Pocket PC - Color Button Control
This article will help you get up and running with the Color Button Control we sell in the DEVBUZZ Store. For a limited time we have the Color Button Control in our store for $9.95. It's incredibly easy to use, comes with full Visual Studio design-time support and will make your Pocket PC applications much more attractive.

Running state machines based Win32/WinCE programs
Many concurrent, distributed or real-time applications has to tightly co-work with other objects, which are called service providers. A service is formally specified by a set of primitives (operations) available to service users (applications). These primitives describe some action or report on an action taken by a peer component/entity to be performed. The service primitives can be classified into four categories: request, indication, response and confirm. This article describes how to run state machine application framework based Win32/WinCE programs using window message hooking technology.

Using replication on a SQL Server Database
Merge replication is ideally suited to portable devices because it allows data to be updated autonomously on the portable device and the server. The data can later be merged when the device is connected to an instance of SQL Server. Server CE synchronizes with SQL Server by establishing an HTTP connection to the SQL Server Publisher through Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS).

Accessing a remote SQL Server using SQLClient
The Compact Framework has the ability to access SQL Server 2000 databases from the handheld device. This is a very powerful tool for developers, as it allows real-time access to corporate data, in a secure environment. The handheld can be connected to the network using a wireless Ethernet connection, or using a GPRS connection. This means that corporate data can be made available to authorized employees wherever they can get access. A salesman ‘on the road’ can connect to the office, and get the latest stock figures to ensure he has enough stock to fulfill an order. This article will show how to connect to a remote database, and retrieve data, using Visual Basic .NET to demonstrate access.

Learn from the Experts at MEDC 2006
Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded DevCon 2006, May 8 – 11 in Las Vegas, is where the top members of the application development, device development, and IT professional community gather to collaborate and gain hands-on knowledge that can’t be learned in any book, white paper, or webcast.

SQLCEDBView
Together with .Net CF, they make writing apps for Pocket PC (Windows Mobile) devices incredibly easy. The one thing that's missing is a way to view & edit your SQLCE tables, and add sample data to them, without having to tap away manically at your device's screen. Well folks, I think it's about time to fill that gap...

RESCO MobileSales .NET – a modern way of creating mobile UI
The user interface is an integral part of each business software application and in many cases a quality user interface plays the key role in success and popularity of the application. The main goal of this article is to show a modern way of developing stylish and easy-to-use interfaces for mobile sales force automation applications in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and .NET Compact Framework.

A Powerful New Grid Control Optimized for the .NET Compact Framework
The grid control is a standard component of almost every desktop and mobile application and although Visual Studio .NET includes the DataGrid control, its functionality is very limited and usage quite problematic especially in mobile application projects. The Resco SmartGrid .NET is a powerful control designed specifically for mobile devices. In addition to the standard grid functionality the SmartGrid supports advanced graphics features such as column and cell customizations as well as very efficient data handling. In this article Radomir presents the basic features of this control and the way SmartGrid works in a smart device application project. To this end I will create a sample form which loads product sales data from a SQLCE database and displays them in a stylish grid complete with graphics and customized cells.

How to make your application work together with other GPS software
Handheld computers are increasingly being hooked up to GPS devices, and the number of GPS-enabled applications is steadily increasing. This leads to a situation where several applications might be competing for a single GPS connection on a device. This article describes an easy and fast way to write wll-mannered GPS applications that can run alongside less considerate popular navigational software. So how do you do it, if you don’t want your users to have to close down one program to allow another to access a single GPS device? Sharing your GPS with other applications can be quite a challenge, and far from all applications are written with that scenario in mind.

FTP Controls for .NET Compact Framework
Mobile applications often require sending and receiving data to and from a remote server. The easiest way to achieve this is using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Trilium’s .NET CF FTP Control allows you to incorporate these powerful functions right into your VB .NET project. Connecting, sending and receiving files from a remote server from within your .NET VB applications can now be done within minutes with this .NET CF Control.

