I've used HPC Notes to remind myself of homework assignments for school, jotting down quick notes about a good URL to check out when I see it in a TV ad, and more. You even have the ability to forward a Note to someone else as email and you don't need to open Inbox to create the email message, making note taking and distribution speedy and helpful. If you have not yet purchased or tried the free limited-time demo of this software, you don't know what you're missing (literally, as this will help keep track of anything you must jot down quickly and have with you anywhere).

Image Expert CE
Sierra Imaging, whose marketing literature says they're a supplier of image editing software to leading digital imaging device OEM's, has produced what they say is the first and only image editing software for Windows CE based devices. They have versions for both the palm-size PC and handheld PC that supports JPEG and BMP pictures.

This software allows you to annotate images with text, ink, or voice notes using the built-in recording capabilities of Windows CE. You can package images together into albums using a Windows Explorer-like interface shown in Figure I (one of the three views afforded by this cool software).

FIGURE I


This is the first screen you'll see after opening Image Expert CE. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Clicking on a folder will show you a series of thumbnails, as shown in Figure J.

FIGURE J


This view provides easy navigating to picture files. Roll over picture for a larger image.

By simply selecting an image from the right preview pane, you will be presented with a large view of the image, as shown in Figure K, and small thumbnails of the other images contained in the same album on the left. The large image viewing screen is where you edit the images to your liking. You can select from pen tools to edit images with different colors of ink for highlighting part of an image.

FIGURE K


The large pane to the right is where all editing takes place. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Image Expert CE can even download images from a supported digital camera to your Windows CE device away from home. You can then edit your images and send them to someone using email while still inside the program. This could be very valuable for those of you in real estate. Image Expert also supports slideshow presentations composed on yourWindows CE device. You can either view the slideshow on the device or on an external monitor or projector. You may not have a need for such digital imaging products, but if you have a Windows CE handheld and a digital camera, this is a very worthwhile investment to look into.

Grundle Software's SpaceHogCE
After having this utility for about six months, I still find myself turning to it every time I install new software. I am dazzled by the fact that Windows CE software can be so compact yet can do so much for you. I guess this is what they mean by "bloat-less" software. This utility is also useful since you can specify which file type you want to see (or all of them together, of course) and whether or not you want to see RAM or ROM contents, as shown in Figure L.