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 3.1.1 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 two 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

As handheld devices become faster and more powerful, portable video is starting to look pretty good. Most Pocket PCs, Palm PDAs and plenty of mobile phones are now capable of playing movie files but due to format and storage restrictions, video clips need to be converted before they’re transferred to your chosen device.

This is where SmartMovie comes in. This popular and handy application includes all the tools you might need to have that music video, film or home-movie playing on your handheld device in a couple of minutes. Videos might well need to be re-formatted and/or cropped, as well as having their quality and display size reduced to save on space. SmartMovie can perform all of these tasks with ease, and without too much trouble on your part.

We found that in terms of its basic functions, SmartMovie works admirably well. Despite an unattractive and cluttered user-interface, opening and working with video files ran pretty smoothly. Until, that is, we tried to open movies made with Apple’s .mov extension.

A problem with video codecs meant that we couldn’t work with .mov files until we downloaded some 3rd party software from websites we weren’t familiar with. Clearly, there are a range of copyright issues which may prevent Lonely Cat Games from bundling codecs with their software. SmartMovie was helpful in advising us to download new codecs as well as providing a link to the download page for various codec packs. Once we’d installed a couple of these packs, the .mov files opened without any bother.

Another small issue we observed was short sound glitches each time we opened a video file. While not a serious problem, errors like this give users a bad impression of the software which is, in SmartMovie’s case, undeserved. This program’s range of features and options for resizing and cropping movies as well as altering their frequency and bit-rate is impressive, if a little daunting. The well implemented ‘context help’ feature proved to be a really useful feature in itself, simply explaining the functions of each tool.

SmartMovie, for its general success in shrinking and chopping your movie files, ranks well among its competitors in the video conversion market. But its ugly design and small annoyances let it down somewhat, meaning that though we’ll probably continue using this program, we’ll definitely be keeping our eyes open for a decent (and ideally free) competitor.

Download SmartMovie 3.41 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

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

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

One of the key personalization aspects of a mobile device is the possibility for the user to change the "look and feel" of the content in the phone. This includes ring tones, background images/wallpaper, themes, etc. This is your way to create personalised themes for Sony Ericsson mobile phones. Includes support for the latest W550, W600, W900 and J200 series.

Add some color to your cellphone with this official theme creator.

Download Sony Ericsson Themes Creator for Windows 3.19 in Softonic

CubiX MP3 Player is the ultimate choice for any music fan! You get a high quality MP3 player which lets you create your own playlist, displays amazing 3D visualizations, provides a 10-Band Graphical Equalizer, skinning and much more! Get the demo version and check it out!

Cubix MP3 Player main features:

• Two fully functional modes: graphics and text
• Three amazing 3D visualizations
• Skinning - you get 4 superb skins with the program
• Top quality stereo MP3 playback
• Equalizer: 10-band and graphical
• Plays music also in flip-closed mode
• Resumes playback after incoming/outgoing calls, stops playback while there is an incoming call
• Play / pause / change volume with the jog dial
• Additional keys for Motorola users
• Displays song title, track number, information on the file, etc
• Fully customizable playlist
• You can change font colors
• Repeat function: song / playlist
• And more...!

All in all, Cubix have produced a powerful and user firendly MP3 player with all the functions you'd expect in a Windows program, on your Series 60 cellphone.

Download CubiX MP3 Player 3.02 (S60) in Softonic

Easy to use, efficient and attractive: all three terms accurately describe PowerMP3, an excellent MP3 player that alows you to turn your Series 60 cellphone into a powerful and portable multimedia player.

Support for the MP3 and OGG formats, playlists, high resolution skins, and including a handy ten band graphic equalizer with presets, graphical spectrum analysis, volume control, balance, and much more make PowerMP3 a poweful option for playing music on your cellphone.

