From TNPC issue #4.19...

Pocket-Sized Software

by Al Gordon
September 26, 2001

The remarkable change in the Pocket PC world in the last year hasn't been the hardware--basically, we've just seen some bells and whistles get added onto platforms announced in early 2000-- but rather the explosion in software.

When I started this series, I quoted Ashley Walker of Handango, a leading vendor of products for handhelds, "When Handango launched into the Pocket PC software realm, we had approximately 30 pieces of software and now we have over 800, that is a 2500% increase in a little over a year. The Pocket PC platform has demonstrated an average monthly growth rate of over 20% for Pocket PC software sales."
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/419/tr.cgi?al1

And, believe me, I have been seeing that growth. This piece has been delayed for weeks because I was waiting for "one more" new release. On top of that, Microsoft has just unveiled its new Pocket PC 2002 operating system. So, herewith a caveat: this is my survey of the Pocket PC software scene as of the week prior to publication. There are no warranties, implied or expressed. Your mileage may vary.

More links, more details, more items, and screenshots are on my supplemental page:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/419/tr.cgi?al2

Pocket Office Additions

Unlike the version of Pocket Office that ships on larger Windows CE devices, the one on Pocket PCs does not include Pocket Access or Pocket PowerPoint, so third-party vendors have filled the void. These are brave souls since at any moment Microsoft could take their market away from them. However, at least through the new Pocket PC 2002, they are okay.

-- abcDB Database from Pocketsoft, $19.89, is the easy winner of the Access surrogate award. Fully relational, abcDB is a heavy- duty database, with support for forms, queries, and SQL query language. It even uses Active Sync's Access conduit to synchronize files with your desktop. In other words, if you like Access, you will like abcDB, and it is the easiest way to port Access data to your Pocket PC.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/419/tr.cgi?al3

Another option to consider is HanDBase, $25, from DDH Software, Inc. It is a flat file type database that is simple to set up and use. It syncs via its own desktop application, which can then import or export in CSV, Excel, Word, and HTML formats. But the really big deal is that HanDBase is a Palm OS application that now supports Pocket PC. As a result, it offers database users cross-platform compatibility plus the libraries of pre-fabricated databases available in the Palm world.

-- Competition in the PowerPoint presentation category has been brutal, as a series of new software releases during the course of this review kept the outcome in doubt. But in the end, Pocket Slides from Conduits Technologies, Inc., $39.95, emerged as the top choice. Dragging a PowerPoint presentation on your desktop to the handheld via Active Sync or Windows Explorer triggers a conversion applet that will set the image sizes and options for the conversion to Pocket Slides format. Transition effects from your presentation are preserved on the handheld, or other effects can be added. Presentation slides can be modified on the handheld, new presentations created, you can use your PDA stylus to mark up your slides during a presentation (such as drawing a circle around a key point), and Pocket Slides is capable of working with presentation video cards for the Compaq iPAQ.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/419/tr.cgi?al4

I initially thought the idea of PDA presentation software to be more of an "isn't this cool" toy for showing off. But a presentation slide, if you think about it, is basically high- visibility, high-emphasis text and graphics; something that is intended to leap off a screen, including one on a Pocket PC. Moreover, with presentation graphic cards available for the iPAQ (and additional products likely to be coming along), the Pocket PC allows you to give a presentation without having to manipulate a laptop.

Productive on the Palm

Meanwhile, let's not forget the thousands of Palm users looking for enhanced ways to exchange data with their desktop applications.

DataViz has released Documents to Go Professional 4.0, $60, a major enhancement to its popular application for transferring Microsoft Office documents to the Palm. In addition to support for Word and Excel (plus an add-on for Adobe Acrobat files), version 4.0 adds PowerPoint presentations to the mix. It will transfer the text from the slides by default, and you can also sync small or large graphical versions of the slides. Another add-on allows you to read email attachments in the supported formats.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/419/tr.cgi?al5

Basic formatting in Office, such as text sizes, italics and boldface, and so forth, carry over to the Palm.

Originally only a reader, Documents to Go's "Professional" series added the ability to edit the files on your handheld and sync them with your desktop so you can update your documents while on the run. The program is a must-have for Palm users.

Cutting Edge Software's Quickoffice, $39.95, consists of the Quickword word processor and Quicksheet spreadsheet application, the latter bundled with the self-explanatory Quickchart.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/419/tr.cgi?al6

The programs have formatting capabilities that will carry over to your PC when synced. Macros on your desktop for Word and Excel allow you to sync from inside those programs as well as from a Quickoffice desktop module. A free Quickdata add-on lets you integrate your data with HanDBase (see above), and a Quickoffice MultiMail Plug-in lets you send and receive Quickoffice email attachments via Palm's popular email app.

One important point: Quickoffice and Documents to Go are not competing clones. DataViz's product is ideally suited for users who will be creating their documents on the desktop and want to take them along on their Palms. Cutting Edge's software, on the other hand, is a better choice for users who plan on creating content on their Palm.

You can reach Al Gordon at:
mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com

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