BIG BLUE Buys Into Windows CE!

IBM z50 Windows CE WorkPad

By Rich Hall

The first computer I ever used, over 15 years ago, was an IBM XT. I think it was a "turbo" model with a "fast" 8 MHz processor, 640 kb of RAM and two 5.25-inch floppy disk drives. Apple and others had beaten IBM to the punch, but many in the business world didn't take desktop computers seriously until IBM entered the market.

IBM doesn't have quite as much clout now, but business users still pay attention to what Big Blue backs. And many will feel a little bit more comfortable with Windows CE knowing that IBM has finally come out with a PC Companion—its new WorkPad z50 Handheld PC Pro.

A lightweight mini-notebook

The IBM WorkPad z50 is about the size and weight of a small notebook computer (see "Spec Sheet" sidebar). The 2.6 pound H/PC Pro is powered by a snappy 131 MHz processor and comes with 16 MB of RAM, expandable to a 48 MB. Its 640 x 480 color display is very readable, due in part to the fact that it is not a touchscreen display. (Touchscreens have a thin embedded sensor layer to "feel" taps on the screen, and this reduces the readability of the screen a little.)

TrackPoint instead of touchscreen

Instead of the touchscreen, the z50 uses a mouse device called a "TrackPoint," a red circle about the size of a pencil eraser located between the 'G', 'H' and 'B' keys. You put your finger on the TrackPoint and push in the direction you want the screen pointer to move. Left and right mouse buttons are located below the spacebar. This type of mouse pointer is also found on IBM's ThinkPad notebook computers. I'm used to, and prefer, a touchscreen. You do have to take your hands off the keyboard to tap the screen, but I have a hard time moving the arrow cursor to the right place with the TrackPoint. The bottom line for me? Using the TrackPoint takes more time. Could I get used to it? Yes. Is their any advantage to using it? You get a slightly more readable display and it may decrease power consumption a little.

(TIP: Game players note: many of the arcade-type games written for Windows CE assume that you will be tapping on the screen a lot. You can use the TrackPoint to move around in one of these games, but it's too slow and makes the games almost unplayable on the z50.)

The WorkPad z50 has one of the nicest keyboards I've seen on an H/PC. I can type on it as fast as I can on my desktop's keyboard. Actually, I can type faster because the key spacing is closer than my desktop keyboard and I don't have to reach as far. The z50 has 12 programmable quick launch keys, an embedded keypad, and separate Arrow Keys. With the exception of the Tab and ~, the keys are in standard positions.

PC and CF Card slots

The WorkPad z50 is unique among PC Companions in that it comes with a Type III PC Card slot. This lets you accept two Type II PC Cards, or one Type III card. The z50 also has one CompactFlash slot. This will accept standard Type II CF cards and IBM's new CF+ Type II Microdrive, a miniature hard drive the size of a CompactFlash card (www.ibm.com/storage/microdrive). Microdrives are available in 170 and 340MB capacities and should work with any PC Companion equipped with a Type II CF+ slot.

The z50 also comes with a built-in 33.6 Kbps modem, a fast IrDA interface, built-in microphone and speaker for voice recordings, a stereo headphone jack for playback, a VGA-out port and a serial port. The WorkPad z50 is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery that gives users 8 hours of use per charge. An optional extended capacity battery gives up to 16 hours per charge. The IBM WorkPad z50 comes with AC Adapter, phone cable, CD ROMs with Windows CE Services and IBM add-on software. Options include a high-capacity 16-hr Lithium-Ion battery, a 32 MB RAM memory upgrade, a serial-to-parallel printer cable, and the IBM 340 MB microdrive.

A Handheld PC Pro

The WorkPad z50 comes with the Windows CE 2.11 operating system and the H/PC Pro class of "Pocket" applications and utilities built in. The Pocket applications are versions of popular Microsoft software optimized for the smaller computers. They include Pocket Outlook (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, InBox), Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Powerpoint, Pocket Access, Pocket Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer. Also built into the H/PC Pro from Microsoft are setup and communications utilities, World Clock, a simple calculator program, the game Solitaire, and InkWriter. This last application comes as a standard part of the H/PC Pro application set, but doesn't quite fit on the z50. InkWriter lets users enter handwritten notes, or draw maps and sketches on their H/PC. The z50's lack of a touchscreen means that you have to draw with the touchpad arrangement, which is very difficult.

