Database Users

One-handed operation

Hi all.
I own a Qtek S100 for around 2 weeks, and have come to love the device for it's all around functionality and small form factor.
As a PDA w/stylus, I have absolutely no complaints. It's a great tool with hundreds of different pieces of software and games to play with.
As many of you, I want to use the Magician as my main phone as well. This is where the problems start. Windows Mobile does not seem be geared towards non-stylus use, yet when you are out and about, it would be nice if you could accomplish basic tasks without the stylus. The main reason being is that when you are out you want to protect the screen so you put the device in a case, so the screen isn't accessible.
Anyway, you guys know all this. Now here's the question. Is there software out there that's designed to make Pocket PC phone edition a better one-handed device? I am thinking of something like the following:
You click one of the hardware buttons, which opens this 'one-handed' program. This brings up a tree/menu of different functions. Anything you would need to do while you're on the road. For example:
Turn the phone to silent.
Turn bluetooth on/off.
Control the music you're playing (on/off/forward/back etc..)
Turn the device off.
Anything you can think of.
I realize you can do some of these things by mapping certain buttons to certain programs or by scrolling on the today screen or by trying to use the start menu, but I'm finding that you can only get so far before you're stuck and you have to use the stylus.
So is there any software of this nature? If not I might sit down and write something myself. If I do it would be cool if everyone can pitch and name things they'd like to do with one hand that they can't seem to accomplish.
Thanks!

What you need as a starter is Burr Oak HotButton Plus. This allows you to assign ONE hardware button that then pops up a list of programs that you can run. The list is configurable of course. You can navigate through the list of programs using your D-pad.
I would suggest getting a list of "Settings" shortcuts (available on the forum). Place these shortcuts in a folder and call them from HotButton Plus.
I also find Microsoft Voice Command a very useful software, especially when I'm driving. You can open programs, play music, etc. using your voice.

Also, this hardware-button tweak might do something nice. Haven't tried myself.
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,40355

I use AEBPlus in combination with Mortbuttons. AEBPlus is bound to a hwardware button, in my case Calendar. When I double press it, Mortbutton 1 pops-up a list of apps that I set in Mortbutton options. In this way, I can switch on/off bluetooth, phone, or launch apps. Mortbutton gives up to 12 apps per list and 5 lists are available. With AEBPlus I can bind 3 Mortbuttons per hard button, e.g. 36 apps per button!
Mortbuttons can be found on www.sto-helit.de

thanks guys. I will give all of these a try!

phoneplus for phone abilities
phonealarms for profiles

All those programs are not directly given what we expected - one handed operation.
jamijam,
Could you develop the program?
Cheers,

jamijam said:
Hi all.
I own a Qtek S100 for around 2 weeks, and have come to love the device for it's all around functionality and small form factor.
As a PDA w/stylus, I have absolutely no complaints. It's a great tool with hundreds of different pieces of software and games to play with.
As many of you, I want to use the Magician as my main phone as well. This is where the problems start. Windows Mobile does not seem be geared towards non-stylus use, yet when you are out and about, it would be nice if you could accomplish basic tasks without the stylus. The main reason being is that when you are out you want to protect the screen so you put the device in a case, so the screen isn't accessible.
Anyway, you guys know all this. Now here's the question. Is there software out there that's designed to make Pocket PC phone edition a better one-handed device? I am thinking of something like the following:
You click one of the hardware buttons, which opens this 'one-handed' program. This brings up a tree/menu of different functions. Anything you would need to do while you're on the road. For example:
Turn the phone to silent.
Turn bluetooth on/off.
Control the music you're playing (on/off/forward/back etc..)
Turn the device off.
Anything you can think of.
I realize you can do some of these things by mapping certain buttons to certain programs or by scrolling on the today screen or by trying to use the start menu, but I'm finding that you can only get so far before you're stuck and you have to use the stylus.
So is there any software of this nature? If not I might sit down and write something myself. If I do it would be cool if everyone can pitch and name things they'd like to do with one hand that they can't seem to accomplish.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI
I use the O2 xdaI machine. I will get tmobile MDA COMPACT (= I-mate JAM) next week.
Hotbutton application is ok but the best so far for one hand operation is definitely Microsoft Voice Command ver. 1.5. It works increadibly weel on XDAI and I expect it will run even better on the JAM (I will let you know next week).
Cheers !

Heard some things about Micrsofot Voice command but I was finding it hard to believe that using voice could work well in most cases (what if it's noisy? etc...). Maybe I'll give it a try.
o2mn,
Gonna give all these suggestions a try before I think about doing something myself. The goal would be to create a program that lets you go through the menus, etc of ALL programs. Just using the buttons.

I don't know if i need to start a new topic about this but I'm trying to find out an easy way to create a launcher under a hardware button, like a bunch of people seems to wanna have.
In 'windows\appsbuttons' you can assign any hardware button to an *.exe. I want to know if there is an easy way to create a *.exe which
opens a *.link.
Something like:
IE2BUTTON.exe
» goto programfiles
»open IE2BUTTON.lnk
Hereby IE2BUTTON.lnk refers to the map IE2BUTTON where you can put every shortcut you want

Tried AEBPlus but it conflicts with application button mapping such as in TCPMP. Sometimes TCPMP gets the button press sometimes AEBPlus Plus got it - couldn't live with that so had to uninstall AEBPlus.
I use a combination of software:
PPCProfiles-Pro on the Today screen for switching phone on/off, bluetooth on/off etc via switching between profiles I've set up.
VJOKButton assigned to the memo button for closing apps, clicking OK.
MortButton for starting apps etc.
Application button mapping in TCPMP for one handed mp3 / video use.
The one thing I really want to be able to do still is alter the screen brightness one handed.

