Free software download

With society pushing us to be online and available in our every waking moment, it is hardly surprising that there are a plethora of instant messaging programs available for PDAs and mobile phones. IM+ offers connection to a wide range of networks without becoming too bloated or over-complex. The first thing we noticed after installing IM+ was the simplicity of its user interface. As soon as the program opens, you can get to work configuring your accounts. IM+ lets you access the popular MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, AOL (AIM), Jabber and Google Talk networks, meaning that whoever you need to stay in touch with, IM+ will be able to help you out.

On Windows applications featuring such a range of connectivity, it’s normal to see a complex list of options when the configuration process starts. IM+ simplifies the process of setting up your accounts, and beyond message alerts, contains practically no options to configure. This may put off more advanced users who enjoy tinkering with their accounts but we thought it was a good move on the part of Shape Services (IM+’s creators). The only problem we noticed when setting up our account details was that the ‘backspace’ key on our device’s touch screen keyboard didn’t work. This is of course a small issue, but it slowed us down when we made a mistake.

The contact list display (or ‘Roster’) in IM+ should be immediately recognisable to anyone who’s used an instant messenger service before. Giving you the choice of whether to view all your contacts or just those online, IM+ also sorts your contacts by groups if requested. Selecting an online contact immediately initiates a chat with them, while the holding your stylus on the contact will provide some limited options referring to that contact, such as ‘rename’, ‘delete’ and ‘info’. We were disappointed that ‘info’ didn’t try to display a contact’s full profile rather than just their email address. We thought that a more full extract of the contact’s online profile would have been useful, at least including their birthday, homepage and interests.

Entering the text for sending messages was simple enough. As usual, we found the Transcriber feature to be the easiest and most accurate method of text entry, but this is very much a matter of personal preference for the individual user. IM+ also allows you to copy and paste text from other applications into your chat window; particularly useful if you’re using the program to collaborate on a work project, or even just to send your friend a link. IM+ also supports the most popular emoticons for instant messaging, for those times when words just can’t convey your feelings.

Up against some stiff competition, IM+ is an excellent chat program for your Pocket PC. While it has a couple of small issues and omissions, it is easy to use, relatively small and very stable. In other words, an excellent way of staying in contact even when you’ve got a good excuse not to!

Download IM+ (IMPlus) for Windows Mobile 5.65 in Softonic

Mobile phone users are – by definition – on the move and this explains the large number of applications geared towards helping travellers wherever they go. One of the most successful travel programs available for handheld computers is this free guide to the subway systems in over 300 cities worldwide.

Métro has a very basic interface which can be a little tricky to read if you haven’t taken a look at the user guide. Once used to the controls, though, the average user will have no further trouble with this program. Use it to plan journeys, guide you between subway and railway stations, or to help you find places of interest such as museums or government buildings.

For such a small application, it holds a surprising amount of details and with frequent updates, you don’t need to worry about out-of-date information.

Download Metro Series 60 (3rd Edition) 5.7.2 in Softonic

Smartphone users are often on the move and this explains the large number of applications geared towards helping travellers wherever they go. One of the most successful travel programs available for handheld computers is this free guide to the subway systems in over 300 cities worldwide.

Métro has a very basic interface which can be a little tricky to read if you haven’t taken a look at the user guide. Once used to the controls, though, the average user will have no further trouble with this program. Use it to plan journeys, guide you between subway and railway stations, or to help you find places of interest such as museums or government buildings.

For such a small application, it holds a surprising amount of details and with frequent updates, you don’t need to worry about out-of-date information.

Download Metro (Smartphone) 5.7.2 in Softonic

Cell phone users are often on the move and this explains the large number of applications geared towards helping travellers wherever they go. One of the most successful travel programs available for handheld computers is this free guide to the subway systems in over 300 cities worldwide.

Métro has a very basic interface which can be a little tricky to read if you haven’t read the user guide. Once used to the controls, though, the average user will have no further trouble with this program. Use it to plan journeys, guide you between subway and railway stations, or to help you find places of interest such as museums in the city.

With frequent updates meaning you don’t need to worry about out-of-date information, Métro provides an impressive degree of information for a small application.

Download Metro (S60) 5.7.2 in Softonic

Mobile phone users are often on the move and this explains the large number of applications geared towards helping travellers wherever they go. One of the most successful travel programs available for handheld computers is this free guide to the subway systems in over 300 cities worldwide.

Métro has a very basic interface which can be a little tricky to read if you haven’t read the user guide. Once used to the controls, though, the average user will have no further trouble with this program. Use it to plan journeys, guide you between subway and railway stations, or to help you find places of interest such as museums in the city.

With frequent updates meaning you don’t need to worry about out-of-date information, Métro provides an impressive degree of information for a small application.

