AtekSoft applications bring interesting new features to PPC phones...

With a Pocket PC, can you do...

Video Out?

2-way over-IP video chat?

There are some interesting new doors that can be opened using AtekSoft's WebCamera Plus software to someone with a little engineering creativity.

I have been playing with the software lately, which claims to "Transform your PDA or Smartphone to [a] high-resolution web-camera" (a feature that some of you may recall from AtekSoft's earlier software release, CoolCamera).

Basically, what this means is that the PPC software will broadcast to your PC, in real-time, whatever your camera is currently able to see.

Using their desktop software, the stream of video is received and viewable (see pic on right) at a respectable frame rate for a webcam (my tests averaged 4-5 frames per second).

The purpose of this software is that windows will accept the incoming video as a standard webcam device, and be instantly compatible with most webcam applications (such as skype, netmeeting, etc), thereby eliminating the need to purchase a separate webcam for this purpose.


That's a pretty cool concept and all, but webcams are so inexpensive... in fact, many low-end webcams can be bought for about as much a license for this software! So, why would someone want this?

Well, for starters you can carry it with you when you travel and have one less thing in your bag. But that's not why I find this worth writing about. Where it gets REALLY interesting is when you take into consideration that WebCamera Plus can connect to the host PC not only via USB, but also over Bluetooth or IP (WiFi, 3G, etc)!

Basically, you don't HAVE to be in anywhere near your computer to view what's on the phone's camera! If you've got an unlimited data plan for your phone, or perhaps a WiFi network, you can put the phone down, connect to a computer via their IP address half way around the world, and view whatever it is currently seeing!

This is where things can get creative.


Some Additional Ideas/Uses for WebCamera Plus:

-Remote SpyCam
Since I have 2 little kids of my own, the first thing I thought of was using it as a makeshift baby monitor.
I could put the phone down next the crib, and watch it in a window on my pc as I work.
Before I was married, my first thought probably would have though of using this as an impromptu security camera. Either way is useful.

-Video Out
As soon as people start using Pocket PCs for media, you inevitably start seeing people ask if there is any way to get Video Out (assuming to connect to a TV like the iPod video).
There have been a very select few Pocket PC devices that supported external video connectors in the past (notably the classic Toshiba models), but most current devices are simply not capable of doing it.
There have even been some hardware add ons (via SDIO slot) to try and achieve this, however they fall sadly short of expectations (the device linked to here does not actually display what is on the screen of the PPC, but rather displays slides from special presentation software that you have to run on the device. Basically this only replaces using your laptop for powerpoint presentations).

WebCamera Plus has a feature that allows you to broadcast the contents of your display instead of the live camera feed. The result? Whatever you're doing on your device appears on the big PC screen in real-time!

The sample video here shows a few seconds of the Curious George movie playing on my desktop, video being output from my Sprint Mogul using CoolCamera Plus.
Surprisingly, the framerate for this went as high as 6fps.

Now, this is clearly not the ideal way to watch video (original video is a smooth 29fps), but it WORKS. And its good to know if you want to do something connected to a large screen, such as for a presentation.

-Two way video conversation
This one I'm going to have to get back to you on. I have been able to do it, but it would be video only, no sound, which means you'll have to mime to your other party.
Also, there is a great deal of lag/delay doing it this way, and its a VERY convoluted backwards way of doing this.
In other words, I'm sure I can come up with a better way, but this is what occurred to me first, and its what I tried... and it WORKS.

Basically, it involves using a remote desktop application (logmein.com is my preference because the framerate is as close to real time as I've ever seen for a remote desktop app), and skype & webcam plus receiving software installed on a host computer somewhere.

