A Clone In My PocketPC Kiosk?

As Windows Mobile devices have become an ever increasing part of the enterprise and education landscape, the need to limit the functionality or access to applications or parts of the device have increased as well. After all, the last thing you need is an employee surfing the Internet while they are suppose to be taking a customer's drink order at a baseball game! Or even better, having Junior playing Quake on a PocketPC while he is suppose to be reading Shakespeare.

The challenge of course is the very nature of Windows Mobile itself. As the Operating System is in your device's Non-volitile ROM (Read Only Memory), it is not erasable like your computer's hard disk. This means that if an application is included in the ROM of your device when you purchase it - such as Solitare or Mobile Word - you can't simply uninstall it. This is in contrast to your device's volitile ROM (or in older PocketPCs the RAM) where you install applications. This can be erase meaning that any data or applications you install can be removed.

For those interested in reading all the difference of the ROM/RAM and all things memory related, check out the Windows Mobile Team blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/default.aspx There are several entries related to RAM, ROM and Presistent Storage

So how do you get around this challenge? Simple, you hide them!

Unlike almost all of my blog entries here at Smartphone & PocketPC magazine, this entry is really geared for the enterprise or academic readers out there. Everyone however can benefit from seeing yet another example of how flexible Windows Mobile devices can be.

The most effective way to hide applications or prevent access to system files, information or the Internet is by setting up your device(s) in kiosk mode. As the name suggests, kiosk mode is setting up the device to have limited or defined access to applications and the underlying OS itself. In-other-words, it isn't completely open like your device at home able to connect to the Internet, run any installed application, access system settings and so forth.

From an enterprise or corporate perspective, it is easy to see why such control and limitations could be beneficial. The most common reason in the corporate world is likely to circle around limiting the installation of applications, changing of security settings and preventing Internet (but not necessarily Intranet) access. Here are some real world examples where a kiosk mode could be beneficial as well:

- Wait staff at a sporting event. The waiter or waitress needs to have access to the menu, ordering and credit card processing application on their Windows Mobile device but do not need to access any other applications. The wireless connection back to the food stand is enabled but can only access the local area network, not the Internet.

- Insurance claim adjusters. The adjuster needs access to corporate information, Mobile Word, Mobile Excel and the built-in digital camera of the device but all other access is restricted and only access to the corporate network via the cellular based GPRS and VPN.

- Call Center Supervisors. The supervisor can connect to the corporate network via the wireless card and see call stats, queue times and agent utilization via their IP-based call center system. Spanlink Communications actually has a prototype of this type of device designed for Cisco IP Call Centers.

But kiosk modes of operation are not just limited to the corporate worlds. Education facilities can also benefit from this type of functionality. For example, student can be assigned PocketPCs in class with access to Mobile Word, Mobile Excel and educational applications but are unable to install any applications, go to Pocket Internet Explorer or change any system settings. This assures the schools that the devices are being used for their intended purpose without having to spend a tremendous amount of money to do so.

How then do you get a device into kiosk mode? Essentially there are two ways this can be done. First, you can have the device terminal service into a server and run only the application(s) that are designated. Second, you can use a cloning application to essentially "build" a set of devices that only have certain applications available to run. Which one is best for you will depend on the need you have as well as the applications involved. If, for example, you are running an application that is self contained on the device itself, cloning the devices may be the best step.

For kiosk mode there are several applications available that will allow you to choose from. The two I am most familiar with - and this is by no means an exhaustive list - are PocketKiosk from Askarya Technologies (http://www.askarya.com/pocketpc/pocketkiosk/pk.asp) and Spb Kiosk from Spb Software House (http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/kioskengine/?en). Both of these applications have their strengths and weaknesses so I highly recommend you try out their demo versions before purchasing.

You can also use your favorite search engine and search for PocketPC Kiosk or Windows Mobile Kiosk Mode

For Windows Mobile device cloning you also have several options available. Sprint Clone from Binary Research International (http://www.binaryresearch.net/Sprite.htm) is one as well as Spb Clone from Spb Software House (http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/clone/?en). Like the kiosk applications, both of these have trial versions available for you to try.

So there you have it - PocketPC clones in your kiosk. Both applications can be helpful in the corporate or academic world and show the flexibility of Windows Mobile based technologies.