Quick Tips
& PC Companion Tricks

by Jim Christian

Contributing Editor, Handheld PC Magazine, and CompuServe Windows CE Forum Sysop

This is the first installment of resident tipster and Contributing Editor Jim Christian's 100-tip blow out! Check out the Sep/Oct 99 issue for another 50 (or more) tips on getting the most out of your PC Companion.

1. Edit PowerPoint Files on H/PC

The Pocket version of PowerPoint that comes on all H/PCs or H/PC Pros doesn't allow one to edit PowerPoint (.ppt) files. But Pocket PowerPoint Editor does (see Screen 1). Checkout the software on this web site: www.geocities.com/SiliconVal ley/Code/4543/index.html. It lets you create your own Pocket PowerPoint presentations, or edit existing ones on the H/PC. A demo version is also available at www.cemonster.com.

Westek's (www.westek.com) PowerPoint Companion allows you to convert Pocket Word documents into Pocket PowerPoint presentations. It even installs title page and bullet page templates to speed up the creation process. You can also choose the font and background colors with this program during the conversion.

Screen 1: The Pocket PowerPoint Editor lets you create and edit PowerPoint presentations on your H/PC.

2. Put date and time in your system tray

Checking the time is no problem on a PC Companion. It's displayed all the time in the system tray. But you have to open Calendar for the date. I check the date often, and want it fast. One of my favorite utilities is TrayDate. It displays Date and Time in the System Tray. Tap it to bring up a 3-month calendar. My advice is to put it in your Start Up folder so it automatically gets loaded when you have to reboot. Get it free at www.developer one.com/TrayDate/home.htm or www. cemonster.com.

3. Quick fix for synchronization problems

Sometimes I'll connect my H/PC to my desktop PC (cable or IrDA) and it won't synchronize. The quick fix I've found for this is to open Mobile Devices on my desktop and deselect "Enable mobile devices" in File/Communications menu. Then enable it again. I've gotten into the habit of deselecting the "Enable mobile devices" after each synch. The next time I open Mobile Devices, a dialogue box pops up automatically and I check the box.

4. Partner your PC Companion with work and home PC

Windows CE 2.0 and above devices can "partner" with two desktops. This means you can set up data synchronization with your work and home desktop PCs, or any two PCs. You cannot, however, synchronize e-mail with more than one. You can connect your PC Companion to as many desktop PCs as you want, and log on as a "Guest." This lets you copy files back and forth and install software onto the PC Companion. A Guest cannot synchronize Contacts and Calendar data.

5. $100 of FREE stuff for your H/PC

Thinking about buying a new H/PC before July 31, 1999? If so, get a free Kingston 8M CompactFlash card, Microsoft Expedia Streets and Trips 2000 from Microsoft. Visit the Microsoft site below for a form to send them:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/hpc/q1hpcpromo.asp

6. Help for Portuguese users/developers!

Do you speak Portuguese and have a PC Companion? This Portuguese-language mailing list has been created to help Portuguese users and developers of the Windows CE operating system. For more information, log on to:

www.onelist.com/subscribe/ CEemPORTUGUES

7. Want to read Adobe Acrobat files on a PC Companion? Not yet, but...

As of right now, the only way to do this is to buy the full version of Adobe Acrobat 4.0, convert the .pdf file (the Acrobat format) to text or HTML, and then load it onto your PC Companion. I don't know if a .PDF reader for the PC Companion will be coming anytime soon, due to CPU horsepower and storage space issues.

Adobe has a site that will translate online .PDF files to HTML format. It also gives more information on conversion: access.adobe.com/adv_form.html. Another Adobe site with information about .PDF conversion is found at:

access.adobe.com/access_tools.html

8. An H/PC Pro-to-cell phone link

A friend of mine successfully sent an e-mail from her HP Jornada 820e using her Nokia cellular phone. She used a TDK Global Freedom 5660 modem, TDK GSM Activation Kit and a Nokia 6110 cellular phone. She said it was a no-brainer to install and all came up instantly with installing software from the HP (www.hp.com). Check out www.tdk.com/ and www.nokia.com/ for more. Nokia told me that their model 8810 can be upgraded to software version 4.05 (press *#0000# for your version) and it will work with HP's Jornada 680 for Web browsing and e-mail...cool! Take your Nokia to your reseller for an upgrade. Maybe other models work as well, also.

