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

Step forward ZoomBoard, an application designed to make entering text on the Windows Mobile touchscreen a pleasure rather than a hassle. The software provides you with a choice of two new keyboard skins designed to facilitate quicker, more accurate typing.

It does this by offering three different types of keyboard zooms that enlarge the part of the keyboard that you're moving over. The zooms on offer are: Full, which simply zooms the whole part of the keyboard as you move over it; Glass, which pops up a semi-transparent window in the center of the screen displaying a close-up of the area of the keyboard you're over; and Float, which is like Glass only it floats just over the keyboard area. Of the three, I found Full the easiest to use because it doesn't intrude on other areas of the screen you may wish to see, and it make it easier to hit the keys immediately around the one you're currently hovering over.

There are plenty of settings and options you can tinker with in ZoomBoard including support for 'Smart Zooming', along with support for a huge range of different keyboard layouts, which can be selected using a scrollable menu interface (annoyingly though you have to scroll right to the bottom to exit this menu).

If you regularly have difficulty typing on your Pocket PC, ZoomBoard provides a genuinely more intuitive way of entering text.

Download ZoomBoard 2.04 in Softonic

Browsing files on your Windows Mobile device can be a tortuous process at times. If you're fed up with the cumbersome default file explorer then it's well worth checking out X-plore.

Rather than leaving the main list view when you want to explore the contents of a folder, X-plore uses '+' and '-' icons that reveal or hide the folder contents without hiding the contents of the rest of the directory. The display is highly customizable too - you can change the font size and color scheme, choose how to sort files, show hidden files, and more.

What can it do?

X-plore lets you perform all the tasks you'd expect from a file manager, such as copying, renaming, deleting, editing, etc. It goes further than most though, facilitating extraction of compressed archives, file exploration within messaging folders, and powerful and reliable search. There's even a task manager that lets you view your running processes.

One of the strong points of X-plore is its previewing capabilities. It comes with an audio and video player, and although these are both rudimentary they offer a simple way to quickly check the contents of a multimedia file. X-plore also supports viewing of Word documents and comes with a built-in Hex viewer and editor.

All in all, X-plore represents a comprehensive, yet manageable explorer, which will improve the way you handle files on your device.

Download X-plore 1.52 in Softonic

As you're most likely aware, a huge number of problems with your Windows desktop machine can be fixed via changes to the registry. Similarly, the registry may well need 'cleaning or at least some sort of inspection from time to time as a way of making sure it doesn’t contain redundant or malicious entries. The same applies to your Windows Mobile device, which is where Mobile Registry Editor comes in.

Mobile Registry Editor allows you to explore the complete registry database, make changes and add or delete keys as required. Its interface is pretty much identical to that of RegEdit, with just the addition of some minor extra features, ‘favorites’ being the most useful.

While Mobile Registry Editor doesn’t contain any automated tools (such as ‘clean registry’ for example), it is still a potentially very useful utility for advanced users. It should be stressed, however, that less experienced users should exercise caution using tools of this type – both on their desktop computers and Windows Mobile devices – to avoid causing damage to their operating system.

In all, Mobile Registry Editor is a simple and well designed tool for managing your Pocket PC’s registry, but it is not recommended to beginner-level users.

Download Mobile Registry Editor 1.11 in Softonic

WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z archives.

WinRAR is easier to use than many other archivers with the inclusion of a special "Wizard" mode which allows instant access to the basic archiving functions through a simple question and answer procedure. This avoids confusion in the early stages of use.

A powerful, easy to use compression tool with great inter-compatibility.

Download Pocket RAR 3.93 in Softonic

HTC Task Manager is the mobile equivalent of the Ctrl, Alt and Delete magic keyboard combo which gives you complete mobile authority.

So whatever problem you might have or if your mobile is running suspiciously slowly all you need is HTC Task Manager to ease your worries. One word of warning, you can set the manager so that it requires more than one click on the X to close windows.

Download HTC Task Manager 2.0 in Softonic

Another useful feature in Call Firewall is the ability to create a 'white list', where only calls from people you actually want to speak to can get through.
The free software can be set to send an SMS to people who can't get through, demanding them to register to be added to your white list.
You should note that Call Firewall is also available for Pocket PC devices.
Call Firewall performed very well in our tests, and effectively blocks out any type of unwanted calls, which could ultimately save you lots of work, money or embarrassment!

Download Call Firewall 1.4 in Softonic

HTC Zip is designed to help you handle these kind of files on your mobile device, making it easier to compress and uncompress archives.

It also contains a powerful built-in search facility to help you pinpoint the files you wish to manage.

Uncompressing files is just as easy and is simply a matter of clicking on the file and selecting the option to open it.