Expert: Hal Goldstein

The schedule and rules for the eighth annual Smartphone and Pocket PC magazine Best Software Awards 2008 have been posted.

Everything you might want to know about the 2008 awards, plus link to 2007 winners can be found at the awards home page.

If you are a vendor, make sure you submit product information (free) at our Encyclopedia of Software and Accessories.

If you have a suggestion for nomination, then use the 2008 nominations form. Werner Ruotsalainen (Menneisyys) makes all final decisions. Judge input will be given most weight, followed by end-user input, followed by vendor input.

If you feel are interested in judging, please first read what judges must agree to. Then if you can agree, E-mail me at hal@thaddeus.com a couple of paragraphs with your qualifications, interest and background.

Because of my job at the magazine, I am constantly switching phones and PDA's. It's fun to try new devices, but often the manufacturer or phone company wants it back. Therefore, I have developed a strategy for quickly loading up a new phone or PDA with my favorite stuff.

Actually, this has proven a great strategy for keeping a device clean. The best way to clean a device and fix problems is to do a hard reset, and then reload.

Initial Setup
After connecting up with ActiveSync, I load Soti's Pocket Controller, which puts an image of my device on my desktop screen. Then I can use my desktop keyboard to enter registration codes and other set-up tasks including entering Owner Name.

I then make sure I am set up for email, contacts, calendar, and tasks -- in my case I enter my Exchange log-on information.

Installing software
I keep a directory on my desktop of the CAB files of software I like to use. (Almost all Windows Mobile software is available as a CAB file, which can be run directly on the device to install the software.) In that directory is the CABINSTL program.

I then copy the directory to my 4 gig Kingston micro SDHC card. I put the card in my device and run CABINSTL so none of the CAB files get deleted. I then install the software I want from CAB files. I use Pocket Controller to enter registration codes. I also install a copy of eWallet, where I store my reg codes. That way I always have registration information if I later decide to install a CAB file.

Data files
I create a directory on the SDHC card for data files that I want access to. For sure, I copy over my eWallet file containing all my registration codes. Sometimes, I turn Files On to sync files, but often I find it more trouble then it is worth. When I turn Files on in ActiveSync, a new directory in My Documents is created. I copy data files I want from most recent Windows Mobile Files directory and delete that directory.

Music and video

I use all the room left on the SDHC card to store my music and video.

Bottom line
I keep an up to date copy of information I want on my devices on my desktop. Then I copy that information onto an SDHC card. I use adapters as necessary to move my information from device to device using the same card. For day to day maintenance / cleaning tasks, I use SK-TOOLS. If I need to really clean a device, I do a hard reset, and start over.

It sounds like one of those TV infomercials. The thing is, I could be one of those interviewed. I can vouch for the author, John Psuik.

John describes how the software evolved in his essay "Going from Fat to Skinny". I knew John as "fat" five years ago, and I know him as skinny. Also, I've known John since we both started supporting Windows CE users in 1998. He is among a group of talented, dedicated developers initially attracted to Microsoft's mobile vision, who also happen to be really fine people.

The infomercial-like E-mail about Developer One's iFitOne begins:

Have you failed with previous attempts at losing weight?

Do you lose your motivation along the way?

Want to fit into your skinny jeans again?

Just want to feel better?

Succeeding with your diet and fitness goals is all about staying motivated, following through every day, and sticking to your goals.

iFitOne helps by making it easier than ever to set your daily diet goals, and track your weight, size, eating and exercise.

Forget the tedious tracking of calories. Focus on the big picture of eating more healthy food, trying to avoid the junk and getting exercise.

OK, I'll admit it. My stomach qualifies me as a potential customer for his software. As soon as I post this, I will E-mail John for a copy (one of the perks of this job). The question, of course, will I use it? We'll see. If I do, I will report results here.

I had a good laugh at myself the other day, but I think my experience says something important about Windows Mobile.

