Bluetooth Cell Phones

Getting to know your Macs little brother

Justin Williams Skip to comments 22 Comments (Comments Closed Closed)

Your phone has bluetooth. Your Mac has bluetooth. Why not make them work together? Justin Williams will show you how.

On July 17, 2002, Apple introduced iSync, an application that allows Mac users to easily synchronize their calendars and contacts. This functionality has eliminated the need for users to have two separate calendars and contact lists. I have discussed setting this up before, so we won't tread on covered ground. The purpose of this piece is to introduce you to some other resources that can make your mobile life a little easier.

My motivation for writing this article is two-fold. I have had a Nokia 3650 since August, but today just moved to a Sony-Ericsson T616. I still have intentions of using the Nokia, but wanted a smaller phone for certain occasions as well. When I got my Nokia, it was difficult to find a lot of resources for the phone. It seemed like I was living on Google. The same thing seems to be true with the T616. I hope to use this article to introduce you to some resources for your Symbian smart-phones and your SE cell phones.

Nokia 3650

Nokia 3650The Nokia 3650 runs Symbian OS. The Symbian OS is owned, in majority, by Nokia and offers text messaging, multimedia messaging, multimedia (video/photo), data synchronization via SyncML, Java support, among others. The latest version of the Symbian OS is version 8.0. No phones have been released using this new OS, but I am sure they will be out by the end of the year or early next.

One of the many things that users are interested in is external modification of the phone: face plates, keypads, batteries, etc. The best resource I have found for this stuff is DayDeal.com. They have several third-party faceplates available, flashing keypads, a desktop charger for the phone, etc.

Visit Daydeal's Nokia 3650 Page

With the exterior of our phone pimped out, we need to customize the interface to make it our own: wallpapers, ring tones and themes. One thing you will notice about searching Google for this stuff is that finding anything free (read: useful) is nearly impossible. Never fear, I have compiled a nice list of places to get stuff.

Wallpaper

Applications

Miscellaneous

Talk-Mobile's forums are some of the best for discussing Nokia smart phones. You should also check out HowardForums. They offer information for several phone brands, service providers and PDA forums.

Sony Ericsson T616

T616The T616 runs Sony Ericcson's proprietary OS. While not as feature packed as the 3650, it is still easy to use for the medium to advanced user. The T616 doesn't come with any sort of video playback capabilities like the 3650, for example. Like before, if you want accessories, the best place to go is DayDeal.

Visit Daydeal's Sony Ericsson T616 Page

Without a doubt, the best resource for customization is myt610.net. T616 is the North American specific version of the T610. The T610 works on 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands, of which only the 1900MHz band is used in the US. On the other hand, the T616 uses the 850, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands. Thus the usability of the T616 outside North america is limited to places that utilize the 1800 MHz band. Anyway, myT610 offers software, wallpaper, ringtones, games, themes and screen savers. Did I mention it's all free? Better yet, there are a lot of Apple stuff when it comes to themes, screen savers and wall papers.

Software

An excellent resource for everything T616 is this thread on HowardForums. It lists links to ringtones, games and even more theme/wallpaper sites. This is a definite bookmark and reference. I have not had the phone long enough to recommend any games, so anyone that has had this phone for awhile, I invite you to offer any game recommendations in the comments.

Miscellaneous

Again, HowardForums is your friend. Seriously, if you are a phone freak, you need to frequent these boards.

Conclusion

Like I said above, this is by no means an exhaustive list of resources for cell phone stuff. Feel free to post your favorite resources in the comments below. I hope to update this in a few months with resources for the Nokia 7610, my next cell phone. :)

Justin WilliamsJustin Williams is founder and chief author for MacZealots. He switched to the Mac almost five years ago hasn't looked back since. When not blogging or coding, you can find him watching copious amounts of TV. Justin can be reached at

Reader Comments (22)

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1 Me remarks:
#1) On March 19, 2004 2:29 PM

I’ve heard horror stories about S/E reception quality.. Want a triband phone like the 610 w/ Bluetooth, but thinking about sticking w/ moto untill I find someone that can swear that S/E reception issues have been resolved… anyone???

The moto BT triband/quadband phones are very expensive, but have never had any reception probs w/ past moto triband phones.. Need the phone first and foremost to be, well, a phone. The S/E phones seem to be more affordable, but have concerns.

Later

2 Justin Williams remarks:
#2) On March 19, 2004 10:29 PM

I know the T68i had issues with reception, but I am pretty sure that the T616 fixed those.

3 tony remarks:
#3) On March 20, 2004 12:55 AM

T610 has really good reception in my area. Not really an issue as far as I am concerned

4 Dan Gabrielson remarks:
#4) On March 20, 2004 5:13 PM

I own the 610 with Tmobile service and in rural Wisconsin you can’t beat Tmobile for coverage. I just upgraded my t681 which my wife now uses, to the 610 and as with t68i no reception issues what so ever.

5 Anonymous remarks:
#5) On April 20, 2004 4:52 PM

AUTHOR:
EMAIL:
IP: 202.78.97.15
URL:
DATE: 04/20/2004 04:52:39 PM
AUTHOR:
EMAIL:
IP: 202.78.97.15
URL:
DATE: 04/20/2004 04:52:39 PM

6 Gary Chidester remarks:
#6) On June 16, 2004 2:41 PM

I have several questions,but it boils down to; what phone(s) do I want to look at for bluetooth use with a Mac and Verizon wireless? I am having no luck talking with Verizon.

Thanks.

7 Justin Williams remarks:
#7) On June 16, 2004 2:42 PM

You don’t. Verizon won’t support Bluetooth.

