First things first – I’m a huge fan of SPB Softwarehouse. I’m a registered user of multiple products for years on both traditional PDAs and smartphones. So if my review overlooks something you consider to be a crucial flaw, please leave a comment and let’s discuss.
That out of the way, I was very happy to be asked to put together a review of the new version of Pocket Plus (now at version 4). I’ve used versions 2-3.2 for quick access to my applications, a close button that really closes, and the many things that the application adds to your Windows Mobile device.
Version 4.0 is a worthy upgrade. Specifically, here’s what caught my eye:
Smaller installed size on your device (down to around 3MB from around 4.5MB)
Lower footprint in memory (around 1.2-1.3MB on my TyTN II, just under double that before)
Adds a “Button Map” ability that allows you to choose what buttons you’re mapping for regular and long presses.
Supports third-party plug-ins as tabs to reduce screen real estate.
Integrates seamlessly with SPB Mobile Shell, effectively giving you 10 large tabs (4 Mobile Shell, 6 Pocket Plus)
Adds tabbed browsing to IE.
Adds the ability to browse your entire devices file structure to save any file anywhere.
Allows you to assign an application switcher to a hot key (think Alt-Tab in Windows).
Retains support for all your old favorites, like a close button that really closes an app…
PocketPlus’s install went smoothly. I backed up my TyTN II just in case, connected to the synch cable, and launched the installer. It detected and removed my old version without an issue, then installed the new one. It imported my old settings, or at least tried to, but that resulted in a bit of a mess due to the new skins and labels. Here’s my Today screen after I cleaned it up:
The top row of icons is SPB Mobile shell. Under the Weather data are the tabs for Pocket Plus. But since I like my screen real estate, I went into Mobile Shell and added Pocket Plus as a plug-in to replace Live Search (which I’d really just been playing with). That cleaned things up considerably:
So now, to get to my application shortcuts, it’s a max of three presses – one to get to the PocketPlus plug-in, one to get to the correct tab, and one to hit the application I want.
Adding applications is easy. I removed Total Commander from my screen so I could demonstrate. Simple tap & hold in the tab, select “Add-Item”:
Then find what you’re looking for in the pull-down menu (in this case a program), and put a check box next to it:
You can also shortcut to files or folders using that “Add” button in the lower left corner, which is also an option off the menu above.
But this is the old stuff. Let’s talk about the new. PocketPlus used to give you multiple PIE windows, now you get PIE tabs:
As you’d expect, tap & hold on a link pops up a context sensitive menu that lets you fire up a new tab. In the general settings for Pocket Plus, you can control whether closing the app just shuts down one tab or all of them. Very nice, and a bit easier to navigate than the multiple windows of the past.
You also get the ability to assign “[Switch Program]” to a button. This brings up a small window that lists your running applications:
Press the button multiple times to roll through them from left to right and hot-key right to the app you want.
But perhaps even better – if that key you want to remap just doesn’t show in the list of buttons, don’t sweat it. Enter Pocket Plus’s button feature:
Notice the highlighted “Add buttons…” feature at the top of the list? Simply hit that, follow the on screen instructions to press the button and then press & hold and you’re off. Notice that I now have an “OK Button (Hold).”
That’s a button that normally doesn’t appear on my TyTN II’s list of options, but now it brings up my Comm Manager.
There’s a wealth of other features, and I could go on about them, but many aren’t new. But what’s important is that things like the Taskbar Battery Indicator, Close Button and Close Menu, File Explorer extensions, and Safe Mode are all still there. They’re just working with some new tricks in a smaller package.
I continue to be impressed by SPB’s ability to produce a solid product that integrates nicely with both their other packages and software from other parties. Yes, that’s PhoneSuite on my Today screen, and there’s only three or four other apps they’ve produced that I own. Since installing Pocket Plus 4.0 a week ago, I’ve had no hiccups, no issues, and no unexpected. The package works, takes less memory, and adds even better functionality (I just love the buttons feature).
