SBSH iLauncher updated to version 2.3

**hnelson59** · 02-20-06, 11:42 PM

The folks over at SBSH have been busy with iLauncher. I was able to do beta testing on the latest version and have found the new features to be extremely useful and customizable. Check out the press release below and then check out the latest version for yourself. Oh, and as always, previous owners of iLauncher can upgrade for free!

iLaunchernew major version was released today, version 2.3 offers lots of new features and changes, including New menu replacement, shortcut captions support, D-Pad navigation, look and feel customization options and much more!

iLauncher 2.3 highlights
Captions Support - Optionally include captions below shortcuts, activate captions only for certain tabs (designed especially to support document tabs type), control captions display style and lots of additional caption configurations.

Complete D-Pad Navigation - New D-Pad support added allowing to fully control and navigate between iLauncher shortcuts and tabs using the D-Pad alone.

New Menu Replacement - Add shortcut icons to the "New" context menu options on your Today screen, including an optional shortcut icon that will pop-up the actual "New" context menu. While this feature will work on all OS versions, it was designed especially to meet with Windows Mobile 5 OS users needs after the removal of the New context menu from the Today screen with the Windows Mobile 5 OS.

Look and Feel Customization - New color and font settings were added with the new version. Allowing the user to fully customize iLauncher's display.

More information about the new features and changes that were implemented with this new release can be found in the following URL:
http://www.sbsh.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9208

Pricing and Availability

iLauncher 2.3 costs $9.95

iLauncher can be purchased using the SBSH online store powered by Handango in the following URL:
http://minibrand.handango.com/minibr...07&siteId=1223

Additional distributors are available on our site in the following URL:
http://www.sbsh.net/products/ilaunch...?page=purchase

Downloads and Support

iLauncher trial version can be downloaded from Hadnango in the following URL:
https://www.handango.com/PlatformPro...oductId=112807

iLauncher user manual can be downloaded from our site in the following URL:
http://www.sbsh.net/products/ilaunch...p?page=support

For any additional questions/suggestion we invite you to post on our forums:
Click here to enter SBSH forums

Or contact our support team at:
support@sbsh.net

Upgrade Details

All iLauncher 2.x registered users are entitled to receive this upgrade for free. You can find more information how to update your iLauncher version to the latest version in the following URL:
http://www.sbsh.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1677

Because this is a major sub-point version update we recommend to uninstall the latest version before installing the new version.

**Rishad** · 02-21-06, 12:05 AM

Lots of problems reported with the new 2.3. I wouldn't recommend updating right away. Our own Jukov might have more to add.

02-21-06, 12:48 AM

Hmm... Looks like I'll need to wait a bit until the bugs get ironed out. None the less, thank you for the heads up.

Laroakith · 02-21-06, 01:06 AM

Originally Posted by kulnet

Hmm... Looks like I'll need to wait a bit until the bugs get ironed out. None the less, thank you for the heads up.

I was so pumped when I saw the list of new features for 2.3. Being a 2.2 user I was wondering how much better this already awesome plugin could get. However I too am holding off 2.3 until they remove the bugs.

The sbsh official thread for the program has numerous users complaining of issues with 2.3.

Dont get me wrong the folks at SBSH make AWESOME products. I'll just wait till they iron out the kinks before using it. :) And Im sure that will be soon.

EDIT: I've since downloaded and installed 2.3.01 and am very happy with it. No problems at all. Great product. :approve: :)

02-21-06, 04:15 AM

Hi all :)

I've just finished reading the whole release thread and there are two issues reported from it on the release thread that I located. One is Jukov's report, but I don't believe this can be related to the new software as this is not something that can be caused as a result of a software installation, also, since we had about ~1,500 downloads since then, if the issue was related directly to the new update we would have seen more reports like this, which I'm glad of course we didn't :)

Please remember that since we are running public forums, users are reporting issues that usually go through support emails, and therefore issue reports are much more transparent in this case. I really believe that such issue would have reflected on more devices if was directly related to the new build

although it might have been effected from a certain situation on the device right after the new build was installed

I'm still waiting for his reply this morning to see if he managed to got this resolved somehow

The second issue which is reported on the thread is a problem when placing meters along with the default meters on a different installation location, e.g. storage card etc., something that we are already working to resolve and we will soon update with a fix for this issue, which I'm terribly sorry that was missed during the beta group testing.

