I know what you're thinking: we've reviewed this before, back in the mists of time (2007), when QVGA was still a novelty and nHD was merely a gleam in OPK's eye. Yes, Micropool has been around the Symbian world forever, but it's still the game I install first on every single new smartphone and I still play it for 15 minutes a day. Every day. Making (gulp) 27,000 minutes of pool time since I first started playing the game. Oops.
If you're old school enough, just old enough, you may guess this game from the title. Being close, but not quite the same as 'Galaxian', the breakout arcade classic that followed on from Space Invaders back in the mists of time. At the time, a whole raft of arcade copies sprung up, all with slightly different names and slightly different gameplay, but the heritage was obvious. As it is here, with plenty of swooping alien spaceships to blast out of the sky in a blaze of colour and sound. And - what do you know - it runs on every Symbian device from the last four years and in fact plays better on the E71/E72/E6 than on the larger screened Symbian devices - who'd have thought it?
When it comes to mobile-accessible cloud-synced file backup, Dropbox is usually the name that springs to people’s mind; but it’s by no means the only option. Over the years, SugarSync has earned a loyal following in the Symbian world, thanks to its official application for our so-called dead platform. It supports everything you would want from a SugarSync mobile client, but are the pros and cons of the platform compared to other backup services right for you?
As games go, they don't come much simpler than this - Copter It 2! - part of the 'one button' genre where it's all in the timing of a single tap (or, at least, a tap and hold). As you might guess from the title and from the screenshots below, it's all about keeping a helicopter flying through a never-ending sequence of caverns and general obstacles. With average game time being around a minute, Copter It 2! is definitely in casual game territory, but there's something charming about a game that's this simple and yet this hard...
Pipe Mania was all the rage when I was young, with the player assembling randomly presented pieces of pipe into a plumbing layout through which water/goo can flow, all against the clock. The time pressure, and the way you never seemed to be given the corner piece you actually needed, combined to make Pipe Mania addictive and frustrating in equal measures. BR Pipes Qt Free is the latest implementation of the idea for Symbian and it's nicely done. And very, very hard. We're talking blood vessel popping hard.
Somewhat bizarrely being yet another application with two names (also filed as 'Unwanted Item Remover'), PhotoPatcher is the prolific Oleg Derevenetz's attempt at a photo retouching utility, cloning parts of a photo to replace unwanted detail somewhere else. The interface and general concept is beautifully realised, but ultimately PhotoPatcher cripples itself in terms of output resolution - and that's the only real reason why this application isn't a must-have.
When writers dismiss the depth of the Symbian ecosystem (c.f. iOS), they're usually referring to 'branded' applications - there's certainly no shortage of utilitarian apps to suit most purposes. Scientific calculators being a prime example: there are dozens in the Nokia Store. I've picked a handful here from the latest new releases, but can any of them replace my 1977 Casio?
You know me, Mr Smartphone Photography - and you'll also know that my Nokia N8 takes pretty darned good photos already. But I couldn't resist having a look at Noise Autofix, claiming to process photos on the phone, reducing digital noise and correcting exposure problems. Is it worthwhile on the N8? Heck yes, the results can be stunning. [NB. Review text updated 10th March 2012]
.jpg){kind=icon}
Just because Quickoffice comes pre-installed on Symbian doesn’t automatically make it the best mobile office software. That’s the position taken by the Scottish software house, Picsel, with its Smart Office suite. It’s a favourite among many users for its impressive PDF rendering ability, but how does the rest of the suite stack up against Quickoffice’s free and paid for offerings? Find out in our review as we put not just one, but two versions of Smart Office to the test – version 1.8 for Symbian Anna, and version 2.0 for Nokia Belle!
If you’re the sort who likes to sneak up on your enemies then a submarine simulator is probably the game for you. The Silent Hunter series of games has come to Symbian – in more of an arcade style than a simulator, but that doesn’t lessen the fun. This game lets you try your luck as a German U-Boat captain in World War 2, taking on the British fleet. You’ll have to be aware of the limitations of your boat and use all your cunning though.
.jpg){kind=icon}