Download Metro (UIQ) 5.7.2 in Softonic

Mobile phone users are often on the move and this explains the large number of applications geared towards helping travellers wherever they go. One of the most successful travel programs available for handheld computers is this free guide to the subway systems in over 300 cities worldwide.

Métro has a very basic interface which can be a little tricky to read if you haven’t read the user guide. Once used to the controls, though, the average user will have no further trouble with this program. Use it to plan journeys, guide you between subway and railway stations, or to help you find places of interest such as museums in the city.

With frequent updates meaning you don’t need to worry about out-of-date information, Métro provides an impressive degree of information for a small application.

Download Metro (S90) 5.7.2 in Softonic

Cell phone users are often on the move and this explains the large number of applications geared towards helping travellers wherever they go. One of the most successful travel programs available for handheld computers is this free guide to the subway systems in over 300 cities worldwide.

Métro has a very basic interface which can be a little tricky to read if you haven’t read the user guide. Once used to the controls, though, the average user will have no further trouble with this program. Use it to plan journeys, guide you between subway and railway stations, or to help you find places of interest such as museums in the city.

With frequent updates meaning you don’t need to worry about out-of-date information, Métro provides an impressive degree of information for a small application.

Download Metro (S80) 5.7.2 in Softonic

The PC game of Solitaire must surely be one of the biggest distractions of the 20th century, thanks to its addictive, pick-up-and-play gameplay. These days you don’t even need to be sat at a computer (or in front of a pack of cards) to enjoy the game, as Aces Solitaire proves.

The game grabs the classic solitaire game from the PC, along with 14 other variants, to help you ensure that you never get bored on the bus again. You get some real classics in here such as Spider, FreeCall, Golf and Pyramid, all of which are largely based on luck, but still require some degree of skill and observation in terms of where and when you play your cards.

One of my favourite things about Aces is the fact that it’s so customisable. To prevent you from ever getting bored, you can tweak things like the number of cards to draw, the number of free cells, timer options, and number of deals. What’s more, the gameboard itself can be personalised with a wide array of different backgrounds, animations, sound and vibration options.

If you’re a fan of stats then you’ll be pleased to here that game records are one of Aces Solitaire’s strong points, and the game stores lots of information on everything you do, to help you chart your progress.

I wasn’t sure about some of the backgrounds, but on the whole the game looks nice and will keepyou amused for some hours.

Download Aces Solitaire 1.10 in Softonic

Video chat is something that a few years back was only dreamed about in films such as Blade Runner or Total Recall. Now though, it’s a reality and the technology has become so advanced that it’s now possible to chat face-to-face on your mobile phone.

Mobiola WebCam turns your phone into a video camera for online chats. The software uses your mobile’s camera as a fully-fledged webcam for Windows. The app basically consists of two parts: the ‘client’ application on your phone, and a webcam server installed on your PC that processes the images sent from your camera.

The camera-to-PC communication all takes place via the magic of Bluetooth, meaning that images are processed pretty quickly, so there’s not too much lag when transmitting them to the web, though obviously the smoothness will still depend on the speed of your Net connection.

There are a number of options you can tinker with to enhance the quality of your moving images, such as contrast, image quality and compression rate, though there’s little in the way of fancy effects or anything to heighten the fun. Many of the Windows-based webcam programs out there do contain these special features, but the advantage of using your phone is that you can really harness the power of the very latest camera phone technology.

If you don’t have a webcam, or want a more versatile solution to your current cam, then Mobiola WebCam is an essential download.

Download Mobiola WebCam 3.0 in Softonic

If you’re a fan of Little Big Planet then you’re just going to love Trace, an iPhone game in which you literally design levels as you play.

The aim of Trace is to get from one side of the screen to the other without falling off or getting hit by a moving object. This makes it sound like your run-of-the-mill platform game – but it isn’t. That’s because the platforms don’t exist until you draw them by running your finger across the iPhone screen. You can draw as many lines as you need in order to help you get across, and there’s also an Erase button so you can start again if you make a mistake.

The character is controlled by clicking the left or right arrow buttons to move from side-to-side and hitting the triangle button to jump. Unfortunately, these are the only maneuvers available to your little stickman as there are no weapons, power-ups or special moves to speak of.

Graphically, Trace looks like a series of kid’s drawings, which in another game would be inexcusable but it’s kind-of the whole point of this one. The trippy, plinky plonk music is great too and it won’t take long before Trace starts to make you feel like you’ve eaten the wrong biscuits.

There are five different Worlds and more than 120 levels to complete in Trace, so you’ll be immersed in this bizarre technicolor world for quite some time.

Trace is without doubt one of the most innovative and captivating games on the iPhone at the moment.

Download Trace 1.1 in Softonic