Pocket PC magazine, January 2004
Page 21
Nitin Gupta
Free service displays Web sites in Pocket PC-friendly format
Jenner Research is offering a free demo of its WebXCope technology, which translates Web sites formatted to display on a desktop PC monitor to a more Pocket PC-friendly format (Screens 4 & 5). All you do is go to their Web site (http://216.103.91.135/rfxDM/ppcframe.php), enter a Web address and tap on Go. The WebXCope technology reformats the target site so that all of your scrolling is vertical. It's not a perfect solution, but it does allow you to read the text much more easily than you could if you had to scroll horizontally as well.
Matt Arant
Screens 4 and 5 (above): WebXCope technology translates a standard Web page into an easier-to-view format for your Pocket PC.
Getting Internet "Pass Through" feature to work
Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003 (but not Pocket PC 2000) devices can use ActiveSync's "Pass Through" capability to connect to the Internet by connecting to and "passing through" a desktop PC that is itself connected to the Internet. The process is straightforward: With ActiveSync installed and running on your desktop PC, and with the desktop PC connected to the Internet, physically connect your Pocket PC to your desktop PC via sync cradle or cable and then open Pocket Internet Explorer. Although this feature was added to ActiveSync 3.5, it's probably better to use ActiveSync 3.7, which is a little more stable. You can download ActiveSync 3.7 at Microsoft's Mobile Devices Web site (www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/resources/downloads/pocketpc/default.mspx).
Solution 1: If you have any problems getting the Pass Through feature to work, try the following:
Open ActiveSync on your desktop PC.
Select Tools and then Options.
Click on the Rules tab in options.
At the bottom of the Rules tab, change the Pass Through setting from "The Internet" to "Work," or vice versa (Screen 6).
Try using Pass Through again.
Screen 6 (above): Change the Pass Through Connection using ActiveSync's Tools > Options > Rules dialog box.
Solution 2: If you still have problems, or if your Pocket PC won't sync, try the following steps:
Unplug all other USB devices connected to your desktop PC.
Do a soft reset on your Pocket PC.
Place the device back in its cradle and let ActiveSync run and synchronize.
Solution 3: If that did not help, close ActiveSync, reboot your desktop PC, do another soft reset of your Pocket PC, and try one more time.
If you are still having problems with ActiveSync and don't know what to do, try posting a question on one of the Pocket PC forums, including those on Pocket PC magazine's Web site (www.PocketPCmag.com/forum) and at Pocket PC Thoughts (www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums).
Chris De Herrera,
www.cewindows.net
Downloading pictures and other files from your desktop PC to your Pocket PC
There are a number of ways to download pictures and other files from your desktop PC to your Pocket PC:
Copy them over using ActiveSync
Make sure your Pocket PC is connected to your desktop PC and ActiveSync is running.
From ActiveSync, click on Explore to open Windows Explorer on your desktop PC and locate the folder containing the files you want to copy over.
Right click the file or files you want to copy, and select the Copy option from the drop-down menu.
Still in File Explorer on your desktop PC, find the Mobile Device folder and click on the folder labeled "My Pocket PC" to expand it (Screen 7).
Click on the folder into which you want to copy the files.
Move the cursor to an empty part of the folder you just opened, right-click the mouse and select the Paste option from the drop-down menu (or simply press the Ctrl+V key combination).
Screen 7 (above): You can copy files from a desktop PC to a Pocket PC using ActiveSync and File Explorer.
Copy them over using a file storage card
You can use this approach if your desktop PC is equipped with a storage card reader that accepts the kind of file storage card you use with your Pocket PC.
Slip the storage card into the desktop PC's card reader.
Use the desktop PC's Windows Explorer to copy the desired files to the storage card. The card appears as a separate drive in Windows Explorer.
Remove the storage card and slip it into the Pocket PC's card slot.
Use File Explorer on the Pocket PC to find the storage card and the desired file. Again, the storage card appears as another drive in File Explorer.
E-mail files to your Pocket PC
You can send an e-mail to yourself with the desired files attached. Go to ActiveSync's Tools > Options menu and check the Inbox item to synchronize your desktop PC's e-mail with your Pocket PC. While you're in the Options menu, highlight Inbox, click on the Settings button, and check the box labeled "Include file attachments" found at the bottom of the screen. Send yourself an e-mail with the files attached, and then sync your Pocket PC with your desktop PC.
Doing screen captures using iPAQ's iTask application
A "screen capture" is a digital image of a particular moment on the screen on your Pocket PC (or any computer screen). We use them all the time in Pocket PC magazine to illustrate a third-party application or built-in feature on the Pocket PC. In fact, we've used several in this column.
There are a number of excellent third-party applications available to let you capture Pocket PC screens, including Pocket ScreenSnap (www.developerone.com) and Pocket Controller (www.soti.net). However, if you have an HP iPAQ with iTasks, you've got a screen capture function built in. Here's how you set it up:
Launch iTasks. You can do this by pressing the hardware button assigned to iTasks or by tapping on the iTask icon in the Programs folder.
