Dooblo FolderSize

[Brad Adrian]

<a href="http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&amp;platformId=2&amp;productType=2&amp;catalog=0&amp;amp;sectionId=0&amp;productId=23760">http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&amp;platformId=2&amp;productType=2&amp;catalog=0&amp;amp;sectionId=0&amp;productId=23760</a><br /><br />As you probably know, there are TONS of little Pocket PC applications that help with memory or file management. I've been using Dooblo's latest version of FolderSize for a while now and have found that it does a good job of helping me manage both my device memory and files.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/foldersize1.jpg" /><br /><br />I've put together a few thoughts here on this software. Be sure to read the entire article to learn about a cool giveaway from Dooblo. <!><br /><br /><b><span>Dooblo's FolderSize</span></b><br /><br />The developers at Dooblo claim that this application will help users do three things:<br /><br />• View the memory status of storage cards, RAM and ROM<br />• Delete files and folders<br />• Locate and purge leftover temporary files<br /><br />Happily, these features are just what I've been looking for in an application and are exactly what FolderSize delivers.<br /><br /><b><span>Features</span></b><br />First and foremost, FolderSize checks every folder in the device's RAM, ROM and any attached storage cards and reports on the amount of used and free space in each. I was originally concerned that it might take a long time to perform this function on a Pocket PC with 64MB of RAM and a 128MB storage card. However, I was pleased to find out that the entire process takes only about three seconds.<br /><br />FolderSize offers a few options for how the resulting information is displayed. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/foldersize2.jpg" /><br /><br />Tapping on the Tools>Options menu produces a screen which allows the user to select whether or not the thermometer-like bars are displayed, whether individual files are shown, and whether or not the ROM is included in the scans. I’m very much a “visual learner,” so I always like to see the display bars. I also like to be able to see how full the iPAQ File Store is, so I usually opt to include the ROM in the display.<br /><br />You can also quickly change these options on the main FolderSize screen. Tapping on the memory chip icon toggles the ROM scan off and on, and tapping on the page icon toggles the display of files.<br /><br />Once the information is presented on the main screen, at the bottom there is also an analysis of how much memory is being used by unneeded temporary files. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/foldersize4.jpg" /><br /><br />If the device has a lot of storage space wasted by temporary files, tapping on the Tools menu gives the option to automatically and quickly purge them from the device.<br /><br />If you like, you can explore and manipulate the individual files and folders that are displayed on the main screen. For example, tapping and holding on a file or folder presents options to either open or delete it. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/foldersize3.jpg" /><br /><br />If the “open” option is selected, FolderSize then simply opens the Pocket PC’s File Explorer application. It was probably a good idea that Dooblo didn’t decide to create its own explorer tool, but I found it a bit bothersome that when File Explorer is opened, it does not open at the folder or directory level that was selected in FolderSize.<br /><br /><span><b>Availability</b></span><br />FolderSize can be purchased at the <a href="http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&platformId=2&productType=2&catalog=0§ionId=0&productId=23760">Handango site</a> for a mere $5.99. I consider this a real bargain.<br /><br /><b><span>Gotchas</span></b><br />FolderSize does exactly what I expected it to do. The only thing I would change is the linkage between it and File Explorer; I wish selecting a folder/file in FolderSize would open that very same folder/file in File Explorer. I consider this a pretty minor nit-pick, though.<br /><br /><b><span>Conclusions</span></b><br />I really like this program, because it does a very good job of helping me free up storage space and see the storage status of my Pocket PC. I would recommend it for anybody who wants to know just how their device’s memory is being used.<br /><br /><b><span>BONUS!</span></b><br />The generous people at Dooblo have offered to give away a free copy of FolderSize to five lucky Pocket PC Thoughts readers. We'll select the winners from our list of all registered readers in a few days. Of course, you must be <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/profile.php?mode=register">registered with this site</a> in order to win. In the meantime, you can download a trial version of the software using the Handango link above.

[mattsmith0622]

Thanks for the review. I've been thinking about purchasing this program for my T-Mobile. Maybe I'll wait and see if I win a free copy.