All of the other reports during the thread are related to different configurations and new settings which can always be modified easily through the settings, like removing meters glow fonts and so on... :)

If you notice any additional issues with this build apart from those reported in the thread please let me know :) at the moment, after I've reviewed all the replies in the thread, I can only see the one with the meters problem when placing them in a new installation location without removing the default meters, which is causing iLauncher a confusion between the new meters and the default installation meters :)

But I think that we've got this one resolved already :)

I will be sure to post here once we will have the new build 2.3.01 uploaded, which I hope will be later on today :)

Menneisyys · 02-21-06, 04:33 AM

Here's my review of the app:

Ever wanted to put icons to your favourite programs/documents on your Today screen, as you'd do with your desktop Windows' desktop?

Unfortunately, you do need third-party applications to do this. Luckily, there are quite a few of them; a new version of iLauncher, one of the most important ones, has just been released. It has really excellent capabilities (please see their list in here).

In this review, I compare the new version to the previous version(s) of iLauncher and also the current versions of the alternative, competing Today launcher applications. That is, this is a comparative review, emphasizing on the differences between the new and the older versions and the competing products. To see the "entire picture" of the reviewed Today launcher applications, please see my old roundup(s), linked from the "Recommended links" section. In the current review, due to space/time constraints, I can't repeat the information already present there.

Pros of the new version

* text captions – that is, giving always-visible names to icons. They were painfully missing from all previous versions, as with almost all the other alternatives, including Resco and Spb's solutions (except for, most notably, the free (!) cLaunch).

Naturally, you can have an influence on the settings of a lot in here – even more than with cLaunch. For example, you can even set the caption shadow style - unlike with cLaunch.

* D-pad navigation has been implemented (note that the two directly competing products, Resco and the Spb Pocket Plus, also support this). This was also missing from the previous versions (you couldn't use the D-pad to even enter the Today screen area of iLauncher) and is a welcome addition.

Now, you can select an application to run/document to open/metering dialog to open by using the D-pad and the Action button on your PDA. Both WM2003SE and WM5 support this (unlike the old(er) Pocket PC 2002 and WM2003 operating systems). Here's a screenshot of the related setting screen – and another one, of the other D-Pad navi-related settings item, which lets the user set what he or she wants to happen upon pressing the Action button.

* it now properly detects the real VGA mode – the real VGA switcher menu now has an auto-detect option. Switching works perfectly, as can be seen in this native VGA and, after switching back, this SE/stadard VGA screenshot. The older versions didn't have this option, as can be seen in here. (Note that Spb Pocket Plus' area is at the top; then follows Resco Today Plug-in, and, finally, iLauncher at the bottom.)

As can also be seen in the native VGA screenshot, the latest Spb Pocket Plus version still can't be configured to automatically double the size of its icons in the native VGA mode (you'll need to use, for example, ozVGA's excellent configuration switching capabilities to do this. Please see my ozVGA/native VGA tutorial in the Recommended links section for more information.) Furthermore, Resco's Today plug-in is still using small and non-enlargable program launcher icons in native VGA mode. Clearly the best in this respect is iLauncher, which automatically adjusts (enlarges/decreases) its icon sizes, according to the current VGA mode.

*Also, it has a lot of other GUI enhancements; the most important being the ability to assign any icon to any application. The developer also ships some sample icons (both low-resolution QVGA and high-resolution VGA ones) with the application. They're just lovely and look much better than the built-in ones in the Windows Mobile operating system!

* compared to the latest version of its direct alternatives (as cLaunch hasn't been updated since my last review, I don't include it in this comparison), it offers total access to both the entire file system and control panel applets, including both the built-in, standard applets inside cplmain.cpl and third-party CPL's like that of Spb Pocket Plus in this screenshot. Resco's Today plug-in, as of Resco Explorer version 5.35 and Spb Pocket Plus, as of version 3.04, are still definitely weaker in this respect. The former still doesn't allow for putting any shortcut to any control panel applet on the Today screen (without manual registry editing; fortunately, not even then can you access any standard applet inside cplmain.cpl); the latter still doesn't list third-party control panel applets in the "Settings" configuration/add-on screen.

