You bought your PDA because one of the reasons was that you wanted to keep your life in check. It was so much better than any paper-based organizer that you have used because you can easily add, edit and delete entries without making it look like a mess. But the one problem you always faced, and just like your paper organizer, was that you would not know about the upcoming appointments and tasks unless you opened your Personal Information Management (PIM) software. A reminder alarm could solve the trick but it has its drawback. Would it not be great if you could turn your PDA on and the first thing you see are your upcoming appointments and tasks? Well Pocket Breeze from SBSH allows you to do just that, and more, making you wonder why you did not get it sooner.

At the time this software was being reviewed, I was using 5.3.02 but I a newer version (5.3.04) was released just before the day this review was to go out. As such, I shall base this review on the older 5.3.02 as I am more familiar with that. The links that point to the file downloads however are based on the newer 5.3.04.

Installation

When I first tried to install the program using the desktop installer, I had a problem towards the end of the installation. I was told to select a language for use with Pocket Breeze and if I wanted to remove the other language files. The problem was, there were no languages for me to select in the first place as seen from the screen shot below:

At first I thought it was a problem with the installation file so I went and used the CAB file (for WM5/6) instead. That solved the problem but a discussion with Amit, the developer, found the fault. If you were to install the program when you are low on Main Memory (even if you are installing it to Storage Card like me), you will encounter the error that I did because the installation puts the files in Main Memory during the installation process. They will be removed after installation is complete though. How much of Main Memory should you have I am not sure but it worked for me when I managed to get about 4MB free in the second step using the CAB file. So do take note of this when installing the software.

First Look

When you finally finish with the installation, you will see the plugin on your ‘Today’ screen. Depending on how much screen real estate you have, the vertical scroll bar might come out but this can be easily fixed. What I like about Pocket Breeze is that it works great out of the box. You do not have to tweak or change the settings to get it working. It just works. Great for beginners and those who do not like to mess around with the software. But the magic comes with customization which will be discussed later.

There are 5 tabs (and this can be changed) which represents the following: Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Contacts, Messages and Special Events. As you might have guessed, they will each pull up the required data associated with that tab. Calendar Tab will show you all your upcoming appointments tasks for the next few days. Tasks Tab will show you a list of tasks, including those that were completed. Notes Tab will pull up your list of notes and documents (both Word and Excel). Contacts Tab will let you search through your contacts from the ‘Today’ screen and call them if you choose. Messages Tab will show you all your message: MMS, Emails and Text Messages. Special Events will call up all the birthdays and anniversaries and tell you how days before the event happens.

Edit All You Want From The ‘Today’ Screen

Pocket Breeze does not just pull your data and present it to you nicely on the ‘Today’ screen. It also allows you to edit them as well. Completed a task? Just tap the box and it will be labeled as such. You no longer have to depend on your PIM software to get it done. Whether you are using the generic Window Mobile suite of PIM software (Calendar, Notes, Tasks, Contacts) or a third-party one such as Pocket Informant or Agenda Fusion, Pocket Breeze integrates well with them all.

It Even Has Sound Feedback

What I like about the program is that it has sound feedback and this would be useful on a slower device where it might take time for the program to pull up the list that you requested. No longer do you have to wonder if the tap registered or your device has hung. And the sound files are intuitive as well. When you move from tab to tab, you get a click sound. When you maximize an option (such as MMS in Messages Tab), you get a longer and different sound compared to the sound when you minimize the same option. Of course, all this sound can be changed from the settings.

Customize It All You Want

While the out-of-the-box settings may suit most needs, you want to only show specific information on your ‘Today’ screen. No problem. Pocket Breeze allows you to customize the software to your heart’s content.

With this wealth of options at your hands, there is no reason for you to get the software to work just as you choose. While I will not be covering all the options you can change, some of the more notable ones which you might choose include whether to have the Pocket Breeze plugin in a fixed height or allow it to adjust automatically, having the tabs bar vertical or horizontal, how many days to display in the calendar, whether to include completed tasks and the directory from which your notes are stored (or selecting the directory of notes you want the software to display).

Integrate Your Other ‘Today’ Plugins

Pocket Breeze can also help you manage your other ‘Today’ plugins but it also allows you to integrate your other plugins into them. This would save you valuable screen real estate and prevent them vertical scroll bars from showing. For example, I integrated Fizz Weather with Pocket Breeze.

However, as you can see, while it does integrate and you can still call up the options for that plugin, it does not get resized and as a result it gets cut off. I tried with another plugin, Spb Backup, and this is what I got:

While the data is all intact, those who have used this plugin would notice that the Spb Backup icon has been removed. While this does not affect function, it would have been better if they showed the icon¹.

Summary

Pros:

• All your PIM in one convenient place.
• Auto height feature to ensure you don’t miss anything.
• Integrates with other ‘Today’ plugin.
• Customize to your hearts content.

Cons:

• Does not resize integrated plugins properly.
• Does not show icons of integrated plugins to differentiate with each other¹.

Who Should Get It:

• EVERYONE!!!

Conclusion

With all that it offers, this USD$19.95 software is definitely going to stay installed on my device for a long time. Even though I use Pocket Informant and the latest version of it comes with its own ‘Today’ plugin, it is nothing compared to Pocket Breeze and what it does. It helps to keep the the ‘Today’ screen looking clean but at the same time, functions as a great reminder tool for your PIM. What more can I ask for?

Updates

1. Apparently the icon can be changed according to the developers of Pocket Breeze:
Once you enter one of your custom tabs within PocketBreeze, click on that tab icon once again and from the context menu that will popup choose the option “Set Custom Icon”, within this popup menu you will find a list of additional available common custom icon files that you can choose to be used with each of your specific custom tabs - thus allowing to customize the tab icon of your custom tabs for easier identification of the custom tab content.

Tags: commercial software