The Challenges of Pocket PC Development
After a frustrating week of trying to explain to clients how Pocket PC development is so much more challenging than it's big brother desktop development I came across the speech I delivered at the 2002 Pocket PC Summit called "The Challenges of Pocket PC Development". I thought some of you might find this interesting - not much has really changed.

Developing Preview/Detail Forms using the New Advanced .NET CF Controls
Most developers who have been developing their applications for mobile devices are in a situation when they must consider a changeover from the old known eVB developer tool to the new .NET Compact Framework environment. At the first glance the .NET CF supports everything that is necessary to build a robust mobile database solution displaying data in different Windows controls. The problem is that many of these controls haven’t been designed explicitly for mobile devices and that’s why they aren’t suitable for use in every situation.

Using Spb Kiosk Engine for eVB and .NET CF Pocket PC enterprise applications
There is a growing trend for Pocket PC's to be used as special devices in a very restricted way with many functions disabled and with only one application executing - this is called kiosk mode. A lot of vertical market applications require kiosk mode. It can for example disable all games and other entertainment programs on Pocket PC. This article describes how to create eVB and .NET CF kiosk applications for the Pocket PC using the Spb Kiosk Engine.

So you want to have a Control with a .Name property?
Since you can't easily access the .Name property of a control in the Compact Framework, why not do it the esay way?

Communicating w/ the Desktop
When using a PDA, it's often necessary to programatically communicate with the device from the desktop and vice versa. Here's a quick discussion on how to do it.

Determing Network Connectivity
There are many scenarios where knowing the state of your network connection is absolutely critical. Here's a discussion on how to do it

Invoking the Google Web Service on your SmartPhone
Google not only has a killer search engine and attractive IPO propseects, it has an exposed web service that's easily consumed in .NET, even on the Smartphone

Harnessing SSCEDirect for fast SQLCE data loading
The combination of Sql Server CE and the .NET Compact Framework brings unprecedented power and ease of development to mobile Windows CE based devices. However, ADO.Net suffers from poor performance when inserting more than a few records into a Sql CE database. This article discusses a method for speeding these inserts dramatically. When Microsoft released Sql Server CE, developers for Pocket PC and CE based devices were given a excellent platform for building data intense mobile applications. This mobile database engine provides a set of features that are very similar to the full-scale Sql Server product, which are enhanced by powerful replication capabilities for keeping this data syncronized with a backend Sql Server. Since the majority of mobile applications use local databases as a form of cache for server-based data...

Regression testing your Pocket PC app, a new form of torture
Recently we have been building a Pocket PC application for a client that involves entering quite a few forms of data. To enter a candidate for this application takes about 10 minutes or so. As you can imagine testing this application requires entering a few candidates and then synchng the data. With pretty agressive build iterations regression testing is critical, and very time consuming. Not only do you have to test new features but in cutting new builds you need to test all functionality in case you have introduced some unwanted features in other sections of the app.

Implementing callbacks from user-made controls in .Net Compact Framework (C#)
After you created the control via Windows API CreateWindowEx function and assigned the control all the required properties you may want to receive callbacks from the control on the events that happen inside it.

How to wrap a user-made control in .Net Compact Framework (C#)
Imagine we need to wrap a control that differs from all standard Windows controls. I will not describe the process of the wrapping in all detail but instead I'll tell the main idea and list all the required technologies. The main reason for wrapping Windows controls in .Net is the fact that a lot of useful Windows controls are not available in .Net CF. Some useful controls (for example, owner-draw list boxes) may be rather easily implemented in pure .Net, but unfortunately they work not very much reliably and too slow for serious applications. In this article I'll explain how to wrap the user-made control (written in native code).

