Ok maybe we may have several reasons to be excited about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Unlike other tablets (including other Samsung products) which were always looking up to the iPad, this one seems to have surpassed it. Is this finally the iPad killer?

While other tablets were built to try and dethrone the iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 seems to have been built without the iPad in mind. Based on Samsung’s video release it has 5 Key features: Multitasking, Note taking, Education, Information, and Photo Editing.

Take a look at the official video of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 :

The key features that I’m really excited about are – Multitasking, Note taking, and Photo Editing, as they are the ones I could use immediately. How about you?

Considering the demand of Diablo 3, I was lucky to be able to buy a copy only after a few days after its launch. Having played the 2 previous Diablo games, I was really looking forward in playing this one. However, when I was trying to install Diablo 3 in my PC, right after agreeing to the terms and conditions, this was what I got:

Not much of a choice right? I clicked ok and just like that, the installer exits. I tried to re-install and double click the setup files in the DVD installation disc several times but the error still appears. I even tried the options menu in the installer but it doesn’t help in resolving the error encountered above.

Solving the Could not Install. Invalid Installation options Error

Remember when you first installed Diablo 3 and it downloaded and updated some of the setup files? Well sometimes, something goes wrong in this process and not all necessary files are downloaded correctly.

To resolve this, just go to C:\ProgramData\Battle.net\Setup\diablo3_ensg\ folder and then delete the file Diablo III Setup.exe

If your hard drive letter is not C: then just change it to the appropriate hard disk letter (i.e. D:\ )

If you installed Diablo 3 in Windows XP, try looking for Diablo III Setup.exe in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Battle.net\Setup\diablo3_ensg\ folder. If you still can’t find it, try the Search function in Windows.

Once you’ve deleted Diablo III Setup.exe, you’ve now solved the Could not Install. Invalid Installation options Error. Just re-run the installation and then your installer would again try to update.

After which, installation should now push through without any problems!

There you have it! I hope I helped you solve the Could not Install. Invalid Installation options Error in Diablo 3. You can now enjoy playing the game!

If you own a Blackberry Playbook and a Blackberry phone then most likely you are using the Blackberry Bridge app which would display your messages, contacts, calendar, and – the Blackberry Messenger or most popularly known as BBM.

Making the Blackberry Bridge work is as easy as installing the Bridge application on both the Playbook and your Blackberry phone. However, it’s possible that when you launch the Blackberry Messenger in your Playbook – you get the following error:

Blackberry Bridge plug-in for Blackberry Messenger does not exist, or your version of Blackberry Messenger does not support Blackberry Bridge

Now fixing this does not entail too much work. What you need to do to fix the BBM error in your Playbook is to just update the Blackberry Messenger on your phone.

The minimum version of the Blackberry Messenger in your phone should be 5.0.3. To check – from your Blackberry phone press the Blackberry button then go to Options-> Applications. On the drop down located at the top choose Core or Add-On (instead of Third Party). Check the Blackberry Messenger version

Now to update the Blackberry Messenger in your phone, you have two options:

1. Go to Blackberry Appworld through your phone or though your computer’s browser. Just sign in with your Blackberry ID and then install from your phone or sync it using your computer’s browser.

2. Go to www.blackberry.com/messenger using your phone. From what we’ve experienced, some Blackberry phones who are in the older OS versions (OS 5) cannot update their Blackberry messenger through the Appworld. If this happens, just use this method and you are good to go.

After successfully updating your Blackberry Messenger, don’t forget to restart your phone. To restart your Blackberry phone completely – remove its battery and wait for 1 minute before putting the battery back on.

That’s it! You should now have a working Blackberry Messenger with you Playbook via the Blackberry Bridge.

Let’s get straight to the point – yes the Google Toolbar can still be used in Firefox 5, Firefox 6, and even Firefox 7. It’s not officially supported by Google anymore (which is a shame) but it can still be used on the new Firefox web browsers.

