When I first saw the Apple iPhone advertisement, the guy had to slide a bar across the phone to get it to unlock before he could access its function. It was pretty nifty because such a simple action could save you from a lot of unwanted taps and button presses when your device is in the pocket. Alas, similar locking programs for Windows Mobile were bit more clumsy, requiring the use of PINs and/or hard button presses before you could access your device. But with S2U2, I might have just found the screen lock that I have been looking for.

Introduction

S2U2 has gone through a lot of changes in just under 3 months. It used to be known as something else but due to system slowdowns and problems with the previous version, the software was rewritten entirely in C++ and started from v0.1 That was in September and now on November 20th 2007, it has just released v0.86 and it does not look like it will stop there.

This software relies a lot on the feedback of its users to make it better and if you do choose to use it, I urge you to go to the page and leave your feedback there. Only then will the software improve. It is currently free of charge with no limits but if you feel like sending the developer a donation, by all means. Coming up with so many upgrades under 3 months is no easy feat.

For those looking for the file, you can download it here and here.

First Glance

This is how the software will look when it is activated. If it reminds you of Apple’s iPhone, you will be forgiven because it is. To unlock your phone, you just have to slide the bar from left to right. However, it is not just a screen lock because it also prevents your buttons from activating programs as well. On top of that, the screen is filled with information that you will find useful when you just need to turn your phone on for a quick glance.

Information such as cellular provider, signal strength, battery charge level, WiFi and Bluetooth status (if they are turned on) can be seen at the top bar. Just below that you have your time in large font for easy viewing and date nesting below it. If you want, you can show your next alarm and appointment as well. Not to mention, it has notifications for missed calls, unread text messages and emails as well so that you are always in the know.

If you ask me, I would pick this over Spb Mobile Shell anytime. While they both serve different purpose, I would prefer the screen that S2U2 offers compared to the one by Mobile Shell. How about you?

Installation & Settings

The installation part is very straightforward. Just install the software to your Main Memory and you’re all set. Using your File Explorer, go to Program Files > S2U2 and tap iLock2.exe to run the file in the background. Then tap on S2U2.exe to run the program. From there, the program will run just fine but I urge you to run S2U2 Settings.exe where you can tweak the software to your heart’s desire.

I found the settings pretty easy to navigate because the words used explain it clearly. Even when provided with choices such as Option 1 and Option 2, there are examples just below it to show what each option will do. There are no scrollbars here so if you need to scroll, you can just use your fingers to do the moving. It seems that more and more programs are starting this use this method of navigation (not that I am complaining) and it seems that the days of the stylus are numbered.

Once you are done choosing the settings you want, don’t forget to save them or all your work would have amounted to nothing.

On a side note, if you do not like the picture used as the wallpaper, you can change it to anything that you like. Just make sure that the picture is in the same resolution as your device, rename it to wallpaper.jpg and upload it Program Files > S2U2 > gfx. You will have to overwrite the old wallpaper and after a soft-reset, your new wallpaper will be used.

Problem With Caller ID

At the moment, I seem to be having problems with the Caller ID. If I chose to activate Caller ID, the screen does not show anything when a call comes in. If my option for Called ID was Full Screen, then my screen would blank out. If I selected thumbnail, the screen would not show anything. I would have to unlock, Tap on Call Status and be taken to Phone where I will then see that I have an incoming call. As such, I am still trying to figure out if there is any way around this but until I do, I will have to turn off Caller ID.

Conclusion

This is a really great program to be installed. It’s a bit large at just under 400K for a screen lock program but then again, it does make your device look good without compromising on function. I hope that the Caller ID feature can be further improved to support more devices but at the moment, if you are looking for a software to lock your device but provide useful information at the same time and is customizable, then look no further than S2U2. Also, don’t forget to let the developer know about your experience so as to help him improve the software. And if you would like to make a donation, here is the link.

How do you find S2U2?

Tags: free software