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Where to see my latest postings...

Posted by reydiodj, Dec 23 2006, 12:37 AM

Hi everyone!

With my new status as Editor Emeritus, you may see me posting here less frequently as I will be devoting my attentions to my section on the Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine Board of Experts blog.

I'll still post on the MGN front page from time to time, but to get all of my latest editorials, reviews, advice, etc., you can visit me there or at my bi-monthly usergroup meetings when posted at www.mobilecomputingsig.com.

Here's the direct link to my page:
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=31

Hope to see you there!


GPS recommendations for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices

Posted by reydiodj, Jun 11 2006, 07:53 AM in PPC/PPCPE in General

So here's a question that's come up quite a bit with me lately and that is: "What is a good GPS software solution that is compatible with WM 5.0?"

Well I have a few suggestions for you (in no particular order):

For Pocket PC:

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On Course Navigator 5 - www.oncoursenavigator.com
I've had a good experience with their software when judging their offering in the Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine awards; although their program memory requirements are quite high, the functionality is more than I expected. A patch came out to improve it's functionality w/WM5.0 on their latest offering.

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iGuidance - www.inavcorp.com
This is another one that really performed well in my judging last year and they've also come out with a patch to allow for WM5.0 compatibility.

For Smartphone:

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CoPilot Live 6 - www.alk.com
Again their offering last year was excellent and won last year's Best Software Award category for Smartphone GPS - their latest offering includes WM5.0 compatibility (which I'd like to try on my SDA), including hardware specific compatibility with the Motorola Q, Palm Treo 700w.


Here's another reg hack for either your Wizard...

Posted by reydiodj, Jun 9 2006, 11:44 PM

So, I'm in the process of rebuilding my Wizard and I was going over my reg hacks and I couldn't believe I missed mentioning this one that allowed you to see the status of your Caps/Shift or Symbol button by way of displaying an indicator on the Input Tray.

Open up a Registry Editor of your choice
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Keybd
Create a new DWORD entry with the name EnableIndicator and assign a value of 1

This change does not go into effect until you complete that change and perform a soft reset.

Now when you use the built-in keyboard, a status indicator will be available on the Input tray displaying either a "dot" to indicate the Symbol key is active or the letter "C" meaning Caps/Shift key is active.


Mobile Computing SIG of No. Cal's new site!

Posted by reydiodj, May 23 2006, 08:18 PM in Usergroup

Hi everyone!

FYI, the www.mobilecomputingsig.com URL will be redirected tonight over to our blog at:
http://mobilecomputingsig.blogspot.com/

There'll be a link on that page to our new (empty forums) at:
http://forums.pocketpcfaq.com/index.php?c=13

- and Articles/Reference/Tutorials at:
http://www.modernnomads.info/articles/

I'll be posting information for our June 21 meeting very soon!


MobileComputingSIG.com - HACKED AGAIN!

Posted by reydiodj, May 1 2006, 08:31 PM

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Hello Members of the Mobile Computing SIG of Northern California!

As you can see from Charles's message, our community site was hacked yet again and it is with great regret that we made the decision to take the site down permanently and temporarily have it point to my blog until further notice.

I am currently evaulating options as to whether or not I can host and manage our own site or collaborate with another mobility site and integrate the usergroup into the forums. As soon as I've decided which direction I will go, I will send an email to you all.

There will definitely be a meeting next month, Thursday May 18th @ 6pm and it will focus on the implementation of an Exchange Server and what Windows Mobile devices can be used with it conducted by a fellow MVP and community member Steven Lai.

For your reference, here are the future meeting dates for the year:

Thursday, May 18th 6pm-9pm
Wednesday, June 21st 6pm-9pm
Thursday, July 20th 6pm-9pm
Wednesday, August 16th 6pm-9pm
Thursday, September 21st 6pm-9pm
Wednesday, October 18th 6pm-9pm
Thursday November 16th 6pm-9pm

Our new forums (special thanks to MS-MVP Chris De Herrera for giving us some space!) can be found here:
http://forums.pocketpcfaq.com/index.php?c=13

- simply 2 sections: News and Discussion. You will need to register there.

I hope to have a new usergroup blog up soon, but we'll keep the new forums as they are so stay tuned and stay in touch!

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Come meet me at the Maker Faire, San Mateo, CA!

Posted by reydiodj, Apr 21 2006, 06:56 PM

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What is Maker Faire?

