Time for round 2 of the mobile Java RSS readers.

If you have a Java enabled phone, give it a try.

From your phone: http://mobilecatcher.net/mc

Link to Mobile RSS Reader - Get RSS news on your mobile phone - Verkata MobileCatcher

Well, just when I said there was no Windows Mobile version of Google Maps, Google goes ahead and releases one.  It defintiely gives Virtual Earth a run for its money.  The best feature of Google Maps, IMO, aside from the obvious search integration, is the feature that lets you drag the map around with the stylus to navigate.

Very slick, and this is one of the best implementations yet.

The .cab file for OTA download is at: http://www.google.com/gmm/winm 

Link to Google Maps

Much of this app appears to be "coming soon" but Nokia looks like it has big plans for this platform that is more than directions and maps of the world.

It's more about discovering new places to go and sharing them with your contacts.  Could be a great idea.

Link to smart2go – Share the world with your friends!

If you are looking for a great alternitive to Google Maps for mobile on the Windows Mobile platform - Virtual Earth Mobile is definitely the way to go.

The app supplies maps, directions, and real time traffic overlays, and will even integrate with a GPS receiver if you have one connected.

This is a definite must-have for Windows Mobile devices.

Link to Via Virtual Earth

I generally hate WAP/XHTML to begin with, as it's just way to slow for my tastes, but occaisionally, it is the right tool for the job and Google has made it that much better with this. I've heard this works across all their languages as well. awesome!

Results of the search for "Nokia":

The switch that shows just "Mobile Web" results:

Search results for News:

Search results for "FeedBurner":

this last one is cool - i had no idea theis All About Symbian XHTML site existed.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow

As one of the first BREW 3D games available on Verizon with the VCAST service, Pandora Tomorrow shows off just what can be done on the BREW platform with a workhorse like the LG-VX8000.

Not only are the 3D graphics about the best you'll find on a mobile phone, but this also has a lot of other attributes of a great mobile game: it can easily be played in short chunks, it saves your progress automatically, and it's just the right level of difficulty to keep you interested and trying "just one more time."

Updated: The more I play this game, the more I like it. The thing that pushed this from "ho-hum" to "great game" was really understanding the course markings. I now can't stop playing this. first impressions below...

I had high hopes for "SSX: Out of Bounds" for the Nokia N-Gage, and perhaps it's because i was so addicted to the PS2 versions, but this one just falls a little bit flat.

This seems like pretty much a straight port of the GBA version, which i think suffered from some of the same ho-hum lack of speed, and occaisonal slowdowns.

There were plenty of times i couldn't really tell when I was on and off the course because of the contrast - and in general, I didn't get that feeling of actually being in the game like on the PS2 version.

Nevertheless, SSX: OoB can still provide some hours of fun, i have no doubt, especially with Bluetooth head to head play. Of course, first you have to find someone else with an N-Gage, which is no easy task.

2004 Gameloft Real Soccer

Gameloft Real Soccer is an impressive J2ME soccer implementation, tuned especially for Nokia Series 60 phones such as the Nokia 6620 on Cingular Blue (AT&T Wireless).

The gameplay itself is about as good as you will find on a phone outside the N-Gage, with all sorts of exibition and tournament modes. There are definitely occaisonal slowdowns when tested on my Nokia 6630, which to be fair is somewhat memory limited.

The graphics are pretty impressive and this is generally a good looking J2ME application.

ProfiMail Series 60

If there is one app you puchase for your Series 60 phone, ProfiMail is it. Loney Cat games has a hit on their hands here, and no matter what Nokia bakes into S60, i don't think they will catch up.

ProfiMail breaks the rules in so many ways, but it works! they've given the finger to the native UI and created their own widgets and windowing, as well as transparent windows and alerts.

Their solution handles HTML email AND allows you to continue to browse, all from within the app.

The latest version also supports SSL which i know was one reason people shyed away from the app in the past.

The one thing i think this app really needs is the ability not do download messages over [x] kilobytes. there are times i just don't want to wait for that 2 meg attachment, and right now you can download all the messages or just the headers.

ProfiMail also comes in a UIQ version which i have not yet tried, but will if i ever get to carrying the P910 as a main sidearm.

I may be a little biased since I have owned pretty much every incarnation of EA Sports FIFA soccer series since its initial debut on the Sega Genesis, but FIFA 2005 is hands down the best sports game, if not the best game available on a phone today.

Granted it's 2005 and this game plays like FIFA 98 or 2000 on the PC, but this is on a phone, and it's just a lot of fun.

I've bought about 5 soccer games for phones, and FIFA 2005 just blows them all away. No contest. This is good old fashioned fun like i remember it. Playing FIFA instead of working. ah...

The only problem is of course, you have to find another N-Gage to play against with Bluetooth.

What i would give for an UTMS N-Gage with a 1.3 Megapixel camera!

Mobipocket Reader

One application that has really changed my life is Mobipocket Reader. There are a bunch of eBook readers out there on different platforms, but one main reason I am sticking with a Series 60 phone for now is this app.

You see, I hate travelling and commuting with books. They take up a lot of room in my bag not to mention the extra weight. Secondly, I often read multiple books at one time, which makes the first problem even worse.

I have to admit, i was a little skeptical that i could read a book on a phone but it actually works really well, especially in short bursts like waiting for a train.

The Mobipocket website makes it easy to buy books and load them on the phone, but if you want to read literature available under other licensing models such as Cory Docotorow's Eastern Standard Tribe you can find versions that are readable on Mobipocket as well.

Also available for UIQ and other platfoms.

Of all the weather apps available - this is my favorite. It's amazingly well done and shows how much better a targeted application can be compared to the WAP/xHTML experience when done right.

Really easy to use, and super fast on the 1X CDMA networks, I often find the quickest way to find out the day's foreecast is to flip open a BREW handset and run Accuweather.

Available on:
LG VX4400
LG VX6000
LG VX4600
LG VX4500
LG VX7000
LG VX6100
Samsung SCH-a610
Samsung SCH-a650
Samsung SCH-a790
Samsung SCH-a530
Samsung SCH-A670
Kyocera KX414
Kyocera KX2
Kyocera SE47
Motorola T720
Motorola C343
Motorola V265
Motorola v710
Audiovox CDM-9500
Audiovox CDM-9900
Audiovox CDM-8600
Audiovox CDM-8900
Audiovox CDM-8910
Nokia 3589i