Editors' Rating
Published: 10 Sep 2001
Microsoft has unveiled the latest upgrade to its Pocket PC operating system -- Pocket PC 2002 (PPC 2002). Details of the software were revealed on 6 September, with specifics on new hardware to follow at a later date. According to Microsoft, the two main drivers for this version have been to focus on improvements for individual rather than corporate users, and to get the product out into the market place in time for Christmas.
So this upgrade is more about fun than business. However, PPC 2002 does have some highly desirable features for corporate users. For example, it is ready for a range of wireless connectivity options, ranging from personal area networks (Bluetooth), through local area networks (802.11b) to wide area networks. It also introduces the ability to connect to corporate information via a virtual private network (VPN).
There is also a new Terminal Services application, which allows users to access and drive Windows-based servers. Combining this with the wireless networking will allow system administrators to impress their colleagues by sitting in the coffee room while casually administering their servers. Such corporate users will also appreciate the new support for strong passwords.
Microsoft has addressed many of the issues cited most frequently on the list of user requests. This may account for the fact that the new developments appear, at first sight, to be a mixed bag, ranging from the trivial (you can now have an analogue clock face) to the decidedly useful (you can finally sort your contacts in Outlook by company). In practice, they come together to produce a decidedly slicker product.
The PPC user interface has received a lot of attention. Many inconsistencies have been ironed out and menu depth has been reduced where possible. Dialog boxes have been deemed no longer appropriate for the screen format, and have been replaced by full-screen equivalents. However a new form of 'window' has appeared in the shape of notification bubbles. These are comic strip-like speech balloons that appear on-screen -- unlike dialog boxes they do not accept input from the user, they just provide information. For example, a tap on the speaker icon opens the volume control notification bubble.
Desktop pass-through is also a new feature that gives you direct network connectivity from a handheld device's cradle. Once connected to a PC running version 3.5 of ActiveSync, you can, for example, download email straight to your handheld. In addition, the problems experienced by some users with USB ports and ActiveSync have, according to Microsoft, been resolved in this new release.
Also new is support for MSN Messenger. As users of MSN Messenger on the PC will know, messages can be sent between individuals or to a group of people, you can invite others to join the chat, and you have control over whether to allow others to see your online status.
A spell checker and a word counter have been added to Pocket Word, and in Outlook it's now possible to sort contacts by company, as mentioned above. During the scheduling of meetings with the Calendar, you can now see a list of other attendees. Also in Calendar, weeks can be numbered and the position of Week 1 is customisable.
Rather surprisingly, in Outlook you now have to specify that you wish to edit an entry: Microsoft says that users complained that they were editing entries without meaning to, and that this 'feature' was incorporated to save us from ourselves. To experienced users it feels restrictive and would have been better implemented as an optional feature.
When browsing the Web with Pocket Internet Explorer, you can choose not to download graphics by clicking on the Hide Pictures icon. IE defaults to downloading the text of a page before starting on the graphics, and this ability to ignore pictures will further speed download times. Picture placeholders only will be displayed, but should you decide there's one you need to see, you can tap to select it and then tap the Show Picture icon. Pocket IE now supports more standards, namely HTML 3.2, cHTML, ActiveX, JScript 1.1, Client-side XML/XSL and WAP 1.2.1.
Shared folders can now be accessed from File Explorer when you're connected to a network and, in a minor but useful change, File Explorer will now default to opening to show the last folder you were inspecting.
Switching to data input, there's a new method available called Block Recogniser. Although it's not clear from the name, this provides support for Graffiti -- the character recognition system used in Palm OS. And as a boon to those already familiar with PPC's own Transcriber, this application is now built into ROM and no longer has to be downloaded.
Skins have proved extremely popular with users of Windows Media Player, and the ability to select skins from within PPC's media player is now provided. Again, a number of skins are provided, with many more likely to be downloadable from the Web.
The Today screen has also acquired swappable skins. Those already available range from the serenely attractive to the confrontational 'Palm Free Zone'. And on the subject of Palms, it's now easier to communicate with these devices using infrared squirt -- a means of sending data between Palms and PPC handhelds via the IR link.
Users of Microsoft Reader will find that its interface has been completely redesigned. Bookmarks and highlights can be colour coded and there's a Riffle Control for moving quickly to any part of an e-book.
Microsoft and its industry partners will formally launch Pocket PC 2002 on 4 October 2001, and expect handhelds based on the new OS to be available in retail outlets a few weeks after that.
So should you upgrade when Pocket PC 2002 ships? If any of the features appeal enough, the answer is, of course, 'yes'. However, you are likely to be influenced by cost, and that will vary enormously depending on the hardware you currently own.
If you own a Compaq iPAQ, you are in the happy position of being able to upgrade just the operating system, because the IPAQ holds it in flash ROM. Details about the upgrade process, and the cost, will come from Compaq in due course. Devices that hold the operating system in standard ROM will need to be replaced, hardware and all -- hence the big push to get Pocket PC 2002 out in time to capitalise on Christmas sales.
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