What's your favorite plugin... - 8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General

What's your favorite plug-in for closing apps [fully] such as Icbar, Giga Task, iTask, and HP Task Switch.
Also if you could, post a link for the download [for me and others to download and take your opinion]!!!

no love 4 me

While im sure the reason for the lack of love is due to the fact that this has prolly been asked before , I personaly like the O2 plus app for closing apps.

My Today Screen
I have played with a few Today plug-ins on my WM5 Vario II (T-Mob) and currently like this combo which as you can see is mainly Spb stuff:
Spb Mobile Shell - Nice interface with lots of features incl an excellent contacts manager.
Spb Phone Suite - profiles, photo id calling, basic comms control, notifiers
Spb Diary - calendar, messages, contacts...
Phone Dashboard - Allows easy tracking of phone and SMS use and helps you maximise (but not exceed) your monthly allowance. I am on a UK T-Mob 1Gb monthly data allowance so have no need track data but if you do then take a look at Spb GPRS Monitor which is good.
Bandswitch - (free) a very low memory tool that allows easy control of data connections, 2g/3g control. Excellent! Allows easy turn-off of data connection whilst overseas (to avoid high charges). Developed by Daniel Herrero who is working on better profile version with many more capabilities - Comm Manager Pro (CMP)
I have also used phoneAlarm (pA) and it is great. However, it is so powerful that it overlaps many of the features of the apps above and I am 'assessing' Spb Phone Suite at the moment.
I have no stability issues at the moment but did have a few lock-ups and failure to wake-up faults. I suspect that was because I had been running the betas of pA and CMP but cannot be sure.
Have fun testing..

I have a pretty "clean" today screen... i did search high and low for a good weather plug in. Found "Weather to go"... its really good. Takes up very little space and can show you up to 3 cities if you want (good for travelers).

Related

TODAY plug ins - yours and why, not yours and why....

