As you might have noticed, yesterday I started a selection of best apps in different software categories. I am not doing a comparison here, just picking the app that has the little plus that makes it stand out of the crowd and be the one I personnaly prefer. Advanced Call Manager was my pick in the call manager utility section.
Today's category is File Managers and my vote goes to X-Plore by Lonely Cat Games (read about it on the official site).
When it comes to file managers, there is a point when you start to wonder if you really need one. Well, the answer is easy: if you need to access D and Z drives on your phone, the answer is yes, if you don't then the answer is no. It's as simple as that. Frequent file manager users might scream "Blasphemy!" but to me it is as simple as that. It's true that file managers do just more than just access D and Z drives, but most of these features are those who are used by advanced mobile users, hence users who usually need to access D and Z drives. Does it make sense now?
In the seek for a good file manager, I have passed by many: Nokia's pre-installed File Manager, Y-Browser, X-Plore, F-Explorer... and there are many others like SysExplorer, Active File, SkyExplorer, don't blame me if I forget one, it's just that there are many. If you need to know more about (and/or download) these file explorers, just read this post by Antony Pranata on his s60tips blog.
Although X-Plore is no longer a freeware, it can still be installed and working on your phone: it's just a matter of an additional screen that lasts 3 seconds before the app opens and 3 seconds before it closes.
Now let's get to the point: file managers usually allow you to access all drives on the phone (C, D, E and Z), to copy/paste files. Most of them also allow you to access the inbox (for any file received via bluetooth), most have a hex viewer (whatever that is). Some of them have shortcut abilities, some allow you to see and change file attributes, to send files via BT IR or email. A couple also allow you to take screenshots or see detailed information about your phone or send an sms.Now why do I prefer X-Plore? It's because it has a couple of features that made me stop searching for a file explorer:
- Extracting .zip and .rar: people might need a separate program (like Handy Zip and Mobile Rar) to zip/rar and unzip/unrar files on their mobile. I only need to unzip/unrar files and X-Plore does it for me. I can choose which directory to extract my files to and it does the rest.
- Viewing/Extracting .jar: although on a phone you might not be able to edit .jar files, opening them is still a very good plus for me. I spend hours trying to come up with tricks on my phone, and being able to read .jar is a must. It allows me to check the MANIFEST file inside any java app and hence see if it fits my screen size, if the icon is good, the name is good, the language is right... Sure I would need a pc to correct a mistake (if any) but it saves me from having to check all my apps on my pc before sending them to my phone.
- All text files viewing: doc, txt, ...
- Quick folders: gives quick access to 10 different folders: your favorites, you pick them.
- File Associations: if X-Plore can't open a file by itself or find a default program to do it, you can always set the file associations. For example I have set my .pdb extension files to automatically open with iSilo.
- Inbox emptying: most of the time (if not always), I use bluetooth to send files to my phone. These end up in the inbox. Since the mobile doesn't automatically open some files (zip, doc, pdb) I have to copy them to my memory card, which can not be done without a File Manager. Via X-Plore, I get to see all my inbox files, copy them to drive E, but more importantly cut them because X-Plore, unlike Y-Browser for instance, allows you to delete an inbox file by simply clicking the "c" button. This is extremely useful if you have a couple of files in the inbox you need to delete. You don't need to go to the inbox and start scrolling through messages in order to get to this particular one with the BT icon that you need to delete. Just delete it from X-Plore.
- Good search function: allows you to specify which folder / drive to search in (the one highlighted) and to search for file types: for instance, queue in *.jpg for image searching.
- Image viewing, Themes, Device Info, Tree viewing, On-screen memory details of each file...
Now despite the fact that X-Plore can't send sms, tell me details about my device, or take screenshots (there are freeware for all those features), it still gets my vote as the best File Manager.
Now don't get me wrong: I am not saying that the other file managers don't presend all those features: I don't know because I haven't tried all file managers: X-Plore made me stop my search. It had exactly all the features I was looking for. The inbox emptying, .zip .rar and .jar opening, on-screen memory details of each file, and file associations: all are must-have for me.
N.B: the native symbian file manager is still essential in order to access private and sys folders on the memory card. Using the search function of X-Plore doesn't show up the hidden folders as they do in the native file manager.
There are many, many, call managers on the market for s60 3rd edition. I have been wondering around trying every program that came into my hand, and finally found one that I simply can not delete from my phone: Webgate's Advanced Call Manager.
All call managers offer you the possibility to 1) manage your contacts into black lists and white lists, 2) manage your calls : reject or accept or send an automatic sms or answer with an asnwering machine message. Some also let you answer with a busy tone, or customize messages for answering machine (every called gets his own greeting message) or record phone calls or schedule different profiles.
