Ever thought about using your PC to fully manipulate your BlackBerry smartphone? It’s all possible with TinyController, by Yohanes Nugroho .
For the past few days, we’ve been giving TinyController a spin, and offhand, we’re proud to share that this is one great, powerful app!
Continue reading for more.
Living up to its name, TinyController is indeed quite tiny. The app takes just 77.6KB on your phone, saving you all that valuable application storage space for more apps. Now although it takes up such very little storage space on your device, don’t underestimate this little dude. It packs a powerful punch when it comes to functionality and speed.
Installing and Establishing Connection
Installing the app and the desktop counterpart is quite easy. For our review, we downloaded the phone app first, then upon opening the app, it provided us with the link to the desktop software counterpart. As mentioned above, the phone software takes very minimal storage space on your phone, and the desktop counterpart installer for Windows amounting to just 20MB, which is fairly decent for the host of functions it provides. There is also a desktop counterpart for Mac OS X, for Mac users.
Connectivity is definitely flexible, as it provides you with the option to use either WiFi, USB, or Bluetooth to connect your phone to your PC. Using WiFi requires that both devices be on the same network; using Bluetooth requires that devices be paired; and using USB requires that BlackBerry Desktop Manager be installed. When connecting, just simply click on “Connect” on the desktop window for TinyController, which then brings up a window where you can choose the connection type from among the tabs. Double clicking on your phone from the tab selected will instantly connect your phone, and you’re good to go!
Manipulating your Phone
Instead of saying working with your phone, I specifically chose the word “manipulating” because that’s really what TinyController allows you to do. I liked the fact that it allows you to scroll through your app icons using your mouse scroll wheel. Yes, it allows you to do that, without the need for some special command. You can also click on the arrow controls at the bottom portion of the desktop software, or use your keyboard arrow keys if you wish. Pretty flexible controls.
More than the simple icon selection, TinyController’s desktop software allows you quickly select the following: Home, BBM, Capture (screen), and SMS. Clicking on the item brings up the selection on the phone instantly, saving you time in navigating through your desired function, as well as save you those precious keys on your BlackBerry smartphone.
In case the app you wish to control isn’t among those mentioned above, the bottom portion of TinyController’s desktop software provides you with the controls present on your phone: Call, Menu (BB Logo), Main Select Button, Back, and End-Call. If that’s not enough, there are shortcut keys for each of these, which you can see once you hover your mouse pointer on them.
TinyController also provides you with monitoring tabs, as I would call them, which allow you to check the following phone information right on your computer: Notifications, Memo, Info, and BBM Log. Also, when connected, TinyController provides you with notifications on your PC, such as Incoming Call and Message Received.
Favorite Features
With control being extended to your PC, I would have to say that my favorite feature of TinyController would be the ability to send and receive BBM messages using your PC. I particularly found this very useful when messaging people who are quite quick when it comes to BBMing. The use of my PC’s full keyboard helps me quickly respond without getting the person on the other end to fall asleep from the long pauses as I type my message on my 9860.
One glitch I found, which is really not that big a deal, is that the SMS function on the desktop software reports an BlackBerry API limitation, which doesn’t seem to allow it to send messages through that window. However, one can very easily still send SMS messages by navigating to the SMS function on your phone (using the PC of course), opening it, selecting the recipient, and typing your message, then sending.
Overall Experience, Considerations, and Recommendations
Overall, I would say that TinyController is a must-have application, especially for those who are often working on their computers yet want to be in total control of their BlackBerry smartphone. The overall look of the software leaves some room for enhancement, as it is fairly simple and straightforward. However, it leads me to think and assume that this is what makes quite “tiny” in the first place. I’m personally think that its overall look is greatly surpassed by the functions it provides. Also, just to clarify, it provides excellent detail when displaying the phone’s screen on the PC. The speed at which commands take effect vary depending on the connection type, but generally, it takes just a second from the time you send a command using TinyController to the time your phone responds. Lastly, talking about the price of the app, TinyController is regularly priced at $9.99, but is currently available at only $4.99! We find that it’s great bargain for what it’s worth!
Download the 14-day Free Trial at TinyController.com
Purchase the full version here.