Freeware Square (July 2008)
One month sure passes by really quickly and before I knew it, another edition of Freeware Square is up and ready to go. In this edition, I have some rather useful applications that would make installing CABs a breeze, better manage resources on your Windows Mobile device, talk with your friends and even geo tag your photos automatically. Interested?
To make it easier for you to navigate:
There are 2 ways to install software on your Windows Mobile device. One is through .exe files where you install them on your computer such that the next time you sync your device, it’ll install. The other is through .cab files which you copy directly to your device and run the installation from there.
Personally, I prefer .cab files because with .exe files, my Program List would grow really long. But one thing I liked about .exe files is that when I did a cold boot or hard reset on my device, I just had to hook it up to my computer and there would be a list of all the applications that I can install in the Add/Remove Programs. Now there’s a way to combine these 2. It’s with an application called CABviaActiveSync.
Unlike most applications I cover in Freeware Square, this one installs on your desktop and adds a right-click context menu. What it does is that the next time you download a .cab file to your computer, you’ll want to right-click and select the CABviaActiveSync option. This would copy that .cab file over to your ActiveSync directory so you can easily add the application the next time your device is docked.
No more having to manually copy over .cab files or having to deal with long Program list thanks to .exe files. CABviaActiveSync combines the the advantages of .cab and .exe to make installation (and removal) of applications so much more convenient.
When it comes to task managers, there are dozens of solutions out there, some free, some commercial; some standalone and others bundled with another software. With so many choices out there, just how do you choose which one to use?
For me, the answer’s pBar. It’s a very lightweight and speedy task manager. And there’s no installation needed. Just copy the .exe file over to your device and tap on it to activate. From there, go into options and make it auto-start and you’re all good to go. The convenience is not the only reason I enjoy using it.
Besides being able to easily close your programs properly and having exceptions (like never closing your message application), you can also customize the top bar to show date, time, battery level or memory usage as well. You could even have a list of your Favorites application so you can launch them from just about anywhere. It even has shortcuts to the various radios (Phone, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) so you can toggle them quickly.
With all this in mind, you can see why I’ve been using this application ever since it came out. Don’t let it’s freeware status fool you, it even rivals the commercial solutions out there.
Here’s another task manager which is not like pBar. If you have used desktop Windows, let’s just say that this application is very similar to that. With it, you can monitor processors and CPU usage and get a service, device and notification manager among other very useful features as well.
This is one of the applications that you install and activate but hope you never have to use. The reason I say that is because unless you are experiencing slowdowns or problems with your device, there’s no need to use it. But when those problems do occur, you’ll be glad you visited My Today Screen and found out about this nifty application.
Like pBar, no installation is necessary. Just copy the .exe file to your device and launch it from there. Be sure to make sure it runs at startup and if you plan to run this with pBar, to add it to pBar’s exception list so that it does not close the application.
Well this one is rather tricky because it’s currently in beta status. I don’t usually add beta software to the list but considering how it could be free once it leaves beta, I decided it was worth a shot.
JiveTalk is a cross-platform instant messaging application that lets you connect to the AIM® / iChat, MSN® / Windows Live®, Yahoo!®, GoogleTalk®, ICQ®, Jabber, and MySpace IM! seamlessly. There are no more message charges because it uses data charges so if you’re on one of those unlimited plans, this would be the application of choice for you.
Unlike other applications out there, what I like about JiveTalk is it’s colorful and finger-friendly interface. I can use the kinetic scrolling that is quickly gaining popularity to scroll through my list of contacts and it even shows their display pictures as well. It even shows my MSN contacts in the groups that I had set up on my desktop. How great is that?
Even though I have used this for just a couple of weeks now, I can see it becoming my IM application of choice when it leaves beta. I just hope it remains free then. For those of you who have no problems running beta applications on your device, then you’ll definitely want to get this.
I first covered GPSToday on Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine and it’s got some really nice features to it. From the same developers that brought you that program comes another one called GeoTagger which is great for users who take pictures with their Windows Mobile device (whose numbers I hope would increase as camera quality improves).
It does what it says that is to geotag your photos with co-ordinates. For those not sure of what is geotagging, this wiki article is a great read. So now that you know about geotagging, why do you need it? Especially if your device already supports such a feature?
I had the same question when I was asked to review this application and I’ll share with you now why you’ll want it to. It geotags your photos even when you do not have a fix with your GPS chip (such as when you are indoors or have not used your GPS chip for a while). You could even choose the location from a map if figuring out co-ordinates is not your forte.
To install it, you’ll need to install GPSToday first and launch it. From there, launch the map application then select More > Geotag photos. An application will be installed and you’re all set. You can even geotage photos previously taken that is missing the data if you wanted to. And all photos taken from then on will now be automatically geotagged.
I had wanted to add FriendMobilizer to this series but I’ve been having some problems launching the application so until that’s resolved, I guess I’ll have to shelve it in the mean time. Do you have any freeware you’d like to suggest or see listed here? Drop me and email and that could just happen!
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Nice one guys, Freeware Square is brilliant, keep it going.
It saves me time, no more trudging through site after site of weak software, to find a gem or two. Like many people I have more access to my mobile than a PC and you manage to provide what I need ,when and where I need it. Thanks.
Please remember however that data costs and speeds will remain an issue ( till our carriers find other ways to charge us )so keep things as tight as possible.
all the best Jon
We’ll definitely keep it going when we’re getting support from readers like you. You can sure of that.
If you come across any great freeware, feel free to drop us a line. We can really use all the help we can get to come up with this monthly list.
As for data charges and speed, that’s always on my mind. Most of the applications are not data intensive so it should be not too bad.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.