Let the music play on

MANILA, Philippines - As I sit and write this piece, I am listening to a few of my favorite songs, which I loaded into the memory card of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic phone.

I am a creature of habit when it comes to music. It’s not that I don’t listen to the new stuff that the young kids out there listen to. But I have a few fave songs that I love to play over and over again.

“Still listening to the same song?” asks my friend Fiona. “Can you at least try to listen to something else?”

For me, music is like a pair of old worn and well-fitting shoes. We all have a few of these pairs of shoes, the ones that look like they may have seen better days, yet we continue to wear them because they fit just perfectly.

Music is like that for me. If I find a song I like, I listen to it till I know that words backward and forward. Matter of fact, there are days when I can listen to the just one song over and over again. 

I have an eight-GB micro SD card in which I have loaded the songs I love as well as my favorite photos. I call this micro SD my memory card of all memory cards. And thank goodness that most of the newer Nokia cellphones can take micro SD memory cards.

Today, I am stuck listening to the music from the musical Wicked, which I was fortunate enough to have watched in London a few years back. (Matter of fact, Wicked is the only musical that I have been able to watch in London.)

One of my favorite tracks from Wicked is What is this Feeling, the song that Elphaba and Galinda sing when they meet each other for the first time. 

“What is this feeling so sudden and new?

I felt the moment I laid eyes on you. 

My pulse is rushing... my head is reeling... my face is blushing...  

What is this feeling burning as a flame? Does it have a name? Yeah… 

Loathing, unadulterated loathing for your face, your voice, your clothing…” 

There are a few other songs from the musical that I like. But this one struck me as a perfect beginning to a lasting friendship — exactly the kind of friendship that develops between Galinda and Elphaba as the musical moves on. 

Yes, yes. This is a still a review of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic phone. But I often get carried away when the topic focuses on Wicked. 

In my micro SD card, I have set the portion of the song that I like most and made it a ringtone. I have a different ringtone for my Mom, another one for my boss and yet another one for my good friends. 

This way, by the ringtone you will know them. 

I just love it that the ringtones play perfectly on the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, which definitely touches all the right notes for me.  

Life is really about creating personal experiences for each of. And the more personal, the better. 

I thus proceed to personalize the Nokia 5530 by selecting my all-time favorite wallpaper photos, which I have carefully stored so that they are always available when I need them. And, yes, they are mostly photos of my canine companion. 

Touch me

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic is another touch-screen cellphone from the Finnish manufacturer. It runs on Nokia’s S60 platform and is one of the most affordable touch-screen cellphones available in the market today. 

The Nokia 5530 screen is one of the first equipped with the technology AFFS (Advanced Fringe Field Switching), which allows for good viewing angles. Testing the cellphone under different lighting conditions, I was pleasantly surprised as to how clear the screen was even under very bright light. 

I also like the fact that the screen automatically turns depending on the phone’s position. I know lots of people who prefer that this function did not exist, but I like that phones that move when I move and in the way I move. 

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic may only be the third touch-screen device from Nokia but it’s already cutting up something of a storm. It is equipped with a 2.9-inch touch screen. I like the boxy-feel of the phone. But that’s me. I really prefer to have a cellphone that I can hold — not one that is too slim that I would have to check every few minutes to make sure I still have it. 

The cellphone is loaded with a 3.5-mm audio jack at the bottom, along with a USB connector and charge port.  

Looks good

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic phone has a decent 640 x 360-pixel resolution screen that is bright and sharp enough to read the text messages and also does a good job on the video shows, too. 

There is a new contacts bar on the screen, which lets me store my 20 most-called contacts. The new media bar also let me keep my favorite apps within a touch. 

It was easy and quick to switch between loading and using apps. Many times when using cellphones overloaded with stuff on the screen, running other apps can be a really slow deal. Not so with the 5530. 

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic has a 3.2-megapixel camera with a single LED flash. I guess this phone was really made more for the music lover rather than the photo buff. 

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic is by far the most cost-effective touch-screen handset from Nokia yet. 

Here’s what I like about the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic: 

• Personalizing is so much fun. Listening my favorite songs is truly a joy on this device. 

• The touch screen responds quickly. I never got the feeling of the phone being left behind when I set it up. 

• It is just the right size and build and feels solid in my hand. There is nothing flimsy about the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic. 

• I like the fact that I can now load my top 20 fave people on the scrolling contacts bar. 

• Of course, I must not forget that my friend Fiona pointed out to me that the home-screen has one-touch shortcuts to content and popular social networks like Facebook and MySpace. 

“I heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason; bringing something we must learn and we are lent to those who help us most grow if we let them, and we help them in return. 

Well I don’t know if I believe that’s true, but I know I’m who I am today because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun; like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood.

Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better… but, because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” 

Ahh, Wicked — my fave musical, for good.

Manage your music with playlists

If you want to make your own music compilation, it is easy to arrange your music into a playlist. To view and manage playlists, go to the Music library and select Playlists.

Create a playlist

1. Select Menu > Music > Music library.

2. Select Playlists > Options > New playlist.

3. Enter a name for the playlist and select OK.

4. The device asks if you want to add songs right away. Select Yes. 

5. Choose the song you want to add, and select Add.

• You can add as many songs you want.

• To show the song list under an artist’s name, double tap the artist’s name.

6. When you are finished with adding songs, select Done. 

Add songs to a playlist

1. Select Menu > Music > Music library.

2. Select Playlists, scroll to and select the playlist you want to add songs to. 

3. Select Options > Add songs.

4. Choose the song you want to add, and select Add.

• You can add as many songs you want.

• To show the song list under an artist’s name, double tap the artist’s name.

5. When you are finished adding songs, select Done. 

Remove songs from a playlist

1. Select Menu > Music > Music library.

2. Select Playlists, scroll to and select the desired playlist.

3. Scroll to the song you want to delete, and select Options > Remove. 

4. Confirm your selection by selecting Yes.

Note that removing a song from the playlist does not delete the song from the device.

Organize a playlist

You can also rearrange songs in a playlist: 

1. When viewing the playlist, select Options > Reorder playlist.

2. To change the position of a song, select the song and Grab. 

3. Scroll to the desired position and select Drop.

4. To finish rearranging the playlist, select Done.