With the large number of hardware accessories available for Windows Mobile devices, it’s sometimes hard to tell the good from the bad. To help you with this, I post my “Monthly Hardware Pick” in my New Product Report newsletter and online (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/newsl_NPR/editorspicks.asp). Each month I review a variety of new accessories and select an exceptional product based on how useful it is to our readers and how well it works. I hope one of these top hardware picks helps make you more productive and your daily computing easier! Here are my last year’s picks, starting with the most recent.
Scanner pen from Wizcom Technologies
The QuickLink-Pen Elite is a small but accurate text scanner that you can carry in your pocket. With it, you can capture text from books, magazines, newspapers, etc., and beam it (via infrared) directly to your Pocket PC or Smartphone. You can also transfer text to a PC via a USB-cabled connection. Designed for students and mobile professionals, it can store up to 1000 pages of text. It can also convert scanned text into speech, which you can listen to via the small internal speaker or by using the plug-in earphone that comes with the device. The speech pitch and rate are adjustable to produce a fairly understandable output. The pen also has its own built-in American Heritage Concise Dictionary for looking up word definitions
The QuickLink-Pen Elite lets you capture text and beam it to your Pocket PC or Smartphone.
Price: $169.95 Wizcom Technologies (http://www.wizcomtech.com)
Bluetooth Keyboard from Think Outside
Think Outside has done it again with their new Stowaway Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard, a “one keyboard to rule them all” device that supports nearly all BT-enabled Pocket PCs and Smartphones, including devices using Socket’s SD/CF Bluetooth cards and Widcom and Logitech BT software. It’s a full-sized keyboard (minus the top row) with generous 18mm key spacing, and weighs a mere 6 ounces. The keyboard uses 2 AAA batteries. A detachable PDA/Smartphone stand is included.
The Stowaway Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard works with Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PCs and Smartphones.
Price: $149.99 Think Outside (http://www.thinkoutside.com)
TV tuner card from EOps Technology
The EOps TV CF Card lets you watch TV on your Pocket PC. Slip this Type I CompactFlash card into your Pocket PC, install the tuning software, and it displays broadcast or cable TV on your Pocket PC’s screen in landscape or portrait mode. Available in PAL or NTSC versions, the TV CF Card has a telescoping antenna and an RF-input jack for connection to an external antenna. It’s powered by 4 AAA alkaline batteries and includes a carrying pouch.
The TV CF Card turns a Pocket PC equipped with a CF card slot into a TV.
Price: $99 EOps Technology (http://www.eopstech.com/eops/index.html)
CF / Bluetooth GPS receiver from buyGPSnow.com
The HAiCOM Bluetooth Slipper GPS Receiver includes two pieces: a GPS receiver with a folding CF card interface and a small Bluetooth-enabled docking station with a built-in CF card slot (the “slipper”). You can use the GPS receiver independently by inserting it into your Pocket PC’s CF card slot. But you can also insert it into the slipper to form a Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver, which can communicate with any Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC wirelessly. The slipper has an internal battery that can power the GPS receiver for up to 14 hours. There is an optional solar panel to augment power using the sun.
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