S60 Task Manager Replacement Shootout
Still using that default and miserable excuse for a task manager on your S60 device? We’re pitting two apps head-to-head that have both proven the ability to add a great deal of missing functionality to the default offering by S60. In one corner is a clearly more visually pleasing task manager- Handy Taskman. As a reader of Symbian-Guru, it’s quite possible you’ve heard of this one on a number of occasions- for good reason. Handy Taskman is truly a killer app that finds its way on to plenty of S60 ‘power users’ lists as a “must have app” or among those applications that are installed on a device first. It is installed on my new phones immediately after setting the location and time/date- if I weren’t prompted to do so upon the boot of a fresh device, it would happen even before this. It’s that good, and that important.
The other corner is an app from Juriy Bakunin, a Russian coder, called JBak Task Manager that shows the perennial favorite some competition. Visually- it’s not much to speak of… at all. In fact it can be downright unpleasant on the eyes - though this shouldn’t put you off from giving it a shot. There are several features and a wealth of settings not available in HandyTaskman that we find with JBak Taskman. Let’s start with the main screens of the two apps.
Main screen and interface
As you can see, Handy Taskman offers a clean and well thought out interface while the interface on JBak Taskman looks muddled and much of the visual appearance and features look like afterthoughts. It may very well be just my opinion, but I far prefer applications where visual appearance and intuitive design play a large role in development. Visual appearance counts for a great deal with me, so this is a big +1 for Handy Taskman.
That being said, if we can over look the appearance for a moment- you can see several differences in the application already from here. While it all seems to be jammed in there, you’ve got a bit more information and functionality from JBak Taskman’s home screen. For starters, the battery and signal meter is still displayed in JBak’s app- as well as a 24-hour mode clock. +1 JBak
Shortcuts vs. Favorites
There’s also a sort of speed dial shortcut list present in the standby screen- any of these apps can be launched right off by pressing the numeric key associated with the item. It’s also not just limited to tasks- you can add documents as well. You can see in my list that #5 is a note labeled “Channel Li(st)”- this is a handy list of local channels for reference with SlingPlayer. Handy Taskman does offer this feature; a right press on the D-pad from the main screen will display your favorite apps. However, there are no numeric keypad shortcuts and documents cannot be linked. I rather like the having another nine application (or document) shortcuts available with the single brief long press of the menu key so I feel JBak wins that round strongly- but at the cost of the next item… +1 JBak
Application lookup and launch
Both task managers allow the ability to quickly enter the name of an application. In Handy Taskman you just start entering the name of an application via T9 in either the Open Apps or Recent Apps screens; with JBak Taskman you press ‘#’ then enter the name via T9. It’s certainly a very minor win, but an additional key press is just that. +1 back at Handy Taskman.
There is one area that JBak Taskman absolutely excels in; the amount of customization and settings available to the user. Here are the two main ‘Options’ screens for the two programs; Handy Taskman on the left, JBak Taskman on the right.
It’s plain to see already that there’s a lot more going on with JBak in this category. JBak’s options break down further into two areas; Tools and Settings. As far as settings go- a screenshot won’t do justice, so here’s the list of options under settings for JBak-
General
Remember position in phone menu
Show memory in top
Turn off clock
Turn off icons
Show info panel
Task Manager
Show menu
Show UID
Show hidden apps
Close w/o confirmation
Quick Launch
Compact menu
Delete w/o confirmation
Apps Launch
Show all apps
Filter word begins
Last run at top
Filter in English
Disable joystick center
Key “Menu” Settings
In System
Key press
Long key press
Very long press
In Main Window
Key press
Long key press
In Program List
Key press
Long key press
Ext. Settings
Main window delay (milliseconds)
Task switch delay (milliseconds)
Icon height (pixels)
Autokill delay
Green key in main window
Green key in app list
As you can plainly see- JBak is has far more settings and customizations to fiddle with. A quick screenshot will show you what Handy Taskman offers the user-
… and it’s a pretty clear knockout +1 to Jbak.
Further features and options
Another great feature of JBak Taskman is the ability to set ‘rules’ for applications. Among the settings available are the ability to show the app in the task-list or not, set as an autostart program and permanently place a program on the top of the app list for apps which are frequently accessed via the task manager. All very slick features- features lacking from Handy Taskman and a massive +1 to Jbak.
So here’s the kicker. Handy Taskman has a much more refined look to it, while JBak clearly has the edge on feature lists… but the real selling point is the price. This round also goes to JBak as well, as it is 100% free of charge- and signed. A very heavily weighted and final +1 to JBak task manager.
We end up with 5 points for JBak task manager, and Handy Taskman with only 2 points. So while it’s no visual stunner, this shouldn’t be a deterrence from trying it out; JBak is a fantastic application and gets my approval and recommendation over my longtime favorite app, Handy Taskman. Hopefully this new player on the field will shake some things up and we’ll see a fire lit under the Handy Taskman team and some more features with my old favorite. For now- JBak Taskman has won this battle hands-down.
Download Handy Taskman
Download JBak Taskman (NB: Some readers are reporting that the latest version .99 R7 will not install on their device. If this happens to you, it is suggested that you try R6.)
Hey man Nice to see you on Symbian-Guru,After your blog went blank haven’t heard of you.
Cheers, Ravindra. You guessed it- I’m no longer at the old site. Ricky has been kind enough to let me call this my new home of sorts.
I assume you’re well familiar with Handy Taskman- have you tried out JBak Task manager yet?
JBak Taskman has always been my favourite. It is extremely customisable and after all, what can beat FREE ! Pseudofinn, glad to see you reporting back. If you’ve got enough time, I’d be glad to have you onboard my blog too ! Will link to this soon !
