What Can I Do With My Axim?
(Second Edition, last revised, March, 2006)
By: Gigi Hsueh (Gigi), Moderator


INTRODUCTION  

PERSONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (PIM) AND EMAIL

• Outlook
• Email
• Webmail and Other Email options
• Other PIM Options
• PIM Plugins
• Other Time Management Solutions 

OFFICE SOLUTIONS

• Word and Excel
• PowerPoint
• Access
• Output to External Displays
• Customizing Your Display
• Sharing Documents
• Alternative Input Methods
• Finance 

INTERNET AND ONLINE COMMUNICATION

• Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE)
• Links to Mobile-Optimized Sites
• Enhancing Pocket Internet Explorer
• Alternative Browsers
• Other Browsing Solutions
• Offline Browsing
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Readers
• Podcasting
• Instant Messaging and Other Communication Options
• Going Online With Your Axim 

MULTIMEDIA

• Audio
• Audio Players Compatible With Axim
• Radio
• Audio Books
• Recording Audio
• Software For Musicians
• Video
• Video Players Compatible With Axim
• Obtaining Video
• Re-encoding Video for the Axim
• Popular Re-encoding Programs
• Accessing Streaming Media
• Viewing Macromedia Flash Content
• Watching TV
• Accessing TV Listings
• Using Your Axim as a Remote Control
• VGA
• Photos
• Your Axim as a Camera
   

LEISURE

• Games
• Gaming and the X50v/X51v
• Gaming Resources
• More Software for Leisure/Hobbies
• eBooks and eDocuments
• Common Document Readers
• Microsoft Reader
• Document Converters
• Free Ebooks
• Ebooks For Purchase
• Ebook Search Engines
• Dictionaries/Reference
• Religious Texts 

WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

• Infrared
• Wifi
• Wifi Hotspots
• WiFi Hotspots Locator
• WiFi Resources
• Bluetooth 

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)

• GPS Resources
• GPS Receivers
• GPS Software 

GENERAL POCKET PC RESOURCES 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MULTIMEDIA

You can enjoy audio, video and graphics content on your Axim in several ways:
 

1. File Transfer Through ActiveSync: The most straight-forward way to transfer files between your Axim and your PC is via ActiveSync. (Windows Media Player on your desktop also also allows you to transfer your audio files directly to your device.)  ActiveSync will only sync the files in your device's My Documents folder in internal memory, but third party utilities such as MobSync and  MightySync will allow you to sync to any location on your device.   In addition to syncing, you can also use ActiveSync's Explore feature to manually copy and paste files.   Although file transfers through ActiveSync are simple, it's best for small files since speeds are slow (but increased in WM5 devices) and transfer errors with large files are common.
    
2. Card Reader: Another way to transfer files from your desktop PC to your Axim is by using a card reader. This will allow you to transfer files and folders directly to your memory card(s) at high speeds.
    
3. Card Export II:  Card Export II PPC allows your Pocket PC to emulate a USB Mass storage device so that Windows Explorer can be used to copy or move files.  Note that a USB sync cable is required to use this utility.
    
4. Mapping Network Drives: Through wifi or Bluetooth, it is possible to wirelessly access the files on your network from your Axim. First, decide which folders you wish to "share" in your network (right click on folder and select Sharing and Security in Windows XP). Then map your network drives using a utility such as NetRunner, Total Commander or Resco Explorer.  For more detailed instructions, see Networking on your Axim.
    
5. Wireless File Transfer:  Using IR or Bluetooth, you can send individual files from a PC or another movile device (e.g., cell phone, another PDA) to your Axim.  This method is useful when transferring just a few, small files as it tends to be slow.
    
6. Accessing Streaming Content:    It is also possible to access multimedia content on your Axim by using it to access streaming content. Streaming refers to the transfer of data in a steady stream. The host side broadcasts the data while the client side receives it. This differs from downloading in that the data is not received in its entirety before being accessed but is received just before. Because of the nature of streaming, there is a delay in reception, the extent to which will depend on a number of factors, including demand and connection speed. As well, because streaming file sizes are huge, streamed data is compressed and output quality is compromised.   See Streaming Media World for more information and resources on streaming media. Also see Accessing Streaming Multimedia, below for more detailed instructions. 
    
