1. Viewing office documents, is very important for road-warriors in modern day smartphones. It’s a must have feature which determines buying decision.

2. PDF, DOC, XLS and PPT are the most common file formats that people use. To some extent, there are those who use Open Document format.

3. By default, Symbian smartphones today, shipped with an application called Quickoffice. But it has not been updated for modern day use. The look and feel of Quickoffice feels the same today and five years ago.

3. With Quickoffice, viewing and editing is supported. But you need to be very patient to use it because it suffers when dealing with big files such as 200MB powerpoint.

4. There are also other office app for Symbian called Documents To Go. In my opinion, it is easier to use than Quickoffice and has better round-tripping compatibility but like Quickoffice, the Documents To Go UI is also a pain in to use.

5. Another important requirement for a good office app in my opinion is PDF file support. Both Quickoffice and Documents To Go did not have PDF viewer component.

6. But Quickoffice includes Adobe Viewer LE which is another relic from the S60 3rd Edition days. It is very painful to use and suffers a lot when rendering PDF files.

7. Enter Picsel Smart Office, an office app in steroid. It views common office file formats PDF, DOC, XLS and PPT, as well as JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF and TXT and it throws a beautiful UI.

8. It is also a document editor but I am not very fond of it’s editing feature.

9. For viewing office files, hands down, it is the best for Symbian at the moment. The rendering is fast, it doesnt eat a lot of RAM. Zooming and panning using one finger is also supported.

10. Take a PDF file for example, a 1.5MB file takes 9 seconds to be opened by Adobe Reader LE but Picsel Smart Office only took 3 seconds to open it. And the rendering is better, you can smoothly pan around the document.

11. Picsel Smart Office implemented a very visual UI. When the main interface is loaded, called the Visual Explorer, it allows users to browse the device for documents. It’s some kind of a file-browser actually.

A doc file, without "Reflo" function. Need to scroll left and right

With Reflow on, just scroll up and down

13. There’s another cool feature called Reflow. At the moment, it is only functioning inside DOC files. Would be great if it is also implemented when viewing PDF files. What Reflow does is reflowing the text to fit screen. No need to scroll left and right.

The "cover-flow" page viewer to scroll between pages in a document

14. For viewing Powerpoint file, it is also very fast and smooth. A 25MB 86 pages PPT file can be opened in 5 seconds. While Quickoffice took more than 10 seconds to render the first page…. Oh and Picsel Smart Office has this unique way to scroll between pages. It’s like “cover-flow”. Very nice and smooooootttthhh…..

15. There are many more functions inside Picsel Smart Office which makes it a valuable purchase for those need to view office documents on their Symbian smartphones.

16. More information at : http://www.picsel.com

17. Buy it from Ovi Store : http://store.ovi.com/44983

- Asri al-Baker
- For i-Symbian.Com
- March 23rd 2011

1. Dropbox, the favourite free (up to 2GB) online storage that is loved by many. It’s got some cool features to keep your files in sync between your digital devices. And if you want more spaces, you can refer friends to use it or pay for the Pro accounts.

2. Dropbox offers it’s application for bringing files anywhere called Dropbox Anywhere for iOS, Android and Blackberry. Unfortunately, no love for Symbian yet…

3. There are many ways to experience Dropbox on Symbian smartphones. Among others, you can choose from :

- Using a tip by Rita el-Khoury
- Mobile web at http://m.dropbox.com
- Pixelpipe Send and Share (upload only)
- Furtiv (upload only)
- NDrop (from Ovi Store)

4. At the moment, there’s no official native Dropbox Symbian client developed by Dropbox itself.

5. But there’s a solution for that! It is very easy, it’s FREE and comes built-in inside many Symbian smartphones for years. Follow the instructions below to experience Dropbox inside your Symbian smartphones WITHOUT 3rd party applications.

6. This is possible because Symbian supports WebDAV protocol out of the box since S60 3rd Edition FP2.

7. Dropbox DOES NOT support WebDAV protocol but a conduit/connector has been developed called DropDAV. It’s free for the basic Dropbox account (up tp 2GB). You can read more about it at http://dropdav.com/.