But only Advanced Call Manager goes that extra mile. It has the 2 features I am not willing to give up on:
- Locator don't ask me how it works, it just works! It's something called Cell Id that functions, whether you do or do not have GPRS/GPS (I don't). The locator automatically detects which cell id I'm at and loads the profile and the configuration I have set for this specific location. It took me 2 minutes to configure it to Accept all calls when I'm at home and 1 minute to configure it to Reject all calls when I'm at my university. Now I don't have to worry about scheduling my profiles, Locator does it for me!
- Silent speaker on answering machine I tried a couple of other answering machine solutions but everyone functionned like any home answering machine. You could hear the greeting being played and the message that the caller was leaving really loud through the phone speakers. The two reasons I wanted an answering machine were to answer my night calls when I'm asleep and my day calls when I'm in a class. Hence these two reasons made me want a silent answering machine: I don't want to wake up at night, I don't want my classmates and teachers to hear my calls. Still, Advanced Call Manager isn't perfectly silent, you can hear the same thing, but through the phone's little ear speaker which makes it the closest to silent. When asleep, the voice can't wake me up. When in a classroom, if the class is really silent, i just have to put my finger on the ear speaker in order to avoid any noise.
Although not being a perfect call manager (inability to record calls, inability to answer a call when the answering machine has started), Advanced Call Manager has the little plus that makes it stand out of the crowd and be the call manager that I am just not willing to replace, yet.
I was browsing yesterday through Rafe (from AAS) detailed reviews of the N95 features, when I stumbled on a very nice paragraph in his part 2 - music review comparing leading music industry provider Apple and Nokia:
The N95 integrates well with third party services and its capabilities can be extended through third party software. It is theoretically possible for any software-based DRM mechanism to be added to the N95. This reflects an important difference in attitude between digital music market leader Apple and Nokia. Apple prefers a proprietary ‘walled garden’ approach whereas Nokia has chosen to integrate with other products via open standards. Consequently Apple is able to closely control all aspect of the user experience, but locks customers into its own solutions. Nokia’s more open minded approach will appeal to the technical, but may not resonate with the wider public since the user experience can be less cohesive. However, experience in other areas does suggest the open approach does offer better longer term prospects.
I have been asking myself for a long time the same question: why does Apple prefer this 'walled garden' approach? And I found my answer there. Having owned a video 30GB iPod for quite a few months now (I waited for it to have really top specs in order to purchase one) I must say that when first using the iPod, the 'walled garden' didn't make me feel frustrated. The problem came when I saw at a certain shop a chinese replica of the iPod nano, that featured the same iPod options, while still bearing an FM radio, a voice recorder, an ebook reader and quite a few more. That's when I noticed how much my lovely iPod was missing and how much could be instaured in it but was not. In order to add those options to the iPod, you would need to buy a couple of other Apple or Belkin accessories, which Rafe clearly states in "Apple... locks customers into its own solutions" that cost quite a good fortune.
Still Apple manages to attach you to this little white wonder and when it comes to me, I will always prefer the iPod among any other music player, no question about that. Music quality is unquestionnable, and you'll be sure it won't break down or have a software problem after a couple of months of heavy usage.
I wonder whether Apple will manage to make its iPhone such a blockbuster. With such a high retail price, I believe not, especially among US users. Lebanese will always buy an iPhone: it's about looking kewl. But any mobile aware person will of course wonder what Apple will offer software-wise in order to counter balance the huge Symbian application / game directory. Still for now, the iPhone seems to be another "walled garden" device, and there is no clue as to whether Apple will ever get out of this strategy and use open standards.
My thoughts on the matter: too bad. Apple has always had the best of ideas: the iPod spinwheel, the touchscreen, the automatic landscape/portrait detection, the zooming system on the iPhone,... all GREAT ideas. Too bad they were all parts of a device that will never be a convergent one (for the iPod) or of a platform that will never be open for developpers (the iPhone). Although these great ideas won't, I suppose, threaten Nokia's marketshares, it's good and bad to see them: good because it tickles Nokia and Symbian developpers, bad because it makes us, users, jealous of the Apple devices' specs.
Starting April 15th, Ricky Cadden from Symbian-Guru, is planning to go PC-Free for 30 days, in an attempt to see how true is Nokia's statement "it's what computers have become" regarding the N95 and its "Multimedia Computer" new s60 devices. Using his laptop just for backup and storage, the guru will only be using his N73 ME for blogging, surfing, reading RSS, IM, email,... and basically anything you might usually need your computer to do. Ricky will be posting frequently to tell us his progress. Looking forward for his reviews...
