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I never wrote a review of SBSH PhoneWeaver - someone did, probably Shaun, but it wasn't me. I did buy it as a result, however, and have watched it grow through a number of forms as new functions are added, seemingly every month or so.

At its core, PhW is a 'Phone Profile Manager' allowing automatic switching of different phone functions based on user-defined profiles. Switching can occur either manually or automatically based on time, calendar or connection events. It can switch your phone on and off as well as Bluetooth and WiFi, and it can also enable or disable your push email if you're lucky/cursed enough to have it. On top of this is volume and backlight control as well as the selection of default ringtones and other system sounds. Overall, it's quite a versatile little application.

The first few versions of PhoneWeaver concentrated on consolidating on this functionality to the point where it appears almost seamless. Given the number of different devices with different backlight mechanisms etc, that's no mean feat in itself. Having got that working so well, however, PhW is now taking ownership of a few new functions.

Firstly came the facility to run a specific application on a profile change along with other miscellaneous items like the ability to specify a specific screen orientation. Thus, in the car, you can now switch on the phone, Bluetooth radio, adjust both the backlight and volume at the same time as running up TomTom and switching to landscape to display it. All with two screen taps.

After that came the facility to specify a default internet or cellular connection for a profile. In my use, this allows for GPRS to be effectively disabled when I'm at home and relying on WiFi for connectivity. If you have the need, this would also permit single tap switching between home and work network connections.

Profile icons have now also appeared, allowing ease of identity of the active profile. As well as this, a number of display and access options are now also available. I still use the original Today screen plugin on my WM6 device but a System Tray option has now appeared which makes good use of the profile icons as an effective mode indicator.

One of the most recent additions to this application is a set of counters: email, SMS, missed calls and voicemails (if your network supports this). A simple enough function in itself, this isn't something I'd buy an application to provide but as an add-on to something I already own, I'm quite happy to use it. Personally I use PocketBreeze to count email and SMS, but missed calls or voicemail now belong firmly with PhoneWeaver.

The changes aren't 'Oh wow, amazing' in either scope or implementation, but as is the habit of SBSH, they are building on a very solid foundation and adding features that are generally useful. This isn't a piece of software I shout about from the rooftops, but when I contemplate what it's presence on may machine actually gives to me, I realise just how much I depend on it for my daily phone routine.

PhoneWeaver deserves to be another quiet SBSH success

Bling is a word that has recently arrived in popular culture to define the need to wear your wealth on the outside. Big gold chains, expensive clothes (with labels on the outside) and an over the top car could be classed as ‘bling’. Many people, including me, sneer at bling but some love it and this may explain why some of the following phones cost so much.

The Nokia 8800 Arte Sapphire retails for £1,044.95, yet has the specification of a £300 phone. The 3.2MP camera, 3G, 1GB of memory and OLED display are all very nice but you would need to be seriously loaded, or headed for financial oblivion to buy one.

"The Nokia 8800 Arte Sapphire, a harmony of sensual and sensory experience. With a stunning 3.2 mega-pixel camera, 1GB of on board memory and a brilliant 2" OLED display, encapsulated by solid metal & glass body flanked by soft natural leather."

The RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition is by all accounts an average phone with a 2MP camera, no 3G and EDGE support, so why does it cost £474.95? Part of the reason is the 18k gold plating on the keys and hinge plus the diamond cut sidebad. It really does look truly dreadful, but each to their own.

"OTORAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition. A stunning blend of elegance and high-performance features that brings the revolutionary RAZR2 form to the pinnacle of ultra-premium cool. With lavish 18k gold plated accents, engraved details and a black snakeskin pattern, this exclusive edition RAZR™ is sharper than ever."

The Goldvish 'Le Million' is in a whole new league as fr as expensive mobile phones go. With a price tag of, are you sitting down?, $1,000,000 it is in many ways a remarkable piece of work. It is a one of a kind and includes 120 carats worth of VVS-1 grade diamonds. Goldvish also makes more reasonably priced phones, but that depends on your definition of reasonable because one of it's phones will still set you back a few thousand dollars. Chance are that it will also still look dreadful as well, as most overly expensive items do...

The Sony Ericsson Black Diamond was originally meant to be released in 2007, and in a limited quantity of only 5 models. The price was stated at (cough) $300,000, buit it never came to the mainstream market as a cheaper variant. The design is stunning, so maybe it wasn't 'bling' enough for the people who could afford it.

I am tempted to include the iPhone, but couldn't cope with the forum argument that would follow: The iPhone to me is a 'bling' phone, and as much as I like it I wouldn't want to use a phone that everyone else is using. That may sound daft, but after many years of being the 'odd one out' phone wise I want to keep it that way...

