jkOnTheRun

Freeware of the Moment- Xobni

I spend what seems like my whole life in Outlook and as one who gets 200- 300 emails a day without fail I'm always finding myself looking for not just an email from months ago but the entire email conversation.  The search feature in Outlook is good but the way I work I can usually remember who the conversation was with and I need to see the whole thread in context.  I first heard of Xobni (what's that spell backwards?) back in January but like most things I hear about I quickly "filed and forgot" it as just more fluff.  Today I got an invite to the Xobni closed beta from good friend Steven Hughes and decided to give it a shot.  Boy am I glad I did as it has already made a big impact on my productivity.  Xobni has come under the scrutiny of Microsoft as Techcrunch was reporting a month ago that Microsoft might be looking to buy them.

The Xobni sidebar to the right.

The beauty of Xobni is the type of information it presents to you when you click on any email in your folders.  The Xobni sidebar shows everything related to email about the person who sent you that email and makes accessing that information, including any threaded email conversation, just one click away.  There is a degree of social networking (a phrase I have come to hate) to this information as you also see everyone who has participated in any of that contact's email conversations.  I can't overstate how powerful this is for those times when you are looking for that nugget of information that was sent to you oh so long ago.  You also get a pane that shows you every file attachment that a given contact has ever sent you which is also one click away from opening.  Rarely have I run across a utility like Xobni that started doing its magic mere minutes after installing and then impacted my work so greatly.  That is why Xobni is our Freeware of the Moment.  It is currently in a closed beta but you can put your email address on their waiting list to get an invite.  I have used all my invites already so don't ask, they're gone.  Maybe the folks at Xobni will see this and give us a bunch of invites to share.

Threaded conversation- just click one and the whole email is previewed in the window.

How to 'run' Windows Mobile 6.1 on your PC

I haven't touched a Microsoft emulator since 2006 when I was playing with the UMPC simulation, so I'm about due for more fun and games. Up on the docket is the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, which is now available for your emulating enjoyment. Windows for Devices outlines the approach; it might sound complicated, but usually these official emulations are pretty simple to get going. You'll need a PC running Windows XP or Vista, Virtual PC 2007, and of course, the WinMo 6.1 emulator. Virtual PC 2007 and the device emulator are free for the taking, so anyone with a PC and the requisite operating system can give this a go.

I just might put XP back on the Asus Eee PC since the Professional edition of 6.1 supports devices with resolutions up to 800 x 480.

Freeware URL shortening for Windows Mobile: ceSnipURL

Need to send a lengthy URL from a Windows Mobile device? With web addresses getting so long and cumbersome to work with, that simple act can be quite a challenge. From the sender's side, you have to ensure you've highlighted the whole enchilada before copying it and then hope the recipient doesn't mind receiving a ginormous URL. Plus, you'll run into character limitations if you're sending via SMS.

ceSnipURL looks like a simple, one-screen solution for your handheld. The freeware application takes a URL, shortens it and then copies it to your device clipboard for easy pasting into e-mail, SMS, Twitter or any other similar app. Simple, but effective.

(via http://snipurl.com/25b39 [mobilitysite_com] )

Keep your Windows Mobile apps up to date: AppToDate

You'll never guess what this free Windows Mobile application is called. Let me give you a major hint: it keeps your apps up to date. Give up? It's AppToDate and is currently a free beta from Paul over at MoDaCo. It's a great idea; in fact, there are serveral titles that do the same on the desktop. The premise is simple: the application keeps track of software that you have installed. When there's a new version available, it automatically downloads and installs the update so your software is always fresh and new.

The free title is currently in beta and there's just a few applications that it currently monitors, but Paul is making a call out to all Windows Mobile software developers so he can get them included too. Even if it's too early for you to use on your Windows Mobile device, this might be worth bookmarking to check on development and support in the future.

Control Vista's Search Index with a Gadget

Folks that installed the new Windows Search 4.0 Preview we mentioned last month have a new tool available to them in Vista. It's in the form of a Windows Sidebar Gadget and although not officially supported by Microsoft, I can see some use from this. The Indexer Status Gadget shows key info from the indexer that keeps track of all the little bits and pieces found in your Windows Search results. You can see the status of the indexer, how many files are indexed (for the morbidly curious) but best of all, you can control the indexing engine and its options without having to hit the Control Panel.

(via Windows Experience Blog)

MindNode: free mind-mapping app for Mac OS X Leopard

Here's a nice productivity nugget: a free mind-mapper for Macs running the latest operating system. MindNode doesn't have all the bells and whistles of my favorite comparable app (MindManager, if you must know), but as we like to say around here: "free is good".

