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| Oct./99 | December/98 |
Past Journal Entries from December/98:
DEC.-29/98
DEC.-28/98
DEC.-23/98
DEC.-22/98
DEC.-21/98
DEC.-17/98
DEC.-16/98
DEC.-15/98
DEC.-14/98
DEC.-11/98
Hardware Trends
If 1998 was an interesting year for Windows CE hardware with a growing number of Palm-size PC and Handheld PC Pro devices coming onto the market, 1999 promises to be even more exciting.
One area of great interest will be the PC Companions segment, which includes Palm-size PCs and the new Handheld PC Professional Edition devices. According to news reports that appeared in early December on sites such as CNet, the first wave of color Palm-size PC devices will come onto the market towards the end of the first half of the 1999. In fact, HP has already announced a color version of its Jornada Palm-size PC based on the Chinese language version of Windows CE.
As for the new generation of Handheld PC Professional Edition devices, early released products such as the HP Jornada and Vadem Clio show that this new product category will deliver huge benefits to business users. One particularly attractive feature is the extremely long battery life delivered by these devices -- up to twelve hours in the case of the HP Jornada. Other key benefits include sleek lightweight form factors, the addition of Pocket Access into the Pocket Office Suite, enhanced Internet and network connectivity features, and a sub-US$1,000 price.
With its unique rotating SwingTopTM design, the Vadem Clio is an extremely versatile device, making it ideal for wide variety of standard mobile computing and specialist vertical applications. It definitely sets the standard for innovation in the Handheld PC form factor, and I'm sure that we'll see more variations of this product in the future.
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The Big Picture
Trying to predict trends is a hazardous (but, for some people at least, a very lucrative) business. But with Windows CE I believe I am fairly safe ground compared to, for example, forecasting when Asia will drag itself out of its current economic malaise or projecting whether Internet stocks will continue to enjoy such huge stock market valuations.
In 1998 we saw a number of interesting developments appear in the Windows CE platform which are already beginning to provide substantial value to companies and individual users. These developments will, I believe, gather further momentum in 1999 and promise to deliver even greater productivity benefits to enterprises that deploy the Windows CE platform.
Here is a brief summary of the key development trends in the Windows CE platform. I will discuss each one in greater detail in future entries of the Windows CE Business Journal:
Hardware Trends: Business users can expect to see an even greater number of Windows CE devices in a wider variety of different form factors. Innovative new products such as the Vadem Clio point the way to an exciting new generation of Windows CE devices designed for use in vertical markets.
Software Trends: While an increasing number of Windows CE software programs are being released onto the market, the search is still on for a "killer application" -- particularly for corporate users. Announcements by Sybase and Oracle that they are developing so-called "Lite" versions of their database applications for Windows CE, together with Microsoft's inclusion of Access in the Handheld PC Professional Edition version of Windows CE, show that major vendors are serious about providing enterprise-level solutions that allow employees to access and utilise vital corporate data using their Windows CE device. In 1999, perhaps, the search will be over!
Connectivity and Communications Trends: Providing easy and convenient ways for people to access information and communicate from their Windows CE device through either telephone lines or wireless networks is a major concern of corporate users. Many major software, telecommunications, and hardware vendors are making huge investments in this area, and business users can expect to see an exciting array of highly sophisticated communications services appear in 1999 and 2000. Wireless Knowledge, the recently announced joint-venture between Microsoft and Qualcomm looks particularly promising.
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With Xmas only two days away, I'm taking a few days' off from writing this journal to enjoy the holiday with my family. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all visitors to the Windows CE Business Solutions Home Page a merry Xmas and a great 1999.
The Win CE Business Solutions Journal will resume on Monday 28 December.
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TimWORKS© would also like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. See you in the new year!
How much memory do you need in a Palm-size or Handheld PC? Just as with notebook and desktop PCs, a simple rule applies: the more memory you have the better.
However, this issue is further complicated by the fact that Windows CE devices come with two types of memory -- ROM (Read-Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) -- and it is important that you know the difference.
Most Windows CE devices come with a minimum of 4MB ROM, though the latest Handheld PCs and Handheld PC Pros may feature up to 16MB. In a very real sense, however, the size of the ROM is almost irrelevant, because it features the Windows CE Operating System as well as any additional applications that the manufacturer may have pre-loaded or, to use the industry parlance, "burned-in" on the device. As a result, it is impossible to for you to store any new applications onto it.
