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May.-03/99
Amidst all the hype surrounding brand name PC Companion products such as Palm-size and Handheld PCs, it's very easy to overlook the fact that a growing number of innovative Windows CE hardware solutions are being released to meet the more specialized needs of vertical market customers.
Two recently announced products from Fujitsu and a company called Ameranth Technology Systems Inc. are excellent examples of the type of innovation that is being carried out in the vertical application space. And while they may not quite deliver the same amount of sizzle as running a video of a Star Wars trailer on a Palm-size PC, they look set to deliver huge benefits to their target customers.
Fujitsu's new PenCentra 130 is a ruggedized pen computing tablet that is due for release in September. Based on the Handheld PC Professional version of Windows CE, the device comes packed with a lot of powerful features that make it ideal for mobile workforce applications such as field services, home healthcare and merchandising.
Measuring just 8.9" x 6.5" x 1.3" and weighing less than two pounds with the battery, the device has rubberized handgrips which make it easy to carry around and input data. It also comes with a choice of reflective or transmissive screens 8" DSTN screens for outdoors or indoors use and provides multiple connectivity options, including an internal 56.6Kbps fax/modem, and two PC Card slots with "Radio Ready" WAN PC Card and CompactFlash card support. An impressive software bundle and a wide range of accessory options complete the package.
Overall, it looks that Fujitsu has put a great deal of thought into the design of the PenCentra 130 to make sure that it meets the real needs of its customers. For more information, please download a PDF file of the PenCentra 130 brochure from http://www.fpsi.fujitsu.com/product/pcent.pdf.
A rugged design is also a major requirement of many companies looking at Palm-size PC devices, and the Key UltraPad® 2700 from Ameranth certainly fits that bill. Just as interesting are the device's high-speed wireless data transfer capabilities of the device of up to 2Mbps, using the Symbol Spectrum24 system. I can see why Ameranth is promoting the device for use in applications such as restaurant table management and ordering.
R.I.B.
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It's not without reason that the market research company Dataquest is jokingly called "Dataguess" by many PC industry insiders. Just take a look at their latest forecasts that the handheld market will grow from 3.9 million units in 1998 to 21 million units in 2003, and perhaps you'll forgive them for their cynicism.
I'm not saying that this figure is wrong (though a five-times increase in the market size in the space of five years is quite staggering). I just wonder how Dataquest arrived at such a number. If a week is a long time in politics, then five years is at least a century in the fast-moving computer business. How can one predict so far into the future?
But predictions, especially ones with such massive numbers, can have a curious habit of becoming self-fulfilling by setting off an incestuous chain reaction of events within the business ecosystem. First the trade media like CNet take up the story, emblazoning their pages with headlines like "Huge leaps predicted for handhelds". Then, excited and scared by the headlines, the managements of all the top high-tech hardware manufacturers convene urgent meetings and task forces to review this opportunity and work out strategies to grab their piece of this 21 million unit market. Next, the software and database applications companies announce grand plans to develop mobile solutions, again citing the magic 21 million. And finally, the poor CIO (already overwhelmed by Y2K compliance problems, ERP project implementation delays and cost overruns, and a planned Windows 2000 migration) is hassled by her CEO to come up with a handheld computing strategy so that the company can get a leg up on the competition.
Such momentum is unstoppable, and even Windows CE Business Solutions might be able to get a piece of the action. Every time we meet with a potential advertiser we can – with a straight face and citing a reputable source for our data – tell them that the handheld market is going to grow to (yes, I know I don't really need to repeat it) 21 million units by the year 2003 and if they want to be recognized as a leader in this segment they need to start spending their marketing dollars with us now.
21 million. The more I look at the number the more I like it. What was the snide comment I made about Dataguess? I'd better go back and delete it.
R.I.B.
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Keeping the CE Links section of this website somewhere near up-to-date is an uphill task these days given the growing number of Windows CE resources that are appearing on the Internet. But organizing these links so that they are easy for visitors to find is -- if anything -- an even tougher task. Sometimes I wish I could hire some whiz-kid database programmer to help me collate all the links, categorize them, and develop a way of cross-referencing them. Just where are all those billions of dollars of Internet venture capital when you need them?
In the meantime, we've added a number of new sections to the Links page to make the information more accessible. One section I'm particularly excited about is Windows CE Enterprise Solutions Links. There's a growing amount of good information out there on the challenges and benefits of deploying Windows CE at the enterprise level, including Microsoft's own Windows CE site and the Sybase site, and my goal is to build up an extensive archive of these resources.
In addition to the Enterprise Solutions Links, we've also added sections covering Electronic Documents, Windows CE Shopping Links, Windows CE Communications & Connectivity Links, and Windows CE Technical Support and FAQ sites.
