[General Topics] NLS:
OK let's do a mini review of CommManagerPro.

It is shareware program made by Daniel Herrero and the main support thread is right here in XDA Devs. I am not sure of the limitations after test period expires, but the thing is you can try it full for some time (so DO it).

The power of the program is its feature set which continuously expands, without changing the price or charging for an upgrade. In fact as you'll find out below, there is great new functionality (I am talking about something that could be a whole different program and there ARE commercial programs for this functionality) coming in about a month and although *I* proposed Daniel to charge something for it, he said he will not (!).

Anyway, let see what it does (a quick n' dirty list, without screenshots)...

CommManagerPro is:

- A profile scheduler, based on time/day and GSM cells basicaly, but also other factors. So for example myself, I have four profiles:

(a) A profile automaticaly selected when I am at work (detected from the GSM cells around there), where I have WiFi on and BT off (don't use a headset there).

(b) A profile automaticaly selected for home until 23:30, where WiFi and BT are off (no wireless for now near my 9 months old son).

(c) An automatic profile for home at night (23:30 - 7:30) where GSM is also off and volume is off.

(d) A profile automaticaly selected when I am not at home or work, where BT turns on (since I can be on my bike where I have a headset in the helmet).

(e) A profile automaticaly selected if I have an appointment and use the word "DND" in it (!). Mutes the phone.

(f) A profile for airplane mode, manually selected.

- A manager to switch on and off the various device radios (and not only). In case you don't want to mess with profiles (or even on top of them).

- A mini tracker (not very extensive functionality, but still works).

-

It's home screen is where you see signal strength, battery charge, active profile (where you can also select one and lock it), and a set of buttons to turn individual things on/off. WiFi, Bluetooth, volume, GSM etc.

Each selection (inc. full profile) can be switched on "for ever" (until changed by another profile, a schedule etc.) or for some time. This way you can turn Bluetooth to do an exchange for a few minutes and don't have to remember to switch it off again.

The real power of the program though is hidden in its settings.

Let's describe the tabs roughly.

In the first tab, we see cells that are around and active cell. We also see if this cell is already assigned to a profile.

The second is the most powerful tab, as in there you see/create/assign/delete profiles and schedules for them. Each profile can be configured for separate days, specific times and of course be assigned to sets of cells. Also for each profile you define what happens when you ENTER the profile and when you EXIT the profile. Things you can currently (because Daniel keeps extending it) affect:

(a) Bluetooth

(b) WiFi

(c) Speaker (and vibration)

(d) Phone (GSM)

(e) Connections (turn on and off each of them even individually - for example my provider has set up for me a separate MMS connection account and a separate for 3G "Internet" - so I never close MMS).

(f) Band selection (2G/3G)

(g) Beam (for irDA capable phones)

(h) Send a mail

(i) Send an SMS

(j) Set call forwarding

(k) Vibrate (not set vibration, but actually vibrate for feedback)

(l) Open a file

(m) Close a program

(n) Change today theme

(o) Set brightness

(p) Change your ring tone

(q) Turn device on

(r) Turn screen off

(s) Put device to stand by

(t) Perform soft reset

(almost run out of letters here)

You understand the power of the application...

The third tab is a bit of a "debug" tab as it just shows you the list of pending profile schedules for the day.

The fourth tab, handles how your profiles match with your appointmens. You can use keywords in your appointment subject or category or both. As an example you see above, that I have a profile for when I put "DND" as category.

Fifth tab deals with individual connections (network connections as you have set them). Here is where you can switch off GPRS so you don't pay because the weather wants to update.

Next tab is also a debug tab, the event log.

Seventh tab is very important when you first make your profiles (then you forget about it after all is set). It is the tab where it shows the cells you have used and when. Why is it important initially? Because for example you want to make an "at work" profile like I did. How do you know AAAAALL the cells the is possible to lock while at work? Well you see there. You are at work between 9 and 17? Then check the list and make sure to assign (DIRECT from this tab!) all cells you see there between 9-17 to your "at work" profile. You check it for two three days to make sure you didn't miss a cell (that maybe you never locked on the first day) and then you are set! Stupidly simple.

Next tab is the mini tracker. It uses Daniel's own server (for free), where you can set an account, and can log there many details INCLUDING GPS coordinates.

The next two tabs are very interesting for a "comm manager" program. The first shows the current your device draws in a graph (!) and the third, the battery level! Very nice for testing those patched radios.

Tab 11, 12 and 13 are various options. Let's see just some:

- SIM PIN

- Mail account to use

- If it refreshes periodicaly to see if it is still where it should and uses correct profile.

- Language

- If it's protected from closing by Windows (you want this)

- If it's integrated with TF3D.

In fact this last one, in not only for TF3D. What it does is that it replaces the operator's name with the active profile and schedule. You always know what operator you use, but what you want to know is which profile is active. So even out of TF3D, if you have something in your today item or dialer that shows the operator, now it will show active profile and schedule. ULTRA important feature if you ask me (but what did you expect me to say, it was my idea to add this).

So from the description of the program you can actually see some of its power.

What is coming VERY soon?

Call and SMS filtering!!! Yes it could be a separate program, but no, CMP will get this functionality too!!! A total communication manager!

What I'd like to see:

- Although I am 90% a TF3D user, I want him to fix and extend the today plugin functionality (it's a bit limited and a bit ugly currently).

- A MUCH better skin. Big blame to me though, as I started a very nice skin (and if I continued in the same rate it would be ready in less than a week) and stopped it for now (Real Life caught up with me). But invitation is open, for anyone to make something nice. Skizzo has made the original skin, it is nice (like all Skizzo work), but "too colorful" for many people's tastes (inc. me).

Apart from those things (which don't shadow the program at all), we are talking about a program that is not only "great", but it is in fact a "MUST HAVE" for WM based phones, something that WM should have embedded, or at least device vendors or telephony providers.

Feel free to go to his site and check it out: http://www.commmgrpro.com/