Reviews (6)

Wireless Bliss
Nick's book is a must if even for the chapters on SOAP and .Net Web Services. The HTTP object that ships with the CD (and updated for Pocket PC 2002 on his website www.nickgrattan.org) is very useful, especially for a non C++ atl developer such as myself. I have found it very easy with guidance from this book to develop, in eVB, wireless applications both on and off the corporate intranet. With very little effort I have been able to satisfy managers normally gasping for MIS, and leave them rolling over and purring like pussycats. Well done Nick.

Recommended for the intermediate developer
I bought this along with Tiffany and Tacke. My development project involves several PocketPC's working in a wireless networked data management environment. For my purposes Tiffany was a throw away because he never gets beyond the basic Access and ADO subjects. Tacke provides details of his sample SQLCE application. Gratton is most useful because he writes to the intermediate level, provides insight on technology and architecture, teaches the methods of using/creating key features, and doesn't waste time and patience. I found him pulling up short only on the topic of customization for merge conflict resolution, but this is probably covered in SQL Server docs. His discussion on XML, SOAP and .NET gives a valuable heads-up on Web services. Grattan is a great starting point for the serious enterprise developer.

Takes you alot further than Microsoft...
This is a really good book for trying to understand the bewildering array of tools needing to come together to develop in eVB for the PocketPC. Nick's projects examples are more robust and more correct examples of how to write code for eVB than the Microsoft examples. Most of the explanations I have read so far in this book (I just got it last night) were just the right medicine I needed to make the next part of the project come together. What I really like about this book is that its really to the point of what does it take to make the application work. From where to get the correct software updates (SDK's, SSCE, etc), how to setup the project, how to use the controls, and enough working example of code interacting with control and libraries to make it all come together. The author doesnt spew out conceptual market buzz fluff, he gets you to code that works quickly. The treatment of SQL Server CE was worth the price of the book. ... Definitely a keeper ! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Basic (Programming Language)    2. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Database Management - General    7. Hardware - Handheld Computing    8. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    9. Microcomputers    10. Microsoft Visual BASIC    11. Pocket computers    12. Portable computers    13. Programming Languages - BASIC    14. Programming Languages - Visual BASIC    15. Basic, Visual Basic & QBasic    16. Computers / Database Management / General    17. PCs (IBM-compatible personal computers)   

Reviews (17)

Fantastic Reference
This is a truly fantastic arrangement of reference material. Too bad it is so out of date. I would eagerly purchase a newer updated version.

Poor editing on a book of this nature.
This book would get five stars,but, it has a fatal error in my opinion. On page 64 of I/O interfaces, it lists that USB 2 has a bandwidth of 480 megabytes(MB) per second, which should say 480 megabits(Mb) per second. It makes one wonder what other mistakes there are, and kinda defeats the purpose of this book. This book is to provide solid facts on the spot, when you need it. So if someone, not very tech knowledgable, needed vital data on the specifications of USB 2.0, they would be left with wrong information.

Excellent book!
Anyone that works on pcs at all needs this book in their arsenal.It has many support numbers that come in handy!Don't pass this one up! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Science    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information   

Reviews (2)

very good start up book
very good book for those who started to code PDAs. Starts from tool installation til developing apps. It assumes you know VB and SQL.

Some good information but...
Whoa, This book is out of date!It starts off with some interesting history about PDAs.The editing is a little rough with typos and stilted english.The AppForge info is two years old.Even worse, the Microsoft embedded Visual Basic chapters are pretty worthless and even more out of date. Save your money for a more recent book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Hardware - Handheld Computing    5. Programming - General    6. Computer Programming    7. Computers / Programming / General    8. Personal computers   

Reviews (1)

Good example of what a technical publication should be.
Be aware that this book goes hand-in-hand with the "Enhanced A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC" (ISBN 0-619-03433-5). Don't let the slenderness of this Pocket guide fool you. I've heard it being said about computer books, that "their girth is inversely proportionate to their worth". Very true in this case. Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General   

Reviews (1)

Even when you thought you knew it all... there's more!
I'll admit it.I'm an early adapter. I try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to wait at least a month before buying the latest toy.I think I managed 3 weeks with my Treo600.So by the time I got this book, I'd had it a good 8 months and I honestly thought I'd figured out all the tricks.Wrongo!Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Hardware - Handheld Computing    5. Computers / Hardware / Handheld Computing    6. Storage media & peripherals   

Subjects:  1. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Editorial Review

Concentrating on the Win32 C APIs that power the new Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 operating system, Read more

Reviews (11)

Great book on using win32 API in windows CE OS
Note that he doesn't claim to cover GUI programming. It is great in its explanation of thread synchronization, accessing drivers, and differences between CE and desktop Windows.

