Related
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.
Hi, after alot of playing and hardresets i have finaly found all the software i like to use on a sort of day to day basis.
I was wondering if anybody would mind posting there installs just to see what is their best programs they like to use?
here is mine:
Camera Templates
Card Export 2
MortScript and scripts
Media player skins
Resco Explorer 5.35
Resco Photoviewer 5.32
Resco Keyboard Pro v4.35
Smurf
TCMP Player + add-ons
WiFoFum 0.3.3
SPD Pocket Plus 3.1 and deleted crap VGA today skins
SpbToPlay_WMP10
Cool Camera Test
VibratePhoneKeys.cab
BTiconTray.cab
Condis Pocket Artist V3
GPS connection in the connections panel
Changed Home-page web hardware button site
WM05 newbutton.cab
jab1a said:
I was wondering if anybody would mind posting there installs just to see what is their best programs they like to use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here goes:
phonealarm
smallmenuplus
magicbutton
apreminder+
avantgo
cash organizer
handbase
total commander
copilot
metro
phm regedit
vbirthday deluxe 4
spb weather
sprite backup
adobe reader 2
and about 15 games.
BTW: I got rid of Pocket Plus and saved alot of space by replacing it with smallmenuplus, magicbutton and apreminder+
Matt
brilliant, thank you for your time.
thats interesting about pocket plus, what did you n ot like about it, all-in-one app like that, or is it just the size of install that you dont like?
if you got time what games your fraviot on your universal?
mine is Age of Empires
jab1a said:
brilliant, thank you for your time.
thats interesting about pocket plus, what did you n ot like about it, all-in-one app like that, or is it just the size of install that you dont like?
if you got time what games your fraviot on your universal?
mine is Age of Empires
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the size of pocketplus along with the fact it seemed to slow my universal down.
Re games:
Gamebox Solitaire my favourite, but also have:
Also have Age of Empires
Concentrix (Like Tetris but with circles)
G-Prime (Like Galaxian)
Invasion (Like Space Invaders)
Jewel Hunter (Like Boulderdash)
Personality Pro ( Asks loads of question to reveal your type of personality)
Pocket Sudoku
Shanghai (Mahjongg)
SimCity 2000
SkyForce (ShMUp)
Tower Mogul (Manage an apartment block)
Transport Tycoon Deluxe (Doesnt quite work yet - waiting for the next update)
Warring Nations VGA
Zuma
Have Licences for (But dont work with WM5 or universal):
Candy Train (Puzzle game of turning sections of railroad)
Cropped Out (Match three or more the same to remove shapes)
G-Pod (Collect a pod and traverse caverns to escape with it)(No button remapping - impossible to play)
Odyssey (ShMUp)
Rayman Ultimate (No Button remapping - Gutted as not playable)
Matt
here's mine:
1.Wisbar advance(i like the look)
2.ILauncher (smaller than pocketplus + other featus covered by other programs)
3.pocket breeze ( i can see my appointments and task on the today sceen plus i can add other today utilities)
4.Weather panel (i like the look )
5. gprs monitor
i installed all the above to the extended rom (thanks to buzz)
6.TCPMP
7.Cash Organizer
8.opera (better than pie, builtin tabbed browinsing and better webpage view. could use a little speed upgrade though, and the ability to scroll using stylus and be able to save images.)
9.pocket rar(cant live without it
10. flexi mail formerly webis mail
11. scicalc (standard calculator replacement)
12. total commander
games (i don't have much)
1.arvale 2 & 1 (rpg)
2.hexacto tennis
3.text twist
well it seems like im the only one putting up with pocket plus, i will have to do a full backup and hard reset and try and install the programs you are all using instead of pocket Plus features.
Opera- i have been interested in using this as i think PIE is very feature-less, but i have been worried about the size of the install, do you know how much resouces it takes up installing and running?
1) Pocket Informant - superb
2) Batti - does what it's supposed to do
OT slightly, is there a general consensus on the best Alarm Clock (pref with maximise to full screen option/screen buttons) for the Exec?
Thx.
Here is my list.
VJToggleTodayII alpha0.1.5 (to hide top & bottom bar for real estate for today screen).
