"PPC Tablet Remote Control Suite" on Handango and PocketGear

PPC Tablet uses a Pocket PC device to remotely control a host computer,
create signatures or speed up data entry with user-customizable profiles.

November 20, 2004 - Amorphous Media Design, LLC, today announced the availability of its “PPC Tablet Remote Control Suite 2.0 ” software, which uses a Pocket PC screen to emulate one or more "virtual" input devices, such as keyboard, keypad, macro keys, touchpad and tablet, in order to remotely control a desktop or laptop PC, or to complement the PC’s existing input hardware.

PPC Tablet ships with three applications: Server, Client and Designer. The Client, deployed on the Pocket PC device, sends pre-defined input signals to the Server on a host PC through an ActiveSync connection or any TCP/IP network, wired or wireless. Saved in special “layout profiles”, the input signals can include key strokes, key combinations, key sequences, and mouse behaviors. The Designer can be used to create a new layout profile, or modify or delete existing profiles.

PPC Tablet is designed with the following user needs in mind:

• Remotely controlling media playback on a PC.
• Remotely controlling a slideshow in a presentation room.
• Using the Pocket PC screen to send handwritten signatures or annotations to a PC application.
• Speeding up repetitive data entry with user-defined macro keys.
• Speeding up computer operation with macro keys.
• Using a Pocket PC to create “virtual” input devices, such as a virtual numeric keypad.

PPC Tablet is designed with network security in mind. Upon initial connection from a Pocket PC device, the Server will prompt the PC user to accept or reject the connection. Optionally, the Server can authenticate the Windows user name and password supplied by the Client. If the authentication is successful, the Server will accept the connection silently. To further enhance security over TCP/IP networks, all communication between the Server and Client is encrypted with 512-bit RSA cryptography after a connection is established. This provides reasonable protection strength for the communication, while maintaining good application performance.

The software comes with five pre-defined profiles: Default Devices, Tablet Only, Personal Data, PowerPoint Presentation and Windows Media Player. The “Default Devices” profile includes a touchpad, a tablet and a numeric keypad. The “Tablet Only” profile includes a single tablet. The “Personal Data” provides a set of buttons which users can customize with their own personal information to speed up repetitive data entry in electronic forms. The “PowerPoint Presentation” profile includes a set of pre-defined buttons to start, stop and navigate through a slide show, as well as a touchpad that can navigate the pointer or draw on a PowerPoint presentation. The “Windows Media Player” profile provides a set of buttons to control media playback and sound volume in Windows Media Player. All these profiles can be further extended by the users based on their individual needs.

In addition to using pre-defined profiles, users can create their own profiles with the Designer. The Designer supports the creation, modification and deletion of software-emulated input components, such as key buttons, mouse buttons, and navigation areas that can emulate a touchpad or tablet. The size, location, label and corresponding action of each input component are all customizable and saved into a specified profile.

PPC Tablet is compatible with all Pocket PC 2003 devices, as well as Pocket PC 2002 devices with .NET Compact Framework installed. For more information on the system requirements and installation procedure, please refer to the Installation Guide. For detailed instructions on using the software, please refer to the User Manual.

PPC Tablet Remote Control Suite 2.0 is now available for free trial or full purchase on Handango and PocketGear. Users are welcome to report problems or suggest enhancements to PPC Tablet technical support at support@amorphous-media.com. They are also encouraged to share the new profiles they created for specific applications or purposes by submitting them to the technical support. New submissions will be screened, and selected profiles will be published on Amorphous Media Design website.

Users who wish to be notified of future version upgrades of PPC Tablet Remote Control Suite can register their e-mail address on the download page.