Cons

There don't seem to be any (except for, maybe, the lack of Pocket PC 2000 support. This is, however, no longer an issue because the Resco folks have also stopped supporting PPC2k starting with version 5.21.) My biggest grieves with earlier versions have all been addressed in this one.

Other remarks

It still doesn't add memory cards' icons upon insertion – of the major Today launcher/meter apps, only Resco does this (not even Spb Pocket Plus 3.04), as can be seen in here. As with Spb Pocket Plus (see this Spb Pocket Plus screenshot), you need to manually add all icons to be monitored by long-clicking an empty area and choosing Add shortcut and, then, going to the Meters tab, choosing the icon you want to assign the to-be-metered peripheral/memory card to, clicking Select and choosing the right card manually.

The same stands for removing of cards. When you remove a card, it's only Resco's app that hides the icons of the two cards; iLauncher still refers to it as having '0' bytes free (see the two of the lowermost three icons) and the latest Spb Pocket Plus still refers to them as N/A. If you compare this screenshot (two memory cards (a 8-Mbyte CF card with about 7.5Mbytes free and a 256 Mbyte SD card with about 150M free) are present and also the file store is metered with 2.5Mbyte free capacity) to the one taken after removing the removable memory cards, you can clearly see the difference in the approach of metering memory cards.

Both approaches (that of Resco and that of Spb/iLauncher) have strengths. Resco's approach doesn't need additional configuration (to enable displaying of additional memory cards). Spb/iLauncher, on the other hand, while being a bit more complicated for a novice user to configure, offer more freedom, especially for people having a USB host-enabled Pocket PC and often using an external hard disk with it.

Resco's polling all memory cards, USB hard disk(s) included, mean external USB hard disks will most likely crash (slow to a crawl) while Resco is active (fortunately, Resco only polls hard disks when it's active – that is, the Today screen is visible). With the other two apps, if you don't actively configure them to poll the USB hard disk, they won't do it and, therefore, they won't cause any problems either.

Verdict

Now that all the missing functionality has been added, I can only recommend the new version.

You may, however, want to compare it to the direct alternatives and, depending on your needs, pick the right one. For example, if you need the absolutely lowest dynamic memory consumption and/or being free and the complete lack of metering and the slight VGA incompatibility aren't a problem, cLaunch; or, if a considerably lower memory consumption is advantageous, Resco's Today plug-in. Spb Pocket Plus also has its merits. That is, the decision should be made by you.

Compatibility with my test Pocket PC's

My tests with the latest version have been run on the PPC2k2 iPAQ 3660, the WM2003SE Pocket Loox 720 (ROM version .712), the Dell Axim x51v (ROM version A06 WWE) and the HTC Wizard (ROM version Qtek 1.6.7.1). iLauncher worked well on all my test devices. I, unlike some AximSite folks, haven't encountered major slowdown problems on any of my test Pocket PC's.

Recommended links

My latest roundup of Today launcher apps (alternatives: MobilitySite, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand)

VGA demystified - the definitive guide to OzVGA, SE_VGA and everything VGA-related (alternatives: MobilitySite, AximSite (the x50/x51 forum and the Tips and Tricks forum), PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand) – this article also contains a lot of additional information of making Spb Pocket Plus much more native VGA-friendly and automatizing the transition between the two (native and standard) VGA modes.

Laroakith · 02-21-06, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by amitregev

I will be sure to post here once we will have the new build 2.3.01 uploaded, which I hope will be later on today :)

Thanks Amit :) for the speedy response regarding the update. As soon as 2.3.01 is released you can be sure I will be happily downloading it.

I'll take the precaution of uninstalling 2.2 first before installing 2.3.01, just to be safe. Thanks again :approve:

You and the team at SBSH really put the customer first. :)

02-21-06, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by Laroakith

Thanks Amit :) for the speedy response regarding the update. As soon as 2.3.01 is released you can be sure I will be happily downloading it.

