********************
Mobile & Wireless UPDATE--brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network http://www.winnetmag.com
********************
~~~~ THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY ~~~~
Windows & .NET Magazine Email Newsletters http://www.winnetmag.com/email
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~ SPONSOR: WINDOWS & .NET MAGAZINE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS ~~~~
IF YOU LIKE THIS NEWSLETTER . . . Then be sure to check out our other email newsletters on a variety of topics ranging from security to Web site administration. Visit our email subscription center today! http://www.winnetmag.com/email
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April 24, 2003--In this issue:
1. MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES - Voice Input: A Mobile Killer App?
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS - Couldn't Make the Microsoft Mobility Tour Event? - Get the eBook That Will Help You Get Certified!
3. INSTANT POLL - Results of Previous Poll: PDA Upgrade Plan - New Instant Poll: Have You Tried Voice Input?
4. RESOURCES - Tip: Use Notepad for Voice Input - Event Highlight: 802.11 Planet Conference & Expo Spring 2003
5. NEW AND IMPROVED - Administer a Server Through Your PDA - Initiate Conference Calls from Your BlackBerry
6. CONTACT US - See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
********************
1.
MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES
(contributed by John D. Ruley, [email protected])* VOICE INPUT: A MOBILE KILLER APP? I've been spending a lot of time with Tablet PCs over the past couple of weeks, with mixed results. Although the devices have proved to be genuinely useful--I've edited about half a book on them--the experience hasn't been exactly problem–free. Of the six evaluation units that I've used, two had serious hardware problems and five had software problems serious enough to hang applications or in some cases require a reboot. I even experienced data loss in one case, which Microsoft and a hardware vendor are now investigating.
Nevertheless, I remain enthusiastic about the Tablet PC form factor. Why? I've found that my book-editing and writing productivity has significantly increased. One major reason for this increase in productivity is that the tablet form factor is ideal for voice input. In fact, I'm dictating this commentary into a Tablet PC!
Speech-recognition technology is built into Windows XP, but it's rarely used on conventional notebook and desktop PCs. Admittedly, the feature isn't well integrated into the XP UI. More important, though, most people are reluctant to give voice input a try if they have a keyboard right in front of them. Voice input requires a two-way training process: You train the computer to recognize your voice, and simultaneously you learn how to speak more clearly and distinctly--which takes time
If you're willing to spend that time, you'll find that speech recognition is a truly useful technology. I'm finding that it's a valuable alternative to the stylus for entering more than a few words at a time. The Tablet PC form factor helps: I can talk into a headset while holding the unit in my lap with a stylus ready for editing. And I can work this way in places where a keyboard is inconvenient--for example, at the moment, I'm on one end of a comfortable sofa in my living room.
Of course, voice input isn't for everyone. If you work in a bullpen, ambient noise might frustrate your input efforts, and you can expect odd looks from your coworkers as you talk to your computer. Even with training, you'll experience recognition errors. (My device originally translated the first sentence of this paragraph as "Of course voices and fervor one.") I asked my wife, a pediatrician, to try dictating a document, and she simply didn't have the patience for it--a pity, because she's a "hunt and peck" typist who can talk quite a bit faster than she types.
After you get past the learning curve, voice input can offer significant advantages. In combination with Voice over IP (VoIP)--which has cut my business phone bill by about 50 percent--I believe voice input represents the first radically new and genuinely useful PC feature in years.
If you're using--or even have tried--speech input, VoIP, or other voice applications, I'd like to hear about it. You can reach me at [email protected].
2.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)* COULDN'T MAKE THE MICROSOFT MOBILITY TOUR EVENT? If you were too busy to catch our Microsoft Mobility Tour event in person, now you can view the Webcast archives for free! You'll learn more about the available solutions for PC and mobile devices and discover where the mobility marketplace is headed. http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/mobility
* GET THE eBOOK THAT WILL HELP YOU GET CERTIFIED! The "Insider's Guide to IT Certification," from the Windows & .NET Magazine Network, has one goal: to help you save time and money on your quest for certification. Find out how to choose the best study guides, save hundreds of dollars, and be successful as an IT professional. The amount of time you spend reading this book will be more than made up by the time you save preparing for your certification exams. Order your copy today! http://winnet.bookaisle.com/ebookcover.asp?ebookid=13475
3.
