IF YOU USE YOUR SMARTPHONE ONLY TO SEND AND RECEIVE PHONE CALLS THEN IT’S ABOUT TIME YOU USED SOME OF THESE TOOLS TO EXTRACT THE MOST OUT OF IT
All smartphones usually need some additional application to spice it up in some way. It could be a visual feature or some application that increases your productivity. I came to realize the potential of these third party tools through a series of events that I am going to share with you. Two years ago, I owned a Nokia 3350 and at that point in time it served my purpose, which was namely, to be reachable at all times of the day, set reminders and use the stopwatch during hardware reviews. As time went by, the phone started to seem a little outdated in the palm of my hand. I gave in to temptation and opted for the ‘candy bar’ Sony Ericsson T630. It looked good, fit my budget and had enough features to keep me happy. Unfortunately, it turned out to have a mind of its own so it would momentarily lose control of its ‘motor functions’ and vibrate incessantly until I physically removed the battery. I exchanged it for a Nokia 6600 (I had to cough up extra, of course) hoping this would future-proof my phone for a while. I was doing quite well with the phone until the day I had to run a printer test. I took my phone out to use the stopwatch only to find out that there is no such tool in the 6600! The phone has image editing software and a wireless presenter but no stopwatch. This made me scour the Internet for an alternative solution. The search resulted in my installing “Pocket Counter” – a free timer tool. While searching for a Symbian stopwatch, I came across many other applications that allowed the phone to do much more than just remember notes, buzz at a particular time and send multimedia messages. Here are some of the tools available for download, both free and shareware. All these tools will work across a range of Symbian Series 60 phones. It also depends on the Symbian OS version yourphone uses. A quick way to find that out is to look up www.gsmarena.com against “OS” to know the version and series it belongs to. However, most of the tools I have mentioned will work on a Series 60 phone running Symbian version 7.0. You should also visit the “Support” section of www.nokia-asia.com to look for software specifically for your phone. If you receive an error while trying to run a newly installed application then it could be because it is loaded on the memory card. Uninstall the application and install it on the phone memory.
FEXPLORER – FILE BROWSER
TYPE: FREE, OS: SYMBIAN VERSION 6.1
Smartphones have their own built in file manager, which lack basic “cut/copy/paste” functions. It only allows users to browse through some fixed folders created on the phone or card memory. FExplorer (or File Explorer) for Symbian phones makes it easy to travel through folders on the phone or card easily and quickly. This free utility makes saving files received via Bluetooth a breeze—simply because it allows you to browse the “Inbox” and move the files within it to another folder. Apart from the user interface, the functions are similar to Windows Explorer and the keypad shortcuts are helpful too. It even has a screenshot utility, ideal for transferring files via Bluetooth.
CELLTRACK - (SIGNAL STRENGTH)
TYPE: FREE, OS: SYMBIAN VERSION 7
If you are wondering why you experience network outages or patchy reception it is probably because of a weak signal CellTrack will tell you how strong or weak the signal strength is in a particular area. If you are not interested in knowing your service provider’s signal strength then you can just use “PhoneInfo”. Make sure this one is installed on the phone memory instead of the card. This tool will display your phone’s IMEI number (unique to each phone), CellId, processor speed and memory details.
BLACKLIST
TYPE: SHAREWARE, OS: SYMBIAN VERSION 7
There are times when you want to avoid somebody’s calls—your landlord’s or your boss’, maybe. BlackList can be configured to disconnect calls from certain numbers in your contact list. You can even add groups you have created in your address book. BlackList will not disconnect the call unceremoniously. The caller will get a busy tone every time he dials your number and your phone will not even ring. The BlackList logs will also inform you of the number of calls it has thwarted for you.
OXYGEN PHONE MANAGER – (BACKUP)
TYPE: SHAREWARE, SYMBIAN OS: 7
Always make sure you have taken a backup of all your contacts on the PC. When you decide to upgrade your phone, you’ll have to transfer all your contacts, messages and notes to your new phone. This is where the Oxygen Phone Manager will save you from the pain of losing any data. OPM works in conjunction with a client file installed on the phone to transfer your messages and contacts to the PC. It is a good idea to keep these details backed up regularly in case of any eventuality. “Pro Backup” can also be used in place of OPM if you want a one-stop solution in phone backup.
MEDIA SAFE – (FOLDER SECURITY)
TYPE: SHAREWARE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: 7
Media Safe is for the paranoid and for those who don’t like people getting nosy
with their personal files stored on the phone. It provides advanced security with
256-bit encryption (Blowfish method) for audio and video. It can be used to encrypt
files on your memory card too.
DICTAPHONE – (VOICE RECORDER)
TYPE: FREE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: 7
You won’t have to carry your Dictaphone everywhere if you install “Dictaphone” on
your Series 60 phone. It can be set to record phone conversations automatically or
with the press of a preset button. Offline, it will even record regular conversation
and store it on your memory card in AMR or WAV format. It will even record
multiple conversations serially instead of overwriting. For AMR playback you can
install “Nokia Multimedia Player”—it is simple and light. “Total Recall” is another
application that offers the same features as Dictaphone.
ETI CAMCORDER PRO – (VIDEORECORDER)
TYPE: SHAREWARE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: 7
The video recorder on a Nokia phone captures only a minute’s worth of video
and also offers a limited set of features. The Camcorder Pro extends the shooting
period by making it depend on the amount of available free space. The footage can be
saved in AVI or 3GP format, whichever you find convenient. You can edit these files
later with Acala 3GP movies—a free video editing software.
MSDICT CONCISE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY – (ENGLISH DICTIONARY)
TYPE: SHAREWARE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: 7
This dictionary will occupy approximately 5 MB on your phone because it contains 240,000 words and phrases. Not only will you understand the meaning of the word, you will also be taught where to use it. If you are interested, MSDict will also tell youthe origin of the word you looked up.
STUDYME – (EDUCATIONAL)
TYPE: FREE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: JAVA ENABLED PHONE
StudyME is apt for students who are studying for their GRE. To be able to use this tool you need to subscribe to a GPRS connection, access the Internet and register on www.studystack.com to create your flash cards. These flash cards can be made public as well so that other can also download them onto their phones for reference. The web site already contains material on history, math and geography.
PDF+ - (PDF READER)
TYPE: SHAREWARE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: 7
If you don’t want to create flash cards out of your study material, you can try making PDFs of your documents (or use QuickOffice on Nokia phones). Adobe also provides a free PDF reader for Symbian phones but it is mainly for phones running Symbian OS 8.0a (Nokia 6680).
OPERA 8.60, AGILE MESSENGER AND IM+ BLUETOOTH (ONLINE APPLICATIONS)
TYPE: FREE, SYMBIAN OS VERSION: 7
If you are going to use your phone to surf the Internet then you need to have the Opera Mini installed on your phone. It is free and very configurable. You can set cached images to load on a page, saving your surfing time. Agile Messenger can get you chatting with your friends on MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, AOL and Google. Quite honestly, the list is endless. Some of the applications are a little rough around the edges but they will only get better with time as they proliferate across handsets. I will leave you with a few more applications that will surely interest you.
ADDITIONAL TOOLS
· IM+ BLUETOOTH: BLUETOOTH IM TOOL.
· ZSCREENCAPTURE: A FREE SCREENSHOT UTILITY.
· OGGPLAY: A FREE PLAYER THAT ACCEPTS OGG AND MP3 FILES.
· CONTROL FREAK2/NOKIA WIRELESS PRESENTER:
· A BLUETOOTH REMOTE CONTROL TO CONTROL YOUR COMPUTER AND ITS APPLICATIONS.
Web sites to Visit
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com
http://www.softpedia.com
http://my-symbian.com
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