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Newsletter No. 67


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                             Free Pint
         "Helping 30,000 people use the Web for their work"
                    http://www.freepint.co.uk/

ISSN 1460-7239                                   20th July 2000 No.67
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                           IN THIS ISSUE

                             EDITORIAL

                        MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
                         from Barrie Minney

                           FREE PINT BAR
                         by Simon Collery

                        TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
             "Puppetry and Animation Sources on the Web"
                         By Carey McIlvenny

                             BOOKSHELF
                 "Internet Business Intelligence:
    How to build a big company system on a small company budget"
                    Reviewed by Jan Whittington

                          FEATURE ARTICLE
               "Web resources for handheld computers"
                           By Ian Tilsed

               EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES

                        CONTACT INFORMATION

              ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
            http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/200700.htm

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            JUSTIS - THE CHOICE OF LEGAL PROFESSIONALS

   JUSTIS makes legal research fast and efficient. JUSTIS is used
worldwide by Legal Practitioners, Businesses, Government Departments,
      Academics, Librarians and other Information Professionals.

        Visit http://www.justis.com to see how you can benefit

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                      >>>  ABOUT FREE PINT  <<<

Free Pint is a community of business professionals who use the Web 
for their work. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks 
packed with tips and articles by information professionals who share 
how they find quality and reliable information on the Internet. Sign
up at <http://www.freepint.co.uk/> for free access to the substantial
archive of articles, book reviews, industry news and events, and have 
your research questions answered at the "Free Pint Bar". This 
newsletter is best read when printed out and viewed in a courier font.

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                             EDITORIAL

If you're a regular at the Free Pint Bar then you may have spotted
the odd mention of some of the projects we're currently working on to
enhance our services to members of Free Pint. Some of these projects 
are now coming to fruition ...

The overwhelming response to the Free Pint Index, which was sent out
in June, highlighted once again your wish to be able to access Free
Pint's large archive of content more easily. To this end, we have been
working hard over the last few months building a system which will
allow you to do just this:

                         Free Pint Portal
                 http://www.freepint.co.uk/portal

This is a brand new part of the site where we have classified all of
our content by industry (including all articles, tipples and
newsfeeds). We have also incorporated Simon's "Today's Tipples" from
the Bar as well as bringing you a range of invaluable link sites for
each industry. There is also a "Country" section where you can easily
access search engines for a particular region, as well as company
information, demographics, etc. We are also currently negotiating with
a number of database providers to give you direct access to their
offerings and we'll be announcing these as they are integrated over
the coming weeks.

This is a very exciting project and we are committed to building the
most useful guide to business information online for our members.
However, like all good projects this is a collaborative one and we do
ask for your input, telling us what else you want to see there and
informing us of new resources to be added. This project will benefit
all members and so please do get involved.

We bring you some very topical content in today's issue of Free Pint.
Puppetry is again in the public spotlight with the release of the film
"Chicken Run" and so we take a look at puppetry and animation sources
online. Internet-enabled mobile phones are also being mentioned
everywhere and so the Feature article takes a timely look at the
resources available for handheld computers. Competitive intelligence
has regularly made an appearance over the last few issues of the
newsletter, and today we have a review of a book for SME's about
building an "Internet Business Intelligence System".

The Free Pint Bar at <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar> continues to
receive much recognition and praise from our members, and so you'll
notice we have moved Simon's summary of the latest happenings nearer
the top of today's newsletter. Do remember that you can receive a
Digest of all the latest postings three times a week by sending a
blank email to <digest@freepint.co.uk>.

Finally, we're delighted to have just welcomed our 30,000th member.
So, I hope you all enjoy today's edition of Free Pint.

Kind regards,
William

William Hann BSc MIInfSc
Founder and Managing Editor, Free Pint
e: william@freepint.co.uk
t: +44 (0)1784 455435
f: +44 (0)1784 455436

           Free Pint is a trademark of Free Pint Limited
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              >>>  FREE PINT ADVERTISERS UPDATE  <<<
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                        MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
                         from Barrie Minney

* Portal service from The Stationery Office - 'UK focused information,
  people and services connected to the government and other official
  bodies'. Much more interesting than it sounds. 
  <http://www.ukstate.com>

* UK government sites - A superb directory of all UK government sites 
  (local, central and independent)and more. <http://www.tagish.co.uk>

* Ananova - UK based news portal from the press association, even has 
  video bulletins!  <http://www.ananova.com>

* Moreover.com - Delivers news extracts via e-mail on a variety of 
  subjects from a vast range of sources.  <http://www.moreover.com>

* Cornwallcam - An escapist site, digital photos of Cornwall, updated 
  every other day.  <http://www.cornwallcam.co.uk>

Barrie Minney, MCBA MICM, is the senior bailiff for Brighton & Hove
council, recovering local taxes and sundry debts. He also runs the In-
house bailiff forum for local authorities in England & Wales, and is 
always on the look out for guest speakers on any interesting subjects!

