Best Tips and Tricks for Nokia N95

Classic/ Mobile/ Download BookMark

I originally created this blog as a list of N95 Best tips and tricks after being disappointed with other Internet articles but since then it has grown into a detail and useful guide to "Getting the Most" and "Customising" your N95. If you have any other tips i haven't mentioned let me know and I'll add them to the list. I hope you enjoy this N95 Blog and find them useful.

The N95 is a Symbian 60 phone like the N73, N80 and N70 before it and so some of the tips are based on ideas from these phones. Some of the tips will also work for Nokia Symbian 60 phones like N90, N91, E61 and the E70. I have concentrated on Freeware applications for the N95 and avoided shareware although there is a lot out there.

If you want some help understanding the Page layout
click on the image below

I will be updating this blog continuously if you have some questions about N95 you can email me at
n95q*****@ymail.com this will avoid making the comments section of this blog really long and allow a more detailed messages

My 5800 New Website
My 5800 website is Up and . . . Rollin' now i have the phone. I have based it on this blog with Tutorials, Tips etc. Link Below or top right of page.
5800 BEST TIPS & TRICKS

My N95 Intentions
I aim to keep this blog going for some time as lets face it more people own a N95 or N95 8Gb now than ever before. I will keep you informed on New N95 stuff and general Nokia News!



What's New


Nokia Photo Browser Update for N95

1 July 2009

The Nokia Photo Browser is a really good application from Nokia Beta Labs. It is a Photo viewer which allows you to quickly search your gallery. It works on the N95 and 5800 but on the N95 it has extra features including Send, Rotate and View Details.
The Application was updated on the 15 June 2009 and now is a lot faster and stable.
Download & Details on the freeware page





What can the N95 do that iPhone and 5800 still cant do?

23 June 2009

Well apart from taking 5 Megapixel Photos . . . Neither can watch live TV on the BBC iPlayer!
I realised the other day that the N95 and N96 have the advantage of streaming Live BBC programs via the BBC iPlayer. The BBC iPlayer allows you to watch recent BBC TV and Radio programs and when using your N95 selected Live programs too. The BBC iPlayer does only work for users in the UK although some Radio and Podcasts are available outside the UK.
To download the BBC iPlayer application simply visit BBCiPlayer on your mobile and a welcome screen should allow you to download the application to your phone.



Google translate widget for N95

08 June 2009

Google Translate is a widget created by W.Seto. It allows translate words or simple phrases into 10 languages using Google translate servers.
Download & Details on the freeware page




N97 out in June and Pre-Order available Now

25 May 2009

The N97 is rumoured to be released on 2nd June 2009. Pre-Order is now available for the N97 via the Nokia website n97preorder for available countries.
You can also find out more about this new phone and watch various videos at NokiaConversations
For those of you who have held out for this top of the range phone the wait is nearly over!




Nixie Clock for N95

17 May 2009

Nixie is an application by Jouni Miettunen that emulates the Nixie clocks developed in the 1950's. The Clock works in Portrait and landscape mode and has an option to change the colour to Red, green or Blue. I personally love Nixie style clocks, they fascinate me :)
Download & Details on the freeware page

Nokia Software Updater Vista Driver Fix!

12 May 2009

Last week Nokia released it an new version of the Nokia Software Updater v.1.6.11. I am really pleased to report that this version fixes the bugs with Vista Computers. I had not been able to update my N95 firmware on my Vista Laptop for sometime, resorting to using an old XP PC to install updates.
You can download the latest Nokia Software Updater directly from their website NSUv.1.6




Wallpaper Composer 1.1

5 May 2009

The Wallpaper Composer is a freeware application that creates a Wallpaper from your pictures. You can set the numbers of images to use and select each image manually or use a Auto generate feature.
The image size is set at 240x235 pixels which is slightly smaller than the full screen.
Download & Details on the freeware page



SkyFire Beta Mobile Browser

26 April 2009

Skyfire is a mobile browser like Opera for N95 and N95 8GB. It is able to show full web content on a mobile device with flash, Quick time, Silverlight and full java support. It also boasts some of the fastest page load speeds. I featured this device a long time ago but i wanted to highlight it again as there is 0.9 version now available.
Download the N95 version directly from their website
Skyfire.com
You can also watch some videos on using Skyfire
Skyfire basic demo Video
Skyfire N95 8GB Youtube video



N95 Best TT Mobile Officially Released Today!

20 April 2009

Today i am officially launching my Mobile version of N95 Best Tips and Tricks. I Have called it N95 Best TT for short. I have been working on it over the last week or so an you may have noticed some links and bits.
I am also excited to announce the N95 Best TT Visual Bookmark which is a Menu icon that directly links you to the Mobile webpage. I have now added links at the top of every page, so you can View Classic, Mobile and Download the Bookmark. If you want to view Classic webpage from the Mobile version you need to use the html link at the bottom of the RSS feed to go back to full classic website version.