INSTANT POLL
* RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLL: PDA UPGRADE PLAN The voting has closed in Windows & .NET Magazine's Mobile & Wireless Solutions nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "When do you plan to upgrade your workforce's mobile devices?" Here are the results from the 21 votes: - 24% In the next 6 months - 24% In the next 6 to 12 months - 19% More than a year from now - 24% I have no upgrade plans - 10% My company has no mobile workforce
(Deviations from 100 percent are due to rounding error.)
* NEW INSTANT POLL: HAVE YOU TRIED VOICE INPUT? The next Instant Poll question is, "Have you tried voice input for data entry?" Go to the Mobile & Wireless Solutions Web site and submit your vote for a) Yes, I don't understand how I ever lived without it, b) Yes, I find it mildly useful, c) Yes, once or twice, d) No, but I'm dying to give it a try, or e) No, I don't think it would benefit me. http://www.mobile-and-wireless.com
4.
RESOURCES
* TIP: USE NOTEPAD FOR VOICE INPUT (contributed by John D. Ruley, [email protected])
Typically, I use speech-recognition functionality to dictate directly into Microsoft Word 2002, but sometimes (particularly when I'm multitasking) I find that Word becomes unacceptably slow. At those times, the old, reliable Windows Notepad turns out to be a handy alternative. Notepad works surprisingly well with voice input, although you must edit the results and capitalize the first letters of all sentences. Such editing is fairly easy to accomplish, and you could probably set up a Word macro to take care of it.
If any software developers in my audience are looking for a project, let me suggest one: How about a simple dictation application that would provide just enough intelligence to recognize such necessities as capitalizing first letters of sentences--without the tremendous overhead of a full word processing application? You won't get rich off such an application, but it would get a great deal of use. (Microsoft, are you listening?) In the meantime, using Notepad for voice input might not be pretty, but it works!
* EVENT HIGHLIGHT: 802.11 PLANET CONFERENCE & EXPO SPRING 2003 June 25 through 27, 2003 Boston
At 802.11 Planet Conference & Expo Spring 2003, 802.11 industry experts and business innovators converge to exchange ideas and strategies and chart new paths through this transforming technological landscape. Learn how to build a high-gain antenna, a turnkey wireless LAN (WLAN) installation, and a multihop network. Learn about security, public markets, multimode networking, and value to the enterprise. For more information, go to the following URL: http://www.jupiterevents.com/80211/spring03/index.html
For other upcoming events, check out the Windows & .NET Magazine Event Calendar: http://www.winnetmag.com/events/calendar
5.
NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])* ADMINISTER A SERVER THROUGH YOUR PDA Sonic Mobility and Opalis Software announced a solution that lets you use a Pocket PC or Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry wireless device to obtain Windows server process status. The joint solution comprises sonicadmin mobile systems administration application and OpalisRobot task automation for Windows servers. The combined solution lets sonicadmin users administer a server with Opalis's server automation and monitoring capabilities. For pricing, contact Sonic Mobility at 403-802-2002 and Opalis Software at 416-253-9383. http://www.sonicmobility.com http://www.opalis.com
* INITIATE CONFERENCE CALLS FROM YOUR BLACKBERRY itrezzo announced a conference-calling feature on its itrezzo Integrated Messaging service for Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry devices. You can now initiate conference calls from your BlackBerry by choosing names from your address book. After you initiate a conference call, the service calls the organizer and all attendees. If an attendee is unavailable, the organizer can send instructions through email so that invited attendees can join the call later. For pricing, contact itrezzo at [email protected] or 800-772-3805. http://www.itrezzo.com
6.
CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:* ABOUT MOBILE AND WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES -- [email protected]
* ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL -- [email protected] (please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)
* TECHNICAL QUESTIONS -- http://www.winnetmag.net/forums
* PRODUCT NEWS -- [email protected]
* QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR MOBILE & WIRELESS UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION? Email Customer Support -- mobile_&[email protected]
* WANT TO SPONSOR MOBILE & WIRELESS UPDATE? [email protected]
********************
This biweekly email newsletter is brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine, the leading publication for Windows professionals who want to learn more and perform better. Subscribe today. http://www.winnetmag.com/sub.cfm?code=wswi201x1z
Receive the latest information about the Windows and .NET topics of your choice. Subscribe to our other FREE email newsletters. http://www.winnetmag.com/email
|-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-|
Thank you for reading Mobile & Wireless UPDATE.