8 Cindy Morrow remarks:
#8) On June 24, 2004 2:11 AM

I would like to use a bluetooth phone mainly to sync up with my iCalendar and address book. Which phone OS has the most similar options when it comes to these two mac applications? For example, mac address book has inputs for multiple emails, addresses, birthdays, etc. If I iSync a phone, will all that information be displayed? I suppose I need a better understanding of how the phone’s OS is similar to the Mac. Thanks

9 Daniel remarks:
#9) On August 4, 2004 2:17 PM

Verizon does FINALLY support bluetooth. The Motorola v710

10 Scott remarks:
#10) On May 5, 2005 4:15 PM

Bluetooth is starting to pick up in the US. I love bluetooth and can’t wait till its as big in the US as it is in the UK!

11 Bart Blommaert remarks:
#11) On May 8, 2005 10:43 PM

LOOKING FOR ADVICE

I own a Powerbook G4 with Bluetooth modem internet connect capability. When travelling I use the dial-up modem when in most hotel rooms but for those times that I can not connect by normal phone-line or DSL line, I would like to explore using the cellular network to download my E-mail only. Getting connected is more important to me than the connection speed.

Which phone do you recommend I buy for this purpose ?

I live in New Zealand but my main areas for use of the cell-phone with my computer will be Europe.

I currently have a Vodafone cellphone with standard modem capability.

Sincerely yours,

Bart Blommaert

St Stephens Avenue, Parnell Auckland 1. New Zealand

12 Jeff remarks:
#12) On July 15, 2005 9:31 AM

Am I able to sync my MS Entourage Calendar and Tasks with my Motorola v551 via iSync? I prefer this calendar feature over iCal. Please email me if and when you answer this query.

Best,

Jeff H.

13 mickam remarks:
#13) On July 17, 2005 9:10 AM

T616 HAVE NO MOBILE TV

14 applemac remarks:
#14) On July 20, 2005 5:57 PM

I just got a Motorola E815 that has bluetooth. Syncing contacts from my Mac to the phone sounds great but Veison says it only works with a PC!!! Anyone know of a work around??

15 michael remarks:
#15) On August 1, 2005 11:37 AM

The Motorola E815 syncs with Mac (address contacts and iCal) if you’re running Tiger OS X 10.4 The previous Panther 10.3 didn’t recgonize the E815. I had no trouble syncing my iCal with the E815 after updating my operating system to 10.4 …but am still looking for an app to control iTunes and DVD player with my Motorola phone.

16 Matty remarks:
#16) On September 14, 2005 4:06 AM

So how do I get the other info from my phone (Nokia 6600)? I want to grab a copy of all the sms’ that have been sent and received but can’t seem to find a way to do it…

Help!

:)

17 CJ remarks:
#17) On October 23, 2005 4:44 AM

I have a Motorola v330 and am looking for a bluetooth app to run iTunes, Powerpoint, Keynote, or DVD Player. Anyone heard of such an app?

18 Eric remarks:
#18) On November 10, 2005 12:28 PM

In response to post #15 from Michael, I can only say, “Say it ain’t so!” I have Panther 10.3.9 and am thinking of buying two Motorola E815s. MUST I upgrade to Tiger before Bluetooth sync-ing will work?

Bah!!!! I know I’ll love Tiger but I hardly have time to play with Panther as it is!

Anyway, I would appreciate it if any expert would comment on the following: Let’s say we get Tiger and sync-ing address book contacts and calendar works great with an E815. Is there any way to sync the address book etc to TWO E815s? My wife and I use one Mac user-account on our iBook G4 with Bluetooth, and we’ll each of course have a phone, probably E815s. Can we both get the contacts etc filled up in the phones from the Mac?

Does anyone think we can double-sync in this way, or at least (guessing here) sync one phone off the other???

Thanks for sharing the knowledge all.

19 Scott remarks:
#19) On November 15, 2005 2:14 PM

I just got my 815, and am running a 15” powerbook running tiger and have no problem syncing my contacts and calendars. As for your question erin, The devices are listed in the isync window, and because each devices is paired individually, I would think there would be no problem updating each phone with the same information.

To take it a step further, you can stipulate which calendars get synced, and where calendar events made on the phone are added to the calendars on your mac, so you and your wife might set it so that each phone updates only the calendars for their owner, to help keep calendar clutter down if you and your wife have busy lives.

The biggest gripe so far is that the phone displays several entries for each of my contacts from address book, one for each phone number, or email address. I am not sure if this is my fault for faulty data to begin with (how i dont know) or if it is just the way the phone interprets the data being sent. If anyone has an tips on that, I would love to hear it before i consolodate all the numbers on the phone (boooooo).

Scott

20 Todd Shearer remarks:
#20) On December 11, 2005 7:36 PM

I am using a motorola v600 currently. This is on T-mobile. I am thinking of switching to Verizon. The gentleman in the store tells me that the Bluetooth only works for headseats and that Verizon has disabled it for contact and calendar syncing. I have a 17” Powerbook and I am running the most current version of Tiger. I read above that people are having no problem with it. Are any of you on verizon?

21 Todd Shearer remarks:
#21) On December 11, 2005 7:39 PM

The reason that I mention my V600 above is because it is working fine. Everything syncs just beautifully. Whether Verizon will support Bluetooth syncing of my address book will factor huge in my decision to switch.

22 KonaAllan remarks:
#22) On February 9, 2006 2:32 PM

The e815 syncs fine using Tiger’s iSync and a bluetooth dongle. No problem sycing to two cell phones. No drivers, no hassle, just works. The phone address book seems designed to make each phone number and email address a seperate record so you may have 5 records of a given person but that’s not an issue with Apple.

I’ve created a number of 20 second mp3 and 3gp ringtones which I can move to my e815’s removable memory card, but I can never seem to access them as ringtones. Any clues?

I’d also love to see a Mac-like theme like is coming out for the MacBerry if anyone knows of one.