03-17-2004, 06:30 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 52
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Web Browsing Made Easy (Or At Least Easier): MultiIE v3.0 Reviewed
Product Category: Productivity Software
Manufacturer: Southway Corporation
Where to Buy: Southway Corporation Website
Price: $14.95 USD
System Specifications: 302K storage memory required, Pocket PC 2000 or higher
Pros:- Tons of features;
- Large number of customizable options;
- Multi window support - tabbed access, open new windows in background;
- Integration with Skweezer, Nyditot;
Cons:Summary:
MultiIE v3.0 by Southway Corporation Ltd. is a great program that significantly pushes up the usability of the Pocket IE built into your Pocket PC. The feature set it adds enhances your Web browsing experience to get you to the information you are looking for faster and once there makes it much easier to navigate. Download the trial and I think you�ll find it a keeper.
Read on for the full review!
So�What�s the Requirement?
It seems like I�m continually on the lookout for new ways to enhance my Pocket PC Web browsing experience. I spend a considerable amount of time browsing the Web when I�m at my desktop PC so it seems only natural that Web browsing is one of the things that I would want to do when I am away from my desk with my Pocket PC. But, if Web browsing is a natural thing to want to do with your Pocket PC, why does it seem like it's one of the most unnatural things to do successfully and without pain? Even though more and more sites have versions built specifically for the mobile user (like Pocket PC Thoughts) trying to navigate a Web site and get useful information out of it can sometimes range from aggravating to downright impossible. Recently I reviewed PIEPlus, an add-on to Pocket IE which in addition to other features did a nice job reformatting Web sites to read easily on your Pocket PC screen.
Aside from reformatting the Web site (not a small task) and the ability to have multiple sites loaded at the same time and accessible through a context menu, PIEPlus didn�t do too much else to enhance my ability to navigate and extract information from a multiple Web site environment. I�d like to retain the ability to get more information on the screen at one time but add to that navigation aids and information capture capabilities.
Enter MulitiIE v3.0
MultiIE from Southway Corporation is not a new application but the latest version (v3.0) really piled on the new features. Once loaded, MultiIE makes several small, but notable, changes to your PIE screen.
Figure 1. MultiIE main menu.
The first thing you�ll notice is the additional icon added to your tools bar at the bottom of the screen. Tapping this brings up MultiIE�s main menu. MultiIE allows you to have several Web pages open at the same time and in addition to being tabbed for easy selection at the bottom of the screen the Web sites are listed at the top of this menu. Additional options allow you to open a new blank window, close the window you are currently viewing, open up a new window with one of four of your preset Web site shortcuts, save the Web site you are viewing (text file, HTML only, or HTML complete), rotate the screen, view the Web site in full screen, and finally set MultiIE options (more on these later).
Quick URL Builder
You will also notice at the top left of the address bar an icon of a world with a pencil on it. Tapping this brings up MultiIE�s quick URL builder menu. Those of you tired of writing www, and .com or .net will like this feature.
Figure 2. Quick URL Builder.
The menu contains several quick cursor movement actions but my favorite feature is the ability to tap one of the stock empty Web addresses and only have to type the main portion of the site name you are addressing.
The developer has really made an effort to include most URL components so that almost all site addresses can be quickly built.
Figure 3. More domains.
Figure 4. More country domains.
Enhanced Go Button
On the right side of the address bar, next to the go icon, is an arrow for a drop-down menu. These choices allow you to use the address bar text as the source text for Web searches, etc.
Figure 5: Enhanced Go Button menu.
For example, if I type Pocket PC in the address bar, and select Search Web � Google, on the drop down, I will execute a search on Google for Pocket PC.
Figure 6: Search Google for Pocket PC.
Figure 7: Google results.
I have to admit, I love this feature, and it�s a real time saver. Gee, Pocket PC Thoughts is only ranked behind Pocket PC magazine and Microsoft�have to see what we can do about that  .
In addition to several types of searches, if you have a Skweezer account you can use this feature to quickly view Web sites through that service � in effect giving MultiIE a built-in screen reformatting capability. Keep in mind that you are still using the Skweezer service but MultiIE sure makes it one heck of a lot easier to get there.
But How Does it Look on its Side?
Another area where MultiIE does a great job of integrating other applications is in screen rotation. To take advantage of this feature you must have the Nyditot Virtual Display application installed. MultiIE recommends using the Resize Desktop profile (320x320 res, zoom set to default) to rotate without reboots.
Figure 8: Using Rotate feature, portrait view.
For this capture I�ve set up Nyditot as recommended for MultiIE, everything looks good except you�ll notice I�ve lost my sound control, and more importantly my close button.
Figure 9: Using Rotate feature, landscape view.
To get this landscape view all I had to do was tap Rotate Screen in the MultiIE menu and immediately I have a rotated screen � with no reboot! Loosing the close button is a problem, but you can quickly change your zoom in Nyditot to get it back temporarily. Again, a nice job integrating other applications into MultiIE.
Still Need More Space, Try Full Screen
MultiIE also provides the ability to hide all the address bars, window tabs, scroll bars, etc. so that you can use your full screen for viewing a Web page. If you look at the extreme bottom right corner of PIE when using MultiIE you will see a tiny triangle drawn across the corner of the screen. Tap that and everything other than the Web site goes away.
Figure 10: Full Screen view.
Nicely implemented and if you need to scroll the screen just use another of MultiIE�s features � tap and drag on the screen, the page you are viewing will scroll with your drag. Another option is to use one of the many tap and hold context menus that MultiIE provides.
