(above) Pocket TV is the best Pocket PC Mpeg video player available.
Add personalized clock and calendar with Dockware
This utility displays a personalized clock and calendar on your Pocket PC. The program auto-starts if your Pocket PC is kept idle in its cradle for five minutes. By default it displays the image that came with the application, but you can add your own and configure Dockware to display month, long date or day view, and digital time. This application is available for Pocket PCs and Handheld PCs. A more full-featured version of the program, Dockware Pro, is available for $9.95. Both versions are available at the Ilium Software Web site (http://www.iliumsoft.com).
(above) Dockware puts a personalized calendar and clock on your Pocket PC.
Blast away at your enemies with Pocket Quake
Pocket Quake is a good replica of Quake, a very popular action game for the desktop PC. In this game you have to explore a three-dimensional structure to find key cards and switches. You also have to destroy a variety of enemies using different kinds of weapons. The download does not support automatic installation via the desktop PC. You have to unzip the download and copy the necessary files manually to your Pocket PC. Instructions are provided in the read-me file included in the download. This game is available for Pocket PCs and Handheld PCs. You can download it from the Pocket Quake Web page (http://quake.pocketmatrix.com).
(above) Pocket Quake is based on the popular desktop game, Quake.
Find best subway route with Métro
Available for more than 200 cities, Métro calculates the shortest route between two subway stations. It suggests two types of routes—the fastest and the one with the least number of connections—and keeps a history of all your computed routes. It also lists places of interests for selected cities.
Métro has a feature that lets you calculate the route to the station that is closest to a specific address in your Contacts list. To use this feature you have to add a specially formatted string of characters to the Notes field of the individual contacts for the city in question. This character string contains information about the closest metro stations to that address. The procedure is described in Métro’s user guide.
Once these characters have been added, you open the city’s map in Métro and tap on the Contacts list icon at the top of the screen. A list of contacts in the current city is displayed. Tap on the desired contact and the station closest to it is automatically entered into the End or Start station (which ever you have selected). The final step is to click on the “compute route” icon. This application has a very neat interface and a lot of features. It’s available for Pocket PCs. You can download it from the Métro Web page (http://nanika.net/Metro/).
(above) Métro calculates the shortest route between two subway stations for more than 200 cities.
Capture “Energy-Pills” and score points with Reflect It 2
Your objective in this game is to capture the yellow “Energy-Pills” by rolling the bouncing ball over them. You have a limited amount of time to accomplish this, and changing the direction of the bouncing ball is tricky—you have to place and remove slanting gates at the correct positions. You also have to be aware of objects called “Effectors,” which alter the speed and path of the ball.
You have three lives in each game and can play the game in easy, normal, or hard mode. As you progress through multiple levels, the game keeps track of your high scores. Reflect It 2 is a well designed game with awesome graphics. The background sound is very good, too, but can be turned off if you don’t want to disturb those around you. Reflect It 2 works on Pocket PCs. You can download it and a few other free games from the PublicPocketGames Web site (http://www.publicpocketgames.com).
(above) Reflect It 2 challenges you to capture the yellow Energy-Pills by directing the bouncing ball.
Wisbar
Wisbar is one of the most popular task management applications for the Pocket PC. It replaces your title bar with a customizable one that lets you add and remove a variety of icons. These let you display the date, the time, battery and memory status, connection status, notifications, and more. Tap and hold on the time icon in the upper right corner to drop down a menu that lets you switch from one application to another, close all applications, close all except the active application, go to the next appointment, or exit Wisbar. The best thing about Wisbar is that you can change its look, feel, and functionality according to your needs. This is a “must-have” utility that works with Pocket PCs. You can download it from the Pelmar Web site (http://www.pelmarinc.com).
(above) Wisbar replaces your title bar with a customizable one that lets you display the date, the time, battery and memory status, and more.
Make your own eBooks for free
A variety of eBook sources are available in the Media section of our Best Sites Web page (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/bestsites.asp). Some of these sites have free eBooks. For additional free eBook sites, go to Google.com and do a search on “free ebooks.” A great site for copyright-free eBooks is Project Gutenberg (http://promo.net/pg). This site has thousands of older copyright-free books, mostly pre-1923, available in basic .txt format. You can search the Project Gutenberg list by the author or title of the book.
