Pocket PC magazine, Apr/May 2004

by MS Reader version $5. 99

  It’s your money until you give it to them. Up until the point you sign on the dotted line you have every right to walk away without feeling guilty, which means that you can fight for every penny.

  I’ll finish by reminding you again: Knowledge is power!

  * * *

  Russ Nemhauser has served as a software architect, developer, team leader, and project manager over the past several years. His projects have included enterprise applications, online commerce sites, and corporate intranets for Wall Street, Universal Studios, Tony Roma’s, Spencer Gifts, Seagram , and others. Russ actively participates in the development community through technical writing (and editing) and public speaking. He also contributes to and moderates popular .NET forums and lists. You can visit him at http://www.nemhauser.com or e-mail him at russnem@hotmail.com.

  Pocket Profile

  Caving with Your Pocket PC

  Rugged Pocket PC handhelds offer cave explorers more efficient and precise mapping

  by Jim Moore

  For those among us who possess the explorer’s mentality, the quest to be first to walk on untouched ground continues unabated—it’s just gotten a little harder. That’s because the remaining unexplored areas on earth are usually found in the most challenging environments. Hey, if it were easy, someone would have already been there.

  The challenge only increases when you consider that you have to bring back proof that you’ve been somewhere that’s truly new. In this day and age, a couple of photos won’t cut it. Luckily, the heightened challenge of exploring uncharted spots—and charting them—is being matched by new technology that makes the process easier.

  Finding and mapping uncharted territory

  The actual number of unexplored spots left is dwindling rapidly. Want to bag a new peak? Better head to Antarctica or maybe the Brooks Range in Alaska—and have fun getting to either of those places. Only a small percentage of the bottom of the ocean has been explored, but what’s it cost to rent a bathyscaphe? Maybe the wide-open desert is more your style. But it all looks the same, and how would you really know for sure that no one had been there before?

  Perhaps the answer lies beneath your feet. Some of the most avid explorers on earth spend their time beneath its surface. Intrepid cavers are on a continual quest to find new caves—and when they find one, they map it. Mapping has a dual purpose. First, it provides a “trail map” for others, letting them know how much rope they’ll need and what equipment to bring with them. And, on a more personal level, it delivers the satisfaction and notoriety of being the first to sketch the contours and features of a new cave.

  It’s a lot of fun, too. Just ask Mark Passerby, a dedicated caver who caught the bug as a teenager in West Virginia. Mark started by going into known caves, but moved on to cave exploring—looking for new holes in the ground. “I wanted to explore new places, and to promote caving to others,” he says. On the promotion end he started a Web site (http://www.caves.com) that’s devoted to sharing information with other cavers around the world.

  (above) Mark Passerby mapping a West Virginia cave with his rugged Pocket PC.

  Of course, finding new caves meant creating maps instead of following them. So Mark and his fellow cave explorers honed their mapping skills, initially using the time-worn methods. For years, cave mapping had been done entirely on paper. Explorers took measurements based on rudimentary surveying techniques and wrote them down, also hand-drawing contours and features of the cave. Once they were back above ground, they transferred the measurements and drawings to map paper and refined them.

  The old way, the new way, and the search for a better way

  The advent of computer software that could translate data into maps was helpful. Cavers could write measurements down on paper in the cave, and then later enter the measurements into a spreadsheet and transfer that data to a program that processed it and produced a cave map. But one elemental problem remained: ensuring accuracy in the data transfer. Because the data was taken in humid, muddy, and poorly lit environments, the error rate between data taken and data entered was tremendously high. Wet, muddy paper resulted in smeared ink, and handwriting done under those conditions often looked worse than a doctor’s prescription. As he continued to explore new caves, Mark experienced the common thought that has motivated innovations for centuries: There has to be a better way.

  So he began experimenting with entering the data onto small handheld computers while in the caves. But his early efforts were not fruitful—the computers available were not built rugged enough to withstand the environment inside the caves.

  A cave’s temperature holds steady at the average year-round temperature of the land above it—in the Lewisburg, West Virginia area, 52°F. In the caves Mark hangs out in, the humidity is 100 percent, all the time. In addition, most of the caves he explorers are “living” caves—those with consistent water supplies—and very muddy. When exploring large caves, Mark and his colleagues are often underground from eight hours to three days at a time, and the equipment has to go wherever the caver goes—including tiny, muddy crawlways. It’s no wonder he had had trouble finding a handheld that could hold up.

  Then someone sent him a note through his Web site about the TDS Recon, a handheld computer being used by professional surveyors—and built rugged enough to withstand just about any conditions. After a little investigation into the product, Mark contacted the manufacturer, Tripod Data Systems (http://www.tdsway.com/handhelds), asking for a Recon demo to use and review on his Web site. Mark explored and mapped three caves near Lewisburg using the Recon: “Bobcat Blowhole,” “Deels Hole,” and “Middle Earth.” In the case of Bobcat and Deels, he was the first person to explore the caves.