As another feature on the site, we've also added a "Link of the Day" on the front page. Sites are selected on a purely subjective basis subject to our whims. Please let us know if you have any links you would like to recommend for the Link of the Day or our CE Links listing. We'll try our best to post the information as soon as is practical.
R.I.B.
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If you'd like to have the latest news delivered to your Palm-size PC, you should seriously consider subscribing to the new AvantGo.com subscription service. I have been using this for the past couple of weeks now, and I really like being able to carry the latest updates from the Wall Street Journal and CNet on my Palm-size PC.
AvantGo.com is easy to use, has over 100 channels of brand name content, and best of all it's free. Please check out the review I've posted today for more details.
As surprising as it may sound, it's also possible to download content from the Wall Street Journal in audio format from www.audible.com so that you can listen to it on your Palm-size PC. This may sound a like a great idea, but I've come to the conclusion that it's not quite ready for prime time yet. The reason? Unless you have a cable modem or other high-speed Internet access, downloading large sound files from the web takes ages.
I don't mind getting up five minutes earlier than normal so that I can synchronize the latest news using AvantoGo.com. But there's no way I'm willing to sacrifice half an hour of sleep!
R.I.B.
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e-commerce. e-business. e-services. e-CEO. I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to get tired of all this e-xcrement. Still, in a world where all you have to do is add an 'e' prefix or "dot.com" suffix to the name of your company to quintuple its value, I guess that we're going to have to get used to it.
In any case, one of the unexpected side benefits of running this website is that sometimes when I am banging away at my keyboard in the dark cold hours of the early morning I can kick back and fantasize that one day I too will become a fabulously rich e-mogul sticking my ugly mug on the cover of the business glossies and pontificating on the boundless wonders of e-commerce.
Unfortunately, I'm still a long way from achieving that goal. But if I analyse the situation carefully, our company is at least moving in the right direction.
Like most of the major e-commerce companies, the Windows CE Business Solutions Home Page is losing money. Problem is, our losses are a mere trickle when compared to the millions of dollars that companies like Amazon are gushing. We need to figure out a creative way of adding at least five zeros to our monthly loss statement. Any suggestions?
At the same time, we haven't yet figured out how we are going to actually make some real money in the future. Like the much ballyhooed portal sites we have masses of (unused) advertising real estate, and a growing number of visitors. We could go even so far as to claim that we are building a "community". And given that Yahoo paid almost as much money for GeoCities as Ford did for Volvo, that must mean we're worth something.
Finally, we don't even have what could honestly be called a business plan; who knows what this site will be like in six months' time let alone a year? But, hey, that's just a minor detail. In the meantime, we'll simply keep ploughing on, trying to live up to our goal of creating the number one resource for business-related Windows CE information on the Internet.
Still, it's nice to be able to dream sometimes….
R.I.B.
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If the growing number of news reports that 3Com is set to launch its wireless Palm VII device next week are true, the PDA market is set to enter a new and extremely interesting phase – with yet more uncertainty and confusion for the business user or corporation.
By enabling people to access their email and other business and personal information wherever they happen to be, wireless communication has in many ways been the "holy grail" of mobile computing. It not only eliminates the hassle of carrying around a fax modem and bunch of messy wires and cables, but also means that you can always receive up-to-the-minute "real-time" information.
But as with every new technological advancement, there's a price to pay. And the question companies and individuals will have to ask themselves is whether 24-7 wireless access is worth the cost of the services and the connection charges. CNet reports, for example, that Palm will initially charge a base fee of $9 per month for limited Palm.net service, but that doesn't include carrier connection charges. And some beta testers reportedly exceeded the limits of the service, incurring large service charges.
Another more intangible cost of wireless access will be its impact on staff productivity. For instance, while the ability to track share movements using the device will be a boon to stock brokers and other finance industry professionals, for most people this is a personal – not business – application. I remember when I first opened my online trading account and was so obsessed by the technology that I would log in at least ten times a day to check up on how my portfolio was doing! Eventually I had to go almost "cold turkey" and restrict myself to visiting the site only once a week because of the huge amount of time – not to mention emotion -- I was expending. Just imagine how many man-hours a company could lose in a year if its five-hundred person field force has wireless access to their on-line portfolios. Not to mention the huge cost of the connection fees!
Of course, wireless access through a device like the Palm VII will also bring huge productivity benefits to business. Applications like wireless order placement and tracking by salespeople or the real-time transmission of accident assessment reports by insurance assessment personnel are two examples that immediately spring to mind. But at the same time, companies will need to carefully examine their actual wireless communication needs and build in the appropriate safeguards to prevent unproductive uses.
R.I.B.