Once you have downloaded the text version of a book, you can convert it to Microsoft Reader format on your desktop PC, transfer it to your Pocket PC, and read it with MS Reader. OverDrive, Inc. offers ReaderWorks Standard, a free desktop PC application that lets you to convert text files into eBooks. It can be downloaded from the OverDrive Web site (http://www.overdrive.com). Microsoft offers an add-in for MS Word 2000 or 2002 which enables you to convert any word document into a Microsoft Reader formatted eBook. You can add your own custom cover graphics and create a linked table of contents. The add-in is called Read in Microsoft Reader and it is available from the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/reader/info/rmr.asp).
MPEG video content for free
If you like watching video on your Pocket PC, a lot of free content is available on the Web. Two good Web sites to get free MPEG content are PocketMovies (http://www.pocketmovies.net) and PocketRocketFX (http://www.pocketrocketfx.com). Real Networks offers the Real One Mobile Player for the Pocket PC. It plays audio and video files in the Real format. Some Real-formatted content is available for Pocket PCs. You can download the software and content from the Real Networks Web site (http://www.realnetworks.com/mobile). A lot of video clips in the DivX format are available on the PocketMatrix Web site (http://www.pocketmatrix.com).
Online sources for freeware
The Pocket PC magazine Best of Everything CD will include a variety of the best freeware. But if you want to go looking for freeware for yourself, check out the freeware list on PocketPC Soft.net (http://www.pocketpcsoft.net/php/freeware.php) or PPCSG.com (http://www.ppcsg.com/links.php). In addition to these, a number of freeware sites are listed in the Download section of our Best Sites Web page (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/bestsites.asp). n
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The Best of Everything CD
Thaddeus Computing, publisher of magazine, has put together The Best of Everything CD. The CD is a thank you for our customers who subscribe or renew for 2 years. This article on freeware contains descriptions of a few of the 100’s of free and demo software included on the CD.
On the CD you will find 16 free games ranging from puzzles, to action games, to classic board games. Over 25 free utilities are also included such as Acrobat reader for PDF files and PocketTV and Dockware described in this article. In addition, we have added to the CD 20 free movie video clips, 30 free full length e-books, and 40 free themes for your today screen.
Last but not least, we added demos of the best of the best: several hundred Finalists and Winners of the 2003 magazine Best Software Awards.
The CD is included with all $34.95, 2-year subscriptions or renewals. It is also included with all 2-year $69.90, The Works orders. The Works includes our Print, MS Reader (Pocket PC), and Zinio (digital deskt
op) versions of the magazine.
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Nitin lives in Fairfield, Iowa and does marketing for Pocket PC magazine. His hobbies include cooking, dancing, listening to music, and sports. He likes to try out the new Pocket PC gadgets and keep himself abreast of the new handheld technology. Contact Nitin at [email protected].
New Software and Accessories
The products listed here include hardware, software, publications, events, and services for devices using the Windows Mobile operating system. They are part of our comprehensive Encyclopedia of Software and Accessories www.PocketPCmag.com/Encyclopedia.asp. We list suggested retail prices, but they may change witout notice. These listings do not represent an endorsement by the editors. many of the software products are available for online downloading. For live links to the Web sites mentioned in this section, visit out Web site at www.PocketPCmag.com and click on the "current issue" button. Information about the various Pocket PCs themselves can be found in our "At A Glance" section.
Vendors: If you have a product to announce, please go to our Web site "How to Get Information Published in Pocket PC" www.PocketPCmag.com/publish.asp and enter it directly into our Encyclopedia www.PocketpCmag.com/Encyclopedia.asp, or send an e-mail message to Diane Dumas at [email protected].
Hardware
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Accessories
Adapters
PQTAA-Audio/headset adapter
A retractable microphone/earphone for iPAQs or Toshibas equipped with mic inputs. It has a volume control with an answer/mute button. A single earbud is supplied for phone use, or you can use your own headphones for music. Cord retracts to 10cm and extends to 85cm.
$28.00
Use With: iPAQ and Toshiba
PC Mobile
www.pc-mobile.net
[email protected]
(above) A retractable microphone/earphone for iPAQs or Toshibas equipped with mic inputs.
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Cases
Krusell PDA Cases
PDA cases for a large variety of devices including Smartphones and Pocket PCs. Krusell also offers a selection of clips that use their proprietary mounting system to hook a PDA to everything from handle bars to belts.
$Varies
Use With: Dell X3, iPAQ, Motorola Smartphone, and Universal Cases
Krusell International AB
www.krusell.se
[email protected]
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Vehicle Mounts
Seidio G2500 GPS Ready Mount
A model-specific vehicle mount with an integrated PDA charger unit and a built-in speaker. Includes a 360-degree swivel adapter and power chargers for GPS, cell phone, or another PDA. It also can serve as a hands-free speakerphone.
