Mobiola Snapshot is an application from Shape Services that gives BlackBerry users the ability to quickly take screen captures of applications running on their device. How well does it work? Is it worth trying out or even buying? Read on for the full review.
One thing I have always appreciated on the iPhone is the fact that I can easily take a screen shot directly on the device by pressing the Lock Key + Home button. I don’t have to plug the device up to my computer to quickly take a snapshot of something running on the device. Since I am also an avid BlackBerry user, I often need to take a screen shot of applications from that device as well. I have been using BBScreenShooter for the past 3 years — a free utility that will capture anything running on your BlackBerry’s screen. The only “downside” with that application is that I have to have the device plugged in via USB.
I have often wanted to quickly capture a shot “on-the-go” directly from the device, and that is exactly the ability that Snapshot provides BlackBerry users. Once installed, the application integrates into your BlackBerry menu options so that you can quickly capture the screen shots you need. Once saved (you can choose between .jpg, .bmp and .png), you can e-mail a snapshot to a friend or coworker.
I found Snapshot to work well with all native BlackBerry applications — e-mail, calendar, contacts, BlackBerry Messenger, PIN messaging, memos, the BlackBerry web browser and even FaceBook.
Snapshot really shines when you need to show someone a specific option or error from your device. You can quickly copy your screen and send it to someone to show them what options they may need to select on their device, or a user can send a snapshot of an error to their IT admin instead of a lengthy voicemail or e-mail trying to explain the situation. A picture can often be better than a thousand words, and being able to see exactly what is happening on-screen can really help anyone that uses or supports BlackBerry devices.
It isn’t all puppy-dogs-fluffy-clouds-and-rainbows, though. Snapshot won’t capture everything. The variety and volume of 3rd-Party Applications available for the BlackBerry platform has increased quite a bit — and Snapshot won’t support many of those applications. Case in point: Let’s say you are using GoogleMaps and want to take a shot of a map, or the directions, to send. You can’t do that with Snapshot. The same is true if you are using a separate web browser — such as Opera Mini or Bolt — on your device. Snapshot will work with the native BlackBerry web browser, but not Opera Mini or any other 3rd Party browsers.
Another minor item is that while you can take a snapshot of your BlackBerry Options (Screen/Keyboard, Security, etc.), you cannot take a snapshot of your “About” screen if you wanted to show someone what OS you are running on the device. You also cannot take a snapshot of your device log file. Now, both of those are very, VERY, nitpicky to say the least as you can certainly copy and paste that info into an e-mail if you need to send it to a friend, co-worker, or IT admin. I would, however, have liked to have seen the option to just take the snapshot directly from the application.
Now, is this an application I would use? Absolutely. You can trial the Snapshot application from BlackBerry App World or from Shape Services (limited to 5 snapshots). The full application (licensed) can be purchased for $2.99. Note: Your BlackBerry must be running OS 4.2 or higher to use Mobiola Snapshot.
MSRP: $2.99
What I Like: The application integrates to your BlackBerry menu options, and works with most native BlackBerry applications (Calendar, e-mail, contacts, tasks, memos, SMS, BlackBerry Messenger, FaceBook, etc) to take screen captures right from the device. No need to plug the device to your computer via USB.
What Needs Improvement: I would like to see future releases of Snapshot work with more 3rd Party Applications, if possible.