You can export your mind maps as .tiff, .pdf, .html, or .opml (which should make Dave Winer a happy camper). Plus, MindNode plays nicely with Quicklook, Spotlight and iChat Theater; I suspect you can share or collaborate in a virtual meeting of the minds. Or "mind" if you only have half a brain between you. ;) The download link might be getting hit pretty hard as I was unable to grab the app, but this is on my "to do" list for sure.

(via TUAW)

Freeware of the moment: Crucial's memory scanner for Mac and PC

Although it's pretty easy to determine how much RAM you have in a PC or Mac, it can be pretty helpful to know how much total memory your machine supports as well as the specs for the type of memory you need. Crucial's System Scanner is a quick and dirty free tool that has only been around for Windows up to now. Mac owners can grab the 550 Kb application direct from Crucial.

Of course, Crucial is a major memory vendor, so along with your results, you'll find easy-to-purchase compatible memory sets but that's a small price to pay for a little data. I've never used this freeware on any of my UMPC memory upgrades in the past, but I gather it could have come in handy. As you can see above, I've already topped out the memory in my MacBook Pro.

(via Ars Technica)

Windows Mobile plugin is simply del.icio.us

We covered this last summer, but with the rise of social bookmarking, tweeting and everything else that used to be private, it's probably worth another mention. Plus our good friends over at Hackszine just caught wind of it. It's a tasty plugin for Internet Explorer on your Windows Mobile device: a free extension for quick and easy posting of links to del.icio.us. You can send URLs, descriptions, tags and notes right to the social bookmarking service from your handheld, courtesy of Dale Lane. He apparently had a heck of a time with the project last year, so you programmer types (and the morbidly curious) can find the pitfalls and challenges in his write-up.

Dale offers up the full VB source code and the CAB file for installation on his site. You'll need a touchscreen Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device along with .NET Compact Framework 2. I have to wonder if Dale downloaded the iPhone SDK and if this would have been any easier... for some reason, my gut says "yes".

FuseCal can sync all of your calendars for free

The whole problem of managing data on multiple machines seems to be more and more a challenge, which is why I highlight these solutions so often. Although it's listed as an "alpha", the free FuseCal got a nice review over at ReadWriteWeb and what makes it standout from the crowd is the support for many calendar applications. The web service can sync between the following calendar clients: Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, Windows Calendar, Google Calendar, Yahoo! Calendar, iCal and any other web-based calendar that you can subscribe to. Looks like the first sync will require a little time and effort on your part since you pick and choose what events you want moved around to your multiple calendars. After that, you can set up filters for specific events or just have FuseCal sync all of your events across all of your clients. FuseCal can also send you updates if events change... nice.

I'll have to give this one a try; even though I use Google Calendar as my main cal, every once in a while, I'll open up Outlook or iCal. Although FuseCal doesn't sync directly with handhelds, you should be able to get at your event data through ActiveSync or whatever synching application your particular handheld uses.

Want in on the Evernote Beta? Invites available today!

I've kept the Giveaway of the Day site in my feeds just for days like this. More often than not, the free application isn't anything special, but gems like today's offer are what keep GofD in my Google Reader. It looks they've got beta invites to the new Evernote app we snuck a peek at last month. This is the version that will run on Mac, Windows and on the web. We're in the beta and while we haven't shared our overall thoughts yet, we've been most impressed by the background text recognition and search features. Sending all of your clippings and notes on the server from either Mac or Windows has made for a pretty seamless experience so far.

But don't take our word for it... especially since we haven't posted a formal review. Hop over to Giveaway of the Day before midnight tonight and join us in the Evernote beta!

Seven great Windows Mobile freeware titles: CIO

With so many free third-party applications available for the Windows Mobile platform, it's hard to pick just seven but that's exactly what CIO did. Several of the chosen apps are no-brainers that we've covered before: Skype, MSN Direct (which we gave a video over of), and Opera Mini. There's one or two that I either haven't used or haven't seen before: mDigger for RSS and podcasts comes to mind.

I definitely would have added a free ebook reading application and possibly Google Maps for Mobile. Give the list a look and share your favorite "must-have" Windows Mobile freeware in the comments.

