I love the fact that I can browse web pages on my Pocket PC. However, being the intellectual fellow I am, I often like to read long scientific journal entries or pore over long-winded reports and lectures about modern technology. This causes a problem, in that it takes a long time to read them online and I don't want to stay connected too long. Of course, I could download and save the page, but this then puts a burden on my device's memory.

Step forward iSilo, a sophisticated reader for viewing HTML documents and text files on your Pocket PC. The best thing about the software is that it uses a little trick to make these files as small as possible, saving you space on your device. With the help of its sister-Windows application iSiloX, the program converts documents originally saved as Web pages or text documents into TXT format.

As a pay off for the mighty compression rates offered by iSilo, you unfortunately lose some links in the conversion process. Some graphic formats aren't displayed properly when converted, but fonts and tables remain largely unaltered.

Aside from a few niggly display problems though, iSilo represents a great way of compressing HTML and text documents for viewing on your mobile device.

Download iSilo 6.04 in Softonic

With society pushing us to be online and available in our every waking moment, it is hardly surprising that there are a plethora of instant messaging programs available for PDAs and mobile phones. IM+ offers connection to a wide range of networks without becoming too bloated or over-complex. The first thing we noticed after installing IM+ was the simplicity of its user interface. As soon as the program opens, you can get to work configuring your accounts. IM+ lets you access the popular MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, AOL (AIM), Jabber and Google Talk networks, meaning that whoever you need to stay in touch with, IM+ will be able to help you out.

On Windows applications featuring such a range of connectivity, it’s normal to see a complex list of options when the configuration process starts. IM+ simplifies the process of setting up your accounts, and beyond message alerts, contains practically no options to configure. This may put off more advanced users who enjoy tinkering with their accounts but we thought it was a good move on the part of Shape Services (IM+’s creators). The only problem we noticed when setting up our account details was that the ‘backspace’ key on our device’s touch screen keyboard didn’t work. This is of course a small issue, but it slowed us down when we made a mistake.

The contact list display (or ‘Roster’) in IM+ should be immediately recognisable to anyone who’s used an instant messenger service before. Giving you the choice of whether to view all your contacts or just those online, IM+ also sorts your contacts by groups if requested. Selecting an online contact immediately initiates a chat with them, while the holding your stylus on the contact will provide some limited options referring to that contact, such as ‘rename’, ‘delete’ and ‘info’. We were disappointed that ‘info’ didn’t try to display a contact’s full profile rather than just their email address. We thought that a more full extract of the contact’s online profile would have been useful, at least including their birthday, homepage and interests.

Entering the text for sending messages was simple enough. As usual, we found the Transcriber feature to be the easiest and most accurate method of text entry, but this is very much a matter of personal preference for the individual user. IM+ also allows you to copy and paste text from other applications into your chat window; particularly useful if you’re using the program to collaborate on a work project, or even just to send your friend a link. IM+ also supports the most popular emoticons for instant messaging, for those times when words just can’t convey your feelings.

Up against some stiff competition, IM+ is an excellent chat program for your Pocket PC. While it has a couple of small issues and omissions, it is easy to use, relatively small and very stable. In other words, an excellent way of staying in contact even when you’ve got a good excuse not to!

Download IM+ (IMPlus) 8.0.1 in Softonic

SPB Time provides you with the World clocks, timers, alarms, stopwatches, calendars and moon phases, all from one handy interface. Oh, and it gives you the current time as well!

The skinable user interface in SPB Time is very slick. The way you can swipe between different clock faces, and the inclusion of a slide-up main menu gives the program an elegant feel. Unfortunately, there are only two default skins included in SPB Time and if you want more you have to download them.

Whether you're setting multiple alarms, counting down from a specific time, or timing something on the stopwatch, everything you do in SPB Time is very clear and straightforward, thanks to large finger-friendly buttons and good use of icons.

We were particularly impressed with the World Time feature. This allows you to add multiple locations around the planet from a massive selection of cities. Once you've configured your shortlist of cities, SPB Time plays an animation of the globe, honing in the different places in turn to tell you what the time is there. For each place you can also view information about daylight savings, and sunrise and sunset times.

I was a bit disappointed that the Calendar section doesn't allow you to add tasks and appointments. It seems it's only for checking the days that certain dates fall on, and you can't even set alarms for a certain date from this menu.

Overall though, SPB Time is one of the most complete and easy-to-use clock apps you'll find for Windows Mobile.