7. Music Subscription Services: Axim users have had success using music subscription services such as Napster To Go,  Yahoo! Music Unlimited  or Rhapsody To Go to access music on their devices.  Keep in mind that with these services, you are not actually purchasing the music, just the right to play the music on a specified number of devices.  Once your subscription is over, your access to the music is terminated.
    

Audio: Your Axim is capable of playing as well as recording sound files (e.g., music, speech). The preinstalled Windows Media Player (WMP) will play .wma, .wav, .mp3 and .asx (Windows streaming audio) formats. To play other compressed audio formats such as .ogg  (Ogg Vorbis), it is necessary to install third-party players (see table Audio Players Compatible With Axim). You can obtain music files either by ripping your own CDs or by purchasing songs from music download sites such as Walmart.   (Note that music purchased from iTunes cannot be played on Axims because of access restrictions.)  Popular ripping and re-encoding programs include dBpowerAMP Music Converter, Exact Audio Copy, iTunes and desktop Windows Media Player. 

The speaker on the Axim is mono and gives off a weak, tinny sound. However, when used with good quality headsets, portable speakers, or when connected to a home stereo using good quality cables, the sound from the Axim is very satisfactory. For X50/X51 owners, a small utility called X50mix can be used to enable a hidden hardware equalizer.  Note that this improvement will only be evident when using the headphone jack.  For more details, consult this thread.  It is also possible to connect the Axim to a home or car stereo using a cassette adapter or an FM transmitter.


 
Audio Players Compatible With Axim

 

Figure 16: GSPlayer in landscape mode


Radio: With the appropriate hardware or software, your Axim can be used as an FM radio. pocketRADIO or SD-Radio are examples of  hardware radios that connect to a device's free CF or SD slot.  Live radio can also be accessed through Internet radio stations.  These can be streamed through your desktop PC to your Axim, or accessed directly by using audio players with streaming capability or by using a dedicated streaming radio application such as Resco Radio or SelectRadio.  (See Accessing Streaming Multimedia, below, for more details.)  Major League Baseball fans can also use Modern Transistor Radio 2005 to access streaming of live/archived MLB audio/video.   

Satellite Radio is a radio subscription service that is rapidly growing in popularity.  The advantage of it over regular AM/FM radio is that it delivers (mostly) commercial-free, digital-quality programming (music and talk) 24 hours a day.  Because the service is delivered by satellite, the service is available anywhere in the world as long as the receiver is in view of the sky.   XM subscribers have the option of listening to their favorite channels through the Internet on their Pocket PCs, either through  XstreamXM Mobile or using a program such as Pocket XM Radio.  Sirius also has an option to listen live on their website, but as of writing, current Pocket PC Internet browsers do not allow access to the site. Instead, they can use SiriuCE, which is freeware.

Figure 17: Resco Radio


Audio Books: For those who like to listen to books, books in .mp3 format can be purchase through BooksonMP3.com and DVDAudioBooks.com  (Books encoded at low bitrates can also be obtained for free from DVDAudioBooks.com). Audible.com sells audiobooks, radio programs, audio magazines and magazines by subscription to be played on their free Audible Player.

Recording Audio: To record on your Axim, simply access the Record function in the built-in Notes application.  (Out of the box, the Record function is also mapped to one of the hardware buttons for quick access.)  The resulting audio file will be in .wav format. NoteM Mp3 is a freeware alternative that records in .mp3 format resulting in higher compression but lower file sizes. For more advanced recording options, try VITO Sound Explorer and Resco Audio Recorder.  For an in-depth comparison of the the more full-featured sound recording applications, take a look at Advanced sound recorders on the Pocket PC. 

