Pocket PC Thoughts: A Classic Just got Better: SPB Pocket Plus 3.1.2

Figure 1: Pocket Plus enables the user to customize and group items on the Today screen.

A Big New Plus
Covering a product like Spb Pocket Plus 3.1.2 offers a special challenge. On the one hand, it has become one of the most popular utilities available for the Pocket PC and, as such, it has a large and long-time following. On the other hand, those new to the world of Pocket PCs may not realize what Pocket Plus is and what it does. So, how does a reviewer enlighten newcomers to all of the features and functions of this program without boring all of those who already know what it does but who simply want to know what’s new? Perhaps the best approach is to give an overview of the product, for those newcomers, the old timers who only want to know what goodies are in the new version can skip ahead to the next page.

In short, Pocket Plus provides an easy approach to customizing your Today screen. It enables a user to quickly switch between applications, allows the user to monitor system resources, and it provides a simple interface that enables the user to change settings, customize views, group Today screen icons for easy access. The user can easily change themes, and it provides support for creating and extracting .ZIP files, enables the device to open multiple instances of Internet Explorer, allows Internet Explorer to be viewed in full screen mode, and finally, it integrates with other Spb applications such as GPRS monitor and Weather.

Overall, Pocket Plus integrates with the operating system so well that it almost feels like a part of the it! I’ve gotten so accustomed to the Pocket Plus Today screen that whenever I get a new Pocket PC or look at a Pocket PC without Pocket Plus installed, it just doesn’t look or feel right. The point being that it’s the sort of program that becomes hard to do without once you’ve had a chance to learn how it works. For all that it was before, now it offers even more features.

If you’re new to the world of Pocket PCs, you will likely find Spb Pocket Plus to be a valuable addition to your device because it packs so many features and enhancements to the operating system and the interface. Whether someone loves Pocket Plus or hates it, it would be hard for anyone to dispute the fact (although I’m sure some will anyway) that it makes customization and navigation of the many settings on a Pocket PC much more user friendly. In many ways Pocket Plus is like a set of tools that provides functions that should have been included with the operating system but weren't.


Figure 2: Pocket Plus supports opening multiple windows in Internet Explorer.

What’s New
Because of the popularity of this program, I feel certain that the main reason a majority of you are reading this review is to try to determine whether you should spring for the $9.95 to upgrade from version 2.5. My answer is, it depends. How’s that for being direct in an indirect way? The one feature that is potentially attractive to everyone, regardless of what you use your Pocket PC for is the Safe Mode feature.

If you’ve ever installed some misbegotten beta software or some application that is not compatible with your device, you know that it can have your Pocket PC screwed up like a $2 watch faster than a bolt of lightning. Really bad or incompatible programs can make it impossible to boot the Pocket PC. I don’t know anyone who enjoys doing a hard reset, but that’s often the only choice there is when the device just won’t boot. Just as Safe Mode for your desktop computer allows you to boot up and remove the offending application, the Safe Mode feature in Pocket Plus 3.1 does the same thing. However, Safe Mode is even more important with a Pocket PC because we obviously don’t have the option of booting from a floppy disk as we do with a desktop PC, and there’s not much a person can do with a Pocket PC that won’t boot.

I will provide an overview of some of the new or modified features included in version 3.1.2, so you can be the judge as to whether upgrading is worth it to you.