PWSLauncher (to see power & ram status without wasting any space)
HandySwitcher (closing task)
HandyMenu (easy access of utilities like reset, today..etc)
filedlgchgs (to allow save/open to folders 2 or 3 levels down)
Caldendar + (calendar plug-in)
Tasks+ Today plug-in (plug-in)
Oxios (to free memory)
Birthdays (to remind important dates)
Jab1a,
I don't know how much memory opera consumes but i think it depends on the website. the merrier the web site the more it consumes memory (i think ).
ok Slaughter, thats good enough for me, i will try it out when i get a chance.
Im still looking for a game that can realy show off the ability of our Universal?
I used to have Batti on but I found my exec crashed every night while it was on charge (I've got the latest exec ROM on which to be honest, I find pretty unstable)
The main thing I would miss about pocket plus would be the close button menu thing - I've got it set so I can tap and hold on a close button a bring up a menu of what's running.
I know magic button does this but it screws up the display slighly and\or uses non-VGA graphics which I don't like.
Is there a way around this as I also find pocket plus to be a bit bloaty and slow...
Lordsmiff said:
I know magic button does this but it screws up the display slighly and\or uses non-VGA graphics which I don't like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Not sure what you mean by screws the display?
I use magic button, but dont show the task bar (the program icons) unless needing to switch apps quickly - and havent had any issues.
Matt
I believe what LordSmith meant was Magic Button shows a small blank square on the right upper corner where the "x" or close botton appears when you open an application, if you have for example a gray colored menu bar or task bar. My solution for this is just simply stay away from the gray color and use sky blue or the default windows blue color. Aside from that Magic Button is great and shows all my running apps nicely.
jab1a said:
...
Changed Home-page web hardware button site
WM05 newbutton.cab
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the cab 4?
No wonder
No wonder most of guys in here think their JJ is slow!!!! :wink:
All i use for day2day use is SPB, and i think it is too much though.
I use PIE, Email, Sync, Excel, WinWord, Tasks, Calendar,
Basically all the available options, and i don't (IMHO) think i need all these extra stuff.
just my 2 cents
CHfish said:
jab1a said:
...
Changed Home-page web hardware button site
WM05 newbutton.cab
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the cab 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well CHfish, the last cab file is a cool option that changes the left software button on the bottom left of your screen to what ever menu button you want, ive changed mine to "quick menu" and put things like 'new sms''new mms''new contact' etc, well usful
jab1a said:
CHfish said:
jab1a said:
...
Changed Home-page web hardware button site
WM05 newbutton.cab
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the cab 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well CHfish, the last cab file is a cool option that changes the left software button on the bottom left of your screen to what ever menu button you want, ive changed mine to "quick menu" and put things like 'new sms''new mms''new contact' etc, well usful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for the information
it's been a while since ive posted.. and i think i missed the guys (vj, sub, ctk.. etc)...
anyway, my dopod900 has the ff apps:
(as seen in my Remove Program Settings)
Insaniquarium - i just love feeding my guppies!
David Andr Birthdays
Shop2Go - for my shopping list
City Time - to check currencies
Ulti-Planner - great planner App
Worms
Opera
Verichat
Bejeweled
One Journal Bar - to read news and weather updates
Lextionary - dictionary
Finance - to track my expenses
Audio Recorder
Cantonese / Mandarin Phrase Book
Resco Today
Memmaid
Text Twist
Voice Commander
And yup, my phone is crawling like a snail.. haha.. but I just love to have all these apps. Im not that impatient anyway
mine..
pocketbreeze(only today plugin on today screen)
CHM ebook reader
lexigoo dict
card export
TCPMP
resco photo viewer
pocket artist
ringtone editor from VITO
repligo(coz adobe doesnt support VGA)
subwallet
handymenu
handyswitcher
winrar
space detective(extracted from sprite backup)
wisbar advance 2(with VAIO skin)
still my device is very fast. I still have around 24mb free ram after soft reset
all of the above apps have been installed to main memory
Here's my list:
Wisbar Advance (Vista mobile skin)
SPB Diary (Using SPB Weather as add-in)
TCPMP (and the AAC plugin)
Resco Explorer (Today plugin, Registry plugin and the FTP add-in)
Alfa & Ariss SecureW2 Client (when i'm at school and need wifi )
Bluetooth tray icon thingy
Hi
As a complete newbie, could someone please explain the difference between SBSH's Pocket Breeze and iLauncher. Both seem to do similar things to me!