How to wrap a standard Windows control in .Net Compact Framework (C#)
The main reason for wrapping Windows controls in .Net is the fact that a lot of useful Windows controls are not available in .Net CF, for example, a DateTimePicker, a "hybrid" combo box (combo box with string editing), and owner-draw list box and others. Some useful controls (for example, owner-draw list boxes) may be easily implemented in pure .Net, but unfortunately they will be not very much reliable and too slow for serious applications. In this article I'd like to explain how to wrap a standard Windows control. This is somehow a "one-direction" wrapping. Another article will be devoted to how to handle messages and callbacks from the created controls. In most cases you don't need any callbacks from the control and "one-direction" wrapping will be enough for you.

SmartPhone (SP) and WebService Enhancements (WSE) with .NETcf
So I had taken my first cut at WSE from the Compact Framework (.NETcf) many months ago (/cfWSE). Since then, I have gotten to do a lot more Web Service (WS) work using the .NETcf. So I felt I was ready for a second attempt to raise the bar ... although this article is really the third in a long running series. I could not continue the /cfWSE article because .NETcf was lacking the System.Security.Cryptography namespace; so that is why I wrote the follow up /spCrypt article. Now I can continue where I left off.

SmartPhone (SP) and CryptoApi with CompactFramework (.NETcf)
.NETcf does not have the namespace System.Security.Cryptography. Yet we really need it as the world becomes more wireless, and we dont want our data available in the clear for wireless sniffers or network operators, especially with certain wireless security mechanisms being in question (i.e. WEP). Luckily, both the SmartPhone and PocketPC devices come with the CryptoApi. The CryptoApi is an unmanaged API used to call unmanaged cryptographic implementations that exist on the devices as well. This can be done through pInvokes. In this article I will wrap the entire CryptoApi (version 1).

SmartPhone 2003 and .NETcf Primer
Anyone who has done any heavy lifting in the Pocket PC development world will know who Casey Chesnut is and therefore why they should read this article! Casey details his early observations of managed coding for the SmartPhone (SP) with the .NET Compact Framework (.NETcf). The differences to managed coding for the PocketPC (PPC) will be pointed out, as well as some things that are new.

Intelligent Applications: Accessing System Information
Your boss asks you to put together a needful database application for field asset management. People will be collecting information in the field, and then synchronizing the data to a central data store. You get to create the application. Easy enough? But then the complaints start rolling in; “Battery life is terrible!”, “There isn’t enough memory!” “The app is to slow!” The answers to these problems are clear…

.NET CF Newsreader using IP*Works!
One important goal of embedded development is to give devices the power to do anything that can be done on a desktop. Leveraging IP*Works! enables developers to do this. Take the case of news browsing: On the desktop, this is an easy thing to do. There are many powerful news browsers available - but that is not the case for devices. The fact is that with IP*Works!, creating a news reader for embedded devices is relatively trivial. The most difficult part is not the internet communication, but arranging the articles by thread. One way to handle that threading is to use the treeview control.

Microsoft Mobility Developer Conference 2003 (in New Orleans!)
This is a great time to be a mobile developer (yes this is a natural high)! The MS Mobility Developer Conference is just around the corner and this year it's being held in the U.S. in New Orleans from March 18th to the 21st. Attend Microsoft’s premier developer event for building and bringing to market wireless applications, content and services for Microsoft® Windows® Powered mobile devices, including Pocket PC and Smartphone.

Pocket Access Data provider for the .NET Compact Framework
The omission of a Pocket Access database provider has sparked much discussion from the very first release of the .NET Compact Framework. There is still a strong need for interfacing with Pocket Access databases, both for updating applications previously written in eVB, and for any other application where installation of SQL Server CE could be considered overkill. With this in mind Peter Foot of InTheHand wrote a wrapper library around the familiar ADOCE ActiveX control.

Free DateTimePicker for Compact Framework
This tutorial is written in the hopes that it might help someone needing the datetime picker functionality. I needed to use datetime picker functionality in an application I was writing, and I was very happy to find some code on the innovativedss.com forums adapted by various programmers in C# and then posted in VB.NET format by Chani Diakidis. This is great code, but I found I ran into complications using the code. Searchng through the forums it seems that I wasn't the only one having problems - a step by step was need - so here goes...