Wait, I never win!!

Great review.

[Rob Alexander]

I have two thoughts to offer about this program.

1) I wish the Dooblo people would get it through their heads that 320x240 is not a lot of screen real estate and that we can find something better to do with one entire line of our screens than to have a colorful ad for a program that we've already bought. (They always put the name of the program in big letters across the top of the screen taking up the same space again as the title bar.) In their excellent program, Borrower (which I highly recommend), this uses the space of one full entry in the database that I could use for looking at my data rather than scrolling to it.

2) This app looks nice and seems well done (as I would expect from them), but in fairness, there is another application out there that will do everything this one will, except the temp files thing, for free. Check out Where is my RAM? at http://mypaq.net/mysoftware/wimr/index.shtml. It's simpler and not as pretty, but it gets the job done for at a price you can't argue with. And it does have a file explorer built-in so you can delete unwanted files right in the program. I've used it for a couple of years now and it's always done the job.

http://mypaq.net/mysoftware/wimr/wimr.PNG

[szamot]

Where is my ram does not find my 256mb SD card...

[crispeto]

Looks like a neat program. I could use some help getting rid of unwanted stuff. I appreciate the chance to win.

[l0o5er]

also check out Tillanosoft's SpaceFinder (& other excellent utilities too)

http://www.tillanosoft.com/ce/sfinder.html

http://www.tillanosoft.com/ce/sfinderp.gif

I used to use WIMR too before I found this. And there's a freeware version of the product which simply excludes the pie chart view.

[rix]

While we're tossing names into this hat, there's (yet) another one!!

Kilmist Storage Analyzer

http://www.kilmist.com/SD_StorageAnalyzer.asp

You get an Explorer, Overview (pie charts of main mem, Program, Storage/Safe Store), File Type view & Folder view.

Tap & Hold on a file gives you the following options:Delete|Open|Properties or Select All

SA will also find for you, your largest files & duplicate files as well as databases.

A well written program & good support by the author.

my .02

Rich

[palmsolo]

Most File Explorer replacements have the ability for you to tap-and-hold and find out folder properties, like my default Resco File Explorer. However, I love using FolderSize because it gives me a quick view of all the folder sizes at the same time and I can quickly see where my memory is being allocated. They do have the ability to delete right from the main screen and I love the quick purging of temporary files. I sometimes get up to 500kb of temp folders while surfing and hated having to go to PIE, then Tools, then delete temporary files. I think this program is well worth skipping one trip to McDonalds and is a new favorite on my device.

I have a copy already from reviewing it on our site, so if I win I'll throw my copy back into the pool for someone else to have.

[msprague]

Where is my ram does not find my 256mb SD card...
WIMR? sees my 128MB SD card just fine. I wish I could test it with a 256MB. :cry:

[Jimmy Dodd]

OK, so far I count 4 different apps that do pretty much the same thing. That's basically the same through all of the apps I've seen. There are a dozen apps in a category, but each is slightly different. For example, I recently downloaded and tried out about a dozen database apps for the PPC one at a time trying to figure out which one had the features to do the job I needed.

Why is it that we never see any head-to-head comparisons here on dear old PPCT? I've seen in depth reviews of hardware and software, and I've seen some pretty interesting hardware comparisons, but I don't recall seeing four (very) similar apps lined up and put through their paces. It would be very nice to see a review that shows the pros and cons of each app or at least a spreadsheet of feature sets side by side. There's no reason to get into a "this is best" kind of mindset. Just give me a comparison of features, some comments on ease of use, a price, and I'll make up my own mind about which one is best for me.

[Brad Adrian]

Why is it that we never see any head-to-head comparisons here on dear old PPCT?
We do try to do this from time to time (see my comparison between Scrabble and WordGame) and I'm actually working on one for File Explorer alternatives.

You've gotta admit, though, that such articles DO take a lot of time and effort. We'll try to do more of them.

In all fairness, though, this article was meant to be a description of a single application, which I think is needed if any amount of detail is to be provided. Maybe in these situations we should try to do a single review of each similar application and then ultimately provide a comparison chart.

