Letters to the Editor

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

HP 720 printer software solutions

Urs Schmid ("Problems with Canon BubbleJet...," March issue, Inbox ) should try either the latest Canon drivers for CE or Westek's JetCet printer driver (www.westtek.com). I have both on my HP 720 and am able to print to the BubbleJet 50 without any problems.

For the Canon drivers, go to www.ccsi.canon.com/techsupport/downloads and search on BJC-50. Look for "BJ Printer Driver v3.20a for Windows CE 2.1x."

Westek's JetCet (www.westtek.com) is a commercial product that supports Handheld PCs using the StrongARM processor. The benefit of the speed of the 720's StrongARM processor outweighs the current lack of StrongArm software. I have had some luck copying the StrongARM CAB file created during the installation of some HP 820 Handheld PC Pro applications to the Jornada 720 and tapping on it to complete the installation. The 720's application manager tells you that the application is not compatible, but it still works sometimes.

Bob Wilkins

Best Pocket PC for indoor/outdoor use

Which PocketPC has a screen that is best for combined indoor/outdoor use? My work here in (usually) sunny Los Angeles involves inspecting houses. I'm walking around outside the house, in the shade, in sunlight, on the roof, taking notes, and inside too. My EM-500 screen seems marginal in sunlight. Is there a better one?

Also, I remember seeing something about a program like "Calligrapher" that converts cursive script into text being included in the extra software with one of the PocketPCs, but can't find the reference or the program with my new EM-500. Where can I find the program?

George Baral

George, the only device that meets the indoor/outdoor use pattern is the Compaq iPAQ. Check out (www.cewindows.net/wce/30/pocketpcfeatcomp.htm) for a comparison of other features. Calligrapher is from ParaGraph (www.paragraph.com). The Calligrapher "engine" was used to create the Transcriber application that is found on the ActiveSync CD (Extras folder) that comes with every Pocket PC. To the best of my knowledge they did not create a separate Calligrapher program for the Pocket PC. ­ - Chris De Herrera

Problem with 128-bit encryption for Jornada 680 H/PC

I read your (Jim Christian's) column religiously ­ the tips are great! I came across a snag last week trying to upgrade to 128 bit encryption for my H/PC (Jornada 680). I downloaded and installed the MS upgrade but could not connect to any secure sites. On-Web detective work uncovered a small note on the MS Windows CE downloads page that MS has written the patch to correct for the new hashing algorithms for the Pocket PC but not the H/PC ­ and no patch is currently scheduled! More and more secure Web sites are going to 128 bit. Without the ability to connect, the H/PC will become less productive. Your review of the H/PC 2000 suggests that MS continues to think of it as viable, and that it should retain its own niche market (best of both worlds). Did MS include 128 bit in the Windows CE 3.0 S/W?

Glenn Robinson