The windows mobile reborn

I love PDAs. It helps me organize whatever I have to do in the kitchen. I have used filofaxes or organizers back in college. It was useful, therapeutic even, to jot down all those notes and to-do lists during your downtime, and then review them constantly so you know your progress during the day. However, getting it on paper had its drawbacks. Once you close the organizer or filofax, you have to remind yourself once in a while to check what's next in your agenda. The saying 'Out of sight, out of mind' holds water in this case. I had to remind myself consciously to open the darn book up to remind me what I am supposed to do.

Then came the PDA, a godsend. With so many contacts, notes and to do lists to keep track of, maintaining a paper bound organizer that has to be refilled every year proved cumbersome, inefficient and downright crazy. My first PDA was a Philips Nino. It ran on Windows CE Platform. Everything i needed was in that 8MB block of plastic. Even though the screen was in Monochrome (hey! it was 1998), I get to see in one glance all the information i need. And if I dont see it, the little assistant will remind me through beeps that I have an important meeting to go to, or it's someone's birthday tomorrow. Since then I moved on to other forms of PDA through the years. I had A palm pilot, a sony PDA, and even the nokia 9300. But i still ended up with a windows based mobile. Currently I am using the HP Ipaq h6365. Using Windows Mobile 2003, I get to create recipes, keep track of culinary information, download email via the integrated wi-fi and even listen to some tunes. A computer in the palm of your hand. It just happens to be a mobile phone.

The drawback with these devices is that the interface is patterned after the desktop version. Unless you can figure out how to attach a mouse to the PDA (at which point you would look like an idiot carrying around a mouse with the phone) the stylus does all the interaction you need. So each time you have to fiddle your phone, the stylus comes out, and you start tapping away. These pens are miniscule at best, and not exactly tactile friendly since it is so anorexic, especially with big hands. And if they get lost, these pieces of plastic are not cheap to replace. Still, it is better than using the limited agility to tap on the interface with the finger. No matter how small or dainty the finger is, even if you had long fingernails, accurately tapping on the interface such as the onscreen keyboard or switching between applications is like trying to stick a pushpin on a cork board with a sewer pipe. Try switching applications while doing a 200 seat banquet on a weekend when you are simmering 4 different sauces, roasting a leg of lamb, the line cook has just cut his finger, the phone keeps ringing, and you have to make several checkmarks on your to-do lists.

Apple had a good idea with the iPhone. Smooth, finger friendly, intuitive. But I am not an Apple user, and the iPhone isn't exactly within my price range. So, I had to find an interface for the windows mobile that had the same functionality.

Welcome PointUI. This software is free, and it changes most of the interface on your windows mobile phone. The current version is 1.02b, and can be downloaded from http://www.pointui.com/. It's available for Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5/6.

The screen is entertaining, as the graphical interphase really is finger friendly. It switches between screens through flipping animation. On the home screen, with the flick of your thumb, you can view your calendar, the time, the weather, to-do lists and appointments. The icons at the bottom of the lead to the phone functions, inbox, messages and your favorite applications

It really is convenient when I can just use my finger when accessing the various functions. With buttons like these and slide navigation similar to that of the iPhone, i can fiddle with the phone with one hand, and stir the tomato sauce with the other, and yell at the dishwasher for breaking another plate, all this without skipping a beat.

It is still in its beta stage (hence the 1.02b) so there are still issues. Such as the battery indicator is not accurate and has to be refreshed manually. I would like to see a picture of my daughter as a background wallpaper, but currently that can not be done.

Otherwise, the interface is good, and I am looking forward to the next version. This at least helps me navigate through the phone without having to drop the stylus in the simmering demi-glace.