Maker Faire is a 2-day family-friendly event celebrating science and technology projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset.
It’s for creative, resourceful people who like to tinker, and love to make things = “Makers”.
This is the first ever event of its kind with a RC vehicle test area, hydrogen cars, and plenty of opportunity to get your hands dirty with interactive workshops – this isn’t your ordinary technology conference!

Quick facts:
Dates: Saturday and Sunday April 22 & 23, 2006
Location: San Mateo Fairgrounds – San Mateo, CA
Attendees: 10,000+ estimated, focused on technology/hardware/DIY enthusiasts
Admission: $12 adults
Website: http://www.makezine.com/faire

Microsoft is hosting a big space at the event to share information on everything from Xbox, Coding4Fun, Express, to Windows Mobile.

- and I'll be there in the Windows Mobile area from 4pm-6pm!! Come see me and bang off any questions you may have! We will have some SDKs for folks who are interested!!


Tired of slow reacquisition of your GSM signal?

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 22 2006, 09:57 PM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

Don't you hate it when you briefly lose your signal, then move around to a place where you know you have had a good signal or conversation before, only to wait several minutes before the signal is re-acquired?

Here's what you can do to reduce that wait time:

1. From the Phonepad, open Menu and select Options
2. On the bottom, go to the Network pad
3. Change the Network selection to Manual in the pull-down menu
4. Select your preferred network
5. Select "ok" to save and close

- this should help reduce that time wink.gif It helped on my JASJAR as well!


Usergroup meeting this Thursday, 3/16 @ MS SF!

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 14 2006, 10:16 PM

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Hi Everyone! Our meetings have returned back home to the Microsoft offices in San Francisco!

NOTES TO CONSIDER:
#1: Please arrive by 7:00PM, this helps me estimate how much and how soon I can place our pizza order!

ADMISSION:
$5 for those who RSVP; $7 if you don't – covers food, drinks, a raffle ticket, and/or misc. organization supplies.
*Exact change is appreciated.

If you have yet to receive your Evite, you can RSVP ---> BY CLICKING HERE <---

Meeting Plan:
Quite a few items up for discussion:

- Our new sponsor, Handster (briefly introduced at out last meeting - check out their banner on our front page!). (www.handster.com)
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- Demo and giveaway of Jeyo Mobile Companion. (www.jeyo.com/companion.asp)
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- Copy of Microsoft Voice Command up for raffle, courtesy of Microsoft! (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/voicecommand/default.mspx)
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- Tips for new MDA, SDA, 6700 users!
- Discussion on Syncing your Windows Mobile device to an Exchange Server, from a user's point of view.
- Community discussion on our Forum set up.
- Great topic for all to prepare for next month's meeting.

And of course, our popular open forum, - your chance to see what new software/hardware solutions, suggestions, tips, and tricks we can learn from each other! Also, I'd like to seek out additional committee members to help out with the meetings - if you are interested, let's talk!

Special thanks to:
- Glenn Gerlach, Enterprise Mobility Solution Specialist of Microsoft Corporation's Mobile Device Marketing Group, for hosting our event
- Josh Carroll, Founder and President of Jeyo Inc. for providing a copy of Jeyo Mobile Companion to giveaway!
- Andrew Brown, MVP Lead, of Microsoft Corporation's MVP Program, for providing the copy of Microsoft's Voice Command to giveaway
- Victor Shaburov, CEO of Handster for providing software discounts to us

SOFTWARE PRIZES:
- Jeyo Mobile Companion ($15 value)
- Microsoft Voice Command ($39.99 value)
- more to be announced!

ABOUT:
The SF Mobile Computing SIG is made up of mobile professionals and device users of all skill levels and all ages. We meet regularly to discuss and experience mobility, such as with PDAs, tablets/notebooks, Smartphones, related accessories, software, wireless technology, mobile services and more. The Microsoft Mobile MVPs (Most Valuable Professionals) managing this mobile organization are Rey Flores (SF) and Shawna Kelly (Mt. View), as well as our own Mobile Developer Evangelist and Committee member Cliff Thompson.


