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

iDialer is designed to replace your number pad with a more modern looking, iPhone-style skin. Thanks to the large buttons and clear design of the interface, the application is very finger-friendly, improving the speed in which you can tap phone numbers in.

iDialer includes a few basic telephone functions, such as contacts, a start call button, and call history. These are all easily accessible from a menu underneath the number pad. You can even skin this menu, although this involves a lot of faffing around with the settings.ini file, so it's not recommended for inexperienced users.

The main problem I have with iDialer is that it doesn't really add any new functionality to Windows Mobile. Sure, you get a nice iPhone-type keypad, but it's really just a shell whose appearance doesn't extend anywhere else, such as your Contacts, for instance.

If you're desperate to make your Pocket PC look like an iPhone then iDialer might be worth a look, but don't expect any revolutionary changes to the way you make calls.

Download iDialer 0.54 in Softonic

I think we'd all agree that the default Windows Mobile contacts book is a little primitive compared with those you'll see on other mobile platforms.

That's why it's a good idea to install a third party address book application onto your Pocket PC as soon as you get it out of the box. Inesoft proves to be one of the best options you'll encounter, offering a wonderful environment for storing and managing your contacts.

The sheer depth of this software is difficult to convey in a short review, but needless to say this is a very powerful utility. When you launch Inesoft Address Book you're presented with a gorgeous user interface comprising of an ABC keypad with quick access to contacts via a T9 system. Alternatively, there's a small search bar at the top, or you can view contacts by category. There's a colourful menu bar with History, Dialer and Favorites options.

You could probably spend all day exploring the program's menus, and it boasts settings for contact-specific ringtones, filtering options, beaming contacts, making appointments, and much more. What's more, the New Contact option lets you enter all manner of information about a person such as their email address, IM details, multiple phone numbers and family details.

If you want a comprehensive contacts manager for your Pocket PC you'll be hard-pressed to find anything better than Inesoft Address Book.

Download Inesoft Address Book 4.5 in Softonic

If you still hold fond memories of those old-fashioned dial phones, then you may want to install Old Phone on your Pocket PC.

Old Phone replaces the default Windows Mobile phone component, adding a real dialing disc in the style of those telephones. You can then 'dial' your number using Old Phone simply by clicking on the number on the display. The dialer will then spin around and the digit you entered will be displayed at the top.

There are a few options in Old Phone that you can tinker around with, such as the ability to toggle between a normal call and a hands-free one, switch back after a set number of seconds, and enable or disable the dialing sound effect (which is very realistic, incidentally).

Old Phone is great fun to play around with for a while, although after a while you get a bit annoyed by its slowness. It can take a couple of seconds for each number dial to animate, so I wouldn't recommend it for making emergency calls!

Ultimately Old Phone is a bit gimmicky, but it makes for an interesting customization for retro fans.

Download Old Phone 1.2 in Softonic

I find the Windows Mobile touchscreen dialer just about adequate for my finger size, but if I were to eat a couple more hamburgers a week I'm sure I would struggle to hit the right keys.

Although the colors used and the overall shape of the interface is similar, the keys are a great deal larger, so even those with chubbier fingers won't have a problem hitting the right ones.

In fact, you only get the numeric keys and the call start and end buttons.

Download Full screen dialer 0.21 in Softonic

Having heard lots of juicy gossip and seen pictures of the new Windows Mobile 7 OS, I'm itching to have a play with it. Unfortunately for me (and everyone else) it's not due out until 2009. Until then, why not give your OS an overhaul by revamping the interface?

Poorlyduck's Vista Suit allows you to skin your Windows Mobile operating system to make it look like its bigger brother, Vista. The customisations come in the form of a Zip file with a series of folders that contain new skins for different areas of the OS. The enhancements include a Vista Action screen, Commanger, Calculator, Audio manager, Cube, Today theme, and more.

Installing everything onto your device takes a while and is a little complicated because you need to make sure that the files and folders are copied into the correct directories in Windows Mobile. There are text files with instructions inside each of the enhancement folders though, and the details are pretty clear.

Once you've got everything installed at setup the new skins are pretty impressive and while they don't replicate Vista exactly, they certainly provide a flavour of the latest Windows desktop OS. Particular favourites of mine are the dialer, which adorns your on-screen keypad with shiny Vistaness; the Vista Audio Manager, which makes it much easier to organise your music; and the gorgeous Windows Media Player skin.

If you've got the patience and know-how to configure it, Poorlyduck Vista Suit is the perfect way to make your Pocket PC look like a new desktop PC!

Download Poorlyduck Vista Suit in Softonic

VITO VoiceDialer is voice recognition and dialing software for your Pocket PC. Choosing the contacts to dial manually from the address book is slow, boring and even dangerous if you drive. With VoiceDialer, you can just pronounce a name without pressing anything! Voice dialing is the only thing, which your Pocket PC doesn't have yet. While it has already become a standard for every phone to have a voice dialing system, Pocket PC's generally miss this option. VITO VoiceDialer fills this gap. VoiceDialer uses voice commands that you record by yourself, thus it understands any language, even your dog's barking! Your dog can finally call you, isn't it great?

Main features:

• Commands can be assigned to certain phone numbers from Contacts database
• Based on Voice Recognition Engine originally developed by VITO Technology
• Provides precise and accurate voice recognition even in poor conditions
• Voice tags can be backed up and restored
• You can hear the name of the caller
• Support of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

VITO VoiceDialer is compatible with all versions and editions of Windows Mobile. If you have a Phone Edition device (for example iMate, XDA and MDA series, Qtek), VITO VoiceDialer will use the integrated dialer; if you have a general Pocket PC, VITO VoiceDialer will establish a Bluetooth, infrared or cable connection with your cellphone.

Download Vito VoiceDialer 4.05 in Softonic

The Contact Manager allows you to view and manage your contacts in a new design. You can all 49 outlook fields switch on/off. Include your personal pictures for every person.

Program features include:

• Based on original outlook data
• Filtering privat or business
• All fields editable in the grid
• View/Switch on/off your personally fields
• Include your personally pictures
• View for 3 seconds
• Calender for birthdays and anniversaries
• Move and setting column width
• Add new, edit, delete contacts
• Create new task (in Palm OS feeling)
• Export: per Infrared and as vCard
• Import: Receive Contact per IR
• Automatcally refresh if change count of contacts
• Call number per IR (mobile phone) and DTMF (normal phone)
• Calculate and output birthdays for the next 30 days
• Filtering: Birthdays or any strings
• Search in all records and fields
• Settings: Phone setting, field view
• Save last record, save filter string
• Exit
• Exit Windows in XP look and feel

A well designed contacts manager for your Pocket PC.

Download Contact Dialer 2003 4.2c in Softonic