; and Motorola L series. Handset Manager is supplied with its own infrared adapter which plugs into the serial port of a PC – it won’t work with any other infrared adapter or the built-in IR port of a laptop. The software comes on a CD-ROM and you simply select your model phone during the install procedure. As with Nokia’s Data Suite, Hand- Using Your Mobile Phone As A Modem To Access Email Or Send Faxes The latest mobile phones really pack a lot into one package and many include an inbuilt GSM modem. If you have a Nokia 5110/6110 or similar, the setup procedure for the Data Suite automatically installs modem drivers and a virtual COM port for the phone (Fig.5). This is a great feature because you don’t have to purchase a separate GSM card to get connected. By combining your mobile with a laptop computer, you can dial in from anywhere and send and retrieve email, faxes and other data – just as you would from an ordinary desktop PC with a conventional modem. You can also browse the web if you really have to but the modem only runs at 9600 baud (up to 14,400 for faxes), so it’s slow and not really a practical proposition. By the way, the Nokia Data Suite requires two ports – the physical COM port to which the phone is connected (usually COM1 or COM2) and a virtual port (usually COM3) for the Nokia modem. Note that you have to configure your dial-up and communications software to use the virtual COM port. In some cases, you don’t really need the Nokia Data Suite if all you are after is a modem driver. Free drivers for some high-end Nokia phones are available for download from www.forum.nokia.com (eg, for the 6210 & 8210 but not for the 5110 and 6110). Fig.5: the Data Suite automatically installs modem drivers and assigns a virtual COM port for your phone, so that it can function as a mobile modem. MARCH 2001  17 Fig.6: Handset Manager also offers easy phone book editing and SMS messaging, as well as a host of other features. set Manager lets you edit and backup your phonebook, send SMS messages, edit and download personal logos and ring tones to the phone, and edit the calendar. No modem drivers are included, though. The version we looked at supported Windows 95/98 and Wind­ows 2000 but the manufacturer’s website now includes an update for Windows Me. There are also software updates to support the Nokia 6210 and 8250 models – see www.mobileaction.com.tw Web messaging Now here’s something that you probably didn’t know – you don’t need a mobile phone to send an SMS message to another mobile. Instead, you can do it directly using a PC and your service provider’s website. Telstra MobileNet’s web SMS service is called “WebNotes” but before you can use it, you have to join telstra.com to get a username and password (you do this by going to www.telstra.com and following the links). Once you’ve done that, you then use their website to register to use WebNotes. The idea here is to submit your phone number and the system then automatically rings your mobile with a PIN number which you enter into the appropriate field and re-submit. This is done to confirm that you are who Looking for a new-generation WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) phone. The Motorola Model V2288 even comes with an inbuilt FM tuner. (Dick Smith Electronics). you say you are, since WebNotes SMS messages are charged to your mobile account at local call rates. That’s all fine in theory. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get it to work because Telstra’s site kept throwing “wizard has expired” messages at me when ever I tried to do anything. Eventu­ally, after repeated attempts, I did manage to obtain a user name and password and even managed on a couple of occasions to submit my phone number and obtain a PIN. However, each time I tried to submit the PIN, it ran off the rails again. Another SILICON CHIP staff member encountered similar problems but you might have better luck. Give it a try. Optus offers a similar web mess­ aging service called WebSMS. Free software Handset Manager is designed for use with IR-capable phones and comes with its own infrared adapter (the MA-600). It supports Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson and Siemens mobile phones and works with Windows 95/98/Me and Windows 2000. 18  Silicon Chip Try this – go to a popular search engine (eg, www.yahoo.com), type in “Nokia AND freeware AND share­ ware”, and check the result. That’s right – there’s lots of software for Nokia mobile phones floating around “out there”, the vast majori­ty of it for Nokia Data Suite Win98/Me Infrared Workaround Depending on your phone, the Nokia Data Suite can be used over an infrared link but only if your system is running Windows 95. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, Windows 95 is the only version that supports both DirectIR (as used on the 6100-series phones) and IrDA without changing the drivers. Sec­ ond, it stores the infrared device under “Ports” in Device Manager and describes it as a “Generic IR Serial Port (COMx)” – see Fig.7. By contrast, Windows 98 and later support IrDA, store the infrared device under “Network adapters” and create two virtual COM ports (Fig.8). This isn’t compatible with the Nokia Data Suite but it doesn’t take long for someone to solve this sort of problem and post it on the web (although it won’t work in all cases). Basically, the workaround involves hacking the msports.inf file which is found in the c:\windows\inf folder and then rein­stalling the infrared device. This “tricks” the system into installing a “Generic IR Serial Port” under