Todd Ogasawara, manager of MSN's Windows CE Forum, shares his Windows CE "must have" list.
Instead of turning over 300 products to our in-house testing laboratory (Technical Editor Tom Gibson), we decided to do something different. We decided to see what the actual, day-in, day-out users of Handheld PCs like and recommend. These articles are (hopefully) the beginning of a series where handheld PC and Palm-size PC users tell us what they think is truly useful.
Below is the Top 10 list from regular contributor Todd Ogasawara. As this series continues in upcoming issues, we'll see how much users agree on the truly useful software and accessories for PC Companions. What are your top Windows CE products? Email me at rich [at] thaddeus [dot] com and let me know.
-- Rich Hall
If you have used any kind of computer for a while, you've probably found a number of tools (hardware, software, or accessories) that you consider essential. It could be anything from a complex mathematical modeling program to a favorite brand of lint free cloth for cleaning your display screen. Whatever it is, you wouldn't be without it.
The following is my personal Top 10 list of tools for H/PCs. (I hope to have a separate Top 10 list for Palm-size PCs in the near future!) To make this list, the items had to generate a "gee whiz" reaction from me. In addition, it had to be something I found myself either using on a day-to-day basis or having value in unique situations (like the need for a good spare tire when you have a flat).
The list is highly personal and not meant to imply that you should run out to get each one of the items. However, I hope you might find something in the list that might help you in your day-to-day use of your H/PC.
1
eWallet™
$29.95
We live in a world of passwords, PINs, and credit card numbers -- too much for the mortal mind to remember. That's why I have Ilium's eWallet on my H/PC. eWallet is a simple, password-protected card file that lets you keep important, hard-to-remember information secure on your H/PC. It uses a "card" metaphor to represent information, so the information about your Visa card is displayed on the H/PC's screen in the form of a Visa card. Ilium provides a number of pre-defined cards to help you easily organize your information. If none of these meet your specific need, you can use a free-form card to enter almost anything. One side of eWallet's screen displays the card. The other side displays a structured list of the cards you have entered. Tap on the item in that list and its card is displayed. If you have a lot of small bits of information that you need to retrieve in a secure manner, you want to seriously consider eWallet.
Ilium Software
Phone: 888-532-5388
2
ListPro™
$24.95
ListPro does one thing and does it extremely well. It keeps lists! It lets you create almost any kind of list to organize all kinds of information. I use it to create shopping lists, categorize and annotate Web pages that I want to visit, and track stocks that I am interested in buying. You can use ListPro to keep lists of important procedures (say the list of actions you need to take before heading off on a business trip or vacation), repetitive instructions, construction items for a project, and much more. What's more, these lists are with you, on your H/PC, wherever you go. If you keep lists, or want to, you definitely need ListPro.
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