- Compiled by Gary Thayer, MobileVillage Editor

MobileVillage, March 9, 2007 -- Following is a roundup of recent announcements about mobile software for consumer use.

ALK Technologies announced a version of its CoPilot Live GPS navigation software for newer BlackBerry devices such as the BlackBerry Pearl and the new GPS-ready BlackBerry 8800. CoPilot Live BlackBerry Edition features include voice guidance, detailed street mapping and route calculation. Maps are downloaded automatically to the phone during a journey via the mobile internet and complete door to door trips are calculated in seconds on the device. For details, see alk.com.

Birdstep has released its SmartConnect wireless network finder application. According to Birdstep, SmartConnect automatically chooses the best available network for mobile phones equipped with WiFi/WLAN and 3G, and ensures that the user is always connected to the best available network with a minimum of user intervention. The software also supports third party VPN modules, and includes an hotspot login module to enable smartphone users to automatically login to the WiFi/WLAN hotspots to which they've subscribed. The SmartConnect product is generally available from the Nokia Download Catalogue and at birdstep.com.

Bluefire announced Bluefire Mobile Security Professional Edition v. 4.0 for devices using Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system including Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone. The Professional Edition aims to offer protection for a lost or stolen device, confidentiality of all information residing on the device, and device security (firewall) while accessing the Internet. One features is self-service password reset, which allows the end-user access to the data residing on the device if they forget their password. The software is available for purchase or a free 14-day trial at bluefiresecurity.com.

DataViz announced that its Documents To Go software is now available for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. The software lets users view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files (even password protected files) on their devices and in their native formats. Users can also view Adobe PDF files and decompress zipped e-mail attachments. Pricing starts at US $29.99 per license with volume discounts available for five or more users. The software is available from Handango and dataviz.com. For more about Documents To Go and DataViz, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

DDH Software announced that its HanDBase relational database application is now available to users of Symbian UIQ handsets, including the Sony-Ericsson P800, P900, P910, Motorola A1000 and others. This version of HanDBase comes with a desktop version that enables users to create and manage their data before transferring it to their devices. HanDBase also has versions for Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone, Symbian S60 (Series 60) and most recently S60 3rd Edition devices. HanDBase allows users to store volumes of custom designed data that can be viewed, edited, filtered, sorted, and searched. The desktop application lets users export files in Excel, Word, CSV, HTML or XML formats, and includes additional add-ons that support transfer to and from Microsoft Access and other ODBC database applications. HanDBase for UIQ retails for US $20 and is available at Handango and ddhsoftware.com.

Franson Technology has launched its GpsGate GPS mapping portal and software designed to enable people to share their locations from their Windows laptops or Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC devices with anyone they have approved to "spot" them online. Anyone that belongs to a group can share their current location with the others in their group, and after logging in, users can see their buddies moving in real-time on a map. GpsGate.com also offers a Google Earth plug-in so that friends' locations can be spotted on a satellite image rather than a map. The company says it also plans to add the ability to track delivery trucks or field service technicians. The GpsGate software for is US $26.95 at Handango; access to GpsGate.com is free.

Glide Digital announced its free hosted Glide PC access service. According to the company, users can login to their Glide account from virtually any mobile device or PC, and once logged in they can manage and sync music, video, photos, documents, calendars, contacts and bookmarks. For example, users can compose a document on a mobile device, save it to their account, and then access and edit it later on your PC without the need to email it from the phone. The service also includes 75 photo manipulation tools for image editing, and users can order prints from their mobile device or PC. Glide also offers 5k emails with no attachment limits. The company says that its compatibility engine serves files in the proper format and bit rate for access on various devices. To sign up, see glidedigital.com.

Ilium Software has updated their Newsbreak RSS reader with podcast and vidcast support. Version 2.0 supports Microsoft Live Search to find podcast or vidcast channels, and users can save podcasts for later use, schedule downloads of podcasts separately from channel updates, choose the maximum memory usage for podcast storage, and store podcasts in main memory or on a storage card. Version 2.0 also adds improved menus for one-handed navigation, and new keyword icons plus 6 additional icons. Ilium is offering NewsBreak for a limited time for $7.95 at Handango; the regular price is $10.

Namco Networks and Screenlife jointly announced their "Scene It?" Movie Edition mobile phone game, which offers more than a thousand questions in text, audio and video format, including movie clips, trivia questions and puzzlers. Players can choose from quick rounds or non-stop play modes for single players, or group play mode is available for two or more players. A "New Release" section provides new packets of themed questions and weekly trivia challenges. Scene It? Movie Edition is available on select wireless carriers; for more info, see NamcoGames.com/sceneit. For more information about other Namco games, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

TheFastPages launched its mobile web directory of the same name, which aims to provide one-click access to user-friendly and strategic web content. The service also lets users dial numbers for airlines, hotels, emergency services, restaurants and other services. Users can also check the weather, pick up a magazine, read "any newspaper in the world", find a movie or check flight delays. TheFastPages.com can be accessed on all web-enabled mobile phones and on desktop computers.