IPAQ Picture ViewerToday I am going to show you some mobile computing solutions for the Digital Photographer using a Windows Mobile powered Pocket PC.
You can use the Pocket PC as an ultra mobile RAW file viewer and editor, to calculate the Depth of Field and Hyperfocal Distance, to evaluate Exposure, take notes, attach voice notes to digital files or read a book while you are waiting for an event.
The possibilities are endless. You can do almost as much with this ultra portable solution then with a "normal" PC.

Unfortunately many vendors like Dell have withdrawn from this market, but you can still buy everything you need (often at bargain prices).

Hardware

A few months ago, I purchased a HP IPAQ HX4700 through an Auction. This is still one of the most powerful machines to date and has some features that I considered vital to use it as a portable photographic computing solution.
The features most important to me:

• Full VGA (640 x 480) resolution (the HX4700 is one of the few Pocket PC with that much resolution; it's 4 times higher than most "standard" PDA. The Display is 4 inches in diameter and is large compared to other devices.
• 624 MHz Intel Processor (this is still the fastest PDA processor on the market and is required for RAW file evaluation)
• Two Memory Card slots (Secure Digital (SD) card and Compact Flash (CF) card). This is important, since I can keep the SD card in the device for file storage and to install programs to (you need to do this, to keep the main memory free for image processing, otherwise it won't work). Since all my cameras (Digital SLR from Canon) use CF cards, I will keep the SD card in the device at all times. If your camera uses SD cards, use the CF card for your PDA. Many modern PDA don't even offer CF card slots anymore.
• WiFi connection (so I could check my website when I am on the road or research a location)

IPAQ SD and CF Flash CardsThe HX4700 was therefore a logical choice for me, as it had the most advanced features and would still have a very decent battery life, even though it has such a large display and fast processor. Just in case I also bought the larger battery extension pack, which I have never gotten below 70% charge after 5 hours of regular use.

Software

Photo Software

Resco Photo Viewer 2007 Thumbnail View
The IPAQ is in Portrait mode (vertical)All screenshots are just thumbnail views (since the device has such a high resolution). You can click any of the screenshot pictures for a full resolution view (make sure your browser doesn't shrink the vertical pictures) The pictures will appear larger than the display of the IPAQ, since computer monitors don't have the same pixel density.

I have often proposed shooting RAW if your camera supports it, for the added flexibility (white balance, sharpening ...) and the higher dynamic range. RAW is often considered less desirable because it needs special tools to view and convert the files into JPG files for printing and web viewing.

Today there are two programs that support reviewing RAW files on your Pocket PC. PocketLoupe and Resco Photo Viewer Professional. Since PocketLoupe isn't updated anymore, I will not review it here (it won't be able to support newer camera models).

Resco Photo Viewer Professional

Make sure you will get the Resco Photo Viewer Professional Version, since only this version supports RAW files (RAW, CRW, CR2, RAF, MRW, NEF, ORF, PEF).

Usually I open up a folder on the compact flash card and look at the content via the Thumbnail view to get an overview about what's on the card.
Basically the Resco Application supports all things you would expect from a PC Application like Thumbnails, Exif Information, File Information, Zoom, Rotation, basic editing plus it supports features that many PC Viewers don't have (but the photographer needs) like Histograms and RAW file support.

It can be a very useful tool for the landscape photographer to evaluate one's photographs. However often there is no time (the light changes fast, the situation has changed), so I use it mostly to review some photos in my hotel room or to convert and email some of them or even put them in the blog (I am too lazy to write an entire blog post on the PDA, but I could.

Resco Photo Viewer 2007 Screenshot Image view with Histogram (blue channel) Device switched to Landscape Mode (horizontal)

Resco Photo Viewer 2007 Menu Brightness Histogram and Menu Device switched to Landscape Mode (horizontal)

Overall the Resco Photo Viewer is a fine tool for RAW shooters like me. However there is one drawback. I need to optimize my RAM before I can view files at 100% zoom. Since I already have some trouble with the files from the 20D, I expect even more trouble with my next camera.
Nevertheless, you cannot judge sharpness very well on a RAW file anyways (needs conversion and sharpening), so I am not too bothered by this.

Depth of Field

In my recent article on Depth of Field and Hyperfocal Distance I provided a download for my Hyperfocal Distance Calculator. Use this to calculate the Depth of Field. It is usable for a variety of cameras. The instructions can be found in that article.
Hyperfocal Distance Calculator for Pocket PC Alternatively you can also download a Depth of Field Calculator Software over here:
http://home.comcast.net/~jonsachs/
I didn't find it as easy to use, but you might like it better.

