Past CE Personal Solutions

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Past CE Personal Solutions

Past CE personal solution entries from:

FEB.-01/99, eWallet Software Review
JAN.-10/99, bSQUARE bFIND Software Review
DEC.-16/98, Pretec CompactModem Hardware Review

Windows CE Personal Solutions-Feb. 01/99

The Bottom Line!

A really useful application for storing and protecting all your credit card, passport, ID card, and other important information on your Win CE device. Don't go on a business a trip without it!

Product Overview
eWallet™ is a Personal Information Management utility program that lets you store and protect your important information such as credit card, passport, bank account and frequent flyer club numbers, on your Handheld or Palm-size PC, and easily find it as soon as you need it. eWallet™ also comes with advanced encryption and password-protection features that make sure nobody else will be able your confidential information even if you should happen to lose your Windows CE device.

Product Set Up and Configuration
I downloaded a 30-day trial version of eWallet™ from the Iliumsoft home page at www.iliumsoft.com. Downloading the program took only a few moments, and then it was a simple case of installing the software onto my HP LX620 Handheld PC through ActiveSync.

Functionality and Features
eWallet™ has a wide variety of PIM and security features that allow you to store and protect all your important information. These include:

-Forms for all common card types, such as credit cards, social security cards, and membership cards, plus freeform cards that let you make your own reference cards
-Help files

Password protection using an RC4 encryption algorithm with a 40 bit key for advanced security purposes

Ease of Use
eWallet™ has an attractive, easy-to-navigate Windows interface that makes it simple for you to input and find information. The forms included in the program are very well-designed and provide all the space you need for inputting all your important information.

Testing Methodology
To test the capabilities of eWallet, I decided to create a sample card for myself, by tapping File and New Card. The program offers you a huge number of different options for inputting your information, from Bank Account and Credit Card to Passport Information and even Clothes Sizes (particularly useful if you want to buy a gift for your better half the next time you are on a business trip). It also includes General Purpose and Free Form card options that you can customize if none of the other forms are suitable for your purposes.

I chose to create a credit card note, and was presented the following forms to fill in. As you can see from the illustration below, it is very well designed and provides space inputting all the necessary information about the card -- including a drop-down menu featuring the most common credit and charge card types.

Once I had finished filling in all the boxes, I tapped the OK button in the top right hand corner. Then the following screen came into view, showing all the information I would ever need if I ever lost my credit card. It also gives you the option of displaying your PIN number by tapping on the Show PIN button -- a very useful feature when you want to use your card to withdraw cash from an ATM and can't remember the number.

The forms for filling in other types of information are equally well thought-out; please click the links below to view them:

-eWallet Clothes Card
-eWallet Passport Info Card
-eWallet Membership Card

I also found creating a new wallet for my personal information to be quite straightforward. To do this, I tapped File and New Wallet, and then typed the name of my new wallet in the Name: box in the bottom left corner of the window.

After tapping OK, I was asked to enter a password for my wallet to protect this information. Please note that the password is case-sensitive, so be careful. According to the information on the Ilium Software website, eWallet's encryption uses the RC4 encryption algorithm with a 40 bit key for advanced security purposes; the trial version does not feature this.

Hardware & Software Compatibility Requirements
eWallet requires a desktop or notebook PC running Windows 95/98 or Windows NT for installing the program. eWallet is available in three versions for the Handheld PC (Windows CE version 1.0 + 2.0), the Palm-size PC, and the PC (Windows 95/98 and Windows NT).

Help and Technical Support
eWallet has an excellent Help file included in the program. Ilium provides email support via its website at www.ilumsoft.com

Pricing and Availability
eWallet can be downloaded for $29.95 from the Ilium website at: http://www.iliumsoft.com. If you already have eWallet on one platform, you can add any others for $10.00 each. All purchases include a money-back guarantee and one year of upgrades.