The place where you store your files and any new applications you may wish to install is the RAM. On Palm-size PCs the RAM size is normally 8MB, though some models of the Everex Freestyle feature up to 16MB. On Handheld PCs and Handheld PC Pros the RAM capacity can be up to 32MB.
To make things even more interesting, if you press Start>Settings>Control Panel>System>Memory on your device you will see that the RAM is sub-divided into two categories: Program Memory and Storage Memory. This is shown in the illustration below.
Program Memory is the RAM that you need to run your programs and utilities, while Storage Memory is where your programs and files are stored. The more Storage Memory you allocate, the more applications and documents you can store on your device. If, on the other hand, you allocate more Program Memory, then you can improve system performance and run more applications at the same time.
My own advice is not to play with the default RAM settings set by the manufacturer. If you need more memory for storage, I suggest you buy either a PC flash memory card for your Handheld PC or a CompactFlash memory card for your Palm-size PC. Both types are readily available from vendors such as Pretec.
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Today, I attended an important meeting with a major client. After both sides had presented their future plans and strategies, we agreed to further strengthen our partnership in the future in order to achieve our mutual objectives.
In short, there was nothing particularly special about the meeting; it was just like thousands of other business discussions that take place every day of the year. But as I have been repeatedly reminded during my business career, talking the talk in a meeting is the easy part; walking the walk, ie following up afterwards, is a lot more difficult.
The first step in the follow-up process appears, in theory at least, very straightforward: Write up the minutes of the meeting and list the agreed-upon action items and schedule. But looks can be deceptive. How many times have you returned to your desk after a meeting full of good intentions, only to be interrupted by an urgent phone call? Before you know it, three more issues have arisen and by the time you do finally get down to writing the minutes you've almost forgotten what was decided during your discussions.
One of the main benefits of having a Windows® CE device, whether it be a Handheld or Palm-size PC, is that you can record all your notes digitally during the course of your meeting. Then, when you get back to your desk, you can transfer the file to your PC, edit and reformat it as necessary, and distribute it via email, fax or however else you want to.
This is a lot simpler -- and faster -- than transcribing notes written on paper. Today, despite being interrupted by a couple of phone calls, I managed to write up and send out the minutes of the meeting within an hour.
Quite apart from making me feel a lot better because I had completed a task before it had even entered my "in box", the quick follow up also greatly impressed our clients. It also left me more time in which to write this entry for my journal.
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With Windows CE gaining in popularity, a huge number of accessory and peripheral items for Handheld and Palm-size PCs are now available on the market. Whether it's a smart leather case or CompactFlash modem that you are looking for, it's relatively easy to find one. And if you are willing to take out your credit card, you can purchase it on-line for immediate shipment.
One accessory supplier that I particularly like is ConceptKitchen, which offers an excellent selection of innovative and well-designed products, such as the PDA Survival Kit. You can order these from their excellent website.
Among others, Targus has an excellent choice of stylish leather cases for your Palm-size PC or Handheld PC, while Cross's DigitalWriter line features a selection of attractive styli from the renowned pen manufacturer.
Although it is relatively easy to purchase peripherals such as Fax/Modem cards and even barcode scanners and direct printer ports for Handheld PCs because these devices feature a standard PCMCIA card slot, finding similar peripherals for the Palm-size PC has been quite difficult. However, now this situation is rapidly improving as more and more companies are bringing CompactFlash solutions to market.
One leader in this area is Pretec, which offers an extensive range of CompactModem, CompactLAN, CompactSCSI, CompactIDE, CompactSerial, CompactParallel, and CompactFlash memory cards. Another is Socket Communications, which has a growing selection of low power connectivity products such as Ethernet, Bar Code Wand, and Serial I/O cards. To ensure full compatibility with Windows CE, Microsoft runs a Windows CE Partner Program. I recommend that you only purchase peripheral products that have been given the "Powered by Microsoft Windows CE" logo.
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Although it is by no means as powerful as its Windows counterpart on your desktop or notebook PC, I find that Pocket Word is more than adequate for most of the word processing tasks you are ever likely to need it for when using your Handheld or Handheld Professional PC.
I use the application for wide variety of tasks, including writing meeting minutes, preparing detailed reports during business trips, and updating my daily journal. Of course, there are certain things that you cannot do with Pocket Word, such as creating tables and importing charts and graphs from Excel. But you can very quickly add these items into your file using Word after you have synchronized it with your computer. And, in any case, these are features that you are very unlikely to need when you are taking notes during a meeting or writing up a report in your hotel room after a long day spent visiting customers in an unfamiliar foreign city.
