Review: Salling Clicker
Score:
86%
Version Reviewed: 3.0
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One of the Big Things these days is the idea of turning your computer into a home entertainment centre. Aside from the problem of you wanting to have a lengthy gaming session at the same time as somebody wants to watch TV, the other problem is building a remote for something like this. Let’s see, you need a CD changer with a number pad, a DVD controller as well, something for viewing photos, heck, why not chuck in a game pad as well? By the time you’re finished, you wind up with something the size of a dinner plate or, more accurately, a full blown keyboard.
Enter Salling Clicker. It could be quickly dismissed as a simple Bluetooth remote control but it’s a lot more than that. There are two parts to it - a section that resides on the phone and a separate section that lives on your PC or Mac. First off, it’s worth mentioning a few points about compatibility - at present, there is only a Series 60 and UIQ version, although a version for all the Communicator users out there may materialise at some point. Another problem at present is an issue with certain early Series 60 phones such as the N-Gage, 3650 & 7650 (Sendo X works like a dream though!), although I’m told that this will be sorted by the next update release (the version tested was 3.0).
Take a closer look at the desktop computer part of Salling Clicker and the word “customisable” instantly springs to mind. The interface allows you to add new programs to be controlled by Salling Clicker, although the interface does take quite a bit of getting used to, being rather complex. The software can quickly detect existing pairings with Bluetooth phones and send the installation software accordingly. Once the pairings and software are all set up, the next time your computer picks up the phone in range, Salling Clicker launches automatically, saving you the necessity of re-pairing and getting everything set up.
There is a constant stream of info between computer and handset. For example, when the phone rings the film or music is paused during the call and restarts when the call ends automatically. The phone also receives information back; if a particular song in your iTunes library has artwork attached to it, this will be displayed on the phone. When I tried this with a music video in my library it crashed both the handset and Mac - support for this may appear in a future version. One of the things that really appeals about the software are the little tweaks which make everything flow together - an action on the phone is displayed on screen in large clear lettering so that even if you are sitting some distance away from the screen, everything is still clearly readable.
For those that have to use their phones and computers for business as well, Salling also supports Keynote and Powerpoint presentation. A range of third-party plug-ins are also available on the Salling Clicker web site to allow for compatibility with an even wider range of software. An added bonus for those with the very latest handsets is a feature for Wi-Fi support - this may be something for future E series owners to look forward to.
All in all, I cannot recommend Salling Clicker enough. There are occasional bugs with the software for the very newest features (e.g. video) and the aforementioned compatibility issues also need resolving. Aside from this, I advise you to install Salling Clicker, then spend some quality time with your comfiest chair and DVD collection.....
Second opinion
Steve Litchfield thought that Thomas had been exagerating Salling Clicker's claims, so he tried it out for himself on a Windows PC and Sony Ericsson UIQ smartphone:
He's right, you know. Salling Clicker works out of the box, with almost any phone or smartphone, and there are simply no unpleasant surprises. Within a minute of installing the software, I was changing tracks on my PC from another room in the house. In a Media Center or Powerpoint environment, this sort of functionality could be really useful, instead of just being really cool.
More screenshots, from my own installation:
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