The Windows PC in my office has nine USB 2.0 ports (six in the rear and three in the front) along with an external USB hub which adds a net six ports.  Between Pocket PCs, Smartphones, MP3 players, storage devices, chargers, etc., I require a lot of USB connectivity and I want it as easy, accessible and organized as possible.  I think I’ve managed to get easy and accessible down - but organized is another matter entirely.  The rats’ nest of wires behind my PC could easily provide a home for heat-loving creatures looking to get away from it all. 

Enter Belkin’s new Wireless USB Hub, which promises a wireless USB experience that’s as stable and usable as a direct connection… just without the direct connection.  The hub works by connecting wirelessly to your PC via a USB dongle, thus allowing you to keep the hub anywhere you like (within range) and use you favorite USB devices without having to add to the behind-the-PC wire jungle.  I’m not sure if this is a viable technology, at least in the first or second generation.  Can wireless USB deliver?  I hope so.  I’m expecting Belkin to send me a review unit so that I can put it to the test.  Stay tuned.

M.N.

Each time I sit down to write a tutorial on how to use a Windows Mobile device as a portable audio player, I run into a wall - a stubborn, inflexible wall which is aggravating to no end.  This wall is called Windows Media Player.

The wall has two bricks: Windows Media Player and Windows Media Player Mobile.  Getting the two programs to talk to each other, or more specifically using the former to create and sync content and playlists with the latter, is beyond annoying; it’s downright embarrassing.  iTunes - and even RealPlayer (if properly installed without the bloat) and Rhapsody - do a much better job of managing audio on a portable player than WMP could ever hope to (as currently designed).  Why does Microsoft make an activity as simple as listening to music on a WM device so complicated and inelegant?

But, I’m not giving up .  I’m going to begin work on a tutorial that addresses how to use a Windows Mobile device as a portable audio player - I’m just going to skip the Windows Media players altogether.  I’m going with one of the excellent third-party applications like PocketMusic or Pocket Player 3.  Yeah, you’ll have to pay for these applications, but in the end, you’ll be glad you did.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on such a piece.

M.N.