Ovi Suite for Nokia 5800 'phone

I have had major grief today with the new version of Nokia's PC suite for their mobile phones. It is now called the Ovi Suite 2.0 but the name change is nothing compared to the software itself.

I installed it okay but then it wouldn't actually sync anything much - eventually it managed to do my calendar from Outlook but that was it. This required me to keep unplugging the USB lead over and over again.

I did some online research which suggested uninstalling the Ovi Suite, and the old PC Suite, then running the PC Suite cleaner utility, then running ccleaner, then rebooting, then re-installing the software. That didn't help.

I then tried running the software "As Administrator" - that didn't help either.

Further research suggested that you needed to have the latest software in your phone. My phone was on version 21.0.025 but the Nokia web site said the latest for my phone was 31.0.101. Online reviews said the version 31 was much better and less "buggy".

Now my Nokia Software Update Utility stopped working recently as there had been an update to it. Whenever I tried to run the Utility it tried to update to the latest version of the Software Update Utility. Then it would give me an error as I was using Windows 7. It helpfully did not allow me to download the software to run it. I tried doing the update check over the air but of course T-mobile do not support that.

Eventually I found the Nokia Software Update Utility latest version on their web site and downloaded it. I was now able to "tell" it to run in compatibility mode for Vista (SP2) and got it installed. It was then able to run and told me that I was on the latest version of software for my phone.

More research told me that version 31 had been released in Europe - but not in the UK.

I then uninstalled the Ovi suite again, ran Ccleaner to remove any stray junk and then reinstalled the "old" PC Suite. This is now running just fine.

So several hours pratting around and all I achieved was getting the Nokia Software Update Utility to work on Windows 7.

My view of Nokia has gone down several pegs too. Fine, they can not test every combination of software and phone model in every language but their web site should know not to tell me about a software release that is not valid for my jurisdiction yet. Ideally it should tell me WHEN it will be available though. They do offer a facility to register to receive emails or SMS messages when updates are available - that takes you round and round in circles too.

Equally, they should not prevent software from installing on more current operating systems - or they should be much quicker at testing for issues with new versions of Windows. Windows 7 Beta has been available for months - the final release was issued weeks ago. There is no excuse for this failure.

Their new Ovi Suite version 2.0 is also badly executed. If it requires a software update on the phone then it should bundle that as part of the upgrade or tell you before doing the install.

El Gato Negro :Tapas Bar

.: El Gato Negro :. Tapas Bar

I was stunned over the weekend - we watched a recording of Gordon Ramsey's "The F Word" from earlier in the week. Who should be on it but Simon and Chris. Former colleagues of mine at Harvey Nichols. Pleased to be able to report that they won their round for best Spanish restaurant in the country. It remains to be seen whether they get through to the next round.

Click on the link to see the tapas bar in Ripponden, West Yorkshire. That's a long way to go even for one of Simon's meals so I probably won't be able to visit any time soon...which is a shame.

Forbidden Planet

 

I was shopping in Forbidden Planet, Southampton today. I walked round a corner in the basement and nearly had heart failure. There was a Dalek in the lift!

Lucky for me it was an old model, not one of the new “hovering” ones you get these days, so I assume it couldn’t get up the stairs to the exit and couldn’t press the lift buttons as it has a sucker rather than fingers.

Libraries

This BBC article reflects exactly some of the ideas that I wrote to my local library about earlier this year. I said they needed to use IT systems like Amazon to suggest books to people that they might like based on other people's borrowing.
The already allow you to order online - if you know the book you want. But they send you a postcard to tell you when your book is in stock!
They don't monitor the blogs, magazines and TV stations to make sure they have books in stock BEFORE they become popular, so they are always reactive and fail to be relevant.
The books are not selected for young adults. Most of them seem to be chosen for women too.
Maybe they should look into providing audio books on hire for a period of time using current formats like ebook readers and iPod/MP3 players rather than CD and cassette.
The reply from the head librarian that I received was dismissive, saying that my library received a regular update of new stock. Basically, too challenging for them to think about.

in reference to: BBC News - Libraries 'must modernise' to secure future (view on Google Sidewiki)

Windows 7

I installed Windows 7 last week. All seems to have gone smoothly (so far). I was advised by the Upgrade Advisor software to uninstall iTunes first, so I did that. After the upgrade completed I reinstalled iTunes. This failed a couple of times until I ran the install executable “as Administrator”.

My graphics card driver needed an upgrade – also identified by the the Upgrade Advisor – so I downloaded and installed the latest one. This said that it was not certified for Windows 7 but it seems to work fine.

My Printer (Lexmark 4650) stopped working too. I downloaded the new drivers but these made no difference. So I uninstalled it, and the full Lexmark suite, rebooted and then re-installed. After I had put in the wireless network key it was running just fine again. I had to connect it via USB as when doing the first install for the software.

Everything else seems to run fine. Sleep mode is quicker both to sleep and to wake again. The wife likes the “themes” used for screen wall paper. We are using the Great Britain set at the moment. It cycles between Tower Bridge, Stonehenge, The cliffs of Dover, Tintagel castle, etc.

Southampton Walk

 

I was in Southampton last week. I had some time to spare and it was a nice bright day so I decided to walk around the medieval city walls.

I started at the Bargate (above) which is next to the main shopping centre. The old city of Hampton lies behind this gate. I walked over the Portland Terrace bridge to the tower below and then on round the wall and past the ruined castle.

 

On the way I passed “King John’s House” (closed), the Archaeology Museum (closed) and “The Tudor Merchant’s House” (closed for major reconstruction – reopens 2011).

I ended up back inside the city walls at the Holy Rood Church.

This was built in 1320 and was bombed during the second world war on 30th Nov 1940 and is now used as a memorial for sailors. See the dedication behind the anchor in the picture below.

There is a fountain dedicated to the loss of R.M.S Titanic there as well.

 

The city has provided information boards on the route that point out items of interest.

The castle itself has been built over but you can still see part of the bailey.

Southampton, showing bridge over Portland Terrace and the city walls

Cinema

I had an afternoon to spare today, so I went to see "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" starring Heath Ledger, Jude Law, Johnny Depp et al. Rather weird and quirky but enjoyable. Worth going to see as I guess it will be a classic. I found it to be more accessible than some of Gilliam's other work - like "Brazil" for instance.