Beginner’s Guide To Pocket PC - Part III
Dec 15th, 2007 by Tariq Bamadhaj
The month of December sees an increase in Pocket PC purchases due to Christmas and bonuses. Then again, this month sees a surge in purchases in just about any category for that matter. Thus, we have decided to do a Beginner’s Guide To Pocket PC for this month to help new users get familiarized with the system. Part I covered basic maintenance and how to choose a Pocket PC that was right for you. Part II showed you how to change some of the more common settings that you would be interested in. This week, we’re on to Part III and we’ll introduce you to some of the free software (also known as freeware) that you might find useful.
The software that we are going to list below is just to introduce you to these software. Some of the software have been reviewed by us and if they are, we will provide you with a link. For those without a review, that does not mean that they are not good, it’s just that we have not done any at this time.
Google Maps/Live Search (Map & Navigation)
If you are looking for a navigation or mapping software, you’d do well to go with Google Maps or Live Search. Or if you would like, you can go and download both. The reason we’ve provided you with 2 options is because they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Google Maps just introduced My Location which allows you to fix your position on the map without the need for a GPS device. This is done through cell tower triangulation.
With Live Search, it boasts a voice recognition engine so you can search for locations using your voice instead of having to type it in. It goes a step further and also provides the latest gas prices and movie timings, among other features. We have a review of Live Search for those interested.
IPSMS (Internet SMS)
Almost all Pocket PC nowadays are fitted with a WiFi chip which allows you to access the internet from just about anywhere (you can connect to an access point that is). While you are at it, why not harness the power of the internet and send text messages (also known as SMS) on the cheap. There are many providers out there such as SMS Bug and VoipStunt that allow you to do so.We recently did a guide on how you can send SMS on the cheap and have a review on IPSMS as well.
Opera Mini 4 (Internet Browser)
Internet browsing is not something that I normally do on my Pocket PC but if I need to, I would use Opera Mini 4. It’s made for small screens and once you give it a go, you’ll know why it’s the most popular browser for the Windows Mobile platform. We have a review of the Opera Mini 4 where we highlight it’s features. As the Opera Mini 4 is a Java applet, you’ll need a Java Manager to use it. As they are not free, we’ll have to cover it in another section.
MyMobiler (Remote Control)
There are times when you need to enter a lot of data on your Pocket PC and at those times, you’ll wish that you have a keyboard and/or a large screen. With MyMobiler, you can use your PC to control your Pocket PC and also take screenshots (great for when you need to troubleshoot problems on your device). For those interested in reading up more about MyMobiler, you can do so here.
Palringo (Instant Messaging)
Windows Mobile comes with its own version of Windows Live Messenger but for one reason, I decided to not use it. Instead, I would recommend users looking for a free instant messaging (IM) application to give Palringo a try. At the moment, we do not have a review of Palringo on this site but we have given it a try and found it to be useful.
pBar (Task Manager & Close Button)
The problem with the close button in Windows Mobile is that it does not really close the program but rather minimize it. What happens is that after a while, you would realize that the device starts to slow down. One way to combat this is to have a close button program that really closes a program. In comes pBar with its wide-array of features. Because not only does it allow you to really close programs, it also acts as a task manager and lets you control your wireless modules from one location. We were really impressed with pBar when we reviewed it and we think you would too.
PHM RegEdit (Registry Editor)
For those of you looking to get the most out of your Pocket PC, you’ll need to do some registry tweaking. And for that task, I would recommend you use PHM RegEdit. It’s a simple and free program that allows you to backup and restore registries as well, very useful when something goes wrong. There are currently no reviews of PHM RegEdit but that’s because the software is really basic and it just works.
PocketXPDF (PDF Reader)
Windows Mobile comes with its own Office applications such as Word and Exel (and PowerPoint if you have Windows Mobile 6) but they all do not have the ability to read PDFs, a format which is really popular for documents nowadays. If you are a user who uses PDF, be it intensively or rarely, you’ll want to find out why PocketXPDF gets our vote.
S2U2 (Device Lock)
S2U2 adds a function that many (including us) found very useful. It’s similar to the lock screen that you see on the iPhone and it is basically a device lock application. But it also shows you the time and date and handles caller ID function for incoming calls really well. Find out why everyone wants to install it.
