Installation:
The installation process which is very particular to all Cresotech
applications remains. You'll need to install the application from the
desktop PC, and then register it using the provided reg code using
Active Sync. I found this method a little confusing at first but since
it isn't my first Cresotech program installed, the operation went
smoothly and to tell you the truth, I believe it to be one of the best
way to register programs. You won't have to bother with entering codes
by hand... Simply plug it in, and copy and paste the provided number.
The program:
PocketLANce is a network utility that allows users to view all
computers and shares on the current network. This works through Active
Sync. In other words, you'll simply have to plug in your PPC in the
cradle to be able to view every single machine on the network as well as
the different folders/printers, and eventually use them!
The program
will install a desktop utility that will enable the PPC to communicate
while synchronized. It will take the form of a little background
application, visible in the system tray. As soon as the PPC starts AS,
Cresotech PocketLance will initialize communication with the network and
you'll be able to enjoy full networking functions.
I tried it here
at home and found it quite useful. I created a share on purpose for the
test; I shared one of my many mp3 folders. The mp3s were soon visible on
the PPC, and I was able to copy, paste, delete the files located in that
folder (I had full permission).
You will not be able to directly
play mp3 from a network share since this option would need to be
embedded into WMP and other such applications. You also won't be able to
use the shared printers, or at least I couldn't find how to do so.
One thing that I noticed is while trying to share larger sized
folders; the files wouldn't be displayed even after a long wait time; I
eventually received a little warning message saying that the folder
wasn't accessible; it might have been due to the excessive amount of
data placed in that specific folder, over 5G, but I have been successful
with folders around 1G. After contacting Cresotech about this minor
problem, I was told that this symptom only occurs on PocketPC with
limited amount of memory... (Ahhh, I'm still at 32MB of onboard RAM).
Cresotech will mostlikely add a warning message in future versions!
Conclusion:
PocketLANce is a nice little utility that should simplify the life of
many people, especially those running AS through 802.11b in big
corporate environment. As a home user, it will provide quick and easy
access to shared files and folders on all your networked computers. As a
note, PocketPC 2002 is supposed to have an embedded networking function
though so far I haven't been able to test it, and from what I've seen, I
wouldn't be surprised to see more limitations than PocketLance offers.
Once again, Cresotech has done the work quite properly with a very
neat, easy to use application.
Finally, I want to thank Vadim Ortikov,
Sales Director at Cresotech for sending me these
programs.