There are actually several ways to make the Google Toolbar work for the new versions of Firefox but the one below is by far the easiest as it doesn’t require you to code or modify any files.

I’ll show you how to have the Google Toolbar on a fresh install of Firefox or by updating your Firefox 4 which already has the Google Toolbar.

From Firefox 4 (or below) with Google Toolbar

If you are using Firefox 4 or below and have the Google Toolbar already installed, you can safely update your Firefox browser to a later version.

However, once Firefox is updated, the Google Toolbar will not show up and Firefox will tell you that it is incompatible with the new version of Firefox. You can also check out your disabled Add-ons (by pressing Ctrl-Shift-A).

Now once this has happened just install the Add-on Compatibility reporter using the link below.

Official link – Add-on Compatibility Reporter

Just click the green Add to Firefox button:

Click Install when a prompt appears

And then restart Firefox when finished installing. Note that the Google toolbar won’t work immediately. You need to restart Firefox again to make it work.

Let me repeat that as this is a very important step so as to make Google Toolbar work again – after restarting Firefox when the Add-on Compatibility Reporter has finished installing, you need to restart Firefox another time so as to re-enable the Google Toolbar.

The Google Toolbar should now work with your new version of Firefox.

Install Google Toolbar on a Fresh Install of Firefox 5, Firefox 6, or Firefox 7

If you’ve upgraded from Firefox 4 without installing Google Toolbar; or made a fresh install of Firefox 5, 6, or 7 – you can still install Google Toolbar. However, you won’t be able to install it from the official Google Toolbar link – http://toolbar.google.com. You’ll encounter an error like this one:

First you need install the Add-on Compatibility Reporter by using the link above. Once installed, you need to download the Google Toolbar from another link as the official Google toolbar site would not allow you.

You can download and install Google Toolbar on your Firefox 5, Firefox 6, or Firefox 7, in download.com or download.cnet.com – Google Toolbar for Firefox

The download link above should not just download the Google Toolbar but also install it on your Firefox browser.

Or you can download it first to your PC using the alternative link – Google Toolbar Alternative Link

This won’t automatically install the Google Toolbar so once you’ve completed downloading the file, just open Firefox and then drag and drop the file anywhere inside the Firefox browser or window. Wait about 5 – 10 seconds and then a pop-up window will appear asking you to install the Google Toolbar.

Once you’ve installed the Google Toolbar, you may need to restart Firefox once/twice to make it work. You should now have a fully working Google Toolbar for Firefox 5, Firefox 6, or Firefox 7.

That’s it! I hope you found this guide easy and helpful whether you are upgrading from Firefox 4 with Google Toolbar already installed, or working from a fresh install of Firefox 5, 6, or 7.

Have you ever had days whereon you were downloading a file so large, or you were downloading multiple files at once but you had neither the time nor the patience to wait for it to finish? Or maybe it was already late at night and you already want to sleep but need the file or files very badly?

Ever since I have been using Firefox, I have also used Auto Shutdown by InBasic.

Auto Shutdown by Inbasic can automatically shutdown your computer, whether it is in Windows, Mac, or Linux, after your downloads complete. I’ve used it multiple times and I’ve found it very handy and very convenient to use. When the download window appears in Firefox, just click the Shutdown checkbox at the bottom right.

Now in the official release of Auto Shutdown by Inbasic, it’s only compatible up to Firefox 3.6. Fortunately, concerned netizens (citizens of the Internet) modified the code and made it compatible to Firefox 4 (take a look at the reviews in Mozilla addons).

Unfortunately this has not been submitted to Mozilla yet so I will just repost their download link of Auto Shutdown. I’ll also add a download link of my own just in case the original download link disappears.

Original Download Link with no auto install to Firefox – Auto Shutdown

Techiechips Auto Shutdown Download link: Auto Shutdown

Once you’ve downloaded the file, to install it manually to Firefox, just click the red Firefox button and click Add-ons. Alternatively you can also press Ctrl+Shift+A.

