Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
February 11, 2007
Volume 2, Number 35 — Sunday, February 11, 2007
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
3. Killer Applications for PDAs and SmartPhones
As I was looking for a new cellphone, I began to consider the "Smartphone-type phones. These are combinations of cellphone plus other functions.
I mentioned last week that I was looking at one of them — the Samsung Blackjack. Other Smartphones include the Blackberry phone/email devices and the Windows Mobile Smartphones.
Thanks to the readers who wrote to give me comments or posted to my blog!
I bought the Cingular 8525 smartphone yesterday. This little jewel is slightly thicker than my old Sony Clié but is only 2/3's as wide. It uses Windows Mobile 5 to provide its smarts, so it is a combination PDA and cellphone. It has a decent-sized keyboard that slides out to the side — and the screen goes into landscape mode when the keyboard is extended, too.
Since I was used to having both a cellphone and a PDA, any Smartphone that I bought needed to replace both functions. Of course, while I would have to change some programs for other programs, depending on the Smartphone that I chose, I had some applications that I required to be available.
Usually the term "killer app" means an application (a program) that makes the new product a success. In a slight variation from this, my killer apps are those that I must have available if I want to use that platform.
My killer apps for Smartphones are the Handbase database and the Mobipocket ebook reader.
Program: Handbase
Category: Database for PDA's
Operating Systems: Windows, PalmOS, Windows Mobile (PocketPC & Smartphone), Symbian OS, Blackberry,
Price: varies. "Professional," which includes the ability create input and display screens other than just lists of data, is $31.99 for Windows-based Smartphones plus for the Windows desktop.
Source: www.ddhsoftware.com
The Handbase database program, from DDH Software (www.ddhsoftware.com), is a program designed for personal digital assistants (PDA's). There is also a version for desktop PCs — and more importantly, Handbase is available for PalmOS, Windows, and for many Smartphones.
Handbase is one of my killer apps because it allows me to create easy-to-design / easy-to-use database applets to track data that I want to track. Whether I want to create a log of blood pressure readings or a shopping list or travel expense, I can easily add an input form and database fields to store the items I want.
I've been using a program called Secret! on my PalmOS PDA and the corresponding Secret! Desktop on my computer. Secret! is an encrypted database (I set the password) that allows me to keep all my various passwords and userIDs and any other data that I want to have secure and available). I start Secret! and enter my master password, and it opens to let me find the one I want.
Handbase is much, much more, but for this particular aspect, it is also a solution. Handbase allows me to encrypt any of the database(s) I create, while it lets me create others that are not encrypted.
Since I've been using Handbase on my PalmOS PDA, I needed this same application for my smartphone.
My other killer app is the Mobipocket Reader, which is a free ebook reading program. Read more about Mobipocket Reader later in this newsletter.
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4. ActiveSync Installation Problems
I had a severe problem installing the ActiveSync conduit on the PC. ActiveSync is the program that recognizes the Smartphone and synchronizes its contacts and emails with Outlook. Other programs also link into ActiveSync to handle synchronization, if they have a PC counterpart to their Smartphone program.
When I tried to install ActiveSync — when I put in the CDROM that came with my Cingular 8525 — it gave me the "Preparing to install" message. Then, it immediately stopped with a relatively-meaningless message "The wizard was interrupted before Microsoft ActiveSync 4.2 could be completely installed. Your system has not been modified. To complete the installation at another time, please run setup again."
Thanks, Microsoft. I tried to install from CDROM. I went to www.microsoft.com and downloaded the ActiveSync program from there — and tried to install. I uninstalled my firewall, my antivirus, my antispyware — one at a time, rebooted, and tried to install, then took out the next one — still no joy.
Finally I searched Google with a couple variants on "activesync won't install." This should have been my first stop.
Although Microsoft's ActiveSync 4.2 was quitting with a cryptic error message, the fix was simple. It even came installed in Windows XP. If only the error message had even mentioned this as a possibility.
All I had to do was to click on Start, Run. Then, I typed fixmapi and hit enter. Bam! It was done.
I started the CDROM again and ActiveSync installed without any problem.
Tech Tip
Mapi is the Mail Application Program Interface -- the set of links for programs to use to link into the Windows mail routines. But, if you don't use Outlook or Outlook Express (I use Eudora), sometimes you'll end up with the wrong mapi.dll file installed. Normally, Eudora will insert its version into C:\Windows\System32 and then restore the original when Eudora ends. Of course, if it crashes...
Once ActiveSync was installed, I could proceed with setting up my new Smartphone.
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Volume 2, Number 35 — Sunday, February 11, 2007
Copyright © 2007 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.
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