These aren’t power toys, or even hard to setup. They are just freewares that I have found essential to the Shadow’s everyday use. They fill several needs nicely while at the same time enhancing the power of the Shadow. They enable me to communicate via chats, photo and voice messaging, find my way, take screenshots of the device screen, find the time easier, use the Shadow as removable storage, manipulate zip files, edit the registry and even use FTP sites. Read on for a short description of these fine applications.

 Palringopalringo.jpg 

The native instant messaging client on the Shadow is OK however Palringo steps it up a few notches by allowing for nearly all the instant messaging services under one login. You have the ability to be in multiple chats across different services; you can send photos and even voice messages. Results vary from service to service on how these show up. IT can be set to automatically startup when you power on your Shadow so you can stay connected with family and friends. There is a desktop version as well. I find myself using this on a daily basis and it has become an essential addition to the Shadow. You can get the most recent version at Palringo.com

 Google Mapsgooglemaps.jpg 

We’ve talked about Google Maps before, but it needs mentioning again. Between the included Live Search w/ Voice and Google Maps it is hard to decide which is better however Google Maps is used everyday never the less. Since it doesn’t come preloaded I have included it here as an essential freeware. The directions are the same top notch directions available through the desktop browser Google Maps and the My Location feature is awesome for those without GPS. You can get Google Maps from m.google.com or read more about it in our article about the simulated GPS ‘My Location’.

 Clock On Top clockontop.jpg

It doesn’t do much except make a 12 or 24 hour digital clock visible at the top of your screen. Many times I will be using some application and need the time and have to switch the Today Screen to view it. With Clock On Top I simply look at the top of the screen. It isn’t memory or processor intensive and makes a worthwhile addition to any Smartphone. Go here to read more about free Clock On Top.

 WM5torage wm5torage.jpg

It is free and functional. If you have some large file transfer and your USB cable then you can turn your Windows Mobile device into Removable Storage. This is handy when getting files from friends PCs without having to install Activesync or Windows Mobile Device Center first. For more information read How To Ditch That Thumb Drive.

 Total Commander totalcommander.jpg

The native File Explorer for Windows Mobile is limited in scope and functionality. That is where Total Commander comes in. You can select multiple files for moving, copying, deleting or even pack them into a Zip file. Total Commander also comes in handy for various registry hacks that you might come across in our forums. For those of you that find a need to access FTP sites on occasion, Total Commander also has a simple FTP client built in. Free is good and Free Total Commander is even better. Go here to find the most recent version of Total Commander for Smartphone.

 Smart SS smartss.jpg

Whether you are writing a review or describing a problem you are having in the forums, it is always helpful to have a visual representation of what you are writing about. Smart SS is simple enough and allows the user to take screen shots of their device. Screen shots are saved as bmp’s and automatically numbered ss000.bmp and upward. You can get it from Lou Terrailloune’s Blog or a version with more options as well.

 Conclusion

There they are the six essential freeware I load onto my Shadow and recommend to anyone. I hope you find some of these as useful as I do and if you know of an essential freeware that you use everyday let us know in the comments. Enjoy!




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