You can then click the tool button in the right and then click Install Add-on From File.

Then a pop-up would appear so you could go choose the file you want to install – in this case the file you just downloaded (ShutDown-InBasic.xpi).

There you have it! You can now use Auto Shutdown for Firefox 4 to automatically shutdown your computer after downloads. No need to wait for those long downloads in front of your computer. You can just leave your computer and confidently know that your computer would shutdown by itself.
 

The Lenovo Y460 is part of the Ideapad series and is marketed as a “maximum” multimedia entertainment laptop by Lenovo. The main highlight of the Lenovo Y460 is its Intel processor together with a dedicated video card (the ATI 5650), and its Dolby certified sounds.

After more than 3 months of using this laptop, here is a review and some pictures of the Lenovo Y460.

Specifications

Now if you’ve done your research, you probably know this already. But just to make sure we’re all in the same page, here’s a rundown of the specifications of the Y460.

Processor: Intel Core i5-450M (2.4GHz with Intel Turbo Boost up to 2.66GHz, 3MB cache, 4.8GT/s DMI)
(note some Y460 laptops are equipped with the i3-350 or i5-540)
Memory: 4GB DDR3-1066 RAM (2 x 2GB) – expandable to 8GB
Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon 5650 1GB DDR3 switchable graphics to Intel GMA HD
Hard Drive: 500GB SATA HDD
Optical Drive: DVD Dual Layer Multiburner
Display: 14.1” WXGA LED
Audio: 2 x 2W JBL Stereo Speakers (Dolby Home Theater 2 Certified)
Networking: Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100 A/G/N and 10/1000 Gigabit LAN
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Camera: Integrated 1.3MP Camera
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion Battery
Slots: HDMI, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x E-sata/ USB combo, 1 x 34mm Express Card slot, 2 x mini-PCIe slot (WLAN), RJ45, VGA, Mic-In, Headphone, 6-in-1 Multi-card Reader (SD,SD Pro/XD/MMC/MS,MS Pro)

Let’s now check out the Lenovo Y460 beyond the specifications.

Performance

On paper, the Lenovo Y460 is poised for excellent performance as it is equipped with an i5 processor, a dedicated video card (ATI 5650 with 1GB RAM), and 4GB DDR3 memory which is paired with a 64-bit Windows 7 OS. And after 3 months of using it, it surely doesn’t disappoint.

Lenovo did a good job by putting a 64-bit version of Windows to maximize the 4GB memory installed, and the 1GB memory which the video card has. You’ll be surprised how many laptops still have a 32-bit Windows installation wherein 4GB memory is installed. The 32-bit version of Windows does not make full use of the whole 4GB.

Demanding games are playable with the Y460’s dedicated video card – the ATI 5650. Unlike other laptops wherein a low-end video card is installed, the Y460 has the ATI 5650 which is classified as a middle-class video card.

Switchable Graphics

What I also like about the Y460 is its versatility to switch from performance to power saver. Together with the standard energy management softwares in laptops today, the Lenovo Y460 can switch from the more powerful ATI 5650 to the less performing but energy efficient Intel GMA HD. All you have to do is flip a switch at the lower bottom of the laptop.

This greatly helps me in mobile computing needs as I can use the more powerful video card performance of the ATI 5650 when I’m not concerned with battery life, but can switch to the Intel GMA HD when I’m on the go.

Ergonomics of the Lenovo Y460

A bigger laptop doesn’t always mean that it’s heavier than smaller ones. I have had a smaller laptop – the 13-inch Lenovo Y330, and based from its weight, I would have to say that the Y460 feels like it has the same weight if not lighter. (Update: Yes it is lighter – The Y330 is 2.15 Kgs. while the Y460 is just 2.1 Kgs.)

The Lenovo Y460 has 14.1-inch wide screen size which is great for viewing documents and spreadsheets to playing games and surfing the Internet. The maximum resolution though is up to 1366×768 only despite the WXGA LED installed – but I think it’s still more than good enough.

