Review: iSS Essentials

Posted by: Ragart on Mar 25 2008 - 819 views

One major flaw I’ve always seen in the WM package is the feeling that the system isn’t quite complete right out of the box. You get your Internet Explorer,  Calculator, and Microsoft Word, but there are still a few things missing in the current iteration of Windows Mobile. Some people might want a more advanced calculator, or others the ability to edit the registry. Then there’s the age old criticism of a lack of a real way to switch between programs without going through ten steps and a cartwheel.

There are already a flurry of options out there for people to choose from, so where exactly does the iSS (implicit Software Solutions) Essentials suite fit in here? This collection of seven programs promise to round out — nay, complete — your Windows Mobile experience and even help you have a little fun while it’s at it.

Seven programs? Seven Dwarves? What? I’m Confused! Hit the jump to see a review!

Installation

Easy peezy lemon squeezy. Download the trial .exe from their website and select which programs in the suite you’d like to install.

 

Overview

Let’s run through each of the programs in the suite you a good, thorough look!

 

Battery Monitor

You’ve seen this feature in iLauncher and Pocket Plus 4, but this one has its own take on how to report your battery level. Useful features here are the ability to match whatever theme you use, select how often to update the battery meter (saves a bit of batt life when less often, I’m guessing), and a cool option to position the battery meter on your screen. The last feature is one I haven’t seen before — and it’s a refreshing change to be able to position my batt meter below the taskbar, or even right above the softkeys. If it looks too fat you can always select a smaller thickness Cool!

 

Calculator Pro

Ladies and gentlemen, before I show you what the Calculator Pro looks like, let me first show you what we deal with by default:

Honestly — I think this thing, much like the default keyboard, hasn’t received a makeover since 2003SE. At the very least Windows Mobile 5 (I know that for a fact, thanks to my x51v). It’s unbelievable how Microsoft thought more gradients on the top and bottom bars would look cooler, but decided to completely neglect the basic calculator. Thank god for third party solutions like Calculator Pro then:

Aside from the basic mode (shown above) there are also two other views, filled with buttons I forgot how to use the moment I left high school. I’ll be honest though, I have no use for anything more than a basic calculator. A tip calculator might have been useful, but that’s easily done with the default view anyway. The real boon to me was the appearance of the program — it’s more fun to use simply because it looks great, but it manages to keep the very fast loading time of the default Windows Mobile calculator.

 

Explorer Pro

Whereas the difference between Calculator and Calculator Pro is like night and day, it’s a lot easier to confuse Explorer Pro with the default WM File Explorer. In their default list views they both look incredibly similar, and you’d really only know which program you were in because of the title bar. But the reality is that Explorer Pro has a lot of great features hidden in its menu, one of which is the ability to view your files in different modes:

• Icons (shown below)
• Simple — same as file explorer
• List — two columns of files are visible at once
• Details — time modified/size beside each file
• Tree Small — tree view takes up screen, clicking on a folder shows icons mode
• Tree Large — see above

 

Other useful features include a recycling bin, network mapping, and the ability to view "Properties" upon summoning the context menu. I also looked at the memory usage of the app and it was less than half of file explorer’s. We’re talking 19k vs 49k here, but it’s still great to see how much iSS Essentials has done to optimize the software.

One claim iSS makes on their website is that it is "PROVEN" to be the fastest file explorer for Windows Mobile, and I did find it to be just a tad bit faster than Resco Explorer 2007 in some basic file transfer tests. I’m quite impressed at how many features are packed into Explorer Pro, especially when you start to compare its price with Resco Explorer. The whole Essentials suite costs $29.95, which is the same price as Resco Explorer alone without a discount. Granted, Resco’s app has some unique features such as shortcuts and a toolbar above the softkeys, but iSS’ product is still a very viable alternative. Not bad for one piece of software in a seven-piece suite.

 

Notepad

A simple enough application that saves as:

• .txt files
• .ini files
• .inf files
• .xml files
• .htm files

The interface is simple and well thought-out with useful shortcuts like "Time/Date" and "Word Wrap" easily accessible via the soft menu. I do wonder, though, how much use people will get out of this application. Word Mobile (for the devices that have it installed) already opens most any file you ask it to, as long as you open the file from a file explorer. If users want to jot down a quick note, I imagine the default Notes application would be the first choice instead of a notepad.

