Price:	Freeware		Reviewed by:	Mike Featherstone
Supplied:			Review date:	14/1/2005
Pros:	Works as advertised Permits use of all buttons for Application Launch Free		Cons:	Some instructions unclear

ButtonsEx is a relatively small freeware preference panel utility for the palmOne Tungsten T5 that is useful out of all proportion to its size and cost. It's a must have for all T5 owners in my view.

The reason for all this enthusiasm is that ButtonsEx is the first piece of software I have seen that allows me to configure all of the hard keys on my T5 device such that they can be used to launch applications. (For those who don't know, palmOne have limited the use of leftmost T5 hard key such that it can only call up either the launcher, or the favourites application - effectively, an alternative launcher. A crazy limitation.)

I downloaded and installed this application as soon as I heard of it and have had absolutely no problems with it at all.

On calling up ButtonsEx from the preferences panel, you are presented with a familiar looking screen displaying all four application buttons, each one alongside a drop down list of your installed applications. As in the standard preference panel for this function, these lists are used to select which application is to be launched by each button.

As well as making all four hard keys available, ButtonsEx also includes the facility to use the five way navigator as an additional set of application launch keys. Applications may be selected and assigned to a five way control in the same way as for the other buttons though launching an application from these controls requires that it be pressed and held for a period before anything happens. This ensures that enough normal 5-way navigator operation is retained to permit use of the device, while still enabling the extra launch functions.

Personally, I don't see myself using the 5-way navigator as a launcher. I don't have a daily use for that many applications and more importantly, these buttons do not power the device on if it's off. If you do want to use them, though, and you're concerned about the loss of application scrolling capability (or your game playing controls!), a stylus stroke mechanism has been provided to disable the 5-way launcher options without having to go in and out of the Preference Panel. Sadly, however, I couldn't understand what the description of the stylus stroke actually meant and none of my guesses proved to be correct so I can't tell whether it works or not (though as I've already said, I doubt that this will be much of an issue for me).

One other small gripe is that within the preference panel, it positions itself under a new 'Other' category it created (because I didn't have any other 'Other category' icons). As the standard Buttons panel appears under the 'Personal' list and ButtonsEx fulfils much the same function, I would have much preferred to see it there (and I wouldn't then have to scroll down the screen to see it as I do now).

Still, my complaints are minor to say the least and are vastly outweighed by the fact that I can now sensibly use four application launch buttons again for the first time in two months. The fact that this is freeware is a big positive point too.

I can finally launch MiniCalc (which I use more than I should) from a hardware button again. Fantastic.