Nokia N95 Explored

There's a wide range of accessories, including spare batteries, cases, chargers, in-car kits, hands-free units, data cables and fascias, available at Carphone Warehouse and MobileShop.

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The N95 can connect to a PC via Bluetooth or infrared using Nokia's connectivity software supplied on CD, or for download from www.nokia.com. Here is a summary of how to connect your N95 to your PC.

• USB cable. The N95 is supplied with a USB cable that connects from the PC to the handset . When connected, you have to option to use the Nokia PC Suite to interact with the phone, or make a direct connection and access the filing system using Windows 'My Computer'.
• IR connection. From the N95, go to Tools > Infrared to turn the phone's IR on. Line up the phone with the PC infrared port, and Windows should detect the N95. Then, use the Nokia Connectivity package to select the file you want to send to the N95. For more on IR, see our PC connectivity page
  There are several IR adapters available, including the pictured 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V).
• Bluetooth connection. From the N95, go to Tools > Bluetooth. Turn Bluetooth 'On', then move to the second tab by moving the joystick to the right. This should show you all Bluetooth devices in range. If your PC isn't shown, select 'Options > New paired device' and let the N95 search for the PC connection. When the phone and PC are paired, use the Nokia Connectivity package to select the file you want to send to the N95.
  If your PC doesn't support Bluetooth, then you can add it cheaply and easily using a USB Bluetooth adapter. We recommend the Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter available for around £15 from amazon.co.uk.
  For details of Bluetooth, see our Bluetooth page, and for help connecting, see our PC connectivity page
• Memory card reader. Another option is to make use of the microSD card slot in the N95. Get hold of a Memory card reader for around £20 and copy files onto a microSD card plugged into your PC. Find out more on our Memory card page.

Files beamed to the N95 can be found in the Messaging application, in the Inbox folder

Software for Symbian OS phones is normally supplied using a Symbian installation file (with a .sis extension). This is a single file that contains the components needed to get a piece of software installed and ready to run. A SIS file can be run on a Symbian phone (e.g. from the Inbox or via the File Manager. It can also be run via the PC connectivity solution that was supplied on the CD with the Nokia N95. Assuming you have a SIS file on your PC/Mac (either downloaded from the Internet or on a CD), the ways to install a SIS file onto your handset are as follows:

• Beaming - Beam the file to your handset from your PC using Bluetooth or IR. If you don't currently have the ability to beam files to the handset via Bluetooth or infrared (either from another handheld device or from a PC), then you may wish to purchase an IRDA adapter for your PC (this means you'll be able to install software, backup and synchronise data between phone and PC) - See our Series 60 PC connectivity page for more.
• Install via PC - Assuming you've installed the PC connectivity suite that was supplied with your phone, look for the "Install software" option. You'll need to have the handset connected to the PC via USB, Bluetooth or infrared for this to work. - See our Series 60 PC connectivity page for more.
• By email - The alternative, is to email the file that you're trying to install, typically a SIS (Symbian installation file) to your own email account, and then use your phone to logon to your email (details) and download the SIS file as an attachment into your phone's Messaging Inbox.
• Via memory card - The N95 has a microSD memory card slot, so you can transfer a SIS file to the handset via this card slot if you have access to a PC microSD memory card writer. To do this, copy the SIS file onto a microSD card via the writer connected to your PC, and then insert the microSD card into your handset. Then, use the N95 File Manager (Tools > File mgr.) to browse to the location of the SIS file you've copied. Highlight and run the SIS file, and the installation process should start. Once installed, you can delete the SIS file from the microSD card if required.

If you've downloaded an application and find you can't install it - make sure the file you're trying to install is a SIS (Symbian Installation) file. Many files are distributed in a compressed form (using the ZIP file format). If the file has a .ZIP extension, you'll need to unzip it first. You can do this with a PC application such as WinZip, or on the phone itself using the ZIP application in the Office folder.

For help with installing Java applications and games, see our Java on Series 60 FAQ.

If you've taken some pictures of your chums with your phone's camera - here's a good way to share - Get the Polaroid PoGo - No messy ink cartridges, use your phone's Bluetooth to get instant prints with this portable, rechargeable Bluetooth printer.

See our Polaroid PoGo Review for more.

To uninstall software that was installed onto a Series 60 phone, go to Tools > App. Mgr from the main menu, select the application, press Options, and select 'Remove' from the menu

The Nokia N95 supports microSD cards for memory expansion. Nokia can sell you their own microSD cards, but their prices for Nokia-branded cards are higher than for standard cards. We've not heard of any incompatibility with non-Nokia cards, so it's worth shopping around to get a third-party card. Here are a few online options:

• Amazon - Always a good choice for reliable delivery at good prices
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!

For more details, see our Memory Card page

Hotmail and AOL use proprietary email systems, as opposed to the more common POP email systems - this makes it tricky to access mail on a Series 60 device. For email on the move, consider using a standard POP3 provider such as BT Yahoo (see setup details) that offers free email accounts that can be configured on a Series 60 phone.

If you really want to use Hotmail or AOL, see our Series 60 FAQ on this subject.

• Infrared - The N95 has a 'Modem' option under 'Tools'. Selecting this option allows another device (such as a Pocket PC or Laptop) to connect to the Internet using infrared. If the equipment you wish to connect to doesn't have infrared, consider a 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V).
• You can also use the handset as a modem from a Bluetooth PDA, or a PC with Bluetooth connectivity (such as a Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter). For more, see our Bluetooth page.

Once you have taken a picture on the N95, there are three ways to get the files from your phone to other people or computers:

1. You can copy it to your PC with the Nokia software supplied on the CD. Depending on what you have connected to your computer, you can use Infrared or Bluetooth. Set your PC to receive files (using the IR or Bluetooth software supplied with your adapter), select the photo to send (from 'Gallery'), then from the Options menu, select Send.
2. You can use the Messaging application and email the picture to yourself (or a friend)
3. Send the picture to another mobile using MMS. Costs of sending pictures by MMS differ depending on which network operator you're with. Take a look at our MMS page for more.

To change the default wallpaper image used in the phone application, do the following:

• From the main menu, go to Gallery
• Go to Images
• Select the image to use as a background
• Select Options > Use Image > Set as Wallpaper

Thanks to caller display, we can see who's calling. For answers to your Caller Display questions, see our Caller Display Series 60 FAQ

If you've got an old mobile phone handset that you're no longer using... do your bit for the environment, and recycle it safely. You'll also make some money when you send your old handset back.

Don't leave it in the back of a drawer - see if it can find a new lease of life, and pocket you some cash.

For a summary of the best deals on making cash from your old handset, try the comparison search tool at www.sellyouroldmobile.co.uk

We accept no responsibility for use of this code. It is undocumented, not supported by Nokia and should be used at your own risk.

The soft-format code for Series 60 phones is *#7370# . You enter this code as you would enter a phone number in the Phone application. It performs a format of the Internal drive - All data will be lost if you use this feature.

The method of performing a hard-format, i.e resetting it completely to factory defaults and removing all data, is as follows:

1. Switch off the phone.
2. Hold down the following three buttons: Green (call answer) button, * button, and '3' button
3. While holding these buttons, press the power button and switch on the phone
4. When the message 'Formatting' appears on the screen, release all of the buttons

Note that you shouldn't switch the phone off or remove the battery when performing either of these operations, and it's advised that the handset has a reasonable amount of battery charge before performing a format/reset.

Rather than the software that came as standard with the phone, there's a rather useful third-party application called Oxygen II - This application supports Contacts, Calendar, Messaging and file management.
For details of how this works, take a look at our Oxygen page

The Nokia N95 uses the Symbian Operating System. To check the version number of the operating system on your phone, type *#0000# as if it were a phone number.

The device can be upgraded to the latest version of the operating system at approved Nokia Service Centres - If the phone is still under warranty, this will be done free-of-charge. The process takes up to an hour, but service centre policies vary depending on how busy they are, and whether they have the reprogramming equipment onsite. Note that all data is lost when you upgrade, so it's vital to do your own backup first.

If in the course of normal operation, you start seeing messages about low memory, you need to remove some files from the Internal drive to recover some space. Note that 'memory' and 'storage' are effectively the same on a N95 - the phone's Internal memory acts as RAM for programs and storage space for files.

• If you're not sure what's on your phone, go to Tools > File Mgr > Options > Memory details to see what's using your memory
• If it's your microSD card that's filling up, go to Tools > Memory > Options > Memory details to see how it's being used, or consider getting a larger memory card
• To free space, use the File Manager app to either delete files, or to move them to the micro-SD card

For more on memory, see the questions below...

If you're looking to copy your SMS text messages to a PC, you'll find that the Nokia PC Suite software doesn't support this. The best option is to try Oxygen II - This is an alternative PC Suite and supports copying of SMS, MMS and other message types, as well as a few other things that Nokia suite can't do. Take a look at our Oxygen page

• Length: 5 digits
• Detail: Prevents access to certain functions on the phone
• Set from: Tools > Settings > Security > Phone & SIM
• Default: The default lock code for Nokia Series 60 devices is 12345.
• Lost? - If you've changed this code and forgotten it - you will need to visit a Nokia authorised service centre, who will be able to reset the lock code for you.

• Length: 4 digits
• Detail: This is an optional 4 digit code to protect your SIM
• Set from: Tools > Settings > Security > Phone & SIM
• Lost? - If you keep trying, you'll eventually get locked out and need to contact your network operator for a PUK code (see below)

• Length: 8 digits
• Detail: You'll be asked for this 8 digit code if you've entered the wrong SIM code more than the allowed number of times. You'll need to contact your network operator to get this lock lifted. PUK code help.

• If your phone was fixed to work on a specific network (for example, Orange), this lock may prevent you from using another SIM in the handset. You may see "SIM card rejected" or "SIM card unaccepted". This lock can be lifted for you by contacting the network operator in question (there may be a fee for this).

Memory Card lock code

• Our forum often gets messages from people that are seeing "Memory card locked". This means that your microSD card has had a password set on it. If you know the password, and want to remove it, go to Tools > Memory.
• Lost? - Sorry, but we don't know of a way to remove this code. The advice we've seen via our forum suggests that you may want to format your memory card either from the Tools > Memory > Options > Format mem. card, or using a PC Memory Card Reader. If you know of a better solution, please pass this on via our forum to help others that have managed to lock themselves out of their cards!