We buy these Nokia smartphones because Symbian is one of the most customizable operating systems right? Well I’m going to show you an E71 AND E71x application that will let you to take it to the next level and create our own custom key combinations to launch anything from applications, files, bookmarks, or even start a sms to a specific contact. I’ve been using this application for a few months now (I know I’m lagging on the review) and it has pretty much transformed the way I use my device.

The application is called Cute Keys. It allows you to create keyboard shortcuts that perform specific actions. With Cute Keys you can create shortcuts for following actions:

• Open chosen application installed on the mobile
• Open selected file or document
• Call a certain recipient
• Open selected contact from your contact book
• Change Bluetooth status
• Send SMS/MMS/email to selected recipient
• Browse selected website

Description:

Every shortcut is set of two, three, or even four buttons on your mobile keyboard. Mostly you can use two buttons, one of which is a special button, and the second one is a number button. Mobiles with QWERTY keyboard allow more possibilities; there you can create the shortcuts similar as you do on your PC.

There is no limit for the number of shortcuts created, their number is only limited by the hardware.

Please note: You can not use two number buttons in one shortcut, you have to use at least one special button or joystick.

Screenshots:

As you can see in the first screenshot I have a shortcut to my Google application and a few shortcuts to send a text to various contacts. I use the spacebar + any number to launch whatever applications I want. For sms shortcuts I use the @ + any number. Keep in mind it’s not good to use the shift or function keys since we already use those when typing.

The great thing about Cute Keys is I can launch whatever task or application I want from any screen. Now I don’t have to dig through the menu or contact list. This can make us extremely efficient. It’s just a matter of memorizing our shortcuts. To make that easier for instance to send an sms to Nick, I made the shortcut @ + 9 which is also @ + N. I suppose I should make all of my shortcuts like that so it’s easier to remember.

While Cute Keys is not free, it is worth the $9.99 you have to drop to keep the full version after the 10 day trial period expires. The free 10 day trial period gives you the FULL experience of Cute Keys, nothing is left out. So it can’t hurt to try it right?

Click here to learn more about Cute Keys by SymbianGuru.

Click here to download it directly to your Nokia E71 or E71x.

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We’re always looking for ways to be faster and more efficient in everything we do in life. The Nokia E71 essentially does this - makes my life easier. Besides all the major things it does for me, there are a ton of very minor features that we often overlook. I hate hassling with the small things that waste time and distract you from your overall goal. If you take some time to look for shortcuts and use them constantly they become second nature. I'm sure many of you already know these tips exist. But for new E71 users these shortcuts shortcuts should be very helpful.

Keep reading to see if these suggestions can help you out...

Creating & Sending A Message

First off I'll show you a faster way to select a contact. Instead of searching your address book you can simply start typing the contact's name in the "To:" field. After a few letters push the center d-pad button and a list of matches will pop up. If there is only one match the name will be entered automatically. As you can see below I started typing “Mario” to find my contact. All it took was two or three letters to narrow it down.

When you are done typing out your entire message and your contact has been added, simply push the Green Call Button to send the message. No need to push options>send.

Finding Music Faster With Typing & Scrolling

Another tip is with the E71 Music Player application. To find an artist or song just type the first few letters of what you’re looking for and the list will begin filtering, just like the contacts trick I showed you earlier.

This next trick I want to show you is usually new to most people. When scrolling down the list of songs or artists you’re already holding down (or up) the navigation button. Now let go and quickly push and hold it again and it will scroll even faster. You should see a “fast” label pop up in the top right.

Type To Start A Calendar Or Alarm Entry

Lastly, when you launch the Calendar or Clock application don’t fiddle with options to start what you need to add. If you’re adding a calendar entry start typing the subject and it will begin your entry. When setting your alarm just start typing  the time you want and push OK. Done!

Maybe you’ve heard of these… maybe you haven’t. I know there’s more but right now I can’t think of them.

If you know any others let us know! For more check out this article I wrote awhile back ago.

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One of my favorite things about the Eseries devices is the ability to customize the homescreen. It allows you to be as efficient as possible, giving you fast access to all your necessary applications. And for those who have never owned a Nseries device, be proud that this customization is something the Eseries has over phones like the N95, where homecreen customization is not possible.

First off, we'll take a look at how I have my E71 homescreen configured...



As you can see I have my six application shortcuts across the top. From left to right: Google Maps, Calcium Calculator, Slick IM, Notes, Music Player, Settings. Below that I have notifications for my OWA exchange email which I use the Seven application for, then my personal email which uses Nokia Email, then calendar entries, to-do notes, and search. Then my two shortcuts are Menu and a web bookmark to Google Reader.

What Can Be Configured?

As you can see I don't have WLAN search on my screen. I hardly use WLAN so it's not necessary to be on my homescreen, and normally I take off the Search: Internet and My Content portion as well.

You can also elect to hide or show email inboxes, the calendar shortcut, and t0-do note shorcuts.

