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To enter the doorway to the new and wonderful, simply learn this one word, Ovi.
It is the latest and probably best evolution yet for executives and their relentless pursuit of time and data management.
Ovi is Finnish for "door" so it shouldn't surprise you to find that this solution comes from Nokia which has been working hard at keeping to its promise of connecting people.
In addition, it wants to offer a "unified service" as Nokia's GTM Services and Software Director (SEAP), Raj Sambwani chooses to describe the Ovi experience, since users can access their data via web over a PC or Nokia mobile phone with ease. And even if you change your device, you can still enjoy the seamless service.
While Palm and Windows Mobile have users syncing via Bluetooth or cable, Ovi leaves you totally unfettered.
The first step, after getting a Nokia N or E series phone that is, will be to sign up for an account. And in times of financial uncertainties, the word "free" makes the Ovi.com account even more attractive.
In less than the time taken for you to sell your blue-chip stock (or buy it back), you'll have your Ovi.com space ready for business.
After indicating the model of your Nokia phone and its telephone number, you receive a text message. Follow the instructions and before you know it, your phone has been synced with your Ovi.com account with space for your Contacts, Calendar, To-Do list and Notes.
There's also Files which is a paid service for you to upload or download files on your computer along with Games and Music which you also have to pay to download.
If you don't have a Nokia, and this is not a sales pitch, you should beg, steal or borrow one.
With a mum who prefers the Nokia out of habit, a sister who insists on Nokia "because it is simple to use" and a better half who switched to Nokia and is very happy with it, I was left wondering at myself. So, I went out to 'steal' a Nokia of my own.
Before that, I put Ovi to the test on a loving-natured guinea pig with just one instruction, "go to Ovi.com."
There were no screams or rantings but expressions of glee as contacts and essential calendar entries uploaded in one click, wirelessly(after being synched and backed up of course, just in case). It was clear, Ovi had worked and easily too.
Having personal information now sitting on the Internet, raised some concerns that such private content would no longer remain private. But, if one is willing to use Yahoo or Google with their contact list and calendars, how different is it to putting up on the Net your own PIM calendar (which by the way still syncs beautifully with your office Outlook calendar through your Nokia's desktop application).
Nokia's GTM Services and Software Director (SEAP), Raj Sambwani, also pointed out when posed with the question of security, that apart from each user having his own password for secure access, Nokia adopts the same security best practices of internet services providers, so users really need not worry too much.
With security out of the way, I was next stumped at the need for wireless connectivity to sync. What if I'm travelling in a country with exorbitant connectivity charges or out of a WiFi hotspot?
Enter the dear guinea-pig for another test. Problem was, he'd already run the test, inadvertently.
Having added an appointment on his Nokia phone calendar, my guinea-pig rushed away from the PC before syncing the latest entry to Ovi. In between a meeting, it was noticed that there was an MMS Ovi sync option on the phone.
Later, in front a PC, he joyfully discovered his latest calendar entry sitting on the online Ovi calendar. The MMS sync had worked beautifully.
That was it! I commandeered a Nokia to discover the wonders of Ovi.
One thing I discovered was that you have to make sure your browser is up to date, anything less than IE7 will have you puzzling over a bare-bones Ovi site which is a far, far cry to the rich and colourful sign-in space you get.
Next, while you can easily view and work off Safari and Firefox, it's best to view Ovi.com on a screen that's larger than 10 inches.
Having discovered how easy it was to use Ovi and how liberating it was to access my essential data anytime, anywhere whether by WiFi, GPRS or MMS, I decided to try the paid Files service.
Signing up for the service which comes with a 60 day trial turned out to be a two-day, five-attempt effort.
After striking out three times on Day One, I returned a day later and encountered an error message yet again when signing up for the account.
I suspect it was because I had chosen US$ for the currency of billing during the financial market turmoil. The reason being, when Euro was chosen for billing (the Pound is the third currency of choice at the moment), the application went through without a hitch.
The Anytime Files application will browse your PC and reflect the various folders and documents that can be uploaded and sent.
It is quick and painless to upload and send a document, and you can set how long the recipient has to access the document before it expires. This is one of the security features which assures users that their data remains safe.
Like other files sending services over the Net, the person receiving the files (which can be anything from stacks of photo files to large documents) has to make the pick from a 'post-box' that's just for file deliveries and not the user's Ovi account.
Apart from knowing your other documents are safe from prying eyes,the Anytime Files service also factors in cost for users, as both recipient and sender get to preview a document before it is downloaded. This is especially useful when accessing a file over your mobile device, as it cuts down on download costs.
As Nelson Wee, Head of Portfolio Management and Ovi (SEAP) pointed out, the mobile phone is today, one of three items a person wouldn't leave home without. And the solution offered from Nokia, Ovi and the Files service, allows people to interact while on the move, without compromising on lifestyle or productivity.
The Ovi Files service for instance, will link more than one PC, so that even if you are away from your desk, you could still access your documents on whichever PC through a working 'snap shot' of it on Ovi Files.
Alternatively, you could upload up to 10GB worth of data to the web service so as to be able to access it whenever and however.
That means, you don't need to tote your laptop, be tied to the desk or stress out over those "what if..." moments.
While the previewing of uploaded documents and folders didn't work too well for me initially, the ability to switch between office and home PC worked like a charm, as did sending and downloading a document through Ovi Files.
There may be some kinks that still have to be worked out in the Anytime Files application, but overall it's a pretty good solution, since this article, written in parts and sent via Ovi Files has survived to tell the tale.
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