No wonder we get attached to our handhelds. These "pocketable"
devices extend our minds: they remind; they calculate; they remember. They also entertain with music, video, photography, literature, and games.
One result enthusiastic users create Web sites, produce books, and write magazines in support of these machines. To see some of the incredible enthusiasm and creativity inspired by these devices, visit the "Best
Sites" page on our Web site.
These sites, this magazine, and a growing number of books focus on Windows Powered Handheld and Pocket PCs generically rather than looking
at the devices individually. This general approach works because these devices share so much in common. After all, they come with similar built-in applications and the same operating system. The common OS means that each new piece of add-on software runs on many (if not all) of the machines.
Despite these similarities, each machine embodies compromises based on size and price constraints. They each have their strengths and limitations, and sometimes you need support for your specific machine.
Check your Pocket PC vendors Web site
Hewlett-Packard, Casio, and Compaq have Web sites for pre-and post-sale support of their Pocket and Handheld PCs. Of the three, I found the Compaq site the most up-to-date, easy-to-navigate, and useful. The iPAQ Pocket PC site was the only one that offered a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
section for existing users. Frankly, I think a product-specific FAQ Web page is a must-have for every device manufacturer's Web site because it assists customers and reduces support costs.
You can find software downloads at all three manufacturer sites. These include bug fixes, upgrades for the software the manufacturer ships on CD with each device, and new software customized for the device.
Hewlett-Packard's site offered the best selection of
downloadable software, including updates to software found on their CD. For example, registered HP Jornada Pocket PC users can download the following software:
PVPlayer - a video player that accepts MPEG-4 videos
Image Expert CE - a digital photo album
EzWAP - a browser that lets you view the growing number of
WAP sites
ChaiVM - an applet that lets you run Java applications
downloaded from the Internet
WinPhone Pocket - a utility for sending faxes and Short
Messaging Service (SMS) messages and for managing your cell phone's phonebook.
Other fixes and upgrades can be found on the HP site by clicking on "Support" and then "Software Drivers." There I found a fixed version
of HPBackup for the Jornada 540, and Pocket Explorer XML support for the HP 720 Handheld PC.
The most important download on the Compaq iPAQ site is (or will be) the ROM upgrade. IPAQ is the only Pocket PC that comes with "rewriteable" Flash ROM. This lets iPAQ users directly update the Pocket PC operating system and built-in applications without using precious RAM space.
Unfortunately, Compaq had to withdraw the first version of its ROM upgrade
because it caused some iPAQs to lock up. They hadn't yet re-posted the fixed version when I wrote this article in early March, 2001. Click on Support to find iPAQ download software.
The Casio site has an updated driver for its camera card, a file that allows Pac-Man to run on Cassiopeia Pocket PCs, and an update of the
operating system of the EM500 and E-125.
All of the Pocket PC manufacturers sell accessories on their sites. It was reasonably easy to find the accessories pages on the HP and Compaq
sites, but I had a difficult time finding the accessories page from Casio's main Pocket PC page (www.casio.com/personalpcs).
I finally discovered a general accessories page (www.casio.com/accessories)
that could be accessed from Casio's home page (www.casio.com).
Rich Hall pointed out to me that you can also go to the accessories page by first going to a specific product page (e.g., the Cassiopeia E-125 page), clicking on "More Information," and then selecting "Accessories" from the pull-down list.
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