Tap on the red arrow icon at the bottom of the iTask screen.
Select the iTask Settings option to display the iTask Settings dialog box (Screen 8).
Screen 8 (above): Set up screen capture functionality on an iPAQ via the iTask Settings screen shown here.
Make sure the Label field at the top of the screen has "1: iTask" selected. You can change it if necessary from the drop-down menu.
Next, make sure "0: Menu" appears in the Menu Item field. If it does not, add it as follows:a. Tap on the field until it is selected. (We don't want the drop-down menu displayed so you might have to tap twice on the field.)
b. Tap on the Replace With field and a menu appears with folders labeled "Internal," "Programs," "Settings," etc.
c. Tap in the Internal folder to display the contents within it.
d. Tap on the "Menu" option near the bottom of this list.
Tap on the Menu Item box again and select the option "1:" in front of it. It might be 1: Backup Utility" or "1: Unassigned"—it doesn't matter.
Tap on the Replace With field one more time and then tap on the Delay Capture option in the list to select it.
Tap on the Apply button to save your changes.
This completes the set up, but if you want to put the brightness option back on the iTask menu, you have to again tap on the Menu Item field, tap on an Unassigned number to select it, tap on the Replace With field, tap on the Brightness option in the Internal folder list, and tap Apply one more time. When you're finished with all of this, tap on the OK button to close iTask Settings.
To use this feature, follow these steps:
First, go to the screen you want to capture.
Press the iTask launch button.
Press the red arrow icon in the lower left of the iTask screen
Tap on the Delay Capture option at the top of the list.
At this point, the iTask menu disappears, leaving the screen you want to capture displayed. After a few seconds, iTask will capture the screenshot in .bmp format, automatically assigning it a file name of Capt0000, Capt0001, etc. The image files are saved in your My Device folder.
Solomon Goldstein
based on a
Po
cket PC magazine forum
tip from David Hettel
Changing the default area code for Contacts phone numbers
The default area code feature automatically inserts an area code when you enter a phone number into any telephone field in Contacts (Work tel:, Work fax:, Mobile tel:, etc.). You can immediately delete it and enter any area code you like, but having the correct area code by default speeds up the entry of a phone number. The area code entered by default is 425 (Redmond, WA, home of Microsoft). But you can change it to any number you like. Open Contacts, tap on the Tools menu, select Options, and enter the new number in the Area Code field at the bottom of the screen.
Tip derived from a forum post by Andre Lalonde on microsoft.
public.pocketpc.
Pocket View
Hal Goldstein
Executive Editor/Publisher
Pocket PC magazine
hal@PocketPCmag.com
Best Software Awards
The History, the Process, and Some Surprises
Determining the winners of Pocket PC magazine's Best Software Awards is a huge undertaking involving the good will and efforts of many people throughout the world.
A brief history
By early 2001, lots of useful and fun software had been introduced for the Pocket PC, mostly created by small software development companies. Our challenge as a magazine was to figure out the best way to evaluate the 100's of titles and then to present that information in a coherent manner.
We came up with a twofold solution. First, we decided to enhance our online Encyclopedia of Software and Accessories (www. PocketPCmag.com/encyclopedia.asp) and use it as the basis to present Pocket PC software. Secondly, we decided to launch an awards process in which we invited top Pocket PC experts to evaluate software in a myriad of categories. In 2001, the first year we awarded the Pocket PC magazine Best Software Awards, 20 expert judges outside our company volunteered to evaluate 300 nominated products in 49 categories.
In 2003 over 60 judges examined the 600 nominated products in 100 categories. Doug Mackey, our Enterprise Editor and database expert, created an online system for judge sign-up and voting. Handango (www.handango.com) allowed judges to download full evaluation versions of the software they were to judge.
We used our Web site (www.PocketPCmag.com/awards) to publish the progress of the awards. We also opened both public and judges-only discussion forums (www.PocketPCmag.com/forum) to discuss issues concerning product selection and voting.
Some voting surprises
For judging software, our experts were given a set of optional criteria such as ease of use, richness of feature set, and "wow" factor. However, whether you have judges voting for the best software or the best movie, subjectivity inevitably plays a role. In an effort to make the results more objective, we induced as many Pocket PC experts as possible to judge each category.
Our judges sometimes widely differed on which was the best product in a category. The most extreme example of this was in the category of GPS software, where our judges had strong opinions. Individual users and (most especially) product vendors also have strong feelings about which title is best. We anticipate that not everyone will agree with our final judgments. For example, I personally was quite surprised by the judging in the soft keyboard category. The judges gave top honors to Spb Full Screen Keyboard, a full screen QWERTY soft keyboard from SPB (www.softspb.com). Last year I wrote about two of my favorites, Fitaly (www.fitaly.com), and WordLogic (www. wordlogic.net). The Fitaly keyboard layout is optimized so users can easily and quickly tap on the most frequent characters in English (space, i, t, a, l, n, e, d, o, r, s). WordLogic uses a dictionary to anticipate the next letters you might press. It highlights those letters on its keyboard and, if you prefer, it lets you traverse the dictionary of word possibilities.
