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Mobile Apps

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A list of some mobile applications I have tried, platforms they've been deployed on, where to download, my ratings and comments, etc.
   
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Platforms
Expand/Collapse Rating : 0) Not Rated ‎(8)
MapPoint MobileUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
May offer good compliment to Google Maps online only problem, at the cost of some memory. Not clear if it works with GPS. ANy good GPS hardware will probably have its own map application bundled too.
Knowledge
Screen Capture Pocket PCUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
A tool for getting quick screen caps. Nice if you like to do WM documentation, app development, or blogging. I think the trial version probably puts some kind of watermark on the image thouigh. I believe there are some other vendors offering similar tools, and will keep an eye out.
Wing-HeraldMedia
Storage Manager (cK Software Storage Uninstall)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
TCPMPUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
A media player. I haven't really tried it out yet. It was supposed to support FLV (Flash/YouTube) but I haven't got it to work yet.
Wing-HeraldMedia
Pocket Drink MixerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
Have not gotten this working yet due to unusual requiements for specific NetCF version.
CABWing-HeraldKnowledge
Windows LiveUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
Live had good gas prices and other nifty search applets. The traffic features may also make a good compliment to Google Maps with traffic.
CABWing-HeraldKnowledge
moBlueUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
Yet another BlueTooth management tool.
UnknownWing-HeraldTools - Network
Count SixUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
0) Not Rated
Justa  little counter application, but a useful tool for keeping track of several things at once.
UnknownWing-HeraldProductivity
Expand/Collapse Rating : 1) Must Have ‎(10)
Google MapsUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
Great maps, traffic, locator, search. Nice that it works on GPRS without GPS, since T-mobile Wing does not provide GPS support. It can be a little slow and also spotty when there is no network or the network drops. Biggest quirk are that the interface prevents you from turning the screen off and it has no retry options for connection failures. Both of these were odd to see in an app built for a phone. Would be much improved by the addition of retry options and an offline mode, image cache.
CABWing-Herald; Dash-ExcaliburKnowledge
TomeRaider 3Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
Great eBook reader. Stable. Fun. Lots of books. Remembers where you left off reading.
Wing-HeraldKnowledge
pRSSReaderUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
Great RSS reader - or at least best I have found so far. Would be better if it was built on netCF, imho. Has some memory leaks, quirky menus when using nested groups. Nice that it is open source. UI could be improved a bit. Had bug in pRSSNot.exe being in wrong path, but that was easily fixed by moving the file or changing Notifications with a power tool like Task Manager.
Wing-HeraldKnowledge
PocketRAR 3.8Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
Works with all kinds of files, so definitely something you want to have around for decompressing downloads and such. It is absolutely the gold standard for compressed files.
Wing-HeraldTools - Files
Resco ExplorerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
One of the most user friendly, touch capable, and powerful file/registry tools out there. I run it from the storage card because its pretty bulky. Keep a lightweight file tool around to run from your main memory just in case you need it.
CAB/ActiveSyncWing-HeraldTools - Files
NetCF2.0 SP1Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
More good apps should be written for NetCF. One thing of concern to me is whether it is possible to have all the different versions running on your phone at the same time. There are v1.0 SP1-3 and CF2 wither SPs, as well as CF 3.5 (was there ever a 3.0?) Jury is still out on side-by-side deployment.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldPlatform
Snood for PocketPCUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
So good I paid for it. This is the classic Snood game for your handheld. Can you really think of something you'd rather be doing than playing Snood?
Wing-HeraldGames
S2U2 (Slide to Unlock)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
A great screen locking application. It uses a lot of memory, but this slider app is so functional you might never unlock your phone again. :-) Unfortunately, I ahve not tried installing it to SD, due to the way it ties into the OS so tightly.
CABWing-HeraldTools - System
Office MobileUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
It is essential to have some kind of app around that can at least read Word/Excel docs. Being able to edit them is even better. My son has found the Excel engine to be quite useful for things like basic cryptography and math classes. Note that we are now up to SP1 for this.
