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The Microsoft® Windows Mobile Line of Business Solution Accelerator 2008

Delivering new innovations and development best practices to the Windows Mobile platform with Visual
Studio 2008, the .NET Compact Framework 3.5, SQL Server Compact 3.5, a working Supply Chain application,
over 5,000 lines of commented code plus over a hundred pages of helpful documentation.

Adapt your App :: Create a single binary that runs unchanged on Windows Mobile Standard or Pro, Portrait or
Landscape, Rectangle or Square. No more wasting time building separate executables to accommodate
different screen sizes or input methods.

Sync Services for ADO.NET :: Synchronize your data between SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server Compact 3.5
using the new Sync Framework. Keep all your occasionally-connected mobile workers on the same page.

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Store and Forward :: Reliably push messages to servers or other
devices via Exchange Server 2007. Programmatically notify peer devices that they have new orders waiting for
them and need to sync.

MapPoint :: Guide delivery drivers to their customers via either the shortest or quickest route. Integrated
mapping means you’ll never get lost again.

LINQ :: Use the new Language Integrated Query to filter results from Generic Object Collections. Query both
your objects and XML using a familiar, SQL-like syntax to boost developer productivity.

Custom Controls :: Capture signatures and dazzle your end-users with 3D and Alpha-blended controls that alter
their behavior depending on the platform they’re running on.

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Managed Stored Procedures and Triggers :: The pluggable data layer allows you to say goodbye to compiling
Dynamic SQL inside your code and fires events to react to INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE operations.

Notifications and Online Help :: Formerly only supported on Pro, say hello to Popup Notifications and Online
Help on Standard. Popup Notifications, also known as “toast,” display an HTML message and then disappear
after a pre-determined amount of time. Using Online Help on every screen reduces your applicationtraining
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Language Switching and Localization :: Change Language/Regional Settings inside your app and watch text and
Online Help speak a different language. Don’t wait until your application is finished to realize that it needs to
be world-ready.

Time to Market :: Stop reinventing the wheel and use this Accelerator as the foundation for your next
Windows Mobile development effort. If you don’t want to use the whole thing, pick and choose the
components that are the best fit for your project.

Find out More :: The first Windows Mobile Line of Business Solution Accelerator has been downloaded tens of
thousands of times and has served as the foundation for some of the largest and most important Windows
Mobile projects in the world. Visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmobile to accelerate your career as a
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10
June/July 2008 (Vol. 11, No. 3)

8 Sony Ericsson’s new


Windows Mobile 6.1 WM 6.1 smartphone
Regular Departments Software and Accessories

5 Inbox (Letters to the Editors) 18 Windows Mobile Meets Apple’s OS X


Syncing Windows Mobile devices with Apple’s OS X computers
6 NewsBYTES (Recent Windows Mobile news)
22 Mobile World Congress 2008
7 Carrier and General News New devices, software, accessories, chipsets, and more at the world’s largest mobile
exhibition
87 Advertisers Index
28 My 5 Favorite Accessories
Windows Mobile Smartphones and PDAs These accessories protect my Windows Mobile device, add capability, and make using it
easier and more enjoyable
8 Windows Mobile 6.1: New Update 30 Pull the (Power) Plug
Enhancements found in the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile OS makes life easier for Charge your WM device anywhere without using the standard power adapter
the general consumer and enterprise user
34 Keep Critical Info Secure with eWallet 6.0
10 Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1
Ilium’s electronic wallet offers greater security and incorporates some of the best features
Will the XPERIA X1 be an iPhone killer? of a former competitor
12 Sprint’s ACE in the Hole 36 Create a Wireless Office using Windows Mobile
Sprint’s new Samsung ACE is a thinner and more powerful version of the BlackJack II Create and read Office 2007 documents, record ideas quickly, access PC data from
anywhere, and more
14 MWg Atom Life
This attractive WM 6 Professional device incorporates an unlocked GSM phone, fast 39 New Soft Keyboards for Your Windows Mobile Device
processor, and plenty of memory TouchPal is one of the best soft keyboards available. Does it compare to the real thing?
16 Smartphone Insider: HP iPAQ 110 and 210 42 Experts on Communications Software
Inside scoop on HP’s new iPAQ 110 and 210 Windows Mobile “Classic” PDAs
46 Games Roundup: Big Games from Small Developers
78 At A Glance A look at 5 great games published by small software development houses
Feature by feature comparison of Windows Mobile devices
48 New Products

28, 30
Top 5 Accessories; Power Solutions
2 S M A RTPH O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 2008
58
Enterprise Solutions
52 Welcome to the iEnterprise
How does iPhone 2.0 impact the business environment?

53 Choosing an Enterprise Handheld


Both HP and Socket Mobile are targeting the enterprise user. How do their new devices
compare and which one’s best for you? Rugged Handheld
and Rugged Terrain
54 FCC Auction Results
Verizon & AT&T won big—what does it mean?

55 System Center Mobile Device Manager


New Microsoft solution elevates the Windows Mobile device to the status of “First Class
Citizen of the Enterprise”

58 Surveyors, Snow Shoes, and a Rugged PDA


Team uses ruggedized Archer Field PC for environmental survey on Utah’s Monroe
Mountain

60 Celio REDFLY
A paradigm-shifting “mobile companion”

61 Four Ways to Make your Mobile Solution Better


Tips for mobile developers and project managers
How to Use
62 Line of Business Solution Accelerator
Microsoft’s free solution accelerator speeds up enterprise application development 66 Windows Mobile Goes On Tour With Cheap Trick
An interview with Rick Nielsen, founder and lead guitarist

69 What’s Online: Free sources for mobile content

66
Mobile video from vTap; Zumobi mobile widgets; Hubdog mobile content; Mippin RSS
feed access; Skyfire Web browser; more

71 Experts Online: Smartphone & Pocket PC Blogs


Visor-mounted Bluetooth speaker; Can Raketu replace SIM cards? The iGo Stowaway
keyboard is discontinued; more

73 Tips from the Smartphone Magazine Forums

On the road with


Lower music bit rate for Bluetooth headsets; Most WM 5 apps work with WM 6;
Converting media files; Clean out storage memory; more

75 Tips and Tricks

Cheap
Recycling old phones; Color code cables; Perform restart immediately; Call history
symbols; Windows Mobile tips on YouTube; more

88 Pocket View: Windows Mobile and the Future

Trick
60
Redfly Mobile
Companion
Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 3
From The Editor

Rich Hall

Executive Editor/Publisher
Hal Goldstein • hal@Smartphonemag.com
Editor/Publications Director
I’ve Got to Admit It’s Getting Better Richard Hall • rich@Smartphonemag.com
Enterprise Editor
Nathan Clevenger • nclevenger@Smartphonemag.com

A
Associate Editor
s it turns out, John Lennon and Paul McCartney seemed to know something about the Dan Hart • dan@Smartphonemag.com
way Microsoft approaches software development. Witness the latest release of the Online Editor
Jim Karpen • jim_karpen@Smartphonemag.com
Windows Mobile OS and application suite—version 6.1. Internet Explorer has a new
Contributing Editors & Writers
zoom feature that makes it easier to move around Web pages. A new “Getting Started” Nate Adcock • natestera@mail.com
application makes life easier for the new user. A built-in Task Manager lets you switch to open Robert Altman • robert.altman@itrgroupinc.com
Chris De Herrera • teched@pocketpctalk.com
apps or close them down completely. And there’s a number of enterprise-related enhancements Clinton Fitch • management@clintonfitch.com
that improve messaging capability, make it easier to swap Office 2007 files, and manage mobile Dan Hanttula • danh@semperaptus.com
Tim Hillebrand • chief@synergetics.org
devices. For more on the WM 6.1 enhancements, check out the lead article. No, Windows Tom Jaros • tom@empowermobility.com
Mobile still isn’t perfect. But it’s getting better all the time. Jim Karpen • jim_karpen@smartphonemag.com
Adam Kornak • adam.kornak@microsoft.com
Don Overlander • overlander@itrgroupinc.com
We’re also seeing improved—and more interesting—devices based on the Windows Mobile Eric Pankoke • epankoke@gmail.com
software. In this issue, we publish a “first look” review of Sony Ericsson’s new XPERIA X1. Mike Riley • mike@mikeriley.com
Werner Ruotsalainen • werner@smartphonemag.com
It will be released sometime in the summer, running the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Jan Saalfeld • jan@junipersys.com
software. The X1 is the first Windows Mobile device to sport a Wide VGA (800 x 480 pixel) Patrick Salmon • psalmon@enterprisemobile.com
David Seagull • davids@smartphonemag.com
display, and one of the first to incorporate the new Qualcomm processor. More importantly, John Stewart • jstewart@cirruses.com
it comes with a customizable “Panels” user interface, which should make the user experience Ed Zabrek • medicaleditor@smartphonemag.com
Alan Zaks • alan@smartphonemag.com
on this device better.
New Products Editor
Noah Ouellette • noah@Smartphonemag.com
The focus on improving the Windows Mobile user experience is in part due to the success
Copy Editor
of Apple’s iPhone. With Apple’s decision to open up the platform to third-party applications, Wayne Kneeskern • wayne@Smartphonemag.com
and with the release of a Software Developer’s Kit for their device, the iPhone will be better Art Director
able to compete with Windows Mobile in the area of third-party applications. And because Al Constantineau • albert@thaddeus.com
Apple has recently decided to license Exchange ActiveSync for the iPhone, they will be better Cover Design
George Foster • george@fostercovers.com
able to compete in the enterprise niche as well. We discuss this in the enterprise section, in
Customer Service
an article titled “Welcome to the iEnterprise.” In addition, Hal discusses it and the future of Michelle Talley • michelle@thaddeus.com
Windows Mobile in his Pocket View column at the end of the issue. Marge Enright • marge@thaddeus.com
Executive Advisor
World Mobile Congress is the largest trade show dedicated to mobile technology, and this Rita Goldstein
year’s event showcased a lot of exciting new devices, components, accessories, and more. We Customer Service; Subscriptions
To change address or clear up any problem with your subscription, contact
saw the XPERIA X1 there along with other new smartphones, we demoed the new version of our subscription department info@Smartphonemag.com
the Opera Mobile Web browser, and we talked with manufacturers about new, more powerful We welcome tips, articles, and reviews
and less power-hungry chipsets to power these devices. You can read about it in our Mobile For article and Tips guidelines: www.Smartphonemag.com/submissions
World Congress 2008 report. To publicize your product: www.Smartphonemag.com/publish.asp
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I think you’ll discover that Windows Mobile… is getting better all the time. Reprints The Reprint Outsource, Betsy White
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POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Smartphone & Pocket PC,
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“Windows” and “Windows Mobile” are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

4 S M A RTPH O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 2008


Inbox
We cannot respond to all letters or e-mail, but we do read them all. Please send us
questions, suggestions for improvements to the magazine, ideas for new software, or
general comments. All responses, unless otherwise indicated, are from Rich Hall, Editor
of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine. You can reach him at Rich@Smartphonemag.
com. This column contains e-mail from readers as well as selected messages from the
Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine forums. The content has been edited for clarity.

New iPhone-like interface in Pocket Plus on the Today screen and tap- send it back for repairs while it is still under
for touch screen devices and-hold until the menu comes up. Then, go to warrantee.
Al Harrington
Add >File... and use the File Explorer to go to
Recently I bought a copy of your maga-
Windows/Favorites, and then tap the Favorite
zine at a store while traveling. I read with
interest the news item titled “New Software
you want to have a shortcut to on your tab. High capacity SDHC storage cards
Tap OK and that is it! (Note that my instruc- Can my AT&T 8525 Pocket PC Phone Edi-
gives iPhone-like interface to WM devices.” I
tions assume that you have the Favorite stored tion device use the higher capacity (over 2 GB)
liked what I heard so much that I went on the
on the device already.) Additionally, you can SDHC storage cards?
Internet and downloaded a copy of Mobility-
do this same file shortcut to virtually any file Charles A. Cohen
Flow’s new Touch Commander software for
saved on your device with Pocket Plus. Just
my Verizon XV6700 smartphone. It is a good Unfortunately no. Support for MicroSDHC
follow the same routine. I do this quite a bit
piece of software. cards is in the newer AT&T Tilt, but not in
with documents myself.
I’ve created a video showing you the step- the 8525.
by-step on how to do this on my YouTube David Shier, Contributing Editor
channel (youtube.com/clintonfitchdotcom).
Look for the video “Adding Internet Explorer
Favorites to Spb Pocket Plus Tabs.”
Clinton Fitch, MVP-Mobile Devices

Problem with audio volume


on HP iPAQ 214
When it became painfully obvious that
my iPAQ 4700 was on its last legs, I ordered
an iPAQ 214 [also known as the 210]. I was
thrilled to bits to receive my iPAQ 214 at the
end of January. How-
ever, this joy turned to
sorrow when I saw that
the iPAQ—despite be-
ing held back by HP for
Home is an iPhone-like interface for Windows Mobile touch over three months—
screen devices. was flawed. The volume GPS on BlackJack II and Motorola Q 9
level when adjusted to In the April ‘08 issue, a short article ap-
Since then I have found an even better 100% volume is barely peared on page 12 comparing the BlackJack
iPhone-like interface. The software is called audible (in a slip case II to the Motorola Q 9. I noticed one bit of in-
Home and is from Pointui (pointui.com). it is totally inaudible formation that seemed to be missing from the
While it is at this point still an Alpha release, and alarms are impos- comparison, regarding the differences between
it is, in my judgment from actual use, already sible to hear). If you the GPS capabilities of the two devices.
a much better piece of software than Touch play a video/sound file using Windows Media Based on my research, the Q 9 uses AGPS
Commander. I encourage you to take a look Player, it interprets the 100% sound level (as and the BlackJack II has a traditional GPS
at Home and let others know about it in your indicated on the sound control slider) as being receiver built into it. The difference is that
fine magazine. only at about 60% of maximum. To test this, AGPS uses the cell site triangulation to get
John Page I copied the Alarm 1 .wav file from the older the location, where traditional GPS uses the
iPAQ 4700 to the iPAQ 214 and played both GPS satellite signals.
Saving URL shortcuts on of them at 100%. The sound from the 4700 is AGPS has the added benefits of being faster
Today Screen in WM 6? way louder (perhaps twice as loud). and working better inside buildings. Of course,
I read Clinton Fitch’s article on Pocket Plus Herbie Skeete if the user goes way off the beaten path and
4.0 in the Feb. ‘08 issue and thought you might Herbie: I tested my 210 and it is just as loses their cell signal, they lose the AGPS ca-
know if this is possible. loud as my other iPAQs. I played a video and pability as well. But for most people, this is
I want to be able to save a shortcut to a song and both were very easy to hear. I also not a big concern.
browser URL on the Today screen, so that set an alarm (“Alarm5”) and had it go off I feel that it’s worth a footnote for those
when I click on the shortcut it will start Opera while in the sleeve and it too was fine (albeit a who are considering using their phone as a
Mobile and open the desired Web page. bit muffled). If your 214 is half the volume of navigational aid.
Andrzej Jan Taramina your 4700, then something is definitely wrong Aaron Schultz n
with the unit. Did you try headphones to see
There is no problem in doing this with if the problem is with the entire audio system
Pocket Plus. All you need to do is go to a tab or just the speaker? In either case, you should

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 5


newsBYTES Please e-mail any Windows Mobile related
news to newseditor@Smartphonemag.com

E-TEN accepts acquisition offer from Acer Windows Mobile to be ported to Mobile Internet Devices
Taiwan-based mobile device vendor E-TEN Information Systems has Microsoft recently hired new personnel to work on porting Windows
announced that they have accepted an acquisition offer from Acer Inc., Mobile to new form factors, including Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs).
the world’s third-ranked PC vendor. Expectations from the deal are for Previously, Microsoft only promoted ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) as
greater penetration of E-TEN products and services on a global level the form factor that would come between laptops and smartphones.
while at the same time allowing for improved local support to existing Both types of devices feature larger screens and faster processors than
customers. The company is seeking to expand the footprint particularly smartphones; MIDs are distinguished from UPMCs in that they lack
of their Glofiish-branded products in a smartphone market that is ex- the ability to view office applications and typically have smaller (five-
pected to grow by more than 30 percent by 2011. inch) screens.

Sybase launches iAnywhere Mobile Office, encryption New phone records calls and simulates ambient noise
Sybase has announced the launch of iAnywere Mobile Office, a wire- Gigabyte Communications has announced a new
less e-mail, PIM, and security solution that is aimed at improving the Windows Mobile-based phone that can record
mobilization of business processes by including multiple functions to calls and messages as well as hide the caller’s
exist in a single e-mail client. Also announced was the launch of a location by simulating background noises. The
new mobile device encryption program that saves battery life by do- background noise “Wisetalk” software includes
ing decryption on demand only and preventing lock-down of a device different preset noises such as “airport,” “con-
while GPS is active. cert,” or “meeting room.” Other features of the
quad-band GSM-based Gsmart MW998 include
Boingo releases Wi-Fi support Wi-Fi (b,g), Bluetooth 2.0, a 2.8-inch VGA touch
software for WM 6 devices screen, and a 520 MHz processor.
Boingo Wireless Inc. recently released a ver-
sion of their Boingo Mobile Wi-Fi software for Proximity technology to be added to Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile 6 devices (mobile.boingo. Microsoft has announced plans to collaborate with RFID vendor Sirit
com/download). Boingo Mobile allows users to implement near field communications (NFC) to Windows Mobile.
to automatically connect to the world’s largest This “proximity technology” will provide “contactless” payment, se-
network of Wi-Fi hotspots around the world cure access, control of home entertainment systems, and other features
at any time. to Windows Mobile devices. NFC technology is already used widely in
Japan, where commuters can purchase train tickets or pay for parking
Nvidia unveils new CPU for Windows Mobile devices by waving their phones in front of sensors. A report on NFC conducted
Nvidia recently unveiled its first CPU, a “system-on-a-chip” for Win- by ABI Research projects that 30 percent of all phones worldwide will
dows Mobile devices. The APX 2500 will hit the market late in 2008 incorporate NFC technology by 2011.
and will feature an ARM11 processor and a variety of graphics tools
such as a CSAA filter for 2D and 3D modes. The processor will be Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6 version of Silverlight
an “Ultra Low-Power GeForce” (ULP GeForce), which will require Microsoft recently announced a new Windows Mobile 6 version of
low CPU cycles for video playback, resulting in overall low power Silverlight, a cross-platform multimedia plug-in similar to Flash. The
consumption. The APX 2500 can also support up to 12 megapixels in plug-in will provide animation, vector graphs, and media playback, and
cameras and 1280 x 720 pixel displays. will support WMV, WMA, and MP3 content. The 1.0 version of the
software will be available for Windows Mobile 6 phones in the second
Spb releases 2.0 version of “next-generation user interface” quarter of this year.
Leading Windows Mobile software developer
Spb Software House recently released version Windows Mobile receives Federal security certifications
2.0 of their user interface plug-in Mobile Shell. Microsoft recently announced that both Windows Mobile 5 and 6 have
Version 2.0’s improvements include gesture- obtained U.S. Federal security certifications, enabling the operating
based navigation to launch programs within systems to be used in secure operations such as combat and reconnais-
any other program, a tabbed window that sance missions, battlefield medical triage, logistical support, and more.
includes all functionality, full-screen menus The new certifications also allow Windows Mobile devices to be used to
for weather, time, contacts, and alarms, ani- authenticate government employees on secure networks in conjunction
mated transitions from screen to screen, lower with government-issued identity badges.
memory consumption, and more.
HTC to introduce next generation CDMA phones in India
Microsoft announces Windows Mobile support for Flash Lite HTC and Reliance Communications have announced an agreement
Microsoft announced a licensing agreement with Adobe to include na- to promote next generation CDMA devices in India. The move marks
tive support for Flash Lite, Shockwave Flash (SWF), and Adobe Reader HTC’s first venture into the Indian CDMA market, which is rapidly
LE (lightweight edition) on Windows Mobile phones. The Flash Lite growing. In conjunction with this announcement, HTC also introduced
browser plug-in will enable Internet Explorer Mobile to work with two new devices, the P3000 and the S720, which will run exclusively on
popular Web video, animation, and document-sharing technologies, Reliance’s wireless network. The network will cover 15,000 towns and
similar to the desktop Adobe Flash Player, which is the most widely villages and provide voice, data, and video communications, including
used cross-platform player. With Adobe Reader LE, WM devices will high-speed CDMA 1X mobile Internet access.
be compatible with all PDF documents. Neither Microsoft nor Adobe
has set a timeframe for the software integration.

6 S M A RTPH O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 2008


newsBYTES
AT&T, Verizon dominate Carrier News volved in the sign-up and consent process.
wireless auction
AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, the two includes unlimited calling, text messaging, Verizon improves peer-
largest cell phone companies, bid a combined GPS navigation, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, to-peer file sharing
$16 billion out of the $19.6 billion in total and data. Verizon Wireless recently collaborated with
bids at the government airwave auction. Veri- Yale University researchers and file-sharing
zon’s bids totaled $9.4 billion, while AT&T’s Sprint upgrades Mogul to EV-DO Rev. A software companies to improve the speed
were $6.6 billion. The results of the auction Sprint recently released a of peer-to-peer file sharing. The test results
raised concern over the lack of new competi- EV-DO Rev. A software up- will reportedly show that average download
tors, such as Google, that could challenge the grade for the Mogul, making speeds will increase by 60 percent when
dominant cell phone companies. However, it the first mobile handset an ISP cooperates with a file-sharing soft-
one new company, Frontier Wireless LLC, in the U.S. that accesses the ware maker, which has not been the trend
won enough licenses to potentially cre- new high-speed data net- in the past. ISPs have traditionally banned,
ate a significant nationwide presence, bid- work (wherever available). blocked, and slowed peer-to-peer traffic to
ding $712 million. The wireless spectrum The EV-DO Rev. A network thwart it from overwhelming their networks,
was made available due to the nationwide should provide users with but Verizon’s tests may illustrate a turning
changeover to digital broadcasting. average download speeds of point in this approach. As for the issue of
600 Kbps-1.4 Mbps, up from an average of illegal software being shared, Verizon has
Verizon, Sprint introduce 400-700 Kbps. Average upload speeds should stated that they do not accept a police-type
unlimited phone plans increase from 50-70 Kbps to 350-500 Kbps. role in governing their network.
Verizon Wireless and Sprint both recently
introduced new unlimited phone plans. Sprint’s Family Locater AT&T to expand coverage in Alabama
Verizon’s Nationwide Unlimited Anytime available to all subscribers AT&T plans to invest more than $76 million
Minute Plan begins at a flat rate of $99.99 Sprint recently opened their Family Locater to expand wireless coverage in Alabama. The
per month and covers calls to anyone at any service to any subscriber with mobile access plan will add 17 new cell sites to the state and
time, including land lines; the plan also in- to the Web. The service uses GPS to give cus- will roll out a high-speed wireless network in
cludes domestic roaming. Sprint’s Simply tomers the whereabouts of a loved one, and Montgomery and Mobile by the end of the
Everything Plan is also $99.99 per month and is set up to protect privacy by requiring both year. Other plans include expanding 3G cov-
the locater and the one being located to be in- erage in the Huntsville metropolitan area.

Social.FM to be distributed
through Handmark
Industry News business applications come in second with
16 percent. Two years ago, business apps
were at number one with 18 percent, while
A distribution agreement has recently been “World’s smallest” Bluetooth
announced between Social.FM, a Web mu- headset released entertainment came in third place. The most
popular device for mobile content in 2007
sic service, and Handmark, a mobile media
A Bluetooth headset was the BlackBerry Pearl, according to the
distributor. Social.FM provides over-the-air
weighing less than 6 report. For Windows Mobile Standard users,
access to your music collection, social con-
grams (.21 ounces) and entertainment application sales easily came in
nectivity and access to your buddies’ music
measuring l.3 inches first with 36 percent, while business app sales
libraries, and thousands of radio channels,
long and .63 inches wide came in a distant second with 12 percent.
podcasts, and other audio. Handmark reach-
was released by INVI-
es five major operators (AT&T, T-Mobile,
Sprint, Orange, and Telus) in the U.S., Can-
SIO, who claims that Gates foresees big technology leaps
the G5 is the “world’s Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates recently spoke
ada, the U.K., Austria, Germany, and the
smallest Bluetooth headset.” The headset pro- about his vision of technological leaps in the
Netherlands.
vides up to 4 hours of talk time and 150 hours next 10 years to the Northern Virginia Technol-
New findings on mobile Internet of standby time and comes with a “Protective ogy Council. He speculated that the most im-
and consumer usability published Charging case” that charges the headset each portant advances would be the ways in which
time it is placed in the case. When used with people will interact with computers, such as
A recent study commissioned by Bytemobile
this portable rechargeable charger, INVISIO speech and handwriting recognition technol-
found, among other things, that mobile users
states that the G5 provides up 20 hours of talk ogy and touch screen interfaces that will inte-
in the U.S. are accessing the mobile Web on
time and 30 days of standby time. grate a wide-ranging amount of information.
a daily basis more frequently than those in the
U.K. (57 to 46 percent); mobile video isn’t Entertainment application Gates also spoke of television as becoming a
being watched mainly because of device con- sales outpace business apps targeted medium in which viewers could se-
lect customized content for news, sports, and
straints (such as screen size, memory capac-
According to the annual Handango Yardstick entertainment. Gates also noted that he fore-
ity, and battery life); 96 percent of consumers
trend report that tracks smartphone applica- saw nothing that would impede the advance
want their mobile Web browsing to function
tion purchases, entertainment software gar- of technology, pointing out that academia and
the same as their PC browsing.
nered the highest percentage of application corporate researchers continued advancements
downloads with 17 percent last year, while after the Internet stock bubble burst in 2000.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 7


Smartphones and Pocket PCs

Windows Mobile 6.1–New Update


Latest version of Microsoft’s mobile OS makes it easier to get started and use a WM smartphone
by Chris De Herrera

M
icrosoft recently introduced Win-
dows Mobile 6.1, an upgrade of the
Windows Mobile operating system.
It adds new features and capabilities
to the previous (6.0) version, enhancing your
Web browsing and day-to-day use of Windows
Mobile. It also adds new features and capa-
bilities of interest to the enterprise users. This
article looks at some of the more important
enhancements. Fig. 5: Non-touch screen smartphones have a new Home
screen with a sliding menu.
New Getting Started app
The new Getting Started application is ac- Figs. 1 & 2: Getting Started main screen (touch screen left,
cessed in the Programs folder on touch screen non-touch screen right).
devices and from the Start menu on non-touch
screen smartphones. Select the Getting Started
icon to display topics of interest to new users
(Figs. 1 & 2). The user selects the desired topic
from this list to learn more about the features
and capabilities of their device (Fig. 3 & 4). Figs. 6 & 7: Internet Explorer Mobile’s new Zoom feature, as
The topics include Make a call, Set date and seen on a non-touch screen smartphone. The left screen
time, Set up e-mail, Set up a device password, shows the thumbnail (Zoom Out) view of the Web page with
Set up a Bluetooth headset, Set background the outline of the zoom selection box superimposed over a
on the Today or Home screen, Set ring tone, portion of the screen. The right screen shows that portion of
Transfer music, and Add/remove Getting the screen zoomed in on.
Started (which removes the Getting Started
icon from the Today/Home screen, but does Figs. 3 & 4: Getting Started individual tip screen (touch screen
not remove the feature from the device). left, non-touch screen right).
Home screen’s Sliding Panel
Microsoft enhanced the Home screen on non- or move e-mail. Finally, Windows Mobile 6.1
touch screen smartphones to include a “sliding includes optimizing the bandwidth utilization
panel” option (Fig. 5). As with earlier versions for Exchange, POP3, and IMAP4, which is very
of the OS, the Home screen displays the date, important to enterprise wireless data users. Figs. 8 & 9: The Clock & Alarms application on non-touch
time, upcoming appointments and tasks, and screen smartphones allows you to set a second alarm (left)
other information. However, the new option Enhancements to and set alarm sounds, types, and volume (right).
slides a virtual magnifying panel over these Internet Explorer Mobile
elements as you scroll down the page, enlarg- A very cool feature added to Internet Explorer
to wait until the whole Web page is download-
ing them and making them easier to read. Mobile is the ability to display a Web site in
ed before being able to Zoom Out on it. This
thumbnail view and to select a portion of that
Improved Messaging screen to zoom in on. Press the soft key labeled
may be especially slow if you’re connected to
the Web via cellular GPRS networks.
Microsoft has made some significant enhance- Menu and select Zoom Out to see the Web site
Enterprise customers will appreciate the
ments in the Messaging application. For enter- in full-page “thumbnail” view, similar to what
ability to customize the Internet Explorer Mo-
prise users Microsoft added Exchange Auto- you see on your desktop PC (Fig. 6). Note that
bile homepage. The customization provides the
Discovery, which makes it easier to set up in this view, the outline of a small rectangular
synchronization with Exchange. Users are now selection box is superimposed on the screen.
Use the directional pad to move the selection Chris is a special correspondent and contributing author for
able to download e-mail from all accounts at Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine. He maintains one of the
the same time. Microsoft added auto-complete box to outline the portion of the screen you best Pocket PC Web sites (pocketpcfaq.com), Pocket PC news
for e-mail recipients, which makes it easier want to view. (On touch screen devices you (pocketpctalk.com) and discussion boards (forums.pocketp-
cfaq.com) as well as Tablet PC news (tabletpctalk.com). Chris
for users to enter e-mail addresses on small can use the stylus to drag the box around the is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for Mobile Devices
keyboards and touch screens. Also, Windows screen.) Then press the soft key labeled “Zoom and Tablet PCs, and writes articles on the Pocket PC and
Mobile 6.1 added the ability to select multiple In” to display the selected area in full screen smartphone for his own Web site and for other mobile computing publications.
Chris regularly participates in various newsgroups (including Microsoft.public.
e-mail items in the list so you can easily delete view (Fig. 7). Keep in mind that you will have pocketpc.activesync). You can reach Chris at teched@pocketpctalk.com.

8 S M A RTPH O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 2008


Windows Mobile 6.1 Smartphones and Pocket PCs

you have made changes to a document open in ier by exporting their Outlook settings from a
Word Mobile, and use Task Manager to close desktop PC to the Windows Mobile device.
the application, you may lose those changes.
It’s best to close documents and data screens Managing Mobile Devices—
first, before closing the application with the System Center Mobile Device Manager
Task Manager. Last fall, Microsoft released a new server
to manage Windows Mobile devices called
Update Wi-Fi configuration System Center Mobile Device Manager (SC-
Figs. 10 & 11: The new Task Some Wi-Fi enabled devices ship with third- MDM). SCMDM actually adds Windows
Manager app as seen on a
party Wi-Fi configuration utilities built into Mobile Devices to Active Directory and pro-
touch screen device (left)
and a non-touch screen them, and some come with a Microsoft util- vides group policy management of the device
smartphone (right). ity. If your device uses Microsoft’s, you should security as well as a separate VPN connection
note that it has been enhanced in WM 6.1. optimized for Windows Mobile. Windows
Fig. 12: An enhanced Microsoft added the ability to configure the Mobile 6.1 is required to support SCMDM.
Microsoft Wi-Fi Configura-
Wi-Fi network you are connected to as well as SCMDM is covered in detail in the Enterprise
tion utility ships with
many Wi-Fi enabled identify whether the network is connected to section on page 55.
devices. the Internet or Work (Fig. 12). With unsecured
Wi-Fi networks, you can now connect with Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrades
one click to select the network by name. Some carriers and manufacturers have already
enterprise the abil- announced the availability of Windows Mo-
ity to use an HTML Office Mobile 6.1 bile 6.1 upgrades for their devices, including
page to replace the Microsoft incorporated the Office Mobile 6.1 AT&T (Tilt and BlackJack II), Palm, (Treo
homepage. The update into Windows Mobile 6.1. Office Mo- 750), and Sprint (Samsung ACE, Moto Q9c,
html page could bile 6.1 adds the ability to save documents in HTC Touch and Mogul). HTC will offer it for
include a disclo- the new Office 2007 format. This is an im- a number of devices, including the TyTnII and
sure about Internet portant feature for general and enterprise us- a US version of the Touch Dual. Finally, Win-
usage, how to contact technical support, and ers alike, allowing them to share documents dows Mobile 6.1 will ship in a few months on
links to the company’s homepage. with friends and associates using Office on multiple devices from the top US wireless car-
their PCs. However, you lose the ability to riers. If you have another device, check with
Enhanced Clock & Alarm feature save new Word and Excel Mobile documents the manufacturer or wireless carrier that sold
The Clock & Alarm feature on non-touch in the 2000 and 2003 formats. If you regu- you the device to see if an upgrade will be
screen smartphones has been enhanced to larly send Word or Excel documents created made available.
allow you to set a second alarm (Fig. 8). In on a WM 6.1 device to someone using a pre-
addition, you can now select from a variety 2007 version of Office on their desktop PC, Enhancements improve
of alarm sounds, alarm types (e.g., increasing that person will have to install the Microsoft your experience
sound, vibrate, vibrate followed by sound, Office 2007 Compatibility Pack on their PC With these new features, Windows Mobile 6.1
etc.), and alarm volume (off, loud, and 1-4) to open them. It can be downloaded for free builds on the capabilities of 6.0 to make it an
(Fig. 9). In previous versions of the OS for from Microsoft’s Web site (go to microsoft. even better user experience. I expect that many
Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch screen com/downloads and search on “Office 2007 users will like the new thumbnail approach in
or smartphone) devices, you accessed Clock Compatibility Pack”). Internet Explorer Mobile. And the Getting
& Alarm from the Settings folder. In WM 6.1, Started feature will really help beginners get
it’s a separate application in the Start menu. Other enhancements to WM 6.1 their feet wet and quickly come up to speed on
Again, this is an enhancement to the non-touch A number of enhancements made to Windows their new Windows Mobile device.
screen version of the OS only. Mobile 6.1 are of particular interest: Windows Mobile 6.1 also expands and
• Bluetooth headset auto-pairing: Makes it tightens the integration with the enterprise.
New built-in Task Manager easier to pair your device with standard Blu- Many users will like the new Task Manager
Many of the previously released Windows etooth headsets. because it allows them to see what applica-
Mobile devices had third-party task managers • Bluetooth phone address profile: This en- tion is using the most resources. Also, the
built into them, but Microsoft added its own ables the transfer of phone book information enhanced features in the Messaging applica-
to Windows Mobile 6.1. To access it, go to the across phone-enabled Bluetooth devices. tion will make users more efficient. The other
Programs folder on a touch screen device or the • Network Time (NITZ) Description: Au- important enhancement is the support of Of-
Start menu on a non-touch screen smartphone. tomatically updates the time on a device when fice 2007 file formats and the integration of
The new Task Manager is similar to the one it moves into a new time zone or receives a OneNote into the Office Mobile suite. These
on your Windows desktop PC. It allows you to Daylight Savings Time (DST) change from the new features should benefit both enterprise us-
see the list of running applications, the amount cellular network. ers and administrators. n
of RAM they are occupying, and the percent- • Cut, Copy, and Paste capability added to
age of the CPU power they are using (Fig. 10 Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch screen)
& 11). You can sort the list by Memory, CPU, smartphones.
or the Name of the applications. In addition, • Enhanced “Getting Started CD” not only
you can easily select an application and ter- contains user-installable versions of Mobile
minate it by selecting the End Task soft key. Device Center and ActiveSync, it includes
Be careful terminating applications with open software that helps the user set up their device
documents or data screens. For example, if and an application that makes e-mail setup eas-

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 9


Smartphones and Pocket PCs

Will the XPERIA X1


be an iPhone Killer?
Future phone to have wider keyboard, 2 cameras, wide VGA, FM-radio, and more.
by Rich Hall (with help from Werner Ruotsalainen)

T
he hot news at this year’s Mobile World Congress show was calls. Apparently, the version of the XPERIA released in Europe will be
the premier of Sony Ericsson’s new XPERIA X1, a Windows capable of capturing VGA videos at 30 frames-per-second, while the
Mobile touch screen smartphone with a “Wide VGA” display, U.S. version will only be capable of QVGA video at 24 fps.
a unique “arc slider” keyboard, and the customizable XPERIA
Panels user interface. Wireless capabilities
The XPERIA includes a quad-band GSM phone with GPRS and tri-
Wide VGA display band UMTS data capability. In addition, the device incorporates 802.11
From the front, the XPERIA looks like a traditional Windows Mobile b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP wireless capability. The XPE-
touch screen device. But it sports a “Wide VGA” color display. Measur- RIA also has an integrated FM radio.
ing 3 inches diagonally, it’s not the largest display on a Windows Mobile
device, but its 800 x 480 pixels make it the highest resolution screen Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
we’ve seen, which should make the display easier to view. The XPERIA is a touch screen smartphone based on the Windows Mo-
bile 6.1 Professional software. A full description of the software found
Arc slider QWERTY keyboard on Windows Mobile devices can be found on page 78. A description of
Other Windows Mobile devices have slide-out keyboards, but the XPE- the enhancements made to the platform with the release of 6.1 can be
RIA’s 42-key QWERTY keyboard has an unusual “arc slider” design. found on pages 8 of this issue.
As you slide the display up to expose the keyboard, the device tilts As mentioned, Sony
slightly to make it easier to use the keyboard and view the display. As Ericsson built a cus-
with other devices, the display rotates to horizontal viewing mode when tomizable “Panels”
the keyboard is in use. (The device incorporates integrated motion sen- user interface into
sor technology to auto-rotate the user interface.) the XPERIA,

XPERIA Panels
In an attempt to overcome the real (and
perceived) limitations of the standard
Windows Mobile OS, the XPERIA
will include a user-customizable nine-
panel interface to launch your favorite
applications and access news, weath-
er, slideshows, and more. It also
includes a Media Experience
Panel, which allows you
to navigate seamlessly
through captured photos
and video clips, pictures,
photo tags, games, music,
videos, and more.

Two built-in digital cameras


The XPERIA has two built-in digital cameras. The main camera is a
3.2 megapixel video and still-image camera with auto and touch focus
capability. Pictures can be shared as a picture message or e-mail, or by
using any available transfer method, such as Bluetooth. There is also a
QCIF camera located on the front of the device for video-conferencing

10 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


XPERIA X1 Smartphones and Pocket PCs

allowing quick access to apps, media, and other things. Additional


software has not been announced.

Other features
The XPERIA is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7200 528 MHz processor,
which also has built-in GPS capability. It was unclear at press time whether
the device incorporated a graphics accelerator or not. It has 128 MB of
RAM, 256 MB of flash ROM, and additional file storage can be added
via the microSD card slot. A 1,500 mAh Lithium Polymer rechargeable
battery provides power, but usage estimates were unavailable.

An iPhone killer?
Everyone seems to be very excited about this device. Some see it as a
challenger to the iPhone, offering not only a simple user interface but
things the iPhone doesn’t have, like the Wide VGA screen, ArcSlider
keyboard, better (3G) broadband connectivity, and a smaller form fac-
tor. The 3.2 megapixel camera is also an advantage. The unanswered
question is whether the XPERIA’s Panel interface will be as easy to
use as the iPhone’s UI.
Price may also be a big advantage—if the device is sold by a wire-
less carrier. No formal announcements have been made, but speculation
is that the XPERIA will be priced in the $200 range at launch, compared
to the $400-$500 price of the iPhone. The price of the XPERIA assumes
that, like the iPhone, it will be sold by a wireless carrier and require a Xpedia X1 (left) and Apple’s iPhone (right)
2-year service contract. If it is sold as an unlocked GSM device without
a service contract, you can expect the price to be considerably more.
The iPhone does have an advantage over the XPERIA in terms of
The high resolution display, FM radio, and a variety of other hardware
internal storage space. Exact figures have not been released, but the
features discussed in this overview certainly support the entertainment
XPERIA ships with 256 MB of flash ROM, and a portion of that is
end of things. And Windows Mobile offers plenty of productivity fea-
used to store the Windows Mobile OS and applications. That probably
tures. Will the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 change the game? In the
means that it will have 150-170 MB of file storage. You can add file stor-
end, the consumer will decide. The Xpedia is expected to ship in the
age to the XPERIA with a microSD card, but that will raise the price.
second half of 2008.
So, for example, if you wanted your XPERIA to have similar storage
We’ll publish a review of the XPERIA as soon as we can get our
capacity to the $400 version of the iPhone, you’d need to purchase an
hands on one. In addition, as we find out more information about the
8 GB microSD card, which will set you back another $140. You’d be
XPERIA, Werner Ruotsalainen will post it on our blogs. (Go to smart
spending $340 for the XPERIA and $400 for the 8 GB iPhone—still a
phonemag.com/blogs and click on the “Menneisyys” link at the top of
savings but not quite as compelling an advantage. NOTE: The iPhone
the page.) n
has no storage card slot.
Sony Ericsson is promoting the XPERIA as a “game changing” con-
vergent device that will blend productivity and entertainment features.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 11


Smartphones and Pocket PCs

Sprint’s ACE in the Hole


Sprint’s new Samsung ACE is a more powerful version of the BlackJack II.
by Edward Zabrek, M.D.