I was just wondering what sort of today plug ins different people were using, or not using, based upon experience.
The main ones I was hoping for comments and discussion on are:
1. SPB (Pocket Plus, Calendar, GPRS, Weather)
2. SBSH (Pocket Breeze, Contact Breeze, Pocket Weather, Calendar Plus)
3. Wizbar (standard and advanced)
4. Omega One (journal bar, 1 calc, battery pack pro)
5. Resco (Explorer, Today, Media Suite)
What I am interested on each for those that use, are comments relating to:
1. Functionality
2. Performance
3. Geek factor....
I have SPB and Resco, tried Omega one, and havent made it to SBSH or Wizbar yet.
SPB I find functional, cost effective with plug ins that plug in to the plug in to consolidate the today screen into multi tabs. However, I do find the SPB suite of Pocket Plus, Weather, Play, GPRS and Diary to be quite hungry on the RAM and thus looses its close function effectiveness.
Resco is in the main, efficient and effective, though the media programs Pictures, Audio and Radio are quite resource hungry, and dont really want to many running simultaneously, but the features of being able to play radio efficiently over WIFI, using Audio to convert mp3 and wav to different formats, cut, chop and condense into ring tones adds some good features.
Geek factor isnt really geeky, but highly functional....
How about the impact of having all installed? or cross installation of different apps.
Feedback and comments on your experiences...
Hmmmm 105 people read this within 1 day, and not a single comment?!
My experiences
1. SPB Pocket Plus (not used the others, prefer built in) is very good. Wish it supported icon text but otherwise is very good. Does not seem to slow the machine down unless you fill lots of screens with icons.
2. SPSH seemed clumsy and buggy to me as compared with SPB
3. I've never had a good time with Wisbar - lots of strange problems, and some of the notifications never work as expected. There is definitely a speed impact. Also, I get the close functionality from SPB Pocket Plus & don't want to duplicate. I got bored of finding and applying skins in the end.
4. I use 1Calc but don't like the rest. Only issue with it is it's a bit slow to start up.
5. Not much experience of Resco. Last time I tested it didn't impress much. When I need that level of file management I use my laptop.
Hope this is useful.
TODAY plug ins - mine and why, not mine and why....
Hi Simon,
A lot to cover here as I have tried almost all the apps you mention with varying success.
I'll try to cover these in the order you listed them:
I was a long standing fan of the spb Suite of apps - on my M1000 (xda2) that was pretty much all I used, but I have found a few problems running on the M5000 (xdaExec). It really slowed the machine down - even after removing the SD Card meter from the today screen (recommended!). It was bearable for a while, but then one day I hard reset had forgotten how fast this wee beastie can run!
10 out of 10 for functionality of the spb software - I almost reinstalled it purely for the multi-PIE pages, the safe mode & close button are also two very missed utils - but the performance hit is just too much to take for me nowadays.
SBSH's Pocket Breeze never really appealed to me in the past. Partly due to my affinity with the spb crowd, and partly because when I tried using it on my M1000 I found it ghastly, ugly and really slow.
I returned to Pocket Breeze, etc when I was turned off Pocket Plus etc on the M5000. I installed Pocket Breeze, Contact Breeze and Pocket Weather. All ran pretty well and on the VGA screen - didn't seem to look as bad as I remembered. It's my today item of choice today. There are LOADS of options so you can customise to your heart's delight, and some pretty tasty skins online.
I also installed SBSH iLauncher which is a nice replacement for the shortcut launchpad found on the Pocket Plus today addin. You can use fantastic hi-res icons for your shortcuts making your today screen gorgeous.
SBSH is an all round winner for me!
I am currently running the beta release (for WM5.0) of Wizbar Advance on the M5000. I used it breifly on the M1000, but the slowdown has horrendous and promptly removed it. On the Universal - it does seem to run not too bad. Don't get me wrong - you really do notice a performance hit when it's running, but it's sooooooo beautiful
There are lots & lots of options to customise the display, and plenty of beautiful ready made themes available online. I also use the Wisbar Advance Desktop Add-In which gives your today screen a whole new dimension!
(BIG help for me: Uncheck Don't cache background images under Start Menu settings - uses more mem, but far more responsive)
I should say - I don't have wisbar advance running all the time. Usually I have a rather bare skin for speed's sake, but I occasionally flick it on when I am feeling lush (or someone asks to see my pda & I wanna show it at it's best! )
Can't recommend JournalBar for the Universal at all. I really liked it on the M1000, the RSS feeds were excellent I was really looking forward to having them on my Uni, but not long after installing it I experienced a lockup that needed a HARD RESET to recover from. Thinking I had just overloaded it with apps I started again - JournalBar on 1st. :evil: Same thing.
I have noted a few other threads where people have reported the same.
I do use 1-Calc though. It's a little slow at times - but I still really, really like it.
I have always used, and still am using - Resco Explorer as my main file browser. I can't rate it high enough - It's fantastic, and have never had a problem with it.
Can't say the same for Radio though. Tried installing it a couple of times but it kept crashing and closing itself on me. Also seemed really slow & sluggish.
To get my radio I use the free GSPlayer and find my streams on www.shoutcast.com. Works perfectly for me! Really light too.
All the other ones you mentioned that I didn't - I have never used them so I can't comment.
Hope these comments help (or at least start the ball rolling).
Here's a couple of screengrabs.
Used: WisBar Advance 2, WisBar Advance Desktop, Pocket Breeze, Contact Breeze, iLauncher.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Hi,
I tried Wisbar but the icons at the top seems incorrectly positioned, what version do i need?
Thanks
I am using the following today plug-ins
1) SPB pocket plus: Mainly because it allows me to do a lot of shortcuts on the today screen and is possible to navigate to my excel files without the use of stylus. Regarding slow down the major impact is on boot time after a soft reset. Without SPB my Jasjar managed a shade over 1 minute but with SPB it is down to 1 minute and 25 seconds. However since soft reset is only occasionally required by me I don't mind the boot time increase. During normal running I don't notice a detrimental impact on speed. By the way I have not set up monitoring of the SD card but monitoring of battery and program memory is there. I also like the task switcher on SPB.
2) Hudson Mobile IP Dashboard: Mainly because I can at a glance see what speed my internet connection is working at. You can actually see a graph of the upload and download rate.
3) Hudson Mobile Phone Dashboard: To monitor my telephone costs
4) PocketMax PhoneAlarm Presently at Alpha 12: This is a profile manager and provides repeating alarms functionality to SMS, Missed Calls, e-mails, etc but NOT to calendar events and other general alarms. I have been following this since it was in alpha 8 and almost all bugs have now been resolved. The developer expects to soon release the beta and then the final version. For me (though I am still testing) it also seems to have resolved the Jasjar freezing on receipt of a new text message.
Kind Regards
simon_darley said:
1. SPB (Pocket Plus, Calendar, GPRS, Weather)
2. SBSH (Pocket Breeze, Contact Breeze, Pocket Weather, Calendar Plus)
3. Wizbar (standard and advanced)
4. Omega One (journal bar, 1 calc, battery pack pro)