That’s exactly right- free is hard to beat! Especially with the customization of JBak Taskman, it’s just the clear winner here IMO.
THanks, K FLYER.
just a hint, not sure if you know or not but you can adjust the font size in jbak so that more app shortcuts are shown, i have mine set at 22 which shows 10 apps which handily corresponds to 1 through to 0 on the keypad
hands down jbak wins. If you spend 20 tinkering with the settings it will make your mobile experience ten times better.
happy to see jbak win but more happy to use handy taskman. Have actually purchased it !!
the thing is handy taskman actually does everything so seamlessly for me that never ever felt the need of trying any other task manager. However, good to see that there is a worthy alternative.
Looks good but getting certificate error when installing on my N95-1 - “Certificate Error - contact the application vendor”
Have tried setting my clock back but no joy..
Anyone?
Mark
Wasn’t a surprise that JBak TaskMan won, as it offers more info and actions you can do with it.
Handy is nice, but JBak is better, though as you’ve pointed out not that nice looking.
(Combine it with the Psiloc Reflect theme and it looks quite ok)
What did you install JBak on? I am trying to install it on my E71 and I get a certificate error.
Smartphoneware Tracker is the best Task Manager (and much more) available for S60 (IMHO).
ok am convinced…downloaded this free app…and did i say i love free stuff? not that i mind paying for some of those i like and use regularly cause i understand the effort that goes into building one…
regards
anup
The Jbak TaskMan webpage is actually in English, so no need for Worldlingo English-to-English translation
The actual page : http://jbak.ru/jbaktaskman_en.php
Thanks, Gereth- I’ll have a look at that. Great tip!
@”Ovi”- I installed it on an N95-3. I had no issues with install- used the current date.
excellent writeup Pseudofinn! I’ve actually been usin jbak taskman for a few months now n i love it!
Looks like the latest version is unsigned. The .99 release at the bottom of the page is Symbian Signed and will install.
Ah, yes- I had forgotten about that! Thank you, I’ll note it above.
Edit- Actually, looking at it again, it appears that the latest version .99 R7 is signed. R6 needs to be signed before installation.
@pseudofinn the R7 release would not install on my phone.
What device are you using right now? R6 did install? :S
I’m at a loss. :o)
I purchased and have been using Handy taskman for many months but gave JBak a try. I liked it but the thing that really annoyed me with JBak is that it takes a long time to start up and boot.
Yup I have tried JBak,but I don’t know exactly what is the reason I cannot move away from Handy Taskman.That is the app I install at the very begging after every format.I guess its the UI and graphics,they make it well integrate with the Default Nokia S60 menu layout.
YespI agree. Handy Taskman is far easier on the eyes- and that really does count for a lot. I had a hard time letting go of Handy Taskman as well. However, I’ve finally removed Handy Taskman from my N95; JBak has finally truly won me over.
I think what really sells it for me is the ability to hide things- there are several apps I have running in the background like a call recorder, T9 Nav, push email etc. I don’t need to see those things every time I hold the menu key down for longer than two seconds- especially “Standby”… come on. If I do want to get at them real quick, I still have the option to press the green key and see all hidden apps (though if you that to be useful, you’ve gotta take all the other hidden system apps out of that view as well- but it’s worth it).
That and having 10 numeric keypad shortcuts from one press off standby- really not bad at all. I’ve got a TON of apps on my phone- I always do. One of the things I hate most of all about flashing and re-setting up a device is going through all the menu structuring to have it the way I want. This basically eliminates the need to do so much work with that.
Though again I agree, Handy Taskman is a FAR better looking program…
I haven’t been able to install any of the versions of JBak tast Manager into a Nokia E61. Main error message: “Expired certificate. Contact the application supplier.” But that’s whom I’m downloading it from! Any ideas from anyone?
If you are signing the application with an expired certificate, change your date. I’d hack the device to ignore the certificate checks. Google “E61 hack symbian freak” for clues, or contact me email at christexaport@sbcglobal.net for personal help. We love helping out at Symbian-Freak.com!
Hi,
I had Handy Taskman installed on my N95 8GB, but after uninstalling the app still popped up when pressing the Menu button long? Has anyone experienced something similar? Have also installed jbak, but it does not start when pressing the menu button long. I also cannot delete the remaining files from HandyTaskman.
Anyone an idea?
Thanks,
C
Excellent write up and jbak is indeed a more powerful taskmanager. But i’d stick with handy. Coz personally i dont need all those features that i’d never use. The recent apps feature makes it so easy to switch between open and recently closed apps and thats all i need from my phone’s task manager.
i have a question.
iv used every task manager possible, but when i long press the menu button on my SU-8W, it still uses the nokia default taskman.
any idea how to make it use whatever 3rd part task manager iv installed?
and jbak may be good, but nothing, NOTHING beats best taskman for s60 SECOND edition. i remember using it on my 6630, WAY more flexible than any of these.
Aug 28th, 2008 at 6:08 am
[...] been my favourite S60 Task Manager and now Pseudofinn, writing on the Symbian-Guru pages, has had a battle between Handy Taskman and JBak Taskman for choosing the best Task Manager. Who will win ? In my opinion, JBak is the best, it is highly [...]
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Aug 28th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
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Aug 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
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Oct 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
[...] Taskman, PseudoFinn is a new convert to Jbak TaskMan, which has recently been updated. PseudoFinn put the two task managers head-to-head a little while back, and if you recall, Jbak was the clear winner, so it’s definitely worth [...]