I have used Mofuse for the Mobile hosting as i am able to change Page colours and Headers to match the classic webpage, they do add a couple of adds but prefer it to the basic RSS feed. I have noticed a few images not rendering completely but overall the loading and resized images work really well on a mobile device. You can learn more about creating mobile websites at Mofuse.com

The Visual Bookmark was created for free by GetJar.com and i will be releasing a 5800 version very soon. They have created a .sis and .jar versions, you can download it here or on use the "Download Bookmark" link at the top of the page. I would use the N95 .sis version for the 5800 (ignore compatibility warning) as the icon is larger than in the .jar version. If you want to create V.Bookmark for your website, you can learn how to do it from WapReview . Over 2500 have already downloaded the Menu VB via Getjar that's is the reason why i exceeded my Fileden bandwidth last week.
I hope you all enjoy the new additions, i enjoyed creating them!




Sign Applications Yourself!

17 April 2009

So, What do you really think about Symbian Online Signing Service? DON'T Answer out loud there maybe children listening!
Yeah the whole signing process is rather complicated and often doesn't work. Well the great new is thanks to the OPDA developer website you can now sign applications yourself in the same way as before the current system was introduced.
Firstly i have to give the credit to The Nokia Blog who highlighted the fact that OPDA are issuing Signing certificates and Keys as Symbian once used to before they changed the system. These Certs/Keys are specific to your Phone so you will need your IMEI/Serial number number (*#06#). OPDA is a Chinese Developer website so understanding the website isn't easy but The guy's at The Nokia Blog have given good instructions.
I know a lot of people will be very happy to avoid the online signing process. I tested the whole process and it really works, i can now sign applications for my N95 and 5800.




Nokia Photo Browser For N95

15 April 2009

Nokia Beta Labs have just released the Photo Browser for N95. Previously this application only worked on 5800 but now you can enjoy browsing the your photos on your N95. It make using the gallery fun experience and also allows you can use '*' to zoom-in, '#' to zoom-out.
Download & Details on the freeware page



DataSafe Password protected Text files

08 April 2009

DataSafe is a Application by Neil Sands that allows you to password protect text files. You could hide Bank account details or other security details and passwords.
Download & Details on the freeware page




The Ultimate 5800 Theme for N95

06 April 2009

Yan Flahorn has released a N95 Theme based on the 5800 default theme. He says he spent 3 months working on it! and the amount of detail is impressive. There are 600 New icons most based on 5800 icons and .svg images which sort out the problems with landscape mode. The themes (Blue and Red) were highlighted over at the SymbianFreak. You can download the for N95 and N96 from his website at deviantart.com. For N95 use Touch Blue by Flahorn.sis & Touch Red by Flahorn.sis not the FP2 versions.




I have seen the future . . . And you're going to love it!

30 March 2009

Last week i was lucky enough to see some new nokia Nseries prototypes. The finished version is likely to be released in 2010. The prototypes were given names of "C" and "V" and looked similar in design to the image above but with rounded edges and both were of course touch devices. I was shown 2 similar styled phones one silver metal and one Black metal. The larger phone a had a trial new Operating System similar to a PC crossed with an iPhone, the other phone had a new S60 operating system with some familiar nokia icons looking similar to some N97 preview videos.
New features also included a 12 MegaPixel Camera, 3.5" large screen, HDMI slot for High Definition Video from TV, a 32GB External Memory Card.

I want to stress these were not finished phones. I have created the image above based on a Nokia prototype and created screen details based on the home screen i saw at the viewing, just to give you an idea of the overall design and look.

Additional Pages and Tutorials
I have created Additional pages with tutorials with Freeware etc. as well and links to other tutorials. Click on the image below to view other Pages.

N95 & N95 8GB Resources

There are currently four versions of the N95, The N95 Classic (N95-1), the N95 8GB (N95-2) the U.S version of N95-NAM Classic (N95-3) and the U.S N95 8GB NAM (N95-4)

Do you know, What are their differences?

Click on either each image to see their specifications.

The Main differences are :

Internal Memory - The main difference is of course that the N95 8GB has an 8GB internal memory compared to the N95 Classic & N95-NAM that have 148MB. This means you can store a lot more videos, music etc on the Internal memory.
RAM Memory - The N95 has 48MB RAM whilst the N958GB and N95-NAM /NAM 8GB all have 128MB RAM which gives its a lot more power for running applications.
Screen Size - The N95 and N95-NAM both have 2.6" QVGA screen (240x320 px) while both N95 8GB have a slightly larger 2.8" screens but with the same screen resolution (240x320)

Battery Size - The N95 has the 950mAH BL-5F whilst the other N95 8GB's and N95-NAM all have the larger 1200mAH BL-6F
Camera Shutter - Due to the increased size of the Battery Nokia removed the Camera shutter on the N95 8GB and both NAM versions.
Firmware - All 4 models have different Firmware versions, the N95 and N95 8GB both have "On Demand Paging" whilst the US version at present dont have this feature.
External SD Memory Cards - Nokia only recommend External micro SD cards up to 4GB on the N95 classic and 2Gb on the N95-NAM. I have been running a 4GB SD card on my N95 since the start when they only recommended 2GB. The current Maximum SD card available is 8GB. Both the N95 8GB's do not have a external memory card slot.
Network - The U.S version supports Quadband GSM, 3G 850/1900 for North America whilst the other 2 versions support Quadband GSM, 3G 2100 for Europe and the rest etc.

