HTC Wildfire S A510e

Bought HTC Wildfire S A510e Android OS 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) mobile phone. It has 5MP autofocus camera with flash. There is also a built-in GPS for geo-tagging and navigation.

Factory/Hard Reset

1. Power off
   
2. Press and hold the VOLUME DOWN button, and then briefly press the POWER button.
3. Wait for the screen with the three Android images to appear, and then release the VOLUME DOWN button.
4. Press VOLUME DOWN to select Clear Storage, and then press the POWER button.
   

or

Tap Settings > SD & phone storage > Factory data reset > Reset phone > Erase everything

Dial Codes

1. Diagnostics - *#*#3424#*#*

Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830

Bought Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830 Android OS 2.2.1 (Froyo) mobile phone. It has 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash. There is also a built-in GPS for geo-tagging and navigation.

Factory Reset

1. Power off phone
2. Press and hold the power & home buttons at the same time
3. Wait for menu, choose "Factory reset". Use the volume up/down button to scroll up/down to select and the menu key to confirm selection
4. Select "Reboot now" to finish
   

or

*#7780#

or

Tap Applications> Settings > System > Privacy > Factory data reset > Reset phone

Screen Capture

1. Press & hold Back button then Home button
   

Dial Codes

1. Diagnostics - *#0*#
2. Hard reset - *2767*3855#
   
3. Phone info - *#*#4636#*#*
   
4. IMEI - *#06#
5. Vibration/Back Light/Alert LED test - *#0842#
6. Sound test - *#0673#
7. Battery - *#0228#
8. Touch screen - *#2664#
   
9. FTA SW Version - *#1111#
10. SW Version - *#1234#

LG Optimus One P500

Bought LG Optimus One P500 Android OS 2.2 (Froyo) mobile phone. It has 3MP, 2048х1536 pixels and autofocus camera. There is also a built-in GPS for geo-tagging and navigation.

Hard Reset

1. Turn power off.
2. Press and hold for over 10 seconds: Power key + Home Key + Down volume key.
3. When the power turns on, release these keys.

or

Tap Applications -> Settings -> Privacy -> Factory data reset -> Reset phone

Safe Mode (recover from malfunction state of phone)

1. Turn off phone and reboot. While phone is powering back on, press and hold the Menu key during LG logo is displayed. Phone will boot all the way to the main screen and display "safe mode" in lower left corner.
2. Select Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications and choose the application then select Uninstall.
3. After uninstalling application, turn off and reboot phone.

Diagnostics Codes

1. 3845#*500#
2. *#*#4636#*#*
   

Samsung Galaxy 3 GT-I5801

Bought Samsung Galaxy 3 GT-I5801 aka Samsung Apollo Android OS 2.1 (Eclair) mobile phone. It has 3MP, 2048х1536 pixels and autofocus camera. There is also a built-in GPS for geo-tagging and navigation.

Hard Reset

*2767*3855#

or

Tap Applications> Settings > System > Privacy > Factory data reset > Reset phone

Dial Codes

1. Diagnostics - *#0*#
2. IMEI - *#06#
3. Vibration/Back Light/Alert LED test - *#0842#
4. Sound test - *#0673#
5. Battery - *#0228#
6. FTA SW Version - *#1111#
7. SW Version - *#1234#

Garmin Asus nuvifone M10

Bought Windows Mobile 6.5.3 Professional Garmin Asus nuvifone M10 PDA mobile phone. It has 5MP, 2592х1944 pixels and autofocus camera. A vehicle power cable and suction cup mount are bundled.