(via Smartphone Thoughts)

Freeware of the Moment- Pointix Scroll ++

You are probably aware that I have been playing with the MoGo Mouse/ HP PC Card Mouse for a few days and I really like it so far.  The model I am using has no scroll capabilities like most of the mice today and MoGo has recently begun touting "their" utility for providing scrolling capability without the wheel.  I did some research after downloading and installing "their" utility and found it is actually an old utility called Pointix Scroll ++ that was released way back before there were any mice that had scroll wheels.  Scroll ++ has a simple principle, you assign one of the mouse buttons to trigger scrolling or panning within a window.  I have assigned the right mouse button to that function so when I want to scroll or pan a window, say a browser window while using the HP mouse, I just hold down the right button and drag the mouse around.  This causes the window to pan around following the mouse as long as I hold that button down.  Simply pressing the right button still sees the mouse button work as it normally would so Scroll ++ is pretty useful with the MoGo/ HP mouse. 

The utility offers full configuration options such as scrolling speed and trigger button and is totally free as abandonware.  I found a blog that originally touted Scroll ++ last year and the history of the utility is pretty colorful.  It seems that it was originally a commercial product but when all mice started appearing with scroll wheels the market dried up and the company stopped offering it.  The blog points out that it is thus distributable for free as abandonware and recommended it to readers as such.  Apparently Newton Peripherals, the company behind the MoGo/ HP mouse discovered it on this blog as they not only started offering it on their site but their instructions for setup of Scroll ++ are a direct copy from the blog which has understandably left the blogger a bit unhappy.  Newton is even calling it the "MoGo Mouse BT Scrolling Software" and implying they wrote it which is pretty cheesy if you ask me.

The utility is working well for me so if you have one of these mice check out Scroll ++.  Note that once installed it works with any mouse without a scroll wheel including laptop trackpads so it might be worth a look for use with those too.  The download ZIP also has a utility called PopMouse in it which simply assigns macros to mouse gestures.  I tried it and didn't like it so I uninstalled it pronto.  Note that Scroll ++ would likely be useful for UMPCs that have joysticks and two buttons on the bezel too.

VistaHide Battery Gauge for Windows Mobile

Free battery meter applications for Windows Mobile are a dime-a-dozen, but we haven't covered any in while, so some of our newer readers might benefit from VistaHide Battery Gauge. A quick glance at the top of your handheld display will show you how much juice you've got left in the tank. The indicator shows from red to green in a left to right fashion: a full battery shows a complete line up to green while a dwinding power supply will show a partial line with the color trending from yellow to red. The nice part: you don't waste too many precious pixels on your display.

(via Pocket Now)

Karen's Replicator: great freeware to copy data between two machines

Since James is taunting us with unboxing and preparing his new Fujitsu P1620 for use, this is the perfect time to highlight a free application that could help with that setup. The free Karen's Replicator just got an update earlier this week and is a great tool for migrating environments between old and new computers. The app lets you specify files, folders or even entire drives for replication between two networked PCs, so it's handy when you purchase a new device to replace an old one. There are plenty of advance features and options as well; definitely worth the look.

Run apps in your choice of resolution with a custom shortcut: Reso

I was hoping that Reso would come in handy on the low-res small screen of a UMPC, but it hasn't panned out for me in that usage scenario. Still, this 9Kb executable could be useful for larger screened devices: it creates a custom shortcut to kick off an application in the resolution of your choice. The simple interface asks you for an executable and the resolution, color setting and refresh rate you want to run the application in. Once Reso has those parameters, it creates a customized shortcut for that application along with the settings. If Internet Explorer looks good to you in a non-standard res for example, you can use the Reso-provided shortcut to kick it off in a custom resolution. Could be useful for the gamers in the audience... yes, we know you're out there.

(via Download Squad)

Freeware of the moment- Process Lasso

Anyone who has been using mobile devices for very long knows too well the hit and miss scenario caused by multi-tasking.  You have too much running in the background and the CPU grinds up to 100% and it's hard to do much of anything.  Today's Freeware of the Moment is a utility that aims to end that problem once and for all.  Process Lasso sets some rules and runs (with very little resources) in the background and prevents bad things from happening when too much gets going at once.  It watches your CPU resources and when they get tapped out it steps the priority down for processes until the system is running at an even keel.  I have heard many people praise this program but none so well as Steven Hughes of BostonPocket PC who has published a very thorough review of Process Lasso.  Check out the review and then give Process Lasso a try and see how well your older system runs with today's programs.  Note that Process Lasso runs under Windows 2000, XP and Vista and there are both 32 bit and 64 bit versions available.  Be sure and get the right one and you'll be hauling buns in short order.  Don't be intimitdated, while Process Lasso has all sorts of technical settings to give you total control over your running environment the defaults will pretty much sort your system out with ease.