5. Resco (Explorer, Today, Media Suite)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 SPB - I just can't get the hang of these as you have to buy so many apps to get all of the functionality.
2. SBSH - see above.
3. Looks absolutely stunning. Just can't get on with it. This turns my Exec into an OAP - slow and always getting in the way. Just unusable for me.
4. I use Journal Bar and the expansion pack - this is what I use all the time - includes everything in one package (as long as you have the expansion pack). Especially great when autoscroll is set to every 10 seconds and it cycles through all of the info. You can even add your own RSS feeds. Some people say it's memory hungary - but then aren't all add-ins. Can occasionally be a pain in the arse especially when it breaks - but the author seems to be quite helpful and gets fixes out reasonably quick.
5. Resco - quite simply a replacement for file explorer - but why use the today plug-in - I don't know - I use it because JB doesn't have a launcher yet (I live in hope)
HTH
All I use are these:
1-Spb Pocket Plus(because all of the good reason mentioned by the others before me)
2-Spb Diary(Having 4 plugin at the same time feels good but i don't like Pocket breeze,Spb Diary fells more original to the Pocket PC)
3-Spb Weather( for Weather Forecasting and Integrating with Spb Pocket Plus
Some of the time i use Wisbar but originaly the skins are mostly for Pocket PCs only not phone Edition
I use just the default today plugins that come with the OS
the main reason why I hate to install any today plugins is that it slows down the screen re-orientation process....if I flip my display, it ends up taking too much time for all the plugins to refresh and redraw. The idea....keep the today screen simple, and keep the basic everyday functioning snappy ;-)
cheers,
San
ive tried pretty much everything but found the following combo best for me
Wisbar - I know this slows my universal down some what however just look at the screenshot how can anyone not love the way you can skin every part of gui!
Calender+ - Its free and Ive found it dont have any noticable impact on memory or speed unlike Pocketbreeze which i loved on my I-mate Jam but makes my universal run far too slow (real shame because I really did love that program)
Phonealarm - Well this is THE only program Id really could NOT do without! Its got just about everything microsoft should of put into a phone based ppc, repeating alarms (mms,sms,email,missed calls ect ect) profiles, data costing! call costing! the list go's on!
Pocketweather - I just like it !?
chris reilly wrote:
I tried Wisbar but the icons at the top seems incorrectly positioned, what version do i need?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Chris - There isn't a fully released WM5.0 version yet, but there is a Beta WM5 version available which works very well.
On Lakeridge's homepage - go to the forum's, then into WisBard Avance 2 (under Pocket PC Software).
Near the top there will be a post labelled with the Beta version.
I'm running 2.4.1.16 at the mo, but just noticed (whilst writing this very response) that version 2.4.1.17 is available with yet more WM5.0 improvements (noticeably for notification icons) so I'll be installing that when I get home!
google from the Today screen
okay.... this has been around for a little while, but it's new to me, so i thought i'd mention it anyway
Google Today plugin - this puts a google search box on your Today screen - simple, but very cool
i came across this yesterday... although i cant remember where. (really hope it wasnt on this forum, cos then i'll feel really stoopid! damn, i read too many forums.... )
Pocket Breeze + Contact Breeze
Wizbar Advance 2
SPB Weather
PSShutXP
IP Dashboard
Pocket Breeze + Contact Breeze - works far better than the standard effort, also allows me to add PocketMSN, IP Dashboard and SPB Weather as tabs.
Wizbar Advance 2 - Only really using it for the Cascading menus and Task Manager. Went through a load of skins, but have ended up using the WA Default one .
SPB Weather - Just a gimmick so I can look at weather forecasts on the go
PSShutXP - Nuff said really
IP Dashboard - allows me to quickly check connection details on one screen.
Performance hit with all those installed, it is noticeable, but the benefits I feel far outway the hit. Compared to using the O2 Active stuff.... it is far quicker than the O2 Active stuff but then again, you'd be hard pressed to customise your today screen and have it run as slow
As for WAD, although I don't use it on the Universal, it is installed on the N50 (or was, battery has probably ran flat now )
It does add to the performance hit, although I am sure the Universal will be able to handle it better than the N50 did. To setup, it can take a while, especially if you are going to make the graphics yourself, even if you take a pre-made skin/theme, setting up all the pages you need etc can still take a while. However, I feel it is worth the effort, I'm just too lazy to do it on the Universal.
You can create virtual pages/desktops, on the N50, I have a main page with Pocket Breeze + Contact Breeze, a connection page with IP Dashboard + Pocket MSN, launcher page, where I can run all the apps that are installed.
You can also create docks on the pages/desktops. With these you can show and hide, so for example, the launcher page, I have buttons called Apps, System, Internet, AVG, Office. Clicking on each button would call up the dock which will have the links to the respective programs, clicking the dock or button will hide that dock.
SPB GPRS - gave it a quick whizz then uninstalled it, at home and work I have WiFi access, so GPRS is a moot point in that respect, and I tend not to surf the net etc whilst out and about, when I do use it, it is for the odd MMS so hardly bank breaking
I use cLaunch (has tabs like iLaunch)
Battery pack 2004 using Program bar (with date) & battery bar
Calender Plus
Tasks Plus
Tried a beta version of wisbar/wad...definitely makes the PDA pretty but be prepared to spend hours of time customising. Great feature is the multiple pages so you can spread around the plugins. Definitely worth looking at.
Trying everything...
I have been trying all of them to figure out my ultimate EXEC but it eludes me still...
Wisbar.. looks hot! Performance? NOT!
Spb... add diary and it too is bogsville..
Trying the others now... will let you know.
Anyone who has a great setup... LET US KNOW!!!
Cyb
I'm a Palm OS5 user, and I think the Today's display of agenda and tasks is a bit lacking. It seems that Calendar+ and Task+ plugins will solve the problem, but I'm just wondering, any one who uses these two, does these offer birthday reminder too? (Cannot test out the software yet, yet to get my device.. budget budget..)
-SPB PLus...Never get to work as this(today plugin) kept hanging the device..so I am using only the battery bar indication.I did install it on SD..
-WBA WAD, good, never slowed down, but if someone mught hv noticed, the smartdialing cannot be seen while making a call, one cannot see the latest miised call, as it is hidden beneath the Bar on today screen..everytime you come out of an application, the default theme changes and one has to either soft reset or reload the skin and this takes a lot of precious time.
--POcket Breeze and SPB weather are cool.Using Marsware News Panel, Smart RSS...I think I shall uninstall News Panel as it is very slow...These allow me to read the forum topics always.
hdubli said:
-SPB PLus...Never get to work as this(today plugin) kept hanging the device..so I am using only the battery bar indication.I did install it on SD..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a hanging issue with PocketPlus too until I unchecked "Safe Mode" as one of the feature options (it was at the bottom of the list box.) I think it might default to "checked" when PocketPlus is installed.
If you only have the battery incidator checked now then you've probably unchecked "Safe Mode" already, but you may want to try checking one or two of the other features to see if they work without hanging. My experience was that it was the Safe Mode's doing.

