Symbian Review

Answering machine is among the most powerful features of the mobile phone. Having enhanced your device with answering machine, you will have more convenient and much more adjustable tool than a voice box of your mobile operator.
We’ve singled out two applications of such kind for the Symbian 3rd edition phones.
We’ve tried these applications in action, changed settings to find out their efficiency in everyday life.

The following applications were analyzed:

App name	Vendor	Price	Size, Kb
Voice Inbox	WebGate JSC	Buy $9.90	70
Answering Machine	Rock Your Mobile	Buy $11.95	510
Advanced Call Manager	WebGate JSC	Buy $19.99	145
PhonePilot	Mobisophy Technologies, Inc.	Buy $19.95	286

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When analyzing, we compared different aspects and application details, giving them the corresponding scores from 10 (the best) to 1 (the poorest). We analyzed:
• Installation
• Trial period
• Interface
• Settings
• Help and Support
• Application in action
• Special features

• Summary of the test results
• Conclusion

More about our scoring procedure you can read here.

The installation process of the applications was easy and caused no problems, that’s why for this criterion all applications are given the highest score.

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Trial period

Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition – trial version of the software is limited to 15 incoming calls. The full version of the software is unlocked by a license file that is provided upon purchase.

Score given: 6

Answering Machine – 15-days trial version.

Score given: 8

Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition – trial version is limited to 30 incoming calls. The full version of the software is unlocked by a license file provided upon purchase.

Score given: 7

PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New – trial version of the software is limited to 7 days.

Score given: 6

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Interface

Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition – when opening the application you can see just a white screen, and only clicking the left soft key Options of this screen you can perform actions. Taking this fact into consideration the application seems to have some defects and the interface could be better:

Score given: 3

Answering Machine – this application has the same interface and options as the Best Answering Machine for Series 60.2 application. The main screen contains two tabs:
• Answering machine
• Message player

Here you can see answering machine status:
• turned off
• waiting for a call
• incoming call
• playing greeting message
• recording message

In this view you can also see brief statistics for your messages, the number of unheard messages and an approximate number of messages that can be recorded (calculated as a ratio of free disk space to max. message size).

This view shows the list of messages. All unheard messages are shown in Bold font. Messages without message file are shown red.

Score given: 8

Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition – this application has a user friendly theme aware interface with a comprehensible menu. The main screen shows next list of buttons:
• Active Mode (allows to choose the general active mode of the mobile phone)
• Default Action (here user can define the default action for rejected incoming calls)
o Send busy tone
o Reply by SMS
o Mute the ringer
o Divert calls to…
o Answering machine
• Manage Lists (creating of new lists or editing, renaming and deleting of already existing lists)

• SMS Templates (here user can create SMS templates, which can be used for both default and custom “Reply by SMS” actions)
• Greetings (here user can record the greeting, which can be used for both default and custom “Answering machine” actions)
• Messages (for voice messages)
• Profiles (here user can save the current configuration profile, which can be used in “Locator” and/or “Scheduler”)
• Scheduler (here user can create a schedule for the profile configurations according to specified time)
• Locator (here user can localize the profile configurations according to specified locations defined by cell id)

The Blacklist option in the Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition application is loaded with options, including such features as automatic reply by SMS, voice messages recording and answering machine.

Score given: 9

PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New – this application has a user friendly theme aware interface and the main menu, which contains such list of buttons:

• Profiles (here user can save the current configuration profile, or create new)
• IVR Scenarios (creating of new, editing and deleting of already existing scenarios for IVR)
• Managing Lists (creating of new lists or editing, renaming and deleting of already existing lists)
• SMS Templates (here user can create SMS templates)

• Message Box (for voice messages)
• Scheduler (here user can create a schedule for the profile configurations according to specified time)
• Dialog Monitor (the screen where user can see date, time and name of any action done on the phone)

Score given: 7

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Settings

Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition – here you can configure your Answering Machine mode:

• Answering Machine – defines whether Answering Machine is active or not
• Answering Machine After – defines the delay of the answering machine in seconds
• Max. Msg. Duration – defines the maximum voice message duration in seconds

There is also a possibility to configure the Preferences of this application:

• Auto Run – activates or deactivates Voice Inbox auto run when the phone is starting
• Show Indicator – activates or deactivates the indicator icon on the status bar
• System Application – makes Voice Inbox a Symbian OS system application. This will ensure that it doesn’t get closed down by the Symbian OS low memory framework or by the backup framework

Score given: 7

Answering Machine – this application allows to set up next fields:

• Specify responses – this option represents a set of rules defining which greeting message will be played to which calls
You can set the following rules in this dialog:
o Default – this rule will be put into action if none of the active rules is used;
o Contact – you can set a separate rule for a specific contact;
o Group – a rule for a group of contacts;
o Phone – a rule for a phone number. You can use a mask for phone numbers.