I am in the enviable position of being able to try out new phones and PDAs. I did have to recently send back my Tilt. But then I started using a test version of Windows Mobile 6.1 on a HTC S620 (Dash). I also now use the 4 inch VGA screen HP 210 PDA.

Motorola just sent the AT&T version of the Motorola Q9 with 6.1. I took out the AT&T SIM card from the S620 and moved it to the Q. I didn't look at the Q getting started manual. After all, as owner and Exec Editor of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine, I should be an expert user.

So, I took my Q9 to a local town meeting, where I am known as owner of the magazine. My Q9 beeped for some alarm, thus drawing attention.

For the life of me, I couldn't turn the sound off of the darned thing!

After using the Dash and several other devices, I was used to the Quick Task feature. A short press of the on/off button would pop-up a menu, and I could easily change the check from "normal" to "silent".

However, as I fiddled, I notice there was not a regular on/off switch. I tried a short press of the green call and red call end button, but no luck. OK, I tried settings. First option "Phone". Surely I could turn off phone there. After two "mores", no luck. Second option: "Sound". Of course -- there I could turn off the sound. I scroll down -- nope just asks me what sounds for what occasion.

I start to panic, and others are becoming amused. Finally, I press the red button with the hope of turning it off. The good news, the phone turned off. The bad news was in the process the phone gasped that clever, fun shhhh sound.

How to turn off sound? "Profiles". The third of the settings option. I had forgotten. Honestly, "Profiles" is not the word that most people would use to turn off sound. Also, pressing the Home key for a second gives the pop-up menu I was looking for.

The situation reminded me of one of those remotes at a hotel with a bunch of buttons, and it is not at all obvious which turns on the TV and which is volume control. Basic engineering 101 -- the most common things someone would want to do, should be the most obvious. These kind of issues must be fixed in future versions of Windows Mobile if it is to become a consumer product to rival the iPhone and dumber but easier to use phones.

This topic of the month was quite timely given Microsoft's announcement about Windows Mobile 6.1. (I am at the CTIA wireless conference in Las Vegas, so a little late in posting this month's topic. BTW Sprint and AT&T have committed to upgrade all the 6.0 devices to 6.1 and I believe almost all their 5.0 phones.)

The new consumer features for 6.1 (specifically getting started app and rotating Today Panel) may not over-wow readers of this blog. However, the signal of the direction is critical for the ongoing success of Windows Mobile -- usability is of fundamental importance. I've been using the Today panel on a test unit (HTC S620 - Dash) Microsoft sent me. It does make the phone's features more accessible.

Back to the topic -- here are a few seat-of-the-pants requests. The first two involve making Windows Mobile a practical, out-of-the-box, ready-to-use, media machine.

First, like with the iPhone, YouTube should be an application. What a great, simple idea.

Secondly, Internet radio, which allows access to commercial and Internet stations world-wide, would be another great ready-to-use application. (There are already third party radio solutions solutions. TunIt.org Radio comes with 1600 well-organized U.S.presets which allowed me to find some of my favorite stations from other cities. (Finding and installing them can be a pain). Resco Radio doesn't have nearly the number of pre-sets, but let's you record.)

Thirdly, I would like a simple solution that gives end-users a way of controlling whether appointment times change when time zones are switched. Pocket Informant has a solution as do some Windows Mobile Palm devices. The new NITZ feature in 6.1 at least lets the user control whether or not the time zone gets changed automatically through Internet connectivity. However, the process of preserving appointment times after changing time zones can be a real pain and baffling to new and experienced users alike.

Finally, I want to see Microsoft directly deliver on a feature that is now part of Windows Mobile 6.1 -- automatic push updates. As mentioned, Microsoft lent us a pre-lease version of Windows Mobile 6.1 on an HTC S620. Every few days with my device sync’d I would be asked whether I wanted to install an update. Updating was a little slow, but worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, I don’t think Microsoft will offer the updates directly. More likely we will have to depend on the phone companies and OEMs to deliver them. My preliminary talks with several of the phone companies at CTIA -- at least those whom I spoke with -- weren't even aware of the capability.