Software recommended for purchase?

Does anyone have any software which they've purchased for their Universal that they'd recommend? If so, why?
Pocket informant. Its the only PIM worth having, and it turns the useless PIM functionality built into PPCs into something that runs my life. Wouldn't be without it
If had had to narrow it down to one app, it'd have to be PocketBreeze by SBSH.net
Integrates with the aforementioned PocketInformant, but even if you haven't got PI, then PocketBreeze transforms your today screen into a far more usable beast. It's about a million times better than SPB's rip-off clone, and has far more functionality and configuration options. Plus it's regularly updated for bug-fixes and extra functions - and that is something that a lot of other software houses could learn from.
Oh, and the SBSH support forums are outstanding.
For me it's Resco File Explorer, SPB Pocket Plus and SPB Weather tweaked to pick information from BBC and not weather.com
If you use Lotus Notes, CommonTime's mNotes is pretty cool =) But then I would say that, since I work for CommonTime.
Pocketbreeze everytime.
Iliumsoft Listpro. By FAR the most handy app for personal management of lists.
http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/lp/listpro.htm
Very customisable
Microsoft Voice Command
Pocket Informant
SPB Pocket Plus
SPB Diary
SK Tools
Soti Pocket Controller
Sprite Backup
Aol Messenger
PpcWebCam
Some freeware/Shareware
Cambridge VxUtils
Total Commander
PH Registry Editor
TCPMP Media Player
GSPlayer Media Player
Insignia Solutions Jeode Runtime
Agile Messenger (need better wm5 support tho)
Rick GM said:
For me it's Resco File Explorer, SPB Pocket Plus and SPB Weather tweaked to pick information from BBC and not weather.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you explain that tweak better please ?
link, pros of the bbc service, etc :wink:
Killer App
I agree with many of the recomendations above and mention was made of SKTools (eagle 1), which I have yet to try, but the killer application for me is SKscheMa which can automate all sorts of daily tasks including turning on and off WiFi, BT and GSM at specific or regular times.
It has a powerful scripting language which has allowed me to create a macro to insert my meeting text, title, place, date and time, who attended etc. It can simulate taps and tap and hold as well. Support is very fast and efficient.
I have even used it to turn on the Bluetooth at regular intervals until we get a fix for that bug.
Strongly advise you check this one out.
www.s-k-tools.com (link corrected)
Don't be put off by the simple web site - this product "rocks".
This product os brilliant - sync email calendar with your pc wirelessly (GPRS/3G/WIFI) push email too so you don't have to sync manually...
http://www.intellisync.com/pages/Products/Express/Benefits/
Free trial - only snag is your pc (or at least a pc theat you can access your mail from) needs to be always on. WOrks with outlook/lotus notes etc
And I don't work for them!
Common time is also good for Notes but I couldn't work out how to sync wirelessly.
cdally said:
Common time is also good for Notes but I couldn't work out how to sync wirelessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know you get free support with your 30 day free trial, right? ;-) Give them a call and they can get it all up & running for you. Something to do with locations and preferred order, if memory serves. But then it should run when cradled, when in WiFi range (if you have WiFi) and over GPRS if you have your firewall opened properly. Of course GPRS may be an issue if you're on a corporate network - there was talk about a solution to get round that about 18 months ago, but I think the company's sales focus has shifted towards corporates (Notes is used a LOT by corporates in the US) so features for individual users are on the back burner for now.
I did try to get in touch with them but they didn't seem very interested - I did actually buy it as it was the best option for cradle based syncing - Do you know of anyone specific I can talk to?
Pocketzenphone for me is the most important. Easily change between phone profiles e.g. Loud / meeting /flight etc.
Can be set to do this at specific times e.g. Go to silent at 23:30 and back to normal at 8:00. Also integrates with outlook - e.g can put it into meeting mode when your calender shows meetings or for me puts the device into flight mode when I have flights marked in the calender.
cheers
Haven't purchased yet, but will do so shortly: a backup app. My choice is SPB Backup, but Sprite or Sunnysoft's should do just fine. The reason for buying one should be fairly obvious
cdally said:
I did try to get in touch with them but they didn't seem very interested - I did actually buy it as it was the best option for cradle based syncing - Do you know of anyone specific I can talk to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet is probably to pick up the phone when you're at your PC/PDA. I think the support number is on the site under Information/Contact details. Scroll down to after the list of links at the top.
If you called them before and can remember the name of who you spoke to, I'll go upstairs & give them a clip round the earhole In general we get a good response about our support!
Ravenmaster
The default weather source is weather.com which I have found to be pretty useless. However, if you go to here;
www.pdagold.com/themes/details.asp?t=12007
you can pick up forecasts for Spb Weather from the BBC. Follow the Readme.txt and it's pretty straight forward. The forecast is so much more accurate than weather.com (in my opinion)
Rick GM said:
Ravenmaster
The default weather source is weather.com which I have found to be pretty useless. However, if you go to here;
www.pdagold.com/themes/details.asp?t=12007
you can pick up forecasts for Spb Weather from the BBC. Follow the Readme.txt and it's pretty straight forward. The forecast is so much more accurate than weather.com (in my opinion)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does SPB Weather also shows NOWs weather? I installed it and didn't see that option, and not that many other options at all.
I purchased and used Weather Panel on my previous PDA2K and that program proved to be super accurate.. actually it showed the weather condition in my city relevant to the minute... e.g. Changed to 'FOG' icon and FOG began.. Changed to Raining now.. and rain just started an hour before..
I didn't see these features in SPB weather.. maybe i missed them though...
Sounds like you've found a way to CONTROL the weather - [/quote]Changed to 'FOG' icon and FOG began..
!!
Anyway - all SPB does is pick up a forecast from wherever you tell it to. In my case I just use the BBC's site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've bought Voice Command and photo contacts pro, both I really like.
Freeware that surpasses all others to me is:
Qmail3, ugly as sin but so much better than the built in email client.
Will Check over an activesync connection, very useful at work, and one button handles multiple account checking. Glorious!
Does RSS and NNTP as well.
http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php?soft=1344
Lots of info on it here.
http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38956
Will buy Opera when that goes commercial.

Killer Apps, get help making a list?