T-Mobile's Free WiFi, for your reference

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 8 2006, 07:57 PM in Mobile

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T-Mobile's Free WiFi Weekends promotion lasts through the last weekend in May. If you saw Slacker's 3/4 post and just tried to connect haphazardly this past weekend (yes, like me tongue.gif ), here are the instructions of how to take advantage of their promotion as found on http://hotspot.t-mobile.com/freeweekends/ :

QUOTE
Step 1
Visit any of our 6,500 T-Mobile HotSpot locations on the weekend and launch your Web browser.

Step 2
Visit http://freeweekends.hotspot.t-mobile.com and enter your T-Mobile phone number.

Step 3
Within moments you'll receive a free text message on your T-Mobile Phone with a pass code. Enter the pass code and you'll be surfing for free!

It's all part of T-Mobile's commitment to help you Get More From Life©.

See what we have to offer, and have some fun while you're at it.


- and yes, this is an exclusive for current T-Mobile phone customers only.


My must-have accessories - the short list!

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 7 2006, 08:59 PM in PPC/PPCPE in General

I'm asked this all the time, so I'll post this here so that I can just refer people to this blog for reference!

1. Best Screen Protection: WriteShields AG by PPCTechs.com

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I've reviewed theirs and demoed their product several times that I refer anyone who asks me this to go to their site and order the Anti Glare version of the WriteShields without hesitation. One of my devices has had the same one I installed 4 years ago and it is still like new! And 2 other 2 year old devices are in the same great condition. WriteShields are very durable and easy to install makes this a no brainer! The in-store screen protectors cannot even compare to their product! Now I personally have a need for the AG (AntiGlare) version than the C2-Crystal Clear because I find myself in situations that requires the AG properties. For those that don't wish to lose the screen vibrance, then the C2 product is for you.

2. Best charging solution: Boxwave VersaCharger
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I carry so many devices when I travel that uses a USB charging cable that I can't imagine bringing all of the respective AC adapters/cradles or always plugging them into my Table PC for charging. Boxwave's product is the perfect solution. Now I only bring the necessary retractable USB charging cable and the VersaCharger to keep my devices charged while in the car or any available AC outlet. They also have airplane kits for it should you have the need. So now I find my cable bag shrinking and my gadget bag becoming lighter. Now my only problem is keeping them - they've given me one to keep after reviewing them a year, or so ago, and then I bought another one after losing it, which may have been swiped during a trade event where I was doing a demo!

3. Slim leather cases: Sena Cases
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Ramsey Oten, Ph.D., President and Marketing Director of Sena Cases really has a good product on their hands. From making PDA cases, they now produce cases for the iPod, and PSP - their quality is exceptional. They are also very fast in responding to the need for producing new and durable models. I've have the case for the iPAQ h6315 (the first one to come out for the model at the time) for more than a year and my h2215 (about 2+ years) - both of which I had the opportunity to review - and was never let down! (You know, come to think of it, I even remember back then, signing up on the waiting list for the first production of the 2200 case!)Those models, like some of their other cases, also allow docking without having to remove the case. And for me, most importantly, provided overall protection without adding significant bulk. There product displays some nice craftmanship and durability (may cases have yet to show some wear). I did not complain once, having to put a device outfitted with a Sena Case info my pants pocket!

3. Handcrafted Cowskin, Cowskin-Crocodile, Cowskin-Ostrich cases: Piel Frama
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Now for something a bit more conservative and luxurious, Piel Frama's cases fit the bill! Visit their website for their large selection of cases, all of which are handcrafted by skilled leather craftsman using only 1a Spanish cowskin. Check out their Elaboration process here: http://www.pielframa.com/about_us_fab.htm. Do you remember your Dad's leather wallet or leather jacket and how the leather smelled when ever he pulled it out? You'll experience it whenever you pull your PDA out! It smells, feels and looks rich! I've had their cases for my Toshiba e750 and i-mate JAM and they never ceased to please. The fit and finish is one-of-a-kind, with protection and usability kept intact. They are very receptive to customer suggestions and have great customer support behind it. Stay tuned...I have a review of a couple of their cases coming soon!

So these are my picks - I hope they get you off to a good start!


Note: Microsoft Remote Display Control n/a

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 7 2006, 12:50 AM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

Well, I was about to to some screenshots when I was posting some of my directions and to my dismay, it fails. When you try to run it, the following error message is displayed:

"The OS or CPU of this device is unknown to this application"

- this is for Remote Display for Windows CE Version 2.03.

So for now, I'm going to have to use a screen shot program.


Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, I didn't forget!

