Get More with Pocket PC Accessories

In past issues, the "Get More" feature has focused on software solutions that add unique and interesting functionality to your Pocket PC. For this issue's focus on hardware accessories, we found a number of exciting, innovative and unique add-ons for your Pocket PC that will help you protect, hold, and power your Pocket PC. These accessories are unique enough to make even Pocket PC power users envious of your cool acquisitions.

Protect your Pocket PC against loss

According to Colorado-based StuffBak, only 5% of all lost items are returned to their rightful owner. But since 1999, Stuffbak has helped return thousands of items to their rightful owners thanks to their StuffBak labels. Each label is uniquely serial numbered and designed to adhere to all of your easy-to-lose devices (like PDAs, cell phones, and even eyeglasses) and provide extra peace of mind in case they are misplaced or stolen.

Fig. 1: StuffBak labels will help protect all of your valuable items, using what the company calls "virtually indestructible labels and tabs."

To get started, simply affix the label to your Pocket PC and enter the label number at http://www.StuffBak.com. When an item is lost, the finder can report the recovered item on the Web site or by calling an 800 number. Then they can return the item face-to-face, or (if the owner is no longer nearby) they will be directed to a local UPS location for packaging and shipping of the item. To get your lost item back, you pay a reasonable $14.95 transaction fee plus applicable shipping charges. Should you offer to pay an extra cash reward to the finder, you must repay StuffBak prior to your item being returned. (StuffBak rewards all finders by giving them a $20 package of StuffBak labels.)

The stickers are inexpensive, so you can easily afford to buy them for all of your valuables. StuffBak offers a "PDA Pack" that includes two adhesive labels and a key tag for $9.99, perfect for attaching to your Pocket PC, a PDA case and your keys. Individual labels and quantity package deals (Fig. 1) priced from $1.95 to $39.95 are available on their Web site. StuffBak has also partnered with companies like RhinoSkin to include a free StuffBak label with every PDA case, and with Symantec to bundle StuffBak with the boxed version of their Anti-Virus software for handhelds.

Get a grip on your Pocket PC

Another important aspect of PDA protection is preventing the "oops factor." Although I became well known as the convention speaker who would throw the clamshell Handheld PC across the room to prove how durable the first-generation Windows CE devices were, the Pocket PC does not handle a drop to the ground as well as the earlier generations of Windows powered devices.

For a quick and easy way to keep your Pocket PC handy in the automobile, I recommend the Sticky Pad from HandStands (http://www.handstands.com). The Sticky Pad is ideal for a Pocket PC with a GPS system that needs to have a clear view of the sky, or a cellular phone that needs to be carefully positioned on the dash to get good reception to receive calls. The regular Sticky Pad has an elegant leather-like non-slip surface on one side that holds objects in place, while the back is covered with a sticky surface to cling to the dashboard of your car. The Sticky Pad is innovative because you can reposition it anywhere simply by peeling it off and putting it down somewhere else; no residue is left behind. The Jelly Sticky Pad (Fig. 2) is available in red, black and blue, and has the sticky surface on both sides of the pad.

Fig. 2: Jelly Sticky Pads add a colorful accent to your dash while they help keep your Pocket PC and other items from sliding around