Smartphoneware:: Tracker

> Smartphoneware

Home
iOS
Android
Symbian and WM
Contact
About
News

| Tracker Tracker is a real and fully customizable desktop application designed to help a user to optimize, simplify and organize most common everyday actions.

Tracker is a real and fully customizable desktop application. It can be integrated into the system and completely substitute the built-in "Menu" application and built-in Task manager highly improving their functionality. Hundreds of unique functions and possibilities transform your device from a simple organizer to a powerful and great looking handheld computer.
You can place any number of sticky notes, shortcuts to applications, contacts, documents, speed dials, speed SMS, webpages, and even different actions on Tracker's desktop. You can organize all these items to any number of folders, subfolders and put them on different pages.
A unique "Recent" view that tracks all important events and shows them in one view. Last used applications, recent calls and messages, calendar and todo events - all on one screen.
Task manager and task switcher, hotkeys for everything and a lot more unique and powerful functions to explore!

Features include:

- Fully customizable look;
- Unique and intuitive navigation;
- Real desktop;
- Possibility to put on desktop: notes, applications, contacts, speed dials, sms/mms, emails, documents, links to webpages, different actions, etc;
- Possibility to assign hotkeys for everything;
- Built-in extended task manager and task switcher;
- Unique "Recent" view;
- Fast separate application launcher and "Communicator" style "New call" function;
- Autostart function;
- And a lot more unique and powerful functions to explore!

#### Tracker highlights

- Fully customizable look;
- Unique and intuitive navigation;
- Real desktop;
- Ability to put on desktop: notes, applications, contacts, speed dials, sms/mms, emails, documents, links to webpages, different actions, etc;
- Ability to assign hotkeys for everything;
- Built-in extended task manager and task switcher;
- Unique "Recent" view that tracks all imprortant events and shows them in one view. Last used applications, recent calls and messages, calendar and todo events - all on one screen;
- Fast separate application launcher and "Communicator" style "New call" function;
- Autostart function;
- And a lot more unique and powerful functions to explore!
- Tracker desktop look in some different modes with some different resolutions..

#### Tracker

Tracker is a real and fully customizable desktop application. It can be integrated into system and fully substitute the built-in "Menu" application and built-in Task manager highly improving their functionality. Tracker consists of 3 main views: Desktop, TaskMan and Recent. You can switch between them using Left/Right joystick buttons.

#### Desktop

You can place any number of sticky notes, shortcuts to applications, contacts, documents, speed dials, speed SMS, webpages, and even different actions on your desktop. You can organize all these items to any number of folders, subfolders and put them on different pages.
By using a unique intuitive navigation and "Pages pane" built into desktop you can switch between pages and folders very fast and access any item by some key presses. If it's not enough you can assign to any item, folder or even page a hotkey to access it with one key press only even if Tracker is in background.
Such approach will allow you organize your work with the device in the best way. For example you can create Business and Personal pages then place on Business page some speed dials to the most used work contacts, shortcuts to recently used documents or webpages and so on. If there are too many items you can organize them between folders and subfolders.

How to get started

Please note, at first start Tracker creates automatically 3 empty pages. It does not copy your current "Menu" structure as on Tracker desktop you can organize better all your applications. Now you can create any number of folders and place any applications on your desktop using "Options \ New" commands.
Hint: You can use "Options \ New \ Applications.." command to place several applications at the same time to the currently selected folder.

Manage pages

You can create your own desktop pages or edit/delete the existing ones using "Manage pages" command from menu. Hint: to switch fast between pages use shift + ok (center joystick button) key combination. This can be useful if you want to hide "Pages pane" from your desktop.

Appearance

Tracker desktop supports device skins and its own looks can be fully customized to fit all users needs.

- Tracker desktop look in some different modes with some different resolutions..

By using "Appearance" menu you can customize desktop look.

- Columns: you set the number of columns you want the desktop grid to have. The more columns you set the smaller the icon will be. You can set "Auto" (on default) so Tracker will determine the optimal number of columns automatically depending on your device resolution, zoom factor, and item layout.
- Item layout: you set the item appearance on desktop:

  - Icon top |
  - Icon left |
  - Icon only |

  When the Icon only mode is selected you can see only icons on desktop and on the bottom of desktop screen you can see the selected item description. Using Icon only mode and setting large amount of columns allows you to see over one hundred items on your desktop at the same time.

