INTRODUCTION
High Point Software has
an interesting "BTSuperPak" software collection for
the Pocket PC that gives you some nice features.
Here’s a look at some of the Bluetooth programs they
offer. They seem to be intended primarily as
tools for other developers to create Bluetooth
interactivity software with, but I’ll look at them
from a consumer perspective here. Tests were done on a Compaq iPAQ H3975
with Pocket PC 2002.
SETUP
After opening the ZIP file that contains the
BTSuperPak software, you’ll notice there is no
installer. The Readme.txt file instructs you to
copy the application files to the "Start Menu" folder
on your Pocket PC, as well as copy a certain DLL to
your Windows directory (on the Pocket PC). If
you’re using an H5400, you have to copy a different
DLL to the Windows directory and rename it
accordingly. That’s right, no installer means
you have to do all of this manually.
I
didn’t want to make my Start menu have to scroll so I
copied the application files to my Start Menu/Programs
folder instead. Of course, the applications only
include icons for the smaller size icons used in the
Start Menu, so they appear icon-less in the Programs
folder.
BTAutoSync
This program
allows you to schedule automatic Bluetooth ActiveSync
operations that will wake up the PDA and turn on the
Bluetooth Radio if it is off.
Or it’s supposed to do that. The first few times
I tried it, it returned a "Power has been cycled
Application will now terminate" error. Every
other time I tried it, it would wake up the iPAQ, turn
on the Bluetooth Radio, search for Bluetooth
Activesync partners, start Activesync and the
connection dialog would hang during the "Connecting to
Host" phase. Meanwhile on the desktop,
Activesync would bring up the dialog about
disconnecting the COM port. If I shut off
BTAutoSync, and start ActiveSync via the Bluetooth
Manager icon, ActiveSync will work fine.
BTAutoSync also creates a log file in the Start Menu every time AutoSync
activates. This is extremely annoying! I
figured this was because I put the applications in the
Programs folder instead of the Start Menu, but moving
the applications to a different folder and creating
shortcuts in the Programs folder did not relieve the
appearance of the log file in the Start Menu.
BTLauncher
The BTLauncher program allows you to create
application shortcuts that find a specific Bluetooth
device, connect to it, and launch an application to
make use of that connection. I figured this
would be great for starting Running Voice GSM and
connecting to the Bluetooth cell phone, however the
"Browse" button that lets me choose an application
only shows me files within the Windows folder!
That means I can’t choose Running Voice GSM because
it’s not installed in the Windows folder. You
might think that this
could be because the application only looks in the
directory two levels up from it’s current location,
but if I move the application it still only looks in
the Windows folder.
Once you launch BTLauncher, it appears nothing
happens. You have to go to the Today Screen
where you’ll notice an icon in the lower right corner
that lets you access the Program Settings and "New
Program" shortcut commands.
As
you can see above, you can only select programs in the
Windows directory for launching with BTLauncher.
It does function however, as I was able to create a
menu item that automatically connected to my desktop’s
Bluetooth Serial Port and launch Solitaire at the same
time.
BTConnect
BTConnect is an application that lets you quickly find and connect to
any Bluetooth device for serial port, Dial-up, LAN, or
PAN connections.
This is a little bit easier than having to go through
the Bluetooth Manager to set a device as dial-up
modem, then going through the Connection Manager to
make a connection. After you select a Bluetooth
Device and tap Connect, for example with the Dial-up
Networking option, it will ask you which dial-up
connection you’d like to initiate if you’ve got more
than one set up in the Connection Manager. I
imagine this might work nicely when borrowing other
people’s Bluetooth cell phones.
BTSendFile
This application makes it slightly
easier to search for and send a file to nearby devices. It’s pretty
much no different than choosing "Send File" from the Bluetooth
manager.
What would have
been good is if this application could send multiple
files at the same time, but it can’t. There is
an Options menu item at the bottom, but it only
includes an "About" and "Exit" command, which aren’t
really options nor are they of much use.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
BTAccess is for iPAQ models before the 54xx, and for
any PDA using Bluetooth CF cards from Philips, Belkin,
or Dell. These units use the older Widcomm v1.2
Bluetooth stack. See BTAccess feature list.
BTAccess54 is for iPAQ models 54xx and later, or any
other PDA which ships with the newer Widcomm v1.3
Bluetooth stack (which supports the PAN profile).
The
Bluetooth SuperPak currently only runs on Pocket PC
2002 as a Windows Mobile 2003 version is still in
development.
PURCHASING
You can order this software as a four-pack for $100
or individually for $30 each from the
High Point
Software website.
PROS
Supposedly
allows
developers an easier way to take advantage of
Bluetooth in their Pocket PC software
CONS
- Some
applications don’t always work - No icons
- Annoying
log file created in Start Menu - Very
expensive
Frustrating error messages- No
installer
OVERALL
IMPRESSION
I don’t understand how these
applications could be released as consumer programs.
They’re full of bugs and limitations that only cause
frustration, and the price tag makes it much worse.
There is no listing for these applications in the
Remove Programs control panel, so I’ll just delete
them manually.
Originally published on Pocketnow on August 15, 2003. More Reviews articles from the Pocketnow archive.