When heading to Bossini yesterday (a clothes shop) I came across Georges. Georges used to have a cell phone shop a couple of blocks down the building where I live. He was the one who sold me the used 3250, and frankly he's one of the best phone shop salesmen. A couple of months ago, after coming back from my summer vacation, I didn't see him at his shop and when I asked about him, they told me he sold the shop and left the country. After the war that had been going on in Lebanon during the summer, I wasn't much surprised but I was sad to know he left. He was one of the rare honest guys in this business.
To cut the crap, Georges didn't leave the country, he just had a problem with his landlord, sold his shop and bought a new one at Galaxy Mall, which isn't that far away either. Good for him (and me).
I asked about the N95 price, he told me it was 1100$. Remember? Less than 3 weeks ago it was 1800$! A 700$ drop in a couple of days. Fool is the one who bought it at that time, and fool is the one who will buy it now! Anyway, it's always this way with new phones in Lebanon... nothing surprising. To tell you the truth, I expect if I go ask about the price in 3 weeks, it'll sure have dropped below 800$, that's a bet I'm willing to make. Who's up?
So Georges gave me the N95 to hold in my hand, but I didn't have the right to turn it on, which I totally understand. Holding the 3250 in my left hand, and the N95 in my right hand, I can't deny that my heart was on the right side, for once ;) Although the N95 has a lot more to offer than the 3250, it still was a little bit smaller, which I liked. But I still am reserved toward using a slider phone. Twisters are a lot cooler. The other 2 things I noticed are the following:
- I read a review, I don't remember where, that stated that when the keypad is open and u slide it back up, if u do put a little bit more strength than asked for, it opens the multimedia keys. I tried sliding it, didn't have that problem. The middle position seemed quite clear and not that sensitive. Good point for the N95!
- the multimedia keys aren't that intuitively pressed. Bad point for the N95 :( I tried to press the play / pause / FF / RW buttons while the phone was still in portrait mode and it seemed hard to get the buttosns pressed right. I know in landscape mode, this won't be a problem, but I suspect if the music player is running in the background, and you're browsing through ur phone in portrait mode, it would be a problem to control ur music.
Round up: I'm sticking with my 3250, again. The N95 isn't the right phone for me. Too bad, it was such a near-to-be-perfect device.
When I started this blog, I stated that one of the reasons that drove me to posting was the fact that mobile bloggers tend to be, almost all of the time, from the other gender, ie males. After browsing the web for around 10 months now, and after being a member in a couple of mobile dedicated forums for a while now, my first impression hasn't changed a bit.
It is common sense to suspect that the majority of mobile bloggers would be male, since obviously, "girls/women tend to concentrate on make-up, fashion and basically any other stupid superficial activity". Mobile addicts are technology geeks or nerds, sorry for the word. And well, women are less interested in technology, which makes them less eligible to the post of mobile blogger or forum poster. I understand that.
But on the other hand, why do forum members always call you a dude without even considering looking at your profile. I have been getting lots of thanx dude, nice work dude, nice post dude, keep the good work dude, dude can you help me with...and many more like that. While many members call each other by their nicknames, I get the dude word. Which makes me think: is it that my posts are too geeky to an extent that makes it unconceivable that I could be anything but a male?
Thinking back, I believe part of it is my fault: being on a dial-up connection, I don't even consider uploading an avatar to my profile. Well, that would eventually make me genderless. Still my nickname teddy_bearrr or teddybearrr doesn't sound like a dude's nickname, or does it? Well to me, unless I was counted as a 14 years old boy or a gay guy or an extremely obese person, I don't get how teddy_bearrr could be confused with a male's nickname.
In any case, I raise my voice to say to all forum members : I am a FEMALE (no longer a girl, still not yet a woman... sounds like Britney Spears *puke*). And since I haven't made any comment so far on the dude-calling habbit, I will, in the following days, make these steps in order to affirm my gender identity:
- Upload an avatar to all the forums I am a member in
- Make sure to reply to anyone who calls me dude by saying "I am not a dude, dude!"
- Add a signature to my posts that says "I am a woman, so don't call me dude"
That's basically it. I have written so many times the word dude in my post, i am starting to wonder whether the word actually exists (happens to me sometimes).
When opening symbian-guru today, I expected nothing like this: Nokia is pulling out of the US market! Looking then at the date, I noticed something was wrong :p Ricky had pulled out one of his april's fool pranks. Good one, had me going on for a couple of seconds, since in my family we tend to go over the day as any other one, no pranks, no lies, no surprises :(
Funny thing is that the first thought that came to my mind was: Oh, Darla didn't even have time to enjoy her pink N95! Good enough now, Darla has all the time in the world to enjoy the N95 :)