This is what I did:

• On the Windows Mobile device, set the network settings of WebCamera Plus to be the host computer's IP address.
• Log into the Host PC using logmein (or app of your choice). Be sure to leave WebCamPlus running in the background.
• You should see your webcam live stream on the remote desktop, albeit delayed and a bit slower than normal. If the remote desktop application is not fast enough to keep up with the video (looks more like a slide show), this won't work. Therefore, I recommend a fast app (like logmein) and a solid 3G connection.
• Using the remote desktop, start skype, and call someone who has a webcam as well. You will now be able to see the incoming stream on the remote computer (slow and delayed, but I got a few frames per second, enough to see what's going on), and they will see whatever you are broadcasting from your phone on location.

Problem with this, aside from the lack of sound, is that at least in my case, the Mogul only only a rear-facing camera, which means I can't see them while they see me (have to keep turning the phone around).
But it IS cool to show someone something, for example "Hey, you'll never believe what kind of car is parked behind my office! sign on skype, I'll show you". The person can see what you're pointing at, and you can see their reaction.
Yes, I know, this is very much a less-than-ideal solution, but it IS something that can be improved upon. As I said, this was just the first thing that came to mind. Someone could eventually write some sort of desktop server app to do this better, perhaps send video back to your phone using ORB instead of viewing it over remote desktop... who knows. Let me know if you've got any brighter ideas!

Make your PPC-phone a portable WiFi Router!!

...or, yet another use for your WiFi-capable PPC phone!

So, its great to have those WiFi HotSpots in the airport or local coffee shop when you've got that laptop and time to kill, but what if you could have a portable hostpot? One that follows you wherever you go?

Well, if you've got a high speed data plan on your Windows Mobile phone, and happen to also have WiFi, you can turn that little device into exactly that!


Its an ingenius little app that some folks have developed called WMWiFiRouter.
Gotta respect the simplicity of the name, right? What it lacks in creativity it makes up for in doing exactly what its name describes.

Now, this is not exactly a new concept- after all, road warriors have been able to get online from their laptops for a while now, whether by installing a cellular data card, or using bluetooth to tether to their phone.

But this is just too easy... and has some advantages over the other ways to get online with your cellular data.

Why is this better than a laptop data card?
-No additional hardware to buy
-Can use existing phone plan (most cards require their own service plan)
-Connection can be shared with multiple devices
-No software/drivers to install on Laptop or device

Why is this better than tethering using Bluetooth?
-Faster! Bluetooth 1.2 (which a majority of devices still use) maxes out at around 700k for data. If your 3G connection is faster than that, you'll be bottlenecked by bluetooth's transfer rate.
-WiFi laptops are far more common than BT enabled ones.
-Range of distance is far better with WiFi
-Integrates into your data connections like any other WiFi connection (no bluetooth configuration of dial-up networking or anything)

Oh, and the best part... with this, your connection is Multi-Platform!
Let's not forget about all those WiFi enabled devices that aren't laptops, such as PSPs, Ipod Touch, other PDA's, VoIP devices, etc...

Read more about it over at XDA-Developers in this thread by TalynOne.

Sprint allows non-branded devices on their network - Not all its cracked up to be?

UPDATE: This article was based on information from reputable sources, including MSNBC and CNET, as well as countless blogs and tech forums. However, there is speculation now that this information is based on a misprint from their legal settlement.
See the bottom for more details.


Quick background:
Here in the US, there are two leading cellular technologies- GSM and CDMA.
GSM (Global System for Mobile communication): A global standard that allows device portability using SIM cards to swap devices on a whim.
(Examples: T-mobile, AT&T)

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access): A faster and arguably more powerful network (at least as far as deployment in the states), that identifies each device by a unique number called an ESN.
(Examples: Sprint, Verizon, Alltel)

------------------

History of the "Problem"
One of the biggest advantages of GSM service was always that your phone number and account are identified by a SIM card as opposed to a particular device. This means that you are free to use any device that you wish (and swap as well), as long as it is compatible with your card. CDMA, however, identifies your number and account by device. This makes swapping devices tedious, and also greatly limits the number of devices available to you since most providers will only allow a device that they recognize as their own to log onto their network.
In other words, if Sprint picks up a particular device exclusively, you can't bring it over to Verizon with you because Verizon will not recognize the ESN number as one of their own.
Sprint, in an apparent effort to receive some positive press for a change, decided to mix things up a bit...

