I have recently switched to the new Windows Mobile 5 powered iMate K-Jam. You can read more about my experiences with the K-Jam and Windows Mobile 5 at my K-Jamming blog. I need to update the screenshot above and change the apps below. Some I am no longer using.
If you use Pocket Excel, you may be interested on what functions Pocket Excel supports. There are a number of functions you may use on your desktop that don't work on your Windows Mobile Device.
Interested
in downloading apps like GMail or Windows Live Search for Windows Mobile? The
authors of those apps have done a good job getting those apps out for Windows
Mobile, but the webmasters have made it very difficult to find the apps,
especially from your mobile device. Google doesn't even bother recognizing
Pocket IE as a mobile browser, so clicking on the mobile link just takes you
back to the desktop page, not the download.
This page will take you directly to
the download pages.
I have also written a few articles on getting the most out of your Pocket PC. Most reside at Pocket PC Thoughts. Some reside in Microsoft's Knowledge Base. Here is a link to them and a brief description of each one:
|
Title |
Description |
| Gapless Music Playback On Your Pocket PC | Many CDs sound better when they are listened to as one continuous song. The Pocket PC puts a small gap between each track which can really ruin the listening experience for these CDs. This short Step-by-Step will show you how to create a single track using Windows XP that will get rid of those gaps. |
| Setting Up A VPN Connection | Setting up a VPN connection on a Pocket PC can be easy once you understand more of the inner workings of the Connection Manager. |
| Categories Good, Folders Bad | Some of you may keep your contacts in Outlook in various subfolders. This presents a problem when synchronizing because ActiveSync doesn't sync Contact subfolders. This tutorial on using Categories can show you why categories may be your best bet. |
| Synchronize Your Sent Items Folder | This tip will show you how to synchronize items in Outlook's Sent Items folder to your Pocket PC. |
| Get More Out Of Your New Menu | The "New" button in the lower left of your Pocket PC may be more powerful than you realize. |
| Ignore_my_docs - Very Frustrating | What is that "Ignore_my_docs" folder on my storage card and how do I get rid of it? What does it do? This will explain it all. |
| Keep Your Private Data Private | A good overview on keeping the data on your Pocket PC private. |
| Which PDA Is "Simple" Again? | Originally written in 2002, this article on why the Pocket PC may be the simplest PDA to use. As of late 2004, with Palm OS6 on the horizon, it is still relevant. |
| Outlook May Report Email Accounts As "Locked" When Pocket PC Is Docked | Do you get error messages in Outlook that your email account is "Locked?" This may explain why. |
| Unable To Reconnect To Terminal Server In Application Mode | Some of you may only be able to connect to a Terminal Server one time with your Pocket PC and then need to do a hard reset before you can do it again. This explains why it happens and the workaround. |
And now for the content! Perhaps more than anything else, I use my Pocket PC for reading, so I'll start with the tools I use daily.
| Icon | Application | Price |
|---|---|---|
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PocketBible - This is the ultimate bible application for your Pocket PC. It uses HTML for the pages and easily allows you to add notes. Laridian has several bible versions to pick from, a few dictionaries and numerous commentaries. You can even create your own books with simple HTML. See what is on my PocketBible. | $10 for Pocket Bible, additional books cost extra. |
| CorePlayer - Windows Media Player is ok for movies and music, but CorePlayer really excels for any video, especially TV shows. It runs in full screen mode on WM5 VGA devices, something WMP 10 cannot do. You can map keys to functions like Pause, Play, Rew, FF, etc. I use Spb's Mobile DVD app (see bottom of page) to rip DVDs and convert TiVo shows on my PC to video suitable for viewing on my Pocket PC. The skip-ahead feature is great for zapping commercials. | $24.95. | |
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Daily Reader - Allows you to read various daily devotional books on your Pocket PC. See my Laridian page for more info. Note: I no longer use this as PocketBIble 3.0 now includes this functionality. | $12.99 - Generally requires one Pocket Bible translation to be effective |
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eReader Pro - A great ebook reader for your Pocket PC. Ultra-fast pagination and Cleartype is supported. Ties a book to your credit card number, not with digital content activation! The Pro version includes autoscroll, full text justification, the Vest Pocket Dictionary, user selectable fonts and much more. Palm Digital Media's ebook library is one of the most comprehensive around. Be sure to subscribe to their weekly newsletter. Each week you get a new 10% discount code available for virtually any book in their inventory. | Free version or $14.95 for the Pro version |
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Repligo - With this program you can easily print anything from your desktop to a compact .RGO file and read it on your Pocket PC. Great for printing web pages, long reports or from programs like Visio or Project. The price is steep, but worth it. You can also print from Repligo on your Pocket PC to an IR or Bluetooth equipped printer. | The reader is free and the content creation engine is $29.95 |
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NewsBreak -
Sync all of those RSS feeds to your Pocket PC, including
the change log for this site!
