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Pocket Codewords - Thesaurus/CE 1.3

John Ottini | Handheld PC Reviews
July 18, 2005

Thesaurus/CE by Pocket Codeworks is a fully functional 50,000 word English Thesaurus that provides you with all the essential word variations you require, without being a burden on your Handheld PC's memory. This software gem consists of a frugal 20.5k executable file and a miniscule 183k data file, which can easily be stored on your Handheld or on a compact flash card. In keeping with its small footprint, Thesaurus/CE is also very generous when it pertains to the amount of real estate it occupies on your H/PC screen. As you can see by the screen shot below, it's very easy to pop up Thesaurus/CE on top of whatever software you are working with and still be able to comfortably view your document.

Figure 1: Thesaurus/CE in action

Thesaurus/CE Functionality

It probably goes without saying, but learning to use this software is an absolute 'no brainer'! Your hardest decision is most likely, what method should you use to place the word you want to 'Lookup' into the entry field? Copy/Paste it or just type it in? Tap the Find button or hit enter/return key on your keyboard and voila, a list of synonyms magically appears! Selecting one of the synonyms on the list automatically places it in the entry field where you can hit the find button and start the process all over again. If you are searching for the root of a word or just the next word on the list, you can do that by using Previous/Next control arrows located between the entry filed and the Find button. Once you locate the word you want, just copy and paste it into your document.

Figure 2: Select a word from the list of synonyms, places the word in the Entry Field

The Thesaurus window can be dragged and dropped anywhere on the screen, but in order to do that, you must first activate the title bar by selecting 'Show Caption' in the Thesaurus pulldown menu. In an effort to save screen space the default setting for the title bar is to have it deactivated.

Figure 3: Thesaurus window can be dragged around the screen to improve visibility

It's bit ironic that this easy to use software actually includes a built-in help file, when so many, more complicated software title, don't. Bravo, Pocket Codeworks!

A Word about this Software?

When writing this review, I attempted to contact the folks at Pocket Codeworks without success. It appears that their website is off line and their email address is no longer active. Therefore, I think it's safe to assume, that they are no longer in business and that Thesaurus/CE has been abandoned. Although that is most unfortunate, luckily for us the software is freeware when used for personal use and except for the occasional nag screen, it functions just fine. I'll let you in on a little secret, if you use the enter/return key instead of the Find button; you never have to worry about the nag screen.

Installation and System Requirements

Thesaurus/CE 1.3 by Pocket Codeworks is available for download at the Handheld Attitude website and is only available in zip file format, therefore you will require software that will allow you to unzip the original file. Copy and save the Thesaurus.zip file to your desktop PC, unzip the file and then transfer the correct CAB file that's appropriate for your H/PC onto your Handheld.
CAB files are available for the following Operating Systems and Processors: HPC 2.0 (Sh3 & MIPS) and HPC Pro 2.11(Sh3, MIPS, Arms).
If you are running HPC 2000 or CE 4.x .Net, use the Arms CAB file version for HPC Pro 2.11.

Final Thoughts?

Even with its limited size database, there is much to like about this software. Sure it doesn't serve everyone's purpose, but it's perfect for small writing assignments, school papers, letters to the editor etc. I keep it handy when I writing software reviews because it provides me with all the words I want, without all of the fluff I don't need.

System Requirements

Supports Windows CE 2.0, H/PC Professional, HPC2000, Windows CE 4.x .net
MIPS, SH3, StrongARM

More information on Pocket Codeworks Thesaurus/CE 1.3 can be found at
http://www.yetanotherhomepage.com/j7xx/

Ratings

Cost: 5- Star Rating
Usability: 4- Star Rating
Built-in Help: 3- Star Rating
Overall: 4- Star Rating

Further Discussion

Let us know what you thought of this review and the Pocket Codeworks Thesaurus/CE 1.3 in the Community Forums!