BugMe! Review

By Shadowlee

BugMe! is a notepad program that allows you to create a note and then set an alarm on it to pop up at a later time.  Notes can be created using the standard Windows Mobile text entry options, or you can just write on the screen using various thickness pens, as well as an eraser.  You have the option of using different colours for text and background of each note.  You can also import images to use as a background and record a voice note using your device’s microphone.  Images can be taken from any picture saved on your device, or you can take a picture with your camera.

Type Notes

Write Notes

Import A Picture

Alarms can be set by selecting an interval of time (eg 1 min up to 7 days) or you can select “Custom” and set an alarm for a specific time and date.  You can choose an alarm tone from any .wav tone saved on your device.  If you record a voice note you can choose to play that voice note as your alarm (having your phone yell “Remember to pick up some milk!” in your own voice is an interesting way to remember things!). 

Notes can be viewed in three ways:  each note individually on the screen (with scrolling arrows in the tool bar to move between each one), as thumbnails, or in “manage mode”.  Manage mode allows you to give each note a title, sort notes into categories and assign an alarm to a note, without open each individual note.

Thumbnail view

Manage Mode

There is also a single-line today screen plugin which tells you when your next alarm is set for.  This plugin is also a short cut to the program itself.

BugMe! is a handy little program which pretty much does what it says.  The alarms work perfectly (which many people will find a relief after using Windows Mobile alarms!).  The program is simple to use and you will easily figure out how it works. 

I have one problem with it.  The first appears to be a programming problem of some sort:  The erase tool only works on certain coloured backgrounds.  For example: on a white background, the erase tool turns up yellow; on blue background it turns up black.  The erase tool works on black, red and yellow backgrounds.  This means if you scribble a note and then want to change it, you can’t use the erase tool unless you prefer a black, yellow or red background.  Of course, you can still simply erase the note and start again, but the first time I tried to use the erase tool and got big blobs of yellow on the screen instead, it took me by surprise.

How the erase function appears on a white background

Windows Mobile 5 Features
The version of BugMe! I have has been written for 2003SE, and has less features then the newest version for WM05.  New features available in the WM05 version are:

·                    Send your notes via email or MMS

·                    Lock your notes

·                    The ability to take screen shots of other applications and import them into BugMe!

I was unable to test these features, unfortunately.  They make the program look even better.

Conclusion
BugMe! is a very useful little program for creating quick notes and reminders.  Except for a small flaw in the erase tool, it works perfectly.  If you have a WM05 device, get the new version and check out the extra features for me.

BugMe! is available from  www.electricpocket.com

Discuss it here

I give BugMe! a highly recommended 9/10