Make your phone ring for longer before going to voicemail

Changing voicemail settings on T-Mobile

I think we’ve all had experiences in the past where the phone rings, you’re in the middle of doing something and miles away from your phone. You drop everything in a mad panic, dash to your phone, only for it to go to voicemail the second you pick it up. You try and call the person back, only to end up playing voicemail tennis, with them getting your voicemail, you getting theirs, until one of you decides not to ring the other person back. I don’t know about you but that winds me right up!

There is a pretty quick and easy way to try and prevent this, and that is to increase the amount of time your phone rings for before diverting the calls to voicemail. Sounds tricky, but is actually very simple. By default, most networks will have set your ringing time to 15 seconds. Plenty of time if the phone is in your pocket, but not if its somewhere else in the house.

If you have a Samsung phone, you can increase the amount of time before voicemail through the settings on the phone, but for most other makes you will need to key a code into your phone and send it to the network.

These steps should work for all phones on all networks, but there might be some instances where this doesn’t work, in which case, you’re probably better off speaking to your network provider to find out how to do it. Before you start you will need to find your voicemailbox number. This can normally be found in the voicemail settings on your phone, or in the call diverts settings. I can’t really explain in any great detail where to find this number as it’s stored in different places on different phones. If you can’t find it, either leave a comment below and we’ll investigate for you, or contact your network for it.

To set the ringing time, key in: **61*MailboxNumber**N# then press ok/send/call
(N is the number of seconds you want it to ring for up to a maximum of 30 seconds)

To cancel previous setting key in: ##61# then press ok/send/call. This will reset it to the network default

For Example:

If your voicemail box number is: +44 7978 123 456, and you want your phone to divert to your voicemail after 20 seconds, you would key in:

**61*+447978123456**20# and then press ok/send/call.

Your phone should then say “requesting,” or something similar, and after a few seconds you’ll receive a confirmation message. If you get an error message, check the code you’ve entered and try again. If it still doesn’t work, you’ll need to contact your network, or if you know someone with a Samsung phone, ask them nicely to borrow it!

Feel free to ask any questions below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Manual Internet, WAP & Picture Message Settings

The settings that you need to enter are the same for all phones, regardless of make, but where you have to enter them does vary from handset to handset. If you’re unsure, consult your user guide as this will explain where to enter them. If you’ve not done so already, it might be worth checking to see if you can get the settings sent to you automatically before you start. My post on WAP and MMS settings should help you with getting them sent through to you.

How to Boost your 3G Mobile Broadband Signal

High Gain 3G Antenna

One of the great things about Mobile Broadband is that you can go online anywhere you like – but you can almost guarantee that the place you need it the most is the place where signal is at its weakest.

While 3G coverage is getting stronger with all networks, there will still be blackspots where it drops out, or you can only pick up a 2G signal. Thankfully, a couple of solutions are now available to try and get round these signal issues. If you don’t have a dongle yet and are looking for the network with the strongest 3G signal, then the OFCOM website has just published updated coverage maps (as of 31/12/08) that allow you to view the 3G coverage by network.

There are now two different types of antenna available:

• Clip Antenna: This Antenna is designed to be a portable solution that clips onto the screen on your laptop or sits on your desk. It is omni-directional, which means that it will pick up signals from all directions.
• High Gain 3G Directional Antenna: This is a much more powerful signal booster than the clip antenna and is ideal for people who have real problems with 3G reception. They are directional, which means that you will need to point this towards your network’s transmitter in order for it to improve the signal. The High Gain antenna when positioned correctly will make a significant difference to the signal you receive and can be wall mounted as a permanent fixture.

Read more »

Pairing Instructions: Bluetrek Bluetooth Headsets

Before you can start to use your Bluetrek Bluetooth Headset you will need to pair the headset with your phone. Pairing is the name of the process that allows your phone to find and connect with the headset. In order to do this you will need to put your headset into pairing mode and enter a passkey.
For detailed instructions on how to pair your Bluetrek Bluetooth Headset, select your headset from the list below. This will take you to the Bluetrek Pairing website and guide you through how to get your headset working. If you can’t see your phone listed on the second stage, select the closest available model.

Bluetrek Surface Sound Compact:
The SurfaceSound Compact is equipped with NXT speaker technology which delivers impressive, high power sound from a slim, compact form.

Bluetrek Surface Sound Compact Pairing Instructions

Bluetrek Metal:
Light and compact, the metal and chrome-like finish transforms the Bluetrek Sugar headset into an elegant accessory.

Bluetrek Metal Pairing Instructions

Bluetrek ST1:
Nominated for the CES Innovation Design & Engineering Award 2007, the ST1 blends sleek styling and innovative materials to create a headset that is as comfortable to use as it is stylish.

Bluetrek ST1 Pairing Instructions

Bluetrek Sugar:
Light and compact, the metal and chrome-like finish transforms the Bluetrek Sugar headset into an elegant accessory.

Bluetrek Bizz Pairing Instructions

Bluetrek Bizz:
The Bluetrek Bizz is a unique combination of a Bluetooth Headset and a portable Flash Memory Drive.

Bluetrek Bizz Pairing Instructions

Bluetrek Duo:
The Bluetrek Duo Stereo is a stylish headset that can be used as both a mono or stereo headset. Lightweight in design, the Duo Stereo can be worn around the neck thanks to the supplied metallic lanyard.

Bluetrek Duo Pairing Instructions

Create free iPhone Ringtones using iTunes

Being able to choose your own ringtone on your phone is something that should be pretty easy, but not on the iPhone. Apple say that you can buy your ringtones through iTunes, but I’ve never found any on there. So how do you get round this? How do you get your own ringtone on your iPhone?

Its actually pretty simple, and even more importantly its free and legal! All you need to create your own ringtones is iTunes on a PC or Mac and a song in either MP3 or AAC format that is DRM free. DRM files are normally songs that have been purchased online from places such as the iTunes Store, or imported to your computer using Windows Media Player.

Change your Import settings to use AAC

Before you start, you need to check some settings in iTunes. In the Preferences window, click on “Import Settings” on the General Tab and make sure that “import using” is set to AAC Encoder.

On a PC make sure you can see hiden files

If you’re on a PC, you’ll need to make sure that you can view file extensions (music files should show .mp3 or .m4a after the filename). If your PC doesn’t, you can change this by opening your “My Documents” folder, and clicking Tools-> Folder Options. On the “View” tab, you should see an option “Hide extensions for known file types,” Make sure that the box next to this is not ticked, and then hit ok.

On the 'Get Info' screen, set your start and stop times

Right, now for the fun bit. Find the song you want as your ringtone and play it in iTunes. iPhone ringtones can be a maximum of 30 seconds long, so you’ll need to know the start and end points for the song clip that you want to use, so play the song, and write down how many seconds there are to the part of the song you want as your ringtone. You’ll need the end time too, but this can only be a maximum of 30 seconds.

By now, you should have the start and end points of your ringtone. Right click on the song in iTunes, and select “Get Info”

When the iTunes preferences window opens, you will see 7 tabs across the top, click on the options tab. You’ll see there is a space to enter start and stop times. Put in the times you wrote down earlier and make sure that both boxes are ticked – then hit “OK”.

UPDATE: Thanks to Dean and Snatch for pointing out that you need to ensure that you use : to seperate minutes and seconds, and not a full stop!

Right Click and select 'Create AAC Version'

Right click your song again, and this time select create AAC version (or similar.)
Update: iTunes 9.1 has moved this option from the right click menu – instead, you’ll need to click on ‘Advanced’ in the menu bar and select Create AAC Version

Create AAC has moved in iTunes 9.1

You should then see a second copy of the song appear in your iTunes music library. In order to change it to a ringtone you’ll need to drag this file to your desktop. You can then delete the 30 second version from iTunes and un tick the start and stop times on the original song.

