GoMenu: make the menu key take you back where you were

Suppose you're deep down inside Symbian's menu structure on your phone. Something like Menu>Settings>Connectivity.

If you hit the menu key, you're taken to the standby screen. So far, so good. But if you hit the menu key again, you're taken to the main menu instead of Menu>Settings>Connectivity, the place that you just left.

GoMenu makes your phone remember where in the menu and folder structure you were, so the second press on the menu button takes you right back where you came from.

• GoMenu download and discussion on Mobile Castle
• GoMenu on Symbian Freak (requires login)
• GoMenu direct download straight from the author

LightNotepad updated

The best text file editor for Nokia's S60 flavor of Symbian is LightNotepad. Its unique selling point (well, it's free, but you know what I mean) is bookmarks to quickly find your way in long text files. And now LightNotepad got even better.

What's new?
- New shortcuts for "find" and "open"
- Remember settings on exit
- Ask to load last used file at startup, and remember cursor position
and more.

• LightNotepad

Python updated

Nokia's Symbian S60 port of the programming language Python is updated. The new version has extra features and a bunch of bugfixes. Put the new Python on your phone to get more out of your Python programs.

• Nokia's Python page
• Python applications
• Python on SourceForge
• Signed Python on Symbian Freak

Nokia Maps and Nokia Map Loader updated: what's new?

There was still something left to fix in Nokia Maps 2.0... again. The version number went up to 2.0.2402. In typical Nokia style, there's no change log to inform us what's been fixed or changed or improved.

Nokia's bloated, overweight Map Loader has a new version too. Again, Nokia doesn't tell us what's new. Do they have something to hide?

One thing that didn't change: Linux users, Mac owners, and everybody else who can't or doesn't want to install Microsofts .net framework to get Map Loader running can still use this Nokia Map Loader Alternative which doesn't require you to install anything on your computer.

• Nokia Maps (official site)
• Nokia Map Loader Alternative

eBuddy beta: Java instant messenger that beats many of its Symbian buddies

eBuddy is a java instant messenger that is way better than some Symbian IM apps like Morange, Palringo, or Talkonaut.

It's not as good as fring, IM+, or Slick, but eBuddy has a clean, easy to navigate interface, talks with the MSN/Live, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, AIM, and MySpace chat networks, and is the first mobile messenger that supports custom emoticons. And unlike IM+, eBuddy is free.

You can get it from the eBuddy site. If you want to try it without installing first, go to m.ebuddy.com with your (mobile) browser to play with the web version of eBuddy.

A minor annoyance of the eBuddy site is that it wants you to do an on the fly install from your mobile phone browser. If you want to download it to your computer for archiving, or to replace the icon, sounds, or splash screen in the .jar installer, go to get.ebuddy.com, select your phone brand and model, download the .jad file, open it in a text editor like Notepad, and copy/paste the URL from the .jad file into your browser to download the .jar installer to your computer.

Masturbator Pro updated: keeps your phone vibrating

Phones can vibrate, and now you don't need to phone yourself anymore on those long lonely nights to make it buzz. Masturbator Pro is a free program that lets your mobile vibrate as long as you want. Continuous, alternating, random, at any speed you desire. Make sure to put your phone in a condom, because wet batteries can really get your fire burning.

Get your cell phone shaking with the new updated Masturbator Pro by Matteo Croce.

• Masturbator Pro by Matteo Croce at java-phones

FreeCallSprite updated: shake your phone when the other end talks

You call your girlfriend and you know it's gonna take forever before she finds her phone in her overcrowded handbag. While she searches, you're waiting with your phone against your ear listening to the beep, beep, beep, ...

Or not, if you install FreeCallSprite. With FreeCallSprite you just keep your phone in your hand or your pocket. When she finally finds her mobile, FreeCallSprite makes your phone shake to let you know she answered.

Don't want your phone shaking? You can choose between vibration, lights, or a sound from the loudspeaker to let you know the other end picks up.

FreeCallSprite needs to be signed with a devcert. No devcert needed if you hack your phone.

FreeCallSprite from junnikokuki

MapDrives: give the folders on your phone a drive letter for quick access

Need a virtual drive or two? Windows has the subst command, a way to map any folder to a drive letter so you can access them without having to use their full path structure.

But there's no such thing for Symbian. Even worse, you can't even make shortcuts in Symbian! So the only way to address e:\folder\subfolder\another subfolder\yet_another subfolder\long_foldername is by taking the long way, each and every time you need to get to that folder buried deep down inside a maze of subfolders.