Requirements

1. Symbian smartphones (S60 3rd Edition FP2, [some] Symbian^1 devices – [not all] and Symbian^3 only)
2. Dropbox account
3. Internet access

Step 1

1. Go to https://dropdav.com/. Note the https.

2. Register for free at https://dropdav.com/signup.php by using your Dropbox username and password. You can do this on your desktop using your favourite internet browser or you can also do it directly on your Symbian smartphones. I use Opera Mini 5.1 Beta 2.

Step 2

1. On your Symbian smartphones, open the default File Manager.

2. Select Option, then Map New Drive

3. Use the following as reference to fill in the fields :
- Name : Dropbox (or whatever you want to call it).
- Address : https://dav.dropdav.com (note the https).
- Choose the Access Point to connect to the internet.
- Username : Your Dropbox username (your email address registered with Dropbox).
- Password : Your Dropbox password.

Usage

1. There will be a new icon in the File Manager root view called “Dropbox” or whatever name you put.

2. To connect to your Dropbox account and access your files, you need to initiate the connection MANUALLY.

3. When connected. an indicator is displayed.

4. Once you are inside Dropbox, you can manage files to your heart’s contents. Dropbox is now part of your Symbian smartphone’s storage. You can rename, delete files, move, copy to and from your smartphone to Dropbox vice-versa etc.

5. However, all depends on the network speed. If you are on high speed connection such as 3.5G or WiFi, it wil be smooth. But if you are on EDGE, be prepare to crawl like a snake…

6. I think this is a convenient way to experience Dropbox on Symbian smartphones. Furthermore, there’s no cost involved if you are using the basic Dropbox account. For those with Dropbox Pro account, you can refer to the DropDAV rate at http://dropdav.com/. It’s only 30% of the Dropbox rate. E.g. You only pay USD3 monthly to DropDAV for the 50GB Dropbox Pro account (USD9.99).

7. So, how do you use Dropbox o your Symbian smartphones? Have you tried this before? How was it?

8. One more thing… It’s FREE. No 3rd party app to be installed. You only need to spend a couple of minutes configuring your Symbian smartphone.

- Asri al-Baker, December 4th 2010

2. When you open Google Reader using the default Symbian Web app, it opens the mobile page. It’s fast, but not elegant.

3. However, if you use mobile Safari on iPhone or using an Android device to open Google Reader, the experience is different.

4. Here’s my little shortcut to launch Google Reader iPhone on Symbian devices. The interface is more elegant, and suitable for touch screen devices.

5. Here are some screenshots :

6. To make it works without problem, please ENABLE Java/ECMA Script in your Symbian Web Setting (Option – Settings – General) :

7. As usual, you can get it from our DOWNLOAD section. Gratis! Free! No questions asked!

8. Oh… And if you happen to distribute it, or post it in blogs, forums, social networks, etc, please link back to this page and refer where you get it from. That’s all I ask

9. The installation file (.WGZ) is inside the zip file. Just transfer the .WGZ file to your Symbian touch devices and install.

10. Enjoy!!!

* Some said to me that this is useless. What’s the difference between this shortcut and a bookmark?
** Some said, I’m cheating. This is not even an app!
*** Well, to be honest, I never force anybody to use it. If you use it and like it, that’s good. And if you dont like it, just remove it from your device.
**** Many users out there dont even use bookmark function and they dont even bother to type URLs on phone’s screen. They only use whatever is provided in the Web.
***** Thanks for dropping by.

- Asri al-Baker, December 3rd 2010

2. Knowing that Nokia/Symbian devices are also using an internet browser based on WebKit, I thought, maybe I could try…

3. With my limited HTML skill, I wrote this very simple WRT Widget to launch Gmail iPhone web interface on Nokia/Symbian built-in Web browser, without the need to enter the long URL. Just click on the icon and the page will be opened. It’s just a shortcut to the correct Gmail GP (Grand-prix : the codename for Google iPhone interface) URL.

