.KEYWORD wallet
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE The virtual wallet
.FEATURE
.SPOTLIGHT FIGALT wallet-cover.gif
.SUMMARY There are a number of virtual wallet programs in the Windows CE marketplace. These programs allow you to store replicas of the items you carry in your physical wallet, such as your credit cards, bankcards, memberships, and even your photos. In addition, they allow you to store other important information, such as those pesky serial numbers and registration IDs for all your software programs. Furthermore, most of these programs are fully configurable, so you can modify the program to meet your personal data needs. In this article, Contributing Editor Clifford Brooks checks out MediaWallet, the latest offering from Applian Technologies, Inc.
.AUTHOR Clifford Brooks
There are a number of virtual wallet programs in the Windows CE marketplace. These programs allow you to store replicas of the items you carry in your physical wallet, such as your credit cards, bankcards, memberships, and even your photos. In addition, they allow you to store other important information, such as those pesky serial numbers and registration IDs for all your software programs. Furthermore, most of these programs are fully configurable, so you can modify the program to meet your personal data needs.
All of these programs provide some level of encryption, allowing you to protect sensitive information such as credit card and bankcard numbers. And with the IR capabilities of the current hardware, my guess is that it’s only a matter of time until we’re able to beam our information directly to the cash register, making these virtual wallets even more complete replacements for the real thing.
The program I use is CodeWallet from Developer One, Inc. (available at http://www.developerone.com), a very nice implementation of the virtual wallet concept. It has served me well, and my Cassiopeia has virtually replaced my wallet, as I now carry my driver’s license and credit cards in my Cassiopeia case. It is just so liberating to get rid of the wallet in the back pocket!
So CodeWallet works for me, and works well. But it didn’t stop me from checking out MediaWallet, the latest offering from Applian Technologies, Inc. (available at http://www.applian.com/mediawallet). MediaWallet is much like the virtual wallets from other manufacturers, but it adds a few multimedia bells and whistles to the mix, allowing it to stand out from the crowd.
.H1 Talk to me baby
What are these multimedia features? Well, for starters, Applian went one better on the wallet photo concept. In addition to the ability to display photos, you can attach a sound file in .WAV format to each photo, so now, when you select a photo, you not only see the image but also hear a recorded sound. You can use the built-in voice recorder to create sounds in a jiffy. To link the sound file to the image, all you have to do is give it the same name (i.e., Cougar.gif and Cougar.wav). I took my favorite picture of my cat, Cougar, and added it to MediaWallet, then recorded him purring. So now, every time I select his picture, I hear that inimitable purr. Check out how cute Couger is in Figure A. Really nice. In fact, this feature works so well that I could see people using this to create mini-presentations. Just imagine a salesperson putting together a sequence of slides to outline the key features of the product. Talk about closing the sale!
.FIGPAIR A With MediaWallet, Cougar not only looks good, he purrs!
.H1 Opening the wallet
Using MediaWallet is simple once you’ve grasped the wallet concept. When you first open MediaWallet, you’re presented with the main wallet. This default wallet can be tailored and used as your starting point. You see, in MediaWallet, you create and use multiple wallets. The Main Wallet serves as home base, or a launching point for opening other wallets. Each wallet can provide a single type of media (credit cards, for example), or each item/button in the wallet may contain the same type of data. Figure B presents an image of my Main Wallet, and if you click on the Photo Album button, the photo album wallet opens.
.FIGPAIR B The Main Wallet serves as the launching point to the other wallets.
.H1 The buttons options
To configure and design MediaWallet, you use the buttons. Buttons define the type of data each wallet contains and allow you to move among wallets.
.H2 Wallet
Wallet is a special button. It’s used to link one wallet to another wallet.
.H2 Card
This button is used to create credit cards, library cards, calling cards, etc. There’s even a dialing feature, allowing you to create a card with a phone number, like your calling card. When the card is selected, the image appears and pulse tones are created. Using the common skin format, your cards can be designed to reflect the cards you carry, as shown in Figure C. A few sample cards are included to get you started.
.FIGPAIR C Card buttons allow you to store all of your card type data.