It includes some predefined channels to CNet, Yahoo and others. You can also
import from and export to OPML files. Also alerts you when it finds key
words you tell it to monitor. Can be scheduled for auto-sync too. |
$14.95 |
 |
Windows Media Player - This is free and has been on every Pocket PC ever sold since 2000. Obviously it is a good music player (see some of the music I listen to here) but it also plays spoken word in MP3/WMA format. I've been listening to Christian Apologetics from an Old Earth Creationist point of view on the way home. You can contact me at the bottom of the page if you are interested in more, or just browse the Reasons To Believe web site. | Free |
| Icon | Application | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
FITALY - FITALY is a keyboard that is designed for stylus entry. Typical keyboards on your computer, often called QWERTY because of the key layout in the upper left, work fine when you have 10 fingers dancing across the keys, but there is way too much stylus travel to type out simple words like "hello" or "the." FITALY, so named because of the letters on the second row, allows you to type upwards of 40 words per minute with only a few weeks of practice. It is always the first application I install so I can use it to install, register and configure all of my other applications. | $25 |
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Pocket Informant - The ultimate in task, appointment and contact management. You can see your calendar by month, week, day or in an agenda view, complete with tasks due that day. Link PIM items to each other or to other files on your Pocket PC. | $24.95 |
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ListPro - Ultimate in list management software. Keep shopping lists, ISP dial up phone number databases and even small project plans on your Pocket PC. There is a desktop companion app that allows importing and exporting to text files and printing. | $19.95 - $29.95 |
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eWallet - Keep important information on your Pocket PC securely locked in a 128bit encrypted file. Bank account info, credit card numbers, insurance information, software registration keys, etc. There is a desktop companion program available as well. | $19.95-29.95 |
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Pocket MindMap - Shows off the real power of the Pocket PC. Create rich mindmaps right on your Pocket PC. There is optional desktop partner software available. | $42 |
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HanDBase - HanDBase is the perfect database for a handheld device. Input forms are designed for the limited screen space your Pocket PC has. There are quick predefined queries to quickly filter your data and create reports. You can buy additional modules that allow you to synchronize with Microsoft Access and move up to ODBC drivers to synchronize with SQL Server, Oracle or any other ODBC Source. | $29.99-$99.99 depending on options. Volume discounts start after 10 licenses. |
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Pocket Plan - A great app that allows you to synchronize with Microsoft Project. | $29.95 |
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Pocket Artist - Turns your Pocket PC into a photo editing or painting platform. Includes support for Photoshop brushes and gradients. | $49.95 |
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Citrix ICA Client - Free program to connect to a Citrix ICA Server. If your corporation uses Citrix you need this app! You can zoom the screen on the fly and map local Pocket PC folders to your Citrix session to enable file transfers. Note: You cannot ActiveSync over the ICA protocol nor can you use with an RDP based Terminal Server. You must have Citrix Server installed in a Windows NT 4, Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 machine. | Free, but you need a client access license. |
| Icon | Application | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Voice Command - This utility is just flat awesome! You use your voice to tell your Pocket PC to do certain things. Right now, it supports Contacts, Windows Media Player, launching applications and reading your schedule back to you. By saying "Show Joe Smith" it will pull up Joe's contact sheet. If you say "What is my schedule tomorrow?" it will read off all appointments subjects, times and locations for tomorrow. It does a fantastic job. I've yet to trip it up. If you have a Pocket PC Phone Edition, you can also use Voice Command to initiate calls either from spoken numbers or from Contacts. For example, "Call Joe Smith at Work." The latest version, 1.5, includes the ability to call out to you who is calling. "Call from Joe Smith on Mobile" when Joe calls you. Very cool! | $39.95 |
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Topical Bible - This application allows you to put bible notes in a database that you can then quickly reference. It also exports the data to an HTML file that allows PocketBible to open it up as a book. There are also a few databases, or files at the site you can download and install. You can also create your own and submit them for others to download. | Free! |
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Resco File Explorer - This is an excellent File Explorer if the one built into the Pocket PC doesn't meet your needs. Resco File Explorer 2005 allows you to manage zip files, encrypt files on your PC and Pocket PC, format storage cards and access FTP sites. It also is the application launcher on the Today Screen pictured above that has the battery meter, memory status, etc. | $24.95 |