• Disk for incoming – here you can choose the disk for incoming
• Pick up after – defines time (mm:ss) when the answering machine has to pick up the call

• Max duration – defines maximum time of the incoming message. After this time answering machine hangs up automatically
• Show indicator – here you can choose whether to show indicator or not
• Autostart
• Play volume

Score given: 9

Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition – in this application user can configure the following preferences:
General:

• Auto Run – allows the user to activate/deactivate Advanced Call Manager auto run, when the phone is starting
• Show Indicator – allows the user to activate/deactivate the indicator icon on the standby screen
• System Application – this will ensure that the application does not get closed by the Symbian OS low memory framework or by the backup framework
• Answ. Mach. After – sets how many seconds Answering machine has to wait before answering the call
• Max. Msg. Duration – sets the limit of the voice message duration in seconds
Lines:

• Voice line 1 – specifies that the application will take control of voice calls on line 1
• Voice line 2 – specifies that the application will take control of voice calls on line 2
• Data/Video line – specifies that the application will take control of data/3G video calls
• Fax line – specifies that the application will take control of fax calls

Score given: 9

PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New – this application allows to modify the following settings:

• Auto run (allows the user to activate/deactivate Interactive Voice Call Master auto run, when the phone is starting)
• Show indicator (allows the user to activate/deactivate the indicator icon on the standby screen)
• Run as system app. (if you configure application to run as system application, it won’t be closed by system framework when phone memory is running low or data backup is processing)

• Watch video calls (IVCM will handle video and data calls if you enable this)
• Watch Fax calls (IVCM will handle Fax calls if you enable this)
• Local record timeout (the maximum interval of recording a local sound clip. Local sound clip including “Greetings” and “Sorry prompts” of IVR scenario’s actions)

• No beep phone call recd. (to mute the periodic beeps when recording phone calls)
• Local play back volume (control play back volume of sound clips when being played back locally)
• Verbose dialog log (if you enable this option, IVCM will record all detail events to “Dialog Monitor” view. Otherwise, IVCM will only record basic events to “Dialog Monitor” view)

• Prmpt. for billable evnt. (let IVCM prompt you a confirmation dialog before an operation that will cause a charge to phone bill)
• Voice settings (these parameters affect the way that IVR respond to incoming callers)
o Auto answer delay (the interval from the beginning of ringing tone to the time of IVR picking up an incoming call
o Mute rngr. bfr. answer (whether mute the ringing tone before IVR picking up an incoming call)
o Voice response volume (control play back volume of sound clips when being played back to remote callers)
o Answering mach. time. The maximum duration of a voice message that incoming callers can leave
Score given: 10

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Help and Support

For users’ convenience application of any kind should contain the help file, not to mention the user manual, which should include detailed information about the application and its settings.

One more important factor is the efficiency of the support department. To check this, we sent an e-mail with just one question about the application on the mail stated as a support mail.
Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition – the application has the Help file and unlike the previous application this Help is available for separate app’s items; e-mail for customers’ support – support@webgate.bg.

Having waited for a week, we received no answer from the customers’ support. This fact won’t make users glad.

Score given: 5

Answering Machine – the application has no Help file; e-mail for customers’ support – support@rock-your-mobile.com .

The same situation as with the previous support department. No answer was received during the whole week.

Score given: 3

Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition – the application has the Help file, which is very comfortable, besides the Help file is available for separate app’s item, which means you don’t have to read everything to find the needed item; it has an e-mail (support@webgate.bg) to contact a developer in case of any questions or suggestions.

The support department of this application works efficiently. The answer to the question asked was comprehensible and quick in the course of one hour.

Score given: 10

PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New – the application has no Help file; e-mail for customers’ support – support@mobisophy.com .

It is very pleasant when the answer to the question is quick and comprehensible for understanding. 2 business days and the answer has been delivered. Nice!!!

Score given: 7

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Application in action

Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition – when “Answering Machine” is “On” and somebody calls, the application answers the call, plays your greeting and records a voice message.

A message will appear on the phone’s display with information about the new messages that have been received.

By selecting left soft key OK of this screen you can view detailed information about the messages. Here you can play or delete the voice messages.

New voice messages appear in yellow and old ones in grey. For any of the voice messages you can see when it was recorded and who the caller was:

The beep sound after the greeting record is over seems to be really annoying. This is a great drawback of the Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition application.

Score given: 8

Answering Machine – the principle of this app’s work is completely similar to the Best Answering Machine for Series 60.2 application. You can turn on and turn off the answering machine on the main screen. When the answering machine is turned on, you can see a small indicator in the right topmost corner of the screen, which is always-on-top. This indicator will be also visible in all applications when Answering Machine is minimized.

If the answering machine is answering an incoming call, a menu appears with following commands:
• Manual answer – if you choose this command, call recording or greeting message playing is stopped and you can talk with the caller
• Hang up – this command stops recording/playing and ends the call

Here you can see list of messages.

In this view you can play a message, call the person who has left the message immediately. When message is being played you may change its volume by joystick:

Note!!! Answering Machine by Rock Your Mobile doesn’t play greeting messages on some phones with new firmware.

