This issue of Pocket PC magazine describes many excellent utilities for your device. This column focuses on some of the most popular free utilities. The sidebar on the next page describes great online sources for free and commercial utility programs and other software.
Favorite free utilities
Over the past couple of years Pocket PC users have posted questions in the Pocket PC newsgroup asking how to do things that the Pocket PC wasn't designed to do. The responses often suggest free utilities that add some of these capabilities. Here are some of the most common questions and the best free solutions:
How can I see more than the current day's appointments on my Today screen?
Calendar+ (http://www.mohairsofa.com) is a free program that lets you display multiple days' appointments on the Today screen. You can either specify the number of forthcoming days or the number of forthcoming appointments you wish to see. It also offers multiple ways of displaying the various Calendar fields.
How can I view tasks on the Today screen?
TaskPlus (http://gkokot.free.fr/ipaqp02a.htm#Download) lets you view items from your Tasks list on the Today screen, including start date and due date. You can mark tasks as completed right on the Today screen.
TaskPlus: View enhanced Tasks list on the Today screen.
tAgenda (http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/kohgo/index_en.html) is a Today screen plugin that displays both Tasks and Calendar items on the Today screen. It is not as clearly documented as TaskPlus.
How can I make the "X" button quit an application?
Magic Button (http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx) lets you completely quit an application when you tap the X button, rather than simply minimizing it. In addition, Magic Button adds a useful and unobtrusive task bar.
How can I control everything from any screen?
Icbar (http://www.ictinus.com/icbar) is one of the more popular utilities for managing running applications. It replaces the "navigation bar" that appears on the top of the screen with one that can be customized. This gives you more control over running and closing applications, and accessing system information. It defines a number of icons that you can use to provide both standard taskbar functions, such as Start menu access, and a wide range of new functions that make it easier to manage and navigate your device.
Icbar replaces the top navigation bar with a more customizable version.
How can I see folder trees on my Pocket PC?
GSFinder+ (http://www.geocities.jp/todamitsu2004/GSFinderE.htm) is an alternative to the built-in File Explorer and includes features such as folder trees, drag and drop, extension viewing, file search capabilities, and many more. This application competes with the popular (and free) Total Commander, though some users report that some features in GSFinder+ are more advanced.
How can I manipulate file extensions on my Pocket PC?
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