Final Verdict
eWallet is a great program for storing and protecting all the vital information that you only realize you need when you've lost it. Buy it!

eWallet Clothes Card
Since I can never remember the size of my neck or waist, I think this is a great little addition to the program. The downside is that I'll no longer have any excuses any longer for not buying my wife the clothes she requests when I go on overseas trips!

eWallet Passport Info Card
Whenever I go on business trips, I always obsess about the possibility of losing my passport -- though fortunately I haven't done so yet. Still, having all my passport information stored in eWallet would definitely come in handy if I ever had to go to a consulate or embassy in some god forsaken place and ask for a speedy replacement.

eWallet Membership Card
Since my company is so cheap that they always put me on the lowest cost flight, I've collected quite a few Frequent Flyer Club memberships in my time. The eWallet Membership Card form provides an ideal way for keeping track of this information. Who knows, perhaps one day I'll have time to enjoy all the miles I've accumulated!

Windows CE Personal Solutions -Jan. 10/99

Category Evaluation Out of a possible 5
Set Up & Configuration	5
Functionality & Features	5
Ease-Of-Use	5
Final Verdict	5

bSQUARE bFIND Software Review

Product Overview

bFIND is a powerful and flexible utility program from bSQUARE that allows you to search for words, phrases, files and contact names on your Handheld or Palm-size PC.

Product Set Up and Configuration

Since the program came pre-loaded with my HP LX620, I did not have to install and configure it.

Functionality and Features

bFIND allows you to search the contents of your entire Handheld or Palm-size PC, including documents, databases, spreadsheets, and email, using a number of different categories, including file type, file name, a single word, or phrase.

To help you narrow down the scope of your search, the program also lets you specify which applications or folders you want to look for your information in, including your Appointments Database, Contacts Database, Pocket Word and Pocket Excel files, and even your email messages.

Once bFIND has located the files that contain the word, phrase or file you are looking for, all you have to do is double tap the icon to open the document. Other key features include:
Enabling and disabling case sensitivity for your searches
Creating shortcuts to your most commonly-used searches, files, and applications
Browsing to see files available for searching

Ease of Use

bFIND has an intuitive, well-designed Windows-style interface that is easy to navigate and includes such nice usability features as check boxes for indicating your search location.

Testing Methodology

I launched the program by tapping on the bFIND icon and then typed the last name of a customer in the "Look For" space. Then, under "Search Location" I checked the "Contacts Database", "File Contents" and "File Names" boxes before launching the search, as shown in the illustration below.

Immediately, the program switched to a new window and three new file names containing the name soon appeared in the "Search Results" box, as shown in the illustration below. Then it was a simple case of double tapping each file icon to open it and see if it contained the information I was looking for.

I further explored the capabilities of bFIND by conducting two more searches. First, I typed in the phrase "Windows CE" and checked all search categories. The program unearthed 43 entries and took over two minutes to complete the search. For the second search, I typed the name "Michael" and specified only the Contacts Database. This produced two entries and took only about two seconds to finish.

Hardware & Software Compatibility Requirements

bFIND requires a desktop or notebook PC running Windows® 95 or Windows® NT for installing the program. bFIND is optimized for Windows CE version 2.0, but is also compatible with Windows CE 1.0. There are separate versions for the Handheld and Palm-size PC.

Help and Technical Support

bFIND has a very useful and detailed Help file included in the program. bSQUARE provides daytime telephone technical support (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST) to all registered users. It also provides FAQ files and email support via its website at www.bsquare.com.

Pricing and Availability

The suggested retail price for bFIND is $24.95 for a single user copy; $19.95 per user when purchased in a 10-user pack; and $14.95 per user when purchased in the 50-user pack. The program can be downloaded via the bSQUARE on-line store, and is also available through various leading US and international bSQUARE resellers.

Final Verdict

bFIND is a powerful and flexible search utility that can be a real life-saver when you are trying to locate hard-to-find information on your Windows CE device. If the program doesn't come pre-loaded on your device, I definitely recommend that you buy it.

