Must-have apps for the HTC Touch HD (and other Windows Mobile devices!)
Posted: Tuesday, July 07, 2009
by Ben Morrish
http://alltruism.blogspot.com
About 6 months ago I did a review of the HTC Touch HD. Having now used it for 6 months, I thought I'd share some apps that have helped me make the most of the device. The Apple iPhone tv ads claim that "there's an app for that. Only on iPhone", but as far as I can tell, there's a whole lot more apps for Windows Mobile!
If you have a Windows Mobile device, some of the apps below might be just what you're looking for! I'm not involved with the development or sale of any of these, so they are genuinely independent recommendations. I haven't provided links for them either, but Google can track down most of them for you.
Without these, your Touch HD isn't going to be giving you its all. In most of the categories below there are a number of alternative apps you could use. I've tried quite a few, and the ones below are the ones I've found to be the best - but if you know of a better one I'd love to hear your recommendations!
LOCKING: for all Windows Mobile touch screen devices (Pocket PCs)
PocketShield - - stops your phone getting unlocked in your pocket and calling people or answering calls by mistake. A must have, as the built in locking function in Windows Mobile is pretty useless. PocketShield costs a few pounds, but once registered you can keep getting the updated versions at no extra cost. It also has some handy power-saving and notification-boosting facilities.
MEDIA: for all Windows Mobile touch screen devices
CorePlayer - a fantastic pocket media player that supports lots of formats that the built-in Windows Media Player doesn't. It also runs certain formats more smoothly than WMP. This app costs money, but shop around and you can probably pick it up for not very much.
CONFIGURATION: These are for the Touch HD only, but there's probably something similar for most Windows Mobile devices
Advanced Config / HD Tweak - let you customize lots of options that you can't normally change without making fiddly and potentially dangerous registry hacks. Increasing some of the file system and glyph cache sizes makes your phone feel a lot more responsive, and makes scrolling much smoother. You can also tweak the power saving options to give you better battery life, and open up new camera modes like GPS Photo (which lets you take pictures with your location information encoded in them) and Sports Mode (good for fast moving subjects). These are free.
GRAPHICS DRIVERS: - HTC Touch series only
GFX Boost / AtiD3D - installing these graphics drivers can improve the smoothness of the display, helping to make the phone feel more responsive and making games run at a better frame rate. GFXBoost also seems to improve video playback a little as well. These are free.
WEATHER: - HTC Touch series only
HTC Weather Master - the simplest, and best, application for adding towns of your choice to the built in TouchFlo Weather app if they aren't included on the rather limited list of towns it comes with. This one is free.
GPS: - for all Windows Mobile touch screen devices
A GPS program (TomTom, Garmin XT, iGO etc) - lets you navigate without having to rely on using a data connection (unlike Google Maps). These cost quite a bit unfortunately, especially if you want maps for a wider area.
REMINDERS: for all Windows Mobile devices (PPC or Smartphone)
pmClean - a very useful little program that automatically clears out any junk from your Notifications Queue. Windows Mobile has a notoriously unreliable notifications queue - if it gets clogged up with junk entries (and it will eventually, if left to its own devices) you'll find that reminders and alarms randomly disappear. Eventually, all reminders will disappear without sounding or appearing on screen. pmClean avoids this, making your reminders and alarms reliable. This one is free.
DATA: for all Windows Mobile devices (PPC or Smartphone)
Modaco NoData - an absolute must-have if you don't have an unlimited data plan. This lets you disable your data connection, preventing applications auto-connecting and running up nasty data charges without your knowledge. It also lets you re-enable your data connection very quickly and easily. This is free.
UPDATING: for all Windows Mobile devices
AppToDate - a simple, free app that checks for updates for any AppToDate-compatible apps, and if it finds any it lets you download and install them quickly and easily.
Handy apps
These add extra functionality to your device. You might not want or need them all, but I like to have as much functionality available in my pocket as possible, just in case I need something :)
Mobile Convertor - lets you convert various units of measurement (km / miles, pounds / kgs etc). Unlike some similar apps, this one isn't online - you don't need to use your data connection for it to work. This one is free.
Nanika MetroPPC - lets you navigate the transport systems of most major cities with ease. I've used it in London and found it absolutely brilliant - it helped me work out the best routes, and let me know exactly which Tube stops I needed to head for, what stops I'd pass along the way etc, as well as giving me accurate info on how long the journey would take. You can pick a landmark and it will help you travel to it. With the transport systems of most major cities being quite complicated these days, this app is extremely useful. And it doesn't require a data connection - it stores all the information right on your phone, so it will work even if you can't get a signal. This one is free, and regularly updated.
QuickMark - lets you read those strange black and white "barcode" squares that seem to be appearing everywhere these days. On my Pepsi Max bottle for example. Usually these just link to pointless promotional sites but it's nice to be able to decode them anyway, just in case :) This one is free.
SportyPal - lets you see how far you've got on your run / walk / jog, and giving you other useful information like how many calories you've burned and your speed. Quite handy, and can be a good motivator. Needs a GPS receiver to work (the Touch HD has one built in). This one is free.
LingvoSoft Talking Phrasebook - this is extremely handy, and very reassuring for a hodophobe like me. There's a Talking Phrasebook for most major languages. It lets you browse a list of stock phrases and see the foreign language translation, and more importantly, hear it too (correctly pronounced!). It also lets you read a phrase aloud in English and then it can play it spoken in the foreign language for you. Handy when abroad, and being able to listen to the pronunciations would be useful if you were learning a language too.
PDF Tubemaps / Bus timetables etc - ok, these aren't actually apps at all, but can be quite handy from time to time. I keep the local bus timetables and the London Underground tube map on my phone. These are free.
Pointless-but-wonderful apps
These are almost entirely without practical use, but often a lot of fun and worth having just for the novelty value - they are all free:
Diamond Saber - displays a lightsaber than you can activate / de-activate with a tap of the screen. Thanks to the Touch HD's accelerometer it makes all the right noises when you wave the phone around. It can also play the Star Wars theme music in the background. Geek heaven!
BeMario - another accelerometer-based app. When you jump up and down, you'll make the "boing" noise Mario makes in the video games.
PocketLighter - displays an animated lighter flame on screen. If you don't smoke, this lets you join in with the lighter-waving at concerts. The power of technology eh? :)
If you have any apps you recommend, or any comments about the apps I've recommended here, let me know!
This Article has been viewed 10,194 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Good suggestions for any WinMo user. I'm always looking for useful apps. Thanks Ben.Thanks for reading! If you download any of the apps I hope you enjoy them!
Great site Ben. Thanks a bunch. Check ageye for your site. just google it.Thanks for reading! Ageye is great, I use G-Alarm all the time!
Great! These add extra functionality to your device. You might not want or need them all, but I like to have as much functionality available in my pocket as possible, just in case I need something :)
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