How to Do Everything With Your iPAQ(R) Pocket PC [Paperback]

Derek Ball (Author), Barry Shilmover (Author)

Book Description

Series: How to Do Everything | Publication Date: May 9, 2002

Do more with your iPAQ than you ever thought possible using this easy-to-use guide. Get step-by-step guidance for using Word, Excel, and Outlook, manage your finances, and secure your iPAQ from theft or loss. Covering wireless connections, troubleshooting, as well as fun things to do with the most popular pocket PC—this book will show you how make the most out of your iPAQ.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Now you can do more with your iPAQ than you ever thought possible with this easy-to-use guide. Learn to maximize your iPAQ's built-in features and increase functionality with additional applications and accessories. You'll also get step-by-step guidance for using Word, Excel, and Outlook and managing your finances with the Pocket Money application. You'll find tips for keeping your iPAQ running at peak performance and discover ways to secure your iPAQ from theft, loss, and other intrusions. Use your iPAQ as a mobile GPS unit to guide you to your destination, wirelessly connect your iPAQ to a LAN with 802.11b, or use a wireless modem to connect to the Internet. Covering troubleshooting problems and describing fun things to do with the most popular pocket PC--this book will show you how to take full advantage of your iPAQ.

• Discover the unique features in pocket PC versions of Word, Excel, and Pocket Outlook
• Manage your finances using Pocket Money and other third-party applications
• Keep your iPAQ running optimally--by backing up, managing the backlight, and setting OS options
• Send and receive e-mail and surf the Internet
• Take business presentations on the road--show PowerPoint presentations directly from your device
• Play video games and watch movies from your iPAQ
• Use extended storage devices--including CF cards, PC cards, and MicroDrives
• Select and install expansion sleeves and extend battery life
• Use GPS to find your way around
• Secure your iPAQ--and find out how to protect your valuable data

About the Author

Barry Shilmover (Calgary, Canada) and Derek Ball (Calgary, Canada) are the founders of Canadian-based Sonic Mobility, an application development company that develops applications for Pocket PCs, specifically for iPAQs. Barry is the co-author of Windows 2000 Power Toolkit (NRP) and Windows 2000 Sys Admin Black Book (Coriolis) among others. Derek has authored or co-authored 7 books about client server, application development, database topics and nearly 70 periodical articles. Derek is an international speaker and instructor at the corporate level on IT topics. He taught Object Oriented Software Technology at University of Calgary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; First Edition edition (May 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072223332
• ISBN-13: 978-0072223330
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,451,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Only if you suffer from severe tech phobia, June 3, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Do Everything with Your iPAQ Pocket PC (Paperback)

I bought this book based on highly favorable reviews here. I found this book to be a total waste of time and money. This book may be useful if you are a complete newbie, don't have access to an IT guy/gal and haven't a clue how to do a web search for info/tips.

Otherwise, don't bother. There is little info on the newer IPAQ's and none on the 2003 OS. This is hardly surprising given the 2002 copyright. Some 30% of the pages are dedicated to promotions of peripherals and games (pages 247 to 352 out of 352 pages, not including appendices). Most of the peripherals are now obsolete. More importantly, all this info can be found at any PDA site, for free.

This is a VERY basic text, yet it doesn't cover important items such as data backup and recovery. If it does, it certainly isn't listed in the index. Need to find out how to reset your IPAQ? Forget it. Not in the index and nowhere to be found in the text. However, you will find "Marble Madness" and "bags, carrying."

The text discusses various brands of storage cards, but fails to inform you on how to transfer data onto those cards. Two solid pages are dedicated to specs for an IBM hard drive - info which is available, for free, on the web. Nevermind the question of why someone who needs a hard drive for his PDA would be using this "IPAQ for the severely tech challenged" book?

Compare this to the three pages which the writer begrudgingly alots to troubleshooting and you get a sense of where the priorities are with this book. And by the way, those troubleshooting tips are either available on the web at the IPAQ webpage (guess what? for free) or for issues which have been resolved.

Do a Google search. It'll save you time, frustration and money.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in Details, October 15, 2004

By 

JB Kelly (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Do Everything With Your iPAQ(R) Pocket PC (Paperback)

This book does a good job of telling you what your IPAQ can do but a very poor job of telling you how to do it. I wanted more information about how to set up my IPAQ to connect with the internet. The book told me it could be done and how wonderful it was, but lacked specific information about which screen to go to and how to actually make it work.

I later purchased IPAQ for Dummies. This book told me what the IPAQ could do and specifically how to do it. It was great. The Dummies book also gave lots of information on programs that are very helpful to add to your IPAQ.

I was disappointed with IPAQ Pocket PC but very happy to get my hands on IPAQ for Dummies!

77 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Informational "Must Have" for all iPAQ users!, June 22, 2002

By 

John Newby (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Do Everything With Your iPAQ(R) Pocket PC (Paperback)

I have read several books,related to the use of the Pocket PC in general, but this is the first time as a Compaq iPAQ owner I gather a true sense of connection to my device after reading this book. This book "How to Do Everything with Your iPAQ Pocket PC", consist of 15 Chapters of concisely well written with exquisite attention to every detail of this devices basic origins, software's, expandabilities to improve productivity all the way to optional hardware accessories devices available. Throughout these pages are small sections of informational tips and "tid-bits" that bring home messages of really mastering the use of the iPAQ.

Another highlight I found while reading this book is that unlike typical technical guide books which tend to be somewhat dry, this book was well written and easy to understand no matter what the level of user. In fact, what I was able to do was sit down with my iPAQ at my side and read through this book cover to cover using the information read right in my very own device. One thing that I also have to give acknowledgment to the Authors and McGraw Hill/ Osborne for this entire series of "How to do Everything with your . . ." this book is really lives up to the title "Everything".

Reading this book was almost as a guide that I didn't want to put down until I knew how to do everything with my iPAQ. I highly recommend this book for any iPAQ owner or prospective owner.