.KEYWORD powertoys
.FLYINGHEAD WINDOWS CE ESSENTIALS
.TITLE Microsoft Plus! and PowerToys: free resources from our friends in Redmond
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Windows CE is a nice, compact operating system. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems like some important features have been left out. It must have seemed that way to Microsoft as well, because they released two free downloads that fill in many of the empty spots. Read this important article by senior technical editor Jason Perlow to get the most out of your device.
.AUTHOR Jason Perlow
I’ve never been one to go out and pay for Microsoft’s Plus! Products for their PC operating systems. I’ve always felt that they were superfluous add-ons that should have gone into the original shipping OS, but for some reason were left out. Microsoft’s Plus Pack 3.0 and Microsoft PowerToys for H/PC Pros would have been no exception, but in this case the price is right — they’re free. And in this case, you do get something for nothing – with these two free downloads, Microsoft includes the following goodies:
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.BULLET Resource Meter: This program displays the amount of program memory, storage memory, and main battery power.
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.BULLET Mute: Using Mute, you can activate or turn off all sounds by simply selecting the Speaker icon in the taskbar.
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.BULLET Pocket Paint: You can create pictures and edit images with Pocket Paint, a pocket-size version of Microsoft Paint. Pocket Paint works just like Microsoft Paint on your desktop computer.
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.BULLET Squares: Squares is a fun little game of strategy. It isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s free.
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.BULLET Pocket Word Count: This program counts the number of words in an open Pocket Word document. Now, this is useful for writers. Many of us need to do word counts while writing and between a nice, portable H/PC, Pocket Word, and now Pocket Word Count, we can meet deadlines while get out a bit more.
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.BULLET Image Viewer: Use Image Viewer to see .GIF files, all .JPG files, most .BMP files, some .XBM files, all .PNG files, and .TIF files generated by the MS-FAX service.
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.BULLET Outline Converter: This program converts Pocket Word outlines into Pocket PowerPoint presentations.
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.BULLET PIM Today: This program shows all of today’s PIM data in one window (Similar to Outlook Today)
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.BULLET Spell Checker: This program checks the spelling in outgoing messages in Inbox.
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.BULLET Pocket Registry Editor: The registry contains information about how your device runs. Use Pocket Registry Editor to change settings in your Handheld PC’s registry. Caution: You should not edit your registry unless it is absolutely necessary. If your registry contains an error, your Handheld PC may not work properly. Perhaps you might want to invest in a nice Compact Flash card and back up your device before attempting to hack your registry.
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.BULLET Flight Scheduler: This program inserts flight information into your Calendar.
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.BULLET Business Cards: With Business Cards, you can exchange electronic business cards using your Handheld PC’s infrared port. You can also exchange your personal or corporate logo with your business card. [For some reason, most PDA manufacturers seem to think this feature is the bees knees. Face it guys, there are only a few places where we’ll see people beaming business cards and they all yell "Geek" or "desperate marketing ploy" at the tops of their lungs. – DG]
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.BULLET Quick Start Menu: This program gives you instant access to files and folders that you frequently use by adding a Quick Start menu icon to the taskbar. This is very similar to a feature in the bUSEFUL utilities pack.
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.BULLET PIM Transfer: With this program, you can transfer PIM data to another Handheld PC using the Calendar and Tasks programs.
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.BULLET File Associate: The File Associate program is integrated into Windows Explorer. By associating a file type with a program, you can open all files of that type in the program that created them by double-clicking them in Windows Explorer. This would seem to be a necessary feature of the basic OS and makes this a must-have download.
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.BULLET Sounds: Several sound schemes are available: Analog, Metallic, Organic, and Sci-Fi.
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.BULLET Ping: A utility used to verify connections to one or more remote networked hosts.
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.BULLET Handheld PC’s IP address: This, along with Ping, can be useful for network troubleshooting. Run this utility to determine the Handheld PC’s IP address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway, if the Handheld PC is set to obtain an IP address via DHCP.
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.BULLET Hostname Lookup: Looks up a hostname, also useful for troubleshooting.
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.BULLET Pocket PowerPoint Templates: Use these templates in Microsoft PowerPoint 97 (or 2000) to create presentations that can be viewed on your Handheld PC with Microsoft Pocket PowerPoint.
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.BULLET Plus! Background Image: A background image for your Handheld PC’s desktop.
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.BULLET Favorites: Synchronize Internet Explorer Favorites between the desktop computer and the Handheld PC. Favorites sync automatically when you connect your device to your desktop.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
Microsoft Plus Pack is available from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/download/plus.asp.
Microsoft Powertoys is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/download/powtoy30.asp.
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.BIO Jason Perlow is Senior Technical Editor with Windows CE Power. When he’s not scouring the Web for great Windows CE utilities and programs, he can be reached at perlow@hotmail.com.
