True Connect will run on
a Smartphone with any version of the OS, including 2003 and 5.0. Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phones will be supported in
True Connect v1.1, which is due out soon.

Features include…

• Full operation of the PC mouse
  and keyboard on the Smartphone
• Ability to map PC keys to
  Smartphone buttons to further enhance ease of use
• Cut/Copy/Paste between PC and
  Smartphone and between Smartphone applications
• Right click to make hands free
  calls or use alternative navigation
• Wheel mouse up/down scrolling
  supported
• Ability to modify the side of
  the PC monitor to drag the mouse onto the Smartphone
• Simple Plug-and-play. Connect
  any supported Smartphone to a PC running True Connect, no
  additional installation necessary.

DESKTOP
VIEW
The
desktop software is basic and to the point, it’s really the worker
here. The majority of the time it will reside in your system tray,
you can leave it running in the background just like ActiveSync and
it will automatically work when a Smartphone is plugged in. The settings can be accessed at any point, plugged in or not, and is
broken down into three main tabs; General, Position, and Keys. If there is a problem
the help is fairly extensive and will cover any problems you may
have.

Figure 1: The General tab gives you information on the product, its
registration, and the current status. You can also disable/enable
True Connect and access the help section.

Figure 2: The Position tab will allow you to set where the mouse
drags off the screen and onto the Smartphone much like a multiple
display system. While in this screen, you may change the speed of the
cursor on the phone.

Figure 3: The Keys tab will allow you to do button mapping between
the keyboard and non-numeric buttons on the Smartphone.

SMARTPHONE VIEW
Drag
your mouse off the side of your screen and you’re in business. A
right click is like the back button and and a double click is like
the action/enter key. If you hold down the right click an overlay
menu will come up with the arrow buttons, action/enter button, call
accept, call hang up, home, and back. Wheel up/down will work like
the up and down button (see below video for a demo). You can do everything except any typing with
just the mouse leaving your other hand free to hold the Smartphone
for those of us without a cradle.

Figure 4:
It’s
like a little tiny desktop. The cursor is a tad on the large side
compared to everything else, but is easy to see. Motion is a bit
laggy.

Figure 5:
Just
click in a text box and start typing, copy and paste also works. The
Pocket Controller logo is up in the corner, as it always is, but was
not running when this screenshot was taken.

Figure 6:
The menu
that was mentioned previously. You just click on the icon to use it.

There
are some limitations to what you can do, as not everything is
clickable. You can’t click on anything on the homescreen and you
can’t click in a body of text, it’ll just insert an enter key.
Another problem was
while
trying to backspace it would often continue a little after I let
go of the key. For the most part it works fine though, but you will
have to use the keyboard at times when you might feel you shouldn’t.

Demo Video (581KB)

PURCHASING

True
Connect can be purchased for $29.99 directly from
Raspberry
Software. There is also a 14 day free trial available to test it
out.

• 
  
  Mouse and keyboard use on a Smartphone
• No software to install on Smartphone
• 
  Acts
  like a second monitor – just move off screen

CONS

• Pricey
• 
  
  Minor graphics quirks
• 
  Not
  everything is clickable
• 
  
  Isn’t very usable on a Smartphone without cradle

I’m
rarely torn this much on a product. On the plus side it’s just darn
cool to move your mouse off the screen and have it show up on your
Smartphone. But because most Smartphone don’t come with a cradle, it forces you to either devise some way to prop up your Smartphone, or hold the device in hand; this program will be a lot more
useful with a Pocket PC and cradle (when v1.1 is issued). It’s also probably more useful on newer Smartphones with QVGA screens, allowing you to load more visual data onto your "new monitor."

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What else could you use this program for? Well, if you’re limited in screen real estate, then there’s quite a bit. But if you already have more than one monitor, True Connect will prove to be just a novelty. You could use this program to monitor RSS feeds with NewsBreak, monitor a stock ticker in IE, quickly reply to SMS messages, or easily configure settings that would normally requires a lot of keypad-pecking. I’m sure after this program has been around for a while, some other interesting uses will uncovered.

If your looking for something to help you
interact with your Smartphone similar to SOTI’s Pocket Controller, while
including the whole extended desktop idea for some added functionality, then this may be a good choice for you. I normally would have rated this product a bit higher, but because of its eyebrow-raising price of almost $30, it loses points. Therefore, I give this program the following rating: