Product Manager Derek Brown and Kerri Grubb presented Microsoft's new operating system for pocket-sized PCs. Kerri and Derek entertained with the amazing capabilities of the new system, and gave a thorough run through.

As usual, Microsoft makes the software, the latest incarnation of its Windows CE (compact edition) operating system. The hardware comes from Casio, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and Symbol Technologies. The Pocket PC still fits in a pocket, even though it is about twice the size of the Palm, which has its own operating system (which controls most of the market), and against which Microsoft and the other companies intend to make inroads.

President Milt Hull, in his introduction, noted that he had met Kerri's father when he was at the SPCUG meeting ten years ago to demonstrate a fax board and scanner. Milt also said he had met Kerri at COMDEX some three or four years ago. "It's a small world in the PC industry," he observed. Kerri and Derek are part of the marketing team at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, headquarters for the Pocket PC, which has four teams touring the country visiting users' groups and presenting the new product. These two were about halfway through their tour.

Kerri Grubb discusses Pocket PC features.

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Kerri polled the audience to find out how many audience members use a PDA: about a third use an older Windows CE or a Palm device. She started by covering some of the basics of the PDA and proceeded to the new, "really exciting" stuff of the new system. Derek explained a little of how the Pocket PC system came to be.

Microsoft looked at Windows CE, which had some real strengths and weaknesses, and then spent some 18 months overhauling the system. The interface, he pointed out, is very much tuned for these devices and different from the usual sculpted 3-D look of Windows. He said that when Microsoft's designers were faced with a screen 200 pixels wide, they began to count every pixel to use them to the greatest advantage. However, about 80 percent of the work was focused on performance, on managing memory. Memory (16 MB is standard, but some will have 32 MB) is handled dynamically, and Pocket PC will close programs automatically if it gets too crowded.

Derek indicated that each OEM has tweaked its version to suit its customers in slightly different ways, which means that customers have to do a little homework to find the best fit. Generally, though, each one is expandable. Derek said, to serve vertical and industrial applications. There are bar code scanners, WANs or cellular networks, and wireless capabilities. In addition, they're rugged, he demonstrated as he dropped it. They range in price from about $299.00 to about $599.00 in the stores.

As the presentation began, Kerri and Derek showed a video of the launch of the Pocket PC in Grand Central Station on April 19. Then they got down to the real business of the evening. Since they had no easy way to connect the Pocket PC to the usual projection system, they resorted to using a camera and an overhead projector so that the audience could see on the screen what the little computer can do. Also, since the projected image did not do justice to the real screen, the audience was invited to go look at the Pocket PCs after the presentation.

Commenting on the user interface, Derek said that in the past people complained that it was too cluttered and too complex. Now, he says, it has a flat interface that is a lot cleaner and "kind of sexy to use." Microsoft moved the "Start" button to the top because they found by watching how people really work that their eyes naturally moved to the upper left-hand corner; all commands start from there.

The Pocket PC has a pocket version of Outlook, but it doesn't synchronize with Outlook Express, Derek pointed out. Kerri showed the "Today" screen with its true colors: 16 bits, 65,000 colors. [Ed. Note: Hewlett-Packard announced not long after the meeting that a bug limited the colors on its Pocket PC, the Jornada, to about 4,000, rather than the 65,000 promised.] She said it showed a synopsis of everything that she had going on that day: her schedule of the tour of users' groups; a summary of her messages; her tasks; a photo of a co-worker's son - you can make this a really personal device.

The Pocket PC even includes Web browsing capabilities.

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Kerri brought up the "day view," which shows both your busy time and your free time, and the "Agenda view," which shows only your busy time; some appointments that had already been met were grayed out. There is also a weekly view, a monthly view, and a yearly view. As in Outlook, color-coding shows the times when you will be in meetings or out of town.

