07-16-2004, 05:30 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,055
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Print like a Pro with ActivePrint 3.0
Product Category: Print software, Printers, Mobile Printing
Manufacturer: Pocket Watch Software
Where to Buy: Handango [Affiliate]
Price: $39.99 USD
System Requirements:
Pocket PC Requirements: Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile 2003, 1MB storage space on main memory
Desktop requirements: Windows XP, 450 Mhz processor, 64MB of RAM, ActiveSync 3.5, and a printer!
Pros:- Makes printing documents to a printer easy and automatic;
- Supports many different file formats;
- Cheaper than purchasing an Ethernet or Bluetooth printer;
- Useful printing options (such as setting the number of copies, print quality, and page orientation).
Cons:- Some file extensions had trouble printing.
Summary:
ActivePrint 3.0 is a very easy and elegant way to print files from your Pocket PC. All you need is a Windows XP machine and a printer. ActivePrint allows you to queue documents for printing from your Pocket PC. When you return to your computer, just plug your Pocket PC into the dock, and watch your printer print your documents. It�s almost magical!
Read on for the full review!
Overview
Pocket Watch Software is targeting ActivePrint for the busy, connected individual who prints documents frequently. Unfortunately, we�re not always by our computer, so documents and attachments that need to be printed are often forgotten. ActivePrint provides you with a printer queue on your Pocket PC. With ActivePrint, you're able to queue documents for printing at any time. The document will be printed later when you synchronize with your PC.
Installation
Installating ActiveSync takes no longer than three minutes. It consists of two main steps: selecting the file types you want to be able to print and selecting the printers you want to print to. ActivePrint runs a server in your task tray. The server is what you use to adjust printers and settings.
Setting up file types is easy. ActivePrint scans your computer for all supported file types. It then presents a list of file types that are available for printing from your Pocket PC. You then select the file types you want. Then, ActivePrint syncs this information with your Pocket PC. I had never heard of some of the file types, and the documentation does not mention what programs the file types relate to. It would be nice if the documentation had a list of the available file types and the programs they relate to.
Figure 1: ActivePrint searches your computer for its 60 compatible file types.
The next step is selecting the printers you want to print with. The printer can be a remote share or be directly attached to your computer. You can even select a default printer to automatically print documents. After you have selected the printers, the information is then synced with your Pocket PC.
Figure 2: Set which printers you'd like to print with using ActivePrint.
Figure 3: ActivePrint Server is your destination for tweaking settings and managing printers.
Print Queue
ActivePrint installs a small program on your Pocket PC, which must be installed in your main memory. When you first start up the program, you�re presented with a very simple interface.
Figure 4: The interface is simple, which makes navigating around ActivePrint quick and easy.
The most important menu is the �File� menu. You can add files to your print queue by selecting �Choose File�. The �Type� drop down box stores a listing of the file types you selected during the ActivePrint installation.
Figure 5: These are the file types I selected to print with.
As an example, I�m in the mood for printing some driving directions I saved using Mapopolis. To print the directions, you need to select the �html� file type. Then you can add the file to your queue.
Figure 6: My Mapopolis directions are now queued for printing.
At this point, you can change the print setting for the file by clicking �Choose Printer� in the �Printer� menu. You are given several useful options. I am glad Pocket Watch thought to include this feature with their program. I have found it to be very handy many times.
Figure 7: You can edit a number of options in the "Choose Printer" dialog box.
Printing
To print your document, you need to set up an Activesync session. This could be a remote network session, a Bluetooth session, or even a regular USB session. Once the ActiveSync session is established, ActivePrint starts printing each document by launching the default desktop program that corresponds to the document�s file type. It then tells the program to print. Once the print is complete, the document is closed. The whole process was extremely simple.
On the down side, some file formats did not print at all. However, the kind folks at Pocket Watch Software resolved my file format problems within 24 hours. Their support and patience with my requests was definitely world-class.
Competition & Pricing
HP offers a free Mobile Printing solution for Pocket PCs, but their software only supports Ethernet and Bluetooth printers. Buying the right adapters or printers to enable network printing can cost easily $150 or more. ActivePrint 3.0 allows you to print to any printer, even a printer that is physically connected to your computer. I think that alone justifies the somewhat high $39.99 price. In addition, ActivePrint is built for the future; Pocket Watch Software just announced Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition support for ActivePrint.
Conclusion
The ease of use of ActivePrint and top-notch support from Pocket Watch justify the higher than usual price. I highly recommend this program for the mobile professional who's been looking for the ideal Pocket PC printing solution.
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07-16-2004, 07:24 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 426
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Looks like a nice program. However, given the feelings toward ActiveSync, I might have picked another name. 