Use your phone as a language translator for free

Earlier this morning I took a look at Help 2 Speak, a free application that provides some basic language translation features. It's not feature-rich, but I could see where this could come in handy and since it works on so many devices, it's worth the mention. Help 2 Speak is supported natively on Windows Mobile and Symbian devices, plus there's a Java client, which opens up compatibility to a vast amount of handsets. There's info on a version for the iPhone and iPod Touch as well, but I'm unsure if that's for jailbroken phones or will be a web app. I opted to install the Java version on my Dash and it runs quite snappily.

You first choose your own language and then select the language you want to translate. You've got six to choose from: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Danish. Once you've made those choices, there are nine context categories to choose from ranging from Shopping, Culture, Hotel, Business, Dining and more. The app has pre-set, common phrases for each context so you can't type in a phrase for translation, but there's a good starting set of choices. I wish the app would actually speak the phrase as it would be more useful in my opinion, but you can easily show someone the phrase on your handset if you don't feel confident in your oral foreign language skills.

Freeware of the Moment- Canola 2 for the Nokia Internet Tablet

The Nokia Internet Tablets are very fine media players with that touch interface and nice screens.  One of the best media players available for the Nokias has just gone into a beta with a new version.  Canola 2 is a really nice media player and with a touch interface that is so nice to use.  In addition to handling music, video and photos Canola 2 is a fine podcast manager too.  The price is right so if you have an Internet Tablet then jump on it.

Warp between Spaces in Leopard with a mouse

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Virtual Desktop freeware for Windows, we've got a similar one for Mac users courtesy of Dave Zatz. He shot us a note about Warp, a free Mac OS X Leopard download that allows you to use your mouse to navigate among Spaces. Once installed, you'll have a new preference pane in System Preferences to configure Warp and then you're set. The latest version supports item dragging between spaces, ignoring hot-corners, the Dock and Menubar and a few non-English languages. The app is free, but donations to Kent Sutherland, the developer, can be made if you see value from his effort. He's got a great video demonstration of how Warp works right on the product page. Meanwhile, I'm having fun moving around at Warp Speed: I've set the delay to 0.0 seconds, just for fun. ;)

VirtuaWin adds up to 255 desktops to Win 95, 98, 2000, XP

Want to expand your desktop with several virtual desktops? You could go with Microsoft's own Virtual Desktop Manager PowerToy, but it's geared for XP and it only offers four "spaces" to work in. (Sorry Mac fans, I had to use that word)

If you're looking for that same functionality but with more potential desktops or you're running an older version of Windows, you might want to check VirtuaWin, an open source virtual desktop app. VirtuaWin works on practically every version of Windows up to XP and offers you a brain-overloading 255 desktops on your single machine. I struggle to maintain a single desktop, so I'll leave this to those with more neural pathways than me. I suspect I have a case of ADDD: Attention Desktop Deficit Disorder. In all seriousness, an approach like this can help expand the small screen of a UMPC, even if it's only virtually. You can set up a desktop for productivity apps, one for messaging, one for media, etc...

(via Download Squad)

Remote control, display a Windows Mobile device with My Mobiler 1.2

Need a free way to remotely control or display a Windows Mobile device on your computer? Consider taking a look at My Mobiler, which just got updated to version 1.2 in the last week. We've used this free, handy application to capture screen shots and even video of devices like the HTC Advantage and it works great. Of course, if you want to capture video of the Windows Mobile screen, you'll need to combine My Mobiler with something like TechSmith's Camtasia Studio or Jing.

This new version adds a great copy/paste feature so you can capture data from either the handheld or the PC and drag it right across using your keyboard and/or mouse. Obviously for the app to work, you'll need Microsoft ActiveSync installed and have your device tethered to the computer as well. My Mobiler supports Windows Mobile devices from version 2003 on up.

Free MP3 metatag editor and 800 x 800 Zune album art

When I was using my original Zune, I was frustrated over how difficult it was to edit metatag data on the content files. Actually, it seems like this simple task became logarithmically more challenging around the time WMP11 entered the music scene, but maybe it's just me. If you've been frustrated too, you might want to check out Mp3tag, a free universal tag editor that's in beta.

There's also word of 800 x 800 resolution album art now in the Zune Marketplace backend: yowza! To get at it, check out the Marketplace zip file put together by Shawn Oster. He indicates you can grab the high-res album art even for tracks you didn't purchase on the Zune Marketplace. While you check these two freebies out, I'm going to cross of "lograrithmically" from my list of challenging words to use in a post list.

(via Zune Thoughts)

Freeware offers simple doc uploading to Google Docs

I'm always on the lookout for ways to make using Google Docs easier on my mobile devices and this freeware meets that requirement. The Google Documents List Uploader is quite a mouthful to say, but it's simple to use. The app requires a Windows PC with .NET Framework 2.0 or better and provides two ways to shoot your docs to the cloud. Just right-click on a supported file for a "Send to Google Docs" option or use drag-and-drop for a quick upload. While very useful, the application is actually just an example of using Google's Documents List Data API. Thanks for the tip, Phil!

