The software has been extensively tested on a Nokia N95 8GB, and so I know it works fine there, but the N95 is a Feature Pack 1 phone and there are known issues with certain code used in ContactsEx when it comes to Feature Pack 2 devices. Even other FP1 devices may exhibit behavioral issues that I've not seen in the N95.

If you have an N95 8GB however, it doesn't mean that your input isn't needed and I would in no way reject a request to alpha test the program just before you had that particular Nokia phone. However, I do hope to get people with a variety of Nokia models running tests on ContactsEx so that we can find out what fails and what doesn't.

That's where alpha testing differs greatly from beta testing. In a beta test you'd be reasonably sure that the software would run on your phone, regardless of which model it is. No such guarantee exists for alpha testing. Part of your task would be to report the issues you have installing and running the application on your phone. I'd therefore ask that anyone who agrees to alpha test this product be patient and provide as much detail as possible concerning the issues they encounter.

Another burden of alpha testing (at least in the case of ContactsEx) is that I do not yet have a developer ID and I cannot sign the SIS file. This means that you'll either have to be using a cracked Nokia model (which allows unsigned and self-signed applications to be installed without question), or you'll have to go through Nokia's free signing web page to sign the application to work on your specific phone (based on its IMEI). You'll need to do this each time a new version is release.

An alpha tester is also expected to make frequent reports of their experience with the software, both good and bad. That means that even if everything is working exactly as you expected, I need to hear that. I also need you to install all new versions as they are emailed to you and if you can't install it immediately I need to know that too. In other words, if you just plan to take the software and sit on it, I'm not really interested in having you as part of the testing team. However, if you plan to provide lots of useful feedback, then you are exactly the sort of person I'm looking for.

Anyone who provides regular feedback will be provided with a free copy of the final release, and all subsequent versions that come out thereafter.

So, if you feel that you can perform the role of an alpha tester for ContactsEx, please contact me at pcsguide@rogers.com and I'll had you to the mailing list. You will then receive all mailings concerning changes to the software, and of course all new versions as they are released.

Note 1: Some people feel that because they'd been asked to provide feedback that they are entitled to suggest that I add features not yet included. I certainly don't mind V2.0-type suggestions, because they are always very useful, but what I don't want is for people to feel rejected because I did not include a feature they recommended. Please try and remain focused on getting the version that EXISTS NOW to work right, and then we can look into what can be added or changed for the next version.

Note 2: I can't guarantee a quick fix to any problems that can't be duplicated on the Nokia emulator or on the N95 8GB. When it comes to fixing issues I can't personally duplicate, the tester will have to help by trying various best-guesses on my part as how the problem might be resolved. Without a way to directly test a solution, I can't know before I send it out that the change I made will have any impact on the problem at all. Ideally I'd love to have examples of all the different Nokia models so I can personally test each one, but that's just not in the budget.