Key features of PowerMP3 include:

• Play music in MP3 and OGG audio file formats
• Create custom Playlists to organize your music
• High quality skins
• 10-Band Graphical Equalizer with lots of presets (for MP3 only)
• Graphical Spectrum analyzer
• Change Volume with jog dial
• Adjust the Balance while song playing
• Play music both in Flip Open and Flip Close mode
• Background Playback
• PowerMP3 resumes playback after incoming or outgoing calls
• Set the playing position with Time Slider and Fast rewinding

Play music on your Series 60 cellphone.

Download PowerMP3 (S60) 1.01 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

Differentiate your Motorola V3 from the rest with V3 Pack Theme. This pack of themes means you can personalise the appearance of your Motorola to your liking.

It includes six subjects based around computer software, video games and electronic art. You can also decompress the files directly to your phone without needing a PC for extra convenience.

Make your phone stand out from the rest.

Download Motorola V3 Pack 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

Mobile phones are becoming more and more sophisticated and complex. They are no longer inferior to PDAs in functionality. Malware for smartphones is now evolving, and seems likely to become a growing threat as smartphones gain popularity. There are currently around 40 viruses, worms, and Trojans that have been detected on smartphones in many European countries and the USA.

In June 2004, Kaspersky Lab was the first antivirus vendor to detect and remove malware on Symbian and Windows CE mobile platforms. Today the company continues to be at the forefront in mobile user protection from malicious code. Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile uses fewer system resources compared to other solutions available on the market. This leads to quicker processing of commands and allows users to install more applications.

Additional features:

• Support for memory card installations
• Display information on databases (date, size and number of entries)
• Detailed logs (error codes, infected file paths, update types, etc.)
• An intermediate monitor mode (incoming messages only)
• Option to display monitor-on icon on top of system applications
• "Virus detected" sound added
• Progress bar shows scanning progress

Download Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile 6.0.72 (S60 2nd) in Softonic

Video playback and recording capability is fast becoming a top concern for mobile phone buyers. pvAuthor is designed to take video files on your computer and convert them to a size, resolution and bit-rate suitable for playback on your phone.

When running it for the first time, pvAuthor presents you with a fairly complicated configuration interface. Its four tabs (Input, Clip Info, Encoding and Output) used what we felt was pretty technical language for a first time user. After selecting the input file, the program became unresponsive for a few seconds. This also happens when switching between tabs in the configuration interface. While this only lasted about three or four seconds, it was a little unnerving and caused noticeable jumps in a separate audio player program we were running at the same time. pvAuthor is a program apparently best used on its own, so as not to cause instability in your other apps.

The next important setting you’ll need to choose is the desired screen size of your finished product. Naturally, you’ll want to choose one that’s as close to your phone’s screen as possible. This option, however, is pretty difficult to find. It’s located under ‘Encoding’. On this tab, a series of sub-tabs appears at the bottom of the screen, and preferred output video size is located on the ‘Codec’ sub-tab. Quite why this important setting is hidden away in such an odd place, we couldn’t fathom. This and other strange and confusing factors made the whole user interface feel like the advanced settings for some much simpler program.

Settings for your preferred handset can be saved as profiles, which will take the hard work out of converting videos next time you come around to use the program. Individual movies’ settings can also be saved in sessions, though we felt that this feature was somewhat obsolete for most users who will probably only seek to convert each video file once.

In terms of video quality, pvAuthor performs admirably. The video it generated after we chose settings for a Nokia 6230i played well on that handset, and videos for phones with larger screens and more memory were likewise of a generally high quality. No doubt, we could have tweaked some settings in the labyrinthine configuration dialog, but pvAuthor’s default settings seem perfectly adequate for cutting down on file-size but not sacrificing video quality. We were slightly disappointed by the lack of support for various file-types; pvAuthor only claims to support MPEG and AVI files, but the AVI movies we tried to open were rejected. Support for other video types (such as the increasingly popular MOV format) would be a welcome addition to pvAuthor.

pvAuthor is useful tool for users who are aiming to convert MPEG movies or videos to fit the screens (and memory cards) of their mobile phones. The video quality it produces is of high quality but the program is somewhat let down by the complexity of its configuration dialog and lack of support for popular video formats.

