Big thanks go out to Phil A, who yesterday pointed out to me the method by which music tracks can be shuffled in the N95’s music player.

So, you go into your playlist and start playing it, then go to the menu, choose shuffle and do what comes naturally. It’s shown here..

While this wasn’t a difficult thing to figure out, per se, it wasn’t obvious, at least to me. I guess I’ve been using an iPod for too long. On the iPod, you setup shuffle before you start the playlist, not after.

Phil, good luck on your quest to find the perfect phone too. For the remainder of the population that wasn’t on the phone with the two of us yesterday, Phil’s in search of his ideal phone:

• Works well on Cingular or T-Mobile US (so it needs the 850 Mhz band)
• Good quality phone first
• 3+ MP digital cam with autofocus
• Mini or MicroSD storage
• HSDPA nice, but EDGE would be fine as well
• Wifi not needed
• Bluetooth a must, of course
• Charge/Data over Mini-USB would be ideal

That last one makes most Nokia devices a bit harder to swallow with the big, ugly, gangly Pop-Port interface. Yes, Nokia gives you the cable in the box with the phone (finally!), but it’s still yet another proprietary cable. So, to my former employer from Finland, I’ll say what I’ve been saying ever since I saw the hugeness of the 9500. Mini-USB kids! Dump the stupid proprietary connector that nobody on the planet uses. Also, while I applaud Nokia for only having two charger types (the thick & thin barrels) – and even including free adapters to convert your thick barrel into a thin barrel, it’s time, boys & girls. A single, Mini-USB port for data connection & charging is the wave of the future, at least until we’ve got super cool inductive surfaces on tables that charge devices based on proximity.