S
print is now offering the new Samsung ACE, a souped-up and vice with cosmetic and internal changes. Sprint customers will also enjoy
slightly redesigned version of Samsung’s second generation a faster processor than its AT&T brother has. The ACE uses Qualcomm’s
BlackJack smartphone. From the front of the device, it’s a little 312 MHz processor instead of the BJ II’s 260 MHz TI chip. This addi-
difficult to tell the ACE and BlackJack II apart. But there’s a tional speed helps the ACE do an adequate job as a tiny road warrior.
world of difference under the hood. The ACE’s body is also thinner than the BJ II, making it easier to
hold, especially if you have small hands. The 2.3-inch screen is well-
Slim, sleek world phone suited for watching Sprint TV, one of my favorite Sprint features. The
The ACE is a true world phone, with CDMA and GSM network capa- ACE’s controls consist of two soft keys, a shortcut to the Today or
bility. In the U.S. it connects to Sprint’s CDMA network. Outside the Home screen, a Back button, Talk and End keys, and a square four-way
U.S. you can slip a SIM card into a slot under the battery and use it on directional D-pad with a select button situated in the middle. The BJ
almost any international II’s rounded four-way D-pad is slippery and less comfortable to use
wireless network. than the ACE’s. The left and right soft keys “toggle” with the Home
The ACE is a small and Back key using a concave curve, giving the user the illusion and
and attractive Windows feel of two separate keys. The D-pad, in between the two “togglers,” is
Mobile Standard de- slightly elevated and has more space for scrolling up, down, left, and
vice that’s easy to carry right without inadvertently activating the surrounding buttons.
around with you in your A microSD expansion slot is located on the upper-right side and is
pocket or purse. Like protected by an attached cover. Immediately below the microSD slot is
many other Windows a thumbwheel, which can be pressed to select items, and a second Back
Mobile smartphones button below it. The thumbwheel makes it easy to scroll up and down
these days, it has a when reading long documents or surfing the Web. Having the Back
QWERTY thumb key- button near the thumbwheel lets you quickly escape from the current
board below the display. menu or applications. This combination of the thumbwheel and Back
What sets the ACE apart button enhances the one-handed experience. In addition, if you firmly
from its competitors is its hold down the thumbwheel for a few seconds, it brings up a “quick
very thin, sleek profile. launcher.” This convenient feature lets you open several applications
Ergonomically designed including the Alarm, Task Manager, Calendar, and Edit features. The
for one-handed opera- Edit features allow users to program applications into this cool addi-
tion, I found the device tional Thumbwheel feature. In addition, when you press and hold the
very comfortable to use side “Back” button, it activates the camera.
as a phone and data de- The keys on the full QWERTY keyboard are slightly peaked in
vice. Its candy bar form the center (like a roof), which makes text entry an easier and more
factor, 5-way navigation enjoyable experience. The backlit keys make the device well suited
button, and thumb wheel for typing in dark or dim areas. The keys are a bit crowded, however,
make it perfect for one- making it more difficult to type if your thumbs are larger than average.
handed operation. Other The number buttons are placed in rows 3, 4, & 5 and stand out against
features include Blu- the non-numeric black keys due to their gray color. The function key
etooth 2.0, push e-mail acts as a “NUM Lock” for multiple numeric entries.
capabilities, and good The left side of the ACE contains the rocker volume control and
call quality. covered power/USB sync/headphone adapter. Unfortunately, Samsung
For wireless con- has included yet another proprietary adaptor port. I truly wish there
nectivity, the ACE runs could be industry standardization when it comes to power, sync, and
on Sprint’s fast EVDO charging adaptors. At least the ACE will charge when connected to the
Rev. 0 and 1XRTT net- USB port of a computer.
work. At the time of this On the back of the ACE there is a 1.3 MP camera/camcorder (sans
review, there was no upgrade path to the faster EVDO Rev. A network. flash), speaker, and removable, replaceable battery. An additional ex-
Globetrotters should be aware: while roaming abroad, you will be de-
ploying the slower GPRS network. Edward M. Zabrek, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., is our chief medical editor, and a full time Ob-Gyn Hospital-
ist working for Delphi Healthcare Partners at NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield, California. In
More power; better user experience this role, he has found that the use of Windows Mobile medical titles has enhanced patient
safety at the point of care. He has an ambitious dream to “evolutionize” the practice of patient
Astute cellular shoppers will notice that the Sprint ACE bears a striking care with Windows Mobile devices. Formerly an independent consultant to Samsung Electron-
resemblance to AT&T’s BlackJack II. They’re essentially the same de- ics’ Wireless division, he is always seeking ways to advance this dream. He can be reached via
e-mail at MedicalEditor@smartphonemag.com.

12 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Sprint’s ACE in the Hole Smartphones and Pocket PCs

and a variety of other applications and configuration utilities. A more


complete description of this software is found in the At A Glance section
of the magazine on page 78.
In addition, the ACE comes with Sprint’s Power Vision applica-
tions—a great addition to the device that includes Sprint TV. This
gives you news, sports, weather, and entertainment, including full TV
episodes at an additional cost. Other Power Vision features give users
access to news headlines, sports scores, and much more on the fly. The
ACE’s crisp, bright screen and high-speed EVDO network give viewers
a worthwhile media experience.
In addition, software can be downloaded directly to the ACE by
clicking the “Sprint Software Store” icon which links to Handmark’s
mobile Web store. Customers can find, download, and buy software,
games, ring tones, graphics, and other Windows Mobile applications
simply and securely. Additional titles are available for the desktop PC
at softwarestore.sprint.com. Wireless e-mail is available from multiple
corporate and personal e-mail accounts, including POP3 and IMAP.
Users can also set up wireless access to Microsoft Outlook e-mail with
a direct connection to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. File Viewer
allows viewing of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. The
Text Messaging Enabled feature allows you to send and receive text
messages across the room or across the country.

Should it be your ACE?


If you need a world phone with high-speed data while in the States,
tended battery is available as an optional accessory. and you are looking for a solid, sleek smartphone, the ACE may just
be your perfect upgrade. While partial to touch screen devices, this is
Windows Mobile and Sprint applications the first Windows Mobile Standard device I have used that is truly a
The Sprint/Samsung ACE ships with the Windows Mobile 6 Standard one-handed device. The improved button design and the ergonomic
OS and software suite built in and ready to use. The applications include QWERTY keyboard are more reasons to add Sprint’s ACE to your short
Mobile Outlook (Calendar, Contacts, Messaging/Inbox), Mobile Office list of global phones. n
(Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Media Player Mobile, Pictures & Videos,

Spec Sheet: Samsung ACE


Price: $199 (with 2-year service contract, after $100 mail-in rebate) Contact, purchase at: Sprint.com
Pros Evaluation score total: 7.25 (out of 10)
Thin and ergonomic device with improved QWERTY keyboard Form and Style/Size 1.5 (out of 1.5)

Fast processor for a non-touch screen device Battery Life 1.5 (out of 1.5)
Stability 1.5 (out of 1.5)
Bright, brilliant screen great for Sprint TV
Connectivity Options 0.25 (out of 1.0)
True world phone with CDMA for the U.S. and unlocked GSM for the rest of the world Cost 0.5 (out of 1.0)
Cons Speed 0.5 (out of 1.0)
Lacks Wi-Fi Warranty/ Support 0.5 (out of 0.5)

Lacks built-in GPS Compelling hardware and software features 0.25 (out of 0.5)
Included accessories 0.25 (out of 0.5)
 No EVDO Rev. A upgrade will be offered
Included software 0.25 out of 0.5)
Proprietary AC/USB Sync/Headphone port Things missing from the device that should have been there 0.25 (out of 0.5)
Significant specs (Full specs in At A Glance, pages 78-85)
Hardware
CPU/Memory 312 MHz Qualcomm MSM6500, 64 MB RAM, 128 MB flash ROM
Wireless CDMA (800/1900 MHz) / EVDO data; Unlocked GSM (800/1800 MHZ) / GPRS; Bluetooth 2.0, (no Wi-FI)
Keyboard 37-key QWERTY thumbpad
Display 2.3-inch QVGA color (non-touch screen)
In the package Samsung ACE smartphone, 1,300 mAh battery and battery cover, AC charger, two charger adapters (for U.K. and Europe), wired headset, USB data cable
Software
Operating System Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Standard
Microsoft apps See At A Glance, page 78
Third-party apps Sprint TV, Sprint Software Store, Phone As Modem Service Plan

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 13


Smartphones and Pocket PCs

MWg Atom Life


This attractive WM 6 Professional device incorporates an
unlocked GSM phone, fast processor, and plenty of memory.
by Tim Hillebrand

S
ometimes you can tell a book by its cov- but like the Media Player button, they can be
er, as is the case with the MWg Atom reprogrammed.
Life. It comes packaged in an attractive A miniSD card slot is located on the top
blue box with a substantial magnetic edge of the device, along with the power on/
flap cover. Lift the cover and you’re presented off button. A 2.5 mm stereo headphone jack
with an attractive smartphone cradled in the is located on the bottom edge of the device,
center of a blue field. To its right you find an along with a recessed soft reset button and a
abbreviate list of its rather substantial specs. standard mini-USB connectivity port.
On the top back of the Atom Life we find
Traditional PDA layout the lens aperture for another 2.0 megapixel
The MWg Atom Life is a small Windows camera along with a small self-portrait mirror
Mobile 6 Professional device. Although it in- and a mini-LED strobe flash (a nice feature
corporates an unlocked GSM phone, it has a that’s missing on many other devices). Finally,
traditional PDA layout without an integrated the battery cover on the back of the device lets
QWERTY thumb keyboard or number pad. It you access the 1,530 mAh removable battery;
ships with a comprehensive printed user man- the SIM card slot is located under the battery.
ual, a set of comfortable ear buds with extra
pads, several international plug converters, an Sleek and powerful device
AC charger, a USB sync/charge cable, an extra nestles in your hand
stylus, and a Getting Started CD. Sadly, there Without question, the Atom Life is a handsome
is no carrying case or cradle provided with the unit that begs to be taken home. It’s a sleek,
device. Also, it is an unlocked GSM phone, shiny black device that nestles in your hand
which means that you must provide your own as if it belongs there. It’s also responsive and
SIM card before the phone will function. quick, thanks to its 624 MHz Intel processor.
Above the 2.7-inch color QVGA touch Finally, it has one gigabyte of onboard flash device that connects via mini-USB port, which
screen you’ll find an LED panel that lights ROM, 795 MB of which is available for file allows me to use inexpensive and readily-
up when your battery is low and when you’re storage. You can bring plenty of reference available cables from third parties instead of
charging your device or receiving incoming documents, PowerPoint presentations, digital expensive proprietary cables. I also like the
messages. To the left of the LED panel is the images, videos, and music files with you wher- idea that it’s an unlocked device, which lets me
lens for a front-facing camera, which allows ever you go. Most smartphones do not come slap in my own SIM card and be in business.
you to take self portraits. It can also be used for close to this kind of power. It’s too bad that the phone’s video confer-
video phone calls, but unfortunately, no U.S. It’s obvious that this machine is designed encing capability is not yet supported by U.S.
wireless carriers support this feature yet. for a serious business user, but multimedia/ carriers. Hopefully, our hodgepodge of com-
Below the display is a five-way navigation gaming users would like it as well. The built- peting carriers will get their act together soon
button flanked by six hardware buttons: the left in FM radio is a nice touch, but it only works so we can catch up with the rest of the world.
and right soft keys, the Call and End Call but- when the ear buds or another stereo headset is Finally, I was initially disappointed that
tons, and buttons that activate the Start menu plugged into the 2.5 mm audio jack. (I wish such a powerful device did not have a QWER-
and Windows Media Player. The last button device manufacturers would stick to the more TY keyboard. However, I accepted it and soon
can be reprogrammed by the user to launch standard 3.5 mm jacks.) Interestingly, when found myself texting away with the help of
other applications. Stereo speakers flank the the buds are plugged in, you can tap on the TenGO (tengo.net), one of a number of excel-
hardware buttons. headset icon in the lower left corner of the lent third-party soft input panels available for
On the top left edge of the device is an screen to listen through the built-in stereo touch screen devices.
opening for attaching a wrist-loop lanyard. speakers. I was disappointed that I could not
About an inch below it you’ll find two volume get the FM radio to play through Bluetooth Timothy S. Hillebrand, Ph.D., president of Synergetics
control buttons, and the infrared port is located to headphones, but I was able to use them to International, is an archaeologist and mobile technology
enthusiast who enjoys writing archaeological adventure
at the very bottom of the left edge. The stylus listen to Media Player music. novels, traveling, and working in his Japanese garden. He
silo is located on the top right edge of the de- There are so many nice features built into is a blogger and the Windows Mobile editor for Handheld
Computing Magazine. He has contributed hundreds of ar-
vice. Below it are two additional application this unit. I love the voice dial and wireless ticles and reviews to various publications. He offers a workshop for the legal
launch buttons. By default, these activate the management applications. The brilliantly clear profession on how to become e-legal, e-literate, and e-mobile. His e-mail
voice recorder and the built-in digital camera, 2.7-inch screen is nice too. I also appreciate a address is: chief@synergetics.org.

14 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


MWg Atom Life Smartphones and Pocket PCs

Great unlocked value


Tech support was a problem when I first re-
ceived the unit—there was none in the U.S.
Since then, e-mail support has been initiated
and MWg promises that more robust support
will follow.
MWg plans on releasing two new Windows
Mobile 6.1 devices in June. They will have
slower processors, less memory, and a single
built-in camera. But the Atom 5 will feature
built-in GPS, and the Zinc II will offer a slide-
out keyboard and GPS.
MWg is a new kid on the block in this
country but well-known throughout the rest
Atom life includes a number of add-on applications, including FM Radio, Image Editor, and Voice Speed Dial. of the world. With an exclusive distribution
contract, expansys-usa.com is the place to
WM 6 Professional and other software sert frames and text, and make other simple buy MWg devices. Because it’s sold as an
modifications to photos and images stored on unlocked phone without a wireless carrier
The Atom Life incorporates Microsoft’s Win-
your device), Equalizer (lets you tweak the au- subsidizing the price, the Atom Life is a little
dows Mobile 6 Professional software, which
dio quality), JAVA Midlet, Search, Setup Wiz- more expensive than something you buy from
includes the mobile OS, Outlook and Office
ard, Self Diagnostics, GPRS Monitor, Wi-Fi Sprint or Verizon. But $399.95 is still a very
Mobile applications, and a number of other
utility, Voice Speed Dial, and a nice wireless good price for a device with so much power
productivity and entertainment applications.
manager application. It also includes and Auto and so many features. n
(A more complete description of this is avail-
able in the At A Glance section of the maga- Configurator utility that attempts to create the
zine, beginning on page 78.) proper settings for GPRS, WAP, and MMS
It also has a number of excellent third-party when you insert a SIM card. Unfortunately,
applications built in, including the ClearVue this application is not set up for the United
PDF viewer, FM Radio (lets you control the States yet—you must enter all these settings
built-in FM tuner), Image Editor (lets you in- manually.

Spec Sheet: MWg Atom Life


Price: $399.95 (unlocked device sold without service contract) More info: mwg.com; Purchase at expansys-usa.com

Pros Evaluation score total: 7.7(out of 10)


 Small, well designed device fits easily in your pocket Form and Style/Size 1.5 (out of 1.5)
Battery Life 0.5 (out of 1.5)
 Powerful processor enhances performance
Stability 1.0 (out of 1.5)
 Plenty of onboard file storage space
Connectivity Options 1.0 (out of 1.0)
 Built-in FM radio Cost 0.8 (out of 1.0)
 Dual cameras Speed 1.0 (out of 1.0)

Cons Warranty/ Support 0.5 (out of 0.5)


Compelling hardware and software features 0.5 (out of 0.5)
 No built-in QWERTY keyboard makes text entry more difficult
Included accessories 0.3 (out of 0.5)
 Video conferencing capability not supported by U.S. carriers
Included software 0.3 (out of 0.5)
 Battery life not good Things missing from the device that should have been there 0.3 (out of 0.5)
Significant specs (Full specs in At A Glance, pages 78-85)
Hardware
Processor  624 MHz Intel PXA 270 processor
 Memory  64 MB RAM, 1 GB flash ROM (795 MB of which is available for file storage), miniSD card slot for memory expansion
 Display  2.7” 262 K QVGA TFT LCD
 Wireless Tri-band GSM, Dual-band UTMS, HSDPA & EDGE data (must be supported by wireless network), Bluetooth 1.2, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, IrDA, FM Radio
 Input  Soft-keyboard and onscreen dialer only; No physical keyboard/number pad
In the package Atom Life, battery, stylus, ear buds with extra pads, international plug converters, AC adapter/charger, USB sync/charge cable, extra stylus, Getting Started CD, printed user manual
Software
Operating System Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional
Microsoft apps See At A Glance, page 78
ClearVue PDF viewer, FM Radio, Image Editor, Equalizer, JAVA Midlet, Search, Setup Wizard, Self Diagnostics, GPRS Monitor, Wi-Fi utility, Voice Speed Dial, Wireless Manager, Auto
Third-party apps
Configurator.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 15


Smartphones and Pocket PCs

S m a rt p h o n e I n si d e r
Smartphone Insider provides the inside scoop on today’s hottest smartphones, including strengths
and weaknesses, problems and solutions, user feedback, news, and tips & tricks.
by Dan Hart & David Seagull

HP iPAQ 110 & 210 PDAs

I
n a temporary departure from past editions of Smartphone pend mode with Wi-Fi on,
Insider, this edition will focus on two Windows Mobile de- they take substantially lon-
vices without built-in phones: the HP iPAQ 110 and 210. The ger than other devices to
110 and 210 are widely considered to be the top standalone turn back on (2-4 seconds).
PDAs currently available and have garnered quite a bit of at- If you want to avoid this,
tention from mobile enthusiasts since their release in late 2007 turn off Wi-Fi before you
and early 2008. Also referred to as the iPAQ 111 or 114 and 211 turn either device off; this
or 214, they are the first PDA-only devices to be released in the way they shouldn’t take as
U.S. in almost two years. long to turn back on. Also
note that when both iPAQs
Strengths do come on after the brief
• 110 is very light and thin: only .54 inches thick and one of delay, tests have shown that
the lightest available (3.7 ounces) they are immediately avail-
• 210 has the largest and clearest display available (4-inch able for use (as opposed to
VGA) some devices that power
• 210 has largest capacity standard battery on the PDA market on immediately but have a
today: 2,200 mAh delay before responding to
• 210 has both a mini-USB port and a 24-pin connector for screen taps).
charging and connectivity • Some have found that
• 210 is rated to withstand five-foot drops the 210’s battery life is less
than desirable, since it may
Both iPAQs wear down before a full
• Updated PXA310 624 MHz processor that is faster than the day’s usage of Wi-Fi, e-mail,
older Intel 624 MHz processor and media playback. An ex-
• 32 GB expandability available with SDHC/IO card. The tended battery (with twice the
210 also has a CF card slot. capacity) is available for the
• 256 MB of flash ROM built in 210 from lionbattery.com and
• Solid and durable other online vendors. An ex-
tended battery for the 110 is
Weaknesses also available. Note that us-
• The Up button on the 210’s D-pad can be difficult to press ing an extended battery will
due to a design flaw. require a bigger back panel;
• Some reviewers have complained about the lack of volume the larger battery and panel
and clarity of the external speaker on the 210. extension will add size and
• Some CF cards may cause a battery drain in the 210. weight to the devices.
• Users complain about poor battery life on the 210.
Tips & Tricks
Limitations & Solutions • Remember that under
• Neither iPAQ has dedicated soft keys; however, the Calen- Start >Settings >Buttons,
dar and Messaging hardware buttons can be remapped to serve both iPAQs have the ability
as the left and right soft keys under Start >Settings >Buttons, to remap the three hardware
which aids one-handed use. buttons to perform up to six
• The 210’s touch screen requires a little more force to be functions, three with a stan-
applied to it to enter commands than on other devices, which dard press and three more
can cause some initial annoyance. With time, however, this issue with the secondary press-
proves to be less noticeable as you get used to it. and-hold function.
• If both iPAQs are turned off or automatically go into sus- • Both iPAQs have a light

16 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


HP iPAQ 110 and 210 Smartphones and Pocket PCs

S m a rt p h o n e I n si d e r
sensor that automatically adjusts screen backlight settings to the Yes when the prompt pops up). On the next screen, there is a list of
ambient brightness, which saves battery life. To enable this setting, cell phones that you can choose from. After choosing one, directions
go to Start >Settings >System tab >Backlight >Brightness tab and will be provided on the following screen to connect to the specific
select the Auto Sensor On checkbox. phone.
• Enabling the ClearType option on the 210 (Start >Settings
>System tab >Screen >ClearType tab) makes a noticeable differ- Odds & Ends
ence in smoothing out the pixilation of text. • The 110 and 210 (as well as accessories) can be purchased di-
• Both iPAQs have a Voice Notes hardware button that will open a rectly from HP at shopping.hp.com/handheld for $299 and $449, re-
new Voice Note when pressed, which adds the convenience of being spectively. The iPAQs are also available from other online vendors
able to quickly record something with the use of one hand. The Voice like expansys-usa.com and amazon.com. They are also carried by
Notes button is located on the left side of the 210 and on the right electronics vendors such as Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, and
side of the 110. Note that the microphone aperture is located on the others.
bottom side of both devices to the left of the connectivity port(s). • Both iPAQs ship with a leather slipcase. If you want a different
• Both iPAQs have a built-in BT Phone Manager application that case, there are a number of online vendors, including ipaqcases.com,
allows you to connect to an Internet-connected cell phone via Blu- pielframa.com, and pdair.com. n
etooth and use it for connecting to the Web. Go to Start >BT Phone
Manager, and your device will load the Configuration screen (tap
Software and Accessories

Windows Mobile Meets Apple OS X


Syncing Windows Mobile device data with Apple OS X computers
by Mike Riley

D
ue in part to the market’s tepid response to Microsoft Vista program in this article that had problems running on it.
and Apple’s phenomenal success with their iPod and iPhone The safest bet is to download and install the Free Edition first to
products, Apple’s Mac computer line is becoming more visible make sure its basic synchronization features work with your Mac and
among the technical and executive ranks. However, many of Windows Mobile device. SyncMate is spec’d to work with Mac OS X
the same users are reluctant to trade in their Windows Mobile smart- 10.4 and higher and sync with both touch and non-touch screen devices
phone for an iPhone because of the latter’s limited data synchronization running Windows Mobile 5 or a later version of the OS.
capabilities and limited third-party software offerings. This becomes a
problem for these users because Apple’s OS X does not provide built-in
support for synchronizing Address Book and iCal calendaring/schedul-
ing data with Outlook on Windows Mobile devices. Fortunately, several
commercial solutions exist that not only help solve these issues but also
enhance the experience beyond basic syncing needs.

Fig. 2: PocketMac’s Device Selection asks for the size, not the model, of a user’s WM device.

PocketMac
PocketMac for Windows Mobile 5/6 (pocketmac.net) also helps solve
the Windows Mobile to OS X data synchronization problem. Priced at
$29.95, PocketMac offers most of the features found in competing pro-
grams and has some not found anywhere else. For example, it includes
Excel Mobile and Word Mobile viewers that are useful for those Mac
Fig. 1: SyncMate Expert Edition ($39.95) adds iTunes and iPhoto synchronization and other users who do not have Microsoft Office installed on their computers
features. but need a way to view Excel and Word documents that were created
on their Windows Mobile devices.
SyncMate The most recent version of PocketMac supports Windows Mobile
SyncMate (eltima.com) is available in two versions. The Free Edition 5 or higher devices. Users of older Pocket PCs will have to get the
allows you to sync documents, text messages, Contacts, and Calendar Windows Mobile 2002/2003 edition, and multiple device owners like
entries between your Windows Mobile touch screen device and a Mac me, with older and newer devices, will have to shell out $60 for both
OS X computer. The Expert Edition adds iTunes and iPhoto synchro- versions of the product. I haven’t tried installing both versions on the
nization and other features (see Fig. 1). Priced at $39.95, the Expert same Mac, but I’m concerned that there might be conflicts between the
Edition is similar in price (and features) to its strongest competitor, two since PocketMac’s online knowledgebase indicates a problem (as
Missing Sync. well as a solution) regarding the existence of multiple PocketMac Ports
SyncMate installation was straightforward and ran well on an older that can block the devices’ visibility to the program.
G4-based Apple computer, but it failed to recognize my Windows Mo- As with SyncMate, I also had problems getting PocketMac to work
bile device when I installed the program on an Intel-based MacPro.
It recognized the USB port but failed to activate its synchronization
Mike Riley was previously employed by RR Donnelley as the company’s Chief Scientist, responsible
routine when I plugged either my iPAQ 6315 or HTC Advantage into for determining innovative technical approaches that improved the company’s internal and external
the computer. Alas, this could be related to its 1.0 entry, as this is the content services. Mike is a frequent contributor to several technical publications and specializing in
emerging technologies and new development trends. Mike was also the co-host of Computer Con-
youngest product in this category. It’s possible that the MacPro I tested nection, a technology enthusiast show broadcast on Tribune Media-owned CLTV. You can contact
SyncMate on had issues of its own, since SyncMate was not the only Mike at mike@mikeriley.com.

18 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Software and Accessories Windows Mobile Meets Apple OS X

correctly on an Intel-based MacPro running the 10.5 (Leopard) release In summary, PocketMac is an adequate product for OS X Tiger
of Apple’s operating system. PocketMac has released an update to its users. Leopard users (the OS that currently ships with every new Ma-
program specifically optimized for Leopard compatibility (pocketmac. cintosh computer today) should consider waiting until PocketMac re-
com/updates.php), but even that version failed to synchronize properly leases a final, fully supported Leopard version before considering the
with my HTC Advantage (I had no problems with the Tiger version, product. Additionally, while the issue of needing different versions of
however). Granted, the Leopard version I tested was still considered the program for multiple devices and the problem I had syncing with
beta, so hopefully these issues will be resolved soon. It also perplexed the HTC Advantage are probably only important to a small percentage
me to see the program’s “Device Locator Assistant” configures device of Windows Mobile users, they do lessen the strength of my recom-
type based on the display size and appearance rather than the actual mendation for this product.
model of Windows Mobile device I had (see Fig. 2).
In addition to Calendar and Contacts, PocketMac also synchronizes
music and photos with the Mac user’s iTunes and iPhoto libraries, respec-
tively. Setting up these associations is as easy as checking a box (Fig. 3).

Fig. 4: The main screen of the Missing Sync application for Windows Mobile.

Fig. 3: PocketMac Synchronization options are easy to activate and offer the ability to save
music and photos to a Windows Mobile removable storage card. Missing Sync
Priced at $39.95, Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 5/6 (markspace.
Running on Tiger, the program worked as advertised, and while not com/missingsync_windowsmobile.php) is one of the more expensive
as peppered with colorful icons and dialogs compared to the competi- Windows Mobile syncing solutions available. However, it also proved
tion, PocketMac’s options are easy to identify and activate. Options to to be the most reliable solution. I had no problem installing it on the
synchronize photos and iTunes music in addition to the usual Calendar, older PowerPC and the Intel platform running OS X 10.5, and it de-
Contacts, Tasks, and Web Favorites worked consistently. tected both of my Windows Mobile devices on both platforms. Missing

20 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Windows Mobile Meets Apple OS X Software & Accessories

Fig. 5: Running a virtualized version of Windows XP on an Apple OS X host. Fig. 6: Running Microsoft ActiveSync in VMware’s Unity Mode.

Sync is one of the most established solutions in this space, offering a which can be freely downloaded and perform such diverse functions as
wide range of device and operating system support. It also offers a broad network monitoring and Web application servers, Fusion is my top rec-
and flexible range of synchronization options, including an integrated ommendation for OS X users seeking a virtualization environment.
e-commerce shopping tab for Windows Mobile users seeking an easy
way to directly purchase and install commercial Windows Mobile ap- The drawbacks of virtualization
plications. The interface is easily accessible yet packed with helpful Expense is one drawback of this approach. You not only have to pur-
information and flexible options (see Fig. 4).The only thing I didn’t chase the $80 Fusion program, you also have to pay for a valid version
like about the program was its application activation scheme, which of Windows XP or Vista to install on the Mac. This approach is far more
locks the program to a specific computer and device. Users have to expensive than the other solutions discussed in this article.
remember to de-authorize the program before installing it on another The second and more serious drawback is that, while the synchroni-
computer. If they don’t, they will have to contact Mark/Space for ad- zation solutions available to a Windows PC are more robust, they only
ditional assistance. allow you to sync with personal information managers running within
Overall, Missing Sync was the clear winner in the battle of the na- the Windows Virtual machine. Mac OS X applications like Mail and
tive OS X Windows Mobile sync solutions and one I heartily recom- iCal and the file systems they use have no connection to the virtual
mend. However, another option exists for owners of the Intel-based Windows environment. Thus, while virtualization might keep your
Mac computers. Microsoft Exchange and authentication/authorization backend servers
happy, it won’t make life any easier for the OS X user seeking a way
Create a virtual Windows PC to synchronize their schedule, contacts, and files between a Windows
on your Mac with VMware Fusion Mobile device and the OS X platform.
For those OS X users fortunate enough to own a newer Intel-based
Apple computer, there is another approach to Mac-Windows Mobile A true Mac companion
synchronization: “virtualization.” This refers to the fact that an Intel- Thanks to the solutions presented in this article, users of Apple OS X
based OS X Mac can run software that turns it into a virtual Windows computers can use their WM device as a true Mac companion.
PC (see Fig. 5). You can then install ActiveSync (or any Windows As mentioned, OS X users with an Intel-based Mac can create a
synchronization solution) on the Mac. Two products exist that allow virtual Windows PC on their Mac and run ActiveSync or other Win-
you to do this on the OS X Intel platform: Parallels Software’s Parallels dows-based synchronization software. This is the most expensive so-
solution and VMware’s Fusion program. lution discussed, requiring the VMware Fusion software, Microsoft’s
Even though Parallels was the first virtualization program com- Windows XP or Vista licenses, and the Windows version of Outlook
mercially available for the Intel-based OS X platform and brought sev- installed on the Mac. It has the disadvantage of not being able to sync
eral innovations such as their Coherence mode (what VMware calls with Mac OS-based Personal Information Managers.
“Unity”) and the ability to run 3D accelerated games inside a Windows If you’re looking for a free solution, check out SyncMate. If you need
virtual machine, Parallels is relatively unknown on non-OS X platforms iTunes and iPhoto synchronization, consider purchasing SyncMate’s
(even though like VMware, Parallels offers versions that run on Win- Expert Edition, but only if the Free Edition works for your device.
dows and Linux as well). As mentioned, there are a couple versions of PocketMac available.
Of the two companies, VMware is clearly the market leader in the To find out which one is suitable for your device, check out the “Which
virtualization technology arena, and their Fusion program ($79.95: vm PocketMac is for Me” page (pocketmac.net/devices_by_manufacturer.
ware.com/products/fusion) ships with a stunning set of features, includ- html). Unfortunately, a free demo version of PocketMac is not available.
ing the aforementioned “Unity” mode that melds a specific Windows Based on my experience with the program, I think this product needs
application, such as ActiveSync, onto the OS X desktop, making it look a demo version so you can test it first to make sure it works with your
like a fully native OS X application (see Fig. 6). Considering VMware’s version of the Mac and your Windows Mobile device.
market position, their commitment to the OS X platform, and their vast Finally, readers seeking the most compatible, problem-free program
library of Virtual Appliances (pre-packaged virtual machines), many of should take a close look at Missing Sync. n

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 21


Software and Accessories

Mobile World Congress 2008


New devices, software, accessories, chipsets, and more at the world’s largest mobile exhibition.
by Werner Ruotsalainen

I
’d like to welcome all our readers to my ter the conference, I met with the MSN Direct Portege is designed to be used as a clamshell
report on Mobile World Congress 2008. folks to learn more about it. It’s similar to a device only—you cannot rotate the screen to
MWC is the world’s largest exhibition for RSS client that uses some kind of a bandwidth- Portrait mode for one-handed PDA use. The
the mobile industry. Up until this year, the friendly push protocol to receive real-time up- keys on the QWERTY thumb keyboard are
event was known as the 3GSM World Con- dates. Currently, MSN Direct client software is pretty easy to use, but the screen was fairly
gress; this is why it is still often referred to only available for the Windows Mobile 6 Stan- small compared to the physical size of the lid.
as 3GSM. dard (non-touch screen) smartphone (phone. This seems to be a problem with other new
One of the first things I did was to meet with msndirect.com/phone/index.html). However, clamshell-only Windows Mobile devices, such
the folks at Spb Software House. They demoed they promised a touch screen version very as the Asus M930(W) (a.k.a. P930).
the latest 2.0 version of Spb Mobile Shell, an soon; I’ll also announce this when it becomes
alternate and customizable user interface for available.
Windows Mobile touch screen devices. I plan
to post a review of it and some similar pro-
grams on the blogs sometime in the future.
I also had the pleasure of meeting with
some of the top folks from i-mate, a worldwide
vendor of Windows Mobile devices. Original-
ly, HTC manufactured all of i-mate’s devices,
but that relationship ended a year ago. In spite
of rumors being circulated online, i-mate’s
representative confirmed that they would not
be switching back to HTC as their device
manufacturer. I also asked them about their i-mate
decision to use the Intel PXA 270 processor in I-mate was finally showcasing their new Ulti-
some models of their Ultimate line, instead of mate 8502 and 9502, in addition to their some-
the newer Marvell PXA310/320 CPUs. They Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 what older 8150 and 6150. The 8502 has a
said they were investigating using the Marvell A big crowd was gathered around the Sony Er- QVGA display, but the other three have VGA
processors in future devices. icsson booth to look at demos of the new XPE- touch screens. For more on the advantages
RIA X1, a Windows Mobile 6.1 touch screen (and disadvantages) of these devices, go to our
Microsoft announcements device with a custom “Panels” user interface. I blogs (smartphonemag.com/blogs) and search
I met with Microsoft’s John Starkweather won’t go into detail here because the XPERIA on “i-mate’s new devices.”
and asked him about the rumors of talks with is covered in a separate article on page 10.
Microsoft and Nokia. I’d love to see a high-end Samsung SGH-i780
Nokia phone similar to the N95, N82, or the This model was the most interesting Windows
just-announced N96 but powered by Windows Mobile device at the show, particularly for
Mobile. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s un- fans of smartphones with thumb keyboards on
likely that Nokia will offer a Windows Mobile the face of the device (like the Treo, Black-
phone any time in the near future. However, Berry, and some Windows Mobile
Sony Ericsson did announce the XPERIA X1, smartphones). The SGH-i780 is a
a multimedia-friendly WVGA touch screen big step ahead of the other square-
device powered by Windows Mobile. screen Windows Mobile devices in
I also attended Microsoft’s press confer- that it has a larger-resolution (320
ence, which took place on Monday afternoon. x 320 as opposed to 240 x 240)
The most important news here—in addition to square screen and the latest-and-
the Sony Ericsson XPERIA announcement— greatest PXA310 Marvell CPU.
was Microsoft’s statement that it was going to Toshiba Portege G910/920 The downside of this device is that
invest far more resources toward enhancing I also had a chance to play with the new the square screen is not compatible
the gaming and entertainment capabilities of Toshiba Portege G910/920, a Windows Mo-
Windows Mobile—a long-awaited move. bile 6 Professional device. The most interest- Werner Ruotsalainen is the world’s leading expert on WM
They were also showing MSN Direct in ac- ing thing about this series is the 3-inch wide software. In addition to being Best Software Awards Nomi-
tion at the press conference. MSN Direct is a WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) touch screen dis- nations Manager and administrator and lead/blogger for the
Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine blogs, Werner is an MS
digital service that allows portable devices to play. (The XPERIA X1 also has a WVGA Mobile Devices MVP and works for ITConsult-Pro (itc.hu), an
receive information from MSN services. Af- touch screen.). Also of note is the fact that the IT consulting company. werner@SmartphoneMag.com

22 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Mobile Word Congress 2008 Software & Accessories

with most legacy games, the battery life isn’t core and fixes two of the biggest omissions The Sennheiser folks, which run probably
great, and it includes a touchpad instead of a in the browser. It now has the ability to save the most famous and popular audiophile head-
hardware D-pad. For a more detailed review, complete Web pages and find text within the phone brand, announced a brand-new earbud
go to our blogs and search on “SGH-i780.” pages. model—their first A2DP product (which will
be released later this year). I really hope the
Other Windows Mobile sound quality will be on par with the high-end
devices I saw at the show Sennheiser wired earbud headphones.
I saw a number of other interesting new Win- Samsung has also announced the SBH-700
dows Mobile devices at the show, including: and SBH-500 at CES; LG showed their HBS-
Gigabyte MS808: Gigabyte’s new VGA 250 over-the-ear phones and the MSB-100 A2DP
flagship model features a lot of goodies, in- speakerphone. See smartphonemag.com/blogs/
cluding the new Marvel PXA310 CPU and a index.php?p=2486 for more information.
DVB-T/H and DMB TV receiver.
E-TEN V900: Based on Samsung’s new
S3C6400 chipset, the V900 is another multi-
media-oriented Windows Mobile touch screen
device with a VGA screen and a DVB-T/H and
DMB receiver. As with the Gigabyte MS808,
see the separate “Digital TV” section in this
article for more info.
MDA Compact IV: This T-Mobile device
has a VGA screen and is similar in form fac-
tor to the HTC TyTN and AT&T Tilt. It has Kingston Technologies’ SD card slot adapter (left) and 4 GB
pretty nice specs too—certainly worth a look Opera Mobile 9.5 has the ability to load saved Web pages. microSDHC card (right)
if you’re a T-Mobile subscriber and you can
Once saved, Web pages can be loaded Kingston memory cards
put up with VGA on a small screen.
from the “Saved pages” menu within Opera Kingston Technologies was showcasing their
Asus P750: Asus’ new touch screen
Mobile. They also have a new and very use- latest products at MWC, including a new 4 GB
phone is certainly worth paying attention to. It
ful Favorites synchronization feature, which microSDHC card, which I will review on the
has a small 2.6-inch screen that is capable of
I did not get to test, but is working very well blogs. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any firm
displaying VGA, but must be hacked to do so.
in the desktop version of the browser and Op- dates on when they would release their 12/16
For more info on the VGA hack, go to our blogs
era Mini. The new version lets you zoom in GB microSD cards. The most I could get out
and search on “P750.” The info is also available
and out of the page view using the stylus or of them was “sometime in 2009.” (SanDisk
on the MoDaCo.com forums. If you’re looking
via a menu option. It also has an accelerating has already announced and sent samples of
for a relatively cheap VGA device with a key-
scroll feature, similar to the one found on the the 12 GB card to hardware manufacturers for
pad on the front, and can put up with the small
iPhone’s Safari browser. compliance/conformance testing.) Five years
display, make sure you check it out.
Finally, the address auto-completion feature ago, when I first tested their 128 MB SD card,
HTC X7510 (Athena/Advantage): This
has also been enhanced; instead of displaying I found that the data write speeds were very
is a spiced-up version of the old X7500/7501
a drop-down menu, Opera Mobile now shows slow. Fortunately, this is not the case with their
model with 16 GB of flash memory instead of
you a full “Known links” page containing both current models.
the 8 GB microdrive found in the original. It
the title of the page (when it has one) and the
has a slightly reworked QWERTY keyboard,
but it’s not much better than the one found
URL. This is definitely an improvement over Digital TV
the previous method. Digital (mobile) TV was one of the most popu-
on the X7500 series. It’s a large device—too
large for me! lar topics at MWC. There are several new sys-
Bluetooth tems worth checking out, including DVB-H
HP iPAQ 210: This is HP’s new WM 6 There have been several new and interesting
Classic device—a PDA without phone capa- (Europe, Asia, Australia, some South Ameri-
Bluetooth products at MWC; most importantly, can countries, Modeo in the U.S., etc.), T-DMB
bility. The 210 has a large 4-inch color VGA Bluetooth A2DP headphones and external am-
touch screen and a fast 624 MHz processor. (South Korea and Germany), and 1Seg (Japan).
plifiers/speakers. All major Bluetooth acces- Unfortunately, there haven’t been any new
Some users have reported low speaker volume. sory manufacturers came up with devices of
It’s thicker than its predecessor, the highly-re- MediaFLO-compliant devices, let alone ATSC
interest, ranging from Nokia to Plantronics. receivers—at least not for Windows Mobile,
garded iPAQ hx4700, but it’s currently one of One of the most interesting products was
the only large-screen VGA devices available which means with the exception of DVB-H
Plantronics’ Voyager 855, a traditional Blu- solutions, Windows Mobile users in the U.S.
running Windows Mobile. (The other is the etooth headset easily convertible to a pair of
HTC X7500 series mentioned above.) are pretty much left out in the cold. There is no
full (stereo) A2DP headphones—without add- news on the DTMB (a.k.a. DMB-T/H; used in
ing bulk. The lack of an external receiver, the
Software and accessories price, and the very low weight make this a nice
China and Hong Kong) front either.
DVB-H is currently the most widely ap-
choice, should you like in-ear headphones. proved digital mobile TV standard, and there
Opera Mobile 9.5
Nokia, in addition to showing the successor have been several new smartphones sporting
I spent a lot of time at Opera’s booth look-
of their popular HS-12W, the fairly expensive a DVB-H receiver. The most important of
ing at one of the biggest hits at the show—the
BH-903, and the over-the-ear headphones, them are Nokia’s N78 and N96, which run
recently-announced Opera Mobile 9.5. The
also showcased their new external Bluetooth the Symbian OS. The high-end N96 even has
mobile version of their popular Web browser
amplifier and a DVB-H transmitter (more on hardware video, sound decoding, and good
is based on a complete upgrade of the Opera
this in the “Digital TV” section).

