Plug-in:SPP 3.0Resco 5.21iLauncher 2.2.01Battery Pack Pro 2.0.4cLaunch 12.03
Generic: Price$24.95$24.95$8.9529.95$free
TypeMeters + launcher (+ other goodies)Meters + launcher (and a full-fledged File/Registry Explorer + FTP client suite)Meters + launcherMeters + launcher (+ other goodies)launcher
Static memory consumption (only that of the Today plug-in, if it's a multiprogram suite)~450k; relocatable!~70k + skin files187k iLauncher.dll in Windows + 995k in \Program FilesCan't be installed to non-RAM; 1.4M in \Program Files+357k in \Windows155k cLaunch.dll in Windows
Dynamic memory consumption~1.34M~200k~1.58MHard to measure - its main modules are loaded even without enabling the plug-ins in Today applet. Around 2 Mbytes (at least).~60k
CPU usage~0%~0%~0%~0%~0%
Tabs?+-+-+
PPC2k2 compliance?+++++
PPC2k compliance?-+---
Active polling while Today screen isn't visible?+; it, however, only polls resources that are explicitly configured to be tracked-+ (!)+ (!)N/A (no meters)
Default items?Battery / memory meters + backlight slider + File Explorer + Calc + Solitaire + Notes + Pocket Word/Excel in main (and some other in System/Connect)Battery / memory meters + other installed Resco applicationsLast used apps/docsCommonly used apps (Pocket Office, Solitaire etc)Nothing
Backlight slider?+----
Fixed vertical size? If not, is it constrainable?-/--/--/+ ("Number of rows of iLauncher icons")+ (one/two icon rows; scrollbars are visible)-/+ (pixel count can be given)
VGA compliance - automatically bigger icons in native VGA?-Only with meter icons; launcher icons are tiny (and their size can't be made bigger)---
If icons are not automatically bigger in VGA, where are their sizes (and other settings that should be different between VGA and QVGA modes) stored?File: \Windows\ plustodayitems.dat and, in the registry, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Spb Software House\Pocket Plus\3 (it's in DefaultHeight that the height of the plug-in is stored, depending on the sizes of the icons). The file is binary; therefore, it's impossible (without writing a custom program to do so) to mass-resize icons, to avoid manual work.N/A (impossible to make icons larger)File: \Program Files\SBSH\ iLauncher\ iLauncher.ini; textual file, so, can be edited very easily and automatically by, for example, just adding a LargeIcon1=1... LargeIconX=1 list (where X is the highest icon serial number in the tab) to each TabX section.N/A (impossible to make icons larger; generic problems with native VGA)File: \Windows\ cLaunch.dat. In every group, after the group name (which can be easily found), there will the seven rows containing a '1'; then comes the size of the icons in the tab - this makes hand-editing the sizes much easier than from the GUI. Note that, by default, it also creates a set of GroupSettingX/FileListX subkeys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\cLaunch before the first configuration; after this, it just removes them all and doesn't use. This may be a leftover from previous versions where it still used the Registry to store these lists.
Manual switch between enlarged/default icon size for any launcher/meter icon?+; icons must be manually made bigger, one-by-one-+; you can even make the application assume a bigger default value for the icons to be added - see 'New shortcuts default to large' in Settings-+; all icons in a tab are of the same size; this can be any size
VGA compliance in general?++++ in QVGA / - almost useless in native VGA- double pixeling in SE/QVGA / + in native VGA
Storage meters: Dedicated CF/SD/File Store/Memory icons?- +; they won't necessarily refer to the right card (see the E-125 screenshot!) and you can't remap them, though+, but you need to explicitly map them, so, they won't necessarily refer to the right card+N/A (only launcher)
Dynamic mapping to memory types?+-++N/A (only launcher)
Does it automatically display/hide the icon of inserted memory cards?-+--; it dynamically rotates between all the existing memory typesN/A (only launcher)
Can it make a difference between storage (static) and program (dynamic) RAM?-+--N/A (only launcher)
Compliance with USB hosted hard disks?+ unless you explicitly map a Storage icon to \Hard Disk- while Today screen is active; then, it freezes the system until you disconnect the HDD; + when Today screen is not active-; absolutely incompatible; it may even crash the complete system, even after you disconnect the hard disk!-; makes accessing impossible even when Today is invisibleN/A (only launcher)
Compliance with USB hosted other memory types? (Tested with a digicam)++++N/A (only launcher)
Able to monitor alternative USB memory types? + (remappable to USB host; no specific USB host icon)+ (automatically notices them; no specific USB host icon)+ (remappable to USB host; no specific USB host icon)+N/A (only launcher)
Adding icons to launcher: traditional .lnk files in \Windows\Start Menu?++ (buggy - see article!)+++
Ability to add control panel applets (.cpl) in \Windows?+; makes the control applets in cplmain.cpl accessible by default; in the Settings category, however, third-party, non-cplmain.cpl CPL's aren't listedCan only be added with registry hacks (also meaning no support for cplmain.cpl)+; even makes the control applets in cplmain.cpl accessible+; even makes the control applets in cplmain.cpl accessibleNo native support (also meaning no support for cplmain.cpl); they, however, can be added by hand
Documents?+++++
From anywhere in the File System?+- (Can only be added with registry hacks)++ (no Tree view, though!)+
Icons: Textual icon annotation?+: with tap-and-hold, the icon name is displayed-+: with tap-and-hold, the icon name is displayed+ tap-and-hold: the icon name and the target of the link is displayed+, it can even be displayed by default, without the need for tap-and-holding; the icon name can also be changed and independent of the lnk file name
Change icon?+-+-+
Rearrange?Drag-and-drop on Today + config listconfig listconfig listDrag-and-drop in Settingsconfig list