550sh data transfer

pasgetti

I'm hoping this message will lead to a bit of success in pushing the abilities of the sharp 550sh as I imagine quite a few people have one due to the heavy Vodafone campaigns.

Anyway, this trouble all started when I was trying to get jar files onto the phone through bluetooth, which was no problem on my previous Motorola. I kept getting frustrating connection error messages and soon pinned it down to either Sharp or Vodafone (I believe) locking the ability to transfer jar files to the phone through bluetooth (as other types of files transferred no problem straight off). I'm guessing this is money centered as if people cannot transfer applications or games to their phone they figure it is more likely for them to pay to recieve them through vodafone. All this does is make me feel cheated and a little ripped-off. However, that isn't my concern here.

My concern is how to work around this. The only solution I have so far is to point the phone to jad files which downloads the jar files directly to the phone from whatever website this is on. However, this is costing me a small fortune (Vodafone must be delighted. Good on them).

I haven't used the USB cable you can obtain somewhere and amn't sure if it allows jar files to be transferred through it onto the phone. I'd rather avoid purchasing one for the time being as this is more a determined effort on my part to get the phone working with features it already has rather than forking up more cash for extra leads etc. (Although I would be curious to know if the USB cable solves the problem).

The 2 solutions I've thought of so far are as follows:

1/ Bypassing whatever internal bluetooth software's in the phone that rejects jar files when it goes to connect to them. There are several file managers out there for j2me but none seem to have inbuilt bluetooth services which is what I was looking for. Bluetooth software for the PC (including the software the phone provided) is of no use as they all need to connect to the same point in the phone where it checks if its a jar file and denies it. It's the phone side of the software that needs an alternative.

2/ (and this is the interesting one that I've seen little discussion on)... Using my broadband connection through the phone. I was surprised that this is quite doable on many widely available consumer phones that don't advertise it. There is some documentation on doing this out there already, mainly sony-ericsson phones. It involves changing the internet settings to point them at a home computer connected to the internet rather than your phone operators internet settings. The phone keeps a constant connection to the computer through bluetooth and uses the internet connection to send and recieve data (a reverse on the typical use of the phone as the internet connection).

My efforts at this went well at first. The 550sh has all the internet settings you need if you dig deep into the options. I was able to match them roughly to all the instructions I found. I'm not much of an expert in this area though so I could quite possibly have filled in some parts wrong.
The main problem I came across was keeping a constant bluetooth connection established between the phone and the computer. PDAs seem to have an established service available that sets up some sort of 'local bluetooth network'. The 550sh doesn't have this and some of the phones used as examples didn't either. However, they usually had a pc utility to create a serial link between the phone and the computer by bluetooth - some made by the manufacturer, some by owners of the phones. There's a few of these utilities on the internet but they tend to be phone specific. I can't seem to find any that aren't tied down to particular models but don't see why it wouldn't be possible in theory. It seems more that nobody has bothered for certain phones because there hasn't been the demand. It's about here that my efforts came to a dead end as nothing I saw could connect to the 550sh.

This was far more long-winded than I meant, sorry, but I'm hoping somebody has tried similar or is interested in trying similar?

gerryo

pasgetti wrote:

.....
I haven't used the USB cable you can obtain somewhere and amn't sure if it allows jar files to be transferred through it onto the phone.

I've read the USB cable does not allow Jar file transfer either, although it does allow more than Bluetooth (can transfer messages, etc).

I tried doing simething similar, but did not think to alter the Web settings.
I was trying to get the phone to get an IP address from a Win2K server, using Bluetooth, did not get it working yet.

I think the 550sh might only implement File transfer, object push & Handsfree Audio Gateway services. I don't think it can do a Personal Area network, which I think is what's needed.

I'd also like to use this phone as a Bluetooth remote.
I guess new FW is needed to allow receipt of Jar files via BT or USB.

Anyway, that was a great post, it's given me some ideas to try out.

pasgetti

'Personal Area network' - that was the term I meant for the bluetooth network, sorry. The 550sh doesn't support it, but all it is (as far as I'm aware) is an establised standard that software can piggyback on. ie, makes it easier to make software that uses its features.

But it doesn't mean that a phone without 'PAN' support cannot do the same tasks through purpose made software. A lot of the instructions/guides I was looking at used a PAN to keep a constant serial connection with the phone. However, some didn't and used seperate downloadable utilities. Unfortunately these were phone specific and the 550sh never came up. I'm hoping I've overlooked a piece of software that covers a wide variety of phones (as I seriously doubt anything's been written especially for the 550sh).

