Using SIP with the Nokia E61i and Gizmo
I usually have no use for a normal landline, but it does have its benefits. Since I will be moving to a new place soon with a 100/100 Mbit Internet connection, why not use it to the max? So I am trying SIP with my phone using Gizmo and their SIP service.
Setting things up could be a bit confusing, but the following settings works fine for me (for Gizmo):
- Profile name: Gizmo
- Service profile: IETF
- Default access point: “my access point”
- Public user name: sip:17472xxxx@proxy01.sipphone.com
- Use compression: No
- Registration: Always on
- Use security: No
- Proxy server: Do not fill in anything here
- Registrar server address: sip:proxy01.sipphone.com
- Realm: proxy01.sipphone.com
- User name: 17472xxxxx
- Password: “your password”
- Transport type: UDP
- Port: 5060
Now when ever I stumble upon an access point I have configured, the phone will connect the SIP phone automatically! The call quality seems to be really good after a first try, but we will see if it holds up.
Nokia has really managed to get a good SIP phone working in a simple yet effective way, and it is even possible to decide whether the calls should be routed over SIP by default or not.
I could definitely see this working in a corporate setting with an Asterisk server for VOIP and WLAN for connecting the phones to the networks. It is even possible to store a SIP number in the phone book for each contact, which makes this solution ideal.
First impressions of the Nokia E61i
I recently got my new Nokia E61i, which is a smartphone running Symbian 9.1 series60 3rd edition.
I have earlier been using the Sony Ericsson P990i, which is also running Symbian but with the UIQ3 frontend. The differences however, are huge. Not only is the graphical interface of series60 more polished, it has better functionality and a smoother experience overall.
Some important features are:
- Support for client certificates for IMAP and SMTP
- Good email client
- Tasks are viewable directly in the calendar, by day
- A decent “home screen” with important information
There is really just one thing missing — A2DP, high quality audio over Bluetooth.
Nokia has really built up a community with the forums and the Beta Labs. There is for instance a very popular beta application available which groups your messages and displays them in a conversation. (Yes, like the iPhone)
The image is from Tommi’s blog, which you should definitely subscribe to.
More to come.
Choosing the right business phone
I am in the market for a new business phone. The company will buy me a new one, once I have decided which one I want. I of course can’t refuse a free phone upgrade, so the hunt has begun.
I currently have a Sony Ericsson P990i, which has served me quite well, but lacks some essential features. Its qwerty keyboard is barely usable, but I’m glad that it’s there.
The perfect phone should have a proper calendar, where it’s easy to plan a week or two ahead. It must also support having tasks in the calendar, which the P990i does not do. (Third-party application Handy day does it, but not very nicely.) It must also be easy to move meetings and tasks around in a weekly view.
For rapid text entry a qwerty keyboard is necessary, with big enough buttons for the thumbs. Other features such as wireless LAN, a good web browser, SIP phone and a proper email application is also needed.
Not many email applications seems to do a good job with email threading or anything at all to make it easy to glance the mailbox. The support for client certificates is also necessary for the business mailbox, but it seems that not many phones have this functionality either.
I have glanced long and hard at the Nokia N95, which seems to have all features including support for client certificates for email servers. The big downside however, is the lack of a proper qwerty keyboard.
The other phone on my list is the Nokia E61i, which is a proper business phone. It has a nice qwerty keyboard, and the email view seems to be quite nice. It is however becoming old, and lots of features in the N95 does not exist in the E61i — mostly the more general consumer-oriented applications. There is for example built-in support for video podcasting in the N95, which is extremely handy when commuting and traveling.
There are of course other devices such as the HTC TyTN. First of all it’s running the Windows Mobile operating system which I’m not very fond of, and it is very thick so it won’t fit into any pocket. So much for pocket PC.
Sony Ericsson has released the P1, but that is essentially the same phone as the P990i, and they have removed the proper qwerty keyboard.
The N95 using the E61i hardware seems to be the best thing right now, but waiting for that is not feasible. This leaves E61i as the winner for now, but time will tell if it stands up to the continued phone research these coming days.