Expand the Powers of Your Pocket PC–Based Handheld

Go to the next level with Windows® XP Pro

Pocket PC–based handhelds, such as the Compaq Ipaq, allow you to stay productive wherever you are. You can read and manage email, edit spreadsheets, draft letters and memos, surf the Internet, and play digital music.

Your pocket Windows CE or Linux–based handheld keeps you connected, but is it time to boost its multimedia capabilities? Upgrading to Windows® XP Pro will help enhance several of the applications you may be running on your pocket PC–based handheld — and give you some new options that make mobile computing easier and more convenient than ever. Plus, you won't have to employ every bit of your computer's memory to take advantage of these features.

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Getting started

According to Andy Rathbone, author of Windows® XP for Dummies, "Windows XP recognizes many pocket PCs by name as soon as they're plugged in." This instant identification helps you enjoy trouble– and pain–free installation. Windows XP also immediately recognizes a number of compact flash cards, portable data storage devices that allow users to transfer data from their computer to their pocket PC–based handheld. This instant identification feature allows users to enjoy the full benefits and speed of "plug and play."

Mobile music collection

Compaq Ipaq

Do you avoid downloading music files onto your pocket PC–based handheld because the files take up too much memory?

Windows® XP Pro can help. The operating system allows users to save music files in WMA (Windows Audio Music) format at 64Kbps. "Many pocket PC users prefer Windows XP's built–in WMA format since it's half the size of an MP3 file and sounds very similar in quality," says Rathbone.

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Lights, camera, action

With XP Pro, you can take your movies on the road. The operating system allows users to create, edit, and store movies, and also includes a storage format designed especially for pocket PCs.

If you decide to transfer movies to your pocket PC–based handheld, be sure to have some time to spare. According to Windows® XP for Dummies, "copying videos can take a long time. In fact, unless your...pocket PC connects to your computer using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, the transfer could take 20 minutes or more."

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