• Media Server: it serves the content on the network
• Media Renderer: it renders the content served by a media server

So I actually needed both on my gentoo linux.

Probably the easiest way to browse content served by upnp servers is djmount , it works as a FUSE file system ( that can be mounted by a normal user) and it looks for all the upnp devices in a network. It works very well even with content provided by Windows Vista (or better from the Media Player that comes with windows vista). You create a directory and simply “djmount it”, in that directory there will be other subdirectories , one for each media server you have in your network.

Easy and working but not that cool, I mean…all this new stuff and , in the end, I still have to browse directories. I’m not using these new things just because I don’t want to plug in an usb cable, I’m not that lazy. So I went searching in various forums another solution.

My first choice as media server was ushare, somehow connected to the geexbox project but it had its limitation, one above all that it doesn’t read tags, so when you copy a music file to another device you must retag it manually. Another problem was the init script that didn’t work that well and I didn’t have time/will to fix it. Mediatomb seems the definitive choice to me, it seems a nice project, it reads metadata and has a built in sqlite backend. (you can use mysql too but i don’t have the server on my box). Mediatomb has a webserver you can connect to and you can add/delete content to your share and chose how to rescan your library , you can chose inotify on that ( if you are using beagle you should already have inotify in your kernel).

When it goes to the Media Renderer it seems that there is not much choice yet, but there is some and in particular there is gmediarenderer from the GNU guys. GmediaRender , as the names says, it’s able to render content served from a MediaServer, it needs gstreamer as a backend for all the codecs (it actually uses gstreamer to render the stream ). If you have gmediarender running you can simply go to your nokia N95 media player , chose a song and in options chose “execute on personal network” ( or something like that) and your computer (not the phone) will sound. You can do the same for videos or pictures.

What about coherence? I have it installed and the rhythmbox plugins actually works , I can see my N95 and browse its contents but you can’t (yet) make rhythmbox work as a MediaRenderer. Coherence is supposed to be a full UPNP solution with its server, renderer and controller but the people who develop it are very good in making Youtube videos but not that good to explain the world “how the hell that damn thing works”.

What is missing? On my nokia I can chose to copy or move stuff to my personal network, I can’t do it and don’t know what part of this upnp mess should provide this feature.

ScheduleWorld Side

After signing up and logging in there are a few things that must be changed in the scheduleworld configuration page.

• General Preferences for: as it says those are just general preferences , they have nothing to do with the syncing procedures,can be left as they are
• GMail Contact Synchronization: would be handy but gmail sucks under this point. Gmail remembers automatically every address you have sent an email to and this means that after a while you will find a lot of guys called “unsubscribe” on your phone contacts, this is the part that sucks.I don’t use this feature.
• Standard SyncML Client Configuration: these are the configuration options we will use on the Nokia, all Nokia N series comes with syncML compliant client and we will use it.
• Funambol SyncML Client Configuration: if the application/device you want to sync doesn’t come with a syncML compliant client there is a possibility that you can install some funambol components to make it work and sync properly with scheduleworld.(for iPod , Windows Mobile, Outlook, theres should be something for BlackBerries too)
• Evolution SyncML Configuration (SyncEvolution): for the evolution office suite ( if you don’t know what it is don’t bother).I use Gnome but I when I’m not home I must use windows,so I prefer crossplatform applications like the ones from Mozilla.

There are other configuration option at the bottom of the boxes (its actually another wider box in pink and purple colors). If you want to sync with google calendar the configuration options with a pink background are the ones that matter the most.(those ones that come after “To manually sync with your specific Google Calendar click ‘Google Sync’ at the top of the day view. “).

• Authorization: most of people should click on “Single User/AuthStub”, if you use google apps for your domain then you should click on “Hosted Domain/Client Login”.After that your browser will fire up a google page that asks you if you want to grant permission to scheduleworld.com, you should answear yes.
• Corresponding Google Calendar Username (email): your google login
• Google Calendar Title:click “Find” and chose the calendar you wish to sync with.
• Other options: the defaults are ok, maybe you want the “Automatically sync with this Google Calendar with every SyncML sync” set to “yes” so that every time you sync with scheduleworld you get synced to google calendar automatically.

Nokia Side

The syncML client by Nokia is called “Syncronization” and it should be under “Utilities” (my N95 is in Italian).Options->NewProfile.

• Profile Name: Anything you want
• Applications:we will sync Contacts and Calendar, click on Contacts: Include:yes ; Database: card ; Direction:both; go back.Click on Calendar: Include:yes ; Database: cal ; Direction:both. Pay attention: Contacts database is “card”, Calendar database is “cal”.
• Connection: these info are on the scheduleworld configuration page in the “Standard SyncML Client Configuration” box. Put the server url in the “host address”, do the same for username and password.

Now go back with your phone to the syncronization page and click on the new created profile to sync your phone to Scheduleworld and to Google Calendar with it.

Thunderbird Side

You can find Scheduleworld extension for thunderbird here, right click save, fireup thunderbird and under Tools->Add-Ons click on install and select the extension, restart thunderbird. Upon restarting a wizard should show up guiding you to the configuration options,as usual you can find these infos on the scheduleworld configuration page.After Username and Password you are asked what contacts you want to sync, Personal Address Book are the contacts you created , Collected Address Book are the contacts you know cause you sent or they ahve sent something to you.Next is the Calendars to Syncronize, put a mark on “Sync” and chose the calendar to sync, keep going and reading till you finish.Now aunder tools->SyncSW to sync.

Tip for Gnome Users

Gnome has a clock applet that if you click on it it shows you a calendar , that calendar is connected to evolution and it will show in glance all your appointments,pretty handy feature. If you don’t want to use evolution there’s a solution here

1. Installare Nokia software Updater ed installare PcSuite dal sito ufficiale Nokia, collegare il telefono con Sim e batteria carica ,testare che sia riconosciuto e fare il backup da PcSuite
2. Andare a questa pagina ed installare Nemesis Server Suite (in fondo , il primo file dopo “Nemesis Service Suite Download”),durante l’installazione scegliere USB Virtual Device
3. Aprire il programma e premere il bottone in alto a destra “Scan for new Devices” dopo un po si riempiranno i campi vuoti, passare a “Phone Info” , cliccare a destra su “read” ,sempre nella parte destra dovrebbero esserci dei campi , uno dei quali intitolato “Product Code” con un numero, cambiare il numero in 0534841,mettere l’apice su Enable e cliccare su Write. Ora come test togliere l’apice da “Enable”, cliccare su Read e controllare se il codice prodotto corrisponde al nuovo numero impostato. Chiudere l’appicazione
4. ( Fatto il Backup???) Lanciare Nokia Software Updater, e seguire i passi.Il telefono verrà “riflashato” in un Nokia generico e non di un particolare fornitore di servizio (Tim, Vodafone ,Tre ).