INTRODUCTION
I have always found that it takes me a while to get over jet lag flying West to East, especially going to Europe. I have a hard time sleeping on planes, and when I arrive in Europe I feel like I am pulling an all nighter. My mind is not 100%, but I have learned that you must stay awake and beat your body into submission to get over the jet lag as quickly as possible. That said, I have always setup meetings for my first day there: doing so and having plenty of coffee around gets me through. What does this have to do with a review of WebIS Toolbox, you say?
Well, this little toolbox could potentially be a great companion for the mobile professional who depends on his Pocket PC’s Personal Information Management (PIM) functionality. It could be a real lifesaver if it works as promised. I find, and I think most of you will concur, that the handling of time zones in WM2002/2003SE Calendar relative to Greenwich Mean Time is the correct solution from a software architecture stand point, but the user interface should provide some capability to choose the time zone as you enter your appointments. Currently to set up meetings in advance of your trip, you must either add or subtract the time zone offset, or if you choose to enter the meeting with the time at your destination, you must change the default time zone clock to the local time when you arrive. If you do not and you change Time Zone to Visiting City, it will shift all of your calendar items and you will be sure to miss important meetings. The system is nice enough as to display a warning when you change time zones, but unfortunately this does little to solve the user’s problem. WebIS Toolbox comes to the rescue with the included Correct Time function and six other PIM related utilities that could make your life on the road easier and more productive. Read on for our findings.
WHAT’S HOT
As the Toolbox name implies this is a
collection of seven utilities. They are:
- Correct
Appointments (PI Correct Time) - Search and
Replace PIM records - Perform
Maintenance - Backup PIM
Records - Remove
Duplicate Contacts - Contact
Display Name Fix - Auto
Categorize Records
The setup is simple and straight forward.
SETUP
The Toolbox can reside on flash memory such as an SD card.
Above is the setup screen. One
caveat: if you have PI Correct Time installed, you
must first uninstall it This function is now part of
WebIS Toolbox.
PROGRAM FEATURES
On
first execution the Toolbox will prompt to ensure
that your home time zone is properly set, this is a
critical reference for the proper operation of the
correct appointments function.
I am
in Washington, DC and setup appointments for my trip
to Paris, France, which is 6 hours ahead of us, but
rather than do the calculations myself, I enter them as
if I was using Paris local time and enter Paris as
category.
The reason for entering a category becomes obvious in the settings menu. You may not want to correct all your appointments, just the ones that are trip related. Categorizing the appointments and then selecting that category, the correct appointments function, will only convert the appointments with the matching category, in my case, Paris. This is a critical feature if you synchronize with ActiveSync since you do not want all your future appointments in your local time zone to be shifted. Additionally on the setting screen, you can also select whether you want to automatically launch the correct appointments function when you change the time zone, and view count information for your PIM data.
I
arrive in Paris, change my the clock’s time zone and
Windows Mobile shifts all my appointments, my client
meeting is now at 8pm and my dinner with friends has
disappeared into Tuesday since since 7pm + 6 is 1am.
The WebIS Toolbox correct appointment functions comes to the rescue, I click on the correct my appointments, the appointment database is backed up and the appointments matching the adjusted to the correct time zone. My appointments now have the correct local time. When you return to your home time zone, you have the option to click on undo appointment fix, this will restore all your appointments to the pre-time zone change. If you added new appointments that are after your return, they will be shifted as well once your change your time zone back. The key to making this function work smoothly is categorizing your appointments, then the correct appointments function will make changes selectively avoiding any problems with ActiveSync and your schedule.
The
Search and Update PIM records function is very
useful for making global changes to Contacts,
Appointments and Tasks.
I
have contacts that work for company ABC, the company
is bought out by DEF, the change is easily made. You
can replace data in any field.
The Perform Maintenance function allows you to
delete Contact, Appointment and Task records based
on an entered criteria.
I
want to delete all tasks that have the word "Review"
in the subject
The Backup PIM function allows you to backup
contacts, appointments and tasks. It creates a
password protected file. The Remove duplicate
contacts function allows you to walk through your
duplicate contacts and choose which ones you want
to delete.
You
can select which duplicate search criteria you would
like.
The contact display name fix function allows you to
modify all your contacts file As field to a single
format you choose. The auto categorize records
function allows you to update your contacts,
appointments and tasks with a category based on a
search criteria you specify.
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WebIS is support is very I would like to see If you are a mobile professional and use
HELP SUPPORT
responsive; I had a couple questions that were
answered rapidly. The PDF documentation is a
little weak and could use some examples.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
WebIS
Toolbox currently runs on WM2002/2003. The executable is 484,352
bytes and can be installed on a flash memory card.
BUGS AND WISHES
This is a collection of utilities that have been
brought together hence the Toolbox name. It needs
some user interface cleanup to provide consistency
across functions. This manifests itself when
the same function is called one thing on the main
menu and something different on the functions main screen. An example
of this is the main menu item auto categorize
records which once you invoke the function, it is
described as auto classify. Not a big deal but
it may lead to confusion.
the following:
selection for all appointment functions
especially the correct appointments function
selection should be moved from settings to the
correct appointments function screen
detailed manual with examples
as a selection criteria on remove duplicate
contact function
delete the current category or categories and
replace with a new one auto categorize records
function
PURCHASING
The Toolbox can be purchase for $19.95 or upgraded for
$4.99 at
WebIS. There is also a 15 day trial
version available
here.
PROS
across the functions
a huge amount of time on
CONS
Value
Ease
of Use
Features
Overall
OVERALL IMPRESSION
your Pocket PC PIM extensively, this is a must have
set of utilities to simplify your life on the road
as well as save time managing your contacts,
appointments, and tasks. Although I find the
price a little steep for this type of utility,
if you are a road warrior, you may not want to leave home
without it. I did find that it is a little
quirky, and if you jump between your calendar,
appointments, tasks and the toolbox, you may have to
exit the toolbox and reenter for changes to show up,
although the toolbox is a stable application.
With a lower price point, I think it is a real
winner.
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