Carefull...
I ordered this book to help me migrate from development on Linux to development on Windows CE.I found errors in the first 10 minutes of reading!(Page 249, 1/986 and 1/147 are both wrong.Refer to the NMEA 0183 spec for details.) Great reference but not for beginners
This book is a great Windows CE reference.The material and examples are comprehensive, clear and concise.But do not use it as an introduction to eVC++ because there is virtually nothing on the user interface or the basics of MFC.If you are a C++ or VC++ programmer, and you want to become functional in a hurry with Windows CE 3.0, I strongly recommend it. Also, unlike a previous reviewer, I found the author to be very responsive to questions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Application software    2. Computer Bks - Operating Systems    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Computers - Operating Systems    6. Development    7. Microcomputer Operating Environments    8. Microsoft Windows (Computer fi    9. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Programming - Software Development    12. Programming Languages - General    13. C & Visual C    14. Computers / Operating Systems / Windows    15. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (10)

Some sections have merit
You should be aware that, in general, this book is NOT a very good book (it puts too much emphasis on the use of the author's individual programming quirks and applications).However, the sections on setting up a program so that you can build it for both the Desktop and the PockectPC environments have merit. But, as I recall, the implementation makes use of some kind of libraries found on the CD that comes with the book. Also, the implementation is for a C++ based programming environment, not a C#/CompactFramework environment - but the general approach should be the same. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Compact_Framework/

The worst programming book I have ever read
I am a professional software engineer who was looking for specifics on CE development.In the course of my career I have read Stroustrup, Design Patterns, Algorithm books, you name it.I have never, ever, seen a book this awful.Dr. (!) Krell preaches about the "subtleties" of pocket pc interface design.Patronizes about the importance of being a user in order to understand UI's.He constantly refers back to his little, custom developed GUI framework whenever he discusses building UI's for CE, but doesn't make it clear when the function is in the Windows API or his little framework.He generalizes in a chapter about just what good software architecture means.His steps are laborious and often humourous ("Step 1. Launch embedded Visual C++"). Useless
Bought this book over a year ago and found it totally useless.The author presents some sort of framework on programming style, but doesn't say much about how to actually do programming tasks for the Pocket PC.This is one of the worst books I've bought. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Hardware - Handheld Computing    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Operating Systems - General    8. Pocket computers    9. Programming - Software Development   

Subjects:  1. Critical Care    2. Medical    3. Medical / Nursing   

Reviews (3)

Inconsistent, wrong examples - Pay Attention!
I bought this book not knowing a lick of Win32 API programming, so I had to take a crash course in Win32 programming first, as the book starts off assuming you know the API.Thankfully, it leaves MFC and ATL to the lastchapter and focuses solely on C and the API. Non beginners book
If you are an absolute beginner in Windows CE programming you will not find answers to your questions in it. You need a lot of skills to read it through. Sample code is excellent: very short, useful and IT WORKS!

Good general WinCE book - authors are well-respected
Chapter Headings:Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computers    4. Microcomputer Operating Environments    5. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    6. Operating Systems - Windows    7. Operating systems (Computers)    8. Programming - General    9. Programming - Software Development   

Reviews (1)

The best guide to programming on Macintosh
This is a well organized and concise book that advanced programmers want to have when they write assmbly code or do debugging.This is also a very useful book when you want to control electronic system using microchip.A must for advanced programmers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computers - Languages / Programming    2. Electronics - Microelectronics    3. Engineering - General    4. Microcomputer Programming    5. PowerPC microprocessors    6. Programming    7. Programming - General    8. Programming Languages - General    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Technology    11. Computer Programming    12. Computer architecture & logic design    13. Computers / Programming Languages / General    14. Macintosh    15. PCs (IBM-compatible personal computers)   

Subjects:  1. Compilers    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Compilers & interpreters    5. Computing and Information Technology   

Subjects:  1. Medical    2. Medical / Nursing    3. Osteopathy    4. Radiology    5. Medical / Radiology & Nuclear Medicine   

Reviews (3)

Good Start-up
Ideal for the starting Pilot user.The book is mostly information available on the web, but in a more convenient format, with the software readily available. It has a few pearls for advanced users, but is of little to no value for power users.

Plus for entry level users, minus for power users
This book is a decent compilation of information already available on the internet. It does savetime in this respect. I was disappointed to find out that I already had the software on the CD or already knew the 'tips' the book had to offer.

A great companion
This book is a must for all new, and perhaps some old, afficionados of that wonder piece of computing, the Palm Pilot. Glossing over the information contained in the Palm Pilot Handbook, Schafer's book is a review of some of the software available for the Palm Pilot and asampler of some. As such, it is a great overview of how-to-make-a-great-little-machine-even-better. One of the nice features of this book is that it lists add-on software in categories familiar to the basic Palm Pilot interface, so the reader can quickly look up extra software that may aid that user in particular. It even provides sources for the reader to develop his/her own software for the Palm Pilot. The disadvantages of Schafer's book are that it may date quickly, and the somewhat overly-smarmy descriptions of this little bit of hardware may aggravate the more cynical. Howeverthe new and convinced devotee will only agree. Happy playing! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - General Information    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    6. Microcomputers    7. PalmPilot (Computer)    8. Portable computers    9. Personal computers   

Reviews (1)