.H2 Text
Text buttons allow you to store text-based information. You can enter text directly into a text button field or to access a text file. While not as flexible as the Note button, this button works similarly.
.H2 Audio
Media Wallet also allows you to store audio messages, as you can see in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D You can record and store voice recording in your wallet!
For those of you out there who’d like an orderly means of storing your Voice Recorder messages, this may do the trick. It even allows you to record the message in MediaWallet rather than having to exit the program and switch to the Voice Recorder. This is the type of feature that turns a cute idea into one that you’ll actually use.
.H2 Note
While text is the mainstay of most virtual wallet programs, MediaWallet takes the concept a step further by providing a means for accessing the Note Taker application for creating and storing notes, as shown in Figure E. Cleverly, it allows you to link the Note Taker application and use it while you’re in MediaWallet. Though I don’t know if I’d ever use this feature, it could come in handy if you do a lot of traveling and need to take down directions, complete with maps. All in all, this feature enhances the power and flexibility of this package tremendously.
.FIGPAIR E You can even access Note Taker while in MediaWallet.
.H2 Image
This wallet, as mentioned before, serves as a photo album. Say goodbye to the days when you had to cut your favorite photos to fit them into those little plastic sleeves. MediaWallet allows you to link your favorite photos to individual buttons. Though the documentation cautions that display problems may occur if you use files with more than 256 colors, I was able to display .JPG, .GIF, and .BMP files without a problem. My assumption is that owners of devices that display 65,000 colors will have no problem displaying virtually any file.
Once you’ve selected one of the picture buttons from your wallet, on-screen icons allow you to scroll through all of the images in the wallet. Nice.
But they didn’t stop there. You can also link an audio file to any picture. Then, when the picture’s displayed, the audio file plays automatically.
.H2 HTML
This button provides a means of storing and displaying HTML files, as shown in Figure F. The sample HTML file, while a simple advert, highlights the functionality of this feature. Again, I can see a salesperson making good use of this feature, creating mini data sheets and sales materials. I didn’t test this feature out other than to view the sample page, but I’d suspect that it’s not a practical means of carrying around your favorite Web site. It should work fine with simple, specialized projects though.
.FIGPAIR F Now you can carry HTML files in your wallet.
.H2 Application
This is a clever feature that allows you to launch your applications from within MediaWallet. Like an Internet portal, MediaWallet wants to be your starting point. In addition to linking to your application, MediaWallet loads itself (using the icon) into the system tray so that you can return to MediaWallet with the tap of that icon.
This button’s used to create a back button. The back button allows you to move back to the previous wallet.
.H1 A billfold full of extras
MediaWallet’s been designed with functionality in mind. The programmer worked hard to expand the virtual wallet concept. In doing so, MediaWallet is brimming with features. In fact, MediaWallet even allows you to task switch and to close running applications. You might even be tempted to assign MediaWallet to one of your program buttons and use the program as your management station for all of your Palm-sized PC’s data.
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.H1 Looking the gift horse in the mouth
So what’s missing? Not a lot, as this application fulfilled and surpassed my expectations. Does that mean I’m satisfied? I should be, but that’s not how it works. I still want more. For starters, how about supporting MP3s and WMAs? And maybe the ability to add a sound track to your entire photo album, rather than having to link individual sound files. But why stop there? Why not allow you to link sound files to HTML files? It would make creating multimedia presentations would be a snap.
And then there’s movie support. With a name like MediaWallet, it just begs for support for your video clips. Now that the Casio Digital Camera Card is available, making Palmtop videos (albeit small videos) is a reality, so this would be a welcome addition.
When the day is done, Applian has managed to expand the virtual wallet concept, making it a more integral part of your device management plan. It’s a pleasure to use, and provides the flexibility and style of a very mature product. I highly recommend it.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
To check out the CodeWallet from Developer One, Inc., visit http://www.developerone.com.
For more information on Applian Technologies Inc.’s MediaWallet, go to http://www.applian.com/mediawallet.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
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.BIO Clifford Brooks can be reached via email at clifford_brooks@dl.com.
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