SMS Preview is a utility application for the N97 provided by Mobile Nordic. It displays a preview of incoming SMS:s without the user having to go into the SMS program on the phone.

Features

The functionality is simple: instead of just showing that you got a new message like the built-in SMS application does, it also shows you who it’s from and what it says! This is done automatically on the currently active screen, so there is no need to open the SMS application or to jump between screens.

Does it get the message through?

Yep, that it definitely does! It displays incoming messages with a nice layout, and once you get used to it’s much better to see the actual message right away instead of having to wait for it to open. The only meaningful setting you can make is for how long the preview should be shown. A lack of settings is of course not all bad since it makes the program very simple to understand and use.

There are some quirks though. One is that no matter for how long you set the preview, if the N97′s screen is locked – and it usually will be when you receive an SMS – the preview will only be shown for a few seconds (i.e. in the same length that the N97 always uses to inform you that a new message has arrived when the screen is locked). Another one is that sometimes – in very public places for instance – you probably just want to see who the message is from, not actually displaying the message on the screen automatically.

And of course it’s a bit annoying to read all messages in the regular way too, otherwise they will not be marked as read. If SMS Preview would let the user mark a message as read with a single tap on the touch screen – that would be an instant hit!

Summary

Pros

• Free
• Works nicely
• Minimal setup and configuration
  

Cons

• Some conflicts with the built-in SMS functionality when screen is locked
• What if I don’t want to display my SMS:s automatically?!
  

Overall, a nice free utility with lots of promise! To find out more and to download, visit our forum:
Download SMS Preview