I just found Microsoft's Windows Live Search app for Mobile 5.0 and was blown away.
http://wls.live.com
It works like Google Maps but it doesn't suck like the Java based Google Maps I found online; it features optional Bluetooth GPS support, street and sat maps, it's free, it shows Traffic, helps locate local items like Resturants and helps with directions.
Is this the killer app? What are your favorites? Maybe we can make a list for other people to find programs they'll love as much as I love this one.
Rob
Summary so far...
Kevin Baker - My killer apps have to be Resco Explorer and Microsoft VoiceCommand.
Brian McGuire - Must install: Newsbreak 1.2
Lucid - Reperion GPS app
Ellistyle - 1-Calc is a great unit/currency converter (oh--and calculater) & Pocket Informant is a must
SINC - INESOFT Address Book, one handed contact lookup
Dandie's list...
PocketBreeze - best today plugin for a good overview of your appointments, notes, tasks, birthdays etc.
SPB PocketPlus - Still the most complete collection of must have extensions for Windows Mobile (TastManager, Today launcher and much more)
GPRS Monitor - A must if you have to count your GPRS/UMTS traffic
PocketZenPhone - The one and only phone profile switcher. Feature monster!
SpaceTime - More than a calculator. This is almost a math software. Competes with the most advanced scientific calculators on the market (like TI-89)
Pebbles - Very nice and free tool to remote control your pc. Can work like a touchpad
TCPMP - The one and only video player
MortPlayer - The one and only music player
SKTools - Very good collection of system tools
SpriteBackup - The classic backup tool
BGjr - Another *BIG* vote for mortplayer here. It's the only player that I can I get to work completely
Mviana - Felxmail 2007
lajson - I would higly recomend GSPlayer for mp3 and acc audio and internet radio station lissening with a tons of settings and equalizer
srmz - Another set of great applications from Softmaker which is Textmaker (Word Processor) and Planmaker (Spreadsheet).
music man - GoodLink - exchange server sync
wwwes - mapopolis GPS app, pocket stars - very nice star chart software
armedmetallica - Jetware Hands-free Extension provides additional functionality to the built-in Windows Mobile support for the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile
hotnan - Cash Organizer
dny238 - Windows Live Messenger Beta this app fixes all my problems syncing with Hotmail
I've stopped maintaining the above list...
Look here instead. Keep adding to this post, or add your stuff to the Wiki instead. I like the Forum's email alert feature.
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Must_have_tools
i cant wait to give this a better shot tomorrow, this thing looks freaking awesome!!! i wish iguidance would give real time traffic updates like this
It's also very fast and works so much better than Virtual Earth Mobile, particularly when searching for something.
i wonder who made this program.. its to good of quality for a MS product but then again i havent given it a full trial yet...
Quality...
shogunmark said:
i wonder who made this program.. its to good of quality for a MS product but then again i havent given it a full trial yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only issues I have had with it are related to the GPS connectivity and occasional lockups.
If I leave it running while I go into a store, frequently when i return to the car I can't get it to start communicating with the GPS again without quitting the entire application and starting it back up. Seems like simply unchecking GPS and rechecking from the Menu should do the job.
No other killer apps out there?
Rob
My killer apps have to be Resco Explorer and Microsoft VoiceCommand.
Resco Explorer... easy viewing of available memory, quick access to a (much better than the built in) file explorer, and a nice registry editor.
Microsoft Voice Command... fantastic! Never before have I used voice recognition that works so well, and doesn't require training!!
Follow my software reviews here at the Generic forum; there're a lot of killer apps I've reviewed.
Just tried WLS and you are correct - it is absolutely brilliant! What an amazing piece of software. Kudos for finding it.
Which Browser
So -- which browser do folks use? I have been playing around with Opera Mini -- which looks good. Can't figure out how to reprogram my upper right button to select it though (since, as a midlet, it does not show up separately in the program list)
I am not sure if this would qualify as a "killer app", but its a must install for me.
- Newsbreak 1.2
FREE Tracking and BLogging GPS realtime google earth
A FREE GPS location tracking solution for WM2003/2005/SPV
HTTP://www.reperion.com
Shows your tracks in realtime in google earth , virtual earth, mappoint, let's you geoblog audio,video,text and pictures, let's you send and receive 1024 Chars i-SMS, and also gives you history, statistics etc... etc...
http://www.reperion.com/faq_html/faqII_files/image019.jpg
http://www.reperion.com/faq_html/faqII_files/image003.jpg
Killer Apps
1-Calc is a great unit/currency converter (oh--and calculater)
Pocket Informant is a must
RE: Windows Live Search Mobile
How the heck do I enter specific addresses for directions? It only lets me get directions from city to city, no directions to specific streets.
edit: I'm not using a GPS and I was testing on Wifi btw. I guess I'll try it out using Edge tomorrow at work, I get a weak GPRS connection at home and can barely connect.
Also, some searches seem to work, other searches don't. Maybe it'll work better over cellular data
I am a big fan of "INESOFT Address Book". Its fantastic to be able to look up contacts with one hand, and be able to choose to SMS them or call them with one hand and have big picture displays with clear big buttons when you get phone calls from people. Integrates perfectly and is by far the best thing i've installed on my Pocket PC.
I can now call, look up, and get around most of my communicating hickups i was experiencing before with 1 hand. My pocket pc is starting to feel like a mobile phone again. YAY!
i assume this only works for the usa - just downloaded it and it looks very good however im in the UK and then GPS couldnt download the data to support this - is there a UK version?
Agreed, it seems to be fantastic, but I can't seem to be able to do searches for files anymore, has that happened to any of you?
edit: i should rephrase that...now that the original search program has been replaced with live search, how does one search for local files?
I can recommend:
PocketBreeze - best today plugin for a good overview of your appointments, notes, tasks, birthdays etc.
SPB PocketPlus - Still the most complete collection of must have extensions for Windows Mobile (TastManager, Today launcher and much more)
GPRS Monitor - A must if you have to count your GPRS/UMTS traffic
PocketZenPhone - The one and only phone profile switcher. Feature monster!
SpaceTime - More than a calculator. This is almost a math software. Competes with the most advanced scientific calculators on the market (like TI-89)
Pebbles - Very nice and free tool to remote control your pc. Can work like a touchpad
TCPMP - The one and only video player
MortPlayer - The one and only music player
SKTools - Very good collection of system tools
SpriteBackup - The classic backup tool
Dandie said:
I can recommend:
PocketBreeze - best today plugin for a good overview of your appointments, notes, tasks, birthdays etc.
SPB PocketPlus - Still the most complete collection of must have extensions for Windows Mobile (TastManager, Today launcher and much more)
GPRS Monitor - A must if you have to count your GPRS/UMTS traffic
PocketZenPhone - The one and only phone profile switcher. Feature monster!
SpaceTime - More than a calculator. This is almost a math software. Competes with the most advanced scientific calculators on the market (like TI-89)
Pebbles - Very nice and free tool to remote control your pc. Can work like a touchpad
TCPMP - The one and only video player
MortPlayer - The one and only music player
SKTools - Very good collection of system tools
SpriteBackup - The classic backup tool
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another *BIG* vote for mortplayer here. It's the only player that I can I get to work completely with my iTech R35 clip (full A2DP and AVRCP) on the SPV M3100 (TyTN). Combine it with a large memory card and the QVista skin and you have an unbeatable combination.
Unfortunately Mort's website forum database appears to have died a death right now, so I can't post links. However the version I'm using is 3.31RC6, and it works a treat.
That GPRS Monitor software looks interesting - is it free and where can I find it?
BGJr said:
That GPRS Monitor software looks interesting - is it free and where can I find it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not free. You can get it from SPB. It was also included with the Magicians software.
it is on the tmobile cd with the vario 2

spb software group?

