I recently upgraded my smartphone to Windows Mobile 6 Professional and had occasion to play around with the new OS and its related software development kit a few days ago. Few hours of tinkering around with the phone and the SDK resulted in me having picked up an application I wrote in 2006 called Pocket 110 and revamping it - sort of to fit the times and to add in a few features I had thought of since the application's original release.

Pocket 110 is an application for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones in 2006 that allows you to search through the numbers, names and addresses for the landlines and mobile lines listed in the Dhiraagu telephone directory. Unlike the previous version, the new program does away with lugging around its own directory database and instead uses real-time look-ups from the Dhiraagu E-Directory itself. This overcomes the two major shortcomings of the older version where the database searching took ages on smartphones due to low processing power and also rids the problem of outdated directory database files. The real-time look-ups do mean that the program requires access to the internet and hence incurs data transfer costs - but since the program gains a thousandth fold increase in search speed, the (low) data transfer charges are a good trade off.

I also added a couple of new features to the program while I was at it, including the ability to directly dial numbers found via directory searches. But the coolest, slickest new addition is the "CallerInfo" feature. The feature offers a replacement for the default "Incoming Call" call screen for numbers that are of Maldivian origin and listed in the Dhiraagu E-Directory. When you receive a call, CallerInfo can automatically look up the details of the incoming caller and present the caller's name and address details - that way, almost every caller is identifiable at ring time even though that originating number is not in the contact list. If that doesn't make sense, run the program and call your phone from a number that is not in your contacts list - the program should display the calling number's details... in a mere few rings/seconds.

Requirements:
Pocket 110 v2 is optimised for Windows Mobile 6 but should run fine on Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones running Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5. You will need to have a recent version of the .NET Compact Framework installed (which most phones do these days!). Pocket 110 takes up about 200Kb and can be installed simply by copying the provided CAB files onto the device and executing them on the device. Make sure you have GPRS or EDGE configured and working, otherwise the searches will fail and the program will inform you of so.

Download:
- Pocket 110 v2 (for Windows Mobile 2003/5/6)

Screenshots:


Have fun!