Pole Track (Pocket PC)

Situation

Hayton Systems wanted to replace the Palm OS version of their Pole Track application with a Pocket PC version.

Company

Hayton Systems (Arlington, WA)
Target Customer: Verizon

Action(s)

I created a Pocket PC application that contained most of the functionality found in the existing Palm OS Pole Track application. The UI needed to be overhauled to match the Pocket PC application conventions and to take advantage of the larger color screen. Some of the screens were very similar to the Palm OS version but many had to completely change. Soft and hard buttons in the Palm OS version were replaced by menu options, sections were consolidated, and some of the controls had to be changed or updated. I also started the User Manual for this application and completed most of the major sections.

Outcome

This program was to be used a sales tool and demonstration application to sell future customers. Hayton could then demonstrate the Pole Track concept and inform customers that this functionality is available for either Pocket PC or Palm terminals (giving customer’s the choice of which hardware to use).

Benefits

The use of Pocket PC for data collection seems to be increase while the use of Palm OS seems to be increasing at a slower rate (or possibly decreasing). Having the Pole Track application on a Pocket PC computer positions it to be sold and used in the future.

Product Details

This application used the following:

• Symbol Pocket PC terminal with color screen (ARM-based)
• Microsoft Pocket PC emulator (x86-based)The application was developed the using Microsoft Visual Studio and the C programming language with the WIN32 API. The company preferred C for handheld computer applications to make the code more consistent with the existing Palm OS software tools