Highly recommended, and kudos to SPB for another good addition to the family. It's like I just upgraded my trusty old Swiss Army Knife with tools I didn't know I'd needed...
I'll have to ask you to back that up with something more than a general comment, since that is absolutely not my experience. My TyTN II leaves the charger at around 6AM, doesn't see it again for any length of time (very rare USB syncs when I'm installing something), and usually has 30-40% left when it returns to the charger at 8-9PM.
So I'll ask two simple questions:
1. Have you actually used the current version (2.0-3.0 did have issues here, 3.2 fixed many/most of them)?
2. Can you share your actual experience and how you determined that it was PocketPlus and not some other application?
Since version 3.2 came out, I have seen absolutely no significant battery drain. And even 3.0 was very good on that front most of the time (occasional issues, but nothing major) for most hardware.
Thanks for the great review, Perf. I didn't realize you had posted it.
Question: I downloaded PocketPlus 4.0 and installed it (unregistered version to try it out) but didn't see the weather tab. The site seems to imply that weather comes with 4.0, but I couldn't find it until I installed SPB weather. I'm not sure I want to pay $45 for both. Did I misunderstand that? Is there one SPB product that incorporates a lot of this functionality? I really love te tabbed browsing, among other things. Thanks.
The Weather tab is a part of SPB Mobile Shell on my phone, not Pocket Plus. If you got confused on SPB Softwarehouse's site, that's somewhat understandable. The "Integration" tab doesn't make it particularly clear that those are other, paid products. What they're intending to tell you there is that you can make other products tabs in SPB PocketPlus.
There isn't a single product that integrates the tabbed browsing, close button, etc. and weather, and it doesn't look like they've got a package that includes the right stuff.
Personally, I popped for the communications bundle and Pocket Plus (which truthfully, I've owned for a while). If I were on a budget and needed to buy them over time, I'd buy in this order:
Pocket Plus
Phone Suite
Mobile Shell
But that's me. Phone Suite's a very nice way to see overall status and get profiles.
I'll have to ask you to back that up with something more than a general comment, since that is absolutely not my experience. My TyTN II leaves the charger at around 6AM, doesn't see it again for any length of time (very rare USB syncs when I'm installing something), and usually has 30-40% left when it returns to the charger at 8-9PM.
So I'll ask two simple questions:
1. Have you actually used the current version (2.0-3.0 did have issues here, 3.2 fixed many/most of them)?
2. Can you share your actual experience and how you determined that it was PocketPlus and not some other application?
Since version 3.2 came out, I have seen absolutely no significant battery drain. And even 3.0 was very good on that front most of the time (occasional issues, but nothing major) for most hardware.
I can't really blame him for asking the question, even without providing hard proof that SPB PocketPlus was the culprit.
I will admit that I have not tried the new version, but I know that on previous versions on previous PPC devices, SPB PP did cause battery and memory problems, and sluggish performance for me. My proof is that every time I un-installed it, the problems went away. I have been on the boards for quite some time and an ever longer PPC user and I recall many posts in the PPC threads from users having the same experience. Since PP does so much within the PPC OS, it would make sense that it might cause some noticeable drain in battery life and performance.
That being said, I am a fan SPB's products and never had any issues with any of their other programs. Also, I am more than willing to give it a go on my Tilt. I think with the improvements that you have seen in the software and the beefy specs of the Tilt it may be a winner for me now too.
I'll get it and report back.
Last edited by EvilHomer : 10-20-2007 at 10:10 PM.
Re-reading my post, the tone reads stronger than intended. I certainly didn't intend to "blame," but to ask for more than anecdotal evidence.
I've been quite pleased with Pocket Plus on my i730 and on my TyTN II. There was some weirdness when it and the HTC Task Manager duked it out over closing apps, but other than that both 3.2 and 4.0 have been gems.
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