Enter MapDrives. This little app lets you assign a drive letter to any folder you like. So instead of digging down to e:\folder\subfolder\another subfolder\yet_another subfolder\long_foldername you can simply map it to drive letter x and access it with x:\ instead of going all the way down the long and winding road.

MapDrives is made by FCA, the guy who made the AppTRK and HelloCarbide methods to hack your Symbian phone to make it listen to you instead of Nokia. The program is new and still has some rough edges, so use at your own risk.

October 29 update: you can use MapDrives to access Symbian system folders from your computer.

Download MapDrives
Discuss MapDrives (requires login)

SIS Installer Mod for more Nokias

If you've hacked your Nokia you can install unsigned programs by simply dropping a modified installer into your phone's system folder. The modified installer doesn't bother with certificates or signatures, but simply installs anything you throw at it without asking all kinds of annoying questions like the default installer does.

The list of phones that can use the modified .sis installer has grown a bit with the release of a SIS Installer Mod for the Nokia E50, E61, 3250, and 5500.

• Get it from swmail's site

• Discuss it on the symbian freak forum (requires login)

New Nokia Map Loader: same old junk

Nokia beta labs cooked Nokia Map Loader 2.0 beta.

What's new? Not much. Nokia's new map loader lets you choose between PC Suite mode and the standard mass storage connection method. It also has a built-in shop where Nokia tries to sell you voice navigation, city guides, and traffic info. In fact, "With Map Loader 2.0 you can buy navigation and city guides directly from your PC!" is the opening line of the page where Nokia announces its new baby, and the rest of the page is full of similar "buy this" and "enter credit card number there" phrases. Could this be the reason why Nokia tried to kill the Nokia Map Loader alternative?

What's not new? Unfortunately, quite a lot. All the old flaws remain unfixed. The old requirement for Windows with .net framework is still there. It still won't work on Mac or Linux systems. You still can't download maps over WiFi or 3G with the Symbian browser of your phone. In terms of unnecessary overhead, Nokia Map Loader is still as badly designed as ever. All those megabytes won't even tell you which maps you already have installed on your phone. And if you update one map, the new map loader still erases every other map you already had loaded on your phone so you'll have to download all of them all over again.

And the shop? It only works in PC Suite mode which requires that you have PC Suite installed, and credit card is the only payment option available.

The verdict: the new map loader will make Nokia's marketing department happy, but it doesn't offer any useful improvements for the users of Nokia Maps, other than an extra cash register where you can hand over your money.

Fortunately the Nokia Map Loader Alternative is still alive and kicking.

• Nokia Map Loader 2.0 beta, only works on Windows XP and Vista with .net framework 3 installed.

• Nokia Map Loader Alternative, works on any operating system. You don't even need to install anything on your computer.

Hack Symbian: updated all-in-one pack with HelloCarbide, ROMPatcher and installserver

When Nokia made new firmware to kill the old AppTRK method to hack Symbian phones, the hackers responded with HelloCarbide. ROMPatcher is a program to toggle the Symbian locks on your phone on and off, and comes with a bunch of plugins to customise menus, silence the camera shutter sound, and more. Installserver lets you install unsigned programs on your phone so you don't have to deal with the slow, clumsy Symbian Signed bureaucracy.

These three apps are available in an all-in-one pack, and the pack is updated with a new version of HelloCarbide that supports more phone models, and a fresh edition of ROMPatcher with an autorun option for the plugins.

• Download links, step-by-step instructions and more info on how to set your Symbian phone free on symbianhack.site666.info

Hack Symbian: ROMPatcher updated, now with autorun feature

Of all the methods to toggle the broken Symbian restrictions on your phone on and off, ROMPatcher is the most versatile: it allows you to apply all sorts of customisations by dropping a simple file into the right folder, instead of having to edit system files by hand.

And now there's a new version of ROMPatcher that comes with an autorun option to save you a trip to the ROMPatcher menu every time you restart your phone.

To install this version of ROMPatcher you'll need to have a hacked phone. The easiest way to hack your phone is with the HelloCarbide method.

• To mix HelloCarbide with ROMPatcher on your phone: symbianhack.site666.info.

• Download the new ROMPatcher with autostart option directly from the author.

• ROMPatcher mirrored on Mobile Castle

• Read more about ROMPatcher on the symbian-freak forum (login required).