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When I was at high school, I used to hate Sunday evenings. This was because I usually had to spend them cloistered in my bedroom catching up with the homework I had brought home with me on Friday and left hidden from sight in my bag in the vain hope that somehow it would have been completed by the time I went to school on Monday. Even though I am an adult now -- I'd hesitate to describe myself as grown up -- Sunday evenings aren't that much different. After putting the kids to bed, I go into my small study and boot up my PC.
First, I spend a few minutes browsing the web to make sure I am fully up-to-date with the latest industry and Windows® CE news.
Then, I settle down to my real work: reviewing my previous week's shedule and tasks lists and then writing down what my team needs to accomplish in the following week. Microsoft Outlook provides an ideal tool for creating and managing a work schedule as well as reviewing overall progress.
I use the Tasks application to define each major project, breaking down each item into a separate task with a deadline and responsible person. Then I send automatically generated emails to each of my staff so that they know the tasks they need to complete during the week. I use the Calendar application mainly to set my own personal schedule for the week, which is normally packed full of meetings. If necessary, I also update my Contacts list.
Once I have done this, I update all the information on my HP LX620 and Everex Freestyle by synchronizing these devices with my PC.
Of course, even the best planned schedule will change almost as soon as it sees the cold light of day on Monday morning, as deadlines slip and new task are added. But using either my Handheld or Palm-size PC I can easily add new information or amend existing entries during the day, and synchronize everything via my PC before leaving the office.
The successful planning and implementation of projects is more an art than a science, and no piece of software I have ever used for this purpose fully meets all my requirements. At the very least, however, my Sunday night sessions combined with daily updates of project status information via my Windows® CE devices lets me keep track of progress and identify potential issues as they arise.
R.I.B.
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While I'm relieved to be leaving the hurly-burly of the tradeshow, I still have two more stop-overs to endure before returning home.
I've just learned that my first flight has been delayed by three hours, which means that I will miss my onward connection. My mood is only lightened by the fact that, after more than half an hour of searching, I've located a smoking area in the airport and can utilize this time to put the finishing touches to my tradeshow report and update this journal. Having used my HP LX620 all day during the show, I'm pleased that the last time I was in the UK I had the foresight to purchase a dual-cell Lithium Ion battery for the device. As a result, there is still enough battery life for me to complete these tasks -- and have some left over for my meetings in the morning.
The dual-cell Lithium Ion battery is an essential part of my traveling kit. This consists of the following: my HP LX620 with a standard battery pack; a KingMax 33.6Kbps PCMCIA Fax/ Modem card and RJ-11 cable plus a special plug for the larger phone sockets in the UK and other countries; an AC adapter with a two pin-plug and an additional three-pin plug adapter; the spare dual-cell Lithium Ion battery; a spare stylus; my Everex Freestyle Palm-size PC; and its AC adapter.
All these items fit snugly into a 12" x 6" leather bag that I bought on my last trip to India, and give me just about all the computing and communications power I need when I'm on the road. And with the added bonus of of an extra six to eight hours of battery life, they let me get a lot more done than I ever could with a notebook!
R.I.B.
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It's only when I fly that the full benefits of having a Windows® CE device are truly brought home to me. I'm not talking so much about the physical advantages of the device, such as its light weight, its small size, and extended battery life; what excites me more is the flexibility it gives me to be much more productive on my trips and fill in what would otherwise be 'dead' time.
As soon as I set off on a business trip, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders -- almost as if all the day-to-day pressures and responsibilities of my job have evaporated. This is an illusion of course, but it has the effect of liberating my creativity. Ideas that were for a long time submerged in my mind suddenly bubble to the surface -- and I need to be able to capture them quickly.
I find that by far the most effective way to do this is to use my HP LX620 Handheld PC or Everex Freestyle Palm-size PC. Whether I am sitting in the back of a taxi, standing in line to check in or passing through immigration and customs, or sitting in the departure lounge waiting for my flight, I can simply take out my device and start tapping in my thoughts.
When I finally settle into my seat on the plane, I have the time and space to review my notes, revise them, and organize them into a clear and logical format. Then I can fire them off as part of an email when I get to my hotel if I need immediate action to be taken, or save the file until I return to my office if the document is more strategic in nature.
I'm not saying that this is the only way of capturing ideas as soon as they come to you, but for me at least it is certainly the most effective. As I sit in my hotel room typing this journal, I've already sent out more than five email messages to my staff to follow up on issues that came to my mind during my plane trip.
All in all, not a bad use of all that 'dead' time I spent at the airport and on the plane earlier today -- and a lot more stimulating than reading a trashy airport novel or leafing through a glossy inflight magazine.
R.I.B.
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I can't say that I was particularly excited when Developer One announced the launch of its CodeWallet Personal Information Management program. But I'm glad that I surfed over to their website to check it out because I immediately liked the look and feel of the software. So much so, in fact, that, after putting the evaluation copy through its paces, I immediately decided to purchase a full copy.
