In my continuing quest to make my Treo 800w more like Palm os, I started looking to find replacements for Lightwav (ringtone and profile manager) and DialByPhoto. I was excited to discover PhotoContactsPro from PocketX Software, which looked like it could replace both Lightwav and DialByPhoto.
Speed dial
While it seems to fit the bill as far as replacing Lightwav, it is a poor replacement for DialByPhoto. On my Treo 700p and Centro, I used DialByPhoto as my phone screen, and my speed dial photos showed up in 3 rows taking up most of the screen. I was able to organize them in any order I wanted, with the most frequently called contacts on the first row, and only having to scroll to the next page for less frequently called friends. PhotoContactsPro, unfortunately, doesn't give you many options for arrangement.
If I want to use PCP in the Today screen where it is convenient for speed dials, I am limited to a contact ribbon. That means one row, and I can get that by using the built in speed dial function to set my favorites as photos rather than buttons. In a way, I prefer the built in, because it allows you to scroll left and right: PCP only allows you to scroll to the right in a loop. That somewhat defeats the purpose of SPEED dialing. It winds up slowing me down as my two most frequently called numbers are at opposite ends of the alphabet, whether I set the order to First,Last or Last,First, so I always have to then scroll half way through my "speed dial" contacts to get to the other one.
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With DBP on my Centro, I just tapped the contact to initiate the phone call. Or if I wanted, I could tap/hold for an alternate phone number, or with the focus on that contact tap a hot key to start an sms. With PCP, I have two options to choose from once I focus on a contact. I can double tap to either call the contact or view the contact's details (my choice), or I can press the center of the 5-way to do whichever I'm not doing when I double tap. If you want the option of sending an sms to a speed dial contact, or dialing an alternate number, you have to disable going straight to the call. If you do that, things become even less streamlined and you are taken to yet another option screen where you can choose from home, business, or mobile. Should you choose the option of sending an sms from this screen, you should know that it doesn't interact with the built in sms client, so if you are obsessive about keeping your text messages, don't even consider sending one from here.
My big plan here, was to include PCP in its own screen in UltimateLauncher. But as a plugin, the ribbon of photos is tiny. If I set it up from the Today menu, rather than an UL plugin, it appears on every UL screen. I would love it if I could go to an UL menu screen and have PCP open to view ALL contacts, or ALL favorites, but my only option is to have the shortcut to PCP, costing me one more click/tap. I'm not 100% happy with either option at this point, but I'm getting there. If I only had one more hard key I could assign to an application….
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Ringtones
Where PCP makes up for its shortcomings in photo dialing, is in profile and ringtone management. You will be hard pressed to find anything else offering so many options with so much flexibility. The most simple thing it accomplishes here is to provide (almost) full screen photo caller id. As you can see from photos 5 and 6, you still get a border with your answer options. It's still a major improvement over the über tiny photo you get in the popup of the default incoming call dialog.
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Assigning and changing ringtones with PCP is a snap. The easiest way to start is by tap/holding a contact photo, and choosing the appropriate ringtone choice. You can store your ringtones anywhere, but for maximum speed you should keep them short, and available on your device. PCP supports the common formats that your device will play including .wav, .midi, .mp3, and .wma. The only thing PCP will not do that Lightwav did is take a full length mp3 on your sd card and crop it into a ringtone for you. Of course, this is still relatively easy (and cheap) if you use something like Audacity on the pc. (Do people still actually purchase ringtones?!)
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In addition to assigning ringtones to individual callers, you can assign them to categories. You can also assign unique sms ringtones as well. So if you can remember what ringtone means what/who, your options are limitless.
Profiles
Profiles can be indispensable. They can also be quite confusing without a good guide, and unfortunately PCP's manual reads more like a list of features than a how-to. For years I have used the profiles component of Lightwav to allow me to leave my phone on 24/7 without worrying about well meaning, but drunken friends calling me at 2 a.m. on a week night. But while my friends might not be able to reach me at 2 a.m., my children and parents(who live out of state) can reach me whenever they want/need me. I also make sure that certain (trustworthy) brigade members are also on my list so that they can call in case we're needed for tornadoes, hurricanes, or chemical spills. So I'm no stranger to profile management, but I can't for the life of me figure out why all my speed dial contacts defaulted to "family" or how to remove them from that list. I'm sure with some experimenting I'll figure it out, but it should really be clear in the documentation.
PCP has several pre-defined profiles. Some of them are as simple as "Outdoors" for maximizing all your ringtones (especially helpful if you have the Treo 800w, which is not known for its intensity), "Indoor," "Vibrate," and "Silent." Profiles can be configured and adjusted to suit your needs, and turning them on and off is very easy. PCP adds a little icon to your Today screen, and by tapping it, a list of profile options comes up, along with the option of going straight to PCP. The icon will also clue you in as to which profile is currently active (L for Loud, V for Vibrate, etc.).
Of course, you don't need to worry about setting a profile, because PCP will do it for you with an auto profile. These auto profiles will start themselves at a preselected time, or when a meeting is detected in your calendar. It may be this calendar interaction that causes PCP to take over PIM handling, so that after every reset I have to reassign Agendus as my default PIM handler, but that is a seemingly minor matter. There is a selection of auto profiles included with PCP including one that turns the volume off when work starts, turns it on again at lunch time, off once more when lunch is over, and on at the end of the work day. This is a great feature to use if you'd rather your phone not ring when your boss stops in your office! With practice, you can automate all your profile needs so that you never miss a call from someone you really want to hear from, and are never bothered by a call from…well, you get the picture.
Even if you aren't using auto profiles, you still have the option of setting a temporary profile with a time limit. This is a valuable feature for those of us who are sometimes forgetful. I use this when going to the movies rather than just flipping on the mute switch, and then wondering 6 hours after the movie ended why my phone hasn't rung. I know lots of people who mute their phones and then forget all about it.
One of the other features I always liked with Lightwav that is available in PCP is the ability to automatically ignore a call with a text message. Let's say your auto Silent profile has kicked in because you're in a meeting. You have the option of replying to any calls that come in during that meeting with an automated text message explaining that you're in a meeting and will return the call later. An even better feature is the ability to send all unknown or blocked calls directly to voicemail. I cannot begin to tell you how useful this feature is around election time!
Conclusion
The weakest part of PhotoContactsPro is the documentation. Fortunately, there are always people out there who have used a product for a while and are intimate with every nuance of how it works. You can usually find them in the forums. PCP's strongest point is definitely its profiles. Ringtones are fun, but profiles are almost a necessity for anyone with a cell phone. A three day fully functional demo period is weak, so make sure you have time to put it through its paces before starting your trial.
PhotoContactsPro is $29.95 and can be downloaded and purchased from the MobilityToday store.
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