Mobile Software

If your iPod is turning green with envy or blue with neglect from the incessant roar over Apple's iPhone (check our nerve center for the latest news, reviews, and apps), it may be time to revisit the programs that made you and your iPod inseparable until now.

Seth Rosenblatt's collection of best iPodware includes iGadget, the ultimate iPod data-syncing and management utility; MediaMonkey, a hit jukebox; and the Plato Video to iPod Converter, which makes your iPod video-ready.

Wedge in those headphones deep enough; crank up the volume loud enough, and you may never even hear all that … Read more

Not that we at Download Music have actually acquired an iPhone yet, but we have been nagging our friends of friends of Apple to score us a freebie. In the meantime, we've been digging through our free MP3 collection to figure out which tracks would, in the event one does land on our desk, get iPhone honors first. We put together playlists which feature a mix of our favorite up-and-coming and popular artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Jill Scott, Spoon, Daft Punk and many more. Stream now (while you work), then visit the artist pages to download … Read more

What's the best way to improve mobile browsing? Make it as flexible and powerful as desktop browsing, only lighter. Opera, the Norwegian rival to Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari, hopes to replicate the familiarity of the desktop experience with the latest version of its mobile browser, code-named Dimension. So far the response has been positive.… Read more

Steve Jobs's final "One Last Thing" announcement at the WWDC keynote today had to do with the iPhone. Instead of announcing a third-party developer kit like many thought he would, he encouraged the use of Web 2.0 and AJAX applications to be run entirely from the Safari browser (Which coincides nicely with the other announcement of a Windows version of Safari). Apple even demonstrated something called Apple Directory, a Safari Web application that lets you look up business contact cards. There's also a Google application that pulls up map and satellite imagery when a street … Read more

I do not take directions lightly, primarily because if I did, I'd never get anywhere. For the woefully orientation-challenged (and easily frustrated) like me, legible maps and accurate instructions are crucial. Even more so is being able to access them from a PDA or smart phone when you're lost.

Thankfully, there's a proliferation of reliable mapping and GPS-locating software for mobile handsets, but today I'll focus on one that contains both downloadable and Web-based (WAP) components.

Earthcomber Pros: Broad cross-platform support; numerous map services Cons: US content only; content partnerships somewhat limiting; possible carrier fee Download: Windows Mobile or Palm WAP address for BlackBerrys and smart phones: http://mobile.earthcomber.com… Read more

Aside from keeping you in touch with your colleagues and friends, your Windows Mobile device might also be your portable music player, personal calendar, gaming machine, and, of course, your mobile gateway to the Internet.

No matter how many uses you already have for your portable device, there's always more to discover. Become a master of mobile technology with this collection of downloads designed for Windows Mobile users on the go.… Read more

Editor's note: CallRec was tested on a Treo 650.

Pros: Records independently of app, tracks remaining storage, two recording input options, multiple ways to share Cons: No trigger hot key, two-second lapse with phone call recording

At a baseball game last summer, my friend recorded the incessant howls of a boisterous seatmate with his smart phone, replaying it in my ear with tinny imperfection. Too bad he didn't have a Palm device with CallRec tucked onto his memory card to forever capture the fan's clamorous "woo-woooos" with lifelike clarity.

CallRec is a midsize piece of commercial software (207KB on-phone storage; $30) that makes clear recordings of your notes-to-self and phone calls, and has enough options for tweaking the recording quality to cut out most background noise. The clean, understandable interface provides screen-touch buttons to start, stop, and replay recordings, though you can also initiate and end sessions by pressing the Treo's side button. CallRec names recordings with a time stamp, but it's easy to rename files, and to organize them by file name or duration. … Read more

Editor's note: This is Part Two of a two-part series on multinetwork IM clients. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about all-in-one desktop chatting.

All-in-one IM clients have much to offer the instant messaging butterfly. They organize your contacts from multiple networks while enabling customizations, plug-in support, and familiar emoticons. However, desktop chatting isn't always the best solution for the jet-set crowd.

Users who work off multiple computers and tire of downloading déjà vu could opt for browser-based chat, while the handheld-dependent might prefer a sturdy third-party IM client to replace a weak, nonnative browser or the single-network IM most compatible with their device (for instance, Pocket MSN for Windows Mobile users,).… Read more

SnagIt is great for taking screenshots of your PC, but why should stationary users have all the fun?

After all, handset screens may be smaller, but are they any less worthy of digital capture? If you're still using your digital camera to take said screenshots of your Windows Pocket PC or Smartphone, it's time you discovered Screen Capture, a free, friendly app you can load from your PC that takes stills of your mobile screen. Unlike other screenshot programs, you open Screen Capture before shooting your image and close it when you're through, jumping from the program … Read more