Related
Is anyone aware of a good application that uses the PDA as a front end input device for SDL/oracle database application that is synced automatically over a GPRS connection (either live connection or delayed)
Looking for examples that can support an argument for developing a new solution for PDA's. Issues envisaged are graphical representation of web pages currently used and speed of refresh/transfer of data from device to database.
Significant donations promised if I make lots of money from this
I've long been promising the second part of One on one: final versions of Spb Backup and Sprite Backup 5 - the Definitive Comparison - Part I. Here's what you (may) have been waiting for, completely enhanced and listing all the solutions, comparing and benchmarking all the current backup applications, with a lot of additional, real-world tests and, as usual, loads of never-before published hacks, tricks and tips.
Note that this article contains about 140 screenshots (most of them in the main comparison chart) showing examples of ALL the usage areas of the reviewed applications and a lot of usage tips. That is, you may want to spend some hours in reading the article and scrutinizing the comparison chart(s) to find out all the necessary information. It's certainly worth it - this article may contain a LOT of usage tips, tricks and secrets you may never have thought of. Make sure you click the screenshots - I've created them to be usable as mini-tutorials too.
If you don't want to spend that much time with scrutinizing the chart in finding out what features each backup application has and how they compare to each other, feature-wise, jump forward to section 4., the verdict, to find out which backup applications I recommend the most. However, to find out more about these applications, I do recommend spending some time in deciding what features you absolutely need in a backup application and what are the currently available backup apps that do provide these features. After all, it's all about spending your hard-earned dollars and defending yourself for paying extra for unneeded features, based on real comparisons - you don't possibly want to spend, say, 30 bucks on an application you may not fully use all its features of.
1. The need for backing up
What are backup applications needed for? you may ask. Isn’t plain ActiveSync synchronization sufficient?
Synchronizing with a desktop computer via ActiveSync (as long as you don't use ActiveSync backup) only protects some sorts of your data, not all of them. For example, if you have Microsoft Outlook on your desktop PC and you synchronize everything, then, "only" your Personal Information Manager (PIM) data (contacts, calendar, tasks, notes), (mobile) Internet Explorer favorites and files in the \My Documents directory will be safe and restorable in case of a fatal system failure: a hard reset made by the user to get rid of the probably completely messed up system or an accidental hard reset caused by a depleted battery on pre-Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) devices.
Other things won't be saved: programs you've installed on the device, (non-ActiveSync-synchronized (desktop Outlook)) E-mails, SMS, MMS messages you have on your device, all the data files not stored in \My Documents (this directory is automatically backed up by ActiveSync if you enable synchronizing "Files") etc.
This is because standard ActiveSync synchronization is really limited in what it can synchronize (back up): only a part of the file system (everything outside the \My Documents directory is left out), only part of the WindowsCE databases (only PIM databases are synchronized, mail, queue etc. and third-party databases aren't) and none of the Registry.
This means ActiveSync (or any of the above-mentioned plug-ins) is not capable of saving / restoring your
ALL third-party applications you've installed on your PDA (because they use the file system outside the only-synchronized \My Documents, sometimes heavily depend on the registry (they store settings / data in them) and sometimes (in very rare cases: see for example the case of some mobile phone handler apps) even on the WindowsCE databases)
System-level settings you've made (font size, ClearType, Today wallpaper, Today plug-ins, menu changes, input changes, button settings, owner information, sound & notification, backlight, power, audio, (if present) wireless settings) - they are almost exclusively stored in the Registry (I've elaborated on many of these in many of my articles) and, consequently, they aren't backed up either)
Messaging (in pre-WM2003SE parlance, Pocket Inbox) settings (mailboxes set up) and all messages (these are stored in the WinCE databases and in the \Windows\Messaging directory in the file system; these aren't backed up either)
MSN and other accounts
Third-party backup applications like MightySync, MobSync and Intellisync don't help much either. The first two only helps in synchronizing (including backing up) other directories (and storage cards) and not only \My Documents; Intellisync only helps in extended PIM synchronization. Also, you can use for example the desktop-based Jeyo Mobile Companion to back up (and, then, restore) your SMS and MMS messages - but nothing else.
This all means third-party backup programs (or the one built into ActiveSync) are really needed if you want to completely restore your system without having to reinstall all your apps from scratch, make your settings changes again and set up your mail and other connectivity accounts manually. With a decent backup application restoring these parts of the system is a breeze.
(A comparison for (ex-)Palm users: in this respect, the Windows Mobile operating system is a bit weaker than Palm OS. With the latter, everything is stored in systems database files automatically backed up by Hotsync every time you synchronize your device. (Of course, I'm not saying Windows Mobile sucks. I wouldn’t be a MS user if I thought that way ). The desktop PC-based ActiveSync can be made to do the same (which I'll explain soon), but it's not enabled by default and is no longer available with WM5 devices - one of the biggest problems with the WM5 platform.)
I've also elaborated on these question in my previous articles; please read One on one: final versions of Spb Backup and Sprite Backup 5 - the Definitive Comparison - Part I and the from there linked articles for a complete review. I also recommend the generic articles linked in the "Further information" section.
1.1 What backup applications are there? The three types of backup applications
Roughly, there are three kinds of backup applications:
third-party apps purchasable and installable separately (Sprite, Spb, Sunnysoft, ArtSSave, SKTools) - see Chapter 2
backup apps coming built into the Pocket PC (that is, in the ROM) - the subject of Chapter 3. Note that Microsoft itself doesn't ship any kind of a standard back-up utility with the Pocket PC / Windows Mobile operating system built into the ROM of the device, only the desktop-side (see group three) ActiveSync. This is why there is no standard (a backup utility that can be found on ALL Windows Mobile devices) backup utility on your Pocket PC, only a model-, series- or brand-specific one (if at all).
desktop-side backup applications without, in cases, (visible) Pocket PC-side components. That is, tools that require, for example, the Pocket PC being cradled and visible to ActiveSync (or, with more advanced tools like the desktop components of Sprite Backup, accessible through Internet, without the need for having an ActiveSync connection).
The advantages of the three groups are as follows:
the first, third-party group, offers a LOT of advanced functionality. They offer a LOT more than even the most advanced built-in tools or some desktop-based tools. Furthermore, the lack of being built-in into the ROM isn't really a problem with them: most of them are able to create self-restoring (.EXE) backups (the case with Sprite and Spb Backup) or, along with the non-EXE backup files, a separate, directly executable .EXE file on the card (the case with Sunnysoft Backup Manager and SKTools), which can be directly executed off a storage card after a hard reset. Only of of them, ArtSSave, doesn't offer this; you can, however, directly put its CAB installer file on the card and, along with CabInstl (it MUST be installed on a storage card), you can install it any time. The capability from being installed from a CAB file is true with all these applications should you prefer not using self-restoring backups.
The applications belonging to this group all allow for scheduled backups (you don't need to manually initiate the backup but can instruct the backup application to do an automatic backup say at night when the some-minute-long backup process doesn't disturb you) and a lot of other goodies. Of the other types of backups, scheduled backup capabilities are much rarer (except for iPAQ Backup).
the second group, that is, that of built-in applications, are always at hand, ready to restore your backups stored on, say, your storage cards - even after a hard reset. They, however, in general, except for iPAQ Backup, are far worse than most of third-party applications and, generally, are only shipped on pre-Windows Mobile 5 devices (with some exceptions: for example, the Dell Axim x50 WM5 upgrade and the x51 series has Data Backup built-in; so do Acer models. However, as far as other WM5 brands / models are concerned, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP Pocket PC's and HTC-manufactured Pocket PC Phone Edition devices don't have any kind of built-in backup applications.)
Note that another advantage of these two groups are the lack of need to run restore strictly on your desktop computer. When you use a backup application belonging to these two groups, the backup file will be created locally, which, then, can also be restored locally - that is, on the PDA, just starting either the produced self-installing EXE file or starting the built-in backup application and pointing it to the backup file.
This, however, doesn't mean you can't store your backup files on your desktop computer. You can copy them there any time - or, even automatically synchronize them to there so that you don't need to remember to manually copy them. If you make your backup application write your backup file(s) onto your memory cards (or built-in file store with pre-WM5 devices, if applicable), which is the preferable way of backing up your device (to avoid the consequences of a sudden RAM erase caused by battery depletion or a forced, manual hard reset caused by a misbehaving program, which may happen even under WM5), you can use the already-mentioned MobSync or MightySync to automatically keep these files synchronized on your desktop. One of the third-party backup applications, Sunnysoft Backup Manager, even has a desktop-side tool that does the automatic synchronization for you automatically, without your installing / configuring MobSync or MightySync .
Finally, applications (currently, there is only one application in this group: Sprite Backup) belonging to both the first and the third group, that is, applications that can make (initiate) backups on both the Pocket PC and the desktop, also allow for restoring the created backup file without using a desktop computer - that is, right on the PDA. That is, you can safely use their desktop-side tool to do the backup; you can be absolutely sure the backup file created on your Windows computer will be later restorable right on your PDA, without the need to access a desktop Windows.
This all means there is only one backup application that necessitates a Windows desktop computer for restoration: the built-in backup / restore module in ActiveSync. All the other solutions allow for restoring your backups right on your PDA.
The advantages of the latter are pretty clear: you can restore your backups anywhere, any time (for example, far away from any desktop computers). This is what ActiveSync backup lacks.
the third group let for (easily) store your backups on your desktop computer (or any other networked computer with even more advanced tools like the desktop backup agent or the share access features of Sprite Backup) without human interaction. (Note that you can do the same with automatic backup file synchronization with all the backup applications belonging to the first two categories if you, for example, use MobSync or MightySync to automatically transfer / synchronize these files to your desktop every time you cradle your device.)
1.2 What can we expect from backup applications?
Only the simplest backup applications offer manually-initiated-only backups (all the built-in backup applications except for iPAQ Backup). All the third-party applications support at least scheduling, the advantages of which have already been explained in section 1.1.
In Chapter 2 (third-party) applications, I'll elaborate more on the advanced features of these applications when I discuss the comparison chart. Please read that part to see what other, even more advanced features these applications have.
In the next chapter, I elaborate on the third-party applications available now; in the third, I review and compare applications coming with some (mostly older) Pocket PC models. Note that, as with most of my articles, most of the information and usage tips (as menu and fill-in example screenshots with short comments) are in the comparison chart. This is the only way of really reducing the size of the article. Without using a comparison chart-based approach, the article would be at least an order of magnitude larger and harder-to-read. Scrutinizing the comparison chart is essential - most of the information is in there.
Also, real comparisons and feature lists are done in the chart. In the following two chapters, I only elaborate on the most important information on each application that needs to be known and/or couldn't be included in the chart.
2. Current backup applications
What has changed since my previous two real articles & comparisons of Pocket PC backup solutions?
There have been a lot of changes in the last half a year, particularly when it comes to backing up Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) Pocket PC's, which has always been much more problematic than with previous operating systems when it comes to backing up Personal Information Manager (PIM) data, Messaging data (e-mails or, with Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, SMS and MMS messages) and generic WindowsCE system databases. (It's in these that WM5 has changed the most, compared to earlier operating systems.)
Spb Software House has released version 1.1.x and, then, shortly thereafter, 1.5.0 and 1.5.1 of (while I reviewed 1.0 in the first article) Spb Backup, their pretty good backup solution with welcome additions like HP ProtectTools compliance, customizable restoration, storage card backup and several bugfixes.
Sprite Software hasn't been lazy either: they have released version 5.1 of Sprite Backup 5, now, with HP ProtectTools compliance and, which is very important for anyone wanting to upgrade the ROM of his or her Pocket PC, the Device Upgrade mode, which was painfully missing from the first, 5.0 version.
Sunnysoft Backup Manager has also been updated and made fully WM5-compliant.
Last but not least, the, in my opinion, best all-in-one systems tool SKTools has also introduced a really decent backup/restore module, which has been fully WM5-compliant in the last, just-debuted 3.0 series.