Please check out my complete review of CodeWallet. If you don't yet have a Personal Information Management application on your Palm-size PC, then you should try it out.
I've also completed the Viewing and Showing Video Files section of the Business User's Color Palm-size PC Guide, and am currently working on the audio content section. It's not so long ago that the only audio function you could use on a Windows CE device was the Voice Recorder feature. Now with a choice of music playing formats such as MP3 and Interactive Objects' digital audio player technology, not to mention audio books from www.audible.com, the subject is becoming a lot more complicated. But at least I get to listen to some interesting music while I am writing about it!
R.I.B.
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Although it's being released later than the HP Jornada and Compaq Aero, the buzz around the new Cassiopeia E-100 is heating up. In its review of the device, PDADash goes so far as to describe it as a category killer "whose blazing speed, high-end audio, and jaw-dropping multimedia capabilities leapfrog ahead of every other PDA on the market, and open the door to an entirely new class of device."
One of those "jaw-dropping multimedia capabilities" on the device is its video playback capabilities. Of course, being able to play back a two-minute Star Wars trailer hardly counts as a killer business application, but that's not the point. I've just got to get my hands on a Cassiopeia E-100 as soon as they're available!
It may have taken a while to happen, but if an article in the latest edition of the US publication Information Week is any indication, Windows CE is finally beginning to take off in the corporate space. One featured company even goes as far as estimating that it has the potential to sell over 100,000 such devices to customers in the telecom and related industries in the US.
According to the article, the main application that is catching the attention of corporations isn't Pocket Outlook, Pocket Office, or even video; it's "the ability to remotely check server directories and synchronize data with other servers".
The article shows how more and more companies are equipping mobile workers such as sales and repair personnel with Windows CE devices so that they can, for example, input sales orders or damage reports and transmit this information via fax/modem or wireless connections to the company's central database for immediate action. The savings in productivity -- not to mention paper -- are enormous. You should definitely check it out.
R.I.B.
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Although I am a great fan of Pretec's products and have nothing but good to say about their 56.6Kbps CompactModem, I was pleased to see that Xycel has announced that it will enter the CompactFlash card market. Xycel has an excellent reputation for developing innovative, high-quality communications products, such as PC (PCMCIA) card modems, and enhanced competition in the CompactFlash arena should lead to faster innovation and greater choice for business users and consumers.
The first product in Xircom's line-up is a 10Mbps network card, the CompactCard Ethernet 10, which should be available in June. From the photo on Xircom's website, it looks to be slightly slimmer than the Pretec CompactLAN card and according to the company also has advanced power management features – a major benefit if you have to use the card away from AC power.
Unfortunately, there's no sign yet of the modem and wireless GSM technologies that Xircom mentions in its press release. A wireless GSM card for downloading email on my Palm-size PC – now that would be something to get really excited about!
R.I.B.
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Since I'm in the middle of planning a long overseas business trip, I thought it would be a good idea to devote the Tips section of the website to the subject of travel this month.
It's quite amazing how many software applications and hardware accessories are now available for the traveling executive with a Windows CE Palm-size or Handheld PC device – from expense tracking, route planning, currency conversion, and even phrase book programs to special carrying cases, CompactFlash Modem and LAN cards, and phone adapters that ensure you can get on the Internet in almost any country.
There's also a huge amount of travel-related information on the Internet, and I will be looking at some of the best sites to get this information from. In particular, I will focus on sites that are optimized for viewing via a Handheld PC web browser and provide other Windows CE information services such as Mobile Channels.
It's going to be an interesting ride. I hope you join me on it.
R.I.B.
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Just as I was putting the finishing touches to my bREADY Publisher review, I was intrigued to learn on CNet that a new company called Glassbook has entered the electronic book publishing fray.
Based on the CNet report and the information posted on the company's website, Glassbook seems to have very aggressive and innovative plans for the electronic book publishing market. In addition to creating a hardware reference design for consumer electronics companies to build a dedicated reading device, the company is developing software that will enable companies to publish documents which can be read on notebooks and Windows CE devices.
At the core of Glassbook's strategy is its proposed Open Electronic Book Exchange (EBX) industry standard for copyright protection and distribution, which will work with standard file formats defined by Microsoft's "Open eBook Publication Structure" as well as Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) files. By enabling consumers to lend and borrow titles without violating copyright and royalty rights of publishers and authors, EBX would allow writers and publishers to reach a wide audience without having to reformat their titles for each different device and operating system.
It is, of course, far too early to predict whether Glassbook will be successful in the electronic books arena. But they have assembled a very impressive team led by Len Kawell, one of the original designers of Lotus Notes, and have a very promising product line-up.
We will be watching their progress with great interest and will keep you updated on any future developments.
R.I.B.
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