Hard Reset

1. Hold Power button to turn off phone
2. Hold Send key, volume down & power button until message appears
   
3. Press on Send key to delete all settings and files in system or do nothing to abort

or

1. Press Start menu key > Settings > System > Default Settings
   
2. Enter "1234" to restore default settings
   

Configure Opera

1. Type “opera:config” in the URL
2. Under Disk Cache, select Empty on Exit
3. Under User Prefs, deselect Enable Referrer

Wing Linux 0.4.2

Since I've an old Qtek 9100 (aka HTC Wizard), I decided to try out Wing Linux. It will dual boot your existing Windows Mobile 5 Professional and run Android 1.5. The latest release is 0.4.2 and you can install as follows:

1. Download wing-linux-0.4.2.zip and unzip the file to a directory
   
2. Copy the directory to a miniSD card with minimum 256B of free space
3. Power on Qtek 9100 and insert the miniSD card
4. Use File Explorer to access Storage Card and run wing-linux-0.4.2-rootfs.cab & install to Storage Card
   
5. Run wing-linux-0.4.2-wizard.cab & install to Storage Card
6. Click on Start -> Programs -> Wing Linux and follow instructions to install

After installation, click on Start -> Programs -> Wing Linux. On HaRET Version 0.5.2 screen, tap Run and wait for Android to boot.

The Menu key is the button above the end call button. You can check what is working and what is not working. To shutdown, press & hold end call button and tap Power off. Next tap Ok. This will reboot the phone and starts Windows Mobile.

You can run Android with or without a SIM card. Sometimes, even with a SIM card, GSM may not work (without signal bars at the top) and you'll need to restart to get it working. Numbers can be dialed but there is no dial tone or audio and there is no ring tone when being called. These make it quite useless as a phone. But, nevertheless, it is excellent efforts by the developers and I'm looking forward to future releases.

Budget 3.2MP Camera Phone - Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C510

Bought Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C510 for RM480 with charger, USB data cable, earphone, screen protector and 2GB M2 card. This is a 3G phone with 3.2MP camera, autofocus, dual LED flash, 2.2" display, bluetooth and FM radio.

• Check stuck pixels

Close camera cover and activate camera

• Check IMEI - serial number
  

*#06#

• Check firmware

From standby select Menu > Settings > the General tab > Update service > Software version

• Check service info, service settings, service tests & text labels
  

-> * <- <- * <- * If your phone has not been used before, total call time in service tests will show 00:00:00. This value cannot be changed with reset all. You can perform diagnostics on main display, LED/illumination, keyboard, speaker, earphone, microphone, vibrating alert, camera, video call camera, flash LED, accelerometer, memory card, FM radio & real time clock

• Perform 'Reset settings' - Deletes all settings but user data eg contacts, messages, pictures, sounds and downloaded games will not be deleted
  

From standby select Menu > Settings > the General tab > Master reset > Reset settings

• Perform 'reset all' - Deletes all settings and user data eg contacts, messages, pictures, sounds and games

From standby select Menu > Settings > the General tab > Master reset > Reset all

• Check battery status
  

From standby press volume key or select Menu > Settings > the General tab > Phone status

Budget Navigation Phone - Nokia 2710 Navigation Edition

Bought Nokia 2710 Navigation Edition for $209. This is a non-smartphone running the latest S40 6th Edition. It is a 2G quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) phone with 2MP camera, 2.2" display, bluetooth, FM radio and GPS.

It comes with lifetime global drive and walk navigation license with Nokia Maps 2.1 (Series 40) and the bundled 2GB microSD card contains maps for countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Australia etc. In drive mode, turn-by-turn voice navigation is supported while in walk mode, a digital compass is available.

• Check stuck pixels

Activate camera and cover the lens with your hand

• Check IMEI - serial number
  

*#06#

• Check firmware

*#0000#

• Check history - serial number, made date, purchasing date, repaired date & life timer.

*#92702689#

If your phone has not been used before, life timer will show 0000:00. This value cannot be changed with restore all.

• Perform 'Settings only' will reset all preference settings. Restoring will not delete any personal data.
  