[Jimmy Dodd]

Why is it that we never see any head-to-head comparisons here on dear old PPCT?
We do try to do this from time to time (see my comparison between Scrabble and WordGame) and I'm actually working on one for File Explorer alternatives.

You've gotta admit, though, that such articles DO take a lot of time and effort. We'll try to do more of them.

In all fairness, though, this article was meant to be a description of a single application, which I think is needed if any amount of detail is to be provided. Maybe in these situations we should try to do a single review of each similar application and then ultimately provide a comparison chart.

Yea, I do remember the comparison between Scrabble and WordGame now that you've reminded me. That's exactly the kind of thing I'd love to see more of. And yes, I know they do take a lot of time and effort. But, hey, I'm worth it! :D

And by the way, don't take the suggestion as a knock against anything I do read here. I only mentioned it because everyone in the Forum was mentioning other apps that did the same thing (more or less) and I thought such a comparison article had merit. I love the quick and dirty reviews, too. The more the better.

[Brad Adrian]

Sure, Jim. I didn't take your comment as a slam. Truth be told, I'm very much a "visual learner," so I always do better with pretty pictures to explain stuff to me. So, I'll try to work more comparisons in.

Thanks.

[fgarcia10]

Gotchas
FolderSize does exactly what I expected it to do. The only thing I would change is the linkage between it and File Explorer; I wish selecting a folder/file in FolderSize would open that very same folder/file in File Explorer. I consider this a pretty minor nit-pick, though.


I just tried it, and the program does take you to the folder/file you select.

[Jason Dunn]

Why is it that we never see any head-to-head comparisons here on dear old PPCT?

You write 'em, I'll publish 'em. :wink:

[Brad Adrian]

I just tried it, and the program does take you to the folder/file you select.
Hmmm. I'll try it again, but it didn't work that way for me...

[Jimmy Dodd]

Why is it that we never see any head-to-head comparisons here on dear old PPCT?

You write 'em, I'll publish 'em. :wink:

I was afraid you'd say that.

[Merlion]

Sometimes we also need to find out how much space an installed program took, that might have installation files strewn throughout the file system. Sometimes, I install a series of same-type programs to test & compare them & I'd like to be able to compare their installed sizes. Some programs do specify theirs, others don't. Sometimes I just wanna know how big the program is, so that I can decide whether to keep it (how necessary it is), or whether I should install it on an external storage card.

One way I do this is to use ActiveSync's Add/Remove Programs. This doesn't work for all programs. The program I usually rely on for this is Citadel Development (www.citadeldevelopment.com)'s PocketTools. This free program has tons of other features, & I think we should try it out, it's free after all. I don't know how accurate these programs are in showing program sizes though.

[msprague]

One way I do this is to use ActiveSync's Add/Remove Programs. This doesn't work for all programs. The program I usually rely on for this is Citadel Development (www.citadeldevelopment.com)'s PocketTools. This free program has tons of other features, & I think we should try it out, it's free after all. I don't know how accurate these programs are in showing program sizes though.
I installed the ARM cabfile on my Maestro and when I tap the shortcut in my Program folder I get 'PocketTools' is not a valid Pocket PC application. Anyone get this working on Pocket PC 2002?

[Brad Adrian]

Sometimes we also need to find out how much space an installed program took...
You bring up an excellent point. I'll try to make sure I mention that in software reviews. We should always make sure we clarify how much memory it requires and whether or not an application can safely install to a storage card.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Merlion]

I installed the ARM cabfile on my Maestro and when I tap the shortcut in my Program folder I get 'PocketTools' is not a valid Pocket PC application. Anyone get this working on Pocket PC 2002?
I don't know why it didn't work for you, it worked fine for me, I use the ARM exe though. Maybe the file you d/l was corrupt? How about d/ling the exe version & trying it out, it should work for your Maestro, & if it doesn't maybe you can get some answers from Citadel Devt. I'm using PPC2002 as well.

[ArchiMark]

:D I was one of the lucky winners of FolderSize!

Overall, great little utility program. Very useful and does what it's supposed to do.

Recommend it, price is reasonable.

Mark