Pocket Word does, however, give you quite a lot of flexibility for formatting your documents in the way you or your company like them. It allows you to select from a small variety of font types (Arial, Courier New, Symbol, and Times New Roman), change the size of the font, and even apply font styles such as Bold, Underline and Italic. In short it provides all the basic tools you need to create an attractive and professional-looking business document.
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While putting together the Productivity Benefits table for the CE Enterprise Productivity Solutions section of the home page, it occurred to me that one of my favorite Windows CE features is the Instant On function.
At first sight, the Instant On feature might not seem to be such a big deal: After all when you press the 'on' button on your remote, the TV comes on immediately -- why should a Windows CE device be any different? However, the more you use Instant On, the clearer the benefits become -- particularly when you compare it with the laborious process of turning your notebook computer on and shutting it off.
With Instant On, there is no waiting for your device to start up or shut down. As a result, you can start work straight away by pressing the On/Off key. When you are finished, or interrupted in the middle of your task, all you have to do to turn off the device is press the On/Off key or click Suspend on the Start menu.
Turning off your Windows CE device simply suspends operation. So when you turn it on again, you can start working where you left off. There is no need to close each file before turning off your device, then having to open it up once more when you boot it up again.
I find the Instant On feature most useful during a packed day of meetings at the office or when I am out on the road traveling. I can turn my device on whenever I need to take notes or look up information, and immediately turn it off again when I've finished in order to conserve battery life.
Instant On may be one of the most underrated features of Windows CE, but it also one of the most useful and convenient. I don't know what I would do without it.
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Although it is relatively easy to find advice and information on how to use Windows CE on the Internet, there are as yet very few printed educational and training resources available on the market. With a few notable exceptions such as Handheld PC, Pen Computing, and Mobile Computing, only a small number of the mainstream computing publications provide in-depth coverage of the subject. As for books, the choice is even more limited. As far as I know, there are only two titles available that would be of value and interest to the business user.
Unfortunately, I have not read Teach yourself Windows CE in 24 hours by David Hayles, so I cannot make any comments on it. However, I have read Windows CE 2 for Dummies, and although I do not particularly like the book's condescending title I would heartily recommend it.
Windows CE 2 for Dummies teaches you everything you need to know in order to take full advantage of the rich capabilities of your Windows CE device. It is written in a friendly and informative style, and provides a wealth of practical information and guidance on how to use all the main features of the Windows CE operating system.
Each of the standard Windows CE applications is described in its own individual chapter. Clear, easy-to-follow instructions combined with a large number of screen shots show you how to perform a huge variety of different actions, such as creating a Pocket Word document, sending an email, adding an appointment, and synchronizing your Windows CE device to your desktop computer.
Windows CE 2 for Dummies is ideal for any business user who wants to get quickly up to speed on their new Windows CE device. With its well-designed table of contents and detailed index, it also provides a handy reference tool whenever you want an immediate answer to any questions you or your colleagues may have about the Windows CE operating system.
Both Windows CE 2 for Dummies and Teach yourself Windows CE in 24 hours can be purchased online at amazon.com. They are priced at US$15.99 and US$19.99 respectively, plus postage and packing.
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Journal Entry-Dec. 11/98
Today, I am pleased with the cooperation of the good people at TimWORKS© to unveil a completely new look for the Windows® CE Business Solutions web site. The aim of this revamp is to present information about Windows® CE in a more attractive and dynamic format that is better suited to the needs of the Internet user.
In addition to upgrading the appearance of the site, I have also made a number of changes to its organization and contents. A major new feature is the CE Tip of the Day section, which provides daily pointers on how to take full advantage of the rich capabilities of your Windows® CE device. The second main section is CE Top News Stories, which covers the latest developments in Windows® CE and analyses how they may impact the business user.
The CE Personal Productivity Solutions section provides information and advice on how Windows® CE can help you to increase your efficiency in both your professional and personal life, and includes reviews of software applications and hardware peripherals that I have found to be particularly useful. CE Enterprise Productivity Solutions looks at how Windows® CE can be deployed within a company to increase productivity at the group level. Last but not least, the CE Business Solutions Journal chronicles my own experiences using Windows CE in the office, at home, and on the road.
I hope very much that you like the changes that have been made to the Windows® CE Business Solutions web site, and I would like to thank TimWORKS© Web Architects for the excellent job they have done in redesigning the home page. I look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions on how we can further improve it.
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