Download SPB Time 3.4.0 in Softonic

The superb user interface in PockeTwit maximizes screen space by having one main screen dedicated to latest tweets, then separate menus that slide out from the left and right by swiping your finger.

The left-hand menu in PockeTwit is used for global tools such as posting updates, viewing messages, and changing settings. The menu on the right side is more contextual, relating to the user whose tweet your are viewing. Here you can quickly perform actions such as retweeting, quoting, emailing their status, viewing their timeline or adding to your favorites.

There are plenty of interesting features within PockeTwit, such as the ability to organize your Twitter contacts into groups. This is great if you follow a lot of people, because it allows you to categorize them, making them easier to view.

Other neat features of PockeTwit include support for multiple Twitter accounts, URL shortening and automated uploading of images from your device to services such as TwitPic and yfrog. Overall, this makes PockTwit a more powerful alternative to Tiny Twitter.

Our only small gripe with PockeTwit is that it's easy to hit the wrong option by mistake, because of the fact you have to hold down on the menu to drag the timeline back across. A couple of times we even ended up unfollowing people on PockeTwit because the screen got stuck while we were dragging across with the 'Unfollow' button inadvertently pressed down.

Overall though, PockeTwit is an impressive free Windows Mobile Twitter application, which acts the perfect hub for Twitter activity on your Pocket PC.

Download PockeTwit 0.86 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

So you're curious about trying Android but are reluctant to let go of your faithful Windows Mobile device? Install Androkkid and you'll get the best of both worlds.

Androkkid is a free app that applies an Android-style user interface to your Pocket PC. Simply install the program and you'll be presented with a whole new way of using your device, mimicking the way Google phone users do.

For starters, the busy Today screen is replaced by an elegant full-screen wallpaper. Clicking the pop-up menu icon at the bottom of the screen will bring up a revamped version of the Applications menu, only this time with a distinct Android flavor. You can scroll up and down the menu very comfortably using your finger or stylus. It makes for a much easier way of browsing apps and documents than the existing WM interface.

The best part of Androkkid though, is the way you can customize the desktop to your liking. You can simply drag and drop icons from the Applications menu onto the desktop. Just like the real Android platform, Androkkid comes with multiple desktop pages, allowing you to place different icons and shortcuts on different pages, then swoosh between them using the touchscreen. There's even an icon editor that allows you to personalize the size, apply animations and change the name of the shortcut icons.

As it's still in the early stages of its release, Androkkid is a little rough around the edges. for instance, many of the icon images are of bad quality where they've been scaled up. Also, some of the options in the program don't work, such as the 'Settings' menu and the 'Add Widget' feature.

It's by no means as polished as the OS it mimics, but Androkkid represents a fun way to enjoy some of the benefits of Android on your Pocket PC.

Download Androkkid 1.2.1 in Softonic

Imagine if you could use your Pocket PC to sniff-out wi-fi hotspots. No more of that walking around wth your laptop looking for that elusive WiFi. Simply use Sniffi to literally sniff out WiFi spots in your neighborhood or working area. Sniffi is an advanced WiFi networks manager which may be used to search for hotspots, as a connection manager or as a network parameter monitor.

The application works in a very similar way to Windows WiFi network manager. The list of available networks is clearly displayed together with their ID, protection status and signal strength. There's a day/night color profile, fullscreen switch and you can switch it from vertical to horizontal mode easily. You can even perform pings on available networks and view TCP/IP stats for each one.

This is not the most effective WiFi detection system as much will depend on your mobile's capabilities but if you can't be bothered turning on your laptop to see what's available, its better than nothing.

Download Sniffi 2.4 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

It was designed so that the sound files are faded in when played, so the user will not be shocked when a loud starting sound is played. Last but not least a title and a message can be entered for any alarm which is largely displayed on the screen when the alarm starts.

Download CradleAlarm 4.7.5 in Softonic

This high tech sports application for Windows Mobile utilizes your GPS connection to record lots of information about the activities you are doing. The large, colorful display in Run.gps Trainer UV displays data such as current speed, average speed, distance traveled, time elapsed, altitude, and calories. Not only this, but a computerized voice can also shout this information to you so you don't have to keep looking at the screen during your workout.

Run.gps Trainer UV is designed for a range of sports, from hiking to skiing, and its calculations vary according to what you're doing. You can even add new sports to the list via the 'Select Sport' menu.

