Make Your Work Easier and More Fun

Microsoft has a number of incredibly exciting enterprise applications on their developer Web sites. Some of these may have to be implemented by your IT department because they require the software to be compiled (converted from the raw code to an executable a Windows Mobile device can run), and may need a professional's knowledge of Web server applications. These applications are available at no charge, and some of them can be customized by your in-house programming team to fit your organization's exact needs. Whenever possible, I will provide a second option which, although not as feature-packed, may be implemented without requiring help from your networking or programming departments.

Automate the taskmaster role on your projects

Nobody likes to have to remind the team members of their roles and responsibilities on a project. And, a project manager that constantly checks in with you to keep their schedule up-to-date is even worse. Now you can completely automate the process with TaskVision, an open-source application from Microsoft. Put simply, TaskVision is everything I've always wanted in a to-do list. The application is a multi-user project management tool that organizes your checklist by job. From your PC, the software allows you to assign tasks to other users, and get a quick overview of each project's status. Each time you launch TaskVision, the opening screen displays a pie chart view of the remaining minor, medium and major tasks as well as a thermometer to give you a visual indication of the project completion status at-a-glance.

Pocket TaskVision, the companion application, has been designed specifically for the Pocket PC. The system minimizes keyboard input by remembering commonly used fields, and allows you to specify the projects you would like to save to your Pocket PC so that they can be accessed while you are disconnected from the server. The handheld application also uses standard icons (high and low priority tasks) as well as a "completion thermometer" (to the right of each task in Fig. 1) to instantly provide visual feedback on the status and urgency of each item. You can download TaskVision from the Applications section of the Windows Forms .NET Web site (http://www.windowsforms.net). The software is available as development code only and requires that you install server software as well as compile the TaskVision and Pocket TaskVision applications.

Fig. 1: Pocket TaskVision allows you to manage your projects with a streamlined design.

If you want a powerful list manager without all of the strict server requirements and software compiling, you should consider InfoShare List Manager. This software allows you to create and edit lists on a desktop computer or mobile device, and then use your mobile devices to wirelessly share and synchronize the lists with any number of other desktop computers or mobile devices. InfoShare List Manager is available for $19.95 from Unwired Software (http://www.unwiredsoftware.com) for the Pocket PC and Windows Mobile Smartphone. This software application does require the 2.0 .NET Framework, which is a free download from Microsoft. (A review of a similar product, InfoSync Lists, is found in this issue.)

Digital Image Collaboration

FotoVision allows you to share photos on the Web and with a wireless Pocket PC. Starting on your desktop, you can create an album and add photos to it. These images can be edited (brightness, contrast, saturation, gamma, convert to grayscale/sepia, rotate, flip, resize and crop) and then resaved to your album. When you're pleased with the results, the software can upload them to your Web server and even E-mail your co-workers to let them know there are new images available.