The keyboard is a big plus for me as it is very easy to type – it’s not too light and you need not press hard as well. Its overall layout is very good as your fingers would easily find the letters and other important keys (i.e. Enter, Backspace, Del, Page Up, Page Down, etc.).

The trackpad is very nice as it has a multi-touch feature which has several uses – such as two-finger scrolling and zooming. The surface has little dots embossed which add a comfortable feel when you use the touchpad. Another plus is that the it isn’t a fingerprint magnet as well.

The trackpad buttons which have a metal or chrome like finish is soft to the touch and great to use as well.

Audio of the Lenovo Y460

The audio of the Y460 is superb thanks to its two JBL speakers which are located at the top of the keyboard together with the power and quick launch buttons. The sound is good in watching movies to playing games.

Other Features and Slots

As earlier mentioned there are quick launch buttons in the Lenovo Y460 – this is located just above the keyboard and provides the user an easy access for the most used functions of the laptop. These are the mute and volume buttons, energy management software, and the theatre button.

The Lenovo SlideNav bar is located at the left side of these buttons wherein you could preset up to 8 programs and launch any one of them by sliding your finger in the SlideNav bar and selecting the program you want. You could also easily change your wallpaper by sliding your finger from the rightmost portion of the SlideNav bar to the leftmost.

The leftside portion of the laptop houses the VGA port, HDMI port, the LAN port (RJ-45), 2 USB ports, headphone jack, and microphone jack.

The rightside houses a USB port, an e-SATA/USB combo port, an Expresscard slot, DVD Multiburner drive, power adaptor jack, and security lock hole.

Taking a closer look at the e-SATA/USB combo port…

The front houses the 6-in-1 multi-card reader slot, the video card switch mentioned earlier, and the Wi-Fi switch.

The integrated 1.3 megapixel camera is situated at the top of the screen. The 2 holes beside it is the microphone of the laptop which is very good at picking up voice even at a noisy environment.

The one-touch key button which is near the power button can be used to easily perform a full system backup or recovery. Be careful using this though as it can erase your recent documents and files when it restores your system. Make sure to use this only when you want to perform a backup or only as a last resort in system recovery.

Build Quality and Design

The Lenovo Y460’s hinges which connect the screen and the base of the laptop are strong and durable. I think its metal or chrome like finish adds to the overall beauty of the laptop.

The overall build quality is very good and no cheap plastics appear to be used. The laptop is not a fingerprint magnet and looks very pleasing to the eye. There’s also a distinctive design at the back of the screen which adds to its beauty.

Small indicator lights which are either white or bluish white in color gives the laptop a professional feel. The ideapad logo which lights up when the laptop is on is a welcome sight as well.

A more practical design was used in the adaptor to prevent the wire from being cut off when people constantly wrap the wire around the adaptor. If you’ve been using a laptop long enough – you know what I mean.

The power cord though is a little on the short side and measures only about two and a half feet.

Verdict

I have long been a fan of laptops which are primarily value for money – it must give me the computing power I need (from simple to demanding games) together with my preferred peripherals and slots for added enjoyment and flexibility – while still not sacrificing beauty. I have found all of that in the Lenovo Y460.

Now I’m not saying the Lenovo Y460 is perfect. I’m just saying that it’s perfect – for me. And I know it’s going to be perfect for others with my taste and preference as well.

Have you ever played multiplayer games in Starcraft 2 and experienced lag spikes? Lag spikes so unbearable that the games are already unplayable and unenjoyable? Lag spikes that appear so often that you can’t decently micromanage your units? What’s worse is that sometimes the lag spikes in Starcraft 2 already disconnect you from the game?

Let’s first clear the scope of what we’re here to discuss. What we’re going to tackle are lag spikes and how to deal with them in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand region server (SEA/ANZ) – or most popularly known as SEA Battle.net server. I won’t be discussing lag spikes in the North America or NA Battle.net server.