$59.95
Use With: XDA, Dell, and iPAQ
Seidio, Inc.
www.seidio.com
[email protected]
(above) A model-specific vehicle mount with an integrated PDA charger unit and a built-in speaker.
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Modems
Wireless Modems
Bluetooth Wireless Modem
A 56K modem that's equipped with Bluetooth functionality. It provides a standard V.90 Modem for WAN communication and access to the Internet.
$80.00
Use With: Bluetooth Enabled Devices
Cadmus Micro
www.cadmusmicro.com
[email protected]
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Peripherals
GPS
WorldNavigator Compact Flash—Global Premium
A low-power CompactFlash GPS receiver and software for street-level, aviation, topographic, and marine navigation. The street-level navigation software offers door-to-door routing. It can speak street names, give voice prompts for upcoming turns, and give a listing of nearby points of interest. Create your own waypoints to customize a route.
$429.00
Use With: Desktop PC, P/PC 2002, and Windows Mobile 2003
TeleType
www.teletype.com
[email protected]
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Keyboard
Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard
A full-size infrared wireless keyboard that folds into a compact case. It has an integrated stand to hold the PDA upright while you type. The IR wand rotates to align with the IR port on the PDA for typing in either portrait or landscape view. Key spacing is 18mm and is comfortable for touch-typing. Keyboard also features function-key short-cuts to popular applications, tasks, and settings.
$69.99
Use With: P/PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003
Think Outside, Inc.
www.thinkoutside.com
[email protected]
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Power
Lil' Sync USB AA Battery Adapter
A portable charger that uses 4 AA batteries. It uses a "Lil' Sync" retractable USB Sync-n-Charge cable to connect to and charge your unit. A Voltage Reduction Circuit (VRC) and selectable switch are integral to prevent sending over-voltage to your device.
$24.99
Use With: Dell Axim X3
Pocket PC Techs, Inc.
www.pocketpctechs.com
[email protected]
(above) A portable charger that uses 4 AA batteries.
Mugen Power Batteries
Replacement batteries for iPAQ h1910 and h2215 and Dell X5 Pocket PCs.
$Varies
Use With: Dell and iPAQ
Arbor Electronics
www.ArborElectronics.com
[email protected]
(above) Replacement batteries for iPAQ h1910 and h2215 and Dell X5 Pocket PCs.
Software
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Communication
Phone and Fax
Finger Clix
A fast Contact find-and-dial tool that allows you to pick a contact and dial the number with one hand. You type the firt few letters and the program displays the required contact. It has a built-in intelligent search feature that takes just 3 finger taps to retrieve any of 500 contacts from your list.
$9.95
Use With: P/PC 2002
IMAGiNET Software
www.imaginet-software.com
[email protected]
Free Bluetooth Dialer
Bluetooth Dialer is a small program for the Pocket PC to dial a phone number directly from the Contacts list. This program was developed to replace the standard Bluetooth dialer that is included with the iPAQ 2210/2215 since it does not work with the Nokia phone.
$Free
Use With: Windows Mobile 2003
Vladimir Morgoslepov
members.rogers.com/vmsoftware/PPC/Home.htm
[email protected]
(above) Bluetooth Dialer is a small program for the Pocket PC to dial a phone number directly from the Contacts list.
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Developers
Developer Utilities
Sapphire Buttons Utility
A utility for eVB and VB.NET developers. It allows an application to detect any hardware button pressed and return this information to the VB program.
$399.00
Use With: eVB and VB.NET
Sapphire Solutions Ltd
www.sapphire-solutions.co.uk
[email protected]
Sapphire FTP Utility
This utility gives eVB and VB.NET developers the ability to use FTP from within an application. It comes complete with demo code showing synchronization with a remote server using FTP much like ActiveSync and also an FTP Explorer for full control of your remote server.
$599.00
Use With: eVB and VB.NET
Sapphire Solutions Ltd
www.sapphire-solutions.co.uk
[email protected]
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Enterprise
Vertical
Construction Manager
Allows home owners, builders, contractors, and subcontractors to manage the constructi
on process more effectively and affordably. Manage contractors, deliverables, customers, and contractor punch list items. You can also archive and restore contracts and proposals, and reuse contracts/proposals, deliverables, punch lists, and entire projects.
Pocket PC magazine, Apr/May 2004 Page 12