WHAT'S
HOT
If you have a PDA Phone, not a SmartPhone, but
a PDA Phone running Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition or WM2003 Phone Edition,
then you need to check this out. Phone Dashboard will check how
many minutes you've spent on your phone during the current billing cycle,
display which buckets the minutes fall into, and guess-timate how many
minutes you'll use. If you're the type that doesn't want to go
over your given minutes for even a second, then this is a must have
for your Pocket PC based PDA Phone.
SETUP
Hudson Mobile Phone Dashboard is a Today Plug-In.
After you get past the routine setup screens, you'll need to configure
the Plug-In. Tap Start--Settings--Today (off the Personal Tab),
and then tap the Items Tab in the Today Control Panel applet.
Locate Phone Dashboard in the list of Plug-Ins, and then tap the Options
button.
The nice thing about this, and just about any Today Plug-In, is that it can be displayed on your main Today page in any order you want; and through Snoopsoft Dashboard if you so desire. If you're going to use it through Snoopsoft Dashboard, however, you'll need version 2.0.045 or later. Otherwise, after you install it, you'll just need to configure it the way you would any other Today Plug-in.
To get at the Plug-in via Snoopsoft Dashboard, you need to tap the Config Icon near the top right corner of the PPC screen.
 |
| Tap the Config Icon near the Top Right Corner of the PPC Screen |
From here, you're taken to the Snoopsoft Agenda Tab. Available Plug-Ins are displayed in the list box, in the order that they would appear on the screen if checked.
 |
| Check the Plug-In you want to display, and then tap the green options icon at the lower right corner of the list box to configure it. |
After tapping the Options Icon at the lower right corner of the list box, the configuration screen for Phone Dashboard will appear. You can also get to the Phone Dashboard Configuration dialog by tapping Start--Settings--Today--Items, and then scrolling through the list box in the dialog that appears until you come to Phone Dashboard. Highlight this Today Plug-in and then tap the Options button.
 |
| The Phone Dashboard Configuration Dialog. |
The following is a listing and description of which options are found on each Tab in the Configuration Dialog:
| Tab Name | Description |
| View | Checking these options controls what's displayed on the Today screen. |
| Plan | Enter details around your Phone's Calling Plan so Phone Dashboard can bucket and track minutes |
| M2M/ Free | Tell which phone numbers qualify as Minute to Minute and which are free. |
| Alerts | PD will display Notification bubbles when you've reached certain minute levels |
| Usage | Phone Dashboard can graphically display which buckets your minutes fall into. This is a very useful page! |
| About | Version Info/ Registration code, etc. |
| Settings | Save and load your configuration settings to and from a file. |
The following are screen shots of each tab in the Configuration dialog:
|
 |
| The View Tab | The Plan Tab |
 |
 |
| The M2M/ Free Tab | The Alerts Tab |
The Usage Tab is one of the most useful displays in the entire application. It displays exactly where you are spending most of your plan's minutes, on a daily basis. It has a configuration screen that is accessed by tapping the right most icon at the top of the Usage Tab.
 |
 |
| The Usage Tab | The Usage Tab's Configuration Options |
 |
 |
| The About Tab | The Settings Tab |
Once configured, all you need to do is display the Plug-In on your Today page, and you're off and running.
PROGRAM
FEATURES
Phone Dashboard provides you with three
main views off of your Today Page:
- A Custom Notification Icon (Telephone shaped) and an Alert Bubble/ dialog.
- A Single Lined, Scrolling Display
- A Multi-lined, Non-Scrolling Display
 |
| The PD Custom Notification Icon and Alert Bubble |
 |
 |
| Single Line, Scrolling PD Display | Full PD Display |
Aside from the displays you see above, there are two other screens users may find useful: the Plan Tracker and the Call Log.
The Plan Tracker looks at your current call usage and tries to predict where you will end up at the end of your billing cycle. The analysis is based on your current, per day minute usage, and is displayed as a dialog box on your Today page by taping the Magic Wand icon to the right of the main Phone Dashboard display.
 |
 |
|
Tap
the Magic Wand, and poof! Instant used minute projections! |
The
Phone Dashboard Call Log |
When used in conjunction with the Usage Graph, the Plan Tracker is exceptionally effective in helping you ration your minutes through out your billing period. The secret to the sauce is in the knowing. Projecting your minutes is a very ingenious method of getting you to cut back on the talk time.
The Call Log shows you which calls are incoming (green arrow), outgoing (red arrow) and missed (yellow exclamation point). The Call Log can be viewed by Date (the Default View), by Number or by Call Bucket (Peak, Off Peak, Wk End, M2M, etc...)
