One of the much vaunted features of Nokia’s Series 60 range of phones is the capability of personalising your handset with custom themes. Just as we’re now encouraged to ‘skin’ desktop applications such as WinAmp media player, so Nokia want us to develop a more personal attachment to our phones by choosing or even creating our own themes. Series 60 Theme Editor is Nokia’s own free tool for creating complete theme packages.

Theme Editor’s installation includes some atypical steps, so it’s important that you don’t rush through the installation. The most problematic step is selecting default editors for bitmaps, vectors and sound files. No guidance is given for this step, and no default editing programs were found on my test system. Without any assistance from the manual, this proved to be a major stumbling block in getting the program to function at all. I’d therefore recommend installing Adobe PhotoShop for Windows prior to attempting to install Theme Editor, as the install program should detect PhotoShop as a default bitmap and vector editor.

At the end of the installation, I was prompted to restart the computer now, or wait and do it myself later. I chose to wait, but the installer immediately started trying to close my computer down. I managed to stop it, but this was an annoying reminder of why you’re always warned to close all other applications before an installation: things can go wrong.

Once up and running, Theme Editor doesn’t really improve much. After a few minutes tinkering with the program’s interface, it becomes clear that this is not an application aimed at users with a basic to intermediate skill level. Creating themes is a time consuming, fiddly and perplexing chore – as is trying to find help in the program’s manual. This is a shame, because Theme Editor is graphically well designed and looks like it could be used to produce some stunning results, if only it weren’t aimed at developers only.

In all, Nokia Series 60 Theme Editor is a disappointingly complex tool really aimed only at developers.

Download Series 60 Theme Studio Carbide.ui 3.2.1 in Softonic

The Sony Ericsson PC Suite consists of:

Sony Ericsson File Manager

Allows you to browse the contents of the mobile device file system and exchange multimedia files between the mobile device and the PC

Sony Ericsson Image Editor

Allows you to crop, zoom and rotate images, and adjust colour, contrast and brightness settings for many PC image file formats. You can then send the resulting image directly to your phone using any of the following connections: Cable, Infrared or Bluetooth

Sony Ericsson MMS Home Studio

Allows you to create MMS templates in a PC environment. You can then download the templates directly to your phone using any of the following connections: Cable, Infrared or Bluetooth

Sony Ericsson Sync Station

Program for synchronising your Microsoft Outlook™ calendar and contacts with your phone

Sony Ericsson Mobile Networking Wizard

Connect to the internet using your phone

- All in all, the perfect solution for connecting your phone with your computer.

Download Sony Ericsson PC Suite 2.0.60 in Softonic

If you sometimes wished you could give your mobile's screen a bit of a face-lift then rotateMe might be able to offer some help. OK so it's not the sexiest piece of software out there. It literally rotates your display 90 degrees. But it does what it says it does and for many applications a horizontal look can drastically improve the service. For example with maps and route planners.

Once loaded rotateMe operates at the click of a button, well two buttons. Just press 'edit' and 'call' together to flip 90 degrees and press them together again to return to a more upright position. However, be warned many applications won't allow you to flip them sideways which really defeats the purpose of rotateMe and proves rather annoying. There is a tutorial available through the website but because the step-by-step manual takes so long you might be better off just having a play.

Download rotateMe 2.0 in Softonic

I'm a big fan of Nokia Series 40 phones, but the one problem I have with them is that they all look very similar.

If you fancy customizing your phone to stand out from the crowd a bit, you could install a theme for your device. However, those who really dare to be different choose to create their own themes and the Series 40 Theme Studio allows you to do just that.

The Windows-based application - an official Nokia software package - lets you change virtually every part of your display, from the folder icons to the battery indicator. You can tweak colors, change fonts and add custom pictures to set your phone apart from the rest.

The user interface is split into two halves - the left containing a menu of all the things you can change, and the right a live preview window displaying the current state of the theme. The degree you can customize your device really is limited only by your imagination. Actually, it's also limited by your patience because the user interface in the Series 40 Theme Studio isn't very user friendly. The menus are cluttered and poorly-labeled and this program is crying out for drag-and-drop functionality.

If you have the persistence to master the cumbersome interface, you should be able to pull off some cool designs though.

