Windows CE 5.0 'Palm-size PC'

Wait - there's still more:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330762262301?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

This one has a built-in camera and barcode scanner, though there is no software installed to operate either one. (The scanner works by pushing one of the side buttons, but there's no program to interpret the results.) Weird, since it's a licensed version of CE 5, with a sticker on the back with a serial number.

Like the WF35, it won't read SDHC cards, only older SDs. It has several things in common with my other CE 5 ViewSonic device, the V212: 1) a 520 MHz Bulverde PXA-270 X-Scale processor; 2) the standard CE POOM databases (Appointments, Contacts, Tasks) included in the OS; 3) a registry system that requires moving the shortcut links to the \Permanent Storage folder to prevent them from being dumped on soft reset; and 4) a time clock that resets to factory settings on each soft reset. (The V212 has time service activated by default in the registry, so it syncs the time with the Internet automatically if connected to a wireless network. I had to add a program called SPTimeSync.exe to the StartUp queue to make it sync automatically on reboot.)

The attached dock includes a USB host port that supports USB flash drives and wireless mice. (Kinda cool using a wireless mouse on a little palm-size device like this. ) It also has what appears to be a USB OTG port, but so far it won't complete an ActiveSync connection this way - it shows the connection opening on the PC but doesn't get any further. (I was able to make an ActiveSync connection via Bluetooth as with the POS234, but it won't sync data, with ActiveSync on the PC giving "Synchronization error." ) This one could be some fun to play with.

I was eventually able to connect via USB after a hard reset, and can now sync data. But the PIM data get dumped after a soft reset, even though the Appointments, Contacts, and Tasks Databases remain. I'm using a small workaround, backing up the databases to a self-extracting executable using bSquare bUSEFUL Backup Plus and then creating a link to it in \Permanent Storage\Windows\StartUp. But I sometimes get weird results if I sync it again later.

Next puzzle is how to assign the hardware keys. Three of the buttons on the front do nothing, while the fourth (the one on the far right with the Calendar icon) brings up the SIP keyboard. KbdHook (as well as some other keyboard mapping utilities) seems to identify the first three as 'Shift' (key 16), and the fourth as key 9. The "Keys" subkey doesn't natively exist in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Shell on this device; I tried a PocketC-based program called ButtonMapper, which identifies five keys and allows one to select any executable to assign to them, but it had no effect. (It does create the 'Keys' registry key and some subkey numbers normally associated with the hardware keys on a Pocket PC - 40C1, 40C2, 40C3, and 40C6 - but it seems clear that the OS on this device does not identify these buttons with those numbers. The app also doesn't say which button is Button 1, etc.) I tried AE Button Plus, but it doesn't allow me to select a file path, only allowing me to select from a list of functions. What I need is a keymapper that recognizes which key I press and then allows me to enter an application path for it. Anyone know of such a program? So far I haven't found one on the Web.

Add another interesting device to this list: the Wasp Barcode Technologies WPA1200:

http://www.manualslib.com/manual/188555/Wasp-Bar-Code-Wpa1200.html

A few sellers have been asking outrageous prices for these (in the 2000-4000 USD range!), but I was able to track down a couple for two-digit prices each. These have several nice features, including a reflective display that is easy to see in direct sunlight, while also brightly backlit for indoor/night viewing. Everything seems to be retained after reboot, including cePIMS databases, but just the same the device has a registry backup applet in the Control Panel. And bootup is very fast - about three seconds. Like the others, it has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. (Again, though, it only reads older SD cards, but not SDHC cards.)