Stealth by PiZero: the dark side of your phone

You're in a meeting, lecture hall or theatre and you really need to send out an SMS or chat with your girlfriend on your mobile instant messenger. But... all that light that shines from the display tells everyone that you're playing with your phone instead of pretending to stay awake at a meeting or listening to some boring professor.

Enter the updated Stealth theme from PiZero. A black Symbian theme with grey text and shady or invisible icons to make your phone dark as night. Stealth comes in different flavours of blackness to suit your dark intentions.

• Download stealth by PiZero
• More themes

Metro updated: subways, trains, trams, busses, and ferries for hundreds of cities

Métro is updated.

Métro is a great app to navigate the public transport networks of hundreds of cities. It calculates the fastest route or the route with the fewest connections between stations, bus and tram stops, tourist attractions and other places of interest.

All public transport data is stored on your phone, so you don't need a mobile internet connection to navigate the subways, trains, trams, busses, and ferries. All major cities and lots of minor cities are covered. Métro integrates with your phone contacts too. Works with Symbian S60 and UIQ.

Get the latest version at metro.nanika.net.

Hack Symbian: HelloCarbide updated

The HelloCarbide method from FCA to get full control over Symbian by running a .sisx file on your phone has been updated. It now supports more phone models: not just the usual lineup of Symbian S60 Nokias, but now also the Samsung i550.

If you set your copy of Symbian free, you can give yourself full access to your phone's system folders, install programs without having to beg Symbian Signed for the keys to your phone, change icons and menus, switch off the camera shutter sound, and make backup copies whenever and whereever you want without having to connect your phone to a computer that runs PC Suite.

To make Symbian do what you want, just follow the step-by-step guides on symbianhack.site666.info.

Increase Sony Ericsson alarm timeout: yet another reason to hack your copy of Symbian UIQ

Fail to wake up because the alarm clock of your Sony Ericsson times out after just 30 seconds?

With a hacked copy of Symbian UIQ you can increase the timeout to two and a half minute. That should be enough to get you out of bed.

Get it from 101swmail010.googlepages.com/uiq3mods

FreeTimeSync: synchronise your phone with an atomic clock

FreeTimeSync has been replaced by a new program: FreeTimeBox. FreeTimeBox does everything FreeTimeSync does, and more than that.

Do people still wear watches now that their phone knows the time?

FreeTimeSync makes sure your phone really knows what time it is. It connects to a time server to synchronise your mobile clock with the time of ntps1-1.cs.tu-berlin.de. If you don't trust their accuracy you can connect to any other time server you like.

• FreeTimeSync from junnikokuki (obsolete)

FreeTimeSync has been replaced by a new program: FreeTimeBox. FreeTimeBox does everything FreeTimeSync does, and more than that.

FreeCallSprite: make your phone shake when the other end of the line answers

You call your girlfriend and you know it's gonna take forever before she picks up the phone. There you are, waiting with your phone pressed against your ear listening to the beep, beep, beep, ...

But not anymore. Just install FreeCallSprite and keep your phone in your hand or pocket while you wait. When she finally finds her mobile in her overcrowded handbag your phone will shake to let you know she answered!

• FreeCallSprite from junnikokuki

Symbian web browser: open a new window quick

One of the good things about Symbian's built-in web browser is that it allows you to browse in multiple windows.

But there's one problem: there's no easy way to open a new window.

Enter symbianwindow.site666.info. This page has a link that opens a new window for you. Browse to this page with the Symbian browser on your phone, save as bookmark, and you always have a new window at your fingertips. It has a Google search box as well (results open in a new window, of course), so you might even set it as your homepage.

Open a bunch of windows in your Symbian browser: symbianwindow.site666.info

Note: Opera Mini doesn't support multiple windows yet.

Back up your messages: yet another good reason to hack your Symbian phone

Phones that run Symbian S60 (Nokia) and Symbian UIQ (Sony Ericsson) are like Fort Knox: you can't even access the files and folders that contain your messages on your phone, which means that the horrible piece of bloatware called PC Suite is the only way to back up your messages. The draconian restrictions of Symbian are like not having the keys of your own house.

But Symbian has been hacked : ) With a few modifications you can access all files and folders on your phone, and make backup copies whenever and whereever you want without having to connect your phone to a computer that runs PC Suite.

Need a quick way to back up your messages without having to hook up your phone to a computer to struggle with PC Suite?
Then hack your phone to get access to the c:\private folder. The built-in Symbian file browser won't get you there, but X-Plore or ActiveFile will.