If you don’t know what Battle.net server you’re on, you can check the box. The edition of the game should be indicated there.

Check the top right portion of your box to see if you’ve bought the SEA edition

What are the Causes of Lag Spikes?

Lag spikes occur due to three factors that I know of: 

1. Lag Spikes due to a Choppy or Unreliable Internet Connection

Most if not all instances of lag spikes during multiplayer games in Starcraft 2 can be attributed to a suddenly slow or choppy Internet connection. Let’s face it: there are days when our Internet connection is simply unreliable. Even though your Internet provider has given you a 12mbps connection (I’ve run SC2 in 1mbps and 512kbps and it still runs great in multiplayer), sometimes, they encounter problems that compromise the quality of the connection they provide you.

To check/verify if your Internet connection is the culprit for the lag spikes, we’ll need to perform a Traceroute to the Starcraft 2 SEA server.

A traceroute to the SC2 SEA server would give us an idea on how our computer is connecting to the SEA server. It would give us an idea on many hops (or places) it goes to at first before eventually reaching the SEA server and if there are any problems in between.

To be able to do this in Windows, go to Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt. The Start icon is usually located at the bottom left of the screen with the Windows logo.

Once you open Command Prompt, a new window would appear with a black screen. Just type tracert 202.9.66.76 and then press the Enter key.

Now if the first few traces (or lines) show an asterisk(*) or an error like on the traceroute example below, then you are most probably just encountering a choppy and unreliable Internet connection.

Asterisks(*) on traceroutes tells us that our computers can’t connect or did not receive a response on the IP address or destination you are trying to contact (which are the IP addresses at the right side).

So the asterisks(*) in the first 3 traces actually tell us that we are not receiving responses from our Internet Service Provider (ISP). Ultimately this tells us that the ISP that you are connected to is having problems or is presently unreliable. This would now affect subsequent connections or hops to the SEA server resulting to lag spikes.

Another traceroute illustrating this is below:

Since a bad Internet connection would not just affect Starcraft 2 but also your browsing and other Internet related activities, it may be a good idea to raise this to your ISP by calling their customer service or technical support. Sometimes, a simple reset of your router would solve the problem. Sometimes, you just have to wait it out.

Take the usual steps first in fixing your Internet connection. If you can’t fix it yourself, it’s best if you can call your ISP about it.

2. Lag Spikes due to your ISPs Connection to Starcraft 2 SEA Server

If you experience lag spikes all the time (and I really mean all the time), but have a seamless Internet browsing experience, and play other multiplayer games without any lag spikes – then most probably the lag spikes you experience in SC2 is because of how your ISP is connecting to the Starcraft 2 SEA server

Again if we do a traceroute to the Starcraft 2 SEA server, (tracert 202.9.66.76), you would most probably have a trace like below:

Notice the asterisks(*) on traces 5th and onwards? This tells us that our computer is having a hard time going to the reach.com servers – which seems to be the servers that our computers need to hop or pass through before going to the Starcraft 2 Battle.net SEA server.

I’ve read several reports of other people in forums complaining that they always experience lag spikes in SC2 and when they eventually do a traceroute, they are having problems connecting to the reach.com servers.

We can try to solve this problem in two ways. One is to do a traceroute, save it to a file (or make a screenshot), and raise it to your ISP. If your ISP would listen to you, they would do something on their side to fix the problem so that you would be able to connect seamlessly to the SC2 SEA servers (or to the reach.com servers which is prior the SEA servers).

Another is to complain to Blizzard/IAH games (IAH games is partnered with Blizzard for the Southeast Asia Edition). Although this is a long shot, they MAY be able to do something. Blizzard/IAH games may opt to move their servers to another location (SEA servers are in Singapore by the way), or they may add other Battle.net servers. As I said, this is a long shot. The best bet for you is still to raise your concern to your ISP.