(via Lifehacker)

Re-map keys in XP or Vista with SharpKeys

After all of my raving about the Asus Eee PC, it's only fair to rant about my biggest gripe: the placement of the right-side Shift key. I could rag on the size of it too, but as we say in the world of mobile tech, life is full of compromises. Anyway, I was counting how many times I hit the up arrow key instead of the Shift key. I lost track somewhere around 847... or was it 848?

I'll be prying off both keys to give them the flip-flop and since I'm currently running Windows XP on the Eee, I figured I'll have to some digging in the registry for the keys to work correctly in their new homes. Or... I could just use SharpKeys, a free key-mapping application for Windows XP and Vista. SharpKeys provides a simple GUI and does the heavy lifting on the registry for you.

(via How-To Geek)

Update: All iS RiGhT WiTh ThE WoRlD AGAin. Oops... I got carried away now that I'm hitting the right button... carry on.

Restore closed Internet Explorer 7 tabs with free plug-in

Tabbed browsing is one of those functions that has definitely impacted my productivity for the better. It's not uncommon for me to have six to ten tabs open at a given time and I spend most of my day in a browser. I've lost track of how many times I accidentally closed a tab, gotten frustrated and had to search through my History to get it back. Sound familiar to anyone here that uses Internet Explorer?

Fear not, you can add a small plug-in aptly named "IE7 Open Last Closed Tab" directly from the Windows Marketplace. Once you install the free add-on, you can key Alt+X to restore the most recently closed browser tab. Alt+Q offers up a thumbnail view of the previously closed tabs: just select one to bring it back.

(via Download Squad)

CellWriter: a TIP-like program for touchscreen Linux devices

I was just reading Anne Lyle's experiences with Ubuntu 7.10 on the Samsung Q1U and she's got the device working well. Better than I did when I last tried this, but I think she put more effort in: she followed some on-line forums & wiki's to get the touchscreen working. It also helps that the newer version of Ubuntu has additional drivers for WiFi modules and such. More importantly, Anne found a promising work-in-progress application that offers handwriting support.

CellWriter is a free Tablet Input Panel-like application that supports print lettering only; no cursive support just yet. You do have to train it for a short while first and it does offer the ability to correct individual letters when it's unsure of your chicken scratch. If you'd prefer a virtual keyboard option, you can switch from handwriting to an on-screen QWERTY keyboard, just like the Windows TIP. Nice find Anne!

WebIS offers Pocket Informant 2007 free for two days

Thought the holiday deals were over did you? Not so fast you bargain shopper: WebIS is extending the seasonal joy with one heck of deal. Today and tomorrow only, you an get a full version of the awesome Pocket Informant 2007 absolutely free for your Windows Mobile handheld. Normally, you'd pay $34.95, but this full license won't take a dime from your budget. Hop over to Mobility Site for the coupon code before the deal expires tomorrow.

This PIM-on-steroids application is worth every penny at the full price in my opinion, so don't wait! In fact, I think this app has been mentioned in nearly every one of James' "typical day" posts. That should tell you something...

Import Windows Journal entries to OneNote

This free powertoy should be incredibly useful for anyone who purchased a Tablet PC but then later added Microsoft's OneNote. Windows Journal comes with every Tablet PC to give you a basic note-taking application, but it's fairly bare-bones. You can ink and convert your writing to text with Journal, but if you really want to step it up, you'll want to explore OneNote. Ahhh... but therein lies the problem: what can you do with all of those older notes from Windows Journal once you add OneNote to your software stable?

Up until last month, not much. Dan Escapa points out an importing tool developed by Lin Wang that solves the issue. Lin's free Journal to OneNote Importer saves all that inking effort with an external application to pull in your notes. Sweet!

MailStore backs up your PC-, web-mail for free

Here's a nifty little backup solution for your mail and it's free. MailStore is a Windows application that will backup all of your mail, and not just from Outlook or Outlook Express. It supports mail storage from Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Windows Mail, Exchange, and (most attractive to me) POP as well as IMAP mailboxes. That's good news for folks with web-based POP / IMAP accounts. I'm definitely transitioning away from Exchange in favor of Gmail's IMAP offering and MailStore could be just the ticket for a localized backup in case it rains on the cloud.

There's some intelligent features built into MailStore as well: attachments are only saved once to save space, previews of mail items are available in the app and you can search through your archives through an Extended Search feature. Not a bad deal for free!