   To submit your top five favourite tipples see the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htm> or email <simon@freepint.co.uk>.

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              WHERE DO YOU GO FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
            & BUSINESS INFORMATION RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS?

www.recruitmedia.co.uk.  We offer a full and quality service for
contract,  temporary and permanent opportunities in traditional
commercial and new media environments. Call us now at our London
office on 020 7608 2552.

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              http://www.freepint.co.uk/linktous.htm

 If you enjoy Free Pint then please consider adding a small graphic
      to your site. Simply copy the code from the page above.

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                           FREE PINT BAR
                         by Simon Collery
          http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/200700.htm#bar

If there is nothing new under the sun then it must be prudent to ask
for advice from others whenever you can.  Several Free Pinters have
raised questions about good practice, the first with regard to using
images found on the Web (4001).  Another has asked if anyone has
written a formal policy for links to be included on their site (4050).
And a third has asked about monitoring access in the education sector
(4067).  I'm surprised no one in the UK has asked where the sun is
these days.

Statistical data is always in demand, so a couple of recent Tipples
have been on population resources (4014, 4049).  And there's been one
on official statistics sites around the world (4096).  One Tippler has
been looking for European retail market statistics (4065).  While such
data may be available, it may not be free of charge.  So if anyone
knows if it can be picked up for free, do let us know.

On the search front we had requests for music search engines (4066)
and for ezine search engines (4072), and we had a look at a site where
parents can find out about safe surfing (3930).  We also looked at a
meta search engine (3950) and a site which lists useful search
features, along with search tools which have those features (4058).
And there has been a request for a list of the UK's top B2B portals,
if anyone knows where to find that (4102).

Some good resources have been unearthed covering languages of the
world (3939), international company registration details (3963),
private company information (3948), festivals around the world (3981),
financial services newsgroups (4007), Enterprise Resource Planning
(4017), Knowledge Management (4038), UK commercial property (4057),
popular cultures (4071) and a site which holds a large selection of
Internet surveys (4106).  We didn't find a source of European market
sizing by country and industry (3946), though I'm sure some Free
Pinter knows where it can be found.  Meantime, I'll keep digging.

On the technical front, someone was looking for designers (3920),
cheap Web hosting facilities (4097) and advice on changing images on a
site (4104).  Not all the same people, of course.  Another Pinter has
a firewall problem and the maker has ignored calls for help (3965) and
there's even someone having trouble with a TV-out Graphics Card
(4031).  Nightmare!  And we have had postings on electronic address
books (4055), online seminars (3988) and Internet videoconferencing,
too (3974).

Other subjects that have caught my eye include writing book reviews
for children (3971), legal threats (3989), graduate statistics (4032),
the history of the Israeli technology sector (4033), Investors in
People (4051), finance for business expansion (4084), fiction writing
sites (4052) and newsletter creation and delivery (4105).  So even if
there is nothing new, there is certainly a good selection of things
under the sun.

Simon Collery, Content Developer, Free Pint

To read threads, view this summary online with activated hyperlinks at
<http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/200700.htm#bar>, visit the Bar
itself <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar> or add the message number to
the end of <http://www.freepint.co.uk/cgi-bin/webbbs/config.pl?read=>,
e.g. <http://www.freepint.co.uk/cgi-bin/webbbs/config.pl?read=3989>.

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Do you have a research question or Web-related comment? It's easy to 
post a message at <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar>.

Visit daily for "Today's Tipple" - a different Web site reviewed every
working day at the Bar. Access the Portal archive of Tipples at:
<http://www.freepint.co.uk/portal/content/tipple.php3>.

To have the latest Free Pint Bar postings sent to you every other day,
send a blank email to <digest@freepint.co.uk>.

