BEST SITES: Online Windows Powered Resources

I had a problem: a new Macintosh laptop, a new Jornada, and a lack of communication between them. This was a big disappointment. I was confident it would work because my PC emulator, Connectix (www.connectix.com) has communicated flawlessly with my other devices.

I fiddled with it for about half an hour and then did what I often do in such a situation: I headed on over to Deja.Com's Usenet search (www.deja.com/usenet). I had a question (how do I get these two guys to talk to one another?), and when I have a question I always assume that someone else has had that question.

I searched on something like "Mac Pocket PC" and got a list of hits. Helpfully, Deja.Com not only returns messages, but also lists the main discussion groups related to the search. At that point you can narrow your search to the ones that are obviously relevant: in this case it was microsoft.public.windowsce and microsoft.public.pocketpc.

In minutes I had learned the sad truth. Others had tried it and couldn't get it to work. Then I went to Google (www.google.com), which is now perhaps the most popular search engine, and did a similar search. The top result was a FAQ from Chris De Herrera's excellent Web site offering the awful truth: it works fine with slightly older Macs but not with the new USB machines.

The good news is ...

So that's the bad news. The good news is that I didn't waste hours fiddling with it to see if I could get it to work. My attitude is to let others spend hours fiddling with it and then benefit from their experience. That's why I love the Internet.

And there's more good news. I have a forum (right here on this page) in which I can beg. Please, Microsoft, help us Mac users get a little Syncing action. Please, Connectix, let me connect my two toys.

The online universe of Windows CE

Now to get back to the real point of this column: I love the Internet and I can't imagine living without it. As a fairly new Pocket PC user, I've been eager to find out more about the world of Windows CE. Towards this end, I've spent some time putting together a brief list of sites that seem to be among the most useful. We thought this would be a helpful tool for you and have put this listing on the Pocket PC magazine Web site (www.PocketPCmag.com/bestsites.htm). Our goal is to emulate Hotsheet (www.hotsheet.com), which is, in my opinion, one of the handiest guides to the most useful Internet sites.

As with any selective list, I've probably made glaring omissions. If so, please let me know at jim_karpen@PocketPCmag.com. Remember that the goal is not to be comprehensive but to be handy.

A taste of Pocket PC magazine Best Sites

The complete and up-to-date Hotlist is found online at (www.PocketPCmag.com/bestsites.htm). Here's a brief look at what you'll find there.

The first section lists some of the best All-Purpose Sites. This includes the Microsoft sites, PocketPC.com (www.pocketpc.com) and Microsoft Mobile Devices (www.microsoft.com/mobile); CE City (www.wincecity.com); Chris De Herrera's CEWindows.Net (www.cewindows.net); HPCnet (www.windowsce.com); WinCEOnline (www.winceonline.com); and Pocketnow.com (www.pocketnow.com). These and some others typically offer news and features, downloads, forums, reviews, vendors, and more.