wahlau's online hut

ever wonder how some cool guys show off their smartphone using their monitor/computer? yeah, not an emulator, but really remote-controlling their smartphone from a computer? i first saw that during my MobiLife time, when Johan showed Context Watcher in one of our meetings. So after some time, when we finally need to show something remotely from a series 60 phone, we need to find out one for ourselves too. So that is when the journey of software hunting started. Surprisingly, you don't find so many software that can do similar tasks. Usually you get like hundreds of flash software or planner like software, but not this type.

so i will now summarize the ones i have found after long long time of researching - re-searching that is :) if you are looking for similar features on a software, this is the place you will find them quickly with some feedback.

SysOpen Digia ImageExpo

ImageExpo: (left) in compact mode and (right) in full mode with keypad 

ImageExpo from SysOpen Digia is the first remote display software i saw. It works perfectly with USB and bluetooth, also via Internet (not really favourable, since many a times we are behind firewall). The only short-coming might be its price - single license costs 82Euro! I do notice fast display using USB cable, while bluetooth is ok (1 second delay sometimes). Overall, for the pricetag, there are cheaper alternatives, but stable software, yes. It has also widest support of devices - from series 60 2nd and 3rd edition to Symbian UIQ 2 and 3. Even Nokia Communicator (series 80) is supported. now my prof should be happy with this piece of software i think :)

oh ya, it is written in Java, so i do hope that it will work under linux one day :)

Mobileways's RemoteS60 

RemoteS60 in action

This is actually the first software we've bought long ago in the department to perform demonstration years ago. It was way cheaper than the ImageExpo - 25USD is its price tag. I think the short coming is the lack of Internet option of connection, but i can live without that connection option. Speed wise it is not much different from ImageExpo. Interface wise it is much simpler than other 2 alternatives. I do find its connection a little flaky as compared to other software.

personal comment: i will try other software if i ever need another one (we've got ImageExpo this round for a few more phones) simply because the company does not reply to our enquiries. We have personally called, left message at the mailbox and wrote emails - we have no replies to our enquiries. The company has also not shown any future plans and updates since 2005 - not really a positive sign in my humble opinion.

Rock-your-mobile's Smart Remote 

Smart Remote in action

This is to us a new comer - only got to know about it yesterday, and after using i feel the performance and features are quite good, somewhere in between the first two software. Only problem is - it is stated on the website that n70 will not work! i stubbornly went ahead and try - it works, for a while :) somehow when the phone is further from the adapter (say 25cm) signal started to drop. It seemed to take quite some cpu power too - the system tend to freeze a little... that is when i am using bluetooth. In cable mode it should be better. This software is also the cheapest - 15,95Euro! so if you are on a tight budget, why not?

the company is kind of new, and they have frequent updates on their website. Good thing to see that the software will be further developed and updated. I believe the issues like with bluetooth using n70 or speed will be resolved soon. So thumbs up for a company who strive to provide better software.

conclusion: i will still think as long as the software serve your purpose, you should pick one that works in your environment and suits your needs. Else i will say spend a little more (ahem ahem, a lot more) for the ImageExpo - you won't go wrong.

this post is not paid by anyone! :)