Gupta's Greats

I came across a number of excellent software programs and accessories at last November's COMDEX computer-industry tradeshow. With the help of these innovative products you can turn your Pocket PC into a portable FM radio, create networks among Wi-Fi-enabled Pocket PCs, customize your Today screen, "skin" your password screen, and more. I also saw the new Sprint PCS Connection Card in CompactFlash card format.

Listen to FM radio on your Pocket PC

This Type I CompactFlash card is an FM receiver that can be used with any Pocket PC (other than the Dell Axim) that has a CF card slot. The package includes the CF card receiver, stereo earphones that attach to the receiver, and the necessary software.

Turn your Pocket PC into an FM radio with PocketRADIO.

This software lets you select stations and turn the radio on and off. There is a red "power" button that lets you power-off the radio and exit the application. You can automatically scan for FM stations with strong signals or select them manually, and you can preset up to eighteen radio stations. The volume can be increased, decreased, or muted.

pocketRADIO includes a CF card receiver and software (shown here) that turns your Pocket PC into an FM radio receiver.

The "Z" button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen lets you turn off the display while the radio is on, saving you some power. (However, to turn the screen back on you have to turn the Pocket PC off and then on again.) I tested this card on an iPAQ h3850 with a CompactFlash Expansion Pack. The card inserted properly and worked well. I could not get it to insert completely into the CF slot of the Dell Axim X5 Pocket PC.

Although pocketRADIO does not have the reception of a car radio, you can still listen to most of the FM stations in your area. The card is manufactured by Prolink, a company located in Taiwan. It is marketed in the US by iBiz Technology Corporation. You can purchase it from www.ibizcorp.com for $49.99. It will work with any Pocket PC equipped with a CF slot except the new Dell Axim X5.

Network your Wi-Fi-enabled (802.11) devices

Colligo lets you create a wireless network among Wi-Fi-enabled Pocket PCs, laptops, and desktop PCs without requiring a server or an access point. The software automatically detects other Wi-Fi enabled devices within range. You can then send messages to other Wi-Fi-enabled users, chat with them, or send and receive files from them. Desktop PCs can send and receive entire file folders, but Pocket PCs can only receive them. All the users currently on the network are displayed in the "Everyone" list on the main screen. You can create your own network with a selected set of users, join an existing network of users, or create new groups and add users to them. Colligo comes in two editions: Personal and Workgroup. The Personal edition allows you to connect up to 10 devices at a time, while the Workgroup edition allows you to connect up to 50 devices at a time.

Use Colligo to create networks between Wi-Fi-equipped desktop, laptop, and Pocket PCs.

The Workgroup edition has additional security features, including authentication and encryption keys. You can share a folder or printer from a laptop or desktop PC using the Workgroup edition. And even though you cannot share a folder or printer from your Pocket PC, you can access a shared folder or printer. You can also filter the user list view to show only the authenticated users or only the users who are sharing their folders or printers.