Not having Flash installed in your browser is rather like not having an aerial attached to your TV. So many sites these days utlilize the Adobe technology to offer graphical-rich interactive content, and it would be a shame to miss out on this.

Adobe Flash Player for Pocket PC is essentially an Internet Explorer plug-in that plays SWF files when you load them in your browser. As a result, you'll have access to a whole lot more content on the Web.

Adobe Flash Player is very easy to set up on your PDA. You just download the .cab file either directly to your device or sync it via ActiveSync. Once you've run the installer Flash Player will automatically be operational when you start Internet Explorer.

Unfortunately this version of Adobe Flash Player 7 doesn't support all content created in the very latest version of the authoring tool.

Nevertheless, Adobe Flash Player is still an essential addition to your Windows Mobile device.

Download Adobe Flash Player 7.0 in Softonic

Portable video is fast becoming the most popular secondary use for Pocket PCs, so making sure you have the right media player is now a priority for many Windows Mobile device owners. TCPMP is easy to use, very stable and loaded with a variety of features. TCPMP's main screen is reminiscent of similar programs on your desktop computer, with options to change aspect ratio, zoom and volume as well as more advanced controls such as video speed (10% - 200%), video driver, audio preamp and more.

One issue with playing video files on a Pocket PC, irrespective of which program you use to play them, is that there will be some lag or jumps from time to time. TCPMP's settings help you with this, allowing you to play around with different levels of quality and performance to help you guarantee the best possible multimedia experience. TCPMP is certainly a lot more customizable than most other Pocket PC video apps.

TCPMP is a free, open source multimedia player which we'd recommend to anyone who wants to watch video on their Pocket PC. That said, if portable video is your heart's desire, it would definitely be worth investing in a device built specifically for video playback which will provide much better overall quality.

Download TCPMP 0.72 RC1 with Softonic Toolbar in Softonic

What's different about UC Browser?

UC Browser is designed to make mobile Web access quicker and more convenient. It's a pretty lightweight application that manages to cram in a number of interesting features without slowing down your browsing experience too much.

Viewing WAP and web sites in UC Browser is a painless experience thanks to its multiple tabs, which allow you to have several pages loaded at once in much the same way as Firefox does. You can flick between the pages simply by tapping tabs, or by using the window icon at the bottom to pull up a pop-up screen listing the tabs you have open.

UC Browser gives you a lot of control over page layout, too. You can choose to view pages in full screen, tweak the font size, zoom images, and tweak image quality.

What tools are in UC Browser?

UC Browser has a number of interesting tools that you don't normally see in a mobile Web browser, such as an integrated download manager, built-in clipboard for simple copy and paste, and a start page with a number of preset links to a range of categorized web sites. Of course, there's full support for bookmarks too.

There's a simple, yet effective search tool within UC Browser that facilitates quick searching through Google, Bing or Yahoo!, allowing you to choose which search engine the browser uses.

Fast browsing technology

UC Browser is a proxy-based browser, which re-renders and compresses page data on a server before sending it to the client (in much the same as Opera Mini and Skyfire do). This makes it exceptionally quick at loading pages. Unfortunately, it seems that image rendering is sacrificed somewhat in this process, and often you'll find that images won't display properly, which can get annoying.

Overall though, UC Browser makes for a quick and easy way to explore the riches of the Web from your PDA.

Download UC Browser 7.6.1.82 in Softonic

Now the wriggly rascals come to your Pocket PC in the shape of Worms World party. For the benefit of anyone who hasn't played Worms before, your mission is to control an army of worms in a battle for global domination against other tribes. To do this you have an arsenal of weird and wonderful weapons which you must select with great care in order to outwit your opponent.

Graphically, Worms World Party is very impressive. The characters are cute, the backgrounds are crisp and clear and the voices and sound effects are laugh-out-loud funny. The one thing that lets this PDA version of Worms World Party down over the original is the fact you have to scroll the battlefield a lot working out what's going on. Obviously this needs to be the case with such a small screen size, but nevertheless it does become a little frustrating that you can't see everything on screen at once.

There's plenty in Worms World Party to keep you coming back for more. There are different game modes (vs computer, deathmatch and multiplayer) and you can customize lots of elements of the game, such as controls, time limits, weapons, etc. Best of all, because of the infinite landscape generation in Worms World Party, you'll never play in the same place twice!

Worms World Party is a true classic and it's great to see it ported on the Pocket PC so well.

Download Worms World Party 1.0.4d in Softonic

This mobile version of the Skype VOIP client also lets you call phones with Skype credits, as well as allowing you to receive calls on your online number, send instant messages, share files, and more.

