Resco Explorer 2010 File Browser

Let’s face it:  if you are a Windows Mobile user the chances are high that you are already familiar with Resco Explorer and the functionality that it provides as a file browser / manager.  If you aren’t, check this (see here) out before continuing with this reading.  As such, I’m not going to allow you to spend your time with me going over the same features that you already know about.  Instead, together we’re going to take a good hard look at the main new features that will make you want to consider the upgrade.  Resco was kind enough to grant me a review copy, and I’ve been putting it through the paces of my daily life.  Grab yourself a glass of iced tea and join me as we look at how the new features stack up.

Resco Explorer 2010: Thumbnail Browser

First, Resco integrated a new feature for viewing files on the device.  This form in a thumbnail view, allowing you to see all image files as small previews of the actual picture.  This is very handy when hunting through obtuse filenames that may or may not have any significance to you.  Resco also nicely integrated the image viewing capabilities with the updated Resco Photo Manager 7 (see here).  If Photo Manager 7 is installed to internal memory, you will be able to jump to the program to view the pictures.

Resco Explorer 2010: Today Plugin

Next, Resco provided us with a completely revamped Today plugin.  If you are familiar with the Today plugin provided with Resco Contact Manager (see here) you should already have a good grasp with Explorer’s.  It provides rows that can serve as docks for files, meters, toggle switches and program shortcuts.  The transparency of the bars adds a simple elegance to the display.

Resco Explorer 2010: Task Manager

The last major enhancement comes in the form of the task manager.  Instead of being integrated into the Today plugin only, it is now a stand-alone program.  As you can see from the screenshot below, the window is an easy to control finger friendly bubble.  There is a definite refined quality to it.

In conclusion, if you haven’t already checked out Resco Explorer 2010, you should give it a try.  True, there aren’t a ton of new features or a completely redesigned user interface.  One might argue that it would be difficult for Resco to build on such an already mature program.  I would make that argument on their behalf.

Details

Product Website:  http://www.resco.net/pocketpc/explorer/
Version: 8

Compatible With:

• Windows Mobile Pocket PC
• Display resolution: QVGA, VGA, WQVGA, WVGA, SQVGA and SVGA resolution
• Touch Screen

Microsoft has a slice of the mobile operating system pie with Windows Mobile.  At once it was a big slice but has been getting increasingly smaller.  That’s a fact.  However, even though the size of this slice has decreased in size, it hasn’t gone away.  Many loyal fans of the operating system remain, in the form of users, developers and hackers.  This group represents the piece of the pie that Windows Mobile currently has.

We all know that Microsoft recently announced their intentions for Windows Phone 7 Series and it’s becoming more clear with each tidbit of information that the operating system is a slap in the face to many long time Windows Mobile loyalists, both users and developers.  They are throwing away the slice of the pie that they have by essentially abandoning Windows Mobile users and developers.

Developers will have to rewrite their programs from the ground up as there is no backwards compatibility.  This is costly and time consuming.  It is going to lead to a delay in programs that will be available for the platform when it launches.  Furthermore, these developers have no access to native coding for the operating system.  This is a big deal for some… the makers of the Firefox browser think so (see here).  It’s arrogant for Microsoft to believe that every developer will recreate their programs in Silverlight.

Now, let’s divert our attention to the user base.  Many users have a huge catalog of third party applications.  The lack of backwards compatibility is also a big deal, despite what many want you to believe.  There are so many robust programs for Windows Mobile that may never see a rival on Windows Phone 7 Series.  A couple of good examples of these are SBSH PocketBreeze, Pocket Informant and SoftMaker Office.  Additionally, if a user has a large repository of software it can be very expensive to replenish this during the transition.  There is no (good) reason a simple compatibility layer could not be built into the Windows Phone 7 Series operating system.  Were it there, users could install their favorite applications and run them in an emulated mode.  This would ease the transition to the new operating system for many users.

And there we have it…  Microsoft had the opportunity to bring new users into the existing fold, to expand on the piece of the pie they already have.  Instead they throw it away naively in their quest to possess the whole pie.  Will they go the way of Palm with WebOS?  No.  But they sure didn’t learn any lessons from their former rival.

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If you can’t decide between the iPhone 3GS and the Nexus One, you can try to get an inspiration from a graphical comparison of the two devices.

The summary has been made by the guys at iFixIt, and details some of the hardware specs of the two devices as well as their relative costs.

