Windows Mobile devices are not known for their entertainment features. Most would choose to purchase a PSP or an iPhone if they wanted to use the phone for entertainment purposes. Windows Mobile can however be a very decent entertainment device, if you install the right software.

There are many ways you can make a long trip shorter and more enjoyable using your Windows Mobile device. Sometimes there is not much we can do to be productive so we have make the most out of what we have. Basically, what we need to do is waste time.

This week, I drove from Sydney to Melbourne and then back again within three days. That is a chunk of driving. It is 10 hours each way and then having meal breaks extends that amount further. It is very boring, especially when you don’t have control over the cars sound system or you don’t have very social passengers. I got through it, and I have my Windows Mobile device to thank.

This article will look at some of the programs I keep on my device for such occasions. The majority of them are free and all are real time wasters. I hope that you will find the same comfort in them as I did.

Most of these programs will drain your battery fairly quickly so you would want to make sure you can recharge as you drive. Oh, and make sure you don’t play with these if you are the driver as you will probably crash into something.

Free Software:

Wolfenstein 3D: This is a classic game that plays really well on a Windows Mobile device. The controls are quite functional and if you have an original copy of the game, you can install them on your device to play all 6 episodes.

See if you can remember where all the secret doors are and work your way through to the boss.

For more information, click here.

DivX Player: DivX player will let you watch a movie in its entirety. While the small screen isn’t great for movies, it does suck up a significant amount of time. Once your eyes adjust, the action will always be close at hand.

Complete movies will fit on a storage card. You can often fit 2 or 3. If you want to check out your Vodcasts on your device, DivX player is the ideal option.

For more information, click here.

PocketMusic: If all else fails, you still have your music collection. PocketMusic is a free music player that comes with a number of devices. If you don’t already have it, download it.

PocketMusic has Winamp skin support, playlist support, and all the features you would want in a mobile music player. A 2GB storage card will hold around 600 MP3’s, which is close to 30 hours of music. It would need to be a long trip to get through it all.

For more information, check out PocketMind’s website.

Kevtris: This Tetris clone on steroids is a great way to waste your time. Not only does it offer fast arcade action on your Windows Mobile device, there are many game types allowing your fun to continue for a long time.

This game is an old favourite of mine. The controls are easy to use and it is very challenging.

For more information, click here.

Weather Watcher Mobile: This program will show you what the weather will be like when you reach your destination. It is very handy when you are driving, so that you will know if any storms are coming up on you.

There isn’t much to say about weather programs. They are not entertaining in any way. If you want to check the weather, this would be an ideal program to use.

For more information, click here.

Pocket SCUMMVM: This program will let you play classic adventure games on your Pocket PC. Games like “Beneath the steel sky” and “Day of the tentacle”.

There were a whole bunch of games designed for this game engine, so there is bound to be something that appeals to you. These games will keep you puzzled for hours.

For more information, click here. 

Pocket e-Sword: Pocket e-Sword turns your device into a bible. While this won’t be for everyone, those that use it, find it to be a very powerful reader. It has everything you could want including dictionaries and commentaries.

There are a wide variety of bibles that can be freely downloaded into it. You can run various versions in parallel, take notes and highlight verses for later reference. It is amazing that it is free.

For more information, click here.

Commercial Software:

TomTom Navigator: This is the only application in this list that is not free. This is a very powerful GPS tool that shows you the way. Gone are the days of opening up the street directory and scouring through the pages for states you are not familiar with.

It is always nice to know how long the trip will take. TomTom will tell you this very accurately. It is nice when you are in an unknown area and you want to let your hosts know what time you will be showing up.

I have tried many GPS applications and found TomTom to be towards the top of the list.

For more information, check out TomTom’s website.

Conclusion:

There are a number of other games and utilities that might help you through the trip. If you have any time wasting programs on your device, I would love to know about it. Please leave a comment below.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and found it useful. Please stick around and check out some other articles at Inspect My Gadget.