********************
Mobile & Wireless UPDATE--brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network http://www.winnetmag.com
********************
~~~~ THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY ~~~~
Windows & .NET Magazine Email Newsletters http://www.winnetmag.com/email
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~ SPONSOR: WINDOWS & .NET MAGAZINE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS ~~~~
IF YOU LIKE THIS NEWSLETTER . . . Then be sure to check out our other email newsletters on a variety of topics ranging from security to Web site administration. Visit our email subscription center today! http://www.winnetmag.com/email
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 24, 2003--In this issue:
1. MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES - Voice Input: A Mobile Killer App?
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS - Couldn't Make the Microsoft Mobility Tour Event? - Get the eBook That Will Help You Get Certified!
3. INSTANT POLL - Results of Previous Poll: PDA Upgrade Plan - New Instant Poll: Have You Tried Voice Input?
4. RESOURCES - Tip: Use Notepad for Voice Input - Event Highlight: 802.11 Planet Conference & Expo Spring 2003
5. NEW AND IMPROVED - Administer a Server Through Your PDA - Initiate Conference Calls from Your BlackBerry
6. CONTACT US - See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
********************
1.
MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES
(contributed by John D. Ruley, [email protected])* VOICE INPUT: A MOBILE KILLER APP? I've been spending a lot of time with Tablet PCs over the past couple of weeks, with mixed results. Although the devices have proved to be genuinely useful--I've edited about half a book on them--the experience hasn't been exactly problem–free. Of the six evaluation units that I've used, two had serious hardware problems and five had software problems serious enough to hang applications or in some cases require a reboot. I even experienced data loss in one case, which Microsoft and a hardware vendor are now investigating.
Nevertheless, I remain enthusiastic about the Tablet PC form factor. Why? I've found that my book-editing and writing productivity has significantly increased. One major reason for this increase in productivity is that the tablet form factor is ideal for voice input. In fact, I'm dictating this commentary into a Tablet PC!
Speech-recognition technology is built into Windows XP, but it's rarely used on conventional notebook and desktop PCs. Admittedly, the feature isn't well integrated into the XP UI. More important, though, most people are reluctant to give voice input a try if they have a keyboard right in front of them. Voice input requires a two-way training process: You train the computer to recognize your voice, and simultaneously you learn how to speak more clearly and distinctly--which takes time
If you're willing to spend that time, you'll find that speech recognition is a truly useful technology. I'm finding that it's a valuable alternative to the stylus for entering more than a few words at a time. The Tablet PC form factor helps: I can talk into a headset while holding the unit in my lap with a stylus ready for editing. And I can work this way in places where a keyboard is inconvenient--for example, at the moment, I'm on one end of a comfortable sofa in my living room.
Of course, voice input isn't for everyone. If you work in a bullpen, ambient noise might frustrate your input efforts, and you can expect odd looks from your coworkers as you talk to your computer. Even with training, you'll experience recognition errors. (My device originally translated the first sentence of this paragraph as "Of course voices and fervor one.") I asked my wife, a pediatrician, to try dictating a document, and she simply didn't have the patience for it--a pity, because she's a "hunt and peck" typist who can talk quite a bit faster than she types.
After you get past the learning curve, voice input can offer significant advantages. In combination with Voice over IP (VoIP)--which has cut my business phone bill by about 50 percent--I believe voice input represents the first radically new and genuinely useful PC feature in years.
If you're using--or even have tried--speech input, VoIP, or other voice applications, I'd like to hear about it. You can reach me at [email protected].
2.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)* COULDN'T MAKE THE MICROSOFT MOBILITY TOUR EVENT? If you were too busy to catch our Microsoft Mobility Tour event in person, now you can view the Webcast archives for free! You'll learn more about the available solutions for PC and mobile devices and discover where the mobility marketplace is headed. http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/mobility
* GET THE eBOOK THAT WILL HELP YOU GET CERTIFIED! The "Insider's Guide to IT Certification," from the Windows & .NET Magazine Network, has one goal: to help you save time and money on your quest for certification. Find out how to choose the best study guides, save hundreds of dollars, and be successful as an IT professional. The amount of time you spend reading this book will be more than made up by the time you save preparing for your certification exams. Order your copy today! http://winnet.bookaisle.com/ebookcover.asp?ebookid=13475
3.