HELP
SUPPORT
All help when using this Today Plug
in is provided by Hudson
Mobile. If you're a registered user, just give them a shout
and let them know you're having trouble with the Plug-in. Their
team is very responsive and exceptionally dedicated. If you're
using a trial and seriously considering a purchase for your PPC Phone
Edition device, these guys go above and beyond getting you up and running.
I'd like to personally thank Noah from Hudson Mobile for all of his help. This is the first piece of Phone Edition software that I bought, and it began giving me trouble soon after I installed it. Noah hadn't had a chance to test Phone Dashboard in an i700, and he BOUGHT A DEVICE in order to help resolve issues that I and other i700 owners were facing. This definitely falls into the "Oh M'Gosh!" category of tech support. These guys get a Gold Star...RIGHT THERE!
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
Hudson Mobile Phone Dashboard Minute Tracker
requires 215kb of Storage RAM, Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition, or Windows
Mobile 2003 Phone Edition. The software should be installed to
main RAM and NOT a Storage Card if it is to work properly.
BUGS
AND WISHES
This software is some of the most useful
software I have ever used on my i700. Its exactly the kind of
application that I didn't know I had to have for my converged device.
Every Phone Edition device owner should get a copy of this app.
That being said, there are a few issues that need addressing:
- Program
Stability:
Today Plug-Ins are notoriously difficult to program. The Today screen API is a bloody mess, and Microsoft knows it. The API is also one of the worst documented portions of the Pocket PC/ Windows Mobile Operating Systems. As such, this Today Plug-In isn't the most stable thing in the world. It has some very serious hardware based issues with my i700. (Conversely if you have a T-Mobile PPC Phone, or a Siemens SX56, this thing is rock solid...) However, while the most current version, dated 21-Mar-04 as of this writing, goes a long way to fix this problem, PD can still cause some serious CPU spikes, and device hangs on my i700. Hudson Mobile is currently, very actively, working to resolve this issue with me and other i700 Owners. It may have something to do with call logs in excess of 150 calls per current, billing cycle. - Minute
Accounting:
1+1 = 2, right? I'm not EXACTLY certain how PD calculates minutes, but it seems to double count the contents of some buckets and/or not count some minutes. Hudson Mobile is actively working to resolve this issue. - Verizon
Express Network:
Phone Dashboard currently buckets minutes into Peak, Off-Peak, or Week End buckets when dialing the VzW Express Network. While this may be correct for individuals who don't have a Data Plan, it is incorrect for those of us that do. Hudson Mobile is currently working to resolve this issue.
There was also a serious memory leak, but thankfully, Hudson Mobile was able to squash that bug within 24 hours of receiving the i700 they purchased.
I would really like to see Hudson Mobile move the Usage Graph tab out of the Configuration dialog box and put it together with the Plan Tracker. This would give users a very clear picture of the "Here and Now" and of "Where You're Headed" with your monthly minute usage. I find myself looking at these two screens all the time, and wishing there was an easy way to look and both very quickly. It would also be nice to be able to export end of period totals to a desktop Excel file so that trending can be done. Ultimately, this application will help me find the best rate plan for me. The only effective way to do this is to look at your usage month over month and compare the numbers. This is best done on the desktop.
PURCHASING
Phone Dashboard Minute Tracker is $14.99
and available via pocketnow.com's Handango
Powered Store.
PROS
Track the Minute Usage of YOUR Individual Cell Rate Plan
Projected Minute Analysis
Graphic Representation of Used Minutes by Category
Easy to Configure and Use
Automatic Minute Usage Notifications
Use on the PPC/ WM Today Page or through SnoopSoft Dashboard [Affiliate Link]
CONS
Minor Stability Issues
Minor Minute Accounting Issues
Verizon Wireless Express Network (EN) Minutes Not Bucketed Correctly
OVERALL
IMPRESSION
Despite what I am now calling minor issues with
the core competencies of this application, I fully endorse, support,
and otherwise recommend Phone Dashboard Minute Tracker for all Pocket
PC Phone Edition owners. Its perhaps the only app out there that
buckets your minutes and keeps track of your phone usage on your device.
Its probably the most valuable Phone Edition app I have, and the one
that gets the most use on my Samsung i700.
The Support Team is exceptionally responsive to user issues. You really have to hand it to them. Its not every developer that would go and purchase a $600 device just to help registered users debug and troubleshoot a $15.00 app. Hudson Mobile's willingness to help i700 owners out in this way says a whole lot to me. I can't recommend this application, or this developer enough.