To ensure optimal quality recording quality, you may need to adjust the microphone gain settings settings by tapping Start - Settings - System - Microphone.    Improved sound quality may also be obtained by using an external microphone such as the PDAudio-CF, a Type I (extended) Compact Flash S/PDIF interface with optical and coaxial inputs using Live2496.  X50/X51 series users also have the additional option of using their own microphone combined with an adapter because of  the dual headphone/microphone jack that is a feature of the X50/X51 series. Seidio and  Pc-Mobile are two companies that offer such adapters.  Both companies also offer headset accessories as well.  Once you are finished with your recording, you may edit your files using VITO SoundEditor or PocketMixer.


Software For Musicians:  There is a growing variety of software written to help with composing and playing music. Music creators may find PhoenixStudio, PocketJam, Syntrax, Z4Music and Griff Pocket Music Studio useful for creating synthesized music, and PocketDrums helpful for creating and playing drum tracks.   For composing,  MidNote provides a standard music staff with editing features.  Those who play piano might have fun with JB Piano and  Pocket Piano Pro, while guitar players would find Guitar Addict and Pocket GuitarRef products, as well as  HandDee GTuner and Chordster to be handy.  For general tuning, PhonTuner (tunes musical instruments) and  Frequency Tuner would be helpful for any instrument.  Fun music applications to have for parties include PhonViso (visualizations) and Music Rainbow (sound responding light).
 

Figure 18: Resco Audio Recorder, Phoenix Studio

Video: Your Axim’s preinstalled Windows Media Player is capable of playing .wmv and .asf (streaming video) file formats. However, other video formats can be played using other players. See table Video Players Compatible With Axim, below for a summary of video players compatible with the Axim.

Video Players Compatible With Axim  

           

Figure 19: BetaPlayer/TCPMP (screenshot courtesy of transcout)

Obtaining video: Videos encoded for mobile devices can be purchased or legally downloaded for free at some websites. Some good sites for mobile  content such as movies, trailers and commercials include PocketMovies, PocketRocketFX, Internet Archive and Domain of the Infinite (a movie studio that creates movies exclusively for Pocket PC). PPCVIDZ.COM provides free access to streaming videos. To purchase movies and television shows in Pocket PC formats, check out Pocket PC Films, LikeTelevision and J & R Music and Computer World. Baseball fans can access streamed and archived baseball video using  Modern Transistor Radio 2005.

Re-encoding video for the Axim:  In order to view video files on your Axim, they must be in Pocket PC-friendly formats and file sizes.  Movie files you already have on your PC can be converted into sizes appropriate for memory cards using Movie2MemCard.   DVDs you own can be re-encoded and resized using  FairUse Wizard (for help see the How to rip a DVD To DivX/XviD using FairUse Wizard), DVD Catalyst/PocketDVD3, DVD to Pocket PC, Pocket DVD Wizard or Pocket DVD Studio     If you would like more control during the re-encoding process, you will require separate software for each step of the conversion.   For detailed instructions, take a look at these helpful guides:

• BigDs PocketPC Video Guides  (includes FairUse tutorial)
• How to rip a DVD To DivX/XviD using FairUse Wizard
• Quick Guide to Reencoding Video for Axim with Divx 5.0.3  
• Guide: DVD to avi the easy way (with deinterlacing)  
• Encode DivX Videos for PPCs - DVD to PPC (advanced)  
• How To: Encode Videos For Your PDA For Free (Both 320x240 AND 640x480)  
• Simple Guide for making MPEG files optimized for Pocket PC or Smartphone
• WMV for PPC Encoding Guide  

Popular Re-encoding Programs:

• FairUse Wizard
• PocketDivXEncoder
• VirtualDub
• Auto Gordian Knot
• Nero Digital
• UnLoGiC Movie Converter
• XMPEG
   

Viewing Macromedia Flash Content:  There are several applications that allow you to view Flash movies on your Axim, Swfht (for the English version from OddbOd, see this thread), Bryht Flash Player,  FlashAssist and  PFlashP.  Some may require the installation of Macromedia Flash Player 6 for Pocket PC 2003.  

Watching TV:  You can watch TV programs on your Axim in several ways:

• Streamed from PC:  See Accessing Streaming Multimedia.
   
