My Windows Mobile Applications

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Bruce Keener

Having just gone through a hard-reset of my Dell x51v, and having to reload software on it, reminded me that several of you have asked what applications I have on my Pocket PC. So, this article lists the ones that are actually loaded on my Dell. This is not a complete list of the Pocket PC software I own, as that list has almost 90 products on it, but it is the list of what I am actually using at present.

  • Productivity: Agenda Fusion, Phatnotes, eWallet, ListPro, PhatPad
  • Text Input: Calligrapher, Pocket Fitaly
  • Readers: eReader, MS Reader, Mobipocket Reader, iSilo, Pocket Bible
  • Utilities: Pocket Controller Pro, MemMaid, Magic Button, SKtools, Resco Explorer, CheckNotifications, ClearNotify
  • Games: Bejeweled, Gamebox Asia

If you are surprised that you don’t see Pocket Informant in the list, know that I do like PI a lot. I own it and Agenda Fusion and Ulti-Planner and Agendus for Windows Mobile, but it makes no sense to have all of those loaded on my device. I happen to like Agenda Fusion a little bit better than Pocket Informant, mostly because I like its views better and it is a little easier to set up. Pocket Informant has more options but those are generally just not that important to me. (Its integration with Phatnotes is very nice, though.)

Having said that, I am pretty fickled when it comes to choosing between AF and PI, and could easily switch over to PI.

Finally, I’ll note that all of the above programs work in Windows Mobile 6. I know because I went ahead and upgraded to WM6 using an unofficial boot image that one can find by searching the internet. I certainly would not recommend this for anyone whose device is under warranty, as it will void the warranty. And, if you make a mistake in doing the upgrade, you can turn your device into a useless brick.

But, since my device is beyond the warranty period, I decided to go ahead and do it. If I bricked it, that would just give me an excuse to get an HP 211 :-) Well, it all went fairly smoothly, thanks to a great YouTube video someone had done on the upgrade.

By the way, I am not linking to any of the WM6 stuff because I do not want to encourage anyone to take those sort of risks with their device. The main reason I did it was because I could, not because there was any need.

Anyway, back to the software: If something is missing from my list that surprises you, let me know, as I may have overlooked a program or two.

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  • http://www.billmyerscreations.com Bill Myers

    What about Pocket MindMap?

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    I own it Bill, but prefer to use its big brother MindManager. Mind mapping on a Pocket PC is certainly doable, and I have used PMM for mind maps, but I like more space. Makes my mind feel more “freed up.”

  • Spinosum

    Hi Bruce, wondering why do u need both SKTools and Memmaid in one device? :)

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Hi Spinosum,
    Good question. I like MemMaid because it is quick at cleaning and also does a good job of letting me double-check my notification que. I also like its view of running processes.
    SKtools has tweaks and tools that are not in MemMaid (or at least the version I have … they may have made some updates since 1.74). For example, I like its utility that frees RAM. It also has a backtool, and it has a lot of system tweaks, including some that MemMaid does not have.

    Not essential to have both. But, I like the full range of tweaking that I can get out of both utilities. Note that I have not updated either of them in about 6 months, so the products might be “more standalone” by now than I considered them to be the last time I updated.

    Note that some folks would not only have both of these utilities, but Tweaks2K as well. I have Tweaks2k but just haven’t felt the need to install. About all I ever used it for was for setting a time associated with cleaning of the notification que. If I start missing reminders, due to problems with the notification que, I’ll reinstall Tweaks2k. (Note that Tweaks2k has a lot of nice tweaks beyond those of the notification que … it’s just that I either do not use them, or that they are already provided in SKtools.)

  • mike

    Bruce, I haven’t heard about CheckNotifications or ClearNotify so when I Googled them they appear to perform functions similar to what MemMaid and SK Tools do. Is there an advantage to the these two freeware programs over the latter two?

    Also, why so many readers or is it different format’s that don’t work on any single program?