For a Further analysis of all 4 versions see The NokiaBlog and Howard Forums

N95 Handbooks

If you have lost your Handbook or just cant be bothered to find it! no problem, you can view and download a PDF version from the Nokia website. Just click on correct image N95 (N95-1) and N95 8GB (N95-2) to link to the Pdf.

If you don't already have a pdf viewer on your PC, you can download the latest version free from the Adobe website.Click on the image to the left for the Adobe website. Personally i uninstall old Adobe reader 7 versions before installing reader 8 (XP & Vista).

Desktop Icons

I have created two N95 icons for your computer,
A Silver and Black version. They are both in 3 formats XP/Vista/Mac.
download Silver download Black

N95 Top Tips

1. Speed up your N95
There are a few good basic tips for keeping your N95 running as fast as it can.

1. Update your Firmware to version 20 or 21 and Now 30!
The Nokia N95 firmware v.20 and subsequent v.21and v.30 have "On Demand Paging". Demand Paging is a more efficient way of loading data into RAM; Code that does need to be executed is not loaded into RAM" which means its faster and uses less Ram Memory.
Not only does it use less power to open applications it also uses less Ram memory in idle which leaves more free Ram making applications open quicker. For more details in upgrading see section 2.

Below is a chart showing the gain in free Ram after updating to the v.20 firmware based on results from my own N95 phone.









2. Remove unwanted Applications.
You can remove applications from your phone by using the Application Manager located Menu/ Tools/ App. Mgr. The N95 comes with a few pre-installed applications that can easily be removed, as well as any other applications you may have installed and stopped using. You can remove "Welcome" app., SRE demo game, Demo games, also i personally never use the "Search" app, which used to be removable but is not removable on later firmware.

3. Install applications onto the Internal Phone Memory.
This is important especially for Themes as the internal memory is faster than the SD external memory card. My Internal memory is 147.3MB and most applications range from 2MB down to only 20kb so there should be plenty of room.

4. Close Unwanted Open Applications
Don't leave applications running by accident, check by holding down Menu key, select the unwanted application then from the Options select Remove. My N95 has 48mb Ram and uses around 70% (with the old v.12 firmware) of that on N95 background processes all the time. Which leaves only 16mb free. The "Global Race" game running in the background (Not Playing) will use 7.6kb of The "MusicPlayer" running in the background (Not Playing) will around use 1.4kb of RAM. So close what you don't need.

5. Close applications that appear stopped and save 2-3Mb.
Well this may appear similar to the section above but it takes the principal further. There are a few system applications like 'Menu' that once opened stay open and wont appear in your phone Task Manager.
I have noticed that with firmware v.20 even the Gallery stays open. The screenshots below show that i only have two applications Standby and Screenshot (just to take this image).
But when we look at the tasks list using Active File, we can see Menu, Contacts, Log and Gallery all still open, although this is useful if you want to reopen them quickly (as they are still running) you can save around 2-3Mb by manually closing them. If you use the on-screen memory monitor you will see the increase in ram memory as you close each application.















6.Reboot to remove Memory leaks
My N95 has a 48Mb ram (memory power) and uses around 60-70% on background tasks (less with v20 firmware), but when using various applications (often 3rd party freeware) some ram is lost by applications not fully releasing back the ram when they are closed, this is known as "Memory leaks". The two screenshots below show a "before and after" rebooted phone with the same tasks running.

The first image shows 12.7Mb of free ram which means 76% of my Ram is in use. The second image shows 20.2Mb free ram which means only 58% is being used!
The second image was taken after i rebooted my phone and shows i gained back 7.5Mb (around 18%) from memory leaks.
Considering the camera application uses 8.4Mb of ram,(See section 21 for more details) it would almost be like leaving your camera on all the time! (Not exactly but i'm sure you can see the point).
Therefore its well worth rebooting your phone from time to time, when is up to you but be sure, you will gain back valuable Ram which will speed up opening of applications and general internal processes.


There are a couple of good freeware Memory analysis programs around that can show you how much Ram you are using and how much specific programs are using (by testing). If you like technical stuff these programs are will help you waist countless hours.

ActiveFile v1.23 without_allfiles_screencapture.SISx.
I used this application a lot . You can run an On-screen Memory Monitor by selecting Options/ Tools/ Start memory monitor. This screenshot show background tasks running (except the top two) on my N95.








Y-Tasks
There are 8 application in this set but you ony really need Y-Tasks, Memory Status and Trace to analyse your memory.








