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Paqqin' Heat: The Eccentric Essentials - Part 3

Written by Upton Au  [author's bio]  [read 22794 times]
Edited by Derek

Page 1  Page 2 

With my appointments organized and task-managing capabilities in place, the instinctive desire for more speed and power led me to Jimmy Software's free iPAQ clocking utility. Not only does it allow the user to under-clock their iPAQ by decreasing the current being supplied to the processor to prolong battery life, but more importantly, it lets me augment the processor speed from the already speedy 206 MHz to a blazing 236 MHz. The company warns of decreased system stability and the possibility of losing data at this increased voltage and speed, warnings that should be considered before making the decision to overclock. With that in mind, I have yet to experience any problems with my iPAQ set at top speed.

In managing my files and programs, I've often found the need to create shortcuts for quick access to specific items. FTPView, available as freeware, fits the bill nicely, as it's able to create shortcuts and provides a superior File-explorer view for moving and renaming files. So rather than copying the iPAQ Clocking Utility into the Start Menu, I can create a shortcut and aptly rename it to BoosterPAQ, all in one application.

Although most applications can function normally even when copied from Program Files to the desired location within the Pocket PC Start Menu, the software that relies on numerous other files required to be in the same root directory will not. One should note that FTPView doesn't allow shortcuts to Folders to be created.

I'd say that wraps up the core group of the most relevant software titles that keep my iPAQ running smoothly. What must-have software do you have to add to those mentioned here?

There are several applications that I'm currently having some fun trying out, and they are Idruna's Photogenics, an evaluation version of CNetX's Pocket Slideshow, and lastly, the Fade Group's first beta to their highly anticipated graphical adventure epic game, Fade.

Photogenics is the latest product from Paul Nolan, famous for graphics software sharing the same name, but for PC's, Macs, and Amiga computers. A newly designed user-interface and the absence of several minor features adorn the Pocket PC release, which is without a doubt the most comprehensive graphics package to date for the Pocket PC. I'll keep experimenting with the abundant array of functions, on both my own hand-drawings and my digital photos.

CnetX's Pocket Slideshow converts desktop PowerPoint presentations for viewing on the Pocket PC. In addition to converting slideshows to its own proprietary mobile format, other options include merging presentations, dropping slides, introducing a variety of transitions, Cleartype for improved legibility, and the sharing of files by means of Infrared. The .ppt files that were automatically converted loaded quickly and displayed well, even on the iPAQ's smaller screen. If a PPC screen is the only display being used however, the text that accompanies graphs and other small elements should be simplified and enlarged.

Fade, an upcoming graphical adventure game comprising several hundred unique images, sounds, and in later releases, background music, boasts a 15-hour long game play in the final version. The game is simple to navigate, and the attention to detail and aesthetic qualities is definitely there. The story is intriguing and I'd like to think it will become even more so after I manage to get past the first ten screens. Even with its high memory requirements, Fade seems to be shaping up into quite an interesting game for the Pocket PC.

Having reviewed the tips and advice outlined in these three articles, I hope you were able to implement some of what we discussed or that you've been inspired and came up with another way to customize your Pocket PC, regardless of which specific device you own.

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