Using Skype on your phone is dead easy. Once launched, the program gives you all sorts of warnings to notify you that it will be using your mobile Internet connection. Then it's just a case of signing in with your regular Skype account details to get started.

Your contacts will all be imported and displayed in the main window, along with details of their statuses. To call a person, just tap on their name and hit the phone icon. The call quality in our tests was excellent, and as long as your connection is stable you shouldn't experience any drop outs.

Instant messaging features

The IM feature in Skype for Windows Mobile is easy to use and includes a range of emoticons, templates for one-click replies, file sharing, and the ability to add other participants to the conversation. We did note a few lags in the time between the messages being typed and arriving at their destination.

Skype keeps a record of all your text conversations, as well as logging your call history, voicemails, and files exchanged. You can view this information at any time just by clicking the 'History' button from the well-organized main menu.

Skype settings

There are a few settings you can tinker around with that help you personalize your Skype experience. For instance, you can choose to enable or disable the Mood message prompt, forward calls to another number, and block calls from people you don’t trust.

If you're expecting a fully-fledged version of Skype that has all the features of the PC or Mac version of the program then you'll be a little disappointed. There's no video conferencing or games, for example, and there are no tools for organizing your contacts into categories.

Sadly, Skype is no longer officially supported for Windows Mobile and the developer says it has no plans to release more updates for Windows phones in the future. However, you can still download the app from Softonic and use it for free.

It’s worth trying, because Skype for Windows Mobile offers everything you'd expect from a mobile version of the great VOIP app - it's easy to use, it's fun, and it's free!

Download Skype for Pocket PC 3.0.0.256 Beta in Softonic

It isn't the most rock'n'roll package to install on your Pocket PC or Smartphone, but Microsoft .NET Compact Framework will unlock your device's capabilities to run the more interesting and demanding programs and games on the market.

While not exactly a mandatory install for Windows Mobile device owners, Microsoft .NET Compact Framework is strongly recommended for all users looking to get the most out of their device by trying out the full range of software available.

Recommended download for all Windows Mobile device owners.

Download Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5 in Softonic

If you own a Windows Mobile device then the chances are you've used ActiveSync to connect your PC to your mobile before. If you haven't then it's about time you did.

Once you've got ActiveSync installed on your device, you'll need to dock your phone either using the cradle or remotely to connect. Running the program should (although not always) detect your device and you'll be connected automatically. An extra icon will then appear in Windows Explorer My Computer that gives you access to all the files on your computer.

ActiveSync can also be used to share contacts between your mobile and PC using Outlook. It supports synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, so you can keep your contact information updated wirelessly if you're away.

ActiveSync should be regarded as an essential download for Pocket PC and Smartphone users.

Download ActiveSync 4.2 in Softonic

Windows Phone 7 is designed to look and feel much better than existing devices, and from. One of the features of the new OS will be a completely redesigned user interface in keeping with the dark and futuristic visuals of Windows 7.

The Windows Mobile 7 Theme for devices running the current Windows Mobile OS is designed to make your screen look and feel like WM7. In reality, though it bears little resemblance to the new operating system, probably because the Windows Mobile 7 Theme was designed before Windows Phone 7 was announced (hence, the name isn't even the same!)

The Windows Mobile 7 Theme doesn't change your device much at all, merely adding a darker Today screen background. Although they're included a transparent Start menu, there's little else to excite in here, as all the other menus, command bars and nav bars remain unaltered.

The Windows Mobile 7 Theme furnishes you with a pretty stylish background image, but it is far from a carbon copy of the new Windows Phone 7 Series.

Download Windows Mobile 7 Theme in Softonic

When I was a boy, the only way of getting in touch with someone was to phone them up, write them a letter, or go to their house. These days though, there are countless different new ways to communicate thanks to email, instant messaging, VoIP, social networks, and the like.

This is great, but it does pose problems in that it's often difficult to work out the best way to reach someone. You might have separate buddy lists for Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo!, MSN, and Facebook, and constantly logging in, launching apps and finding your online pals can be a real chore. fring is designed to change all that, providing you with a single platform, based on your mobile, where all of your online friends are available in one place.

fring supports most of the major chat services including Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo!, and AIM. You can also use the program to check Facebook updates, view Twitter feeds, and even listen to music with friends on Last.fm.

fring is simple to install and set up. Once you've registered for a fring account you can import your online contacts very easily. You just go to the 'Add-ons' section, click a service you want to access (e.g. Skype, Yahoo!) and sign in using your normal log-in for that account. The contacts are automatically pulled into fring and displayed in the main window, and you can quickly view who is online and who isn't.