3. Lag Spikes due to the Starcraft 2 SEA server itself

Sometimes, lag spikes are due to the problems in the Starcraft 2 SEA servers themselves. The servers may sometimes encounter problems that could degrade the quality of the gameplay in SC2.

I haven’t experienced this personally but some people have claimed in the official SC2 SEA forums that this sometimes happens on peak hours – as many people are logged in during this time.

I think for these kinds of situations, we just need to inform Blizzard or IAH games for them to improve the quality of gameplay. However, I’m pretty sure they’re already improving their servers even if we don’t tell them as Battle.net is their main selling point in SC2. When they removed LAN play in SC2, they said Battle.net was a more than able replacement for it.

Note: I didn’t include anymore the reason wherein your firewall might be degrading your connection from SC2 to the Battle.net SEA servers. Windows firewall and most third-party software usually ask the user if they would allow Starcraft 2 to communicate through the Internet – and then they would automatically open the necessary ports for SC2 to work. If a firewall is somehow blocking SC2, I think you wouldn’t be able connect to SC2 entirely.

However, to be absolutely sure, it would still be best to check your firewall settings, especially if you have a third-party firewall software installed.

There you have it. These are the three most probable reasons in lag spikes in Starcraft 2 SEA server. I hope I was able to enlighten and somehow help you in making your Starcraft 2 multiplayer games more enjoyable and lag spike free.

When I was having my usual haircut at a salon near our house, my hairstylist (well, he just cuts my hair and I guess he doesn’t want to be called a barber), asked me for help on a problem in his laptop. I momentarily glanced at his table and there I saw his newly purchased gadget. I was quite surprised that there was already a problem when it was obviously brand new. He told me he’s been trying to change the wallpaper of his laptop for days and he couldn’t change it.

Now right after my haircut, I checked his laptop and saw that it was in Windows 7. When I checked what version/edition – voila! It was Windows 7 Starter. 

Windows 7 Starter Default Wallpaper

I immediately told him that Windows 7 Starter doesn’t allow the user to change the wallpaper. When I saw the long look of his face when I told him that, I knew I had to help this guy.

Windows 7 Starter: How to Change the Wallpaper

I know of two ways to change the wallpaper in Windows 7. Both methods require that you at least install a program to do it. Make sure you only install one.

1. Stardock MyColors

Stardock MyColors is a program which allows you not only to change the wallpaper but also the overall look of Windows. Stardock MyColors primarily changes the standard Windows 7 Aero theme to another theme.

You need to download and install Stardock MyColors (download it from Stardock MyColors official website)

After successful installation, just launch the application and go to My Themes. By default, there would only be 2 kinds of themes – Windows 7 Aero and Think Green. Choose the Think Green theme.

Now you can download several other themes from the Stardock website itself but the Think Green theme is the only additional theme in the default installation. This step (of choosing a theme other than Windows 7 aero) is important because if you have the Windows 7 Aero theme selected, you won’t be able to change the wallpaper.

After this just go to the Wallpapers tab, and choose any wallpaper which is in your Pictures folder.

Note that Stardock MyColors does not allow you to choose how to layout your wallpaper. By default, it would stretch your picture to fit the screen. So be sure to choose high resolution pictures so that it would not look pixelized in your screen.

2. Starter Background Changer

There are already several programs out there made by helpful people, which can change the background or wallpaper of Windows 7 Starter. Out of these programs, I have a favorite which is the Starter Background Changer by Renaud Gerson which he made available for download in his website renaudgerson.fr. His website and the actual installer are in French so I’ll help you on how to make it work. Once you’ve installed it, it would be in English so don’t worry about it.

You can download it at his official website renaudgerson.fr (just scroll down and click on the image saying Download), or you can use the download link I’ve provided below:

StarterBackgroundChanger v0.8

What’s good about this program is that you don’t have to change the overall theme and you can just change the wallpaper. What’s better is you can choose from a set of different layouts like stretch, tile, center, etc. (unlike Stardock MyColors which has the stretch layout only).

