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> Review :: Spb Pocket Plus, Rating 5 out of 5
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post Feb 6 2008, 12:13 PM
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Review :: Spb Pocket Plus
Rating 5 out of 5

Spb Pocket Plus 4.0
By Spb Software House
MGN Rating -

Rating Legend

1 star: Find something else; save your money
2 star: Below average; not recommended
3 star: Average; performs as advertised but not inspiring
4 star: Good; worth the money
5 star: Great; best of its kind on the market

Review by Slacker
Review Date / March 25th, 2008

Note: Screen captures are created with Pocket Controller-Professional by Soti, Inc.

Spb Software House develops many Windows Mobile applications and Games to perform a myriad of tasks. Many of their applications work together to share information and present it in a format that helps you accomplish tasks more efficiently. I have been using several Spb applications over the last month and am impressed overall with their effectiveness and stability. Over the next few days I will be releasing reviews of several of those applications to help you get a feel for the products, company, and how the applications might help you to do more with your Windows Mobile Device.

This installment is one of four and will cover Spb Pocket Plus. Pocket Plus is a multi-faceted program that incorporates a tabbed home screen plugin, Internet Explorer enhancements, File Explorer capabilities, and much more. Spb Software House actually uses a video to show the capabilities of Pocket Plus because words just aren't enough. So here is how Spb introduces Pocket Plus:

http://www.Spbclub.com/video/Spbpocketplus.flv

If you just watched that video I imagine the only thing you can think to say is WOW! This is a powerhouse application according to the Spb, but how does it really work? Is it worth the $29.95 price tag? If you want to skip to the punchline right now: yes. Do you want to know why I feel so strongly? Read on!

The first experience you will have after installing Pocket Plus is the home screen plugin. If you are familiar with Firefox or version 7 of IE you know all about tabs. The home screen plugin gives you configurable tabs to allow you to add more content to the screen without adding those annoying scroll bars. You can add or remove tabs as you like to give you the functionality you want, and those tabs can contain all types of informational items, shortcuts, configuration applets and more. Tabs can be fixed or auto-hiding. I found my preference was to make them autohide to allow me to get more "stuff" on my home screen but you can leave them expanded if you like.

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The tabs can contain lots of items. For example, I have Spb Weather in one tab. Yes, that is a whole application loaded in a tab on my home screen. Long time readers know I am an avid motorcycle rider, and weather is VERY important to my decision about riding. So no matter what I do to my home screen, weather applications always have a place there. This tab system allows me to put weather on the home screen without permanently taking home screen space!

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The home screen plugin comes with several really useful control items that I find extremely useful. One example is the screen brightness slider. Right in this tab I can slide the bar left or right and immediately adjust my screen brightness! What a time saver! There are a lot of other control items available to help you set up your device the way you use it.

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Pocket Plus incorporates changes to the built in File Explorer. Added capabilities include file encryption, zip file support, storage card format and more. Using the application you are already familiar with, Pocket Plus extends File Explorer into the powerhouse tool it should have been.

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Task Management is a real hot button issue on Windows Mobile devices. Pocket Plus answers the call with a true close button and task manager. Normally when you click the X on a Windows Mobile application that application is still running in memory taking up precious resources. With Pocket Plus clicking the close button actually closes the application freeing up the resources for other tasks! Pocket Plus also includes a task manager to help you switch between running tasks or easily close them.

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Pocket Plus adds Smart Scrolling, a finger friendly addition that makes scrolling through applications easy without a stylus. Many times I have praised the iPhone not for its capabilities, but for its effectiveness at getting Windows Mobile developers to take notice and start innovating. I believe this feature is an example of how Windows Mobile is benefiting from the iPhone interface. Scrolling is done by simply flicking your finger across the screen. Simple and effective.

Internet Explorer was not left out of this application. In fact, the most useful upgrade from Pocket Plus is the functionality added to Pocket IE. Like IE 7 and Firefox, Pocket IE can now use tabbed browsing! How many times have you wanted to look at two websites at the same time and been unable to? Now you can... easily. How about scrolling with your finger? Check. You can even view webpage source code and save web pages. Now Pocket IE is a functional tool instead of an afterthought.

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Spb Pocket Plus is a powerhouse application. Period. Since installing it almost a month ago I have had no hangups, lockups, or any other indicators there was a problem with it. It has worked flawlessly as advertised, and I have found myself spending less time looking at my device because of it. Tasks that used to take me four or five stylus taps are now done with my finger in one tap. Most of my information is on the home screen eliminating the need to do anything except turn the device on and off. Pocket Plus definitely has a place on my device. I really have no choice but to award Pocket Plus a 5 out of 5. The application works flawlessly and adds capabilities that require no documentation to use and should have been on my device from the beginning. You owe it to yourself to try Pocket Plus and see what it can do for you.

To Spb Software House I say "Well Done".


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Jim Cleek (Slacker)
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