ActiveSyncMDA-Wizard; Wing-Herald; Dash-ExcaliburProductivity
Task ManagerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
1) Must Have
Various versions of this app are floating around in different RUU and online as installables. I am really liking the new v3.1 because it includes a Notifications tab where you can modify system event notices. The new version will run side by side with older ones installed to your ROM, and will easily work on SD cards.
UnknownMDA-Wizard; Wing-Herald; Dash-ExcaliburTools - System
Expand/Collapse Rating : 2) Very Good ‎(7)
Sprite Backup and TerminatorUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
A decent backup and theft tracking tool, but Wing does not support GPS, bummer. Absolutely great at doing both docked and undocked backups of the entire system to either SD or over the USB. I believe it may also have some network backup features I have not tried yet.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldTools - System
WiFiFoFumUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
A truly amazing Wifi tool with a great interface. Would be even better if Wing supported GPS. Still a pretty useful tool to have for scoping out free Wifi hotspots.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldTools - Network
WmTorrentUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
Ever really needed to torrent something and didn't have a PC? Well, it might suck over GPRS but its pretty awesome if you can find a public Wifi to do it from. I have had difficulty getting this to work on some networks, for obvious reasons.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldTools - Network
Siruis WM5Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
I have heard there were Sirius apps with better UI out there, but I have never gotten any of them to work. This is great if you have a Sirius subscription and a wifi connection to leech off of; not so useful over GPRS/EDGE.
Wing-HeraldMedia
S2VUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
A cute iPhone style sliding picture viewer. It also lets you put detailed photos into your contacts, which is probably its most redeeming feature when coupled with Slide to Unlock's Slide to Answer feature. It's a bit of a memory hog, but I was able to install it to my SD by moving the files even though the CAB installer ignored this install to "/Storage Card" option.
CABWing-HeraldMedia
S2PUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
Media player interface that has nice integration with S2U2. Be careful about leaving it on all night or your batteries will almost certainly die. It's a bit of a memory hog, but I was able to install it to my SD by moving the files, though the CAB installer ignored the "install to Storage Card" option.
CABWing-HeraldMedia
Gnu GoUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
2) Very Good
Open source go game with a strong AI. Be wary of the configuration settings, as weaker phone CPUs will flip out easily if you make the AI too strong.
PPC EXEWing-HeraldGames
Expand/Collapse Rating : 3) Pretty Good ‎(23)
Pocket PuttyUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
Rarely useful, but an essential if you tunnel back into your home network like I do. Potentially useful for some internet sharing scenarios where you have guest access to wifi but they don't allow anything except 80 and 443.
PPC EXEWing-HeraldTools - Network
Mort PlayerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A good media player, but you can get by on Windows Media Mobile instead. Has some interesting playlist features that can keep music fresh longer. Still, with so many media players out there, this is one that I rarely get to dig into.
Wing-HeraldMedia
Opera MiniUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A decent browser alternative if you don't mind running under Jbed. The fact that doing any upgrades make it untrusted is really annoying. It is considerably lighter than the full Opera Mobile install, and the interface is much nicer than Pocket IE.
Java/JARWing-Herald; Dash-ExcaliburKnowledge
Dr Yar BluetoothUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A nice bluetooth tool, but the WM bluetooth stack is somewhat unreliable, especially with Vista, so I haven't driven it much. It lacks a setting to disable auto-loading into your task bar on bootup, so I wonder if it is truly secure or if it may provide some kind of back door.
Wing-HeraldTools - Network
Jbed 3.1Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A good Java environment. However, new versions are needed to run many apps with sound, and pocket games run *very* slowly on the Wing. Still searching for a solution to this. It is definitely more stable than the other JVMs that I have tried, at least on my low end devices.
