Knowledge is power, and knowledge begins with information. Many of the products mentioned in this article increase the power of your Pocket PC by giving you access to information that was previously unavailable on your device. For example, WorldMate Pro lets you view up-to-the-minute airline schedules on your Pocket PC, alerting you to possible flight delays. Pocket Asset Manager displays the current value of your complete portfolio at any time of the day or night. And Journal Bar v.2 keeps you in touch with the world by displaying current news on your Today screen.
Following this article, I'll report on some of the new products that I discovered in early January 2004, at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. All of these discoveries will help enhance your Pocket PC's capabilities, and empower you.
Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard
Think Outside, known for their cleverly engineered folding keyboards, has done it again with their new Infrared Wireless Keyboard. This accessory makes it easier to access information via Inbox or Pocket Internet Explorer, and express it via Pocket Word. Rather than try to make a docking keyboard for every Pocket PC on the market, they have created a single wireless keyboard that communicates with a variety of PDAs via the IrDA port. The connection is fast enough to keep up with my typing. The key spacing is a generous 18mm (considered a full-size keyboard), and feels very comfortable to my own fat fingers on the keys. The keyboard's IrDA port is on the end of an adjustable arm, allowing you to position it close to your Pocket PC's infrared port, wherever it is located.
Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard
Use With: Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003
Price: $69.99
http://www.thinkoutside.com
WorldMate Pro
WorldMate Pro can save you time and major headaches when you travel. Enter a 3-letter airport code and the day you wish to leave on your trip, tap the "update" button, and a list of all the available flights is displayed on-screen. You can then tap on any airline to expand the flight information. The worldwide flight schedules are provided by OAG (Official Airline Guide). Also included are weather forecasts for over 38,000 locations worldwide from The Weather Channel, an itinerary manager, a tip and tax calculator, a day/night map, a world clock, up-to-date currency exchange rates, international dialing codes, a packing list, clothing measurements, and more. Information is obtained using a direct or ActiveSync Internet connection
WorldMate Pro
Use With: Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003
Price: $49.95 (Includes one year of Premium Online Services)
http://www.mobimate.com
Journal Bar v.2 with Expansion Pack
The Journal Bar is one of my favorite programs and one of the applications I always install first on a new Pocket PC. It's a Today screen plug-in that displays large amounts of useful information in a small, scrollable window. Journal Bar displays weather (2 locations), news, stocks, movie times and reviews, TV listings, and sports scores. The Expansion Pack adds an additional 5 weather screens and over 100 news sources from around the world. Information is updated from the Internet and automatically synchronized with your Pocket PC.
Journal Bar
Use With: Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003
Price: $14.95 for Journal Bar v.2 and $6.99 for the Expansion Pack
http://www.omegaone.com
PPX Application Navigator
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