Button Launch uses 6 of hardward buttons (the two scroll buttons and the four "application" buttons) in two ways: a short tap (tap) and a long press (tap and hold for more than 1/3 of a second).

The idea is that you set one of your application buttons to launch Button Launch.

Then you push the button you've assigned to a given application and Button Launch takes you there.

Thus, if you assign the "memo pad" button to Button Launch and, in button Launch assign a short-tap on the memo pad button to the memo pad, two taps on the memo buton will get you to the memo pad.

A tap on the memo button and a tap on the todo button might get you to the Mail application, and so on.

Update Description:
I think this time I really have solved the incompatibility with programs that run in the background (RealOne, PocketTunes, HotSync).

**** [Feb 12, 2004] by Mike Summers
Neat Idea. I'm going to use it. Thanks for making it.

***** [Jan 16, 2004] by Tony Vitali
This program really gets to hart of having a PDU by making it very easy to launch applications by just using the physical buttons on the PDA. After trying some of the other application launchers I always come back to Button Launch because it is easy to use and takes very little space on the PDA and gets the job done very well.

* [Sep 17, 2003] by Tim Gazda
Well, my buddy likes it on his OS5 palm T2, but it won't run on my Tungsten W, running OSv4.1 The screen turns blank & the system locks up. Any insights?

***** [May 25, 2003] by Alpha
Excellent utility and free! Thanks!

*** [May 16, 2003] by Bob
I've seen it used on other Palms (looks great) but dosn't work on my i705 (it frezzes) anyone know how to get it to work?

***** [May 14, 2003] by thank you
Thanks for this app and for making it OS5 compatible. I've used EasyLauch, but can no longer use it since OS5 doesn't support hacks. I agree with Alan... if it's possible to clarify which label goes with each button that woul be great.

Also... no one else reports this problem, but I can't override the system prefs for buttons, so I'm only able to use the "short" press keys, not the long press keys (outside of the five-way key). I use a lot of apps and would set a lot up on this program, so being able to override the built-in setup would be great. Could the app be set up so that you could tap on the screen to access the app or use the buttons to do so? Then have a separate prefs area or use a function key to change which app pops up at a particular location?

**** [May 8, 2003] by Aliby
Excellent program if you want such POWER. I rate it good only because I am looking for a program that will start one program when I tap the button and another when I hold it down. I don't want another intermediate screen -it just slows things down. Normaly I don't expect you to use more than 10 programs on such a regular basis so this would work well. If you can produce a "lite" version that will do this it would be a winner. Thanks for the program.

***** [Mar 26, 2003] by Alan
This is a great little program that works well. It's free and not a hack. I think the layout on screen could be a little bit clearer: the top and bottom (short and long tap) layouts should be the same as one another. I would move the labels for the outer buttons as far out as possible to make it easier to see which buttons are which.

***** [Feb 3, 2003] by Michael Duke
This is a tremendous app, possibly the most useful one I've had on a Palm device, especially the Tungsten with its hidden silkscreen. I'm really grateful for the OS5 upgrade. Thanks, Stephen!

***** [Feb 3, 2003] by Michael
Simple, useful, and effective. This is a GREAT application!

***** [Apr 4, 2002] by Doris
Great little app! A real timesaver! Thanks!

***** [Aug 28, 2001] by Isaac
I just can't imagine that I like this little thing so much. It is so much easier to press buttons than to find icons. Except that I'll be happier menus are named, and the "Next" item is replaced by names of these items. That way we can have different "next" buttons activating different apps. It's also nicer if the arrangement of the table would match the positions of the buttons.