Alright, so it took me a little time get to it, but I’ve finally gotten my notes and testing done on the GoodWin update.  GoodWin, as you loyal JAMM readers already know, is VITO’s task manager and program launcher for Windows Mobile devices. Like the rest of the iWindowsMobile suite, it’s touch-oriented and finger-friendly.  

I found the product quite workable when I first reviewed it in January, but I did have a few qualms with the design. Hit the break to see a list of changes, screenshots, and why this is a marked improvement over the old version!

VITO hasn’t been sitting on their laurels. This iWindowsMobile product is constantly improving, and here are some of the great new changes:

• addition of landscape mode
• a digital clock at all times (used to be just analog when you weren’t on the lock screen)
• up and down arrows to switch between sections (saves time with long lists)
• faster loading time
• integration with other iWindowsMobile products
• a today plugin (also integrated with the other products)
• the clock icon replaced by quick access to tasks
• possibly less RAM usage (2 MB in my test with current version, as opposed to 3 MB of old)

With the exception of integration and the loading time, all of these things were issues that I had with version 1.0. But don’t worry, this isn’t just a dry reproduction of VITO’s changelog. I re-installed the program and had a bit of a run-around with it.

Just below is a side-by-side comparison of the old and the new, with the new version on the left. I’m especially happy to see the up-down arrows (bottom of screenshot), which jump instantly from Favorites to Programs to Settings. This really increases usability, since GoodWin is essentially a giant list of all the services on your PDA. Having a quick-warp button really helps!

The other big feature of this update is really the integration with other VITO products and the today plugin. When you have SMS-Chat or FunContact installed, pressing the corresponding message or phone button in GoodWin (or the today plugin) will launch the application. I think SPB Software House has already shown that the suite approach really works, and I’m glad to see another company offering up programs designed to work with one another.

I do still wish that VITO would hide the Phone and Messaging apps in the running tasks, since they already have dedicated buttons on that top bar — but that’s a small matter in comparison to these changes. It’s great to see that VITO has been taking feedback to heart and they’ve really improved upon a solid product with this new release.

Make sure to download your new version here!