Expert: Al Harrington

This month's blog theme is "The features I would add to Windows Mobile". For me this is simple... nothing!

Ok, you are probably thinking this is an April Fool's joke but it isn't. I'm not saying the Windows Mobile is perfect - believe me after almost 15 years of playing with these devices I'm well aware of the shortcomings/problems. But if we are talking about features, I don't think Microsoft needs to add anything to the OS.

Where I want to see features is third party software products! As much as I like Microsoft, they can't provide the range of applications that third party companies can. As long as Microsoft makes their platforms easy to develop on, and provides good development tools, life is good.

If you are looking for great features, head on over to Handango. There are over 18,000 applications for Windows Mobile listed on their site! In addition to getting great software you'll supporting the awesome group of Windows Mobile developers/companies.

Time for me to go see what other cool apps I can load on my WM device...

Although I'm an old timer in the world of Pocket PCs, one of the reasons I still enjoy them so much is the Cool Factor. Doesn't matter if it is hardware or software, there always seems to be something cool coming out.

I've been a user of True Connect since it first came out. When the latest version(v3.0) was released I loaded it immediately. For the most part it isn't much different than the previous version, except for the new SMS Outlook integration. At first I didn't see the big deal, but the more I use it the more that cool factor kicks in.

For those of you who have teenagers with cell phones, you know that texting is part of everyday life. Like other old foggies out there, I'm not much into text messenging on cell phones. I use it to keep tabs on my kids or send quick messages, but I'm not going to be spending much time increasing my texting speed using a numeric pad.

The True Connect SMS Outlook integration is great for us non-texters. It's very easy to setup and use. When you first connect a new device, True Connects asks if you'd like to set it up for SMS Outlook integration. Once that is done, a True Connect folder is created within Outlook which contains the standard Outlook folders (Deleted Items, Drafts, Inbox, Outbox, & Sent Items). It also installs a new toolbar:

When your Smartphone or Pocket PC phone is connected to your computer, True Connect will sync all current messages to the Outlook folders. While the phone is connected, you can send and receive messages via Outlook.

Of course the other cool features of True Connect are still there - like device control via computer keyboard/mouse (either "off screen" - move mouse off screen over to device, or by displaying the device screen on the computer via On Screen Connect) and taking screen shots (especially useful for programs that block software screen capture programs).

If you haven't looked at True Connect yet I highly recommend you give it a try.

In the latest issue of Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine (April/May 2008) I review the new HP iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld. When I was writing the review the screen specs were published as being 18-bit 260k colors. After the article went to the printers HP updated their specs (which can be found here). The updated specs are 16-bit 65k colors.

I know there are some people out there who are very upset by this. Personally my poor old eyes probably couldn't tell the difference. The VGA screen looks awesome, and makes my QVGA screens not as nice as I once thought. :-)

I will be posting more 210 related articles soon, including a round-up of 210 cases and other accessories.

Time to poll the musicians out there in the Smartphone/Pocket PC community. I'm looking for Windows Mobile applications or hardware accessories for musicians. I know I can look in the great Encyclopedia of Software and Accessories but I wanted to get input from people actually using the stuff.

If you create Windows Mobile software or hardware for musicians go ahead and drop me a line just in case I overlooked your product.

You can leave comments here, or email at "alh_mail-ppcblog[at]yahoo.com".

Thanks!

Having recently moved to the Smartphone platform I’ve been looking for applications to help me get the same functionality I was used to with my Pocket PC devices. Being as active as I am I rarely have time to read newspapers or go to all the various websites I’d like to read to keep up on all of my interests. I’ve used different RSS readers on my Pocket PC and was looking for similar functionality on my Smartphone. Luckily I found NewsBreak.

Read more!