2.1 Sunnysoft Backup Manager
(current, tested version: 3.767 build 09111 (internal file dates 09/19/2006))
It took quite a lot of time (as was, incidentally, the case with Sprite Software too) for Sunnysoft to come out with an, at last, WM5-compatible version of their Backup Manager available here.
As opposed to the version(s) tested in my previous roundups and tests, the new version(s) are now fully WM5-compliant; they didn't cause any problems in my thorough tests and proved to be fully reliable. (The same, of course, stands for pre-WM5 operating systems, which Sunnysoft Backup Manager has always been supporting without problems.)
The client itself is pretty capable - it is capable of everything, except for the device upgrade mode and password protected device backup, which only Sprite Backup is capable of (with the latter, without other hacks); also, HP iPAQ hx users should stay away from it if they have activated HP ProtectTools. Otherwise, it's pretty decent.
2.2 Spb Backup
(current, tested version: 1.5.1 build 2432)
Spb Software (apart from the much older Spb Clone), along with the S-K and opposed to Sprite Software and Sunnysoft folks, is a newcomer on the backup application scene. Fortunately, apart from the programs' not having as many extra capabilities as some of the other backup applications and has some major problems (see the next section), it has turned out to be comparatively good.
2.2.1 Quick tip: Backing up devices with system-level password set with Spb Backup
Unfortunately, Spb Backup is, in general, unable to backup devices that have a system-level password set. I've thoroughly tested this on all my Pocket PC's and found out the following: with an unofficial AKU3 pre-release ROM on my HTC Wizard, almost all scheduled backups were done even with enabled system-level protection. After flashing back the "official" 2.26 T-Mobile ROM to the Wizard, Spb Backup stopped making backups with the password active (this MAY mean it'll be, finally, compatible with all protected AKU3+ WM5 devices. For more information on what AKU's mean, please read this article). The situation was the same with all the other PDA's I've thoroughly tested this functionality on: the AKU2.3 HTC Universal, the A12 (AKU2.3) Dell Axim x51v and the WM2003SE Pocket Loox 720. It was unable to backup these devices most of the time (except probably two times the x51v).
However, there is a very simple and elegant solution to this problem (originally invented by AKAJohnDoe). All you have to do is setting up a notification to be "fired" just before the scheduled backup. For example, if you schedule your backup to be started at 12:30 in the night, also set up a recurring event to 12:30 (it may end at once - 12:30 - it doesn't need to take any time, even if letting more time wouldn't result in more notifications to be displayed either) as can be seen in here. (To do this, start Calendar and choose New (on pre-WM5 devices) or Menu / New Appointment (on WM5 devices) and fill in the fields as is shown above.) Also make sure that you choose one minute in the "Reminder" section so that, if you've kept a power timeout on the device at the default 2 minutes, it won't power off the Pocket PC before Spb Backup is fired off (which will be one minute after the notification is displayed - that is, while the PDA is still powered on).
To make this event fired up every day at the same time (not just once - in the above, I've only shown how an appointment should be created that is fired only once, at a given time minus one minute), click Occurs and select Edit pattern.... Click Next on the next dialog and, on the following, change "Weekly" to "Daily" by just clicking "Daily" in the top left corner. Then, just click Next and Finish on the next dialog. Now, the new appointment series will indeed be set up. A quick glance at the Today screen shows that the backup itself indeed starts one minute after the notification (again, the notification wakes up the device one minute BEFORE the set calendar event).
2.3 Sprite Backup
(current, tested version: 5.1.0 build 1447 and 3.1.4 Premium)
Sprite Backup has been the oldest and most widely known backup application for the Pocket PC. All non-WM5 iPAQ's, starting with later Pocket PC 2002 models (for example, the iPAQ 5450), had some kind of a "dumbed-down", but still pretty usable and reliable (as opposed to some other backup applications coming with non-iPAQ Pocket PC's, as we'll see in Chapter 3) Sprite backup-clone called iPAQ Backup.
Sprite Backup excels in almost every area, has unmatched capabilities (the device upgrade mode and desktop-side backup tools being the two most important ones). Furthermore, not counting in Spb Backup (which does need hacks to do this - see the above section), it's the only application to correctly backup / restore password-protected Pocket PC's.
Its only problem may be the higher price, the complete lack of any kind of trial versions and a slightly bigger archive size (slightly lower compression ratio) than with all the other alternate backup applications. It should, however, also be pointed out that it's the fastest application to both backup and restore a device; for example, it takes SKTools about two times the time to backup / restore the device. Spb Backup is also considerably slower. It won't be a problem with the latter two apps, however, if you make them back p your device in scheduled mode (for example, at night, when the time usage isn't important).
There are two main versions of Sprite Backup: the 3.x and the 5.x series. The former (current version: 3.1.4) is meant strictly for Pocket PC 2002, WM2003 and WM2003SE devices and the latter (current version: 5.1) for WM5 ones. The two versions are not compatible with each other - that is, you can't run version 5.1 on a, say, WM2003SE device and vice versa. You'll also need to purchase separate licenses for the two versions if you'd like to buy both; fortunately, the upgrade price is half the price of the regular price, which, taken into the overall quality and usability of the suite, is quite a bargain in my opinion.
2.3.1 Differences between the two current Sprite Backup versions (3.1.4 Premium and 5.1)
The WM5-specific version is a slightly dumbed-down version of the older, 3.x series. This means the 3.x series has some features the 5.x series no longer has:
the WM5 version doesn't have the (pretty bad!) PocketMon Today plug-in
the WM5 version doesn't have the Space Detective utility
Note that these two utilities (particularly PocketMon) aren't the best. That is, you don't miss much by not having them in the WM5 version.
The first, PocketMon, is a really basic (for example, it uses low-resolution icons on hi-res devices as can be seen in here) Today plug-in. It's much worse than, say, iLauncher, Spb Pocket Plus or the Today plug-in of Resco Explorer in that it's constantly consuming some CPU cycles; for example, between 0.4 and 2% (measured on a freshly hard reset PL720) through \Windows\mstli.exe on Pocket Loox 720's and some 2-5% through \Windows\shell32.exe on HP iPAQ 2210's. That is, it's the best to completely disable it if you use Sprite Backup on your pre-WM5 device!
The second, Space Detective, is a generic system meter tool, which also has a cleanup module, is far inferior to the solution offered by, say, SKTools, MemMaid and the other cleanup tools reviewed here (alternatives: MobilitySite, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand)) because it only helps at deleting three different temporary directories and finding the largest files (as can be seen, it's not even compatible with landscape mode).
the 5.x series is no longer able to access network shares (to directly backup to there) as opposed to version 3.1.4 (example screenshots of the latter: 1 2) and
the 5.x series has no battery level triggering / monitoring features, unlike the 3.1.4 version (Incidentally, it's pretty similar to iPAQ Backup with the exception that you can select both backing up automatically and prompting). The lack of this utility (as opposed to the lack of network share support) isn't that important with WM5 - after all, we have persistent storage, which makes the need for battery level-triggered backing up pretty much meaningless
2.3.2 A quick tip: everything you need to know about the device upgrade mode
The unique and hugely useful upgrade mode of Sprite backup can seem a bit complicated at first: unlike what the application states, there are no online files but an .EXE file that locally creates a descriptor file, which, after the upgrade, must be provided to Sprite backup when it asks for it. The EXE file is a bit hard to find on the homepage as it's mentioned in the forum and the FAQ (WM5-specific; pre-WM5-specific), where it for example thoroughly elaborates on the POP3 problem also discussed here.
The direct downloads to the difference creator executables (again, please read the above links on how they should be used!) are here (WM5-specific) and here (pre-WM5-specific). Note that the latter download contains a PDF manual, the pre-made update files it links are no longer existing on the Sprite Web server.
IMPORTANT: while the device upgrade mode works great in most cases, you may run into severe problems if you only depend on it. This was the case of, for example, my trying to use it to restore between the Molski 2.26 and the bepe/KTamas AKU3.2 HTC Wizard ROM's (note that both of them are "custom" ROM's; in general, Sprite has no problems with restoring between "official" ROM's). No matter what direction (bepe to Molski or vice versa) I used or how many contacts / other apps I had on the original (restored) Pocket PC, after the restoration, Contacts would just exit right after starting. Needless to say, I had no POP3 mailboxes (deleted them all before backing up). That is, you should ALWAYS separately backup (synchronize to your desktop Outlook) your most important data / document files from \My Documents and PIM data (contacts etc) with ActiveSync just to be on the safe side; that is, to be absolutely sure you have something to restore if the update mode of Sprite Backup fails.
2.3.3 MOBILE BACKUP CARD by Filao
In addition to Compaq / HP (iPAQ Backup), some other IT companies have also licensed Sprite Backup; for example, Filao. They are known for am easy-to-use, fool-proof MMC (MultiMediaCard)-based solution, MOBILE BACKUP CARD. It’s able to backup both Palm OS and (Pocket PC 2002, WM2003 and WM2003SE; NOT compatible with WM5) Pocket PC devices. It’s unknown which version of Sprite Backup it contains. It’s highly improbable it contains the Premium (network-capable) version of Sprite as it’s strictly an SD / MMC-based, “local” solution.
It uses a 64 Mbyte MMC card, which means you can only create backup files up to 64 Mbytes. (This may also mean you can’t store more than one backup archives on the card, which is a big disadvantage compared to current, decent backup solutions, which all allow for storing any number of easily selectable backup files anywhere).
All in all, due to the high price, the lack of networking capabilities / WM5 compatibility and the low storage capacity (you'll most probably want to store more than one backup files to be able to revert to any of them) of this solution, I don't recommend it.
2.4 SKTools
(current, tested version: 3.0.62.0)
SKTools is a (comparatively) cheap, all-in-one, highly recommended systems manager application. Its backup module is the newest of the four and this, unfortunately, is clearly visible in, for example, the pretty bad selective restoration capabilities and the reduced protection compatibility (it's only able to back up pre-WM5 protected Pocket PC's, as I'll also elaborate on in the next section).
(A quick tip: Note that do NOT download the CAB versions of the tool from the homepage but get the install EXE instead. The CAB version is buggy on a lot of devices: it just won't start. The version installed by the desktop EXE installer doesn't do the same. Interestingly, the main executable file in the CAB files in the desktop EXE file are the same size as in the separately downloadable CAB file but their content is different.)
2.4.1 Scheduled backups on password-protected systems
Unfortunately, SKTools has problems with all password-protected WM5 devices in scheduled mode. The reason for this is that SKTools commits a reset before starting to back up WM5 devices, unlike with WM2003(SE). I haven't found a way to avoid resetting WM5 devices.
As far as WM2003(SE) devices are concerned, it has problems with the Dell Axim series (for example, the x30 and x50), while it works just great with some other series / models (for example, the HP iPAQ 2210 and the F-S Pocket Loox 720).
With the latter models, you can safely use its built-in scheduling capabilities; with the former series / models, you will need to turn to SKScheMa, a really great, unique scheduler application for the Pocket PC.
To use SKScheMa, download and install it. Then, create a (non-Unicode!) .lnk file with the following contents:
1#:SKTOOLS #BACKUP(\CF Card\Backup1.asb)
where change \CF Card\ to the name of the target directory / card for the backup file to be stored and Backup1.asb to the backup filename you'd like to use. (I've uploaded it to here to that you can easily find it.) Copy the file to anywhere in the file system on your PDA. You can give it a try (so that you can be absolutely sure it's working OK) right away - just click the link to start the backup process. After it has finished, check out whether SKTools has really created a backup file at the given destination (in this example, under \CF Card\Backup1.asb). Note that cravaus has mentioned the backup file must already be present in order to be backup to be executed. This may be the case on Dell Axim devices; on my iPAQ and Pocket Loox (when I forced SKTools to make backups via SKScheMa), this wasn't the case.
Now, start SKScheMa and select New in the bottom left corner. Click Command in the list and, then, click the ... button in the top right. A context menu will come up; select 'File' from it. Now, navigate to the directory you've copied the link file to (for example, \Windows\Start Menu\Programs) and click the lnk file. Now, click OK.