If the 550sh worked with a PAN we'd be in business.

gerryo

pasgetti wrote:

...

The main problem I came across was keeping a constant bluetooth connection established between the phone and the computer.

I have no problem doing this, at least with Hyperterminal. Just connect via the BT modem com port (Com 5 in my case), it opens a BT connection, keeps it open for hours.

This is very simple, you can issue standard hayes modem "AT" commands & a few phone specific ones (like "AT+CBC" - tells you if there is a PSU connected to the phone & what % charge is left in the battery).

From what I see, BT profiles are built on OBEX, RFCOMM & SPP (not sure about the last one), so if there was some way to "add in" a profile using J2ME, that would be the problem solved, just put a Jar file with PAN support on the 550SH, then use the built in Opera browser.

Did you get a Jar for this, or something similar?

Since the phone supports DUN, & also PPP, could a J2ME app could use this in reverse, i.e, instead of the PC making an internet connection via the 550SH, the phone "dials in" via Com port 5, gets an IP address from a RAS manager?

Finally, I think Linux is better for BT investigations like this, seems to be better low level support + tools.

Jeebus

Thats awful of Vodafone/sharp. I'll get this phone unlocked as soon as possible. Theres no way that kind of thing should be allowed.

I dont really have any ideas as to how to break through this, but if you have any luck, then let me know.

On a side-note, since you both seem to know a lot about this phone, would any of you happen to know if it is at all possible, in any way, to turn off the shutter sound ? I didnt want to make a new thread, since its the same phone, but often take pictures in libraries/cinemas and other places where the sound will annoy people, so if you have any ideas about that please let me know. I realise its meant to be a security picture, but its immensely annoying

gerryo

Jeebus wrote:

..would any of you happen to know if it is at all possible, in any way, to turn off the shutter sound ?

Can't be certain, but I doubt it's possible to stop this. As you say, it's a security/privacy thing.

It's possible to change the shutter sound, but not the volume & it plays like it's at full volume anyway.

You are looking at a hardware hack or a firmware hack, neither is good on a new phone.

Jeebus

gerryo wrote:

Can't be certain, but I doubt it's possible to stop this. As you say, it's a security/privacy thing.

It's possible to change the shutter sound, but not the volume & it plays like it's at full volume anyway.

You are looking at a hardware hack or a firmware hack, neither is good on a new phone.

I'll have to find something, its driving my mate who goes to sleep early up-stairs insane, I already got an earful about the noise it makes this morning !

Any advancements in the .jar file problems yet ? Hows it coming along your end ?

gerryo

Jeebus wrote:

I'll have to find something, its driving my mate who goes to sleep early up-stairs insane, I already got an earful about the noise it makes this morning !

Any advancements in the .jar file problems yet ? Hows it coming along your end ?

You need new FW, I 've heard about FW for other sharp phones with the shutter sound removed, etc. I have no idea where to get it, & the 550SH is relatively new, might be difficult to get help.

As for the Jar file, it is possible to transfer a Jar file to the phone over Bluetooth, but only if it is renamed. Then it is not possible to install it, looks like it is only possible OTA. Maybe there is a J2ME jar loader that could be installe don the phone, I can't find one so far.

So, I am now looking at setting up a link between the phone & a PC, making the PC a local Wap server. I have not figured the tech details yet.

There is an app for Symbian phones called GnuBox, which seems to establish a browsable link over a Bt SPP & allows the phone to browse the Internet via a PC. I need something similar for J2ME.

Also, I need to figure out the 550SH internet settings, so if pasgetti could post his efforts here, I could try a few experiments.

All I have managed so far is to use Bt with Hyperterminal to get the 550SH supported commands, & I think there are more commands supported over USB than over Bt.

gerryo

I spend some time trying to get this phone talking to my PC, did not get useful results. I think the 550SH does not alow MIDlets to use Bluetooth (not JSR-82 compliant) & therefore it is impossible to install an app to allow the 550SH to use a broadband connection via a PC (as pasgetti found).

Only option left is to somehow change the intenet settings to engage the built in modem for DUN, but I have no idea how to do that. It's a shame, as this phone has a decent enough browser built in (does not need a MIDlet) & would be a great remote control over Bluetooth.

Guess this is intentional by the manufacturer, after all, it's a phone , not a PDA.