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Hi Mike,
    At this stage in their development, MemMaid and/or SKtools are probably adequate for the notification que problem. There was a time, though, when CheckNotifications and ClearNotify were the only ones I could truly depend on to really solve the problem … that was the case when I owned a Treo 700 for example. Because of their history of reliability, the fact that they are free, and the fact that they have a very small memory footprint (just a few KB each), I have kept them as part of my standard load.

    The many ebook readers: started with eReader and iSilo years ago. Then, found that Mobipocket had some books that eReader did not and got it. Same with MS Reader … it has several books that are not available in the other formats. So, it’s mostly a format thing.

  • mike

    I don’t see a way of starting programs on your list (e.g. Pocket Plus or iLauncher) so I assume you must use the basic start and pull down menu or go directly to the program page and start there. Any reason why you prefer this method ?

  • Thomas R. Hall

    Thanks for posting a list of what you are currently using, Bruce – it’s always interesting to see this type of thing. Probably the same reason I read PalmAddicts all the time (still).

    I noticed that you aren’t using any Spb Software House programs. I actually use Spb Diary instead of having Agenda Fusion or Pocket Informant. For me, it’s lightweight and fast and I have all of my “views” accessible from my home screen. It also supports integration with PhatNotes and has customizable views that seem simple, but have all the information I need at hand. PI and Agenda Fusion seem a bit “busy” to me, though AF not as bad as PI.

    I also use multiple eBook readers, mainly because some books weren’t available on ereader.com, though this is changing now that Fictionwise bought them. I wish they would update their reader programs and make them avaiable on more platforms, as I like the DRM built into eReader more than other programs. I am using Mobipocket a lot more now because it is available on a variety of mobile platforms.

    I was also using both MemMaid and SKTools, but now I just use SKTools. Does everything well enough for me. Are you using Fitaly and/or Calligrapher exclusively or do you use any of the other input methods as well? I find that I use Block Recognizer (like Graffiti on the Palm) quite a bit, as it allows me to write notes quietly in meetings, but also like Fitaly and Calligrapher as well.

    I always have Astraware Sudoku and Bejeweled installed. Great games that I never get tired of. ChessGenius as well. Other than that, not many games.

    A few other interesting observations on what isn’t on your list… I noticed you don’t have Opera Mobile on there. Either you’re using Pocket IE, or (more likely) you are using your iPod Touch as your mobile browsing device of choice. I also didn’t see any media programs, but again, I bet your iPod is taking over that functionality.

    Lastly, I didn’t see any screen capture software on there, unless you do that with Pocket Controller. I had previously recommended Ilium’s Screen Capture, but now use Spb Screenshot (a part of Spb Imageer that they released for free) instead. I like it’s options and UI slightly better for some reason.

    Thanks again for sharing! I’d love to hear what’s on your TX as well, and what you use on your iPod Touch eventually as well, if you wouldn’t mind making a series of these posts…

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Hi Thomas,

    Thanks for sharing what you use … good reasoning on it all (naturally).

    I pretty much use Calligrapher and Fitaly exclusively for input. Although I used block a lot on the Palm, I just never warmed up to it on the Pocket PC … that’s just weird old me, though.

    I have tinkered with Opera, but, as you guessed, the iPod is what I use for browsing when just setting around … it has an unbeatable experience.

    And, as for the screen capture, I do use Pocket Controller for that. Give me great control over the images.

    I may do an article on what’s on my TX at some point, although there’s nothing on that list that would really turn any heads. Pretty straightforward stuff. The only oddity I can think of is fonts4OS5, which provides some really nice fonts for the Palm displays. But, I’ll give some thought to doing a little post on what’s on my TX.

  • pritchett4

    Bruce, not sure if there is a big difference between Phatnotes and Daynotez, but I have started using Daynotez on the PPC. I had it for my Palm T3 which worked well, and wanted to keep data from the Palm, so it reads that information well. May need to look at Phatnotes – I do have about 1200 notes in Outlook which came from the Palm as well. Did notice that Phatnotes has an Outlook version.

    I also used Handbase as my database program. Again, came from Palm OS and I’m able to read and write to those same databases (nice they kept the same format). I also set up Handbase to keep passwords since it can be encrypted – saves purchasing another program for that purpose. I had been using the free YAPS on Palm and liked it well enough, but had to export to memo to be able to print out the list to archive. Handbase has a desktop component so I can access from either PPC or desktop.

