Windows Phone Thoughts: InfoShare v1.3

Figure 2: List Manager is highly configurable and customizable.

Is Everyone on the Same Page?
Setting up the computer to communicate with the Pocket PC was a little trickier than I had hoped. The desktop software must be installed and set up before the Pocket PC application is set up. Now, I’m not pretending that this set up is rocket science, and I’m not purporting to be an Einstein, but setting up the desktop PC wasn’t as intuitive as I had hoped. The software must be installed on the desktop, the desktop has to be registered with Unwired’s database (this is not to say that you must purchase an additional license for the desktop, but the computer must be identified by Unwired’s server) a list of users must be set up, and access to the desktop is password protected. Users may then be added or removed, as needed, but only users whose mobile number is identified as a valid user may synchronize with the desktop.

After the desktop is set up, it can be set to automatically synchronize or “push” updates to a defined user list, or updates can be pushed manually. In a business environment, a manager or supervisor could modify a list of tasks concerning a particular project and push the updates to an individual user, a subset of users, or the entire group. In the world of synchronizing Pocket PCs with desktops, we’ve grown to understand that this almost always means putting the Pocket PC on a cradle, firing up Active Sync, and syncing the stuff that we choose. Unwired, however, true to its name, enables syncing to occur with nothing more than a GPRS connection.

As the status changes for a project, for example, these changes can be synced with everyone or only specific and pertinent users. Likewise, a Pocket PC user can push updates or modifications to the desktop or to any other user or users. InfoShare v1.3 can sync devices via GPRS connections or via cellular data connection, or WiFi or desktop proxy, providing a wide range of options that utilize common methods to connect to the Internet or a common network.