This year I have been impressed with, and actually enjoy using, two new soft keyboard programs: Tengo (www.tengo.net) and Tapless (www.tapless.biz). Tengo, like Fitaly, makes use of a layout designed for fast tapping. Tapless, like WordLogic, is word-oriented, making use of a built-in dictionary to enter words.
Tengo is an easy to learn program that divides a QWERTY keyboard into six major keys and displays a list of possible words based on the keys you've tapped.
Tengo requires almost no learning time. Each of the three standard QWERTY rows is divided in half, forming six tappable areas. As you type, Tengo uses a built-in dictionary to guess at which character you really meant to tap (using an algorithm similar to the "T9" method used in cell phones). For example, suppose you wished to type "trap". You would simply tap the "qwert" key twice, followed by "asdfg" and "yuiop." The word "trap" gets displayed at the top of the screen as the most likely word, and a line right above the keyboard displays alternatives "tray," "reap," "wrap." Tapping an alternative word replaces "trap" on the display.
Tapless is also easy to learn, and with practice you can enter words quickly with a minimum of keystrokes. You can swap Tapless "skins" to change the layout of the keyboard. You can even use Graffiti or another handwriting method to enter characters. Once one or more characters have been entered ("a" for example), Tapless pops up a split screen, with a list of possible words on top (action, almost, etc.) and a list of possible word parts on the bottom (ah, as, all, etc.). If you tap on a word part, another screen pops up, allowing you to tap on an item in the list to complete the word.
Tapless is another easy-to-learn program that guesses the word you are typing based on the keys you've tapped.
Judges comments published in 2004
As we did with the 2002 awards, we will be publishing comments from the judges about the winners, finalists, and nominees for 2003. They will be published by category over the next few issues of Pocket PC magazine, giving you an additional way to assess the suitability of third-party Windows Mobile software for your needs.
Pocket PC User Groups
If you are interested in participating in a Pocket PC user group, e-mail the contact in your area, listed below. These individuals are user group contacts only and cannot provide technical support for your Pocket PC.
If you are starting a Pocket or Handheld PC user group, or would like to have an existing one listed here, please e-mail: Editor@PocketPCmag.com. Include the information in the format you see below. If your group has a Web site, include that as well.
NORTH AMERICA
Albuquerque, NM Pocket PC Users Group
Contact: Dale Coffing
dalec@pocketPCpassion.com
www.pocketpcpassion.com/General/UserGroups/Abq/ABQUserGroup.htm
Atlanta, GA: North Atlanta Pocket PC Users Group
Contact: Tom Owens
OwensPPC@msn.com
Atlanta, GA: Club Pocket PC Atlanta
Contact: Eddie Hines
elh2003@earthlink.net
www.pocketpcatlanta.com
Austin (TX) Pocket PC Users Group
Contact: Ellen Beeman
guonbeeman@yahoo.com
www.austinconnect.com
Baton Rouge, LA: Cajun Clickers Computer Club, Pocket PC Special Interest Group
Contact: SIG leader, Sherry Zorzi
pocketpc@clickers.org
www.clickers.org
Boston, MA: New England Pocket PC User Group
Contact: Mike Massaro
mmassaro@BostonPocketPC.com
www.BostonPocketPC.com
Charlotte, NC: Personal Computer Club-
Handheld Computer SIG
Contact: Eric J. Katowitz
handhelds@pc3.org
www.pc3.org/handhelds
Chicago (IL) Area Pocket PC User Group
Contact: George Pawlus
gpawlus@gsbalum.uchicago.edu
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/chipocketpc
Chicago (IL) HP Palmtop PC Users Group
Contact: A. G. Ozisik
palmtoppc@cs.com
www.agozisik.net
Dallas-Fort Worth (TX) Pocket PC Users Group
Contact: Raffi Patatian
speedbird@market-guy.com
www.dfwppcug.org
Denver, CO: Rocky Mountain Wireless and Pocket PC User Group
Contact: Steve Milroy
steve@rmwug.org
www.rmwug.org
East Lansing, MI: Michigan State Palmtop User Group
Contact: Doug Luckie
luckie@pilot.msu.edu
www.msu.edu/~luckie/mspug.html
Kalamazoo MI: Palm/Pocket PC User Group (KzooPUG)
Contact: Jeff Ray
jeffsportable@chartermi.net
www.geocities.com/kzoopug
Lafayette (LA) Pocket PC User Group
Contact: Godswill Nwankwo
nwankwo1@bellsouth.net
http://lafayetteppc.ds4a.com
Las Vegas (NV) Pocket PC Users Group/SIG
Contact: Qman
1qman@msn.com