Top 7 applications I can’t live without on my mobile phone
Posted by Stefan on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 6:47 am under Applications
Mark Guim from the Nokia Blog is curious to know what other Nokia users install on their devices and is encouraging everyone who owns a blog to get the word out. With Nokia seeding mobile phones to bloggers whose field of expertise is something other than mobile these sort of top 10 lists do a lot for helping them figure out where to get started. These are his top 10, here are my top 7:
- Handy Taskman. You can read my full review here, but essentially it is an application switcher and launcher for S60 that will make you jump up for joy and scratch your head as to why this isn’t how things work out of the box. Once you install this application and touch another S60 device without it you will feel strange and get frustrated.
- Opera Mini 4.1. Yes I know the browser built into the latest version of S60 is awesome, but this takes it up a notch. For people who don’t have flat rate data or for people who have ADD and want websites to load as fast as humanely possible, Opera Mini should be the only browser you live in.
- GMail Mobile. Love using GMail? Threaded conversations, staring, all of that is fine and dandy, but what makes this application extremely powerful for me is that fact that I can search through over 4 GB of email remotely, with no lag, for that needle in a haystack piece of data I need. Can’t recommend this application enough. TIP: If you have more than one email account you can download GMail Mobile and Google Mail Mobile, same application, different name due to copyright issues, no need to log in and out of one application.
- Google Maps. Don’t have GPS? No problem, Google’s triangulation will tell you where you are. Google’s vast points of interest library is so impressive it can practically be called epic.
- MobiTubia. A pretty front end for YouTube so you don’t have to visit the website, I start my day in bed looking at the top videos over the past 24 hours. Out on the go and want to hear a specific song? Just search for it and chances are you can find the music video.
- Walking Hotspot. Turn your S60 device into a WiFi access point that you can connect up to 5 devices to. Useful when you simply need to use your laptop to get something done and sent out to your friends or boss.
- Shazam iD. If I’m in a cafe listening to a song I want to download later on, but have no clue what it is I’ll launch this application and point my mobile’s microphone to the closest speaker.
What’s this? Are you telling me you only use 7 applications Stefan?
To tell you the truth, the answer is yes. I love coming home and picking the best photos I’ve taken and then editing them before throwing the results online. I don’t want every picture I snap to pop up online because frankly … I do take a lot of photos that I only want to share with my closest friends and that is when the age old communication method known as email works just fine and dandy. I don’t want to look at my friends’ photos on a 2.4 inch screen (N82) either and I have no doubt in my mind this will change whenever I can get an iPhone like device with a T9 keypad running S60.
I enjoy coming home after an event or wild party and watching all the video I’ve taken and deleting all the useless bits to get straight to the meat of why I was shoting the video in the first place. Sure QiK is cool and I have it installed, but I can honestly live without it since there isn’t anything going on in my life that is so important it has to be broadcast live nor do I want to put someone on the spot by saying “Yep, you’re being broadcast on the internet, live, unedited, try not to be a twit.”
VoIP sounds cool on paper, Fring, Nimbuzz, the J2ME Skype application, I have all those installed, but I still prefer communicating via text. A phone call requires me interrupting someone and taking time out of their day to get something accomplished. There are some people here in Finland who text you before they call you asking if you have time to talk, I love that and I’ve started doing it as well. In today’s attention scarce economy I don’t want to have to stop my flow of work to talk about something that can be handled over email or even in a 160 character text message.
I use my mobile mainly for browsing the internet and communicating via sms, I technically don’t need a device as high end as a Nokia N82 to do those two things, but the thing is I enjoy knowing I have a high spec camera with me at all times and I can shoot video if need be.
What about you, what applications are critical to your daily routine or simply can’t live without?
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 am
Wow. I totally doubted Shazam iD and never even bothered to try it. Just spent 10 minutes searching for a song on Google, no luck. Figured I’d give Shazam a try since you had just mentioned it. Worked perfectly, first try. Rock.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Of all the apps I have, the ones I use regularly, are as follows:
Opera Mini
Screenshot
Bible Reader
Google Mail
Taskmanager
Three the same as Stefan, for pretty much the same reasons. Gmail is an excellent app for browsing through email to find stuff I’ve received in the past, Taskmanager is indeed one of the first apps that goes on any new phone I use and Opera Mini is an excellent complimentary option to the default browser, although I use the default browser more than Opera Mini.
