Things Done

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Here are sequential notes of all things I tried and observations.

7/1/04: Installed ActiveSync 3.5 from supplied CD.  Cradle is plugged into a USB port, but ActiveSync cannot find it.  Retry several times with no luck.  This is probably because I connected it before installing the software.  Try on another computer, installing ActiveSync first; same result, it says it is checking the USB port, but says the device is not found.  Download ActiveSync 3.7.1 from here on first computer, reconnect the SX56 to the USB port.  A few more tries and it connects.

Set up standard partnership, and pick "synchronize with this desktop computer", since we don't have the Mobile Information Server on our Exchange Server.  Select all items to sync, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Mail.  Doesn't take long.  Only messages in the Inbox folder are copied; the folder structure is put on the device.  Re-dock, sync is automatic.  I like that . . . the Blackberry software always wants to ask me to verify changes.

Oh!  Maybe that is a good idea.  I tapped on the wrong thing when reading a new message, and it disappeared.  When I docked the device again, the message was also deleted from Outlook (but it got put in the Deleted Items folder).

Put SIM card from Blackberry in it.  Got GPRS connection . . . web works, terminal services client works, phone works.  I sent email to myself, but didn't get it (until next day when the device was docked).

At home, where cell phone service is very marginal, the SX56 does not get a connection long enough to do anything.   Sitting overnight in near a window where the Blackberry usually makes a GPRS connection, it does get an SMS message.  However, by morning, the battery is drained and it has shut off or gone on standby with the phone off.  An 18 hour battery life with the phone on is not very useful, but I had the setting "Keep GPRS connection" in power saving mode, which may be what used up the power.  Siemens lists "PDA time" up to 15 hours, and standby time as up to 150 hours.

7/2: Download and install PocketExpense from here.  Very easy to install; it does replace a number of dll's on the SX56. Seems to work, but I'm not traveling any time soon.  Also downloaded and started installing Microsoft Transcriber, but the device already had that installed (but I can't find it). Copy some pictures to it: that could be easier, you have to select "Files" in ActiveSync first; that puts a "Pocket_PC My Documents" icon on your desktop.  Then you can drag files to that (or open it to put files in folders under that).  Try Theme Generator 2; seems to install ok, but a message box on the device saying "Writing Information to 'Remove Programs" is displayed for a long time.  Finally goes away when I undock.  I've sent a new theme to the device and it shows up.  Download some of the sample books; need to "activate" Microsoft Reader . . . go to http://das.microsoft.com/activate and it says "Activation Error / You have an older version of Pocket PC which does not support Activation" but the reader works now anyway.  That's pretty interesting.

7/3-7/5: Could not get GPRS at home well enough to view a web page (no surprise).   Did not get an SMS messages until Monday.  I read two of the downloaded book excerpts; the reader is very usable.  I found a new spot outside my house that had better reception, where I received backed-up SMS messages.  On the night of 7/5, it does get my 10pm SMS message when in a location in the house that normally does not have good reception.

7/6: Verify that a phone call wakes up the device when it is off.  Andy points out the Notes part of Outlook does voice recording.  Tried Outlook Web Access; have trouble keeping GPRS connection, even though I'm in my office which is not 200 yards from the cell phone tower and it has 2-3 "bars".  I did get the home page (folder list and in box), but could not open a message.  After a long while, get "there is no answer at the number dialed".  Try webmail.psu.edu (now have 3-4 bars, same location) . . . get "page cannot be found".  Same with www.psu.edu and clc.its.psu.edu, which worked last week.  Do a soft reset.  Now OWA works; slow, but works.  Try webmail.psu.edu . . . that works too, although a web-based email service designed for this size screen would be much better.  Later, cannot get a GPRS connection at all, same location.  Walk outside to within 50 yards of the tower . . . still could not load web pages.   A half hour later, the page loads.

At home it got my 10pm SMS message at 10:50, when sitting in the location that I usually put the Blackberry to get SMS and email.  Maybe its reception isn't that bad; will have to try several more days.

7/7: Change notification settings for SMS.  Download and install Total Command for Pocket PC, freeware file manager, documented here.  Not sure what it does better than File Explorer that comes with Pocket PC.  Installation is very easy.   Microsoft must provide some kind of installer for software developers because they all work the same way with ActiveSync. 