  (above) TDS Recon, a ruggedized Pocket PC, being used in the rain

  He discovered Bobcat after coming across a volleyball-sized blowhole in the ground that looked promising. (Many undiscovered caves “breathe” through small blowholes such as these; when cavers find an opening in the ground that has air moving out of it, their own breathing tends to speed up.) He and his partners—Bob Kirk, Aaron Bird and Rachel Bosch—blasted out enough rock around the blowhole to squeeze in 10 feet, where they found that the hole opened up into a drop down to an underground creek. After mining out the creek and crawling through more tight passages, they found a larger crawlway—1,200 feet long—that ended with what Mark calls a “muddy, wet, and nasty” 35-foot drop into a 200-foot-by-150-foot room, 75 feet high. The cave was theirs to name, map, and spread the word about.

  (above) Blowhole for the newly-discovered Bobcat cave near Lewisburg, West Virginia.

  Surveying, cave man style

  The process of mapping a cave using a handheld involves two explorers. Positioning themselves at a distance apart but within sight of each other, Mark and his partner determine points and take measurements using handheld surveying compasses. Then Mark enters data directly into a spreadsheet on the Pocket PC, including azimuths, inclinations and distances. Once back above ground, Mark uploads the data directly to a desktop computer equipped with mapping software. The result is an exponentially lower error rate in data transfer—and therefore much more precise and accurate cave maps.

  (above) Knocking around in a wet, muddy cave can be rough on equipment.

  After testing the Recon in three caves, Mark was pleased with the results he got from the advances in rugged handheld technology. “I’d have eight hours of data compiled, and in between entering it I’d be dragging the Handheld through a 1,200-foot crawlway,” he says. “Sometimes I’d have to throw my pack in front of me, and it would roll down a drop, hit a rock—things got knocked around pretty good. The Recon would take a beating for hours, and when I’d turn it on, it would work great. I didn’t have to go out of my way to protect it from water and mud, which also made it different than the other handhelds I’d tried.” In addition, the device was good for 15 hours of operating time on a single battery charge—a real plus on multi-day exploration trips.

  P
erhaps the most impressive benefit of using a rugged handheld computer to map caves was the net time savings. According to Mark, the double-entry data process he previously used—once in the cave, again to the main computer—would typically take eight hours in the cave and eight hours in the office. Entering data directly to the Recon and then cutting and pasting it to the main computer? Eight hours gathering, 10 minutes transferring.

  And the challenges just keep on coming

  New tools like the Recon have improved the process of cave exploration tremendously from a technological aspect. But conditions in caves and the quest to find uncharted territory remain as daunting as ever. Next year Mark and the Caves.com Expedition Team are off to Georgia (the one in Russia) to assist a Russian team in exploring deep caves there, including one named Voronja that is believed to be the world’s deepest cave. A previous expedition into Voronja ended when the team ran out of rope and was forced to turn back after descending well more than a mile below the earth’s surface. At -1,710 meters, they could hear running water below them—a good sign that the cave goes deeper. This time they’ll bring more rope. And when they’re more than a vertical mile beneath the earth’s surface, several days into a trip spent in humidity, mud and temperatures in the high 30s, you can bet they’ll be thankful to have a rugged Pocket PC to help them bring back information about a place no one’s ever seen before.

  * * *

  Jim Moore is a freelance writer covering a wide variety of subject fields. He can be reached at jimm@sandacom.com or 503.281.1526.

  Ask Microsoft

  Windows Mobile Innovation, and Which Device is Right for You?

  Q: I am interested in upgrading my cell phone to a Motorola MPx200 running Windows Mobile software. Will Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 2002 software for Smartphones integrate with the new Outlook 2003?

  A: Outlook 2003 is compatible with Windows Mobile 2002 and 2003 software, so regardless of which type of Windows Mobile device you have and which version of the software you are using, you have the ability to stay connected to your information and data while away from home or the office.

  Q: How confident is Microsoft in the future of Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs?

  A: We’re thrilled with the innovation coming from Windows Mobile device makers and mobile operator partners. Recently HP introduced two new, feature-rich devices: the HP iPAQ h4150 with integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, and the iPAQ h4350, which has not only Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but an integrated keyboard as well. Toshiba’s new e800 Pocket PC includes an ample 128 MB of RAM, CF and SD card slots, and a large 4-inch-diagonal color display capable of VGA display. Finally, O2’s new XDA II includes not only a built-in phone, but integrated Bluetooth capability and a digital camera.

  (above) The new XDA II from O2 has an integrated phone, digital camera, and Bluetooth radio.

  (above) HP’s iPAQ h4350 Pocket PC includes integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a QWERTY keyboard.

  We’re pleased to see the Pocket PC’s market share continue to grow against the category. A recent Gartner report estimated that Microsoft licensees captured 54.2 percent of the $850 million in end-user spending on PDAs in the third quarter of 2003 and Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC licensees reached an all time high of 42.3 percent of PDA shipments. We look forward to an exciting year of both product and software innovations!

  Q: How does Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs fit into Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing initiative?