INSTANT POLL
* RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLL: PDA UPGRADE PLAN The voting has closed in Windows & .NET Magazine's Mobile & Wireless Solutions nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "When do you plan to upgrade your workforce's mobile devices?" Here are the results from the 21 votes: - 24% In the next 6 months - 24% In the next 6 to 12 months - 19% More than a year from now - 24% I have no upgrade plans - 10% My company has no mobile workforce
(Deviations from 100 percent are due to rounding error.)
* NEW INSTANT POLL: HAVE YOU TRIED VOICE INPUT? The next Instant Poll question is, "Have you tried voice input for data entry?" Go to the Mobile & Wireless Solutions Web site and submit your vote for a) Yes, I don't understand how I ever lived without it, b) Yes, I find it mildly useful, c) Yes, once or twice, d) No, but I'm dying to give it a try, or e) No, I don't think it would benefit me. http://www.mobile-and-wireless.com
4.
RESOURCES
* TIP: USE NOTEPAD FOR VOICE INPUT (contributed by John D. Ruley, [email protected])
Typically, I use speech-recognition functionality to dictate directly into Microsoft Word 2002, but sometimes (particularly when I'm multitasking) I find that Word becomes unacceptably slow. At those times, the old, reliable Windows Notepad turns out to be a handy alternative. Notepad works surprisingly well with voice input, although you must edit the results and capitalize the first letters of all sentences. Such editing is fairly easy to accomplish, and you could probably set up a Word macro to take care of it.
If any software developers in my audience are looking for a project, let me suggest one: How about a simple dictation application that would provide just enough intelligence to recognize such necessities as capitalizing first letters of sentences--without the tremendous overhead of a full word processing application? You won't get rich off such an application, but it would get a great deal of use. (Microsoft, are you listening?) In the meantime, using Notepad for voice input might not be pretty, but it works!
* EVENT HIGHLIGHT: 802.11 PLANET CONFERENCE & EXPO SPRING 2003 June 25 through 27, 2003 Boston
At 802.11 Planet Conference & Expo Spring 2003, 802.11 industry experts and business innovators converge to exchange ideas and strategies and chart new paths through this transforming technological landscape. Learn how to build a high-gain antenna, a turnkey wireless LAN (WLAN) installation, and a multihop network. Learn about security, public markets, multimode networking, and value to the enterprise. For more information, go to the following URL: http://www.jupiterevents.com/80211/spring03/index.html
For other upcoming events, check out the Windows & .NET Magazine Event Calendar: http://www.winnetmag.com/events/calendar
5.
NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])* ADMINISTER A SERVER THROUGH YOUR PDA Sonic Mobility and Opalis Software announced a solution that lets you use a Pocket PC or Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry wireless device to obtain Windows server process status. The joint solution comprises sonicadmin mobile systems administration application and OpalisRobot task automation for Windows servers. The combined solution lets sonicadmin users administer a server with Opalis's server automation and monitoring capabilities. For pricing, contact Sonic Mobility at 403-802-2002 and Opalis Software at 416-253-9383. http://www.sonicmobility.com http://www.opalis.com
* INITIATE CONFERENCE CALLS FROM YOUR BLACKBERRY itrezzo announced a conference-calling feature on its itrezzo Integrated Messaging service for Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry devices. You can now initiate conference calls from your BlackBerry by choosing names from your address book. After you initiate a conference call, the service calls the organizer and all attendees. If an attendee is unavailable, the organizer can send instructions through email so that invited attendees can join the call later. For pricing, contact itrezzo at [email protected] or 800-772-3805. http://www.itrezzo.com
6.
CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:* ABOUT MOBILE AND WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES -- [email protected]
* ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL -- [email protected] (please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)
* TECHNICAL QUESTIONS -- http://www.winnetmag.net/forums
* PRODUCT NEWS -- [email protected]
* QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR MOBILE & WIRELESS UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION? Email Customer Support -- mobile_&[email protected]
* WANT TO SPONSOR MOBILE & WIRELESS UPDATE? [email protected]
********************
This biweekly email newsletter is brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine, the leading publication for Windows professionals who want to learn more and perform better. Subscribe today. http://www.winnetmag.com/sub.cfm?code=wswi201x1z
Receive the latest information about the Windows and .NET topics of your choice. Subscribe to our other FREE email newsletters. http://www.winnetmag.com/email
|-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-|
Thank you for reading Mobile & Wireless UPDATE.
