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Shopping OnLine for Windows
CE
software and accessories
By Tom Gibson Technical Editor, Handheld PC Magazine
Email: tom_gibson@thaddeus.com
Web site: http://www.hpcmag.com
If you have been looking through your local software store for Windows CE titles,
chances are the pickings have been mighty slim. With the ease and security that the
Internet is offering today, and the low cost of using it to reach millions of consumers,
many software vendors are opting to cut out the cost and hassle of distribution by making
their titles available on line, at one of the new "virtual" software stores on
the Internet.
You'll still find Windows 95/98 and Windows NT software available in
"non-virtual" stores. Part of the reason for this is the sheer size of the
software. It would be very inconvenient to attempt to download 190 MB of files from the
Internet. Even some of the popular graphics-intensive video games available today are over
30 MB. Contrast this with a typical Windows CE application which, in most cases, is under
3 MB, and you begin to see why virtual software stores are popular for Windows CE
software.
Better for the customer
As mentioned, virtual cut software costs dramatically, for both the consumer and the
software developer/reseller. Time is money, and buying software from a real store involves
getting into the car, driving to the store, parking , walking around trying to find the
software, waiting in a checkout line wondering whether you've got the best price or maybe
you should go over to CompUSA and check out their price, and so on. Instead, from the
comfort of your home or office, you can go up on the Internet and quickly check the sites
where Windows CE titles are available. You can do your comparison shopping, make a secure
transaction for your purchase and either download the software immediately, wait for the
product to be shipped to you, or a combination of the two.
Better for the developer and reseller
Virtual stores provide a lot of advantages to the software developer. He doesn't have
to spend a lot of time finding stores to sell his titles, or fight with the reseller for
prime space on the shelves. Some sites will sell advertising space in prime locations,
such as the opening pages of the site, but for the most part titles are on pretty much of
a level playing field. Description and requirements of the software are readily available
to the consumer with the click of a mouse button.
The reseller doesn't have to have a lot of knowledgeable clerks available to assist you
with your purchase. Most sites provide links back to the developer for that. The reseller
doesn't have to invest a lot of resources stocking products in all 500 outlets of his
store. In fact, he doesn't have to have 500 outlets, which means he saves a whole lot on
rent and utilities. He can afford to carry a wider variety of products, including carrying
cases, PC Card devices, and cables. In fact, some virtual stores even sell H/PCs and
Palm-size PCs.
Everything's "Virtual"
Most virtual stores and malls use virtual shopping cart systems. You browse the virtual
shelves and when you find a product you want, click on a "Buy" button, enter the
quantity you want, and "put it into your shopping cart." When you're finished
shopping, you proceed to the virtual checkout where you confirm the items in your shopping
cart and the prices you will be charged. You can change your mind and take items out of
the shopping cart, or discard the whole cart.
When you're ready buy, you click the "purchase" button. You're asked for your
name, address, phone, fax, email, etc. Normally, you don't have to fill out all of the
fields if you don't want to. You're then asked for your credit card information, which is
transmitted in a secure manner that can only be read by the intended recipient. The card
is checked (as it is in any store) and you receive a virtual "thank you" from
the virtual clerk. In addition, an email confirmation of your order is sent. If the
product is downloadable from the site, you're then able to have it sent directly to your
computer. Otherwise, it's shipped to the address you give.
With the exception of Windows CE users that are not yet able to access the Internet,
all parties are served by the virtual store. Here are some of the virtual stores available
today on the Internet for Windows CE software. For those without Internet access,
MobilePlanet, mentioned below, has an old-fashion paper catalog it will send you.
MobilePlanet has Windows CE Central for your software needs. They offer Handheld PCs
from 7 manufacturers and Palm-size PCs from 3 manufacturers. There are also hardware
add-ons and accessories, including books about Windows CE, care and maintenance products,
carrying cases, connectivity products, data collection, Ethernet cards, GPS devices,
styluses, memory cards and much more. There were about 40 software titles available the
last time I visited. Titles are available from Microsoft, OEMs and independent vendors,
and range from GPS (Global Positioning System) software to database applications to games
and much more. MobilePlanet also has a tips and tricks section for you and you can get
their catalog.
MobilePlanet uses a shopping cart system for safe and secure transaction processing.
It's a fairly nice site with a wide variety of products available. You can contact them to
get a "non-virtual" version of their catalog mailed to you. Phone: 800-675-2638
or 818-888-7267; Fax 1-818-888-3484; Email sales@mplanet.com.
While MobilePlanet simply lists the title and developer on their catalog's main pages,
MobileSoft gives you a description, price and what version of Windows CE the software will
work on. There were over 100 software titles at MobileSoft when I last visited the site.
MobileSoft specializes in software for the PC Companions and doesn't carry a lot of other
extras. They have a Smart Shopper that will help you find the correct piece of software
for your needs based upon your criteria and input.
MobileSoft uses a shopping cart system and features Electronic Software Delivery so
that you can download the software after you have purchased it. MobileSoft is a very
user-friendly site with tons of software for your PC Companion.
CEMonster is a section of PDACentral, which is brought to us by TUCOWS. I have to rank
TUCOWS as one of my top 3 Internet sites for Windows 3.X/95/NT freeware/shareware.
PDACentral is beginning to rank pretty high for the PDA and Windows CE market. The suite
is easy to use and well-categorized, with hot links to the different categories on each
page. PDACentral has the PilotZone for users of the Palm Pilot, Newtonville for users of
the Apple Newton, CEMonster for Windows CE and PsionKing for Psion users.
The categories in CEMonster include: Accessories, Action Games, Board Games,
Compression, Calculators, Chat, Dialers, Fax Applications, Development, Handwriting,
Information Managers, Internet Tools, Mail, Notepads, Time, Utilities and What's New. Each
category has the latest freeware/shareware available. A description of each piece of
software is included, along with information about the Version Number, Revision Date, File
Name, Byte Size, License information (freeware, shareware, commercial demo), Homepage (of
the developer), and O/S Compatibility. Click the "Download Now" link and
CEMonster walks you through the process. This is definitely a must visit site.
Buyonet is a newcomer to the virtual marketplace for Windows CE. There were only a few
titles available when I visited, but the Windows CE section had only been open a week or
so at that time. Buyonet has products for many platforms other than Windows CE. It does
not use a shopping cart system, which makes things a little tricky. When you find a
product you want, you click on that product and are transported to a secure location where
you enter your information. Some of the products you download first, make sure the file is
intact, then pay and receive a key to unlock the software for use. Others you pay before
downloading. It seemed quite complicated trying to figure out which was which. Each time
you find a product you like, you have to stop, go to the secure location, and download it
before you go back to browsing.
These are some of the places you can find Windows CE software and
products. If you are looking for software for your PC Companion, give these sites a try.
Be sure and tell them what you like (or don't like), products you'd like to see, etc. That
will help improve them for all of us. Until next issue, I'll see you OnLine!
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