Wing-Herald; Dash-ExcaliburPlatform
Remote DisplayUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
Show your PPC on the PC screen. Great tool for developers and people who don't want to be staring at their phone while working. Special installer note: you'll have to manually copy certdisp2.exe and KillProc.exe to the windows folder to make it work, since the CAB can't detect the right ARM cpu on devices like a Wing with a cooked ROM. It's not secure, so only run it when you really need it, and consider giving it a different file name.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldTools - Network
Total CommanderUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
TCmdPocketArm is a devent lightweight and powerful app for digging into the configuration and files on your system. Unlike Resco, it has options for network diagnostics and configuration (e.g. ipconfig/ping). Also, I think you could probably afford to install it on main memory if you need to.
Wing-HeraldTools - Files
VmNetSetup 1.3Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A network browser that offers some features the others don't. I beleive this is the app that created the storage point called "Network" but I am not certain it was not Resco. If you install it, beware of naming any folder Network as I had some issues with dissappearing folders when this occurred. This app will be significantly more useful combined with a properly configured Wifi connection, which I do not have.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldTools - Network
Pocket VoyagerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
Yet another file and network browser.
Tools - Network
WordBook PPCUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
When you're bored, why not quiz the kids on vocabulary? Never be caught not knowing what a word means. Has a nice little speach feature for saying a word, though it is not always 100% correct on pronounciation. It is trial-ware but the nags are not so bad as to make it unuseful.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldKnowledge
NimBuzzUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A recent addition to the many apps that provide centralized multi-platform IM. So far it's been free and runs natively without JVM) which is great. I do have concerns about whether it is sharing my passwords with the central server, and also it does seem to send some cryptic text messages to my family's phones. I will be investigating this in future, but there is no great hurry because frankly I can't stand using phone to do IM anyway.
Wing-HeraldCommunicate
FreeOTFE4PDAUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
Decent volume encryption with a lot of great settings, but it's slow to mount a drive. Would be much improved if you could trigger mount and password entry at a specified time after starting the phone, so the volume is always open for use - though I realize that would make it much less secure. On lightweight phoine CPUs (<250MHz) it is really only practical for smaller volumes. It lets me use offbeat algorithms like Twofish, which is nice for security/encryption nuts like me.
Wing-HeraldPrivacy
PlayGoGame Lessons (4)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
These are little "Go" lessions with tips for each move. Sadly, my Go skills are weak enough that a text explaination for each gambit would've been really helpful, but it was lacking. Perhaps coupled with Sensei's Library it will be more understandable.
CABWing-HeraldGames
Opera Mobile 8Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
Trailware. Do I really want to pay for it? Browser is functional but takes forever to load, so setting it as your default browser will annoy the hell out of you. Maybe Fennel will be better when that comes out.
Wing-HeraldKnowledge
One Note MobileUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
This normally installs from the Office 2007 suite (app/CD?), but I was able to geta  copy of the CAB for xda-developers. I see it as being slightly less functional than the Outlook Notes feature that comes with WM6.1, but perhaps only because I do not see how one can do any drawings with it.
CABWing-HeraldProductivity
PGP for Pocket PCUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
This is an older version, so I suspect the new commercial version is much better. You can use it to encrypt text messages and email, but there is no integration with the messaging apps that I can tell. So it can be used by hand to encrypt plain text messages if you are willing to do a little extra work.
Wing-HeraldPrivacy
Catchy CadenceUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A tempo matching game for the stylus. I don't seem to be able to do very well, but that might be the slow CPU speed to maybe its just that I have no rhythm.
CABWing-HeraldGames
Distant GalxiesUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A nice scrolling space shooter with obstacles and power ups. I can't figure out how to beat the 1st level boss, but that's my problem I guess.
CABWing-HeraldGames
FishocopterUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A verys illy game. Guide the fish through the cave of crabs and blowfish. Only needs one hand to play.
CABWing-HeraldGames
RealmsUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A space shooter with momentum (think asteroids/spacewar) and different objectives on each level. The backgrounds can be a bit hard to see through, but the gameplay is overall decent. Long load times, but worthwhile.
CABWing-HeraldGames
ShiftUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A cute little puzzle game that requires only one hand free to play. That said, I am not any damn good at this game. :-)
CABWing-HeraldGames
Tower Toppler / NebulusUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
Played this long enough to confirm it is working well on the Wing. It is a fun game. The sounds are very noisy, so turn your volume down before playing. Great port of a classic C64 game!