Rename file extension from .m4a to .m4r

Go to the file on your desktop and you should see its called “songname.m4a”. Right click it and choose “rename,” all we want to change here is the .m4a to .m4r. You can rename this song if you want, but the filename must end .m4r

Double click the file on your desktop to add it to your ringtones library

That’s it! All you need to do now is double click the file to add it back to iTunes. If you click on the Ringtones link in the side panel, it should now be listed as a ringtone rather than a music file.

Sync your iPhone with iTunes to transfer the ringtone to your phone

If you find that the ringtone is showing in the ringtones section of iTunes but isn’t syncing to your phone plug your iPhone in and go to the options screen. Uncheck the ‘Sync Ringtones’ box, hit apply and then sync your phone. Once it’s finished, disconnect and reconnect your phone. Go back to the options screen and re-check the ‘Sync Ringtones’ box and sync again. This resets the sync information in iTunes and your phone and your ringtones should now show up on your phone.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on – Got any great ringtones that you want to share with the world? Leave your comments below with the Song title and start/end times and share your creations!

Extend your Mobile Phone's battery life

Want to use less energy and get more battery life out of your mobile phone? Here are our top 5 tips on how to reduce your mobile phones carbon footprint.

Turn your phone off!
It may sound silly, but how many times do you turn your phone off when you go to bed at night? Chances are you’ve not had many phone calls in the middle of the night, so by turning your phone off when you go to bed, and back on again in the morning, you’re saving 8 hours a day of battery life and could extend your battery life by a few days.

Turn off Bluetooth.
Bluetooth only needs to be turned on when you need it – by leaving it turned on all day your phone is constantly looking for other Bluetooth devices and draining your battery.

Turn off GPRS, 3G & WiFi.
If you never use the internet on your mobile, you won’t notice any difference by turning GPRS and 3G off – other than having to charge your phone less! If you do use Internet on your phone through either 3G or WiFi, turn them on as and when you need them, other wise they’ll be consuming power searching for networks when there is no need.

Adjust the display.
Manufacturers normally set the screen to its brightest setting to make it look clearer. This only drains power, adjust the settings and dim the screen to a level that you can still see, but is no brighter than it needs to be. Change the screen saver settings too, set it to come on sooner – reducing the time the screen is lit up for.

Leave it alone!
We’re all guilty of it, we get bored, nervous, need to look busy, so we pick up our phones and start fiddling with them. We’re not doing anything on them, only draining the battery. Put it down and find something else to play with!

Nokia Chargers

Classic Nokia Charger
This is the original Nokia Charger connector, the one that everyone will have lying around at home. No longer used on any of their current handsets, this is a 3.5mm connection used on handsets from the original Nokia 5110, right through to the Nokia 6230i.

2mm Nokia Charger
This is the current Nokia Charger, used on most of their handsets. With phones getting smaller in size, Nokia reduced the size of the charging pin down to 2mm. If you have the classic Nokia mains or car charger, you can use the Nokia CA-44 Charging Adapter to reduce the size of the charging tip from 3.5mm to 2mm.

Micro USB Nokia Charger
Starting to appear on the higher end Nokia phones, the Micro USB Charger uses the same port as some handsfree kits and data cables (not at the same time!) These ports provide a faster transfer rate, which is why they can normally be found on the latest Multimedia handsets.

Charge Anywhere
Historically you could only ever get chargers to use at home or in the car. Now you can charge your phone just about anywhere. You can now use a USB Charging Cable connected to a spare port on your PC or Laptop, an Emergency Charger that uses a standard AA Battery, a wind-up charger or even Solar power.

How to download your Bluetooth Drivers

Installing Bluetooth Drivers:
In order for your new Bluetooth dongle to work correctly you will need to install some software or drivers to tell your computer how to use it. Windows XP Service Pack 2 has generic Bluetooth drivers built in to the operating system that will provide basic Bluetooth functionality but to make the most out of your dongle you will need to install specific drivers. This will then allow you to connect to other devices such as Bluetooth Headsets, Bluetooth Speakers, Photo Frames and Bluetooth Printers.