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                        TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
         http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/200700.htm#tips

             "Puppetry and Animation Sources on the Web"
                         By Carey McIlvenny

If you thought puppetry was solely all about Mr Punch doing a runner
with a certain crocodile's sausages - think again. Over the past few
years, puppetry (and animation) have become artforms that are being
increasingly embraced by contemporary culture. For example, hip music
video-makers such as the UK's Hammer & Tongs
<http://www.hammerandtongs.co.uk> have included puppetry and animation
in work for Fatboy Slim's 'Right Here, Right Now'
<http://www.skint.net>, Britpop act Blur's 'Coffee and TV'
<http://www.food-records.co.uk> and Supergrass' 'Pumping on Your
Stereo' videos <http://www.supergrass.com>.

In recent TV advertising campaigns, a mint confectionery brand
utilises puppetry in a gospel-mint-worshipping scenario while a
certain 'alchopop' brand creates a 'Narnia' style environment with
spooky string puppets. Not forgetting, of course, the popular culture
icon associated with Levis - the fab Flat Eric.

With puppetry and animation, quite rightly, continuing to broaden its
appeal to a larger adult audience, there are plenty of Internet
references available. One of the most well-known puppetry sites is the
excellent <http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry>. Produced by Rose Sage,
the site acts as an excellent free resource to the puppetry community
and is 'dedicated to international puppetry'.  It offers free
classified ads for puppetry events (and refreshingly, no other
advertising), news, events, puppetry traditions, answers to puppetry
questions, museums and performers. It's a simply designed site but
very effective, especially for newcomers wanting to find out more
about the genre. The British wing of UNIMA (Union Internationale de la
Marionette) - BRUNIMA has a page on the Sagecraft site at
<http://www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/organizations/BRUNIMA.html>, a very
useful organisation for anyone with an interest in puppets as it 'aims
to support the status of puppeteers and puppetry by raising public
awareness of the value and importance of puppetry as an artform in its
own right'. The USA wing of UNIMA can be found at
<http://www.unima-usa.org>. The AOL Puppetry Board at
<http://members.aol.com/freshwater/puppbrd/puppbrd.html> is a useful
meeting place for all puppetry enthusiasts, whether professional or
amateur.

If you want to catch some puppetry in motion - visit
<http://www.bton.ac.uk/visions2000> to find out about forthcoming
events at the UK's largest festival of international animated theatre,
visions2000. The festival takes place in Brighton and beyond in
October 2000 and aims to highlight the diverse nature of puppetry. The
festival spans live performance, exhibitions, film screenings and
workshops, all with a contemporary edge. Or find out about the
Puppeteers of America Southeast Regional Festival of the Americas 2000
at <http://www.puppetlove.com/festival/index.htm>.

Those already working in the industry and those wanting to enter it,
might find the BECTU (Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and
Theatre Union) site of help at <http://www.bectu.org.uk>. BECTU is the
UK union for those working in broadcasting, film, theatre,
entertainment, leisure and allied industries. It offers useful
information such as conference reports, a history project and
freelance careers advice and guidance.

Or visit the sites of those who are at the pinnacle of the industry.
Find out about the work of Jim Henson at the extremely informative
<http://www.henson.com> - creator of the Muppets. Also learn about the
ground-breaking animatronics work undertaken by the Henson Creature
Shop who've worked on diverse projects such as TV programme
'Firescape', various music videos, the theatre production of Dr
Dolittle and the film 'The Dark Crystal'.

The Bristol-based puppetry and animation company Aardman
Animations' site is at <http://www.aardman.com>. They produced
'Morph', 'Wallace & Gromit' and the current film 'Chicken Run' (on
which celebs such as Mel Gibson and Jane Horrocks have been involved)
- details of all of which are available. Great animated characters
dash across the screen, such as a little Morph in 'film-director'
guise. News, a showcase and a guestbook also feature on this
thoroughly enjoyable site.

There's plenty of individual makers who have pages on the web, see
Emmy-ward winning Pat Brymer Creations at
<http://www.pbcreations.com>. USA-based Brymer specialises in puppets
for TV and the entertainment industry. Another American puppeteer Rick
Lyon is at <http://www.lyonpuppets.com>, where you can learn all about
his work and colourful puppet troupe.

To be kept up-to-date on animation and puppetry developments, there
are heaps of relevant news items at <http://www.awn.com>, the bright
and appealing site of the Animation World Network. While Animation
Magazine, <http://www.animag.com>, has industry news, a directory,
events calendar, software and a bookstore.

But for those of you who still can't resist a touch of nostalgia for
famous puppetry and animation characters from the past, source some
cult favourites at
<http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/1011/index.htm>
which has links to favourites such as Bagpuss, Chorlton and the
Wheelies, Captain Scarlet and Noggin the Nog. Or try the Children's
Television Workshop at <http://www.ctw.org> for Bert, Ernie and all
the other Sesame Street regulars.

Naturally, there are bound to be hundreds of other appropriate sites
lurking out there, so apologies for any that have been omitted.
Hopefully, the references above offer a brief outline of puppetry and
animation on the web and emphasise that's it's for grown-ups too!

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Carey McIlvenny BA (Hons), MA undertakes freelance writing and manages
an alternative music website <http://www.theknowledge.com>. The
visions2000 festival is promoted by the University of Brighton and
embraces an eclectic mix of puppetry and animated theatre in all its
form. For more information or to join the free visions mailing list,
please email: visions.fest@bton.ac.uk or contact the Festival Hotline:
01273 644099 (+44 1273 644099 from outside UK).

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Related Free Pint links:

* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/200700.htm#tips>
* Discuss this article with the author now at the Free Pint Bar
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar>

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                     >>>  FREE PINT FACT  <<<

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   are in the UK and the rest in 117 countries around the world,
    publishing one edition of the newsletter would cost around
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                        FREE PINT BOOKSHELF
                http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf

                 "Internet Business Intelligence:
    How to build a big company system on a small company budget"
                    Reviewed by Jan Whittington

'Internet Business Intelligence' surveys online business information
and how to use this intelligence for competitive advantage.   The
intended audience is small and medium-sized company owners and
managers, consultants, entrepreneurs, information professionals, sales
and marketing executives with much of the material being scalable for
larger enterprises.

David Vine takes a systematic and thorough approach to the subject by
firstly defining business intelligence (BI) encompassing competitive
intelligence (CI). Any notion that CI is an unethical, illegal
activity is dispelled by the Society of Competitive Intelligence
Professionals (SCIP) <http://www.scip.com> code of ethics.  SCIP
demonstrates that in fact CI uses legally obtained information, making
deductions where data cannot be ascertained to complete the picture.
The author recommends Jerry Millers book 'Millennium Intelligence' for
further study of CI.

There are several benefits of establishing an Internet Business
Intelligence System (IBIS).  The book details in particular the
positive contributions for key management and departments within a
company.  The case studies build on this foundation by proving the
importance for a company to reach critical business intelligence
before their competitors.

A pragmatic guide in setting up the IBIS follows.  Questions such as
what sort of information is needed and what is the most valuable
competitor data are raised.  The decision making process concerning
the framework and the software and hardware required are dealt with in
depth.  Anticipating the diversity of his audience the author
helpfully offers less exorbitant software options alongside the
utopian IBIS system.

In the information professional's role as 'gatherer', a methodology
for searching and collating data is described along with relevant
intelligence sources (for example newsgroups, resources on the
internet and CD-ROMs).  The effective organisation of the information
coupled with analysis leads to the generation of knowledge.  This
intelligence only becomes true 'business intelligence' when it is
communicated to the inquirer enabling them to take smart decisions.

The psychological aspects in selecting business intelligence staff and
understanding users, strategic and tactical management techniques and
review of state-of-the-art technology combine to form valuable
background knowledge.

The author has assembled in this book a compact guide to building a
business intelligence system with a manual for general research
technique.  The net result is a practical means of finding
information, converting this into strategic choices and decisive
action for a competitive edge.

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Jan Whittington has participated in the information industry for 12
years, primarily the fields of finance and engineering. Currently
operating as information manager at venture capitalist Advent
International PLC, she has held information posts at Westdeutsche
Landesbank and WS Atkins PLC. One of her focus areas is the benefits
of information management and research in both the office environment
and voluntary local community projects.

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Related Free Pint links:

* "Millennium Intelligence" Bookshelf review in Free Pint No.62
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/110500.htm>
* "Internet Intelligence - analysing web-sites for competitive 
  intelligence" article in Free Pint No.65
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/220600.htm>  
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf/vine.htm>
* Read about other Internet strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
  <http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965358/freepint0c>
  or Amazon.com
  <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965358/freepint00>
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Bookshelf
  <http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf>

To propose a business-Web-related book for review, send 
details to >.