Download pvAuthor 3.3.1 in Softonic

S40 3rd Theme pack is a free pack of themes to personalise your mobile phone from the mobile9 group.

The pack contains 12 themes on subjects ranging from travel and film to cartoons, brands and minimalist designs. For fastest access, just download them to your phone, unzip and you're away!

Download S40 3rd Theme Pack in Softonic

Mobile phones are becoming more and more sophisticated and complex. They are no longer inferior to PDAs in functionality. Malware for smartphones is now evolving, and seems likely to become a growing threat as smartphones gain popularity. There are currently around 40 viruses, worms, and Trojans that have been detected on smartphones in many European countries and the USA.

In June 2004, Kaspersky Lab was the first antivirus vendor to detect and remove malware on Symbian and Windows CE mobile platforms. Today the company continues to be at the forefront in mobile user protection from malicious code. Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile uses fewer system resources compared to other solutions available on the market. This leads to quicker processing of commands and allows users to install more applications.

Additional features:

• Support for memory card installations
• Display information on databases (date, size and number of entries)
• Detailed logs (error codes, infected file paths, update types, etc.)
• An intermediate monitor mode (incoming messages only)
• Option to display monitor-on icon on top of system applications
• "Virus detected" sound added
• Progress bar shows scanning progress

Download Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile 6.0.72 (S601st) in Softonic

The first viruses have emerged for mobile phones and it is possible to create malicious code that makes the phone unusable. A virus can cause false billing, unwanted disclosure of stored information, and deleted, corrupted, modified or stolen user data. Protection against harmful content is required on every smartphone.

The Solution

The easiest and the most efficient way to get the required protection is a wireless antivirus service, which allows automated distribution of the antivirus software and updates directly to the mobile device over a wireless connection.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus is the most comprehensive solution in the market for protecting mobile devices against harmful content, from undesired messages to malfunctioning applications. It provides real-time on-device protection with automatic over-the-air antivirus updates through a patented SMS update mechanism or HTTPS connections.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus™ is designed to be as easy to use as possible. To prevent infection, all files are automatically intercepted and scanned when they are saved, copied, downloaded, synchronized or otherwise modified. There is no need for user intervention. It scans automatically also all files on memory cards. When an infected file is detected, it is immediately quarantined in order to protect all other data in the system.

Download F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus (S60 3rd) 4.0 in Softonic

Turbo MSN by INT Technology is an MSN client, supporting Nokia N70/N90. It provides full emoticon support, complete contact management, unlimited chat sessions and conference.

The main features in Turbo MSN are:

• Contacts management: add/remove/block/unblock contact, add/remove group
• Complete emoticon support
• Presence status support
• Sound alert for incoming messages and online events (option to turn it off)
• File Transfer (send/receive photos, music, documents, etc. to/from your contacts instantly)
• Support unlimited chat sessions
• Instant message with two or more persons
• Save chat history to file
• Send SMS/MMS/EMail
• View contacts in the group view or by online/offline status
• Set nicknames for the contacts, make it easier to recognize your buddies regardless of their changing display names

Download Turbo MSN 1.0 (N70/N90) in Softonic

vNes is a NES emulator for mobiles. It lets you play Nintendo 8-bits games on your mobile. You can put games from thousands of roms in your pocket, play them anytime and anywhere, with the memories and joys of old time.

Features of vNes include:

• Thousands of roms supported and downloadable
• Hue, Tint, Black&White adjustable
• Customizable controls. Provide automatic key AA/BB , and TRIGGER KEY that can let shoot key down without press shoot key all the time
• Low memory usage. It only needs enough memory for rom and display data. If the rom has 40K and display area is 128x128, it needs about 100K memory
• Very small jar size. You only need save memory for roms
• Adjustable game speed
• Each rom with 10 save/load slots. Provide save/load key. You can use one touch to save/load states

Play classic Nintendo games on your cellphone with vNes!

Download vNes 1.61 in Softonic