The software or drivers that are required are normally included on the CD that came with your dongle. If the disc has been lost or damaged, you can download the drivers using the links listed below – but only one of these drivers will work with your dongle and i’ve not yet figured out an easy way of determining which you need, so it’s a little bit hit and miss.

• Blue Soleil Bluetooth Driver Download Site
• Broadcom Bluetooth Driver Download Site
• Toshiba Bluetooth Driver Download Site

If your dongle uses the drivers by BlueSoleil then you normally only get a limited free trial. To continue using this software after the trial you have to pay for it. If you don’t want to pay for this software then install your Dongle using the drivers built in to the Windows operating system instead.

How to install your Bluetooth Dongle

Installing a Bluetooth Dongle to a PC Running Windows XP SP2:

Windows XP Service Pack 2 and 3 have generic Bluetooth drivers built into the operating system. While these drivers will provide you with basic Bluetooth functionality, you will only get the most out of your Dongle by installing the drivers that are supplied with it.

Installing generic Windows drivers:

Before beginning installation we would recommend that you visit the Microsoft Windows Update web site, to make sure your PC is up to date with the latest driver and security updates. Bluetooth drivers are built into Windows XP Service Pack 2 so an installation CD is not necessarily required.
To begin installation, insert the Bluetooth Dongle to a free USB port on your computer.

After a few seconds, you should see a yellow notification bubble by the clock. Windows will automatically begin to search for the necessary drivers and after a few minutes, the hardware will be installed and ready for use.

If Windows doesn’t have the necessary drivers, the add new hardware wizard will prompt you to insert the disc.

If this happens;

• Place the disk into the CD drive.
• Click next.
• Follow the on screen prompts to install the drivers.
• Restart the computer.

Your new Bluetooth Dongle is ready for use.

Installing specific drivers using supplied disc:
To install the drivers that are supplied with your new Dongle, follow these steps.

It is very important that you do not plug the Dongle into your computer until prompted to do so.

• Insert the CD into your CD drive.
• Disc should run automatically.
• Follow the on screen prompts.
• Insert the Dongle when prompted.

A series of yellow notification bubbles will appear by the clock as the drivers are installed. When installation is complete you will get a notification to say that the hardware has been successfully installed and is ready for use.

Installing Specific Drivers using downloaded drivers:
If you don’t have the software disc anymore or it has been damaged, you can download the drivers from the internet. The drivers needed vary from device to device. Download Bluetooth Dongle drivers. Once you have downloaded the file. Double click the Icon to begin the setup process. Follow the on screen prompts, and only insert the Dongle when prompted to do so. A series of yellow notification bubbles will appear by the clock as the drivers are installed. When installation is complete you will get a notification to say that the hardware has been successfully installed and is ready for use.

How to solve A2DP problems with the Jabra BT320s

If you are experiencing issues while trying to listen to your music on your Jabra BT320s, this troubleshooting guide should point you in the right direction.

On some handsets, users may find that although they can make and receive calls perfectly fine, they may not be able to hear music in stereo if at all. In order to resolve this there are 2 possible fixes:

Fix 1: Hard reset of BT320

• Delete the pairing from your phone. If you are not sure how to do this, please consult your phones user manual.
• Turn off the headset.
• Plug the charger into the headset 3 times, keeping it plugged in for 4 seconds each time before unplugging it.
• Pair the headset to your phone.

Fix 2: Software Update
If the Hard reset hasn’t solved your problem you may need to update the software in your headset. The cable required to update the headset is not included with the headset and is not currently available from Mobile Fun. The cable is the same as a Sony DSC-S650 Digital Camera.

• Download and install the Jabra Software Update Tool.
• Follow any on screen prompts.
• When the update is finished, pair the headset to your phone.

It is extremely important that you do not turn off your computer or unplug the headset during the update process as this could cause irreversible damage to your headset. Mobile Fun will not accept any responsibility for any damage caused to your headset during a software upgrade.