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 6 2006, 08:38 PM in Things that make you go WHAT THE...

Well, the Academy Awards have forgotten to include them in their memoriam, but I'll take a moment to post here:

Don Knotts

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Daren McGavin

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- so no, you didn't blink during the homage, they left them out, and I'm surprised not many news organizations didn't pick up on it. mad.gif


Step 3: Reassign buttons on the Wizard...

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 11:43 PM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

- for easier one-handed operation.

First, continuing from Step 2b, where we hacked the registry to enable the use of Voice Command over the Bluetooth headset, let's reassign the built-in voice dialer button to also activate Voice Command. This will be helpful when you want to activate it as a regular handset (sans headset).

Proceed to Start>Settings>Buttons (within the Personal tab). In section 1, you may see that Voice Command has already reassigned to what was once the Messaging button. You can reassign that back to Messaging, but I'll get into my suggestion later in this post. For now, go and highlight Button 4 which is currently set for Voice Speed Dial and re-assign it to Voice Command in section 2.

Second, this will really make one handed use easier - you know how those softkeys work at the bottom of the screen and how they are assigned to the buttons directly blow it? Well, why not do the same for the Start and OK/Close functions on the top of the screen too to give similar Smartphone functionality?

Again, while still in the Button settings screen as above, change Button 1 to <Start Menu> and Button 2 to <OK/Close>.

There you go!


The 1Gb iPod nano

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 08:25 PM in Things that make you go WHAT THE...

I was torn between placing this in my "Mobile" category or my "Things that make you go WHAT THE..." category...

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- I chose the latter.

Don't get me wrong, I like Apple's products and I have an iBook, a 30Gb 5G iPod model as well as the 1Gb Shuffle, but I just thought I'd mention it without further comment and let you guys be the judge.


Anyone out there beta testing Vista on a Tablet?

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 08:25 PM in Mobile

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I've been running Vista on my Toshiba Satellite R15 Tablet PC and I'm just wondering if anyone else is running it on a Tablet too so I can trade notes with.

I've enjoyed the snappier application response, but not too fond of losing a lot of the hardware capabilities - most recently I've wanted to conduct my presentation from the S-Video output, but no luck - sigh.


Step 2b: Registry Hacks for my must have apps

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 08:25 PM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

Yesterday I posted about my must-have apps that I have to have in Main Memory. Now I want to post a couple of Registry hacks that I use to enhance my usage of them.

#1. Enable MS Voice Command activation from BT headset

This is a great tip posted by rilot at xda-developers.com that works on both the Wizard and the JASJAR:

Install Voice Command to the default location.
Fire up a registry editor
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\OEM\VoiceCommand
Modify the string marked "path" from the default \Windows\SDDialer.exe to \Program Files\Voice Command\VoiceCMD.exe

Now, when you press your BT headset connect button, MS Voice command will fire up and take commands through the headset. It's reponses will be played through the headset too.

#2. Using The Core Pocket Media Player to replace Windows Media

Obtained from the HTC Wizard blog as well as seen on the orb.com forums, this hack makes TCPMP the standard application for streams instead of Windows Media Player which, in my experience has had a harder time streaming video and playlists.

- Associate TCPMP with Windows Media (.asx) in the TCPMP configuration (Options > Settings > Select Page > File Associations)

- Use a Registry Editor to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shell\Rai\:WMPLAYER
- In the String Value 1, replace wmplayer.exe with the path to TCPMP (“\Program Files\TCPMP\player.exe” when you have TCPMP installed in main memory, “\Storage Card\Program Files\TCPMP\player.exe” when you have TCPMP installed on your memory card). Include the quotes!

If you refer to the link above regarding this hack, they mention also that if you tend to prefer TCPMP, you can associate it with more or even all media types.


Step 2: Sync and Install Main Memory Apps

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 08:25 PM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

Okay, well after upgrading the ROM you cannot restore from a backup so you have to start from square one. Why? Because if you do a restore, along with a restore file, there are other system files that would be restored too that can restore old ROM settings and files and just basically undo any of the benefits/enhancements of the new ROM you've installed.

Anyway, I'm not going to get into too much detail as to setting up ActiveSync 4.1 other than I've set up the partnership to sync directly to my Exchange Server (and yes, push email is functioning!) and I now have my Contacts, Emails, Notes and Appointments (I don't sync my Tasks...long story tongue.gif ) all restored to my device. In the most basic sense, I'm back up and connected - I can call everyone in my Contact list as well as able to keep up with my emails. Now we can get into the apps, more specifically my must-have apps.

