Windows Media Player 9.0 for Pocket PC 2003 has a new look and is supposed to deliver superior performance. (Click to enlarge.)

Windows Media Player 9.0 for Pocket PC
In terms of multimedia, Microsoft has rolled out Windows Media Player 9.0 for the Pocket PC, a customized version of the Media Player 9.0 that ships with Windows XP. The first thing you'll notice is a new brushed-metal look and a full-screen button for playing video or audio with a video component. Another button provides one-click access to the Mobile page of WindowsMedia.com.

Other improvements are invisible but more significant. One example is support for WMA and WMV (Windows Media Audio and Video) files for Windows Media Player 9.0, which have greater compression than earlier media files, so more data can be stored on the limited resources of a Pocket PC. Other enhancements include a new algorithm for smoother playback of streaming media, full wireless support for accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and mapping to assign hardware buttons to activate common Media Player functions.

New Pictures application
Another addition is Microsoft's Pictures application. More than a simple viewer, Microsoft Pictures offers basic editing features. You may crop, rotate, or zoom in on images, as well as change the image's brightness and contrast. Once you've constructed your masterpiece, you may set it as your Today screen wallpaper, beam it to a friend, or send it via e-mail. You can also view images as a slide show, specifying the interval between panels.

Picture this: Microsoft's Pictures application lets you zoom, edit, or view your favorite pictures in a slide show. (Click to enlarge.)

Playing with your food: Jawbreaker (formerly Bubblet) is included as part of the Pocket PC package. (Click to enlarge.)

Jawbreaker
If you're sick of solitaire, you can set your sights on the newly added Jawbreaker game. Formerly known as Bubblet, Jawbreaker consists of a grid of colored balls that you pop with your stylus. The larger the group of same-colored balls you pop, the more you score.


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