Documenting and Demonstrate Windows CE
By Chris De Herrera, Copyright 2001
 Version 1.00  Revised 2/6/2001

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Introduction

When you are considering deploying Pocket PCs or Handheld PCs in your corporate environment you will need to document how to use the PC Companion and demonstrate to users the features and capabilities of the applications.  Listed below are the tools that will help you demonstrate and document how to use PC Companions.  I have personally used these tools in talks I have had about Windows CE and on my website.

Documenting how to use a Pocket PC or Handheld PC

One of the most common issues I hear from Corporate developers or project managers is, "How can I create screen shots of my application?"  Creating screen shots allows you to document what your application looks like and what it is supposed to do for users.  There are multiple tools to create screen shots for PC Companions.  

For developers, there is a program called CEZoom which is provided with the eMbedded Visual Tools.  CEZoom requires you to be synchronizing with your desktop to capture a screen shot.  The screen shot is displayed in CEZoom on the desktop and you have the option to store the .BMP on your PC.

You can also capture screen shots without the development tools.  Developer One sells an application called ScreenSnap which runs on all PC Companions. It allows you to capture the screen of you PC Companion even when you are not connected or while you are connecting to another host.  It stores the .BMP files on the device so you may need a storage card to move them if you plan on capturing many screen shots.  Each screen on a Pocket PC is approximately 300k.  Also, ScreenSnap supports the new landscape mode of the Pocket PCs as well.  I use ScreenSnap to create the screen shots you see on Pocket PC FAQ.

Demonstrating how to use a Pocket PC or Handheld PC

One of the additional issues that corporate project managers run into is, "How do I demonstrate how to use the Pocket PC or Handheld PC?"  Well here's some answers to that question:

On the Pocket PC, you can use Virtual iPAQ, Virtual Jornada or Virtual Cassiopeia to display the same images on a notebook PC as are displayed on the Pocket PC.  This application is available from www.hive.speedhost.com/ce.  The Virtual iPAQ, Virtual Jornada or Virtual Cassiopeia requires you to connect via ActiveSync and run an application on the desktop in order to see what is being displayed on the Pocket PC. The advanced version of this application allows you to record the clicks for playback in the future which may be helpful for scripting demonstrations.  You'll find the Virtual Pocket PC application too slow for video or high speed applications.

On the Handheld PC, Professional Edition, there are some devices which allow for simultaneous video via their built-in VGA ports.  This allows you to view the screen of the H/PC Pro to demonstrate an application. Examples include the NEC MobilePro 880 and 770.

An additional option to display information from a PC Companion to a crowd is to use a camera for small objects or a video camera with a tripod.  Both of these options work well for demonstrating videos and explaining the hardware features of the PC Companion.  Sometimes there are issues with focus as you switch from device to device and contrast on the screen can be difficult to adjust for optimum viewing.

Conclusion

Corporate project mangers will be more successful with their deployments if they take advantage of theses different methods of communicating with their users.  Also, the ability to assess what applications are available to connect to their existing systems allows them to expand the capabilities of the Pocket PC.

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