Get There Faster With AppQLaunch!

Let's face it: the Symbian OS, despite all the major overhauls that it has received over the years, is still horribly laggy. Sure, that might not be the case for newer phones (fingers crossed), but the bulk of S60 phones released by Nokia in the past few years all bear this striking resemblance.

For instance, how many times have you wished to run an app that's not present on the Active Standby (or Today Screen) instantly, only to find yourself pressing the Menu button and staring at the phone screen as the feeble processor quietly churns to process your request?

The harsh reality is that this has been the case for so many years now. Fairly recent phones like the N73, N80, N93 etc all go down on their knees (albeit for a few seconds only) whenever you try to open folders from the Menu. Sad as it is, I'd like to think of it as a plague that is endemic to Symbian OS phones. Anyway, here are some other noteworthy observations on my part:

Arbitrary Observations

• One of the areas where Nokia needs to work on is incorporating more items in the Active Standby screen. The current arrangement of 6 or 7 apps is insufficient and sets a limit that tends to be very annoying, as the user constantly needs to assess the best possible combination of favourite applications for him or herself by weighing the practicality of one against another. Bumping that to 12 apps (or two lines worth of apps) doesn't sound like a bad choice.



• The Menu app needs some serious tweaking and memory optimization as no one likes to wait for an eternity while opening folders and the like. Currently, delays of upto 3 or 4 seconds aren't uncommon, even on the flagship Nseries devices.



• Another area that has been sadly neglected for so long now has to be Menu organization. The current setup is very, very clunky and antiquated. I still can't imagine why someone would want a whole plethora of diversified apps, from Bluetooth to Themes to Profiles to the File Manager, all in one place?!! Check the Tools folder if you don't believe me. There really needs to be a logical arranegment of items. Period.

Anyway, that's enough pitiful lamenting on my part.

Presenting AppQLaunch

Moving on, one of the greatest attributes of S60 phones has to be the profound flexibility that the Symbian OS offers. Don't like the way the lethargic menu behaves? Why, simply create something that does the job better. And that, folks, is precisely what Yohanes Nugroho has done for the Symbian community.

AppQLaunch has to be one of the most revolutionary apps of its time. Although it aims to be a simple complement for the Menu app, but it does way more than that. Infact, I have become so dependent on it that it has actually replaced my usage of the Menu altogether. It functions in an extraordinarily simple way. Once installed, all that needs to be done on the user's part is to type the first few letters of the name of the app that is to be run.

Wish to use Bluetooth? Using AppQLaunch, just type in "b" and immediately you'll be presented with a list of apps that start with the letter. I've found that running apps in this way is typically much faster than the painful navigation offered by the Menu.



All in all, a great app. I'd recommend you to install it to Phone Memory. It's very small indeed, weighing in at about 17KB and can safely be run in the background at all times. Furthermore, be sure to set it to function as one of your softkeys -- the Right Softkey is set to respond faster than the Left Softkey by default, so you can set it that way. To make the relevant changes, simply go to Tools > Settings > Standby Mode. Tap "Right Selection Key" and set it to AppQLaunch.



Now, whenever you're in a hurry, remember that you'll always get there faster with AppQLaunch. Talk about a cheesy closing line, heh.

To download it for your S60 3rd edition device, click here to visit the author's site for the free download or get it directly from The Series 60 Weblog by clicking here.

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Speed Up Your Phone Camera

One of the more common problems associated with newer multi-megapixel phones from Nokia is the frustrating time delay that's always encountered while turning the camera on. A slight comparison with modern digital cameras immediately puts the coveted Nseries to shame. For instance, it takes the Nokia N73 a good 3-4 seconds to get to the Viewfinder to snap a picture...enough to get your subject distracted with something else. Performance takes an even bigger hit if you're starting from Sleep mode and delays of upto 10 seconds are fairly common.

Relatively newer Nokia phones, especially ones with a mechanical shutter and an autofocus lens (N73, N95 etc), are the most affected in this regard. You must've observed how the screen orientation lazily changes from Portrait to Landscape as soon as you slide open the lens cover to get the camera ready.

However, here's an amazing tip that'll really help speed things up while using your phone camera, making it much snappier than ever before.

The trick is to get the phone in Landscape mode before you're about to use your camera.

Apart from being less taxing for the processor, there also won't be any significant delay between switching screen orientations and the camera will be ready for action in no time! The results speak for themselves. Notice how fast the phone response is when you start the camera from standby/sleep in Landscape mode.



Changing screen orientations isn't much of an issue too, especially with freeware apps like the excellent RotateMe v1.21, available here for the N73 and N80. Once you start RotateMe, simply tap 'Rotate' from Options to switch to Landscape mode (and vice versa).

Another advantage is the fact that Landscape mode isn't a hassle and is quite useable, although initially you'll feel otherwise due to the awkward position you'll be holding your phone in. Furthermore, it's compatible with a plethora of apps and you could, for instance, use it with the excellent free Sega Genesis Emulator, Picodrive, to play a quick game or two of Street Fighter II Turbo or get a much better view of the www while browsing the internet...the possibilities are endless :)

So, next time you're at a party, be sure to have your phone in Landscape mode before you start snapping away!

Screenshots:







UPDATE: If you wish to download RotateMe v1.21, you may do so here. Please note that you must get this app signed prior to using it.

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