News will be light on Monday, because of the Easter holiday. Everybody needs a break now and again, even us!

Whatever you are doing this Easter, have a great time and we will see you back here on Tuesday...

Speereo™ Voice Contact is a new solution for organizing your Contact List. It features easy voice navigation and detailed records on every person you need with the touch of your unique emotions in each voice comment.

Program offers high accuracy of voice recognition in any surrounding. Anyone may successfully use the program, without spelling difficulties - no matter what the user accent is, without any misunderstandings typical for human beings.

With unlimited voice comment additions to any contact detail you can be sure, that you will remember every person out of those dozens of contacts acquired at the exhibition or other event. The program gives outstanding advantage to get you ready with your own insider information on the contact and gives you time to get prepared for the conversation. For example, Bill Smith, CEO at Q LLC will be much easier to talk with after you listen to your own comment like “Looks solid, has 2 kids, 10 & 14, audiophile, likes baseball, under strong influence of Mr. Geendi, should be invited to one on one conversation, IMPORTANT. I shouldn’t talk to him about my cooperation with F-Technologies - someone from his staff took off from this company.”

Voice entry is easy. After you make any entry by voice the program will automatically take you to the next field and ask you to record other available information on the contact skipping unnecessary fields – this cuts your time on looking at the screen. The information may be entered and stored in voice and text format at the same time, for example you can type in the street address and in the voice comment for the same field you can voice record driving directions.

The program offers looking up the contact on basic criterias. Voice dialing feature is a useful opportunity to get in immediate touch with a person.
15-day Trial is available for evaluation purposes. The program is compatible with all Windows Mobile devices.

Free download from: http://www.personal-secretary.com/download.

Gavin has recommended WkTASK which looks pretty impressive, to say the least- "WkTASK shares features of both Task Manager and Program Launcher for Windows Mobile. You can switch all running programs smoothly like desktop Windows, and launch applications easily. Not only stylus operation but also key operation is available. Although the look & feel closely matches the theme color and make the 3D gradation, its CPU and memory usage are low."

Features

Task-list
Using the upper bar, you can watch, switch, close and force termination running programs.

To exclude a task from the list, tap&hold it and select 'Hide'.

X button
Using the X button, you can use some actions as follows:

Tap: really close
Tap&Hold: show context menu
Drag: some gestures (To show a program launcher, drag toward down. To show Today, drag toward left.)

Program Launcher
Using key or tap, You can launch some applications, functions and contacts(phone call or e-mail).

Key operation
To shift the Key operation mode, double-execute WkTask.exe or WkTaskCmd.exe(recommended because of smaller size). Some start options are available too.

Brightness/Volume controller
You can control them in real time with key or tap.

Battery Gauge
The battery gauge shows up on the upper bar.

Other functions
rotation, suspend, reboot, network connection, etc.

Preferences
To customize, it has a great deal of parameters. Enjoy yourself!

The mobile phone High Tech Computer (HTC) has been developing to run on the Android software from Google will be called "Dream," have a large touchscreen and full QWERTY keypad, a person close to the situation said Thursday.
 
HTC may become the first handset maker in the world to put out a mobile phone developed around Android, but it faces stiff competition from Samsung, a separate source said. Samsung has stepped up its effort to put out a Google phone, the person said.

HTC's Google handset is just over 5-inches long and 3-inches wide, with a keypad underneath the screen that either slides out or swivels out. The aim of the keypad is for easy e-mail, note-taking and writing Web addresses.

Internet navigational controls are situated below the screen on the handset. More at Yahoo.

Today's free eBook is Safeguard by Nancy Kress- "In the beginning, Li remembered, there had been big faceless people, white as cartoons. These memories were quick and slippery, like dreams. The other children didn’t have them at all. Since that time, there had been only the real cartoons, the world, and Taney.

He had realized a long time ago that Taney was a person inside a white cartoon covering, and that he himself was a person inside the world, another covering. The world must also have an outside because when Taney left after each visit, she couldn’t have stayed for days in the space behind the leaving door. The space was too small, not even room to lie down to sleep. And what would she eat or drink in there until she came back? And where did she get the fried cakes and other things she brought them?

“There’s another door, isn’t there, Taney?” he said yet again as the five of them sat around the feeder in the Grove. The feeder had just brought up bowls of food, but no one except Sudie was eating them because Taney had brought a lot of fried cakes in a white bag. Sudie, always greedy, had eaten three fried cakes and half a bowl of stew and now slumped happily against a palm tree, her naked belly round and her lips greasy. Jana sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, her thin arms clasped around her legs. Kim stared at nothing.

Li repeated, “Another door. You go out of the world through another door, don’t you?”"