Psion EPOC Utilities and Games | Gareth Saunders and Jane Saunders v.5.0

Text Editor v.1.41 (049)
by Symbian Ltd.
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, Revo Plus, S7, NetBook
Freeware
Developer's Website | Download (108 KB)

The Psion's built-in word processor does not handle plain text files very well; in fact, it doesn't handle them at all.

Which is why Symbian wrote this wonderfully small utility application and released it into the wild. It does exactly what you would expect from a text editor: it loads plain text files, allows you to edit them, and save them again.

"Currently available Symbian OS machines do not provide an onboard text-editing facility, often useful for developers and power users, although text files can be browsed in Web. A plain text editor written in native Symbian OS C++ and compiled to run on an Symbian OS machine is now available. After installation, tapping twice on plain text files will cause them to be opened in the text editor rather than in Web."

{^top}

PDF+

Portable Document Format reader
by mBrain
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, RevoPlus, S7, NetBook, NetPad
Freeware and Commericial
Developer's Website | Download

Imagine making your PDF files really portable, by taking them with you on your Psion palmtop. You can with PDF and PDF+ from mBrain software.

PDF+ is available in two flavours: PDF+ (EUR €26.18) and 'plain' PDF (Freeware).

PSLight5

Intelligent Backlight Control / Battery Status Monitor
by Kevin Millican
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, RevoPlus, S7, NetBook, NetPad
Freeware
Developer's Website | Download (44 KB)

I love this application! Shortly after I got my 5mx I wished that there was a way that the backlight automatically came on at night whenever I opened it up. After all, it switches on automatically when I open the lid, why can't the light come on as well? (I know it's not a fridge!)

It seems that Kevin Millican had also thought of this, but he did something about it. Kevin Millican wrote a program that did exactly what I wanted. And it's free!

TomeRaider

Reference and e-book reader
by Proporta Ltd.
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, RevoPlus, S7, NetBook, NetPad
Freeware
Developer's Website | Download

TomeRaider is another essential piece of software that I cannot do without on my Psion 5mx.

I have a 64 MB Compact Flash card almost packed full of TomeRaider files, so that no matter where I am I have access to a number of very helpful reference documents: Internet Movie Database (IMDB) from 1960 to present (14 MB), Roget's Thesaurus, Dictionary, Encyclopedia of Tolkien's Middle Earth, Bible, etc.

While TomeRaider's origins were as a "high-power, portable reference viewer" it also makes a rather effective E-book reader. I currently have 18 novels stored on mine.

"On any platform, entire encyclopaedias can be read and browsed at an amazing speed, without eating up your system. With the wide range of dictionaries available you can always know the meaning of a word... wherever you are. Find out in seconds whether a wine is worth buying or a film worth watching or a place worth visiting."

TomeRaider

Internet

Sink2

Internet security application
by Hans Lub
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, RevoPlus, S7, NetBook, NetPad
Freeware
Download OPL version (Zip, 26 KB)
Download Java version (Zip, 31 KB)

In the late summer of 2003 I began to experience problems with connecting to my ISP via my Psion 5mx and Travel Modem. The machine would simply freeze, requiring me to perform a soft-reset to gain control again.

It turns out that "EPOC has a nasty bug which causes a system lockup (100% busy) if an attempt is made to access an inactive TCP port from the outside over a dial up connection to the Internet. This happens as a result of the recent worm attacks."

This tiny program helps prevent EPOC machines from freezing when connected to ISPs that don't filter out traffic to port 135.

"It causes the activation of dummy listeners on some ports which are commonly attacked. The default setting defines some ports but the listeners are not active until you use the menu Tools, Activate Sink. This has been done to prevent the program to cause an unwanted dial up request upon startup. Activating Sink will pop up the connection dialog.

Once started, the listeners cannot be deactivated until you restart the application."

Note: it is recommended that you update your TCP/IP Stack too before using this software.

EasySwitch

International modem reconfiguration application
by Psion
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, RevoPlus, S7, NetBook, NetPad
Freeware
Developer's website | Download (Zip, 13 KB)

When travelling in other countries you need to ensure that you have the correct phone plug adapter for the country in which you are travelling. You will also need to ensure that your modem is correctly set to recognise the different dialling tones for that country.

Series 5mx Web Update

Update to the 5mx Web application
by Psion
Series 5mx only (NOT for the Series 5)
Freeware
Download (Zip, 401 KB)

This updates the built-in Web browser application on the Series 5mx only, please do not try to install it on your Series 5 or Revo.

[Series 5 Message Suite

Psion Series 5 Message Suite (1.52)
UK/US version (Build 055)
7th September 1998
Download (Zip, 1.17 MB)

This is the version of the Internet applications for the Series 5. Do not install this on your 5mx or Revo.]

Games

PocketChess for EPOC v.1.2a

Chess - The Game of Kings
by Scott Ludwig
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, RevoPlus, S7, NetBook, NetPad
Freeware
Developer's website | Download (Zip, 90 KB)

This is a game of two halves, between two players. One player is black and the other player is white. One team are 'in' and the are 'out', and the team 'out' have to get the team who are 'in' out. Or is that cricket?

While this is not exactly Deep Blue, and you certainly wouldn't give Gary Kasparov a run for his money using it in a correspondence match, but this is a thoroughly decent version. And it's free.

MahJongg

The Chinese Game of Four Winds
by Alistair Collister
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, Revo Plus, Series 7, NetPad
Shareware
Developer's Website
Download MJ EPOC Trial (Series 5/5mx) (77 KB)
Download MJ EPOC Trial (Revo) (40 KB)

If you want Mah Jong on your Psion then buy this version. If you want Mah Jong on your Psion and only have a Psion Series 3 then first buy a Series 5mx and THEN buy this version.

Play is intuitive and pleasing. Tap the screen to prompt the next player to discard, and the discarded tile is accompanied by a delicate 'popping' sound as though being placed on the table. While not quite the chattering of sparrows is does add something to the play.

Given that play is dictated by the pace of your tapping you have plenty of time to claim that discard, by tapping the Last Discard box and selecting your action from a pop-up context menu. So no excuse for missing a discard because another player discarded before you worked out how to claim it.

Overall, this is a beautifully written and very well thought-out offering from a young British Astrophysicist. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Mondo Pondo

"A Quiz Game with 1000's of great questions, dares and truths. A Quiz Game for 2-8 Players or 2 Teams of up to 16 players. Play with friends, family or strangers. From teens to any age."

I have this for both Psion and Windows, but the website now only seems to offer it for Palm OS. Maybe that will change again.

Database

PsiDat for EPOC v.1.25 (release 3)

Relational Database Management System
by Kevin Millican
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, Revo Plus, Series 7, NetPad
Freeware
Developer's Website

"The freeware PsiDat... is just about the ultimate database tool for Psion palmtops - it can open, import and export virtually everything, but you definitely have to know what you're doing. Thankfully, there's some truly excellent help text and documentation provided, plus a number of examples...."
(Palmtop User magazine issue 2).

Emulator

E32Frodo

Commodore 64 Emulator
by Jal Panvel and Alfred E. Heggestad,
from Christian Bauer's original Frodo for Amiga
Series 5, 5mx, Revo, Revo Plus, Series 7, NetPad
Freeware
Developer's Website

This made me laugh when I saw it: this application will emulate a Commodore 64 home computer on your Psion PDA.

My Favourite 5mx Applications

Utilities

EPOC Text Editor v.1.41(049)