Configure Hotmail/Live.com smtp with Nokia smartphone

I was recently given the mundane task of making a live.com (actually an hotmail.com) address available on a low-end nokia smartphone. I lost a bit of time dodging for the right configuration options, especially for SMTP outgoing mails, so…

DISCLAIMER: please read it here. Configuring and/or using your e-mail means traffic, and it can be expensive if you don’t have an active internet data plan. Please check with your cellular phone provider before attempting using internet services/e-mail on your smartphone. Flashing and upgrading your smartphone firwmare or/and software can be dangerous, as it can erase your data and/or damage the smartphone. Please avoid doing any operation if you are not technically sound and always take a full backup of the phone content before tweaking with it. Please remember that phone backup can be useless during upgrades, as the newer software/firmare could complain about it. Check before going for the upgrade and make some other form of backup for your data.

First of all, the Create E-mail wizard will fail (it will fail also with Gmail, so two occurances aren’t a law but an hint…) so I have to go thru the long way (Settings->Telephone-> Application management or similar->Messages->E-mail,  I have the italian language so give me a break…) . I couldn’t make hotmail smtp working with the smartphone, and I was going to send it back to the shop for a better one when I discovered the right parameters…here.

Incoming e-mail:

  • username: my email address
  • password: my password
  • Incoming mail server: pop3.live.com
  • access point used:  <yours>
  • account type: POP3
  • security: ssl / tls
  • Port: Default
  • APOP secure login: disabled

Outgoing e-mail:

  • username: your email address
  • password: your password
  • Outgoing mail server: smtp.live.com
  • access point used: <yours>
  • Safety: starttls
  • Port:default

The important parts that saved the day are in bold.  To be completely fair I must say that I also upgraded the smartphone to the last software version available in Ovi.com/Nokia updater so I cannot say which part did the upgrade have in making hotmail work.
But having used the smartphone a bit, I must say the upgrade did smooth operations a lot (more responsive) so I can definitely say I did well going for the upgrade (40*) having an old release (21*).
Hope this will be useful, and pay attention to the bill if you don’t have an internet contract…

Update: 19/03/2011. I had to do it again on a different phone, but for outgoing mail I had to specify the port as 587.