    I’m still trying to find a program that will give me a consistent alarm on the PPC (Ipaq 2495). It will not wake up consistently to be used as an alarm clock. I was able to use T3 for that function. I have tried different tweaks and cleaning, etc – but it does not wake up. Once awake, alarms work but that’s not good! If you have any suggestions (or any of your readers) I would be interested. Had to go to the cell phone as the alarm clock!

    Thanks for your blog – I enjoy reading it and listening to your music!

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Hi pritchett4

    Daynotez is a good program. It differs from PhatNotes primarily in the fact that it is for daily notes, sorta taking the place of journal … its search and tagging capabilities are great. The thing I like about PhatNotes is that it takes all of my Outlook notes and let me organize them by categories, as I was able to do on the Palm. Plus you can link notes together and using formatted text and so on. Both programs are very nice, but serve different functions.

    Handbase is another great program. I own it and SprintDB and another dbase program or two. I really do not have much use for databases anymore so I don’t have dbase programs on my Pocket PC, but there was a time when having them was very helpful.

    Sorry about the continuing annoyance with alarms. Have you tried pTravelAlarm_WakeupTweak ? My recollection is that it has a good reputation. My device has been able to be forced to do the right thing with alarms by using CheckNotifications and ClearNotify, but some devices can be really stubborn. If the travel alarm tweak doesn’t work, then I would not know where to turn. I assume you’ve already tried SKtools and Tweaks2k and those of sorts of things.

    Thanks for the thumbs up on my music. I almost recorded another little tune last night but I wasn’t satisfied that I have done with it what I want to. I may tinker with it a bit more over the weekend and record it.

  • John

    Hi Bruce,

    I stumbled upon your http://www.dkeener.com site and your blog while I was researching for PIMs. Great source of info!

    I used to use DateBk on a PalmOS-based PDAs and smartphones for many many years but now I’m forced to moved to a WM6 phone because of old phone died. I’m completely new in the WM world. I’m looking for a PIM for me to implement a GTD/SC hybrid system. My new phone doesn’t have touch screen, so I suppose Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion won’t work. I read your review on Agenda One. Would you recommend it over the rest on the market? Have you tried Today screen plugin like SBSH PocketBreeze and Spb Diary?

    Many Thanks.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce Keener

    Hi John,

    Agenda One should work very well for you. I think Pocket Informant will do fine, as well, as it is designed for soft-key and one-handed operation. If I were you, I would play with both and see which feels most natural to you. They are both very good products. (Agenda Fusion is more intended for touch screen use … Agenda One is the company’s product for Smartphones).

    I liked both PocketBreeze and Spb Diary on my Pocket PC and also used them on a Smartphone. Both do well. I would be hard-pressed to recommend one over the other, because both are very good products by really fine developers who give excellent support.

    Right now I am using a BlackBerry, and will ultimately transition to an iPhone when my 2-year contract is up. But, if I were still using a WM6 smartphone, I would probably just go with Agenda One and not use a Today Screen plugin, as the screens are generally pretty cramped on most smartphone implementations. But, again, I do recommend you see what feels best all the way around to you.

    Best wishes to you and thanks for the compliments, for saying hi, and for the question.

  • mike

    Pocket Breeze or SPB Diary will not work on a non-touch screen device. SBSH does however offer Facade which is “sorta like” Pocket Breeze.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce Keener

    Mike,
    Thank you very much for correcting me on this … I must have been thinking back to using PB and Spb Diary on my Treo 700w, which was a touchscreen device. (I loved that phone … kinda wish I had kept it, or maybe got the wx which had more memory.)

  • John

    @mike: Thanks! That saves me the trouble to try them out. I’ve installed Agenda One on my BlackJack II now. Probably it’ll take me a couple of days to see if it will fit my need.

    @Bruce: I went through your writings on GTD and SC last night. I completely agree that SC, being top-down, requires more mental power to execute than GTD.