Before leaving her office, Kerri had synchronized her device using ActiveSync 3.1 with her desktop, which can be done in different ways. One is through the USB port, which works seven times faster than in the past and seven times faster than anything else on the market. Synchronizing Web sites or contacts or music is much faster and takes place in the background. Once you put the Pocket PC in its cradle, it synchronizes automatically and continuously in the background. Whenever you dash off with your Pocket PC, you always have the latest information on the device. She said that she had synced her 1500 contacts. If the lists on your PC and on the Pocket PC are different, you will be asked if one should replace the other, or if the two should be merged.

Since the Pocket PC has no mouse, Kerri used the stylus to "tap and hold" to bring up the contact-sensitive menu. From there, did she want the "contact to be permanently deleted?" for example. She could also "squirt this information" and exchange information with others; create a copy; send e-mail to a contact; or send it via infrared. "Tap and hold" is used throughout all the different applications.

Kerri needed to search for a contact. Using the stylus, she tapped to bring up the keyboard, which is hidden except when you need it. She said she was looking for names that contain "Hay." As she typed the "H," all the contacts beginning with "H" came up; as she typed "A" and "Y," the few names with "HAY" came up, whether first or last names. Tapping just once on the name she wanted brought up all the information related to it: all the 32 fields that are in Outlook on the desktop are here.

In the section on "Tasks," tasks to be done show up; those that are overdue are in red. She said that "the Pocket PC doesn't make you more organized, but it will tell you if you are unorganized." A red exclamation point indicates the priorities.

"Notes:" Kerri said that when she went to the Pocket PC teams about nine months ago, she had a fat notebook that she took to all her meetings. She got everything into "Notes" and now says that she is addicted. In "Notes," she clicked on "New" and brought up a blank page. You can enter information in five different ways, depending on circumstances and on what is comfortable. First is the keyboard. As she typed "Welcome," the machine anticipated her and showed "Welcome." Typing other words produced the same effect. Sometimes, she said, it is faster and easier to continue typing.

The machine also recognizes handwriting so that you can take notes in the usual way; the note then comes on the screen in normal typescript. You may need to train or optimize to produce certain shapes if you are too casual with some. It is also possible to draw a diagram, for example, in "ink" if you don't have a whiteboard handy. The Pocket PC will even record your priceless spoken words.

With Outlook, there is the "Inbox." Kerri explained that here is where you get your e-mail in either IMAP 4 or POP3 protocol, and connect with your favorite Web sites using your personal information manager. It supports AOL, Web-based e-mail, and attachments in Word, Excel, HTML, jpeg, graphics, and such. She was online and was receiving messages as she spoke.

The unit does not yet have a modem built into it, but a 56K modem is available that fits into the flash slot of the Compaq device, for example. Derek also explained that Kerri has a cell phone (a GSM phone) with an infrared port that she uses to connect to the modem and dial up to get her e-mail. Socket has an option available on their Web site that shows you the right configuration for your telephone: a two-body solution. You plug a unit into the flash slot (Compaq) that then connects to the cell phone. There will be more wireless solutions available over the next year, Derek reported.

Derek convinces Kerry that she should draw for a third Pocket PC.

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Derek demonstrated a few more items available from Microsoft: "Old Time Radio" shows, the ability to listen to music, games (Doom; Fire Drill; PacMan; something called "Bubblets", a strategy game; and others). Compaq has a "Funpac" (available free with a coupon that has games, other fun stuff, a PDF viewer, and "Peacemaker," an add-on that lets users beam contacts to Palm users; and you get a Compaq flashcard.

The Pocket PC has its own Web site: www.pocketpc.com (under construction). Derek explained that it provides information on mobile devices, specifications, and product sheets, and "it's the normal kind of mind-numbing marketing info that we're so good at." He also explained that he has a group of well-known writers who do articles for the Web site on any subject that suits them. They review third-party products, write step-by-step guides, how-to's, and tips. They have written about 150 articles so far. There is also a newsgroup, and Derek checks in every day. "We've even got a URL that's easy to remember," he says.

Three happy Pocket PC Winners.

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Kerri and Derek closed by drawing for three Pocket PCs and some software from Microsoft for those who had the winning tickets. A T-shirt advertising the Pocket PC was awarded to everyone willing to fill out a form evaluating the presentation.