Good for simple programming
This book covers two programming tools for the Palm; one is HotPaw Basic the other CASL. These are OK; but if you want to write simple useful programs I would recommend PocketC and get the book "Palm Programming for the Absolute Beginner" by Andy Harris. With PocketC you can write programs of reasonable complexity.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Hardware - Handheld Computing    5. Programming - Software Development    6. Programming Languages - General    7. Security - General   

Reviews (1)

The PC Technician's Pocket Field Guide
This is one great little book, I have learned so much.
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Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Science    4. Computer Science (General)    5. Computers    6. Electronics - General    7. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    8. Reference    9. Study Guides    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Electrical engineering    12. Technology / Engineering / Electrical   

Reviews (5)

ratings of the chess game?
The book is testament to the ingenuity of fitting applications into such a constrained platform. Tight in terms of screen space, memory, disk and bandwidth. Yet scores of applications have arisen to pacify the bored user. Many of these are games. Relive Scrabble, Battleship and Yahtzee. These also permit other players. If you can find someone else with a PDA and that game, within range of your PDA, then off you go.
Dissapointing
I bought this book thinking it would help me choose which specific software would meet my needs best but it was way too generic and does not mention for what version of WIN Mobile these apps where designed for, which was frustrating since the book was published in 2004 and most of the apps are not designed for Mobile 2003, and some of the utilities are no longer needed with the upgrades in the latest version.I did get something out of it, I learned that a converter would be better suited to my needs than a calculator and other couple of things I had no idea there was an app for. Will give you ideas to what kinds of software is out there but it doesn't give enough information to let you know if that specific software will meet your needs. Yes, you can download free trials and test them but who has the time to test the habilities and limitations of the app, specially ones which require a learning curve like databases? It reads more like advertisement than recommendations and reviews. It does not mention what size the software is, a big omission since space is critical in these little wonders. My book has a different cover but the same ISBN and publication date.
A nice intro to the world of Pocket PC applications...
Since I recently got an HP iPaq, I decided it was about time to dig in and see what sort of software was available for this new toy.Part of that search led me to the book 101 Killer Apps For Your Pocket PC by Rick Broida and Dave Johnson (McGraw-Hill/Osborne).While you could probably find these software titles on your own by using the internet, this book is an entertaining way to get a nice overview of the wide range of software you should think about adding to your Pocket PC.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books And Software    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - PCs    6. Microcomputer Design    7. Pocket computers    8. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / IBM-Compatible    9. Personal computers   

Reviews (1)

a solid book
The book is pretty small (roughly half the size of a normal book).It is not really wordy and it doesn't have many pictures, but the troubleshooting charts are good.It is much better than several other troubleshooting books that I have seen.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Hardware - General    6. Maintenance and repair    7. Microcomputers    8. Utilities    9. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / General    10. General Theory of Computing   

Editorial Review

The best general-interest book about that most-adored Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) clearly came about from a lot of thought and effort. With a book richer in facts and better focused than the original edition, Read more

Reviews (51)

Too old now, but good when it was new
I like this book, or rather, I loved it when it was new, but now that I have a Tungsten T3 I have no use for this book. I agve it away for free with my old Palm Vx to a friend.
The Ultimate Guide...a brilliant start!
This book provided me with a great deal of insight into just how the Palm operates and how I can use it to do what I need it to do.I found it helpful in the areas of importing/exporting graphics; what models are expandable and which are not.I knew a lot of this info. from just have the Palm handheld, but there were many particulars I knew nothing of that the book helped me understand.I recommend it for those who just got their Palm handheld or those who desire a more intimate knowledge of.Sadly, I don't use the CD-ROM as much as I could but the disc is organized well with an easily understood navigation system.

The CD maybe is it's best mate...and your great deal...
I bougth this book and when I started to explore the CD that comes with it...I really wondered my self as hell!!!!!!!. This CD has a lot of programs(3500) and many of 'em are a beauty. I love CD more than just the book . I love my palm and when my palm get broken I ?d buy another one, but is hard to loss your palm they are maden for long life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Hardware - Handheld Computing    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    6. Microcomputers    7. PalmPilot (Computer)    8. Programming - General    9. Computers / Hardware / Handheld Computing    10. Personal computers   

Editorial Review

What we have here is a teeny-tiny user's manual for a teeny-tiny computer. Read more

Reviews (5)

PPC 2002
Well, this book describes the Pocket PC 2002 OS, whereas I am using a Toshiba PPC e355 with a PPC 2003 OS.

Absolutely worthless
I cannot believe anyone gave this book greater than 1 star.Are they confusing it with a different title?This book is nothing more than a re-hash of exactly the same information you get with the user's manual.It doesn't even give you any of the tips that one reviewer praises it for.Save your money and buy "How To Do Everything With Your iPAQ Pocket PC" instead.That book has LOTS of tips and tricks and is much better for your money.

A good general purpose book
This book is a good general pocket pc book.Very easy reading and good information and content.If you are a person who never used a pocket pc or if you had one for awhile this book is for you. I wanted a book that would help me be more efficient using my pocket pc and I wanted to know the in's and out's this book really helped me ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. General    5. Hardware - Handheld Computing    6. Pocket computers    7. Computers / General    8. PCs (IBM-compatible personal computers)