Another great duo is HP'S Jornada 680 and Ericsson's SH 888 cell phone. The 680 communicates with the SH 888 via its IrDA interface. Short Messaging Software from Trio is is available at www.hp.com/hand held. It looks super and the IrDA interface works quite well between the two. It's easy to edit the SH 888 phonebook and IR it to SMS.

9. Do this before you attempt an IrDA synchronization

I don't use my infrared port for synchronizing, but it is supported by PC Companions. Some users have reported that you must first establish the partnership between the H/PC and a desktop PC, via a cable, before you may use IR synching. Try it out if you have a problem.

10. Free software tracks genealogy

Pocket Pedigree is the beta (pre-release test) version of Phillip Hanney's genealogy software for the Handheld PCs. This beta software seems to work for me. Experiment with it by downloading it from:

www.rit.edu/~bdb7236/wince/

11. Connecting to a desktop printer

Connect your H/PC directly to the printer's serial port using the serial cable that came with your device. You must also change the printer's settings to use the serial port instead of the parallel port in W9X's Control Panel. Of course, be sure to change the settings back when you are finished.

If the printer does not have a serial interface, you'll have to purchase a serial-to-parallel converter for around $50 (see the Printer article, page 31 this issue). You connect your serial cable to the device, and then connect the device to the parallel port of the printer. The advantage is you don't have to change the printer's settings.

You could also look into buying an ultra-portable printer. I bought a refurbished Canon BubbleJet C-80 at PCMall for $149. Canon has drivers for CE, and the BJC-80 has a built-in IrDA port that works fine with my H/PC. Canon's rechargeable battery pack is an extra $100. You could also buy the BJC-50 which comes with a battery pack. (See here for more on printers.)

12. Need more storage memory? Delete
e-mail attachments.

I download a lot of e-mail to my HP 660, and many come with fat attachments that I don't need to keep around. One can easily free up main memory by deleting these attachments. It's easy to get rid of these files. Go to \Program\Files\Communication\Mail Attachments on your Windows CE device and delete the files. When your PC Companion is attached to your desktop PC, you can do this from the Explorer option of Windows CE Services "Mobile Devices" application.

13. Double-space a Pocket Word document

Double spacing is not supported in Pocket Word, but there is an easy way you can do it. Create a double-spaced document in your desktop PC version of Word and save it as a template. Then use Windows CE Services to copy it to your H/PC. Whenever you need a double-spaced document, open the template and you're ready to go. In fact, you can create most any type of template and send it over to the H/PC. You could format order forms, forecasts, menus, recipes, real estate listings, medical forms, expense accounts, and more. Look around your company for forms you use a lot and send a template to your H/PC. Great Microsoft Word & Excel templates can be found at:

officeupdate.microsoft.com/welcome/word.htm

officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloadCatalog/dldExcel.htm

Take caution, though, as headers, footers, & margins may not be retained. Check the margin each time you print.

14. Solve problems with Windows CE
support documents from Microsoft

Microsoft has updated their free Windows CE support Web site. Check it out for answers to common problems experienced by Windows CE users:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/ Enterprise/resources/kit/support.asp

A typical Knowledge Base support doc that answers questions about synchronizing is found at:

support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q191/3/74.asp

15. "Find" patch for Palm-size PC users

Some Ps/PC users have reported a problem with the Find function on their devices. This is a known problem with the Palm-size PC, and Microsoft has created a patch that fixes it. If you experience the problem get the patch at:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/Products/download/updates.asp

16. Opening Pocket Word and Excel documents on your desktop

This is easy. Just copy them from your H/PC to your desktop PC using Windows CE Services Mobile Devices. They are automatically translated into the appropriate format. If someone sends you a Pocket Word or Excel document, you can use Mobile Devices to drag it to your Window CE device, and then back again to your desktop PC. This will convert the file to the desktop PC format. The newer H/PC Pros can save Pocket Word or Excel documents into the desktop versions format. Any H/PC user can save Pocket Word documents in rich (.rtf) or text (.txt) formats.

17. Free faxing for mobile users

E-FAX's free faxing service (www. efax.com/) gives users a free personal fax number. Fax's can be sent to this number and when a fax is received, E-FAX immediately e-mails you the fax as a .tif file attachment. Using a graphics program that views .tif files, you can view the fax. Neat, huh? Receiving a fax is as easy as receiving an e-mail.

