Nokia

[gwilymb]

I seem to be struggling with compatibility between N97 applications, and their settings. I use the accuweather application, which is great. I also get my hotmail through the email application, which is also great. Unfortunately I also want to use the BBC iPlayer, but it seems the won't work at the same time over 3G. Me problem is this:

Accuweather and email require "contract internet" access to work over 3G
BBC iPlayer requires "contract WAP" access to work over 3G

I can't seem to get any combination of settings to get them working on the relative connection types, and always end up with one or other of them not working.

Can anyone PLEASE help me get them all working! Why can't there just be a setting that says X appliation always uses X connection....?

Thanks for your help.

[flagpole]

you are exactly right. and well done on working it out. you can through vodafone live into the mix of things that need contract wap too. if someone had had the insight that you have before it was launched then we wouldn't be in this mess.

there is no easy solution other than to set the browser settings to either always ask, or to switch them back to contract wap when you want to use the iplayer.

with applications you can set it to use the application it wants, but the iplayer isn't really an application, it's a widget, and it runs in the browser, which is why it uses the browser settings.

iplayer also works over wifi too.

[JohnA]

Actually you should be able to use all of these with the wap APN but you need to make sure that you are not using the web layout optimisation (in Vodafone live go into web preferences and set to vew web pages WITHOUT speed and layout improvements and save). This will allow Accuweather to work with the wap APN. iPlayer needs the WAP APN as you said and email mostly works too (it didn't use to). In fact the wap APN has been opened up a bit so things like RSS feeds and the A-GPS supl server now work and if you use it you won't have to worry about Vodafone Live not connecting and without optimisation other web pages will look the same anyway.

There are still a few things that require the internet APN but not too many now (streaming maybe a problem) but if this is not important to you and you don't want to use vast amounts of data (so need a wifi option) then it maybe easier just to use wap than designing complicated connections options. Note though that iplayer delivers higher quality video if you use wifi.

[flagpole]

the wap apn sucks. it's a big cahing proxy.

and not only that it's very unstable.

but more than that, on the N97 wifi is an internet destination, so if you want your browser to detect if you are in range of your wifi and use that, and if you aren't then to use the cell network you have to have the phone set to use internet as it's default access point.

one of the best things about the iPlayer on the N97 is that it allows you to download content over wifi and play it back later. so this would require you to switch over to the internet apn.

the n97 forum is littered with people complaining about 403 errors caused by the wap apn.

my advice is to use the internet destination and switch it manually back to wap should you want to use the iplayer on the move.

[gwilymb]

Thanks for the response guys. It looks like I'm going to stick with using Internet, and changing to WAP if I want to use iPlayer on the move. Very annoying though, and just seems like a simple design flaw. Allow access point association to applications and widgets. Problemn solved!

[flagpole]

Thanks for the response guys. It looks like I'm going to stick with using Internet, and changing to WAP if I want to use iPlayer on the move. Very annoying though, and just seems like a simple design flaw. Allow access point association to applications and widgets. Problemn solved!

like i say widgets really run in the browser, it's a common design across multiple platforms. it's not uncommon in windows for example for applications to use IE's rendering.

the core of the problem is that the BBC are keen to ensure that people can only use the iplayer in the UK. because of this they can't just supply over any old internet connection. with wifi they can use geoloaction. but over the cell network it's a bit more complicated, and vodafone have struck a deal to report if a phone is in the UK when it's using their network. but they have only done this over the wap apn. i don't know if there are technical reasons for this.

[James]

Heya Gwilymb,

Flagpole and John A are both spot on here, unfortunately there is currently no way around this at the moment however if there ever becomes a workaround for this we will let you know.

I appreciate that this may not be an ideal situation however, we are aware of it and can only advise to change the APN at this time.

James
eForum Team

[gwilymb]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Looks like I'll just have to put up with it until they comeup with a better solution.

[Sticky_Mick]

Shame really. WAP is such an antiquated APN now, especially since the majority of new handsets (virtually all Nokias as well) are actually capable of viewing full www over GPRS and 3G. Be a good move for Vodafone to launch a www version of Live. Might encourage a lot more peeps to upgrade, rather than being stuck with the old green screen LCDs.

[JohnA]

If things go according to plan over the coming months then the idea is indeed to phase out the current Vodafone live for something more open (My Web).

Remember too that not everybody uses an N97 so the layout optimisation options provided are useful for many. It's also true that some of the issues advanced users get with this APN disappear when these options are turned off although it's also the case that of all the connections setup options mentioned, none offer a really good solution for the moment. I've now reverted to having the browser access point option set to ask when needed. Extra clicks and still not ideal but far less annoying.

[Sticky_Mick]

If things go according to plan over the coming months then the idea is indeed to phase out the current Vodafone live for something more open (My Web).

Was actually playing with "My Web" last night (thanks for the heads up). Works quite well over "Contract Internet". Very "widget" oriented. Early days yet so most of them don't work.