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SilverScreen
December 17, 2001
After you follow the basic Palm OS installation procedure and HotSync your device, you’ll find a new icon entitled “Silver Screen” in your Palm OS launcher. Tap on it to start SilverScreen. It will take several seconds the first time you start it, as the program is reading your device and any expansion cards you may have to find your applications. You are then presented with a list of all of them, and you go through and categorize each one according to your needs. Those categories later show up as tabs in SilverScreen. That tabbed interface is a nice improvement over the standard Palm OS launcher, enabling you to access all of your programs quickly. And it includes all of the programs that you’ve stored on your expansion card as well, if you have a Palm with built-in VFS support such as the m505.
Some of the features that set SilverScreen apart from some of the other popular launcher replacements available include both Datebook and To Do tickers that run across the bottom of the screen. There are also several tools available, such as an info tool, a beam tool and a trash can for deleted applications. But the most important thing is the various themes and icons that are available that allow you to customize the “look and feel” of your launcher in every conceiveable way. There are several available, including both greyscale and color versions (color themes require you to install Chroma, which is included on the CD). Some of them are very cute, such as TinyTown and BeBop, though I found them a little confusing since they also changed all of the icons for the built-in programs. While this wouldn’t be a problem for a new user, as someone who has used the Palm OS for a long time it would take me some getting used to in order to fell comfortable with the new icons.
The reason that I mentioned the idea of SilverScreen having more form than substance is most likely due to my personal bias. I’m a big fan of Launcher III and I’ve used it for a long time. It takes up less room on my device, about 70K instead of well over 200K, and it packs a lot of features into a very small space. I’d suggest Launcher III for the “power users” among us, while SilverScreen would make a very nice gift for new Palm OS users who find the built-in launcher too intimidating. SilverScreen is available for $19.95 from the Global Star Software web site.
PocketGoddess rating for SilverScreen: 
