- Compiled by Gary Thayer, MobileVillage Editor

Aug. 31, 2007 -- Here's a roundup of consumer software announcements in August.

BlackBerry

Concrete Software and Oasys Mobile have announced UNO® Classic 2007, a card game for color BlackBerry phones including the new BlackBerry Curve and the BlackBerry Pearl models. Just like the original UNO game from Mattel, UNO Classic 2007 is a race to get rid of all your cards. UNO Classic 2007 is sold through most carriers and online retailers including Handango. For more on Concrete Software games, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

CyberShift unveiled its Necho Expense BlackBerry Edition, an app that allows mobile workers to manage and report expenses directly from their BlackBerry. For more on Necho Expense, see CyberShift's summary page on MobileVillage.

Opera released a free beta of its Opera Mini 4 web browser. The new beta version introduces several optimizations for BlackBerry devices, including a new user interface and menus, as well as a new "Landscape mode" and new multi-search Start Page. The new Opera Mini 4.0 beta is available at operamini.com/beta/.

Palm

Electric Pocket's Ringo Mobile ringtone manager for Palm and Windows Mobile phones, now lets users associate a photo or image with an incoming call,, and also allows users to set specific ringtones and SMS tones for any caller not listed in the Address Book or, as an alternative, set the tone to Silent Mode. Mobile is available for $23 to $25 on Handango (Palm Edition.)

Ilium Software has updated its ListPro list management app. The new version adds more than 25 new templates, and adds the ability to: change text formatting; add pictures; link directly to web sites from within the notes, use bullet points and item numbering in notes; share lists or post lists to your website; turn any list into a news feed using the new RSS/XML export option; send lists to any Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Smartphone instantly; and link images and documents to your lists and publish them to your mobile device using the Linked Files Folder. ListPro 5.0 is available for $18 to $20 for the Standard Edition and $27 to $30 for the Professional Edition.

Kinoma has released a new version of its Kinoma Player EX media player. Kinoma media player software brings streaming flash video support for videos from YouTube and Google Video to the Palm OS and has a vast built-in, online streaming media guide for Internet radio and video. Updates include network and streaming improvements, enhanced rss/xml support for more types of media feeds, authentication support for password protected streams and feeds and better camera/webcam support. Kinoma Player 4.2 EX costs $24.95 from kinoma.com. For more on Kinoma Player EX, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

Windows CE, Windows Mobile

Electric Pocket's Ringo Mobile ringtone manager for Palm, Pocket PC, and Windows Mobile phones, now supports Windows Mobile 6. Ringo can play MP3s as ringtones and assign ringtones to individuals or groups. The new version lets users associate a photo or image with an incoming call, and also allows users to set specific ringtones and SMS tones for any caller not listed in the Address Book or, as an alternative, set the tone to Silent Mode when unknown calls arrive. Ringo Mobile is available for $23 to $25 on Handango (Win Mobile 5/6 Edition.)

Sygic launched its new navigation software for most devices running Windows CE, Windows Mobile, Windows XP/Vista, and now also Symbian. By the end of 2007, Sygic plans to support Blackberry, UIQ and Linux mobile phones. For more information, see sygic.com.

Symbian

SymbianGuru has updated its AutoProfiles 2.0 profile scheduler for Series 60 v3 devices. The new version of AutoProfiles has an integrated Bluetooth scheduler that makes it possible to change the Bluetooth status with or without changing the mobile profile, and can be set based on the owner's schedule. The new version also now can work with recurring meetings in mobile calendar. AutoProfiles 2.0 is available for $9 to $10 on Handango.

Windows

Symantec has released Norton Internet Security 2008 and Norton AntiVirus 2008 for for Windows XP SP 2 and Windows Vista. The new versions promise increased speed and reduced user alerts, and add several new features. Norton AntiVirus's SONAR behavioral detection technology will run a full scan every time an application attempts outbound communication. For admins, the new Home Network Feature maps and monitors connected devices to provide a view of devices on the local network, including the status of wireless network security and user advice. Norton Internet Security now includes Browser Defender, which defends against drive-by downloads and other new or unknown threats to Internet Explorer. Norton AntiVirus 2008 is available at symantec.com for $40. Norton AntiVirus 2008 Small Office Packs for five and 10 users are $90 and $150, respectively.

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