Pocket PC magazine, Apr/May 2004 Read online

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  From the Editor

  Selecting the Leader of the Windows Mobile World

  I’m writing this editor’s message three days before us folks in Iowa attend the Iowa Precinct Caucuses. In these events, Republicans and Democrats gather in separate groups to select their candidate for the 2004 U.S. presidential election. By the time you read this, the results of the Iowa Caucuses will be well known. But right now the outcome—at least of the Democratic Caucus—is up in the air.

  The future of handheld devices is also a little up in the air. Introduced over 20 years ago, the first handhelds were little more than shrunken notebook computers with limited functionality. Then about 10 years ago Apple introduced a revolutionary pen-entry handheld called the Newton, and coined the term Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). More recently we’ve seen multi-function handhelds: PDAs with integrated phones, wireless network capability, GPS receivers, and more. We’ve even seen the first Pocket PC with a built-in camera—the ViewSonic V36 reviewed in this issue.

  The Smartphone is the current front-runner for leader of the Windows Mobile world, and we look at three examples of it in this issue: the Samsung i600, the Motorola MPx200, and the Orange SPV E200. We also take a look at a new Pocket PC with an integrated phone, the E-TEN P300. What’s most interesting about this device is its size. With a 2.8"-diagonal display and a clamshell design, this Pocket PC folds up into a package not very much larger than a Samsung i600 Smartphone. If the trend towards smaller Pocket PCs continues, the distinction between the Pocket PC and the Smartphone will begin to blur.

  One of the forces driving the evolution of the handheld is modern business. More and more, the enterprise is demanding flexible, connected devices that give mobile workers the tools they need, when and wherever they need them. A number of articles in the enterprise section of this issue look at the implementation and future of Windows Mobile in the healthcare and oil and gas industries.

  We also review carrying cases, GPS receivers, and other mobility products for the end user. We even have a profile of how one man uses a ruggedized Pocket PC to map unexplored caves.

  Of course there’s a lot more in this issue, including Diane’s Discoveries (a report from the Consumer Electronics Show), a review of mind-mapping software, Games Roundup, Tips and Tricks, free software and more. And we’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Becky Benfield as a regular contributor. Becky will be reporting on Windows Mobile news and products from a European perspective.

  What will Windows Mobile handhelds look like two years from now? Microsoft and the device manufactures may try a lot of things. But in the end, the leader of the Windows Mobile world will be selected by a caucus of consumers and enterprise users who will make their decision based on functionality and value, and vote with their pocketbooks.

  Inbox

  We cannot respond to all letters or e-mail (but we read them all). Please send us questions, suggestions for improvements in the magazine, ideas for new software, or general comments. All responses, unless otherwise indicated, are from Rich Hall, Editor of Pocket PC magazine. You can reach Rich at [email protected].

  Switching over to the Samsung i700 Pocket PC with integrated phone

  Dr. Zabrek, in the September 2003 issue you wrote that you were quite pleased with the Samsung i700 Pocket PC Phone Edition. I’m seriously considering getting one and had a chance to examine the i700 last week when the Verizon rep visited my hospital. Before I ask Santa (actually it would be Mrs. Santa) I had a few questions. (Letter and questions from John Novak; answers from Ed Zabrek.)

  Q: Do you know how “compatible” the operating system on this phone will be with regards to third-party Pocket PC software...programs such as Agenda Fusion, Touchworks, PocketTV, HanDBase, and the like?. I’m hoping that the Phone Edition is simply a Pocket PC with some additional software.

  A: The Phone Edition devices are an enhanced version of the Pocket PC. Software that runs on a regular Pocket PC should run on a Phone Edition device. I have tried the ones you mentioned and they all work great.

  Q: Can the i700 accept the new Windows Mobile 2003 system software?

  A: The device has its software stored in flash ROM and is capable of being upgraded. The exact procedure has not been definitively worked out as of this date, but Samsung/Verizon should be offering an upgrade in the future.

  Q: Any suggestions on how to make the transfer of information between my older Pocket PCs and the i700 go smoothly?

  A: Make certain that your older Pocket PC is fully synchronized with Outlook on your desktop PC. When you sync the i700 with the desktop PC, all of your Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and Inbox data should be copied to your i700. If you have documents you want to copy to the i700, you can place them in the Sync folder that ActiveSync creates on your desktop PC when you check the “Files” icon in ActiveSync’s Sync Options list. They will be automatically synchronized every time you connect to your desktop PC. Finally, I highly recommend purchasing an SD card for the i700 and keeping everything you can on that card.

  Hotmail support in Inbox?

  I read your (Chris De Herrera’s) article about Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PCs with integrated phones and have the following question. How can I access my Hotmail account via Inbox on a Pocket PC with an integrated phone?

  Regards, Salah Kamal

  (above) Pocket Hotmail is one of a number of programs that let you read Hotmail in your Pocket PC Inbox.

  Salah, Microsoft has chosen not to support Hotmail access via Inbox. However, there are a number of third-party plug-ins available to access Hotmail. Go to Handango’s Web site (http://www.handango.com) and do a search on “hotmail.”

