MobilePro 790 questions

Hello,

I'm extremly new to HPCs and I had a few questions about my MobilePro 790 and by new I'm mean I don't even have my HPC yet! I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival on Monday! But anywho...

1. What is it like? Does WinCE run and animate much like Win95 or Win98 (in screenshots the OS look similar in a sense). Will I feel like I'm just using a small version of a laptop?

2. I've been reading about PocketDVD and I was wondering how big the files were going to be. When I rip a DVD will the file be small enough to fit on a 512mb CF card? I was considering purchasing a Toshiba 5gb pcmcia hard drive.

3. To add to the last part of ques. #2 will I be able to use a CF WiFi card and a pcmcia hard drive at the same time?

4. How is web surfing on a HPC? I've read that due to the HPC limited ability to process data quickly some webpages may take well over 20-30 mins to load.

5. Does ActiveSync work with XP? or will I have to find an alternative way to sync my HPC to my desktop.

Well, that's all the question I can think of. I've been reading these forums for about a week now in an attempt to soak up any information I'll need. I apologize in advance if these question have been asked (I hate to be redudant!) Thanks!

isaac_j87

I just bought a MP790 myself, and let me tell you what...

1. Yes, it has a start menu and the like. You can install Microsoft Plus! for HPC/Pro (it works on HPC2000) to get alt+tab and the sound control in the taskbar too.

2. Filesize for PocketDVD will depend on how you encode the files. Keep in mind the 790 has a DSTN screen meaning you need to probably use frame-skipping (8 frames per second if I remember right) to get a decent viewing experience. You might check out the review on HPCFactor about it.

3. Yes, I am currently using a 128mb CF and my DCF660W wifi card (PCMCIA-->CF adapter for the wifi)

4. Web browsing is decent. I am posting using my 790 as we speak. Just don't expect it to be like Firefox or IE6 and you'll be fine. Personally, I use ftxBrowser (recommended by one of the guys on the forums) and it works just fine. Load times are marginally higher than a normal PC only because of the DSTN screen and the need to load the data into program memory. So remember not to install too much to RAM, as that will affect the overall performance of the device.

5. ActiveSync works, but I would recommend installing the wifi driver as soon as possible and using ActiveSync's sync over network feature. The serial cable is so slow it will make you wonder why they even gave it to you. Syncing over the network makes the whole experience a lot better.

Anyways, I hope I could lend a hand. If you don't mind, can I ask where you ordered from? I got mine from Unity Electronics just a few days ago, and I'm pleased with it except for the minor screen imperfections (I'm getting over them.. slowly.).

Applications you will want to install asap:

Your wifi driver
vxUtil (good for network debugging)
Total Commander (file manager and ftp client, does network too)
ftxBrowser (adds tabbed browsing to pocket IE)
gsbattmon_tsy (taskbar battery monitor)
Microsoft Plus! for HPCs

Let me know if you run into any problems, as I most likely had the same issue before.

Congratulations on your new purchase!

Thanks for such a quick respone and detailed answers! I purchased mine from an Ebay store - emPC2. Obviously it was refurbished but it came with some cool bonus items. It came with a carrying case, 64mb CF card and the external VGA cable as well as the normal AC adapter, sync cable and software CD all for $149! The item ended but you can still take a look here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5791696757

isaac_j87

I just realized another few questions I should've asked. Where can I get Microsoft Plus! and is the quality of DVD video bad on the mobilepro? And one more thing what is gigabar and wisbar? Have you done any 'theming' to your mobilepro?

Sweet deal! I got mine for $200 at Unity, and it too was refurbished.

If you get the unit, and the screen has a few marks don't get too disappointed. Since I got mine, I really haven't noticed the marks as much after using it awhile.

I'm still posting from my 790, and really its not any different from using a laptop except that I do have to scroll a bit more. You will notice though, the MP790 is a bit larger than you probably expect it will be. The keyboard is big enough that, well, you can type long posts like that last one I wrote without noticing you're even using an HPC. Truly the keyboard is superb on these machines. Really, it didn't take me more than a day to get used to typing on it.

What else is there that a new MP790 owner should know... hmmm..

Oh yeah, these forums are the best forums for information on HPCs you will find. I looked at a ton of sites before someone kindly referred me here... Ever since I've been addicted to reading the posts here, as everyone has been quite supportive and kind. It's always nice to have an active community out there when you get a new piece of technology to tote around.

As far as software goes, you will need the HPC2000 (or HPC/Pro as it is mostly backwards compatible) MIPS versions of applications as the machine has a 168mhz MIPS processor. Most programs come in MIPS, ARM, and SH3 versions. Anyways, enjoy!

Plus! is availiable in the downloads section of HPCFactor.

As far as theming, I gave wisbar a run but I gave up because the theme files were 500kb a piece. At that time I was still using the serial cable, lol. You can imagine being frustrated waiting a half hour just to have to download another skin. Anyways, it can be done. Many of the guys on the forums have done it. Just remember to get the PocketPC dummy dll files from cmonex's website as they are required to use Wisbar and other PPC programs on your HPC. I haven't gotten into that much yet... As far as PocketDVD, I haven't used it, but I did use VirtualDub on my old black and white iPaq and I can honestly say, it can't be that bad... Although, you will notice a severe drop in battery life when you play full motion videos, as the screen will have to update constantly.

I use WODEON to play videos. It plays mpeg only. Do a Google for Wodeon and download the appropriate version and install to a CF card.

For example, I converted a 4.8 gig movie down to 288 megs. Not like watching a DVD on a laptop, but fine for a long flight.

I'm actually posting on my 780 converted to 790 as I type this.

Even more questions about the 790! I am considering purchasing the Belkin F5D6060 CF wireless card. It's a type II will it work?

Whoa there skippy,

All but one of the questions you've asked here have been covered in detail either on the forum, or on the site in general. There's a huge ammount on support, compatibility, sync etc.

Please have a look around the site itself, HPC:Factor isn't just a forum.

On the Belkin, you can use it yes. If you want to juggle hardware around you can also get an adapter to use it in the PCMCIA slot (say you wanted to use a CF or micro hard disk and the WifI)

20-30 MINS??? man, you're crazy... where did you read this?
more like 20-30 secs.

I actually talked with isaac on AIM last night about a lot of the questions he had. It seems he actually had some information for me too! Actually found a schematic and tutorial on the MP790 headphone adapter. Glad to welcome a new user to the community.

I second that, HPC Factor has a ton of resources including the HCL (Hardware Compatability List) which is pretty darn helpful when you're looking to add something to your HPC. Just browse around, sometimes you'll find things you just didn't see last time. I know I've looked at the download page 10 times and I still find new things on there.

In reference to the wifi question, I personally use a PCMCIA adapter with my CF wifi card and I use the CF slot with my 128mb CFII.