Now that you're back on the SKScheMa list dialog, select Run at time and set the exact time in the upper part of the screen; in this example, I've set it to 00:30. Now, click days (of week) in the list, click ... and choose the weekdays you'd like the backup to be executed. In this example, I've set up backing up every day.
Now, click OK; in the main dialog screen of SKScheMa, it'll be listed, along with the (next) execution time. Check here whether everything's OK.
After this, you can safely close SKScheMa and/or reset your Pocket PC; it'll wake up the device and start the back-up project.
(Thanks for AximSite forum member cravaus' tip!)
Note that the SKScheMa hack does NOT help with WM5 devices (I've thoroughly tested this too).
2.5 ArtSSave
(Current, tested version: 1.7)
Unfortunately, this highly useful and innovative backup application doesn't run under WM5 at all (it doesn't even let the user create the initial database file). Also note that, while the homepage of the app doesn't list WM2003SE as a compatible operating system, it is as can be seen in for example here and here.
In addition to the complete lack of WM5 support, the other major annoyance with this application is the Handheld PC-optimized GUI. This means there is no minimize button; you must use external OS features or task managers to minimize / kill the app. Also, the lack of any kind of a Cancel button during backup / restore is also a big pain in the back.
The biggest advantage of this application is the incremental, disk space-saving backup also letting for restoring any state present in the backup file. Incremental backup means that you can store even hundreds of states of your Pocket PC, all restorable, with lot less disk space usage than with traditional backup solutions, which only make a full snapshot of the current state of your PDA.
It has other, really excellent features also related to the incremental backups: it lets the user browse the changes between two states in the Advanced Restore tab. There, after you click a state, the results will be presented in a tree as can be seen in here. Some branches opened, you can even see what has been changed. In this screenshot, you can for example see that a new record has been added to the WinCE database "DB_notify_event"; in this , a new Registry entry added and another changed in the Registry. Note that, in order to see this, you must enable Advanced Tree view in Options / Advanced Restore Mode. If you don't do this, you will not be able to traverse the tree this way as can be seen in this screenshot (the same state but, now, without the Advanced Tree functionality). Another example of the latter case is here.
It allows for commenting both data files and states can be commented with multi-line comments as can be seen in here (state) and here (file). State comments are highly useful; for example, you can add a comment to a state like "Application XY added", "Mail account Z set up" etc. You'll, using this, will easily find out the state you want to switch back to.
Some other screenshots: backup in progress; a report of not finding any difference between the previous and the current state. Here's the Backup tab and the Options tab (note that it supports auto backup / battery level-initiated triggering; it's worth pointing out that if you enable anything (of the two choices) in here, it registers itself in the event queue for six different events. Otherwise, naturally, it won't register itself in there).
You may want to check out this title if you want to take advantage of the incremental backup mode (you, say, prefer to store all your backups on your storage cards (where the size of the backup files may be a concern)), need the difference reports to see what has been changed between two states and don't plan to upgrade to a WM5 device. (Hope the app will be upgraded to WM5 some day; I'm still awaiting answer from the developers on this matter.)
2.6 ActiveSync
(current, tested version: 4.5 beta2)
ActiveSync contains excellent support for backing up to / restoring from a desktop PC. Note that it's generally considered be slow (see for example the linked, ActiveSync-related articles) by many; in my opinion, that's no longer the case with current, fast, WM2003 / WM2003SE devices.
This is available in all ActiveSync versions and works with all pre-WM5 devices. This means you can back up your, say, WM2003SE device with ActiveSync even if you have the latest, 4.5 beta2 version. That is, don't believe people that say the opposite (some will do).
A shot of the main ActiveSync backup dialog
Please read this tutorial on using its features. I also recommend Chris De Herrera's ActiveSync Backup and Restore Guide.
2.7 Comparison chart
It can be found here. I recommend opening it in a separate browser window so that you can easily read the explanation in the following section and, at the same time, see the chart. Don't forget to click the in-line linked images to see the screenshots demonstrating a given feature.
2.7.1 Explanation for the chart / the tests
Trial version available? Restrictions?: as can be seen, most apps (except for Sprite Backup) has a trial version with (varying) restrictions.
Easy mode vs. advanced mode distinction?: non-advanced users that don't want to fiddle with advanced features (which can be pretty overwhelming for a newbie) may want to prefer easy mode. In here, I've listed whether the given application has separate "easy" and "advanced" modes to make the life of non-expert users easier, while still allowing Pocket PC gurus make most of the application.
WM5 HTC Wizard time / size benchmark tests group: in here, I've listed some comparable benchmark results. The time / compressed backup size tests have been done on the HTC Wizard (that is, a WM5 Phone Edition) device having about 13.95 Mbytes of files, hundreds of contacts and appointments, some e-mails and SMS messages. After restoring (I made sure I've only restored to freshly hard reset Pocket PC to avoid complications because of the applications' NOT cleaning up the file system / registry and, in cases, the WinCE databases but insert the restored records in them), I've thoroughly tested whether the PIM data is accessible and works OK (it has always been the PIM data that caused major problems to backup apps under WM5; this also applies to the older Sunnysoft Backup Manager versions I've tested previously).
As can be seen, Sprite Backup is the fastest, while the compressed size of its backup files is the largest (it must be using some kind of a fast, run-length encoding) and SKTools is the slowest but produces the most compressed backup files.
Note that two of the six backup(-capable) apps (ActiveSync and ArtSSave) don't support WM5; this is why I haven't tested them in this respect. They are reliable and dependable as far as WM2003(SE) backup/restore is concerned.
Differential backup method? : Yes/No and If yes, is it possible to restore a given state?: does the app support the something like that of ArtSSave?
Scheduled backups, general group: in here, I've elaborated on the scheduled (automatic, non-manual) backup capabilities of the applications. As can be seen, they all support scheduling (except for the desktop-based ActiveSync) and have no major problems (for example, they all keep the Pocket PC alive while the backup is running, even if it's configured to automatically switch off after a while in the standard Power applet) - except for the case of password-protected cases, which will be elaborated on in the next section.
Scheduled backups; compatibility with security features / tools group: in here, I've scrutinized the apps' ability to back up password-protected devices in scheduled mode.
The problem with this is as follows: when, say, at night the device awakes so that the backup process can start, the password / PIN entry dialog will "kick in" at once. Some of the applications are able to run independent of this (Sprite Backup and, under pre-WM5 operating systems, ArtSSave and SKTools); some don't (Sunnysoft, SKTools under WM5). The latter only start when you actually enter the PIN code manually - for example, in the morning.
Spb Pocket Plus is a different animal: it will run on password-protected devices but it's in very few cases that it can wake it up (in all OS versions). That is, you must use the notification hack I've elaborated in the Spb Backup section if you plan to back up password-protected devices in scheduled mode.
Note that you can enable / configure / disable the standard system lock / password tool test in Start / Settings / Personal / Password (in pre-WM5 and pre-AKU2 WM5) or Start / Settings / Personal / Lock (in AKU 2+ WM5). (Note that the "Password" applet has been renamed to "Lock" in the latest (AKU 2+) WM5 versions!) There is also an article on this, Password Protect Your Device, here.
I've made these tests on the WM5 Dell Axim x51v, the HTC Wizard (both the AKU2.3-based 2.26 and an unofficial AKU3.2 ROM), the WM2003SE Pocket Loox 720 and the WM2003 HP iPAQ 2210 to spot problems as surely as possible.
In addition to the standard system Lock / Password tool, I've also tested the compatibility with the HP ProtectTools. Compatibility with this tool (also known as Credant) has always caused a lot of problems (with, for example, the earliest Sprite Backup 5.x and Spb Backup versions / builds). I used the WM5-upgraded HP iPAQ hx4700 for this (it contains this tool built-in; paralel with the standard Password / Lock tool). Now, only Spb and Sprite Backup support it. In these tests, I've also thoroughly tested whether the tested backup application really backs up the device with HP ProtectTools enabled in scheduled mode (all the backup apps support scheduled mode) and whether the backup is restorable without the (protected) files being encrypted. Sunnysoft Backup Manager and SKTools are useless with HP ProtectTools being active: they just wouldn't start without human interaction (that is, logging in). It's worth noticing that Spb Backup has no problems with scheduled backups of HP devices protected with this tool, unlike with the standard Password applet. That is, if you have a HP hx series device and would like to use Spb Backup to back it up in scheduled mode, use HP ProtectTools instead of the standard Password to protect the device.
Desktop and networking support group: in here, I've elaborated on advanced features like auto-synchronization of (local, PDA-based) backups to the desktop (in this, the Sunnysoft application is the best) and desktop-based direct backup tools (in here, ActiveSync and Sprite Backup are the best).
I've also elaborated on questions like whether there are desktop-based backup file browser tool capable of selective restoring to both the PDA and the desktop (to extract files if there's no (suitable/compatible) PDA connected), similar to that of STGViewer and HPC Vault. Please read my ActiveSync backup article on using and the advantages of these.
Cross-restoration / device upgrade mode group: the device upgrade mode has always been probably the best, unique feature of Sprite Backup. It makes it possible to restore your backup made on a different ROM version of your device (or, in cases, even different device). As I've pointed out in my older articles, you can do the same manually too without explicit support, but it requires a Pocket PC guru to publish manually created ROM version difference scripts. There were very few of these script or people that are able to create scripts like these: I don't know of any of them except for my Pocket Loox 720 and iPAQ hx4700 upgrade restore scripts.
Other backup-related extra features / functionality group: here, I've elaborated on some other, miscellaneous features like file exclusion (you, for example, not necessarily want to back up lengthy MP3 or AVI files on your, say, storage cards), the ability to back up storage cards (which is also an often asked-for feature, even when it can be done very easily by hand as backing up a storage card is just a file system copy and doesn't involve backing up the "invisible" Registry / WinCE database) and backing up to the built-in memory (instead of cards). The latter can be very useful when you don't have a memory card around and want to just create an easy-to-restore snapshot of your device, which, then, you transfer to your desktop computer at once. Then, if your Pocket PC is hard reset, you can still transfer it back to your PDA and restore it in there.
Battery level triggered backup deserves special attention in here.
Battery level depletion, in most cases, is a long process and happens when a Pocket PC is not used for weeks. Backup applications that do check the battery level and, if it's sufficiently low, initiate an immediate backup, therefore, don't use constant battery level monitoring (with, say, a resident, always-running service) but instruct the operating system to invoke the battery level checker executable code every, say, hour (the case with Sprite and iPAQ Backup; with the Sunnysoft application, the battery level checking interval can be freely set between 30 and 180 minutes). These checks will happen all the time even when the device is switched off (suspended). As can be seen, it does provide sufficient protection against slow battery depletion (that is, when you forget to recharge your PDA for weeks).
With WM5, this (and only this!) is unnecessary as everything is stored in ROM and there is no point in making backups of it - a battery depletion won't erase ROM.
Odyssey Client compatibility: many have reported problems with the Odyssey wireless client shipped with the Dell Axim x50/x51 devices. In here, I've checked whether the given applications correctly back up/ restore my x51v and whether the Odyssey client is fully usable after the restoration. Fortunately, all WM5-compliant backup apps fared well in this respect.
Selections: Separate backup group: in here, I've elaborated on whether the given application is able to do separate backups in a given category. For example, within the PIM category, is it able to separately backup, say, the Appointments database only, or, will it only backup all PIM data (contacts, tasks, appointments) only as one entity. The other categories are the same: in the E-mails? category, I've checked whether it's able to backup separate e-mails, one by one (as is, for example, Sunnysoft Backup Manager) etc.
Finally, in Selection save/load / revert, I've scrutinized whether the applications are able to save / load or, at least, revert to the latest selection (that is, undo the latest changes as far as user selection is concerned). Only the Sunnysoft app has (limited) support for this (reverting to the latest one).
The Separate restore group elaborates on whether you have the same freedom at restore time as with the backup time in selecting the files, databases etc. For example, early Spb Backup versions didn't give the same freedom to users as later ones or competing products. Now, basically, you can select anything to restore.
NOTE that the article continues below, in a separate post (the forum engine cuts the messages at 64 kbytes; this is why I'm not able to post it in its entirety in just one post.)
