One of My All-time Favorite "Little" Applications: alarmPal by pocketMax software.

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We Windows Mobile users are a fortunate lot. Our devices run on a platform that is supported by many talented software developers. Their work builds upon the foundation of WM, and offers the user an almost limitless range of capabilities and customizations to suit one’s own unique needs and desires. Demonstrating that, is a big part of the value of a site like ours. (Well, that and all the awesome contests for free swag!)

In this article I’m going to share one of my favorite programs that adds important value to my Mogul. AlarmPal has made my phone a much more reliable and useful communications tool. How? Well, what good is a communications tool if you keep missing incoming communications because your environment is too loud, or your too busy to notice the messages your device is trying to convey?

AlarmPal, by pocketMax (http://www.pocketmax.net) is an alarm and notification controller that allows easy customization of repeating notifications and sounds. (It’s actually more than that, but the “secondary” features, which I’ll mention later, are collateral to the core benefit of the program.

PocketMax is probably best known for their popular profile management and notification program, phoneAlarm. They’re veterans in the Windows Mobile world, and have developed other commercial applications, as well as a few nice freeware programs.

But, back to alarmPal. What’s so great about repeating alarms or notifications? Well, maybe not much for some users–especially if you don’t have a phone-based device. But, if you do, this program is awesome!

If you want to be able to choose your own alarm sound for many different “types” of alarms, and if you want to be able to schedule them to repeat as many times and as frequently as you’d like, alarmPal can do this.

Can’t other programs do something like this? Yeah, but I don’t think they do it as well, as reliably or as easily. (Except perhaps pocketMax’s own phoneAlarm, which contains this, among other of it’s modules.) This sort of functionality is found in some other great programs, like Spb PhoneSuite and SBSH PhoneWeaver, to mention just two, but as much as I love these programs, alarmPal handles this particular task better.

Because this is a program that focused on the alarm and notification function, there’s not a lot to describe. But, a number of screenshots might help you to see for yourself what it can do.

In the first three shots, you can see the alarmPal icon along the top bar of my Windows Mobile 6 Professional Sprint Mogul. (It’s the icon with the “!” symbol.) While the icon graphic is a bit dull, IMHO, it is functional. (Interestingly, since the program was released last year, this is the second effort at a program graphic. Perhaps the third will be the charm?) The second image, above, also shows the primary drop-down alarmPal menu. This allows access to the program’s settings, as well as to the “secondary” modules: quick-dialer, task manager, alarm notes. Most importantly, it also allows access to the critical “panic button/how do I shut off those damn noises” feature. I like that one. It’s come in handy before in court.

While I appreciate pocketMax’s integrating all of those features into relatively little program, they don’t really add much value to me. I prefer other programs for my task manager, alarm notes, and speed dial functions. Maybe pocketMax thought the alarm module wasn’t “big enough” to sell by itself. I understand that, but disagree. To me, it’s a perfect compliment to other programs I use daily.

But, I digress. Now, back to the review.

In the third picture, above, the aforementioned light blue icon has become red. (It’s actually switches/flashes between red and blue) In the case above, this is a visual indicator that I received a new unanswered SMS message.

While some will like to display the icon and use it to access the drop-down program menu, and to manage their alarms, this isn’t necessary for me. There’s a lot of flexibility built-in to this feature. You can move the icon from the top bar, to the bottom row of icons if you wanted to. Or, you don’t even need to have it show at all. That’s my usual preference. While this means you won’t have alarmPal’s visual indicator showing on your today screen, it does not affect the audible alarms you’ve selected. And, you can access the menu and it’s functions by assigning it to a hardware button, or by using the program shortcut instead.

Below are a series of screenshots showing the various configuration screens.

As you can see, there are options for the time the program is active, for whether to show the program icon on the screen at all, and if so, where, for the number and frequency of repeating alarms, for the types of alarms and reminders, and finally for the particular sound choices you can make–depending on the sound files you’ve downloaded to your own device.

Aside from the alarm sounds, there are those “secondary” features, described above, that are packed into the program. First there’s a simple task switcher/manager built into the main drop-down menu shown in the first post above. You can see it activated in the second post. You can also dismiss a sounding/flashing alarm by selecting that command on the drop-down list shown in the second picture. There’s also a handy alarm note feature shown in the third picture. Lastly, there’s a phone quick-dialer module, shown in the fourth shot, which compiles your call list and adds some nice icons and additional detail to the built-in one.

Not bad, eh? Like I said, not much to write about here, just a great and really useful program. But, wait, say’s Ron Popeil, that’s not it. If you act now, there’s more:

Product Support: What if I get confused and have a problem with alarmPal? No problem! I’ve found that pocketMax has very active and helpful support forums. So, if you’re having a problem or if you have a question, check there first and don’t hesitate to post. The developer, Bruce, will probably respond quickly with a solution.

Vital Stats: Some technical information you should know:

From the pocketMax site: “alarmPal Key Features

• Customisable repeating alarms for Email, SMS, MMS, Voicemail, Missed Calls and Reminders
• Application runs from tray, title-bar or hidden
• Support for 3rd party products including FlexMail, Xpress Mail and Emoze
• WAV, MP3, WMA and MIDI alarms (Midi not supported for Treo 700wx)
• Create alarmNotes for simple handwritten alarms or voice messages
• Quick-Dial option with list of last 10 telephone contacts
• Task Switcher to access / close any running application
• Supports VGA / Landscape and square screens
• Simple installation.”

What I liked: reliable repeating alarms are easy to customize and use. Relatively low price. Even lower if you already bought phoneAlarm or alarmToday. (About $13.00 and $8.00 respectively.)

What Needs Improvement: graphics could be a little more attractive, and I don’t really need another task manager or quick-dialer.

The Verdict: Guilty–of being a really good program! Give it a try. If you’re like me, you won’t remember how your device got by without alarmPal.

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