Skype (VoIP)
Skype is a name that has grown synonymous with VoIP. It’s free for Skype-to-Skype calls and when you need to call a landline or mobile phone, the rates are really low, even for international calls. Skype is able to do this thanks to Voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) and now you can too. With a WiFi connection and Skype on your Pocket PC, you can have as much Skype conversations as you want. Just remember to watch the battery level 
TCPMP (Multimedia Player)
Nothing comes close to a multimedia player on your Pocket PC than TCPMP in our opinion. This software not only plays the most common of files such as .wav and .mp3 but other less popular ones as well. And you can tweak it so that you can watch Flash videos such as those from YouTube as well. You might not be able to play some Windows proprietary file formats but those are rare and for such instances, you can always fall back on the default Windows Player.
Total Commander (File Explorer)
The default explorer that comes with every Windows Mobile version is good enough for the most basic of users. But for those who want something more powerful, you would do well to get Total Commander. Not only does it function well as a File Explorer, it packs other features as well such as a registry editor. Read our take on Total Commander and you’ll see why we always use it.
VoIP Configuration (VoIP)
For users of Windows Mobile 6, you might be pleased to know that the OS comes with its own VoIP function as well. However, some tweaking is needed. Not to worry as we’ve got it covered over here. Once done, you will soon be able to make VoIP calls natively from your Pocket PC.
WiFiFoFum2 (WiFi Finder)
If your Pocket PC has a WiFi chip built-in, then you can use the WiFi configuration to find a list of access points near you. So why would you need WiFiFoFum2 then? For me, I use it when I am outdoors and need to find an access point to use. Even though the default application will show you that, it does not show you where the access point. With WiFiFoFum2, you can get an estimate of the location of the access point and move towards it so as to increase the signal strength. For those interested, you can also use this software to map out the access points in your area (provided you have a GPS chip or device).
WM5NewMenu (Shortcut)
Your Windows Mobile 5&6 device comes with a great feature called softkeys. There are 2 of them, left and right, which you can map to just about anything. For me, I use of them to map to WM5NewMenu, a shortcut launcher type of software. This way, when I want to send a new text message or enter a new task, I can just tap my right softkey to launch the appropriate application. Tweak it in any way you want. That’s the beauty of WM5NewMenu.
Sites For Freeware
There are tons of other freeware that you can download for your Pocket PC. Two of the more popular sites that we use (and recommend) are FreewarePPC and FreewarePocketPC.
End Of Part III
And that brings us to the end of Part III. We hope you’ve found the software here useful and that it is not as expensive as some might think. In fact, all the software here are free. But if you are looking for recommended commercial software, we’ll cover those in Part IV next week so do be sure to check back then .
(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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[…] Original post by Tariq Bamadhaj […]
WiFiFoFum does not show you the positions of access points according to the WiFiFoFum FAQ. Here’s what it says:
So moving in the direction of an access point on the display isn’t guaranteed to get you a better connection.
Hi Pony99CA
Thanks for pointing this out. I always thought it was the other way round but thanks for correcting me.
Hi Eten, thanks for this great post. I’m a newbie to PowerPC and this was exactly what I’ve been looking for. Great low-cost software.
My former device was a Palm, and I’m a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of the PowerPC. What makes it even more difficult is that my device is a gift of my company, and, since I’m working in China for a Chinese company it is all in Chinese! It is really bad that is it impossible to change the language of the device (Dopod D600). I know there are alternative interfaces to PocketPC. Do you think using one of them might help?
What I’m missing in your list is a txt e-book reader such as Plucker. Together with a Firefox plugin, I can easily transfer Web pages to my device and read them offline. There seems to be a PocketPC reader for Plucker, I will check it out.
Thanks again, Carsten
Some people have changed languages on their devices, but it takes quite a bit of hacking and you need the ROM image for the same device in that language. The language is in ROM, so I doubt another UI/skin would help.
As for Plucker, I thought that was more of an RSS reader (and maybe an off-line Web page reader) than an eBook reader. There are free RSS readers available for Windows Mobile (did I miss them in the original article, or weren’t they listed?) and I think there are also free eBook readers available.
Hi Carsten
Like what Pony99CA mention, you can’t change it so easily and each manufacturer has their own method of doing so. Since this is not Eten-related, I am not too familiar with it though I have done my share of language changes with Dopod so it is possible.
ok, thanks for the quick replies. Guess I’ll take it as a challenge to improve my Chinese reading skills.
Actually, Plucker is kind of an off-line Web reader, but can also display txt, which in my view is the best format for ebooks (much better than pdf which layout preservation is not at all great for comfortable reading on varying devices). Pluckrs configurability makes it the best ebook reader I know.
If you just want to read text, Word Mobile should handle that fine assuming you have either a Smartphone (Standard) device running WM 6 or any Pocket PC (Classic or Professional) device.
If you want Plucker, they do have a Windows Mobile viewer listed on the Plucker Windows download page. I assume that you still have to run the distiller on your PC, though.