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The most common way of entering data into a hand-held device is to use the stylus to write characters that are interpreted into text. Pocket PC 2002 and Pocket PC 2003, which is loaded on all current models of iPAQs, come loaded with three handwriting-recognition modes for text entry: Letter Recognizer, Block Recognizer, and Transcriber. Only one method of character recognition can be used at a time. The icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen indicates the current method of recognition that you are using. Tapping on the up arrow beside the icon will open a pop-up menu you can use to change your input method.

Both the Start and New menus can be modified to meet your specific needs. Select Settings from the Start menu, and a window will open that displays the icons of different settings that you can modify.
Tapping the Menu icon will open a dialog box where you can customize the Start and New menus. The Start Menu tab of the Menus dialog box is focused on the Start menu. You will see a list of all known applications and subfolders on the Pocket PC that you can include on the menu. Adding a folder means that tapping it on the Start menu will open it. Modifying the menu is simply a matter of selecting the check boxes of the applications and folders you wish to appear in the Start menu, and deselecting the check boxes of those that you don’t want. The New Menu tab in the Menus dialog box controls the New menu. You cannot add new items to this list, but you can remove documents that you do not want to be able to launch directly, by deselecting those documents in the list. The more important option on this tab is Turn On New Button Menu. When this check box is selected, the New menu will show a pop-up arrow beside it. This doesn’t affect how the menu works in the Today page, but in other applications with a New menu, normally New will only create a new document within that application. With the pop-up menu, you can create a new document of any type from almost anywhere at any time. For example, while editing a Word document, you could open the New menu and begin creating a new e-mail message or Excel workbook.

As in the desktop versions of Windows, in Pocket PC you launch applications from the Start menu. Tapping the Start menu at any time will open the list. Note that when an application is launched, the Start menu is replaced by the name of the program that you are currently running, but tapping on the program name will always cause the Start menu to appear. All PDAs except for the H1910 come loaded with Pocket PC Premium. The H1910 has Pocket PC Professional, which doesn’t come with some of the embedded software such as Terminal Server. Software that isn’t included on the H1910 will be pointed out in the various sections.
The top bar of the menu the icons shows up to six of the last applications that you ran. Tapping any of these icons will relaunch that program. Note that this only works for programs, not for shortcuts or documents. Below that bar are the most commonly used programs that you can launch. This list can be customized (discussed in the “Customizing the Start and New Menus” section later), but initially provides links to the Today page, ActiveSync, Pocket Outlook applications, Pocket Internet Explorer, and the Pocket PC Media Player.
The Start menu is the primary launching point for applications on the Pocket PC. The next section of the Start menu contains two shortcuts: Programs and Settings. Programs will take you to the folder where shortcuts to all programs loaded on the Pocket PC should be stored. This folder contains the full set of applications installed on your PDA, not just those featured in the short list above it.
The final section contains a Find tool to search for any data contained in your PDA. It also has the Help utility. The Help utility is context sensitive. If you are in PocketWord and you tap the Start menu, and then tap Help, you will receive Help for the section ofWord that you are in. This aspect of Help makes it particularly handy while you’re getting to know the Pocket PC applications.

From the time your PDA is first turned on until you complete this task, your Today page (which is the page that will appear first) has a line reading, “Tap here to set owner information.” Tapping this line will open up the Owner Information dialog box.
This is very important to set up to ensure that someone finding your PDA can return it to you. On this screen you will enter your name, company, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. You can also set an option that causes your information to be displayed every time the device is turned on. That way anyone turning it on will immediately know it’s yours. The option to show your owner information on startup is very important if you decide to set a power-on password for your device because it is the only way someone finding your device will know it’s yours.

When you power up your iPAQ for the first time, the iPAQ will initialize and ask you to run through some initial calibrations. To configure the touch screen, you must tap on the screen in the various positions indicated. If you ever find that the places you tap on the screen register inaccurately, you can rerun this setup from the Settings area. If you have an older iPAQ (37xx series and earlier), when the device is shipped, the master power switch is turned off. To turn it on, you must open the hard reset port on the bottom of the iPAQ. Use the tip of the stylus to slide the cover to the left. Underneath the cover, you slide the switch to the left to turn on the power. Be sure to slide the switch cover back after turning on the power, to prevent it being accidentally switched off.
The initial setup will also get you to select your time zone. Once you have worked through
these initial screens, your iPAQ is ready to use.

Most Pocket PC PDA models feature similar external hardware configurations with the exception of the
SD slots on the newer series, the fingerprint scanner on the 54xx series, and small variations in button size and location.
The front of the iPAQ contains most of the items that you will use as
you work with the iPAQ. From left to right, top to bottom, the features are