Windows CE Personal Solutions -Dec. 16/98

Category Evaluation Out of a possible 5
Set Up & Configuration	5
Functionality & Features	4
Ease-Of-Use	5
Final Verdict	4

Pretec CompactModem Hardware Review

Product Overview

The Pretec CompactModem is, as far as I know, the first CompactFlash fax/modem to hit the market, and is designed for use with Palm-size PCs and Handheld PCs featuring a standard CompactFlash expansion slot. The card is capable of 56.6Kbps, and is small, lightweight and easy to carry around. The card has a 3.3V/5V dual-voltage capability, so it is compatible with a full range of Palm-size and Handheld PCs. Perhaps its most impressive and innovative feature is that it comes with a special CompactFlash adapter, which allows you to install the modem in a standard PC card slot on a Handheld PC or notebook as well as in the CompactFlash slot on your Palm-size PC. As a result, it provides a "one-fits-all" solution.

Product Set Up and Configuration

Installing and configuring the CompactModem on both my Everex Freestyle Palm-size PC and HP LX620 Handheld PC was a very smooth process, which took a total of less than ten minutes. To install the CompactModem into my Everex Freestyle, first of all I turned on my Palm-size PC. Then I inserted the card in the CompactFlash slot, plugged in the RJ-11 connector cable into the top of the card, and then put the other end of the cable into a phone jack. Windows CE automatically configured the card, but to check that it had done so properly, I tapped Start>Settings>Control Panel>System>General. In the System section of the General window, the device confirmed the installation by listing PRETEC CompactModem in the Expansion Slot category. Finally, I dialed into my ISP using the Remote Networking connection and downloaded my latest email. I repeated the process with my HPLX620, this time with the card inserted in the CompactFlash Adapter. Again the process went very smoothly, and I quickly established an Internet connection. The CompactModem can also be installed in a notebook via a standard PC Card; a set up diskette is provided for this purpose.

Functionality and Features

The Pretec CompactModem is a CompactFlash Fax/Modem card with the following main features:
Weight of 45 g or 1.6 oz
RJ-11C telephone interface
Support for ITU-T V.90 and K56flex communication standards
Up to 56.6Kbps data communication
14.4Kbps send/receive fax
3.3V/5V wide range operating voltage capacity and power management
Plug & Play
Hot swap card insertion
V.42 and MNP 2-4 Error Correction
V.42bis and MNP 5 Data Compression
Asynchronous, full duplex Auto sleep and wake up

According to Pretec, the CompactModem works on the Everex Freestyle and Philips Nino Palm-size PCs, though you need "Long Neck" CF extender to work with the Nino. Currently, it' s not compatible with Casio E-10.

Ease of Use

The Pretec CompactModem is extremely easy to use: all you have to do is plug the card into your device and a telephone jack whenever you want to send a fax or go online. Then connect to your ISP or corporate network server using the Windows CE Remote Networking application.

Testing Methodology

I carried out extensive field tests of the CompactModem using both my Everex Freestyle and HP LX620 on a ten-day business trip during which I stayed in five different hotels in three different countries. The card worked perfectly throughout my journey. In most cases, I used the CompactModem when my device was connected to electrical power; I found that the CompactModem drains battery life very quickly from the host Windows CE device.

Help and Technical Support

The CompactModem comes with a detailed manual. Unfortunately, this is written in poor English but is comprehensible nonetheless. You can also receive email technical support from Pretec's website at: http://www.pretec.com/support.htm

Pricing and Availability
The suggested retail price for the Pretec CompactModem is US$199. It is available in some US computer retail channels.

Final Verdict

If you are looking for a reliable, high-speed CompactFlash fax/modem for your Palm-size PC, I would highly recommend Pretec's CompactModem. And with its innovative CompactFlash adapter, which allows you to install the card in a standard PC card slot on your Handheld or notebook PC, it provides the ideal "one-fits-all" solution.