• Streamed from Internet:  SmartVideo is a subscription-based service that allows you to watch live TV on your Smartphone or Pocket PC device.   See Accessing Streaming Multimedia for other ways to get television feeds from the Internet.
   
• Using a TV tuner card: You can watch live TV using the EOps TV CF Card for Pocket PC. This card fits into the CF slot of your device, and using its tuner and antenna, detects television signals.
   
• Previously recorded programs: Subscribers to TiVo can use TiVoToGo to wirelessly transfer recorded video from their DVR to PPCs with Windows Media Player 10.  SnapStream's Beyond TV can use the ShowSqueeze feature to recompress any recorded show into Windows Media Player format (.wmv).  MyTV ToGo allows you to copy TiVoToGo or Windows Media Center Recorded TV shows to your device. 

Accessing TV Listings: Pocket TV Listings (PTVL) is a freeware program that contains a desktop component and a PPC component.  The desktop application reformats and transfers TV listings from Zap2it.com.  This information is then synced over to your mobile device using ActiveSync.  For users outside of North America,  PTVL will also work with listings in the XMLTV format using XMLTV or XMLTV Radio Times Grabber.  Alternatives  to PTVL include  XMLTV EPG Viewer and  Pocket TV Browser, which uses tv listings from Evolve Solution with a paid subscription.  (See this thread for instructions for accessing listings for the UK.)  Journal Bar, a popular Today plugin can also provide access to tv listings in addition to other current information (e.g., weather, news, stocks.)

Using Your Axim as a Remote Control:  Your Axim's wireless capabilities allow it to be used a remote to control your PC or your home audio/video equipment. 

• Controlling your PC's multimedia:  Remote access to your PC requires a Wifi or Bluetooth connection.  Applications specifically designed to control multimedia on your PC include:
  • Pocket PC Media Control
  • Rudeo
  • Niveus Pocket Remote
  • NetRemote
  • Simbolic WMP Remote
  • Zerama Remote
  • NetRemote Music
  • Streaming Playlist
  • RemoteAmp
  • Salling Clicker  
     

• Controlling your PC in general: General remote access applications include Logmein, VNC Pocket PC Viewer or Mocha VNC Client  (requires VNC server on PC end; see VNC Tutorial for more details), z2 Remote2PC or the built-in Terminal Services client (instructions)  (available on Windows XP Pro or 2000 ). 
   
• Controlling audio/video equipment: Accessing home audio/video equipment using your Axim requires a special type of IR called Commercial IR.  Commercial IR can reach distances of up to 20+ feet and is a feature of the X3/X30 series.  Pocket PCs that only have regular IR, such as the X5 series, would require an IR extender, such as Laser.com's PDA-IR - CF IR Extender or the UltraMote Extender.  The X50/X51 series may also benefit from an IR extender, depending on the range requirements.  Along with software such as PDAwin's TV Remote Controller, NoviiRemote  or Total Remote, an Axim can be used to control TV, Cable, SAT, DVD and other equipment. For more information on these applications,  take a look at The definitive roundup of all IR remote controller apps.  For general information about  using remotes and skinning remote software, visit Remote Central.

 Figure 20: PTVL, Total Remote

VGA

One of the latest advancements in the Pocket PC world is the VGA (video graphics array) screen.  At 640 x 480 pixels, it has a resolution that is four times that of the previous PPC standard, QVGA (Quarter VGA) (320 x 240 pixels).  The advantage of having higher resolution is increased detail.  In practical terms, this means images may appear sharper and that more information can be displayed in the same amount of space.

Pocket PCs that are capable of VGA will always display images that are 640X480 pixels.  However, the way in which the graphics will actually appear will depend on the application itself.   Older programs that were designed for QVGA screens will not display properly because the operating system is forced to double each pixel ("pixel doubling") in order to make the graphics fit the entire screen.  Consequently, applications that were not designed for VGA may run slowly and appear more pixelated when run on a VGA device.  Force Hi-resolution is a small utility that tries to get around this problem by "forcing" an app to run in Forced VGA mode (see below for explanation).  Tweaks2k2 also has the ability to deactivate double pixeling.  For those comfortable with doing their own tweaking, take a look at this thread for instructions on using MUI files.