(via Cybernet)

emTube brings YouTube to Symbian S60 3rd edition

I routinely enjoy watching YouTube vids on my iPhone when I have a few minutes of downtime. My ten-year old son Tyler often checks to see how many views his Asus Eee PC video has. That li'l bugger has over 10,000 views, which easily trumps some of my prior efforts. Guess it pays to be a cute kid these days instead of an aging wannabe hipster...

Other attempts to bring YouTube to handsets via third-party apps have been a mixed bag. Often, you'll need to download the video onto a PC and then convert it for use on a mobile device. Not so with emTube, a freeware application for Symbian S60 3rd edition devices. emTube offers a searchable YouTube interface and will decode videos on the fly. You can stream them through WiFi or your cellular data connection, although the quality will be better over WiFi, just like the iPhone. Landscape support is there too and there's even a special version of emTube that uses the accelerometer in the Nokia N95: just turn your device and it will automatically rotate the video to fit the screen whether it's in portrait or landscape.

(via All About Symbian)

Free app converts PDF text to images for mobile devices

We've mentioned this concept in the past to use your Zune as an eBook reader: convert the text of your content into images as a workaround. The idea isn't limited to the Zune of course; there's plenty of mobile devices that support pictures in various formats. The biggest challenge is getting that text converted to images in the first place. Storage capacity of your device is a close second in terms of this approach, but Digital Inspiration might have a free solution that addresses both issues.

eBooks to Images from MerlinSoftware is a free Windows application that does all of the grunt work to convert text to images. The app opens up a PDF file, extracts the text and then creates image files of the content. You can specify the output file format and even the image size that best fits your mobile device. These two features will definitely help you minimize the amount of storage space required for your content, not to mention the elimination of scrolling through pages: just choose image sizes that match the screen size of your device.

Freeware of the Moment- Copernic Mobile now iPhone optimized

I have to admit that spending the past few days with Kevin and seeing him playing with his iPhone was pretty eye opening.  I got the chance to play with his iPhone quite a bit and saw firsthand how productive one can be with an iPhone to work with email and the web.  You iPhone owners should take note that a great search product has now been optimized for use on the iPhone and it looks pretty sweet.  Copernic has long been a great desktop search utility that lets you find that nugget of information in your documents or email in a flash.  The company had produced a beta mobile version, Copernic Mobile, a short while ago but a new updated version has been optimized for usage on the iPhone.  Copernic Mobile will search your email and other information on your phone and make you a productive road warrior.  The mobile version is compatible not only with the Copernic desktop version but surprisingly with the Windows Desktop Search too so if you use XP or Vista it will start working with your existing search from the get go.  The beta is a free download and will work on any mobile phone that supports XHTML browsing.  There is a nice video demo of Copernic Mobile on the iPhone that you should check out.

BattStat, a free Notebook Hardware Control alternative

We've sung the praises of Notebook Hardware Control (NHC) for the information it provides on your mobile device but BattStat looks to be a comparable, free PC application. It may not provide the same levels of hardware control as NHC, but most, if not all of the same hardware information is readily available. You can view CPU speed, CPU load, hard drive temp, battery drain and much more.

BattStat can be set to run in the system tray, but like NHC, I find that the menu from the tray to be a little large on the small-screened devices I typically use. However, BattStat offers up the basics in a small window which can help save precious screen real-estate. Using smart battery support, BattStat will also provides a wear indicator of your battery, just like NHC. BattStat is supported on Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.

(via Cybernet)

Free App Friday: Ascendo DataVault for BlackBerry

Handango continues to offer Free App Friday and since today is... well, Friday... there's something waiting for BlackBerry owners. Ascendo DataVault is the free software du jours, so head over to Handango if you're interested and have a compatible device.

DataVault looks to take an eWallet / FlexWallet approach for securing your personal data with AES: credit card numbers, bank accounts, size of the spouse's unmentionable undergarments; you know, the important things in life. There's a whole list of the many features and functions on Ascendo's site well worth checking out for the 'Berry in your life.

Treobble adds kinetic contact scrolling to Palm OS phones

Love it, or hate it, you can't deny that the Apple iPhone user interface has made a huge impact on other mobile devices. Take Treobble, for example. This free application offers your Palm OS handset the same kinetic scrolling effect of the iPhone for your contacts. Using your finger, you can swipe the list up or down to quickly find a contact. Once found, you can call, e-mail or message them with one tap. I like the little indicators at the bottom too: the left one lists the number of contacts, while the item to the right is a ringer volume gadget.

