Power Desk 3.1 [Archive] - iPmart® forum

lurker

6th July 2005, 07:32

from symbianware i would guess its some kind of organizer like active desk:

PowerDesk is designed to help a user to optimize, simplify and organize most common everyday actions performed on a communicator in a very clear and most comfortable way. Highly powerful and customizable Desktop application replaces the built-in one completely; today view allows you to overview and to work with your daily events, appointments, tasks and messages; comprehensive task manager; windows Alt-Tab style task switcher, assigning hotkeys for applications, speed dials, contacts, actions and hundreds more other unique functions and possibilities to explore. Touch pure productivity power today, try PowerDesk the next generation of software development for Nokia smartphones!

The application has a Desk view and a Today view. The user can switch between them easily using the Ctrl-Q hotkey, the corresponding menu command or the button bar button.

Desktop view

The Desktop view is in some way quite similar to the built-in system app Desktop. But it's a highly improved version. All desktop items can be listed in the same way as in the built-in one (icon and caption), with 3 zoom levels, etc. But it is possible for the user to create folders and any number of subfolders on the desktop and organize items between them.

An item on the Powerdesk desktop can be (any number of):

* Shortcut to an application (starts specified app, like in built-in Desktop application)
* Sticky note (like in built-in Desktop application)
* Shortcut to a document (e.g. to word file, etc)
* Speed dial (dials specified person)
* Speed SMS (starts new SMS to a specified person)
* Speed MMS (starts new MMS to a specified person)
* Speed eMail (starts new eMail to a specified person)
* Shortcut to a contact (opens specified contact from built-in contact application)
* Shortcut to webpage (opens specified webpage)

Such approach will allow you to highly organize your work with the device. For example: a user can create, say, the folders Business and Personal, place in Business folder some speed dials to the most used work contacts (to be able to locate and call the recent contact in a moment without locating it in his huge contact list, opening contact, locating needed number and then call), shortcuts to recently used documents or webpages and so on. If there are many items going to be in some folder, the user can create subfolders to organize items there better.

Hotkeys

For any item placed on the desktop you can assign a global hotkey. Global hotkey means once a hotkey is assigned then it works not only when PowerDesk is running in foreground, but when PowerDesk is in background also and it will work with any other application, for example with Word .

E.g. with one key press you can immediately dial your wife, open contact details of your boss, start any application, etc any time you work with your Communicator.

To define hotkey for an item you need to select the item, and use 'Properties' command on the Desk menu (or press Ctrl-P).

See Productivity power topic for more about hotkeys

Sorting

All items on the desk can be sorted. There are 2 different sorts:

* Sort by name. Automatic sort method, which shows all your items on the desktop sorted by item name.
* Manual sort. In this mode you can arrange all items on the desktop in your own order.

When Manual sort mode is activated you can use Move left (Ctrl+Left arrow) and Move right (Ctrl+Right arrow) commands to move (swap) items and change their order the way you like.

Today pane

In the top right corner of the desktop you can see the Today pane. It shows brief information from today view. Here you can see how many unread messages you have in your inbox, how many uncompleted tasks you have for today (+ overdue tasks here as well) and how many various uncompleted events and appointments you have for today. If you are not interested in such information to be visible on your desktop you can switch it off in View settings.

Customization

The Desktop page is customizable. You are able to change background image, all text colours, levels of opacity, etc. Using 'View settings' command on the View menu you can perform the changes.

Miscellaneous

* Pressing Ctrl, Shift, Ctrl-Shift and Func keys animates the buttons bar. While you press one of these keys the button set is changed and different commands are displayed. Most commands on button bar can be accessed in this way without switching to menus.
* You can change any item icon or text by using 'Properties' command on the Desk menu (or press Ctrl-P).
* Using 'Move to folder' command (Ctrl-M) you can move any selected item to any other folder.
* Using 'Go to folder' command (Space key) allows you to go to any folder or subfolder in the fastest way.
* With 'Shortcut hotkeys' you can see all your defined hotkeys in one comprehensive form. Let this command be your hotkeys reference if you have forgotten some hotkey.

Productivity power

Windows Alt-Tab style task switcher as one of dozens
actions that Powerdesk supports to assign hotkeys

Hotkeys

Using Properies command you can assign a hotkey to any item that is located on your desktop. But that's not all! You can also assign hotkeys to many very powerful actions and perform them any time with one single press. To define Actions hotkeys you should use 'Actions hotkeys' command on the tools menu. Available actions to customize with hotkeys:

* Popup PowerDesk - Pops up PowerDesk from background
* Popup PowerDesk [Desk] - Pops up PowerDesk from background and selects Desk view
* Popup PowerDesk [Today] - Pops up PowerDesk from background and selects Today view
* TaskMan - Shows task manager
* Task switcher - Windows Alt-Tab style task switcher. Example: Set up hotkey for this action, for example Ctrl-Space. Then press Ctr-Space any time you work with your device, keep Ctrl and hit Space any time you need to select needed application. Release Ctrl to switch to the selected application. The same look and feel as Alt-Tab on Windows.
* New menu - Opens 'New' menu that allows you to start new call, sms, meeting entry, etc
* Start menu - Opens 'Start' menu that shows a list of all installed applications allowing you to start any application from it.
* Close current app - Closes currently active application.
* Kill current app - Kills currently active application.
* Close all apps - Closes all active applications except system ones
* Close all apps but current - Closes all active applications except the currenly active one and system ones
* Compact memory - Compacts memory
* Backlight mode - Activates/Deactivates 'always-on' backlight mode. If 'always-on' backlight mode is activated device backlight won't fade and will be always on till this mode will be deactivated or cover will be close.
* Memory information - Shows memory/disks information
* Restart device - Restarts device after confirmation
* New call - Starts new call
* New meeting - Creates new meeting
* New to-do entry - Creates new to-do entry
* New memo - Creates new memo
* New anniversary - Creates new anniversary
* New SMS - Creates new SMS
* New MMS - Creates new MMS
* New Email - Creates new Email
* New Fax - Creates new Fax

Serve as default front-end

PowerDesk is designed to serve as a default front-end. Hints on how to get more of it:

* Assign 'Popup PowerDesk [Desk]' to some key (Desk key for example) to access PowerDesk any time it's needed in one key press

* In PowerDesk global setting enable Autostart function and PowerDesk will be automatically started on system start instead of built-in Desk application

Please note: if you want to bypass PowerDesk autostart during system start by some reason you need to press and keep Shift button while device is booting and keep it till you see 'PowerDesk start canceled!' message.

* If you want to see your desktop every time you open device cover you can select some action in 'On case open' option in PowerDesk global setting

* It could be interesting for someone to close all applications when you close the cover. If you need this option you can select it in PowerDesk global settings

Please note: close of all applications will be performed not immediately after you close the cover but in about 15 seconds when you close it. It could be useful to prevent casual unwanted closing.

If you've selected Close all apps on cover close option please make sure that you don't have unsaved data in some application when closing the cover. Or you can define a list of all applications that cannot be closed on cover close.

Please note: when PowerDesk is starting it completely shutdowns built-in Desk application not to waste memory. When you close PowerDesk by some reason it automatically starts built-in Desk application again.

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