• Standard VGA:  The default VGA mode is commonly called Standard VGA.  Standard VGA  renders graphics that are readable by most users, so programs that are VGA-aware will display graphics that are basically the same size compared to a QVGA screen but with significantly more detail (e.g., shading, 3-dimensional looking) and smoother edges.  The advantage of increased resolution is also evident when zooming in or changing to smaller fonts.    For a listing of software that is VGA-optimized, please see The Official VGA Optimised Software List.  Those running devices with both VGA and WM5 should also cross-check this list with those found in the WindowsMobile 5.0 compatible software list or WM5FixSite.com.
   
• True VGA: To take full advantage of the increased resolution of a VGA display, utilities such as OzVGA and SE_VGA can be used to reduce the size of the images and fonts so that four times more detail can be shown.  (These programs also adjust for the differences in the toolbars, etc. so that it does not only take up only one quarter of the screen.)  This is what is known as True VGA.  True VGA is ideal when one wants view as much information as possible with the minimum of scrolling.  However, good eyesight is a must and switching back to Standard VGA mode requires a soft reset.   For lots of technical details about True VGA, take a look at VGA demystified – the definitive guide to OzVGA, SE_VGA and everything VGA-related.
   

         

Figure 21: Standard VGA vs. True VGA in Pocket Internet Explorer

• Forced VGA: It's also possible to use a combination of Standard VGA and True VGA by "forcing" certain programs to run in True VGA.     In Forced VGA mode, the operating system runs in Standard VGA mode but selective programs can be made to run in True VGA.  Forced VGA can be accomplished using Tweaks2K2; however, some programs (e.g., Pocket Internet Explorer), will not run in Forced VGA mode.

For more information on other VGA Pocket PCs, visit VGA Pocket PC.com.  If your device does not have VGA, you can use third party utilities such as Nyditot Virtual Display or dotPocket to change orientation and virtual resolution of the display

Photos: If you have .jpg files you wish to view, simply locate them in File Explorer and tap on them to open them up by default in Pocket Internet Explorer in PPC2002, Pictures in WM2003/2003SE or Pictures & Videos in WM5. Other freeware picture viewers include: XnView Pocket, DAVA Image Viewer,  PDAmill Viewer, and Pocket Beholder. For more powerful features, consider Resco Photo Viewer, (part of your Dell companion CD), Spb Imageer or SplashPhoto. For photo editing, try Pocket Artist. For a comprehensive comparison of a number of different picture viewers, take a look at Picture viewers/editors for the Pocket PC platform. 

In order to transfer your pictures from your PC to your Axim, follow the steps outlined, at the beginning of MULTIMEDIA, above.  For larger file sizes, you may choose to resize your picture files first so that they transfer and load faster on your Axim. There are many freeware applications that will resize your pictures, including IrfanView (capable of batch-processing) and Microsoft Image Resizer (quick for individual files). If you have a digital camera which uses CompactFlash or Secure Digital memory cards, you can use your Axim to view your photos instantly (i.e., without transferring them first) by inserting the cards into your Axim.


           


Figure 22: XnView, Pocket Artist


Your Axim as a Camera: You can take low resolution pictures and video using your Axim by using either a CompactFlash  or Secure Digital  camera. Models that work in the CF slot include the Veo Photo Traveler for Pocket PC, the Pretec CompactCamera  and the LifeView FlyCAM-CF. The Veo Photo Traveler 130S (SD) and LifeView FlyCAM-SD should be compatible with any Axim with SDIO (not X5 series).  Photos can then be sent to the printer via wifi, Bluetooth or IR using PocketPixPrint.

Figure 23:  Lifeview FlyCAM-SD

INTRODUCTION  | PERSONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (PIM) AND EMAIL | OFFICE SOLUTIONS | INTERNET AND ONLINE COMMUNICATION | MULTIMEDIA | LEISURE | WIRELESS COMMUNICATION | GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) | GENERAL POCKET PC RESOURCES | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS