Pocket PC to Windows Mobile

A quick guide to understanding new Windows Mobile Devices - taken from

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/answer;_ylt=ApkZyyC_FOaoOLCzJbE_yWmzFQx.;_ylv=3

"Pocket PC" is now called "Windows Mobile Classic" for touch screen devices without a phone built in (such as the iPAQ 111) and "Windows Mobile Professional" if its a touch screen with a phone (HTC Touch, Xperia, Palm 750)

If its a Windows phone without a touchscreen its called "Windows Mobile Standard" - previously known as Windows Mobile Smartphone (Samsung Blackjack, MotoQ)

Now - for compatibility - software created for Pocket PCs usally works on newer Windows Mobile touch screen devices "Professional/Standard". Especially if it was created for Pocket PC 2003 SE (which introduced VGA, square, and landscape screens).

However - if you buy a Windows Mobile phone with a high-resolution screen (VGA / XVGA), a square screen or one that primarily works in landscape orientation (the screen is wider than it is tall) the software may not work.

Its a little tougher with non-touch screen devices. The original Windows Mobile Smartphone has a low resolution screen - 172x220 so most old software only supports this resolution. New Windows Mobile Standard phones are almost always 320x240 or 240x320 so I would make sure that Windows Mobile Standard compatibility is specifically mentioned before purchasing any software.

Cheers!

How to run Pocket PC software on a PC using Emulators (without Visual Studio)

Here's a quick answer on how to run Pocket PC games on a Desktop PC.

Its not a simple process but I thought this was a useful post.

Taken from answers.yahoo.com
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/answer;_ylt=ApkZyyC_FOaoOLCzJbE_yWkazKIX;_ylv=3

You can run Pocket PC software using an emulator on a Windows PC but its not a simple process. You'll need to download the Standalone Device Emulator (link below)Then you'll need to sync the emulator using through ActiveSync (for Windows XP) or the Windows Mobile Device Center on Vista. If you're using Vista read the blog post linked below.Finally - you'll need to use the Device Emulator Manager which "should" be installed with the stand alone emulator. Using the Manager you first have to "Connect" to an emulator of your choice (right click on the emulator) and then once its loaded "Cradle".From there you can install any games or programs onto the emulator.

Microsoft Action Pack - great way for small businesses to save money

I recently updated my subscription to Microsoft Action Pack and I thought now would be the perfect time to tell others a bit about it.

The quick story is - Microsoft will license you thousands of dollars of software for your company's internal use for a few hundred dollars a year.

The intial price to start is slightly higher than the subscription fee - when we signed up it was $350 US or $450 Canadian with an update fee of $300 a year.

What you get for your money is 10 licenses of Microsoft's latest OS - in the case Vista Professional. You also get 10 licenses of Microsoft Office. Beyond that you get access to almost every Microsoft application you can think of (excluding development tools).

Microsoft will also send you updates every month or two as new products become avaliable.

If you consider the cost of a single license of Vista Professional and a single copy of Office Professional 2007 you quickly realize this a great deal.

What's the catch? Well - technically you're supposed to renew your subscription every year or stop using the software. However we did let ours laps for about 12 months and everything continued to work correctly.

You also are NOT allowed to sell or distribute the software. Its for internal use only.

And you must sign up to be Microsoft Partner - however this is takes no more than 10 minutes.

We originally signed up to simply get Windows XP and Office, but quickly realized that having extra software like Microsoft's Small Business Server and the web development tools would also be very useful. And the SMB costs more than a single year of the Action Pack Subscription.

Take a look and take advantage if you're searching for a cost effective way to use Microsoft's software. You no longer have an excuse for using "borrowed" copies in your office or home office.

http://partner.microsoft.com/ or google "Microsoft Action Pack"

A Few More Favorite Applications

I wrote about my top 5 favorite applications for Windows Mobile developers earlier this month.

I've now added a list of my favorite free tools/apps on the right side of this blog.

The new additions include:
AVG: excellent free anti-virus. I would recommend upgrading to the paid version if you find it useful but the free version offers excellent and reliable basic protection.

Trillian: A great IM client that handles multiple accounts and most common IM protocols including MSN, AIM, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, etc. The Pro version doesn't offer much beyond the free version but I registered to support this excellent product.

CamStudio: An amazing open source screen capture utility.

NSIS: In my opinion, the best installer creatation tool. This tool trumps every paid installation creation tool I've ever used. Developed by the same team that created WinAMP. Its also open source.

Enjoy!

Scanning in Windows Vista

It really seems like nothing is quite as easy as it used to be with Windows XP.

Here's another quick tip for Windows Vista users trying to scan.


Previously, pressing the Scan button on your scanner was all it would take to prompt your system (and scanner) to scan an image and send it to your favorite image editing application.

Now (at least with HP scanners it seems), you need to initiate the scan from your computer and NOT the scanner. If your software doesn't have an option to start a scan, you'll want to use the Windows Photo Gallery.

Simply launch "Windows Photo Gallery" from your start menu, open the File menu and select "Import From Scanner or Camera".

From here you'll have the option to select your scanner and go through the usual and familar options.

Aren't things supposed to get easier with Vista? However I don't know if this is an issue with my HP scanner or Windows Vista.

The Elusive Mail applet in Vista 64

I just wanted to make a quick post for anyone else who has had a tough time trying to find the "Mail" Control Panel applet on Vista 64. (and I assume this will also apply to other 64 bit Microsoft OSs).

I was setting up access to an exchange server yesterday for Outlook 2007. As you may already know, this needs to be done while Outlook is fully closed and should be set up by using the Mail applet in the Control Panel.

On Vista 64 bit Edition, this icon is no longer present in the Control Panel. Because this applet is a 32 bit applet instead of 64 - it gets hidden away with other 32 applets.

To find the Mail item - you simply need to click on the icon labelled "View 32-bit Control Panel Items" in the Control Panel. If you don't see this entry, you'll need to change the view in the Control Panel to "Classic View". This can be done by clicking the appropriately named link in the top left of the Window.

How to surpress the constant prompts in Vista

If you're new to Vista and you're at least somewhat tech savvy, you're probably wondering why Vista asks you to confirm just about everything you're doing.

This is because of the new UAC - or User Account Control. Honestly for most people its probably a great idea, for myself, it simply provokes brief periods of rage.

Fortunately there's an easy fix.

Simply open the Control Panel, go to User Accounts, and click "Turn User Account Control on or off". You'll know if its on if Vista makes you confirm this action as well.


Thanks to LifeHacker.com for the info

http://lifehacker.com/software/vista/windows-vista-tip--disable-annoying-need-your-permission-to-continue-prompts-230866.php