7. Defrag your External SD Memory Card.
Although it is quicker to access data from the internal memory it is obviously not possible to store everything on it especially if like me you use your phone as a MP3 Musicplayer. I store all my music over 2gb on my external card. So i recommend periodically defragment your external card by putting your card into your computer and Defraging it as an external drive. Defragmenting your Drive re allocates the file chunks in a sequential order which improves read performance, even if you can't actually notice the difference. My defrag analysis showed it could achieve a 48% improvement on "Time to read fragmented files".
It depends on how much and how often your remove data but once every 3months should be adequate for defrag periods.

8. Turn off active standby,
I like a clean screen so i always turn off active standby, internal n95 functions dont use as much Ram as larger power hungry games etc. but turning off Active standby will gain you around 400kb of Ram, its not a lot but unless you use it a lot, i would get rid. To turn off Active Standby go to Tools/ Settings/ General/ standby Mode/ Active standby and select Off

9.Turn off the Media Background Video/ Animation that plays when you use the Media applications, press the Multi Media key once and select Options/ background images/ and select graphics and select theme. Also you can set Image effects, Menu sounds, Start-up animation all to OFF

10. Set the Phone Log to 10 days.This is a simple way to reduce the number of call details the phone access. You will of course loose and caller details (dialled numbers/ missed calls/recieved calls) over the 10 day period. To change the Log go to Menu/ Applications/ Log/ Options/ Settings/ Log duration set to 10 days (default 30 days).

Note:
Turn up your screen brightness to Max. It does use more battery but for such a short time that you won't notice and it doesn't use more ram (not noticeably) and its improves really improves screen. To change settings Go to 'Tools/ Settings/ General/ Personalisation/ Display. Adjust to highest setting




2. Firmware Updates & How to Change Product codes to get Latest Firmware

Nokia latest firmware for the N95 classic is version 30

When Nokia released firmware v.20 they added a feature called "On Demand Paging" . Demand Paging is a more efficient way of loading data into RAM; Code that does need to be executed is not loaded into RAM" which means its faster and uses less Ram Memory!!
I have been rattling on about Ram use for weeks now, and i kept quiet about ODP, finally its here, there are of course other improvements in v.20 firmware like new media player layout, Media key Fix etc for a full list go here

If you have never bothered with updating your firmware because its a hassle, or a bit worrying loosing
some data or can't be bothered reinstalling application well this is the time too do it!!

Now there are a few basic things you need to understand before you should undertake a Firmware update!

1. You may need to "Debrand" your N95 to get the very latest Firmware. Debranding does theoretically invalidate your phone warranty.
2. You may loose some data Calendar entries, although you can back them all up using the PC Suite, i have found that the PC Suite doesn't always return all the data !!
3. You will have to reinstall all your applications and phone settings as the phone memory will be completely wiped .

How to Debrand your N95
This is a lot simpler that it first might seem and although it invalidates your warranty you could always reset the code before taking it to a dealer.
Debranding changes your phones product number to a generic area code ie Europe and removes some Network provider detailing ie My "Web n Walk" became "Web" loosing any reference to T-Mobile.
A full list of product codes is available here


A very good Debranding tutorial is available at: NOKIA DEBRANDING


Nokia Software Updater
It is possible to upgrade your firmware without changing your product code, But it may not be the very latest version depending on your product code. The Nokia software updater will check what firmware you can receive. Click on the NSU logo (left) to the to download the application. The Nokia software updater (NSU) does however come within the Nokia PC suite package now.

Back up your Data

Nokia PC Suite
You will also need to back up you data , Contacts, Calendar entries, Notes anything that is stored on the Phone's Memory card, but anything on your External memory card will not be effected (although some applications that have user data located on phone memory do often have problems and will need to be reinstalled), for safety its best to remove the external card just for peace of mind!!
Your Sim card data is safe also, so i usually back up my contacts to my Sim card and retrieve them to contacts later. The Software updater will ask that your sim card is inserted during firmware updates so you will have to leave it in your phone.


Updating your Firmware Tutorial

Nokia Software Updater


Once you have debranded your phone, then backed up your data, crossed your fingers it all goes back !! Now you can start the Updating your firmware,

1. Use the Nokia software updater shown above and connect to your phone to your PC via your usb data cable, Make sure your battery isn't low or plug it in during update.

2. Start the application on your PC, the software will first assess your phone type and any updates that are available, if it says version.11 or version.12 are only available you will need to change your code as i mentioned above.
The updater will then remind you to backup your data and then start downloading the updates as shown below:












3. It will automatically install the update to your phone, so that's it!! You phone should now be faster than its ever been!!, i just upgraded mine and it does appear quicker, more details to follow

4. Oh yeah now the boring bit of reinstalling your old data, settings and applications!



3. How to Sign "Unsigned" Freeware Applications

Symbian Signed has changed
I wrote recently how Symbian Signed was in "Melt down" for end users, I am so very pleased to tell you that things have changed and that you can now sign unsigned freeware like RotateMe and RocknScroll free via the symbian signed website. I have tested the process, and waited the 24 hours to get the reply before i wrote the basic tutuorial. The process is simple, just how it should have been from the start!

