Windows Phone Thoughts: Conduits Technologies, Inc. Releases Pocket Launcher 2.0 for Pocket PC

"Conduits Technologies Inc. announced today the release of Pocket Launcher 2.0, a customizable application launcher that improves upon the device's built-in program launcher with a tab-based categorization system that is expandable to a user's needs, and customizable to a user's tastes. Pocket Launcher runs on all Pocket PC devices, such as the Pocket PC 2000, Pocket PC 2002, and Windows Mobile 2003 Software for Pocket PC. Pocket Launcher integrates a collection of large, icon-based lists of applications that are installed on a device. Icons represent their respective applications, and when tapped once, the application is launched. The list of icon shortcuts and categories is initially taken from the user's current layout of the Start and Programs menus, and then copied to another place so that Pocket Launcher can use the shortcut.

Pocket Launcher 2.0 includes advanced features and optimizations to increase its speed. Through the delayed loading of non-visible tabs when starting up, Pocket Launcher is ready for use much faster than in previous versions. Another advanced feature is the ability to hide Pocket Launcher from Task Managers, such that it is not closed by memory managers or common "Close All Tasks" procedures. Several bug fixes are also part of Pocket Launcher 2.0, most notably some button mapping issues on older Pocket PC devices. As in previous versions, Pocket Launcher also supports a small icon view, in which up to 30 icons can be placed on the screen at once. Other features include customizable background colors, landscape mode support, and cleartype integration on the tabs. Background images can be supplied in BMP, GIF, or JPEG formats."

I used to be a big fan of launcher, but I haven't used it in a while. This new version looks great, however, so I'm going to install it later today! It boasts VGA support, landscape-aware support, DPI-aware support (what does that mean?), and lots of other new features. The product can be downloaded as a free trial or purchased for $9.95. [Affiliate] Subscribers can save 20% on this application - watch for a coupon code later today!