Exposure

Exposure Guide Works only in Q-VGA mode (lower resolution)

On Jonathan's site you can find another gem. The Exposure Guide or Expose. I don't use it that much, since I am either relying on Automatic + Histogram or Experience, but it is very instructional to learn about the relationship of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed, plus it can help you in situations where you cannot rely on the camera automatic. Jonathan also offers a tool to calculate Sunrise and Sunset as well as the phases of the moon. I use the built in calculator of my GPS, since it is more accurate, but you might want to check this out in case you don't own a GPS. I find it extremely useful being able to know these things for Photography (remember, the best light occurs often 30 minutes before and after Sunrise / Sunset). Below I am going to give a quick overview of other useful software that I use (mostly for Internet usage).

Web Software

Browser

Opera for Pocket PC

The Internet Explorer that ships with those Devices is not that great. I use Opera, which supports everything a full fledged PC browser does (including JavaScript, Tabbed Browsing and even a zoom function). So while the iPhone claims to being able to access the real internet (not just the mobile version), Opera really does it (Safari for iPhone doesn't support JavaScript). You can even fake identify yourself as a desktop browser in case some websites insist on giving you the mobile version. Very nice. Get it here: Opera Mobile Download

Voice over IP

Skype VoIP

Skype is the Voice over IP internet Telephone Solution. It can be a real money saver for the traveling photographer. Many hotels offer free WiFi for their guests, so why not use it to call your family half around the world for pennies (or for free if they run Skype). The IPAQ can be held to your ear just like a normal telephone. You can get it here: Skype Mobile Download

PuttY

PuttY for Pocket PC

Putty is probably one of the coolest Internet Applications for the IPAQ. It allows me to open a secure shell and log into my web server or the backup server at home (example to the left) and perform critical maintenance tasks. Basically you can use it to connect to any system that accepts SSH logins. You can get PuttY here: http://www.pocketputty.net/ Sometimes I also use the built in Terminal Services to connect to my Windows Machine remotely, in order to check on a long running stitching process or do some other random things.

RSS Reader

pRSSreader for Pocket PC

Streamlining ones day while still staying up to speed on the latest news, industry buzz is what pRSSreader is for. I find that I have less and less time to read interesting blogs and news sites. With pRSSreader I can subscribe to interesting feeds from my Pocket PC and update feeds through the WiFi whenever it is convenient. Now I can have all my news with me, while I am on the go or waiting somewhere. It greatly reduces the time I have to take to manually check all those sites (I still do if something sparks my interest). The reader also supports podcasts and videocasts (it has a download function for the enclosures) which makes it a really handy tool for those as well (the Pocket PC can play most common video and audio formats). Looking for interesting feeds to subscribe? Check out my feed.

Tools

SE VGA

Although the HX4700 display supports full VGA (640x480), per default it doesn't use the full resolution (only some programs like picture viewers do). If you want to enable the full resolution for all programs (e.g. browsers), you can use SE VGA. It's a relatively simple program that gets the job done. To appreciate the difference, check out the full resolution screen shots of Skype and Opera (you need to click the image to bring them up). Opera was run with full VGA enabled, Skype wasn't. Both images are however the same resolution.

There are many more useful applications available for the PDA and many of them are free of charge. Except for Resco Photo Viewer and Opera all applications I talked about are free.
The software above is what I consider essential for photography and web publishing. I left a couple of things out (like WCE FTP, a ftp client for Pocket PC or certain Games), because I didn't want to drift too far from the main theme of this website.

Conclusion

The Pocket PC is a wonderful companion and can be very helpful for photographers to review results, share results and do basic calculations. With Pocket Excel, you can easily create your own special calculators (check my example) and use them on your PC (Excel) as well as your Pocket PC (Pocket Excel).
The PDA can be connected to GPS receivers for navigation or used to research locations.
You can even download entire websites or parts of websites (Webaroo) in case you don't have internet access where you go. (Webaroo doesn't install on the expansion card, so I removed it from my Device, since it took to much memory).
You can have pre-made maps or keep a travel journal.
It's the perfect PC on the go.
Between the IPAQ and my Image Tank, I can now leave my laptop at home and save myself a lot of weight in the backpack.