Review: Toysoft Inc Profiler
[rating:9]
Cost: $9.95 USD @ the store
Free Trial Available
So after having read about Toysoft Inc’s Profiler software, I figured I would give it a chance! Profiler is a software that allows the user to set their own customized schedules for automatic profile switching. The program allows you to either program it via set times in the day or via keywords that are used in your calendar.
For me personally, I have set Profiler to use both methods. As you can see below, I have it set to automatically put my phone into silent mode when I go to sleep. I have even set separate schedules for weeknights and weekends! I have also programmed Profiler to automatically set my phone to the vibration mode whenever my calendar has “Work” scheduled into it so that I don’t accidentally have it ringing during a meeting – uh oh!! Profiler 1.5 currently supports up to 16 customized profiles, it will utilize any custom profiles that you have created within the Blackberry profile application, and best of all, it is VERY easy to use!!
Some of you may be wondering what other examples of real-world use this software may have. One thing that irritated me in my lectures was when you were just beginning to understand what your foreign professor was trying to say and then someone’s phone starts ringing to the tune of “Party Like a Rockstar”. Not only is this distracting, but it throws the whole flow of the class off! With Profiler this would never happen! Simply program your lectures into your BlackBerry’s calendar, program the appropriate “keywords” into the Calendar Keyword settings and your phone will never distract anyone in class again!
Other common uses are for those with consistent schedules. For those people, the use of the calendar function may not be needed as much as the date / time functionality of the software allows you to control which profile goes on at which time and on what day! I know for those people that work Monday-Friday, 9-5 shifts this program can be very handy! Simply program your phone to go into your desired mode during “work hours” and when you leave work, your phone will automatically restore you to the “Party Like a Rockstar” profile!
There are a couple of con’s that irked me. First, I must state that if the following con is Toysoft’s limitation in their coding abilities or if it’s a limitation in RIM’s code but if the phone is holstered or locked, the phone will have to alert you by vibration or sound that you must unholster or unlock the phone. Perhaps there is a security issue that prevents Profiler from unlocking your phone to change the setting! Once you unholster however, the profiler will switch you over immediately. It would be great if the ability to automatically change profiles while holstered / locked was possible. Hopefully we will see this functionality in the next revision of their software. I am glad that Toysoft acknowledges this problem though, as you can see on their website, and has at least found a way to integrate this into making the program still function!
Another con that may irk some is the lack of “noticeable” integration between their “calendar keyword” scheduling and their “data & time” scheduling. Yes, the phone will allow you to do both, but there should be an option within the “date & time” options to set specific exceptions. For example, say I want my profile to change M-F at 9am, except when my calendar reads “Meeting with Boss”, I should be able to add this one time exception without having to go into the “calendar keyword” section and program its own complete profile. As well, by modifying the calendar profile, one runs the risk of it conflicting with the “date & time” profile settings. I hope in future builds, the ability to add more defined exceptions will be available! I would also like to know if there is a way to set which setting takes priority, “date & time” or “calendar keywords”.
Other then the above caveats, I believe this software, although pricey for some at US$10, has many features that will definitely serve its purpose for those users who have consistent schedules and are always in situations where they need their profiles to switch automatically! I know myself that I have had my phone ring one too many times (only once) in a meeting and to this day I still hear about it! This program will hopefully prevent that from happening in the future!
UPDATE: It appears as if Toysoft has made some updates since this review was written. For starters, they have now expanded on their lock screen application to improve compatibility with changing the profile while your phone is locked! What they have done is given the user a way to change their default lock screen so that Profiler has a way to access it to unlock your keyboard! As well, this update will now allow users to use their own picture for the lock screen background as well as customizing the text that displays from it! The only caveat is with this feature enabled, your phone will auto lock the keyboard when your screen times out without any setting to allow the user to simply lock it manually! I assume this functionality will come in a future revision!
Another update that has been made is the improvement of the Blackberry Storm compatibility. Toysoft has given Storm users the go ahead to use their software now! It should be noted that these updates appear to still be in official beta status, and of course, caution is advised when trying such software!
Download the beta (works as Trial or full version) from http://www.toysoft.ca/beta/Profiler.jad
PROS:
-Flexibility in scheduling profiles
-Ability to change profiles based on your calendar settings
-Supports custom profiles
-Supports any Blackberry as far back as the 8700 w/OS 4.2 or newer
CONS:
-Requires custom lock screen in order to allow for profile changing while your phone is holstered or locked
-Price may be an issue for non-business users
REQUESTS:
-More defined rules and exceptions for those with more specific, and inconsistent scheduling needs
-Conflict detection so that the wrong profile is not applied in error
-Ability to not have to select an END TIME so that one can create another profile with a different name to function as that END TIME or new START TIME
Brian ( View Profile) - Posts: