Hack32.Configure Skype on a Pocket PC

Hack 32. Configure Skype on a Pocket PC

Configure Skype on your Pocket PC so that it has features similar to those of a mobile phonebut without the three-year contract, or recurring monthly charges!

Works with: Pocket PC version of Skype.

Most Pocket PC devices have both sound devices and networking built in. For those that don't, simply adding an expansion card can rectify the situation.

Skype gives you relatively few configuration options on Pocket PC because the sound and network devices are far more integrated with the device and under more direct control of the Pocket PC operating system. To configure both you should use the configuration facilities of Pocket PC (Start Settings System Microphone enables you to set the microphones gain and enable automatic gain control, and Start Settings Connections usually provides utilities to configure both Bluetooth and WiFi). Two Skype-specific configuration options always worth playing with to get the behavior you want are "Prevent device standby mode when online and 'Echo cancellation ON," both of which you can find under Skype Tools Options.

One option that is really useful, but not available on all Pocket PC devices, is the ability to disable touch-screen input during a call. Otherwise, when you hold the device next to your head to talk and listen during a call, there's a chance that a stray finger or other body part that touches the screen might be mistaken for the stylus, and you run the risk of inadvertently disconnecting the call. My Dell Axim X50v has a slide-switch on the side that you can conveniently push up and down with your thumb to disable/enable all touch-screen input during a Skype call. Yours might have a similar feature.

3.9.1. WiFi Versus Bluetooth

Many Pocket PC devices have both WiFi (802.11) and Bluetooth. You can connect to the Internet using either, if a suitable wireless access point is in range. For WiFi, that usually means an Internet-ready wireless router is in range, and for Bluetooth, it usually means that a Bluetooth-enabled computer with Internet access is in range and can be used as a gateway to the Internet.

The tradeoff is that WiFi has greater range, perhaps as much as a few hundred feet, compared to Bluetooth's 32 feet, but it consumes a lot more power than Bluetooth. On a handheld device, this can make a big difference to the battery life and therefore impacts how long you can talk with Skype. Bluetooth power consumption in talk mode is typically one-fifth that of WiFi and in standby mode it can be as little as one one-hundredth. Clearly, if you have a choice and range is not an issue, disable WiFi and use Bluetooth to connect to the Internet to use Skype for a considerably longer period.

3.9.2. Using Your Pocket PC as a Mobile Phone

Your Pocket PC can effectively act like a mobile phone once it's in range of a wireless access point that gives it access to the Internet.

More and more public places have some form of free wireless access (for example, public libraries and coffee shops), and others have paid wireless access (for example, Skype's own Skype Zones service). Most workplaces have some form of wireless connectivity to the Internet, and the same is true of many homes.

Many readers will no doubt spend most of their waking hours within range of one form of wireless Internet connection or another. Heck, if you're really desperate to use Skype, you can even use a wireless modem to connect to the Internet using the cellular network; though, in that case, bandwidth restrictions will limit you to Skype chat only.

The point is that given the pervasiveness of wireless connectivity nowadays, it takes only a little ingenuity, planning, and organization to turn your Pocket PC running Skype into a close substitute for a mobile phone. Think about it. The cost savings might make the effort worthwhile.

3.9.3. Hacking the Hack

If you have a Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC device, you can try a few more, neat configuration hacks.

You can pair it with a Bluetooth headset to make it a hands-free phone (see "Choose and Configure a Bluetooth Headset" [Hack #29]).

Or you can pair your Pocket PC with a Bluetooth-enabled desktop computer and configure it so that it acts as a wireless handset for Skype running on the desktop, which is nice if you want to move around during a call. In this mode, your Pocket PC is operating as an audio gateway so that your handheld device's built-in microphone and speaker, in effect, act as the sound devices for Skype running on the desktop.