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07-17-2004, 05:50 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 544
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Sorry, no sale. The whole idea of a PPC is flexibility and mobility. If I do bring my laptop and PPC on the road to one of our sites, why would I want to ActiveSync my PPC to print through my laptop, when I can just print directly to any of our Ethernet printers.
If I am at a client's office, it would take and "act of God" to get connected to their network in order to print through my laptop, but if they had an Infrared enabled printer (as every printer in the World should be :idea: ) I would be all set.
I have multiple printing tools loaded on my PPC for printing different types of documents. I may not use them often but when I do, I can light up the room.
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07-17-2004, 09:13 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 185
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Re: Print like a Pro with ActivePrint 3.0
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Originally Posted by Zack Mahdavi
Competition & Pricing
HP offers a free Mobile Printing solution for Pocket PCs, but their software only supports Ethernet and Bluetooth printers. Buying the right adapters or printers to enable network printing can cost easily $150 or more. ActivePrint 3.0 allows you to print to any printer, even a printer that is physically connected to your computer. I think that alone justifies the somewhat high $39.99 price.
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Nice advertsing, that one... bringing up a comparison with a hypothetical number is really unmasking this so called article as what it is... the entire thing should not appear here as news :!:
What are some guys thinking these days when offering one product at a price of $40? The entire Windows Mobile 2003 cost the vendor just $12 and it actually works... here you are asked to spend more than three times this amount to get something that may in some cases just not do what it should 8O - I call that a rip-off.
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07-17-2004, 01:52 PM
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,878
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Re: Print like a Pro with ActivePrint 3.0
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Originally Posted by farnold
Nice advertsing, that one... bringing up a comparison with a hypothetical number is really unmasking this so called article as what it is... the entire thing should not appear here as news :!:
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News? This is a software review...
Steve
__________________
"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
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07-17-2004, 06:14 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,055
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Re: Print like a Pro with ActivePrint 3.0
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Originally Posted by farnold
Nice advertsing, that one... bringing up a comparison with a hypothetical number is really unmasking this so called article as what it is... the entire thing should not appear here as news :!:
What are some guys thinking these days when offering one product at a price of $40? The entire Windows Mobile 2003 cost the vendor just $12 and it actually works... here you are asked to spend more than three times this amount to get something that may in some cases just not do what it should 8O - I call that a rip-off.
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Farnold, first of all, this is a software review. I have met several people in the past who want a printing solution for their Pocket PC. This program stands out from its competition (HP Mobile Printing) in the sense that you don't have to buy expensive hardware to use the program. In that section, I pointed out that advantage and decided it was worth spending $39 for a program rather than $150 for a JetDirect adapter.
You also must remember that Microsoft makes their money off of volume, so they can sell their products to vendors at $12 a pop. This isn't the case for the Pocket PC software market. The developers spend lots of time and money developing these programs for a living, and they need to price their products for profit, not volume.
As always, you can choose not to purchase the program, but I personally find it very useful, and the developer support is excellent. When was the last time Microsoft fixed a problem for you in a matter of hours?
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07-18-2004, 01:58 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Re: Print like a Pro with ActivePrint 3.0
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Originally Posted by farnold
...I call that a rip-off.
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Oh, please. Even if you don't agree that the product has value or that this review has value, there's a free demo available! Pretty hard to get ripped off if you try out the demo first.
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07-20-2004, 08:39 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 88
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I appreciate some of the commentary about our product, ActivePrint. I will be sure to take it all under advisement in future ActivePrint development.
In the mean time I do have an announcement to make about ActivePrint. We just launched a new ActivePrint web site at http://ActivePrint.PocketWatchSoftware.com
At this site you will find a list of compatible file types and what programs those file types can be used under. For example, you can find out that a .psw file is used by Pocket Word. And I will soon be posting various Tips & Tricks that can be used to further improve your ActivePrint experience.
Thank you,
Charles W. Teel
Owner
Pocket Watch Software
http://www.PocketWatchSoftware.com
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07-21-2004, 03:24 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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I tried 3.0 and it worked fine when it scanned my computer for compatible files. When I try the 3.1 demo, it scans all the files and then it just freezes. After deciding to wait a good half hour to see if it would budge, it didn't. At that point, I decided that it wasn't responding. This keeps happening and there's nothing much I could have done except to head over to Add/Remove Programs.
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07-21-2004, 03:44 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 88
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by DJ Apod
I tried 3.0 and it worked fine when it scanned my computer for compatible files. When I try the 3.1 demo, it scans all the files and then it just freezes. After deciding to wait a good half hour to see if it would budge, it didn't. At that point, I decided that it wasn't responding. This keeps happening and there's nothing much I could have done except to head over to Add/Remove Programs.
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We spotted this problem this morning and posted a repaired version this afternoon. You can download a new trial version at this link.
http://store.eSellerate.net/pwsoftware/tryactiveprint
Sorry for any trouble this may have caused.
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