4. It is compatible with WRT enabled devices only (S60 3rd Edition FP1, S60 3rd Edition FP2, S60 5th Edition and Symbian^3). The screenshots below was taken from Nokia N8.

5. If you use supported Symbian devices from Samsung or Sony Ericsson, you can tell us whether it works or not

Enjoy! Oh!… It’s free… as in air, and seawater

Instruction :

1. Download the ZIP file from : Our Download Page

2. Please extract the ZIP file, there’s a “Gmail.wgz” file inside. Transfer it to your device and install.

1. Foursquare. The latest craze in the social networking services.

2. They have released official apps for iOS, Android and Blackberry but they never support Symbian. This is where something needs to be done.

3. Enter ThinkChange’s Sym4Square or Symbian FourSquare. A free application designed and developed by the same people who brought us AutoInstaller, and a few other cool Symbian apps.

4. However, the designed is too Android-y if you will. I think the developer should do something to make it look unique and exclusive.

5. In the long run, this Android looking design will give them more headache. With Symbian going to use Qt as the application layer, they need to do a lot of reesigning in the future.

6. Our friend at AllAboutSymbian has published an excellent review of this app and I agree to what Ewan Spence said in the review.

7. I like the fact that us Symbian users can use Foursquare with a dedicated app. But I dont like the Android design.

8. I still prefer using Gravity for my Foursquaring needs. How about you?

9. Get Symbian Foursquare from : Sym4Square. For Symbian^1 only at the moment though.

2. Out of the box, Symbian supports multitasking since the glorious days of Psion.

3. The built in method in S60 to see the running applications in the background is to press and hold the Menu key aka the Applications key which will list opened applications.

4. If you want to close an application, press the delete or the cancel key while highighting an application in the built-in taskmanager.

5. There’s also some 3rd party applications for those who want more power in managing multitasking. Applications like Handy Taskman, Best Taskman and JBak Taskman are the most commonly known.

6. I prefer to use Best Taskman. Which, in my opinion, has better features for my needs.

7. Compared to Handy Taskman which looks more polished and better designed, Best Taskman doesnt score in the design department.

8. However, Best Taskman wins with regards to ease of use and quick access to most commonly used functions such as the task-switcher whic is unique. With a click of a button, Best Taskman displays a task-switcher which pops-up in the centre of the screen and allows user to toggle between opened applications quickly. It looks and functions just like the Alt-Tab shortcut on Windows PC.

9. Other than that, Best Taskman also offers quick-access shortcuts to applications. This can be configured in the setting.

10. Another important Best Taskman function for me is the ability to show hidden processes and if you want, you can kill any rogue process. It is one feature that is not available in Handy Taskman.

11. A quick way to close all running applications is also available from the menu. Very useful to quickly release RAM.

12. Best Taskman is also useful to view available RAM, internal storage as well as memory card space.

13. And if you fancy looking into applicaton details such as app uid and keep track of how many applications are installed, it’s just a few clicks away.

14. All in all, I’m comfortable using Best Taskman on my E90 because although it looks kinda ugly compared to Handy Taskman, it has unique features that are not available on other applications.

15. So, what’s your preferred multitasking tool? Care to share with us?

16. Get Best Taskman from Smartphoneware’s official website for only $7.95. A 15 days fully functioning demo is available for you to test to help you decide your purchase.

1. If there’s a Symbian application that I can talk about for hours, it must be Gravity.

2. It made my friends who use iPhones, Androids and other smartphone platforms jealous and wanting to use E71 just for Gravity.

3. What made Gravity so special? To me, it’s about the unique user experience and the amount of effort by Jan Ole, (the developer) put in to enhance Gravity.

4. I use Gravity mainly for 2 things. Twitter and Google Reader.

5. With usability in mind, Gravity pushed Symbian applications further by giving an intuitive user interface unlike anything else in we’ve seen.

6. Gravity is not a software that sits idle and do nothing. It’s (for lack of better word) ALIVE!

7. Those who have used Gravity would know that it’s not Twitter nor Facebook nor Foursquare nor Google Reader that make Gravity part of their life. It’s the lifestyle.