Enter *#7780# in the standby mode
Enter 12345 as the default Security code

or

Press Menu > Settings > Rest. fact. sett. > Settings only
Enter 12345 as the default Security code

• Perform hard reset (Backup your contacts to SIM or memory card and messages to memory card and remove them first. Programs installed, country, date, time & connection settings, contacts, messages will be deleted)

Press Menu > Settings > Rest. fact. sett. > All
Enter 12345 as the default Security code

• Check date & time

Press any key to look at home screen while the phone is locked

or

Press End key while the phone is locked

or

With the built-in accelerometer, use tap-for-time – a double tap on the phone brings up a analog/digital clock

Differences Between S60 3rd Edition FP1 & FP2 Platform

Platform	S60 3rd Edition FP1	S60 3rd Edition FP2
Contacts	More steps to access in SIM card. Need to copy new contact from phone to SIM card.	Easier to access in SIM card. Can create new contact in SIM card directly.
Wi-Fi	DHCP server is optional since static or dynamic ip address is supported. Does not require SIM card for internet access.	DHCP server is optional since static or dynamic ip address is supported. Does not require SIM card for internet access. Can access internet in flight mode.
Active Standby Screen	Less customisable. Clock shown in selected screens only.	More customisable. Clock shown in selected screens only.
Nokia Map	Support Drive or Walk mode. Can support additional free maps from other countries.	Support Drive or Walk mode. Can support additional free maps from other countries.
E-mail	Can create account in phone memory or micro SD card. Does not require SIM card to connect to POP3 account with Wi-Fi. Does not require to save password for POP3 account. Can delete e-mails from POP3 server.	Can create account in phone memory or micro SD card. Does not require SIM card to connect to POP3 account with Wi-Fi. Does not require to save password for POP3 account. Can delete e-mails from POP3 server.
Browser	Support Flash Lite 2.0. Does not require additional step to press Ok to continue in form field. Yahoo webmail is not supported.	Support Flash Lite 3.0. Does not require additional step to press Ok to continue in form field. Yahoo webmail is supported but file download "st" always appears which is unnecessary

Differences Between Nokia S40 & S60 Platform

After using the non-smartphone Nokia 6260 Slide for a while, I found the following differences between the latest S40 6th Edition and my previous smartphone running Symbian OS 9.2 S60 Release 3.1 (S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1).

Platform	S60 3rd Edition FP1	S40 6th Edition
Contacts	More steps to access in SIM card. Need to copy new contact from phone to SIM card.	Easier to access in SIM card. Can create new contact in SIM card directly.
Wi-Fi	DHCP server is optional since static or dynamic ip address is supported. Does not require SIM card for internet access	DHCP server is required since only dynamic ip address is supported. Does not require SIM card for internet access. Cannot access internet in flight mode.
Active Standby Screen	Less customisable. Clock shown in selected screens only.	More customisable to support General indicators, Notifications etc, Clock shown in all screens.
Nokia Map	Support Drive or Walk mode. Can support additional free maps from other countries.	Support Drive mode only. Does not support additional free maps from other countries.
E-mail	Can create account in phone memory or micro SD card. Does not require SIM card to connect to POP3 account with Wi-Fi. Does not require to save password for POP3 account. Can delete e-mails from POP3 server.	Can create account in phone memory only. Requires SIM card to connect to POP3 account with Wi-Fi. Need to save password for POP3 account. Cannot delete e-mails from POP3 server.
Browser	Support Flash Lite 2.0. Does not require additional step to press Ok to continue in form field. Yahoo webmail is not supported.	Support Flash Lite 3.0. Requires additional step to press Ok to continue in form field. Yahoo webmail is supported.

Nokia 6260 Slide

Nokia 6260 slide is a non-smartphone running the latest S40 6th Edition. The screen is excellent with resolution of 320 x 480 not seen on any other similar price Nokia smartphone. So far, this is the only Nokia non-smartphone with built-in GPS and Wi-Fi. Also, it has 5MP, 2560 х 1920 pixels, Carl Zeiss lens, autofocus and flash camera.

• Check IMEI - serial number
  

*#06#

• Check firmware

*#0000#

• Check history - serial number, made date, purchasing date, repaired date & life timer.

*#92702689#

If your phone has not been used before, life timer will show 0000:00. This value cannot be changed with restore all.

• Perform soft reset to restore all original phone settings.
  