18. Synchronize with Outlook Notes

I use HPC Notes 2.03 (Phatware, www.phatware.com) to synchronize with my Outlook 2000 Preview Notes. It works flawlessly and Phatware has a 30-day trial program (Maybe by the time you read this Version 3.0 will be out as I'm beta-testing it now. How'd you like multiple folders? I'd love it! Stay tuned). If you're willing to take a chance, the following Web site has a demo version of a program called SynCEnotes V0.95, which also helps bring your Microsoft Outlook notes to your H/PC. Be aware that any "beta" software is pre-release and can sometimes cause problems. Backup your PC Companion before experimenting with beta software. Go to:

home.munich.netsurf.de/Christian.Weinberger/syncenotes.html

19. Free Web browser for Palm-size PC

PalmBrowser 1.00 (see Screen 2), an online Web browser for the Palm-size PC, is available for free from Conduits Technologies (www.conduits.com/ce/). Another Palm-size PC Web browser, named ProxiWeb (see Screen 3), is available for free from ProxiNet (www.proxinet.com/ proxiweb/wince.html).

Screen 2: PalmBrowser is an online Web browser for the Palm-size PC, available for free at www.conduits.com/ce/.

Screen 3: Another Palm-size PC web browser is ProxiWeb, available for free at www.proxinet.com/proxiweb/wince.html.

20. How to backup or restore just one file

Windows CE Services lets you backup and restore your PC Companion, but it's an all-or-nothing proposition. If you want to backup or restore one file, or a small number of files, you'll have to go with a third-party backup solution. bSQUARE offers bUSEFUL Backup (www.bsquare.com), which lets you backup and restore selected files, databases and even the registry. Another solution is HPCVault (members. aol.com/anyware/wce/). I use both.

21. Pocket Streets 3.0 with Palm-size PCs

Pocket Streets 3.0 is out and runs on the Jornada 420 and other color-screen Palm-size PCs. I've heard, unfortunately, that files exported from Streets 98 don't work with it. Also, documentation says that it won't run from a storage card. I verified that, but you can store your maps on a PC or CF Card, if you create a "My Documents" folder on your card and cut & paste the maps in there. You can easily transfer maps to the PC Companion by first connecting your PC Companion to your desktop PC, with Windows CE Services installed, and then:

(a) Open up Explorer on the desktop PC, highlight the map file, press Ctrl C, then go to the Storage Card on the PC Companion and press Ctrl V; or

(b) Drag the map files from the desktop to the "My Documents" folder on the Storage Card.

You can find any U.S. city map on the desktop and transfer it to your PC Companion. Then all you have to do is type in a street address and it comes up. Cool! For more information, visit:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/download/maps.asp

22. Microsoft Money for Windows CE?

A source inside Microsoft said that a new miniature version of Money might be coming. Microsoft has yet to decide whether to offer Money as a ROM upgrade, or sell it separately as a stand-alone application. That would be a dynamite application. Keep reading this column or our Web site for an announcement.

23. Shopper.com for comparing PC Companion prices

When I want to buy a new one (which seems to be quarterly) I always go to CNET Shopper.com to check out current prices (go to www.shopper.com/idx/HANDHELDS/). They seem to come up with some of the best prices.

24. CompactFlash problems with your Nino?

Philips Nino Palm-size PC needs a software patch to use a CompactFlash Card. You can download the patch at the Philips Nino homepage. Then connect the Nino to your desktop PC and run the downloaded program from your desktop PC. It will automatically install the patch on the Nino. www.nino.philips.com/support/updates.html

25. Mobile Channels users be careful upgrading to Internet Explorer 5.0 on your desktop PC

Initial reviews show some problems, so make sure you can delete I.E. 5.0 and go back to 4.01 if you use Mobile Channels a lot. Some reports say that if you delete all your Mobile Channels and then install Internet Explorer 5.0, it works.

26. International versions of Windows CE Services

Are you outside of the U.S. and considering upgrading your Windows CE Services to version 2.2? International versions are now available. I saw French, German and Italian versions available on the Philips Nino Web site: http://nino.philips.com/support/services.htm. I recommend that most users upgrade due to the bug fixes and other features you'll get. Microsoft does not download CE Services from its Web site, but does have a page of links to other sites, at:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/tips/wceserv.asp

27. IMDb a CE-friendly movie review site

IMDb (Internet Movie Database) is an international organization that provides useful and up to date movie information online, for free. It currently covers over 170,479 titles with over 2,462,516 filmography entries, and is expanding continuously. Check it out at: www.imdb.com/. It should work with any PC Companion browser.