3. Old, "legacy" backup (or otherwise not recommended) apps
In this chapter, I also introduce and explain built-in backup applications coming with Pocket PC's. Note that the list doesn't contain HTC's xBackup and the backup application used on Acer devices (I don't have access to them.) Based on this, you may have the choice to decide whether the built-in backup tool (if any) is sufficient for your purposes (except for iPAQ Backup, they're all very poor) or you'd prefer purchasing a third-party tool / begin using ActiveSync's backup features.
3.1 (Casio) Card Backup
(Reviewed version: the one coming on the Casio Cassiopeia E-125)
This is a very-very simple application without any advanced functionality (for example, there is no scheduling), which is pretty understandable if you take its age (over six years!) into account.
This is the main dialog and the main menu. This is the backup dialog. A screenshot of a backup in progress (there is not even a progress bar!)
According to Pocket PC Thoughts forum member Cybrid, earlier versions of this tool were unreliable. Some others (for example, PPCT forum member Barak), however, reported it (or at least versions running on later, ARM-based Casio Pocket PC’s like the E-200) to be fully reliable and dependable. That is, the problems Cybrid has mentioned may only affect old(er), MIPS-based Casios.
3.2 CF Backup/Restore
(Reviewed version: the one coming with the Compaq iPAQ 3660 ROM version 2.20.02)
This really simple and incapable (it doesn't support scheduling, passwords, exclusions, selections or anything like that) application was the default backup utility on earlier Pocket PC 2002 iPAQ's (including the Pocket PC 2002 upgrade for the 31xx/36xx series iPAQ's). Later, with the 39xx series, Compaq has switched to an ealy version of Sprite (then: Pocket) Backup.
Pocket PC Thoughts forum member Cybrid has mentioned there was a RAM upgrade for this tool, making it much more reliable. I couldn’t find a track of a downloadable version any more.
This is a screenshot of the main dialog.
3.3 iPAQ Backup
(Reviewed version 1.1.0.6 coming with the HP iPAQ 2210 with ROM version 1.10)
This application delivered with later (h39xx / h5450) Pocket PC 2002 iPAQ's and all the WM2003(SE) iPAQ's has always been the best backup application coming pre-installed on pre-WM5 Pocket PC's. As can be seen in this (generic backup options), this (scheduling options) and this (file / PIM database / other database / Registry selector tree), it has always supported separate (!) PIM database, separate WinCE database, separate files and, of course, selectable Registry backup. It also supports compression, encryption, (also recurring: daily/weekly) scheduling, battery level-triggered backup with settable threshold backup. Its (selective) restoring capabilities are pretty good too. Also, it has no problems with backing up protected (locked) Pocket PC's in scheduled mode.
As can clearly be seen, it's only slightly worse than the "real" Sprite Backup. Fortunately, it’s even upgradeable to the current, 3.1.4 version (NOT for the WM5-compliant Series 5!) of the pre-WM5 Sprite Backup for $15 (that is, half the retail price). It, however, seems the license is iPAQ only, unlike other Sprite licenses, which can be used on any Pocket PC models as it requires iPAQ Backup (or a previous, pre-3.x version of Sprite Backup) on the device you install it to.
3.4 FSC (Fujitsu-Siemens Computers) Backup
(Reviewed version 2.53 coming with the updated F-S Pocket Loox 720)
A screenshot of the main dialog.
This, compared to any third-party commercial application (or to even iPAQ Backup), is pretty rudimentary app comes with pre-WM5 Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox devices. It supports passwords and pretty rudimentary (group-based (but not file-level)) selection. Upon restoring (main dialog here), you can't even selectively choose the data to be restored: that is, if you untick "Entire system", the "Available data" chooser button won't be activated. The latter will only be activated when you don't do a full backup; then, you'll be able to decide what to restore. This, however, won't backup your entire Pocket PC; only when you directly supply the root directory upon backing up as can be seen in here.
Note that this application is so simple that it doesn't let for having multiple backups on a given storage card (or in the LOOXstore - that is, the built-in Flash storage of Pocket Loox computers). To lift this restriction (if you want to store more than one backup files on your PDA), you can safely move the created \FSCBackupDir\ FSCBackup.fsb file to anywhere else on the file system and, before restoration, just copy the needed backup file back to the \FSCBackupDir directory on your given storage card you'd like to restore the backup file from. The situation is the same with other built-in backup apps suffering from the same restriction (for example, the Casio back-up app): just move the backup file into another directory somewhere in the file system and only copy it back when it's the version that you'd like to restore.
Needless to say, third-party, commercial backup solutions let for storing any number of backups on any medium without the need for manual hacks like this.
3.5 Data Backup (Dell Axim devices)
(Reviewed version 3.10 b 21796 coming with the Dell Axim x51v ROM version A12)
Main screenshot here
This doesn't support anything fancy either: no scheduling, no exclusions, no real selections, no passwords etc. Upon restoration, your only choice is either choosing the last (default) or any other file. An in-backup example is here.
Note that it's only lately that its bugs have all been fixed; this means it (at last) works flawlessly as of ROM version A12 of the Dell Axim x51v (I've thoroughly checked this); older versions, on the other hand, may have problems, particularly PIM restoration-wise. If you have an earlier version of this utility (for example, you're using a Dell Axim x50 series PDA with WM5), you may want to prefer another tool or do what some Axim users recommend: that is, backup both "all" and "PIM" separately and, then, restore all, and, then, PIM.
3.6 A comparison chart of built-in backup applications
Note that the chart is much smaller than the comparison chart showing current, commercial, third-party backup solutions. The reason for this is very simple: these applications (except for iPAQ Backup) are really incapable and, therefore, there'd be no point in trying to include all of the test cases (the answer would be negative with the missing ones).
The chart can be found here.
As can clearly be seen, except for iPAQ Backup, all these legacy / bundled backup applications are definitely less capable and worse than current third-party backup apps because, in general, they lack even basic functionality like password protection or scheduling and some of them (may) have severe bugs.
4. Verdict
Choosing the right third-party solution all depends on your needs (do you need to backup in scheduled mode? password-protected devices? do you need to do selective restores? do you need restoration capabilities over ROM upgrades?) and the operating system version of your PDA.
If you have a WM5 device: now that all the four major backup applications are fully compatible with WM5 and don't fail at restoring even the most intricate data, it's much harder to choose from between them.
Of the applications, I tend to recommend SKTools (a cheap, all-in-one solution with, compared to Sprite Backup's capabilities, not very advanced features, but still reliable) and Sprite Backup (expensive, but, as far as the Device Upgrade mode, its speed and desktop tools are concerned, really unique application). I particularly recommend the latter for people that upgrade / reflash their ROM on a daily basis (there are quite a few people like these on XDA-Developers - one of them being me ). They will love the Device Upgrade mode (if it does work, that is - see my bepe/KTamas vs. Molski remarks in the Sprite section).
This doesn't mean the other applications are worse or useless - they are also very good. You may definitely want to give a try to them too if you don't need for example the Device Upgrade mode or, with the Sunnysoft app, the need for backing up password-protected devices (Spb Backup is able to do the latter with the notification hack).
If you have a pre-WM5 device, you may also want to have a look at both ActiveSync and ArtSSave (in addition to the four above-listed, (also) WM5-compliant applications). Furthermore, if you're a pre-WM5 iPAQ user, you will find the features / reliability of the built-in iPAQ Backup pretty good.
5. Further information
There are several (mostly pretty old) articles & reviews on these applications. Also, there are a lot of threads on them. Some of these:
Spb Backup review page (Note that none of these are comparative reviews. That is, these articles are more of just an introduction of what the app is capable of. As they are targeted at novice users wanting to read verbose explanations of what features a decent backup application has, I heartily recommend these to all novice users.)
Sprite Backup - Best Practise
Sprite or SPB Backup?
Backup Solutions for your Pocket PC - a very old (over four years) article; if, however, you're interested what was current as of July 2002, give it a read. Pocket PC Thoughts has also started an interesting (now more of historical interest), related thread here.
Pocket Backup Plus 2.0: The Best Backup Program Available: also an old (2003) article, discusses Pocket Backup (which was the original name of Sprite Backup)
Backup & Restore FAQ - it's even older (back to the WinCE 2.1 days, in 1999) and, now, pretty useless. I only list it for "history freaks".
AKAJohnDoe's My Backup Strategy - an excellent article. It's in a Palm OS-related thread but also lists Pocket PC-related info.
Note that my previous backup-related articles also contain some other links.
Discussions of this article: AximSite, FirstLoox, BrightHand.
UPDATE (09/26/2006): Just Another Mobile Monday frontpage, AKAJohnDoe link-in, akheron's mentioning he would add it to the AximSite e-books.
UPDATE (09/27/2006): PPCT frontpage; added some additional remarks / details, mainly based on the remarks of Cybrid and freemans. Also added some additional Axim Data Backup, Sprite Backup and Spb Backup-related remarks.
I cant seem to find the SPB Backup notification hack. Where is it??
freeyayo50 said:
I cant seem to find the SPB Backup notification hack. Where is it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In section "2.2.1 Quick tip: Backing up devices with system-level password set with Spb Backup "
Thanx. So let me get this str8. SPB Backup cannot run on a device thats password protected in stand-by mode? So the notification wakes the device up so SPB can run. Am i correct?
freeyayo50 said:
Thanx. So let me get this str8. SPB Backup cannot run on a device thats password protected in stand-by mode? So the notification wakes the device up so SPB can run. Am i correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Except for if you have a Wizard with the AKU3.2 ROM (it might be the same with the Universal / MDA III with the AKU3.2 ROM though - someone could give it a try) - then, Spb Backup works without any hacks.
Is it possible using any of these to upgrade the HP iPAQ 6510 or 6515 using a back up from a HP iPAQ 6915?
This would be invaluable as they are all basically the same device but there is no WM5.0 upgrade for the 6510 or 6515 which currenly using WM2003. Based on the readings the only thing that might have a chance is Sprite Backup but I dont think it supports cross OS backups? (seeing as you have to buy different version for different OS's) Perhaps this is possible and I am misunderstanding?
If there is a known way to do this please point me in the right direction.
orko said:
Is it possible using any of these to upgrade the HP iPAQ 6510 or 6515 using a back up from a HP iPAQ 6915?
This would be invaluable as they are all basically the same device but there is no WM5.0 upgrade for the 6510 or 6515 which currenly using WM2003. Based on the readings the only thing that might have a chance is Sprite Backup but I dont think it supports cross OS backups? (seeing as you have to buy different version for different OS's) Perhaps this is possible and I am misunderstanding?
If there is a known way to do this please point me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally, the Sprite folks don't recommend cross-main version (WM5 vs WM2003SE, for example) restoration. It may work to a certain degree (file system & 3rd party application-specific registry); PIM stuff will be needed to be restored via plain ActiveSync synchronization.
That is, you can give it a try but don't expect much - WM2003(SE) and WM5 are radically different on the engine level (particularly as far as the WinCE databases are concerned), unlike, say, WM2003 and WM2003SE. I think the same will happen as with, say, my trying to cross-restore stuff from different WM5 AKU versions - that is, some functionality will just don't work and they must be left out from the restoration process.
Menneisyys said:
Generally, the Sprite folks don't recommend cross-main version (WM5 vs WM2003SE, for example) restoration. It may work to a certain degree (file system & 3rd party application-specific registry); PIM stuff will be needed to be restored via plain ActiveSync synchronization.
That is, you can give it a try but don't expect much - WM2003(SE) and WM5 are radically different on the engine level (particularly as far as the WinCE databases are concerned), unlike, say, WM2003 and WM2003SE. I think the same will happen as with, say, my trying to cross-restore stuff from different WM5 AKU versions - that is, some functionality will just don't work and they must be left out from the restoration process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Darn I was really hoping it would backup the complete OS and stick it on there
It was worth a shot anyways.
Thanks for your response and all of this useful information.
UPDATE (01/11/2007):
1. Some very good news: Sprite Software will release a desktop-based backup file explorer tool very soon. In here, I explain how it compares to the alternative Spb / ActiveSync backup file explorers. This also means it’ll no longer lack a desktop backup file explorer / extractor tool.