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 23


Software & Accessories Mobile Word Congress 2008

battery life—hopefully this is the route Win- will lack XGA output and (with the lower-end promising new flexible display technology that
dows Mobile manufacturers also go. Nokia versions) 3D acceleration. folds over the device to close.
has also showcased their new external DVB-H Again, as new information becomes avail- Most eBook readers are based on the Linux
transmitter, but it’s only compatible with some able, I will post it on the blogs. OS, but the Readius is built on Windows CE.
of their Symbian smartphones, and currently It won’t directly run Windows Mobile applica-
there are no plans to make it compatible with Not Windows Mobile, but of interest tions, but Windows Mobile developers would
Windows Mobile. have a relatively easy time recompiling their
Some new, high-end DVB-T/H & T-DMB applications to support the new device. This is
solutions for Windows Mobile were announced very good news because Windows has third-
or showcased at MWC. These include the Gi- party CHM support, while Linux doesn’t. This
gabyte MS808 and the E-TEN (now Samsung) means it will have support for several eBooks
V900. Unfortunately, neither of the units on not readable by the other dedicated eBook
display were in working order. Both of these readers. Readius has a tri-band GSM phone
models support, in addition to DVB-H and T- built into it, with GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and
DMB, the much more widely deployed (but HSDPA data capability. It also has Bluetooth
not exactly mobile-friendly) DVB-T. Unfor- 2.0, but lacks Wi-Fi.
tunately, it seems you can either have DVB or Readius does not ship with a Web browser,
DMB, but not both. That means, if you pur- but it’s not a locked system. If a third-party
chase a DVB-T/H-enabled device, you won’t browser were available, it could be installed
be able to use it in a country using DMB. The From left to right: i-mate/HTC Universal, Skype Phone, HTC on the device and you would be able to browse
S310/Oxygen, Nokia N95.
opposite is true for DMB-enabled devices. the Web over a GPRS or 3G data connection.
(Note: I will publish a Digital TV Bible in the Skype Phone All in all, this device has a lot of potential.
near future. Check the “Menneisyys” section Skype was showing off a non-functioning pro- However, the developer needs to improve the
of our blogs to find it.) totype of its yet-to-be-released Skype Phone. It foldable display. Currently, it doesn’t display
will be relatively inexpensive (about $150). PDF docs well because its effective screen reso-
New chipsets for Windows lution is about 350 x 280 pixels, which is con-
Mobile devices You can expand storage memory on the
siderably worse than on the other eBook read-
Skype Phone using microSD cards, but you
Chipsets (also referred to as CPUs) are the heart must remove the battery to do this. Interest- ers. The Polymer Vision folks promised that the
of every computing device. The newer chipsets ingly, the phone makes its Skype calls over a final version will be released in the second half
are faster, consume less power, and offer more GSM voice connection—it does not have in- of this year and will have a higher-resolution
features (3D graphics accelerator, H.264 video tegrated Wi-Fi! The only way this might be a screen. No word yet on the price, but they seem
decoding, etc.). There were several very inter- less expensive solution is if Skype introduced to be targeting a high-end user, so it probably
esting chipset announcements at MWC. The an alternate protocol that greatly reduced their won’t be cheap. See smartphonemag.com/
most important ones are as follows: bandwidth usage, so that their services could blogs/index.php?p=2478 for more info. n
TI OMAP 3: The new OMAP 3 chipset is be used on low-speed EDGE connections.
much more powerful than its TI predecessors. However, they did not discuss any plans to
For example, it supports H.264 decoding and do this.
3D graphics acceleration out of the box, along
with a lot of other goodies. And, it’s already in
mass production.
Nvidia chipsets: Nvidia has announced
that they will come out with a full applica-
tion chipset consisting of not only a graph-
ics accelerator (as was the case with its older
Windows Mobile chipsets), but a full hardware
platform. They have already demonstrated its
HDTV decoding/playback capabilities and an
iPhone-like 3D user interface. Unfortunately,
we’ll have to wait at least 9-10 months to see
actual devices based on it.
Samsung chipsets: A year after the an-
nouncement of their S3C6400 platform, which
will be used in the E-TEN/Samsung V900,
Samsung announced the new and considerably
better S3C6430 chipset. Among other things,
the new chipset will incorporate 3D graphics Readius has a flexible, folding display that may be the wave
of the future.
acceleration and much lower power usage.
Let’s hope the new chipset finds its way to
Windows Mobile devices as soon as possible. Polymer Vision
Qualcomm chipsets: Qualcomm also an- I also saw a demo of a phone-eBook reader
nounced a new chipset, but the specs are pretty combo device called Readius by Polymer Vi-
vague at this point. However, it looks like they sion (polymervision.com). The Readius had a

26 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


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5
Software and Accessories

My Favorite
Accessories
They protect my Windows Mobile device,
add capability, and make using it easier
and more enjoyable.
Mike Riley is an advanced computing profes-
sional who specializes in emerging technolo-
gies and new development trends. You can by Mike Riley
contact Mike at mike@mikeriley.com.

I
have owned a Windows Mobile device since the original “Windows CE Handheld PC”
was introduced nearly ten years ago. In that time, I have seen hundreds of hardware
and software innovations flourish within the Microsoft mobile ecosystem. I have shared
some of my favorite software titles in past articles, and introduced readers to a number
of hardware add-ons that make Windows Mobile devices more usable. What are my favorite
accessories? The current countdown begins with…

5: Styra–Ballpoint Pen
$19.95 boxwave.com
One of the most useful improvements I’ve made to the various touch screen devices I’ve owned
is investing in better styli. My father gave me a Cross pen set when I graduated from college,
and that gift has set my expectation for what a high quality writing tool should be. Unfortu-
nately, nearly all of the styli bundled with Windows Mobile products simply don’t have the
weight and satisfying tactile feel of quality writing implements.
I wasn’t the only dissatisfied customer, and early on companies began offering replacement
styli for touch screen handhelds. My current favorite is the Styra from Boxwave. It not only
delivers better balance, but also includes a ballpoint pen hidden under its cap, for signing hotel
registers, deposit slips, etc. Best of all, it fits in the stylus silo on your device. (When you order
it, make sure and specify the device you will be using it with.) No, it doesn’t have the same feel
as a Cross pen, but it’s light years ahead of the plastic sticks that ship with devices.

4: PDair Aluminum Metal Case


$28 pdair.com
I also recommend getting a good carrying case for your device. Most ship with a simple slip case,
but you want more protection than that. The best source I’ve found for quality cases is PDair. Their
selection is astounding—they have cases for virtually every make and model on the market.
I selected their aluminum case for my HP iPAQ 6315. I could see that careful engineer-
ing went into its design—they cut access areas in just the right places without exposing too
much surface area of the device. My iPAQ fit snuggly into the padded case, which protected
the device and kept it free of scratches. A holder for a spare SD card is located on the inside
front cover of the case.

28 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


My 5 Favorite Accessories Software & Accessories

PDair cases are available in a variety of styles, including metal cases, leather wallets, flip cases, clear
plastic cases, and more. Whenever a new Windows Mobile user asks me where they can go to buy an
attractive, high quality case, I point them to pdair.com without hesitation.

3: BlueAnt X5 Stereo Bluetooth Headset


$119.99 myblueant.com
I took a look at this extraordinary A2DP-compliant stereo Bluetooth headset for an article I wrote a few
issues ago, and it quickly became my wireless headset of choice. The BlueAnt X5 achieves the perfect
balance of excellent sound quality and full-featured functionality—all in a headset that supplies hours
of use.
Another nice touch is the Bluetooth connectivity LED, which pulses subtly to indicate when the
headset is paired with your Windows Mobile device. (Many competing products overdo this.) The X5’s
high-tech black contour design collapses into a tight package when not in use.
Ultimately, headphones are judged by their sound quality, and the X5 excels in this. The deep bass,
rich treble, and full tones cover the sound spectrum—few other stereo Bluetooth headsets can match it.

2: ScotteVest Evolution Jacket


$150 scottevest.com
A backpack or gadget bag could accommodate the mass of mobile devices and accessories I
have accumulated over the years, but bags are easy to steal and bulky to carry around.
Perhaps worst of all is the image of a beat-up bag, with drawstrings and zippers
everywhere, bouncing on my back or by my side as I walk into a meeting—def-
initely not “business casual!” Fortunately, the talented designers at Scott-
eVest have created a line of attractive jackets and vests that allow you
to carry a plethora of devices with you, hidden away in pockets but easily
accessible at all times.
One of their more chic designs is the Evolution jacket shown right.
The Evolution combines utility and good looks, allowing me to carry my
favorite mobile devices and accessories with me, unnoticed. It also gives
me confidence knowing that I can walk into a business or social situation
looking like a professional rather than a high-tech geek. The Evolution
is a well constructed jacket made of high quality materials—it certainly
makes brisk Chicago mornings considerably more tolerable.

1: Visiontac VGPS-700 Bluetooth GPS Receiver


$199 visiontac.com
Portable GPS receivers have been around for a while, but in recent years they’ve become smaller, less
power hungry, and more accurate. In addition, the majority of the currently available GPS receivers
incorporate Bluetooth connections to mobile computers, PDAs, and smartphones.
The Visiontac VGPS-700 is an example of the best of this new breed. As you can see by the image,
it’s incredibly small—small enough to be attached to a keychain, slipped into a pocket, or clipped on
to my iPAQ’s carrying case. It employs a SiRFstar III chip set, which makes GPS signal acquisition
lightning fast. The built-in lithium polymer battery powers the device for 8-12 hours—a remarkable
amount of time for such a small device.
It would be great if Visiontac added data logging capability to the VGPS-700 for those who occa-
sionally need to retrace their steps. But it’s an excellent receiver as is, and has made my travels easier.
I highly recommend it for anyone needing to add GPS capability to a Bluetooth-enabled Windows
Mobile device.

Top 5 for early 2008


These are my favorite hardware accessories as of early March, 2008. You’ll notice that they fall into five
general categories: styli, cases, headsets, carrying solutions, and GPS receivers. If the specific products
I reviewed don’t suite you, look for others within those general categories.
I don’t anticipate this top five list changing drastically in the near future, but you never know when a
new “game changing” accessory will be introduced. Until it does, I’ll stick with these five accessories.
They’ve made my mobile life easier and more productive than ever. n

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 29


Software and Accessories

Pull the { power} Plug


Charge your Windows Mobile device anywhere...
...without using the standard power adapter.
by Daniel Hanttula

T
he AC power adapters that ship with Windows Mobile devices and to keep them from damaging other items packed with the charger.
are usually bulky, ugly, and expensive to replace. Fortunately, The system incorporates an “Intelligent Chip” that prevents overcharg-
there are a number of third-party power solutions that are more ing of your device, and this latest version of the product provides more
portable, more stylish, less expensive, and offer far more func- power (up to 5.5 volts DC) for the more power hungry devices.
tionality. Because there are dozens of products in this category, you The VersaCharger PRO can be purchased directly from the Boxwave
should be able to find a solution that will let you “pull the plug” on Web site (boxwave.com). The charger by itself is priced at $25.95. You
your antiquated adapter and upgrade to a more “powerful” charging can purchase it with a miniSync cable for $35.95 and with a miniSync
solution. cable and the airplane adapter for $47.47.

Three-in-one charging systems Other three-in-one charging solutions


Perhaps the most versatile option for the mobile user is a three-in- Other three-in-one solutions are also available, including the JAVOMe-
one charging system. This type of system, available from a number of taCharger ($16.99; javoedge.com) and the Lil’ Sync Penguin Charger
manufacturers, lets you charge your device from an AC outlet, a DC ($24.95; PocketPCTechs.com).
outlet (like a car’s cigarette lighter or the power port available on many
airlines) and a PC’s USB port. Some products even include foreign Comprehensive charging systems
adapter plugs and support the higher voltages used in some countries. The next step up from a three-in-one solution is a comprehensive charging
Three-in-one solutions cover almost every type of power source and system. These units are generally larger and more cumbersome, but you
let you recharge your device just about anywhere. only need one system for an entire bag of gadgets. Your Windows Mobile
VersaCharger Pro from the Boxwave Corporation is one of my fa- device, MP3 player, Bluetooth headset, portable GPS receiver, digital
vorite three-in-one solutions. It connects to an AC outlet or plugs into camera, and laptop PC can all be recharged from a single system.
a vehicle’s cigarette lighter adapter and provides power to your device
through a USB port. An optional “airplane adapter” lets you connect
VersaCharger Pro to the proprietary power outlets available on some
airlines. (According to SeatGuru.com, 125,000 seats on 40 different
airlines have these power outlets.) Boxwave has found that many of
the sync cables that ship with the newer devices (like the Moto Q,
AT&T Tilt, and T-Mobile Dash) are not capable of working as a charg-
ing adapter, so you might need their miniSync or DirectSync cable to
connect your device to VersaCharger Pro.

Figs. 1 & 2: The VersaCharger


Pro (left) combined with the
miniSync cable (far left)
allows you to charge your
Windows Mobile device using
AC, DC, or USB power. Fig. 3: The iGo everywhere85 (bottom of the image) packs enough power to recharge your
laptop and Windows Mobile device at the same time, from a single AC or DC outlet.
The VersaCharger
Pro (Fig. 1) has been
While the iGo everywhere85 (Fig. 3) from Mobility Electronics
designed so that it
looks a little like the standard AC power adapter that comes with a
doesn’t block the sec-
laptop PC, its stylish silver finish and retracting cord are anything but
ond port on a wall out-
standard. But what really sets it apart from other power adapters is its
let, like the previous
ability to charge your laptop PC and a second device at the same time.
version did (and some
This can be an invaluable benefit when you’re fighting for power outlets
other brands do). It
in a busy airport!
can handle 110 or 240
It’s also a very versatile product. When you’re on the road or in the
volts, so you can use it just about anywhere in the world. (You will need
air, you can change a cable and connect iGo everywhere to the DC outlet
a plug adapter to use it with European or Australia/New Zealand out-
in your car or power outlet available on most planes. In addition, you
lets.) The unit comes with a cap to protect the cigarette lighter plug, and
can change the tips (small custom-designed connectors) at the end of
the wall plug prongs fold into the housing to protect them during travel

30 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Pull the {Power} Plug Software & Accessories

the power cable and charge almost any mobile device on the market. Disposable power solutions
The iGo everywhere automatically adjusts the current and voltage to If you don’t want to bother with the before-mentioned charging sys-
the appropriate settings for each device. tems, a power source with disposable batteries may be the best solu-
The iGo everywhere85 is priced at $129.99 and ships with the iGo tion for you. These devices use readily available alkaline batteries to
dualpower accessory (for charging two devices at once) and connector recharge your handheld. Because of this, they can be an especially
tips for many popular laptop models. Tips for most mobile phones, practical solution when you’re in a foreign country and don’t want to
PDAs, MPG players, portable gaming devices, and other mobile de- bother with plug adapters or power converters. And because they don’t
vices can be purchased separately for $9.99 each. All of these items can use an expensive rechargeable battery or require electronics for convert-
be purchased from iGo’s online store (igo.com) and many nationwide ing AC to the appropriate DC voltage, they’re priced much lower than
retailers including Best Buy, Brookstone, and Radio Shack. Other ver- the other solutions in this article.
sions of the “everywhere” power kit, with higher and lower power
production, are available on the iGo Web site as well. Fig. 5: The Lil’ Sync AA Battery Adapter is
designed to recharge your device using standard
Portable battery recharging system double-A batteries.
Another innovative idea is the USB Powerstick from Ecosol Solar
Technologies. Powerstick is a portable battery that recharges itself via One of the most feature-rich dis-
a PC’s USB port. I realize that if you’re on the road and are recharging posable power units available is the
a portable battery from your laptop PC, it’s like “borrowing from Peter Lil’ Sync AA Battery Adapter (Fig.
to pay Paul.” But it does reduce the number of AC power adapters you 5) from Pocket PC Techs. This unit
have to bring with you. You only need one to power the laptop; you can accepts four standard AA batteries,
keep the rest of your mobile devices charged via the Powerstick. It’s which can be disposable alkalines or
actually a great solution for world travelers. In addition, because USB rechargeable NiCAD, NiMH, or Li-
is a worldwide standard, you can charge the Powerstick from someone Ion batteries. (The latter three bat-
else’s PC anywhere you are. tery types must be recharged by a separate charger.) This battery type
flexibility can help keep your costs down. For example, you might use
Fig. 4: The USB Powerstick recharges NiCADs with the device for most situations, and purchase disposable
when inserted into your laptop’s USB port alkalines if your trip is extended and you run out of charged NiCADs.
and uses a custom cable to connect to and The device features a special Voltage Reduction Circuit that allows
recharge your device. you to configure the device for the type of battery being used with it.
Because Powerstick is slight- This protects the electronics in your Windows Mobile device by provid-
ly larger than a pack of gum (Fig. ing the correct amount of current to it. It also allows Battery Adapter to
4) and weighs only 1.4 ounces, completely deplete a set of alkaline batteries so that you get every last
it can easily travel with you in “drop” of power transferred to your device.
your pocket. To recharge it, you The Lil’ Sync AA Battery Adapter is priced at $19.99 and is avail-
simply insert its USB connector able directly from pocketpctechs.com. It can be used with the sync/
into any PC’s USB port. Power- charge cable that came with your Windows Mobile device or an optional
stick has an 8-bar LCD power Sync-N-Charge cable ($20).
gauge that indicates when it is
completely charged. (It takes about 90 minutes to charge it to 90% of Other solutions with disposable components
its 750 mAh capacity.) To charge your device, remove Powerstick from A number of other disposable power solutions are available for Win-
the PC, attach the appropriate cable, connect it to your device, and press dows Mobile devices, including Battery Adapter Pro ($22.50; boxwave.
charge button (the only button on the device). com), Energi To Go Instant Cell Phone Charger ($19.99; retail avail-
The device comes with eight phone connection cables, an iPod ability listed at energizer.com), iGo powerXtender ($15.99; igo.com),
cable, and a miniUSB cable (which recharges many of the current Turbo Charge ($19.99; turbocellcharge.com), and USB Battery Ex-
smartphones). A complete list of phones that are compatible with the tender ($7.99; apc.com).
Powerstick is available on their Web site (powerstick.com/catalog/
Solar solutions
function_compatibility.php).
Ecosol Solar Technologies Inc. claims that the sealed Lithium Poly- If disposable batteries seem like a waste of natural resources, you might
mer battery is good for more than 1,000 recharge cycles. The USB take a look at solutions to power your device by converting the sun’s
Powerstick is available directly from powerstick.com for $69.95; it’s rays into electricity. Forget power outlets and external batteries, and
expected to be available in stores by summer 2008. leave your AC adapters behind. These ecologically friendly solutions
are perfect for extended camping trips and other situations where access
Other portable battery charging solutions to batteries or power outlets may not be available.
A large number of similar products are available, but most of these The Solio Classic (Fig. 6) from Better Energy Systems is a folding
solutions require that you use the longer and more unwieldy sync cable set of solar panels that charge an internal 1,650 mAh rechargeable bat-
that came with your device to connect it to the battery. In addition, tery. The Solio’s internal battery can hold its charge for up to a year.
they require a separate cable to connect the battery to an AC or DC Once charged, you can use that battery to recharge most mobile devices
power source. Products in this category include APC Mobile Power twice. The unit ships with a Mini-USB tip that will connect to many
Pack ($69.95; apc.com), JAVOedge High Capacity Portable Battery Windows Mobile devices. In addition, a variety of additional “tips”
Charger ($49.95; javoedge.com), Mobile Power Pack ($69; pocket are available that allow you to connect to and recharge a Sony PSP,
pctechs.com), and Mobile Device Charger or Mobile Device Charger GameBoy, GPS system, digital camera, and other devices.
Micro ($58.95 and $44.95 respectively; proporta.com). Better Energy Systems also offers the Solio Magnesium Edition, a
more ruggedized product that can better handle the impacts and shocks

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 31


Software & Accessories Pull the {Power} Plug

short) that powers the system is filled with a mixture of alcohol, sodium
borohydride, and alkaline, which the company claims isn’t harmful to
the environment, even if the battery is thrown away. But Medis includes
battery recycling information with the unit and the box is pre-addressed
to ship to a recycler (you must pay the postage). Alternately, the DLFC
can be recycled at your local battery recycling center.
The DLFC cell is only slightly larger than a deck of playing cards
and has a two-year shelf life. That means you can store it for two years,
without activating it, and not lose any power. You activate it by remov-
ing a safety strap and squeezing the case. Then you plug the power
cord that comes with Power Pack into the battery and connect it to
your phone or PDA (Fig. 7). This creates a “draw” on the system and
the power pack begins to produce energy. According to Medis, it can
recharge a cell phone up to ten times. The specifications provided by
the manufacturer show that the DLFC cell has a 4,500 mAh capacity,
the largest of any of the battery-powered systems featured in this article
(see chart at the end of this article).

Fig. 6: The Solio Classic is one of three alternate-power charging systems from Better Energy
Systems LTD that harnesses the sun’s rays to recharge your Windows Mobile device.

of outdoor use. This product is compatible with iGo power tips (cov-
ered in the “Comprehensive charging systems” section of this article)
which means it is compatible with a vast number of devices and should
continue to be well-supported as new devices enter the market. The
Magnesium Edition has a slightly more capable 1,800 mAh battery
built into it.
The Solio Hybrid 1000 has a longer and wider single panel design
and a less capable 1,200 mAh battery. Its advantage is that it can be
clipped to your gear and will charge the battery while you’re hiking
or biking. The other Solio chargers have a fold-out design that is less Fig. 7: The 24-7 Power Pack is a “green” battery that will recharge your device multiple times
conducive to this type of mobile use. The Hybrid 1000’s battery can also and then can be turned in for recycling.
be charged via a USB port when connected to a computer.
The Solio Classic is priced at $99.95, the Magnesium Edition at The 24-7 Power Pack “Starter Kit” (with one DLFC battery, the
$199.99, and the Hybrid 1000 at $79.95. All three are available on the charging cable and connection tips for an iPod, Treo, and mini-USB
Better Energy Systems online store (store.solio.com). Each includes devices) is available for $29.99 from poweritanywhere.com. Additional
a different set of device connector tips (check solio.com for more in- fuel cells can be purchased for $19.99 and additional tips for the system
formation). If a tip for your device does not ship with the charger, it is (there are more than a dozen, including tips for other phone models, the
probably available for $9.95. Sony PSP, DVD players, and more) are less than $5 each.

Other solar power solutions Purchasing advice


Another solar powered recharging solution is offered by SOCO (soco. Before you purchase any of the solutions listed in this article, you
it). Their Oasi K2 + (135 Euros; approximately $250) incorporates a should do a little homework. Most of these solutions do not work with
large solar panel that produces more power than the other products in all Windows Mobile devices, and because of the nature of making a
this section. According to the company, it can charge a cell phone within universal power accessory, there are a number of questions you should
one hour and produce enough power to run some cell phones directly find answers to before you make a purchase:
from the solar panel. • Do they offer a cable or tip for your specific make and model of
phone?
Green proprietary battery systems • Is a cable included with the power accessory, or do you have to
A “proprietary” battery system is any unit which includes a special bat- purchase it separately?
tery created by the manufacturer and a custom-designed cable system • Do I live in, or travel to, a locale with special AC power adapter
to connect the battery to your Windows Mobile device. Perhaps the (unique plugs) or power conversion (different voltage) considerations?
most ecologically-friendly proprietary system is the 24-7 Power Pack Have I checked to make sure that the power accessory I’m purchasing
from Medis Technologies. The Direct Liquid Fuel Cell (or DLFC for is certified to work under these conditions?

32 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Pull the {Power} Plug Software & Accessories

Dimensions Battery Max output


COMPARE (inches)
Weight (oz) Output voltage
Capacity current
Power from

Lil Sync USB AA 1.4oz (4.8oz 5.6 (Alkaline) approx.


1.6 x 5.2 x .77 N/A 1200 mA AA batteries (4)
Battery Adapter with VRC with batteries) 5 (NiCAD/NiMH)

iGo everywhere85 6.1 x 2.5 x 1.3 8 Varies* N/A Varies* AC/DC

Medis 24-7 Power Pack 3.8 x 2.67 x 2.23 6.5 3.6 - 5.45 4500 mAh 220mA Proprietary fuel cell

Rechargeable battery with


Solio Classic 4.7 x 1.3 x 2.5 5.6 4 - 12 1600 mAh 1000mA
built-in solar charging system

USB Powerstick .93 x 4.13 x .59 1.4 5 750 mAh 700mA Internal Lithium Polymer battery

VersaCharger Pro 4.01 x 1.77 x 1.61 2.5 5.3 - 5.5 N/A 1000mA AC/DC/USB

* The iGo everywhere85 changes the output voltage and current based on the “tips” that are connected to it.

Comparison chart Read about my “real-world usage” reviews


Above is a sample chart comparing the main products discussed in If you’d like even more information on these products, I’ll be writing
this article. To get the most out of it, familiarize yourself with these on-the-road reviews on my blog (go to smartphonemag.com/blogs and
technical terms: click on “Hanttula.”). I’ll test each product extensively as I travel the
Output voltage: This is the voltage that the power accessory re- world and only use one charging system each week, without the backup
charges your device at. Ideally, you want this to be as close as pos- of my original AC power cord or the standard USB sync cable. You can
sible to your device’s voltage requirements (check your user manual read about my experiences, tips on which devices are the best in their
or manufacture’s Web site for this information). If a power accessory category, and my suggestions for the perfect solution for specific travel
has listed your device as compatible, it should be providing the proper scenarios. So go online and check out what I’ve been testing today.
voltage to your device. They’ll be titled starting with “Pull the (power) plug review.” n
Battery Capacity: This can be compared to the size of a car’s gas
tank, but instead of gallons, battery capacity is measured in “Milli-
Ampere hours” (mAh). The higher the mAh rating, the more energy
a portable battery stores. So, for example, a charging solution with a
1,600 mAh rating should be able to completely charge a Windows Mo-
bile device with a 1,200 mAh battery (and have some power left over).
A solution with a 4,500 mAh rating should be able to fully charge the
same Windows Mobile device at least three times.
Maximum output current: If battery capacity is comparable to the
size of the gas tank, the maximum output current is comparable to
the diameter of the pipe that transfers the gasoline to the car’s engine.
Higher powered devices demand more output current; for example, if
you use the device while it is charging you won’t drain the battery.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 33


Software and Accessories

Keep Critical Information Secure with eWallet 6.0


The latest version of Ilium Software’s electronic wallet program offers greater security
and incorporates some of the best features of a former competitor.
by Clinton Fitch

W
hether its PIN numbers, bank ac-
count information, passwords,
or credit card numbers, the vast
majority of us have an ever-ex-
panding amount of confidential information
that we need to keep secure. If we don’t, we
open ourselves up to credit card fraud, identity
theft, and other hazards. This problem is com-
pounded by the fact that today’s world is very
mobile. For example, I carry around much of
my personal information with me on my Win-
dows Mobile device so I can access it quickly
if the need arises. But my mobile device is
small, and it’s relatively easy to misplace it or
have it stolen. For me, keeping that informa-
tion secure is of paramount importance.
Over the last few years, I have used eWal-
let Professional from Ilium Software to keep
my personal information secure. It is one of a
number of “electronic wallet” applications that Fig. 1: A PC version of eWallet ships with the Professional Edition of the program.
let you store, organize, and password-protect
personal info on your Windows Mobile device.
Ilium recently released eWallet 6.0, a signifi- lost, you would still have your wallet infor- Using eWallet
cant upgrade of the program that adds many mation safe and secure on a server, which you eWallet 6.0 installs on your Windows Mobile
useful features. (This review looks at the touch could access once you get eWallet re-installed device via an ActiveSync (Windows XP) or
screen version of the program; a version with on another PC. Windows Mobile Device Center (Windows
similar features is also available for non-touch One of the more exciting new features Vista) connection. It requires approximately
screen smartphones and Palm OS devices.) is still in beta. Ilium is working on a system 4 MB of storage space on your device. The
called eWallet Web Companion. It allows you
Enhancements to eWallet to access your wallet file, stored on a secure
program is available for touch or non-touch
screen devices running Windows Mobile 2003
As with previous versions of the program, site, from Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iP- or later. The “Professional” edition includes a
eWallet 6.0 allows you to password-protect hone, or any Web-enabled mobile device. It desktop PC version of the program (Fig. 1) that
your personal information. However, the new has multiple layers of security and encryption occupies about 12 MB of hard disk space.
version increases this protection to 256-bit so you can be assured your vital information By default, eWallet creates a start-up
AES FIPS encryption (the current U.S. Gov- won’t get out in the public. When it’s released, “wallet” on your device called “My Wallet.”
ernment standard). This protection applies to you’ll be able to access your personal informa- You cannot rename this, but you can create
both the Windows Mobile and the desktop PC tion from a public PC or another mobile device additional wallet files from either the Win-
versions of the program. without having to install eWallet on it. More dows Mobile or desktop PC version of the
Additionally, you can now configure eWal- information about this feature is available on program.
let to perform an automatic backup of your Ilium Software’s Web site (iliumsoft.com/site/ Once the PC version installed, you can syn-
wallet file each time you close or lock the ap- ew/ew_olbeta.php). chronize eWallet data between the mobile and
plication. This means that you no longer have Finally, Ilium worked with the folks at We- PC versions of the program. This is accom-
to worry about losing data in the unlikely event bIS in the development of eWallet 6.0. This plished with the SyncPro application, which is
of a corrupted wallet file. You can also syn- new version of the program incorporates some built into eWallet. SyncPro works in conjunc-
chronize your wallet file to remote locations of the best features of WebIS’s FlexWallet pro-
from the desktop PC version of the program gram, including the outstanding FlexWallet Clinton Fitch is a Microsoft MVP in Mobile Devices and owns
via the Secure FTP feature. By doing this, you icons. In addition, you can import FlexWallet Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! and HPC:Factor. Clinton has been
writing in the Windows Mobile community for nearly 10
effectively create an offsite copy of your wal- data files into eWallet 6.0. A full description years and can be found online participating in various fo-
let. Why is this important? Suppose you have of the process is on the Ilium Software Web rums and blogs including the Ask The Experts blog here at
your laptop PC and your Windows Mobile site (iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ew_fwmain.php). Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine. In his day job, Clinton is
the Unified Communications Product Manager for Spanlink
device in the same bag and it is stolen at the More integration of FlexWallet features into Communications. Clinton is married, has two teenaged children, and lives in the
airport. Although your equipment would be eWallet will be coming later in 2008. Dallas, Texas area. He can be reached at management@clintonfitch.com.

34 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Keep Critical Information Secure with eWallet 6.0 Software & Accessories

Figs. 2 & 3: eWallet lets you save credit card, PIN numbers, etc., in a data card (left). The main Figs. 4 & 5: eWallet organizes your data cards into “Card Type” categories (left). When creating
screen of the program displays a list of your cards, organized by category (right). a new card, select the appropriate category and a blank template is displayed, with the most
common data fields for that type of card (right).

tion with ActiveSync or Mobile Device Center Top 10 List since 2004 because it’s easy to use (with desktop component with which you
to sync eWallet data between your device and and easy to customize. In addition, it has great can synchronize data) is available for $29.95.
PC. It also allows you to sync eWallet data online and live tech support. Ilium Software A free demo version of the program is also
with a server, an FTP site, or a USB thumb is one of the few companies that still offers available. You can purchase eWallet through a
drive. toll-free phone support for their products. And variety of online retailers, including the Smart-
One of the long standing advantages of when you ask them a question, they give you phone & Pocket PC magazine online store
eWallet over similar programs has been its an accurate and reliable answer. Couple this (smartphonemag.com/swstore). You can also
ability to allow you to create virtually any with the product itself and you have a very purchase it and find out more about it on the
type of data card to hold any type of data in compelling solution. Ilium Software Web site (iliumsoft.com). n
your wallet file (Fig. 2). You can also catego- The eWallet 6.0 standalone program (with-
rize those cards to make navigation easier and out the desktop PC component) is available
to allow you to find your information quickly for $19.95. The eWallet Professional program
(Fig. 3). Included in eWallet are several built-
in categories, including credit cards, automo-
bile cards, password cards, ID cards, and other
common card types.
When you create a new data card, you are
presented with a screen that lets you select the
category of the card. Select the desired cat-
egory and a blank card template is displayed,
with the most common data fields used for that
type of card. For example, if you select the
Credit Card category (Fig. 4), you get a blank
template with data fields that let you enter the
Card Provider, Card Type, Card Number, etc.
(Fig. 5). (Tip: You can rename the data fields
by tapping and holding on the current field
name.) Fill in the data fields, customize the
appearance of the card, add attachments to the
card, specify a background photo if you want,
and select OK or Done. The final step is to
enter the name of the new card. Note that if
the built-in categories don’t meet your needs,
you can create new categories easily. Select
New >Menu >Category >New Category and
fill out the data screen.

Easy to use and customize;


great tech support!
It is hard to find anything to criticize about
eWallet 6.0. It works exceptionally well and is
a great way to keep your personal data secure,
both on your PC and on your Windows Mobile
device. This program has been on my annual

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 35


Software and Accessories

Get More from Windows Mobile

Create a Wireless Office Using Windows Mobile


by Daniel Hanttula

W
hether you’re a hardcore road that person in your Contacts list. Obviously, appointments, Voice Command will announce
warrior or a desk jockey who it’s great to use this hands-free application your appointment subject and location instead
would simply like to access work while you’re driving, but it makes navigating of the usual reminder sound that’s played. You
documents from the neighborhood through the Windows Mobile interface much can even ask the software “What’s my next
Starbucks, you can turn your PDA or smart- easier in any situation. For example, saying appointment?” and it will respond with the
phone into a fully functional wireless office. “redial” calls the last number you dialed, and corresponding information for your next ob-
Of course, Windows Mobile comes with all the “callback” dials the number of the last per- ligation.
basics to access your e-mail and documents, son who called you. This is much easier than As its name implies, Voice Command lets
but with a few quick upgrades, you can make
your handheld a powerful wireless office that
opens the latest Office documents, verbally
screens your calls, records your ideas, and
even let’s you access information on your
desktop computer when you’re miles away.

Create and read Office 2007 documents


Until now, Windows Mobile devices were not
able to open the new XML-based file formats
(.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx) introduced in the
desktop PC version of Microsoft Office 2007.
But with the new Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 Figs. 1 & 2: Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 allows you to save files in the Office 2007 format (left) as well as the ability to use
upgrade, users can open documents saved in SmartArt and Themes in PowerPoint Mobile (right).
the Office 2007 format (Fig. 1), and save new
ones in that format. The software also features you activate and control various features on
new functionality, like enhanced charting ca- your device with spoken commands. You can
pabilities in Excel Mobile and the ability to not only launch any application by speaking
display SmartArt and themes in PowerPoint the program’s name, you can access features
Mobile (Fig. 2). But, for most users, the com- within the application. For example, speak the
pelling feature will be the ability to work with name of an album, artist, or genre to play it in
Office 2007 documents if your company is Media Player Mobile. You can also say “play
already working with the newest version of everything” to put your entire music collection
Microsoft’s Office suite. into a playlist. If you hear an unfamiliar tune,
Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 is available say “what song is this?” to hear the name of
for Windows Mobile 5 touch screen devices the song and performing artist. You can also
with a build number higher than 14847 (tap access your device’s system tools to ask for the
Start >Settings >About to find your build phone’s signal strength, battery level, and time
number) and all Windows Mobile 6 devices and date. Voice Command will even alert you
(touch screen and non-touch screen). The up- when your phone’s battery is getting low.
grade is available for free for some users, and The software can act like a “virtual sec-
you can find out if you’re eligible by visit- retary” by announcing your incoming calls,
Fig. 3: Voice Command adds speech-activated functionality
ing Microsoft’s Web site (microsoft.com/win e-mails, and appointment reminders. You can
to many of the Windows Mobile applications.
dowsmobile/software/officemobile/upgrade.
mspx). Otherwise, you can purchase the up- Daniel Hanttula has covered the handheld market for
grade at handango.com for $49.95 (search for opening the Phone application, tapping the more than a decade, lecturing at PDA conferences, ver-
“Microsoft Office Mobile”). tical market trade associations, and appearing on popu-
Call History button, and tapping on the last lar television series like TechTV’s Screen Savers show.
person who called you. He created an entire curriculum of Pocket PC training
Hire a virtual secretary Voice Command isn’t just limited to phone classes for the Moore-Norman Technology Center and
has published hundreds of articles, including guest
Another Microsoft application that will help features. The software also adds commands pieces for ZDTV, C|NET, Microsoft, Leo Laporte’s 2003 Technology Almanac,
you create a mobile office is Voice Command for the Windows Mobile Calendar applica- and other print media and online news sources. In March 2001, he published
1.6. This software uses voice recognition to tion so that you can ask your device “What his first book, the Official Hewlett-Packard Pocket PC Handbook by IDG Books.
He is the Head of I.T., U.S. for Engel & Völkers (engelvoelkers.com), one of the
respond to spoken commands that you give is my schedule today?” and it will respond by leading European real estate companies serving exclusive buyers and sellers of
it. For example, saying “Call John Seabreeze reading you all of the day’s appointments in residential, commercial, and yachting properties. He can be reached via e-mail
at work” dials the work number listed for at danh@semperaptus.com.
Calendar. And, if you set reminders for your

36 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Create a Wireless Office Using Windows Mobile Software & Accessories

even set the software to read SMS messages ever, recordings and regular notes are listed
aloud. And, the software can be configured to together, making it more difficult to find the re-
only speak during “free time” in your calen- cordings. In addition, I prefer to have the most
dar, so your new assistant won’t disturb you recent recordings displayed first in the list, and
during a meeting. Voice Command supports it’s difficult to do this. On a Windows Mobile
Bluetooth headsets, allowing you to access its device, you can sort a file list by Name (the de-
features while your phone or PDA is stashed fault), Size, Type, and Date. But when you sort
away in your briefcase, pocket, or purse. by Date, it displays the oldest files first and the
most recent files at the bottom of the list. You
Get More from Voice Command! can display the most recent files at the top of
the list by selecting the Date option twice. As
You can configure Voice Command to only read e-mails you can see, too many screen taps are involved
aloud if they’re sent as high priority messages. Set in the process. Because I have Note2Self set
this feature if you’re expecting a critical e-mail; when up to send recordings to my own Inbox, the
it comes in, Voice Command will read it aloud to you most recent recordings always appear there at
without any interaction on your part. This can be helpful the top of the list! I open the message, listen to
if you’d like people to send you important updates while the note, take any necessary action, and then
you’re in meetings or while driving, but don’t want to be Fig. 4: Note2Self is a pop-up voice recorder that delete the message. Very efficient!
disturbed with less important messages. allows you to create a voice recording and then
e-mail or save it with two quick key presses.
Voice Command 1.6 is priced at $39.95 and Get More from Note2Self!
is available for Windows Mobile 5/6 devices. ting down thoughts, ideas, discoveries, and If you have an actual assistant to whom you dictate
(Note that it is built into some of the newer just about anything that comes to mind while letters, notes, and other information, you can enter
Windows Mobile 6 phones.) Installation re- you’re on the go. Unfortunately, it isn’t always his or her e-mail address into the Note2Self configura-
quires 4 MB of storage memory and the pro- feasible to pull out the stylus or use the slide- tion. When you click the “Stop & Send” button, all the
gram uses approximately 7 MB of RAM when out keyboard to record a quick thought. Ideas recordings you make will go directly to the assistant for
its running. The U.S. version of the program can leave the mind as quickly as they come, transcription. This can also be a great way to quickly
is available for touch and non-touch screen so it’s important to be able to capture them send notes to your spouse, or a fun way to communicate
devices. Currently, the French, German, and quickly and without much effort. between friends. To create a private note for yourself,
U.K. English version of the program are only Note2Self instantly begins recording a click “Stop & Save” instead.
available for touch screen devices. In addition, voice note with a press of a hardware button
the Bluetooth feature requires a device with that you define. This also causes the Note2Self Note2Self can be configured to send the
the hardware capability to route Bluetooth main screen to pop up (Fig. 4), displaying the e-mails with voice recordings via ActiveSync,
audio and implement Microsoft’s Bluetooth current recording time, and the file size of the your wireless e-mail service, or the WebIS No-
stack. More information about Voice Com- recording. It also displays three soft buttons te2Self Sending Service (an optional service
mand, as well as “Buy” links are available on that allow you to stop the recording and send available for a monthly fee). The program’s
Microsoft’s Web site (microsoft.com/windows it to the e-mail address of your choice, stop and configuration menu lets you set the e-mail ad-
mobile/voicecommand/default.mspx). save the recording, or cancel the recording. dress and create a custom Subject line to in-
Note2Self also solves one of the biggest clude with the voice recording file attachment.
Record ideas quickly, the pet peeves I have with Windows Mobile. The By default, the program saves the voice note as
instant you have them built-in Notes application on touch screen de- a .wav file, which is a more universal format.
Windows Mobile devices are great for jot- vices features a voice record capability. How- However, you can set the application to record

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Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 37


Software & Accessories Create a Wireless Office Using Windows Mobile

PC if your handheld is misplaced or stolen.


The Search screen (Fig. 6) includes tabs for e-mail, instant
messages, files (like Word and Excel documents), and your PC’s
Web page history folder. When the program returns search re-
sults, you can tap on any item to download the text or launch a
URL (if the search result is a Web page). DeskFinder also in-
cludes an advanced search function that allows you to give more
specific criteria to narrow the results or find a specific item.
DeskFinder for Pocket PC (touch screen only) is available
for $19.95 from SHAPE Services (shapeservices.com); a 7-day
free trial is also available for download from their Web site.
The software requires that Google Desktop (a free download
available at desktop.google.com) is installed on the Internet-
connected computer you wish to access. The DeskFinder PC
software is available for Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP.
(I was not able to get the software to install on Windows Vista
with Windows Mobile Device Center, but the company informed
Figs. 5 & 6: DeskFinder provides a remote search to find any keyword (left) in e-mails, documents, me they’re working on a Vista-compatible version.) The mobile
Web history, and instant message history while the advanced search (right) lets you set more complex
software is designed for Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows
criteria to narrow your results.
Mobile 5 devices. (It did not work with the wireless features of
my Windows Mobile 6 device.)

Get More from DeskFinder!


Although the software’s taskbar icon displays when a Windows Mobile client
is connected to your PC, you can also activate the DeskFinder Google Desktop
sidebar plug-in that shows the time the connection was established and other
critical information about logins, queries, and document access (Fig. 7). To ac-
tivate the widget, click on the DeskFinder taskbar icon, and activate the “Enable
plug-in in Google Desktop sidebar” option.

Want to “get more?”


Are you an expert in a particular Windows Mobile technology
and want to share your knowledge? Have you ever felt like
Fig. 7: The DeskFinder Google Desktop sidebar plug-in gives you detailed information
you’re not taking full advantage of some feature of your hand-
on the connections made to your PC from a handheld device.
held? In either case, send your comments to danh@semperaptus.
com or rich@smartphonemag.com. We will try to make it easier
to become a Windows Mobile power user! n
in the .ogg file format to reduce the size of the files that are being sent.
Note2Self is available from Web Information Solutions (pocketinformant.

Get the info you need


com) for Windows Mobile 5/6 Standard (non-touch screen) smartphones and
Windows Mobile 2003 SE/5/6 Classic and Professional (touch screen) de-
vices. It is very reasonably priced at $9.95, and a free two-week trial version
is also available. The WebIS Note2Self Sending Service is available for $5
per month for users that do not have a wireless e-mail account and wish to quickly
send their voice recordings OTA (over the air). A Wi-Fi network connection
or a cellular data plan is also required to send voice notes OTA.
Magazine archives • Forums
• Best Sites • Encyclopedia
Access data on your PC from anywhere
Have you ever saved a document on your office PC, gone home, and then real-
• Software & Accesssories
ized that you needed it? If so, you’ll be grateful for DeskFinder from SHAPE • Awards • Hot Downloads
Services. This software works with Google Desktop (a free download) to let • Buyer’s Guide
you use your Windows Mobile touch screen device to connect to your desktop
PC, search it for files (Fig. 5), and download them to your handheld—from
• Free Newsletters
anywhere in the world.
When you run the installation program, it adds a desktop client to your PC,
installs the DeskFinder application on your Windows Mobile device, and cre-
ates a “DeskFinder Service ID.” The Service ID is a unique code that prevents
other people from accessing the documents on your PC. For security, you can SmartphoneMag.com
only perform a remote search of your PC from a handheld that was physically
connected to your computer during installation. You can also password-protect
the handheld application, which will help prevent unauthorized access to your Visit today!
38 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08
Software and Accessories

Figs. 1 & 2: TouchPal has five tabs above the keys that let you quickly access its Figs. 3 & 4: TouchPal in Predictive mode Fig. 5: Tap on second tab Fig. 6: Tap on third tab to use symbols
features. You can enlarge the keyboard to make the keys larger and easier to hit. (above) and Precise mode (below). to use the Numbers pad. and special characters.

TouchPal: One of the Best Soft Keyboards


Plus a quick look at new soft keyboards from Dasur
by Nate Adcock

A
“soft keyboard” program places a virtual keyboard on the touch bination of four characters from the standard QWERTY keyboard. For
screen of your Windows Mobile device, allowing you to enter example, the first key in the upper left corner, below the tab bar, contains
text by tapping on the screen. A soft keyboard is built into all q, w, 1, and a semicolon. You move your finger or stylus up, down,
touch screen devices, but a number of third-party alternatives right, or left to select the desired character. This mode is usually used
are also available. I have yet to find one that can match the speed and for inputting passwords or URLs, going back to make corrections, etc. I
accuracy of typing on a near-full-sized portable keyboard like the iGo was getting pretty fast using it as my standard text entry mode. You can
Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard, but soft keyboards are definitely ad- quickly switch between the modes by sliding the Enter key upwards.
vancing.
Recently, I came across TouchPal (from CooTek), as well as Thumb- Learning to use TouchPal
Key and SlideIT (from Dasur). These are some of the best soft key- Using TouchPal in Predictive mode was frustrating at first because I
boards on the market, but how do they compare to a physical keyboard? thought you had to use the sliding motions. I ended up turning on the
This review focuses on TouchPal, but I’ve included a brief section on Precise input mode to get the hang of the keyboard first. The advantage
the amazing capabilities of the Dasur programs as well. I conclude with of the Predictive mode is that you only need to enter a few letters of
a section that compares soft and hard keyboards. each word, and let the word guesser pick the best hit. You can enter
text surprisingly fast in Predictive mode, but the speed usually comes
TouchPal’s predictive and precise modes at the price of accuracy. The faster you go, the more mistakes TouchPal
TouchPal (cootek.com) has a smart tabbed layout approach (Fig. 1) that makes, and you have to go back and fix incorrect words.
lets you access the options of a full keyboard in a small screen footprint. After a frustrating first hour, typing with my fingers became a little
The tabs let you quickly access the QWERTY keyboard and other fea- easier, but I wasn’t able to enter text as fast as I can with my favorite
tures described later in the article. When first installed, the keys and tabs full-screen soft keyboard, Sunnysoft Interwrite (sunnysoft.com). Full-
are barely large enough for fingers; fortunately, the whole thing can be screen soft keyboards are okay for entering text in a Word Mobile
resized (Fig. 2). In addition, you can switch your device to landscape document, for example, but don’t work as well with activities like chat
viewing mode to make the keyboard more accessible (no resize in this because the keyboard occupies the entire screen and you have to switch
mode, however), and the keyboard can also be shifted right or left of between the keyboard and the program to send text.
center, suiting your preference. The keyboard has two modes of entry: As mentioned, the TouchPal keyboard can be resized, which makes
Predictive and Precise. it easier to use. Unfortunately, the resizing feature only works in portrait
In Predictive mode (Fig. 3), you simply start typing a word, and after viewing mode. The word-prediction engine is good but not perfect. For
a few letters TouchPal will display the words it “thinks” you need in the example, it can be a real pain to use when you’re going back to make
tabs above the soft keyboard. When the word you desire appears in one changes, because it will suggest a word every time you enter a keystroke.
of the tabs, simply tap to enter it. If you make no selection and simply I also found that it was easy to forget which text entry mode I was in.
tap on the Space key, TouchPal enters what it “thinks” is the most likely So, for example, if I thought I was in Predictive mode, but was really in
word, which it has outlined in one of the tabs (note the highlighted word
in Fig. 3). The program is amazingly good at “guessing” the correct
Nate Adcock is a systems test and integration engineer with experience managing and admin-
word from the list as you type, allowing you to continue entering text istering a wide variety of platforms and network environments. He is a former military weather
without the distraction of constantly having to select words. forecaster and has worked extensively with the Pocket PC OS and handhelds for several years.
In Precise mode (Fig. 4), you must manually select each character In addition to working on his own hobbyist blog (natescrap.blogspot.com), he is also a regular
contributor to Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine’s Blogs and was an expert judge in our recent
by sliding your finger or stylus over the keys. Each key contains a com- Best Software Awards 2007. natestera@mail.com

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 39


Software & Accessories Hard vs. Soft: Which Keyboard is Best for You?

Fig. 7: In Professional version, tap on Fig. 8: Tap on the fourth tab Figs. 9 & 10: TouchPal’s Help/Options tab lets you tweak the basic Fig. 11: SlideIT (above)
the third tab to use icons. to use direction pad. options (left) and access a comprehensive Quick Start guide (right). Fig. 12: ThumbKey (below)

the QWERTY keyboard, shown in earlier screenshots. The second tab


Tips on installing and configuring soft keyboards provides access to a simple number pad with common arithmetic func-
tions (Fig. 5). The third tab is particularly useful, allowing you to enter
You install soft keyboards as you would any other third-party
symbols, special characters, and a variety of smiley-face icons (latter
program, by downloading the program to your PC, establishing
only available in Professional version). It even has keys that let you enter
an ActiveSync/Mobile Device Center connection between your
common Internet domain notation, like @gmail, .com, .net, etc. (Figs.
Windows Mobile device and PC, and clicking on the installation
6 & 7). Note that you can customize the third and fourth tab features
file. However, there are some things you should watch out for after
in the Professional version of the program, adding your own smilies,
you install the program:
boilerplate sentences, and hot-key combinations. For example, you can
• Make sure your display is set to portrait (vertical) orienta- change the .net domain notation key to display .org or another address
tion before attempting to configure the keyboard options. If you extension. You can’t change the .com button, however. The fourth tab
don’t, some of the options at the bottom of the screen may not lets you access TouchPal’s direction pad, which makes it easy to move
be visible. around documents, and save your own keyboard commands (Fig. 8).
• The last soft input panel selected stays selected unless you I love it when a developer not only creates a feature-rich application,
perform a soft reset. After a reset, your device reverts to the stan- but takes the time to create a comprehensive and easy to use on-board
dard soft keyboard as the default. Note, however, that TouchPal Help feature for it. TouchPal’s Help/Options tab (Fig. 9) lets you tweak
has an option that lets you set it as the default SIP. Some other the basic options easily and access a comprehensive Quick Start guide
soft keyboards also have this option, and you may be prompted to quickly (Fig. 10).
perform a soft reset after settting them as your default.
• You may have problems getting the add-on keyboards to Dasur SlideIT and ThumbKey
load properly when you have a large number of programs in your Dasur, Ltd (dasur.co.il) has released two soft keyboards that are pretty
Windows/StartUp folder. The soft keyboard vendor’s site will amazing: SlideIT and ThumbKey. As the names imply, they are tailored
have troubleshooting information to help you with this problem. for a particular mode of entry; either by using your stylus (SlideIT) or
It usually involves removing items from the StartUp folder, but thumbs (ThumbKey).
you have to be careful doing this. Some of the items in the folder SlideIT (Fig. 11) uses a predictive word engine to analyze the pat-
are associated with the Windows Mobile OS. The best way is to tern of your stylus trace as you drag it from letter to letter on the soft
uninstall any third party programs you aren’t using, especially keyboard. Based on the trace, it presents a list of possible word hits. The
other soft keyboard programs. Another approach is to start your default word it selects from the list is usually the one you want, allowing
Windows Mobile device in “Safe Mode,” which starts your device you to type/drag rapidly without stopping to make selections.
without running any of the apps in the StartUp folder. This capabil- ThumbKey (Fig. 12) uses a similar approach, except that instead
ity is not built into Windows Mobile devices, but you can add it of using the stylus, you can use your thumbs to type directly on the
with programs like Spb Pocket Plus (spbsoftwarehouse.com) or screen. Striking the wrong keys with thumbs (or stylus if you prefer) is
Airscanner PowerTools (airscanner.com). compensated for by the predictive engine’s ability to provide accurate
word hits, which it does with amazing reliability. Both keyboards also
include a pre-loaded dictionary of word alias shortcuts. For example,
Precise mode, I’d end up entering lines of gibberish on the screen. when you type “PCM” the program enters “please call me.”
Initially, I could type faster and more accurately with the Soft In-
put options built into my Pocket PC. But my speed and accuracy rap- Hard vs soft keyboard—which is right for you?
idly improved with practice. I found that I could do much better using This closing section was written in Word Mobile on my iPAQ Pocket
TouchPal with a stylus than with my fingers, and I was fastest and PC, using my new iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard
most accurate laying my Pocket PC on a table or my lap and using two (available at expansys-usa.com and other online sources). For rapid
styluses simultaneously. and accurate text entry, there’s really no comparison between a near-
A ton of features full-size physical keyboard and any soft keyboard panel. A physical
keyboard is more spacious and easier to use, you can enter text faster
The TouchPal tabs give you access to a ton of features—many more and more accurately, and more of the screen is available to display text.
than you find in other soft input panels. However, several of these are All this makes creating and editing documents quicker and easier.
only available in the professional version. Tap on the first tab to display

40 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Hard vs. Soft: Which Keyboard is Best for You? Software & Accessories

The thumb keyboards found


on BlackBerrys, Palm Treos, and TIP Be careful accepting misspellings as new dictionary words
the like are a different matter. I can Most of the soft keyboards I’ve tested include dictionaries used by their word prediction
definitely type faster with Touch-
feature (or access the built-in Windows Mobile word list). In most cases you can add
Pal or the Dasur keyboards than I
can with those thumb keyboards. new words to these dictionaries, but be careful! They all have a feature that asks you if
My son has an iPhone, which in- you want to enter a word into the dictionary, but it’s relatively easy to misspell a word
cludes a soft keyboard that has and accidentally enter the misspelled word into the dictionary. For more on this, read
many of the predictive text fea-
My iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth
the program documentation for your keyboard.
tures mentioned here. However,
it wasn’t nearly as good as Touch- Keyboard connected to my HP iPAQ
Pal or the Dasur keyboards.
With practice, you might come close to the input rate of a physical I don’t need the Stowaway. TouchPal Standard is available for free; the
keyboard with a soft keyboard. I was able to enter an amazing amount of more feature-rich TouchPal Professional is priced at $12.98. Both can
text in a short time with the Dasur soft keyboards and TouchPal. However, be downloaded directly from the CooTek Web site (cootek.com). It’s
these programs are really designed for creating and responding to e-mail also available on the Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine online store
and instant messages, taking short notes, and other non-intensive text (smartphonemag.com/swstore).
entry tasks—times when maybe a physical keyboard cannot be used. NOTE: Our readers can get a 25% discount on the newly released
TouchPal is the most powerful and intuitive soft input solution I TouchPal v3 if they use this discount code (SPM2TP) when purchasing
have come across, and it will remain my soft keyboard of choice when the product from the CooTek Web site (cootek.com). n

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Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 41


Software and Accessories

Ask the Experts: Communications Software

O
ver 90 experts judged more than 850 nominations for the Smart- The purpose of publishing the comments is to give insights into a
phone & Pocket PC magazine Best Software Awards 2007. Our variety of products—not to show how the judges voted. For the sake
judges had plenty to say about their favorite products. In this of brevity, we’ve included only 1-3 comments per product and edited
issue we are publishing their comments about the programs them for clarity and conciseness. A listing of the 2007 winners and
nominated in the Communications software category. We will publish finalists can be found on our Web site (smartphonemag.com/awards/
their comments on other software categories in future issues. main.asp).

Touch Screen
The comments in this section They could improve the product BlueMusic files. (Steven Hughes) It did not
were for the touch screen version by adding a macro edit feature to teksoftco.com work on my WM 6 device. (Chris
of the application. We indicate assign custom triggers for more Touch and non-touch screen Brunskill)
if a non-touch screen version is advanced mice with more buttons. BlueMusic redirects any audio
available. (Mike Riley) sent to the speaker through the Call and SMS
Bluetooth transmitter on your autoblocker/rejecters
Bluetooth
device to a Bluetooth headset. It
even gives you control over ring- Call SMS Blocker
BlueMouse winmobileapps.com
teksoftco.com tone volume and will automati-
cally resume music after you end Touch and non-touch screen
Touch screen only This application is simple to use,
BlueMouse works as advertised! a phone call. It works well not
only with music, but with VoIP but the interface could use some
I installed the app easily and was work. It was tested on and worked
immediately able to use my Blu- and GPS. (Steven Hughes) The
setup process is complicated. with a Palm Windows Mobile de-
etooth mouse without any prob- vice, which handles SMS a bit dif-
lems. Where has this product The developer needs to combine
the three-file setup into a single ferently. (Jon Westfall)
been all my life? (Amy Zunk)
installation file. The installation
also occupies a lot of memory.

The Experts (Mike Riley)


Bluezard
Chris Brunskill monolithix.org wm-soft.com
Gianni Carfagno solopalmari.com Touch and non-touch screen
Julie De Jong mobilitysite.com This easy-to-use Bluetooth con-
Helio Diamant pocketpcfreak.com nection manager also allows you
Andreas Erle worldofppc.com to send files, messages, and check
security settings on other devices. MagiCall
Joel Evans geek.com
(Steven Hughes) The interface mobiion.com
Reynold Flores mobilegadgetnews.com Touch and non-touch screen
could be nicer. (Chris Brunskill)
Bradley Gillett dashsmartzone.com MagiCall has an easy-to-use and
Dick Grier hardandsoftware.net efficient rule-based interface.
Carlo Guerrero theunwired.net (Helio Diamant)
Tim Hillebrand synergetics.org/sms
PhoneGate
Steven Hughes bostonpocketpc.com
maxicon.cz
Krishna Iyer ril.com
Touch and non-touch screen
Alex Januschewsky mobilitynews.net A very good program that lets you
Raj Pillai pocketpcfaq.com/raj create a “white” list of contacts
Vijay Rathour vijay555.com you want to receive calls from
Mike Riley mikeriley.com and a “black” list of unwanted
Michael Sommer firstcoastnews.com contacts. It works well, but I was
Remzi Semsettin Turer sems.org Sniper bothered by the need to create
gadgetapps.net separate lists. They should use
Jon Westfall pocketpcthoughts.com
Touch and non-touch screen categories within Contacts for
Alan Zaks smartphonemag.com/blogs the white and black lists. (Helio
Sniper allows you to scan for
Amy Zunk gadgetme.com Bluetooth devices in your vicin- Diamant)
ity and send them messages and

42 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Ask the Experts: Communications Software Software and Accessories

Call recorders & language support is a big plus; CAB installation file is required
answering machines lack of profiles is a big minus. All for each of these. Inexperienced
in all, this application is a “must users might have trouble dealing
have” for WM phones. (Raj Pillai) with this multi-CAB file installa-
They could improve it by adding tion process. (Julie De Jong)
features that dealt with unread
mail, missed calls, signal strength,
etc. (Remzi Semsettin Turer)

Photo Contacts Pro


pocketX.net
Pocket PhoneTools Pro Touch and non-touch screen
bvrp.com Photo Contacts is a good profile
Touch screen only management utility with call fil-
Resco Audio Recorder This suite of software tools includes tering options. It does a great job
resco.net the ability to send and receive fax- of displaying the individual’s
Touch and non-touch screen es from your device—it doesn’t photo, but the Today screen plug-
It’s possible to control this audio involve a paid service from third in appeared magnified on my
recorder program with your fin- parties. However, it hasn’t been Windows Mobile 6 device. They Spb Phone Suite
gers, thanks to the large buttons updated in a while and is designed should improve the user interface spbsoftwarehouse.com
on the well-designed user inter- to work with Windows Mobile and allow fonts to be customized. Touch screen only
face. However, it doesn’t record PDAs connected to a cell phone— (Raj Pillai) Spb Phone Suite adds a collection
phone conversations at a real not with devices with embedded of phone-related features missing
audible volume level. (Gianni phones. They need to update the PocketZenPhone from Windows Mobile’s Phone
Carfagno) program. (Helio Diamant) pocketzenphone.net Dialer application. These includ-
Touch screen only ed call filtering, photos in the call
Multifunction This phone profile manager and log, reject/reply with SMS, and
phone utilities switcher has a simple and attrac- more—all those great little func-
tive user interface. You can access tions that make phone use easier.
the application from the Today (Bradley Gillett)
screen, system tray, or as a stand-
alone application, but a separate

VITO AudioNotes
vitotechnology.com
Touch and non-touch screen
AudioNotes has a well organized phoneAlarm
user interface. (Gianni Carfagno) pocketmax.net
This is a good program that sup- Touch and non-touch screen
ports all devices, but the quality of PhoneAlarm has a Today/Home
speakerphone recordings is poor. screen interface that allows you
(Helio Diamant) to turn phone-related features off
and on at set times of the day. The
Fax program is skinable, and there are
a lot of skins to choose from, as
eFax well as a well-supported user
efax.com
forum to help create your own.
Touch and non-touch screen
(Steven Hughes) This great ap-
This online fax service lets you
plication allows you to set up to
send and receive faxes as e-mail
seven different user profiles on
attachments. There are three lev-
your phone. (Julie De Jong)
els of the service, two of which
involve a monthly fee; the third is PhoneWeaver
free. I would like to see a fourth sbsh.net
level added that is less expensive Touch screen only
than the mid-level ($16.95 per PhoneWeaver has a simple and
month) service but with more fea- appealing user interface that lets
tures than the free service. (Helio you start using it without hav-
Diamant) ing to read the manual. Multi-

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 43


Software and Accessories Ask the Experts: Communications Software

Phone dialers Jeyo Mobile Companion based VoIP service. (Remzi Sem-
jeyo.com settin Turer)
Touch and non-touch screen
You can save your SMS on your SMS autoreply /
PC or send and receive SMS us- mass sending
ing your PC with your Windows
Mobile phone attached to it. It’s
a good backup solution for SMS
and for sending out mass SMS. If
this included the MMS folder, it
would increase its usefulness a
hundred-fold. (Carlo Guerrero) Express Talk VoIP Softphone
nch.com.au
EZdial 2 Smaato Cost Touch screen only
mesoftware.biz smaato.com/network.php This VoIP program has a robust
Touch screen only Touch and non-touch screen set of features, but is too com-
EZdial 2 is an innovative and This full-featured program helps plex for casual users. It’s great
Auto SMS Reply
clever solution that works well me manage my minutes usage, for a business environment. (Tim
bytesurge.com
but is somewhat redundant on GPRS usage, and SMS messages; Hillebrand)
Touch screen only
phones running Windows Mo- it’s fairly easy to set up. It’s free,
Auto SMS Reply is the best ap-
bile 5 or later version of the OS. but displays advertising, which Fring
plication in this category—very
It needs to be more customizable was not a problem for me until I fring.com
complete and very stable. (Helio
and have better support for skins. went out of town and had to sync Touch and non-touch screen
Diamant) A handy utility, but it
(Vijay Rathour) the ads. They should develop a Fring is a communication tool on
needs multiple message capabil-
commercial version of the pro- steroids. It not only allows you to
PhonePlus ity, the ability to send to specific
gram without the SOMA Launcher VoIP from your Windows Mobile
groups, and recognize, record,
mesoftware.biz advertisements. (Julie De Jong) device, it lets you communicate
Touch screen only and categorize new senders. (Tim
with different networks. Best of all,
Hillebrand)
The phrase support and SMS edi- it’s free. (Remzi Semsettin Turer)
tor in PhonePlus are very help-
SMS Answering Machine
ful when you’re on the go. It has Mundu Speak beta
boointeractive.com
an attractive interface, functions speak.mundu.com
Touch screen only
fast, and works well. However, it Touch screen only
This software turns your Windows
doesn’t attempt to integrate into Mundu Speak is the most fea-
Mobile device into an SMS an-
OS style or give customization ture-packed chat client for touch
swering machine. It has multiple
options. (Vijay Rathour) screen devices I’ve ever seen.
message capability, can send mes-
(Alan Zaks)
sages to groups, and recognizes
and records new senders with the
Spb GPRS Monitor ability to categorize them. (Tim
spbsoftwarehouse.com Hillebrand)
Touch and non-touch screen Synchronization
GPRS Monitor is a long-time fa-
vorite of mine that has improved CompanionLink for Google
over time. It’s a perfect way of Calendar
monitoring your wireless connec- companionlink.com
tion expenses. (Carlo Guerrero) PC program; syncs with touch and
The program has nice graphics non-touch screen devices
Phone info access - WM and is easy to set up. However, If you use Google Calendar, you
they need to expand it to address Skype for Windows Mobile need this product. It handles Cal-
Phone Dashboard more phone functions: tracking skype.com endar (multiple and shared) and
Minute Tracker minute usage, SMS messages Touch and non-touch screen Outlook synchronization. The
hudsonmobile.com sent, etc. (Julie De Jong) Skype has always been my VoIP developer needs to add Bluetooth
Touch screen only application of choice, no matter
This one has a great user inter- SIP and VoIP the platform. It’s easy to install
and Wi-Fi connectivity support.
(Dick Grier)
face and really nice graphics. It and works with any type of hard-
4Talk
captures and displays informa- ware I throw at it. (Amy Zunk) Intellisync
tion about minute usage and text 4pockets.com
Touch screen only intellisync.com
messaging (SMS/MMS); setup is X-PDA PC program; syncs with touch and
easy and precise. Add data usage Finally, a program that lets you
globaliptel.com non-touch screen devices
(GPRS/EDGE, etc.) to this appli- pair two or more touch screen
Touch and non-touch screen Intellisync is a robust applica-
cation and it will be perfect! (Julie devices to create a mini walkie-
X-PDA is a great, feature-rich tion, but they need to reduce the
De Jong) talkie network. (Alan Zaks)
application for users with a SIP- bloat. (Krishna Iyer) This is an

44 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Ask the Experts: Communications Software Software and Accessories

enterprise-level synchronization, Instant Messaging & IRC Phone tools and tasks. For example, you can snap
push e-mail, and mobile device
Agile Messenger synchronization pictures of drawings, diagrams,
management product. It’s expen- and text written on a whiteboard
agilemobile.com
sive! (Dick Grier) Jeyo Mobile Companion during a business meeting, send
Touch and non-touch screen it to the scanR service, and have
jeyo.com
Agile Messenger is a feature-rich a perfectly usable version in your
Touch and non-touch screen
and user-friendly instant messag- inbox when you get back to your
Mobile Companion is a simple
ing client that lets you send text, computer. (Joel Evans)
product that can backup and re-
voice, photo, and video messages.
store as well as import and ex-
I loved the fact that you can shoot
port SMS data, Call History, and Spb GPRS Monitor
a video and then instantly share it
Phone Book information. (Reyn- spbsoftwarehouse.com
with your friends or associates. It
old Flores) I just love the ability Touch and non-touch screen
also offers interoperability across GPRS Monitor is great for some-
to control my handset through my
just about every IM service out one who needs to count their
PC—it saves me from having to
there. (Joel Evans) minutes and usage for expense
control two devices simultane-
ously. (Bradley Gillett) reports—it saves a lot of aggra-
Missing Sync vation. (Amy Zunk)
markspace.com SMARTFilter
Mac OS program; syncs with novomobile.com VITO VoiceDialer
touch and non-touch screen de- Touch and non-touch screen for Smartphone
vices SMARTFilter lets you divert calls vitotechnology.com
Missing Sync is a must-have and block calls and filter them by Touch and non-touch screen
for Windows Mobile users with callers or by your Calendar, pre- VoiceDialer provides solid voice
Mac desktops or laptops. It has venting inappropriate interrup- recognition, even in the noisiest
even more features than Active- tions. (Andreas Erle) environments. You can also re-
Sync/Mobile Device Center, and cord more than one voice tag for
works like a charm on my Apple Fring scanR a Contact so that you can voice
G5 with synchronizing my office fring.com scanr.com dial someone’s mobile, home, or
Touch and non-touch screen Touch and non-touch screen
sheets, iPhoto Albums, iTunes another phone number. (Joel Ev-
Playlists, and much more. (Alex This one offers the best possible ScanR lets you use the built-in ans) n
Januschewsky) number of services (everything I camera on your Windows Mo-
want and more) as well as voice bile phone for business-oriented

Non-Touch
communication supported on Wi-
Fi and 3G, which is very stable in
Screen the last version. The user interface
is a little complicated; it doesn’t
indicate statuses beyond acces-
The comments in this section are
sible/non-accessible. It’s also dif-
for the non-touch screen versions.
ficult to understand who is away,
We indicate if a touch screen ver-
busy, or anything else. A help file
sion is available.
and quick status table would help.
Bluetooth (Helio Diamant)

Sniper IM+ All-in-One


gadgetapps.net Mobile Messenger
Touch and non-touch screen shapeservices.de
This was definitely the most user- Touch and non-touch screen
friendly Bluetooth application. I This straightforward and easy-to-
loved its ability to send items to use program is a must for anyone
multiple devices, which is very who uses IM. However, it some-
handy when you’re in meetings times hangs up on logging into
or conferences. (Bradley Gillett) application. (Michael Sommer)

Bluezard Mundu IM
wm-soft.com messenger.mundu.com
Touch and non-touch screen Touch and non-touch screen
This has great functionality, but Mundu IM has a simple to use in-
it can be quite confusing the first terface that really shines. Within
couple of times you use it, espe- seconds you are effortlessly log-
cially if you are not familiar with ging in and chatting with your
Bluetooth capabilities or are not buddies from just about every
very tech savvy. I found the con- instant messaging service—you
trols to be somewhat cumbersome can even share photos and files.
and clunky. (Bradley Gillett) (Joel Evans)

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 45


Software and Accessories

games roundup short reviews from Games Editor Eric Pankoke


Big Games from Small Developers
F
or this issue, I decided to take a look at units were moving on their own. HeroCraft You can use the stylus to swing your sword
some of the games published by little- was quick to turn around a new build for me and cast a spell, but moving your character and
known developers here in the United to try, which seems to have cleared up some selecting menus are actions that are strictly
States and abroad. They include a new of the problems. This kind of commitment to hardware key-driven, and that turned out to be
take on a proven puzzle concept and an in- software is very important to me. a problem. On my XV6700, which is a smart-
novative new game in the platform genre. I The graphics in Revival are probably the best phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, I
sampled five very different titles, some of HeroCraft has rendered to date. Smooth anima- was able to do everything with my hardware
which brought much needed freshness to their tions compliment the units, and little touches keys except scroll through and cast spells. On
respective genres. like birds flying through the air and dolphins my Dell Axim, which is a touch screen device
playing in the waves grace the landscape. The without a phone or built-in keyboard, I couldn’t
Revival (A-) only complaint I have here is that a couple of even activate the menu from within the game, so
$24.95 (touch screen); $15.95 (non-touch the interface icons look a bit cheesy. The music I had to wait until I died to quit. I definitely don’t
screen); free demos available is pretty good, and so are the ambient sound ef- recommend this game for a non-phone PDA.
Developer and purchase smart.herocraft.com fects as of the latest version (they adjusted the The graphics are very nicely done, with a
volume level so I can actually hear them). While crisp, colorful palette. The music is also quite
From a gaming perspective, an obvious weak- my personal preference for turn-based strategy enchanting, but there are unfortunately no
ness with the Windows Mobile touch screen games is the fantasy genre, HeroCraft has done sound effects in the game. The variety of mon-
platform is the lack of good turn-based strat- a commendable job of providing Pocket PC us- sters could have been broader, and the lack of
egy games. Thankfully, HeroCraft has helped ers with a TBS game actually worth playing. a map means that if you set the game aside for
fill that void quite nicely with their first strat- a while and then come back, you might have a
egy offering, Revival. The beauty of Revival
Treasure Island (B) little trouble remembering which way you were
is that the interface, while clearly designed for $8.99; Touch and non-touch screen versions headed. Treasure Island has its faults, but it’s a
a portable device, does not sacrifice any depth and free demos available retro-romp that’s addictive and worth playing.
of game play. It’s a bit difficult to master the Developer huike.cn/enindex.asp
controls—the tutorial wasn’t much help in this Purchase smartphonemag/swstore
Impossible Sudoku (C)
department—but once you do, they actually $12.95; Touch and non-touch screen ver-
seem quite natural. Since Legend Of Zelda graced my TV screen sions and free demos available
some 20 years ago, I have always been a fan Developer and purchase umobilegame.com
of the action-RPG genre. Beijing Huike Tech-
nology has done an admirable job of bringing This is at least the fifth different version of
this genre to Windows Mobile in the form of Sudoku I’ve played on my Windows Mo-
Treasure Island. bile touch screen device. The rules haven’t
changed, so what’s so different about Impos-
sible Sudoku to make me want to play it versus
any of the other versions?

Revival gives you plenty to do. Over time


you’ll build up to twenty-four different types
of units, ranging from your basic barbarian to
a sophisticated Mech robot, and several build-
ings (many of which can be upgraded). You’ll
establish cities, strengthen your armies, and The plot is basic: Hero crashes on island
ultimately conquer your enemies. and must defeat vengeful gods in order to res-
There were a few minor technical snafus cue himself and the trapped princess. The ac-
that hampered my enjoyment a bit. One of tion mainly revolves around you demolishing Eric Pankoke has been a gamer for over 20 years, beginning with arcade
games and moving to consoles and eventually handhelds and Pocket PCs. He
my saved games would always lock up within monsters with your sword and the four spells has written over 100 gaming reviews, which have appeared on a number of
three to four turns after reloading it. Certain you learn along your journey. Defeated mon- gaming Web sites, including Pocket Gamer, PDArcade, Games-Art, PDAGround,
interface elements didn’t always refresh cor- sters leave behind gems that help you build up TechnoBrains, and his own Web site (RustySabre.com). He’s also a regular con-
tributor to our own blogs (smartphonemag.com/blogs). Finally, he’s involved
rectly when cycling between units or cities, your character’s strength, and food that helps with testing and (hopefully) developing games for the Windows Mobile OS.
and there were occasions where it seemed like replenish health and magic points. epankoke@gmail.com

46 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Games Roundup Software & Accessories

Like most versions of Sudoku, there are The object of this game is to run around Unfortunately, given the current crop of titles
two modes: “notes” and “answers.” When you each level smashing everything in sight. Each in this genre, Holy Beasts is average at best.
place a number in a square as a note, you’re level is broken up into different areas, and all
simply reminding yourself that the number targets in an area must be destroyed before you
could go in the square, and when you’re plac- can move on to the next. There are only two
ing the number in the square as an answer, that things you can do with your character. The first
means you believe that number belongs in that is to move it left and right, and the second is to
square. To switch between modes, you either swing its mallet. You can control these actions
have to click the pencil at the bottom of the with your stylus or hardware buttons. I had
screen or select the Mark (or “notes”) mode difficulty controlling the game with the stylus
off of the menu, also accessible from the bot- (see next paragraph). I also had a problem with
tom of the screen. Either way, this breaks up the hardware controls. You see, the game is
the flow of the game. The one nice part of the played in Landscape viewing mode with the
interface is that each square is “region” sensi- hardware buttons to the right. Unfortunately, The premise is somewhat cool. You get to
tive, so if you want to make a note that you I and about 10 percent of the population are play the game as one of four characters: a drag-
think a 1 belongs in a particular square, click left-handed, and there is no option to rotate on, a phoenix, a flying tiger, and a flying turtle.
the upper left corner of that square to record the screen so that the controls are on the left. (Who wouldn’t want to play as a flying turtle?)
the 1. Upper middle is 2, upper left is 3, and Shame on Goo Studios for that oversight! Sadly, beyond the look of your avatar, there
so on. The down side to this is that the squares As mentioned, I had a problem with con- really seems to be no difference in the way the
are small enough that you’ll often find yourself trolling the game play with my stylus. It was game plays. In fact, there’s really not much to
marking or unmarking the wrong numbers in caused by the fact that the “tap points” con- the game play at all. Auto-fire is always on,
a square. trolling the left and right movements were too leveling up is automatic when you’ve collected
The other big drawback in this version is close together, making it difficult to change the the right number of bonuses, and there are no
that it lives up to its name. Once I started play- direction of your RoboRabbit. In addition, you special weapons of any sort to fire. In essence,
ing on my own, I found it difficult to complete pretty much have to have the stylus right on the game could almost play itself.
a game in under 20 minutes—in Easy mode! top of the hammer to swing it. All this makes Graphically, Holy Beasts maintains the
I don’t mind if puzzles build up to a very dif- moving and hitting an object an exceptional style of painted backdrops and colorful, well-
ficult level, but they shouldn’t start there. challenge. Add to this the fact that the game animated sprites that I’ve come to enjoy from
Graphically, there’s not a whole lot you can is timed, and you’ll begin to see why I oc- Beijing Huike games. There are also some
do with a grid comprised of smaller grids. Im- casionally wanted to pull my hair out. On the pretty neat creature designs in this game. The
possible Sudoku does have some skins avail- other hand, I liked the fact that the game is music is very good as well. On the other hand,
able, but they don’t really add to the game all about smashing things and appreciated the as is also the norm with their games, there are
play, and in a couple of cases actually make the contemporary “Itchy and Scratchy” graphical no sound effects. I would think that even stock
numbers hard to read. There’s no background design. ones would be better than nothing. If you want
music, and the sound effects become pointless The graphics are colorful, and the charac- something pretty to look at and that requires
before too long. ters are well animated, especially when they little effort on your part, Holy Beasts is for you.
If you’re willing to deal with the interface go “splat” under your hammer. I like the use Otherwise, there are plenty of other shooters
issues I mentioned and don’t expect any easy of word bubbles for things like “splat” and out there more worthy of your time.n
games, you might want to look at this one. “bam” as well. Each level takes place in a
Otherwise, I don’t recommend it. different area, so you’re not seeing the same
background over and over again. The music is
Killer RoboRabbits From Mars (B+) pretty decent, and varies with the levels.
$14.95; Touch screen version only and free
demo available
Killer RoboRabbits has a high difficulty
level similar to the old MegaMan games on Smartphone &
Pocket PC
Purchase smartphonemag/swstore the Nintendo. Just like those games, however,
Killer RoboRabbits manages to be enjoyable
With a name like Killer RoboRabbits From
magazine’s
enough that I can almost forget about the dif-
Mars, how could you not want to try this ficulty. Throw in the colorful atmosphere and
game? It’s actually quite fun—and difficult. If decent soundtrack and you’ve got yourself
you’re as coordinated as I am, you’ll probably a pretty good side scrolling smash-em-up 4 FREE weekly
E-mail newsletters
spend lots of time replaying the same levels game.
over and over again.
Holy Beasts (C-)
$8.99; Touch and non-touch screen versions
www.PocketPCmag.com
and free demos available
Developer huike.cn/enindex.asp
Subscribe to:
Purchase smartphonemag/swstore • News
• Web happenings
After the release of Demon Hunter, it seemed • Games
like Beijing Huike laid low for a couple of • New products
months. Now all of a sudden they have several
new releases for Windows Mobile devices, in-
cluding the side scrolling shooter Holy Beasts.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 47