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Memorize! - This application aids in memorizing bible verses. You input the verse reference you want to use and then import it from the Pocket Bible translation of your choice. You then test your memory against the device by inputting the first letter of each word. If you are correct, the word is revealed and you can move to the next word. If not and you get stuck, you can have Memorize! prompt you with the next word. | $9.99 for Memorize! You'll need to have at least one bible translation, some of which are free. See the Pocket Bible page for info on translations. |
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WIMR? - An acronym for Where Is My Ram? This utility will quickly show you where all of your memory has gone. This tool is what made me how important it is to periodically empty your Pocket Internet Explorer cache after getting my WiFi card. I had nearly 4MB in there! (I no longer use this as Space Detective included with the full version of Sprite Backup discussed above does everything WIMR? does and more, but continue to list it here as it is free and not everyone has Sprite Backup - though they should! ;-) | Free! |
| (No icon) | BlinkOff - This is a small utility designed for the XDA III/PDA2K devices. Sometimes they will glitch when sounding an alarm and the red LED will continue to blink long after the reminder has been dismissed. This was written by Amirov Zakhar using the OpenNET CF. Just tap the icon and it turns the red LED off so, going back to the soothing blinking green light letting you know you are connected to the cellular network. | Free! |
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WriteShields - This isn't an application but a screen protector. I have been using them for almost 3 years now. Per sheet they are way more expensive than what you normally see in stores, but the value is much higher for a WriteShield. I put one on my iPAQ 2210 in June of 2003. It is still on there as of this writing (May 5, 2005) and still looks fantastic. You basically need one sheet for the life of the PDA. It is the first thing I put on a device when I take it out of the box. | Roughly $26.99-$36.00 depending on the kit purchased, plus shipping. |
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Audible Player - I am a huge fan of Audible Content, but I actually despise the Audible Player. Fortunately, I can play Audible content in Microsoft Reader. Audible Manager generally like to have the Audible Player on the Pocket PC, but if you have Audible Manager 4.0, this is no longer necessary. See this article at Pocket PC Thoughts to get Audible content to work on MS Reader for Pocket PC 2003 devices (not 2003SE) without having the Audible Player installed. Those of you with Pocket PC 2002 don't have to jump through these hoops fortunately. (Note: I no longer use this. I got so fed up with this piece of junk software. Fortunately, I received a Creative Labs MuVo TX and it supports Audible, so even though the Pocket PC is the perfect place for this type of content, Audible's incompetence in writing software has caused me to move to another device for that. The problem is, no matter what I did, Audible Player would NOT prevent my new PDA2K from going to sleep right in the middle of playing.) | Free player, content costs money |
| Icon | Application | Price |
|---|---|---|
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Pocket Slay - A small strategic game that is insanely addictive. Playing a game of Slay is like eating one Pringles chip. It isn't possible. As soon as you conquer one island you have to conquer at least one more. | $20 |
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PalmChess - Well, what can you say? It is a chess game. This is version 2.0 and I think it has been at version 2.0 for several years, but that's ok. The real world game of chess hasn't really been updated in several centuries so there isn't much need to go updating the Pocket PC version every few months. I can confirm it works well on all Pocket PC 2000, 2002 and 2003 devices. | $29.95 |
| Icon | Application | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Total Recorder - This application does not run on your Pocket PC. It runs on your PC and can capture streamed content played by Real Audio, Windows Media Player or any other streaming application. It can then save it in WAV, MP3 or WMA format. Done properly, you can save a 2 hour voice broadcast in a 27MB WMA file. I prefer to use WAV format then use "Digital Media Plus! Audio Converter" from the Digital Media Plus! for Windows XP because Total Recorder does something in the encoding that prevents WMP9 on the Pocket PC from picking up in the middle of a long file. If they get that fixed, you could save out to a WMP9 voice codec that would get a two hour file under 15MB. There are several versions. The price I've listed is for the Standard Edition. | $11.95 |
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Spb's Mobile DVD - This application does not run on your Pocket PC. Rip DVDs and convert video, like TiVo shows on your PC, to your Pocket PC. It handles 4:3, 16:9 and 2:35 ratios, allows you to convert the entire show/movie, or allows you to select a beginning and ending point. It also has a number of settings to help you optimize the output for your device. Has settings for QVGA and VGA devices. You can set it to convert videos in the background without disrupting what you are doing. It generally converts well above normal speed. On my 1.6GHz laptop, 1hr TV shows generally take 40-45min to convert. Obviously a faster machine will take even less time. It works with WMP10 on your device and will also output an optimized file for CorePlayer (see above). | $24.95 |
To contact me, go here and fill out the form. Please be sure to include a valid email address if you want a response. Please do not use this for one on one tech support. Visit the Pocket PC Thoughts forums or Microsoft Newsgroups for that.