8. Bringing all these services into Gravity was fun. Using them in Gravity is a luxury.

9. What’s next? I’d say please bring Bloglines support and port it to other devices as well. Android, iPhone, Symbian^3 and beyond and to desktops as well.

10. Happy first anniversary Gravity!

2. Basically, all Symbian smartphones have this feature built-in. No 3rd party application required to manage your personal information.

3. However, the built-in software is too basic. Take the calendar for example, there’s no way to link calendar entry to a contact. This is really a downer for advanced users.

4. This is where DreamLife came into the picture. It was developed and produced by DreamSpring, an old-timer in the Symbian application space. They have announced the availability of DreamLife for Symbian^1 smartphones.

5. DreamLife combines contacts and calendar management into a smart and cool-looking application and more powerful compared to the built in apps.

6. Before this, DreamLife was a must-have for UIQ3 owners who want more control over their personal information.

7. It was designed to incorporate modern features of a smart PIM application such as focussing on the information display and usability.

8. It was developed for months before released to the end users.

9. However, the pricetag is quite high. Make sure you really test it before buying it.

10. More information about DreamLife for Symbian^1 at : http://www.dreamspring.com/products/dreamlife-for-s60/dreamlife-for-s60.html

1. LonelyCatGames is one of the most prolific Symbian developers who have some powerful applications in their catalogue such as Slick, SmartMovie, X-Plore and ProfiMail.

2. One of their strength and uniqueness is they developed their own interface on top of the standard Symbian UI. This is their trademark which has been practised over the years.

3. Recently, they launched a new application called PhotoBook which is basically a photo viewer application. As with other applications produced by LonelyCatGames, it also uses LCG’s own UI.

4. PhotoBook is an alternative to the built-in image viewer on Symbian and IMHO, it gives Resco PhotoViewer a challenge.

5. It has it’s own file browser which is neatly designed and you can view photos from your device’s folders with ease.

6. It also supports zooming and slideshow. Pretty standard stuff.

7. At the current version 1.00, PhotoBook does what it says. Nothing more, nothing less.

8. Hopefully they can integrate more advanced photo related functions in the future such as photo editing.

More information about PhotoBook at LCG

Where?

Kelantan Delights
1-5, Level 1, Sooka Sentral
Jalan Stesen Sentral
50470 Kuala Lumpur

When?

February 10th 2010 (Wednesday
5.00 to 7.00 PM

Who should come?
- Symbian users
- Symbian and other developers
- Symbian Enthusiasts
- If you are in KL or near KL
- Just for fun

What is the Agenda?
- Talk
- Eat
- Have fun!

Why I should come?
- Meet cool people
- Talk about Symbian and it’s ecosystem
- Discussing ideas to improve Symbian
- Have fun!

There will be some official SYMBIAN goodies up for grab for early birds. Come!!! Places are limited.

“I think the Kuala Lumpur Stammtisch is a great idea!” – Sebastian Brannstrom, Symbian Foundation.

More information about Symbian Stammtisch at : http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Symbian_Stammtisch

You can also follow the event’s progress on Facebook : First KLSS

If you are on Twitter (who doesnt?), watch out for the hashtag #klss

Note
===

1. KLSS – Kuala Lumpur Symbian Stammtisch is a community effort towards a more vibrant and active Symbian community in Malaysia in conjunction with Symbian Foundation’s continuous effort in getting more feedback from Symbian community all over the world.

2. We hope this first KLSS will be a landmark and history in promoting and bringing more awareness regarding Symbian’s open nature. Whether you are an individual or a company, you are welcomed to contribute and together building a global brand name with Symbian Foundation.

3. Thanks to Symbian Foundation, which fully supports this initiative. Lee Williams, Haydn Shaughnessy, Sebastian Brannstrom, Susana Posada, Lauren Sarno, Ashlee Godwin, Annabelle Cooke in which, this event wont be possible.

4. Should there be anyone who are willing to contribute to this event, please email me asri at i-symbian dot com.