Is there any problem using spb pocket plus, weather, time, diary and etc.?
Does it affect the performance of the Wizard?
Thanks!
amar963 said:
Is there any problem using spb pocket plus, weather, time, diary and etc.?
Does it affect the performance of the Wizard?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have them all and use some of them. I have kept Plus and Diary on my MDA and use it daily.
Weather is not accurate. Get SPB Traveler instead of Weather and Time.
I would not buy SPB Finance if you use Quicken 2007 or 2008. It is not compatible with SPB.
SPB Backup is good.
Tried SPB Wallet and it was not an app that I found to be something that I couldn't do with phone contacts or Excel.
Hope this helps.
If you want a Weather app, I would suggest Pocket Weather.
Dear asctony,
Thanks for your reply
I just want to know if these applications cause any conflict in general.
As you mentioned, Weather is not accurate but at lease it's much better than HTC Touch Flo weather plug-in
I have SPB Weather and find it's reasonably accurate in the UK. (Not perfect 2+ days ahead, but to be fair nor are most online weather sites I find.)
I'm also evaluating SPB Phone Suite at the moment, which is useful for adding photo dialling icons to the today screen. It also adds a lot of other phone-related 'fixes', which I must admit I haven't really noticed/used. I will almost certainly buy this, although for $19.95 it's pretty expensive.
amar963 said:
Dear asctony,
Thanks for your reply
I just want to know if these applications cause any conflict in general.
As you mentioned, Weather is not accurate but at lease it's much better than HTC Touch Flo weather plug-in
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not incurred any conflicts and I have a lot of apps on my MDA and have had it for 14 months.
If I were to buy SPB Apps today, based on what is available, I would buy:
1. Backup
2. Diary
3. Pocket Plus
4.Traveler (Weather, Time, Conversion, etc., all in one)
SPB Apps are buggy at times and don't seem to be consistant in how they perform. So, again, I have tried them all, and only use Backup, Diary and Pocket Plus.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Here is the site to obtain more info.
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/downloads.html?en
I think the most popular are:- \ My experiences with them:-
SPB backup \ very good and simple, can have problems finding a file to backup, which causes it to fail the automatic soft reset after it backs up (this can be solved with a reg edit)
Weather \ I have used this every day since I bought it, it's the best if you can't use freeware and you can add custom data sources. I currently have data updating issues, maybe due to wm6. (Traveler is possibly better, but a much bigger program, which includes currency rates, clothing sizes, more cities by default and a small clock, but NOT the same functions as spb time)
Time \ It used to be a must have for me except for two reasons, 1 the alarm doesn't work correctly for wm6 and, 2 alarms don't support wma (only mp3)
Diary \ faultless. not the most customizable available (sbsh) or the simplest (today agenda (freeware)) but the best I think
Pocket Plus \ Simply put - not required. It looks nice but I can't think of anything it can do that freeware can't (wm5NewMenu is very good) can't do, so I gave up using it (SBSH's ilauncher is possibly better)
They're a good company for ease of use products, they all look nice and are uncomplicated in general. But, their support can be lacking, and their releases are slow and infrequent, compared to sbsh who often release updates weekly compared to twice a year from spb, and they are not as customizable as even some similar freeware apps.
I have Spb Mobile Shell and works great
bbobeckyj said:
I think the most popular are:- \ My experiences with them:-
SPB backup \ very good and simple, can have problems finding a file to backup, which causes it to fail the automatic soft reset after it backs up (this can be solved with a reg edit)
Weather \ I have used this every day since I bought it, it's the best if you can't use freeware and you can add custom data sources. I currently have data updating issues, maybe due to wm6. (Traveler is possibly better, but a much bigger program, which includes currency rates, clothing sizes, more cities by default and a small clock, but NOT the same functions as spb time)
Time \ It used to be a must have for me except for two reasons, 1 the alarm doesn't work correctly for wm6 and, 2 alarms don't support wma (only mp3)
Diary \ faultless. not the most customizable available (sbsh) or the simplest (today agenda (freeware)) but the best I think
Pocket Plus \ Simply put - not required. It looks nice but I can't think of anything it can do that freeware can't (wm5NewMenu is very good) can't do, so I gave up using it (SBSH's ilauncher is possibly better)
They're a good company for ease of use products, they all look nice and are uncomplicated in general. But, their support can be lacking, and their releases are slow and infrequent, compared to sbsh who often release updates weekly compared to twice a year from spb, and they are not as customizable as even some similar freeware apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right!
I've been using Time since 20 days and it was great with WM5, but after I flashed WM6 to my phone I noticed some problems.
I was thinking that maybe other ROM version will work fine with the application but failed with different ROMs.
