UIQ 3 Essentials
So what do you really need on a UIQ 3 device (M600i, P990i, W950i), to have it running smoothly? Well, much like S60, there’s an extensive range of built in applications, so there’s not a huge demand for extra functions, but there’s still a place for some well chosen third party software to augment UIQ, add in a favourite feature, or generally make the smartphone that little bit more useful.
Mobipocket Reader
A perennial favourite of the All About Symbian ‘Essentials’ guide is an eBook reader. Mobipocket Reader. As well as a book reader, it can also (through your PC) act as a feed reader, and a very nice one it is too. Options for fonts, line spacing and colours all let you optimise the text on the screen for a few hours reading the latest Harry Potter novel.
HandySafe There are a lot of programs out there that will store your personal information in a 'secure' password environment, so in that respect, HandySafe doesn't stand out. Where it does stand out is the fact that you can synchronise the data to a PC based application - no more having to rely on the tiny keyboard or pen input to accurately type in a 32 digit WEP key, now you can use your big comfy desktop keyboard.
You can also purchase Handy Safe as part of the Handy Tools Pro bundle. The bundles contains Handy Safe, Handy Weather (weather forecast for multiple cities wrapped up in an easy to user interface), Handy Clock (more powerful alarms and world time functionality), Handy Day (alternative launcher and file manager) and Handy Expense , the first three of which are also definite contenders for this essentials list.
Opera Mini
But hold on a minute, I hear you all say, we’ve already got Opera built into the handsets, why would we download the smaller, Java based version? Firstly, on a number of UIQ phones (e.g. the W950i) you don’t have any Wi-Fi or other local free data option, and you need to use the mobile network. That means you need to be very careful of how much data you use. Any service that can cut down on your data cost is useful, and that’s exactly what Opera Mini does.
It operates on a server/proxy system. Your phone asks one of Opera’s servers to go get a web page, and when it does, rather than send you the whole native page, it reformats the layout, scrunches the graphics, ignores all the stuff you don't need and sends you the same information, but using a lot less bandwidth. Over time, it represents a significant saving of Kb.
Also, from a personal point of view, given we switch handsets a fair number of times, to have a consistent web browser is quite nice and relaxing.
Tom Tom Navigator
UIQ 3 isn't much different to other software platforms when it comes to the relative merits of navigation software. In other words, TomTom Navigator rules the roost, as usual, with the best thought out interface and the best
real world routing. Users can ignore the fact that the M600i and P990i aren't officially compatible, Navigator 6 works fine, though do make sure to use the TomTom Home desktop to update your Navigator client to v6.021, i.e. the very latest version.
IM+ With the promise of always on 3G connectivity, instant messaging applications on mobile devices are becoming a more and more attractive option to those who need to stay in touch. Shape Services IM+ offers a neat package that covers all the major instant messaging services (including MSN, AOL, Yahoo, Jabber and Google Talk). This is important as not everyone that you want to speak to is on one service. IM+ puts all that into the background, giving you one friends list, and a central place to reach anyone who is currently online.
ProfiMail
Sometimes the built in combined email/SMS client just doesn’t have enough flexibility or power – that’s where Profimail steps in. It provides a very compact view of email – and by that I mean it uses a font system that actually allows you a decent amount of text on the screen. It also allows you to read HTML emails, the ability to view MS-Word attachments, and others.
What makes it really stand out is the comprehensive set of rules and filters you can create, so you can download just the headers of your email (unless it’s from someone in your trusted list, in which case it will download all the contents), junk certain mails, and generally do some automatic managing of your email before you pick it up.
Oh, and the built in file manager is a touch more useful than the one bundled in the smartphone!
K-Rally
Nearly everyone has the odd spare moment in time, and playing games on mobile phones are ideally suited to fill the gap. There are quite a few potential games to choose from here (we've limited ourselves to three on this list), but one of our favourites is K-Rally from Infinite Dreams. In our review of this title we said that "K-Rally is a brilliant Micro Machines-style driving game with gorgeous graphics, in-game tutorials, loads of features and addictive gameplay. The core gameplay is good, it's really easy to get into but has long-term challenges to give it some depth. K-Rally is an arcade racer than a realistic one, but it does have consistent physics and it's satisfying when you get into a good rhythm that lets you take corners without overshooting them."
Purchase from the AAS Store
STPuzzles
Everyone needs a little distraction, and games are usually where you look. I can’t hesitate to recommend STPuzzles. It’s a collection of a number of logic/puzzle games, of the ilk that you would find in the ‘fun’ section of a newspaper.
They have variable difficulty, they’re very (by coincidence admittedly) mobile friendly, quick to play, challenging and easy to understand and control. I think everyone should be able to find at least two games in this collection that will appeal to them.
Downlaod from AAS Store (Freeware)
Swiss Manager Pro
Swiss Manager Pro is a system utility for UIQ 3 that helps manage memory, tasks and files, enabling you to get the best performance out of your phone. It also includes a task manager, file manager and system information services, giving you more access to and more knowledge about your phone. You can use Swiss Manager to replace the built in Task Manager to give you finer control over switching and running applications. The biggest benefits are for power users, but everyone should find something useful, epecially since there is also a more limited free version of Swiss Manager. The Pro version contains extra functionality (including a 'quick look' floating RAM gauge) that is well worth the purchase price.
Purchase from the AAS Store
Magi-Mix
More cerebral is Magi-Mix from ZingMagic software. Magi-Mix is a simple yet effective word game, the objective is to find words comprising of letters from the master word and in the process score the highest number of points. At the start of a new game a word is chosen at random and a list of three, four, five, six and seven letter blanks is displayed for you to complete. The challenge is to complete the list of blanks using only letters from the master word. ZingMagic produces a range of UIQ 3 'casual' games and they are nearly all well executed from both a gameplay and ease of use viewpoint.
We know not everyone will need all of the software listed here, but we consider these titles as among the best available and are well worth checking out. We would live to hear what you think should be on this list - we will be expanding it over time and a range of opinions is always better.
Note: All of the above titles work on the pen driven UIQ 3 devices (P990i, W950i, M600i). We'll revisit this article once the first softkey driven devices are available (Motorola Z8).
Rafe Blandford and Ewan Spence, April 2007