Productivity Portfolio

It seems like every operating system has its annoyances. I can't think of an OS, large or small, where there isn't some feature that drives me nuts. Even though I know there are good reasons why some of these annoyances exist, it doesn't mean I accept them. I find annoyances are counterproductive so I like to eliminate them. One good solution I've been using for the Pocket PC is called Spb Pocket Plus.

Spb Pocket Plus is a Today screen plug-in. The program provides some excellent features that either eliminate annoyances or save steps. This article would be long if I had to list every one. So, I'll highlight the key ones.

Clicking the Close button (X button) on a Pocket PC application doesn't necessarily close the program, but minimizes it. Although the memory manager does a good job so you don't have to worry about low memory, the behavior is inconsistent with Windows. Pocket Plus allows you to define behaviors for tapping the Close button or using tap-and-hold. Using tap-and-hold, I can display a menu with entries such as Minimize, Close, Close All Inactive and so on. Another nice feature is I can set exceptions. For example, I may want to close all Running Programs except Audible Manger.

Sometimes you don't realize how clicks add up until you have to repeat the process countless times. For example, there are programs or documents I want access with one click. Although I can remap buttons to open applications, Pocket Plus allows more options. As example, I can add an icon for a specific document or ebook on my Main tab. By default, the program creates 3 tabs, but you can add up to 5 tabs. You can also drag and drop icons from one tab to another.

I've never relied on Pocket PC alarms. This is probably because I'm usually too engaged in some activity and never hear the alarm. Obviously, this is a problem when the alarm only goes off once. Now, I can set repeating alarms that increase in volume.

Again, it's the tiny things you appreciate and wonder how you got along beforehand. Pocket Plus adds the ability to navigate up a folder. At the top left, they've added a small folder icon that allows you to move up to the previous level. This is handy if you have many levels of folders on storage cards. And if you're short of storage, you can tap-and-hold on a file and create a zip file.

Enhancements to Pocket Internet Explorer.

I'm not a big web enthusiast as I find PDAs too small for serious web browsing, but there are times when I need to go online. Usually, I need to have several browser windows open. Pocket Plus makes it easy to open a new window and save the info or pictures.

While there are many battery indicator plug-ins, this one is nice because it takes little room. At the top of the screen, there is a thin bar for a battery indicator. You could easily miss it if you weren't looking for it. What's also appealing about this indicator is it shows on any program that uses the task bar.

Although there are free programs that offer some of these features, I think this program offers the best value. The company offers a fully functional 15-day trial. If you decide to purchase the program, it's affordably priced at $14.95. If you've previously purchased one of the company's top 5 programs, you're entitled to a 20% discount.

Publisher: Spb Software House
Version Reviewed: 2.1
Requirements: Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile 2003
15-Day Trial: www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en
4 Minute demo