Which software you recommend as best and guaranteed alarm? web address please?
Thanks to all
amar963 said:
Dear asctony,
Thanks for your reply
I just want to know if these applications cause any conflict in general.
As you mentioned, Weather is not accurate but at lease it's much better than HTC Touch Flo weather plug-in
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to read some of the postings on SPB's Forums before you decide to buy any of their products.
Here is the link for their forums:
http://www.spbclub.com/forum/index.php
asctony said:
You may want to read some of the postings on SPB's Forums before you decide to buy any of their products.
Here is the link for their forums:
http://www.spbclub.com/forum/index.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks!
The web site you recommended is great
Spb backup is great.
I also use Insight every day to keep up on things.
I didn't like the weather app, I use Marsware WeatherPanel....It is very accurate and fast.
Spb Diary -- Could not get through a work-day without it. Rock-solid, no-nonsense app that gets the job done better than a lot of flashier programs.
Spb Pocket Plus -- Essential to the way I work and navigate in WM 5. It adds a few small but but critical tweaks. You may not need it though.
Spb Insight -- If you do a lot of reading on the internet, this is an indispensable app! It will change the way you use the web. Best 20 bucks I've ever dropped on any hardware or software.
kidlockatong said:
Spb Diary -- Could not get through a work-day without it. Rock-solid, no-nonsense app that gets the job done better than a lot of flashier programs.
Spb Pocket Plus -- Essential to the way I work and navigate in WM 5. It adds a few small but but critical tweaks. You may not need it though.
Spb Insight -- If you do a lot of reading on the internet, this is an indispensable app! It will change the way you use the web. Best 20 bucks I've ever dropped on any hardware or software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with most of the comments. However, I don't use Insight anymore. I use NewsCopier - Free Edition V 1.1. I found it much faster and more selections. Here is the link for it:
http://www.freeware-palm.com/download-newscopier-v1-1.html
asctony said:
I use NewsCopier - Free Edition V 1.1. I found it much faster and more selections. Here is the link for it:
http://www.freeware-palm.com/download-newscopier-v1-1.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya.
I'll bet there are several better headline/summary/link news readers than Insight, but that's not why I use it. What I like about it is -- I can update complete articles for 20 feeds in a snap on a wireless broadband at home every morning, and read them all day without having to connect to the internet or any cellular service at all.
And they don't need to be RSS/Atom/etc. feeds, either. Half the stuff I download comes from sites that don't even use feeds. Or if they do, I pull stuff that they don't feed.
But not everyone may want or need that.
I use Spb Mobile Shell (top of my Avatar photo) It's weather tab is fairly accurate and tracks with the local forecasts. The photo speed dial tab is nice as is the battery / most recent applications tab. The clock is there, but I don't access the multi time zones much.
As far as performance, I have only run it on the Uni and the Athena, without conflicts or hang-ups. Can't testify to using it first hand on the Wizard.
kidlockatong said:
I hear ya.
I'll bet there are several better headline/summary/link news readers than Insight, but that's not why I use it. What I like about it is -- I can update complete articles for 20 feeds in a snap on a wireless broadband at home every morning, and read them all day without having to connect to the Internet or any cellular service at all.
And they don't need to be RSS/Atom/etc. feeds, either. Half the stuff I download comes from sites that don't even use feeds. Or if they do, I pull stuff that they don't feed.
But not everyone may want or need that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I download from 20 different feeds daily also. I just counted them to see how much I was downloading from. I also read them during the day without being connect to the Internet or any cellular service using NewsCopier. So, there are commonalities among both apps. The good thing about this thread is that you now can try both of them and even more and make your own decision. Not every app is suited for everyone or anyone user.
asctony -- Thanks! The page didn't seem to mention that. Will definitely follow up on it. Is that version usable on a wizard?
Got it. Thanks again.
I've used them all. The only one I use now and is rock solid is Diary. Phone Suit is VERY buggy. Most of the features only work intermittently. Weather is not nearly as good as WeatherPanel. I could not get Finance to work with MS Money Plus (2007). SPB Shell, Plus, Time, Traveler, and all the rest are too heavy on the PDA resources compared with what they do. The cost benefit analysis leans too far toward cost to justify using them.
kidlockatong said:
asctony -- Thanks! The page didn't seem to mention that. Will definitely follow up on it. Is that version usable on a wizard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a T-Mobile MDA. Model: WIZA200 Pocket PC
I run with:
IPL 2.26
SPL 2.26
GSM Radio 2.25.11
OS WxtRom 2.26.10.2
I have been using that version on my MDA for over 8 months. No problems and I do use it daily.
Let me know if you need anything else.

