Locify maps with extras, Google Maps with new looks

Locify

Locify is an open source mobile Java map program. Maps come from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and OpenStreetMaps, and include aerial and satellite images.

The latest version of Locify can also read locally stored maps, but the process to add maps is quite complicated. Locify would improve a lot if downloading maps for local storage would be made easier. The easiest way to preload maps to your phone is through GoogleMaps 2 Trekbuddy.

Navigation with Locify is useless in its present state of development, but location based Wikipedia search, events, weather info, and pictures from Panoramio make Locify useful anyway.

If the Locify download page says the program won't work on your phone model, try it anyway. If you have a fairly recent phone model Locify will probably work, even if the Locify download page says no.

• Locify
• GoogleMaps 2 Trekbuddy (the easiest way to preload maps to your memory card)


Google Maps

Google Maps for Symbian comes with maps, satellite and aerial images, and street view. My house is on their street view pictures too. It can also calculate your location from your network details with pretty good precision, so Google Maps can be useful as a "poor man's GPS."

Google Maps still doesn't have voice navigation. Navigation is text only, so it's useless (and dangerous) when you drive. How many people already crashed their cars while reading Google's directions on their tiny phone screens?

The latest version of Google Maps comes with a few cosmetic user interface changes. If you press the central navigation button you'll get a menu that lets you choose directions, street view, search for nearby places, and save the current location to your list of favourites.

• Google Maps (on the fly installer, only works from your phone's built-in web browser)

Last.fm player Mobbler: gatecrash the beta test

Mobbler plays last.fm radio stations on mobile phones. It also scrobbles tracks from Symbian's built-in music player to last.fm to help you find similar types of music.

Mobbler v0.4.0 is in closed beta testing, open by invitation only. But Mobile Castle made it available for everyone, so you can try it yourself.

The new Mobbler comes with a built-in sleep timer and it can display your last.fm friends, playlist, and shoutbox.

• Mobbler v0.4.0 beta at Mobile Castle (available for everybody)
• official Mobbler site (v0.4.0 beta only available for invitees)
• last.fm

• fring can play last.fm radio too

YouTube for Symbian updated

YouTube for Symbian is a simple YouTube player. It doesn't have all the features of YouTube in a web browser on your computer, but you can watch YouTube videos on your phone with it. YouTube for Symbian is a lot faster than mobile Java YouTube applications.

The new version of YouTube for Symbian didn't come with a changelog and I couldn't find any new features, so I guess the new stuff is all under the hood.

YouTube for Symbian is not for everybody, but there are ways around that. When you install YouTube it asks you to pick your location from a list of only 5 countries, but that doesn't matter. Just pick any country you like and the program will work. And if you can't downoad the latest YouTube for Symbian version from the official YouTube site, you can get it from Mobile Castle.

Tip: you can erase your search history and other private data, but that option is hidden in the help menu.

• m.youtube.com (on the fly installer)
• YouTube 2.0.4 on Mobile Castle (downloadable installer)

• if you want more than just YouTube, try vtap

Silent camera: no hacking required with CenRep101F8809

If your phone won't let you switch off its annoying camera shutter sound, there are a couple of different methods to make your camera quiet anyway. Unfortunately they all require that you hack your phone first.

But there's a camera silencing method that works without hacking. CenRep101F8809 has been floating around on different mobile phone forums for a while, and it works on phones that have the file 101F8809.txt in the folder c:\private\10202be9 on your phone's internal memory.

The CenRep101F8809 method works on the Nokia 6110 Navigator, 6120 Classic, N73, N81, N82, N95, N95 8GB, E51, E66, and E71.

It won't work on newer phones like the N78, N79, or N85, because they use a different camera program. To switch off the camera sound on these phones you need to hack Symbian first and then use this ROMPatcher patch.

If the CenRep101F8809 method should work on your phone but doesn't, disable the warning tones in your silent profile and restart your phone. Now the camera sound should not sound in silent mode.

CenRep101F8809 needs to signed before you can install it, but it does not require a "strong" certificate. Any certificate will do, and you can even use Open Signed Online.

• CenRep101F8809
• CenRep101F8809 direct download (leonapapa.i.googlepages.com/CenRep101F8809.sis)

• check the camera sound label for other methods to silence your camera