To see these options go to Modes > Homescreen Applications > Enabled Applications. You should see the screenshot below, and this is where you control everything.





Notice where it says "Application Shortcuts" in the second screenshot? You can even get rid of the six app shortcuts across the top, if you don't need them for whatever reason. Some people just don't like all the clutter. Here is how that would look...



Or maybe you just want shortcuts and email...



To control which email inbox(s) will show go back one screen and select Email 1 notification, and Email 2 if it applies. Here you can control which inbox shows and how the preview will look. Like I said before I have my Work email as Email 1 which is used by the Seven Email application. The Nokia Email shortcut shows as "Intellisync" in the Enabled Applications setting that I showed you previously.

Needless to say Mode Settings is where you also control your six application shortcuts. Don't forget you can make a web bookmark one of your shortcuts.

Turn Off Active Standby Completely

Lastly, you can turn off all the active standby shortcuts completely. This will allow you to have a blank screen, besides the normal time and notifications. Here the navigational d-pad buttons will serve as shortcuts, similar to most "basic" phones. Up, left, down, and right each do something different.

To enable this go to Settings > General > Personalization > Homescreen > Active. Personally I never use this setting, as I like having all my information on my E71 homescreen.

What is your favorite setting? How do you configure your homescreen?

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So you just got a Nokia E71 and you're brand new to S60? Or maybe you feel your a polished E71 user like me but sometimes forget about handy shortcuts. I've done a good number of articles in the past for E71 shortcuts but they're kinda scattered around and not all in one place.

Thanks to Vaibhav Sharma from The Symbian Blog, all these tips are now in one neat list. He put together an extensive E71 shortcut & tips post, which can be found by clicking here. Vaibhav even included my "1-800-WHATEVER" tip that I showed you all a few weeks ago.

Especially handy are these Gallery shorcuts that I completely forgot about

• Green Call to send the image.
• Fn + * for full screen.
• Fn + 7 to zoom in. Press twice for the full screen size.
• Fn + 4 to scroll left while in the zoomed image.
• Fn + 5 to zoom in.
• Fn + 3 to rotate right.
• Fn + 2 to scroll up while in the zoomed image.
• Fn + 1 to rotate left.
• Fn + 0 to zoom out.

I'm pretty sure he didn't leave anything off the list, but if so head over there and leave him a comment.

Stay tuned for my upcoming "How To Customize The E71 Homescreen" article, which has been highly requested by many of you.

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I've seen so many people complain that this feature isn't on the E71, but indeed it is. You just gotta read the instruction manual, or follow this blog.



Say you need to dial 1-800-Flowers in case you got yourself into some girlfriend/wifey trouble.

Dial 1800 like normal, then tap the Function button to put it in text mode, let go, and hold down the SHIFT button while typing out FLOWERS. Make sure it's in ALL CAPS or this won't work.

Push the green call button. DONE!

And don't forget a few other tips...

- Holding down * Turns on/off bluetooth.
- Stop unknown data connection: Hold Down Red End Key
- Quick Access to input methods, writing language, etc: Fn + Spacebar
- Launch browser from homescreen: Hold down "0" Zero key.

I know there are a million more shortcuts to remember. This article can serve as a refresher. What are some of your commonly used shortcuts on your Nokia E71?

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. It's Turkey Day here in the States! Time for a feast.

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Do you have a contact that requires you to dial a specific pin number or extension every time you call the person? I have at least two or three, including my bank and my girlfriend's work number. Both are commonly used numbers. Now when I dial those numbers the pins and extensions are automatically created by my Nokia E71 using the methods I will show you below...

The screenshot to the right was created by the folks from S60.com, where I originally found this tip.

1. Type the phone number into your S60 device, then insert the letter p, p stands for pause, it will pause the dialing for one second. Need it to pause for three seconds? Simply insert three p's.

2. Next you'll insert the extension or pin ID along any hash marks are stars that are needed.

If needed...

3. (if more than one extension) Finally you'll insert the PIN number followed by the hash mark and push SEND.

4. The number you dialed will look like this: +3585012345678p12345#p6789# - It dials the number, pauses for one seconds, inserts the conference ID, pauses again, then inserts the PIN code.

Your number may be shorter or longer, depending on the automated system your trying to manipulate.

Give it a try and see if it works for you. Hopefully this makes dialing your business contacts much easier, and of course this can be saved in your E71's address book.

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This one is for the beginners. I've had a few emails over the recent days asking me how to see open applications and tasks. It's really one of the most simple shortcuts on the Nokia E71.

To multitask and switch through open applications simply hold down the Home key aka the Menu key on your E71 for a few seconds. This will bring up a list of all the running applications. You'll sometimes notice that the Contacts, Log, or Gallery is open all the time. This really isn't a big deal as those system tasks hardly use any RAM, but you can also close them completely if you'd like to.

To close an application in the task viewer just push the "C" or "delete" button and the application or task will close.

Nokia has made a short tutorial video covering this on the Nokia N95. It works exactly the same on the E71...



