The Pains and Joys of Migration From the N95 to the Nokia N82
by snoyt
My last vacation turned into a burn-out test for the N95. It was taxed to and beyond the limit of its multitasking capabilities. Distressed it broke down for several days. Currently it is revived and functional but I am definitely wondering for how long. Since I did not enjoy my involuntary disconnection from the civil world I decided to look for a second device, either a spare or as an upgrade. Posh? Not really, I think. Oke I could carry all the Toolman Tim devices in my backpack as a backup, but my name ain't Tim. In any case after a lenghty logical deliberation, my intuition (gadget addiction) was allowed its way and a N82 was ordered. I got it a couple weeks ago and it was time to migrate...
Data migration a blast
First things first, is transfering all my data from the N95 to the N82. Easy Peasy, we are talking about two Nokia's here. First impuls was to simply sync the N82 with my Exchange/Outlook account. Which works of course. However Nokia also has this nifty 'switch' application in 'Tools/Utilities' which allows a`slightly more advanced trick. First of all, it not only transfers/copies data from one phone to another phone. It really sync one-way or two-way what ever you prefere. It can sync agenda/contacts/notes/tasks/recent calls/SMS/MMS/Bookmarks/soundclips/active notes/pictures/video and your 'Nokia folder'. It really allows you to sync and swap phones in minutes.
The N95 and N82 can use their the transfer application to copy/synchronize most data between both phones. Nokia PC Sync readily accepts multiple phones to be synced to the same account. No problem there. Lifeblog/Photo's neither. It just chomps and collects all the data from either device. Ahhh perfection were have you been. Yet, in every horror movie that is the time there is scary monster around the corner. Transferring my maps and n-gage licenses caused a lot more problems. Read on if you are dapper and brave or skip to the summary below if you are faint of heart and soul.
The horrors of transferring Maps & Games
Week one, thursday 13:00: I called Nokia online help to swap my Maps license to the new phone. They were was very friendly and kind. They said they would handle it. Within 10 minutes my licence would be transferred and I should be able to reregister my Maps license number on the N82. Alas. I also asked about transfering my N-Gage licenses. Ehmmmm, no we can't do anything about that, you should be able to reregister them easily. Alas, this did not work either. Nokia's statement about n-gage a while ago:
We acknowledge our customers’ concerns and have been working on a
solution that would allow people to transfer purchased N-Gage games to
a new Nokia device. We are working with our Nokia Care Centers with an
intermediate solution to enable the licensed transfers of games until a
final solution is ready to be deployed.
A couple months after this statement this is still 'work-in-progress'.
Week one, thursday: 20:00. Calling Nokia online help. Explaining it did not work. They said, it takes a day or so. But we'll request a speed transfer. Give us the license number and both IMEI. We'll call you back when you can register the license. Did not dare ask again about N-gage. SatNav first. Games later, I thought.
Week one, friday: 13:00. Got a call, it should work, you can reregister now. Hmmmm... Tried it a few hours later but alas... I get 'License already in use'. Drove by memory to Germany using those quaint old roadsigns.
Week one, weekend: Installed Nav4All, which worked very nicely and got me every where I wanted to go because luckily it was alway in GPRS/3G range. In fact the routing to home was actually the way I want to drive instead of going over lots of speedbumps as Nokia Maps always suggests. I like and mostly prefer Nokia Maps software, I like the new 2.0 userinterface and the offline mapdata, the nice map images etc. But routing is still subpar. If I did not have a very cheap 3-years license, I might go for another brand.
Week one, monday: Sorry, sir. We'll give it a try again. Well, so they did, but the result was nothing better. Today I am really starting to feel like a little white mouse in Nokia's consumers test lab running in a scripted tred mill faster and faster. Where does this script circle stop? I am getting dizzy!
Week one, tuesday: Not to day it seems. I called and got some new guy on the phone. He saids: "Sir, you have to downgrade to Maps 1.0, you have a 1.0 license and it does not register under 2.0". Which is very very stupid since Nokia gives free upgrades anyway. "Sir, you need to downgrade you N82 to maps 1.0 first....". I don't think there was ever a Maps 1.0 running a N82. So I ask: "Uhmmm, are you sure that can happen?". Anyway, playing the role of a sheep I downloaded Maps 1.0 for N93i, trying a install.... Guess what? Update error! Though one good thing, this guy knew you could transfer n-gage licenses. He said: "Send an e-mail through the support website, put both IMEI's and all your license and order numbers in it and state your transfer wish." Sounds great and easily done.
But first time to call again. I can feel the tredmill is spinning faster and faster. Oh oh... Fifth call. Luckily I got the same guy I had yesterday on the phone. I put on my best "I am not a happy camper"-voice. And he said he'll ask for a Nokia Maps 2.0 license to be given for my N82. He said he'll call back this week. It seems Nokia service seems a bit better than last year. Not only did they not call back last year, they could not find my N95 phone I sent in for service anywhere...
Week one, wednesday: Got an e-mail about registering my n-gage license. I need to enter my licenses, get unspecified errors, sent an e-mail and have the licenses cleared so I can enter them and everything should work then. Did all that, got an response, they wanted my n-gage account name. Gave that, waiting patiently now...
Week two, thursday lunchtime: Missed a call and got a voicemail about Nokia Maps. I really have to reinstall Nokia Map 1.2. This is not possible. I tried it. Downloaded a version from Mosh, from Nokia. Nada, nothing, rien, niks. P*rkele (Finnish curseword in case you are wondering). It needs a full hard reset and I just finnished configuring the N82 to my hearts desire... Deep, deep sigh. Not a happy camper. Even got Mail4Exchange working. Snif. Oh wel, I made sure Mail for Exchange did a last sync and here I go with:*#7370#. Blam... Started maps 1.2 (Yuck) entered license registered. And behold the license was transfered. So next I installed and configured Mail4Exchange. Ran a sync over 3G. Whohooo, he's back. Still could they not have told me this day one? Now lets dip into the revive folder on my memory card and start installing (maps 2.0, shareonline, mobipocket, nokia chat). Now I still have some other email, SIP and Wifi accounts to configure but lunch is over. Still, it is working.