Download Series 40 Theme Studio 2.2 in Softonic

Over the last couple of years, manufacturers and networks have been putting more and more pressure on consumers to use their phones for more than just calls and SMS. Perhaps a natural result of this drive is that phone manufacturers have also been producing proprietary applications for viewing and manipulating multimedia files received or created on your phone.

Multimedia Player is the snappily titled offering from mobile phone top-dog, Nokia. Billed as a “powerful application” for viewing, playing and managing content sent to your phone or from a phone to your computer, Nokia Multimedia Player sets out to be a one-stop-shop for all your mobile multimedia needs. Unfortunately, it’s a badly designed and poorly executed product which has never really been up to the standard of mainstream audio and video players.

After installing Multimedia Player (and suffering the inexplicable Windows restart which always accompanies a Nokia program installation), we were disappointed with an ugly, glitchy and clunky program interface. Nokia have created custom window decorations for the program, and sadly they’re of a very low standard. Compared with other media players (iTunes, RealPlayer and even Windows Media Player), Nokia’s design is remarkably poor. Its ugly, ‘jaggy’ elements are a real let down from the company responsible for designing some classic mobile phones.

When it comes to functions, there are some basics for media players which a software developer has to get right. Fast-forward scanning while watching a video file is one feature which most users would demand from a video player. Nokia Multimedia Player does include this feature but it doesn’t work on videos created with Nokia phones, surely the key media which the player would be aimed at. Interestingly, Apple’s iTunes supports these videos and allows the user to scan through a video while it’s playing.

The quality of video and audio playback in Nokia Multimedia Player is also disappointing. Comparing the playback of several video files with other media players, we noticed significant degradation in the quality of the video as well as a flat, dull sound quality. Some file formats we tested the program with wouldn’t even open, despite Multimedia Player claiming that they were supported. The only format we found which Nokia Multimedia Player supports better than other programs is the MMS multimedia message format used between to send pictures and short videos between phones or from a phone to a computer. This feature is particularly useful if you’ve received lots of MMS messages and want to archive them on your computer.

To be fair to Nokia, this program is several years old now and at best, it's a very basic application for viewing multimedia messages you’ve received on your phone or computer. For the most part, however, it’s an ugly, ungainly and dysfunctional waste of disk space. Instead of this program, why not use Apple iTunes which is capable of handling practically all of the formats which Multimedia player claims to support.

Download Nokia Multimedia Player 1.1 in Softonic

The trackball is one of the things I like best about the Blackberry phone. The pearly white glow is very stylish but it can get a little boring when you're looking at it every day. There are hacks you can perform on your device to change it's colour but these are generally a little fiddly and not recommended for the uninitiated. ColorPearl is an excellent alternative, allowing you to alter the colour of the Blackberry Pearl trackball in just a few steps.

The application nestles in the Options menu of the Blackberry OS, from where you can simply choose 'ColorPearl' before selecting a colour from the list. The process is really that simple, although I would've liked maybe a few more different colours to choose from,but I guess you can't have everything.

If you're a tweak freak and want to give your Blackberry a bit of a personal touch, ColorPearl makes for a nice gimmick.

Download ColorPearl in Softonic

If you’re looking to convert video files so that they can be viewed on your Nokia mobile phone, you might well think that Nokia’s own conversion program would be the best solution. It’s one of the most downloaded programs on Softonic’s Phones platform – but is Nokia Multimedia Converter really any good?

Most users will find that their first problem with Nokia Multimedia Converter occurs before they try re-sampling any video files. Those familiar with Nokia applications will also be familiar with their impossibly complicated installation processes which require usernames, passwords, emails and reboots before you get anywhere near the actual program. Multimedia Converter upholds this brave Nokia tradition with tenacity. Every step is explained fairly well but the entire process remains a nuisance. The best advice we can offer is that you ensure you complete the free registration process at Forum Nokia before installing this program. It’s important to note that you’ll also need an Internet connection to complete the setup process.

Once installed, registered and rebooted you can at last start up Multimedia Converter to have a look at the amazing features Nokia seem to want to protect so carefully. At first sight, the program is pretty underwhelming. A simple interface offers you all the options the converter is equipped with in one small window. On opening our usual test video, we started to explore the different conversion types available. It soon became pretty obvious that Nokia multimedia Converter is designed to convert video files to just one format: QCIF. This format supports a maximum frame rate of 15fps, a maximum bit rate of 128kbps and miserably poor audio quality.

