Communication Error on Sony Ericsson K610i

[yerrago]

I have a Sony Ericsson k610i. I successfully downloaded and installed the Fitsync program on it. But when it came time for me to login, after keying in the same username and password I used for this website, I get a "communication error" message. This has been a consistent result each time I tried the past week.

What could be wrong? I am sure I am connected to the internet as I could access Sony's homepage and I could go to the fitsync website to download the java program.

Is there some protocol the fitsync java program is using that is not recognized by my carrier? My carrier is Globe and I am in the Philippines.

I am hoping to get this working so that I can use my cellphone with the Fitsync Java program for my PT sessions at Fitness First.

Thanks.

[Team FitSync]

Yerrago-
I checked out the specs on your K610i - very cool phone you have there!

The key thing to look for on a phone is the ability to communicate via TCP/IP which your K610i should have.  Your communication error could be caused by a couple of things but here are the top ones that come to mind:

1 - Make sure you have a mobile service that lets you send and receive data.  This can be confusing because some operators will offer an Internet access option that lets you view Web pages and even download applications but won't let you send anything so an app like FitSync won't work.  You may need to upgrade your service to the data option.  Check with Globe to confirm what you have.

2 - Check that you've set the phone to allow the FitSync app to communicate with the Web.  Some phones now have security features that require you to specifically allow the app to get out.

3 - Double check your username and password.  I know this is an obvious one and probably not the problem but I can't tell you how many times I've been doing some testing wondering why I can't connect and sure enough it was a wrong username or password.

Give that a try and let us know what happens.

John

[yerrago]

Hi John,

For some reason I was able to download the java app to my cellphone, but after that my access to the internet stopped working. I took a look again at the cellphone settings for internet access, and keyed in some settings, after going to my telecom provider's website and getting instructions.

It is working now. Thanks for your help. I have created 4 workouts and they have downloaded successfully to my cellphone. I am excited about trying it out at the gym.

[Paul]

Hey Yerrago-
I ran into the exact same problem with my phone also an SE.  I couldn't figure out why I could download the app but couldn't sync so I called the provider, they sent me some settings and within an hour I was syncing!  Sometimes its the provider and sometimes its the settings on the phone.  But it wasn't just FitSync - I couldn't send email either but now its perfect.

Paul

[yerrago]

Hi Paul,

Yes, it wasn't Fitsync's at all. It was the settings. Funny that I went to Sony Ericsson's site and they made it easy for the setting changes to be made. I went to my country site, then to product support, and all I had to do was select my provider, and put in my phone number, and it gives me an activation code. I will then receive a message asking for this code, and after I key it in, I will have a setting change made automatically. Supposedly, I am do this for enabling WAP (which we need) and MMS (optional- for use in sending pics and video) and everything will be dandy, and I can then have my cellphone access the internet and the fitsync site as well.

Well, if life were simple, and we're living in fairy tale land, it would work just fine and none of us would ever have to manually configure our cellphone settings. But we just did. I am pretty much a tech geek, but I still have a hard time making these setting changes. Wonder how hard it would be for those of us who would find it hard to key in those settings.

But I'm glad it's working for me now.

[Team FitSync]

Yerrago-
Good to hear you got everything working. 

You are correct that the process to set up mobile phone connectivity can be a bit cumbersome.  I once spent an hour at the T-Mobile store here in Washington DC speaking alternatively to tech support on the phone and the salesperson to get my phone set up for data GPRS.  I can't really blame the mobile operators since they need to accommodate so many different phones.  Most operators and manufacturers are doing a decent job with over the air delivery of settings and making resources available on their Web sites.   

Stay in touch.

John