Windows Mobile Pocket PC & Symbian Smartphone software and freeware, reviews, tips & tricks

Mar 01 Take Sudoku to the next level with Wordoku To Go
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Games, Pocket PC,

Wordoku To Go is brand new sudoku like puzzle game for Windows Mobile based devices which as the developers say takes Sudoku to the next level.

Instead of numbers, the Sudoku puzzles are constructed using the letters of a 9 letter word. If the puzzle is done correctly, the word will be spelled across the center of the grid. Conversely, solving the anagram and entering it into the grid may help you solve the Sudoku puzzle.

Wordoku To Go has following options available:

* 200 puzzles with 4 difficulty levels
* Save incomplete puzzles
* Hints
* Check for incorrect numbers or check entire puzzle
* Restart puzzle
* Solve puzzle
* Choice of background, number and highlight colors
* Eight puzzles in the trial version 200 in the full version
* Free updates (more puzzles as they become available)
* Complete help file
* Complete setup and uninstall

Wordoku To Go is priced $10.00 and is available for buy and try at MobileTopSoft's Pocket PC software archive. Note that there is a bonus available, you Receive the comparable desktop version free with your purchase.

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Nov 10 Take the Crosswords Crazy challenge on your Pocket PC
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Games, Pocket PC, Smartphone, WM5,

Just Released is Crosswords Crazy, a puzzle game including over 1000 different crosswords.

It includes small, 10x10 magazine-style puzzles that you can solve during a commute, newspaper-style 13x13 and 15x15 puzzles, and giant 17x17 and 19x19 monsters that will keep you up at night. Crosswords Crazy! includes a customizable eye-popping interface, and zoom out views, a hint feature for when you get stuck on a word, and an auto save feature so you will never lose the puzzle you're currently working on.

Crosswords Crazy! features:

* Plays great on all Windows Mobile 5.0 and 2003 SE Devices, including the Windows Mobile Treo 700w/wx
* Full Portrait and Landscape mode support
* 1,000+ puzzles
* Easy-to-use interface
* Hint feature
* Three puzzle view sizes
* Customizable puzzle colors
* Current puzzle auto save
* Save and load favorite puzzles
* Full navigator button support
* Full hardware keyboard support
* Built-in program instructions.

Crosswords Crazy! is priced $9.95 and is available for order at MobileTopSoft's Pocket PC software rchive.
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May 23 Take your N-Gage Games to Your Next Nokia
Published by Chris in:Nokia, Games, Smartphone, Software,

It was rumored a few days ago that Nokia N-Gage owners will not be able to take their games to other handsets if they wanted too. Needles to say that sparkled lots of arguments about Nokia’s decision and where they were going with that.


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May 09 Talk Skype from Your Phone
Published by Chris in:Skype, voice, WiFi,

That’s right, Skype is expanding their horizon. We have been using this cool app for years for talking free of charge with friends and family. Skype have been developing more and more tools to ease itself into our communication based life and we can’t say we hate it.

It’s no surprise AT&T and other carriers are thinking, according to rumors, about developing a similar VoIP product to compete against Skype and offer it to their cell phone plans subscribers. In the mean time Skype beta for smart(er) phones is out and you can download it here.


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Nov 25 Taptu Search for Symbian
Published by Chris in:Symbian, Freeware, Smartphones,

Tired of Google for handling your online queries? Need an alternative? Well we have one for your Symbian device. Get your S60 3rd edition out here and get the Taptu Search installed.


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Oct 08 Task Facade for Windows Mobile
Published by Chris in:Windows Mobile, Pocket PC, Smartphones, Freeware,

Task Facade is an application for Windows Mobile 5.0 or later which will remind you of how Windows Vista works. The application is a graphical task-switcher which will help you switch between various running programs.


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Jul 07 Task Manager 3.1 for Pocket PC
Published by Chris in:Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, Software, Freeware,

We’ve seen at few task managers applications for Pocket PC and other Windows Mobile handsets. Today we’re looking at Task Manager. Quite the original name there! Especially as it has a lot more to offer than simply managing tasks. You get to play with more useful tools which were added since their first version.


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Nov 29 Task managers explained
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Tips,

Do you know the "X" button on the top right corner of the screen on your Pocket PC does not close the program but minimizes it instead? Often misunderstood as a program bug, it's just the way Microsoft designed the software. To actually close the program, you have to click on Start / Settings / System and select the Memory icon. From there, click on the "Running programs" tab to end your tasks. How inconvenient.

But fret not, scores of developers have acted on Microsoft's "inadequacy" and came up with their own solutions to better manage programs running on our devices. Some have chosen to cash in on their products while others have generously contributed their work to the community as freeware.