Quite why Multimedia Converter doesn’t support a wider range of output types is never really made clear. Sure, you can reduce the frame rate, reduce the bit rate, set a maximum file size and so on but the truth is that no one is ever going to want to watch video on a mobile handset at 0.5fps. Similarly, the audio encoding element of the program supports only the disastrously poor AMR format meaning that if you’re trying to encode video with audio using this program, you’re in for a big disappointment. Unless you’re converting from a basic MPEG movie, you can expect serious problems with sound quality including speed-reduction, loss of sync and audible glitches. We’ve had much better results with other converters and frankly, this is sub-standard.

All in all, this is a basic, free tool which does what Nokia says it’s meant to do and nothing more. It doesn’t do it very well, but it does it. With several better solutions on the market, this is another example of why Nokia is known for its high-quality handset and OS design and not for its consumer applications. Nokia Multimedia Converter is best avoided unless you’re looking for a program which is only capable of producing unwatchable video without a useful soundtrack.

Download Nokia MultiMedia Converter 2.0 in Softonic

After his countless outings on Nintendo consoles down the years, the world's most famous plumber now comes to your mobile phone.

Super Mario Planet is not strictly a copy of a previous version but rather an official reworking of the game for Java-enabled phones. Your quest, as ever, is to guide the moustached hero through a series of colorful levels, avoiding the various beasties and critters along the way. As you progress you can pick up power-ups to make you bigger, invincible, more powerful, etc. You can even hop aboard Mario's pet Yoshi if you find a green egg.

If you've never played before, don't worry because Super Mario Planet comes with a helpful animated tutorial to start you going. From there you begin your quest through several weird and wonderful levels, choosing from two difficulty settings. Super Mario Planet's controls are easy enough to pick up and basically rely on the directional pad or number keys on your mobile phone.

Super Mario Planet is cutesy and colorful, and the standard of the graphics is similar to the SNES version of the game. The menu ditties are pleasant enough, although for some reason there was no in-game sound when I tested the game.

It's perhaps not as polished in terms of its presentation as the official releases, but Super Mario Planet is still a great mobile platformer.

Download Super Mario Planet in Softonic

Sony Ericsson Themes Creator is a recommendable tool if you are the owner of a mobile device from the phones manufacturer.

The application allows you to customize everything in your Sony Ericsson mobile phone, from standby, to the app launcher, menu and calendar. Thanks to the tabbed interface you can quickly move between the different sections. The right side of the program shows the current theme and the left one is where you can make the changes, from selecting a new image to changing text.

We were a little disappointed to find out that you can only upload GIF files, however the program does allow you to change sounds like the alert for new emails, messages or calendar events.

Once you are happy with your changes, press preview to take a look at all the different screens with the changes. It's then just a case of updating the new theme to your Sony Ericsson phone.

I quite liked how you pick your Sony Ericsson model from a list of thumbnail images, unfortunately it doesn't seem the program allows you to update the device list, so you might not find the most recent models.

If you own a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, you'll enjoy this app, which lets you create your own theme.

Download Sony Ericsson Themes Creator for Windows 3.29 in Softonic

P2KTools Mod allows you to synchronize data from your P2K Motorola Phone to your PC. We have to admit that we were a bit confused by this application when we first came across it, and the fact that it is only in Spanish was partly reason for that.

After a bit of tinkering with it, we managed to understand the different things you can do with P2KTools Mod. Once you’ve connected your Motorola phone to your PC and opened up the program, you’ll be able to access a number of customizing options. We liked the little preview window, handy when creating your own theme and checking it out before setting it on your phone. You can also check your contacts and events stored on your phone and edit them on your PC from the P2KTools Mod.

A large part of the program is also dedicated to configuring and editing your SIM card. You can create a backup copy on your PC, setting bit rate or converting from UCS to ASCI and vice versa. The program also lets you set menu elements like IM, messaging and the use of Java in your Motorola phone.

P2KTools Mod is an interesting application that caters to users who enjoy modding their own phones. However, the fact that it only works with Motorola models and is only in Spanish will limit the number of users it can appeal to.

