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It depends on the device and the OS. For example, devices running
Microsoft Windows CE have an included help program, which when coupled
with your help content files, can be made context sensitive. You can
have a form of TOC, index, &c, as well. Palm devices do not have any way
to make help files context sensitive as far as I know; you just get what
you get when you click the "I" in the circle.
Again, the UI of PocketPC, H/PC, Palm also varies by device and OS. Even
devices running essentially the same OS (i.e., Windows CE) can behave
differently between the handheld and pocket versions. From a strictly UI
stand, how do I say this delicately? Some companies slam their
programmers into this different context and expect the programmers to
make up stuff as they go or adapt rules from the PC. Those products
don't fit the "norm" for mobile devices. They look funky. They don't
sell well. Please encourage your programmers to follow the standards for
mobile devices and not make the products a scrunched version of a PC
product! Please, please, don't make your help a scrunched version of a
print product! :)
<self-promotion>The company I now own specializes in consulting on these
types of projects.</self-promotion> I've generally always responded
directly to people before because my former employer's IT department
wouldn't let us post in the outside world, sigh. I think that those of
us involved in development for mobile devices are a pretty small group
and are more likely to exchange information in other venues, for
example, the Pocket PC mailing list and so on. Let me know if you have
specific questions.
Catherine
___________________
Catherine Janzen
Write Method, LLC
PO Box 13113
Overland Park, KS 66282-3113
(913) 383-8535
cjanzen -at- mindspring -dot- com
Kelly Williamson wrote:
<snip>
I need to gather information on creating help (or something like help) for
handheld devices, like Palms and Pocket PCs. If this project goes through, I
would also be involved in helping design the UI, so any info./web sites,
etc. on designing for these small devices would be much appreciated as well.
However, I'm really interested in finding out if there is even such a thing
as help for these devices--the few I have seen don't have anything like a
"help" button--the UI is just intuitive enough that the user knows what to
do. Is this what's happening or is there really "help" associated with these
handhelds
</snip>
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A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
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IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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