2. Sunnysoft has released a brand new, 4.0 version of their backup suite. Expect a full review & comparison soon.
Excellent information! I personally (for what its worth from a n00b) use Spb Backup. It gets the job done, and quickly too, thats all I needed it to do. I liked the fact that it can store it on your memory card too. Great program.
UPDATE (09/12/2007):
The Sprite folks have just published an Spb vs. Sprite Backup chart, mostly based on mine, updated to cover both WM6 and their last, recently-released Sprite Backup version 6. It also has some new, WM6 screenshots, might be worth giving it a thorough read as, in thenear future, I probably won't have the time to update the Bible to cover Sprite Backup 6.
Should you "only" need to backup / restore / transfer your PIM, mail and phone data (everythign except MMS messages), you will seriously want to consider the free (!) PIM Backup, which does all this. See THIS tutorial for a complete tutorial.
Awsome article Menneisyys! Was very helpful in making my decision on which backup program to buy, if only I didn't flash custom ROM's so much.
Sprite Explorer
Hi there,
has anyone run into trouble like me yet with Sprite Explorer failing to extract data from their devices' backup?
Well I get the following error when I attempt to extract data from the backup files to my device: "unable to extract to device". Extracting to a folder does not work either.
Please help!
YOSEFE.
This is some nice info. Should be a sticky.
JCreations said:
This is some nice info. Should be a sticky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks... no place for being sticky, however. If we stickied all my guides / Bibles like this one, then, there would be no space left for regular posts
However, all these Bibles are also available in the Wiki.
Instant messaging is one of the key features of today’s communication. It’s much faster than e-mailing, much easier than picking up (and, probably, paying for) the phone and is pretty reliable.
E-mails, even if they are delivered at once (which isn’t guaranteed) are not guaranteed to notify the user at once (see for example this excellent article (and some feedback here) from the Modern Nomads folks on this question). Not so with instant messages – they, unless the connection is lost and the sender doesn’t notice this or, if it’s using a central dispatching server and it’s heavily overloaded (more on these problems later), promise really instant message delivery and notification.
You may have been a long-time user of desktop-based instant messaging solutions like MSN / Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, IRC or ICQ. You may also have a Jabber client – either just for fun (on at, say, the central Jabber server) or at your enterprise, where Jabber is a decent alternative (also see this article and “Google Talk might be(come) the right tool for your corporate”) to other enterprise-grade instant messaging & presence solutions like IBM Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server and Novell GroupWise Messenger – and, to my knowledge, the one and only platform directly supported by Windows Mobile.
Fortunately, most of these services are also accessible on Windows Mobile. Note that I won't introduce these services here at all. If you're a newcomer to instant messaging (IM for short) and would like to choose one of them, which one you go for is mostly a matter of personal taste and the number of your friends using the given service.
The latter is because there is little interoperability between the different services. That is, if you install, say, the ICQ client, you won't be able to talk to your buddies using MSN (Microsoft) clients and so on. On the desktop, this can be easily combated by going straight for multi-service clients like Trillian or, if you need an open-source implementation for your Un*x desktop or mobile (and even desktop Windows!), Gaim (see here the Qtopia version of Gaim, should you want to use it on your Linux-based, even originally Windows Mobile-based mobile). Unfortunately, there’s no direct port of these two well-known, hugely popular clients to Windows Mobile. As far as Trillian is concerned, however, Web clients are already supported), which, however, are far more awkward to be used from a mobile.
Personally, as far as selecting the best service for your needs, I mostly recommend MSN because its support is definitely the best on Windows Mobile, should you want to go for a messaging platform without being constrained by the services your existing buddies are already using. Not only all third-party clients do support it (except for one-protocol ones like PocketICQ, gsICQ or the three-service mChat), but also Microsoft's own IM solution, MSN Messenger and Live Messenger, are very solid and, with MSN Messenger, in general, built-in products. Being built-in means you don't need to install (and, in cases, pay for) third-party software on your Windows Mobile (WM for short) device but use the one already available in there. What I also recommend if you’re looking for a messaging platform but, for some reason, don’t want to go for the MSN service is either Jabber or ICQ. Both have excellent Pocket PC clients – for example, the former is supported by almost all major titles and latter is supported by two of the best and, what is more, free titles, mChat and gsICQ.
You may also want to consider for example whether you need HTTP tunneling when going for a particular service. This isn’t supported by some services (for example IRC); the more recent ones like Jabber, ICQ, Yahoo and MSN, however, already support it (see for example the “Jabber and HTTP” section here and this for more info on the two latter services). Also see the comparison chart in the Comparison of instant messaging protocols for additional information.
In general, all IM solutions offer almost the same capabilities: in addition to chatting, file transfer, some even support video / audio chatting, multi-user chat (groupchat) and styled text. In addition, as far as Windows Mobile-compliance is concerned, Jabber servers are perfectly suited for enterprise-grade deploying. Please see this page for more info & links to individual Jabber server products, should you want to choose and, then, set up one for your enterprise, keeping Windows Mobile-compliance in mind.
Now that we have a generic picture of what IM services there are, we can move on to the clients that are actually able to connect to these services.
Fortunately, there are several Windows Mobile instant messaging clients. No matter what protocol (service) your mates use, you will be able to find at least one (and, in most cases, several) applications to do the task. With most of these applications, all you need to do is pretty straightforward: you supply them the login / password credentials to your (preferred) service and simply log in. With some of them (most importantly, imov Messenger), you will also need to use another central server account (which you can register from inside the app), which makes the life of a complete newbie a bit harder at first but soon becomes pretty easy. That’s because you can create /register the account right from your IM app on your Windows Mobile device.
1.1 The two types of connectivity: SMS and constant Internet connection
There are two main ways a Windows Mobile client can receive instant messages (not counting in Push Mail, which I’ll elaborate on in a later article): either through a constant Internet (for example, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or HSDPA) connection or via SMS messages. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.
1.1.1 Constant Internet connection
This communication form is far more common with Windows Mobile clients. It requires a constant (!) Internet connection between the mobile device and the service. It has the following advantages:
if you don’t have an unlimited text plan, SMS-based notification can become REALLY expensive as it uses one outgoing SMS for each message you send out. What is more, the 160-character size of SMS messages applies here too – if you enter too “long” messages (more than 150-160 chars), you end up having to pay for two SMS’es and so on. Also, you’ll probably be charged for incoming messages (they arrive as SMS messages) too. Finally, compared to the ubiquity of unlimited text plans, (close to) unlimited data plans are far more common and subscribed to by most Windows Mobile users.
all current, generic IM clients support data connections, unlike SMS messages - SMS support is very scarce with today's clients
It has, on the other hand, some severe disadvantages:
if your data plan isn’t unlimited or, at least, 10-60 Mbytes (depending on the client you use – there are vast differences in bandwidth usage, as we’ll also see) a month while you do prefer having IM on the entire day long, you will soon use up your Internet plan.
battery consumption because of the constant data consumption, particularly with 3G or 3.5G-capable (that is, not just 2.5G GPRS/EDGE) mobiles like the HTC Universal, the TyTN / Hermes, Trinity and the like. 3(.5)G UMTS / HSDPA connections REALLY chew through your batteries QUICKLY. (Note that constant data connection also requires actively waiting for incoming messages in a non-suspended case. This, with current Windows Mobile phones, isn’t a problem, unlike with old(er) Windows Mobile devices not sporting built-in phones. The latter consume a LOT of power in non-suspended case and are hardly usable in day-to-day IM situations if you can’t regularly recharge them.)
For example, in this XDA-Dev thread, XDA-Dev forum members complain about the mobile’s completely chewing through the battery in three hours (!) on the TyTN / Hermes while using Agile Messenger (one of the IM applications available for WM). With a GPRS/EDGE connection, the battery lasted at least eight times more (24 hours).
Fortunately, you can easily fight this problem. As has already been pointed out, it’s typically with high(er)-speed, new-generation connections (UMTS or HSDPA) that the battery consumption becomes really an issue with most current WM-based phones, you may want to force your otherwise UMTS / HSDPA-capable phone to stay at GPRS or EDGE and, consequently, consume way less power. There is even a tool, BandSwitch, to do the trick for you, developed by the excellent XDA-Developers gurus. Please see this thread for more info. (Additional info for example here and here.)
finally, current data connection-based clients can be pretty unreliable. Either they disconnect and, for some reason, fail at reconnecting to the service or are seemingly connected but still don’t receive (send) anything. The latter is the worst possible situation because your party won’t even notice you aren’t receiving her or his messages.
All in all, if being able to be reached all the time and with 100% confidence is of EXTREME importance or you have a Windows Mobile phone with high battery consumption or you have an unlimited text plan, you may want to have a look at SMS-based solutions. Otherwise, stick with data-based ones.
1.1.2 SMS
Now that we've seen the advantages and disadvantages of SMS-based solutions, let's move on to the question of the SMS-capable clients themselves.
There are few clients to support SMS-based messaging. The most important of them is the now-discontinued (and, therefore, not any more recommended), well-known VeriChat.
There are, however, some alternatives you may want to check out:
SMS Threader - v1.17 (also see this)
Palm’s well-known SMS threader application is also worth mentioning. Unfortunately, it's only available for the Windows Mobile-based Treos.
The built-in AIM client in the HP iPAQ h6315, which also used SMS messages (see this and this), while the old one didn’t use SMS’es.
The same stands for the AIM messenger coming with the T-Mobile MDA
Finally, PocketICQ is also SMS-compliant.
1.2 Available Windows Mobile IM clients
As with most of my roundups, this one also contains most of the relevant information in the self-standing comparison chart (CLICK THE LINK!). This is why I don’t list the (missing) features, pros and cons of each and every application in here. If you do spend some time on browsing the chart (make sure you maximize the browser window when you do it so that you end up having to scroll only rarely), you get a very compact, albeit much more useful way of directly comparing all the alternate clients.
Note that there are a lot of features current IM applications offer you may have never even dreamt of (for example, file transfer, voice chat or chatrooms / groupchat). This is why it’s essential you thoroughly scrutinize the chart and the explanation. In order to keep the article as terse and non-self-repeating as possible, it’s only there that I elaborate on these features, not anywhere else. (Now, just imagine I had listed on all the (missing) features of all the reviewed & compared applications in the current article, in free textual form! Not only would it take you ages to even read them all, but also comparing these features to those of the alternates would be WAY harder.)
1.2.1 Webmessenger Mobile Instant Messenger for Pocket PC 2003 2.6 build 070216 (a WM5-only version, “Mobile Instant Messenger for Windows Mobile 5.0”, is also available here)
This is a comparatively new product with pretty average features. The developers also offer two other, mostly enterprise-targeted (for example, Jabber support) IM solutions.
It's the only IM app for WM to support Skype (in addition to the "official" Skype client, of course). However, this requires an additional plug-in: you must also register for at least the free version of WebMessenger Mobile for Skype. Make sure you download the desktop component as well.
1.2.2 IM+ 4.3 by Shape Services
This is one of the most widely used and known, well-established, leading IM solutions. Should be one of the products you take a very serious look at.
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Review here; a generic thread is here; another one thread on some recent (4.28, 4.29) bugs.
1.2.3 OctroTalk 0.10
This is a brand new IM product for WM. It's still being developed and already having, even compared to the other, much older and well-established IM clients, pretty decent features (for example, one of the few products to commit an update check at startup). It's still in beta stage and is, therefore, free at least until the end of March. Beta also means sometimes non-operating central dispatcher servers though - use with care and don't deploy into situations that require guaranteed availability yet! However, if you don't need to be online all the time and some server downtimes aren't a problem, this client is worth checking out even at this beta stage, particularly because the developer is actively trying to implement users' requests, which, unfortunately, is pretty uncommon with other IM clients (albeit the imov and the PocketIRC folks are pretty responsive to user remarks too). That is, you may also help in creating the BEST, most powerful WM IM client.
