YouTube players YouTube for mobile and Xenozu, YouTube video downloaders UTube and YourTube

YouTube and Xenozu

As usual, YouTube didn't release a change log for the latest version of YouTube for mobile. There are no apparent changes or additions, so it's probably just a bugfix update. You still can't log into your YouTube account (that means no adult movies), and erasing your search history and other private data still requires a trip to the help menu. On first launch it makes you choose your location from one of eleven countries, but it doesn't matter which one you pick from the list.

Google offers YouTube for Symbian as an on-the-fly installer, but you can download the program as a .sis file from Mobile Castle. This may help if you can't download the YouTube player because your IP address is not on Google's list of supported countries.

If you don't like YouTube's official player, you can use MobiTubia. You can also try the alternative YouTube player Xenozu, but it's not worth the trouble. Xenozu lets you bookmark videos, but its user interface is a mess. Before you can use it, you'll have to edit your phone's RealPlayer settings. The programmers of Xenozu also forgot to add an exit button, so you'll have to quit the program with the red hangup button. To annoy its users even more, Xenozu makes you agree to its terms and conditions every time you start the program. There's no "yes, and don't ask me again" option.

• YouTube (official site, on the fly installer, download only works with the default web browser of your phone)
• YouTube v2.2.9 on Mobile Castle (downloadable .sis file for everybody, works with all mobile and non-mobile web browsers)
• Xenozu v1.0.5 at Mobile Castle


YouTube downloaders YourTube and UTube

The official YouTube player won't let you download videos for offline viewing. That's where UTube and YourTube come to the rescue.

Mobile Java application UTube loads www.s60v2.110mb.com/tube.html into your mobile phone web browser. Through this site you can download YouTube videos to your phone, but you can't choose your own download folder. Videos are downloaded to the standard downloads folder of your phone. UTube doesn't have a built-in YouTube search function, and you have to type or copy/paste the full YouTube video URL into the UTube downloader. Since most Symbian browsers don't let you copy the URL of the current page to the clipboard, this means lots of typing or saving the page as a temporary bookmark to copy the URL. Instead of installing the program you could just as well save the UTube downloader site as a bookmark, since all the program does is launch your browser anyway. Unfortunately the utube pages on 110mb.com were down, so the program doesn't work at all. Maybe it will come back online later?

Mobile Java YouTube downloader YourTube lets you choose your own download folder from the settings screen, but like with most mobile Java programs this requires clicking yes to multiple security warnings. You can choose between three video formats (mp4, flv, and 3gp) and different quality settings as well. YourTube works a lot better than UTube, even though YourTube would be a better program if it would show more information on the search results screen.

• UTube v2.00 on Mobile Castle [use the new version instead, see below]
• links to the UTube pages on 110mb.com [use the new version instead, see below]
• YourTube

AUGUST 15, 2009 UPDATE: the old UTube is dead, but there's a new UTube video downloader.

Web browser jB5 freezes too often

Mobile phone web browser jB5 can connect you directly to the internet, or through a proxy server of your choice. Images can be shown at full size, fit to screen, or not at all. You can save pages for viewing offline, and jB5 can identify itself as Mozilla to force websites to deliver the full site instead of a mobile version.

You can store multiple connection settings profiles to quickly pick the best settings for your current connection method. Saving settings is slow and requires a trip to the options menu, or else your changes are lost when you leave the settings screen.

Unfortunately jB5 often freezes while it's loading pages, and scrolling is the opposite of smooth. Hopefully this will be fixed in future updates.

The jB5 website wants you to sign up before it lets you download the program, but BugMeNot usually has working login details for those who don't want to share their email address with jB5. The jB5 download page asks you to choose your phone model from a list that lacks modern Symbian phones, but you can pick any Symbian S60 3rd ed. phone from the list because they all use the same file anyway. Well, almost all... don't pick an ancient Nokia that runs Symbian S60 2nd ed. if you want to use your download on a 3rd edition phone.

• jB5
• jB5 login details on BugMeNot

MCleaner blocks and filters calls and messages

MCleaner lets you reject calls, SMSs, and MMSs. When people on your blacklist try to call you, you can send them a busy tone, mute the ringtone, reject the call with an SMS, or divert the call to any number you like. All blocks and filters can be scheduled, so you can block incoming calls when you're asleep or reject all calls from your boss outside business hours.

You can filter calls by blacklist and whitelist. MCleaner uses your Symbian phone book to make it easy to import contacts to the lists of allowed and forbidden callers.

A nice touch is the option to filter messages by keyword. You can blacklist all SMSs that contain the word "work" and whitelist all messages with the keyword "beer."

MCleaner is a chinese program, but Shashank1976 made an english translation. Small bug: the first entry in the basic settings screen escaped translation. Another tiny issue: when you uninstall MCleaner it leaves some configuration data behind in your system folder.

• MCleaner v2.01 (english version) on Mobile Castle

Change the look and feel of your phone: GDesk standby screen editor and ThemeEdit

GDesk

Personal standby screen builder GDesk you can put as many program shortcut icons on your mobile phone display as you can fit on it. The calendar plugin can customise the look and feel of the calendar box on your home screen, and the clock plugin offers way more time and date display options than Symbian's own standby screen. With so many features you'd almost forgive GDesk for its high memory consumption and lack of bluetooth, internet, and operator indicators.

GDesk v0.33g is signed with a new certificate. Until the new certificate expires you don't need to play with the date settings of your phone to install it. The new GDesk version also has a few Symbian S60 5th ed. fixes, so it works better on touchscreen Nokias like the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

• GDesk v0.33g on MobileCastle

• Official GDesk site
• GDesk 0.33 all-in-one pack (recommended for first time users)


ThemeEdit

ThemeEdit lets you overhaul themes on your phone. Change the color, edit .mif and .mbm files, give your theme a new name, and remove themes that don't appear in the application manager.

ThemeEdit requires Python with extra modules, and your phone needs to be hacked and capability checking must be switched off.

• ThemeEdit v1.00 english version at MobileCastle
• ThemeEdit v1.00 discussion at Symbian Freak