Week two, thursday evening: Installing n-gage. My last problem. Hmmm, can't install licenses. Where did those nice popups of play demo or register license go? Actually ending the Mile High Demo, the phone now asks for a license number but I can't enter it anywhere. No box to enter it in. Hurray (sorry a bit cynical here). Better send an e-mail again.
week two, friday: Got an e-mail telling me to reinstall the n-gage games (again). No time today, better give it a try this weekend.
week two, weekend: Reinstalling the games, but still no gaming. On registration I get the remark: "This license has already been registered the maximum number of times.". That needs correcting.
week two, monday: The e-mail of friday had a link for quick enquiry about the Nokia Service. Gave give them a piece of my mind. When asked about wether I wanted to leave my contact data behind. I gave it too. Might even get some decent action about Nokia's lack of troublesolving qualities.
week two, wednessday: Got an e-mail about this is going towards Nokia Finland and I'll be contacted when new info is available. Great service people, lousy problemsolving problems that should not exist in the first case. We are into the 3rd week now. O dear I hope there will be no e-mails about downgrading n-gage...
week three, thursday: They migrated two of my games. CotD and System Rush Evolution. They did not transfer Mile High Pinball since they could not find any purchase data. That figures, I got a free license on account of beta testing the n-gage platform. To be honest the game is my favorite one too.
week three, friday lunch: I sent an e-mail explaining I got the license for beta-testing n-gage and please transfer the license.
week three, friday afternoon: I got a reply I should contact the company that gave me the license. I replied? That's Nokia, I though I was corresponding with Nokia? The respons was it would be escalated to Nokia Finland again. Geez, I know support can be hard on a guy, but this Nokia support dude really needed his weekend ;^)
week three, monday: Nothing yet... Ahhh, well time to post I think.
Summary
Well syncing between two Nokia phones with the onboard application is a blast and takes minutes. It syncs agenda/contacts/notes/tasks/recent calls/SMS/MMS/Bookmarks/soundclips/active notes/pictures/video and your 'Nokia folder'. It really allows you to sync and swap phones in minutes.
The Nokia Maps licenses and n-gage licenses are troublesome. Here one may count on real horrors. If you have bought an early 1.x map license and happen to upgrade to maps 2.0 on your phone before registering your license, expect a bucketload of problems. Caught between software issues, Nokia's care point staff who are friendly but lacking any useful answer, I gave up after a full week and finally found my answer in the forums to get my 3-years license (1,5+ years left) transferred. And please note that Nokia Maps is now default 2.0 on your phone, those who bought a 1.x license, start worrying!
Little better it went with transferring my n-gage licenses. Some Nokia Care people don't know they have to transfer your licenses for you, some do. Those do did, solved my software issues and managed to transfer my licenses though not without getting several times the statement: 'This has to be escalated to Nokia Finland'.
The Nokia Care Point People are nice and persistent. They really call you back and keep track of your calls and issues and do not ignore you. Then again there is often little coherence in the communications of Nokia Care Point by phone and you need to repeat your issues again and again for each person you get to speak, each call, each day,.each week. E-mail seems more reliable and you get e-mails of the same person each time. Still I find the procedure to transfer my licenses is annoying, frustrating and debilitating. A week without my Maps license makes me start looking for other (free) options.
Currently three weeks further I am still waiting to hear wether or not Nokia will transfer the High Pinball license they gifted me for beta-testing n-gage.
Darla,
I've been doing the same thing -- migrating from N95 to N82, and have had very similar experiences.
I tried using Switch, but it didn't work so well for me. Perhaps it's because I have only one SIM card (the N82 is replacing my dying N95). I used Backup and Restore from PC Suite, but that transfered from things that I didn't want to move over from the N95 to the N82 (apps that wouldn't let me delete them), so I eventually did it by transferring files manually via my SDHC cards.
My N-Gage experience was just as painful, if not more. I have made no progress yet, despite a long phone call and several e-mails back and forth -- my most recent correspondence from Nokia told me that it will take them 7 business days to research my issue.
At first, I was told that my N-Gage games should activate fine on my new handset. Nope -- same error message as you got. Then, I was told that it was Nokia policy that I would have to rebuy my games for my new handset (Nokia's original position, since retracted). Now, maybe they acknowledge my licenses should be transferred, but no one knows how to do it.
The funny thing is that a small game manufacturer (Ludimate) responded to my request for a license transfer to their new handset perfectly -- I sent them the old IMEI, new IMEI, and the old Activation Code/receipt and they e-mailed me a new Activation Code in less than 24 hours. If Ludimate can do it, why can't Nokia?
The other oddity I had was that a bunch of DCF files I had (ringtones, etc.) won't play on the N82 because I'm missing an activation key for them too. I didn't even know they were DRM protected. Oh, well, not a big loss (though I miss my message alert tone that sounds like someone knocking on a door).
Overall, I'm happy with the N82 (my N95 flash had died, and I missed shooting photos indoors) -- and I'm adjusting well (love the top-mounted headphone jack), though I sometimes find myself looking for the missing "pencil" key.
Posted by: brucery | September 09, 2008 at 12:37 AM
Wish me luck today I called nokia to transfer my licence from N95 to N96 ....
Posted by: David Mac | October 01, 2008 at 01:31 PM