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Scanner Software FAQ

Q: What are Windows Mobile devices capable of out of the box?

A: Out of the box, Windows Mobile devices are a lot like PCs. They can connect to wireless networks, manage Bluetooth devices, browse web pages, edit Word and Excel documents, and provide access to your emails.

Q: What can’t a Windows Mobile device do out of the box?

A: The most notable task a Windows Mobile device can’t perform without additional software is: scan barcodes. A lot of people find this strange because the scanners are heavily integrated with these devices, and in many cases these devices wind up being used for nothing but collecting barcode driven data. Device manufacturers usually make some utilities or demo software available, but in many cases this software doesn’t ship with a scanner. Data collection requirements vary so much from case to case that most manufacturers have settled on just providing a few tools to show off how things can work.

To make a long story short, if you’re in the market for a barcode based data collection solution, you’ll want to give some thought to your software requirements as well as your hardware requirements.

Q: How can I get software to collect barcode data?

A: This will depend on your data collection requirements.

If you’re just looking for the ability to scan a series of barcodes and store them in a list, and maybe add a small amount of user input (like a quantity to go with a scanned part number or SKU, or maybe a note to go with a scanned serial number), you can probably get away with using Pocket Excel and a manufacturer supplied tool like DataWedge, which is all free or included software. However, if DataWedge and Excel is all you’ll ever need to use your Windows Mobile device for, you may be better served by a more streamlined device. If nothing else, this sort of arrangement provides a starting point that can be vastly upgraded later through additional software.

If you already have a system in place, and you would like to use mobile devices to collect data for that system, there may be mobile tools available from your software vendors or from a third party. With some large systems, they may not have any “off the shelf” solutions available, but they may be able to coordinate with you to develop something.

If you’re a bit unsure about what you might need, Multisource offers development services with free consultations. We would be happy to set up a meeting with you and discuss your requirements, without cost or obligation. We can provide software tailored to your business to integrate with existing systems, or to stand alone as a complete solution, with (or without) a wide variety of hardware support. Go ahead and Contact Us to get more information about what can be done to accomplish your data collection goals.