Have you ever wanted to be able to handle calls and SMS messages while staying glued to your PC monitor? If, like most people, you have, then you might want to check out a great app from MLH Software, Blurts Pro version 2.0. Blurts Pro enables you to make and receive calls, send and receive SMS messages, and see phone notifications right on your Windows PC. This is a feature many people have wished for in BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and Blurts Pro delivered. Continue reading for more.
Here’s our experience with Blurts Pro.
Installation and Storage Space
Experience in installing the app on the phone and the PC software counterpart was easy. The phone app takes up just 151.5kb, while the PC software installer was just a little over 1mb (so you can surmise that it didn’t take up too much space when fully installed on your PC). Just be sure to take note of the activation code and enter it on your phone, inside Blurts Pro.
As for hardware and OS requirements, Blurts Pro has minimal requirements and should work with most Windows PCs and BlackBerry Smartphones. One limitation is that it doesn’t support Mac at this time.
Establishing Connection
Once both phone app and PC software are installed, and both devices Bluetooth-paired, establishing the connection was fairly easy. Just open both applications, make sure you have “Auto-Connect Bluetooth” enabled on the PC software (under Options) and you’re good to go. No need for an IT or Engineering degree.
Making and Taking Calls
Phone call management is also fairly easy with Blurts Pro. The PC software’s screen keypad resembles what you would find in most smartphones these days, and is quite simple to operate, giving you the option to click on the keys using your mouse, or typing-in the number using your keyboard. Taking or Rejecting/Ignoring calls, on the other hand, is even easier, both done with just a mouse-click on the caller ID it brings up on your PC screen.
Sending and Receiving Messages
Aside from displaying notifications for messages received (which Blurts free app version brings), Blurts Pro allows for easy retrieval of messages received during the times both PC and phone were connected. Full inbox retrieval doesn’t seem to be supported at this time.
Capturing the phone’s screen
Taking snapshots of your phone’s screen and saving it directly on your computer is also quite easy. On the downside, the screen capture takes about 5 seconds or so before it is displayed on your PC screen. The somewhat slow speed is really affected by the file transfer speed of Bluetooth technology, so we can’t really fault the developers for it. Another downside, which may only be applicable for touchscreen devices such as the Torch 9850/9860 (our test unit) and possibly the Storm 9500 series, is that the portrait screen capture extends far beyond the Windows PC screen, and up at the top of the screen capture window is where the Save and X (close) buttons are. So generally, we were unable to save a portrait orientation of the screen.
Cutting-and-Pasting between Phone and PC
The Clipboard function is very straightforward. Clicking on the “Read BlackBerry Clipboard” button transfers the text in your phone’s memory (Be sure to perform a Cut/Copy function on your phone first) on to your PC’s clipboard. Once done, choosing Paste on your PC software of choice instantly places the text that came from your phone. This particularly comes in handy for web links, quotations, etc.
Similarly, transferring text from your PC’s clipboard after you’ve done a Cut/Copy function, is simply achieved by clicking on the “Send Windows Clipboard” button on the PC software.
Overall Experience and Considerations
We found Blurts Pro to be quite user-friendly. User Interface is very smooth, and the appearance is noticeably eye-catching. Overall speed in performing functions was relatively fast, except for the screen capture which we’ve explained is a limitation of Bluetooth technology. Phone response from commands triggered from the PC was also fairly instantaneous. Looking at how it has improved Productivity (if you’re considering using it for your work PC), it is definitely a big help – as it has been running the entire time this review was being prepared, keeping us focused on getting the review out to you, our dear readers. If you are concerned about value-for-money, we suggest you try out the free app Blurts. That way, you can test some of the basic features available in Blurts Pro for yourself.
Download here for only $5.99 USD (Well Worth It)