Enter *#7780# in the standby mode
Enter 12345 as the default Lock Code

or

Press Menu > Settings > Rest. factory sett. > Restore settings only
Enter 12345 as the default Lock Code

• Perform hard reset (Backup your contacts to SIM or memory card and messages to memory card and remove them first. Programs installed, country, date, time & connection settings, contacts, messages will be deleted)

Press Menu > Settings > Rest. factory sett. > Restore all
Enter 12345 as the default Lock Code

Smartphone & Non-smartphone

Model	Nokia E63	Nokia 5630 XpressMusic	Nokia 6260 slide
Developer Platform	S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 (Smartphone)	S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 (Smartphone)	S40 6th Edition (Non-smartphone)
OS	Symbian OS v9.2	Symbian OS v9.3	Nokia
Screen	320 x 240 2.36"	240 x 320 2.2"	320 x 480 2.4"
Flash Lite MIDP (Java)	3.0 2.0	3.0 2.1	3.0 2.1
Maximum User Storage/ Free Executable RAM/ NAND Memory/ SDRAM Memory/ Maximum Heap Size/ Maximum JAR Size	110MB/ 71MB/ 256MB/ 128MB/ Unlimited/ Unlimited	60MB/ -/ 256MB/ 128MB/ Unlimited/ Unlimited	200MB/ -/ -/ -/ 4MB/ 2MB
Browser	OSS	OSS	WebKit Open Source

SingTel AMPed

This is an online music service from SingTel. The following articles compare SingTel AMPed with Nokia Comes With Music and Sony Ericsson PlayNow plus :

1. Hardware Zone
2. Cnet Asia
   

For more details, you can refer to the following :

1. FAQs
2. Register (not secure)
   

Using Samsung Omnia SGH-i900

After testing this mobile phone for a few days, I found the following issues for the latest firmware DZIA5 :

1. Sometimes, the phone will turn itself off automatically in standby mode even when the battery is not empty.
   
2. The first letter in a sentence is not capitalized when you create a text message even though the setting under keyboard input is correct.
   
3. Each time you change from default dynamic to static ip address or vice versa, the Wi-Fi setting in Wireless Manager will disappear until you restart the phone.
   
4. The default setting for USB to PC in Start > Settings > Connections is checked to "Enable advanced network functionality" will revert back to checked even if you unchecked it.
5. The default setting for USB Connection Mode is ActiveSync will revert back to ActiveSync even if you choose Mass storage.
   

Samsung Omnia SGH-i900

Bought Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Samsung Omnia SGH-i900 PDA mobile phone. It has 5MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus and LED flash camera. There is also a built-in GPS. You need to register via SMS, internet with phone or manual with another PC to activate the free Agis NAVFone PPC. The technical specifications are better than LG KS20. The latest firmware DZIA5 can be downloaded.

Manuals

1. Quick Guide
2. User Manual

Hard Reset

1. Hold Power button to turn off phone
2. Hold Call, Cancel & Power button for about 5 seconds
3. Click on the Call button to format or Cancel button to abort

or

1. Click Start > Settings > System > Hard Reset > Memory > Clear Memory
   

Hard reset does not reset internal 8GB storage. Click Start > Settings > System > Hard Reset > Memory > My Storage > Reset

Hard reset does not format external microSD storage card. Click Start > Settings > System > Hard Reset > Storage Card > Format

Agis NAVFone GPS Settings

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > GPS (or External GPS) > Program > Set to Com 3
2. Go to Start > Settings > System > GPS (or External GPS) > Hardware > Set to Com 9, 9600
3. Start NAVFone PPC. When connecting to GPS, set User Define > Com 3, Baud Rate: 9600

Dial Codes

1. Diagnostics - *#0*#
2. IMEI - *#06#
3. Vibration/Back Light/Alert LED test - *#0842#
4. Sound test - *#0673#
5. Battery - *#0228#
6. FTA SW Version - *#1111#
7. SW Version - *#1234#
8. Hard reset *2767*3855#

Configure Opera

1. Type “opera:config” in the URL
2. Under Disk Cache, select Empty on Exit
3. Under User Prefs, deselect Enable Referrer
   

Budget Camera Phone

Bought a Nokia 1680 classic phone for RM225. This is a great basic phone running Symbian OS Series 40 5th Edition LE. Unlike Nokia E51 running the later Symbian OS Series 60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, you can maintain the contacts in the SIM card without copying first to phone and turn off service messages under the Web -> Service Inbox Settings.