Sorry if I'm being a bit dim on this
Rob F
P.S. Is it possible add my device to the forum profile device list so I can add it to my profile?
iLauncher is simply a utility for launching (starting or loading whichever term you prefer) from your today screen.
PocketBreeze actually enhances many of the functions of your PDA by giving robust today screen functionality, replacing the cheezy default plug-ins.
For example, while iLauncher can open the Messaging Application, PocketBreeze will show the contents of your inbox(es) and allow you access to the messages.
Also PocketBreeze supports loading other Today Screen Plug-in (such as iLauncher) into a tab so you can easily switch from on plug-in to another thus allowing more plug-ins than normal without scrolling.
They work great together.
Thanks for that explanation, Kyphur. It's all clear now!
I'll have a go at the trial versions for both.
Rob F
I am using both of them too, as well as pocket weather and pRSSreader.
My today screen now has none of the orginal crap MS stuff on it and looks great.
The downside is the memory usage (only about 8mb left with just those running) and i cant play AOE with them running.
dangerous_dom said:
I am using both of them too, as well as pocket weather and pRSSreader.
My today screen now has none of the orginal crap MS stuff on it and looks great.
The downside is the memory usage (only about 8mb left with just those running) and i cant play AOE with them running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got to have more than that eating up your memory.
I'm sitting between 16 & 22 Megs always (even when AS is active)..
Hi, is there any way to make pocket ie scroll regularly (ie by line, not by links)? I've been searching google and this site to no avail. thanks
You SHOULD be able to do it using your finger, but short of switching browsers, i don't believe button scrolling is possible in IE.
oh ok. of course the scroll bars work but I hear spb pocketplus adds grab-and-scroll plus button scrolling to IE. is this true?
oh yeah it does. i think it does, anyway. I'm an opera kinda guy, but SPB works well for what i use it for.
go buy yourself a copy. you wont be disapppointed.
Opera mini rocks. But i think the scroll cab works. I know I found it over at ppcgeeks. Dont know that I have it, anymore. I used it when I had the apache and now I have a titan. But it made the scrolling much faster. Opera mini seriously rules though. Skyfire is nice too.
I was just wondering, with so much software on the internet, what is the best free software people use? I have been doing so much customizing and tweaking I just wonder what more is out there.
I use:
amAze GPS
Google Maps
HTC Home Customizer
Live Search
My Mobilier
Skyfire
youtubeplay
GPS Today
Pocket SNES
Unfortunately some of the best ones are not free:
TomTom7
PocketInformant
GeoScout
SBP Mobile Shell
Sprite Backup
Sprite Terminator
Code Wallet Pro
Free ones that I have are:
Google Maps
Microsoft Live search
HHC Home customizer
Opera Mini Browser
PHM RegEdit
Resco File Explorer
TCPMP
Palringo
Cool, it seems most people use the same programs but your right some of the better ones are not free...
Flashlight is pretty useful at times
KeePassPPC for managing passwords. There are also versions for Windows, Mac and Linux, which is handy.
Free:
Calendar+
Htc Plus!
S2U2
S2V
S2P
Opera Mini
Nilisco Flashlight
iContac Burt Edition
Messenger
My Mobiler
PHM Regedit
sinPocketStopWatch
Kevtris 2
Pocket UNO
not free:
SPB Bubbles
Astraware Bejeweled 2
Bluezard
Garmin Mobile XT
SK Tools
ThumbCal
and some ohters that I don't have installed right now...
* Sorry this is so long... but recently I sent an email with apps & links to some of my friends who also have HTC phones, so I figure it's just easier to simply paste the text heree. *
Hello HTC friends!
I'm sending this email to some of you who I know have HTC PDAs, or may be getting one at some point. Over the few months that I've had my phone, I've received a few tips on good applications from some people, and have discovered several myself. So I thought it might be a good thing to send out an email to my friends that summarizes some my favorites, in the interest of sharing knowledge & experience for those who might find something you're looking for (or didn't even know you were looking for!).