To install, just follow the screenshots below. “Suivant” means “Next”, and “Demarrer” means “To Start”.

Just choose “Suivant” on the following prompts.  

Choose “Yes”.

Then choose “Demarrer”.

Now once you’ve installed the program, just right click on your desktop and select “Personalize”. Notice that it’s not in French. It actually defaults to your language.

A new window would pop-up where you can change the wallpaper. It would have banner ads or advertisements at the bottom but it’s not that bothersome.

Note: If you’re going to upgrade to another version of Windows (i.e. Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, etc.) be sure to uninstall these programs.

There you have it! I hope I’ve helped you change your Windows 7 Starter wallpaper.

Since the release of the Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 mini since June 2009 and September 2009, the two have been a hit. Because of its good features (and good looks & ergonomics), I’ve seen many of my techie friends buy the N97 and N97 mini. Their price may be higher than other phones, but it’s all compensated with the performance and features that they have.

With the a big 3.5 inch screen for the N97 and a smaller (but still big) 3.2 inch screen for the N97 mini, it would be great to watch videos and movies in it. These cute Stormtroopers even use it as their spaceship console monitor!

N97: Console by bfishadow

Converting Videos and Movies for the N97 and N97 Mini

I’ll show you how to convert videos and/or movies so you can play it in full screen on your Nokia N97 or N97 Mini. Note that they don’t have separate conversion settings so whatever would play in full screen with the N97, would also play for the N97 mini, and vice versa.

Super Video Converter

Let’s now use Super Video Converter to convert our videos and movies. If you’re not familiar with Super Video Converter or have not yet installed it in your computer, I suggest you first read my other article – How to Use Super Video Converter. It would help you get familiarized with Super Video Converter and the download link is also located there.

Once you know how to use Super and have already installed it in your computer, you can use the conversion settings below to convert your video/movie for the Nokia N97 and N97 Mini.

Output File: mp4
Output Video Codec: mpeg-4
Output Audio Codec: AAC LC

Video General Options: Both unchecked
Video Scale Size: 640×360
Video Aspect: 16:9
Video Frame/Sec: 25
Video Bitrate: 816
Video Other Options: “High Quality” and “48k Audio” are checked

Audio General Options: Both unchecked
Audio Sampling Frequency: 44100
Audio Channels: 2
Audio Bitrate: 128
DVD Language Select: default

The Nokia N97 and N97 mini can surely handle more than 720 Kbps of video bitrate that we specified so feel free to increase this to increase the quality of the converted video. However, if you feel conversion is slow, feel free to decrease the video bitrate but take note you’ll be decreasing the quality of the converted video as well.

If you have problems with unsynchronized audio and video, you can modify the video frame rate into a higher or lower specification. But to be absolutely sure, you can check the frame rate of the source video file by double-clicking on the source video file which you added in Super. A new window would appear at the right where you can take not of the Frame Rate under the Video category. You can use this setting to replace the Video Frame/Sec setting above.

MediaCoder Transcoder

If you don’t like Super or you encounter problems with it, we can use MediaCoder Transcoder to convert our videos. If you don’t have it in your computer or don’t know how to use it, I suggest you first read the article, How to Use MediaCoder. The download link of installer of MediaCoder is also there.

Once you know how to use MediaCoder and have installed it in your computer, you can use the settings below to convert your videos/movies for the Nokia N97 and N97 mini.

If you entered the correct settings, the summary should look like the following:

If the converted video has no sound, modify the audio conversion setting to look like this:

Note: If the converted video file is larger than the source file, check the video bitrate of the source file. If it’s smaller than 720kbps then set it to that number. For example, if the original video bitrate is just 500kbps, then replace 720 with 500 in the video settings. You can check for the video bitrate of the source file by clicking at the source file in MediaCoder and then checking the properties window located at the right.

Videora Nokia N97 Video Converter

If you want to quickly convert videos and you’re not that particular with video settings, you can use Videora’s Nokia N97 Video Converter. It may not be as flexible in terms of settings as the two converters above, but it’s very easy to use.