For the others, the Bible reader is very useful for locating that particular phrase or verse that I’m searching for, and I use screenshots a lot for showing on the blogs I write and for sending pictures to others. Usually takes the form of a screenshot of the football league table to wind up friends who support other teams, or an interesting piece of info I’ve seen on the web. A quick screenshot, send via email, done.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 am
Nice apps
I dont hav internetnet on my nokia 2630
but I love playing gud games on it whenever I am outta home
p.s nice post I enjoyed it
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
A nice list, i’ve never tried handy taskman but i shall after your recomendation. I use on a daily basis
- Opera Mini 4.1
- Internet Radio - a Nokia program but make sure you have unlimited data
- Vizimo - check what’s on TV
- OfficeSuite
- X-plore - File manager
I use IMAP email for Googlemail, not the app. Is there any advantage in the app? I did use it but with IMAP i get push email
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am
@AndyGC: I like checking email when I have time for email, I don’t do push email. My friends and colleagues know if they need to reach me urgently by text to shoot me an SMS.
@Jay3GSM: Yea I agree, Opera Mini is a fantastic compliment to the S60 Browser, but unlike you I find myself using it a lot more than the browser built in.
@Zach: Glad you like it.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:38 am
Just seven? I hope you’re not counting games! Here’s what I use:
ActiveFile: General file manager with panes, because the default one sucks.
MSDict: Being in a foreign country, this was handy quite a few times!
Screenshot: Show stuff to my friend. Anything on my screen can be on my share on ovi page.
SIC! FTP: Besides the silly name, having a way to copy files from my computer from anywhere is awesome!
Gmail + Mobitubia for the same reasons as you.
Opera Mini as a backup browser, but I haven’t used it in months.
Location Tagger: since I don’t have a N82
TimeBar: to emulate the FP2 clock
Windows Live: the messenger app is rad!
Handy Calculator: Like Calcium but more good looking.
Handy Weather: For weather
MobileSigner: for my signing purposes, I don’t use my computer
Sports Tracker: As a GPS tracker, great to see where I took the wrong turn later on my computer
Active Notes: Like notes, but as it saves in standard HTML files I can copy them to my computer.
Internet Radio: self-explanatory
Mobbler: when I’m listening to music in my wifi’s range.
Not counting games! (And emulators)
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Nice post
well me my list is opera mini 2 3 and 4.1, bing, mig33, flurry mail, teashark, ucweb;););).
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
here’s what I regularly use:
1.Yahoo! Go: useful for checking the weather too.
2.Sms schedule: I text a lot at work
3.CryptoGraf Messaging: super secure Sms.
4.Handy Taskman: my favourite application manager.
5.TruPhone: the Voip quality is decent but not perfect.
6.Gmail Mobile: Handy application for checking email.
7.Y-Browser: excellent file manager
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 am
Here is my top 7 list:
1. RoadSync - can’t imagine a phone with out push email
2. TomTom Mobile - this is a must for Navigation.
3. HandyClock - wakes me up everyday.
4. Opera Mini 4.1 - have to agree with Stefan
5. SMS - No comments…
6. Advanced Phone Lock - Security and my data is extremely important.
7. Windows Live - I still use Hotmail….
and by the way, I still place calls….
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:25 am
1. Google Maps
2. Gmail
3. KJV Go Bible
4. Fring
5. YouTaggedMe
Won’t clutter your blog with my explanations why, just go here:
http://mye65.blogspot.com/2008/02/top-5-applications-for-nokia-e65-phones.html
May 26th, 2008 at 10:47 am
let’s see
opera mini
screenshot
im+
garmin mobile xt
gmail
google maps
autolock (i’m using an e61)
shazam id
nokia sports tracker
activefile
May 26th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Give EQO a Try! Mobile VoIP, free mobile IM and free texts:
http://www.EQO.com