As the Windows-based world enters Version 11 of the Office suite of products (that’s Office 2003 for those who don’t know), the Pocket PC and it’s bigger brother the Handheld PC are still stuck in the Dark Ages.  Simply put, for power users of Pocket PCs, Microsoft’s Pocket Word is painfully lacking.  The inability to import pictures into a document or insert tables is just a few of the many shortcomings of the application.  For users of Pocket Excel, the pain is even greater. 

All of this pain however is avoidable with TextMaker 2002 from SoftMaker.  SoftMaker, a German-based company, has created what is without question the greatest word processing application for the Pocket PC and indeed, perhaps one of the top 5 best applications for the Pocket PC.  It is feature rich and versatile and completely compatible with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Pocket Word documents you have already created.  Further, TextMaker 2002 can stand alone on your Pocket PC or a Windows-based version can be purchased along with it, making file editing easy on either platforms. 

I have advertised over the past two years that all of the reviews I write for my own site and for HPC:Factor are originally written with TextMaker 2002.  The reason is simple:  It provides me the ability to work on reviews on a my Pocket PC or Handheld PC - which I can synchronize with my desktop PC - while still giving me all of the editing features I need without have to go back and in effect, recreate the document.  Finally, the desktop and Pocket PC versions of the applications are identical in function and layout.  This means I do not have to learn the “Pocket PC” way of doing something in the application.  Once I learn how to perform a particular function - regardless of which platform I learn it on - I know that I can do the same from the same menu or icon on the other format.  This saves a tremendous amount of time and cuts the common learning curve frustration to a minimum. 

On the surface, TextMaker 2002 is a rather large install at nearly 8MB.  The installation routine is well written and allows for installation to be done directly to the Pocket PCs main storage or to a storage card.  If you purchase the Windows-based version as well as the Pocket PC version, both are installed with the common installer. 

After installation and setting up of personal and business information into the templates, TextMaker 2002 has a clean but highly customizable display. Each of the taskbars, referred to as Control Strips in TextMaker, can be moved and adjusted to suit your needs.  The standard display includes icon controls for the most common tasks such as bullet paragraphs, font types and size, and file treatments. 

To adjust the Control Strips, tap the menu button (lower left-hand corner) and tap View > Control Strips.  This will open the Control Strips dialog which allows users to turn strips off or on as well as where to position them on the display. 

To customize a strip, highlight it and tap the Customize button.  From here, users can select which icons they want to appear on each strip.  To add a function to a strip, simply tap-and-drag that icon to the strip where it will be added.  To remove a function, tap-and-drag the icon off of the strip.   If you are unsure what a particular icon’s function is, simply tap it and a short description will be presented.   

While users of Microsoft Word will not find this function new or difficult to grasp, in the Pocket PC world these customizations are rare and are one of the many things that sets TextMaker 2002 apart from any other word processor. 

Another key feature of TextMaker 2002 is the ability to insert objects into a document.  These objects can be anything from a picture to a table, even a horizontal line.  Inserting objects is done off of the Objects menu and is intuitive in nature. 

Like all word processors, formatting text and paragraphs is vitally important.  TextMaker 2002 makes doing this easy with the Format menu.  From here, Tabs can be adjusted, paragraphs spaced, shades and boarders added as well as bullets (number and icon) to any text.  Further, section and chapter formatting can be done also. 

As with all Microsoft Pocket Word, TextMaker 2002 can be used with a variety of input methods.  Microsoft Transcriber works well as does the built-in soft keyboard or an external keyboard.  

In the two years I have used TextMaker 2002, I have found it be well behaved and stable.  SoftMaker provides free updates to the application for registered users and each small step is always a positive one.  Despite its large install size, the application is responsive, especially on the newer xScale processors.  SoftMaker’s technical and customer support is excellent although users in North America may experience a slight delay simply because of the time difference between here and Germany.  This however is balanced by the accuracy of their support and willingness to go the extra steps to help customers. 

TextMaker 2002 is sold by SoftMaker in two different varieties.  The Pocket PC edition only is $49.95 (USD) while the Pocket PC and Windows-based edition is $69.95.  If you are a power Pocket PC user, it only make sense to purchase the bundle as you will be able to edit seamlessly in two locations.  File synchronization is done through the Files feature of Active Sync and works exceptionally well.  For more information, check out the SoftMaker website.

Clinton Fitch
Editor
Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! (http://www.clintonfitch.com)
HPC:Factor (http://www.hpcfactor.com)