Note that the developers have let me know they will implement both file transfer and some other features "this week" (last week of February 2007). I'll accordingly update this roundup and the chart as soon as they are indeed implemented.
A great discussion thread can be found here.
Note that, even as of version 0.10, it's still has a bug of false contact add announcements as can also be seen in here. If you have hundreds of contacts, this will mean you will need to answer the question of the dialog hundreds of times every time you install and configure a new version of OctroTalk. This may be - understandably! - a showstopper for many (see for example this post). Hope later beta (or, at least, the final) versions will get rid of this very annoying bug.
1.2.4 Live Messenger
Microsoft's latest MSN client, Live Messenger, is still at (a public closed) beta, which means if you were a betatester, you still have access to it at Microsoft Connect, unlike with the desktop Live Messenger betas, which have long been in use and are accessible to anyone. Otherwise, you'll need to wait for the official launch: Live Messenger for WM is slated to be released in some months and will be compatible with WM5 and WM6 (sorry, not with previous operating systems).
It's REALLY capable and highly recommended; for example, it supports two-way file sending/receiving and groupchat. No wonder I recommend the MSN service for all WM users as the service supported the best.
There is a decent review here. Note that there is a similar article here, but it discusses the web-based Windows Live Mobile, not Live Messenger. Still, it may be worth checking out because it contains a lot of nice comparisons to the alternative services.
For this roundup, I've reviewed the latest public beta version as of this writing.
1.2.5 MSN Messenger (as of WM5 AKU2.3)
The predecessor of the above-introduced Live Messenger with, compared to its successor, (in times, really) reduced feature set. However, it's still highly recommended if you (only) need MSN connectivity and don't need an application that also supports other services. It’s, in addition to Live Messenger, the other MSN-capable client to support groupchat.
1.2.6 Agile Messenger AMST-WMPPC-65
This once-free, well-known and capable application / service has been made commercial in the meantime. Now, you have two choices of subscribing to it: either pay some $15 for three months or $45 for a life-time license.
This thread on Agile's sending passwords as pure, unencrypted text may also be of interest. Also, in here, some XDA-Dev users complain about the Agile folks’ not responding to their mails.
1.2.7 imov Messenger Basic / Enterprise 2.12e
The predecessor of this title was JabberCE, which, later, has been renamed to imov Messenger (this is why the old JabberCE page isn’t accessible any more). This title has two version: a somewhat restricted (for example, it doesn't support logging) Basic version and an Enterprise one. The latter is still decidedly cheaper than both IM+ and Agile Messenger.
Note that the Basic version isn't directly available on the developer's homepage but, for example, here.
1.2.8 Verichat by (ex-)Intellisync v1.42b
This well-known title, now that Intellisync has been bought by Nokia, is no longer supported / sold. (This is why I also provide an alternate URL, should the original homepage be removed.)
This IM application is one of the very few titles that support SMS-based messaging. Otherwise, it doesn't have much to write home about - the majority of the alternatives is considerably better.
Also see this thread.
1.2.9 PocketICQ 1.0 Beta
This is a very (some 6 years) old ICQ client; given that it’s still officially in beta stage, I seriously doubt it’ll ever become non-beta. Nevertheless, it may prove a good alternative to other, mostly commercial titles if you only need ICQ support and don't need always-on accessibility on a Windows Mobile phone (it's the only hugely important thing this title severely lacks at). First, however, give a try to gsICQ (or mChat) instead to see whether they fit your needs better.
1.2.10 IRC clients
Internet Relay Chat (IRC), in addition to even older solutions like Talk, has been a highly popular IM / groupchat platform for over 15 years.
Fortunately, there are several really capable IRC clients for the WM platform. Three of them are the most important: the commercial PocketIRC / wmIRC and the free zsIRC. Of these three applications, I've included information on the two commercial titles in the feature chart because zsIRC, while still way better than any other free solution, is, in many respects, considerably worse than any of these two titles. Furthermore, if you want to know more about zsIRC and how it compares to these two clients, make sure you check out my related articles.
I’ve published several articles on Windows Mobile IRC clients. Please give them a read (particularly to this one) for more information.
1.2.11 gsICQ / mChat
Last but not least, these two, free clients of Russian origin are excellent and certainly show you can write useful, fully-fledged, dependable business applications using the .NET Compact Framework. (Unfortunately, apps like these are very rare; most .NET CF-based “full” apps have a lot to be desired, to put it mildly. See for example the applications / games written by IBE Group; for example, IBE Backup, IBE Mail and Star Invader).
mChat supports ICQ, Jabber and Mail.ru’s own messaging server (I don’t think the latter will be really appealing to any non-Russian speaker). Its little brother, the ICQ-only gsICQ is, in some ways, even stronger and more featureful than mChat as far as ICQ support is concerned; therefore, you’ll want to scrutinize my comparative remarks in the combined gsICQ / mChat column in the Comparison Chart. Note that I've listed the two applications in the same columns because most of their features / behavior are the same.
1.3 Not reviewed (discontinued / non-working / plain old / will be tested later) clients
1.3.1 AIM for WinCE
This is a very old, free Pocket PC AIM client. It doesn’t offer much functionality; this is why I haven’t considered it a serious contender to the rest of the reviewed applications. Also see this and this for more info.
1.3.2 Yahoo! beta client
Yahoo! also had a beta client but they have discontinued it (also see this) and completely abandoned the platform.
1.3.3 Odigo Messenger Force by Ruksun Software Technologies (now: Amiga Development India)
This commercial (it cost $25; a trial version is/was also available) application has long been discontinued and isn’t even directly mentioned on the developer’s mobile IM-related homepage. Also see this and this; note that these threads state it wasn’t even compatible with WM2003 (and, consequently, later operating systems), only with previous ones (PPC2k and PPC2k2).
1.3.4 Mig33 3.0
This MSN / Yahoo / AOL (received in 3.0) / VoIP client is midlet (MIDP)-based; that is, not a native WM application.
It didn’t work for me. No matter how I hard I’ve tried (with both the lite and the 3.0 beta version) on my HTC Universal to log into my existing accounts on all the three supported networks, it has always complained about my account’s not existing
Some people, however, stated it works with them (1 2 3 4).
1.3.5 MS Portrait
I haven’t included MS Portrait in the main test either. The reason for this is very simple: there are just too few users using MS Portrait, also taking into the desktop users into account. Furthermore, while the front camera problems are still not solved in the last, 3.0 beta version, few people will use this application for TCP/IP-based video phoning.
Please read this review for more information.
2. Comparison / feature chart
It's available here (CLICK THE LINK!!).
2.1 Explanation for the chart
I'd like to stress again and again that you really should read this section very thoroughly
to see what advanced functionalities these applications offer (there are MANY you may not even have dreamt of!)
to be able to decide between the clients. Unfortunately, there is no "this is clearly the best" title, albeit there’re very strong and highly recommended ones like mChat. This also means you need to compare the (missing) functionalities of each and every title so that you can choose the one that fits most of your requirements.
Note that I don't list the most elementary rows (for example, price, trial restrictions, Landscape orientation or Windows Mobile operating system compliance) here - only the ones that do require some explanation to make sense.
Connection type?: in here, there may be three choices: direct (which means a particular client connects to a service directly, without a(n invisible) gateway), indirect (meaning a(not necessarily visible) gateway between you and the service you're accessing) and SMS. Note that I couldn’t safely decide between the central server-based and the direct modes; for example, with Agile.
We've already seen what SMS-based messaging can be used for and what its (dis)advantages are. Direct and indirect data connections, however, require some additional explanation: in general, you may want to prefer direct connectivity because indirect connections might be somewhat less reliable. This isn't an issue with, for example, the indirect connection-based imov Messenger; however, with the current (beta) version of OctroTalk, it may be. In many cases, I was completely unable to get it connected just because the central OctroTalk dispatch server was out of service.
VGA?: this row should definitely be one to check out if you have a high-resolution VGA device (as opposed to low-res QVGA ones); in here, I've elaborated on the VGA friendliness of the apps. Unfortunately, as can clearly be seen, there are several IM apps that aren't really VGA-friendly because, for example, they (still) use pixel doubling.
Non-stable connections: Status (current discussions) kept when disconnecting?: one of the most annoying problem with some IM applications is the fact they just close the chat windows when your connection becomes unavailable, which can happen pretty easily for example if you are roaming with your device and the cellular signal strength decreases. The most important example of the behavior is IM+, which immediately shuts down all the open chat windows. Fortunately, not any of the other applications do the same.
Note that older versions of Microsoft's own MSN Messengers also did the same (even in WM2003SE). Fortunately, the most recent versions shipped with WM5 no longer do this. Kudos to Microsoft for fixing this very annoying problem!
Auto reconnect when the / a connection terminates?: this is also very important for anyone relying on the ability to receive instant messages any time, anywhere. (Once again, SMS- or Push Mail-based IM solutions are much better and more reliable! Data connection but not Push Mail-based solutions should only be used as a last resort in a mission-critical environment!)
MSN disconnect test?: I've also run some disconnect tests (with the MSN service only, as far as multi-service IM apps are concerned; with IRC clients, I've, of course, run the clients over IRC to see whether their sensing the disconnected state has been made quicker lately, as is, for example, also promised with the latest version of PocketIRC) to see whether a forced connection disconnect (emulating the above-mentioned cellular phone roaming situation) results in both the particular application and the desktop party it's connected to sensing the connection is broken. Note that positive “no problem at all” results don’t necessarily mean you won’t ever have disconnection / invisibility problems – a lot of users have been reporting cases like this with, say, IM+ (see for example this thread).
Easy / quick input: PDM’s: with some applications, you can use in-app defined text shortcuts to greatly reduce typing time by just sending a "canned", pre-written response to your buddies. Some apps allow for editing these messages and one, imov Messenger, even allows for constructing them from word / expression atoms to form real sentences. The latter is really an excellent idea!
Smiley input / output: as far as smileys (emoticons) are concerned, does
the particular client support inputting them using pre-made small icons?
use graphical icon when displaying received (or sent) smileys?
As can clearly be seen, most apps do support at least smiley rendering (and some even input). However, the number of smileys they know is pretty limited, Live Messenger being the best in this respect.
Command / input history quickly accessible with up/down OR a menu?: when you chat with someone, you may need to quickly retype something you've just said. In this case, a very quick way of scrolling back your recently-said messages can be very nice. Support for this, using the Up and Down cursor keys has been present in most IRC clients ever since the beginnings of IRC - just like with the command repeat / review functionality of the Unix shells or MS/PC-DOS with DosKey (with later DOS version) or dosedit.com (with earlier ones).
Unfortunately, this feature is only present in PocketIRC. None of the non-IRC applications support this functionality, which is a big minus with them all.
Readability, amount of information displayed at a given time: Font size settable (very important in native VGA mode)?: if you are a VGA user and have ever tried to run MSN Messenger in native VGA mode, you may already know it’s impossible to make its, in native VGA, unreadably tiny fonts larger. Fortunately, its successor, Live Messenger, has fixed this problem. Most other IM clients don’t suffer from this problem either – except for some of them (for example, imov Messenger Basic), all allow for setting the font size.
History, copy / paste, logging group: in this group, I've elaborated on how a given client supports text selection and copy to the clipboard (copy / paste), whether it supports logging discussions to a file in the local file system and whether the links (for example, Web links) are clickable.
With IM clients where Web links aren’t clickable, you can still copy them to the clipboard – if the client supports text selection and clipboard copy, that is – and, then, paste the URL manually to the address bar of a Windows Mobile Web browser.
Also, if your client doesn't support logging, you can still use copy/paste to copy the contents of your discussion to the clipboard and, from there, to a file. This is, however, far from automatic and also depends on whether copy / paste is supported at all.
Protocol-specific group: in here, I’ve elaborated on what services the given client supports and how it works with them; does it have specific bugs with them and so on.
New message notification; suspended modegroup: if you plan to use your IM application mostly for receiving messages, you’ll really want to scrutinize what has been stated in these tests.
in-program, if multitabs are utilized, are they colored?: While you’re actively chatting with a contact or browsing the user list and a(nother) contact sends you a message, what does happen? As most user interfaces are tabulated (using multiple tabs; that is, multitabs), I’ve mostly concentrated on whether you can see at once who has sent the new message to you; one of the most commonly used ways of doing this is making the tab – which contains the chat session with the given buddy - red.
Suspended mode usable on Windows Mobile phones?: this is one of the most important rows. If you do plan to use an IM app to be able to receive messages the entire day, you can only achieve this if you suspend your Windows Mobile phone to greatly reduce its power consumption. This should be a major deciding factor when you plan to select an IM application.
Not all applications are suspending-friendly; a most important example of these is PocketICQ. Fortunately, all the other non-disqualified IM apps support operating in suspended state; so can, as far as IRC clients are concerned, wmIRC.
What notification settings / capabilities are used?: if you do plan to rely on the audio / vibration notification capabilities of an IM client, you will want to choose one that supports preferably both if you often rely on vibration (which is available in all Windows Mobile phones).
Unfortunately, vibration isn't necessarily supported in all IM applications. As a rule of thumb, applications that rely on the system-level Sounds and Notifications settings applet to set the type of their notifications don't have problems with vibration either. Applications that don't rely on the system-level settings won't necessarily support vibration (albeit some do - for example, wmIRC or mChat / gsICQ).
A quick note for developers of applications: it's actually very easy to add system-level notification support to any application - it's just a question of adding some registry keys.
Today plug-in: several IM applications also have a Today plug-in so that you can always see whether they're online and whether there are any new messages / buddies around. Please consult the individual chart cells to find out how each Today plug-in behaves.
Misc: CPU usage while listening to incoming messages with all the possible networks logged in?: particularly with waiting for incoming messages for more than a few minutes, the processor (CPU) usage of the given IM application becomes of interest (unless the messaging is SMS-based because, then, the mobile only wakes up and starts executing your IM application when there's an incoming instant messaging-related SMS). The less CPU usage, the better. Fortunately, almost all IM applications have negligible CPU usage; the only exception is WebMessenger, which has a bit higher CPU usage, resulting in a bit (not much!) reduced battery life.
Doc quality?: in here, I've explained whether the on/offline application documentation is verbose and comprehensive enough. I've also linked in the online documentation, whenever available, to make your life easier.
Conference (MSN: Action / Invite a contact to join this conversation; ICQ: Start a multi chat icon; Yahoo: Action / Invite to a conference; Google Talk and AIM, as of now, don’t allow for group chat): many IM services support "conferencing" or "group chatting". In here, I've examined how the WM IM clients support this.
As can clearly be seen, if you need groupchat support on WM, go for either Jabber and imov Messenger Enterprise (this is the ideal solution for the Jabber-based enterprise with groupchat needs) or MSN / Live Messenger. The latter two are the only MSN clients to offer seamless groupchat support. Finally, of course, you can always use the venerable IRC clients for groupchat.
Flags?: in cases, you won't want to show your contacts you're ready to talk. That is, you will want to modify your presence information. In here, I've elaborated on what states (flags) you can choose from.
Note that I haven't elaborated on the auto-away flag because none of the clients set the state to "Away" automatically, unlike on the desktop. This is, of course, understandable as you most probably always have your Windows Mobile device with you, ready to be reached , even when you're otherwise away from your desktop computer.
Mobile flag?: some (not all!) services also support showing a flag like "the user is using a mobile device". You may want to prefer a client that does support this flag so that you can effectively show your party you won't be able to type as fast as on a desktop computer because of the non-existing or, at least, far smaller / more awkward hardware keyboard. Unfortunately, very few clients support this.
Unicode support?: while most services (except for some really old ones; for example, IRC) do support (16-bit) Unicode characters, not all client products support these (unlike on the desktop). Note that, while Unicode may not be supported, as with IRC, you can still switch 8-bit codepages in most clients. That is, if you both use a 8-bit char page (for example, Cyrillic, Central-European, Turkish etc), you can still use all your national, non-Western characters even with clients not supporting Unicode. It's only real Unicode communication (with languages that, because of the huge number of their characters, can't use a 256-character 8-bit page) that's impossible with these IM clients.
Note that I've tested Unicode transfer in both directions because it's possible Unicode characters will only be transferred (and rendered) in one direction but not in the opposite one.
SOCKS proxy support?: in here, I've elaborated on the Socks (and, to a lesser degree - unfortunately, less clients support HTTP clients, even when almost all the messaging protocols support it -, HTTP) proxy support. When not used in the enterprise, you most probably don't need the support for this; however, if you do have a local firewall blocking all non-standard remote ports (for example, those of IRC), unless you have a Socks and/or HTTP proxy-capable client, you won't be able to communicate.
Multiple logins with more than one account to the same network?: while some desktop clients (for example, IRC) allow for multi-logins using the same client (or an independently started instance), this isn't the case with Windows Mobile ones.
I haven't listed the ability to log in using the same account but on different devices. Protocol-level support for this would be really nice (see for example the section "MPOP and presence by observation" here) but, alas, not all protocols support this. The two most important ones that do are Jabber and AIM. With these protocols, you can log in from your mobile device, which not (necessarily) will result in your already logged-in instance to be logged out.
... and to different networks?: multi-service clients (there are several of them - all the reviewed IM clients, except for PocketICQ, gsICQ and IRC) are able to make use of all the supported services by logging into them at the same time - just like Gaim or Trillian on the desktop.
Offline (non-mail) messages?: some IM clients support the underlying feature of delayed message delivery in almost all current services. (Exceptions are IRC, if you don't use an add-on messaging service and at least older versions of Skype are the only notable exceptions; see the "Asynchronous message relaying" column here.) Unfortunately, not all - in here, I've elaborated on which client supports this and which doesn't.
User control: in here, I've elaborated on what buddylist features the reviewed IM client has - for example, is it able to answer to other users' contact addition requests. I've also mentioned if a particular client has user group editing operations (they do support all groups already available on the server side). User groups are very useful; for example, they allow for separating your workmates from your friends.
Editing functionality includes, for example, creating a user group and moving contacts to there. This will, then, be synchronized back to the IM server so that, no matter where you log in from, you'll see the same user group structure in your IM application.
In general, all apps work flawlessly with contacts and groups. The only exception, as of version 0.10, is OctroTalk, which always makes the user have to let all past MSN users added as contacts (also see this AximSite post for more info). This is really annoying!
Voice chat?: some IM applications also support voice chatting (Voice over IP, VoIP). In here, I've elaborated on these features.
File transfer?: file transfer is supported by all instant messaging protocols but, unfortunately, few Windows Mobile clients.
Some apps that do support it (to some degree) do it in a non-direct way; that is, uploading the files to their central server and only pasting the (temporary) URL to the file to the target of the file. This is why you'll only see URL's passed with these clients, not the standard, “embedded” file transfer interface.
Text formatting (AIM : full formatting; Yahoo: Bold / Italic / Underlined; IRC: the same + colors + inverse)? (MSN: Edit / Change font only changes the font of the entire current / following messages; that is, it offers no real formatting capabilities; ICQ and Google Talk: absolutely no formatting capabilities): some IM services / clients, most importantly, Yahoo and IRC (and to a much less degree, MSN), allow for text styling / formatting. In here, I've scrutinized whether Yahoo / IRC / (MSN)-compliant Windows Mobile IM clients are able to correctly render styled text. (None of them are able to actually produce styled text.)
Quick edit shortcuts (Ctrl-A, Delete, Ctrl+arrow etc): Particularly if you use your IM client with an external (for example, Bluetooth) keyboard or use your desktop's keyboard via a Windows Mobile controller application (for example, Pocket Controller – see this for more info), you will want to go for a client that allows for the standard keyboard cursor movement shortcuts to greatly speed up for example text modification / correction before submitting it. Fortunately, only one application (WebMessenger) doesn't support this at all; all the other IM clients support this almost flawlessly.
Bandwidth usage (transmitted/received bytes in kilobytes): login, 10 minutes and a long-time test with one-hour long data: In here, you can not only check the bandwidth usage of most clients but also that of the protocols themselves, should you want to base your service / protocol selection based on (also) bandwidth usage.
If you use a non-unlimited data plan with your data connection-based client, you may also want to know which client and which service / protocol consumes the least bandwidth and what combinations (for example, ICQ with enabled and, in most cases, useless "keep alive" pinging every half a minute) should be entirely avoided. As can be seen, MSN (and Live) Messenger (which both use direct connections) use a bit more bandwidth than most other clients using the same MSN protocol. It's also worth pointing out that the bandwidth usage of Jabber, ICQ and IRC is even less. That is, if you really want to minimize your bandwidth usage, you may want to choose the last three protocols instead of, say, MSN. (Or, if your enterprise already supports it, go straight for Exchange-based Push Mail for notification purposes – particularly after applying the well-known "heartbeat" hack, it consumes the least bandwidth.)
Of particular interest are the bandwidth usage figures of OctroTalk. While its Google Talk (that is, Jabber) and ICQ (in the ICQ test, it consumed a little over the mChat / gsICQ figures) bandwidth usage figures are only slightly smaller than those of the alternative clients / services, the MSN test produced some astonishing results. Compared to the Microsoft MSN / Live Messenger clients, which use about 28 (12+16) kbytes an hour, OctroTalk only uses a little less than 6 (0.5+5.3) kbytes. This means OctroTalk only uses one-fifth (!) of the bandwidth of Microsoft’s official solution. Compared to other MSN-capable clients (all (except for IM+) alternative MSN clients use about half of the uplink bandwidth of the Microsoft clients), it still has some advantage – it uses about 3.5 times less bandwidth to keep the connection up.
This means if you really need to use MSN but you must have the absolutely least possible bandwidth usage, you may want to take a serious look at the OctroTalk client. (Otherwise, if you don’t need to minimize the bandwidth usage, for strictly MSN communication, my personal pick is still Microsoft’s Live Messenger because of the excellent features.)
(MSN) avatars? : Finally, none of the otherwise MSN-compatible clients support MSN avatars (small icons), except for, surprise surprise, Live Messenger. The latter even allow for changing it yourself on your mobile device.
2.2 Not tested
2.2.1 Mobile (GPRS etc.) connection keep-up
In my tests, most applications behaved quite OK. However, there may be problems in your particular case, particularly if you use instant messaging on a mobile phone. In these cases, if you lose the connection after some time, you may want to check out for example this registry hack to fix the problem.
2.2.2 Task keep-alive
I haven’t checked whether the current versions of the IM apps can force the operating system not to shut down the given application when the standard “let’s kill a background” task to free up some memory / when we’ve reached the 32-process limit of all WindowsCE versions (that is, even Windows Mobile 6) before 6 (note that WM6 is still based on the, process number restriction-wise, “old” WinCE 5.2). You won’t have this problem at all if you don’t run memory-hungry and/or several other processes (for example, you don’t open up more than 15-20 tabs in the excellent Windows Mobile Web browser, Opera Mobile). If you only have 4-10 apps running at a time and you have at least 5 Mbytes of free (dynamic) RAM, I’m pretty sure your IM app won’t be silently killed, even when it doesn’t support forcing itself to remain active.
I’ve only made tests with starting all the clients at once but, to avoid clashes, not logging into anywhere. Then, I’ve increased memory usage and the number of active processes by mass-starting other applications. In general, all the tested applications were shut down after a while. Note that IM+ has a checkbox to avoid this situation; I haven't enabled it when running this test.
Please see for example this thread for more info on this problem.
3. Other links of interest
A cool, recommended overview & comparison of some apps
eWeek: "Mobile IM Landscape Shows Room for Growth"
What is your messaging application of choice?
Generic “Looking for a IM / chat client similar to Yahoo messenger“
Gerneric “The Best Instant Messenger (IM)”
Google Talk On Your Pocket PC
Mobile Chat Rooms?
A Jabber-related thread (“Jabber Releases PocketPC Client”)
UPDATE (03/09/2007):
PPCT frontpage
You can download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger here. It's an AximSite thread so it can't be illegal (at least I hope so). This thread is, by the way, is pretty much recommended.
