S60 Open to new features

(In case there is any doubt, the symbol "<3" means love. It's like a smiley. Turn your head to the right 90 degrees.)

For Mac users, integrating an Nseries device has been, up until now, a challenge. Sure, we've hadiSync plugins for a while, but that's only for PIM data. Microsoft Outlook on Windows and Intellisync Mobile Suite are the centers of my PIM universe, so for me, at least, iSync support is not something I need.

Music and pictures, however, are another story entirely. My MacBook and my Nokia Nseries devices are the centers of my media universe. I consume (and generate) mass quantities of digital media on both my MacBook and my Nseries devices, but there was no practical way to connect these two worlds. Sure, some of this could be done with third party software using the phone in Data Transfer mode, but none of them were particularly automatic or easy to use. To boot, the phone had to either be in Offline mode or, in the case of the Nokia N95, apps would not be allowed to use the MicroSD card while in this mode. Sub-optimal at best.

No longer! Nokia Media Transfer for Mac OS X is here! Once you have configured the application, which is extremely easy to do, syncing is as simple as plugging in your Nseries device into your Mac. Bluetooth is also supported, but Bluetooth is much slower than a cable. Both photos and non-DRMed music/videos from iTunes will be synced.

Your Nseries device has a "folder" inside of both iTunes and iPhoto. Anything (including a playlist) that is put in this folder is synced when the device is connected. There is a mode inside of Nokia Media Transfer to ensure that your Mini/MicroSD card is not completely filled up with music, known as the "Music Fill-Up" option. nice. The music that is ultimately synced is given a playlist on the Nseries device, making it very easy to load it up and start listening!

The Device Browser is also a nice thing, giving you the ability to browse the file system on your Nseries device. Unlike using the device in Media Transfer mode, this also gives you the ability to browse the file system on the phone memory (versus just the Mini/MicroSD card). Nice.

The best part is that all of this functionality works in PC Suite mode! This means not taking the device offline when you connect and you can keep using the apps on your phone.

Now of course, this is beta software, so it may be a little rough around the edges. However, I am pleasantly surprised at how easily my Nseries devices now integrate with the Mac. I just wish I could get the same integration with the Eseries devices. In theory, they are also built on S60 3rd Edition, so it should work. I'm sure it's just a matter of getting the devices for testing. I'd be happy to beta test it. :)

Any Mac user with an Nseries device should go download a copy of Nokia Media Transfer. Post your thoughts in the comments. Also submit your feedback via Nokia Media Transfer (Tools and Settings > Send Feedback to Nokia) as I know they want to hear it, both good and bad!