New Software and Accessories
The products listed here include hardware, software, publications, events, and services for devices using the Windows Mobile Go To . . .
operating system. They are new listings or major updates of products in our comprehensive Encyclopedia of Software and Accessories SmartphoneMag.com
at Smartphonemag.com/encyclopedia.asp. We list suggested retail prices, but they may change without notice. These listings do not
represent an endorsement by the editors. Many of the software products are available for online downloading. For live links to the Encyclopedia of Software & Accessories
Web sites mentioned in this section, visit our Web site at Smartphonemag.com and click on the “current issue” button. Information for live links and downloads
about the various Smartphones and Pocket PCs themselves can be found in our “At A Glance” section. of products mentioned
Vendors: If you have a product to announce, enter it directly into our Encyclopedia Smartphonemag.com/encyclopedia.asp, or send in this section!
an e-mail message to Noah Ouellette at noah@Smartphonemag.com.
You can also read “How to Get Information Published in Smartphone & Pocket PC” Smartphonemag.com/publish.asp.

l = Touch Screen s = Non-Touch Screen u = Desktop PC

Hardware cupy the enemy capitol. Information Managers


$14.95
Accessories RESETgame; www.resetgame.com Sporting
Cases Adventure Games IntelliGolf Birdie Edition
for Smartphones l
Westward l On-course golf scoring software that auto-
Experience the life of a Frontier settler in this mates scoring, wagering, and shot tracking.
wild, rough and tumble world. $49.95
$19.95 IntelliGolf, Inc.; www.intelligolf.com
for 802.11 (b, g, and n) networks.
Astraware Limited; www.astraware.com
$59.95 IntelliGolf Par edition for
Canary Wireless; www.canarywireless.com Puzzle Games Smartphones s
Golf scoring software that automates golf scor-
Software Pockster Newspaper Games l s
ing, wagering, and collects game-improving
Cellkeeper cases l s A collection of 4 games consisting of Cross-
A new form of wearable technology that Communication words, Crypto (cryptogram), Word Search, and
statistics on the course.
leaves the owner hands-free and able to move $29.95
Multifunction Phone Utilities Sudoku.
about. IntelliGolf, Inc.; www.intelligolf.com
$19.99
$29.99 Quetim l s Pockster Software; www.pockster.com Misc. Software
The CellKeeper Company Text input for mobile phones.
Samulos l s u
www.cellkeeper.com Tibo Software; www.tibosoftware.com Other
A puzzle game similar to Tetris and Lumines.
Miscellaneous Thumbkey l s Freeware SuperMemo Mobile l
Uses a unique algorithm that allows users to Miroslaw Zielinski; www.zielok.com An application for learning foreign languages.
press in the general vicinity of the required Freeware
key for the intended word to appear on the Sequnetial l u
SuperMemo World; www.supermemo.eu
screen. Based on an old idea with extra possibilities
$25 added, which weren’t fully developed as the Multimedia
Dasur Pattern Recognition Ltd idea of the game is quite simple.
Freeware Image Management
www.mobiletextinput.com
Miroslaw Zielinski; www.zielok.com PhotoAce ls
Lion Battery l SMS Client l
Spb Brain Evolution Smartphone s Manage and show photos on smartphone.
A threaded SMS application.
1380 mAh Slim Battery for HP Helps to improve your mental awareness and TecAce Software; www.tecace.com
$7.50
iPAQ 110 Classic Series PPCs l Empirical Solutions; www.pocket-sms.com maintain your brain fitness.
A 1380 mAh battery that is the same footprint $19.95
Misc. Audio Tools
as the OEM 1200 mAh battery. Phone Info Access – WM Spb Software House Pocket Alarm l
www.spbsoftwarehouse.com Create recurring MP3 alarms with handwrit-
3000 mAh Battery for HP Extreme Text l s
ten notes.
iPAQ 110 Series PPCs l Threaded SMS text conversations with emoti- Solitaire Games $14.95
An extended capacity battery with more than cons, links, photo contact support, and more.
Astraware Solitaire for Smartphone s Wizcode Ltd; www.wizcode.com
twice the usage time of the OEM and a slight $14.95
increase in size. Birdsoft; www.birdsoft.net Features 12 types of popular solitaire card
games.
Video
3000 mAh Battery for HP iPAQ 610 SMS Autoreply / Mass Sending $19.95 UCee ls u
Business Navigator Series PPCs l Astraware Limited; www.astraware.com Connects two computers or smartphones even
Twice the capacity of the OEM battery. SMS-Chat l
when they are on separate private networks.
Threaded SMS messenger that organizes all Strategy Games
4400 mAh Battery for HP iPAQ Freeware
text messages into separate chats.
210 Enterprise Series PPCs l Tradewinds 2 for Windows Leapfrog Technologies, Inc.
$14.95
Twice the capacity of the OEM battery. Mobile Standard s www.ucee.com
VITO Technology; vitotechnology.com
Price Varies $29.95 - $79.95 Offers players an adventure based in the exotic
Lion Battery Inc; www.lionbattery.com Games seas of the Caribbean.
Professional
$19.95 Healthcare
Digital Hotspotter l s u Action Games Astraware Limited; www.astraware.com
Provides smart signal analysis, including net- Medical Codes ls u
work ID, encryption status and channel data Tank Ace 1944 l s
Includes IDC-9-CM, IDC-10 and DSM-IV codes
Command a World War II tank charging to oc-

48 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


l = Touch Screen s = Non-Touch Screen u = Desktop PC New Products Software and Accessories

in one convenient book. SlovoEd Express: Italian Dictionaries s $40 lution for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs.
$9.99 A multilingual translation service with dic- Dasur; www.mobiletextinput.com $12.95-9.95
MobileReference.com tionary databases. Paragon Software; www.penreader.com
www.MobileReference.com $24.95 Travel Guides
Sprite Archie l s
Paragon Software; www.penreader.com DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides
Text and Reference Monitors your SMS and Call activity and logs
& Maps: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Las this activity to e-mail so that you can refer
Info Managers Vegas, London, Madrid, New York, Paris,
eBook back to it at any time.
Handy Weather s Prague, Rome, Vienna l s $14.95
Complete Works of Josephus, 7-day weather forecast, weather details, cur- Each Guide $29.99
Flavius ls u Sprite Software Ltd
rent conditions, and maps for 40,000 cities. Mobile Systems Inc. www.spritesoftware.com
Contemporary maps, timelines, family trees, $14.95 www.mobi-systems.com
coinage, and units of measure as well as mod- Paragon Software; www.penreader.com SwitchProfile! s
ern history and analysis of Josephus’ works. Time Utilities A utility which allows you to switch sound pro-
$9.99 Utilities PocketAlarm l
files automatically at a desired time.
MobileReference.com $4.75
Misc. Utilities Includes many different alarms.
www.MobileReference.com Connective Tools
$14.95
Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau ls u Call Jockey s www.connectivetools.com
Sergey Khmaruk
Includes Confessions and other major works. Quickly, discreetly simulate an incoming call. pocketalarm.googlepages.com ZoomBoard l
$5.99 $6.45 An onscreen keyboard for quick and accurate
MobileReference.com Connective Tools User interface / finger typing on Windows Mobile Pocket PCs.
www.MobileReference.com www.connectivetools.com menu improvers $9.95
CT Scheduler s Launch Manager l VITO Technology; vitotechnology.com
Multilingual Dictionaries Turns smartphone into fully automated assistant. A fast way to launch hundreds of applications
SlovoEd Express: English, French, German, $9.75 and Call or SMS contacts in style on your Win- Task Managers
Italian, and Spanish Dictionaries l s Connective Tools dows Mobile device. GoodWin l
Multilingual translation services with diction- www.connectivetools.com $14.95 A touch-oriented Windows Mobile launcher
ary databases. Fantastic Bytes and task switcher for Pocket PCs.
$24.95-34.95 Soft Keyboards fantasticbytes.com $19.95
Paragon Software; www.penreader.com SlideIT l Handy Converter 1.2 l s VITO Technology; vitotechnology.com n
Input text on touch-screen enabled devices. An all-in-one currency and unit conversion so-

Resco Keyboard Pro “This program is the missing link to my HTC


Touch. I now love the phone and would not
Brings you thumb typing at its best trade it for any other. This program is worth
every penny.”

t “I love it. This one makes my Pocket PC avant-


garde.”
q w e r t y u i o p
Reviewers from Handango
a s d f g h j k l

z x c v b n m

http://keyboard.resco.net

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 49


Enterprise Solutions
Strategy
Editor’s Note
52 Welcome to the iEnterprise
by Nathan Clevenger How does iPhone 2.0 impact the business environment?
By Nathan Clevenger

54 FCC Auction Results

F
irst off, I want to thank Don Overlander and Rich Hall for their Verizon & AT&T won big—what does it mean?
incredible help in wrapping up the enterprise section for this By Robert Altman
issue. My first child, Jonathan, was born right in the middle of
crunch time, and Don and Rich really helped me out by picking Implementation
up the slack. Thanks guys!
58 Surveyors, Snow Shoes, and a Rugged PDA
Future Enterprise Editor Jonathan Clevenger Team uses ruggedized Archer Field PC for environmental survey on Utah’s Monroe
Mountain
Our lead-off story for this issue is
By John Stewart & Jan Saalfeld
a piece I wrote about Apple’s licens-
ing of Exchange ActiveSync from
Applications
Microsoft, allowing them to incorpo-
rate Exchange synchronization into
the iPhone. Additionally, Apple has
53 Choosing an Enterprise Handheld
finally released its iPhone SDK. All Both HP and Socket Mobile are targeting the enterprise user. How do their new devices
compare and which one’s best for your mobile deployment?
this makes the iPhone a potentially strong player in the enterprise
market, which may have surprising consequences for Microsoft. By Don Overlander
After that, we do a head-to-head comparison of the HP iPAQ
55 System Center Mobile Device Manager
210 vs. the Socket SoMo 650—the leading Windows Mobile PDA
New Microsoft solution elevates the Windows Mobile device to the status of “First Class
devices on the market today. While consumers may not be as ex- Citizen of the Enterprise”
cited about devices without phones anymore, there is a significant
By Patrick Salmon
market for these units within vertical deployments. Don Overlander
gives us his views on these two devices from the perspective of an 60 Celio REDFLY
enterprise user. A paradigm-shifting “mobile companion” to Windows Mobile smartphones
We’ve all heard about the FCC’s 700 MHz auction. Now that AT&T By Nathan Clevenger
and Verizon have won and Google is nowhere to be seen, what does it
mean to us and the entire industry? Robert Altman provides us with the Development
details and his perspective on the impact the results will have.
One of the most significant new features of Windows Mobile
6.1 is the ability to join an Active Directory domain and become a
61 Four Ways to Make your Mobile Solution Better
Tips for mobile developers and project managers on how to improve the success of your
“first-class citizen” of the enterprise. System Center Mobile Device
deployment
Manager is Microsoft’s new product to enable this in the back-end, as
By Tom Jaros
well as provide numerous security and device management features.
Patrick Salmon gives us the details, and how we can implement this 62 Line of Business Solution Accelerator
within our own organizations. Microsoft’s free solution accelerator speeds up enterprise application development
You may have heard about the Celio REDFLY, but you might
By Don Overlander
also be a little unsure about exactly what it is and what it does. I had
the opportunity to spend some time with a pre-release model, and
provide my first impressions and views on what may very well be a
paradigm-shifting device. comes from the trenches to give us four key tips to improve the success
When the U.S. Forest Service needed to understand the impact of of our mobile projects.
seismic oil and gas explorations on sensitive species, John Stewart Microsoft recently re-released their Line of Business Solution Ac-
and his 14-person crew were sent to perform a biological inventory celerator, designed to show off many of the new features in Visual
in waist-high snow on the north face of Utah’s Monroe Mountain, Studio 2008, .NET Compact Framework 3.5, and SQL Server Compact.
armed with snowshoes and ruggedized Archer Field PCs. John and Don Overlander gives us his impressions of this free tool, and a detailed
Jan Saalfeld tell us how they overcame the challenges to complete look at what it provides.
the project. If you have questions or comments, you can always e-mail me at
Mobile development projects often appear to be deceivingly easy, nathan.clevenger@smartphonemag.com.
especially to first-time mobile developers. Unfortunately, there are
often complications that appear farther down the road. Tom Jaros

50 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Where we work, A story from the great outdoors
“We spend hundreds of days each
year in the beautiful-but-wild forests
outdoor rugged is more than a catch phrase. of the Pacific Northwest, California
and Alaska—in all kinds of weather
and often in rough terrain,” says Marc
Barnes, president of Integrated Resource
Management. “We tend to the region’s
forests. Our clients count on us to
provide a balanced approach to forest
management using our innovative
forestry practices. We count on Trimble
rugged handhelds to get our job done.”

“They’re tough as bark and reliable as


our dog Maggie,” Marc says. “We’ve
never lost project data due to a hard-
ware failure. Even after a Ranger fell off
the roof of a truck at 50 miles per hour,
we were able to save the data and have
the handheld fixed.”
Proven in the toughest environments
Trimble handhelds designated as
“outdoor rugged” meet the military’s
rigorous MIL-STD-810F standards
for vibration, shock and temperature
extremes, and share an IP67 rating
against water and dust.

Marc Barnes, president; Adrian Thayer, forest technician; and Maggie, company dog, of IRMForestry.com

Nomad Ranger and Recon—outdoor


Nomad,

Recon
rugged solutions for the mobile enterprise.
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now starting
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Visit our community site to see more

$1000 stories like Marc’s. Better yet, tell us


your story. On June 30, we’ll reward the
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performance, outdoor rugged handheld
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Public Safety Agriculture Utilities © Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved.
Enterprise Solutions

Welcome to the iEnterprise


How does iPhone 2.0 impact the business market?
by Nathan Clevenger

L
ess than a year after the iPhone first launched, all of the key issues to influence .NET Server sales related to mobility.”
I had with the device have been addressed. First and foremost, Given that context, it is absolutely no surprise that Microsoft chose
there is now an SDK which allows the development of native to license Exchange ActiveSync to Apple for the iPhone. While it gives
applications. And while Exchange integration would eventually the iPhone significant competitive ammunition versus Windows Mobile,
have arrived from a third party, Apple decided to bite the bullet and it actually accomplishes that by standardizing on back-end Microsoft
deliver it out of the box. Along with that comes a variety of device server products, where Microsoft makes all of their money anyway.
management and security features which demonstrate that Apple is While I don’t believe for one second that Microsoft has given up on
aggressively targeting the iPhone for the enterprise. Windows Mobile, Apple has certainly raised the bar, and Microsoft will
need to step up to the plate on a number of levels and execute a series
New features and capabilities of dramatic enhancements to their own platform.
In addition to providing a relatively robust SDK to develop rich,
smart-client applications, Apple licensed Exchange ActiveSync from The flipside
Microsoft to be able to provide the following features: While the iPhone is a great device for the average consumer, it is not
• Push e-mail for everyone. For instance, the form-factor, touch-screen keyboard,
• Push contacts and inability to swap batteries are serious downsides for some users.
• Push calendar And while the SDK goes a long way in enhancing the platform, the
• Global Address List iPhone development platform doesn’t come close to the richness of the
• Certificates and Identities ecosystem around Visual Studio and the .NET Compact Framework.
• WPA2/802.1x Given the fact that Apple must approve all iPhone applications, and
• Enforced security policies with all distribution going through iTunes, there are many software
• More VPN protocols developers and enterprises alike that will not necessarily appreciate
• Device configuration these requirements. Additionally, there still is no support for products
• Remote wipe like SQL Server Compact or System Center Mobile Device Manager,
which are significant challenges primarily for enterprise organizations.
IT’s response Although security is dramatically improved, there still is not yet the
Enterprise IT organizations are always looking to leverage existing in- flexibility provided by other platforms.
vestments, and one of the greatest benefits of Windows Mobile has been
out-of-the-box integration with Exchange Service. This has been one My views
of the reasons that Windows Mobile has been gaining ground against While the iPhone still isn’t perfect, it has reached a level of maturity
BlackBerry, and now Apple has decided to leverage Microsoft’s mo- where IT organizations, small and large alike, need to place the iPhone
mentum and license Exchange ActiveSync for the iPhone. This will on their radar if they haven’t already. This is good news for Apple and
allow the iPhone to offer some of the key benefits also provided by great news for Microsoft. As twisted as it seems, an alliance between
Windows Mobile using Exchange ActiveSync, not to mention the fact Apple and Microsoft on Exchange ActiveSync will only increase prof-
that iPhones will now integrate seamlessly into any organization that its for both companies, as they are now perfectly positioned to steal
provides Exchange support for Windows Mobile. There will still be market share from BlackBerry as the next enterprise deployment cycle
the many organizations with significant BlackBerry investments who rolls around.
will continue down that path because of the investments already made My final thought is to make sure you don’t forget Windows Mobile.
(including the firms running Lotus Notes who are not able to provide Unlike the iPhone, it’s not just a smartphone; it’s a robust platform
Windows Mobile support without a third-party product anyway), but if for enterprise applications. In fact, it’s the mobile platform that Apple
anything this will only accelerate the adoption of Exchange ActiveSync uses in their retail stores to process sales of iPhones, using Windows
as the industry standard for mobile synchronization. Mobile-powered Symbol/Motorola handhelds.
In the end, if iPhone sales go up, Microsoft makes money on the
Microsoft’s perspective Exchange Server licenses. If they go down, Microsoft makes money
As someone who has spent the last decade focused entirely on building on Windows Mobile.
applications for Microsoft’s mobile platform (since Windows CE 1.0), Not a bad arrangement! n
I’m torn when I look under the hood and examine the pure economics
of the situation. Microsoft’s profit (or loss) related to sales of Windows Nathan Clevenger is the Enterprise Editor for Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine, and also runs the Mobil-
ity Practice at ITR Group, a Microsoft Gold Certified consulting firm. Nathan strongly believes in technol-
Mobile devices is minor compared to the enormous profits and incred- ogy not for the sake of technology, but rather to improve capability and efficiency. An avid evangelist of
ible margins in the sales of server and client licenses for Windows mobile computing, he is dedicated to raising awareness of the potential for this technology in business
today. His email is nclevenger@pocketpcmag.com.
and Exchange Servers. Given that, it is no surprise that the formal job
description for those Microsoft employees who are out there selling
Windows Mobile specifically states to use “Windows Mobile devices

52 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Enterprise Solutions

Choosing an Enterprise Handheld


Both HP and Socket Mobile are targeting the enterprise user with their new
Windows Mobile devices. How do they compare and which one’s best for you?
by Donald Overlander

T
he HP iPAQ 210 and the ety of peripherals available from
Socket Mobile SoMo third parties, and these would
650-M are Windows have to be tested on both devic-
Mobile 6 touch screen es. However, Socket Commu-
devices marketed to the enter- nications offers a wide variety
prise user. Neither of these has of peripherals that are designed
integrated phone capability. to seamlessly integrate with the
As you can see from their 650’s hardware and built-in soft-
photos, they are similar looking ware. The 650 has the edge over
devices. They also share similar the iPAQ in this area.
specifications, which include 128 As far as third-party or cus-
MB of RAM and 256 MB of flash tom software is concerned, both
ROM, and 624 MHz processors. devices run the Windows Mo-
The iPAQ has a 4-inch color bile 6.0 software. Both should
VGA touch screen and the SoMo be equally compatible with ex-
650 has a 3.5-inch color QVGA isting software, and neither has
touch screen, but aside from that, a significant advantage over the
the differences between the two other in terms of the develop-
devices are relatively minor. How ment of custom software.
then do you select the device that
truly fits your needs? The iPAQ 210: An executive
HP iPAQ 210 and the Socket Mobile SoMo 650-M workhorse with style
Targeting the mobile enterprise If you are in the market for a
workhorse machine with pure executive appeal, the iPAQ 210 is prob-
The differences between these two devices begin to show when you ably the best choice. With a full 4-inch VGA screen, glossy black and
look outside the basic specs. But even then, they are subtle and choosing matte silver finish, and smooth rounded edges, this device has a lot of
one over the other can be a tough decision. It basically comes down to style and will not embarrass you in the boardroom. The iPAQ is also
which side of the “gray market” you find yourself in. This gray market ideally positioned to take advantage of existing business infrastructure
encompasses skilled technicians and managers whose duties combine and extend to a business-centric mobile platform. With its wireless
functions of both the blue and white collar workforces. Since this is capabilities and options for third-party add-ons, this platform is a solid
the target market for both devices, and since they are similar devices, foundation that makes a good choice for deployment to business and
to choose between them it’s necessary to examine a few key indicators. field sales professionals.
Note also that if you are deploying a number of these devices, you have While I have seen some accessory concepts to make the iPAQ 210
to consider how well they will be accepted by your targeted users. In more durable for rugged field use, it is not directly marketed toward
this, visual appeal and “status” may play as much of a part as durability the ruggedized field force automation market. Much like a powerful
and reliability. sports car, you may not want to take the iPAQ 210 too far out in the
field—that’s where the SoMo comes into its own.
Setting the stage
Since both devices have all the necessary Microsoft Office Mobile appli- The SoMo 650-M: Stylish presence with industrial tenacity
cations built into them, both provide a solid out-of-the-box deployment If you want to give your field force a reasonably stylish presence
platform for supporting access to corporate spreadsheets and documents without giving up any of the rugged industrial strength they need, the
for the connected, mobile managers who are occasionally expected to SoMo 650-M is the obvious choice. Designed with a ruggedized yet
take up blue collar duties. The biggest differentiating factor here is going professional-looking black and blue finish, and smoothed corners and
to be how dependant your users will be on screen real estate and legibil- edges designed for impact protection (up to 3.3 feet onto concrete), the
ity. If the target audience is very document-oriented, or deals with large
amounts of data on screen, the iPAQ is going to provide a much better Continued on page 54
viewing experience overall because of its larger VGA display.
Donald Overlander leads the usability engineering efforts for Mobile Enterprise application devel-
Another extremely important (and perhaps definitive) issue is going opment at the Minneapolis based consulting firm ITR Group. His efforts are focused on designing
to be the cost involved in integrating peripherals and software on the Windows Mobile applications using a patent-pending methodology for automating the usability
testing and heuristics analysis of interface design on mobile platforms. He can be reached at donald.
devices after the base hardware has been decided upon. There are a vari- overlander@itrgroupinc.com.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 53


Enterprise Solutions

FCC Auction Results


cations networks is the recent Verizon open-access announcement
(dubbed “Any Device, Any App”). Verizon has committed to opening
their network to provide new uses (applications and devices). However,

Verizon & AT&T won big; What does it mean?


they have done so only with the caveat that the new uses not unduly
interfere with the existing uses. In concrete terms, business users have
come to rely on mobile voice and e-mail communications in their daily
by Robert Altman

I
lives. Imagine if (or when) mobile video-conferencing becomes com-
n the recent FCC auction for the upper 700 MHz band (previously mon for the mobile worker. Without safe-guards, video-conferencing
used for television broadcasting), Verizon and AT&T won an aston- could easily swamp the network’s capacity, making calls and e-mail
ishingly large number of licenses. Verizon invested $9.6 billion and unreliable. Verizon’s goal is to open their network, but also to retain the
won nearly the entire coveted C block. AT&T invested $6.6 billion right to limit the impact new applications (such as video-conferencing)
and won 227 B block licenses; this is in addition to their $2.5 billion will have on the existing applications (i.e. voice and e-mail).
purchase of spectrum in the lower 700 MHz band last October. In all, The other significant impact of the recent auction is that AT&T and
Verizon and AT&T invested $9.6 billion and $9.1 billion (respectively) Verizon are both investing in comprehensive (geographical) networks.
in acquiring new spectrum for developing their networks. While the original 800 MHz (cellular) band was divided up into 734
These numbers represent a major investment in the future of wire- Cellular Marketing Areas (CMAs), the 700 MHz block C is divided
less communications; they also represent a significant victory for the into 12 Regional Economic Area Groupings (REAGs). Verizon won 7
two main wireless communications carriers in an effort to maintain of the 12 REAGs, covering the entire continental U.S. and Hawaii. The
their current business model. To understand the significance of this, it remaining 5 REAGs (not won by Verizon) are: Alaska, Puerto Rico,
is important to understand the two competing communications models: the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, Guam and the Northern
Infrastructure and Application. Mariana Islands and American Samoa. For its part, AT&T’s winning
bids will supplement their existing 700 MHz spectrum (lower 700 MHz
Infrastructure and application models Block C, purchased from Aloha partners in October).
The infrastructure model is concerned with providing the infrastruc-
ture irrespective of how it will be used; this is best exemplified by the
Lower frequency—better reception
Internet itself. The Internet is a collection of interconnected networks; The last important detail is the spectrum frequency itself. Shorter fre-
it is not defined by how it is used. Further, no one “owns” the Internet, quency waves (represented by smaller numbers) penetrate solid-matter
and hence, no one controls what applications or devices are used on it. (like walls) better than longer frequency waves. The effect of this is sim-
In contrast, the application model is concerned with providing a lim- ple and significant: better reception, especially inside office buildings.
ited number of applications (ways in which the network is used) and Where does this leave the emerging mobile enterprise network? Based
is typically owned and controlled (perhaps even policed) by a single on the efforts of both AT&T and Verizon to create consolidated networks,
entity which is able to determine how the network is used and what it is their growing recognition of the importance of open networks, and the
used for. There are a great number of examples of this type of network, shift to the better-penetrating 700 MHz band, it is likely that we will see
including the current wireless networks, the (wired) phone network, and many improvements in the wireless telecommunication network in the
even the electrical grid. Each model has advantages and disadvantages. years to come. Expect a transition to 700 MHz networks to bring better
The infrastructure model is like an unpaved road; it lends itself to open- coverage (inside metropolitan areas), new phones and devices, and new
ness and innovation but requires a more sophisticated user (driver) and applications for mobile professionals, all while maintaining the current
suitable devices (vehicles). The application model is more of a limited- quality we presently depend upon. It seems clear that both AT&T and
access highway; it is better suited to low-maintenance, ready-made uses Verizon are positioning themselves to support the future of the mobile
(like a daily commute or cross-country drive). Innovation and openness enterprise. n
are sacrificed to ensure a consistent and suitable environment for the
Robert Altman is a software engineer with Minneapolis-based consulting firm ITR Group, specializing
existing applications and uses. in desktop and mobile development, software architecture, and improving the development process.
Robert has been writing software since 1990 and now works almost exclusively in C# and Microsoft
Open access and comprehensive networks .NET. In his spare time, Robert raises two children, two rats, and is an avid cosmology-buff.

What is more telling about the future of the wireless telecommuni-

Choosing an Enterprise Handheld Continued from page 53


Socket SoMo can take your enterprise applications out in the field when Classic, but the SoMo 650-M is also available running Windows Mobile
and where they are needed. By offering a handheld computer in addi- 5 Premium Edition. (For full specs on these devices, see the At a Glance
tion to their comprehensive line of peripherals, Socket has eliminated section on page 78.)
much of the risk and complexity that integration and compatibility with Price is always a consideration in any deployment, but especially
third-party offerings typically introduce. The benefit here is that imple- in a large one. Retailing at around $450, the iPAQ 210 is roughly $250
menting field data collection and field service automation functions are less than the SoMo 650-M. However, both offer a great platform from
of much less concern on the SoMo 650-M. which to build or extend your mobile workforce capabilities. While the
deciding factors will be unique to each situation and should be consid-
Solid and reliable devices ered carefully, these are two very solid, reliable handhelds to consider
This brief comparison was based on devices furnished by Hewlett- for your next enterprise mobile deployment. n
Packard and Socket Mobility. Both were running Windows Mobile 6.0

54 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Enterprise Solutions

Systems Center Mobile Device Manager 2008


by Patrick Salmon

H
ow do you go about taking an untrusted and unmanaged Win- time-PIN that is used to validate the device’s “Domain Enroll” (Start/
dows Mobile device and elevating it to the status of “first class Settings/Connection/Domain Enroll).
citizen of the enterprise?” The answer is to deploy Microsoft’s Through enrolling, the Enrollment Server will work with the Device
Systems Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. One of the Management Server to create an AD Machine object. This is ultimately
interesting things associated with SCMDM 2008 is found in the “As- managed through Group Policy, of which there are more than 130 present-
sumptions” section of the product documentation: “To deploy MDM, ly. There are too many GP capabilities to list here, but application allow/
you have to have a general understanding of the following:” deny, turning off cameras, and creating a corporate “today” screen are but
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 three examples which come to mind. The device itself will be furnished
• Domain controllers with a Machine Certificate issued from the internal CA which it will sub-
• Global catalog servers sequently use to establish an IPSec session to the Gateway Server.
• Active Directory Directory Service The Enrollment and Device Management Servers may co-exist on
• Group Policy management the same x-64 server. This is not recommended as a best practice for
• Virtual private networks (VPNs) security reasons, but is a supported configuration. For resilience and
• Network protocols high availability purposes, both servers may also be load-balanced.
• Domain Name System (DNS) The Gateway Server is a headless standalone server that resides in
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) the Perimeter Network (DMZ) and is completely managed from the
• Microsoft Internet Information Service 6.0 (IIS) Device Management Console located in the internal network. The pur-
• Certificates and Secure Socket Layers (SSL) pose of this server is to establish IPSec connections, distribute internal
Conspicuous by its absence is any mention of Mobility. The reason IP addresses (akin to DHCP), and monitor the state of the connection to
for this is quite simple; Microsoft has created a product which lever- the device. When the device changes its native (i.e., carrier-provided) IP
ages existing investment in infrastructure, licensing, and administrative address, the Gateway will use IKEv2 and MobIKE to ensure the end-to-
expertise in order to facilitate uptake and adoption of Windows Mobile end connection remains intact and thus shields the LoB application from
devices as a trusted and truly first-class citizen of the enterprise. SC- the consequences of roaming and poor or unreliable connectivity.
MDM 2008 itself is entirely built on open standards including IPSec, The infrastructure is depicted in Fig. 1.
OMA-DM, LDAP, DNS, DHCP, and X.509. Security
By way of lending perspective, a product such as Microsoft Ex-
Microsoft refers to “Dual Factor” in a somewhat misleading sense. The
change Server 2007 began as something comparatively simple that
SCMDM 2008 Gateway Server exists to permit the device to establish
addressed a business need, and has matured into a highly complex
an IPSec tunnel to itself within which any protocol may be run. It is
application with numerous dependencies.
anticipated that the most prevalent protocol will be SSL; therefore,
SCMDM 2008 has numerous dependencies out of the box, as listed
this creates a “Double Envelope” of SSL within IPSec for additional
in the Assumptions above. That said, however, the technologies upon
security. Given the trusted status of the device, passing user credentials
which it depends are all mature and well understood in the enterprise.
across within an SSL session may be considered “Dual Factor,” but
And SCMDM 2008 proves that a product can not only be elegant and
that’s very much a stretch. Strictly speaking, “Dual Factor” is defined as
beautiful, it can be complex as well. It has been so well thought through
“Something you have, and something you know,” such as a SmartCard
and designed that even though it may be a 1.0 product, it performs ex-
(something you have) with a PIN or passphrase that must be associated
actly as advertised. It does indeed elevate the Windows Mobile device
with it (something you know). Taking the device as the “something
to the same trusted and managed status as a PC or laptop. This is one
you have” and your user credentials as the “something you know” is
of the best products yet to come out of Redmond.
unlikely to be bought into by corporate Security teams.
Components One advantage amongst many is that regulatory requirements such
SCMDM 2008 comprises three distinct components: Active Directory as HIPPA are automatically met owing to all traffic being encrypted—
(2003 Native Mode only), a Microsoft CA (Enterprise Edition), and so long as the traffic continues to be encrypted between the Gateway
SQL2005 SP2 (any version, depending on the size of the deployment). and target LoB host.
All of these components run on Windows Server 2003 (again, any 32 or Continuing the focus on security, SCMDM 2008 turns off split-tunnel-
64-bit version except for the CA, which must be installed on Enterprise ing. This is a good thing. The act of connecting to your corporate network
Edition). Dependence on Universal Groups mean Mixed Mode Active while also being connected to the Internet effectively creates a bridge
Directory is not supported, nor is a third-party CA (although the MS between networks and thus creates a huge security risk. SCMDM 2008
CA is designed to function as a subordinate of an existing third-party forces all traffic from the device to pass through the gateway, after which
Public Key Infrastructure), SQL200, or MySQL. it is routed either to the LoB application (MS Exchange, CRM, Siebel,
The first step in trusting a device is Enrollment. This is carried out Oracle, whatever), or out to the Internet, and thus the user’s Web surfing
by the Enrollment Server which is an IIS instance running on Win- experience can be made subject to corporate policy on Internet access.
dows Server 2003 SP2 64-bit. All SCMDM 2008 components must Another very clever thing Microsoft has done is that while the termi-
be installed on this same platform; no 32-bit. Ideally, the Enrollment Patrick Salmon, CISSP, CCNP, is a Mobility Architect with Enterprise Mobile of Watertown, MA. He
Server should be protected by a reverse proxy for reasons of security. has been working with SCMDM 2008 since March 2007, wrote the Beta1 & Beta2 Deployment
The administrator will create an enrollment record (or the user may do and Planning Guides, and has implemented SCMDM 2008 with a number of enterprise customers.
Enterprise Mobile’s team of experts has carried out more than 20 SCMDM 2008 deployments in the
it themselves through a self-enrollment portal) which creates a one- U.S. and Europe and are the go-to team for this product. (PSalmon@enterprisemobile.com).

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 55


Enterprise Solutions Systems Center Device Managment Center 2008

AD and the device itself such that AD thinks it’s applying Group Policy
directly to the device when in fact this never happens. It’s very well
thought-through and implemented.
The Device Manager stores inventory information about the device in
SQL Server 2005 and acts as the mechanism for pushing Group Policy
and applications out to the device. Because everything is stored in SQL,
there is a rich and quite comprehensive reporting mechanism, also.
One very nice feature is that a lost device may be wiped—and ow-
Fig. 1 Fig. 2 ing to the encryption capabilities introduced with WM 6.0, the entire
device including any SD cards can be encrypted. A further benefit to this
nology “VPN” is used, it doesn’t mean the same as it does with a laptop or encryption is that any SD card encrypted on one device cannot be read
PC-initiated connection. With your laptop, when you VPN in through, say, elsewhere; this is by design. Device wiping does not end there, however.
a Cisco Concentrator or Nortel Contivity, successful connection will mean Taking the example of the user who loses their phone and notifies the
that you can see everything in your corporate network. With SCMDM helpdesk to wipe it, should they subsequently find it, the wipe may be
2008, however, the device is only permitted access to resources which are cancelled so long as it hasn’t already been executed. Wiping works by
explicitly made available to them. This leads into the next point: the Device Manager sending an alert through the Gateway to notify the
The device connects to the Gateway, but this is a standalone server device to connect. Upon connection, the device is immediately wiped.
with no knowledge of the internal network. So how come the device is Overall, Microsoft has done a tremendous job with this new product.
“Domain-Joined?” Simply put, it isn’t. It just looks that way. Out of the box it functions exactly as advertised, and is very much “set
The mechanics of joining a mobile device to an Active Directory do- it and forget it” once it’s installed. Device and User administration
main are very different when compared to a laptop or PC, but the end re- is carried out by the familiar MMC snap-in, which means there’s no
sult is the same: an AD object will exist and Group Policy can therefore be learning curve for administrators. The following picture (Fig. 2) is of
applied to it. The differences—and similarities—begin and end there. the Administrative interface, which will look very familiar:
Microsoft’s brilliance doesn’t end there. If the device never touches It is not, however, perfect. Some may find the limitation on there
AD, how does Group Policy get to be applied? The answer: the Device being only one Device Manager in a forest unacceptable. In this version
Manager. When the device’s AD object was created by the Device Man- there is also no integration with Systems Center Configuration Manager
ager, it assumed a status akin to “I created you, therefore I can continue (or any other COTS Application Distribution product), so Windows
to direct you.” (It’s similar to a parent-child relationship until they turn Software Update Services is leveraged extensively. n
into teenagers.) The Device Manager will function as a proxy between

Celio Redfly Continued from page 60 under the pressure. Thankfully, there are often software alternatives
that provide a much better experience—Skyfire or Opera offer higher
performance browsers, for instance.
Not a standalone computer Overall, most of these issues should be resolved over time as soft-
The REDFLY may look like a small laptop PC or Palm Foleo (may it ware developers optimize their applications for flexible form factors,
rest in peace), but it’s not a standalone computer; it requires a Windows and as Windows Mobile devices continue to receive faster processors
Mobile smartphone to be within Bluetooth range or connected via USB and more computing power.
cable. If you don’t have a smartphone, or if you don’t always carry it
with you, the REDFLY is not for you. If you need to run complex, The enterprise potential
graphic-intensive applications or full-featured PC programs, a laptop is I believe that the greatest opportunity to utilize this product is for specific
probably a better choice. However, if you are looking to simply access line-of-business deployments within the enterprise. While consumers
communication, collaboration, and productivity-oriented applications and individual professional users may struggle to find justification for
on the road, the REDFLY might work perfectly. the $499 price tag, this presents a very significant cost savings to the en-
terprise not only in hardware costs, but also in connectivity, deployment
The rough edges management, and support costs. Additionally, organizations can custom-
As a first generation product, the REDFLY is not perfect. The majority ize their specific line-of-business applications to run on Windows Mo-
of problems were related to display compatibility issues (i.e., getting bile while maximizing support for the enhanced REDFLY experience.
applications designed for VGA and QVGA devices to display prop- Specific deployments simply requiring a larger screen or significant data
erly on the REDFLY’s 800 x 480 screen). This presents somewhat of a entry may not be possible on a handheld device today, which may require
chicken-or-the-egg dilemma, as software developers will not necessarily full-blown laptops and tablets often in addition to smartphone devices.
ensure compatibility until a large amount of units are on the market, and The REDFLY now enables an entire class of enterprise deployments to
consumers will not necessarily purchase the units until there is greater be not only feasible, but quite economically effective.
levels of software compatibility. Fortunately, Microsoft continues to en- The REDFLY may change the rules of the mobile productivity game.
courage developers to build apps with flexible UIs, and more devices are While it is not for everyone, a very significant user base will be able to
incorporating non-standard screen resolutions. This will likely motivate capitalize on the potential of the REDFLY. By improving the usability
developers to support the REDFLY’s resolution and aspect ratio. and capability of the smartphone experience, the REDFLY could cre-
Besides the display issues, there are performance issues. Some of ate a paradigm shift, where the smartphone truly becomes the “server”
these are inherent to the REDFLY’s architecture (rendering video or in a “personal area network.” The only question is whether users and
games with high-resolution graphics will have poor performance), but enterprises will take advantage of it. For more information, visit Celio’s
other applications like Internet Explorer Mobile simply decide to choke Web site (redfly.com). n

56 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Congratulations to the Recipients of the 2008
Frost & Sullivan Mobility Awards

Recognizing Today’s Leaders


Adobe • AirClic • AirMagnet • Autodesk •
DIDMO • FusionOne • Media Excel •Nokia •
Panasonic • Siemens • Sprint • TeleNav, Inc. •
Trimble Mobile Resource Management

“We accelerate growth.”

Frost & Sullivan, the Global Growth Consulting Company, partners with clients to
accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership Services, Growth Consulting
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Enterprise Solutions

Surveyors, Snowshoes, and a Rugged PDA!


Team uses ruggedized WM PDAs for environmental survey on Utah’s Monroe Mountain.
by John Stewart & Jan Saalfeld

Y
ou don’t usually pack snowshoes into the GPS-equipped Field PCs running ArcPad before the research
for a survey project, but John Stew- crews were deployed.
art and his 14-person crew had to GPS capability was essential to the survey. Without it, field crews
when they performed a biological would have to rely on map and compass skills, and likely spend more
inventory in waist-high snow on the north time finding the sampling point locations. Having topo maps displayed
face of Utah’s Monroe Mountain. was also crucial to efficiently navigate around complex and hazardous
Stewart and crew, working for Cirrus terrain. With GPS, field crew members could eliminate the guess work
Ecological Solutions, were on the 11,000- and navigate to where they were supposed to be quickly and safely.
foot-high mountain in Fishlake National
Forest to perform surveys that would be Helicopters and snow shoes
used by the U.S. Forest Service to deter- Accessing the survey points was difficult because the deep snow pack
mine whether and how to authorize 120 at the higher elevations being surveyed made many of the roads im-
miles of seismic oil and gas explorations passable. To meet schedules, the team used a helicopter to transport
near Henries Hollow. Seismic studies in- the surveyors to the inaccessible areas. Each morning, this aerial “taxi
volve setting off controlled explosives service” dropped the crew off in pairs at the tops of the mountains, along
and monitoring the resulting shock waves with their backpacks, snow shoes, and other equipment (Fig. 2). At the
with geophones strung out over miles of end of the day, field crews used GPS to find the pick-up zones.
terrain, and the Forest Service wanted to The helicopters were equipped with GPS navigation systems, but
avoid disturbing sensitive species where the pilots didn’t have project information loaded into them. Instead,
those lines crossed public lands. As part of Cirrus personnel used their Field PCs to guide the helicopter pilot using
their project, Stewart and his crew laid out ArcPad’s navigation features.
transects for their biological survey based Although a helicopter ferried field crews to the beginning of the
on these seismic lines. survey lines atop Monroe Mountain, the surveyors had to navigate to
individual sampling points on their own. That’s where the snowshoes—
Preparing for the survey and the PDAs—came into play.
Fig. 1: The Archer Field PC with
a Universal Extended Cap. The crew used eight Juniper Systems Archer The survey lines ran straight up and down the mountains. Five lines
Field PCs (junipersys.com), each equipped were spaced 300 meters apart and sampling points were located every
with a Universal Extended Cap housing a GPS receiver (Fig. 1). These 300 meters on each line. The up and down part was sometimes the least
Windows Mobile 5 devices were used to inventory bird species designated of the surveyors’ worries. When the snow melted, surveyors walked the
“sensitive” by the U.S. Forest Service. To prepare for the survey, predeter-
mined “sampling points” (i.e., specific locations where the data would be
John Stewart is a biologist working for Cirrus Ecological Solutions, a Logan, Utah-based consulting firm
collected) were laid out along the survey transects using ESRI ArcGIS 9.2 that provides a wide range of natural resource and environmental planning and permitting services.
(esri.com) on Cirrus’ office computer. Each of the Field PCs used on the He is responsible for organizing, conducting, and analyzing the results from field surveys over desert
and mountain terrain to identify sensitive species of both plants and animals for a variety of clients in
project was loaded with ESRI’s ArcPad software, which would be used the Intermountain West.
for navigation during the survey and to record inventory data.
Jan Saalfeld is VP of Sales and Marketing for Juniper Systems, the company that makes the PDA
For navigation purposes, a base map of USGS 7.5 minute topo- discussed in this article. Juniper designs, manufactures, and sells high-quality, rugged Archer and
graphic quadrangles was overlaid with shape files of area roads, survey Allegro CX Field PCs, a business partner of ESRI since July 2002. ESRI’s ArcPad software runs on
both Archer and Allegro Field PCs. Jan has 20 years of experience providing mobile data collection
transects, and existing Forest Service survey data. All this was loaded solutions to natural resources applications.

58 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Surveyors, Snowshoes, and a Rugged PDA! Enterprise Solutions
sampling lines in rough and brushy terrain. Maneuvering through steep Fig. 2: Standard
canyons and even around cliff bands, the field crew would have had a hard equipment for the
time finding the sampling points without the GPS-equipped PDAs. team included a
backpack, snow shoes,
The wildlife inventory radio, tape player,
At each sampling point, surveyors stopped to play a recorded bird call and a Field PC.
and note the responses. With GPS, they could find their way to these
sampling points on foot. And whether the day was sunny or cloudy, they
could see the information clearly on the bright, transflective screens.
“(They) read more easily in sunlight,” Stewart explained. “The Ar-
chers displayed maps with a ‘you are here’ icon (Fig. 3). You walk until
the icon lines up with the survey point. It’s like a big video game, but
instead of using paddles to move around, you use your feet.”

Fig. 3: The Field PCs displayed a map of the area with the
surveyor’s current location marked by a “you are here” icon.
Twelve topographical maps were required to
cover the entire sampling area. To make naviga-
tion even easier, high-resolution ortho-corrected
aerial photography of the area was also loaded.
All 12 maps and the aerial imagery fit on a single
1 GB SD card, with file storage space to spare.
In fact, Stewart had maps for the Henries Hol-
low area and two additional projects loaded on
his PDA.

Surveying day and night


The day crew of eight surveyed for three-toed woodpeckers and north- the program, ArcPad. One surveyor in particular was unfamiliar with
ern goshawks, while the night crew of six surveyed for flammulated the software and hesitant about using it, but according to Stewart, a little
owls. They could have used pencil and paper to record data, but the extra guidance at the beginning and occasional help over the radio were
same software that guided them to the sampling spots also allowed them enough to have him taking data comfortably and accurately.
to collect observed data on customized electronic forms—without the Finally, bumps and bangs are part of all field work, but the rough
fear of getting them wet! topography of the survey area made durability especially important. The
same hesitant surveyor described in the previous paragraph learned about
Fig. 4: The ArcPad software included customized the Field PC’s reliability first hand. He was riding in a four-wheeler and
forms with drop-down menus to make data collection
accidently dropped the PDA off of the vehicle. It hit so hard, the battery
easier.
was driven out. He retrieved the battery from the dirt, put it back in the
These forms used drop-down menus device, and turned it back on without any problems—no data was lost!
to make data collection easier (Fig. 4) and
eliminate data entry errors. These menus Staying busy with ArcPad and the Archer PDA
included date, time, weather, and wind. When the surveyors had finished gathering data for the Henries Hol-
Every 960 feet (300 meters), the inven- low biological inventory, Stewart worked closely with the U.S. Forest
tory protocol required that a surveyor Service’s biologist to prepare the environmental assessment. A seismic
play a recorded bird call. The surveyor study with seismic transects adjusted to avoid sensitive nesting was
then noted whether there was a response authorized and is in process.
to the recording and characteristics of the Since the completion of the Henries Hollow assessment, Cirrus’s
birds that responded: whether they were ArcPad-armed Field PCs have been staying busy. During the summer,
male or female and from what direction the response came. they were used for surveys for a well site near Parowan, Utah, and
While the day crew was visiting the sampling points, the field man- another seismic survey near Beaver, Utah. This fall, Crested Butte
ager made sure the extra Lithium-Ion Battery Packs were being charged Mountain Resort in Colorado is hosting an environmental assessment
for the night crew. The battery can power the device for up to 20 hours, regarding a proposed expansion.
and it takes five hours to recharge the batteries. After the day crew Assessing potential impacts to animals and plants can involve navi-
returned, the fully-charged batteries were swapped in and the night gating in difficult terrain, but this was made easier and safer with the
crew was ready to go. Field PC and its GPS and geospatial mapping capabilities. Using Arc-
Night crews began surveying after dark, stopping every 300 meters Pad made data entry more efficient and resulted in fewer transcription
to play recorded owl calls and record what they heard. Having topo errors. Overall, the Archer Field PC-ArcPad combo produced better in-
maps available made route finding between points straightforward, even formation for public lands agencies to guide exploration activities. n
in the dark, thanks to its backlit keys and display.
Although the field surveyors were first-time users of the Field PCs,
they only needed a basic overview to operate the device. Some had
ArcGIS experience, which transferred easily to the mobile version of

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 59


Enterprise Solutions

Celio REDFLY
itself, the REDFLY is able to provide a very respectable eight hours of
battery life. While Bluetooth may be the most convenient way to con-
nect, the REDFLY also has the ability to connect via USB cable—and
charge the smartphone in the process. The USB port also allows you
The paradigm-shifting “mobile companion” to connect it to an external keyboard, mouse, or flash memory drive.
Finally, the REDFLY has a VGA-out port, which allows you to connect
by Nathan Clevenger to a projector or larger monitor.

W
For mobile information workers
hile the REDFLY may be one of the most innovative prod- Information workers are becoming more mobile and are always look-
ucts of 2008, it is also one of the most misunderstood de- ing for ways to accomplish more with their smartphones. But given the
vices on the market. The REDFLY presents a truly signifi- physical size of the screen and keyboard on these devices, this can be
cant paradigm shift in the world of mobile computing, but quite a challenge. The REDFLY was developed to take the smartphone
whether the marketplace will overcome their confusion to embrace it experience to the next level—making device control and text entry
is a question that will only be answered over time. It is not a product more efficient and viewing of information easier. It was not designed to
that is right for everyone, but there is a large segment of professional provide a full desktop computing experience, but there are many users
and enterprise users who could revolutionize their mobile productivity who will find that it more than meets their needs. In fact, this article
if they were able to properly utilize this tool. was written using a REDFLY.
What exactly is a mobile companion? Simplicity is the key
From the outside, the REDFLY looks like a sub-notebook computer; Simplicity is the key to the REDFLY. You do have to install a software
from the inside… well, there is no inside—under the hood it has no driver on your Windows Mobile device, but after that you’re up and
processor or memory. In simplest terms, the REDFLY is the modern running in minutes. Since you already know how to use the applications
equivalent of the “dumb terminal” that connected to mainframe comput- on your smartphone, there’s no training involved. Since nothing is actu-
ers 20 years ago. In this case, however, you ally stored on the REDFLY, there are no re-
are connecting to the smartphone in your dundant copies of your information requiring
pocket instead of a mainframe. Simply turn synchronization. And if your REDFLY is lost
on your REDFLY, connect via Bluetooth, or stolen, there is no personal data at risk. For
and you can access the full power of your enterprises struggling to manage devices and
Windows Mobile device. data in the field, it is much easier to secure
The REDFLY does not technically and support a deployment of smartphones
“run” Windows Mobile. Instead, it acts as a (especially with new products like Microsoft
remote keyboard and display, allowing you System Center Mobile Device Manager—
to control and view any application running see page 55). The REDFLY can peacefully
on your WM device. The REDFLY has an coexist in that environment, while laptops
8-inch display with a resolution of 800 x present significant security and management
480, a near-full size keyboard, and a touch- challenges.
pad mouse. It measures 1 x 6 x 9 inches and
weighs two pounds. Since it’s not actually Continued on page 56
powering a processor or accessing memory

Remote Desktop from anywhere with the REDFLY plications. While there was a certain amount of latency, the more
After using the REDFLY for a couple of days, there were still some that I used Remote Desktop on the REDFLY, the more that I began
things I couldn’t do. Not only do the mobile versions PowerPoint and to get used to the lag.
some other applications lack the features of their desktop PC coun- The experience was not perfect, but it was good enough to chal-
terparts, there are many PC applications I use on a regular basis (e.g., lenge my assumptions. On a recent three-day trip, my $2000 Alien-
Microsoft Project, Visio, Expression, and Visual Studio) that aren’t ware laptop never left its case. I lived on my smartphone, and when
available for Windows Mobile. However, I was certainly impressed I needed a larger screen to read long documents or a bigger key-
with the device, and I could picture myself taking the REDFLY to board to type extended amounts of text, I pulled out the REDFLY.
brief meetings, on day trips, and maybe quick overnight trips. But I Whenever I needed to run an application that I didn’t have on my
couldn’t see myself leaving behind my laptop for extended trips, let smartphone, rather than bothering to boot up my laptop, I used the
alone replacing my laptop with a REDFLY altogether. That is, until REDFLY to simply connect to my Terminal Server at the office or
I tried connecting to a Terminal Server using Remote Desktop on my Vista machine at home using Remote Desktop. While I am the
the REDFLY. By configuring the Remote Desktop Client to display first to argue for the importance of connection-independent mobile
in full screen mode, and setting the option to fit the remote desktop smart-client applications, especially for specific line-of-business
to the screen, I discovered a very seamless experience where I was purposes, I find it very difficult to criticize the usability and sheer
able to run instances of both Windows Server 2003 and Windows simplicity of running Remote Desktop on the REDFLY. Given the
Vista in a native 800 x 480 resolution display. The performance of enterprise trends towards thin-client architecture (whether it be Ter-
the high-speed HSDPA wireless connection on my smartphone was minal Services or Citrix), and the cost of deploying and managing
more than adequate to run all but the most graphic-intensive ap- laptops vs. a Windows Mobile smartphone/REDFLY combo, I can’t
imagine enterprise IT not giving the REDFLY a second look.

60 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Enterprise Solutions

Four Things to Make Your Mobile Solution Better


Essential tips for mobile developers and project managers
by Tom Jaros

I
f you’re in the business of authoring complex enterprise mobile so- Learn the job
lutions, then application performance, user interface familiarity, and For enterprise mobility developers, translating a client’s business pro-
overall stability are at the top of your client’s list of must-haves. The cess into a usable mobile solution can be quite a challenging task. In
following are four things that you can incorporate into your daily some cases, the development team may already know the type of busi-
coding routines to achieve the results your clients are looking for. ness the client is in. Other times they may be particularly skilled in a
component needed for the overall solution but not all that familiar with
Do your heavy lifting on the desktop side how the client anticipates to use it.
Mobile devices, as powerful as they have become, still possess limited One valuable technique to address these concerns is to designate
resources. Because of this, developers usually have to take special pre- one developer to be in charge of learning the client’s business process
cautions to maintain application performance. inside and out. Ultimately, this would entail visits to the client in order
One way to accomplish this is to identify areas in your client source to witness the business process first-hand. Developers should be willing
code that produce read-only datasets from “data munging” and that to immerse themselves in all aspects of the job, documenting the subtle
could just as easily be performed in server source code on a desktop points and properly assessing work flow.
PC. If one or more areas are found, move them to the desktop and take By doing this, the development team will be able to create a user
advantage of the additional resources that reside there. All that would interface that is immediately familiar to the field worker and much
need to be downloaded now is the resulting read-only datasets, thus easier for them to learn. If they were to try to do this just from a design
reducing your data footprint and time to access the results. specification, they would likely not achieve the same results.
Basically, as long as the visual cues are kept simple and in the con-
Normalize, refactor & reuse text of the client, field workers will be able to effectively leverage the
Redundancy in mobile software applications, whether it’s in application mobile solution and be more productive.
data or actual source code, is at the top of the list of things that foster
bugs, performance issues, and application bloat. You can reduce these Meeting the client’s needs
problems in your mobile apps by simplifying the data and creating These are just some of the many techniques mobile developers can le-
reusable chunks of code through either object-orientated methods or verage to meet the needs of a client. Use the Web to find out more about
general purpose APIs. these tricks and others that will help you make your mobile applications
As examples, normalizing redundant, read-only data before it makes as good as they can be. Good luck and go mobile!
it to the mobile device reduces your data footprint, the time to download
it, and the time to look it up. Reviewing your source code ensures that
it is being developed to specification. Reusing it through good object- Tom Jaros is the owner of Empower Mobility LLC and a veteran mobility developer with over 16
years of mobile software development experience. He provides a mix of design to deployment
orientated design promotes application stability and performance, and expertise in both product and enterprise mobility software spaces. He possesses a BS in Computer
also simplifies debugging. Refactoring it keeps it clean, readable, and Science and is an active board member of the Vermont Software Developers Alliance, a non-profit
compact. Normalizing it reduces the chances for bugs and performance organization that helps Vermont software companies grow and prosper. He can be reached by e-mail
at tom@empowermobility.com.
issues to occur.
A basic rule of thumb is, as long as proposed changes clearly im-
prove the overall performance and code readability of the application
without negatively affecting the overall design or end-user experience,
then it’s probably a good thing to do.

Separate the business logic from device-specific layers


Separating complex business logic and state machine management from
any actual interaction with system layers helps to promote code read-
ability and portability. To do this, add a layer of abstraction in your
design that encapsulates the system level calls and separates them from
the actual business logic. Then make use of the new layer in the business
logic by calling it instead of the system level routines.
When it comes to supporting multiple mobile platforms, this tech-
nique will be critical to your success. In fact, if done properly, all that
you will likely need to change is the implementation of your abstraction
layer when you make the move to another platform. Of course, choosing
a common programming language that exists across all target platforms
will also dramatically simplify the port. Be sure to check this out before
you start coding.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 61


Enterprise Solutions

Line of Business Solution Accelerator 2008


Microsoft’s free example of successful enterprise application development
by Don Overlander

M
any development teams have overlooked the original Line make sure the application’s interface fits the user experience demanded
of Business Solution Accelerator (released in 2006), spend- by your customers.
ing hours or days developing their own solutions when they
could have been on the fast track to success with the pre-built Professional development standards
and best-practice focused code available for mobile applications that One of the best-practices evident in the design of the Solution Accelera-
the LOB accelerator provided. tor and supported by the resolution-aware examples in particular is this:
The updated Microsoft Windows Mobile Line of Business Solution Develop for WM Standard, test on WM Professional. Unless you are
Accelerator for 2008 brings a new round of innovative updates and solid fortunate enough to know the single device or specification that your
best-practices to the Windows Mobile Platform, showcasing many of application will (ever) be distributed on, this best-practice belongs in
the new features released in the .NET Compact Framework 3.5 and SQL your development process.
Server Compact 3.5. This sample Line of Business application features Designing and developing for Windows Mobile Standard, with its
a set of sample projects, thousands of lines of commented, easy-to- lack of a touch screen and generally single mode (keyed) input as a ba-
understand code, and an updated Supply Chain application that brings sic platform, and then extending the application to function on Windows
all the concepts together into a working model. Aimed at developers Mobile Professional at its optimum, provides the greatest flexibility and
and teams who need to utilize the Windows Mobile platform to its increases the potential for successful deployment.
fullest in consumer or enterprise applications, this update to the LOB
Solution Accelerator provides all the tools, concepts, and best-practices Data access in Compact Framework 3.5
to get on the fast track to success. Best of all, you can quickly adapt the As more and more businesses of all sizes depend on automating their
whole application, or select only those components you want to use. mobile workforces, the ability for those companies to create solutions
Some of the most exciting features of this release are: for their mobile line of business is becoming critical. These applica-
• Intelligent Resolution Awareness tions will need to scale well to support the thousands of potential us-
ers present in deployments by international organizations. The Line of
• LINQ
Business Solution Accelerator brings out the elegance of data access
• Managed Stored Procedures and Triggers with the v3.5 releases, delivering some powerful new features to the
• Sync Services for ADO.NET Windows Mobile platform with an easy-to-understand business model.
• WCF Store and Forward Examples provided show how clean data operations can be with man-
aged stored procedures, triggers, and LINQ extensions. The comments
• MapPoint throughout the sample application point out where other coding choices
• Notifications and Online Help could be made to make data access and management tasks even more
• Language Switching and Localization transparent.

Intelligent resolution awareness Sync Services on mobile devices


As the Windows Mobile marketplace continues to expand, there has Synchronization Services allows you to synchronize data from multiple
been an ever-changing variety of screen sizes and input methods brought sources over a multi-tier and/or services-based architecture. This brings
to market. We continue to see screen and keyboard dimensions shrink to an exciting new consistency and reliability to mobile clients as these
meet the demand for compact devices, right alongside the huge screens Services allow these applications to work against a local data store
and innovative interfaces on devices that compete with UMPCs or niche while managing many of the synchronization issues over an occasion-
market devices. The amazing variety provided to the marketplace has ally available network connection.
also come with a development cost that seems to nag many applica- The Solution Accelerator provides some very useful examples of
tions: orientation and platform awareness. Missing this simple feature how these services can be integrated with your application, making
can create both extended development times and frustrating failures in development of applications in occasionally connected environments
the usability of an application. a simple extension of similar development with a dependable and con-
This latest release of the LOB accelerator comes with the tools nec- sistent network connection. Modeled after the ADO.NET data access
essary to quickly design and build an application that can be compiled APIs, and demonstrated cleanly in the Solution accelerator, Synchro-
into a single distributable binary that runs on Standard or Professional nization Services gives you an intuitive way to synchronize data on a
versions of Windows Mobile without the need for custom compilations. mobile platform.
The code in the LOB accelerator will also allow you to display your ap-
plication equally well in Portrait or Landscape mode—regardless of the Donald Overlander leads the usability engineering efforts for Mobile Enterprise application devel-
screen dimensions (rectangular or square). In providing a simple resolu- opment at the Minneapolis based consulting firm ITR Group. His efforts are focused on designing
tion to this problem, the LOB accelerator will save hours of fiddling Windows Mobile applications using a patent-pending methodology for automating the usability
testing and heuristics analysis of interface design on mobile platforms. He can be reached at donald.
with the display architecture, and let the design teams and developers overlander@itrgroupinc.com.

62 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Line of Business Solution Accelerator 2008 Enterprise Solutions

Integration with MapPoint


Having worked with competing mapping APIs, I was very interested
in how the LOB application integrated Microsoft MapPoint Services.
New book offers guidance
Live Search has always impressed me with its usability and intuitive-
ness on the Mobile platform—making the driving directions UI in the
on the implementation of
sample Supply Chain application a bit underwhelming—though this
was very minor as the main focus of the Solution Accelerator is to en-
data-driven architectures
able developers to make use of the .NET Compact Framework, not a Rob Tiffany’s new book Windows Mobile Data Synchronization
usability guide for graphical interfaces. with SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Compact 3.1 provides
I was impressed by the ease with which MapPoint integrated into excellent reference and guidance on the implementation of data-
the application, and the solid design of the methods by which the ser- driven architectures and data sync
vices obtained and displayed the data. It was also amusing to note that scenarios in scalable, enterprise
all delivery routes start at the “hardcoded” center of the universe: 1 level mobile applications. As Se-
Microsoft Way in Redmond. nior Technical Product Manager
for Windows Mobile at Microsoft,
Application Localization and author of several books on
The sample application has been built to allow Localization of the user Mobile Database development,
interface between Spanish and English and provides a very clear expla- Rob Tiffany is well positioned to
nation of how Localization should be accomplished. The Localized help provide an authoritative reference
files are implemented as a set of HTML pages, while retrieval of the on the subject. The best-practices
appropriate help files depends on the Current UI Culture defined for the surrounding mobile data and data
device and a best-practice class for defining “global” fields within the synchronization provided in this
application. Implementing global application variables, as the applica- latest publication provide easy ac-
tion does, allows for configuration of the device manually or remotely cess for anyone looking to get up
via a mobile device management application. to speed on these topics, as well
Leveraging the tool as challenging seasoned develop-
ers to improve their implementa-
If you would rather not re-invent the wheel, you can count on the Line tions and architectures. Provided
of Business Solution Accelerator 2008 as a reference guide of reliable in a very easy to follow step-by-
“how-to” examples, as well as a library of solid classes to build upon. Its step process, Rob covers nearly every aspect of mobile data syn-
thousands of lines of commented code, excellent use of best-practices chronization from initial concepts through detailed configuration
for mobile development, and wide variety of examples integrating some settings and considerations that will save you hours of headache.
of the most powerful features of the Compact Framework 3.5 make this The book lists for $29.95 and can be purchased at amazon.com
a resource that should not be overlooked. and other online sources.
Take advantage of this free tool, and realize a new level of produc-
tivity in your mobile development efforts. n

Resco
Visual Studio Add-on for ERP/CRM Integrators
MobileBusiness Toolkit Includes Sales Force/Field Service application prototype

Suite of components for .NET CF Products


Powerful Grid, Advanced List & Tree, Charts, Scheduling, ... Customers
& Services

Route
Orders
planning

http://dev.resco.net

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 63


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How To Use

Windows Mobile Goes on Tour with


Legendary Rock Band Cheap Trick
An interview with Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist and founder
by Adam Kornak

T
he crowd is waiting in anticipation. The opening act just left the tour and got to spend some time discussing the secrets of Cheap Trick’s
stage and the crew is setting up the guitars and equipment for the success all these years. Amazingly, I found that mobile technology plays
main act to hit the stage. After every tiny detail is in place, the a huge part in making tours go smoothly. Even better, Windows Mobile
lights go down, and the crowd screams their approval. devices, Microsoft UMPCs (Ultra Mobile Personal Computers), and
Year after year for almost 30 years, Cheap Trick has been enter- Microsoft Office all play a key role in the management of the band’s
taining their fans with award-winning songs like “Surrender,” “Dream schedule.
Police,” and “I Want You to Want Me.” Few of us fans, however, know I also asked Rick how other entertainers like him use mobile tech-
of what actually goes on backstage or on the road to make shows go nology. Some of his answers surprised even me.
off without a hitch. Believe it or not, mobile devices play a key role in
helping bands and their management put on shows flawlessly. Adam: Thanks for meeting with me, Rick. So what is Cheap Trick
I was lucky enough to meet the guitar legend Rick Nielsen while on up to today?

Rick N: Best place to go is CheapTrick.com to find out. We’re do-


ing a lot. We’re finishing another album—recording and touring just
like normal. I just got back from Japan doing a press tour for the 30th
anniversary of Live at Budokan. We’re also playing for John Varvatos
for a crisis center in L.A. and doing an ad campaign. The other night I
did “shoot the puck” with Al Jourgensen from the band Ministry at the
Chicago Blackhawks game. We’re touring in July, August, and Sep-
tember all over the country. I’m involved in 10 other projects as well
as working on a bunch of corporate events.

Adam: Sounds like you travel a great deal. Whether traveling for
concerts or other business, what tools do you take with you to manage
your schedule, i.e. mobile technology?

Rick N: Yes, I travel a great deal. We have a tour manager/road man-


ager. When we have questions, which we all do, someone has to have
the master schedule. We have the itineraries. We need to know what
kind of car is picking us up, what time a set is, is it 24-hour room ser-
vice at the hotel, do they have high-speed Internet. But she [road/tour
manager] does the master scheduling.

We use MS Word or Excel apps with our itineraries and use paper
copies so we can write notes on them when things come up. Our road/
tour manager carries a thick notebook of stuff. While she has it all on
the computer, she needs to constantly make changes—like what kind
of car we want, is my wife going to be there, etc. She has her hands
full babysitting for four over-39 year-olds and all the affairs and the
crews. It’s a logistical nightmare. She’s gone through five computers
in five years. It’s brutal.

Adam: I know you like to use all kinds of mobile devices as well?

Adam Kornak is the Lead Mobility Strategist for Microsoft’s Financial Services Group, special-
izing in wireless and mobile solutions in the financial services industry. He has over 17 years
of experience in the field of information technology, business process re-engineering, and
business strategy. His current role within Microsoft is managing the mobility business for the
financial services group. Adam has written a number of books and articles. He is the lead author
of The Enterprise Guide to Gaining Business Value from Mobile Technologies and Cap Gemini
Ernst &Young’s Guide to Wireless Enterprise Application Architecture, published by John Wiley
Cheap Trick photos courtesy of Mike Graham & Sons. His books are available at amazon.com.

66 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Windows Mobile Goes on Tour with Legendary Rock Band Cheap Trick How to Use

years—probably ahead of the curve on that one. I only know of about


one other person who has one besides me on the road.

Adam: What kind of other applications do you use on the phones?

Rick N: E-mail, texting. I’ve seen from the execs from the large com-
panies to the regular work a day guy, and everyone on the plane is
watching movies, or playing solitaire or games like Sudoku.
When you’re on the plane, you are away from the office. It’s
handy to keep your mind active yet not working on your job
full-time. I use it for music. I use my computers for tracking
musical ideas on my portable phones & PDAs—it’s really
handy to have. One of the disadvantages I’ve found (since
I was a math major as a kid) using my cell phones—I have
to look up people’s numbers. I don’t have people’s numbers
memorized like I used to.

Adam: What do you like about the Windows Mobile phones


you use?

Rick N: Great stuff! I like the GPS mapping on the BlackJack II. It
just blows my mind—I love having that, instead of having separate GPS
Rick N: I like high-tech toys that work for me. units for cars. It’s really handy to have something right in your hand.
I have it on my computers, but it’s fun if you are riding in a car… but
Adam: What kind of mobile devices do you use? when you are walking or if you need something in a hurry, or want to
hear the latest news, having a phone that can reach out to more things
Rick N: I always have at least two phones with me at all times. At than just the telephone is wonderful.
home we have three lines, four telephones, and two other numbers with
my wife’s business. My daughter has the latest technology with stuff
I’ve never heard of (I’ve got the bills to prove it)… three sons & two
daughters-in- law, all using mobile devices from the earliest stuff to the
latest technology. I have a Samsung BlackJack II, iPhone, Palm Treo,
Palm 500v Motophone, HTC Touch Dual, many Apple computers, a
Fujitsu P1620—a mini computer which is really handy. Everyone on
our road crew has a computer and at least one phone. We are a traveling
telephone company.

Adam: What types of things do you like or dislike about some of the
different devices?

Rick N: There is something different about each one that I like and
dislike. I’m a guitar player. I took typing in the 7th grade and I’ve never
gotten any better at QWERTY than I am now, which is pretty terrible.
I wish all keyboards were bigger but I don’t want to carry around a
bigger keyboard. So I’ve gotten by with using the sides of my fingers
or a stylus. I hate abbreviating—the only time I think abbreviations are
good is when people are giving speeches.

Adam: So you are obviously doing a lot of e-mail on your mobile


phone? Adam: You mentioned you are using the MS Office applications—
Word and Excel—for the itineraries. I assume you can use them with
Rick N: Lots of e-mail—most of my e-mails I’m doing straight from your mobile devices since they come with them?
my computer. Most e-mails I do from the phones are forwards & pic-
tures. I like the English language better than the keyboard does for me. Rick N: Yes, I use them on the device. I prefer the desktop or laptops
That’s a problem. Another keyboard thing I have is the VDK—it looks for the real detailed work, but you can do it if you have the patience
like a laser keyboard. I love that thing but I still can’t type any better. I to do it. I’m more of a hunt & peck kind of guy. My daughter though,
still have to go back and spell check. the only thing she can do fast is avoid me and do e-mails and texting
with her friends—she flies. I care more about spelling—“i” before “e”
Adam: Does that work with all of your mobile devices? except after “Nielsen.”

Rick N: Well I haven’t tried it with every one of them. But when it Adam: What is your idea of a perfect device?
does work it’s always a crowd pleaser. It is frustrating when it doesn’t
work—usually when I want to show it off. I’ve had it for about three Rick N: For me, a cross between the iPhone and the newest Motorola

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 67


How to Use Windows Mobile Goes on Tour with Legendary Rock Band Cheap Trick

Q 9. I can’t wait to get my hands on the Motorola Q 9. It’s more Rick from Microsoft PCs, Macs, Windows phones, and just standard flip
Nielsen-friendly. I need something more substantial. I just got back phones, also. There are things that people like about Windows devices
from Japan. They have devices that we don’t have and we have devices and things they don’t like about Macs and vice versa. There are advan-
they don’t have. The Japanese were complaining that their devices were tages and disadvantages to all these different technologies. I happen to
getting so small they were losing them. I like the Treos even though they like my Windows Mobile devices for e-mail because they have great
are getting smaller. I like the touch screen and good graphics. You want keyboards. The BlackJack II is one I use regularly on tour. It also has
the screen to be x size—have half a screen & half keyboard. A hotspot great GPS capabilities for mapping locations, and just by chance right
corner to back to applications or keyboard—more to do here! before you and I starting talking I got a text from Billy Corgan. He’s
Adam: I know you have an Ultra Mobile PC that you carry on the road an interesting guy.
with you, the Fujitsu P1620. What do you like about that device?
Adam: Do you see these same people using mobile devices like
Rick N: I absolutely love it! It’s very light, incredibly small and yourself? In other words, it sounds like you’re doing more than most
compact, and extremely powerful for a small machine. Overall, it just rock bands when it comes to using mobile devices for managing their
knocks people out when they see it because of its small size and what calendars, e-mail, writing music, and the like?
it’s capable of doing.
Adam: On the flip side, I know you also use Macs. What do you like Rick N: You’re right, but I just love this technology and I find it
about the Mac? helps me save time in ways I never thought possible. I even use a
mobile device as my TV remote. The
only thing it seems that these mobile
devices don’t do for you is do your
work for you. They just aid and help
in doing your work, which is great. I
still use a paper and pencil occasion-
ally, but it’s awful nice to have things
scanned to your device or take pic-
tures whenever. I used my Windows
Mobile device once to take a picture
of a song I wanted to take with me on
the road.

What else is going on


in Entertainment?
After leaving Rick to get back to his
busy schedule, I did a little of my own
research on mobility in entertainment.
One interesting thing I found is how
mobile devices were integrated with
this year’s Noise Pop Music Festival.
A new social discovery service called
Whrrl, gave concertgoers access to
real-time location mapping, status up-
dates, friend notifications, and show
and venue information from their cell
phones. You can then share that information with anyone in your social
Rick N: Well, I use the Mac for graphics, pictures, and writing music. network. You can get more detailed information about the service at
For me, there’s a strong familiarity with Macs because I grew up using whrrl.com.
some of the early Apple laptops. I remember back then, the battery was Mobile devices are everywhere. It’s clear that corporate America is
bigger than the laptop itself. I had to keep the thing in my bag when I not the only ones who are taking advantage of mobile e-mail and apps
traveled on airplanes. I also used the early Apple IIC, I think it was called, on the road, but so are some of the biggest names in the music business.
where the screen was all green and the cursor was a blinking rectangle. I As I sit and finish this article on my flight back home, I notice my fellow
think I actually won my Apple at some event. We also have Windows PCs. passengers with their smartphones playing videos, music, and tapping
We’re not all Macs, obviously. I don’t use one brand of guitar; I use a lot away frantically at their tiny QWERTY keyboards. n
of stuff. The Fujitsu I have is terrific, and the Macs I use are good, too.

Adam: How do other entertainers that you work with use mobile
devices? Feel free to name some of your favorite bands you’ve worked
with.

Rick N: With the bands that I’ve worked with, everybody has a phone,
first of all. Even our drummer, Bun E. Carlos has a phone. For the
longest time he never even had a phone, but he saw all the things you
can do with them and broke down. You really see everything, though,

68 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


what’s online
Jim Karpen

More Free Resources for Mobile Content

M
obile content continues to explode as mobile carriers and access Internet content, you use Zumobi widgets (or “tiles”) to access
major Web sites realize that cell phone users are a huge new AccuWeather, stock quotes, AP national news, AP sports, Flickr, MTV
audience for content. movie news, and even a couple games. Zumobi includes a default set of
Just two issues ago (Feb/Mar ‘08) I wrote about all the 16 tiles, which are displayed on Zumobi’s main screen (Fig. 3).
mobile portals available to you. And now I’m here yet again to write
about additional convenient ways to get Internet content on your device. Fig. 3: Zumobi’s main screen displays 16 user-
These include free applications for searching and watching videos and definable tiles that let you access Internet content
free mobile widget platforms. quickly.

Mobile video via vTap You can go to the gallery on the Zu-
mobi Web site to select from scores of
vTap (vtap.com), one of the more impressive freeware applications I’ve
additional tiles in 10 categories to create
tried, lets you search for videos on the Web and then play them on your
a set of 16 tiles that most suit your inter-
device. It gives you access to the universe of Web video, from YouTube
ests. The categories include Entertain-
to Yahoo Video to Metacafe. You simply type in a keyword, and as you
ment, Finance, Games & Humor, Kids,
enter letters, vTap immediately starts showing a list of results. This
News, See & Hear, Shopping, Sports,
character-based incremental search expedites your search.
and Travel & Weather. While many of
the tiles are related to Internet content,
some are small applications such as a
Check List utility. When you find one you want to add, you send it to
yourself and it arrives in your Zumobi Inbox on your device. You then
select which of the default tiles to replace with the new tile.
You need to register on the Zumobi site in order to use the applica-
tion, which you can download via your desktop computer or directly
to your device.
Microsoft is strongly behind this approach to mobile content and
is partnering with Zumobi to help market and distribute this freeware.
Zumobi is ad-supported, so you’ll see advertising prominently in the
interface.

Figs. 1 & 2: vTap allows you to search on any topic and displays a list of related videos (left).
Tap the desired video and select the Play button to stream it to the vTap player (right).

When you select a search result (Fig. 1), the video downloads to your
device and plays in the vTap player (Fig. 2). I tried videos from several
different services, and they all worked fine. However, my Verizon Treo
broadband connection downloads at about 100k, which is faster than
some data services but not as speedy as Wi-Fi. Because of this, I typi-
cally had to wait while the video downloaded.
The vTap Tools menu lets you access other features, including Book- Figs. 4 & 5: Plusmo makes it easier to access Web
marks, History, Past Queries, Safe Search, and more. In addition to the content on your Windows Mobile touch screen device
ability to search for a video by name, vTap lets you search on topic (left) or non-touch screen smartphone (right).
Categories, which include News, Sports, Music, TV Shows, Movies, Plusmo
Science & Technology, Travel & Places, How-To, and User Videos. It Plusmo (plusmo.com), freeware that we’ve previously covered, also lets
also lets you access Wikipedia—again via character-based incremental you run mobile widgets that make accessing blogs, RSS feeds, and Web
search. sites easier (Figs. 4 & 5). Over 20,000 widgets are available, according
You can download vTap directly to your device by going to vTap’s to the Web site. The Plusmo site lets you preview the widgets (click on
mobile site (m.vtap.com). Go to vTap.com to find out more about the Get Started/Add/Widgets) in 10 categories, including News, Sports,
product and see it in action on your desktop PC. Entertainment, Fun, Technology, and Fashion. Examples of available
Zumobi, a free “mobile widget platform” widgets include CNN, BBC, ESPN Sports, Engadget, Gizmodo, Mov-
Zumobi (zumobi.com) is a free “mobile widget platform.” (As used Jim Karpen Ph.D. is on faculty at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. He has been interested in the
here, a “widget” is a small, single-function application that gives you revolutionary consequences of computer technology ever since writing his Ph.D. dissertation–a study of the “digitized
convenient and quick access to specific information or that lets you word” that anticipated the Internet revolution. He has been writing regularly about the Internet since 1994. His Web
site, www.jimkarpen.com, contains selected Internet columns written monthly for the Iowa Source magazine. Contact
perform a specific task.) Instead of using a mobile Web browser to Jim at jim_karpen@smartphonemag.com.

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 69


How To Use What’s Online
ies.com, YouTube, and Flickr Browser. Fig. 8: Mippin is a Web-based RSS feed aggregator
If you like what you see, getting started is easy. You select your that simplifies the process of finding and subscribing
favorite widgets, register, and then Plusmo sends you an SMS message to RSS content.
or e-mail with a link to download and install Plusmo along with the Mippin is different. You simply point
favorites you selected. You can also add RSS feeds as well as create and your mobile browser at mippin.com.
publish your own widgets. Like Zumobi, the Plusmo interface includes Then in the search box, you can enter
small display ads. keywords or a Web address, and it will
Plusmo’s widgets may be something of a misnomer, though. Zumobi then dish up the latest RSS feeds. If you
offers true widgets in the sense that it grabs the content and offers it in enter a Web address, Mippin will auto-
a self-contained interface. Plusmo simply seems to grab the RSS feed. matically find any RSS feeds on that Web
For example, if you’re using the New York Times widget and click on page and present them in a convenient
Read More for a particular news story, it takes you to your Web browser, mobile format. A keyword search finds
which loads the desktop version of the page. Unfortunately, this requires RSS feeds on that particular topic.
a lot of scrolling to read. Further, Mippin automatically personalizes itself to your interests, keep-
ing track of your favorite content. I was quite impressed with this site.
Hubdog mobile content
Hubdog (hubdog.com), which we’ve also covered in the past, combines Viigo, NewsGator Go: Free RSS feed readers
an RSS reader, a podcast player, a media search engine, and channels Speaking of RSS readers, if you want a standalone app rather than the
that can be shared among community members. You can use Hubdog Web-based Mippin, there are a couple solid freebies to consider.
to download and play or display news, radio, music and video podcasts, Viigo (viigo.com) is a standalone application that gives you quick
blogs, and any RSS feed onto your device (Figs. 6 & 7). access to news, sports, entertainment, weather, markets, blogs, or any
RSS feed that you want. It has a well-organized channel library that lets
you select from hundreds of sources of information (Fig. 9).
Fig. 9: Viigo’s channel library lets you select from
hundreds of RSS feed sources.
Navigation is efficient and easy. If
you’re accessing a news source, for ex-
ample, Viigo gives you a handy list of the
headlines. Clicking on a headline brings
up a capsule summary. You can then
elect to view the whole article, which is
nicely formatted for the small screen of
your device. Viigo, unlike Plusmo, grabs
the whole article. In general, I like the in-
terface and the presentation of content.
Figs. 6 & 7: Hubdog lets you download Web content, which it displays in a channel list (left). NewsGator Go for Windows Mobile
Select the desired channel, and it plays the content on your device (right).
(newsgator.com) was recently released as a freebie after having been a
One advantage of Hubdog is that it captures content so that you can commercial product. This application gives you the ability to track and
read, listen to, or watch it when you’re offline. You can access content manage all your RSS content on your mobile device. It can also play
either through ActiveSync, Wi-Fi, or a cellular data line such as GSM/ streaming audio and video.
GPRS, CDMA/1X, or 3G.
New Web browser: Skyfire
Alternate browsers now offering widgets Skyfire (skyfire.com), which will likely be free and ad-supported,
Widgets are all the rage these days. Several developers have also an- sounds remarkable—it gives you access to the entire Web, mobilizing
nounced this capability for their commercial browsers. Web sites on-the-fly, and this includes
NetFront 3.5 (access-company.com), one of the leading alterna- content that’s not usually compatible
tive Web browsers for Windows Mobile devices, now offers widgets with Internet Explorer Mobile, such as
that give you functions such as updated weather information, news YouTube videos. According to the Web
headlines, favorites from YouTube, local maps, and photo feeds from site, “Skyfire gives you speedy page
Web sites. A public, but somewhat limited Technical Preview is already loads, full audio, video, images, dynamic
available. Flash content, advanced Ajax, Java, and
Opera 9.5 (opera.com), in addition to a faster speed and new in- more—just like your PC.”
terface features such as the iPhone-like OperaZoomT, also includes The Beta1 release of Skyfire was
Opera Widgets. The Opera Web site has a video guided tour of the new closed on March 1. You can sign up on
browser. A public beta release should be available in April or May. their Web site (skyfire.com/sign-up) to be
notified when the Beta 2 release is avail-
Mippin: Easy access to RSS feeds able. There are video demos on YouTube
Mippin (mippin.com) is a new Web site that gives you access to RSS (youtube.com) from the Skyfire developers and from Brighthand. One
feeds—those constantly refreshing tidbits that alert you to the latest news of the first reviews of Skyfire was posted on Just Another Mobile Mon-
or content on your favorite Web sites. Typically if you want to use a Web day (go to justanothermobilemonday.com and search on “Skyfire”).
site or software application to “aggregate” RSS feeds, you have to find This trend toward mobile content is only going to grow, and it’s great
the RSS feeds and then manually add the links to your RSS reader. to see these useful resources being made available—for free. n

70 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Experts Online What’s New on the Smartphone &
Pocket PC magazine BLOGS...
smartphonemag.com/blogs

Bluetrek...Raketu...E-Mail Etiquette...Keyboard Blues...CES Favorites...Revival...more


Here are short summaries of just a few of the great posts published daily on the Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine blogs. We
encourage you to read the complete post, post your own comments, and ask questions of the authors. Below each post we’ve
placed the date of the post and the name of the person who wrote it. To find and read the complete post, go to the blog home page
(smartphonemag.com/blogs) and use the navigation calendar in the right hand column to browse to the date in question.

