Practicing What I Preach

The truth is that I (the editor in charge of Handheld PC Magazine) do most of my work on a desktop PC. This includes writing and editing articles; using e-mail to stay in touch with contributors, vendors, manufacturers, and Microsoft; tracking articles in progress; tracking contact information; and researching Windows CE products and services on the Internet. Fortunately, a problem with my desktop PC forced me to do something I've wanted to try for a long time ­ use an H/PC as my primary computer.

Until recently, I've avoided this because H/PC keyboards were not suitable for extensive text entry. You can do it, but you'd rather not. My attitude began to change with my reviews of NEC MobilePro 750C (see page 6, Jul/Aug 98) and the Hitachi HPW-200 EC (see page 9, Sep/Oct 98). Both of these H/PCs have relatively large, touch-typeable keyboards. When my desktop PC began acting up in the middle of writing the Phenom Ultra review a few months back, I decided the time was right. This article is based primarily on my experiences with an LG Phenom Ultra, and an NEC MobilePro 750C. I do add some comments about the MobilePro 770 and 800 later on. Most of the points I raise apply to other H/PCs, and even Palm-size PCs.

Granted, life is easier on a desktop PC. But the question is, if I was a mobile professional, would any of the larger H/PCs or H/PC Pros do the job, or would I prefer a bigger, more powerful Window 95/98 notebook PC? Below is a task-by-task look at my experiences.

Using e-mail to stay in touch with the world

I was able to connect all of the H/PCs I mentioned up to my desktop PC and synchronize, so I did that each morning. I configured ActiveSync Options on my desktop to download e-mail messages from my desktop PC, as well as synchronizing contacts, calendar appointments and tasks. To save space on the H/PC, I configured ActiveSync to download only 50 lines of any message, and to not include attachments.

[TIP: Configuring ActiveSync to download e-mail to your H/PC. Access the ActiveSync Options screen from the Mobile Device "Tools" menu. Then make sure the box titled "Message" is checked. To conserve space on your H/PC, limit the messages you download. With "Message" highlighted, click on the "Options" button to bring up the Inbox Synchronization Options screen. From here you can limit the number of lines of a message that will be downloaded to your H/PC. You can also limit download to only that e-mail received in the last few days (you enter the number of days). Finally, you can configure ActiveSync to include or not include file attachments.]

I also configured the H/PC to remotely connect to my Internet Service Provider so that I could download e-mail and browse the Web. This process is relatively simple, involving the creation of a new remote connection and physically connecting the H/PC to a phone line. Most of the newer H/PCs come with a built-in modem. If they do not, you can buy a PC or CF modem card. All I had to do was disconnect the line going into the phone and connect it to the built-in phone jack. Then I tapped the icon associated with the new "remote connection" I had configured and I connected without a problem (see sidebar, next page, for more on this process).

I read my e-mail using the InBox application. Most of the H/PCs I tested had 1/2 VGA screens, smaller than my desktop PC's. I had to do more scrolling to read messages. Still, the H/PC's Inbox is pretty functional and easy to use. I get three types of messages.