PowerGrasp makes and extracts zip, tar, and gz files

Most modern Symbian phones come with a built-in zip file manager, but what about other data compression formats?

PowerGrasp makes and extracts zip, tar, and gz archives.

The bad news: PowerGrasp comes as a mobile Java jar installer. Trying to access the file system (to read and make compressed files) makes our phone pop up a security warning for every file or folder you open. And because PowerGrasp is unsigned there's no way to tell your phone to stop throwing endless repetitive warnings at you. This makes PowerGrasp unusable on many Nokias.

The good news: you don't need PowerGrasp. Bluetooth File Transfer Lite can handle zip, tar, jar, nth, and thm archives, and you can switch off the security warnings for this program in Symbian's application manager. If you need to open (but not create) rar files, FreeUnRAR will do the job. MobileRar unpacks zip, rar, and 7z files, and file manager X-plore can extract zip, rar, and jar archives.

• PowerGrasp v2.53 (english translation) on Ziddu UPDATE: This link is dead. And so is Symbian.

Last free version of Bluetooth File Transfer Lite, new beta test version of Jbak TaskMan

Bluetooth File Transfer Lite

Bluetooth File Transfer Lite from Medieval Software is a file manager which can send and grab files over bluetooth, similar to an ftp client. In addition, Bluetooth File Transfer Lite can pack and extract files in the zip, tar, jar, nth, and thm compression formats.

Similar to Nokia phones without a pencil key (and in contrast to file managers like X-plore and ActiveFile) you can select and deselect files with the # key in Bluetooth File Transfer Lite.

The built-in text viewer doesn't know how to break lines so they fit on the screen without horizontal scrolling, but the built-in picture viewer has a very smooth zoom function. You can get out of the full screen picture mode by pressing the 1 or 0 key, which is not very clearly indicated in the program.

Bluetooth File Transfer Lite is written in mobile Java, so it takes some time to start on a Symbian phone. You also have to go to the application manager to allow Bluetooth File Transfer Lite to read and write data, or else your phone will pop up a blizzard of security warnings.

Bluetooth File Transfer Lite v.1.41 is free, but Medieval Software plans to ask money for future versions.

• Bluetooth File Transfer Lite from Medieval Software
• Bluetooth File Transfer Lite at GetJar
• Bluetooth File Transfer Lite v.1.41 at Mobile Castle



Jbak TaskMan

There's yet another test version of Jbak TaskMan. This program shows the running tasks on your phone, including hidden tasks that won't show up in Symbian's built-in task manager. Jbak TaskMan also displays memory status, disk usage, and detailed task info. When the program is running, long-pressing the menu button launches Jbak TaskMan instead of Symbian's built-in task manager.

The new test version fixes a few bugs, lets you set the font size in pixels, and the menus appear faster. And now Jbak TaskMan has a flashlight too. When you activate it, your screen turns bright white, but BrightLight and Light Control are better at turning your phone into a torch.

Jbak TaskMan v1.00 R16 is not available from Jbak's own site, but if you want to test it you can get it from Mobile Castle.

• Jbak TaskMan site (latest full version and some test versions)
• Jbak TaskMan v1.00 R16 (test version, unsigned) at Mobile Castle

Unpack .rar files on your phone with FreeUnRAR

Downloaded a .rar archive on your phone and looking for a way to open it? FreeUnRAR extracts it for you.

There's a strange bug in FreeUnRAR, but its effect is only cosmetic. All of the .rar files I fed into FreeUnRAR gave a "file not supported" error, but they were extracted anyway.

FreeUnRAR doesn't make .rar archives, it only unpacks them. There is no software to make .rar archives on your phone yet. New Nokia phones have a built-in zip extractor and creator. For older phones there are a couple of Symbian programs to make .zip files.

• FreeUnRAR v1.01 by junnikokuki

Update: junnikokuki's site was offline last time I checked. You can get FreeUnRAR v1.01 at Mobile Castle:
• FreeUnRAR v1.01 at Mobile Castle

FreeUnRAR alternatives:

• MobileRar unpacks .rar, .zip, and 7z (7ZIP) archives (russian, but the program and its website are so simple that it doesn't really matter).
• MobileRar site (english by Google translation).
• The Symbian file manager X-plore can unpack ZIP, RAR, and JAR files, and create ZIP archives.
• There's a ZIP plugin for Y-Browser.

MobileRar: unpack RAR, ZIP, and 7Z files on your phone

MobileRar is a mobile Java application to unpack ZIP, RAR, and 7Z (7ZIP) archives. It's in russian, but the program and its website are so simple that anyone can find the download links and use the program.

• MobileRar site (russian)
• MobileRar site (english by Google translation)

MobileRar alternatives:
• The Symbian file manager X-plore can unpack ZIP, RAR, and JAR files, and create ZIP archives.
• There's a ZIP plugin for Y-Browser.