With its RSS feeds and Wikipedia access, Upvise is a great tool for cheating at quizzes.
What Is Upvise?
Upvise is an RSS reader and Wikipedia client for BlackBerry that also features tools such as a notepad and shopping list organizer. Available for free, it is a new release for the BlackBerry platform but it has previously been available for Windows Mobile and Symbian users.
This version offers a four-in-one app solution that delivers RSS content and the fast possible access to Wikipedia for your BlackBerry (as long as you gave an internet connection of course!) and it shows plenty of promise.
Upvise Requirements
Upvise can be downloaded to your PC and installed via BlackBerry Desktop Manager (via www.upvise.com) or installed Over the Air directly to your BlackBerry via m.upvise.com.
For some reason it isn't entirely clear what the exact system requirements are for running Upvise. The website doesn't specify an OS version - it runs without problem on OS 4.5 however, and should run on Storm (9500), Pearl (8100), Curve (8300), Bold, 8800, 87xx and 77xx series BlackBerrys.For this review, Upvise has been tested on a BlackBerry Pearl 8100.
Be aware that Upvise makes heavy use of your internet connectivity, so should only be used on devices with a generous or unlimited dataplan.
Upvise Screenshots
Access Wikipedia
The great thing about Upvise is that it is so easy to use - take the Wikipedia app, for instance.
A simple menu interface takes you straightaway to the search function, and once a search language has been used (all of the usual languages you would find on Wikipedia) your search term can be entered.
After a few moments the results will be displayed, and these are a list of browsable links, comparative to the article contents section at the top of most full Wikipedia entries.
It's a great interface and a superb way to access Wikipedia on the go.
| Vital Tools | Rating  |
Upvise is a great piece of software - but it is hampered.
The developers have for some reason merged various apps - the RSS reader, the Wikipedia app - into what is presumably a handy all-in-one solution.
However this all-in-one solution also features a shopping list and notebook. The four elements just don't seem to fit together in any sensible way - it's as if the developers just threw the four apps into one in order to ease bandwidth on the server.
Whatever the reason, the lack of focus from the Upvise app has reduced the rating in this review. Wikipedia and RSS are both vital tools and work well here, but the peripheral fluff is pointless and annoying.