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If you've just purchased a Windows CE PC Companion, if you're
The book covers the knowledge a beginning and intermediate PC Companion user needs. It starts off with an introduction to the differ classes of PC Companions (Handheld PCs, H/PC Pros and Palm-size PCs) and includes a description of the hardware and software standard with each device. This is followed by the basics in setting up the PC Companion.
The central portion of the book looks at built-in applications of the various classes of PC Companions. Wisely, Craig organized most of the book around the work you need to do. Chapters include Start Here; Setting Up; Pocket Outlook; Documents and Notes; Finances and Money; Communications; Getting Online; E-mail; and Other Applications.
A step-by-step approach
The book is very well organized. Each chapter has its own table of contents and each section of a chapter thoroughly covers a discrete topic. For example, the section titled "Using an Ethernet card" starts out with a description of what an Ethernet card is and what's needed to use them. This is followed by a step-by-step on how to set up a card and make the Ethernet connection. Craig includes screen shots of the dialog boxes you run into during the setup, and a basic tip (connect your PC Companion to its AC power adapter when using Ethernet cards).
One of the interesting things Craig does is slip in a few third-party software programs. At first I wondered about the wisdom of this. Then I looked at the programs he chose: Pocket Finance (a simple electronic checkbook developed by Anyware Consulting); Tipster (a one-touch tip and sales tax calculator from Ilium Software), bFIND (a much-needed global-find utility from bSquare Development), eWallet (lets you store important information on electronic data cards, from Ilium Software) and QuickWallet (similar to eWallet, password protected, from Applian Technologies). They all add simple functionality useful to the most basic or sophisticated user. They belong in a "basics" book.
More than the basics
Craig's book not only covers the basic features of PC Companions it takes a look at the more challenging features. He has sections titled Using an Ethernet Card; Shared Network Drives; Network Printing; Dial-Up Connections; a whole chapter on E-mail; and more. He does a good job of making these more complex features "clear and simple."
Windows CE Clear & Simple is available online at www.Amazon.com. The price as of 10/12/99 was $10.36. Windows CE Clear & Simple is published in the U.K. under the title Windows CE Made Simple.
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