Unsigned Freeware Applications
As you may well have noticed some applications (freeware) are Unsigned? Like Rotate Me, NeoReboot and RockNScroll. This means you have to sign them yourself and the signed certificate is specific to your phone.
The previously slow process of submitting applications to Symbian Signed has lead some developers to release Unsigned versions of their applications to the general public, rather than waiting for the verification by Symbian Signed.

How to sign Unsigned freeware with symbian signed:

1. Download the freeware you want like RotateMe and save it on your PC (the desktop is always a useful location).

2. Go to Symbian signed

3. Fill in the details on the page: Click on the Image to see the full details in Red
IMEI number can be found on your phone by pressing *#06#
Email address can not be a Hotmail ,Yahoo or Gmail account.
Application should be on your PC where ever you saved it.
Capability Info: You can tick all boxes.
Security code are letter A-F letters numbers 0-9, so it is a zero not a "O" and its a one not "I" :)
legal agreement : Dont forget to tick it. then SEND!!

4. You should now see a new page with "SUCCESS" that states you will get a conformation email, which you will need to accept before the application is processed.









5. Once the email has arrived, Follow the link and confirm the email.






6. Now just wait for the application to be sent to your email address. When the email arrives usually within 24 hours follow the link and Save it to your pc. Then later you can install it to your phone via USB cable/PC suite

NB: Originally i had problems uploading the application using Vista OS. Although this may be sorted out by now if you dont see a "Success" page i recommend using a XP or 2000 OS to send the email.




4. Nokia N97, A Touch Screen Power house!

Nokia N97 is due for launch in early 2009 and combines the power of N96 and touch screen feature in the 5800. The 5800 was intended as a music phone and was never given an "N" series badge while the N96 was only a small step up from the N95. The N97 however comes with 32GB internal memory with 16GB memory card slot, a full QWERTY keyboard which comes out from a hinged rather than slide mechanism. It runs on the same S60 5th Edition software as 5800 with slightly better battery life, Music 37 hours and video 4.5 hours. It has a 5MP camera that you would expect from a top of the range Nokia phone.

There will always be a new phone just around the corner, the 5800 or N97, Now that's the kind of dilemma i like!
Read more about N97 at Nokia Conversation
Watch Youtube Videos on N97

5. Remove your N95 operator logo easily! *** Changes 04/02/2009***
The website listed below is now unavailable and therefore the "UK only" Tip does not work, If the website is reinstated i will post the new links.
All networks make it difficult to remove the operator logo from the Inactive background screen. There are two ways shown here the first is very easy and quick but it only works in the UK, the other one requires a PC but you can alter the image to be Blank or your own designed logo and it will work Worldwide.

The easiest way is to download a blank logo from a website like free-ringtones-free-logos its not free but only costs the price of text and lets face it most of us with N95 will have plenty of free texts. Type in blank logo in the search box on the left of the web page and follow the instructions, When the blank is sent to you save it and your logo will disappear. This works for all Nokias from 6230i to N95. I have found that i have to sent texts to both numbers shown on the page, which seems to be a ploy to get u to send 2 texts, but its by far the easiest way to remove the logo.


This tweak allows you to change your operator logo with a blank image but you could place another image of your choice, there are some free design logos in the zip "logo" folder.
I have adapted this tutorial as the guides given (zip folder) & other people do not work effectively on N95.


The main changes are:

• If you use the memory Card as your Default message folder you cannot connect your phone via "Data transfer mode". Therefore it is better to temporarily select default memory card to save the logo then switch back to phone memory for default message folder. no need to understand just follow the tutorial
• You will need to find you specific Operator code from the lists. You may need to use the format XXXX-XX rather than XXXXXX. I have provided 2 list of GSM operator code in case you find some dont work.


Change your operator logo tutorial

1. Download the NokiaLogo v.071220 Zip folder by Jarod. He has also provided Chinese, Italian and Russian installation guides but they are not specific for N95. Unzip the folder.

2. Connect your Phone to PC via "Data transfer mode". The open the NokiaLogo.exe. You should now see as small application box.

3. To load the 'Blank logo' double click on the JAROD image and navigate to the Nokialogov.071220 folder/ logo and select the blank.bmp. (for other logos select alternative logo from the folder)









4. Now select your Operator code. There are a few pre-sets in the drop down box otherwise look in the Nokialogov.071220/GSM operatorcode1 or 2 for your code. You may need to use the format XXXX-XX rather than XXXXXX.














5. Now select your SDcard from the Options (left of the Export button)














6. Now select the Export and the logo will be sent to your Memory card. Disconnect your phone from the PC.

7. Now you just need to Open and SAVE the New logo The easiest way is to temporarily make your Message default folder the Memory Card. To do this select Messaging/ Options/Settings/Other/ Memory in use and select Memory card. Copy messages across if it asks and back again later (just for safety)

8. Now go to your Inbox and you should see your Blank Logo as a message. Open and SAVE the logo (it will automatically save the location).