Bluetrek SurfaceSound Compact hands-free system • Rule 1 – Respond to every part of an e-mail that warrants a
The ability to use your device while driving is important for most of response.
us, but more and more states are implementing rules about cell phone • Rule 2 – Respond to e-mails.
use. For the most part, the new laws state that the driver of a vehicle • Rule 3 – Check your spelling.
can’t use a cell phone while the vehicle is in motion. It is a pretty simple • Rule 4 – Consider using traditional letter formatting.
law, and violations can bring some stiff • Rule 5 – Only use “Internetspeak” when appropriate.
fines. Fortunately, there are exceptions to (For more details, read the post.)
these laws that allow the use of a hands- Posted on 2/10/08 by Ben Stanley
free system.
The folks at Bluetrek (bluetrek.com)
have a rather unique hands-free solution
in their new Bluetrek Surface Sound
Compact, a flat, visor-mounted wireless
Bluetooth speaker and microphone. I was
immediately interested in this solution because it uses flat panel speaker
technology developed by NXT, which allows manufacturers to develop
products with extraordinary sound quality, but without the bulk usually
associated with high-quality speakers...
Posted on 2/19/08 by Jack Cook

Can Raketu replace a SIM card?


I recently received a lovely new WMG Windows Mobile 6 Professional
device that came unlocked and without a SIM card, which limited some
of its powerful capability. Without a SIM
card, I could not use it to make phone calls
or send text or MMS messages. However, Keyboard blues: Bad news
when I discovered the wireless communi- I regret to inform you that the production and support of the iGo Blu-
cation possibilities of the newly released etooth Stowaway keyboards has been discontinued. After meeting with
Raketu for Windows Mobile devices, I the iGo people at CES, I learned that the president of the company
was eager to give it a try. decided not to continue the line because of the unjustifiable expense
Raketu (raketu.com) is a VoIP-based of developing all the necessary drivers. I suspected something was up
service that has been available for desk- when I found out that no WM 6 drivers had been developed yet. (Note
tops, but is now offered for Windows that the drivers for WM 5 seem to work fine with most WM 6 devices,
Mobile devices as well. It is supposed to but this may not be the case with future versions of the OS.)
enable you to use your handset to make What a sad development, because the Stowaway Bluetooth key-
calls anywhere in the world free. You can boards were the best of the best, and there’s really nothing out there
send e-mail as well as SMS and MMS messages… that I know of yet that will replace it. So, enjoy yours while it lasts, but
Posted on 2/5/08 by Tim Hillebrand don’t count on being able to upgrade it to a new device.
Posted on 1/12/08 by Tim Hillebrand
5 Rules of e-mail etiquette
The rise of e-mail and other forms of instant electronic communication No 2008 Best of Everything Software Package
has eroded our respect for many of the conventions that we traditionally Why cancel the Best of Everything Package in 2008? The short an-
adhered to when writing paper letters, and has introduced several new swer—our Web site! For over two years I have wanted to “fix” this site.
bad habits into the way we communicate with one another on a daily ba- We’ve made a number of false starts with not much to show for it. On
sis. Those of us who use mobile devices to communicate are especially the one hand, IMHO, we have an awesome site of outstanding content:
susceptible to bad e-mail habits because the size limitations of these these blogs, the forums, Best Software Awards, Encyclopedia of Soft-
devices encourage lazy habits, and because mobile device users tend ware and Accessories, archives of ALL past issues of Smartphone &
to be busy, always-on-the-go types. In response to this phenomenon, Pocket PC magazine, device comparison chart, free newsletters, and
I’ve decided to compile 5 rules of e-mail etiquette. the VIP site!

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 71


Experts Online
The problem is that the site has grown organically both inside and “Weather” you like it or not…
out. The main site has one look. These blogs, the forums, and our VIP The weather affects us all, whether we like it or not. It can be a minor
site have a completely different one. The site consists of canned packag- annoyance, slowing down our commute to the office or changing our
es, like for these blogs, and custom code written in ASP, ASP .NET, and travel plans, but sometimes having up-to-date weather information can
PHP. Data is stored in two completely different data base languages… be a matter of life or death. As long as you pack a Windows Mobile
So what does our redesigned Web site have to do with Best of Ev- device in your pocket, you can have the weather report on your Today
erything Software Package and Demo CD? We have a small staff, and screen for easy access.
creating the Best of Everything Software Package takes months. Our As far as I’m concerned, the best weather application is, and always
small Web and marketing team would have to drop most of their work has been, PocketWeather by SBSH Software (sbsh.net). It simply has
on the new site to create the 2008 BOE. I finally decided we simply the most comprehensive weather info and the largest database of cities
had to get the new site up, and so I pulled the plug. with the easiest retrieval among all competitors, and it’s available for
Posted on 1/18/08 by Hal Goldstein touch and non-touch screen devices. The good news is that it just got
better with a brand new 2.0 release…
CES favorite picks for Windows Mobile Posted on 1/2/08 by Tim Hillebrand
As one of over 140,000 attendees at CES, I sometimes felt as if I were a
lemming going along with the flow from one exhibit to another, mostly
in awe of the whole extravaganza. If there was any cohesive theme, it
had to be centered on the concept of digital integration. It was evident
in the inter-connectivity of devices in lifestyle and environments for
the workplace, home, and automobile…
While I tried to take in everything, I’m sure I missed some nifty stuff
because it was all just so overwhelming. However, I did try to focus
on two things: new Windows Mobile devices and UMPCs. I found
several new WM 6 devices, which I will review thoroughly as soon
as I receive the evaluation units from Asus, Samsung, HP, Motorola,
and Verizon…
Decent Wi-Fi access at CES was almost impossible, thanks to the
teeming masses of attendees and exhibitors. For this reason, the press
room had cabled connections for the likes of me, which I appreciated Now and then, I review weather programs in one of my blog categories
greatly. Wi-Fi was, however, certainly evident in a myriad of products (I was once a full-time weather geek). Most are effective at presenting
from HDTVs to digital cameras, game consoles, and MP3 players… basic weather info, but PocketWeather from SBSH Software House is
Posted on 1/14 and 1/29/08 by Tim Hillebrand one of the few that excells…
Posted on 1/4/08 by Nate Adcock
Revival: Finally a Civilization-like game for Windows Mobile
One of the most striking voids in the Great GPS-ing indeed!
field of games available for the Windows So, I took some time off from blogs and decided to go on a little holi-
Mobile platform is the lack of turn-based day to the mountains and visit the Luray Caverns in VA. A couple of
4x games in the tradition of Sid Meier’s weeks ago, I picked up a Freedom
groundbreaking Civilization series. I’ve Keychain GPS receiver (available
been calling attention to this omission for at mobileplanet.com) after read-
as long as I’ve been playing Windows ing about it in Tim Hillebrand’s
Mobile games. blog. It worked instantly with my
Finally, a Civilization-like game has BlackBerry maps, and has helped
arrived! I was so excited when I heard immensely around D.C., but I
about Revival (smart.herocraft.com) that I needed an application that uses
could barely contain myself. I couldn’t re- map data that is loaded internally
sist the opportunity to write a review. I’m or on a storage card. My Black-
glad to be able to report that Revival delivers—for the most part… Berry is great for “on-the-spot”
Posted on 1/6/08 by Ben Stanley navigation needs, but its require-
ment to constantly update the map display via the high-speed cell net-
Increase productivity through SMS work is not optimal. I could not count on having reliable cell coverage
As our own Dr. Hillebrand has often said, the Western Hemisphere is on this trip, so needed a local map source.
behind the times when it comes to the power of SMS. Text messaging A couple of years ago, I purchased a Navman Pocket PC GPS unit
popularity still seems to be restricted to teen communications and the oc- (an expansion sleeve for older Compaq models), which is mostly use-
casional quick “Whazzup” message between friends. In Europe, SMS is a less now that my old iPAQs are dead or dying, but I thought, I still
serious business tool that is used for advertising and customer alerts… have the software/maps. Maybe I could install and load the SmartST
I recently discovered a Web site that I thought I would share with software on my newer WM 5 iPAQ hx2495, and use it with the new
our readers. The site, Web-Alerts.com, allows the user to sign up for Freedom Mini key ring model. Well, it did work, but with a few tweaks,
free (other than what you pay for text messaging through your cellular of course…
provider) text alerts based on RSS feeds from the sites you designate. Posted on 12/23/07 by Nate Adcock n
The site lets you set up keyword filters to only deliver news or alerts in
which you are interested…
Posted on 1/4/08 by Dale Daniels

72 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Tips From The SmartphoneMag.com Forums Edited by Rich Hall & Dan Hart

The quality and success of our magazine flows from the practical wisdom have edited this material for clarity and to avoid repetition. We also
of its readers and their contributions to the publication. “Tips from the include links to the original posts, which may have additional details.
Forums” represents a small sample of the Smartphone and Pocket PC A very big “Thanks!” goes to all the forum members and moderators
wisdom posted on our online forums (smartphonemag.com/forum). We for sharing their knowledge with other users.

Getting the latest version of


Windows Live 0
Hi. I’ve searched the Web and various fo-
rums to find the site that sells the Pocket
MSN [Windows Live] software that is simply
downloaded to your PC and then installed
on your device via ActiveSync. Somehow I
lost/deleted the CAB file on my old device
and my new Samsung i760 doesn’t come
with it either. Thanks in advance!
azdps
Z You can download Windows Live Mes-
senger here: forum.xda-developers.
com/showthread.php?t=334621
meslierlp
smartphonemag.com/forum/topic.
All documents to be displayed in Word Mobile’s file list, “All MightySync is one third-party option for syncing and backing
asp?TOPIC_ID=30400
Folders,” must be displayed in the folder heading located on up storage card files
the left side above the list.
Lower music bit rate for some
Bluetooth headphones 0 Z Thanks! I installed it and it worked.
Z After you open Word, is “All Folders” lambgroup
Can someone please recommend a wire- selected in the drop-down list that is smartphonemag.com/forum/topic.
less Bluetooth ear piece just for listening to under the Windows logo at the top left asp?TOPIC_ID=30178
music while away from home? side of the screen? Make sure you select
distinctive “All Folders” so that the device will dis- Configuring wireless networks 0
play all your documents.
Z My teenage son has discovered that My HP iPAQ h2495 has around 17 wireless
Documents that are stored on your
by lowering the bit rate for each song, networks listed in the “Configure Wireless
storage card will not appear in the
he was able to use his Motorola BT Ear- Network” window (under Start >Settings
WM_Owner folder. The reason for this
piece. We have three different earpieces >Wi-Fi (or Wireless)). Is there any way to de-
is quite simple: ActiveSync syncs files to
in our collection and they all work with lete these useless wireless networks? Most
the phone’s main memory only.
this method. Don’t go too low or you’ll of them were picked up at various airports.
meslierlp
lose (noticeable) audio quality. NV68
donmiller1 Z Thanks for solving my first problem! Z Try tapping and holding the stylus on
Z Good advice. Thank you. As for the second issue, what ways are each of them to pop up an edit menu;
distinctive there to ensure that the documents then select “Delete” from the menu.
smartphonemag.com/forum/topic. and programs on your storage card are felixgza
asp?TOPIC_ID=29479 backed up and safe? smartphonemag.com/forum/topic.
CassBH asp?TOPIC_ID=30247
Seeing all Word docs and syncing Z Try MightySync (mydocsunlimited.com)
storage card files 0 or SD Sync (handango.com). Converting media files 0
felixgza I have tried the free trial versions available
When I open Word on my Pocket PC, there
smartphonemag.com/forum/topic. for some video conversion programs, but
used to be a list of all my docs that came
asp?TOPIC_ID=30182 can’t find anything that lets me convert AVI
up. Now, I actually need to go to File Ex-
plorer/Storage Card and find the title of video to MPEG. Are there any available?
the Word doc there. Any idea why this hap- Most WM 5 apps work with WM 6 0 dominic harris
pened and how I can change it back? I bought an iGo Stowaway keyboard for my Z Movavi VideoSuite Converter (movavi.
Also, after I sync with Active Sync and HTC Mogul. The CD has a driver for WM 5, com/suite/) can do that conversion eas-
then open the desktop version of WM_ but not 6. If I were to install the WM 5 driv- ily. It can convert files from any video
Owner, why can’t I see the documents that er, would I cause a problem on my Mogul? format to any video format. You will be
are on my storage card? I want to make lambgroup able to covert AVI to MPEG, MP4, DivX,
some changes to some Word docs that are VOB, or any other popular video format.
stored on my card but do not want to do it Z It should work without any issues; most
Movavi VideoSuite is easy to use and
from my device. Any ideas? WM 5 applications work well with WM 6.
gets the job done.
CassBH meslierlp
darren95al

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 73


Tips From The SmartphoneMag.com Forums

Z You could also try Nidesoft Video Con- Fixing Calendar sync error on trash with use, such as the Web browser
verter (nidesoft.com/video-converter. iPAQs 0 caches and temp folders. Apps like
html). MemMaid (dinarsoft.com/memmaid)
I upgraded my iPAQ 2755 to WM 5, and
videolovely (my personal favorite) and SK Tools (s-k-
ActiveSync is successful in synchronizing
tools.com) include routines to automate
Z I use TuneCab to convert protected and all files and Outlook components except
clean-up of these areas for you. You can
unprotected video, audio, and audio- my Calendar, for which AS 4.1 displays a
find good freeware whose sole purpose
books. It works well, with a high conver- “support code: 80070490.” Two computers,
is this type of cleaning, which should
sion speed and super quality. It also has one running Win 2000, the other XP Pro
be done regularly to prevent erosion of
a YouTube ripper and CD ripper. You w/ SP2 demonstrate the same problem.
available storage space.
can download the demo here (tunecab. The Outlook is 2002 w/ SP3 installed. I have
YankeeJeep
com/includes/download.php). disabled Win Firewall, and set security set-
Satori tings as low as possible in Outlook, and no
smartphonemag.com/forum/topic. antivirus is running, but there is no change.
asp?TOPIC_ID=29758 Any suggestions? Any idea what this sup-
port code means? Thanks.
Realign screen when taps aren’t Frank Barch
responding 0 Z I’ve found the answer (I believe) to the
I want to single-tap instead of double- “support code: 80070490” problem for
tap on links and photos while on mobile the iPAQ PDAs. The problem is a corrupt
phones and using the device to browse pim.vol file on your PDA. The solution
Web sites, e-mail contents, or cell phone erases all of your Calendar entries on
programs. Is this possible? your PDA (just resync to get them back).
distinctive To solve the issue, sync up without Cal-
endar (Calendar triggers the issue), go
to your PDA’s File Explorer, hit “UP” to
get to “My Device,” and rename the file
“pim” (“pim.vol” if you look at it from
ActiveSync on your desktop) to “pim. Kilmist Storage Analyzer uses pie charts to display the
old” and do a soft reset. Then sync up distribution of memory.
and things should work fine.
Z Yeah, I’ve found lots of apps that don’t
dsibley
clean up after themselves very well. The
Z Thank you! That fixed the problem on Live Search application from Microsoft
my Dell Axim x51 also. creates a file called “GpsDebugLog.txt”
csavchick that gets bigger as you are using the
Z It worked on my iPAQ 2490! Thanks application. I am just now remembering
again! to erase that after every use.
ACFdude But to identify the problem, I found
smartphonemag.com/forum/topic. an older Pocket PC application named
asp?TOPIC_ID=20126 Kilmist Storage Analyzer (kilmist.com/
ppcStorageAnalyzer.aspx). It shows a
Align your touch screen if it is not responding properly to
taps. Cleaning out storage memory 0 nice pie chart that expresses the distri-
bution of memory use by file type and
Z You should be able single-tap on links My Cingular 8125 is dangerously low on folder location. I was able to use it to
and pictures with your stylus. By default, memory. It shows as having only 0.87 MB identify some files that didn’t need to
it works like that. Are you able to open left. I’ve got a 2 GB memory card in it and be there and cleared up enough space
applications with just one tap? If you was careful to install all of my programs to get rid of the low memory errors, but
feel like your screen is not responding on the memory card only. However, even ultimately there’s no other solution for
to stylus tapping, go to Start >Settings though I specify the storage card as the my Pocket PC other than replacing it. It
>System >Screen and click the Align target of all of my installs, there are cases only has 47 MB of storage space. I see a
Screen button. where a portion of the installation files are lot of newer units that I have interest in
meslierlp put into main memory anyway. So even with 128-256 MB of storage.
though I’ve got another 1.8 GB available on
Z I had to align the screen in both Portrait my storage card, it seems that I’ve reached So now I know, external memory cards
AND Landscape mode. I originally only the limit of programs that this device are no substitute for having a large
aligned it in Portrait mode. It’s respond- can hold; it will be necessary to uninstall amount of built-in memory.
ing fine now. Thank you! something should I decide I want to install alcedes
distinctive anything else. smartphonemag.com/forum/topic.
smartphonemag.com/forum/topic. alcedes asp?TOPIC_ID=29968 n
asp?TOPIC_ID=30048
Z There are also folders that accumulate

74 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Tips and Tricks Edited by Dan Hart
For free access to our VIP site, see page 24.

Color code your cables when traveling


Learning (Touch screen, Non-touch screen)

Recycling your old cell phone If you do a lot of traveling and carry a ton of electronic equipment
such as a Windows Mobile device, an MP3 player, a laptop,
international power converters, DC adaptors for the plane, etc., each
(Touch screen, Non-touch screen)
of these gadgets unfortunately comes with a number of power and
Recycling your old cell phones, accessories, batteries, and other sync cables.
mobile device objects can help reduce energy consumption and
One way to organize the clutter is to use Velcro color-coded
greenhouse gas emissions. Before recycling your device, make
cable ties. Each device that you carry can then get its own color tie.
sure that you have terminated your service contract and that you
This easy identification system also has the secondary benefit of
have removed all personal data from the device. Here are some
keeping your cables organized and tangle-free.
recycling options:
Color-coded cable ties are available at most electronics stores, or
• Drop if off: Old cell phone items can be dropped off at some
you can purchase them online from a store like Amazon.com for a
retailers and service providers, including Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and
very reasonable $2.49.
Best Buy. For a list of links for recycling information, visit epa.gov/
cellphone/cell-recycling-locations.htm. Based on a SmartphoneMag.com blog post by Dan Hanttula
• Mail it in: Sending your old items in to the retailer or service provider VIP site, tip #1363
is another option. Visit the above link for more information.
• You could also try selling your old items on eBay (ebay.com),
Second Rotation (secondrotation.com), or TradeMyCell.com.
Perform restart immediately
VIP site, tip #1360 after uninstalling a program
(Touch screen, Non-touch screen)
Know the Start menu structure In my work as Editor of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine, I have
to install a lot of third-party software on my device so that I can
(Touch screen) test and review products or edit other authors’ reviews. I usually
In order to take full advantage of the Start menu on touch screen wait until I’m finished with a series of reviews before I delete these
devices, it’s helpful to know how it is structured and how it functions. programs from my device, but that can cause a problem.
The Start menu is divided into three sections:
Some third-party programs require your device
The Start menu on touch screen
to be “restarted” to complete the uninstall.
devices is divided into three
sections.
In some cases, after you
1. Top section: Contains delete a program, a message
links to a maximum is displayed that instructs you
of seven applications. to “restart the device to finish
By default, it lists removing the program,” (right).
Calendar, Contacts, If you tap on OK, a soft reset is
Internet Explorer, automatically performed. If you
Windows Media Player, tap on Cancel, you can continue
and others. You can using your device, but must
configure this portion perform a manual soft reset at
of the Start menu to a later time to complete the
list any built-in or user- uninstall process.
installed application by A problem can arise when you
going to Settings >Menus. (For more on this topic, see “How to are uninstalling more than one program at the same time. In some,
customize the Start menu,” tip #456.) but not all cases, if you uninstall a program, get the “restart the
2. Middle section: Contains up to five applications that have recently device…” message, tap the Cancel button, and then immediately
been launched. (If an item is already in the top or bottom sections, uninstall another program, some of the components of the first
it will not appear in this section.) The last application that you program may be left on the device after you restart it. Again, this
previously opened will be at the top of this section, the previous doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s happened enough for me to
application under that, and so on. notice it.
3. Bottom section: Contains links to the Programs and Settings The solution is, if the uninstall routine tells you that you have to
folders, and to Help, in that order. Note that if an item appears in restart the device, tap OK and do so immediately.
the top section, it will not be listed in the Programs folder. If you
By Rich Hall
remove an application from the top section as described in “How
to customize the Start menu,” tip #456, its icon reappears in the VIP site, tip #2844
Programs folder.
VIP site, tip #1362

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 75


TIPS and TRICKS

Learning Call History symbols Display the clock in all programs


(Touch screen, Non-touch screen) (Touch screen)
Outgoing, incoming, and missed calls are all stored in Call History One of the most important and convenient features on Windows
(press the green Send Call button to view Call History) on Windows Mobile touch screen devices is the clock in the upper right corner
Mobile devices. Each type of call has a symbol associated with it of the screen. If you notice that the clock disappears from the
to distinguish what type of call it is, which is located along the left top taskbar whenever you go from the Today screen to another
edge of the Call History screen next to each number. They are: application, this means that the “Display… in all programs” setting
• Outgoing calls: A green arrow (or triangle) pointing away from the in the Clock & Alarms menu is not selected.
phone icon to the right Go to Start >Settings >System tab >Clock & Alarms. Then, tap
• Incoming calls: An orange arrow (or triangle) pointing toward the on the More tab and check the box labeled “Display the clock on the
phone icon to the left title bar in all programs.” Tap OK to finalize the change.
• Missed calls: A red (or white) exclamation mark to the right of the Based on a SmartphoneMag.com blog post by Hal Goldstein
phone icon VIP site, tip #2845
VIP site, tip #2887

Quickly deleting e-mails in Messaging


Using (Touch screen, Non-touch screen)
If you have accumulated a high number of e-mails in your Inbox and
want to get rid of them quickly, here are a few tips to expedite the
View Microsoft WM 6 tips on YouTube process:
(Touch screen, Non-touch screen) Touch screen devices
Microsoft has produced a series of narrated and animated tips on To select a large number of e-mails for deletion (instead of having to
using Windows Mobile 6 Professional (for touch screen devices) delete them one at a time):
and posted them on YouTube (youtube.com). The tips cover the use Tap and hold the stylus on the desired e-mail and drag up or down
of Contacts, e-mail, Call History, and more. To view the tips, go to to select multiple e-mails. Tap and hold again on the highlighted
YouTube and do a search for “Windows Mobile tips.” The Microsoft e-mails and select Delete from the pop-up menu.
tips (numbered 1-9) should be the first search results listed. If your device has a QWERTY keyboard with a Shift key, hold it down
VIP site, tip #1359 and press the Up or Down arrow keys to select multiple e-mails.
To mass-select all of your e-mails, open the soft keyboard and tap
Setting the Sensitivity in Tasks Ctl and then A.
Non-touch screen devices
and Calendar Appointments Smartphones without touch screens do not have the ability to
(Touch screen, Non-touch screen) select multiple e-mails. If you
have a Windows Mobile 6 device,
One of the built in features of Tasks and Calendar appointments is the
however, here is one way to
ability to set the Sensitivity level. In the New Task or New Appointment
speed up deletion:
screen, there are four Sensitivity levels to choose from:
In your Messaging Inbox, go to
• Normal (default setting)
Menu >Tools >Options >Other
• Personal: Use for content that contains personal (not business- and unselect the “Warn when
related) information. deleting messages in the
• Private: Use for personal or business-related content that message list” option. This way,
you don’t want others (who may have access to a PC you it will only take one key press
synchronize with) to see. (the Delete soft key) to delete an
Using this setting will cause e-mail.
the details of the Task/
Appointment to remain Disabling the deletion warning message in
hidden on your PC after the WM 6 smartphones will quicken e-mail
Task/Appointment has been deletion.
synchronized with it.
Based on a SmartphoneMag.com blog post by Werner “Men-
• Confidential: Use for neisyys” Ruotsalainen
business-related content
that has to do with the VIP site, tip #2885
confidentiality policy of your
company.
(Note that on pre-WM 5 devices, Using the “USB Charging” option in HP iPAQs
there are only two choices:
(Touch screen)
Normal and Private.)
Most HP iPAQs have a built-in feature called “USB Charging,” which
You can set the Sensitivity level for Tasks and Calendar Appointments. enables the ability to charge your device from your PC’s USB port
and allows you to set the rate of charge to “Slow” or “Fast.” To
VIP site, tip #2836 activate this feature, go to Start >Settings >System tab, tap on the

76 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


TIPS and TRICKS
Power icon, and select the tab labeled “USB Charging.” Check the and check the box labeled “Today timeout.” Then select the amount
box labeled “Use USB Charging” if you want your iPAQ to charge of time you want your device to wait before timing out from the
while it is connected to a desktop PC via a USB sync cable. Once drop-down menu to the right of the check box.
the box is checked, you can then select from one of two charging VIP site, tip #2894
options:
Slow Charge: This option charges your device at a lower power
setting over a longer time period. Use it when don’t need to recharge
your device quickly, especially for overnight charging. Because this
Mastering
setting provides less power, you should not use it if you intend on
using your device while it is being charged. Also, be sure to turn off The Today screen “New” menu
the screen if you choose this setting. (Touch screen)
Fast Charge: This is the default option when you activate USB Pre-Windows Mobile 5 touch screen devices had a “New” menu
Charging. It provides more power and charges your device faster. that was accessed in the lower left corner of the Today screen. This
Note that this setting will cause your battery to heat up more than convenient feature let you quickly open a new Word document,
the Slow Charge setting, which may cause a reduction in the life of Excel worksheet, Contact,
the battery over a period of time. Use the Fast Charge setting if you Appointment, Note, or Task
intend on using your device while it is charging. without having to navigate to it
VIP site, tip #2892 through the Start menu.
This feature was left off of
Using the Device Lock feature touch screen devices starting
with Windows Mobile 5, but a
(Touch screen) third-party freeware program
called WM5NewMenu (saman-
Windows Mobile 5 and 6 touch screen devices have a “Device
cz.com/ppc/index.html) adds it
Lock” feature that disables all input into the device. This feature
back to Windows Mobile 5 and 6
is useful if you want to make sure that there will be no accidental
devices, along with many other
button presses or other input into the device, perhaps while you’re
features.
carrying it in your pocket or a shoulder bag.
To activate the Device Lock feature, tap on the icon labeled The third-party program WM5NewMenu adds
“Device unlocked” on your Today screen (it looks like an unlocked a convenient New Menu option to the Today
padlock). Note that this icon may be unlabeled on some devices and screen of Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices.
may be located in different places on the Today screen.
Based on a SmartphoneMag.com blog post by Tariq Bamadhaj
Once it is tapped, the padlock icon will change from unlocked
VIP site, tip #2837
to locked, and the label changes to “Device locked.” In addition, an
Unlock option appears in the lower left corner of the screen.

NeedHelp?
To unlock the device, select the Unlock option by tapping on
it or pressing the left soft key.
Then, tap on the button labeled
“Unlock,” which appears on the
screen.
Also note that on most phone-
enabled devices (both touch and
non-touch), you can also lock the
device by pressing and holding
the red End Call button. For more
on locking non-touch screen
smartphones, see “Using the
Lock feature on non-touch screen
smartphones,” tip #1165.

The Lock feature has a menu to confirm that


you want to unlock your device.
VIP site, tip #2893

Using the “Today timeout” feature Post your question at


(Touch screen)
The Today timeout feature allows you to set the amount of time SmartphoneMag.com/forums
(1-12 hours) that you want your device to wait before it automatically
returns to the Today screen if another program is open. Note that “Newbies” welcome!
your device must be powered off and remain idle for the allotted
time in order for the Today timeout to work. Note also that we could
only get this feature to work on a Windows Mobile 2003 SE device.
Priority help for VIPs (p.24)
To activate this feature, go to Start >Settings >Today >Items tab

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 77


At a Glance Feature by Feature Comparison

Built-in Software
Most of the applications you’ll need are built into Windows Mobile 6 Smartphones and PDAs.
version of a particular application. (Unless otherwise noted, these

I
n addition to the Windows Mobile operating system, these
touch screen and non-touch screen devices come with a variety programs are on both touch screen and non-touch screen devices.
of built-in productivity applications and configuration utilities, The touch screen and non-touch screen versions of these applica-
as well as games and multimedia programs. These programs, listed tions have differences in terms of the features they incorporate and
below, are pre-installed and ready to use, and are a permanent part the interfaces they use.) Finally, some new applications were added
of the device and cannot be deleted. Carriers and OEMs may opt to the application suite with the release of Windows Mobile 6.1. We
not to include all applications listed below, and may substitute their indicate those with “WM 6.1 only.”

ActiveSync / Mobile Device Center and more. You can assign photos to individual contacts and place
Synchronization software that allows your Windows Mobile de- phone calls from the application by selecting phone numbers.
vice to connect to a Windows PC and synchronize Outlook data,
install third-party software, and more. There are two components
to the software: The “client” ActiveSync program that is built into
the Windows Mobile device, and a desktop PC version of the pro-
gram. The Windows Vista version of this program is called Mobile
Device Center.

Bubble Breaker
Bubble Breaker is a puzzle game that challenges you to match
like-colored bubbles to eliminate them and score points. viewing modes to make Web page viewing easier. (The ability to
Excel Mobile zoom in and out on a Web page was added to Internet Explorer
Calculator This is the mobile version of Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet program. Mobile with the release of WM 6.1.)
Simple math calculator with addition, subtraction, multiplication, It can be found on both touch screen and non-touch screen devices,
division, and basic memory storage functions. but the touch screen version is more feature-rich. For example, it
includes charting capabilities, which are missing from the non-
touch screen version. (The ability to open and save documents in
Office 2007 format was added to Excel Mobile in WM 6.1.)

File Explorer
Offers basic file exploration, including the ability to browse file folders
and delete, copy, cut, and paste files and folders. (Note: This applica-
tion is called “File Manager” on some non-touch screen devices.)

Calendar
Appointment calendar that lets you schedule single or repeating
Messaging
appointments and reminds you of them minutes or hours in ad- Lets you set up and access your e-mail Inbox and text messaging
vance. You can view the appointments by the day, week, or month, accounts. The WM 6 version of Messaging allows you to display
attach notes, and more. HTML-formatted e-mail.

Getting Started Center


Helps new users get started using their Windows Mobile device
by showing them how to set up e-mail, date and time, a device
password, Bluetooth headset, and more (WM 6.1 only).

Internet Explorer Mobile


Contacts The Windows Mobile version of Microsoft’s Web browser. Favorites Phone Dialer (Phone-enabled devices only)
An address/phone book that lets you track contact information, list can be synchronized with the desktop PC version of Internet This application lets you place phone calls, check your call history,
including multiple addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Explorer. The program has One Column, Full Screen, and Desktop assign speed dials, and set other options.

78 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


Notes
Feature by Feature Comparison
At a Glance
(Touch screen only)
This is a simple note taking application that lets you enter informa-
tion quickly. You can type in notes or use “Draw” mode to enter
handwritten text or simple drawings, maps, etc.

Pictures & Videos

Windows Live Mobile


Added to the application suite in Windows Mobile 6, Windows
Live is a set if Web-based software (with components installed
as well as select and shut the application down. You can also view on the device). It includes Messenger, Hotmail, Search, Spaces,
the amount of RAM an application is occupying and the percentage Local Search, SMS Services, and more.
of the CPU power it is using (WM 6.1 only).

This is a simple picture viewer that displays onboard images in


thumbnail or full view. It also lets you perform minor editing
functions, play slide shows, beam pictures to another device, and
more. You can also use the application to launch video recordings
in Media Player Mobile. (Note: This application may be called “My
Stuff” or something similar on some non-touch screen devices.)

PowerPoint Mobile Tasks


Lets you display PowerPoint presentations on or from your Windows
Windows Media Player Mobile
Keep track of your to-do list. Add, delete, and edit tasks, set priorities The mobile version of Microsoft’s Media Player application lets you
Mobile device. Note that you cannot create PowerPoint presenta- and task categories, sort and filter tasks, and more.
tions with this app. They must be downloaded from your PC. play MP3 or WMA music files and WMV video files stored on your
device or streamed to them over an Internet connection.
Remote Desktop Mobile
(Touch screen only; known as “Terminal Services” on earlier ver- Word Mobile
sions of the OS) This application allows you to create, edit, or view Word docu-
Allows you to remotely connect to a PC or server from your Win- ments. (The ability to open and save documents in Office 2007
dows Mobile device. This is a handy tool for network administrators format was added to Word Mobile in WM 6.1.)
or those wanting to access the content and capabilities of their PC
from their touch screen device. Other built-in capabilities
Windows Mobile devices have a variety of other capabilities built
Setup and Configuration utilities into them, including:
Windows Mobile devices have a variety of small utilities that let • Direct Push e-mail capability (when hosted by Microsoft Ex-
you configure the features of the device and change the “look and change Server 2007 or Exchange 2003 with latest SP)
Today/Home screens • Landscape viewing mode (touch screen only)
feel” of the applications.
The opening screens display the Time, date, a list of unread mes- • Text entry software (touch screen only)
sages, upcoming appointments and tasks, and more. (A “sliding • External keyboard support
panel” Home screen was added to non-touch screen smartphones • Infrared beaming (not on all devices)
with the release of WM 6.1, which makes it easier to find and view • Windows Update
the appointments, tasks, etc.) • Storage Card encryption
• Server Sync client
Voice Recorder • VPN client
(Referred to as “Voice Notes” on non-touch screen smartphones. It’s • Many other features
a stand alone application on most touch screen devices, but it can
also be accessed through the Notes application.) Companion CD
This app lets you create and play back short voice recordings on Windows Mobile devices ship with a “Companion CD” that includes
your device. These can be attached to e-mails, inserted into docu- additional user-installable software:
Solitaire ments, and played back at your leisure. • ActiveSync and Mobile Device Center: Synchronization software
This is the mobile version of the standard Klondike version of Soli- for your desktop PC. Install ActiveSync if you have a Windows XP
Voice Command computer; install Mobile Device Center if you have a Windows
taire that ships with all of Microsoft’s operating systems. You can
change the image on the back of the cards, specify one or three (This is a standalone, user-installable application that was made an Vista PC.
card draw, and choose standard or Vegas scoring. optional part of the built-in application suite with Windows Mobile • Microsoft Outlook for your desktop PC.
6. Note that the device developer must choose to include this app • Device User Guide, usually in Acrobat PDF format.
Tasks Manager with a device—not all come with it.) • Additional user-installable programs from the device manufac-
Allows you to see a list of the applications running on your device Control certain aspects of your device with voice commands. turer or third parties. n

Jun/Jul 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK E T P C 79


Feature by Feature Comparison
At a Glance Reviews of these, plus discontinued and hard to find Windows Mobile devices can be found at www.PocketPCmag.com
Send updated information to Dan Hart, dan@pocketpcmag.com or Alan Zaks, alan@pocketpcmag.com

What do you want to do with your Smartphone or PDA?


