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One of the key tools most people look for when they begin to explore the wide world of third-party Smartphone applications is something to quickly and easily manage their busy schedule, therefore it is always a big event when a new version of one of the leading PIM applications is released. SBSH Mobile Software announced today a new version of their well-known PIM application, Papyrus. Papyrus 2 is a robust, straight forward time management tool for devices running Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone edition or Windows Mobile 6 Standard.

I have had the original Papyrus installed on my Motorola Q for a very long time (though not as my primary calendar) and now have had the chance to use Papyrus 2 betas and release candidates for the last several weeks. While Papyrus 2 is clearly a progression from the earlier software, it is quite a step forward from what came before. I was very impressed with the new version, due to improvements to the look and feel of the product, refinements to it’s overall usability and the introduction of several innovative new features. This is not a simple upgrade, but a wide ranging redesign of the product, optimizing it’s existing features to suit the way we use smartphones today. SBSH obviously took a great deal of care to add the features and functions that would be most useful to their customers. Considering that SBSH has been producing mobile software for more than 10 years, they certainly should have a good sense for the needs of their market.

There are too many elements in Papyrus 2 that deserve mention for me to list them all in this review, so I will comment on those I think are most important and indicative of the software. In addition, the screen captures I will use to illustrate the Papyrus 2 GUI are taken from the SBSH website, as due to the fact my own Q was replaced a few days before I wrote this review (an ugly run in with a beautiful fountain…don’t ask, I’ll cry), I was unable to take any for myself.

Look and Feel

Papyrus 2 is a great program to look at, with a strong blend of style and professionalism. Each view, be it daily, weekly or monthly is well put together and easy to read, clear and concise. Graphically this version has improved by using .png files for the category icons, which takes full advantage oif the higher resolutions available on the better Smartphones today. In addition, the fact that .png files can make use of transparent alpha layers mean that the icons can be even more distinct and eye catching. The icons are now stored in .zip files and use an Icon Picker screen for quick selection.

The colors and styles of nearly every on-screen element can be customized quickly and efficiently, allowing the user to adapt the presentation of information to their own tastes and predilections. Colors can be selected using a straight forward picker, or by RGB values or HTML code. An excellent touch is that the application automatically takes on the color scheme you already have set in Windows Mobile, so it looks like a native application. A slight complaint is that there are no preset themes available that just influences Papyrus 2, but since practically every on screen element can be colored to suit your fancy, it just takes a little time to create a theme a la carte.

Another elegant if less practical touch in Papyrus 2 is the animated transition between screens. One screen slides away to reveal the next screen behind it. It is a clever touch, and even cleverer is the fact that it can be switched off if you don’t wish it. I loved the look, but switched it off after a day or two as it tended to look a little jerky on my device. Users of smartphones with higher performance likely experience it far more smoothly, but I was grateful for the ability to opt out.

Usability

Usability is always the most important aspect of any PIM application, and in that area Papyrus 2 certainly does not fall short. SBSH tacked the difficult question of how to implement a command intensive application without the benefit of a touchscreen by keeping the menus clean and to the point by relying on Selector screens. These screens make use of large icons so that the number keys or a D-pad can be used to mimic touchscreen functionality. In fact, the selector screens make one handed operation a little easier then it would be on a touchscreen version.

The actual schedule and calendar views are designed to maximize the amount of legible information available on screen at any one time. For example the view I use most, the monthly view. You have the full month laid out on the screen calendar style and each date on the calendar can include timelines and category icons or both, depending on your preference. When you select a day, it appears to “pop up”, emphasizing where you are. The appointments and tasks scheduled for that day(along with all relevant category icons) then appears in a field below the calendar in portrait style phones or along the right side in landscape style screens, with another color coded timeline appearing above them showing what portions of the day are busy. That is a lot of clearly presented information for one small screen. Weekly views appear as standard grids while the daily view simply lists the appointments and tasks.

Some people may feel that more extensive alternate views are lacking, such as a Today screen or different ways to show the weekly schedule for example, but for me that lack is something of a plus. Some Time management software simply gives me too many options, overwhelming me. Papyrus 2 presents the essential information clearly and directly with only really useful bells and whistles, and as a professional I appreciate that. I don’t need Quotes of the Day in my calendar, I need to know what I have scheduled, where and when.

Information is not only well presented in Papyrus 2, but it is also easier than ever to enter. Papyrus 2 makes use of Extended Text fields. Press the d-pad on a field like Subject, Location, or Notes can insert a preset message, a contact or use the full screen editor to enter anything you wish. In addition, Time Picker screens make setting times quick and painless, without all the scrolling often found in such tasks.

There is an enormous amount of interoperability built into Papyrus 2, with other SBSH applications as well as such Windows Mobile standbys such as Mobile Outlook. When a contact is linked to an appointment in Papyrus 2 and that appointment is updated, Outlook prepares a notification to be sent to the contact via Exchange server or ActiveSync. No muss, no fuss and no need to switch applications manually or go to your desktop computer. On top of such time saving shortcuts, the fact that Papyrus 2 interoperates so easily with other SBSH software such as PocketBreeze or Facade means that the application can focus on what it is best at, time management.

Innovation

They say there is nothing new under the sun, and time management applications are by and large mature enough that you pretty much know what you are going to get when you install one. In Papyrus 2 however, SBSH did manage to pack a few surprises.

One new feature that will make my life much easier is a powerful and complete search function and advanced filters, allowing me to find events and appointments by searching without the use of keywords. If I want to know when I am meeting with a rep from Acme about that new rocket power roadrunner hunting sled, I type Acme, or sled, or any other relevant term. A proper search function can save me a lot of time when I need details of an upcoming appointment fast. If I wish to find all information based on a series of criteria, such as meetings on Fridays after 5 PM, I can create a filter to screen through my calendar and find exactly what I wish quickly, then save the filter so I can use it again and again. I found these features to be especially robust and useful in Papyrus 2 and I plan to use them professionally a great deal.

Another fascinating new feature is what SBSH calls “Human Hours”, in which you are able to select the hour a day ends. For example, if you work a night shift or have an appointment that goes past midnight, rather than have the shift or appointment show up as two separate entries, one on the day it begins and one on the day after, you can set the day to end when that shift or appointment ends . This makes your calendar much cleaner and more intuitive, and adapts the application to your lifestyle needs.

Conclusion

All in all I was extremely happy with Papyrus 2, far more then I thought I would be. It has everything I would expect to see in a mature, well developed time management application and a good deal more, doing precisely what I need a calendar to do and doing it well. As I watched the product develop through the beta and release candidate stages I was also very impressed with the care and responsiveness of the SBSH design team. They clearly were putting their users first as they made sure bugs and comments from beta testers were handled rapidly and well, with full transparency. I felt that their open approach to the always difficult process of developing and maintaining consumer software should be a model for other companies to emulate.

Without a doubt, Papyrus 2 has edged out several other excellent applications to become my calendar of choice.

Congratulations to the entire SBSH development staff for a great release.

Zealot (469 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).