First of all, it should be noted that I've found several of these tools / applications / customizations at a website called xda-developers.com. It's a site dedicated so HTC -branded phones *specifically*. I mostly use it by searching their forums for answers to questions, and looking for applications or basic tweaks:
http://www.xda-developers.com
Another good site for Windows Mobile devices is ppcgeeks.com:
http://www.ppcgeeks.com
I recently upgraded my phone to Windows Mobile 6.1 with the latest ROM update from HTC & Sprint, so a lot of these are still fresh in my head. It is also worth noting that all of the apps listed here are free; that is usually a criteria of mine when searching for new software especially for my phone.
nueLED: Turn on / turn off / redirect LED lights on your phone
This was one of the first little apps I installed. After I got my phone I noticed that it was always blinking to let me know it was "alive," and since I have bluetooth turned on all the time that light was blinking incessantly as well. I installed nueLED, configured it to disable the service LED and bluetooth LED, and now if my phone is blinking at me I know it's because it's *actually* trying to tell me something (missed call, voice mail, etc.).
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=189618#post189618
Opera Mini web browser
It couldn't have been more than 2 days of using Pocket Internet Explorer before I got fed up with it and started looking for a new browser. Maybe I was spoiled by playing with my friend's iPhone, because the web browser absolutely blows away any browser I've seen for Windows Mobile. But Opera Mini is at least a step in the right direction, until someone develops something closer to the iPhone's Safari browser. I have high hopes for Firefox's version of a mobile browser, but that won't be out for a while. And although Opera Mini runs as a Java app,let I've found out how to create a shortcut for it (as well as Gmail's Java applet) so that you don't have to go through the annoying Java menus.
http://www.operamini.com/
* There's also "Opera Mobile," although I haven't tried it yet. They have a beta (currently v9.51) that is free, although I think their non-beta releases (currently v8.65) are only free for a 30-day trial. If anyone has had any experience with these, please share the knowledge!
http://www.opera.com/press/reviews/mobile/
Google Maps
This has got to be one of the coolest apps for mobile devices; a must-have. Good interface, relatively fast, great searching, and it's easy to check traffic at a glance. It also has the ability to interact with the GPS receiver if your device has one, and can give you driving directions. But it's not the best for turn-by-turn directions as you navigate if you're trying to use it with the GPS. And also be aware that any software which accesses your GPS will suck on the battery pretty good when it's turned on, which is why I only turn on the "Use GPS" feature of Google Maps sparingly.
http://www.google.com/mobile/winmo/maps/
Microsoft Live Search
Google Maps pretty much has the upper hand in most aspects: Map GUI, usability, searching, etc. However, one area Live Search seems to have Google Maps beat is turn-by-turn directions. While it doesn't include audio guidance (I haven't found a free app that does), it integrates pretty well with the GPS and will even prompt you if you go off course. Not bad for freeware. The same caveat applies for battery usage if you turn on the GPS locator.
http://mobile.search.live.com/client/download_manual.aspx
iContact: A more "finger-friendly" contacts manager
A better UI for interacting with the contacts in your address book. Originally started a while back by someone named "larna", and version 0.6 (April 2008) was good. Then after that developer didn't have any more time to devote to it, "supbro" took over and made it way better (July 2008). Now "burt" has made his "Burt Edition 6.2" (August 2008) and made some additional improvements, and now I think it's a great app. I would have recommended it even with larna's versions, but definitely now with supbro and burt's new features. It's light weight, responsive, and highly customizable. I can tell you how to set it as the default Contacts viewer, too.
http://burt.vndv.com/index.php?ind=downloads&op=entry_view&iden=1
OggSync: Over-the-air sync with Google Calendar
This is a nice little app which synchronizes the Pocket Outlook calendar built into your device with your Google Calendar, via the internet connection on you phone. I looked at a few other solutions, and went this one because it is free, accurate, and doesn't use a 3rd-party server as a go-between. The free version is good. They also have a paid version (yearly subscription) which includes a few additional features including scheduled syncs and multiple Google calendars. The scheduled sync would be nice, and multiple calendars maybe (maps each Google Calendar to a category) -- but not enough for me to pay for it. If you don't use Google Calendar then OggSunc is probably useless; but if you do, this app is a big winner.