28. Beefed up security for H/PC Pros

Beef up your security with Microsoft's 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer Add-on for Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer, Version 3.0. Higher Encryption for Transactions (available for use in the U.S. and Canada Only). The 128-bit security add-on for Pocket Internet Explorer version 3.0 gives you the highest level of protection possible whenever you access a Web site that supports 128-bit security. This means that you can use credit cards or make other financial or confidential transactions over the Internet with the highest level of security available. It was the first program I added to my HP Jornada 680. Download it at:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/download/128ssl.asp

29. Tough games for Palm-size PC players

Whoa...I can't beat any of them. Try games, like the Rubik Cube, at:

www.alfabit.net/Products/products.htm.

30. Loose your cookies? Want to loose your cookies?

Cookies are files that keep track of the things you do on the Internet. They're not stored in the cupboard, but in the folder labeled "Temporary Internet Files." They are accessed by the sites you visit to keep track of what you're doing on their site. Use Explorer to delete them periodically from the folder if you don't want your visited Web sites to keep track of you. Many desktop PC Web browsers let you purge your Temporary Internet Files folder periodically, but that option does not appear to be in Pocket Internet Explorer.

31. iMac working with Windows CE Services? Almost!

I've seen reports from individuals who are using Windows CE Services 2.2 installed on an Apple iMac using VirtualPC, to synchronize with a PC Companion using an IrDA interface. Loading application from the iMac to the PC Companions still seems to have problems.

32. Using Compact Ethernet Cards with the Palm-size PC

Chris De Herrera, our dynamite Contributing Editor, has an article on Microsoft's Web site that shows you how to link your Palm-size PC to a desktop PC using a fast Ethernet connection. Check it out at:

www.microsoft.com/windowsce/products/tips/using/com-981015.asp

33. Never interrupt synchronization! Never!

I have pressed Cancel a number of times in my life while doing a synchronization, and I always end up with duplicate entries in my Contacts database. They can manually be cleared out, but with over 1,300 Contacts that is near impossible. Always let a synchronization finish, regardless of what you thing you need to do right now.

34. HP Viewer bug fix for the Jornada 680

HP Viewer is an application on Hewlett-Packard's Jornada 680 and 820 H/PC Pros. It provides a summary view of the Pocket Outlook data, accessible from one screen. After I first synchronized my 680 with Outlook 2000, I had problems with the Calendar View in HP Viewer � it would hang up, with the hourglass icon spinning away. I fixed it by changing my recurring appointments in Outlook 2000 from "No end date" to something shorter, like 20 weeks for a weekly, or three years for a yearly. When I re-synchronized with Outlook, everything was fine. HP has acknowledged a few problems with this application and put a fix on their Web site. Go to www.hp.com/ handhelds for more.

35. Wait for the modem to disconnect

I discovered this on my Jornada 680, but it probably applies to any PC Companion with a built-in or PC/CF Card modem. I go online frequently to check e-mail and browse the Web. When I'm finished, I tap the Disconnect icon and immediately remove the RJ-11 cord, and sometimes lock up my H/PC. I believe the reason this happens is that the modem is not completely disconnected. I now wait 5 seconds before taking the cord out, and I don't have the problem.

36. Browse your PC Companion from your desktop PC

Windows CE Services provides a secret door into your PC Companion � the Mobile Devices application. Once you connect your H/PC or Ps/PC to your desktop PC, with Windows CE Services installed, you can open Mobile Devices, and access Explorer from the File menu (see Screen 4). Windows Explorer pops up, letting you view, delete, rename, and move any file on your desktop PC or your PC Companion. You can also select Application Manager from Mobile Devices' Tools menu, to safely and completely remove from your PC Companion any application you have installed.

Screen 4: The Mobile Devices application, installed on your desktop PC by Windows CE Services, has a file Explorer that lets you access and explore files on your PC Companion from your desktop PC.

37. HTML "tags" supported by Pocket IE

For the more technically-minded Web surfer, Microsoft has posted a Web page that lists the support in Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0 for the following items:

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags
Multimedia Internet Mail Extension (MIME) formats
Security types
Universal Resource Locator (URL) formats
Scripting languages

Their web site is at:

support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q158/4/79.asp

38. Don't move Pocket Outlook data to storage card

You can back up Pocket Outlook data to a storage card, but you can't access the data files from the card. The Pocket Outlook database files must be in the main memory. You wouldn't want to put it on a storage card, because if you forget your card you forget all your Contacts.

