I've added this AximSite thread link to the article. It's certainly worth checking out - it contains some new benchmark data and links to beemer's, probably the most active participant in the Widcomm-for-the-x51v project, new CPU/battery usage utilities.

Also, the article has also made to the Pocket PC Thoughts frontpage.

Battery life is very important with PDA's, especially if you don't have any chance to charge them or swap batteries while on the move. Then, every additional minute you can squeeze out from the battery may be important. In this article, I show you what you can do in order to optimize battery life.

Also, I show you how much power the backlight, the wireless units, the buzzer/speaker etc. consume. A lot of plain wrong urban legends (for example, the question of disabling the infrared receive or the Bluetooth unit) are still being widely considered thruth – in this article, I explain why they are not true (any more).

An often-asked question concerns how you can set up direct links to the control panel applets (CPL's for short) in Start/Settings.

What's the point in all this, you may ask. Why not simply tap Start and, then, Settings and, finally, the icon you want to execute?

Yes, for a casual user, there's not much need in creating self-standing links to these files. There're, however, cases when this can prove really useful – for example, the case of including them in Today launcher plug-ins that, otherwise, don't let access to any of these applets otherwise. A well-known example of plug-ins like those is Resco File Explorer's excellent Today plug-in or in the free cLaunch. (Please see this (alternatives: iPAQ HQ, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand) for more info on these excellent applications and the alternatives.)

Most of these settings are invoked from a central dialog file, \Windows\cplmain.cpl. Some additional, custom settings may have been put in a separate file, \Windows\mycpl.cpl. Finally, third-party applications that install their own settings dialogs create their own .cpl files inside the \Windows directory. For example, SOTi Pocket Controller (see this article on it) creates a file DeviceConfig.cpl, Mad Programmer's FileDialogChanger (see this article on it) uses a file named filedlgchg.cpl to offer the user the File Dialog Changer settings, Mad Programmer's Force Hi-resolution tool (see this article on it) puts a ForceHires.cpl file in there etc. The same stands for Spb Pocket Plus, MS Voice Command (please see this article for a full roundup of all voice controller apps) and XCPUScalar.

Anyone new to Pocket PC Phone Edition devices but well-versed in configuring Internet connections using "traditional" mobile phones will be first be frightened by his or her knowledge not working with Pocket PC Phone Edition (PPC PE for short) and will think at first she/he can't use his/her overly expensive PDA as a modem for other PDA's.

What's the point, you may ask, in trying to use your PPC PE as a modem for another Pocket PC. The reason is simple: current PPC PE models all have serious compromises. Even the currently best one, the HTC Universal (Qtek9000, MDA Pro, O2 Exec etc), is, in many respects (weight, CPU speed, lack of buttons on the front, lack of status screen on the back, lack of jog dial etc) clearly worse than standalone, non-converged Pocket PC's like the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 720 and the forthcoming N560, the Dell Axim x51v or the iPAQ hx4700.

http://www.smartphonemag.com/blogs/menneisyys/ConfigureToonel45.asp

http://ivsms.indovisi.com/

Don't be afraid of the long-winded title – the subject of this article is far easier than you would think. I just wanted to put everything I discuss in the title so that people having problems with, for example, streaming to the Pocket PC version of the RealOne Player will see at once this article is targeted at them too.

So, what will be explained in this article? It's pretty simple: why some programs require full Internet access, why this can't be done through a simple ActiveSync Internet pass-through connection or behind a so-called firewall and how you can still use these applications without buying/setting up Wi-Fi access points.

http://www.smartphonemag.com/blogs/menneisyys/112005IRCClients.asp

http://smartphonemag.com/blogs/menneisyys/112005SoundRecorderApps.asp

http://smartphonemag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18446