Score given: 7

Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition – this application offers Voice Greetings service.

Here you can record a new voice greeting or play, rename and delete an existing voice greeting, which can be used for both default and custom “Answering Machine” action.
When opening this item for the first time you will see the following screen:

Left soft key Greetings of this screen contains the following list of buttons:

• Record new (records new voice greeting)
• Import sound clips (imports sound clips from your media library folders on the phone memory and MMC recorded using)
• Help
• Options

Having recorded at least one voice greeting this screen will have the following view:

In this case left soft key Greetings of this screen contains such buttons as:

• Record new (records new voice greeting)
• Play (plays an existing voice greeting)
• Rename (renames an existing voice greeting)
• Delete (deletes an existing voice greeting)
• Import sound clips (imports sound clips from your media library folders on the phone memory and MMC recorded using)
• Help
• Options

The process of Voice Greetings service usage in the Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition application is comfortable and comprehensible; the quality of greeting record is rather high.
The disadvantage of this application is that after the greeting record is over, user will hear the beep sound, which can very unpleasant for user’s ear.

Score given: 7

PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New – to adjust this application as an answering machine you have to select the Voice Response item on the main screen; having opened it for the first time you will see the next screen:

Generally this screen shows a list of voice responses.

Left soft key Options of this screen offers the following buttons:

• New voice response (create a new voice response)
• Edit voice response (edit the current voice response)
• Delete voice response (delete the current voice response)
• Rename voice response (rename the current voice response)
• Application

This is how the screen will look like after you have recorded at least one voice message:

In this case left soft key Options will contain the same buttons as at the beginning of this item usage.

What is really convenient is that this application offers the No beep phone call record option, so you can choose whether to activate or deactivate the beep sound. For now this is the only application offering such possibility on the market.

Score given: 10

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Special features

Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition – this application has no specific features to attract the user, but thanks to the simplified usability many users download it for everyday use.
Score given: 6

Answering Machine – this application doesn’t have many specific features, the only one is:
• Disk for incoming – disk for recording incoming messages

Score given: 6

Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition – this application has its specific features, what makes it different from the others, they are:
• The possibility to choose the Default action for the rejected calls
o Send busy tone
o Reply by SMS
o Mute the ringer
o Divert calls to
o Answering machine
• Locator (here you can localize your profile configurations according to specified locations defined by cell id)
• Data/Video line (specifies that the application will take control of data/3G video calls)
• Fax line (specifies that the application will take control of fax calls)
• Hidden callers (hidden callers are those whose numbers cannot be retrieved and displayed on your screen when you receive calls from them)

Score given: 10

PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New – this application has features, which can interest the user, they are:
• Message Box (shows all voice messages that incoming callers left and recorded conversations of both parties)
• No beep phonecall record (you can choose to mute periodic beeps when recording phone calls)
• Dialog Monitor (you can monitor all interactions between IVCM and incoming callers)
• Watch video calls (IVCM will handle video and data calls if you enable this)
• Watch Fax calls (IVCM will handle Fax calls if you enable this)
• Verbose dialog log (if you enable this option, IVCM will record all detail events to “Dialog Monitor” view)
• Prmpt. for billable evnt. (let IVCM prompt you a confirmation dialog before an operation that will cause a charge to phone bill)

Score given: 10

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Summary of the test results

Having analyzed all components and settings and given them the scores from 1 to 10, we have multiplied the scores by a corresponding importance factor in order to get the total score value of the application.

We have used the following Importance factor (IF) values:
• Installation: IF 2
• Trial period: IF 4
• Interface: IF 5
• Settings: IF 7
• Help and Support: IF 5
• Application in action: IF 10
• Special features: IF 8

The total possible score for an application would be 410 points.

Multiplying the score by Importance factors we have got the following table:

	PhonePilot(S60 3rd)-New	Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition	Answering Machine	Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition
Installation	20	20	20	20
Trial period	24	28	32	24
Interface	35	45	40	15
Settings	70	63	63	49
Application in action	100	70	70	80
Help/Support	35	50	15	25
Special features	80	80	48	48
Total	364	356	288	261

Test winner according to the overall application test is PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New.

Conclusion

The results of our analysis are obvious. PhonePilot (S60 3rd)-New application (judging from the scores) is the best, as offers those features and settings, which are in no other application, especially this is referred to the beep sound option.
Advanced Call Manager for Nokia S60 3rd Edition application is as good as the previous application. The main disadvantage is the repeated beep sound during the phone call recording, that is why it was scored not so well.
The remaining two applications are not so bright, but also almost two times cheaper – so you should consider also the price-services ratio before you buy.
Answering Machine by Rock Your Mobile is simple in using, but not very interesting. As in the previous application the beep sound is heard. And the support department ignores the customers’ mails.
And finally Voice Inbox for Nokia S60 3rd edition. The idea of the interface hasn’t been thought over to the end. It seems to be somehow incompleted. The application is simple in use, but this is not the main factor why users should download it.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 10:25 and is filed under Software Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.