Not only can you chat via instant messages but fring also lets you make cheap or free calls to your buddies via SkypeOut/SkypeIn. This means you can ring people from your phone's contacts locally or internationally, at vastly reduced rates. Of course, you'll need to be in a WiFi hotspot for this to be of any benefit but thankfully, fring comes with a tool for automatically logging you into your favorite hotspots.

There are a few extra chat features of note within fring, such as file transfer and a history view. However, its functionality is still vastly inferior to what you'd expect from most of the chat services themselves. For instance, there are no emoticons, games, video conferencing, etc.

Overall though, fring makes for a great way to manage all of your contacts on all of your networks from one, easy-to-use application.

Download fring 3.40 Beta in Softonic

The dream of being able to watch the latest movies on the bus has now become a reality thanks to advancements in mobile technology. As you probably know, DivX is one of the most popular digital video formats at the moment and, DivX Player Mobile lets you enjoy these movies wherever you go, on your phone.

DivX Player Mobile lets you watch DivX, AVI or MPEG movies in the player window or in full-screen mode. Control elements such as Play, Pause, Stop, Fast Forward and Rewind, as well as the volume can be controlled easily via buttons or the stylus. The app can automatically scan your internal memory or expansion cards for compatible films.

DivX Player Mobile is great for organizing your media, sorting files by name, file size, duration, and date last seen. There are plenty of settings too, letting you tweak stuff like the brightness, contrast, color saturation and allows you to play around with the soundtracks.

DivX Player Mobile proved very reliable in our tests and represents a great way to transform your Pocket PC into a portable cinema.

Download DivX Player Mobile 0.94 in Softonic

If you don't know what Google Maps is by now then you've either been on a different planet or you've been getting very lost on this one.

Google Maps has been transforming the way I, for one, find my way round strange cities or locate great bars and restaurants. One of the problems though is that I have needed a PC to use it, which is not so good when I'm walking down roads I don't recognize. Well problem solved, or so it seems. Because now Google Maps is accessible by PDA.

Key features of Google Maps

This version lets you do all the things you should be used to and unable to live without by now. You can locate streets, companies and other points of interest like hotels and restaurants; fly round the world viewing satellite imagery from every country on Earth with some incredible footage of different landscapes and wild animals.

More usefully, Google Maps is one of the best route finders available allowing you to generate directions from any two points on the globe. It uses your GPS data to plot where you are on a map, effectively making Google Maps a satellite navigation system. What's more, if you flick on Street View from the Layers< menu, you'll be able to confirm that you're on the right track.

Connecting with the planet

Google Maps is now loaded with features to help you connect with people around you. Its Latitude service allows you to track the position of your friends anywhere on the planet (and vice versa). You simply need to create a Google profile then load in your contacts. Google Maps for mobile then displays their locations on the map, making it easier to hook up (or avoid them!) if they are near you.

New for version 4 of Google Maps is support for Buzz. This location-aware service allows you to spread the word to people around you about what you're doing, or about what you think of a certain place. Simply tap on a location and you have the option to type something about that place. Enable the Buzz layer from the options menu and you'll be able to see what people around you are saying.

Google Maps for mobile is one of those essential applications that significantly enhances the usefulness of your Pocket PC.

Download Google Maps 4.1.1 in Softonic

The program offers a simple user interface and the different sections like News, Sports, Stock Prices and Weather are divided in tabs at the bottom of the screen.
The messaging client in Yahoo! Messenger for Pocket PC has all the Yahoo! emoticons and you can start chatting right away by using the keyboard in the Pocket PC touch screen.

Compared to other IM applications for Windows Mobile, we expected Yahoo!
Messenger for Pocket PC to be a bit better equipped. The preferences menu only allows you to configure the connection settings and lets you choose from only four different sound alerts.
Your contact list can be updated but you can only change the name and nickname given to your friends.
Yahoo! Messenger for Pocket PC has the bare necessities to get you started chatting on your Pocket PC.
Thanks to its tabbed interface you’ll be able to follow up the news on the fly.
However, it lacks the advanced features and extended customization to fight off competition of excellent alternatives like Yahoo! Messenger for Pocket PC 1.0 in Softonic

Winamp has always been one of my favorite music players for Windows, and I still maintain that it is better than the bloated monster that is iTunes. If you too are a fan of the player then you may wish to download WinamPAQ for your Pocket PC. The application lets you play MP3s and other audio tracks (but not videos) on your device.

WinamPAQ's oh-so familiar interface consists of the player control window, EQ and playlist editor, all stacked on top of each other. If you want though you can choose to hide any (or all) if these windows to make space on your screen.

Tiny dancer

One of the traditional complaints from anti-Winamp users is that the user interface is too small and fiddly, and this is only exacerbated in WinamPAQ by the size restrictions of the Pocket PC display. Touchscreen users can forget being able to quickly use the volume control, EQ sliders and many other functions simply because the buttons are too tiny.