http://oggsync.com/
Total Commander: A more feature-rich file explorer
Although the interface looks a little bit "old school", I use this app more than I thought I would. More options when browsing & interacting with files (geez, you can even see the actual file extension for once!), plus you get a registry editor and the ability to interact with LAN file shares (if you're connected to a network via WiFi) without having to jump through a bunch of hoops.
http://www.ghisler.com/pocketpc.htm
PPC PIM Backup: Backup personal data
This is an easy way to back up contacts, call logs, calendar entries, tasks, messages, and other files, etc. to your storage card. It's pretty light weight -- in fact there's no installation process, you just run the .exe and you're off and running. There is an optional scheduling mechanism for automatic backups; but I prefer to just use the manual backup periodically. It came in handy after flashing the latest ROM update last week.
http://www.dotfred.net/default.htm
TCPMP (The Core Pocket Media Player)
This is a nice alternative to Windows Media player, that actually plays formats beyond WMV. Fullscreen works great, and it is pretty customizable. Link to WM 6.1-compatible version below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=380387
There are also a codecs to play WMV files:
http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/local_links.php?linkid=61
and other audio formats including AC3, FLAC, Vorbis, etc.
http://picard.exceed.hu/tcpmp/test/
Flash Video Bundle: A way to play YouTube (and other) Flash videos
My friend Scott told me about this one. It is a cab installation that includes FLV codecs for TCPMP as well as a plugin for Pocket IE that allows you to save Flash videos from the youtube.com website (the non-mobile version).
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=FlashVideoBundle
YouTubePlay: Another way to save and play YouTube videos
My friend Mike showed me this other alternative. Not only will it play Flash videos like the TCPMP plugin, but it serves as a front-end for searching & saving YouTube videos. The player is good (fullscreen works nicely like TCPMP), and it seems to be a better alternative for finding YouTube videos than using a web browser.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=385227
SPB Full Screen Keyboard
I haven't tried this because the device I use (HTC Titan / Sprint Mogul) has a slide-out keyboard. But for devices that don't have a hardware keyboard, I've seen other software keyboards that are supposedly better than the ones that come standard on the ROM. One that is mentioned often is SPB Full Screen Keyboard. They have a free download, although I don't know if it's a limited functionality version or a limited time trial of the one for purchase.
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/fsk/?en
Change # of vertical lines on new SMS reply screen
Windows Mobile v6.1 comes with a new "threaded" view for text messages, but the default space for replying to messages on my phone was only 2 lines. You can increase this if you want by simply editing the the thread_sms.htm file:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=366347
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SenseiMP said:
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Click to collapse
The next few applications are clones/extracts/repackaged versions of some of the software that comes standard on the HTC Touch and similar devices. So for the Touch, Diamond, etc., I think these are already baked in. But for others, here they are:
FTouchFlo version 1.4.1
Software that mimic's the HTC "TouchFlo" functionality, which allows scrolling with your thumb or finger rather than having to use scroll bars. It also allows for some nice customizations, including the ability to launch different programs via directional finger swipes.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=338143
SCLPC++: Cloned version of the HTC Cube
There are a few cubes out there, and this is the one I found to be the most useful & responsive. It's also a 4-sided cube, with the last face being an additional program launcher. In truth, I don't use it as much as I thought I would now that I have it all set up and configured, but it's still pretty cool.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=358102
Configuration tool:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=374939
HTC Home Plugin / HTC Home Customizer
Large digital clock, favorite contacts, program launcher, weather, etc., on your Today screen. This can be used to configure, customize, and backup settings for the stock HTC Home as well as the custom one. Install "HTC Home Customizer v1.0 Final," and upon first use it will prompt you to install the HTC Home Plugin if you don't already have one.
http://www.pocketemu.com/download4.html
If your interested, there are also several other HTC applications and skins extracted from the Touch ROMs:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=344533
I also have the .cab file installers for all of these programs if you need them. If anyone has other applications that they enjoy, please share! In particular, I am looking for a more "finger friendly" alternative to the default UI for the Calendar. I very rarely use my stylus, as I find it more convenient to just use my finger or thumb nail. That's a bit more difficult with the default Calendar interface, and there are other things I don't like about it as well. If you've seen the Calendar interface on the iPhone, it's pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I'd still rather have a Windows Mobile device than an iPhone, especially since you can get more "under the hood" and customize it, etc., and there's a huge community of developers making apps for WM. But there are some things that are much better on the iPhone, including web browsing and overall touchscreen responsiveness. But hey, at least we're moving in the right direction. Maybe Windows Mobile 7 and beyond!?
