Nokuntu - Unofficial Nokia PC Suite for Ubuntu!

It's said that currently Ubuntu Linux distribution is the world's 3rd most popular operating system which is catching up with MS Windows and Mac OSX, fast, kinda :). On the other hand, Nokia is one of the keystone manufactures of mobile phones from the beginning to this day.

Sometime ago they did get inspired by the word "OpenSource" which made the take decisions like participating in projects like MeeGo and most importantly they own (bought) the Qt toolkit which is the famous KDE desktop is built upon as well.

But recently they did go through some interesting changes such as abandoning the gorgeous looking N9 smart phone (its OS actually) + almost all of their interest in the MeeGo platform which is quite sad from an OpenSource geek's point of view :).

Anyhow apart from all these issues for sometime now, Nokia was a bit "heavily" involved in GNU/Linux for the good or the worst.

But surprisingly... after Ubuntu's gaining some momentum and popularity... still they have been unable to release a Nokia PC Suite for GNU/Linux, to this day :/. Luckily one dude in particular thought "hmm, why wait for Nokia, I'm gonna make a Nokia PC suite of me own for Ubuntu!" which later became a reality and it's now known as Nokuntu!.

Here are some of the main features about Nokuntu (Ubuntu-Nokia connection suite)...

*. Once the phone is connected you can use Nautilus file manager to brows the memory cards installed and copy/move/delete files. Remember by default you can easily read the memory card's data of your phone by just selecting the "Storage emulation" rather than the PC-Suite.

But if you want to access the phone's chip, then you'll have to install another graphic frond-end which is built for communicating using the "OBEX" protocol (more on that later).

*. Import your back-up contacts in the Phone and use them under Evolution e-mail client.

*. Receive files via Bluetooth.

*. Connect to Internet using the built in modem.

*. Displays battery charging level.

*. Backup your SMS messages.

*. Install Java applications.

*. Compose and send messages.

*. Adding off-line maps.

*. Use the mobile phone's camera for capturing and storing videos directly to the PC/Laptop ... are the main ones to mention.

You can install this Unofficial Nokia PC suite called Nokuntu in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal (should work in both 10.04 and 10.10 as well) by first downloading the .deb package from this page.

Once the downloading is complete, open it via the Ubuntu Software Center and follow the on screen instructions.

As said for the optimum usage make sure to install the OBEX protocol frond-end called Obextool. You can install the obextool in Ubuntu by entering the below command in your GNU/Linux Terminal window.

sudo apt-get install obextool

Remember, Nokuntu may not work in all the Nokia phone modules (unless they have a certain framework for accessing the hardware, I'm not an expert on those subject so I may be wrong on that one :/).

But until Nokia decides to create a Phone suite for GNU/Linux (if it's ever going to happen), Nokuntu will come in handy for a lot of Nokia phone users who wants to access the phone easily using their Ubuntu PC or Laptop nonetheless. Good luck.