Watch Videos

You get stuck at a doctor’s office, but you don’t have a book and all the magazines are two years old. You can enjoy movies on the minisilver screen. And it’s legal. Windows Media Player 10 has an advantage over previous versions in that it converts and optimizes files for the Pocket PC and smartphone. You’re no longer limited to a specific file type as the media player converts AVI and other formats to the appropriate Pocket PC-compatible format.

You can download Windows Media Player 10 from Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/windows/windows
media/download. Click on the download file to install it. Run the program and select the Library tab. Add files by selecting Add To Library. You can Search The Computer or Monitor Select Folders. When you select Search The Computer, you can browse to the folders where you store your videos. If you keep videos on a few specific folders, Monitor Select Folders might be the better option. Anytime you add a video to these folders, the player picks it up.

After loading the videos, select the Sync tab. Select Edit Playlist and select Video from the View library by drop down. The list of available videos appears. Select those you wish to sync to the device. If you have a preference in what order they appear, use the Up and Down arrows to move the file up or down on the Sync List. When you’re done, click OK. Add or remove videos by selecting the checkbox. The files can go on the device or the storage card. Select your preference from the right drop-down menu. Click Start Sync to transfer the videos to the device.

On the device, open the media player by tapping Start and Windows Media. Tap Menu and Library, select the file to play, and then tap Play.

Shopping For Cases

If you don’t like the case that comes with your mobile device, you have plenty of choices from which to choose. When shopping for a case, consider how you want to carry it (on your clothes, in a bag, or in a binder), how much protection it needs, how it closes (zipper, snap, or not at all), and if it should hold paper, pens, credit cards, business cards, and an extra stylus. Some snaps use a magnet, so you might want to contact your device’s manufacturer or the case manufacturer as to whether the magnet on a case would affect the device or the credit cards you carry in the case.

The cases come with different types of covers from leather, hard shell, neoprene, canvas, and others. Another consideration is whether it matters if the case allows you to put the device into its cradle. Some cases require removal because they block the connection between the device and the cradle. Also, look for a case that allows access to your device’s ports and buttons.

Cases can open like a book or flip up and back. Those opening like a book could have the cover open left or right. This could make a difference, depending on which hand you write with and which hand holds the device. For right-handers, a cover that opens to the right might be ideal so that it doesn’t interfere with the left hand holding the device. But some covers don’t fold back far enough, making it difficult to write when it opens on the same side as the writing hand.

A few cases can function several ways. Bellagio (www.bellagiodesigns.com) has cases that come with a cover and a removable clip. The clip clings onto pants, bags, and folders. If you don’t need the clip, take it off and it leaves a small metal screw. The following companies manufacture or sell cases for a variety of devices: Belkin (www.belkin.com), InnoPocket (www.innopocket.com), Covertec (www.covertec.com), Otterbox Armor (www.otterbox.com), Saunders RhinoSkin (www.saunders-usa.com/rhinoskin), Sena Cases (www.senacases.com), Targus (www.targus.com), and Vaja (www.vajacases.com).

Create New Documents With One Click

Rather than going to the application and then starting a new document, you can do it faster by tapping New and selecting the item you want to create. Standard choices include Appointment, Contact, Excel Workbook, Message, Note, Task, and Word Document. Add items to the new document menu by tapping on Start, Settings, and Menu from the Personal tab. Tap New Menu tab and check or uncheck items you want to appear in the New menu. If you can’t see the New button, check the box next to Turn On New Button Menu. From now on, you can start a new item by tapping New from the Today screen.

Bigger Keys On Keyboard

Is the on-screen keyboard too small and difficult to tap? Make the keys larger by tapping Start, Settings, and Input. Select the Large keys radio button, if it is not already selected. If it is selected, then the keyboard is set to display the larger keys. While on the Input settings, you can check the box next to Use Gestures For The Following Keys if you wish to use the shortcuts for SPACE, SHIFT-KEY, BACKSPACE, and ENTER keys.

Dictionary

WordNet 2.1 (www.ebswift.com/PocketPC/WordNet) is free for the PC and Windows Mobile device. It has the ability to handle wildcard searches and display similarity, antonym, attributes, and familiarity. Download WordNet 2.1 and its Windows Mobile port, double-click on the WordNet executable to open the setup wizard, and follow the installation instructions. Copy the /DICT folder (default location is C:\PRO GRAM FILES\WORDNET\2.1) to the mobile device’s storage card using Explore from the ActiveSync menu. This takes a while as the dictionary gets converted for the device.

Ensure that your device is connected to your PC, double-click WordNetCESetup.exe, and follow the wizard’s instructions. Ignore the Install “ebswift.com WordNetCE” Using The Default Application Install Directory message and click No. Choose where you want the program installed, which can be the main memory, storage card, or built-in storage. Select each item to see how much space is available. After it’s completed, a pop-up window instructs you to check the device for any additional instructions. You can ignore the OpeNetCF message.

Run the program by clicking Start, Programs, and WordNet CE. The first time the program runs, it will ask for the location of the dictionary. Point it to the storage card where the /DICT folder is located. The program automatically closes. Run it again, and you’re set.

by Meryl K. Evans