Consuming a web service from your Pocket PC
It wasn't so long ago that Robert Levy and I were talking about .NET, we're both big fans! Anyway Robert made some comment about it being the Holy Grail of developing. Brave words you say - well get comfy and follow along - you won't believe how easy it is to add and comsume an XML web service in the Compact Framework. One of the very coolest things about .NET web services is that you can literally build a platform agnostic API to whatever application you want. In fact there is nothing to stop you building an API to your web site! But first let's learn to walk before we run headlong into that dark night by starting with something simple.

.NET Compact Framework - Making the Switch!
I've been working with the beta version of the .NET Compact Framework (.NET cf) for a while now and I thought it was high time to try and distill some of those experiences, hopefully making the experience of switching from eVB to .NET a little bit easier. I'm writing this for the traditional VB developer wanting to get into .NET cf. Having never been a hard core C programmer of any obvious talent myself, this article is definitely skewed towards the above audience.

Interview with Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework Technical Evangelist
DEVBUZZ's Robert Levy spends some time with Kent Sharkey - Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework Technical Evangelist. Aside from having the coolest job description in the mobile world Kent also touches on the overlap of .NET cf and the Mobile Internet Toolkit and provides some insight into why MS dropped dev support for Pocket Access. Please join in the discussion on the http://forums.devbuzz.com.

Mobilizing with .NET - An introduction and case study overview
There has been a good deal of hype surrounding Microsoft's .NET over the last few months. The .NET initiative encompasses such a wide range of new technologies that it can be difficult to understand how it relates to your particular business or product and how you can leverage it. In this article, Robert Levy, provides an introduction to what .NET means for developers of mobile software and a look at what other business are already doing with it.

Techniques for filling lists using the .NET Compact Framework
So you've embraced the .NET Compact Framework and you're nashing your teeth trying to find out how to add items to a list or combo-box. Or you've heard that the performance of binding the dataset to the list is terrible! Well hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone. In this tutorial we will investigate two techniques to fill a combo-box and measure the performance of each. The first technique binds a data view to the combo-box and the second is much classier.

.NET Compact Frameworks & the ADO.NET Data Adapter
One of the biggest challenges in adapting to .NET is getting to grips with the new data access methodology - ADO.NET. OLE DB providers are no longer used, instead they have been usurped by .NET managed providers which are used to manage data access between the data source and your application. This may seem like an extension of the OLE dB provider approach but that is where the similarity ends. Under the hood the implementation is very different and COM has been removed from the equation. Server-side cursor support has been dropped in ADO.NET owing to the server performance and locking penalties; consideration being cast rather in favor of forward-only, read-only resultsets.

Developing an e-wallet using .NET Compact framework & SQL Server CE
First I decided to write the application in eVB as a prototype, but when I signed up for the Mobility Developers Conderence in London I decided to wait for the .NET Compact Framework (CF) Beta and to code that application as my first CF Application, written in VB.NET. Some days after getting my hands on the Beta I started coding the application (in fact I developed the datamodel at Heathrow Airport, waiting for my delayed flight back home). After installing the .NET Compact Framework on my machine I started to impement the SQL CE 2.0 Database...

Microsoft's First Mobility Developers Conference - London April 2002
The week before last I attended Microsoft's first Mobility Developers Conference in London. My expectations of the event were high but I really wasn't sure how much hype there would be verses delivery. I have a decidedly techie perspective of Pocket PC development a sort of "show me the code approach". In this and many other respects the conference really delivered!

Understanding the .NET Compact Framework for the Pocket PC
The other day I was reading an article discussing Beyond.com’s chapter 11 bankruptcy application and the potential sale of some of their assets and not surprisingly the last paragraph was a disclaimer of the sort - “this is a forward looking perspective and makes no guarantee that the events or ideas discussed here will actually ever occur”. The reason this comes to mind is that it was not too long ago that I was waxing lyrical about the potential of the eMbedded Visual Toolset (ver 3.0) to change the face of the handheld development arena.