Luckily, there is a Scale feature in WinamPAQ that lets you zoom in by up to 200 percent, although if you do this you'll have to scroll around the interface rather than viewing it all at once. Another way around the problem could be to take advantage of the programmable hardware button support afford by WinamPAQ, which lets you assign common controls (Play, Pause, Back, Forward, Open, etc.) to individual keys on your PPC.

Audio features

Like its Windows-based relation, WinamPAQ manages to pack in lots of cool MP3 playing features inside. You can repeat tracks, shuffle them, organize them into playlists and manipulating playback sound all through the main interface. The Preferences menu lets you make further customizations to the player, though sadly this version of the program only comes with one skin.

Die-hard Winamp fans will enjoy using WinamPAQ for sure, while others will probably get frustrated by the overly intricate interface.

Download WinamPAQ 1.0 in Softonic

For me, the Windows Mobile user interface has always been poor. It's not particularly touch-friendly, it feels very rigid and above all, it's ugly.

SPB Mobile Shell rights the wrongs in the Pocket PC's front end - then adds new functionality on top of this. The application is essentially a new skin for your Windows Mobile OS, and this latest version of SPB Mobile Shell lets you apply all manner of new tools and features too.

SPB Mobile Shell comes with a completely customizable new Today screen. Not only can you change the background image, but you can alter the items that appear on this screen, such as weather, contacts, missed calls, battery status, etc. Each of these elements comes with its own stylish icon, and you can change the size of the icons and reposition them using SPB Mobile Shell's intuitive layout editor. You can have two default layouts that you can switch between with ease.

Quicker app switching

The 'Launcher' in SPB Mobile Shell offers a more user-friendly way of accessing your apps, documents and settings. It displays your Favorites at the top, then shows Recently Used items underneath in an easily scrollable view. Again, all of this can be customized. SPB Mobile Shell comes with a Coverflow-style task switcher that lets you flick between apps with the flick of a finger.

The Contacts section in SPB Mobile Shell also improves upon what you get by default in Windows Mobile 5 and 6. You can browse contacts via picture thumbnails, and the contact dialer includes more options such as shortcut buttons for SMS, email and other phone numbers.

Fun with widgets

Version 3.5 of SPB Mobile Shell adds a number of cool new 'widgets' to the program, giving you faster access to your social networks. For instance, you can connect with Facebook to make status updates and post tweets onto Twitter without leaving your Today screen. There's also a powerful Tasks widget for keeping on top of everything in your agenda. The widgets in SPB Mobile Shell are so addictive that you'll wish there were even more of them available to download.

SPB Mobile Shell is such a powerful tool that you could almost label it as 'essential' given the enhancements it makes to the Windows Mobile operating system.

Download SPB Mobile Shell 3.5.5 in Softonic

Age of Empires Gold turns out to be a pretty faithful mobile recreation of an immense game, recapturing the magic of the original. The graphics may be really small but they're also wonderfully detailed. The animation is smooth and the noises and sound effects only serve to heighten the overall experience.

The full version of Age of Empires Gold is immense, offering 8 campaigns and 24 scenarios, along with the choice of death matches and random maps. The trial only contains a timed battle game, but still makes for a good half an hour of strategic fun.

Controlling the action in this version of Age of Empires can be a little fiddly at first due to the small size of the characters and the level of detail in the playing area. The toolbars are pretty difficult to figure out too. However, once you've mastered the basics of Age of Empires Gold, you'll find yourself whizzing round the screen, building houses, spearing animals and clubbing your enemies to death with the greatest of ease.

Age of Empires Gold Edition is a great mobile port of a truly epic strategy game.

Download Age of Empires Gold Edition 1.25 in Softonic

The iPhone slide-to-unlock feature has set new standards in phone-blocking, and has left the Windows Mobile locking function looking very antiquated.

S2U2 kicks in when your phone is idle and displays a screensaver that looks remarkably like the one on the famous Apple device. This features a clock, battery indicator and the famous slide bar itself, which you just need to hold and drag to unlock your device. If you like, you can apply password-protection in S2U2, meaning that a code is needed to access the device once the slider has been swiped.

S2U2 does a lot more than just add phone locking though. In fact, the myriad of features inside its iPhone-themed Settings menu can be pretty daunting at first. You can tweak various aspects of the display such as the time and date formats, clock fonts, items to display, etc.

You can also use S2U2 to apply wallpapers, add MP3 sounds, configure alarms, and much more. Actually, the application is now almost as useful as the Today screen itself.

Install S2U2 if you want a more modern and user-friendly way of locking your Pocket PC.

Download S2U2 2.43 in Softonic