Inside you'll find a folder with the user friendly (ahem) name "1000484b" which contains all the SMSs and mails from Symbian's built-in messaging app. Make a copy of the entire 1000484b folder and you have a backup of your messages.

No PC Suite needed, so Mac and Linux users can back up their messages too!

If you've told the messaging app to store your messages on your memory card instead of in your phone's built-in memory (not recommended, because it slows down the messaging application), you'll need to copy the 1000484b folder from e:\private.

Back up your calendar: yet another good reason to hack your Symbian phone

Phones that run Symbian S60 (Nokia) and Symbian UIQ (Sony Ericsson) are like Fort Knox: you can't even access the files and folders that contain your calendar entries on your phone, which means that the horrible piece of bloatware called PC Suite is the only way to back up your calendar. The draconian restrictions of Symbian are like not having the keys of your own house.

But Symbian has been hacked : ) With a few modifications you can access all files and folders on your phone, and make backup copies whenever and whereever you want without having to connect your phone to a computer that runs PC Suite.

Need a quick way to back up your calendar without having to hook up your phone to a computer to struggle with PC Suite?

Then hack your phone to get access to the c:\private folder. The built-in Symbian file browser won't get you there, but X-Plore or ActiveFile will.

Inside the folder with the user friendly (ahem) name "10003a5b" you'll find a file called "Calendar" which contains (yes, you guessed right) all your calendar entries!

Make a copy of c:\private\10003a5b\calendar and you have a backup of your calendar. Delete the file and you'll have lots of free time. Keep two different copies if you want a double agenda ;)
On some phones the calendar folder name is 1000395b.

No PC Suite needed, so Mac and Linux users can back up their calendar too!

If Symbian won't let you restore your calender backup (because the calendar file on your phone is in use), you can restore the backup with one of these tricks:

1) Tell Symbian to back up your phone memory to your memory card and send the backup program to the background. You can restore your calendar backup while Symbian's phone-to-memory-card application is running.

2) Rename c:\private\10003a5b to c:\private\10003a5ba (or any other name), delete the calendar file from the renamed folder, copy your calendar backup file into the renamed folder, rename the folder back to its orginal name (10003a5b), and restart your phone.
On some phones the calendar folder name is 1000395b.

Nokia Maps: new maps, nine new countries (Venezuela, Jordan, Philippines, South Korea, and more)

The Nokia Maps server has a fresh folder of maps, which includes maps for nine countries not covered by the previous versions of Nokia Maps.

The new countries are:
(Americas) Venezuela,
(Asia) Jordan, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam,
(Africa) Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland.

The new maps are only for the latest version of Nokia Maps, Nokia Maps 2.0. They might work with the beta test version, but I only tested them with the latest final release of Nokia Maps 2.0 from maps.nokia.com. So there's a good reason to update.

Nokia's Map Loader is still a piece of badly coded software, and it's stil not compatible with Linux or Mac. But you don't need Map Loader or the overhead of .net framework 3.0 that comes with it. You can still get your maps straight through your browser with the Nokia Map Loader Alternative, which doesn't require you to install anything on your computer.

• Download Nokia Maps from the official site
• Nokia Map Loader Alternative

Nokia tries to kill the Nokia Map Loader Alternative: no more maps for Linux and Mac users?

Nokia Map Loader doesn't work with Linux, doesn't work on Macs, doesn't work for anyone who doesn't want to install Microsofts .net framework...

Enter the Nokia Map Loader Alternative, a site that links to all maps on Nokia's own map server. No need to install anything on your computer, so it works when you're in a hotel, school, at work, or in an internet cafe, with any operating system you like.

But Nokia doesn't like alternatives. Bonny Cameau from Nokia asked the owner of moo.no (which kindly provides the easy to remember nokiamaps.moo.no address) to remove all links to the Nokia Map Loader Alternative. Without success, because the guy who runs moo.no is a Linux user himself.

Nokia also asked the company that hosts the site to kill it, which got the Nokia Map Loader Alternative site offline for an entire 15 minutes, but it seems the people at 110mb.com have more common sense than Nokia so the site is back online. And if they change their mind, there are thousands of other web hosts to choose from.

And that's how it should be. As nokiamaps.moo.no states in big bright bold letters: No files are hosted on this site. The links below point to the map files on Nokia's own server. Nokia configured their server to allow anyone to download their maps without using their map loader. And now they're kicking and screaming...