• Check IMEI - serial number
  

*#06#

• Check firmware

*#0000#

• Check history - serial number, made date, purchasing date, repaired date & life timer.
  

*#92702689#

Only purchasing date can be edited. If your phone has not been used before, life timer will show 0000:00. This value cannot be changed with restore all. In Nokia E51, only life timer is shown and you can't check the made date.

i-mate JAMA 101 Battery Recall

Dubai-based i-mate has issued the following recall on the battery for JAMA 101 Mobile Phone:

Product Info: Sold between April 2008 and January 2009 with i-mate JAMA handsets or as accessories for i-mate JAMA 101. Affected batteries can be identified by the model name "i-mate JAMA" printed in blue on the battery label. Batteries that also have "i-mate Jama 101" printed on the label are not affected. Sold via general consumer electronic and mobile telephone outlets including Dick Smith Pty Ltd.

Defect Details: Under certain conditions the batteries have the potential to generate excessive heat. In extreme circumstances this may damage the battery and/or the device, and have the potential to cause fire.

Consumer action: Refrain from charging battery until replacement arrives. Send an email to recall@imate.com. Your email must include the following information: your name, address, contact phone number, the IEC P/N and Serial number of the battery, and the IMEI number of your i-mate JAMA mobile. Upon receipt and verification of the email your replacement battery will be immediately mailed out to you along with a reply paid satchel. Please return your affected battery to i-mate in the reply paid satchel.

Choosing A Mobile Broadband Plan or 3G/3.5G Phone

The highest data speed achievable for HSDPA or 3.5G is 7.2Mbps. I'm using a Huawei Modem E220 which supports speed up to 3.6Mbps and LG KS20 3.5G phone also supports maximum speed of 3.6Mbps. Since my mobile broadband plan is only 1Mbps, there is no point to pay more for a device which can support 7.2Mbps.

Similarly, if you've a iPhone 3G which supports speed up to 1.4Mbps, it is not worthwhile to subscribe to a mobile broadband plan with speed greater than 1Mbps. The data bandwidth is limited either by the device or the mobile broadband plan.

Using LG KS20 Phone

• Phone

Do not set any password to lock the device if unused otherwise your bluetooth headset won't pick up any incoming calls.

• Torchlight

In power save mode, hold volume down until flash light is on. Press any hardware button to turn flash light off.

• Internet

To be alerted when programs try to access Internet so as not to incur unnecessary GPRS/HSDPA charges, tap Start > Settings > Sounds & Notifications > Notifications tab
Select Connection established
Tick Play sound & select Alarm 5
Tick Display message on screen
Tick Vibrate
Tap ok

Using Windows Mobile 6 LG KS20 Phone

• Check software version

Tap Start > Settings > System tab > About

• Check firmware version

Tap Start > Settings > System tab > System information > Version info

• Check ROM & RAM

Tap Start > Settings > System tab > System information > Memory

As with all Windows devices, they are prone to programs still running in memory even after exiting and programs hanging. You need to do a soft reset.

• Perform Soft/Normal Reset - clears all active program memory and shuts down all active programs

1. If the phone doesn't hung, press the Power button to turn off and on phone
2. If the phone hangs, re-attach the battery and press the Power button to turn on phone

• Perform Hard/Full Reset - restores to its default settings, any programs installed, data entered and settings will be lost

1. Press the POWER button to turn off phone
2. Press and hold both buttons (Send + Volume down) and at the same time, press the Power button.
3. Hold all buttons until the blue LED light comes on & off.