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         >>>  FREE PINT INDUSTRY NEWSFEED LIVE - FREE  <<<
                  http://www.freepint.co.uk/news

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                          FEATURE ARTICLE
        http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/200700.htm#feature

               "Web resources for handheld computers"
                           By Ian Tilsed

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), also variously called handheld
computers or palmtops, are experiencing a stunning growth in
popularity.  Whilst stories about mobile telephony and WAP have
dominated the press, the PDA world has been busy developing new
products that are now exploding on to the scene.  Witness, for
instance, the recent launch of Microsoft's third generation mobile
operating system - Pocket PC - and the latest hardware by the likes of
Compaq and Hewlett Packard that support it.  Look at the popularity of
Palm OS devices, and the long and continuing tradition that Psion has
in the PDA arena.  You do not have to wait for a WAP phone before you
can surf the Internet on the move either, as Internet access is now an
integral feature of the PDA scene.

Inevitably, there are many resources on the Internet for the growing
band of PDA users, covering all platforms and tastes.  This article
aims to give a brief overview of the area, identifying some of the
quality sites and essential resources for effective and happy handheld
computing.


HANDSPRING
----------
The latest entrant in the PDA arena is Handspring
<http://www.handspring.com/>, a company founded by the three people
who originally invented the Palm Pilot, established Palm (now a 3com
company) and marketed the product. With their Visor product range that
utilises the Palm OS but has the new Handspring Springboard expansion
slot and modules, this company will soon be challenging Palm for
supremacy in the PDA market.  VisorVillage
<http://www.visorvillage.com/>, an internet.com site, is one of the
few Visor portals, alongside VisorZone <http://www.visorzone.com/> and
VisorCentral <http://www.visorcentral.com/>.


PALM
----
Palm Inc. <http://palm.3com.com/> is the home of the Palm handheld
computers and the Palm Operating System (Palm OS), which is licensed
to other companies.  Of note at this site is the extensive web
resources section - unusual for a primary manufacturer.  There are
several notable 'portals' for Palm information, including Palm
Boulevard <http://www.palmblvd.com/>, another excellent site from the
internet.com stable, and Palmstock <http://www.palmstock.com/>, a less
featured site that describes itself as a 'festival of links for
PalmPilot people'.  The PalmZone <http://www.palmzone.com/> is a
curious site that provides news and stories about Palm computing,
alongside Windows CE material.  FoxPop
<http://www.foxpop.ndirect.co.uk/Palmcover.htm> has a fledgling
section on Palm products that is worth watching for its in-depth
reviews.

For software it should come as no surprise that ZDNet
<http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/pilotsoftware/> has an excellent
Palm downloads section, as does TUCOWS PDA
<http://pda.tucows.com/palm/index.html>.  Both of these are
complemented by PalmGear <http://www.palmgear.com/>, and 3-Lib
<http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/>, which, despite its EPOC software bias,
offers links to Palm sites and resources.


POCKET PC
---------
Microsoft's latest mobile operating system is Pocket PC
<http://www.pocketpc.com/>, launched as recently as April this year.
Web resources are therefore limited at the moment.  However, it is
worth looking at the various Pocket PC manufacturers, such as Hewlett
Packard <http://www.hp.com/jornada/> with their new Jornada series,
Compaq <http://www.compaq.com/products/handhelds/pocketpc/index.html>
with the iPAQ and Aero ranges, and Casio
<http://www.casio.com/mobileinformation/> with the latest Cassiopeia
units.  Be prepared to hear more of Pocket PC in the months to come.


PSION / EPOC
------------
Founded in the UK in 1980, Psion <http://www.psion.com/> became one of
the earliest manufacturers of handheld computing products with the
launch of the Psion Organiser in 1984. Psion Computers now produces a
range of PDAs including the Series 3, Series 5, the Revo and the
colour Series 7. From Series 5 the handhelds have been based on the
Symbian <http://www.symbian.com> EPOC operating system software, which
is jointly developed by Psion, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola.

Psion Place (http://www.psionplace.com/>, another internet.com
offering, leads the way in portal offerings, with news, reviews,
editorial and downloads.  Hard on its heels is EPOC Zone
<http://www.epoczone.com/>, albeit with a greater emphasis on tips and
tools than news and views.  Pocket Info <http://www.pocketinfo.org/>
is a near comprehensive and authoritative collection of software for
Psion handhelds. However, its future is under review by Psion, the
main sponsor, after the maintainer of the site relinquished the role
last December.  Again TUCOWS PDA
<http://pda.tucows.com/epoc/index.html> hosts a large collection of
EPOC software, clearly categorised, as does 3-Lib
<http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/>. Pascal Nicolas maintains a popular
collection of freeware for EPOC <http://pnicolas.epocboulevard.com/>,
all written by him and recently updated for the Revo.  Links to
reviews and ratings are provided for each utility.