The range of options and features in Run.gps Trainer UV is immense, to the point where it can be a little daunting to start with. Among its features are a heart rate monitor, route planner, and split function. The Training Log & Plan section of the program is incredible. Here, Run.gps Trainer UV automatically records all of your data, noting the date and time of everything you do and putting it into a calendar. You can even sync your planner with your Outlook calendar. Click on an activity entry and it will bring up all the stats for that particular piece of exercise. From here you can upload the results to the web portal, or export the data in a range of formats, including CSV, KML or GPX.

The main problem you'll notice with Run.gps Trainer UV is that it puts quite a strain on your battery because having GPS constantly switched on is pretty power-sapping. That said, if your PDA is on full charge when you start, you should have enough battery life to get you through even the most rigorous training sessions.

If you're a keen sportsman and want to keep tabs on your performance, Run.gps Trainer UV makes for a powerful training companion.

Download Run.gps Trainer UV Pro 2.3.8 in Softonic

If you're a fan of the motorsport and want to follow the season's thrills and spills on your Windows Mobile device then you really shouldn't be without F1 Season 2010. The program contains a wealth of information about the calendar, courses, tracks, drivers and teams.

The menu structure in F1 Season 2010 is clear and simple: from the home screen you're given the option of choosing from a list of the aforementioned categories. The Championship section provides a ranking of the top drivers for the season, which is updated as the season goes on.

The Calendar menu gives you a run-down of the order and dates of the races, providing you with details of each course such as the circuit length, web address, lap record, plus a basic illustrated map of the course. You also get the facility to enter the final positions of the drivers in each race. F1 Season 2010 is updated after each race, and you can load the latest data by clicking the Update feature from the main menu.

Clicking the Drivers menu option in F1 Season 2010 gives you a list of all this year's drivers and even test drivers, containing info on them about date of birth, nationality, height, weight, number of races/podium finishes, etc. For some reason it doesn't show you how many Grand Prix wins they have, and it would've also been nice to see photographs of the drivers.

Likewise, the Cars and Teams section in F1 Season 2010 don't have an option for viewing photos of the vehicles either, which I found was a key omission.

Despite the lack of photography, F1 Season 2010 is full of stats and makes for an ideal companion to the motorsport season.

Download F1 Season 2010 in Softonic

I'm sure you know how annoying it is when you lose all your contacts as a result of your phone breaking or being stolen. GodswMobile Contacts Transfer solves the problem by allowing you to save your contacts as either a TXT, CSV or CTS file. This file can then be restored either on your PC or on any other Windows Mobile device. GodswMobile Contacts Transfer can even export contacts to iPhone or Android phones.

GodswMobile Contacts Transfer features a very basic user interface, which make it quick and easy to use. Essentially, there are just two options: Backup Contacts and Restore Contacts. You're able to back up contacts from your SIM card, Outlook and those that are stored on the device itself. These can be saved either on a folder on your device, or to your storage card (not possible in this trial version). Unfortunately, GodswMobile Contacts Transfer doesn't have the ability to perform auto backups.

The download also includes a PC client for GodswMobile Contacts Transfer, which is designed to make it easier to import and manage contacts from your Windows Mobile device. Although it's easy enough to use, the Windows app looks terrible, with an interface that looks like it's been designed in Microsoft Word!

GodswMobile Contacts Transfer is simple, no-frills program that lets you quickly preserve your contacts by backing them up.

Download GodswMobile Contacts Transfer 2.1 in Softonic

This Windows CE version has just been released, complete with new features and bug-fixes. Download odgps now to try it out while you're doing your extreme sports or outdoors activities

Download odgps 1.2.276 in Softonic

Game Editor lets you design and develop 2D games for personal computers and mobile devices. There's no need to worry about system issues or compatibility, and no need to do anything other than come up with the ideas.

Features of the program:

* Event-driven development
* Propagate events to other actors
* Multiple levels in a single file
* Helper actors
* Transparent actors
* Infinite actors
* Z-Depth control
* Clone and remove actors
* Multiple animations per actor
* Set parent actors
* Create actor paths
* Full screen or window mode
* Configurable resolution and frame rate
* Configurable audio format
* Control the view as the actors
* Tile draw tool
* Global and local scripts
* Global and Local Actor variables
* Periodic and Random timers

Download Game Editor 1.4.0 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

Elecont Launcher is a fully-featured quick launch plug-in for your Today screen, designed to provide you with speedy access to your favorite programs, web addresses, documents, or control panel items.

