Author: Tony Aldridge

Bored of your ringtone? Well don’t get another one. Get something completely different. Get a video tone! VideoRingtones enable you to download any video file whether it’s a movie trailer, a famous line from a film, a soundtrack or a television clip from sites such as YouTube. You can save different files for all your contacts, which can be good fun picking tones that match each person’s personality.

If you’ve ever watched a nature programme on The Discovery Channel you’ve probably seen flowers growing at break-neck speeds or white clouds flying through the sky and suddenly becoming thunderstorms. The smart ones among you will know this is all created through time-lapse photography, and now you can produce exactly the same footage from your mobile. Rapid Movie works by recording images at a rate much slower than normal. Then when the film is played back the recording is actually faster. However there is more. With Rapid Movie you can also record stop-motion animation.

Did you know there are now more television channels on this planet than TVs? That’s an incredible statistic and one that’s probably not true. But I wouldn’t count against it, especially not if you now include mobile phones as televisions, which we really should do given the amazing improvements in broadcast quality on the small, small screen over the past five years. So let’s take a look at the very best of what’s available.

Pocket Live TV – 100 channels, 10 countries, one software programme. Pocket Live TV broadcasts news, sport, music and entertainment from America, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and three other countries. To enjoy all the benefits you’re going to have to brush up on your languages but you’re guaranteed not to miss a single world-changing event. Best of all there’s no subscription charge and no bundled data-plan, just a one-off viewing fee.

MobiTV – This is for the Palm but also available on Pocket PCs. Sticking solely to the XXL hyper-real get out of my face and talk to the hand world of American television, MobiTV comes with a great selection of news, sports, more news, news, sports, sports and entertainment plus a handy channel guide that let’s you see what else is on while you’re not watching it.

Nowire Smartphone Teletext – Retro TV viewers will remember the nights the whole family used to gather round the box for a game of Bamboozle with Bamber and Buster Boozler. I’m talking to myself again, aren’t I? Still, teletext remains my favourite way of reading teenagers’ problems, seeing what’s in the ‘love stars’ and finding out which dog won the 2.45 at Wimbledon. There’s a bit of news on there as well.

Resco Radio – For those of you who prefer listening than watching, Resco Radio is probably the most comprehensive mobile internet radio player you will find. It comes packed with 150 predefined stations from all over the world, ten preset buttons to save your favourites and a scheduler for recording regular programmes. You can listen in whichever time zone you prefer.

And finally – Once you’re back on the couch why spend time looking for the remote when you can transform your mobile into a television, video and stereo zapper. That’s if you haven’t thrown the video out yet.

Streaming live television on mobiles has come a long way in the last few years. And now MobiTV promises a completely new experience. And yes it is very good. The main thing is the quality of the picture and the amount of content available. You can flick between live breaking news (ABC, NBC, Fox), sports channels, music channels, lifestyle channels, cartoons, it’s all here. MobiTV’s high quality streaming plus channel guide at the bottom of the screen make it easy to switch between stations. Plus the mini-guide lets you see what else is on while you’re watching a programme.

Let’s face it, holidays with the family are boring, and sometimes rather violent. My particular highlights were a week of non-talking on a golfing holiday with my dad and telling Mickey Mouse to get lost after five days of watching him wave. It wasn’t actually get lost, but hey, I was 14. Still, so long as there’s work there’ll be holidays and as long as there are parents there will be children. As Michael Jackson almost sang. I think. Anyway in traditional Waltons-style here are some fun family games you can all play before kissing each other goodnight and saying I love you.

Monopoly – Lots of versions of this one, here’s a modern take on it with loads more money and popular US destinations. Those of you who prefer your Monopoly with top hats, little dogs and water works can find them in miniature on the Palm and Pocket PC, just the way they always were.

Scrabble – OK so it’s a game for old women, but tell that to Tom – the man’s addicted. Loquacious lexicographers have always enjoyed this word game; personally I prefer the mobile versions for quiet moments on the train.

Backgammon – Now I’ve never really understood backgammon; to me it’s always seemed like a small portable coffee table that you can’t use for coffee. Plus my friend Aaron clearly makes up the rules. He seems to think you have to move your counters around the board until they get home. Like many old favourites there are a few remakes available – here’s an Egyptian edition which you can play with your mummy.