  Chris De Herrera

  (http://www.cewindows.net)

  Capabilities of Pocket Word document templates

  I just read your (Chris De Herrera’s) article on Windows Mobile 2003 and was hoping you would answer a question I had. I am currently deciding on what to buy to help my medical practice grow. I have templates that I created using MS Word. They have drop-down menus and word fields. Would a Pocket PC be able to handle these?

  Francisco Naveira, M.D.

  Dr. Naveira, the Word document template you can create in Windows Mobile 2003 is equivalent to a simple document. It does not provide for word fields or drop-down boxes.

  Chris De Herrera

  (http://www.cewindows.net)

  How much flash ROM do you need? Can you install programs on CF or SD storage cards?

  I am considering purchasing a Pocket PC for myself and advising someone what he might purchase for his wife. I just finished reading your review of the HP iPAQ h1935 and took note of what you said about the ROM memory. My question is how much ROM should I be looking for? I know this depends on the user, but can you give a general idea of what a basic or high-end user might need? One additional question if you don’t mind: Is it possible to store and run additional software on storage cards if in the future I run out of ROM memory? Thank you for your time!

  Robert Anson

  (above) During installation of add-on software, you are given the opportunity to install the program on a storage card.

  Robert, I personally wouldn’t buy anything with less than 32 MB of flash ROM. There is no guarantee that the manufacturer will offer operating system upgrades in the future, but 32 MB provides the space necessary if they do. You can install almost all third-party software programs on a CF or SD storage card (but they still use RAM to run). During the installation process, a screen pops up asking you if you want the
application installed in the default location (on the Pocket PC). If you select the “NO” option, it will let you specify another location, including a storage card.

  Micro Innovations Wireless Link keyboard

  I read the article on the Stowaway XT keyboard in the recent Dec/Jan issue of the magazine and I wanted to let you know that I have had a keyboard that is almost exactly the same for over a year that’s made by Micro Innovations. It’s called the Wireless Link and it uses infrared signals to communicate with any Pocket PC or Palm device. You can see it for yourself on the Micro Innovations Web site (http://www.mi-products.com/pda_keyboards.htm) at the bottom of the page. It has a stand to set your device on, with a reflector that pulls out to bounce the infrared signal to the IrDA port. I’ve never been able to get the reflector to work with my iPAQ 3800 with it upright in the stand. But I have been able to use it upside down in the stand, with the help of programs that change screen orientation such as JS Landscape (http://www.jimmysoftware.com) or Nyditot Virtual Display (http://www.nyditot.com). Some advantages I see for the Micro Innovations keyboard are that it is wireless, that it has an embedded number pad, and that it has 4 user-programmable application launch buttons in the top right corner of the keyboard. I just thought you’d like to be aware of this keyboard since it is so similar to the Stowaway XT.

  Jason Behm

  (above) Micro Innovations Wireless Link Keyboard

  Hard drives for Pocket PCs?

  I discovered over a year ago that you can use a 1.8-inch hard drive (from 5 GB up to 40 GB) in a PDA. Toshiba and Hitachi make these drives. I do not own a PDA yet, but I would like to find the perfect one for myself. I’ve been running into difficulties in my search to find which PDAs can use the 1.8-inch hard drives. I e-mailed and phoned both Toshiba and Hitachi and they both sent me on a wild goose chase. I would like to get a PDA and a 1.8-inch hard drive so I can put all of my music and videos on the hard drive.

  Leon McFadden

  Leon, so far the higher capacity 1.8-inch hard drives you are talking about are sold to manufacturers to be built into devices such as the Apple iPod music player.

  Toshiba makes a 5 GB 1.8-inch hard drive in the larger PC Card format, which is roughly the size of a very thick credit card. The only Pocket PCs that can accept a PC Card are made by HP (the older iPAQ h3700, h3800, h3900 series and the newer h5100 and h5500 series). However, to accept the PC Card drive, the above mentioned iPAQs also need an accessory called a PC Card Expansion Pack, which slips onto the iPAQ and adds a PC Card slot. You can go to HP’s site for more information about the iPAQ Pocket PCs (http://www.hp.com and look for the link labeled “handhelds”).

  In addition to the 1.8-inch drives, there are hard drives available in the CompactFlash format. The highest capacity I am aware of is the 2.4 GB MicroDrive from Magicstor. Finally, a number of vendors are beginning to offer high-capacity solid-state storage cards in the CompactFlash format. Cards with 2 GB capacities are available now, and 4 and 6 GB cards have been announced. A great all-around site for purchasing Pocket PCs and accessories such as the hard drives you mentioned is MobilePlanet (http://www.mobileplanet.com).

  Palm OS to Pocket PC data transfer

  Can you please tell me what program you would recommend to transfer my files from my old Palm Vx, written in the Memo category with the Palm OS 4.1, to my new HP iPAQ running Microsoft Pocket PC 2002? Thanks for your help and keep up the good work.