(via Palm InfoCenter)

Clean out old PC files for free with Wise Disk Cleaner

This month's print issue of TechNet points out Wise Disk Cleaner, a free PC application that helps clean out old files on your computer. You can certainly get by with utilities included with Microsoft Windows, but Wise Disk Cleaner offers up some nice options. If you just want to search for and potentially remove files with a certain extension, you can do that. Want a full scan of files and then the ability to pick and choose by file? You can do that too. Need to remove cookies, temp files, Windows Update install files and more? No problem; they can go to your Recycle Bin for review or get permanently deleted. All activities you take with the application are logged as well, giving you a usable history of what's gone and when. Might be worth a look to reclaim some space as needed or for running in Automatic Mode so you can skip the worrying.

Freeware of the Moment- Camtasia Studio 3

Camtasia Studio has long been one of the greatest screen capturing programs around and the newest version 5 is simply awesome.  TechSmith, makers of Camtasia, realize that some folks don't need the latest bells and whistles and have made version 3 available for free download.  You just have to download the program and then go here for a full unlock key.  That's super!

(via TRFJ)

Create lighter, smaller custom Windows images with nLite, vLite

After taking a rare four-day break from the connected world, I'm ready to tackle XP on the Asus Eee PC. As I mentioned prior, some folks on the Eee User Forums have their XP footprint down to a svelte 687 MB. That's no small feat, so I looked deeper into the methods used and came across two great freeware applications: nLite and vLite.

nLine is a Windows application that allows you to completely customize your XP installation by letting you choose which components you want installed and then create a bootable .ISO image of your install. By including only what you need, you can keep that installation to a manageable size which is a premium for mobile devices with limited storage capacity. The theory here is: install what you need and skip the rest. Of course, you'll need a valid Microsoft Windows license to use nLite, but I see this is a very practical tool. It might not get the lighter version of Windows that mobile device users want to see but it's a small step in the right direction. Vista users will want to check out vLite, a work-in-progress version that's meant for Vista installations. One feature I like right off the bat: the app shows dependencies between features you might plan to remove.

Nokia updates free Sports Tracker, adds services

After reading this overview of the updated Nokia Sports Tracker beta application, I'm hooked. Now I just need an E-series device to track my biking and running activities. While I'm saving up my pennies, you might want to see what's new and exciting with the free beta. I was thoroughly impressed with:

• Google Maps integration; today, I manually map my routes for distance.
  
• Photo geotagging and uploading while on the go.
  
• Live sharing of workout data which can be handy when training with a virtual group.

From what I can see, all of the features appear nicely integrated and easy to use. Even for couch potatoes!

Agendus Standard for Windows Mobile free today from Handango

Got a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone or Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition device? If so and you always wanted Agendus Smartphone Standard Edition but didn't have the coin to drop, it's on me today. Well, to be honest, it's on Handango, but I'm always looking to impress my friends, so let's just pretend, 'k?

Yup, it's Free App Friday at Handango and Agendus is on the agenda today. Hit this happy Handango link if you're interested and it's yours for the downloading provided you don't mind filling out a brief survey to save $19. For those wondering what Agendus is, you can hit up the product page on iambic's site. In brief, it's a customizable, multi-view contact manager, calendar, PIM and daily helper that's worth the look.

iphonelogd archives iPhone call data to iCal automatically

Last month we featured SmartJournal, a free Windows app that archives your Windows Mobile phone data in Outlook's Journal. One good turn deserves another, so here's a similar approach for iPhone users running Mac OS X Leopard. iphonelogd is a free 8 Kb Ruby script that reads iPhone data from the lastest device backup and plunks it in Mac's iCal application. You can pick which calendar you want the events and data saved to; if you don't specify, iphonelogd will create a new calendar appropriately named "Call Log" for you. If there's a duplicate event that would be created from the script, it ensures that only a single event appears. While it's still rough around the edges (you have to manually launch it, for example), it looks pretty handy for those who are mobile Mac-ified.

(via TUAW)

Opera Mini 4 arrives, adds Opera Link & landscape view

The latest and greatest version of Opera Mini arrives today; version 4 is officially released out of beta for your mobile phone. When we reported on the beta last summer, we saw new features like the desktop layout mode, intelligent zoom, and shared page cacheing to speed up page loads.

Well, those features are all in there, plus support for Opera Link to help keep your bookmarks in sync between computers and mobile handsets. Landscape view is in there too, just press *# on your keypad or change the view in your menu; unfortunately for BlackBerry owners, you'll have to wait a bit for this feature. Check the full feature list and point your phone browser to operamini.com for an over-the-air free download.

(via CyberNet)

Reserve some dockable screen space with DesktopCoral

Have you ever wanted to "almost maximize" a window? You know, get as much screen as you can from an application but still leave a wee bit for certain shortcuts or a monitoring app like the one shown above? I'm struggling for a good use for this on a UMPC, but it could be handy on a laptop PC. If you could use this feature, you'll want to check out DesktopCoral, a free / donation-ware PC app just for this purpose.

"Essentially, it acts like an invisible resizeable docking bar, which can be docked to any side of your desktop. This invisible dock acts as a barrier to maximized applications and essentially shields this area of your desktop from other applications. Within this shielded area you might put certain application windows that you want to be always visible, or you might put one of the many desktop tools like a calendar or system information component."

You could always resize windows for a similar purpose, but why not let the computer do those mundane tasks?

(via Lifehacker)

Store private info securely for free on your Palm: Cryptex

In the Windows Mobile world I've always relied on either eWallet or FlexWallet to securely secure my personal data. You know, things like: passwords, credit card numbers, bank accounts and such. While each of the apps I mentioned works very well and are worth the purchase, they do cost a few bucks. On the Palm OS side, it turns out there's a comparable application and it's entirely free.

Cryptex offers the same functionality to store data securely and categorize that data efficiently. Cryptex keeps a local database of your info safe with RC4 encryption and provides an unlimited number of entries and fields. Well, it might be limited by how much storage capacity you have, but you get the idea.

(via Lifehacker)

SmartJournal archives phone calls in Outlook Journal

I've never been a heavy user of Outlook's Journal features, but after reading about SmartJournal, I just may give Journal another look. SmartJournal is a free Windows application that archives your Windows Mobile phone data right in the Journal, which is pretty handy. You'll get the date, time, duration and caller information automatically placed in the appropriate Journal location for all of your calls. For WinMo users that need to track billable time, this could be a lifesaver. I should note: this app is for non-English versions of Outlook and is a rewrite of an app that Paul from MoDaCo wrote for English versions. I found broken links looking for Paul's app for the English-speaking readers, so if anyone knows where to find it, please pop it in the comments!

(via Lifehacker)

MojoPac Freedom: no cost mobile virtualization for PCs

Great news from RingCube: they've set their mobile virtual environment application, MojoPac, free! When MojoPac debuted, it was $29.95 for a license, but now you can get MojoPac Freedom at no charge. As shown in this video demonstration, MojoPac is an innovative method to carry your personal computing environment with you at all times on practically any USB storage device. As long as that device can be recognized by Windows as an external storage drive, you can run a full computing environment on it by connecting it to any Windows PC. This gives you the flexibility to have all of your apps and data with you, but use them without leaving a trace behind on the host PC.

You can snag a free copy of MojoPac Freedom right here. Looks like the host PC support is limited to Windows XP only; no Vista as of yet.

(via DigitalReviews Network)

Freeware of the Moment- use your phone cam as a web cam in Windows

My brand new HP 2710p has a nice web cam but I can't tell you how many times before I got it that I looked at my cell phone with a camera and wished I could use it as a web cam in Skype.  If your Windows mobile PC doesn't have a web cam then you're going to love our Freeware of the Moment- SmartCam.  SmartCam lets you use your S60 3rd edition or J2ME-equipped phone as a web cam in Windows.  The program should work with Skype and other applications that provide video options and operates wirelessly using Bluetooth.  This utility is the perfect example of those rare programs that do one thing well and fill an obvious need.

(via LifeHacker)

Free App Friday at Handango: CodeWallet Pro 6

Hats off to Download Squad for spotting this download. With a name like Download Squad, I guess they're just doing their job, but kudos anyway. ;) Apparently Handango is giving away applications on Fridays and today's offering, CodeWallet Pro 6, would normally set you back about $25. You'll have to jump through a Handango survey for the free Windows Mobile software, but that's the price you pay for not paying a price. Or something like that.

CodeWallet Pro 6 is a personal information manager to track your passwords, bank accounts, credit card info and other "must have with me but in a safe place" types of data. According to the product page at DeveloperOne, the software works on Windows Mobile 2003, 5 and 6 Pocket PC and Smartphone devices.

Free: Track stock indices on a Windows Mobile Smartphone

While you can't track individual stocks with this free app, STQ Lite 1.0 does show the major stock indices right on your home screen. If you've got room on your Today screen to spare, you can track the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, NASDAQ, 10-Year Treasury, FTSE 100, DAX, CAC 40, Nikkei 225, Hang Seng, and Strait Times. Since this is geared for smartphones, I'd expect it to work on WM 5 Smartphone Edition and WM 6 Standard Edition devices. Maybe version 2 will offer individual stock tracking?

(via Smartphone Thoughts)