And the rest – Well let’s draw this to an end with noughts and crosses (or tic-tac-toe) on the Palm and Pocket (this is 3D!), hangman (the biblical edition!) and how about some jigsaws?! They can be fun too, well these ones can. Wow, we got through that without mentioning Sudoku. Oh…

The people at Fuzzwich declare they want everyone to be an animator. A bold assertion, especially as I for one don’t want to be an animator. Don’t get me wrong I love watching cartoons and quite enjoyed the Simpsons movie when I watched it the other day, but dedicating several years of my exciting life to try and get a mouse’s whiskers to twitch is not my idea of fun. Especially as it seems there are plenty of others out there willing to do it for me.

The vision from the Fuzzwich Minivids team is to be applauded though. They have created a website that gives everyone the chance to play at being Nick Park. With over 40 characters including dogs with moustaches, mad scientists, dinosaurs and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, various sound effects and backgrounds ranging from the twilight zone to a desert island there is plenty of scope to create some fun short films. Simply drag and drop your actors and animals onto a chosen scene, have them talk by typing into a voice bubble and film all the action with a click of the record button. It’s very simple and the effects are surprisingly good. I was rather impressed with my Dali-esque pugs.

Fuzzwich have purposely prevented people uploading images or music because they want to attract beginners. Of course this limits the output but they have said users will be able to save their own faces onto cartoon characters soon, which will be interesting if not potentially dangerous.

If top quality content is more what you’re after then the YouTube-style animation site aniBoom is simply stunning. Cheese by Peter Harakaly and The Lighthouse by Dan Blacker are just two of the beautifully created works on view. It’ll probably put you off animation, though. Just think of all the work.

When I first walked into a casino hoping for a Bond girl I was given a free tuna sandwich and a cup of cold coffee. I then lost £40 watching a ping-pong ball drop on red not black. The truth, I found, is casinos are neither glamorous nor fun. However, games like Poker, BlackJack and roulette can be rather addictive. Just ask my friend Paul.

If, like me, you prefer playing with pretend money then why not try some of these. Roulette passion and Monaco Gold are more Casino Royale than most gambling houses and they’re all the better for it while BlackJack International deals a little twist on the old card game. Instead of betting pretend money you gamble with your chosen country’s exports – bikinis for Brazil, cigars for Cuba, croissants for France. A little stereotypical perhaps but there’s also a really good version of BlackJack in here with options like dealer peeks.

Imagine Poker on the Mac takes the liberty of casting Little Red Riding Hood, the Tooth Fairy, Napoleon, Joseph Stalin, Merlin the Wizard and many others as card sharks. It’s a great idea and slightly controversial. If only history could have been settled round the green table.

For those of you just starting your addiction Aces BlackJack is available on the Palm, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile and Symbian with lots of helpful hints, and All Mobile Casino offers the complete gambling experience minus the free cup of tea. Personally I’ve always preferred the one-armed bandit and Frutakia is pretty ‘armless company. Sorry, Cyril bet me I wouldn’t put that in.

Getting lost in a new city used to be integral to the holidaying experience, but not any more because, tourists, the world has moved on. In fact if you get lost in a new city these days it’s probably because you’ve been drinking too much of the local liquor. No, nowadays there’s no excuse for spending hours looking at churches or bumping into museums. There are enough handy maps, timetables and city guides to fill a large suitcase.

Whether it’s the popular destinations like New York, London, Madrid or Barcelona you’ll find Metro or Underground maps for your mobile (these are on the Palm but you can get them on your Pocket too). Most cities also have complete mobile guides like these for Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, Sydney and New York.

If you’re worried about what to pack before you go or unsure whether to wear the shorts, the speedos or the sarong, then you might want to get some special help in the shape of a weather forecaster. There are plenty to choose from. For those of you who need help remembering your passport, getting on the plane and changing your money then SplashTravel is the ultimate companion.

And finally if you’ve not got anything planned this summer why not join James on his very own world tour. He’s not actually left his computer in six weeks but he seems to be happy.