Mobile data is an expensive resource unless you have an unlimited tariff. Oh wait, ‘unlimited’ doesn’t mean unlimited! While Symbian OS can tell you how much data you’ve used during a given connection session, that count is gone once you disconnect. It would be useful if we could have a third party app running in the background, keeping a running total of your data usage. SPB Wireless Monitor is one such application, but how well does it work in practice? Read on to find out.
Now here's a category of application which shouldn't really exist. Downloading (for offline use) rather than streaming YouTube content is, I'm sure, somewhat frowned upon in Google/YouTube circles, yet we've all done it using one tool or another. And here we have another Symbian application to offer the raw MP4 video streams - very handy for squirrelling away videos for watching on a journey, for example, when data connectivity is likely to be scarce or expensive.
Sometimes it helps to go back to basics. There are a lot of streaming radio applications out there, websites with audio to pass to your devices, and brand new ways to listen to media. While the ultimate back to basics would be to rely on the built-in FM Radio on your handset, let's move up one notch and look at Internet radio. It's fertile ground for developers (including Nokia itself), but today I want to listen to the effort from Intersect World.
I'm a sucker for a good webcam portal. Partly it's because I hate travelling and, this way, I get to see loads of places round the world without leaving my desk, partly it's because I'm as nosey as the rest of the human race when it comes to seeing what other people are doing, especially when they're doing it on the other side of the world, often without knowing they're being watched! Which is why I made a beeline for Live Cams, available for Qt-compatible touchscreen devices in the Ovi Store.
Time for another social media client in the shape of 4squick. Focused on Foursquare, and making sure you can get into the app, check-in and get on with your life as quickly as possible, this Qt-based application has a small but growing cadre of supporters. Will AAS join the troops? Read on...
With pervasive Internet something that we've all become accustomed to, i.e. every device having access to the Internet, it's not surprising that Wi-fi tethering has seen a resurgence in interest. One of the first solutions to allow laptops (etc.) access to your phone's mobile Internet over wi-fi was that from Joiku (see our review in early 2008, and as covered in my interview) and, four years later, the solution is still as relevant as ever - in fact, it's had a major facelift, making it a clear candidate for a full review here.
As a maths scholar myself, I do love it when some of it ripples through into the real world. In this case it's Cam Measure, written in Qt for Symbian touch devices, based around one of the simplest mathematical constructs of all - the right angled triangle. Armed with a camera and accelerometer-equipped smartphone, you've then got the basis of a system for measuring distances and heights - all without actually moving from your current position. That's the theory, anyway!
It's a small software scene, but the "recording your exercise on your smartphone" genre has been joined by AllSport GPS. Offering a similar mix of monitoring, logging and statistics to applications like Sports Tracker, can Trimble Outdoor's client match one of my long term favourites? In terms of function, yes, but the form is lacking.
Life Journal, from Neusoft Mobile, promises to be your mobile diary to record your experiences and help share them online. It's a great idea that's been tried by many apps and companies before, so have Neusoft managed to make Life Journal attractive and reliable enough to be part of my mobile life? Read on to find out.
You've got to love lateral thinking when it comes to using smartphone hardware. In this case using the auto-focus optics in the Nokia N8 (and selected S60 5th Edition smartphones) to turn your smartphone into an intelligent magnifying glass. In use, it works surprisingly well and more than justifies its existence as a separate application. Read on for my review.
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