Close programs??

is there a registry hack that will close a program instead of minimising it?

Here you go! http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx and the best part is that it's free!!!

There are many programs that will do this, some of them have many other functions that you will find useful.
My favourite program, WisBar Advance does this as part of a massive set of functions, and adds the ability to completely skin your device.
The trade is that it uses heaps of valuable RAM and isn't free.
ViJay555 has a piece of software that will also perform this function, VJOKButt.
This is something that many people ask about, we all find our own solution.

cheers guys i'll try them out. does anyone know why microsoft did this?

bobbyb said:
cheers guys i'll try them out. does anyone know why microsoft did this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that applications will "seem" to start faster after the first initial load.

The way MS sees us using the device often has little to do with the reality of using a PDA.
The default tools loaded by WM5 or the carriers (the ExtROM contents) are what they assume we will use and they do try to provide the things that most people want. Word, Phone, Calendar etc will all run quite happily in the memory that we have been (grieviously under)allocated on the device. However, when you start putting lots of third party apps in there you find that 64MB isn't enough. Skinning, Today plugins, TomTom, alternative BT stacks and voice diallers, better PIMs and the like all take up more space than MS had planned and we have to close them to save space.
If you ran it the way it was intended then minimising without closing would be acceptable.
Reminds me of Monty Python:
You're all individuals!
I'm not ...
One day I'll find a way to upgrade this baby to 512MB of DDR and drop a 2GHz CPU in it ... Then I'll be a happy camper =)

One problem I ran into, well, really not a problem just didnt think. As mentioned there are several programs that work great and I run SPB Pocket plus and all was great until my Exec started running slower & slower and eventually crashed. What I realized was that I was closing programs with the "ok" button on the keypad. This will only minimize not close so my programs were still running and stacking up in memory. This is a big "DUH". As long as you use the "x" in the top coner then the programs mentioned can close your program (as designed) but if you use the keypad "ok" the programs will continue to run in the background. Just a heads up.

Unless you use PQz! This program has an option that lets the "ok" button on the keyboard actually close apps.
have I mentioned I'm a fan of PQz? ;-)

Thanks, I will check it out.

How to properly close programs?

Hi guys,
I know you already know this, but I'm just wondering how you have dealt with the problem.
When you click on a program 'x' it doesn't really close the program like on a PC, as the program is still active in the Task Manager, which wastes power.
Is there a program which fixes this so that the 'x' means close properly? Or do you have to go to the Task Manager every time and close it from there?
Thanks a lot,
Paul

Welcome to the world to WM where Micro$oft decided "close" was a four letter word. There are many, many "x" button/task bar/task managers etc. out there to solve just this problem. Search a little and you'll find them. I personally use pBar, and the Oxios apps.

benmyers2941 said:
Welcome to the world to WM where Micro$oft decided "close" was a four letter word. There are many, many "x" button/task bar/task managers etc. out there to solve just this problem. Search a little and you'll find them. I personally use pBar, and the Oxios apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I was successful when I searched 'closing programs'. Why didn't I think of that before?!
I'm trying to use 'smclose', which requires placement in the startup folder. I can access this on the Wizard, but I can't find it through the Explore in Activesync!

Got it in by copying the file into Startup in Wizard. Thanks!

search for HTC X button 1.5 . it is the most stable version.
it allows you to close and to quit programs by tap and hold. also, in the today screen you have the option to close programs that you dont want to run while keeping the programs you want to run stay in minimized windows.

That sounds like a better tool SVI, thanks!

Seconds on the HTC X Button. It just does what you want, without a bunch of extra bunk.

locking down hardware buttons

Hi Guys
Wondered if anyone knew of a way of locking down all the hardware buttons with a registry change on WM5?
Or at least specific ones?
Reason being I'm developing a flash lite data driven app for a device specific service with issued handsets to users during a corporate event - they need to be "locked down" to stop the user activating the phone using the "make call" buttons etc.
Although I can make the Flash app run "full screen" I can't stop the other buttons switching to other apps.
Regards
Derek

2 suggestions.
1 if you are trying to gain lock out control A_C's S2U2 program accomplashes this. If you need something other than his program I recommend that you PM him and asked him out he accomplished it with his lock.
2 you may want to try a program like hbutton. It would allow you to assign controls of the buttons to certain actions. One of the action options could be to do nothing. You could set them all to that.

Try using GXOpenInput();
it will redirect all input screen/keys to your app and then you can ignore then if you want.
Chris

chrisstavrou
I've just googled that command and found this page...
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms831632.aspx
Seems like a good solution - only problem is, I'm not a .Net developer, so how would I pass this into the Flash Lite App as a .swf is loaded on the handset?
is there a way of passing this system variable in almost like a command-line before the app is opened?
Or would I need an executable on the PocketPC to somehow pass that in opening flashlite and the .swf in one go?

Thanks
Thanks for all the useful suggestions, I'm now following them up - cheers guys!

How to hide/unhide a window that does not respond to Mortscript Minimize() command

I am able to hide and show this window in the Windows section of dotfred's Task Manager, so I assume that this is possible.
Minimize in Mortscript produces no effect.
A way to accomplish this using Mortscripts Send/PostMessage functions would be preferable if possible as I've never written any native WinMo code. However if that is the only way...
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!

i'm searching for that... minimize command don't hide... help.

Have you tried emulating the Cancel button? Try SendSpecial("F4")
I wouldn't call this native WinMo code... Mortscript only supports Send/PostMessage with numberic arguments... It's limitatations call for some creative thinking. Really wish to see some news but with 6.x phasing out and 7 just around the corner (and the fact that all old apps won't work) I pretty much abandoned all hopes I had for the platform.
PS: This list may prove helpful.