  A: Microsoft is committed to building safe and secure software and services for our customers and the industry. Windows Mobile-based devices incorporate a number of standard security features, including support for strong passwords, VPN, authentication, and encryption options. In addition to ensuring the security of our own software, we are also working with our OEM and ODM partners to help ensure that their hardware-specific software is also secure.

  Consistent with a Microsoft-wide emphasis on improving security, privacy, and reliability for customers, Microsoft’s Mobile Devices Division is conducting a detailed security review of all aspects of Windows Mobile software for Smartphones and Pocket PCs. This is part of Microsoft’s broader Trustworthy Computing initiative. As a result, we anticipate future Windows Mobile product releases will provide even greater security.

  Q: What functionality can we expect to see on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs and Smartphones that will make viewing documents and Web pages easier?

  A: One of our main priorities for future Windows Mobile updates is optimizing the way customers view data and Web pages from their Pocket PCs and Smartphones. The ability to operate your Pocket PC in a landscape fashion is one such scenario we are investing in, as well as enhanced Web browsing for Smartphones and embedded support of VGA resolution for Pocket PCs and QVGA resolution for Smartphones. This should lead to some exciting new devices and practical new ways in which you can use them.

  Q: I love being able to bring Windows with me on the road but can’t decide whether to buy a Pocket PC or a Smartphone. Any suggestions?

  A: Because both Smartphones and Pocket PCs offer a broad range of applications, accessories, and standard programs, many of which you know from your desktop PC, deciding which style of device best suits you can be difficult.

  (above) Audiovox 5050 Pocket PC with integrated phone (top) and Motorola MPx200 Smartphone (bottom).

  To answer this you should ask yourself one key question: What will you be using this device for? If you envision yourself taking notes at meetings, downloading large files and applications, using Wi-Fi hotspots at coffee shops, and responding to sizable e-mails, you are a more data-centric customer and would probably be more satisfied with a Pocket PC. These touchscreen devices have out-of-box Pocket versions of Microsoft’s productivity applications Word and Excel. Pocket PCs with integrated phones not only let you interface with wireless data services, they provide phone capability for those users that only occasionally need to use voice communications.

  On the other hand, if you are looking for a mobile device to keep you connected to your Inbox and Outlook contacts and appointments, but don’t intend to do a large amount of e-mailing and file downloads, a Windows Mobile-based Smartphone may be your best fit. Designed for one-handed operation and equipped with a hardware dial pad and a small stylish screen, Windows Mobile-based Smartphones are perfect for customers whose primary communication is done with voice, but who still need access to data information. We believe that there’s no such thing as an ideal device that is all things to all people.

  Send questions to askmicrosoft@PocketPCmag.com.

  What's Online

  Pocket PC GPS Web Sites, Smartphone Sites, Freeware, and More!

  by Jim Karpen

  In keeping with one of this issue’s themes (travel), the first thing we’ll do is take a look at some Web sites devoted to Global Positioning System solutions. GPS is a great application for the Pocket PC, letting you know where you are at all times and providing digital maps and turn-by-turn routing information so that you can find your destination more easily.

  If you’d like to see a demo of GPS in action, check out Pocket PC magazine’s Video Edition for Planet PDA 2003 (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/video/#Planet%20PDA%20Expo%2003). Diane Dumas recorded a video of an in-car demo of Tom Tom Navigator. You’re right there in the car heading down a highway in Danvers, MA, using an iPAQ Pocket PC and the Tom Tom Navigator system to find the Sea Witch Restaurant.

  If you want to read what other Pocket PC users say about GPS, or ask some questions about it, visit Pocket PC magazine’s GPS forum (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=42), moderated by experts Shawna Kelly and Gary Garland. They can answer just about any question you have about this technology. Note the “GPS links worth checking out” at the top of their topic list.

  Pocket PC GPS sites

  GPS solutions for the Pocket PC involve two components: the physical GPS receiver and the navigation software that displays maps and
your location on the Pocket PC. Selecting a solution can be complicated because there is a wide range of choices for both of these components. Fortunately, there are a number of Web sites that can help you navigate through this maze of choices.

  GPS PasSion (http://www.gpspassion.com) is a popular site that offers news and reviews of GPS hardware and software, with a special focus on technologies for the Pocket PC platform. They also have articles such as “How to Choose a GPS,” which tells you which GPS receivers work with which Pocket PCs. If you join the GPS PasSion Club, you can receive personal assistance via e-mail as well as discounts on GPS hardware and software.

  Pocket GPS World (http://www.pocketgps.co.uk) is a general GPS site covering a variety of GPS hardware, software, and mapping tools. Although it covers many platforms, much of the content is related to the Pocket PC. They offer news, reviews, and product comparisons. The site also has dozens of forums, many of which are focused on a particular GPS hardware or software product.

  GPSinformation.net (http://gpsinformation.net) is another general GPS site with FAQs, tutorials, hardware and software reviews, GPS-related hobbies, and a section dedicated to GPS solutions for Pocket PCs and other PDAs. It provides a great overview of GPS topics, and their Quick Start Info section is especially useful for new users.