.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE The Best of Everything is yet to come
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY What would you pay for a collection of 169 Pocket PC applications? What if you were told the collective retail value of this package was over $4500? Would it be worth $300. Read on to find out, as Senior Editor James Booth reviews Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine’s 2007 Best of Everything package.
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What would you pay for a collection of 169 Pocket PC applications? What if I told you the collective retail value of this package was over $4500? Would you be willing to pay $2000? How about $1000? Would you pay $500? Sounds like an infomercial doesn’t it?
What if I told you the cost of this software collection is less than $300? That’s right, less than $300 for Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine’s 2007 Best of Everything in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A There is much Pocket PC greatness on this CD.
It’s just a bunch of no-name, demo, shareware/freeware, you say? Not so, I tell you.
Every piece of software in this collection is a fully licensed, 100% registered version. Not a demo. Not shareware. Each application has been specifically chosen by the editorial staff of Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine as an outstanding example in its field. They are the award-winning Best Of.
.BREAK_EMAIL Is the Best Of collection really the best, read on to find out.
.H1 What’s in the package
Because there’s such a large amount of software stuffed into this package, I’m not going to go into each and every piece. Neither will I be reviewing any of the individual apps. This article is about the package as a whole.
So what do you get? Well, in addition to the software CD, you get a one-year subscription to Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine, two annual special reports–Best Tips, and Best Software–and the complete archive of past Smartphone & Pocket PC issues. You also get a $25 gift certificate to Usedhandhelds.com, and a surprise gift from Usedhandhelds.com. Current documentation suggests it’s a laser pointer/stylus.
Although I said I wouldn’t delve into the actual software contained in the package, I will give you a small peek.
There are thirty-eight utilities, nineteen productivity apps, nine multimedia titles, and a total of forty-seven games ranging from action, to puzzles, card games to brain teasers. And this doesn’t even begin to make a dent in the Best of Everything collection.
.H1 Cost effectiveness
Is the Best of Everything package worth the cost? Well, let me throw some numbers your way…
When I first migrated from the Palm platform to a Pocket PC, I spent a little over $200 on software to get the Windows Mobile versions, or their equivalents, of the Palm software I was giving up. Many of the applications I bought are actually in the Best Of collection; $160 worth, in fact.
And consider this… there are eight titles in the collection that retail for $50 each, and ten that retail for $100 each. These titles alone add up to five times the purchase price of the Best Of package. It’s only by special arrangement with the publisher that Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine is able to include them.
When you look at it this way, how could it not be worth it? You get over 150 pieces of software valued at over $4000, a year of Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine, the two Special Reports, access to the complete archive of issues, and the extra goodies, for only $300. It’s easily the best investment you could make with your tech dollar. And as a previous customer, you’ll be eligible for a discount on next year’s Best Of collection.
If you use a Windows Mobile smartphone, don’t think you’ve been forgotten. After all, it is "Smartphone" & Pocket PC Magazine.
A special package just for smartphone users has been put together featuring a hundred games, utilities, e-books, and more for only $139. Plus, you get the one-year subscription, archive access, and all the other goodies. How could you go wrong?
Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine’s 2007 Best of Everything collection easily earns 5 out of 5, our highest rating.
[Editorial note: I has been brought to my attention that I made a bit of a goof in my Best of Everything coverage. It goes like this… The CD that ships with the package does, in fact, contain product demos of the Best of Everything. This CD is also sent out to all two-year subscribers. The full versions of the software are accessed through an [[http://pocketpcmag.com/SuperCD/CRegister.aspx?v=v&c=n|online account]] with Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine. It is in this way that you are able to get the registration code or full-version download. –JB]
.RATING 5
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.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about the [[http://www.pocketpcmag.com/CD/|2007 Best of Everything collection]].
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