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Compaq C-Series

In our January 1998 Pen Lab, Editor-in-Chief Conrad Blickenstorfer took a look at the hardware side of Compaq's C series and was very impressed. The software inside the 810 and the 2010c earned such praises from our staff for an unbelievable bundle of Windows CE applications that we wanted to reveal some of the internal surprises the C series has to offer.

Last year, Compaq showed interest in the Windows CE market by relabeling the Casio brand of first generation HPCs. The move was interesting, but didn't generate any real excitement for an entry into the handheld market. This year, Compaq has come out with a completely new C Series line of HPCs. And, while my Editor-in-Chief was excited about the new and innovative hardware, I believe the powerful features they have put into the inside of the device, will have executives begging IS managers for this new system.

The security pitbull
The first difference you'll notice on powering up the C Series is the new security system. Since Windows CE's built-in security features are lax at best, the paranoid and security conscious alike will sleep better at night knowing the C Series security pitbull is on patrol. Compaq has replaced the password applet in the control panel with a custom-made security system, using dual password protection. An optional timed delay allows you to turn on password protection by picking a selectable delay time from 15 minutes to four hours, eliminating the sometimes frustrating "every time you turn on" password protection. This is a huge convenience for users who often power down their device only to remember that they needed to check one more thing. The most powerful feature of the system is that users can set it to wipe the system memory or permanently lock out if five incorrect attempts are made at the password. Since the reactions of the security system are so severe, Compaq also offers users the ability to setup a "Password Reminder" or a second password that displays a hint message that you specify (like "My mother's maiden name") while requesting your secondary password.

As a last result, Compaq offers a password unlocking utility that will generate a key to access your C-Series in the rare instance when you can not recall your primary and backup passwords. The system offers three levels of security (the initial password, challenge response phrase, and administrator password) and is a nice security precaution so that corporate IS professionals can unlock the forgetful user's HPC or rescue files from the system of a terminated employee.

Impressive custom applications
After getting past the custom security system, users will really appreciate the amazing utilities Compaq has developed specifically for the C Series line. These applications fill the gaps in setup, synchronization and support, in addition to demonstrating that Compaq is willing to go past a mere software agreement to assure that customers are satisfied. The suite includes five applications ranging from Internet to system administrator tools.

The Internet Setup Utility allows you to quickly configure the C Series for Internet access by automatically copying dial-up profiles from your desktop, selecting a profile from 8 popular ISPs around the world or 6 countries, or by entering all of the information manually. While the preconfigured ISP list is extremely short, most people should eliminate problems by just having the application automatically copy the desktop settings. The Internet Favorites Synchronizer (my favorite application) provides drag-and-drop or total synchronization of your Internet Explorer favorites (also known as bookmarks) between desktop and HPC. This application is a huge asset if you use the web in your occupation and have the same forest of bookmarks that I do. If you're a wordsmith, or your profession has many technical terms that aren't found in the standard dictionary, the Dictionary Synchronizer lets you synchronize the custom dictionary used in Microsoft Word with the custom dictionary used in Pocket Word on the handheld PC. If you go for long periods without a desktop connection, or want peace of mind, Compaq's Backup & Restore is an HPC application that allows you to do a complete system back up onto a memory card. And, lastly, the Pocket Asset Manager allows your system administrator to extract and store detailed information about your C Series from the device.

The staff at Pen Computing believes that many of these applications would be of great benefit to the entire handheld community if they were sold at the consumer level, but we recognize the advantage Compaq maintains by keeping them proprietary. Either way, they earn our admiration by delivering powerful custom software solutions inside their new line of devices.

Bigger bundles are better
In addition to the custom software applications, Compaq also includes a bounty of third party applications. The standard bFax Express, Carbon Copy, Mail on the Run! and IntelliMigrate are joined with Odyssey's BizCalc, and CIC Quicknotes. But the most exciting newcomer to the bundled application game is CIC's "Speller" software. This program can spell check and find/replace words, provides document statistics like word and letter count, and provides a powerful macro feature that corrects your common misspellings and allows you to enter long text (like e-mail footers or web addresses) by typing a shortcut phrase. And the best part of this program is that it works in almost any Windows CE application - meaning you can finally check your spelling in an Excel cell, or have a signature in your e-mail message. And, the fact that CIC won't be selling this product as a stand-alone piece of software makes the C Series that much more appealing.

All said, Compaq's new C Series systems deliver a new and unique set of internal features from which any businessperson will benefit and get their money's worth. A hard combination to find, in the ever growing world of HPCs.