Do You Read Newsgroups On Your Pocket PC?

[Ed Hansberry]

How many of you read newsgroups on your Pocket PC? I would really like to. I spend a ton of time in the .pocketpc newsgroup each week helping people out, which is how I came by my MVP tag. :D I have been into newsgroups for years and am an <a href="http://www.forteinc.com">Agent</a> fan from day one. I've not found anything that really comes close or even usable on a Pocket PC, but I may be setting the bar too high. :| What about you?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20040322-newsgroups.gif" />

[dochall]

How about sometimes but my use is limited by the functionality of the PPC NNTP client.


I think I've tried most of them but the only one that comes close is Inkspot. I stopped using when they had the problem with WM2003 and haven't gone back to it.

I'm also an Agent user and ideally I would like to be able to take my current position in Agent with me on my pocket pc and then sync up later marking those messages I have read. Running two news clients is a PIA as you're always playing catch up on one or the other.

Is the CEBEANS hmmm... eccentric still on teh news groups?

[manywhere]

I've only seen (free) offline newsgroup/usenet readers for Pocket PC but I also want one that is more "online". Can't someone code one please? :D (Or maybe I'll have to make my own some rainy day?)

My favorite newsgroup reader is Opera's. It's quite fast, can leave out spam and (my favorite) it has a small pop-up message of the number of new messages you have waiting in a newsgroup. Fit's me nicely! ;)

[dochall]

I've only seen (free) offline newsgroup/usenet readers for Pocket PC but I also want one that is more "online". Can't someone code one please? :D (Or maybe I'll have to make my own some rainy day?)


Inkspot mentioned above does online. So does Ruskun newsforce

[fyiguy]

I generally read the NNTP newsgroups on my PPC when I don't have access to my PC, like a lull in a meeting via wifi or waiting for my kids at the bus stop via bluetooth connection to my phone. I just access our NNTP newsgroups webpage listing formatted for the PPC here:

http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Mobile&file=nrmain

And marvel at how fast Ed can type... 8O

[that_kid]

I use inky spot and newsforce for my newsgroup access but it would e nice if someone came out with an update to these programs. I connect to many different servers and find that each program has it's own good and bad points but if someone made something like agent in a ppc version I'd be all over it.

[Stephen Beesley]

Hmm - reading newsgroups is something I always aspire to more than actually do :D.

Back in my Newton days I used DejaVu's Inkspot for the Newton quite a lot to follow the Newton newsgroups. Since moving to the PPC I have not tried any newsreaders. But, now that I see DejaVu has a version of Inkspot for the Pocket Pc - I just might have to give it a go.

[rlobrecht]

I used to use Ink Spot on my Pocket PC. It did online, and was ok. I don't think its been updated in years.

I don't read news groups anymore, I just don't have time.

[yvilla]

I checked "other" reason, because rather than preferring my desktop, it's my Tablet that I find is ideal for newsgroup reading, absent the existence of the perfect reader for my PPC.

[surur]

I find the news readers I have tried do not address properly the form factor and likely usage when catching up with a whole days worth of posts.

For one, I think there should be much more focus on navigating the threads without using a stylus, and scrolling the page. Using the d-pad and mappable buttons would certainly help, and large on-screen buttons would be useful. It would make it alot easier to read in bed.

The other idea which Dochall raised, was syncing your reading history between a desktop and ppc client, which can be a real pain.

Surur

[lapchinj]

... I have been into newsgroups for years and am an Agent (http://www.forteinc.com) fan from day one.

I never really was able to get into using my PPC to read newsgroups but I have always used Outlook Express on my PC. Don't laugh - its been really nice to me all these years. But you mentioned Agent so I had to try it it this morning. Liked it / bought it!!! :D :D :D I never figured that I could be missing much useing Express but after using this for am hour I'm really embarassed to tell anyone what I was using before :oops: .

Thanks for the link - now I have to try this reader for the PPC - you never know maybe I'll strike gold twice in one day. COOL 8)

Jeff-

[Sean Murphy]

I have tried to use the Smartphone news groups but they have been ruined by one guy, you can't post anything without being jumped on and beaten up. Basically they have become useless. It's a shame.