Setting up Elecont Launcher proves very easy. You simply need to click the icons you want to appear on the Today screen from the list displayed. Here you can even set up quick links to files on your device that you regularly need access to. Other things you can customize are the size of the icons (small, medium, big, very big), sounds, and the interface language.

Elecont Launcher certainly offers a finger-friendly way of accessing apps and files from the main Pocket PC display. However, you should be careful about adding too many shortcuts with Elecont Launcher, as your Today screen can end up looking a little overcrowded.

If you're sick of having to wade through countless screens to get to your favorite apps, then Elecont Launcher is well worth a try.

Download Elecont Launcher 1.0.241 in Softonic

Basically, RDM + Remote Desktop can activate a new channel of communication between the two systems. In this way, you can interact with the Windows desktop, from your PDA starting or stopping services, viewing system resources, restarting or shutting down the machine remotely, among other possibilities.

To enable the connection, the program uses a BES meeting, BIS, TCP / IP or http. It supports password access, includes a system of encryption to protect transfers and has a number of options for rapid mapping functions on the keys of your device.

This software doesn't give you access to all the apps on your computer but ultimately, if you want to control the basic functions of your PC from your PDA, RDM + Remote Desktop is a sound choice.

Download RDM+ Remote Desktop for Mobiles 3.7.7 in Softonic

The application is ideal for anyone who regularly attends conferences, exhibitions, and the like, because it means business card details don't need to be entered manually. With Business Card Reader, you just snap a photo of the card and the program will scan it to retrieve the details. It then opens a new contact page with all of the details pre-filled. This data can then be quickly checked and edited if necessary, before saving to your phone. Business Card Reader even has an option to find a person's LinkedIn account based on the information it collects.

The concept of Business Card Reader is a very innovative and it can make for a useful tool for the traveling businessman. The app recognizes English, French, Italian, German and Spanish cards. However, the program doesn't provide 100 percent accuracy every time. The card images need to be very sharp for Business Card Reader to recognize them. I found it impossible to get a decent enough shot, on the HTC Touch, for instance, because the auto-focus is poor.

Business Card Reader does have an option to select an image from your device. This means you could take pictures with a decent digital camera, transfer them to your Windows Mobile device, then import them into your contacts using Business Card Reader.

If you've got a bulging collection of business cards but don't have the time to sort through and store them, Business Card Reader could be godsend.

Download Business Card Reader 1.1 in Softonic

The application is ever-so easy to use: simply rig your phone up to your computer via the USB cable and a few seconds later the memory cards installed in your handset will show up as removable media in Windows Explorer. You can then simply transfer these onto your handset using your Pocket PC to slide them across.

If used properly, the program can save you the money because you don't need to buy additional mobile memory. It's ease of use means that if you need to take data around with you, then you need to install Card Export II.

Download Card Export II for PPC 3.22 in Softonic

This Windows Mobile program provides instant, bi-directional translations of thousands of useful phrases. The phrases are divided neatly into categories based around what situation you might find yourself in. These include Basics, Traveling, Hotel, Food and drinks, Sport/Leisure, etc. All categories are readily accessible from the Home menu in Talking Phrasebook, where they are clearly labeled with icons. Note that only the first two topics (Basics and Traveling) are available in this trial version.

Click on a topic and you'll be presented with a list of common words and phrases related to that theme. The text in the list is in English and the Spanish translation appears underneath. You can swap these around by clicking on the change direction icon in the toolbar.

Of course, Lingvosoft Talking PhraseBook 2009 doesn't say 'Talking' for nothing, and whenever you select a phrase (in English or Spanish) an audio pronunciation will be played. The quality of the pronunciation is very clear, and you can adjust the volume level using the control within the toolbar.

Lingvosoft Talking PhraseBook 2009 is dead easy to use thanks to its colorful, user-friendly interface. This interface is customizable with themes, and has a handy search function for quickly finding phrases among the thousands stored within the app.

It's worth noting that Lingvosoft Talking PhraseBook 2009 doesn't let you look up individual words to translate. For this, you need to choose 'Related Software' from the 'Tools' menu and select 'Translate in Dictionary'. You will then have to install Lingvosoft Dictionary.

If you're looking for a travel companion for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, then Lingvosoft Talking PhraseBook 2009 makes for a compact, easy-to-use solution.

Download Lingvosoft Talking PhraseBook 2009 English <-> Spanish 2.4.76 in Softonic