Ports, just like Win95 does. Once this has been done, you install the Nokia Data Suite in the usual manner, ignoring its complaint that “Setup did not find a phone!” (that’s because there’s no cable). You then make a couple of simple changes to the registry and that’s it – the Nokia Data Suite will now work over an infrared link. If you want the details, take a look at www.nokiainfo.f2s.com but be warned – back up the registry and the msports.inf file before making any editing logos and/or ring tones. There are even programs that let you convert MIDI music files to ring tones. One popular shareware program is “LogoManager” but the name sells it well short. As well as creating logos, it can also be used for SMS messaging and for backing up and editing your phone­book. You can download a trial version from www.logomanager.co.uk LogoManager can work with either a data cable or via in­frared, so if you have an IR-capable phone you can save the cost of a data cable. IrDA-com- Fig.7: Windows 95 stores an IR device under “Ports” in Device Manager and describes it as a “Generic IR Serial Port”. Fig.8: Windows 98 and later store the IR device under “Network adapters” and create two virtual infrared ports (COM & LPT). changes so that you can recover from any little accidents. Be warned also that we haven’t tested the technique described and the risks of hacking your computer are all yours. By the way, you have to do the same thing for LogoManager if your phone doesn’t support IrDA but supports DirectIR. There are different workarounds described for Windows 98SE, Windows Me and Windows 2000 and you can even download a modified msports.inf file if you don’t feel confident about hacking yours. The same goes for the registry hack – just download the relevant registry update file for your version of the Nokia Data Suite and double-click it to make the change. Finally, note that Handset Manager also only supports Di­rectIR although you don’t have to go through the same hassle to get it working since it comes with its own drivers. There’s just one thing to watch out for here – if your phone supports both IrDA and DirectIR (eg, Nokia 8210), you have to make sure it is operating in DirectIR mode. How do you do that? Simple – just activate the infrared link by scrolling to the “Snake 2-Player” mode (menu 6-2-3). Yes, that’s right – the good ol’ snake game uses DirectIR for its 2-player link. Don’t use menu 9 on the Nokia 8210 (or similar) because that will activate IrDA. There are no such problems with the Nokia 6100 series since they support DirectIR only. On these phones, you can just scroll to the infrared function (menu 9) in the usual manner. patible phones should work without any problems but you’ll have to jump through the same hoops as for the Nokia Data Suite to get a Nokia 6100 (or any other mobile with Direct­IR) Product Availability Nokia Data Suite: Dick Smith Electronics. Handset Manager (includes IR Adapter): Dick Smith Electronics; MicroGram Computers. working over an infrared link. By the way, while you’re on the LogoManager website, be sure to visit some of the suggested links. In particular, you should visit the “GSM Topsitz” page. There are literally hundred of sites offering Nokia ring tones and logos for use with Logo­Manager. The future The future is yet another acronym, this time called WAP – Wireless Application Protocol. WAP phones are continued on page 21 MARCH 2001  19 The Actisys ACT-IR 210L runs at the standard infrared (SIR) speed of 115.2Kb/s and comes in two parts: (1) a backplane connector with a socket and data cable that plugs into the PC’s motherboard; and (2) the infrared trans­mitting device itself. Fig.4: the IR icon as it appears in the System Tray. Me and Windows 2000. Finally, there’s the USB-IrDA which attaches to any USB port and supports both SIR and FIR data transfer rates. A driver disk, cable and manual are included in the package. All four IR devices are available from MicroGram Computers. The Actisys ACT-IR210L (Cat.8518) costs $89; the IRwave IR320F (Cat. 8941) $89; the IRwave IR320S (Cat. 8421) $99; and the USB-IrDA (Cat. 8923) $139. You can contact MicroGram Computers at (02) 4389 8444 or browse their website at www.mgram.com.au for more SC information. The IRwave IR320F and IR320S infrared adapters are visually identical. One plugs into your PC’s motherboard, while the other connects to a spare serial (COM) port. Mobile Magic – from p19 The USB-IrDA adapter attaches to any USB port and supports both standard (SIR) and fast (FIR) infrared data transfer rates (ie, from 115Kb/s to 4Mb/s). Fig.9: Nokia PC Graphics comes with a selection of standard graphics and even lets you compose your own graphics. This one is for someone you don’t want to talk to! already here and support mobile Internet services such as email, ticket booking, banking, news and weather. And they support high-speed (if that’s the term) Internet connections, with email downloads up to 43.2kb/s. But that’s a whole new story. In the meantime, there’s lots you can do with your existing GSM phone. Why should the teenagers have all the fun? Check these websites www.forum.nokia.com – for modem drivers, updates and free software downloads. www.nokiainfo.f2s.com – for the good oil on infrared. www.frenetic.com.au – a source for Nokia data cables. www.telstra.com – for WebNotes (send SMS messages a mobile phone). www.logomanager.co.uk – for a trial version of LogoManager and lots of links to other related sites. www.optus.com.au – for WebSMS. www.blueskyfrog.com.au – for something different. SC MARCH 2001  21