By the way, I recently found this site:
http://www.touch-innovation.com/
It contains links to several different kinds of "finger friendly" Windows Mobile apps, including some of the ones I've listed above. There's a link to an older (free) version of "ThumbCal" on there, and I may give that a try at some point. But it looks like the more recent versions of it are no longer free.
EDIT: I also use S2U2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=412418
and nueLight:
http://www.nuerom.com/BlogEngine/page/nueLight.aspx
SenseiMP said:
nueLight:
http://www.nuerom.com/BlogEngine/page/nueLight.aspx
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Click to collapse
I tried out nueLight, and although the high beam and morse code functions are fancy and cool, I will still use Nilisco flashlight as my default flashlight. The reason is that I can easily bind it to a button (comm manager) and flick it on and off. The nueLight will only turn on with the button, but will not turn off.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1381521&postcount=2
There were people saying they had a NES emulator for the Mogul, but I don;t think it actually exists, I never saw it posted. Would be sweet.
emkorial said:
There were people saying they had a NES emulator for the Mogul, but I don;t think it actually exists, I never saw it posted. Would be sweet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Smartgear. It emulates NES, GameBoy Color, and Genesis. It has a free trial version, but it is WELL worth the $10 it costs to register.
Find it here:
http://www.bitbanksoftware.com/SmartGear.html
My favourite freeware:
1. Today Agenda: A rather simple Today screen plug-in that allows very flexible customization of information from your calendar and tasks to your Today screen. multiple-day agendas in collapsible line items on your Today Screen. Useful for precisely deciding how much real estate you want to give up for it. I love this program.
2. Amaze: Free voice navigation. Works pretty darned well.
3. S2u2: Slide to unlock program that allows you to dump your unlock line on your Today Screen, provides a bunch of useful info on your lock screen, allows calls, and is highly customizable.
4. Skyfire Beta: I really like Skyfire Beta. It works with most websites and provides full web experience, including streaming sound and video (you can play Youtube right on the browser).
5. Youtubeplayer: A nice means of searching, playing, and downloading you tube videos.
6. Pocket Music Lite: Free music player. No fancy coverflow interface, but a nice skinnable finger friendly interface. Only plays MP3s, but you can just get a converter program for your desktop.
7. Vade Mecum: Nice little ebook ready that reads plucker format. I read downloads from www.projectguternberg.org all the time. Has bookmark, search features.
8. VS Painter Lite: A nice draw and paint program that is free. Useful to annote pictures, draw maps or dungeons, etc.
9. Total Commander: One of the best file explorers out there.
10. Set Volume: Full screen volume controller. Skinnable and nice to hard key so you don't ever have to fart around with some tiny onscreen volume control.
11. Pocket Screen: Just a screen capture program, but very nice at that. Useful for showing off your stuff on forums.
12. Beyond Pod: A nice podcast player and RSS feed reader.
13. Google Maps and Live Search: Indispensible. Must haves.
14. Icontact (Burt's version): Very nice finger friendly contacts manager.
15. PCM Keyboard: Very customizable, essentially gives you the iphone keyboard experience on your ppc. Disable the annoying dictionary and word complete functions however.
Those are my favourite non-game freeware apps.
A shout out to shareware SPB Pocket Plus for having a very stable and nicely customizable Today Screen and Launcer experience. I tried Ulitmate Launcher and had all sorts of errors and problems and have read nightmares about HTC Home and HHC.
Devin
Fav app
My Favorite is GC Java Pack
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=402980
I have Meboy gameboy color emulator that runs as a java app. I love i play pokemon on it all the time
http://java-phones.com/tools/meboy