[fmcpherson]

I think that when Windows Mobile natively supports landscape screen orientation, it will be easier to read newsgroups on Pocket PCs. I have found two problems reading newsgroups on Pocket PCs. One is the screen size because it seems newsgroup readers work better with wider screens. Second is that following active newsgroups such as .pocketpc seem to require viewing in a on-line model vs. a synchronization model. When I try to synchronize active groups it seems that I am always out of sync. For example, if I reply to a post in the newsgroup my reply may not get posted on the server until after several other people have already posted replies providing the exact same information. This might work better with the continuous connection that WM2003 Phone Edition provides, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

[fmcpherson]

One more idea on this thread. Part of the problem with reading newsgroups on Pocket PCs is that the whole newsgroup model isn't optimized for wireless devices. I would encourage software developers to think about the entire newsgroup environment that includes the server and the clients. For example, a newsgroup server designed for wireless clients might provide a way to push new posts or send alerts for when a reply is posted to a thread that a client has set up to watch.

[rpommier]

I've used Inkspot since my Philips Nino days and have longed for a new version since, the current release works well enough but it's obviously a CE application. Deja seems in no rush to update it. It's one of only 3 choices out there, Ruksun Newsforce & PPC Newz being the other.

I read newsgroups every day, maybe I'm just oldschool, I always thought they were a popular means of communication. Guess they're passé now?

Roderick

[crimsonsky]

I had stopped reading news groups for a long time, finding that I actually prefer the web forums which aren't popluated with as much noise as the news groups. However, web forums are difficult to read on a Pocket PC, especially offline.

I've tried News Force and Inkspot and of the two, pefer Inkspot, but it does have a habit of crashing from time to time on my e755 running WM2003 and then wanting to delete the databases because they're corrupted from the crash. Also, quite frankly, I think they cost too much ($15 seems like a more reasonable price) and neither has been updated in ages.

I've used PPC Newz, but it doesn't allow wireless acess and it can be sloooow when the databases are stored on my Microdrive.

[yawanag]

I have tried to use the Smartphone news groups but they have been ruined by one guy, you can't post anything without being jumped on and beaten up. Basically they have become useless. It's a shame.

This was my reason for not getting more involved in reading Newsgroups. Someone always ran the show and I felt excluded.

[Rob Borek]

I don't use my Pocket PC to read the newsgroups - I hang out in the .activesync newsgroup, and answering a question there on my Pocket PC would probably take 10-15 minutes 8O

I, like Ed, use Agent on the desktop to wander through the .pocketpc newsgroups - I heavily use the Watch feature to flag which threads I've posted in so I can follow up on any replies.

[Venturello]

I dont have internet connectivity of my PPC. :oops: Oh, the tragedy, I am so '90's!!! :cry: :cry:

[Theo]

Now that Agent is being developed again (discount v2.0 is currently on see their site for details.) It would be great if they had a PPC client that sync to the desktop as well.

[hamishmacdonald]

Does NewsForce even work on WM 2003 devices? I bought it ages ago, but I can't seem to get it to install anymore.

[Rob Borek]

Now that Agent is being developed again (discount v2.0 is currently on see their site for details.) It would be great if they had a PPC client that sync to the desktop as well.

Considering it took them like 2 years to get 2.0 released, I wouldn't count on a Pocket PC client anytime soon (personally, I don't think they'll release one ever).

[sheik]

You can of course use Pocket Explorer or any other web browser to read USENET via a web interface. The only one I use is the updated DejaNews archive now run by Google (http://groups.google.com).

The formatting of the (framed) page isn't ideal for a Pocket PC running in portrait mode, but it works. Also, I should point out that I only tend to use this on a wireless LAN because the data can soon get expensive if I am using bluetooth/GPRS.

Google Groups is a unique and fascinating resource - posts in the archive go back to the 1980s now so whether you are interested in opinions of a particular time or looking to solve a current problem I definitely recommend you take a look if newsgroups are new to you.

/\dam

[minimage]

On my Axim, I use PPCNewz. I read only one newsgroup on it, and that is the Microsoft TabletPC group (because they can be counted on to announce when someone is giving a way a TabletPC :grin:). I'm looking for something to run on my Fujitsu PenCentra 130 (CE 2.11 MIPS). I'll give Inkspot a try, but I'm not looking to spend $25 on a device I'm already trying to replace (after 3 weeks of ownership)!