- Zoom: allows you to select zoom factor of your desktop. The smaller the zoom is the smaller items will be and more information will fit the screen.
- Pages pane: allows you to show or hide "Pages pane" from your desktop.

Navigation

Tracker desktop has unique and configurable navigation. You can press left/right/up/down keys to switch between items on the desktop.

- When an item in the right column on desktop grid is selected and you press right key then Pages pane is selected
- When "Pages pane" is selected and you press right key then you open TaskMan view
- When an item in the left column is selected and you press left button then "Recent" view will be opened
- You can press shift+left/right to switch instantly between desktop grid, pages pane, TaskMan and "Recent" views ignoring current position in grid.

Hints:

- Using Settings command you can assign hotkeys to Desktop, TaskMan, and "Recent" views to open them instantly in one key press.
- You can assign hotkey to any folder/subfolder or page to open it in one key press. E.g. If you're going to dial someone just press the hotkey to open the folder that contains your speed dials and select the one you need.
- In desktop settings you can set up "Tab key". When you press this key Desktop switches between desktop grid and pages pane. This can be really useful if you display large amount of columns in grid.
- You can block switching from left or right columns in grid to "Pages pane" or other view using "View navigation" option in settings. If this option is set to "Shift+left/right only" then smart navigation will be blocked and when you press the cursor keys selection will always stay inside the grid. To switch to pages pane in this mode you can press shift+right or the defined "Tab key"

Hotkeys

You can set up hotkeys to any item on your desktop you want. To do so use "Hotkey" field when you edit desktop item.
Setting hotkeys is quite useful if you have some keyboard based device, in this case you have lots of key combinations to play with. But if your device is not keyboard based you still can use hotkeys to access some important actions instantly.
Note: 'Shift' button on most Series 60 devices is graphically marked as 'Pen' on device keyboard.

Sorting

You can arrange items on screen using commands from Appearance\Sort\ menu. You can set "sort by name" and all your items on screen will be arranged by name automatically. You can set up "Manual" sort. In this case you can place any item on desktop in any order you want. To arrange items in "Manual" mode you can use Move up/down commands from Appearance\Sort\ menu or use shift+up/down hotkeys.

#### Task manager

This view shows the information about running applications. You can see what applications are running currently, switch to the needed application, get information about any running application, close some application or all applications at once. You may also see the amount of memory and disk space available on the right of the screen.
This view substitutes the built-in task manager (if enabled in options) and task selecting navigation here is the same as in the built-in one. You can select an application by using joystick or just pressing Menu key several times to select the needed application and then long press Menu key to switch to the application.
You can also select in Settings not to substitute the built-in task manager but to define your custom taskman activation hotkey, in this case both Tracker's TaskMan and the system task manager will work without conflicts at the same time (See Settings section in this documentaion for more information).
Hint: When this view is shown from background it automatically highlights the previously focused application so you can cycle between 2 last applications in a fast way.

#### Task Switcher

Tracker's Task Switcher is an alternative way to cycle applications (requires much less key presses to switch between applications). TaskSwitcher has the same look and feel as "Alt-Tab on Windows". You can configure your own TaskSwitcher hotkey in 'Settings'. Default hotkey for it is "Shift+Menu".
For example you can set up Shift+Menu button for this action. Then press Shift+Menu any time you work with your device, keep Shift button pressed and hit Menu as many times as needed to select some application. Release Shift button to switch to the selected application instantly. Absolutely the same as Alt-Tab works on Windows.
Hint: While you keep Shift pressed as in our example you can also use cursor keys to select the needed application and release Shift button to switch to the selected application.

One hand mode:

You can define any hotkey to use with TaskSwitcher. A hotkey consisting of Modifier (Shift,Fn,Ctrl) and other button could not be handy in certain situations, e.g. to use with one hand. So you can define TaskSwitcher key without any modifiers, e.g. to Dictaphone, Multimedia, Camera, etc key. If so TaskSwitcher will behave like the built-in one but with improved functionality.
For example you can set up Dictaphone key to be used as TaskSwitcher. Then press Dictaphone key any time you work with your device and TaskSwitcher will appear. Hit Dictaphone key as many times as needed to select some application. Or use cursor keys to do it. Now long press Dictaphone key (for 1 sec) in order to switch to the selected application (also you can press Ok or Enter buttons to do it as well). So you can hit Dictaphone button several times only (and no other key) to switch to any needed application fast and with one hand only.

