Start Menu too limited? Programs folder too cluttered? Conduits' Pocket Launcher claims the answer, but Anthony Newman finds it's not for everyone.
Pocket Launcher by Conduits is a Windows Mobile system utility that offers tabbed launching capabilities to replace the Start Menu and programs folder - not unlike the launcher concept utilized by Palm OS handhelds from the very inception of the operating system.
 | The panel options provide hours of fun
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With Pocket Launcher installed, a tap on the Start Menu will bring up an icon-based launcher system with a series of tabs along the bottom of the screen corresponding to program groups, such as settings, games and main. With the stylus or directional pad, the user can navigate between the tabs to quickly launch programs.
The background of each tab has an appropriate and user-customisable background to aid quick recognition, and users have control over font size, colours, icon sizes and some layout choices. The user can also quickly move icons between tabs, and indeed rearrange the tabs themselves, with a simple drag-and-drop technique. Icons can also be reordered and changed within tabs.
The main unique feature of Pocket Launcher is its panel view, which allows each tab to accommodate or be split into different windows, each showing a different tab. These can be positioned, customised and locked to preserve the availability of key programs whichever tab the user may be on. The tab bar for each pane can be hidden or positioned on different sides, making for an extremely personalised layout system.
That's about it for Pocket Launcher, but it does have a few more options up its sleeve. Its tabs automatically update to reflect the content of the Pocket PC, although this can also be manually invoked. Those who wish to retain a bit of the old look of Windows Mobile can choose to replace just the 'Programs' entry in the Start Menu instead of the Start Menu itself, or indeed have the option to run Pocket Launcher as a standalone program with no system integration.
An entry can also be added for the Today Screen, or to power off the device, and a similar 'gizmo' can be turned on for system information. These can be positioned as desired. On first launch, a friendly and reassuring User Guide is there to guide newbies through the program's functionality. For those blessed with those rare, high-resolution beasts, Pocket Launcher also supports VGA mode and landscape orientation. Overall, performance and stability were just fine.
The main problem with Pocket Launcher is that it's just too much. Unless one has more than twenty or thirty programs installed and in use, the hassle of configuring, tweaking and then switching between tabs to find and launch an application is no easier than using the Start Menu and Programs, or alternatives such as a Today Screen launcher, of which there are many free options. Fundamentally, we all just want quick, simple access to the right applications, and, in many cases, Pocket Launcher won't speed things up or make it easier - which makes it more of a geek toy than a productivity enhancer.
Availability
Pocket Launcher 2.1 is available now for $9.95 USD. A 30-day trial version is available.
Conclusion
Pocket Launcher is undeniably great for those who love fiddling with their Pocket PCs and want everything in precisely the right place. However, for most people - those of us who don't have hundreds of programs in regular use - the system of tabs, panes and icons, complete with heavy customisation, is just overkill. A simple launchbar on the Today Screen, or indeed the Start Menu, works just as well.
- What's positive: Lots of control; innovative views for launching programs
- What's negative: Massive overkill for a program launcher
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