7/8: Added a 512MB SD memory card . . . now what?  It didn't say anything.  Go to Settings/Memory, it is there under Storage Card; 478.63MB.  Add about 60MB of files to the personal folder, ActiveSync takes a few minutes, but doesn't copy all files; SD is still empty.  Open ActiveSync options; it hangs; ok on restart.  Try "SD Backup" to backup system to the SD card . . . that's slow.  The first backup got a file system error when an appointment reminder popped-up; that must have written to a file that was being backed up.  After 60 minutes, it is 95% done and it gets a file sharing violation on some IE folders (I thought I terminated all programs; no programs are listed under Settings/Memory/Running Programs); skip those.  Finished after 65 minutes.

I don't see anything in the Siemens manual about using the SD memory for file storage.  Google a bit and it seems that the File Manager should just allow folders to be put on it.  Find it, but don't see how to move files.  Use Total Command instead; easy to move files that way, but I don't see how to use ActiveSync to put files on the SD card.  Oh, device lost connection to desktop machine . . . tell ActiveSync to connect; it can't; re-doc, still doesn't connect; try several more things, then a soft reset.  That works.  Now try Explore in ActiveSync, and find SD card; drag files to it.  Copying is slow; wonder if it is the SD card or USB connection.

Play music files copied to SD card . . . sounds pretty good.  But when I start copying more files to it, the sound gets interrupted every second or two with a brief click.  Once copying is done, music plays uninterrupted.  Wish it had a stereo headphone jack.

Try to configure POP3 email for email.psu.edu and smtp.psu.edu . . . could not get connected at first, then got logged in, and it said it downloaded 4 of 5 messages, but none showed up.  Then lost GPRS connection.  Finally get connected again and logged into POP server; downloads 5 messages, but none show up . . . default setting is to not show messages older then 3 days.  Try sending mail; that fails, maybe because it tries to send before getting mail.   There really needs to be a separate function to send mail, particularly with PSU's 2-minute limit on repeated POP3 connections.  After many tries, the mail is sent.

Both 4pm and 10pm SMS messages received on time, with the device at home in usual location.

7/9: Edit a 7 minute home movie clip and save "for Pocket PC full screen" at 320x240, 15fps, 218Kbps, size 12MB.  Copy to SX56, takes 80 seconds.  It plays with a little bit of jerkiness, which is much more pronounced when full screen.  It's not fun to watch full screen; too jerky.  There is a nice option to rotate 90˚ when full screen.

Generate new clip at 208x160, 8fps, 143Kbps, size 8MB.  The processor seems to keep up with this version, but of course 8fps is pretty jerky

IMO, there is not enough processor power to play videos well.  It will be interesting to try the same clips with a device that has a faster processor.

10pm SMS message did not arrive until after midnight (device in same spot as other times at home).

7/10: No phone service all day; device in same location that usually works.  Could be AT&T; GSM has been doing odd things in this region lately.

7/11: Finally get one SMS message.  Got 2.5 days on the battery; was mostly on standby the whole time.

7/13: Compare reception at home with a Samsung i700 with Verizon service.

7/14: Used Terminal Services to connect to my desktop (while at Cedar Building on campus; good signal strength there).  Works ok, although Outlook's 3-column layout is too wide.  Which the application had a disconnect option because finding the remote system's start menu to disconnect is time consuming.  Wonder if client on 2003 is better.   Speed was pretty good; this would work in a pinch for fixing server problems.

7/19: Didn't use it much over weekend; battery barely made it to Monday morning (charged Friday 2:30pm).  Record a sound in a note; try to find a way to copy that sound out of it, but don't.   Install Compact Framework 1.0 SP2 and Wolfclock from http://www.freewareppc.com; also downloaded BatteryTimePlus, but didn't get it to work.

7/20: My spouse enjoyed the Wolfclock hollering at her "Betty, wake up!  Betty, wake up!  Betty, wake up!" this morning while I hid in the shower.  I recorded the wav file on my desktop computer and copied the file to the PPC; there ought to be a sound recorder with the OS.  There are some you can buy.

8/4: Switched back to the Blackberry, which now seems to have as much trouble getting a GSM/GPRS connection as the Siemens did.  I thought the Blackberry was better, but perhaps not.

10/8/04: Ran benchmarks and put numbers here.