• Microphone The built-in microphone is useful for voice dictation and voice control software. On the 5400 series iPAQs the microphone is on the bottom left. On the H1910 it is on the very top of the unit.
• Light sensor This sensor will automatically adjust the side lighting based upon the light in the room.
• Power indicator/Charging/Alert light This light glows solid amber if your iPAQ is connected to AC power and fully charged. It is off if your iPAQ is running on battery power, flashes amber if your iPAQ is charging, and flashes green if you have an alert or reminder. On the 5400 series iPAQ it is on the left and is one of three indicator lights. The other two lights are for 802.11b wireless connection and Bluetooth connection. On the H1910 a single indicator light in the top middle is also the power button.
• Speaker Built-in speaker for any sound coming out of your iPAQ. On models prior to the 38xx series iPAQs, the speaker was hidden inside the Navigation Disc (see later in list).
• Power button This button turns your iPAQ on and off. It also turns the side light off and on when held down for one second.
• Screen This is a 320×240-pixel touch-sensitive screen.
• Button One (Calendar button) This programmable button is by default set to open the Calendar, but can be modified to perform a number of functions.
• Button Two (Contacts button) This programmable button is by default set to open Contacts.
• Button Three (Inbox button) This programmable button is by default set to open the Inbox on all iPAQs since the 37xx series. On 36xx series or older iPAQs it opens the Quick Menu application.
• Button Four (iTask button) This programmable button is by default set to open the iPAQ iTask program, which is used to switch between running applications or to shut down open applications. On older iPAQ models, this button opened the Compaq task switcher. On the H1910, this button will return you to the Today screen.
• Navigation Disc A multiposition disc for navigating through applications and data. This disc’s size and shape vary by model of iPAQ.
• Biometric Fingerprint Reader This is on the 54xx series iPAQs only and compares the fingerprint of the device user against a stored fingerprint to authenticate the user. If the fingerprints do not match, the device will not allow access.

Looking down on the top of the iPAQ, note three controls (from left to right):

• Headphone jack Use this jack to plug in stereo headphones and listen to any of the sounds the iPAQ produces (incidentally, it makes a good MP3 player).
• Top microphone hole This is a small hole that is linked to the internal microphone like the hole on the front of the iPAQ. It lets you record a sound by pointing your iPAQ at the sound source (on the 54xx series, this hole is on the bottom).
• Secure Digital slot On the 38xx, 39xx, 19xx, and 54xx series iPAQ this slot allows you to insert Secure Digital (SD) memory cards, or SD-based devices such as a digital camera (except on the H1910, which does not support the SDIO—Secure Digital Input/Output—standard, so the slot can only be used for memory).
• Infrared port This port is used for sending and receiving information from other infrared devices. On the H1910, this port is on the left side of the iPAQ. More information on this is in the “Beaming Data for Easy Transfer” section later in this chapter.
• Stylus The stylus is conveniently stored inside the body of the iPAQ.

Press the silverbutton to pop the stylus out of its slot if you have a 37xx series of iPAQ or earlier. If you have a 38xx series iPAQ or later, the stylus is released by pushing it down so it pops out. To slide the H1910 stylus out of its slot, slide your finger or thumb along the back-right corner in an upward motion.
On the bottom of the iPAQ you will find four items (from left to right):

• Adapter jack Use this jack to plug in an external charger. This jack doesn’t exist on the 38xx, 39xx, or H1910 iPAQs, as they must be charged through the Sync port.
• Hard reset switch (36xx and 37xx series iPAQs only) Use this switch for hard resetting the device (this will wipe out the memory of the device). Hard resetting is not something you want to do by accident, so the switch to cut and restore power is covered by a sliding door.
• Sync port This port is used for plugging in an external sync cable. On most models of iPAQ this port can also be used to charge the iPAQ.
• Expansion port This port is the long port close to the back of the device. It is used to attach the iPAQ to its expansion sleeves. The H1910 does not have this port, as it does not support expansion sleeves.
• Soft reset switch Use this switch for soft resetting the system (no data is lost). This is like rebooting your computer. The switch is recessed and must be pressed with the tip of your stylus or other pointed object.

On the left side of the iPAQ you will find a single button. This button is intended for voice memos. When you press and hold it, you can record a voice memo that will be stored in the Notes area. Each press and hold will be stored as an audio file with the name “Recording X,” where the X is the next sequential number that doesn’t already exist in the directory. Note that on the H5450, this button can also be used to turn the volume up or down on playback of an audio file.
Finally, if you have a 54xx series iPAQ or an H1910, you have the option of removing your battery and replacing it with a spare. This is great if you are a heavy user and find you run through your battery quickly. A release button is on the back middle of the 54xx series units and on the right side (below the stylus) on the H1910.
Do not leave the battery out for long. Although these iPAQs contain a “backup battery” internally, it is only good for a few minutes, so switch your batteries quickly to prevent losing your valuable data and having to reinstall your programs!

Different versions of the PDA come packaged differently; however, what is packed inside the box varies only slightly from model to model. Your PDA should come with the following:

• Your PDA (of course!).
• A case. Depending on which model of PDA you have, you may or may not have receiveda case. The H1910 doesn’t ship with a case, but a case is a must-have accessory to help protect your PDA from damage. The 38xx, 39xx, and 54xx PDA ship with a very practical plastic flip-top case, which is what we use on a day-to-day basis. The older models of PDAs come with a case that is sufficient for protecting the “naked” PDA (without any expansion sleeves—slide-on accessories used to provide hardware expansion capability on your PDA), but is really inadequate for day-to-day use. Many third-party cases are worth considering for protection as well as style, but discussing all the case manufacturers is beyond the scope of this book. A full review of cases and case manufacturers can be found at www.PocketPCTools.com.
• A cradle (or sync cable if you purchased the H1910 or H3135 PDA).
• An AC adapter for charging your PDA.
• PDA companion CD-ROM.
• Spare stylus. (Not all models ship with a spare stylus.)

Some PDAs, at various times, shipped with either CompactFlash (CF) expansion sleeves or PCMCIA expansion sleeves. When you first pull the PDA out of the box, a thin film covers the screen. This is to protect the screen during shipping, and you should peel this off before using your PDA. Some third-party manufacturers produce similar plastic adhesive overlays that you can place on your screen to protect it during use. Many users swear by these. The ones most commonly recommended are WriteShields from www.PocketPCTechs.com. Make sure ActiveSync is fully installed before plugging your sync cable or cradle into your USB port. Setup of ActiveSync is covered later in this chapter.