Recently I purchased a Nokia 8290. It's a great phone, with a lot of features. One of those features is an infrared port which allows the phone to communicate with desktop and handheld computers. This page talks about using the 8290 with an infrared enabled Palm handheld.
The Nokia 8290 is a natural companion to a Palm handheld. A Palm V and a Nokia 8290 combined make a compact (still fits in a shirt pocket), powerful mobile package. You can:
If you live in California or Nevada, you might also be interested in this page about using a Nokia 8290 on the Cingular Wireless GSM Network.
Telephone numbers and calendar entries can be beamed between the 8290 and Palm handheld.
To beam a Palm Address Book entry to the 8290, first enable Infrared on the 8290 (Menu-9), then use the Beam menu item from with the Address Book application. The address Last name and the first telephone number in the entry are beamed via IR to the 8290.
To beam an 8290 phone book entry to the Palm, first enable Beam Receive on the Palm (Prefs/General/Beam Receive On), locate the desired entry in the 8290 phone book, press Details, Options, then select Send via IR. The phone book entry name and number will be be sent to the handheld as Last name and Other.
Entries from the 8290 List of own numbers can also be beamed to the Palm by first selecting them (Menu-4-5-3), then Options, Send via IR. The entry name and number will be be sent to the handheld as Last name and Other.
To beam a Palm Date Book entry to the 8290, first enable Infrared on the 8290 (Menu-9), then use the Beam menu item from with the Date Book application. The event date and label are beamed via IR to the 8290. Note that the time and alarm do not seem to be transmitted.
To beam an 8290 calendar entry to the Palm, first enable Beam Receive on the Palm (Prefs/General/Beam Receive On), locate the desired entry in the 8290 calendar, press Options, then select Send via IR. The calendar entry date, time, and alarm will be sent to the handheld.
The 8290 Infrared has a full AT command set modem that can be used for PPP networking, enabling access to the internet and use of web browsers, email and other internet apps on the Palm handheld.
How the Palm handheld is configured to use the 8290 as a modem, depends on the version of PalmOS the handheld is running. Older versions of PalmOS (earlier than PalmOS 3.3) require the Palm Enhanced Infrared Update available as a download from Palm. PalmOS 3.3 and newer versions have support for IR modems built in.
The configuration for PalmOS 3.0 through 3.2 is as follows:
Download and install the Palm Enhanced Infrared Update. Installation consists of unpacking the zip file, installing all the prcs and soft reseting your Palm.
Check that the installation was successful from Applications/Info.../Version. IrDA Library should be v.3.0.1, Serial/IR should be v.3.0 and SelrComm Library v.3.0. Note: At least one of my handhelds lists IrDA Library twice, that's probably a bug in the Info panel.
With the Enhanced Infrared Update installed, first enable connection via the IR port in the new Prefs/ Serial/IR panel:
| Serial via:: | Infrared |
|---|
Next, open the Modem panel and configure your modem settings to work with the 8290:
| Modem: | Standard |
|---|---|
| Speed: | 57,6000 bps |
| Speaker: | Low |
| Flow Ctl: | Automatic |
| String: | AT&FX4+CBST=71,0,1 |
| Dialing: | TouchTone |
Next, Prefs/Network needs to be configured. All of the settings here are dependent on ISP. Configure the Network settings in the same manner you would for a land line modem.
| Service: | ISP Name |
|---|---|
| User Name: | Your ISP Username |
| Password: | Your ISP Password |
| Phone: | Local telephone # provided by ISP |
Next proceed to testing your connection.
The configuration for PalmOS 3.3 through 3.5 is as follows:
Begin in Prefs/Connection. Tap on New... to create a new connection entry. Configure the settings as follows:
| Name: | Nokia 8290 |
|---|---|
| Connection Method: | IrCOMM to Modem |
| Dialing: | TouchTone |
| Volume: | Low |
Next tap on Details... and configure the settings as follows:
| Speed: | 57,6000 bps |
|---|---|
| Flow Ctl: | Automatic |
| Init String: | AT&FX4+CBST=71,0,1 |
Tap on OK to save Details..., tap on OK to save the new connection configuration.
Next, Prefs/Network needs to be configured. Most of the settings here are dependent on ISP, but you should set Connection: to the new Nokia 8290 configuration.
| Service: | ISP Name |
|---|---|
| User Name: | Your ISP Username |
| Password: | Your ISP Password |
| Connection: | Nokia 8290 |
| Phone: | Local telephone # provided by ISP |
To test the connection, first enable Infrared on the 8290 (Menu-9), then tap Connect in Prefs/Network on the handheld. The 8290 should dial, and connect to your ISP. You handheld is now online. Tap Disconnect to hang up the connection. If that all works you are ready to try out some real internet applications.
So I work on the AvantGo web browser, so of course I have to tell you how to use AvantGo with your Palm handheld and Nokia 8290. With AvantGo, a Palm handheld and an 8290, you can browse the web as well as sync high quality preconfigured channels of web pages from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, ESPN, Stock Smart and others. Get the scoop here. or just go get AvantGo here. Install AvantGo, sync through the cradle if you like. Complete the Prefs configuration described above.
To sync all your AvantGo web channels through the 8290, first enable Infrared on the 8290 (Menu-9), launch Mobile Link, then tap on Modem Sync. The 8290 will automatically be dialed, establishing a connection with your ISP. Then AvantGo will be contacted, and your channels will be synced down to your handheld.
To browse the web via the 8290, launch AvantGo, open the menu item Channels/Open Page.... Graffiti in (say) http://www.djw.org, hit OK and the requested page will be loaded. Cool huh?
There a number of applications for PalmOS that support more sophisticated messaging via the Nokia 8290. Here are a couple of those: