Toolkit Pro is from the developers of #1 Toolkit and delivers a slightly cleaner looking set of tools that could come in handy for just about everyone. The Windows Phone app pulls together sixteen tools (more if you count the sub-sets) that can come in handy on a daily basis.
You have tools for measurement, recording, conversion and even tools that will tap into your Windows Phone features. It is an attractive Windows Phone app based solely on its feature set but when you add that it's a free app, there is really no reason not to have Toolkit Pro tucked away in your Windows Phone app library.
The layout of Toolkit Pro falls in line with what you have with #1 Toolkit. You have two layout styles, panoramic or tile, that can be changed from up under the "three-dot" menu. Tile layout throws all your tools onto a 4x4 tile grid while the panoramic layout divides everything up by tool type.
Along with choosing your layout style, you can tap the "More…" link to view the app's About Screen, choose your theme colors, language, accent color and turn on/off your location services.
The tools break down in this manner.
- Meter: Ruler, Compass, Protractor and Level tools
- Convenient: Flashlight, QR Code Reader, Vibration, Quick Settings
- Math: Unit Conversion and Currency Conversion
- Sound: Noise Meter and Recorder
- Time: Timer, Stopwatch, World Clock, Speed Meter
Just tap on a tool and the interface is fairly straightforward but there are a few items of note for some of the tools.
- The Compass has your traditional compass graphic and a map view that will include your compass bearings and graphic (nice touch).
- The Quick Settings gives you access to seventeen Windows Phone settings that range from your Cellular+SIM settings to adding a Calendar appointment to launching your music file playback.
- The Unit Converter has nine categories of units to convert that range from quantity to length to temperature and gobs of units within each.
- The Currency Converter covers over 150 currencies and exchange rates.
- The Speed Meter can be set to walking speeds as well as speeds traveled by car, boat or plane.
In using Toolkit Pro over the past few days, it comes across as a very attractive Windows Phone app to have tucked away in your library. You may not use every tool on a daily basis but as they say, "It's better to have and not need, than need and not have." I would like to see the ability to pin individual tools to your Windows Phone Start Screen but having to go under one roof to access these tools isn't the end of the world (See Note).
I did have a few stability issues with a few of the tools while running Toolkit Pro from a Lumia 830. The app would crash when I launched the Currency Converter and Speed Meter with some regularity. I don't think this instability is a deal breaker and hopefully an issue the developer can address with an update.
All in all, Toolkit Pro picks up where #1 Toolkit left off by providing a healthy selection of tools you can use in your day to day life. The developer is working on additional tools to add to the mix and addressing the stability issues will make the Windows Phone app more appealing.
If you have tried Toolkit Pro, let us know what you think of things in the comments below. And don't forget to rate your Windows Phone and Windows 10 titles in the respective Stores. It is an easy way to send the developers a little feedback on their works.
Note: As pointed out in one of the comments below, you can pin individual tools to your Windows Phone Start Screen. If you press/hold a tool tile in panorama style the tile will tilt forward revealing the option to 'pin to start'. In the grid style all you need to do is tap/hold on a tile and it will automatically be added to your Windows Phone Start Screen.
Download Toolkit Pro for Windows Phone
