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Nokia 770 and SMS

Nokia’s 770 is a great little internet tablet of for my budget and while I’ve come to expect a bit of “slow browsing” while using it, I’m still pretty happy with what it can do.

There is ONE thing that has been a little frustrating recently and that is not being able to SMS the rest of the planet using regular cell phones. Fortunately, The Gizmoproject has a free* web-based SMS service that will send text to phone numbers. Gizmo SMS seems pretty handy.

I’ve been using Gizmo’s calling to call out on the 770 too. Now, if only this SMS feature could be integrated into the Gizmo client. (*Note that there may be charges for your recipient if they don’t have unlimited texting.)

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Improving Your Nokia 770

Why even bother with the Nokia 770 anymore? Haven’t there been two product upgrades released by Nokia since the 770? The short answer is yes (the N800 and the 810)… but if you’re interested in a wifi device that can surf the web, connect to your email in an airport, and connect you to chat, the 770 is really inexpensive compared to those newer models.

Image courtesy of Steven Combs on Flickr

Out of the box the 770 needs a little attention to get off the ground and up to speed. First, it needs a software update:

1. Go to the Nokia 770 site and download the Internet Tablet Software Updater (http://www.nokiausa.com/A4410232). Note that it is best to use Internet Explorer to access the download link. I normally use Firefox as my default web browser and could not see the link for the Tablet Update Software at all.
2. The updater software needs to be installed on your computer (not the 770). Once you have downloaded it from the Nokia site, install it on the computer you will use to update your 770.
3. While you are downloading the updater you might as well charge your 770. It must be fully charged before you attempt an update.
4. Charged? Then you are ready to update. Unplug the 770 from AC power and turn it off. Connect the 770 to the laptop with the software updater installed via the provided USB cable (770 is still off). Launch the Tablet Software Updater and follow the instructions on screen to complete the software update.
5. When you are prompted to turn on the 770, be sure to hold the Home Key while at the same time powering on the device. You should see a USB icon in the top-right area of the 770 screen if you’ve done this successfully. The Updater will download and install the latest software on your 770. Do not unplug or turn off the device during any part of the update process to avoid the sky from falling. The Updater will prompt you when the process has completed.

Things to Note

• It is possible to extend the virtual memory of the 770 look under Control Panel > Memory to do this.
• The RSS reader can import an OPML reading list, but don’t go crazy with your feeds. The more you subscribe to, the slower the 770 gets.
• For all those Googlers out there, don’t forget about the mobile version of their services like Gmail and Reader.
• Article with tips for the 770 ownner including links to obtaining Root on the 770 here or here
• Steps for running a 2GB MMC on the 770. More at this link too.

Additional Applications
There are other application designed to run on the 770. More on those can be found at the following links:

Gizmo Project - lets you make calls out to US phone numbers for two cents a call.

WordPy - Maemo WordPy is a Wordpress client. With this application you will be able to use your Internet Tablet (Nokia 770 or Nokia N800) for write in your Wordpress blog.

Maemo Mapper - Maemo Mapper is geographical mapping software specifically designed for the Maemo platform and the Nokia 770/N800 form factor. Reportedly, runs on the 770 with or without GPS addon, but I’m not sure what the performance is without additional memory.

Sylpheed - Sylpheed is a full-featured email client: supporting POP3, IMAP, SSL and everything else you’d expect. This is a port and Hildonisation of Sylpheed to integrate it as a proper Maemo application. Note this is an alpha-release.

There are more apps listed at that link, but I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet. Unfortunately, my 770 succumbed to the widely documented “white screen of death” and had to be shipped back to Nokia for repairs. They were very nice about the whole thing, but it has stopped any further exploration into what the 770 can do until the mailman brings it back to me. This post is in no way meant to be a comprehensive resource for the 770, but if you find something cool I’d like to hear about it.

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