Spb Diary 1.5

Supplier:SPB Software
Product:SPB Diary 1.5
Cost: $14.95 (Free update for v1.0 users)

SPB have released an upgrade to the excellent SPB diary, now at version 1.5. In this review we take a look at the plug-in and it's newest features. As a Today Screen PIM viewer this software is stunning, read on to see why.







Main Features

• Four PIM Today plug-ins in one
• Tabs for Calendar, Tasks, Contacts and Notes
• Integration with Pocket Outlook
• Integration with Agenda Fusion
• Integration with Pocket Informant
• Up to 31 days of upcoming events
• Integration with Spb Weather
• VGA resolution & Landscape

Warning! This software produces the coveted 'must have' desire. Read on at your own risk! The default Personal Information Manager (PIM) today screen viewer included with the Windows Mobile operating system has not been updated since PocketPC 2002. Thats almost three revisions old considering that we've since seen Windows Mobile 2003, then second edition and version 5 is almost here, it's about time we got a good update Microsoft (hint, hint)

The need for better control and visibility of the pim information on the today screen has led to a number of products from third party developers. Among the developers is SPB Software, already well known for their existing portfolio of excellent products and utilities for pocketpc devices. This release is an update to the version released in April of this year. In addition to fixes and enchancements to existing features, SPB Diary 1.5 offers some new and unique features in their Notes and Weather integration.

See the screens to see the differences between the default today pim viewer and SPB Diary.





It's been just a couple of months since we hosted our review of version 1.0 of SPB Diary, that review can be read here. This time around I will look closely at the newer features while providing an overview of the existing and updated features.

After installation of SPB Diary 1.5, you will notice the plug-in on your today screen. The default configuration is quite good at providing a good view of your calendar, tasks, contacts and notes. But for the tweakers among us, there is plenty to do under the bonnet.

One of the newest features is the ability to view notes on the Today screen. In SPB own's words, "Notes is one of the natural parts of PIM data. Microsoft ActiveSync provides synchronization for notes between Microsoft Outlook on desktop PC side and Notes files on the Pocket PC side. Spb Diary provides access to main PIM data from the Today screen and with this new version you can use notes from your Today screen as well"

Tapping on the notes tab will display the list, and tapping on any note will open the details in a small floating window. This window can be positioned anywhere on the today screen. It can't however, be increased or decreased in size and the information presented cannot be selected or edited from this window.









The other totally new and unique feature is SPB Diary's integration with SPB Weather. (Note that you must install the new version of Weather!) When both products are installed, the options within SPB Diary allow the integration to occur. This manefests itself as a little icon representing the day's weather summery on the Calendar tab for each viewable day. Tapping on the icon produces the detailed weather report for that day.

I'm not too sure about my like for this little feature though, as I'm already running the weather plug-in on the today screen and if I remove it from view then I lose the ability to view the weather from within SPB Diary. This means that there is duplication of information on the today screen, which is something I do not like. I would prefer to just have the small icons visible from within SPB Diary but it's not an option unfortunately.

The original tabs - calendar, tasks and contacts have a lot of customisable views and filters that can be applied. Rather than describe each in detail (these have been covered in our earlier review) I'll represent them in an animated screen shot for each tab.



The options for SPB Diary 1.5 can be accessed by a tap and hold on any tab, or through the settings for the today screen. The options screen looks similar to the earlier version with just the addtion of the Notes Icon.

There are however, many options to go through. This is a tweakers delight with options ranging from the plug-in height in pixels, through the font size and onto removing any of the four tabs from the plug-in. There are options for each tab - calendar, tasks, contacts and notes. A selection of options screens can be seen in the following animated screen shot.





I found this option screen to be a little misleading. I had expected that if I tick on the option to view tasks from within the calendar tab, that I would see the list of tasks. However, this only applies if the tasks have a due date. And then, the tasks will be visible from that day's view. I would like to see this changed a little to display all undated tasks within the current day's view, and any dated tasks should appear as normal for that days view.

Something else that I was troubled over was the one handed navigation. This is fantastic for scrolling though your appointments using the d-pad up/down buttons on your device. You can also move through the tabs using your d-pads left/right buttons. But you cannot select or open/action any item which is a real nusiance.


Conclusion
SPB has continually developed a line of great products for your pocketpc devices, the commitment to product developement and enhancement is very obivious in this release. With SPB Diary on your today page you have instant access to your appointments, details of all your tasks, your complete contact list and now for the first time your entire collection of notes.

As an existing user of PocketBreeze (see our review here ), it would be very unjust not to mention that there are extensive similarities between the two products, however, that said there are enough unique difference to keep the space competitive. There are other very similar products competing for their space too, such as Agenda Fusion and Pocket Informant. Overall, competition leads to better products, increased consumer choice and satisfaction and this is always welcome.

There are some points below in the against table that also appeared in our last review. It's a shame these could not have been addressed for this release. Or are we the only ones to notice?

In the last screen shot I've compiled another collage of screens showing each tab in turn.



For
• Highly customizable.
• One handed navigation.
• VGA Support
• WM5 Support.
• Notes and Contacts accessible from the Today Screen.

Against
• Tasks must have due date to appear in the Calendar list.
• One handed navigation cannot select or open any item.
• Size of the tab icons makes available width space smaller.
• Text in pop-up windows cannot be selected or edited.
• Weather integration cannot be viewed if the weather plug-in is turned off.





4WM Rating 90%