There is another lightweight and very simple, but small ICQ client, Anastasia, available here (thanks to CharlyV of SKKV Software for the tip!). (Incidentally, I DO ask every program developer to register their programs into the Pocket PC Mag Software Encyclopedia! I'm not guaranteed to find all Windows Mobile programs if you only publish related info / accouncements in German / Russian / you-name-it-what-language forums (not that I couldn't speak German or Russian - I speak quite a few languages, including these two)).
I've been asked about XMPP in several reader e-mails so I need to stress the following: XMPP is an IETF standard for messaging and is a fully open standard. This is the same standard that Apple uses for iChat and Google uses for GoogleTalk. Currently, few IM clients support direct XMPP connections; one of them is imov Messenger, which is XMPP based. This means you cannot use for example OctroTalk with your own IM server because it relies on a centralized server that presumably a single company controls. In addition, there are some other important benefits that imov Messenger (and other XMPP clients) offers the end user:
As has been mentioned, it is built on XMPP which is an Open IETF standard
For complete control, you can run your own XMPP server on your own network
If the protocol changes for AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, etc the client does not need to be updated and redeployed - just the server
XMPP offers encryption of traffic between the client and the server
UPDATE (03/14/2007): New version of excellent Instant Messenger client Mundu out; also runs on standard PPC’s!
The Mundu instant messenger client is widely known among both Microsoft Smartphone (in the new, WM6-related parlance, “Windows Mobile Standard”) and Palm OS users – on these platforms (particularly on the Palm), it’s probably the best IM client.
The developer has just come out with a heavily updated, new version. While it’s only meant for the MS Smartphone platform, thanks to the convergence between the MS Smartphone and the Pocket PC (Phone Edition) (in the new parlance, “Windows Mobile Classic / Professional”) devices, it works pretty good on all Pocket PC (Phone Edition) devices starting with WM5.
Much as it does have some problems on Pocket PC (Phone Edition) devices (for example, it doesn’t support working in suspended mode and vibration, unlike with MS Smartphones, where both are supported), I really recommend it particularly if you
want seamless auto-logging capabilities
want conference support with MSN, Yahoo and, according to the developer, AOL/AIM
want file upload (no file download is possible)
Note that, in addition to the connectivity problems (it doesn’t work while the PPC phone is suspended) caused by the officially not-supported platform, you also need to learn to live with the lack of touchscreen support. This means you’ll need to use the Action button (the center button in D-Pad with most Pocket PC’s) instead of for example double-clicking to, say, initiate a conversation with someone. Note that you can still select and use the menu with the stylus.
Another great news item is that the Mundu folks will release a Pocket PC (and a Symbian)-specific version very soon. Hope that version will also fix the issues caused by the differences between the Smartphone and the Pocket PC platform; most importantly, the (on the Pocket PC) lack of vibration and suspended mode support.
Finally, note that I’ve thoroughly updated the comparison / feature chart of my well-known Windows Mobile Instant Messaging Bible (cross-posted to: PPCT, MobilitySite, AximSite, XDA-Developers, FirstLoox, BrightHand, HowardForums), the source of ALL information on instant messaging. In there, you’ll find a REALLY thorough comparison of Mundu to all the alternative instant messenger clients on the Pocket PC – and tons of screenshots. Make sure you check it out to discover what this messenger is really capable of and how it compares to the alternative messengers.
UPDATE (03/23/2007):
Causerie has just released their, on other mobile platforms, already-known instant messaging solution. As usual, the majority of the related information can be found in the updated comparison chart; in here, I only provide you with a pros/cons list.
The good
ability to log into any IM service using two accounts – currently, no other IM app is capable of this!
support for (ro)bots. Right now, Causerie retrieves Stock Quotes, Weather Predictions, Directions, News related to Business, Technology, Games, California Traffic, eBay etc.
Enterprise version supports Lotus IM (Sametime), Microsoft LCS, SIP, Reuters LCS and Jabber (SSL) – this is a BIG plus and really unique!
IMAP support. This means you don’t need to run an IMAP-capable mailer client in the background to get notified of your incoming mails. This, of course, will only work if you do have an IMAP-capable mailbox. This is also pretty unique. (See the IMAP Bible for more information on this question.)
Developer promises at least one-way SMS messaging in forthcoming, 1.1 version, slated for May. Now, their Palm version already supports even two-way messaging
The bad
restriction of four concurrent accounts logged in at a time
complete lack of Landscape orientation support – very bad news for slide-out or clamshell keyboard users (HTC Wizard, TyTN/Hermes, Universal etc.)
prone to crashes
not effective, Web browser-based rendering: slow, bandwidth-hungry and causes the on-screen SIP to be hidden with some people
doesn’t automatically re-login when the connection (temporarily) terminates: a problem particularly with unattended, suspended mode
no file transfer, no logging, all chat windows are immediately closed when the connection terminates, no support for conferencing
Verdict
Promising. Needs a little more work and bugfixes on the developer’s part, though.
Great review of the instant messaging clients. I hope Mundu comes out with a ver for the PPC soon.
Major update posted to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=315654
Well worth reading!
A very good im client
Hi !
I searched for a good im client for a while, and i just wanted to mention inlux messenger:
http://www.inlusoft.com/pages/downloads.html
This is the best i've seen, only thing missing is today plugin, but it has an icon on startbar with popup so it compensates...
The site is in Russian, but the program has perfect english support
I'm not sure what is the difference between trial and full, and i don't know how many days you can use the trial (if this is the catch)
Anyway, great job with the comparison chart !
GL
RPG0 said:
Hi !
I searched for a good im client for a while, and i just wanted to mention inlux messenger:
http://www.inlusoft.com/pages/downloads.html
This is the best i've seen, only thing missing is today plugin, but it has an icon on startbar with popup so it compensates...
The site is in Russian, but the program has perfect english support
I'm not sure what is the difference between trial and full, and i don't know how many days you can use the trial (if this is the catch)
Anyway, great job with the comparison chart !
GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont see any AIM support with this client . Just MSN, Yahoo, ICQ & G-talk
RPG0 said:
Hi !
I searched for a good im client for a while, and i just wanted to mention inlux messenger:
http://www.inlusoft.com/pages/downloads.html
This is the best i've seen, only thing missing is today plugin, but it has an icon on startbar with popup so it compensates...
The site is in Russian, but the program has perfect english support
I'm not sure what is the difference between trial and full, and i don't know how many days you can use the trial (if this is the catch)
Anyway, great job with the comparison chart !
GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for pointing it out; will post a review soon.
UPDATE: a review of Inlux Messenger has just been posted to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1354766
A few days ago Mundu released a real version for PPC.
Perhaps someone with a phone edition wants to test whether the standby & vibrate options now works, or not.
http://messenger.mundu.com/pocketpc/
UPDATE (11/15/2007): REVIEW: Another great, multiplatform instant messenger client: Palringo. Cross-posted to: PPCT, AximSite, XDA-Developers - 1, XDA-Developers - 2, XDA-Developers - 3, FirstLoox, BrightHand, HowardForums, SPT, MoDaCo.
Menneisyys said:
UPDATE (11/15/2007): REVIEW: Another great, multiplatform instant messenger client: Palringo. Cross-posted to: PPCT, AximSite, XDA-Developers - 1, XDA-Developers - 2, XDA-Developers - 3, FirstLoox, BrightHand, HowardForums, SPT, MoDaCo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm giving palingro a shot now on my Wizard (8125.) I'll let ya'll know if there are any problems!
exellent summerizing!
My situation:
In my company we have about 30+ handsets currently running Android (standard and custom ROMs from XDA). The handsets include HTC Desire HD, HD2, Desire S and Desire Z. The users cannot be trusted not to brick the phones if they are allowed to download apps and modify them in anyway (not to mention they are business phones so shouldn't have facebook etc on them any way).
I've heard about admin tools which allow control of handsets remotely.
Requirements:
So, if possible, what i would like does something along the lines of...:
1: Blocks further apps from being added to the handset without a password
2: A lock to keep as many of the settings as is originally provided (wallpaper etc)
3: A master admin tool which i can remotely manage all the handsets from (download requested and approved apps, wipe, lock, locate and reset the phones if lost...etc)
What i have done before to stop the users adding further apps is register my email address to Android Market on all the phones, then changed the password using my desktop). While this stops new apps from being downloaded from the market, it does mean i cannot remotely roll out approved apps as they are no longer signed in to the account.
Is there anything out there which does any/all/some of the above?
Is there one tool which can manage all these tasks? Or will it have to be seperate apps like Norton Mobile Security (such as) etc?
Can anyone get their heads around this?
Thanks!
The market lets you download apps to a phone.
Lookout Security does all of the security tasks you want.
Thanks, that would take care of the remote wiping, locating and locking.
Does Android provide any corporate setup for administration of lots of handsets? Surely this is a niche in the market for some devs to jump on if there isn't something like that already.
And i know Android Market allows you to remotely download apps to multiple phones but i want to make it impossible to download through the phone itself. (so i can add apps but the user can't)
Something that performs like MFormation Enterprise Manager but avoiding the $20k price tag! (a tall order i know)
Sonic_Sonar said:
Something that performs like MFormation Enterprise Manager but avoiding the $20k price tag! (a tall order i know)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Have you found any apps that fit your needs? Do you use them? If no, is your organization still interesting in mobile device management service?
I'm asking because I'm working for http://bloove.com (personal phone management service) and we're going to expand our offer to small and medium companies.
This new service will combine existing contact, sms, phone log and bookmark backup for personal phone with MDM features like centralized app management, location and wipe service etc.
We're looking for early adopters who will have a chance to add their custom requirements to the service and get this service for free for up to six months.
Please let me know if you're interested and want to discuss this further.
Thank you,
Rostislav
[email protected]
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
I did something like this ...
I first installed openssh server, plus a script that checks a specific URL for remote access needs (had to do it that way since my carrier blocks connections on all ports).
The server side is a simple php script that you call like this: check.php?deviceid=[ID]. The script checks a DB to see if there is anything new for that device ID and acts accordingly. I implemented three features: Tunnel, Script, Install APK. So, If I want to install an APK to all devices, I just upload it on our webserver, and on the MySQL DB I add devices id = all, action=install, file=/apks/whatever.apk. If, for instance, I want to do something more complex on certain devices, I add: id = all, action=script, file=/apks/whatever.sh. I write the script, then all phones check for updates on this check.php every 5 minutes, if they find a script, they'll download and execute. If it's an APK, they'll download and install. If I insert a line with deviceID=[deviceid], action=tunnel, file=[PORT NUMBER], then the phone will SSH into a remote server and do a reverse port forward, on [PORT NUMBER]. Then I can just SSH into localhost:[PORTNUMBER] on the server, and I'll have a terminal inside the phone to do whatever I need.
This doesn't address the restrictions issue, but it does allow you to control the phones however you want.
Regards,
Almafuerte.
Looking for a note taking app that encrypts it's contents but with cross platform access (e.g. Linux or Windows).
It can either have clients for Android, Linux and Windows or it just encrypts notes and saves them as text files which can be read easily on other platforms.
Any suggestions?
Hmm, i still have this problem myself as i hate putting personal data online.
I've been searching for a simple solution for quite some time and yet nothing optimal arised.
I have 2 approaches to this problem:
1 The simple way:
Use a cross platform password manager which has the ability to store notes like:
StickyPassword, SafeInCloud , etc ...
Do this if you can trust them and beleve their claims.... :laugh:
2 The hard(core) / paranoid / scratch your head with your foot way:
a) Find an android note taking app that saves regular text files eg: Jota
b) Use GnuPG (pgp) on your desktop and OpenKeychain on android to encrypt/decrypt your txt files
c) Use your favorite cloud storage provider client to sync your encrypted txt files
This solution has so many many things to overcome
- Setting this up is not as easy as my bullet points
- Maybe some steps can be automated
- Data (text files) on your devices is stored in plaintext and duplicated in encrypted form which poses some risks when you loose control over your devices (stolen/lost) this can be solved by using full disk encryption and/or deleting the plain text files after encryption
Sorry for may bad english & for being a bit elusive