Jim Karpen's blog

Have you ever been tempted to purchase a device on eBay
but hesitated because the seller didn't post the specs? That
happened a number of times to the founder of the PDACore
Web site, so he decided to create a PDA Reference
Library.

He lists devices from 25 different manufacturers,
including devices that have been discontinued.

In late February Motorola sent out a press
release announcing a new Pocket PC that had enthusiasts
drooling. And as unofficial photos began appearing on the
Internet, enthusiasm continued to mount. Then some videos
surfaced. Finally, last month Motorola began showing off
preproduction models at a trade show.

What's so special about this device?

Last week Microsoft announced a new version of their
Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs and Smartphones. You
can read their press release on Microsoft's
web site, as well as a great overview on Brighthand.

Last
week's column covered Pocket PC-related Web sites that
are now offering RSS feeds. And of course I missed an
important one:
Pocket PC Addict (RSS link: http://www.pocketpcaddict.com/

Just when you think you have a handle on the various
offerings of the Internet, something new comes along and
you're faced with yet one more learning curve.

I kept hearing about RSS but only recently tried it. I
was impressed.

For those of you who already receive Microsoft's monthly
Windows
Mobile newsletter, I apologize for repeating two of the
items that I think are great resources. One is an intro to
wireless networking, and the other is the "Crabby Lady's"
excellent guide to choosing among a Pocket PC, a Pocket PC
Phone Edition, and a Smartphone.

Toshiba's e800/e805 Pocket PC has caused quite a stir in
the past couple of months because of its large, 4-inch VGA
screen. You can find a thorough review with lots of screen
shots on the Gadgeteer
Web site.

The world of Web sites tailored to the small screen of
your device still seems to be exploding. I was just cruising
around the mobile universe and was amazed at the rich
content and useful services available.

My latest favorite way of accessing these sites is
PDAPortal.com.
It's a very useful database-driven directory of over 500
mobile sites in 10 languages.

I've hardly ever won anything, but I guess part of the
fun of these giveaways is visiting a site that you may not
be familiar with. That's the whole idea, of course: to
entice you to their site with the ultimate hope that their
excellent content will bring you back.

GeekZone
First Anniversary Giveaway — You hardly need any
enticing to visit the GeekZone, whose reviews we've
mentioned in this column a number of times.

Those who use their Pocket PCs to browse the Internet are
sometimes frustrated by the limitations of Pocket Internet
Explorer, such as its inability to open multiple windows and
its often clumsy presentation of Web pages designed for
desktop viewing.

Access's
NetFront and Bitstream's
ThunderHawk have long been among the leading contenders
for an alternative to Pocket Internet Explorer.

PocketNow.com
has long had a reputation of having a lot of content,
including a large and well organized database of reviews.
Recently they've increased their offerings, and are now also
having a giveaway every Friday.

One of the recent additions to the site is daily reviews
of new hardware and software.

Thanks to all of you who visited the streaming video
sites I mentioned last week. The owner of PPCVidz.com
wrote to tell me that the column considerably increased traffic to the site.

KenRadio Broadcasting

I also heard from a reader who pointed to KenRadio
Broadcasting as a great site for a daily technology-news
roundup via streaming audio.

The universe of Web sites specially formatted for the
small screen continues to grow, including now some excellent
sites for streaming media.

A common question among Pocket PC users, especially new
owners, is, "What useful software should I put on my
device?"

Top-10 lists

One place to identify useful software is Handango's list
of the top
10 bestsellers.

Microsoft is debuting its new SPOT watch this month, and
already Brian Beeler of BargainPDA.com has begun a dedicated
site: SpotStop.com.

This new gadget actually sounds pretty cool: the watch
accesses a portion of the FM radio band to receive
information about weather, news, stock prices, and sports
scores.

SPOT stands for Smart Personal Objects Technology.

Pocket PCs are both fun and useful, with their music and
video capabilities contributing in great measure to the
fun.

If you use your device for music, you may want to check
out StaticFuzz.com,
which bills itself as "Your Pocket PC digital music source."
The site is a little light on content but does have useful
reviews of CEPlaylist and PocketMusic, in case you're
looking for an alternative to Windows Media Player.

Again this week we have giveaways and special Christmas offers to report. Plus, we'll note the release of a couple
of recent freeware offerings.

PDACorps is holding a special Christmas
competition in conjunction with Piel Frama and
Astraware.

Nothing new about these Christmas freebies, since I
mentioned both of them a year ago. However, Clickgamer's
Snowed
In is now out in version 2.

No doubt you're in a shopping mood this holiday season,
so be sure to check out the shopping section on our
Best
Sites page to find out where you can get good deals on
Windows Mobile devices and peripherals.

Note the Hot Deals section, which directs you to Web
sites that track coupons and other special offers, finding
you the lowest possible prices.

Pocket PC magazine's Video
Edition has been a little quiescent this year, but
recently Diane put up a few videos
from the Microsoft Mobility Tour that you might want to
check out.

Of particular interest may be the demo of Motorola's
MPx200 Smartphone that is now available in the U.S.