#### Recent view

Recent view summarizes all important information and events in one view and allows you to perform different actions on these events. This view is in ideal harmony with Tracker's desktop and TaskMan making Tracker an integrated solution to control and get the most from your device.
Recent view shows recent incoming/outgoing calls, missed calls, received messages, last used applications, amount of unread messages, calendar events and todo.

When you select some phone event you can dial the number or send sms/mms instantly, when you select message, you can view it and reply, when you select calendar events you see them, etc
All these events are sorted by event date. In application settings you can set up the number of items for each type to be visible on screen. For example you can set up to display only 1 last incoming phone call, 2 last outgoing phone calls, 5 last used applications, etc
Note: if some application is started you can find it in TaskMan, it won't be displayed in "Recent" view until closed.
Please note: information about recent applications start/close is tracked only when our application is started.

#### Settings

By using application settings you can override the default application behavior and customize it to fit your needs.

- Desk
  - Autostart - if enabled Tracker will be automatically started in background when system starts. Please note: for Tracker's TaskMan to be able to replace the built-in one, Tracker must be running, so it is recommended to set the Autostart option to On in Desk Settings in this case.
  - Desk view hotkey - allows you to define hotkey to switch to Desk view in one key press
  - View navigation - you can block switching from left or right columns in grid to "Pages pane" or other view using "View navigation" option in settings. If this option is set to "Shift+left/right only" then smart navigation will be blocked and when you press the cursor keys selection will always stay inside grid. To switch to the pages pane in this mode you can press shift+right or defined "Tab key"
  - Tab emulation key - allows to define "Tab" key. When you press this key Desktop switches between desktop grid and pages pane, this can be really useful if you selected to display large amount of columns in grid.
- TaskMan
  - TaskMan activation - If it is set to "Instead of built-in one" then Tracker will replace the built-in task manager when you long press Menu key. If it's set to 'Custom key' then both Tracker's taskman and system taskman can work at the same time.
  - Activation hotkey - Visible only when Taskman activation is set to 'Custom key'. It allows you to define a hotkey to pop up Tracker's tasklist from background.
  - Menu cycle list - Visible only when Taskman activation is set to 'Instead of built-in one'. It allows you to define a list of applications cycled when you press Menu key. By default those are "Standby mode" and system application "Menu".
    Hint: It is very handy to add Tracker to this list - then, at first press of the Menu key, the system "Menu" will be brought up, and at the second press you will see the Tracker's Desk.
    Note: Tracker must be running for this to work, so it is recommended to set the Autostart option to On in Desk Settings in such a case.
  - Switcher hotkey - Allows you to define a hotkey to use with TaskSwitcher.
  - Show hidden apps - If enabled then hidden application will be displayed in TaskList
  - Task list exceptions - Allows to define a list of applications that should be hidden in tasklist. It can be very comfortable to hide some applications running in background all the time and you switch to them very seldom. This option also applies to TaskSwitcher applications list (see TaskSwitcher section in this documentation for more information).
  - "Close all" exceptions - As 'Close all' command in TaskList view closes all non system applications you can set up here an additional list of applications that should not be closed with 'Close all' command.
- Recent
  - Recent view hotkey - Allows you to define hotkey to switch to Recent view in one key press
  - Keep history for - Define how many days you want to keep your events. Older events will be pushed out from the list
  - Max missed calls - Define maximun number of missed calls shown in the list
  - Max incoming calls - Define maximun number of incoming calls shown in the list
  - Max outgoing calls - Define maximun number of outgoing calls shown in the list
  - Max unread messages - Define maximun number of unread messages shown in the list
  - Max recent applications - Define maximun number of recent applications in the list

#### Known issues

- On pre FP1 devices the system can sometimes close Tracker when it runs in background (because of memory paging). We were forced to behave like this to make our application SymbianSigned. When Symbian will accept our waiver about this issue we will fix this situation as soon as possible. On FP1+ devices (Nokia N95, E90, etc) our application "resists" these close events.
- On Nokia E61, E61i, E71 blue keys (keys with numbers) can be used as hotkeys only when Tracker is in foreground. These keys can't be handled by Tracker when its in background because of key code translation issue

Please note: This software is discontinued.
You can download it FOR FREE and use it AS IS, but it is no longer supported.

[Version 1.03]
Compatible with:
- S60 3rd edition
Download

Screenshots: