I've been a solid Windows Pocket PC user for a few years now, so I thought I would share my list of favorite programs for my handheld device. This list works under the assumption that you have Internet access on your PDA phone gizmo.

Clicking on the titles of each program will take you to their respective download/product page:

10. Slide 2 Unlock - Phone Locking Software

Free - This program is an excellent utility that can lock out your phone keys and buttons so that nothing gets accidentally pressed while it is in your pocket. It mimics the iPhone interface pretty closely, but provides many more customization features. Besides choosing your wallpapers for portrait and landscape mode, you can determine what components will be displayed, including the clock, date format, number of appointments, tasks, missed calls, and much more. I like using it as an alternative to my watch in addition to its main functionality.

Even the text lights up like the iPhone

09. Skype - VoIP

Free - For those of you who like talking for free, especially internationally, you may have already used Skype before. What you may not know is that Skype works on Windows Mobile phones and PDAs, as well. Using any data connection (ActiveSynce, WiFi, or 3G networks), you can place calls and chats via Skype like you would on your regular PC, albeit from a much more portable platform.

Cheap calls to Taiwan from your cellphone!

08. iContact - Contact Management

Free Open-Source - iContact is another beautifully crafted program for the Windows Mobile user who likes to use his finger more than a stylus. Yet another iPhone-like program, iContact provides a wonderful interface to manage your contacts from. It is lightweight and fast. Searching is very quick and easy. Favorites are highlighted in yellow, and it is easy to breakdown your contacts into various categories. Recent calls are logged, with missed calls highlighted in red. The only reason why you shouldn't get this program is if your PDA phone is way too old to handle this. My Samsung SCH-i760 handles it just fine.

Finger-flicking good!

07. Resco Media Suite - File Management and Utilities

Free to try - Now, I am not a big believer in buying applications that go on your phone, but Resco software has put a lot of good software out there, and there are a few reasons why I like their suite so much. The built-in File Explorer integrates many missing features from the standard File Explorer provided with the OS. It features an easy finger-touch interface option. Virtual folders for organization, a full featured registry editor, FTP browser (also local network share browsing), and built-in compression and decompression tools. The suite also features an excellent screen capture tool, which is responsible for the images you see in this post. A richer photo browser and editor, audio capture tool, and internet radio player complete the suite. All are very useful and intuitive programs. The downside is the price-tag of course.

The main screen of the explorer application.

Note: There is no one package that works as a free alternative, but Total Commander is an excellent file, registry, and zip compression browser alternative. Photoshop.com Mobile provides comparable photo viewing and editing features with a much more pleasing look and feel.

06. BeyondPod - RSS/Podcast aggregator

Free - You don't need an iPod to listen to your podcasts anymore. BeyondPod is an excellent tool for managing all of your online feed subscriptions. The most recent version boasts several enhancements in the user interface, making it much more intuitive. You can subscribe to video and audio podcasts, or you can simply use it to pull in your favorite RSS feeds. It also provides the ability to stream podcasts without even having to download the file!

Finger-friendly interface; easily managed

05. CorePlayer - Media Player

Not Free - If you are a big fan of movies and videos, then CorePlayer is the choice for you. It features a nice-looking interface that allows you to play most types of video files. The only limitation comes from what your PDA/Phone hardware can handle. I also enjoy the built-in YouTube player functionality, which allows you to search and watch videos from YouTube (although the quality is a bit sporadic).

Excellent video decoding; good interface, too.

Note: a free alternative is TCPMP, although it is far less stable and not as aesthetically pleasing.

04. Palringo - Instant Messaging

Free - You may recall I wrote an article in praise of Digsby, an excellent instant messaging client for regular computers. Well, Palringo is just that, except for your smartphone instead! It allows you to connect to virtually every Instant Messaging client imaginable. On top of that, the chat functionality allows for the sending of video camera and audio clips, if your hardware can support it. The program also integrates with your Today screen to help you see your status and new chats. I cannot recommend this program enough!

Chat with everyone!!

03. Skyfire - Internet Browser

Free Beta Version - Oh my beloved Skyfire! This browser makes it to number three because of one thing: Internet Video. Yes, as the screenshot below depicts, this browser can let you watch videos on hulu.com, youtube.com, and video.msn.com just to name a few. And it plays those videos surprisingly well due to it's scaling technology. It can do things no other mobile browser can do, so the fact that it is still in beta and crashes sometimes is not that big a deal.

That's right, hulu.com on your phone!

02. Magic Button - Task Manager

Free - This program utilizes the normally wasted space on the top bar of the screen and transforms it into a taskbar with similar functionality to what you find in regular windows. You can see examples of this in the other screenshots, where running program icons appear next to the start button. This program allows you to manage your system memory utilization as well. It can truly close programs as needed by actually replacing the standard 'X' button in the upper-right corner of your screen. Having the icons so displayed also allows for fast and easy program switching. Basically, it allows for a multitude of options, and I use it all the time. Oh, and what is that white line at the top of all my screenshots? That is the battery meter display the Magic Button can also provide. It is so much more helpful than having four silly little bars.

01. Opera Mobile - Internet Browser

Free Beta Version - This browser is one of the cleanest and most robust mobile programs out there. Even though it is technically still in a Beta stage, this browser is almost as full featured as a desktop browser! It provides support for popular Opera widgets and advanced dynamic web-pages. You can zoom and navigate much like the iPhone's browser, but the best feature is clearly found in Tabbed Browsing! No other browser has even come close to what Opera has done so far.

Easy zoom, easy use, simply beautiful.

So that is my list. I hope you find it beneficial and useful to you. Of course, if you have any suggestions or complaints about my list, be sure to let me know by leaving a comment down below! In any case, please vote for my article and let me know how much you liked or disliked it.