Let me begin by saying this, when installing apps, especially on the K-JAM, due to the limited amount of space in Main Memory, try to install the majority of your applications onto the miniSD card (and if you don't have one yet - you'd better consider geting one!). If any apps have to be installed onto Main Memory, either the developer recommends it or you'd want those programs to remain available on your device should the card go bad or by some reason you lose your card. Here are my top candidates for Main Memory apps:

1.Resco Explorer 2005 v 5.35

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Winner of Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine's 2005 Best Software Awards, this is my favorite app that is as full featured as the actual Windows Explorer and more. Resco Explorer consists of: The File Manager, Recycle Bin, Today Plugin, Strong File Encryption, ZIP Compression, The built-in viewer, The Network Browser, The Registry Editor and The FTP add-in. This is a well reviewed product and one I stand behind in having judged for the awards myself. Very easy to use, and has great customer support to boot. Don't be surprised to find this software suite replacing a small handful of apps you may have had to install from several other locations.

2.IM+ Mobile Instant Messenger for Pocket PC
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Another PPC Best Software Awards 2005 winner - I've chosen this one because of the richness of features, availability of customer support and especially its compatibility with WM5. If you have gotten used to IM as another form of communication to supplement SMS that supports AOL, ICQ, MSN, Y!, Jabber and even GoogleTalk, then this is the one you'll want to have.

3.The Core Pocket Media Player
The best performing media player (IMHO) and winner of the SPPPCMag Best Software Awards in the Multimedia/Video category that supports the following audio and video file formats: AVI (*.avi); Matroska (*.mkv, *.mka), MP4 (*.mp4, *.m4a), Ogg Media (*.ogg, *.ogm), ASF (*.asf), Mpeg 1 Layer III, Ogg Vorbis, Musepack, Windows Media Audio (on Windows Mobile devices), AC-3, AMR, Adpcm, uLaw, DivX, XviD, MPEG4-SP (plus B-frame support), MPEG1, M-JPEG, Windows Media Video (on Windows Mobile devices). I love using this with a registry hack when streaming content from my Media Center Edition PC and www.orb.com services.

4.Microsoft Voice Command v1.5
Another SPPPCMag winner (is there a pattern here?). A Voice Recognition program that requires no training that I've personally have had no problems with. I use it primarily for the phone features, but there are other capabilities available as well that allows for usage with other programs. Again, there is a registry hack I use for this to enable voice commands from a BT headset.

Well, that's it for now...my next post will be about a couple of those reghacks I've alluded to. wink.gif


K-JAM as of 3/2/2006

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 08:25 PM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

Alright, Step 1: Flash with new ROM

So i-mate formally announces their ROM today not too long after it was found on their FTP site. As per i-mate's ROM page, the main improvements from the original AKU 1 Operating System, 1.x.9.x, are:

Microsoft™ Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP):
• Addition of the MSFP allowing Direct Push email, remote device wiping, security policy enforcement and Global Address List Lookup for customers using a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2.

Communication Manager:
• Communication Manager has been updated to allow current data services to be stopped, Direct Push email to be started/stopped using a single button press, and flight mode to be switched on/off.

Specs for the Worldwide English Build:
Rom version: 2.16.9.1
Radio version: 02.07.10
ExtROM version: 2.16.9.101

- so yes, unlike the Qtek ROM, the A2DP profile enabling stereo over Bluetooth isn't present.

Anyway I've just flashed mine and all is well so far - so far...


K-JAM: Player 1...Ready!

Posted by reydiodj, Mar 3 2006, 08:25 PM in K-JAM/MDA BKA: HTC Wizard

Well, I guess now is a good a time as any to start posting of my usage of my K-JAM. I've had mine since last November (shortly after having just received my JASJAR) as part of a early user's test and have taken it through it's paces. Reinstalling apps to test for WM5 compatibility, uninstalling because of WM5 incompatibility, hacking the registry, flashing ROMs, comparing between it's cousins: the Universal and Apache, etc.

So, let's see where this takes us - today seems like a good enough starting point, new i-mate ROM available today, MDA was made available in the US a little more than a week ago, and I'm just getting many questions for help. Hopefully, this'll centralize my focus for discussions here...