Using Palm IIIx and Nokia 6210 for Internet and Mail

Using Palm IIIx and Nokia 6210
for Internet and Mail
A user's guide to getting up and running

Why?

Isn't a WAP phone like the 6210 enough?

In my opinion, for most Palm fanatics, no. Whilst the Nokia 6210 is a fine WAP phone with Bluetooth connectivity, it doesn't have half the functionality of a Palm loaded with the right apps. WAP phones are great for the odd SMS message, news headline and weather check. However, why settle for that, when 10 minutes tinkering will give you so much more? How about mobile email retrieval handling? Full feature-rich browsing? Remote access to your PC? Interested? Read on.

Screen shots will be added shortly.

In Preparation

What to check before you start

It is assumed that your Palm is fairly standard and that, where necessary, you have enabled data connectivity by calling your cell phone provider's Customer Services - this differs depending where in the world you are. It is also assumed that you have already configured your mail and browser clients with your ISP / DUN in accordance

Setting up the Palm IIIx

Configuring 'Connection' in Preferences

From your launcher, choose Preferences and then Connection.
Choose [New...].
At Name, type 'Nokia Connection' or something you'll remember.
At Connection Method, choose [IrCOMM to Modem] from the drop down menu.
At Dialing, choose [Touch Tone^TM] from the drop down menu.
At Volume, choose setting of your choice from the drop down menu.
Choose [Details].
At Speed, choose [115,200bps] from the drop down menu.
At Flow Ctl, choose [Automatic] from the drop down menu.
At Init String, leave text entry area blank.
Tap [OK] [OK] to return to the Connection preference screen.
Your Connection is now configured.

Configuring 'Network' in Preferences

From your launcher, choose Preferences and then Network.
Choose [New...].
At Service, type ' my ISP', 'myLAN' or something you'll remember.
At User Name, enter your ISP user name or network dial up user name.
At Password, you can either:
- Enter your ISP / network log in password to save doing so again.
- Leave as [Prompt] if you wish to be prompted for it on each occasion.
At Connection, choose the connection you have just configured above from the drop down menu.
At Phone, choose [Tap to enter phone] to enter Phone Setup.
At Phone #, enter your the dial up number for your ISP or Dial Up Networking access, configuring the check box items as necessary. You may need to experiment with leading zeros, country codes but the full in-country number you'd use from your PC is favourite.
Choose [Details...].
At Connection type, choose [PPP] from the drop down menu.
At Idle timeout, choose [Power Off]
At Query DNS, tick the check box
At IP Address, you can either:
- Tick the check box for Automatic allocation (if unsure, choose this option).
- Enter the static IP address given by your system administrator.
Choose [Script...].
Ensure no script is present - you should only see the drop down arrow and [End].
Tap [OK] [OK] to return to the Network preference screen.
Your Network option is now configured.

Configuring 'Serial/IR' in Preferences

From your launcher, choose Preferences and then Serial/IR.
At Serial via, choose [Infrared].
Your Serial Port is now configured.
Tap the Applications silk screen button to exit Preferences.

Setting up the Nokia 6210

Activating InfraRed Reception

From the main screen, press the [Menu].
Press the UP scroll button twice to show the Infrared screen.
Press [Select].
A splash screen reading 'IrDA Reception Activated' will show briefly.
Activation is confirmed by a small flashing IR symbol like this |--- in the top right hand of the screen
Your Nokia 6210 is now enabled for InfraRed connection with you Palm.

Getting connected the first time

Using Eudora Internet Suite as an example application.

Turn Palm on and tap icon for Eudora mail.
Activate the phone as above.
Place phone and Palm on a flat surface, with their IR ports facing each other - normally 10cm / 4 inches is about right but you may need to experiment.
Tap the Menu silk screen button, then Options.
In Options, choose [Network Preferences].
Choose the Network setup and the connection you configured earlier from the [Service] drop down menu. Now is a good time to double check that the 'Serial via' is set to Infrared - first time I tried this, it took me ages to work out what I'd forgotten to do.
Tap [Connect] - a progress screen will show 'Dialling your connection name' on your Palm and the Nokia's backlight will illuminate and show 'Calling your ISP/DUN number'.
Once the call to the POP is established, the cell phone display will show 'Call 1' preceded by a 'D' which indicates that a data call is in progress and the IR symbol will change from flashing to constant.
The Palm progress screen will show 'Signing On' during the handshake and password verification process.
When this changes to 'Established', you are connected and ready to send and receive mail, browse the web

Getting connected thereafter

Using Eudora Internet Suite as an example application.

Once you know it all works, subsequent connections are even easier. Open the mail or browser of choice and simply tap (or command stroke) the menu item or to retrieve / send mail or go to a URL and the Palm will fire up the connection, just like your PC.

Troubleshooting

Hopefully, you won't need to but there's always a chance. Run through the setups again, deleting the old ones to make sure you don't SNAFU yourself like I did, cross-checking your ISP / DUN information and watching for those dreaded typos in your entries. If that doesn't resolve your problem, do what I did and post a plea for help to some of the excellent Palm User Groups at Yahoo Groups or do a keyword search (6210, Palm, infrared etc) in your favourite search engine for more pages like this.

If I have goofed (this was proof-read) or have missed something, don't curse me. This was written with all good intent as my contribution to the wider online community of Palm users - mail me and I'll put it right as soon as work allows.