9. You can now Reset your Message default folder to Phone Memory (otherwise you cannot use the "data transfer mode" with the usb cable in the future)














10. That should be it you should now see your operator logo gone!!

Logo still visible? if you still have the operator logo 2 things may be wrong :

1. The operator code is wrong, you will need to try another or use fromat XXXX-XX
2. You need to check Menu/Tools/Settings/General/Personalisation/Standby Mode/Operator logo select ON



6.Themes

The N95 and N95 8GB use themes to show content on the phone interface. There are around 4 default themes pre installed in the phone. If you use a photo image as the theme wallpaper you will end up with an image like the one on the Far left, which may stretch the photo to fit the window as well as leaving large top and bottom area of theme background. To avoid this and get a full screen image (left) you will need to create or download a theme.There are three basic ways to get themes for your N95.




1) You can download free themes from websites like
Mobile9 Zedge Symbian themes Rannat BabiNokia Mmc Forums

2) You can create your own Themes free online with
Ownskin.com
Its completely free and makes creating themes pretty easy, you can upload your picture, change the colours of the text and battery bars etc. under the advanced options. It creates a .sis file which you can send to your phone via cable etc. You can also share your theme with other users. Its an easy way to make themes, and well worth trying, though i do find it a bit basic

3) I have made a tutorial for creating themes with the Nokia carbide theme program, which deals with creating transparent navi panes, and handle key pair certificates.
To view the tutorial click here.
Well the best way make your own themes is with Nokia's free software. Its not the easiest program to use but once you have mastered it its pretty simple, my advise is start with the default theme and just alter the active /inactive background. Use the Nokia PC suite to transfer the .sis file to your phone.
Nokia Forum For Carbide Theme Studio 3.4
This link above has more details on the Theme Studio. I recommend reading and downloading the free video tutorial from the
Nokia forum Quick Start guide
Getting Started is the basic starter guide

Here are some themes i have created, Now with WideScreen improved image and music player changes for Firmware v.20,you can download the Themes from my Tutorial page or click the images.


































7. Symbian 60 3rd Edition Freeware
There are a few feature missing in symbian phones as far as i am concerned. There is no stopwatch and the calculator is disgusting and no torch! so download some freeware for your phone. I really don't like "shareware" so i have concentrated on freeware.

I have created a separate freeware page with more applications, Click on the image to the left the view the new page.
Below are a few of the applications featured on the page.











Active Notes
This freeware application is basically 'Notes' on Steroids. Its a really good app. that allows you to save a text notes and add an Image, Sound clips and also add any note to a contact. It can even do more. . . Read Here






Timebar
Timebar is a very useful freeware application that can show the time on all screens whether you are in the menu, music player etc. It can also play a tone or voice alert every hour on the hour (You can turn off particular hours in the settings) . There are only English and Chinese voice tags. The original English Voice Tags were missing 11am,12am,11pm and12pm, so i have edited them and also created new cleaner English Alerts.
You will need to place the 'Timebar' Folder in your Phone Memory/ Data/ Sounds/ Timebar (Folder) to get the hourly alert to work. You can change the location and colour of the clock in the settings. If you want to make Voice tags in other languages you can get Text to speech here

I have created new sets of Timebar Voice Alerts:
They both use a Robotic voices and actual sounds from the movie and game. You will need to replace the existing timebar folder to use the new sounds and adjust the volume level as they are reasonably loud. There is also a new 24 hour timebar set by Trek. click the images to download


Tevero Stopwatch
Finally a freeware Stopwatch for N95 !! It doesnt look as "pretty" as other non freeware apps. but it works well, and was designed for low power use, You need to download the Jar/Jad file zip file and Install to your phone via pc. Install from the .Jad file.







N95 Lightsabre
A developer named Graham Oldfield has used the Accelerometer in the N95 to create a simple lightsabre out of the N95! I have provided a zip file with the 2 .sis (version1.4) files needed and instructions.






Mosh Application
This is an application from Nokia beta labs. Mosh as i am sure you know, is a website by Nokia for people to share applications, images etc.with other users. All the uploaded content is virus scanned by Mosh, so it should be safe to use.
The application allows you to easily access searches and profile features.
You can visit the site by PC at MoshNokia .
For more details see section 19 of this blog




WidSets
Widsets are basically websites bookmarks that you can access from your N95 using the Widset application. You can have Widsets on Wikipedia, News, Weather etc and of course My Blog.
Personally i prefer to view websites on a PC but if you are out and about and want to check some websites, Widsets make it easy and quick to access their pages. You can download the application for the phone from their website once you have signed up.





8. YouTube on N95 and N95 8GB
The recent firmware version 21 for N95 classic has improved flash play, which improves the playing of video clips played websites like Youtube and Google Video. The N95 8GB has had this improved browser feature for a while, so i was keen to test this new feature on my N95 Classic.
I have tried EmTube (Youtube application) but i found it ever worked properly, so i have tested two basic ways of viewing the website with:
1) The Youtube Mobile Application from their website
2)The N95 Web browser directly playing with Wlan and GPRS internet connections.




The Visual difference in the application and browser can be seen in the screenshots below. The first and third images are from the Youtube Application and the other two are from the Web browser (in Mobile mode not Full HTML mode)

There are obvious differences in the screen layouts, but the choice of videos are the same.
I used The Beatles 'Hey Jude' as a test Video. As you can see the YT Application shows a progress bar with the usual features, The web browser actually plays back through realplayer in theN95.

Well,The N95 Web Browser Wins handsdown in my opinion basically because it could playback without loosing connection something that the YouTube application failed to do. The images sizes are the same, the sound was pretty much the same too, but the Web/Realplayer managed to play the clip using Wlan without buffering delay and when using the GPRS (slower connection) only needing early buffering and then continuing from where it was, unlike the Youtube application that never managed to play the first minute without loosing connection and having to restart.
I like the design of the Youtube application and the direct way it connects, so lets hope newer versions of the application will iron out the bugs in the current 1.0 version.

I must admit i really liked this test it was very simple, but watching the video streaming live to my phone while walking around the house was really impressive. The N95 and The Beatles, Both true classics!
Click on the image above to see the Video.

9. Keypad Shortcuts

Here are some Keypad & Shortcut Basics you should know for your N95 and N95 8GB

Hold down Right navigation key to launch Voice commands (Contacts name or Application name)
Press the MultiMedia Key to open MultiMedia Menu
Hold down the MultiMedia key to start Music player
Press the Menu key to open Main Menu
Hold down the Menu key to start Task Manager
Hold down 0 to launch Web Browser
Hold down # to Switch between General and Silent Profiles
Hold down "little pencil" key to activate Copy or Paste (Text) mode
Press the "c" key to Delete or Backspace details
Hold down key 1 to activate Voicemail retrieval (most networks)

Some useful side action keys are:

Press Gallery Key once to open Gallery (Fullscreen)
Press Gallery Key twice to open Gallery Images & Video (Small)

Press the Camera Capture Key Half down to focus the Camera
Press the Camera Capture key down full to take shot or Start Video Camera





10. Change your N95 & N95 8GB Font Easily

I have found a way to easily change your N95 font. In the past it was possible to change your font, but it was a rather complicated process of changing files, making copies, renaming other files and after that i could never get it to work properly!!
Now using FontRouter the process is simple,quick and free to do. I have created a tutorial because although it is quite simple it can get a bit complicated the first time you do it.



One good thing is you can use any .ttf font from your PC but avoid wide or thick fonts as they cannot be fully viewed on the phone in most cases.





Here are some fonts i tried out on my N95, Click on the image to see full size








I have provided these fonts for you to download and use.
Download Font Sample Zip

WARNING

I am currently using the Eurostile font without any problems on my N95.

Please take care when carrying out any tutorial, If you are unsure and concerned about any possible damage to your phone, DONT do it.

Change font on N95 tutorial
1. You need to download FontRouter20071109 .sis here. This applications need to be signed you can do this via the symbian signed website details in Section 3.


2. Install the application into the PHONE memory. You will not find any application icon in your Menu but there will now be a folder in C:/data/Fonts (As shown below).

Now to choose a font: Go to your PC and in Control Panel you will see the Fonts folder you can use any .ttf font, so rightclick on one you like (or use one i provided) and copy the file to the desktop.














3. Now connect your phone to your PC via usb cable and move the .ttf file to your phone directory C:/data/Fonts, ONLY move one file in to the fonts folder. As shown in the second image above.

4.Disconnect your Phone from the PC and Restart your phone , the New font should be working straight away

Removing or Changing New font
You will probably want to try a few fonts and some are quite bad in small text size, or decide that you want to go back to the default nokia font.
It is possible to edit the .ini file to disable the new font but it is simpler to copy/move then delete the .ini file, then there is no need to editing tools.

1. All you need to do is copy the FontRouter.ini file in the fonts into another folder and delete the original .ini file. You cannot delete the font .ttf file as it is still in use.

2. RESTART your phone and the default font will be back, then delete the font.ttf file that was previously put in the fonts folder

3. If you want to try another font, put the Fontrouter.ini file BACK (that you just copied) in the Fonts folder with the new .ttf file and RESTART your phone again

4. I recommend putting the Font Samples folder i provided in C:/data/ so that you can copy the new fonts into the Fonts folder as you try them, it saves having to connect to you PC to get new fonts each time.


Changing your N95 8GB Font
The main problem here is i don't have a N95 8GB to test the process on, so i have to rely on information written by other people. Guides for installing this application mention installing onto the mass memory (no memory card) but i dont think this is correct and i recommend using the PHONE memory. Follow the tutorial for the N95 classic but if you have problems you could follow the details below.

