Software Brief

Spb Insight is an RSS news reader for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Pocket PC Phones (Windows Mobile handhelds with touchscreens) running either Windows Mobile 2003 or Windows Mobile 5.  The program installs via ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center and can be installed either directly to your handheld's internal memory or to an available flash memory card.  The software includes two parts: the full text RSS reader (primary application) and a Today Screen plug-in which displays RSS news items form the Insight database.

The primary full text RSS reader presents a list of channels to which you've subscribed; you can manually add channels if you like, or choose from a pre-selected menu provided by the Spb.  Once you have chosen your channels, Insight will seek out an Internet connection and download the channels' contents.  Selecting a channel from the main screen will display that channel's postings.  New articles appear in bold, with previously viewed items in regular type.  Selecting an article allows you to view the full text of the posting.  If you want to read the entire article or view the linked URL, just tap the article link and your default web browser will open and display the full contents of the destination page.

The Today Screen plug-in displays the articles stored in the Spb Insight database right on the home screen.  You can set the articles to change automatically (slow, fast, or auto), or move though the article titles manually.  Tapping a particular article will open Insight and allow you to view the full contents of the posting.  Again, if you wish to view the rest of the story or the destination page, this is displayed in your device's default web browser.

General Usability

I tested Spb Insight on two Windows Mobile devices; the Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC and the Cingular 8525 Pocket PC Phone.  On paper, the Axim would seem the better performer with its faster processor and larger memory chip, but I found the overall experience more enjoyable on the 8525.  For starters, the Cingular 8525 just seemed to handle the software better.  And, of course, the Axim requires a Wi-Fi connection, whereas the 8525 has an always-on Internet connection thanks to AT&T's nationwide wireless network.  With a Pocket PC Phone, such as the Cingular 8525, you're able to update your RSS feeds at any time.

I set up Spb Insight with two pre-installed channels (Pocket PC Magazine Blog and Spb Insight News) and the Pocket PC Central RSS Feed.  Downloading these three channels for the first time took less than a minute, and you can update all or selected channels at will whenever you have an Internet connection. 

When reading a specific posting, the software worked flawlessly, though the "Link to the article" feature which takes you to the full article is a bit clumsy; this is not because of Insight, but because of Internet Explorer Mobile.  Most web pages don't display properly in IE Mobile, but substituting another web browser such as Mozilla's Minimo greatly increased the usability of this feature.

It should be noted that some RSS feeds are quite large, particularly those with images, and without a feature to limit the number of articles downloaded in each feed, you could fill up your internal memory quickly.  The best option, therefore, is to use the flash memory card setting to have downloaded content stored on a memory card.  If you don't have a memory card, you can also choose not to download images linked with an RSS feed.

Noteworthy Features

The flash memory card storage feature is of particular interest; with flash memory card capacity increasing as quickly as the prices are dropping, you can store a great deal of RSS channel data on a memory card without worry. 

If you have a Pocket PC Phone with per-megabyte charging scheme, there's also a feature that allows you to update feeds only with free-of-charge Internet connections.  This will help you manage your use of a wireless carrier's network and keep you bill down.  If you have unlimited data throughput, this can be turned off.

You can also set Spb Insight to update all channels automatically whenever your Windows Mobile device is cradled or connected to your Windows PC.  This will use your PC's Internet connection to download content.  

Today Screen Plug-In

The Today Screen plug-in is a nice feature, a recent addition with version 1.5 of Spb Insight.  With the plug-in you have quick access to articles on your Today Screen, and tapping an active article brings the full text on the screen. 

The plug-in can be set to automatically move through all articles or you can use the two screen keys to move back and forth through the articles manually. You can also adjust the speed at which the articles display if it's set to automatic. You can change the Today Screen plug-in options directly from the Today Screen by pressing and holding your stylus on the article title.  Options include the ability to choose which feeds display on the Today Screen, options to change the display properties (thumbnail images, article time, etc.), auto scrolling, the number of lines taken up on the Today Screen and so on.  You can also adjust the font for the plug-in.

I'd like to see...

There's not much I don't like about Spb's Insight software, but I do have a few items on my wish list for the next version.  First, I'd like to have the ability to re-download an article I deleted, either intentionally or by mistake.  There is no "re-download all content" option, so once you've deleted an item, you'll have to delete the channel and set it up again to grab deleted content again, as far as I can tell.

Also, an additional menu function on the Today Screen to update all RSS feeds would have been a nice touch.

Subjective Analysis

As I mentioned, this software works best for those with Pocket PC Phones, Windows Mobile devices with always-on Internet connectivity.  Updating when you have access to a Wi-Fi network is fine, but the ability to update anytime, any place is excellent.  Also, I was actually quite surprised at how nimble the software is.  

Conclusion

Like AvantGo in 2001 and 2002, I now use RSS feeds every day.  Having an RSS reader on my Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone is perfect because I can update wherever, whenever, and always have the latest news at hand. Spb Insight is an excellent contender in the Windows Mobile RSS Reader software category.  I couldn't find a single issue that would make me hesitant to recommend it to users who use RSS as much as I do.  With a few tweaks and added features, it would be a truly flawless product [CHECK PRICE].

Overall Grade: A-