Recently, Sprint made a bold move by allowing any CDMA device to connect to their network.
This means that if you had a particular device on Verizon or Alltel and wanted to switch to Sprint, you could bring your old device with you. Or, if you can't find the perfect phone for you on Sprint's selection, you now have the option to buy it from another carrier and activate it on Sprint!

CDMA users who have been jealous of GSM's freedoms are undoubtedly pleased to hear this. After all, now you have the choice of any CDMA phone in the world!

But is this really as big of a deal as it seems?

Why its not all its cracked up to be...
This doesn't really open up that many doors to Sprint users... There are VERY FEW unbranded CDMA handsets in existance. Why? Because CDMA is inherently a "locked" technology.

Quoted from a Message Board post:

While its nice that Sprint opened up this option for us, it really doesn't mean that much since available CDMA handsets are far more limited than other "open" technologies, such as GSM. Sprint may allow us to use VZ's handsets now, but their lineup is very similar (with the exception of a select few exclusive handsets on both sides).

GSM devices are sold left and right overseas because you can use a SIM card in ANY GSM phone in the world, whether your provider sold it to you or not. Its recognized as a global standard and its portability allows anyone to mass produce a phone on a whim and sell it to GSM users all around the world!
CDMA is sadly not like this... if no carrier picks up a particular CDMA model, the manufacturer usually drops it like a hot potato. HTC has announced many CDMA devices that never saw the light of day since no carrier signed a deal with them, whereas almost ALL of their GSM prototypes became a reality through third party vendors such as imate and dopod.
In fact, many high end phone companies make a living selling ONLY unlocked GSM handsets, and indeed many of their models can't be found by any carrier anywhere. Yet, any GSM user is free to pop in their SIM card and use it.

CDMA, sadly, is not like that. The only models available are ones that someone, somewhere, decided to carry on their own network, and are usually only ones that are profitable to market to large demographics. Meaning the interesting and rare phones often don't make it to CDMA at all.

CDMA devices, unlike GSM, need to be activated by the carrier, and while its nice that Sprint is allowing ESN's outside their database, just having this "freedom" does NOT mean all that much.

Honestly, I use Sprint for now, and it'll be nice to be able to have a few VZ-exclusive devices, but in all truth I don't see their lineup (or any overseas CDMA models for that matter) to be any better than what we already have. That is to say, they all fall short of offerings. This is CDMA.

I could see it becoming more like GSM sometime in the future, if Verizon follows suit and creates a market for unbranded devices, but for now, well, its just not all its cracked to be.

NOTE: This entry, while still possibly providing an interesting point of view regarding different cellular technology, is based on information that is yet to be confirmed.
Sprint was brought to court in the state of California regarding a policy in which they would lock their handsets to prevent customers from activating them on another network.
Sprint has settled the dispute by announcing that they will provide the information to unlock the devices upon request.
The Rumor:
One of the lines on their official settlement website states that:
"Sprint has agreed to provide customer service representatives with information to help respond to questions from customers or potential customers about activating a non-Sprint phone on the Sprint CDMA network."
This line, however, seems to standout as irrelevant to the case at hand. Just because they will unlock their handsets doesn't mean that they have to allow everyone else's in! Many speculate that it is a typographical error, and that it really should read along the lines of "Sprint has agreed to provide customer service representatives with information to unlock devices for use on other services when requested".
However, the argument for the legitimacy of the sentence is that the CDMA carriers can still be considered "anticompetitive" for not accepting phones outside their network, even if they unlock their devices. Sprint may be doing this to cover all their bases in the settlement... or, its just a big fat rumor that made it into the news. Only time will tell.