For this write-up, we have selected a few free task managers which Mobiletopsoft recommendeds. Here're our top picks. vBar
At a mere 21KB, it is touted as the world's smallest and fastest task manager. Highly recommend as a 'no frills' alternative, it integrates seamlessly into the Windows Mobile OS, gets the job done and most importantly, is free!



vBar changes the function of the "X" button from minimize to close. It also adds a 'menu' button and when tapped, displays all the tasks running in the background. Additionally, a resource gauge indicates your battery and memory status. On our Xda II Mini, vBar performed flawlessly. Response was zippy and it did not interfere with the default Windows icons. We had no problems functioning in different display modes as it is tested to work with VGA Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition devices. Skinnable, you can tweak the menu, close, ok and battery/memory icons.

vBar can be found at http://www.vieka.com/vbar.htm


PocketNav
Another freeware task manager written by Scott Seligman, PocketNav, won the Survivor award for being the best task switcher app. Although similar to vBar, it has some added features.



What we find most useful in PocketNav is the option to enable dual functions for the close button. By enabling "Tap and Hold", you can now minimize programs by tapping on the "X" and end tasks by pressing and holding onto it. The software also worked well when toggling between the different display modes. Unfortunately, PocketNav was noticeably slower than vBar with a slight lag sporadically. The icons are also not skinnable. Windows Mobile 2003 users should select "Pocket PC 2002 UI" under options. While the software was written for Pocket PC 2000/2002 devices, it seems to work for most current devices.

PocketNav can be found at http://www.scottandmichelle.net/scott/cestuff.html Magic Button
Another useful task manager is Magic Button by TransCreative. It boasts a small footprint and the executable file is merely 40KB in size. We noticed that it ran slightly faster than PocketNav but still can't match vBar's zippiness. However, it has extras which might catch your eye.



Magic Button can operate in two modes. The first mode is "hidden" mode and looks exactly like the default Pocket PC task bar. However, when you switch to the second "enhanced" mode by tapping on the Magic Button icon you will have a very different task bar. In addition to the default icons, the task bar will display running tasks, a "Today" icon and a battery meter.

The "X" button can be configured to either close or minimize programs (for both "hidden" and "enhanced" modes). Programs can also be closed by tapping and holding onto their respective icons (in enhanced mode) on the task bar and selecting "Close [Program name]". Magic Button also worked well when the screen was switched between landscape and portrait orientation.

Unfortunately, we found the "mode" switching redundant as we preferred "enhanced" mode. In addition, Magic button lets you assign mode switching to one of the hardware buttons.

Pocket PC Phone Edition users should take note. In enhanced mode, you can only display a maximum of three original icons and the Clock. Meaning, it will show only the programs currently running, the add-on "Today" icon, the original radio icon, the clock and the "X" button. The "Connection/GPRS" icon is now missing. Hopefully, a newer version will fix this oversight.

Overall, Magic Button performed better than the other two apps mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, it takes a while to figure out so beginners should invest a little more time.

Download your copy of Magic Button at http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx Wisbar Advance 1.3.2.2
If you don't use a Phone Edition device, Wisbar Advance is a great choice. A variation of Wisbar, this free task manager is packed with features and fully skinnable.



Probably the best looking task manager available, it displays running tasks and enables you to minimize programs by tapping on "X" or close them by pressing and holding on "X". It basically does everything that the earlier three tasks managers can do and lets you dress up your Pocket PC with skins. Do note that this will take up more resources and slow down the overall performance.

Sadly, newer versions are no longer free. The latest free edition of Wisbar Advance is 1.3.2.2. This version only supports up to Windows Mobile 2003 devices (non-Second Edition). In order to work on newer devices, it is necessary to purchase the updated version (2.X onwards) of Wisbar Advance.

Wisbar Advance 1.3.2.2 can be downloaded at http://www.lakeridgesoftware.com/downloads/wisbar.html

A trial version of Wisbar Advance 2.X is available at http://www.lakeridgesoftware.com/wisbar/index.html
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Nov 07 Task2Gather - Online Project & Task Manager for Windows Mobile
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Task manager, Online, Collaboration, VITO, Pocket PC, Software,

VITO Technology releases online project & task management utility Task2Gather. Task2Gather saves tasks in the web cloud for users to access them any time they need. Task2Gather key features are intuitive user-friendly interface, hierarchic organization, and easy task sharing.



Task2Gather is very flexible. It serves equally well both for organizing and supervising work flow in mid-size companies and also for managing personal to-do or shopping lists. The hierarchic structure allows users to divide any project or task into unlimited number of sub-tasks.


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Nov 29 TaskList powerful task application for WM5 Smartphone released
Published by Vesselin Nerdeff in:Smartphone, Software, Utilities,

AvinaSoft has just announced the release of their light-weight yet powerful application for Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone called TaskList.

TaskList comes as an ideal replacement for the built-in Tasks application. Unlike the built-in one, TaskList allows you to create and modify tasks in the device itself, you don't need go to your PC to modify a task. You can have your tasks perfectly in sync with your Outlook. Yes, it supports synching all your tasks to outlook on your desktop or laptop PC.

TaskList Features:

* Create and Modify tasks in the device.
* Sync with Outlook.
* Set reminders.
* Set reoccurrences.
* Easy navigation in summary screen, lets you cycle thru your tasks by pressing left or right navigation keys

TaskList is priced $9.99 and is available for download at MobileTopSoft's WM Smartphone software archive.

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