Security and the Pocket PC

I love my Pocket PC. That wasn't always the case. I've always WANTED to love them, always loved the concept of the handheld computer, but for the longest time I just couldn't. I bought a couple, always with high hopes -- but found myself abandoning them after a month or so. I liked the functionality: calendar, contacts, copies of my e-mail, ability to read and work on Word or Excel documents. But the old PPCs reminded me of the problem that police officers had with the sophisticated PR-24 sidehandle baton back when I was a cop. It was a great gadget, but it never seemed to be with me when I really needed it.

That's because, like the sidehandle baton, my old Casio PPC was portable but not portable ENOUGH to be comfortable. It measured 5 x 3 1/4 by 3/4 inches. Tiny for a functional computer, but too big and weighty to really, comfortably carry in a pocket. The other problem was lack of connectivity. It was neat that I could go to a Web site with Pocket IE -- but I had to have the PPC in its cradle to do so. That meant it was sitting right next to my desktop computer. So I might as well use my desktop's Web browser rather than try to surf on the tiny screen. Sure, I could buy an add-on card to give me wi-fi capabilities, but that would add even more to the size and weight of the device. If I wasn't sure I was going to need a computer, I mostly didn't bother to take it with me. And if I WAS sure I was going to need a computer, it was almost as easy to take the laptop and get much more functionality. I admired the little computer, but I wasn't in love.

Then I found the iPAQ 4155 and here I am, head over heels. It's truly tiny -- I can put it in a pocket or on my belt and barely notice it's there. And it has built-in 802.11b wireless that works like a dream and still keeps the SD card slot open for an additional 512MB of memory. I don't leave home without it.

But wireless connectivity -- along with the fact that I take it with me more -- means I have to think about something that was less of a concern with the old Casio: security. That includes physical security (all portable devices are vulnerable to loss or theft), data security and network security. Luckily, there are a number of good software packages that can add multiple layers of security to the PPC. I discuss some of the methods for securing a Pocket PC in my article at http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Securing-Pocket-PC.html. Don't leave home without them.