The final application supplied by Microsoft is the Voice Recorder, which works with the built-in microphone and speaker to let you record and play back short voice memos. The record button is located on the right end of the hinge and the microphone on the left end. Both are easy to access with the case open or closed, and the playback quality is clear and understandable, even in noisy environments.

Built-in software from IBM and other vendors

Included with the z50 are a number a useful applications and utilities from IBM and independent software vendors.

• bUSEFUL Backup Plus (bSQUARE: www.bsquare.com) —lets you backup and restore all or part of your WorkPad z50's data. (For more information on this, bFAX Pro, bPRINT and other bSQUARE programs see Ed Zabrek's review, page 22 of the Mar/Apr 1999 issue of Handheld PC Magazine.)

• bFAX Pro—lets you send, receive, and manage faxes with your z50. Includes bVIEW, which lets you preview your faxes before you send them.

• bPRINT—adds print functionality to H/PCs.

• IBM Rapid Access (IBM: www.pc. ibm.com/us/workpad/)—a utility that allows you to monitor the battery charge level, adjust the brightness and contrast of the display, change the volume level and audio properties, and change the country mode setting for your built-in modem (Screen 1).

• IBM Battery Calibration utility—tests the battery to ensure that it charges to its full capacity. To keep the accuracy of the battery gauge, IBM recommends that you use the Battery Calibration application periodically (Screen 2).

• IBM Diagnostic Utility—The WorkPad z50 comes with a Diagnostic Utility, which lets you test the Battery; Infrared port; Audio; TrackPoint; Notification LED; Display and Keyboard (Screen 3).

Add-on software (installable from CD ROM)

The WorkPad z50 comes with an HTML-based user guide on CD ROM. It's designed to open up in your desktop PC's Web browser, but you could copy sections of it to the z50 and use Pocket Internet Explorer to view it. This might come in handy if you had a specific section of the user guide you wanted with you all the time.

The same CD ROM has the following additional applications you can install on the WorkPad z50.

• IBM Global Network Dialer (for H/PC and PC)—a dialer program that lets you make network connections to the IBM Global Network and access its features, using Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). Also lets users of TCP/IP communications (Secure IP option) access authorized intranet resources, as well as access both the Internet (without using a firewall or proxy server) and authorized intranet resources on a single connection for users of TCP/IP communications (Dual Access option).

• IBM Mobile Connect Client—enables organizations to deliver line of business applications to PC Companion devices, allowing easy access to up-to-date detailed information and allowing data to be validated at the point of creation. IBM Mobile Connect provides direct server access to Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange servers from the WorkPad z50. Instead of synchronizing with individual PCs, you can use your WorkPad z50 to replicate information to a centralized, managed server running Lotus Notes Domino or Microsoft Exchange (An IBM Mobile Connect server is necessary for full operation).

If you like Big Blue...

When PC Companions first came out nobody knew what to make of them. They looked like notebook computers that got hit with a shrink ray. The keyboard was too small to use easily, but the H/PC was just a little too big and bulky to easily fit in your pocket. Windows CE got smaller with the Palm-size PCs, and bigger with most of the H/PC Pros.

The WorkPad z50 is a nice looking, lightweight mini-notebook-size PC Companion manufactured by one of the industry's leaders. It has decent battery life, an excellent set of add-on utilities and communications applications, and is reasonably priced at $1,000. If you want a no-hassle notebook-like computer that takes care of all the basics, and you don't need touchscreen capabilities, the IBM WorkPad z50 is one of the better alternatives. On a personal note, I had a difficult time with the TrackPoint mouse devices.

Although IBM will focus on corporate sales, the WorkPad z50 is available to individual users. A list of online resellers in the U.S. can be found on IBM's Web site. Go to www.pc.ibm.com/us/workpad/howtobuy.html, click on WorkPad z50 and then the "Buy Online" button. In the U.S. you can also call CompUSA Net at 800-730-5198 or CompuCom at 888-221-0890. *

Screen 1: IBM's Rapid Access lets you monitor the battery charge level, adjust the brightness and contrast of the display, change the volume level and audio properties, and change the country mode setting for your built-in modem.

Screen 2: IBM's Battery Calibration utility tests the battery to ensure that it charges to its full capacity.

Screen 3: IBM's Diagnostic Utility lets you test the Battery, Infrared port, Audio, TrackPoint, Notification LED, Display and Keyboard.