We all know Symbian has the best the power management of the smartphone platforms, but that doesn't mean we should take it for granted! If you're a power user who likes to know everything about your device, then having some sort of battery monitor is a good idea. We've already seen Nokia's Battery Monitor, but there's an alternative in the shape of qooBattery.
Choice is never a bad thing and that's why we're glad to see another YouTube client for Symbian. FastTube is free of charge and provides Hi-Definition streams (where available) and downloads from YouTube to your Symbian device. Here we put FastTube under the microscope and see what else it offers and how it compares to the competition.
Something very different for AAS here - what we have here is custom firmware for a Nokia smartphone, in this case created by a Colombian enthusiast and aiming to bring old S60 5th Edition phones up as close to the modern Symbian experience as possible. That 'CFW Symbian Anna 7.9' (links and caveats below) ultimately still disappoints a 2012 phone user is 99% down to the limitations of the hardware of the time, mainly in terms of free RAM - but such improvements are still tremendously interesting, which is why it's receiving the review treatment here.
I've reviewed all the Proporta Turbochargers so far and the trend so far has been for bigger and bigger, higher and higher capacity. At the expense of the accessory getting larger as well, of course. And now we have a lovely slice of lateral thinking in this, the unique Turbocharger Pocket Power, no larger than a credit card and only slightly thicker, yet able to deliver at least half a charge into (or to power) your smartphone in an emergency. What a wonderful accessory, here's my illustrated review.
To be honest, I thought I'd seen the last of the big name game ports from other mobile platforms - yet Saving Private Sheep, a big hit on the iPhone and on Android, is now available for Symbian, (almost) immaculately converted and working impeccably. Its structure is almost identical to Angry Birds, it's just as physics-based and the addiction factor is just as high - but don't think that this is a rip-off title, once you get 'into' Saving Private Sheep, you'll find that there's greater variety and a higher degree of hand-eye coordination needed than in Angry Birds. Oh yes, and it's about sheep, not err..... birds!
If you're business minded, and you're the sort of gamer who likes resource management games like SIM City or Farm Frenzy, then you might like today's game, Little Big City. This spin on the city simulator genre tasks you with transforming a cosy back water into a bustling metropolis. With the inclusion of real-world micro-payments in exchange for more resources, does Little Big City have what it takes to part you from your money?
Keeping on with summer blockbuster tie-ins, we're looking at the game of Pixar's latest movie, Brave. The film is set in 10th Century Scotland and tells the tale of the teenage princess Merida, who is trying to win her freedom from the life that has been mapped out for her from before her birth. The game tie-in is a 2D sideways scrolling adventure that follows the events of the film – do you have what it takes to win your (or Merida's) freedom?
Calling all comic book fans – if your Spidey sense is tingling for a good old fashioned beat 'em up romp, then we might have a game for you. The Amazing Spiderman is the official game tie-in for the latest Spiderman reboot of the same name. Bucking the trend of modern 3D adventure games, as seen in Ultimate Spiderman: Total Mayhem HD, The Amazing Spiderman takes us back to the old days of consoles where arcane button sequences were used to access special combat moves and combinations. How well does it work on a 3.5" touchscreen phone?
The last time I formally reviewed a Zingmagic Backgammon game was five years ago, amazingly, an eternity in the mobile world. Since then we've had much higher resolution screens, touch interfaces, faster processors, and so on. The core game hasn't changed, of course, this being based on a board game that dates back thousands of years. Meaning that you probably already know how to play this - though how well you know is something that Backgammon Pro V aims to find out.
Even if you are not a member of Qype, it's likely that you'll have benefited from the European based service when searching the web for local customer reviews of shops, cafés, etc. With the mobile app, you can look up reviews of locations in your area, as well as checking in at, and reviewing, places you've just visited. Fortunately, Qype is available on all major mobile platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Symbian.