Features needed:

What do you want to do? Phone Phone network Wi-Fi Bluetooth Type-ability Screen size Screen resolution Storage card capacity Touch screen Camera

Talk Yes Yes VOIP Headset To Dial na na na na na

Talk, traveling Yes GSM: AT&T or T-Mobile VOIP Headset To Dial na na na na na


abroad
View email Yes Yes Yes na Minimal To view Possibly VGA for HTML Possibly for attachments na na

A little more
Respond to email Yes Yes Yes External keyboard Yes To view Possibly VGA for HTML Possibly for attachments To send photos
efficient

Browse Web Yes Yes Yes External keyboard For URLS and forms Bigger VGA clearer na For clicking links To upload photos

serious To embed photos


Use Office apps For web links For web links For web links External keyboard Yes Bigger VGA clearer For multiple or large files For
regular use in apps

For web multi-player For web multi-player For web multi-player Headphones, other If game supports it, Touch games
Play games Minimal in most cases Bigger To store installed games na
games games games game accessories VGA better usually better

Install third- Depends on how many, Touch apps


To download apps To download apps To download apps Depends on software Depends on software Probably bigger Depends on software If photo based app
party software storage needs of software tend to be better

Listen to Bluetooth
To listen from web To listen from web To listen from web Minimal na na Yes na na
music and audio headphones

Bluetooth VGA better (depending


Watch video To watch from web To watch from web To watch from web Minimal Bigger Yes na na
headphones on video)

View and For upload, download For upload, download For upload, download For renaming, reorgani-
na Bigger VGA better viewing Yes na To take photos
take photos to web to web to web zing photos

For upload, download For upload, download For upload, download Depends on
Store data na Depends on application Depends on application na Yes na
to web to web to web application

Depends on applica- Depends on application Depends on applica- Touch apps


GPS GPS receiver Depends on application Bigger VGA better viewing Yes for maps na
tion and web need and web need tion and web need tend to be better

Phone companies
Keep price Varies depending on Better type-ability adds Smaller screen less Adds cost, most devices
often subsidize cost Adds cost Adds cost VGA more expensive More expensive More expensive
to minimum service cost expensive have one expansion slot
of device

Options: Network, In U.S.: CDMA - Sprint Used to add Options: numeric, small Many shapes: e.g. small Options: 1 or 2 memory
VOIP: talking over the VGA 640x480 pixels vs PPC or PPC with Up to 3 M Pixels.
Comments unlocked, or PDA-only & Verizon, GSM: AT&T, Bluetooth alpha, slide-out, none rectangle, square, large slots for CF, SD, Mini, or
Internet QVGA 320 x 240 phone Most in 1M-2M range
(no phone) T-Mobile accessories (only soft keyboard) “4” diagonal Micro cards
Smartphones (without touch screens)
Price Display RAM/
WM (may diagonal/pixels ROM/ W-Fi Battery /Type Size
Carrier(s) Also known as... OS vary) colors/type CPU Avail. Card Slot BT 802.11 GPS Network Type Life/(mfg est) Weight Comments

AT&T Duo by Pantech 2.2” 240x320 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 3 hrtalk 4x2x0.78” 1.3 MP camera; dual slide-out QWERTY keyboard
Locked: AT&T 6 $349 416 MHz microSD 1.2
wireless.att.com 256 K Transflective TFT N.A. Quad-Band 240 hr standby 3.9 oz and T9 keypad; 3G capable

Cingular 3125 i-mate Smarflip, Qtek 8500, Dopod 2.2” 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 7 hrtalk 3.88x2.02x0.62” 1.3 MP camera; external media-control keys; Razr
Locked: AT&T S300, Dopod 710 (Based on HTC STrTrk)
5 $349 microSD 1.2
www.cingular.com 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz 83 Quad-Band 220 hr standby 3.49 oz form-factor
Hewlett-Packard iPAQ Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2” 176x220 64 K TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 6.5 hrtalk 4.2x1.9x.64”
510 Voice Messenger 6 $319 microSD 1.2 b, g 1.3 MP camera
World GSM Carriers Micro-reflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Quad-Band 188 hr standby 3.6 oz
www.hp.com
HTC MTeoR Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, i-mate SP JAS, Dopod 595 2.2” 240x320 Samsung 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Tri-Band. Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.4x1.6x.5”
5 $490 microSD 2.0 1.3 MP camera; rocker key
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers (Based on HTC Breeze) 64 K Transflective TFT 300 MHz N.A. UMTS (Europe only) 220 hr standby 4.2 oz
HTC S310 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod 310 (Based on HTC 2.0” 176x220 TI OMAP 64/64/ GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.28x1.85x.73” 1.3 MP camera
5 $325 miniSD 1.2
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers Oxygen) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Quad-Band 140 hr standby 3.7 oz
HTC S630 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod C730W 2.4” 320x240 Samsung 64/128/ SD, 2.0
GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 6 hrtalk 4.4x2.5x.5”
6 $329 b, g 2.0 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard; 3G support
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers (Based on HTC Cavalier) 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 53/57 microSD Band. UMTS/HSDPA 190 hr standby 4.2 oz

HTC S710 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod C500 2.4” 240x320 TI OMAP 850 64/128/ 2.0
GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 7 hrtalk 4x2x.65”
6 $505 microSD b, g 2.0 MP camera, slide-out QWERTY keyboard
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers (Based on HTC Vox) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Quad-Band 175 hr standby 4.9 oz

HTC S730 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on HTC Volans/ 2.4” 240x320 Qualcomm 64/256/ 2.0
GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 5.3 hrtalk 4.1x2x.76” 2.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard;
6 $554 microSD b, g
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers Wings) 64 K Transflective LCD 400 MHz N.A. Band. UMTS/HSDPA 290 hr standby 5.3 oz second video conferencing camera; 3G capable

i-mate SPL Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on a TechFaith- 2.2” 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.51x1.93x.47”
5 $399 miniSD 1.2 GSM, Tri-Band 2.0 MP camera; SLVR form-factor
www.imate.com World GSM Carriers Wireless design) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. 150 hr standby 3.60 oz

Motorola Q $249 / 2.4” 320x240 Intel Xscale 64/128/ Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.33x2.52x.45” 1.3 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard, scroll wheel;
Verizon and Sprint Moto Q 5 miniSD 1.2 CDMA/EV-DO
www.motorola.com 379 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz N.A. 228 hr standby 4.06 oz Razr form-factor; Picsel viewer (Office doc viewer)
Motorola Q9m/c Moto Q9 Music/ $229/ 2.4” 320x240 Intel Xscale 64/128/ Li-Ion 4.5 hrtalk 4.6x2.6x.47” 1.3 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard; DataViz Docu-
Verizon and Sprint 6 miniSD 2.0 CDMA/EV-DO
www.motorola.com Motorola Q9c 449 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz N.A. 212 hr standby 4.7 oz ments to Go Office Suite

Motorola Q Global 2.4” 320x240 TI OMAP GSM/EDGE, QuadBand 2.0 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard; Opera Mobile
Locked: AT&T Moto Q9 H 6 $499 128/64 microSD 2.0 UMTS/HSDPA,
Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.6x2.6x.46”
www.motorola.com 64 K Transflective TFT 325 MHz HTML browser; Docs To Go Office Suite; McAfee
• Dual-Band 200 hr standby 4.7 oz Virus Scan
Palm Treo 500v Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Locked: Vodafone 2.6” 320x240 PXA270 64/256/ 4.5 hrtalk 4.3x2.4x.65”
6 $Varies microSD 2.0 GSM/EDGE, Tri-Band Li-Ion 2.0 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard
www.palm.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz 150 240 hr standby 4.2 oz
Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, CDMA/EV-DO
Samsung ACE 2.3" 320x240 Qualcomm 64/128/ 4.3 hrtalk 4.6x2.3x.45" 1.3 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard; works on both
World GSM Carriers; SPH-i325 6 $449 microSD 2.0 Dual-Band; GSM
www.samsung.com Locked: Sprint 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz N.A. Dual-Band Li-Ion 240 hr standby 3.9 oz CDMA and GSM networks

GSM/EDGE, Quad-
Samsung BlackJack 2.2” 320x240 TI OMAP 64/128/ 5.5 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.5” 1.3 MP camera with video; QWERTY keyboard with
Locked: AT&T Samsung i607 5 $249 microSD 2.0 Band. UMTS/HSDPA, Li-Ion
www.samsung.com 64 K Transflective TFT 220 MHz N.A. 264 hr standby 3.5 oz scroll wheel
Dual-Band
Samsung BlackJack II 2.4” 240x320 TI OMAP GSM/EDGE, Quad-Band. Li-Ion 7 hrtalk 2.0 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard; scroll wheel
Locked: AT&T Samsung i617 6 $349 128/256 microSD 2.0 N/A
www.samsung.com 64 K Transflective TFT 260 MHz • UMTS/HSDPA, Tri-Band 336 hr standby on D-pad
Samsung SGH-i620 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.3” 320x240 Intel Xscale 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Tri-Band.UMTS/ Li-Ion 4.2 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.46” 2.0 MP camera; second video camera; slide-out
6 $544 microSD 2.0 HSDPA (Europe Only)
www.samsung.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 416 MHz N.A. 350 hr standby 3.3 oz QWERTY keyboard; touch sensitive Send/End keys
T-Mobile Dash HTC S620, Dopod C720W 2.4” 320x240 TI OMAP 64/128/ 2.0
GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.39x2.46x.5”
Locked: T-Mobile 5^ $349 microSD b, g 1.3 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard
www.t-mobile.com (Based on HTC Excalibur) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Quad-Band 200 hr standby 4.2 oz
T-Mobile Shadow 2.6” 320x240 TI OMAP GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4x2x.59” 2.0 MP camera; slide-out numeric keypad; unique
Locked: T-Mobile HTC Juno 6 $349 128/256/ microSD 2.0 b, g
www.t-mobile.com 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Quad-Band 144 hr standby 5.3 oz “Neo” Home screen UI

Verizon PN-820 2.2” 320x240 Intel Xscale 64/128/ Li-Ion 3.3 hrtalk 3.8x2x.8”
Verizon Pantech PN-820 5 $100 miniSD 1.2 CDMA/EV-DO 1.3 MP camera; flip-style form factor
www.verizonwireless.com 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz N.A. 145 hr standby 3.9 oz
Verizon SMT5800 2.4” 240x320 Qualcomm 64/128/ Li-Ion 3.5 hr talk
Verizon HTC Libra 6 $349 microSD 2.0 CDMA/EV-DO 4.1x2x.7”4.2 oz 2.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard
www.verizonwireless.com 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz N.A. 163 hr standby
Smartphones with touch screens (Pocket PCs with phone)
Send updated information to Dan Hart, dan@smartphonemag.com or Alan Zaks, alan@smartphonemag.com

Price Display RAM/


WM (may diagonal/pixels ROM/ Wi-Fi Battery /Type Size
Carrier(s) Also known as... OS vary) colors/type CPU Avail. Card Slot BT 802.11 GPS Network Type Life/(mfg est) Weight Comments

Asus P527 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Li-Ion 5 hr talk 4.4x2.3x.6”
6 $Varies 2.6” microSD 2.0 b, g 2.0 MP camera; FM radio receiver; aluminum casing
www.asus.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. • Quad-Band 200 hr standby 4.5 oz
GSM/EDGE, Quad- 2.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard, scroll
AT&T 8525 HTC TyTN, i-mate JASJAM 2.8” 240x320 Samsung 64/128/ 4 hrtalk 4.43x2.28x.86”
Locked: AT&T 5^ $599 microSD 2.0 b, g Band. UMTS/HSDPA, Li-Ion wheel; videoconferencing camera; (N/A On 8525);
wireless.att.com (Based on HTC Hermes 100) 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 51 200 hr standby 6.21 oz
Tri-Band Push to Talk on 8525 through future update
GSM/EDGE, Quad-
AT&T Tilt AT&T 8925, HTC TyTN II 2.8” 240x320 Qualcomm 4 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.73” 3.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard; tilt
Locked: AT&T 6 $549 128/256 microSD 2.0 b, g Band. UMTS/HSDPA, Li-Poly
wireless.att.com (Based on HTC Kaiser) 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz • Tri-Band 192 hr standby 6 oz screen

E-TEN G500+ Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 240x320 Samsung 64/256/ Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.7x2.4x.9” 1.3 MP camera; FM radio
5 $525 miniSD 2.0 GSM, Quad-Band
www.etencorp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 130 • 200 hr standby 6.7 oz

E-TEN Glofiish M700 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 240x320 Samsung 2440 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 6 hrtalk 4.6x2.3x.77”
5^ $639 400 MHz microSD 2.0 b, g 2.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard
www.etencorp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT N.A. • Band 200 hr standby 5.3 oz

E-TEN M600+ Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 240x320 Samsung 64/256/ Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.40x2.39x.87”
5^ $550 SD 2.0 b GSM, Quad-Band 2.0 MP camera
www.etencorp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz N.A. 200 hr standby 5.82 oz
E-TEN X500+ Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 640x480 Samsung 2440 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 6 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.61”
6 $519 400 MHz microSD 2.0 b, g 2.0 MP camera; VGA screen;
www.etencorp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT N.A. • Band 170 hr standby 5.1 oz
E-TEN Glofiish X800 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 640x480 Samsung 64/256/ GSM/EDGE, Quad-Band. Li-Ion 7 hr talk 4.4x2.4x.6”
6 $624 microSD 2.0 b, g 2.0 MP camera; VGA screen
www.etencorp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 500 MHz N.A. • UMTS/HSDPA, Tri-Band 150 hr standby 5.2 oz
Fujitsu/Siemens LOOX T830 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 240x240 Intel Xscale 64/128/ GSM, Tri-Band. Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 5x2.5x.8” 2.0 MP camera; a second videoconferencing
5 $Varies 2.4” SD 2.0 b, g
www.fujitsu-siemens.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 416 MHz N.A. • UMTS (Europe) 150 hr standby 6.7 oz camera; QWERTY thumb keyboard

HP iPAQ 600 Series Business Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 240x320 PXA270 128/256/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.6x2.4x.7”
6 $599 microSD 2.0 b, g 3.0 MP camera; 3G capable
Navigator www.hp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A. • Band 250 hr standby 5.1 oz

HP iPAQ 900 Series Business Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.4” 320x240 PXA270 128/256/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.4x2.5x.63”
6 $N/A microSD 2.0 b, g 3.0 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard;
Messenger www.hp.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A. • Band 250 hr standby 5.1 oz

HP iPAQ hw6920/6925 Cingular 6900 Mobile 3.0” 240x240 PXA270 GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.65x2.8x.71” 6940/6945 sold direct by HP; 1.3 MP camera on
hw6940/6945 www.hp.com
Locked: AT&T 5 $599 64/64/55 miniSD 1.2 b
Messenger Series 64 K Transflective TFT 416 MHz • Band 168 hr standby 5.8 oz 6925/6945; QWERTY keyboard

HTC Advantage GSM/EDGE, Quad-


Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod U1000 (Based on 5(7500) 5” 640x480 PXA270 128/256/ Li-Ion GSM: 5.5 hrs; 5.2x3.8x.8” 3.0 MP camera; detachable QWERTY keyboard;
X7500/7501 miniSD 2.0 b, g Band. UMTS/HSDPA, UMTS: 4.5 hrtalk
World GSM Carriers HTC Athena) 6(7501) $1,200 256 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz N.A. • 12.6 oz 8 GB mini-hard drive
www.htc.com Tri-Band 300 hr standby

HTC P3300 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod P800/W (Based on 2.8” 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.25x2.28x.66” 2.0 MP camera; FM radio
5* $585 microSD 2.0 b, g
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers HTC Artemis) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. • Band 200 hr standby 4 oz

HTC P3350 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 240x320 TI OMAP 850 64/256/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.25x2.3x.66”
5 $599 microSD 2.0 2.0 MP camera
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Band 200 hr standby 4.6 oz

HTC P3600 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod D810, Dopod CHT 2.8” 240x320 Samsung 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad-Band. Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.25x2.3x.72” 2.0 MP camera; second video conferencing camera;
5 $599 miniSD 2.0 b, g
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 9100 (Based on HTC Trinity) 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz N.A. UMTS/HSDPA, Tri-Band 200 hr standby 4.8 oz iPhone-like look

HTC P6500 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on HTC Sedna) 240x320 Qualcomm GSM/EDGE, Quad-Band. Li-Ion 5.3 hr talk 4x2x.7” 3.0 MP camera; fingerprint ID sensor; remote wipe
6 $1,049 3.5” 128/256 dual SD 2.0 b, g
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz • UMTS/HSDPA, Tri-Band 290 hr standby 5.3 oz facility; 1 GB internal memory

HTC P4350 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Dopod C800 (Based on HTC 2.8” 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.3x2.3x.67” 2.0 MP camera; auto-assisted slide-out QWERTY
5* $599 microSD 2.0 b, g
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers Herald) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Band 200 hr standby 5.4 oz keyboard
HTC P6300 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on HTC Panda) 3.5” 240x320 Samsung Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 5.1x2.7x.74”
5 $639 128/256 SD 2.0 b, g GSM, Tri-Band 2.0 MP camera
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 200 hr standby 7 oz
HTC Touch Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on HTC Elf) 2.8” 240x320 TI OMAP 850 64/128/ 5 hrtalk 3.9x2.3x.55”
6 $495 microSD 2.0 b, g GSM/EDGE, Tri-Band Li-Ion 2.0 MP camera; TouchFLO touch screen technology
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. 200 hr standby 4 oz

HTC Touch Cruise Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 6 $694 2.8” 240x320 Qualcomm 128/256/ microSD 2.0 b, g GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 7 hrtalk 4.3x2.3x.6”
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 400 Mhz N.A. 3.0 MP camera; TouchFLO touch screen technology;
• Band 400 hr standby 4.6 oz

HTC Touch Dual Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on HTC Nike/P5500) 2.6” 320x240 Qualcomm 128/256/ GSM/EDGE. Tri-Band Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.2x2.1x.62” 2.0 MP camera; second video conferencing camera;
6 $649 microSD 2.0
www.htc.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz N.A. UMTS/HSDPA 180 hr standby 4.2 oz TouchFLO touch screen technology; 3.5G capable

i-mate JAQ Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, (Based on an Inventec 2.8” 320x240 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.8x2.8x.9”
5 $499 miniSD 1.2 QWERTY keyboard; includes Poker, e-trust AV
www.imate.com World GSM Carriers design) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Band 150 hr standby 5.6 oz
i-mate JAQ3 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, UBiQUiO 501 (with slight 2.4” 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 5x2.6x.5”
5* $599 microSD 1.2 b, g 2.0 MP camera, QWERTY keyboard with scroll wheel
www.imate.com World GSM Carriers variations) 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Band 150 hr standby 5.1 oz

i-mate JASJAR Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, Qtek 9000, Vodafone v1640, Dopod 480x640 Intel Xscale 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Tri-Band. Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 5.03x3.19x.98” 1.3 MP camera and a second videoconferencing
www.imate.com World GSM Carriers 900 (Based on HTC Universal)
5 $1,049 3.6” SD 1.1 b, g UMTS (Europe)
64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A. 250 hr standby 10.05 oz camera; swivel QWERTY keyboard

i-mate Ultimate 6150 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.8” 480x640 PXA270 128/256/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.6x2.4x.61” 2.0 MP camera; NVIDIA GoForce 5500 graphics
6 $549 microSD 2.0 b, g
www.imate.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A. Band 150 hr standby 5.3 oz accelerator; FM radio tuner; video out port

MWg Atom Life Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.7" 240x320 PXA270 64/1000/ GSM/EDGE, Tri- Li-Ion 4 hr talk 4.2x2.3x.7" 2.0 MP camera; second video conferencing camera;
6 $399 miniSD 1.2 b, g
www.mwg.com World GSM Carriers 64 K TFT LCD 624 MHz 795 Band. UMTS/HSDPA 200 hr standby 5.1 oz FM radio

i-mate Ultimate 8150 Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, 2.6” 480x640 PXA270 128/256/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.6x2.4x.61” 2.0 MP camera; NVIDIA GoForce 5500 graphics
5 $N/A microSD 2.0 b, g
www.imate.com World GSM Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A. Band 150 hr standby 5.3 oz accelerator; FM radio tuner; video out port

Palm Treo 700wx $549/ 2.5” 240x240 Intel Xscale 64/128/ Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.9”
Sprint and Verizon 5 SD 1.2 CDMA/EV-DO 1.3 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard
www.palm.com 499 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz 60 300 hr standby 6.4 oz

Palm Treo 750 2.6” 240x240 Samsung 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.8” 1.3 MP camera; QWERTY keyboard; upgradeable
Locked: AT&T Vodafone Palm Treo 750v 5* $499 miniSD 1.2 Band. UMTS, Tri-Band
www.palm.com 64 K Transflective TFT 300 MHz 60 250 hr standby 5.4 oz through future firmware to HSDPA

Samsung 2.0 MP camera; U.S., Canadian maps, car dock. WM


Pharos GPS Phone Unlocked: AT&T, T-Mobile, E-TEN Glofiish X500 (Based 2.8” 240x320 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 4.4x2.3x.6”
5* $699 2440 microSD 2.0 b, g 6 available for the E-TEN X500; Pharos upgrade may
www.pharosgps.com World GSM Carriers on a Quanta design) 64 K TFT LCD N.A. • Band 160 hr standby 5.2 oz
400 MHz be available in Q3 of 2007.
Sprint and Verizon; Slide-out QWERTY keyboard; dual-network (CDMA
Samsung IP-830W 2.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale 64/128/ CDMA/EV-DO. GSM, Li-Ion 3.4 hrtalk 4.5x2.2x.9”
Unlocked: World GSM Samsung SCH-i830 5 $649 miniSD 1.1 for U.S. and GSM for outside U.S.); Sprint: WM 5,
www.samsung.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A. Dual-Band 130 hr standby 6.4 oz
Carriers Verizon: WM 2003 SE
Samsung SCH-i760 2.8” 240x320 Samsung Li-Ion 3.5 hrtalk 4.5x2.3x.77” 1.3 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard;
Verizon 6 $349 64/128 microSD 2.0 b, g CDMA/EV-DO
www.samsung.com 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 204 hr standby 5.3 oz unique numeric keypad on face

Sprint Mogul Sprint PPC-6800 (Based on 2.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale 64/256/ Li-Ion 4.1 hrtalk 4.3x2.3x.7” 2.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard; 512
Sprint 6 $549 microSD 2.0 b, g CDMA/EV-DO
www.sprint.com HTC Titan) 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz N.A. N/A standby 5.8 oz MB microSD card
Sprint Touch by HTC 2.8” 240x320 TI OMAP 128/256/ Li-Ion 4 hrtalk 4x2.4x.6”
Locked: Sprint (Based on HTC Vogue) 6 $499 microSD 2.0 CDMA/EV-DO 2.0 MP camera; TouchFLO touch screen technology
www.sprint.com 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. 240 hr standby 4 oz

T-Mobile Wing T-Mobile, World GSM 2.8” 240x320 TI OMAP 64/128/ GSM/EDGE, Quad- Li-Ion 5 hrtalk 2.3x4.3x.67” 2.0 MP camera; auto-assisted slide-out QWERTY
HTC Herald (100) 6 $449 microSD 2.0 b, g
www.t-mobile.com Carriers 64 K Transflective TFT 200 MHz N.A. Band 200 hr standby 5.9 oz keyboard; OZ IM client; myFaves; Handango InHand

Verizon XV6800 2.8” 240x320 Qualcomm 64/256/ Li-Ion5.4 hrtalk 4.3x2.3x.7”


Verizon (Based on HTC Titan) 6 $499 microSD 2.0 CDMA/EV-DO 2.0 MP camera; slide-out QWERTY keyboard
www.verizonwireless.com 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz N.A. 340 hr standby 5.8 oz

Notes Availability: Dopod, E-TEN, Mio, and some i-mate and HTC devices are only marketed overseas. However, they may be available in the U.S. through MobilePlanet.com, onthegosolutions.com, and other independent vendors. RAM/ROM: The “RAM” portion of the memory is where programs
are run. The “ROM” portion of the memory is where programs are installed and data is stored (in WM 5). “Avail.” is where users can store files such as music, programs, etc. N.A. where that information was not available. CDMA Phones: All CDMA phones include Internet connectivity via 1xRTT. One carrier’s CDMA phone
will not work on another CDMA carrier’s network. GSM Phones: All GSM phones include Internet connectivitiy via GPRS. “Locked” GSM phones from carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile can only be used on those carrier’s networks. “Unlocked” GSM phones can be used anywhere in the world where GSM carriers are found (ad-
ditional charges may apply). Network Types: There are four GSM bands (850, 900, 1800, 1900). North America uses the 850 and 1900 bands; Europe and elswhere use the 900 and 1800 bands. “Tri-Band” phones lack one of the bands, making them less suitable for North American use. There are three UMTS/HSDPA bands
(850, 1900 and 2100). The 2100 band is used only in Europe, while the 850 and 1900 bands are used only in North America. Key ^ Windows Mobile 6 upgrade released * Windows Mobile 6 upgrade announced
PDAs (Pocket PCs)
Send updated information to Dan Hart, dan@smartphonemag.com or Alan Zaks, alan@smartphonemag.com

Display
diagonal Battery
Price pixels Type Additional Software
WM (may colors Processor RAM/ROM/ Wi-Fi Life Size from Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

Card Comm
OS vary) type CPU Available BT 802.11 GPS (mfg est) Weight (see listing at beginning of section for MS software) Comments

Acer c500 Series Travel 2.8” 320x240 Samsung Li-Ion 4.25x2.3x.66”


5 $Varies 64/128/N.A. SD 1.2 b, g
Companion global.acer.com 64 K Transflective TFT 300 MHz • 1200mAh 4 oz

Acer n300 3.7” 480x640 Samsung 2410 Li-Ion 4.33x2.76x.54” In ROM: Lunar View, Pictures, Backup/Restore Utility, WMP VGA screen; has USB Host and Client. Currently available in England
5 $639 64/128/N.A. SD 1.2 b
global.acer.com 64 K Transflective TFT 266 MHz 8hr 4.76 oz 10 Mobile. On CD: Voice Dictionary. and Europe.

Acer n50 2003 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 4.72x2.76x.65” In ROM: Lunar View, Pictures, Backup/Restore Utility, WMP Availiable in 320-MHz version; 128 MB RAM available; has Wi-Fi and
2nd $505 64/128/N.A. SD, CF 1.2 b
global.acer.com Ed. 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 8hr 5.29 oz 10 Mobile. On CD: Voice Dictionary, Pocket SlideShow. Bluetooth, and CF and SD card slots. Available in England & Europe.

Asus MyPal A626 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 4.6x2.8x.62”


5 $379 64/128/N.A. SD 2.0 b, g Stainless steel casing
www.asus.com 64 K Transflective TFT 312 MHz 1200mAh 5.6 oz

Asus MyPal A632/A636 Series 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale SD, Li-Ion 4.80x2.88x.77”
5 $599 64/128/N.A. 1.2 b GPS Software, Microsoft Voice Command A632 lacks Wi-Fi
www.asus.com 64 K Transflective TFT 416 MHz miniSD • 1300mAh 6.5 oz

Asus MyPal A639 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 4.8x2.9x.74”


5 $629 64/1000/N.A. SD 2.0 b, g swivel GPS patch antenna
www.asus.com 64 K Transflective TFT 416 MHz • 1300mAh 6.6 oz

File Store, Backup, Switcher, Power Status, Dell WLAN Util-


Dell X51v 3.7” 480x640 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 4.69x2.87x.626”
5 $499 64/256/192 SD, CF 1.2 b ity, Funk Odyssey Client 4.0, Resco Picture Viewer, Geo Rally VGA screen; 256 MB of flash ROM; SD and CF card slots
www.dell.com 64 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz 1100mAh 4.9 oz 3-D Game, Toy Golf, Battery Pack Lite, Media Player 10

HP iPAQ 100 Series Classic 3.5” 240x320 PXA310 Li-Ion 4.6x2.7x.54”


6 $299 64/256/N.A. SD 2.0 b, g Large screen; new-gen processor
www.hp.com 64 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz 1200mAh 3.7 oz

HP iPAQ 200 Series Enterprise 4” 480x640 PXA310 Li-Ion 5x3x.63”


6 $449 128/256/N.A. SD, CF 2.0 b, g 4-inch VGA screen; new-gen processor; lots of RAM; USB host
www.hp.com 256 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz 2200mAh 6.8 oz

HP iPAQ hx2495 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 4.71x3.01x.65” Decent device with ample ROM memory, large screen. Dual CF &
5 $399 64/128/80 SD, CF 1.2 b HP Protect Tools, iTask, iPAQ Backup, ClearVUE Suite.
www.hp.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 1440mAh 5.8 oz SD slots.

HP iPAQ hx2795 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 4.71x3.01x.65”


5 $499 64/192/144 SD, CF 1.2 b HP Protect Tools, iTask, iPAQ Backup, ClearVUE Suite. Includes a fingerprint reader for added security
www.hp.com 64 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz 1440mAh 5.8 oz

HP iPAQ rx5910/5915 iPAQ Wireless; Today Panel Lite; iPAQ Entertainment, A GPS-equiped Pocket PC with a huge amount of available ROM
3.5” 320x240 Samsung Li-Ion 4.74x3.00x.65”
Travel Companion 5 $599 64/2000/450 SD 2.0 b, g TomTom Navigator 6, TeleAtlas Maps, WorldMate Standard (persistent storage).
64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 1700mAh 5.99 oz
www.hp.com Edition.

Mio P550 3.5” 240x320 Samsung 2440 Li-Ion 4.5x2.8x.7”


5 $Varies 64/2 GB/N.A. SD 2.0 b, g
www.miogps.com 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz • 1200mAh 6 oz

Pharos Traveler GPS 525 2.8” 240x320 Samsung Li-Ion 4.3x2.3x.7”


5 $Varies 64/128/111 SD 1.2 b Ostia GPS navigation software and U.S. maps
www.pharosgps.com 64 K Transflective TFT 300 MHz • 1100mAh 4.4 oz
Vertical Niche Devices
Battery
Price Type Additional Software
WM (may Display diagonal, Processor RAM/ROM/ Wi-Fi Life Size from Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

Comm
Card
OS vary) pixels, colors, type CPU Available BT 802.11 GPS (mfg est) Weight (see listing at beginning of section for MS software) Comments

Ecom i.roc x20 Series 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 7.3x3.3x1.5” Three ruggedized models: the 420, 520 -Ex and 620 -Ex. Barcode
5 $Varies 64/128/80 SD, CF 1.2 b Ecom Tools, ecom Edit, KioskMode, AutoInstall.
ecom-ex.de 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A 19.4 oz reader modules available.
Hand Held Products Rugged design; built-in 1D/2D scanners, options for Bluetooth,
3.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 7.3x3.5x1.7”
Dolphin 7900 Series 5 $Varies 64/64/N.A. miniSD 1.2 b Varies Wi-Fi and GSM/GPRS modules. Available in 25 and 35-key keyboard
64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz 14.8hr 17 oz
www.handheld.com options.
Hand Held Products Dolphin 3.5” 240x320 Rugged design; 3 keyboard layouts; optional modules for WAN, LAN,
9500/9550 Series Intel Xscale SD/ Li-Ion 9.6x3.45x1.66”
5 $Varies 64 K 64/32/N.A. 1.2 b Varies and PAN; weight varies from 19.7 to 25.8 oz.
400 MHz MMC 14.8hr 19.68 oz
www.handheld.com TFT LCD
Intermec 700 Series 3.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale SD/MMC, Li-Ion 7.53x3.5x1.97” Rugged; wireless WAN, LAN, and Bluetooth options; scanner options
? $Varies 64/32/N.A. CF I
Varies
www.intermec.com 64 K Reflective TFT 400 MHz 10hr 17 oz also available. 741 and 751 run WM 5; 761 runs WM 2003.
Intermec 730B Series 2003 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale SD/ Li-Ion 7.0x3.5x1.5” Rugged mobile computer; integrated scanner and RS232 port. Avail-
2nd $Varies 64/64/N.A. BT b,g Varies
www.intermec.com Ed. 64 K Transflective TFT 400 MHz MMC 10hr 15 oz able in an I-Safe model for use in explosion-prone environments.

Intermec CK60 3.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 6.82x3.55x2.08” Rugged mobile computer; RS232 port. Optional scanner modules;
5 $Varies 64/192/N.A. SD BT b,g SmartSystems Support, Wavelink Avalanche Support.
www.intermec.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 2400mAh 24.8 oz available with 32-key or 58-key keyboard.

Intermec CN3 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 6.3x3.2x1.1” Ruggedized PPC Phone Edition, Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G EV-DO;
5 $Varies 128/128/N.A. miniSD 2.0 b,g
www.intermec.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz • 2200mAh 16 oz 1.3 megapixel camera; QWERTY keyboard
Intermec CN30 Series 3.5” 480x640 Intel Xscale BT
b,g Li-Ion 6.82x3.52x1.35” Rugged mobile computer; integrated scanner and RS232 port;
5 $Varies 64/64/N.A. SD, CF RS232
Varies
www.intermec.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz N.A 16.6 oz available with 14-keyor 56-key keyboard.
Juniper Systems Fully rugged; available in 16 languages; GPS and bar code scanner
3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 6.5x3.5x13.7”
Archer Field PC 5 $Varies 64/256/N.A. SD, CF 2.0 Varies extension options; Class I Div 2 non-incendive option; Serial port;
64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 20hr 17 oz
www.junipersys.com USB host and client
3.6” 480x640 Available in 2 models: C model with alpha-numeric keyboard, and
Psion Teklogix WorkaboutPro PXA270 N.A. 3000/ 8.8/7.9x4/4x1.6/
6 $Varies N/A 128/128 SD, CF 1.2 S model with number keypad; Wi-Fi and GSM/GPRS EDGE modules
www.psionteklogix.com 520 MHz 4000mAh 1.6” 16/13.7 oz
Transflective TFT optional; Optional barcode expansion modules
Socket SoMo 650 3.5” 320x240 PXA270 Li-Ion 5x2.9x.8”
5 $Varies 128/256/N.A. CF, SD 2.0 b,g Rugged business class mobile computer; comes with leather case
www.socketmobile.com 64 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz 1200mAh 6.3 oz
Symbol MC35 2.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 5x2.6x.8” Ruggedized PPC Phone Edition, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; 2.0 MP
6 $Varies 64/128/N.A. SD 1.2 b,g
www.symbol.com 64 K Reflective TFT 416 MHz • 1350mAh 6.5 oz camera; QWERTY keyboard; bar code reader

Symbol MC50 2003 $925 to 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale b,g Symbol’s Rapid Deployment Client which tracks application Ruggedized Pocket PC; 6 different models: 3 with keyboard, 3
2nd 64/64/N.A. SD Li-Ion 5.35x2.95x1.13” versions, and Symbol’s Mobile Companion (manages without. Each unit can include a scanner, a 2-D scanner, or a 1.1
www.symbol.com Ed. $1200 64 K Transflective TFT 416 MHz RS232 8hr 6.77 oz wireless network connectivity megapixel digital camera.
Symbol MC70 $2,195- 3.5” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 6.0x3.0x1.5” Ruggedized Pocket PC Phone Edition; Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE.
5 64/128/N.A. SD 1.2 a/b/g Varies
www.symbol.com $2,845 64 K Transflective TFT 624 MHz 1900mAh 12 oz 28 numeric-key or 44 QWERTY-key keyboard.

Symbol MC9000 Series 3.8” 240x320 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 9.2x7.6x3.6” Rugged design, used for bar code scanning applications, backlit
5 $Varies 64/128/N.A. SD 1.2 a/b/g Varies
www.symbol.com 64 K Color or Mono 624 MHz 15hr 26.08 oz keypad; Also available with Windows CE.

TDS Nomad 3.5” 480x640 Xscale 128/ Li-Ion 6.9x3.9x1.9” 4 different models to choose from; Top of the line specs in most
6 $Varies CF, SD 2.0 b,g
www.tdsway.com 64 K Transflective TFT 806 Mhz Varies/N.A. • 5200mAh 21 oz categories, incl. 2.0 MP camera, VGA screen

TDS Ranger Series 300X/500X/NX 3.5” 320x240 Intel Xscale Li-Ion 10.5x5.2x1.9” Rugged MIL-spec device with thumb keyboard; 3 models with vary-
6 $Varies 128/512/472 SD, CF BT Sprite Backup
www.tdsway.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 30hr 2.1 lb. oz ing processor speed, RAM/ROM. Includes 9-pin serial port.

Rugged Mil-spec device; 2 models with varying processor speeds,


TDS Recon Series 200x/400x 3.8” 240x320 64 K Intel Xscale NiMH 6.5x3.75x1.75”
6 $Varies 64/256/N.A. CF Varies ROM. Meets MIL-STD-810F and IP 67 ruggedness specs. O-ring seal
www.tdsway.com Reflective TFT 400 MHz 15hr 16.96 oz for protection from weather,
Unitech PA500 3.5” 240x320 PXA270 Li-Ion 5x3x.9” A ruggedized device capable of withstanding multiple 4-foot drops;
5 $Varies 64/64/N.A. SD 2.0 b,g
www.ute.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 2200 7.5 oz Includes built-in laser-scanner
Unitech PA600 3.5” 240x320 PXA270 Li-Ion 5.5x3.35x1” Rugged mobile computer; integrated laser scanner; 18-key keypad;
5 $Varies 64/128/N.A. SD 1.2 b,g
www.ute.com 64 K Transflective TFT 520 MHz 1950mAh 9.3 oz lightest weight in its class
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86 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08
NomadElectronics 6/7/04 2:39 PM Page 1
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Advertisers Index
3JTech 45 3jtech.com
DDH Software 86 handbase.com
DeveloperOne 17 developerone.com/itjustworks
eXpansys/MobilePlanet 27 expansys-usa.com
Fattafa 35 unifirm.com
Frost & Sullivan 57 frost.com
Illium Software 11 illiumsoft.com/tmi
Mark/Space 19 markspace.com/meetmac
Microsoft IFC, 1 msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmobile
Nomad Electronics 87 nomadelectronics.com
NuShield 86 nushield.com/ppc
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Resco 49,63 resco.net
Sapphire Solutions 86 sapphire-solutions.co.uk
Spb Software House BC spbsoftwarehouse.com
SimonCells 87 simoncells.com
Sprite Mobile 33 spritemobile.com/discountp508
Syncdata 86 syncdata.it
Tekkeon 37 tekkeon.com
Textware Solutions 20 fitaly.com
Trimble 51 trimble.com
UsedHandhelds.com 25, 64, 65, IBC usedhandhelds.com
USGlobalSat 87 usglobalsat.com
Web Information Solutions 41 pocketinformant/ppcmag
Zagg 43 invisibleshield.com

Apr/May 2008 S MARTP HO NE & P O CK ET P C 87


Pocket View
Hal Goldstein
Executive Editor and Publisher
Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine
hal@Smartphonemag.com

Windows Mobile and the Future

I
n this issue you’ll read about two different sides of the Windows becomes a vehicle for just about everything—news, social network-
Mobile 6.1 upgrade. End-users will find a new emphasis on ease of ing, movies, TV, music—MIDs will be a new generation of devices to
use. Enterprise IT professionals will discover that they can manage deliver these media.
Windows Mobile devices as effectively as Windows laptops and
desktops thanks to new security and control features. Microsoft may want to recommit to software developers
The next generation iPhone will allow the user to load a variety of
The thinking behind the Windows Mobile 6.1 update yet-to-be-developed third-party software. Since the iPhone interface is
Adding security and control features were the final necessary steps to compelling and non-threatening, and all software will be sold through
make Windows Mobile a clear choice for many large organizations. En- iTunes, this should be a boon for third-party developers.
terprise decision makers will find the new 6.1 features compelling, espe- With the opening of the iPhone platform, Apple will likely make
cially when coupled with robust push HTML e-mail, the ability to read inroads in an area that Microsoft has clear leadership and dominance.
Office attachments, and an operating system that supports custom apps. Microsoft championed an open platform since it introduced Windows
Although Windows Mobile devices have an incredible number of CE in 1997. It encouraged third parties by offering software tools that
features, the average person still finds them too intimidating to enjoy. The made Windows Mobile development similar to Windows development.
iPhone proved that a device could offer phone, Wi-Fi, e-mail, Internet, In addition, Microsoft seeded the Windows Mobile development and
music, photos, and video in one device and not overwhelm the user. support community with Microsoft Windows Mobile evangelists, fund-
The new Getting Started application eliminates some of the deficien- ing, a development conference (now defunct), and programs like MVP
cies of the Windows Mobile user interface and helps users get through and Mobius.
the initial learning curve. The new Today Screen Sliding Panel makes I communicate with a lot of software developers and owners of Web
navigating through features more sites that support Windows
intuitive. I’ve used the new sliding Mobile. Many are anxious to
panel on a non-touch HTC S620 The HTC Advantage (left) move to iPhone and Google
(T-Mobile Dash) for a couple of and NEC MobilePro (right) Android development and sup-
weeks, and although it’s not per- port. They no longer feel the
fect, it definitely makes the phone appreciation, attention, or sup-
easier and more fun to use. port from Microsoft, and see
Expect to see the next versions better opportunities elsewhere.
of Windows Mobile designed to I hope Microsoft takes strong,
make devices even more compel- proactive steps to insure the
ling for the end user. ongoing support of Windows
It seems Microsoft wants to trump the iPhone with the XPERIA Mobile developers and knowledge-providers.
X1. Microsoft’s new partnership with Sony-Ericsson demonstrates the
importance of the “wow factor.” However, as Apple proved, substance Microsoft hedging bets and supports the iPhone
must accompany hype. The user experience will be key in making the It was recently announced that Microsoft is licensing ActiveSync for
XPERIA successful. the Apple iPhone. That means that, as the iPhone makes headway in the
Exchange/Enterprise space, Microsoft will still be getting a piece of the
New kinds of Windows Mobile devices action. In addition, there are Internet rumors about Microsoft making
For years I’ve advocated that Windows Mobile technology be used on Windows Mobile Office apps available to iPhone users.
larger devices. I was a big fan of the NEC MobilePro Handheld PC Microsoft certainly wants Windows Mobile to win the smartphone
series with its half screen and touch-typeable keyboard. I am intrigued wars. However, perhaps even more importantly, it wants to get paid
by the HTC Advantage. whenever a smartphone is sold, and wants Microsoft Exchange to re-
Why not use Windows Mobile to make a small, easy-to-use, bat- main dominant.
tery efficient laptop? Given Microsoft’s new emphasis on ease-of-use,
a Windows Mobile mini-laptop would be a great device for novices Focus on user experience and support partners
who want out-of-the-box functionality. Unsophisticated users could Microsoft has worked hard to build devices that appeal to large organi-
have instant Internet, e-mail, music, video, photos, Word, and Excel zations and professionals. They have done an impressive job partnering
all built-in and ready to go. It would also be a boon for road warriors with phone companies, and estimate that 20 million Windows Mobile
who need basic computing functionality and wireless connectivity in a devices will be sold worldwide this year.
small, lightweight form factor with long battery life. Solid state storage However, Symbian, RIM (BlackBerry), Apple, and Google will pro-
means instant-on and no vulnerable mechanical drives. vide stiff competition. Microsoft’s new emphasis on the user experience
It seems that Microsoft is committing to do just that. Microsoft has is a necessity to reach the huge new potential audience and to retain
brought on Len Kawell—a former founding member of Microsoft Chief existing customers. In addition, I look forward to a renewed Microsoft
Software Architect Ray Ozzie’s Iris Associates—to help the Redmond commitment to work with its many smaller partners that have helped
software company port the Windows Mobile operating system to new make the platform so robust. n
form factors called Mobile Internet Devices (MID). As the Internet

88 S M A RT P H O N E & POCKET PC Jun/Jul 20 08


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