Download P2KTools Mod 0.5.14 in Softonic

Nokia Maps promises to be the mobile solution to navigating around the world and with free maps for 150 countries they could be right. In terms of content Nokia Maps has a lot to get excited about. Of course it provides a comprehensive routefinder facility whether you want to get from street-to-street, city-to-city, or country-to-country. But more than that, with Nokia Maps you can locate 15 million tourist spots meaning when you're in a new city the software will give you directions from wherever you are, telling you exactly how far you need to travel.

You can share these with friends and update and personalise your maps. It will work with GPS if your phone supports it. All you need to do to use the software is upload a city map onto your mobile and select what you want to search for eg hotels or restaurants. Then follow the route. One problem is that if want to create more detailed guides or add extras such as a voice-operated navigation guide you will need to pay. And it may even cost you to transfer free maps depending on your service provider, so do check. Nokia Maps is a very good starter package though.

Download Nokia Maps 1.0 in Softonic

If you're longing to get an iPhone but can't quite justify the cost at the moment, then fear not because this excellent theme will at least help you pretend you've got one.

Although, of course, it doesn't add the functionality of the Apple device to your phone, it does provide a remarkably accurate copy of the iPhone's user interface. So, you get the sliding dashboard, a set of gorgeous icons, and stylish gray info bars set on a black background that makes everything else show up very clearly.

Provided you have a Java-enabled mobile you can install this iPhone theme on your handset.

While it looks great, ultimately, you're only kidding yourself!

Download iphone Theme in Softonic

Portable video is fast becoming the most popular secondary use for Windows Mobile Smartphones, so making sure you have the right media player is now a priority for many handheld device owners. The Core Pocket Media Player is an open-source video and audio player compatible with all the most popular codecs and multimedia file types.

TCPMP is easy to use, very stable and loaded with a variety of features. The program’s main screen is reminiscent of similar programs on your desktop computer, with options to change aspect ratio, zoom and volume as well as more advanced controls such as video speed (10% - 200%), video driver, audio preamp and more.

One issue with playing video files on Windows Mobile Smartphones, irrespective of which program you use to play them, is that there will be some lag or jumps from time to time. While some of the top end Pocket PCs now have processors and system memory that should be able to cope with playing quality video, the fact remains that the majority of devices, while technically capable of playing video, are not really designed for that purpose. Compare the playback quality on your Smartphone with a purpose built portable media player and you’ll see the difference. TCPMP’s settings are therefore an essential feature of the program, allowing you to play around with different levels of quality and performance to help you guarantee the best possible multimedia experience.

In all, The Core Pocket Media Player is a free, open source multimedia player which I’d recommend to anyone who wants to watch video on their Windows Mobile Smartphone. That said, if portable video is your heart’s desire, it would definitely be worth investing in a device built specifically for video playback which will provide much better overall quality.

Download TCPMP (BetaPlayer) 0.72 RC1 in Softonic

The Sony Ericsson PC Suite version 3.1.1 includes the following applications:

Sync Station allows you to synchronise content such as contacts, calendar, tasks, notes and e-mails between your mobile phone and applications on your computer.

Backup and Restore allows you to backup the information in your mobile phone to your computer. If you have lost information in your mobile phone, you can easily restore a saved backup, stored on your computer, onto your mobile phone.

File Manager allows you to copy both individual files and entire folders between your mobile phone and your computer.

Install Software allows you to download and install software on your mobile phone.

Download Language allows you to download languages to your mobile phone.

Phone Connection Monitor allows you to check the current communication status and provides shortcuts to some of the software applications in the PC Suite. The Phone Connection Monitor is installed in the Startup folder during the PC Suite installation and will henceforth be started every time that the computer is started.

Dial-Up Networking Wizard will guide you through the creation of GPRS or HSCSD dial-up connections for your personal computer to connect to the Internet or to a corporate network.

The Mobile Phone Monitor Control Panel applet allows you to view and update mobile phones connected to your computer, COM ports on your computer and SIM cards recognized by your computer.

Download Sony Ericsson PC Suite 2.0.60 in Softonic

The dream of being able to watch the latest movies on the bus has now become a reality thanks to advancements in mobile technology. As you probably know, DivX is one of the most popular digital video formats at the moment and, as the name suggests, DivX Player for Windows Mobile 5 lets you enjoy these movies wherever you go, on your Smartphone.

The program lets you watch DivX, AVI or MPEG movies in the player window or in full-screen mode. Control elements such as Play, Pause, Stop, Fast Forward and Rewind, as well as the volume can be controlled easily via buttons or the stylus. The app can automatically scan your internal memory or expansion cards for compatible films.