I know that I have covered this and other various shortcuts for the Nokia E71 in the past but sometimes people need a refresher and also there are a ton of new readers here at the blog. Stay tuned for more application reviews and tips for the Nokia E71 in the coming days.

If you have any tips or shortcuts that you know for the E71 feel free to share them in the comments below.

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One of my favorite features of the Nokia E71 is the new Mode Settings. Every single S60 phone should come with this functionality, but obviously Nokia is using this as an exclusive selling point to buy the E71 or E66.

I'm sure many of you have already figured these settings out, if not check out this video.



Sorry for the crappy video I'm still getting used to that application. But you get the point right?

Pretty much you can have two variations of a homescreen and theme which can be switched with one click. I have one for Work and another for Play. When I'm at work I have my work email inbox shown on my homescreen along with calendar entries, Wlan scanning, to-do's, etc. In the active standby apps row I like to have Active Notes, Multiscanner, Quickoffice, Google Maps, & Conversation.

With one click I can easily switch to my "Play" mode when I get off work. This includes the Music Player, Sports Tracker, Shozu, Slick Instant Messanger, & Conversation. Below the active standby shortcut applications I have Wlan scanning, my personal email, and Music Player enabled. My theme is also changed to a more personalized theme. Right now I have a LA Kings hockey team theme as my "Play" theme.

Have you set up your E71's modes? If so what apps/shortcuts do you use to make your daily life more efficient?

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With all the keys that the Nokia E71 has, there has to be a ton of little shortcuts right? You know, copy/paste, lock, highlight, etc. Knowing all these little E71 shortcuts can be extremely handy you will find.

To Mark A Single Item On The E71:

Shift + center d-pad

To Mark Multiple Items On The E71:

Shift + d-pad down/up

To Copy & Paste On The E71:

Ctrl+C (but you need to hold down Func+Chr+C to get this on the keyboard). You can highlight text (in edit situations) by holidng the shift key and moving the direction pad. Copy will appear as on of the softkey labels. (thanks to this post)

Bluetooth Shortcut On The E71 (not on all product codes):

Press and Hold * key.

Switch Between Silent & General Profile On The E71 (not on all product codes):

Press and Hold # key.

Shortcut To Launch Browser From Standby Screen On E71:

Press and Hold 0 (zero)

Bring Open List Of Open Applications On The E71:

Hold down Menu/Home key.

Thats all I can think of for now. They should all work correctly like they do for me. Let me know if you can't get some of the functions working. I jotted these down quick so I might have made some typos.

If you guys have any others I would love to know some!

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Is your Nokia E71 becoming too cluttered? Are you having weird problems that you didn't have when you first got your E71?

You can try to do a hard reset to restore it back to factory settings. All your contacts, messages, calls, applications, themes > everything will be gone. So BEWARE. Backup your important stuff first. Your memory card will be fine, so anything there will be saved. However, if you have applications installed on the memory card, I recommend deleted those as well.

I always tell people to install applications and themes on the phone memory always! Your phone will run faster, as will the applications. Leave the memory card for your media.

Anyways, to perform a hard reset on the Nokia E71 you do this...


Type *#7370# from the standby screen while your phone is on.
It will ask for the lock code which is 12345 unless you have previously changed it. Make sure you do this right, because if you do it too many times the wrong way you can lock up your phone.

And that's it. Have fun re-installing all of your applications and themes.
Hopefully this helps you out if your having problems, or if you just want to clean out your phone.

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One of the selling points of the Nokia E71 is the 3.2 megapixel camera with Autofocus. This can come in handy for taking picture of text or documents when you don't have a scanner or copy machine around.

For the life of me I could not figure out why my E71 wouldn't autofocus. I started to think maybe I have a defective device. Then just this morning I was reading the comments in the Help section of this site and someone showed me the light. What's the trick?

Solution

Push "T" on your E71 when about to take a picture. Simple as that.

You will then notice the camera focus and see a green border. This means the camera is in focus and you can now hit the center button like normal to capture your image. Thanks to Massi for the tip.

But Massi has a good question...

Do you have to use the T button to autofocus or does it autofocus when the pad is pressed. And if so, why is the T button used for focusing?

Really I have no idea why the E71 does autofocus by itself without having to press anything. And I don't know why they chose the T button either. If anyone knows share your thoughts.

Am I the only knucklehead that didn't figure this out and didn't read the E71 user manual?

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Thankfully Nokia and the designers of the Eseries have made it possible to change the one touch shortcut keys on the E71 to any applications or tasks you want. I'm talking about the 3 keys to the left and right of the pad. The messaging, contacts, and calendar key can all be customized to your liking.



Great thing is each key can have two shortcuts. One for short press and one for long press. So in actuality you have a 6 shortcuts keys, not counting all the shortcuts you can have on the active standby screen. I think this is a great move by Nokia to allow more customization and efficiency. People that own Eseries devices are always looking for ways to get things done faster and find the shortcuts.

Check out what I'm talking about under the Personalize section of this E71 demonstration by Nokia.

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