Symbian in Motion

Tracker by SmartphoneWare

by Zach at 2:29 pm | August 03rd, 2007 | Category: Application Reviews, Utilities

I’ve been so busy lately on various different fronts otherwise this review would have been up days ago. Just as Rita predicted though, Tracker is an app that I just had to take some time to review! Ported from a UIQ app of the same name, this beefed-up version of Tracker takes some of the best functionality found in Best Taskman 2.01 and combines it with much needed customizable desktop functionality. The timing is actually very interesting - just a few days ago I was playing with a WM5 device and pondering why no S60 3rd apps integrate with Active Standby yet. Tracker is the first step towards AS customization but rather than integrate SmartphoneWare has provided users with an alternative option to AS. So let’s get right to it.

The main function of Tracker as I use it is the Desk (desktop), pictured above. You can create several folders (pictured above, bottom right of screen) and add several different types of shortcuts in each folder. Most of what you see above is app shortcuts but you can also add tons of operational shortcuts such as “speed” functions and much more. A speed dial/email/sms/mms/etc will allow you to make a call or open a new email/sms/etc for a specific contact with just one click!

Adding a new app shortcut or any other shortcut is quite straight forward. From within the target folder just choose New from the Options menu and select your desired shortcut type. Then add the required details and you can even assign a hotkey shortcut that will be functional from any screen on your device!

You can hide Tracker at any point in time and call it to the forefront with a fully-assignable hotkey - I use shift + [send]. For heavy users, the Tracker Desktop can actually be left in the forefront at all times and effectively replace your Active Standby screen. I do this sometimes for fast and easy access to all of my key apps.

There are two other main windows in Tracker beyond the Desktop and they are accessed by moving right and left, or with the shortcuts shift + right and shift + left (this can be defined in your settings). The first is the Recent window, which displays a list of recent calls and used applications along with recent calendar events, messages and to-dos. Recent apps can easily be launched with a click of the select key and calls can be placed to recent callers the same way.

The last main window is the Tasklist page. As I mentioned, some of the tasks functionality of Best Taskman 2.01 (see my review for further details) is integrated into this great app. Memory status and running running apps are all covered here and can be accessed or closed/killed very easily.

Tracker also includes the very handy Switcher functionality from Best Taskman. Switcher allows you to easy toggle between all open apps and is quite useful for me. By default it is accessed with shift + menu (or pen + menu for portrait devices) but you can change the hotkey to whatever suits you best. Of course all hotkey shortcuts can be accessed from any screen while Tracker is in the forefront or in the background.

If you’re not impressed by now I think you must be in the wrong place. This app adds SO MUCH essential functionality to your S60 3rd device it’s almost crazy that they included everything in one app! As always SmartphoneWare provides a good free trial period so that you have ample time to play before you pay. Trust me when I tell you though - you’ll seriously miss this awesome utility if you let the trial expire…

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