Image courtesy of iFixIt

The graphic work is awesome and the outlined differences are well worth a look, but please update the “Touchscreen Quality” section with the new robot made tests, as all those wavy lines are disturbing me.

Via: iFixIt via PhanDroid

Today’s JAMM Store Deal of the Day is the WebIS application Note2Self for Windows Mobile (see here).  Note2Self is available today for half off the regular price, so hurry over to the JAMM Store to check it out!

What is Note2Self? (previously named VoiceMinder) Note2Self is a simple solution for those of us who keep track of their task items via email. Note2Self allows you to quickly record a voice note and have it sent as an email to your email address of choice with just two button presses: start/stop! No user interface to mess with. No complexities. Just drive/walk/whatever and press the user-configured hotkey to start recording and the hotkey again to stop – instant voice mail! How easy is it to setup Note2Self offers three ways to send your voice notes: Using your existing ActiveSync connection Using your own SMTP Server which you can import from FlexMail or enter manually Using the WebIS Note2Self Sending Service – just type in your subscription code and you’re done! Why do I need it? As wonderful as our Windows Mobile devices are, they still lack an easy way to create actionable items with the most natural method of output we have: our voice. Sure, you can record a voice memo, but what then? You have to remember to listen to it later – it requires an additional action from you, and like a lot of us, you just forget you made the recording and find it weeks later. You could open up Inbox Mobile, create an email to yourself, start the voice recorder, make your recording, then send the email…but try that while driving (actually, don’t). You could create a calendar appointment, but what if you aren’t able to view the screen on your device? The execution is simple: Note2Self is a single-button push to start, single-button push to finish, fully automated solution that allows you to record a voice memo and email it to a specific email address. Why email? For many of us, it is our to-do list. If I have an email sitting in my Inbox, I can take action on it. The key to having Note2Self unlock your productivity is to have it be incredibly streamlined and focused. It’s a one-trick pony, yes, but it’s a really useful trick. What about disconnected PDAs? Note2Self lets you save your voice notes to a local database for sending later on when you are connected via ActiveSync or Wifi. The scenario there is that when you sync with your desktop PC, Note2Self will use the ActiveSync pass-through connection to deliver the voice memos to your Inbox. The default voice memo recording level is quite space-efficient: a 23 second recording is only 183 KB and with Not2Self you can now record messages with the really tiny Ogg Vorbis encoder. What about file sizes? Note2Self gives you several encoding options to help you decide the quality of the voice message. Who won the VoiceMinder naming contest? We got over 500 submissions with about 1200 actual names submitted. About 300 of those were some variation of Note2Self but we had to pick the first submitter who is Andy Mason. Congrats! Features: SSL SMTP support SMTP Authentication SOCKS proxy support Custom Subject with timestamp Custom To/From Options ActiveSync support Import Account data from FlexMail 2007 Test your account simply WAV files recorded efficiently Ogg Vorbis support Disconnected mode saves recordings until later Smartphone and Pocket PC support Windows Mobile 5 and 2003/SE support

Minimum Requirements: Pocket PC 2003 and up Display Dimensions 240×240, 240×320, 320×240, 320×320, 480×480, 480×640, 480×800, 640×480, 800×480 Operating System Pocket PC 2003, Pocket PC 2003 SE, WM5, WM6, WM6.1, WM6.5

We have always had a JAMM Facebook page, though to be honest, we never had a lot of ideas for it.  Which resulted in it lying dormant for well over a year.  Well, we are back at it.  Over the past few days, we have been hard at work revamping our JAMM Facebook page, and I invite all of you to join us over there, where you will find all of our posts, as well as additional in-depth content and comments.  Basically, it is our newest extension of the site, and far more than just another opportunity for our team to interact with the readers.

The Facebook page is all about the JAMM community, which means we are there for you, the readers, and we want the Facebook page to be all about you.  So, please write in either here or over on our Facebook page and let us know what you would like to see there.  We already have our RSS feed and plenty of opportunities to comment on that content and interact with the writers and JAMM team members.  But what else would you like to see there that will enhance your JAMM experience? 

Head over here to become a fan of the JAMM Facebook page.  And keep an eye out for the upcoming JAMM Facebook page giveaway, where one lucky reader/JAMM Facebook fan will win a Seagate FreeAgent Go 250GB portable hard drive.