• PC World
• »Software
• »Operating Systems

Feature: Favorite Pocket PC Programs

Pocket PCs ship with scaled-down versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player that are already familiar to Windows users. And that's as it should be: The name "Pocket PC," after all, evokes a tiny Windows computer in your pocket.

Trouble is, aside from those Microsoft programs, there aren't a lot of useful, cool, interesting Pocket PC applications--at least not that I've seen. Quantity isn't really the issue here. There are about 10,000 programs available for Palm OS devices, compared to about 8000 for Pocket PCs, according to Handango, which sells software online for both platforms.

But quality is another matter. Based on my experiences, there simply aren't nearly as many worthwhile or intriguing third-party programs for Pocket PC as there are for the Palm OS. Nonetheless, I've found a few. The programs I recommend this week are inexpensive (up to $25), and most offer a free trial.

To read about my favorite third-party Palm applications, see last week's newsletter.

Pocket Streets

As far as Palm and Pocket PC mapping programs go, Microsoft Pocket Streets is by far the easiest to use. Pocket Streets puts interactive, color maps for U.S. and foreign metro areas within easy reach. You can download free maps for the U.S. and major European countries from Microsoft's Web site.

If you have Microsoft's Streets & Trips 2003 (or earlier versions), a mapping program that runs on Windows computers, you can create your own maps on your PC and copy them to your Pocket PC. Streets & Trips covers the U.S. and Canada only, however.

Arrow icons make map navigation a cinch, while a zoom tool lets you quickly move in or out for a better view. You can search for addresses or places, find points of interest, and add pushpins to map locations. When you tap on any point on a street, Pocket Streets gives you the corresponding address. Unlike Streets & Trips, you can't get directions--but that's what gas station attendants are for.

Pocket Streets costs $25 and can be downloaded from Handango. However, Streets & Trips 2003 includes Pocket Streets and goes for about $35, making it the better value. (Microsoft also offers a $10 rebate on Streets & Trips 2003 when purchased in retail stores.) Check out the latest prices using the PCWorld.com Product Finder.

Battery Pack 2003

A consistently popular download at Handango, Battery Pack 2003 from Omega One Software transforms the Pocket PC's Today screen from useless to useful by endowing it with interactive icons. At only $12, this software is a must-have for Pocket PC users.

Battery Pack 2003 is actually a bundle of utilities that includes a Battery Bar and a Program Bar.

The Battery Bar shows how much time the current battery charge has left (such as 3 hours, 36 minutes), the available amount of file storage space in main memory and on your storage card, and so on. Having this information right on the Today screen keeps you from having to dig for it through menus and helps you plan your PDA usage accordingly.

The Program Bar, another handy time-saver, places shortcut icons to frequently used programs and files on the Today screen. The bar can display up to five lines of shortcuts to scroll through.

Journal Bar

Another top-seller at Handango, Journal Bar is a cool little utility that feeds the latest headlines, stock quotes, weather forecasts, movie reviews and show times, TV listings, and sports scores directly to your Pocket PC's Today screen.

For all it delivers, Journal Bar takes up only a small piece of the screen. Using arrows, you scroll through the content line by line then click an item you want to explore. Selecting a headline, for instance, opens the related news article in Internet Explorer. The content is automatically updated when you synchronize your Pocket PC and have an active Internet connection. As far as I can tell, this doesn't noticeably slow down the synchronization process.

Journal Bar (from Omega One Software, maker of Battery Pack 2003) is an excellent way to have current news, weather, and other data on your Pocket PC--especially for those without wireless PDA connections. And it's only $12.

And a Few More

The following programs are available for Palm OS devices as well as Pocket PCs and have been reviewed in earlier newsletters.

Vindigo 2.0 ($25 annual subscription fee) is an indispensable guide to what's happening in dozens of cities, including info on restaurants, movies, bars, and so on. Read more about it in "Hands On: PDA Maps."

WorldMate 3.0 ($20) is a must-have for international travelers. It's a suite of utilities for figuring out what the heck time it is in Bangkok, getting updated weather conditions, easily converting currencies and measurements, and lots more.

Pocket Codes 2.0 ($8) is a cool little utility that lets you quickly look up U.S. and international area codes and time zones.

For more on WorldMate and Pocket Codes, read last week's column.