DivX Player is great for organising your media, sorting files by name, file size, duration, and date last seen. There are plenty of settings too, letting you tweak stuff like the brightness, contrast, colour saturation and allows you to play around with the soundtracks.

The software proved very reliable in our tests and represents a great way to transform your Windows Mobile Smartphone into a portable cinema.

Download DivX Player Mobile 0.90 (SP) in Softonic

Combining directions, maps, and satellite imagery, Google Maps is a free download that lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across the country — right from your phone.

Detailed directions

Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions.

Integrated search results

Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.

Easily movable maps

Interactive, draggable maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually.

Satellite imagery

Get a bird's eye view of your desired location.

Real-time traffic

See where the congestion is, and estimate delays in over 30 major US metropolitan areas.

Download Google Maps for mobile 2.3.1 in Softonic

For many people YouTube has eclipsed traditional broadcast outlets as their main form of visual entertainment. It's easy to see why, as the range of clips on the site is simply staggering.

It's now possible to enjoy the treats on offer from the site on your mobile phone. There are plenty of apps to choose from that help you get the best from YouTube, and emTube is one of the best of them.

The free program allows you to access, browse or download the wide range of videos available on Youtube directly from your Symbian phone. The software boasts a smart user interface from where you can easily launch searches, preview results in miniature, play videos in streaming mode, download them to your handset and handle the standard player controls (Play, Pause, Rewind etc.)

emTube is pretty customisable too, and you can enable/disable automatic playback, define the maximum number of results displayed, and specify the size of the cache. Another nice feature is a rotation tool for viewing in portrait or landscape mode.

The inclusion of a video format converter would've given this app top marks, but as it stands, it's still a super slick solution for accessing YouTube content on the hop.

Download emTube 1.0 in Softonic

Keep in touch with all your yahoo needs with the latest version of Yahoo! Go. The all-in-one app hosts everything from news, chat, sport, maps and local information. It all comes in a sleek new scroll bar and perhaps best of all will keep track of all the data you want to know about. So if you have some shares you hope to see accelerating on the stock market, Yahoo! Go will watch them for you.

Similarly with news and sport. If you want the news from the BBC, Yahoo! Go will allow you to add BBC News to your Yahoo! Go news widget. Plus the software stays in sync with your email account so you don't lose all those contacts and email addresses if you misplace your mobile. It's a comprehensive new package from the Yahoo team which should fit all needs and sizes.

Yahoo! Go packs a raft of web content into one easy to use program. Recommended.

Download Yahoo! Go 3.0.19 in Softonic

One of the problems of using your mobile phone for day-to-day tasks has always been that the screen size is very small, and the fact is, that will always remain the case. However, there are ways that you can access your mobile on the big screen by hooking it up to your PC.

MyPhoneExplorer provides you with a complete suite for controlling and managing your cellphone from your home computer. Connection is established very quickly, and the package detects the device either via USB cable, Bluetooth or Infrared.

Once you've synched, you can pretty much access everything on your PC. Perhaps one of the main uses for it is to co-ordinate your contacts. This is made very simple through MyPhoneExplorer and you simply need to click the 'Phone' or 'SIM' option under the 'Contacts' tab. Likewsie, the app gives you direct sync to Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes and Thunderbird.

The interface is very clearly laid out and displays all the information from you phone in a format that's much easier to read than on the device itself. For instance, you can access and manage your organizer, alarms, messages and phone settings, viewing everything in large format. What's more, because it has its own caching system, the transfer of files from phone to PC, and vice versa, it very quick indeed.

In terms of its presentation and performance MyPhoneExplorer can't be faulted. In fact, the only niggily thing about the program for me is the fact that it installs an eBay toolbar in your browser by default (it's easy to skip this step though).

If you use a Sony Ericsson phone and need to sync it with your PC, MyPhoneExplorer presents probably the best platform for doing so.

Download MyPhoneExplorer 1.7.0 in Softonic

Autolock is a simple utility which allows you to automatically lock the keypad on your mobile phone. The application's features include:

• Automatic start-up when the phone is turned on
• Setup tool to change inactivity time
• It's running completely at the background
• It's free!

Add a little security to your phone's daily operation.

Download AutoLock 1.1 in Softonic