39. PalmPilot users! Make the move to Windows CE easier

Palm-size PCs come with their version of a handwriting recognition program named Jot (www.cic.com). PalmPilot users switching over to Palm-size PCs can set Jot's input options to the simplified character set. The alphabet strokes are almost the same as the Pilot's Graffiti handwriting recognition system. Also, the Casio E-100s are supposed to include software that converts Pilot data to the E-100's format.

40. Synchronizing Windows NT desktop PCs with PC Companions

There are problems synchronizing an NT4 desktop PC with Service Pack 4 installed, and older versions of Windows CE Services. You need to install the latest version of Windows CE Services (2.2), then apply NT4 Service Pack 4 to the desktop PC, reboot & it all should be fixed. Make sure, though, the baud rate is set the same in your device as in the Port and Modem area of your desktops Control Panel. I have them all set at 115K. More on NT is in Windows CE Services 2.2 read.me file. Also, read the read.me file for NT instructions.

41. Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries!

I use rechargeable NiMH AAA's in my Casio E10, and they work flawlessly. The most important thing to look for in NiMH rechargeable batteries are capacities of 1,500mAh/720mAh or higher. If you have a monochrome-screen PC Companion, you may be able to get by with single-use throw-aways. The cheapest I've seem are from a company name Costco. Consumers Report Magazine has said they are all about the same. Here are a couple of online sources for batteries:

www.batteryshack.com/ and

www.radioshack.com/

42. Service Pack for Windows CE Services

Microsoft is working on a Service Pack for Windows CE Services that will resolve driver and I/O port conflicts that have caused users headaches trying to establish synchs between CE devices and PCs via the serial & IrDA ports. It should be here this fall. Hurry up, guys.

43. "Books-on-Tape" on your PC Companion

Audible (www.audible.com) is coming out with a new program that will let you download audio books to your PC Companion. You'll be able to listen to any of their Books On Tapes. I can't wait till Stephen King talks to me from my Jornada 680...now that's scary!

44. JAVA Programmers!

Look at (www.wabasoft.com) for Waba, a programming platform that lets developers write one program that can run on PalmPilot and Windows CE devices and on any machine that supports Java. A game called Bubble comes with source code. This looks like an inexpensive way to write little applications for a Palm-size PC without the over $200 cost of Visual C++ and the over $200 cost of the CE Toolkit for Visual C++.

45. Why I use a screen saver

I always keep my Jornada 680 in the continuous synchronization mode. It's always in the cradle, with the screen on bright. In addition, the unit is on all night, recharging. Although the screen is good for 1,000s of hours (and I'll have a new one before that) I use a screensaver that turns the screen off. Check it out at www.xoanan.com/

46. Reading E-books

I have never done this on previous H/PCs, but it's a new ballgame today with my Jornada 680 (and its optional 21-hour extended battery). Here are some sites to download e-books:

www.memoware.com/ (for Doc files)

www.peanutpress.com/ (coming beta

on more contemporary books)

pilot.screwdriver.net/

www.gutenberg.net/

www.onlineoriginals.com/welcome.html

www.bibliomania.com/

See the article on page 38 for more on book reader software.

47. No H/PC Pro upgrade for Sharp Mobilon 4000 series

According to a Sharp USA spokesperson, Sharp will not offer an upgrade chip for the 4000 series of Mobilon H/PCs. Based on consulting with their customers and reviewing inquires, Sharp believes that the overwhelming majority of their 4000 series customers are not interested in the added functionality and would not purchase such an upgrade chip. Sharp feels that they cannot justify the cost of creating the upgrade for small minority of customers who have requested it. Sharp regrets any inconvenience this has caused for any of their customers who wished to obtain this upgrade. This writer continues to say "No Comment".

48. Cheat at solitaire

Do you play the 3-card version of Microsoft's card game, and get down to the end and are losing? If you want to change to draw one card, hold Ctrl-Shift-Alt and now you can draw one card.

49. Forget Pocket Word .DOC files. Use .TXT files to save space

Some .doc files take twice the storage space as .txt files. Consider saving your Pocket Word documents in .txt format if they don't have formatting you need to save, and if you're running low on storage space. It's also a good idea if you have to send them to someone else. They may not be able to read the Pocket Word document format.

50. HP Jornada 420 Palm-size PC Patch

A new Jornada 420 patch corrects CompactFlash card problems. Download at:

www.hp.com/cposupport/handheld_computers/software/pcmcia.dll.html

Quick Tips & PC Companion Tricks