So if you don't want to use Nokia's Map Loader, you can still get your maps from the Nokia Map Loader Alternative at nokiamaps.moo.no and the new Nokia-proof location nokiamaps.site666.info.

Nokia Maps minor update: no changelog

The kinks seemed to be ironed out and the bugs appeared to be killed. Nokia Maps 2.0 has graduated from beta testing, and version 2 is way better than the previous edition.

But apparently there was still something left to fix, because Nokia released an update of Nokia Maps 2.0: the version number went up slightly to 2.0.2204. In typical Nokia style, there's no change log to inform us what's been fixed or changed or improved. There's a new movie on the Nokia Maps page, but that's just a standard "my map app is bigger than yours" commercial without any useful info.

So what's new? Improved stability? Less memory consumption? Faster zooming? Quicker startup? Better search? Or maybe the update is just a trick to close the free navigation loophole? Nobody knows yet, and Nokia is silent as a rock.

One thing that didn't change is Nokias Map Loader from hell. For Linux users, Mac owners, and everyone who can't or doesn't want to install Microsofts .net framework to get Map Loader running there's this Nokia Map Loader Alternative which doesn't require you to install anything on your computer.

• Download Nokia Maps from the official site
• Nokia Map Loader Alternative

Google Maps 2.1 for Symbian S60: zooms faster, talks with Nokia Maps and Route 66

Google Maps 2.1 is the latest version of a simple, free, easy to use navigation program.

New features include a simpler menu layout, faster zooming in and out, and Google Maps reads your landmarks and favorites from Nokia Maps and Route 66.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Google app if it didn't have a bunch of shortcomings.

There's no way to preload maps to your phone to reduce data charges. This makes Google Maps useless during international travel in WiFi-less areas where data traffic costs you a fortune. You can fix this by using Mobile GMaps instead of Google Maps, but that's a rather tedious procedure.

The interface could be better as well. You can't remove the annoying yellow help banner that occupies valuable screen space near the bottom of the maps. You can only select map view or hybrid satellite/map view. You can't get a satellite view without map overlay. Buildings and open spaces have the same grey color, so finding squares is unnecessarily difficult. You can't customise the shortcut keys either. And instead of voice navigation you get a written text with a series of instructions, and a line on the map with diamonds to mark junctions.

Google Maps also has an option to determine your location without GPS, based on the signals that your phone picks up from the cell phone towers. Unfortunately, this feature is so imprecise that's it's just about useless, if it works at all.

So why should you install this program? For two reasons:
1) It's hybrid map/satellite view beats the competition,
2) No other map app can match the search function of Google Maps.

• Google Maps official site (on the fly installer): www.google.com/gmm

Hack for unhackable Nokia phones: install ROMPatcher on new firmware

Of all the methods to toggle the broken Symbian restrictions on your phone on and off, ROMPatcher is the most versatile: it allows you to apply all sorts of customisations by dropping a simple file into the right folder, instead of having to edit system files by hand.

Unfortunately, Nokia's latest firmware updates prevented the installation of AppTRK on your phone, and this used to be necessary to transfer ROMPatcher from your computer to your phone.

But not anymore. A day or two ago our arsenal of Symbian hacking tools was extended by the HelloCarbide hack, which lets you open up Symbian just by running a .sisx file on your phone. No phone-to-computer connection through AppTRK required anymore.

We already had a simple method to install unsigned .sis packages, and now ROMPatcher itself is available as a .sisx file which works on just about any Symbian S60 v3 phone that has been set free with HelloCarbide.

• To mix HelloCarbide with ROMPatcher on your phone: symbianhack.site666.info

A new fring: Skype & VoIP and instant messaging with less bugs and more features

The world's most versatile all-in-one instant messenger, SIP (VoIP) client and Skype application for mobile phones is updated. Version 3.35 of the must have program fring sports better voice quality, a speakerphone, and file transfers from Yahoo and Skype in addition to all the features it already had. The new version is more stable, and there are some cosmetic improvements too.

Supported networks and protocols:

VoIP calls, chat, and file transfers: Skype
VoIP calls: SIP (on almost any VoIP network), fring
chat and file transfers: MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo!
chat: ICQ, AIM
other: Twitter

• www.fring.com
Update: fring is no longer a multi-network messenger. They kicked 'em all out, fring now only works on it's own fring network. My advice: don't use fring.