Aug 09, 2001, 5:35pm

Well, time for another iPaq rant, and some stuff on branding.

I'm into branding in a big way. To the right you can see how I've completely customized my main "go to" page on the iPaq. I use two programs that should have been part of the WinCE PocketPC OS, but weren't - Dashboard and WisBar. Wisbar changes the top and adds the much needed "close" function for all running applications as well as a quick jump (a la task bar in Win 9X or 2K) to the top when your running an app. Dashboard takes over the middle of the screen and your "Today" page by showing your schedule and tasks in one shot, or with one click your email, your tasks, your launcher for all your apps and the "mydash" icon (far right one, looks like a screen with a star in the middle) for customized apps. I use something called "freespace" which in one window shows me the status of my storage space and memory.

With this two applications, Wisbar and Dashboard, the PocketPC platform inches closer in terms of usability to the Palm OS. See, there's a problem. The head of Microsoft, otherwise known as Billy G, has been a seriously pissed camper ever since the day he launched something called Bob™ and it failed before it even left the gates. So "Bob" like features have been added to almost all Microsoft products. You know the stupid little "Clippy" helper in Office? Bob right in front of you. You know how Microsoft apps try to anticipate what you're about to do? Bob at work. You know how Microsoft has decided to set defaults in its programs that they think help you out, but actually hinder you (IE is full of that crap)? Bob.

The PPC has the same problem. Too much Bobisms. The Today screen is a good idea, but the lack of customization and getting it to do what YOU want it to do, instead of what some Microsoft geek thinks you want to do is impossible. And it doesn't stop there. With this version of the Windows CE OS GUI for example, Mikeysoft figured that there's no need for you to shut down programs - after all, WinCE is a multitasking operating system - so run all the programs you want, and then everytime you want to go back, they're already running! Sounds great right? Not in reality. See, on the Palm OS, programs sit in the RAM memory and run in that SAME address - Palm isn't a multitasking OS, but launching a program isn't a big deal (its instantaneous for most apps) because in effect, they are already running.

The PPC doesn't work like this. Apps sit in RAM memory when not running, but like your desktop pc, they just sit there as exe files, dll files, etc etc. When you run them, the programs then "run", occupying more RAM as a running program, seperate from the RAM where they "sit" normally. If the PPC worked like the palm, then perhaps the lack of a close button for applications would be good. But it doesn't work that way. Still, Microsoft figures they know best, and you should have all your programs (eventually) sitting in RAM as storage, and also sitting in another part of RAM as something running.

Thank the stars for Dashboard and Wisbar. They fix a lot of the GUI problems with the PocketPC.

On the subject of branding, see the screencap? It's a modification of our yet-unlaunched new corporate web site. I'm pretty jazzed about it. The theme for the site is steelblue, silvers and white. It looks awesome, and it should be launching any day now.

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Mixelania

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