  Dr. Martin Sieber

  This question is asked several times a week in the public newsgroups. The easiest thing to do is to install the desktop PC version of Outlook, which ships with all Pocket PCs on a companion CD. Then install Pocket Mirror from the Palm CD. Next, tell Pocket Mirror to sync the Palm data with Outlook and dock the Palm. All memos should be safely transferred to the Outlook Notes database. Now install ActiveSync 3.7, which came with the Pocket PC’s companion CD, on your desktop PC. Finally, connect and sync the Pocket PC with your desktop PC. All the data in Outlook—notes, tasks, appointments, and contacts—should flow right over. (Thanks to Ed Hansberry for the answer to this one.)

  GPS reviews need update information

  I have appreciated your reviews of GPS systems. I want to buy one for my HP iPAQ Pocket PC. I currently have a Garmin stand-alone system. They were slow on updating the maps (over a year and a half I think) and when they did they only gave a $30 rebate for current owners.

  I request that in future GPS reviews you include information about how often the maps and POIs are updated, the cost of update services, whether or not a user can buy a year’s worth of updates and then download them each quarter, and whether there is an end-user procedure for submitting corrections to the maps and POIs.

  Bob Foster

  Updating maps and POIs is a massive undertaking, requiring 1.5 to 2 years to complete. Most of the maps come from the same three resources: Tele Atlas, Navtech, and GDT (Geographic Data Technologies). Some of these resources claim to be updating quarterly, but they report that the GPS companies that use their data rarely update their products that quickly. GPS companies and map resources are mysterious about their updating, but I am researching this. I will post information about it in the Pocket PC GPS Forum (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=42). Here are the locations where you can report mistakes to the GPS and map resource companies:

  TomTom and Pharos (http://www.na.teleatlas.com/support/mapreport.html)

  Teletype GPS (http://www.teletype.com/pages/support/Trouble%20Reports/map_trouble.html)

  PowerLOC Destinator (http://update.navtech.com/country.asp?lang=english)

  CoPilot—Go to the GPS menu in CoPilot and select “Email Tracks to Club CoPilot”

  Shawna Kelly

  newsBYTES

  by Matt Arant

  Please e-mail any Windows Mobile related news to [email protected]

  Microsoft Mobile Developers Conference 2004: March 23-27, San Francisco

  The Microsoft Mobile DevCon is the premier event for developers, independent software vendors, mobile operators, and IT and business professionals interested in developing and bringing to market mobile applications, content and services for the Windows Mobile and Windows platforms. Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will speak about Microsoft’s new mobile technologies and long-term development strategies for mobile applications and devices. In addition, the event will have 80+ technical sessions, hands-on labs, exhibits and networking events designed to update developers about the latest tools and strategies needed to build innovative mobile applications using Microsoft and wireless technologies. For more information or to register for the conference, visit Microsoft’s Mobile DevCon Web site.

  http://www.microsoftmdc.com/default.aspx

  For Europeans, Mobile DevCon (http://www.microsoft.com/europe/ mdc/) will coincide with TECH-ED Europe, 30 June–2 July 2004, Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands.

  New Audiovox Pocket PC with integrated phone

  Audiovox has announced that they will release a new Pocket PC with integrated phone in the first quarter of 2004. The new Audiovox PPC 5050 will be based on the Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC software and incorporate a dual band CDMA/PCS phone. It will be powered by a 400 MHz Intel XScale processor, have 64 MB of internal RAM, and a built-in SD/MMC card slot (no word on whether this is SDIO compatible).

  The PPC 5050 will have a 3.5-inch-diagonal, 65K-color touchscreen, an IrDA port, and a 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery. It will ship with the usual array of Pocket PC accessories. The PPC 5050 features support for the CDMA2000 1xRTT packet-based data protocol and its successor, 1xEV-DO, which promises to offer increased wireless data speeds. More information will be posted on the Audiovox Web site as it becomes available.

  http://www.audiovox.com

  (above) Audiovox PPC 5050

  ASUS A716 available in U.S. soon

  BargainPDA reports that ASUS plans to sell its A716 in the U.S. This Pocket PC includes built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability,
as well as dual expansion slots: CompactFlash and SDIO. It’s powered by a 400 MHz Intel processor and comes with 64 MB of RAM and 64 MB of ROM. The price of the A716 will be around $500.

  http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=22525

  (above) The Asus A716 Pocket PC

  Legend introduces clamshell Pocket PC with integrated phone

  The Chinese handheld manufacturer Legend has introduced the Lenovo ET560, a foldable clamshell Pocket PC with an integrated GSM/GPRS phone that’s based on the Microsoft Mobile 2003 operating system. The Lenovo weighs 6.2 ounces and folds into a small 4.7 x 2.6 x 1 inch package. It is powered by a 400 MHz Intel processor, and comes with 64 MB of RAM and 32 MB of flash ROM. It includes an integrated digital camera and an SDIO card slot. It has the full suite of Pocket PC applications, plus the Phone Dialer application. Currently, the device will only be offered in Asia. But its release shows that the more full-featured Pocket PC can be designed in form factors small enough to compete with Windows Mobile Smartphones.