WINDOWS CE
----------
Until the recent launch of Pocket PC, Microsoft Windows CE was the
operating system of choice for many handheld PCs. Whilst Microsoft
itself now redirects links for the old Windows CE website to Microsoft
Mobile <http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/> there are still numerous
Windows CE resources available on the web.  CEWindows.Net
<http://www.cewindows.net/> is an extensive and authoritative site
produced by Chris De Herrera, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional
(MVP) for Windows CE.  What this man does not know about Windows CE is
not worth knowing.  CE City <http://www.wincecity.com/> is the high
quality internet.com portal for this OS, offering news, reviews,
downloads and a staggering number of message boards for the different
manufacturers of CE hardware.  Latest additions to the site include
Pocket PC material, so it will be interesting to see how this site
develops.  FoxPop <http://www.foxpop.ndirect.co.uk/WinCEcover.htm>
also has a fairly new section covering this OS.

Again TUCOWS PDA <http://pda.tucows.com/wince/index.html> provides a
well-organised collection of software, this time for Windows CE
appliances.  ZDNet <http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/ce/> likewise also
offers a similar collection, together with links to its own CE news
and guides.  WindowsCE Online <http://www.winceonline.com/> also has a
significant software section, both free and otherwise.


PUBLICATIONS
------------
In addition to the mainstream computing press, which usually offers
reviews of PDA products, there are a growing number of specialist
publications.  Most have a limited Internet presence, with extracts
and reviews that complement their hardcopy existence.  Palmtop
Publications <https://www.palmtop.co.uk/> in the UK produces two
journals - Palmtop Magazine, aimed at Psion users, and PalmUser
Magazine, on Palm organisers and compatibles.  Each has a downloadable
index in appropriate PDA formats.  Pocket PC Online
<http://www.hpcmag.com/>, formerly Handheld PC Magazine, offers a more
substantial web presence, with a software downloads section and a
comprehensive archive of reviews.

Zatz Publications <http://www.zatz.com/> produces several free online
publications.  PalmPower Magazine <http://www.palmpower.com/>, is
subtitled 'tips and techniques exclusively for Palm computer users',
whilst Windows CE Power Magazine <http://www.windowscepower.com/> is
described as the same for Windows CE users.  Both publications have a
similar format, with news sections, regular columns and feature
articles.  Both offer mobile editions.

For a wider view of the wireless arena take a look at the online
presence of Wireless Week <http://www.wirelessweek.com/>, a US based
publication that offers news, extracts and some full text articles.


PORTALS & SEARCH ENGINES
------------------------
In addition to the platform specific portals, described above, there
are several general sites that have much to offer.  PDA Street
<http://www.pdastreet.com/> is the home of the internet.com offerings
(such as Psion Place) listed earlier.  PDA Buzz
<http://www.pdabuzz.com/> describes itself as the 'Internet's
definitive PDA community', whilst PDA Geek
<http://www.geek.com/pdageek/> offers extensive news material about
all things PDA.  The Gadgeteer <http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/> is an
excellent site for news, links and reviews of PDAs and much more,
including the latest in wearable computers!

A search on Yahoo! will find countless 'hits' for the term 'PDA', with
10 category matches and 82 site matches within the Computing and
Internet sub-section alone.  But do not fear - help is at hand.
Websearches, the topical search engine site, offers two of interest,
namely Psion Websearches <http://psion.websearches.net/> and Palm
Websearches <http://palm.websearches.net/>.  Googol
<http://www.googol.net/>, which describes itself as the EPOC
Directory, also offers a search facility alongside articles, Usenet
news links and other facilities.

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ian Tilsed is a Computing Development Officer for the University of
Exeter Library and Information Service <http://www.ex.ac.uk/library/>,
where he is responsible for the library web site and some popular
pages on library and information science resources.  He is a member of
the Editorial Advisory Board for Online Information Review (formerly
Online & CD-ROM Review), the Internet News column editor for the
UKOLUG Newsletter and a regular reviewer for a number of publications.
He is the happy owner of a Psion Series 5mx.

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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