You can download it at Videora’s Nokia N97 site.

If you still want to use other video converters available which are not listed here, check out the best free video converters available today.

There you have it! I hope you enjoy watching videos and movies on your Nokia N97 or N97 mini!

As we are now using MediaCoder in our video conversion guides for our gadgets (i.e. mobile phones), I have made a general tutorial on how to use MediaCoder . This would help novice and first time users in using the software.

Why Use MediaCoder?

MediaCoder when first launched or opened, looks like it’s difficult to use because of the several panes, tabs, icons, and buttons of the software. Although video conversion is not an easy task in itself, these could confuse the user and divert his/her attention on the few core steps needed to convert their videos.

However, these several buttons and icons are there because MediaCoder has powerful conversion features which we can take advantage of. MediaCoder can be used to convert almost any video format into another with the specifications we want which makes it ideal for our video conversion needs.

Using MediaCoder is actually very easy to use once we know the fundamental steps on converting videos (as mentioned above). After this guide, I’m pretty sure with just a few uses, you’ll want to get more out of your video conversion and use these “confusing” buttons and icons.

Download and Install MediaCoder

MediaCoder can be downloaded from their official website at www.mediacoderhq.com. Just follow the link I’ve just provided and it would take you to their official download page. Be sure to download the MediaCoder Full Edition. Be sure to choose as well the right kind of installation file for your system (if 32-bit or 64-bit). If you’re unsure what kind of installation to use, you can safely choose the 32-bit installation as it works for the 64-bit as well.

MediaCoder will need an active Internet connection while installing as it will still download the necessary files for it to work.

How to Use MediaCoder Transcoder

1. Open or Launch MediaCoder Transcoder

Below is what you should see when you open MediaCoder.

When you don’t immediately see the screenshot above when you open MediaCoder, check your taskbar and click the MediaCoder icon.

2. Add the File for Conversion

Using the “Add” icon in the upper left corner, you can add a video file you want to convert, or even select multiple files for conversion.

Alternatively, you can just drag and drop files into the upper left pane to add files for conversion (highlighted with a red box below)

Once you’ve successfully added a file for conversion, it should be listed like below:

3. Locate the Settings Tabs

For lack of a better term, I just named the place where you would enter the specifications or settings for conversion as the “Settings Tabs” (as it consists of various tabs). It’s located at the middle left portion. It’s highlighted with a red box in the screenshot below.

Each tab consists of various conversion settings specific for a certain function. Every time something is changed on the Settings Tabs, the “Summary” located at the right side would show it.

4. Indicate the Conversion Settings

Since we already know that the Settings Tabs is where we need to specify the conversion settings, we just need to indicate the specific conversion settings for it to be playable on your gadget.

Below are the links of the different conversion settings specific for your gadget.

Convert Movies and Videos for the Nokia N97 and N97 Mini
Convert Movies and Videos for the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
Convert Movies and Videos for your Nokia E75
Convert Videos and Movies for your Sony Ericsson G705
Convert Videos and Movies for your Nokia E90
Convert Movies and Videos for your Nokia E66
Convert Movies and Videos for your Nokia E63
Convert Movies and Videos for your Nokia 5800
Convert Movies / Videos for your Sony Ericsson P1i
Convert Movies and Video Files for your Nokia E71 / E61 / E61i

5. Start Converting your Video or Movie

Once you’ve finished specifying the conversion settings just click on the Start Icon located at the top right to start converting your video.

Note: The converted or output video file is saved at the same folder of the source file by default. If you want to change it, just go to the General tab at the “Settings Tabs” mentioned earlier to choose a different folder.

There you have it! I’ve just showed you how to use MediaCoder to convert your videos. Just wait for your video to be fully converted and then transfer it to your gadget and it can now be played there. It’s really very easy and I’m sure you’ll be converting like a pro in no time.