An Average Day in the Life of Pocket PC User in Japan

What follows is a brief description of how I use my Pocket PC on a daily basis to show how it fits in to a busy Tokyo lifestyle. Not all uses are unique to Japan, but the need to be able to read Japanese and significant commuting and desk time will be common factors among many people living here.

07.35 - Set off to from home. Listen to an audio book from audible.com on the way to the station.


07.43 - Board first train. Only two minutes on this one and two crowded to do much so take the opportunity to read the mails (news, stock prices, kanji of the day, horoscope) on my mobile (cell) phone. (Has the advantage over the Pocket PC of easy one handed operation).


07.51 - Board next train. Still usually got enough phone mails for this 10 minute journey, but Pocket PC is handy for jotting down any notes, tasks to do today, or referring to dictionary.


08.06 - Presuming I'm on time I can get a seat for the final 40 minute journey. Makes a big difference. Currently cramming Japanese study in the morning in some part using Pocket PC dictionaries and flashcards. Very useful to have access to EDICT and other dictionaries. JWPce and JFC are great tools. I also like King Kanji which gives you space to draw the kanji using the stylus.


08.46 - Just enough time to grab a coffee from Starbucks and get to the office for 9.


09.00 - Pocket PC goes into USB cradle for synch, backup and charging. Use Remote Display Control to see and control Pocket PC from desktop. Start up Pocket IE currently with www.newsnow.co.uk Live News feed as home page. Pocket PC uses USB connection to connect to internet via desktop in addition to synching and power. If I'm lucky I'll get chance to download and install a piece of software or two I've heard about recently. It's so simple. Simply click on a link, then 'Open' and 'Next', 'Next', 'Next' ... finished. Usually it will go on the 256 MB SD card as the internal memory was filled up long ago. Quickly check my favorite 3 Pocket PC sites WinCE Fan (Japanese), Pocket PC Magazine and Pocket PC Thoughts. I'm using NetCaptor featuring tabbed windows and these are some of the sites which automatically open when I start my browser.


Rest of working day - Pocket PC usually always leaves the cradle to accompany me to lunch and any meetings. I'm sure to need it for something ... perhaps the calendar, taking/referring to notes or tasks, dictionary or reading or listening to books if I get any free time or to answer an unanticipated trivia question which is sure to have an answer in at least one of the Tomeraider reference files I have on the SD card.


18:00 ~ 23.40 - Depends what time I leave work. I may check e-mail using P-in Comp@ct 64 kbps wireless modem as I walk to the station and reply to any important mails on the train using Calligrapher handwriting recognition. No chance of a seat so comfortable standing space is crucial. If I need to contact any friends quickly I can see if they are online using MSN/Yahoo Messenger or ICQ. One problem is that wireless modem only keeps a signal when stationary. Would really like DDI 128kbps flat rate (abt. 9000 yen/mnth) CF card which keeps the signal when moving but it's hard to justify this amount for the number of times I would actually need it. When mail is finished I set about reading any current e-books I'm currently engrossed in, usually using MobiPocket of Palm Reader Pro. May also read any doc, text, HTML or PDF files I synched for reading during the day. Walking back from the station I again switch to audio books. If I'm feeling in need of distraction I can play with any new software I've installed recently (including just a few games for emergencies only :-).


Back at home - Check the task list for any tasks I had to complete at home this evening. Using categories means I can easily filter home tasks, work tasks, tasks related to the internet or mail or any combination of these or other categories. Agenda Fusion may this very easy. Usually use laptop for any home computing, but if a quick mail check or web site check is required the Pocket PC is instantly connected using a CF WLAN card and 8 Mbps ADSL wireless LAN. If I'm feeling adventurous will look for a short movie or interesting video file to watch whilst eating from the increasing number of Pocket PC multimedia content providers out there. Before sleeping will check calendar and update tasks for the following day, before popping in the charger to ensure batteries are fully fueled for the journey the following day.

Those are many of the uses on a typical day, but always having a Pocket PC loaded with all the software I need close by means I always have important information to hand and there is never a wasted minute. Just the tool to help make a busy life in Tokyo all the better.