Salling Clicker is one of those applications that once you've installed it on your Nokia N73 you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Essentially it transforms your N73 at a stroke into a programmable multimedia remote control for your PC or Mac.

The latest version - Salling Clicker 3.0.1 - doesn't offer out-of-the box support for the N73 yet. But you can download a Java client that mirrors all the functionality of the proper application but sacrifices a little of the polish. A full Symbian 9.1 version is currently (April 2007) being beta tested and will be launched soon.

To install the Java version on your Nokia N73 go online with the handset and point the browser at wap.salling.com then follow the simple instructions.

What makes Salling Clicker so clever is that it leverages the N73's built-in features - such as the colour display and two-way communication via the Bluetooth radio connection - to offer so much more than the pause, play, forward and back that most third-party remotes offer.

For instance, when using Salling Clicker with Microsoft PowerPoint (or Apple's Mac-only Keynote) you have a remote that lets you control the presentation without having to point the N70 at the PC as Bluetooth doesn't require a line-of-sight connection.

Or when you use your N73 to control iTunes or Windows Media Player from the sofa you can use the Nokia's keypad to type in the artist, song, album or playlist you want to access and then view the album artwork on the colour display. Very cool.

The software on your PC or Mac offers a very polished user experience (although it's essential you have Service Pack 2 installed on Windows XP to get this up and running). The installer even lets you refresh the list of over 100 supported phones and PDAs dynamically to make sure that even the latest phones are supported. The Salling.com website also offers a comprehensive support and FAQ although disappointingly there isn't a full manual for the latest version.

Clicker is also fully scriptable and there's an active community of people offering support for new devices, applications and features as they come on stream.

When the final version is released the Nokia N73 will support most Phone Events so you will be able to make it do clever things like having your PC automatically lock itself when you and your phone move away and then unlock itself when you return. Or mute your iTunes when you have an incoming call.

Salling Clicker is an essential download for your Nokia N73 - and with a price tag of just $23.95 (or £13.10) it's a real bargain as it's a lot cheaper than buying a third-party remote offering a fraction of its functionality.

Salling Software