 

Registry Editor

Compared to the notepad, the Registry Editor is definitely a more hardcore tool. You really need to know what you’re doing when you fiddle with the registry, or you could buy yourself a one-way ticket to hard reset land. It’s an interesting choice to have included this in the Essentials package, as I’d argue most non-power users won’t know what to do with the registry, and most of the apps in the package seem focused on rounding out a basic Windows Mobile setup (like what SPB’s software seems to do). That’s just me, though. In any case, I don’t mean to complain here. It’s another useful program to have, and it’s set up like most other registry editors I know (like the one in Resco Explorer).

You just navigate the tree (shown above) then click on a folder to edit the registry (shown below). If you’ve never played with the registry I’d suggest you look up some of Menneisyys’ articles for help on tweaking particular areas.

 

Task Manager

Now here’s a particularly useful applet: the task manager! . The applet has five "pages" you can navigate through via the right softkey or the d-pad:

• Info — shown above
• Network — details of sent/received data and link speed and more
• Applications — shows applications running, ability to switch to them or end them
• Processes — shows all running processes with amount of RAM used, can end processes (I think this is more immediate than ending an application…if it’s anything like Windows XP)
• Performance — live graphing of CPU and memory usage

I’ll be honest, there’s a lot in this section that’s above my head, especially in the network section. I did find the CPU monitor useful when comparing music or video programs with one another, and the Info page is a great system at-a-glance overview of your system.

 

Task Switcher

Here’s my favourite part of the suite It’s the most unique offering of the Essentials package, and it’s got some great features in it. It can be confusing to tell the difference between the Task Switcher and the Task Manager, so I’ll make it simple: Switcher is a pop-up, and the Manager is full-screen.

What I really love about the Switcher is this:

You see that grey bar over my Start Menu? That’s the task switcher button. But if you find that too small, you can also switch to one of the other five skins available (six in total). These shapes can bet set to appear in varying sizes and can go anywhere on your screen. So if you want your task manager to sit beside a softkey, that’s fine. Right in the middle of the screen? Sure! Not all of the places on-screen are useful, obviously, but it’s great to have the choice! If you don’t want your screen "cluttered" by more icons you can also select an option to bring the Switcher up by holding down on the "X" button in the top-right corner.

The rest of switcher is pretty similar to offerings from Pocket Plus 4 and iLauncher. You can set the "X" button to really close. When summoned, the Switcher shows running applications with their memory usage beside the name. Lastly, there’s a quick launch bar for Explorer Pro, Task Manager, Calculator Pro, Notepad, and the Registry Editor. Unfortunately, this bar is not customizable (I would have liked to put some of my own stuff on it). All things considered, I think this is the killer app of the Essentials Suite. I’m curious to see what other users will say. 

 

Freecell and Minesweeper

What can I say about these games? They’re the games you know (love?) from your Windows machine ported for some on-the-go loving. They work in portrait or landscape orientation and they add they top off the Essentials Suite with some light-hearted fun. I’m not too much of a mobile gamer (I like my PC or Nintendo DS), so I didn’t spend all that much time with these apps. Both games look and sound good though, and Minesweeper has an especially good-looking touch interface for planting flags and questions marks. The interfaces and sound effects don’t keep me from plain sucking at the games though. I always blow myself up…

 

How Good iSS it?

iSS has really put together a well thought-out and useful package. It may seem like it costs a lot, but you do get a lot of functionality and value for the $30 ticket price. The designs don’t stray too much from the default WM apps (which keeps them easy and familiar to use) and they are all well optimized in terms of RAM usage and speed. They also bring their own unique features to the field, and I’m especially impressed by the flexibility of the Task Switcher and Battery Monitor.  So if you’re trying to build a light, but more capable WM machine, go give the iSS Essentials suite a try. Seven useful programs for $30 iSS a good deal!

 

Super Critical Information

Developer: implicit Software Solutions

Price: $29.99

Sources: Handango, Softpedia

 

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