I'll take the precaution of uninstalling 2.2 first before installing 2.3.01, just to be safe. Thanks again :approve:

You and the team at SBSH really put the customer first. :)

Thanks Laroakith :)

I will be sure to keep you updated when this build will be uploaded. I hope this will be out even today, after we will be sure that we've got this issue resolved correctly and tested this with our beta group (which is already trying this build, so we will be waiting for their input on this one).

Have a wonderful day! :)

HelloKitty · 02-21-06, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Cons

There don't seem to be any (except for, maybe, the lack of Pocket PC 2000 support. This is, however, no longer an issue because the Resco folks have also stopped supporting PPC2k starting with version 5.21.) My biggest grieves with earlier versions have all been addressed in this one.
.

i m using resco today plug in that come with the explorer....

here's what I have found after using it for one whole night
con..

-meters cannot be changed...(skin or icon)
-fixd meter caption, eg. Memory meter cannot Be changed to show precentage
-takes up way too much memory...(multi tab mode)....noticeable slow down....

X51V user.

Jukov · 02-21-06, 05:01 AM

Ok, I might add something. I really don't know if this is iLauncher related or just a compatibilty issue. I must say that I have never had a single probblem with my Axim , especially SBSH stuff related. Well as for today my Axim is bricked and this is what happened:
downloaded v2.3 of iLauncher
installed ontop of the previous version
went to option , tweaked some background colors , changed the path to meters and moved them to that path
softreset
tried to reset the meters
pressed ok
error:could not load settings ilauncher.ini maybe missing or corrupted

At this point I tryed to reinstall the app I the error persisted plus I was getting athe freakest memory error out there :
(used wm2k3se A03)

after a few minutes the Axim frozen and wasn't responding to soft and hard resets. Was left without the battery to try to drain the back up. No good

Well first I have to say, tht I really do not understand or know what caused this issue. I could be something completely different from iLauncher but the proximity to the upgrade leaves me with the assumption that this is related somehow.

And no to the point of this thread:
If you are getting that error messenge mentionen above follow these steps:
1. Breathe
2. Do not try reinstalling
3. Remove the iLauncher through the remove programs applet
4. wait to the next release due in a few hours (as usual) :approve: SBSH

and above all:
BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP

hope my unfortunate experience will help someone.

Menneisyys · 02-21-06, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

takes up way too much memory...(multi tab mode)....

Thanks for the feedback; I'll measure the memory consumption ASAP. (The previous versions were quite memory-hungry.)

Jukov · 02-21-06, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

i m using resco today plug in that come with the explorer....

here's what I have found after using it for one whole night
con..

-meters cannot be changed...(skin or icon)
-fixd meter caption, eg. Memory meter cannot Be changed to show precentage
-takes up way too much memory...(multi tab mode)....noticeable slow down....

X51V user.

well this is not correct. try my or mickesjo's meters for iLauncher found in iLAuncher resourses :
http://www.sbsh.net/forums/index.php?showforum=56

02-21-06, 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

i m using resco today plug in that come with the explorer....

here's what I have found after using it for one whole night
con..

-meters cannot be changed...(skin or icon)
-fixd meter caption, eg. Memory meter cannot Be changed to show precentage
-takes up way too much memory...(multi tab mode)....noticeable slow down....

X51V user.

Are you referring to iLauncher's meters that can't be modified? :/

02-21-06, 06:18 AM

I am a big fan of sbsh products. 2.2 was great - I am really liking 2.3 :)

Great product!!!

02-21-06, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by hnelson59

Because this is a major sub-point version update we recommend to uninstall the latest version before installing the new version.
[/I]

I have just installed Version 2.3 "over the top" (as the upgrade instructions recommend).

I don't think it is ever necessary to uninstall previous versions when installing upgrades. I think that when you get the message on the PDA "Program is already installed. Re-install/upgrade?" if you tap on "Yes", the previous version is automatically deleted. It certainly is if the application is running. I discovered this when I recently re-installed PocketBreeze, which was running at the time. When I clicked on "Yes" PocketBreeze closed down and the upgraded version was corectly installed and it then started to run again. The same thing happened when I re-installed iLauncher.

I have only just done the upgrade but, so far, I have not found any bugs at all.:approve:

Thanks Amit for another wonderful upgrade.