Tap and Hold menus.
MultiIE provides several tap and hold menus to allow you access to just about all program features.
Figure 11: Basic Tap and Hold.
Figure 12: Link Tap and Hold.
Figure 13: Graphic/Link Tap and Hold.
Figure 14: Selected Text Tap and Hold.
Mega-Options
If you didn�t like the way MultiIE implemented a particular feature there�s a pretty good chance you can change it through the options menu. One of the things I look for in an application is the amount of usability prior to changing any options, just how fast can I get to work. MultiIE scores big here, plenty of customization but the defaults get you a long ways.
Figure 15: Page options.
Here you can set things like what you want to see when you open a new blank window, what application you want to use to view page source with, and some common registry setting hacks such as how you want PIE to be identified to Web servers, enabling ClearType, and showing JavaScript errors.
One feature I found that I really used in MultiIE was the ability to load a new page in the background. I could tap & hold on a link, tell it to open the new window in the background and I could go on reading the foreground page while my new selection was loaded. MultiIE allows you to specify how you want to be notified when the background page is loaded. Here you can tell it to play a particular sound or to bring the window forward once it�s loaded.
Figure 16: Tab and Address settings.
Here you can specify how many window tabs you want at the bottom of the screen, but more importantly if you didn�t like the URL builder choices or the go button menu shortcuts here�s your chance to modify them.
Figure 17: Screen options.
Lots of ways to specify what you want to see on your screen for controls and what you want to hide in exchange for more real estate.
Figure 18: Configure Hardware buttons.
MultiIE supports mapping of your hardware buttons for immediate access to program functions.
Figure 19: Preset configuration.
Easy to update your preset Web sites and where you have access to them.
Conclusion
I find a lot to like about this program and not much to hate, or even dislike. My Web browsing sessions seem more productive as I can get where I�m trying to go faster, I can navigate the information easier, and capture what I need and move on. I�d like to see built-in screen reformatting rather than having to go through a service like Skweezer, but that�s not a knock on the current program as much as a wish list item for the future.
This is the second program I�ve looked at that expands on the features of PIE (PIEPlus was the first) and both offer capabilities that I�d like to keep, unfortunately you can�t use them both at the same time as they both use the same hook into PIE. I�d like to see more programs like this that expand on the basic capabilities of the software I already have loaded rather than have to add complete new applications. Granted sometimes the supplied software isn�t even worth expanding, but as long as it�s sitting in ROM why not use it (or let me uninstall it and use the space).
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03-17-2004, 06:58 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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Great review! One question though: Does it play nicely with Spb Pocket Plus? Pocket Plus' PIE integratration can be turned off so I assume (hope) so.
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03-17-2004, 08:00 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 578
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I have used MultiIE for years. Love it.
I don't currently use Pocket Plus, but when I did I turned off its PIE integration because it didn't do as much as MultiIE, and I didn't want a conflict. Worked fine.
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03-17-2004, 09:28 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,725
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Sounds great. I may consider buying this. 
On a side note, does anyone know of a browser that I can use to view http://community.nylf.org on my PPC? The forum software at that site requires- Internet Explorer 5.5+
Netscape 7+
Mozilla
Safari
Opera 7+
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03-17-2004, 09:32 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 327
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I love multiie but have to admit I really loved the ability of PIEPlus to format pages immediately for the small screen. I tried using Skweer for a while, but it did not always work, and I do not like the idea of having to rely on a server based solution for this. If I have to use a server based solution, I prefer to use MobileLap, which is free (by the way, here is the replacement string in Multiie to change from Skweezer to MobileLeap:
http://www.mobileleap.net/app/demo/translator?url=*^;-MobileLeap )
The author of Multiie told me that he was working on a version of Multiie that would reformat the page, and asked me if I wanted to beta test it, but, despite my eagerness to do so, I never heard from him again. I finally ended up buying NetFront only for the SmartFit rendering that reformats the page. Really, I don't know why Microsoft did not just include this as a feature. It is such a pain in the butt to read some pages in Pocket IE. I would have stuck with PIEPlus if it were not for one other feature of Multiie I LOVE, screen drag scrolling. I can no longer live without that. Oh well, I guess I will have to just deal with what I have for now.
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03-17-2004, 10:42 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 276
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by OSUKid7
Sounds great. I may consider buying this.
On a side note, does anyone know of a browser that I can use to view http://community.nylf.org on my PPC?
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If it's of any help, the site works fine on Thunderhawk.
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03-17-2004, 10:53 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 578
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by dma1965
The author of Multiie told me that he was working on a version of Multiie that would reformat the page, and asked me if I wanted to beta test it, but, despite my eagerness to do so, I never heard from him again.
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In the past he has seemed to disappear between versions.
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03-17-2004, 11:16 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 214
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by dma1965
I would have stuck with PIEPlus if it were not for one other feature of Multiie I LOVE, screen drag scrolling. I can no longer live without that. Oh well, I guess I will have to just deal with what I have for now.
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I reviewed PIEPlus and the developer said that screen drag would be in the next version. If that's any help to you.
Roderick
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03-18-2004, 05:46 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 53
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^^Will it have tabbed windows as well?
I like PIEPlus the best since it scrolls by page. MultieIE will not scroll by page on my e805 no matter what settings I use. I do however wish PIEPlus had tabs.
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03-18-2004, 05:50 AM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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I just use up/down on the D-pad and it scrolls by page for me. But I have an iPaq, not a Toshiba.
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Linear Mode