PPC EXEWing-HeraldGames
GSPlayerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3) Pretty Good
A good lightweight player that supports streaming music via HTTP/ShoutCast.
UnknownWing-HeraldMedia
Expand/Collapse Rating : 4) Okay ‎(7)
WM6 Remote DesktopUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
There are two RDP clients out there I know of, and this is the less awesome of the two. It is good to have a remote client around, but at 320x240, using it can be a major pain. It's probably much better on true VGA mobile apps. That said, having such a client can be a true lifesaver when you need it.
Wing-HeraldTools - Network
CS IDE MobileUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
A cute C-Sharp editor with JIT compiler/interpreter. I would probably rate it much higher, but honestly I have yet to find a use for it. It is obviously very sophisticated, but I just can't tolerate writing applications on my handheld. If I were in a pinch, it'd be a great tool to have.
PPC EXEWing-HeraldTools - System
TextSpeechProUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
This product is not very stable and its integration with apps like Word is not very clean. In fact, it has its own, sadly cripplled, web browser. It would be a great application if the bugs were worked out, but for example, the fact that you can't open any files which have a space anywhere in the path (all of "/Storage Card"!) is a big let-down. The voices themselves are nice, and the deluxe version throws in a text reader from the vender who provides the voice synth that is at least somewhat usable. I really want a TTS app that works, and I am mortified that I paid this company twice in order to give this a try.
CAB/ActiveSyncWing-HeraldAccessibility
ToonelUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
This is a cute little bandwidth saver app. I don't use it when I worry about security, and it could be easier to recongiure the system firewall so I can turn it on and off. Honestly, I found that the compression did not really save me a lot of time in downloading web pages. I would like to see some real benchmarks on this.
Wing-HeraldTools - Network
Opera Mobile 9.5 betaUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
Still testing. Flash/YouTube is supposed to be working soon, but we shall see.
Wing-HeraldKnowledge
WinMobile LensUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
This app could certainly be better. The interface is not very easy, but I have a hard time imagining how you would make one that is, considering the horizontal scrolling issues inherent in the tiny WM display. In the end I usually rely on a hardware solution - a magniying glass. A mounted lens on my phone would be nice, though I have yet to find a vendor that makes one.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldAccessibility
RealOne PlayerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
4) Okay
It took some work to make this work on newer versions of ActiveSync (basically I had to extract the CAB from the installer). In concept I hate all things Real, but if you want to play RA streaming feeds, I see no other option at this time.
CAB/ActiveSyncWing-HeraldMedia
Expand/Collapse Rating : 5) Not Very Good ‎(3)
SkyFireUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
5) Not Very Good
Makes you go through three screens to get to the browser. I removed this piece of junk after not so long trying it.
Wing-HeraldKnowledge
Mobile SpeakUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
5) Not Very Good
This would probably be a very good app to have if I were totally blind. The authors obviously put a great deal of thought into it. However, for me personally, it fell short for several reasons. Firstly, it was obviously made for the blind, and in so doing, it hijacks the hardware buttons for special purpose key-combos that would be natural for the blind but are incredibly awkward to even the partially sighted. There is no hot key combo that can be set to enable or disable the capturing of the button presses and screen taps, rendering most applications utter unusable in the normal states. It is also something of a performance hog, so not something I would want to keep active when I am not in need of verbal assistance. If I were going to make this app better for persons with low vision, I would give it a mode with context menus on most objects to read items instead of weird key combination. I would allow the user to turn off most of the hot key and screen tap capturing. I would add a quick menu to select a function based on a dropdown triggered by a single hot-key. To me, that would be more useful.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldAccessibility
Mobile MagnifierUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
5) Not Very Good
I installed this as part of Mobile Speak. But, I found the performance impact and the fact that it made most of the screen inaccessible/unreadable and produced buggy behavior with the stylus were just too much.
ActiveSyncWing-HeraldAccessibility