If you install to the mass memory you will need to make a folder in C:/data called "Fonts" and place the Fontrouter.ini file in the fonts folder. Then put any .tff file into the fonts folder and RESTART to see the changes.

You can follow another Installation guide for N95 8GB by barbioxdogg his instructions are :

I had problems when installing .ttf fonts on my N95 8GB but now i have finally found the solution.

1) Install FontRouter in your mass storage in N95 8Gb
2) using the x-plore app, make a folder in PHONE (C:/) named fonts
3) move the fontrouter.ini and paste in c:\data\fonts
4) edit the fontrouter.ini file with x-plore like this
5) search at:
;Extra font files to be loaded
ExtraFontFile=\Data\Fonts\*.*
and change to
;Extra font files to be loaded
ExtraFontFile=C:\Data\Fonts\*.*
exit and save the file
6) Copy your *.ttf font to c:\data\fonts



11. Multi-Media, Album Art, AudioBooks and Mp3 Editing

Radio
You can turn your N95 into a Mobile Radio by simply inserting your Headphones and Pressing CANCEL instead of selecting any of the other options. This will leave the sound playing from the stereo speakers in the N95. There are now FM aerials available on Ebay for around £6 see N95Blog post but any headphones work as the aerial, it makes a very handy Radio which you can use where ever you are, as long as you have a signal!








MusicPlayer
The N95 has a really good MP3 player with an 8 band graphic equaliser, loudness function, stereo speakers and of course the 3.5mm headphone socket that means you can use your normal headphones. The phone also can hold memory card to a least 4GB which makes for a very useful MP3 player, so take advantage of this feature and get yourself a good memory card.



Album Art
There are two ways to show Album Art on MP3 files.

1) You can embed your MP3 tracks with an image tag, This works fine if you are transferring an Cd or downloaded Album. You will a program to embed your MP3, i recommend Mp3tag.
You can download it from Pcsos Freeware page. You can also use WMP11 to embed Album art into MP3 files transfer.


To learn how to easily import image tags to Mp3 files click here.


2) You can manually add Album Art to albums within your N95, but you can only add Artwork to individual tracks or Albums not playlists or Artists. The advantage of using this manual system is that you can create or edit your own image rather than the original Album cover artwork. First create album art images 160px X 160px (smaller images are degraded when viewed, around 20Kb size).Transfer to phone.
Select: MusicPlayer/MusicMenu/Albums/(ie)TheStrokes/Options/AlbumArt/Options/Change/ Select Image/Yes(for all songs in the Album)

Nokia AudioBooks
Nokia AudioBooks is an application that allows you to listen to audiobooks on your N95. On of the advantages of is that Audiobooks are around 10 times smaller in size than a low quality Mp3 of the same length.
You can Download Nokia Audiobook Player for S60 3rd Edition FeaturePack 1
You will also need to get the Nokia Audiobooks Manager which can convert .Wav files into Audiobook format.

Full Tutorial for AudioBooks here






Converting .Wav files into AudioBooks for N95
1. First download the Nokia AudioBook Manager from here
2. The unzipped folder can be placed in C:\Program Files or and place of your choice,
3. Run the NokiaAudiobookManager.exe and you will see the interface as below
4. Give your book a Name in the top blank box then click on the 'Select files' tab to add your files
5. You can also add a jpeg image of your choice usually the book cover by clicking 'Select picture' this is optional.
6. Now press 'Process' and the manager will convert your files into a folder with all the necessary info.
7. The application will if you want to transfer the folder to your phone, but you can manually transfer.




Mp3 Ringtones and Message tones editing
If you want to make music clips from MP3's the best freeware program is

I have created a Tutorial on making Mp3 Music Ringtones/ Message tones here.

You can download it from the PCSOS freeware page . It's a brilliant tool to cut up any music or sound clip, so u can make a ringtone of text message sound.
screenshot:









What's your message tone? we've all got our favourites. Ive found some cool websites with free sounds everything from StarWars, Homer Simpson to alligator grumbles.

Movie Wav Simpson Crazy FindSounds Amazing Sounds

SimplytheBest Ultrasonic Ringtones RetroJunk

You can save most of the MP3 files directly to your PC or Use Rightmouse and select "Save Link As" then save to your desktop. You can use the "Super" freeware program (in section 13. on MP4) to convert .wav files into MP3's.


Add your Favourite logo to your N95
If you have a favourite Football team badge or logo of anything at all, that you want to display on your Phone, it really very easy to do.
You dont have to create a Theme all you need get a copy of your logo and make the background transparent using Adobe Photoshop etc., then add it as you wallpaper.
For more info on creating the image or download the Man. Utd or Porsche Badges
Go to my Theme page (Middle of the page)

I have split N95 best tips into 2 parts to avoid the page being too long and improve loading times. To view part two just click on the text image above or click here

In section two you can find details on Nokia Maps, GPS set up, More Freeware Games & loads more!