Running on my Pocket PC

• Me and Pocket PCs

(Try not to drool on the keyboard, knuckled-headed Palm users)

• Resco Explorer 2005
  I treat this essentially as the "shell" of my PocketPC, in the same way the Windows Explorer/My Computer feature is used on a Windows PC. Sure, the PocketPC OS comes with an "Explorer", but Resco's Explorer blows it clean out of the water
  

• DigitalExpidition eXPerience
  Ever wanted your Pocket PC to take on the look, feel and functionality of a Windows PC desktop? It runs as an application; it does not completely replace the "Today" screen (the Pocket PC's closest equivalent of a native "desktop"), however, you can configure it to "run at boot", thereby taking on much the same behavior as a "desktop". What's more, you can even configure eXPerience to load the "Today" screen's plug-ins, making it suitable as a functional replacement for "Today" if you choose.
  

• Resco Keyboard Pro
  Isn't the built-in PocketPC keyboard good enough? Truth be told, yes, I think it is. But it also has some additional "features" that get in my way. One in particular: "gestures". Seems there's no good way to shut them off. That tends to trip up my use of the keyboard (causing accidental uppercases, spaces, deletions, etc as I slightly "drag" the stylus over a key rather than lift and tap cleanly to the next....) So, I sought out a keyboard that -- regardless of what else it might be able to DO --- had a way to NOT DO (that is, shut OFF) "gesture" support. To my delight, I found one.
  

• Resco Photo Viewer
  Very useful image viewer; works with some movie formats as well.
  

• TCPMP Player
  Hands-down the best video player avialable for PocketPC. Great for long train rides or car-rides (while a passenger, of course).
  

• GreenSoftware GSPlayer
  Whatever you do, DO NOT use the built-in Windows Media Player. Utter bilge. I strongly recommend ANY other media program for the PocketPC over Media Player, really, anything else has got to be better! But when I had to pick one in particular, -- GSPlayer was it. No annoying "features" that are just garbage in the way. Give me a playlist, an equalizer, and support for many formats of audio (including MIDI, with a plug-in), and I'm perfectly happy.
  
  • (Midi Plug-in)

• Netfront 3.1 Browser
  Sure, I use the built-in Internet Explorer as well, but Netfront can do some things that PocketIE can't. 9/10 browing tasks go to Netfront, while every now and then, PocketIE does a better job.
  

• Implicit Software Solutions Scientific Calculator
  Because I am mathematically impaired. And, again, the built-in "equivalent" that comes with PocketPC ... lacks.
  

• Developer One Agenda Fusion
  Yes, PocketPC comes with built-in tools like Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and so forth. Ho hum. Anywhere from lacking to useless in practical day-to-day usage. Agenda Fusion to the rescue. (But as robust as Fusion's "digital assistant" features are, I still never seem to actually USE them; not only do I forget birthdays, but I also forget to ENTER them into something that might remember them for me...)
  

• Smalltime for PocketPC
  Ready, set, ... go!
  

• Aidem Pocket Painter
  Think of it like a mini-Photoshop. Very handy.
  

• PocketNester
  Nothing like diving into few 8-bit Nintendo classics every now and then.
  

• PocketSNES
  Just in case I get tired of my NES games, there's always Super Nintendo...
  

• PocketGBA
  Yes, even GameBoy Advance games. They were already designed for "on the go", so they are perfect for a Pocket PC :)
  

• PocketGnuboy
  When simplicity in gaming is required...
  

• Pocket Commodore 64
  I grew up with, ... no, I was weened on the Commodore 64. (See here and/or here for more...) So of course, if I could carry one around with me, I would!
  

• PocketSID
  More Commodore. Its nice to play SID music when the MP3s get old.

• PocketConsole
  For whatever reason, Microsoft decided not to include a native console interface to the PocketPC operating system. Shame on them. PocketConsole is such a console -- it is not a "DOS emulator". (See below for one of those.) This is like a "cmd" (WinNT) or "command"(Win9x) session on a Windows PC. Thus, things like ipconfig, telnet sessions, net tools and other command-line favorites are possible. (Not to mention good-old, "DIR", "COPY", and so on.)
  

• PocketDOS
  This isn't a console for the PocketPC (see above for that). This is a 286/386 machine emulator that, by default, happens to be running a flavor of DOS inside. (Yes, you can also install "alternative" 286/386-compliant operating systems with some measure of success) Thus, a sandbox for running older x86 software systems on the PocketPC.
  

• TextMaker for PocketPC
  PocketWord cuts most day-to-day note-taking/reviewing tasks. But it's really not equipped to deal with "real" Word docs. It just isn't. TextMaker to the rescue. You'd be surprised what this thing can do. It is as close to a "real" Word on the PocketPC as it can get.
  

• PlanMaker for PocketPC
  Everything I said above about "Pocket Word" and "Word" applies here, only for "Pocket Excel" and "Excel". Very handy program.
  

• Logical Sky CEdit
  The ability to edit source code on the handheld is a beautiful thing. Combine this with a "real" keyboard for the PocketPC, and its heaven for scenarios where a laptop would be forbidden.
  

• Nyditot Virtual Display
  For those times when 240x320 doesn't cut it.
  

• TranCreative WordBook
  To say that I use this every day is not an exxageration. A dictionary/thesaurus on the go is invaluable.
  

• Pocket RAR
  Sure, Resco Explorer can deal with ZIP, but this thing handles the just as useful (some argue more) RAR format.
  

• AdobeReader for Pocket PC
  Great for reviewing PDFs on the go (in my case, all those RPG books in PDF format).
  

• SOTI Pocket Controller Pro
  Kinda like RDP or VNC for your PocketPC. Eh, that is for the acronym impaired, the ability to use your Windows PC to remote-control the PocketPC.

• Flite
  A crude (but surprisingly effective) text-to-speech synthesis program. Just in case you want your PocketPC to utter creepy computer-voice-speak.
  

Handy Built-In Stuff

• 802.11b WiFi
  Need I say more? Great for mooching a connection outside Starbucks, McDonalds or Panera. And just for lazing around the house. Surf the network or the internet from the couch, dinner table, or deck outside.
  

• Bluetooth
  Can't say I use it for much beyond ActiveSync and Personal Area Networking, but thats value enough out of Bluetooth for me.
  

• Teminal Services Client
  While it is useful to be able to connect a terminal session from your PocketPC to a desktop or server from time to time, it is always a bit frustrating to deal with 800x600 or 1024x768 (or higher!) desktop resolutions scrolled around though 240x320 PocketPC screens...