List of Apps that work on the Treo Pro!

Here is a list of programs that I have encountered to work on the Treo Pro:
Treo Alert PRO 9.0 Beta 10:
-Manages LEDs to when events occur
-Manages vibration when events occur
-And More! A Must Have.
- Here
RealVGA:
- Switch between 96 DPI and 128 DPI.
SPB Mobile Shell:
-Works with default theme. Haven't figured out how to customize yet.
S2U2:
- Slide to Unlock Screen. Customizable like it's another Today Screen.
- Need to disable Treo Pro's default Lock Screen. Search!
SKtools:
- A Must Have. Many Tweaks that make Treo Pro faster plus it has Backup/Restore that works very well.
Advance Configuration Tool:
- Another Must Have. Many tweaks.
Androkkid:
-Customizable Today Screens with Plug ins, haven't figured out how to use yet.
Today Agenda:
-Displays Appointments/Tasks plug in for the today screen. Customizable to unlimited list.
WeatherPanel:
-Customizable Plug in for weather with icons and themes. Look for PhatPhinger 320x320 Theme. Looks Great!
Wisbar Desktop:
-Homescreen builder right on your touchscreen. Just about Anything is possible! It just takes forever.
Phone Alarm:
-Customizable Alarms, eventsm etc. with skin support.
Enjoy! Anyone please add to this. Looking for 320x320 supported Themes & Apps!
FDC Soft Task Manager
- very advanced task manager
NoData
- saves you monie$ if you're not on data plan (disables GPRS, EDGE, etc. connections)
SoftReset
- because Treo Pro needs it once in a while ....
VAlert
- lets you set up your own vibration templates for incoming calls, e.g. pulsing vibrate. HookMgr required - see below
HookMgr
- fixes the bug which causes the KeyGuard to malfunction with some apps running in the background (e.g. Fring, VAlert)
all Resco apps (File Explorer, Contacts, Photo Manager, Audio Recorder)
- very useful suite of thumb-friendly apps
Iconsoft PhonEx
- thumb-friendly and eye-candy dialer and contact manager, huge RAM footprint though (2MB)
Adobe Flash Player 7
- self explanatory
pcAnywhere 11.5 Mobile
- v11.5 compatible ONLY. Any other version of pcAMobile, including 12, is NOT compatible. Runs but will have screen tearing in main menu; remote operation fully functional
CleanRAM
- RAM "compaction" and "cleaner". I prefer to just do a SoftReset instead of wasting time on RAM "compaction"
ICBM
- Missile Command clone
Kevtris
- Tetris clone, with upgrades
Distant Galaxies
- 2D vertical scroller space battle game. Can sometimes mess up Today screen's carrier plugin (especially when using Treo Alert Pro). Go into your Today screen settings any time this happens, turn off Date then re-enable, then exit, for instant repair.
Pocket UNO
- classic card game
SmartMahjongg
- run with screen scaling disabled
Google Maps
- GPS mapping system, will run on Sprint Treo Pro without difficulty. GTP may require GPS bootstrapping first using GPSStarter, etc.
Bing
- GPS mapping, net search, local business directory, etc. Runs without difficulty on STP
Trapster
- P2P traffic, road hazard and speedtrap GPS-enabled reporting system
IEToggle
- small menu program that allows IE to run in either Pocket IE (single column read) or IE6 mode.
Kinoma Play
- media and YouTube player. Acquired taste
Microsoft MyPhone
- cloud backup system
Ministumbler
- 802.11 WiFi network scanning tool
Opera Mini 5 Beta 3
- internet browser utilizing server-based compression
Opera Mobile 9.7
Opera Mobile 10
- 'full featured' internet browsers
Pandora
- streaming music. Requires simple registry fix to repair incorrect TCP MTU setting
PHM Registry Editor
- name says it all
Skyfire 1.0
- internet browser utilizing server-based compression
STB TV2
- streaming video player
WeatherBug
- Today screen weather plugin. Graphics, multiple locations, severe weather warnings and more
YouTube v2.4
- streaming video player
Change Skin
Change Skin:
If you have SPB Mobile Shell, here is an app that allows you to change skins without a soft reset.
http://www.imarche.net/omnia/index.php
As far as I know this is the only way for SPB Mobile Shell to work on the Treo Pro as it supports 320x320.
I am having trouble with adding new widgets to the themes. I have the list of them but when I try to add the new widgets in Mobile Shell the list is not there.
Anyone can help me?
Moar apps!
BTW, all apps I mention have been personally tested for functionality on a Sprint Treo Pro ("STP").
Also, I am still using all apps mentioned except Kinoma [Free]Play and CleanRAM, both of which I did not like and uninstalled (Kinoma after much hair pulling over the decision). I was trying to give Kinoma the benefit of the doubt but all it did was try my patience every single time I (was sometimes 'forced') to use it.
GPSWeatherRadar
- GPS positioning enabled satellite & radar weather
WMStopWatch
- stopwatch and countdown timer functions. 'Digital' (rather than faux-analog) time readout interface, can play WAV file (only format supported) at end of countdown
ScanLife
- 2D barcode scanner
Weather to Go
- Today screen weather plugin. Graphics, multiple locations, etc.
WeatherPanel
XDA-developed Today screen weather plugin app. Graphics, multiple locations, historical weather graphs, choice of Today plugin theme formats and looks, etc. IMHO the best weather for WinMo devices. Download the WeatherPanel app plus the PhatPhinger 320x320 theme as well as the Phat+48+Classic theme mod to get all Today plugin options and correct format for Treo Pro.
more apps
Since the official Opera Mini 3 was released a few weeks ago, it has been great. So glad I could finally set it as the default browser on my treo pro, it's like it breathed new life into it!
Here's a few other apps that I have installed in my Sprint Treo Pro.
WMWiFiRouter - never could get the HTC wifirouter to work on my treo pro, but this is solid and steady.
BeyondPod - RSS feed reader and podcast manager. Easy download of your favorit podcasts.
Yomomedia - another RSS feed reader and podcast manager
Kinoma Play - A little expensive but good piece of software
KeePassPPC - mobile passwords, wish it was more finger friendly, but do like it because I can copy the password file to my desktop and use the desktop version.
DCP Enable Roaming - enables roaming button on Sprint treo pro. Great for me, because the Sprint signal is weak where I work and I sometimes have to flip it to roaming to get a good verizon signal.
Endomondo - GPS tracker. I tried SportyPal, and it didn't work, Endomondo is pretty good though.
Gmail 2.0.6 (java) - I don't really like the way WinMo Outlook works with gmail, but do have ActiveSync pulling in my Gmail contacts.
Bolt Browser (java) - When Opera Mini doesn't work, Bolt usually will.
Stick Thread!
Tell me, Treoprodragon, how is Kinoma Play full (paid) edition? The fact is, the STP came with Kinoma FreePlay (the no-cost version) from the factory...and I hated it SO much that I deleted it, even though it was free and OEM.
FreePlay's worse offense was when I went to open up an image, say from the SD card - Kinoma would open, display the picture and overlay "Preparing" (I can't remember the exact wording)...sometimes for over 1 MINUTE. Sometimes it would NEVER give me back control of the app, just staying locked on "Preparing", and I'd not only have to kill Kinoma but do a soft reset because of the ensueing memory leak. Grrrr
I did a reg hack to get my picture viewers back to MS OEM...but the I found FreePlay shows fewer YouTube results than the actual YouTube player, contrary to Kinoma's claims to the contrary.
In other words, Kinoma FreePlay simply seemed to do everything WRONG.
Mass Storage for Treo Pro
nueMassStorage seems to be working fine.
I am using version 1.2 installed via CAB file. Just tap new icon (not old one) inside settings -> connections -> USB to PC, select Mass storage, while advanced networking will be disabled under inactive Activesync part.
tested on GSM version T850UEU-1.01-VFU

Categories

Resources