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TAN KIT HOONG and M. MADHAVAN take a look at Pocket PC applications and games that still make their hearts go aflutter
POCKET PC devices seemed to have reached a plateau in terms of innovation but that has not stopped software developers from designing cool applications that keeps the handheld computer looking "new."
With Skype 2.1, for instance, it is possible to make free calls to any other PC with Skype or to make cheaper calls to any phone.
Virtual Earth Mobile, although not as comprehensive as Goggle Earth, is a fun app that displays satellite maps and something that you should have just to show off to friends that do not own a PDA.
Some applications like Resco File Explorer, TCPMP media player (since renamed CorePlayer), Minimo and eWallet just keep getting better with newer versions.
There are plenty of sites that can help you keep abreast with what is happening with the Pocket PC world.
To keep up with the latest developments you should keep a tab of sites like Pocket PC Thoughts (www.pocketpcthoughts.com) and Aximsite (www.aximsite.com).
For upcoming games, PocketGamer (www.pocketgamer.org) is the site you should check. If you are lucky you might get to test beta games.
For puzzle-based games you only have to check out Astraware (www.astraware.com), the maker of the evergreen game Bejeweled.
The company is always porting popular new PC and online games to the Pocket PC and Palm OS handheld computers so that you can play them wherever you go.
Our favourite sites for looking for software are PocketGear.com (www.pocketgear.com) for commercial stuff and Pocket PC Freeware (www.pocketpcfreeware.com) for freebies.
For news closer to home, you can go to community portals such as MyPDACAfe.com (www.mypdacafe.com) and Pocket PC Singapore Community (www.ppcsg.com).
Here we list some of the stuff that we cannot live without when using our Pocket PCs.
Resco File Explorer
Website: www.resco.net
Price: US$24.95 (RM92)
EVEN though Pocket PC devices come with File Explorer for browsing the handheld, we cannot recommend Resco File Explorer enough.
Resco File Explorer is a lot easier to use and has tons of nifty functions that you will not be able to live without once you get used to them.
First off, it allows you to transfer files to the handheld by just right clicking on the files and choosing the Pocket PC device - you will then be able to choose the target folder. This is a lot easier than having to muck around with the Pocket PC shortcut placed in My Computer.
Copying and moving files with the Pocket PC is also easier - the app also comes with a Recycle bin if you wish to recover them later.
Resco File Explorer also allows you to connect to a local area network and this is real handy for transferring files from your PC.
Other than that, it also comes with a Today screen plugin that displays information such as RAM, ROM and storage card space, as well as giving you quick access to Resco File Explorer.
eWallet 4.1
Website: www.iliumsoft.com
Price: US$19.95 (RM74)
IF YOU wish to keep your personal information safe, you cannot go wrong with eWallet 4.1 which uses 256-bit encryption - one of the strongest available for Pocket PC devices.
The software makes it very easy to organise information such as credit card, bank accounts and passwords by allowing the use of nested categorises - a fancy name for having categories within categories.
The tons of templates also make it easy to input the information as they are presented in a very intuitive way - the credit card template, for instance, looks similar to a credit card.
The professional edition, which cost US$10 (RM37) more, also comes with eWallet for the PC.
Resco Photo Viewer
Website: www.resco.net
Price: US$24.95 (RM92)
ALL the latest Pocket PCs come with a picture viewer application from Microsoft, but this application is basic at best.
If you want a more feature-packed application, there's none better than Resco Photo Viewer.
Resco Photo Viewer allows you not just to view photos, but to do some basic photo editing, such as adjust brightness and contrast, as well as crop images.
More importantly, Resco Photo Viewer allows you to adjust the gamma and saturation on your images - important for compensating for differences in some PDA displays, such as the less-saturated display on the Dell Axim x51v.
AM TasksPlus
Website: www.tasksplus.szm.com
Price: Free
IF YOU think that the standard To Do plugin that comes with the operating system is a little bare, you are not alone.
Unlike the standard plugin, the AM TasksPlus plugin displays all the tasks on the Today screen so that you can easily tick them off as you complete each one.
You can also copy, view and beam the task using the on-screen menu.
It also allows you to order the task, decide one which ones to display, and in which format.
The free AM TasksPlus plugin, which only takes up 60KB, is the best we have come across so far because it is fast and works without any problems.
ilauncher
Website: www.sbsh.net/products/ilauncher
Price: US$14.95 (RM55)
WHY couldn't we just have shortcuts for programs on the Today screen? Well, with iLauncher it is possible.
This plugin allows the creation of shortcuts for just about anything - soft-reset, power-off, screen rotation, programs, folders and even control panel applets.
It is highly customisable and you can display the icons as large or small, have multiple tabs, display captions, and more.
It also comes with a number of "gauges" that display information such as memory, battery, file store, SD and Compact Flash card and backup battery status.
However, iLauncher is so full of features, it does affect the performance of the Pocket PC by a bit.
Submitted Date: Nov 22, 2006
Source: The Star Online
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