My Casio Cassiopeia E-200 Pocket-PC!
Casio E-200

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Updates
Links!
What Works & What Doesn't (Yet)
How to Hook up a Serial GPS to the Casio

Updates

  • 07/25/2003 - I've started a new page for my HP iPAQ h2210. Also, I've started a running list of all the PocketPC devices I've owned here!
  • 07/09/2003 - Well, it had to happen sooner or later :(. My Casio's CF slot doesn't appear to be working anymore. It won't work with my wireless card, and I also cannot get any memory cards to work. SUCKS. I can probably get it fixed, but since the new PocketPC 2003 models are coming out and Casio hasn't announced one, I'm unfortunately jumping ship. I recently was able to take a look at an HP h2215 PocketPC at a CompUSA, and the thing KICKED ASS. It was FAST, very Very VERY FAST. Later I checked out a review of the unit, and found that it just kicked all the other PocketPCs butts in testing. Sweet! So anyway, that's where I'm going. I've loved my Casio (both Casios!), but with Casio looking like it's not going to release a new one in the US anytime soon, I'm moving along... I'm probably going to give my E-200 to my girlfriend, unless someone makes an offer I can't refuse :) (Casio (working, as far as I know, except for the CF slot (SD slot not tested, I don't have any SD cards)), w/E&B Slipper Case & Belt Clip, Serial/USB Adaptor, USB Cradle, and serial cable... I might also have the original box... buyer pays shipping (Northwest Ohio I might deliver) E-Mail Me If Interested).
  • 04/15/2003 - My Casio E-200 is still going strong. I take it everywhere, it never leaves my side. Seriously. It's my freakin' brain :).
  • 10/10/2002 -

    Welp... it's finally here! After many months of bitching and whining... here I am... with the Casio 20-pin/USB converter!!!
    And it works, too! I grabbed my GPS, my Casio serial cable, my serial Null Modem/Gender Changer adapter, and viola! I got Teletype GPS to immediately pick it up and run with it. Cool! I ended up paying nearly $53 bucks for this thing including shipping and such. I think that's HIGH, but I wanted this damned thing!!! And now I've got it! Woo-hoo!
  • 10/10/2002 - A friend of the site sent me e-mail stating that he found the 20-pin serial/USB adapter for only $34.95! You can find it here at MobilePlanet!
  • 10/05/2002 - Since I'm in an updating mood here... My Casio (received in the middle of June) has been working GREAT for me. It's a damn shame they discontinued the E line. I think if they came out with a new model, it would be KILLER. With all the experience gained from the E-200, they would surely have a killer unit. However, I understand the process was probably hard on Casio's bottom line :(. In any case, I have great respect for the E-200 screen, and the touch screen. On my E-125, it would wear out... you'd get lines in the screen, and they weren't really fixable. You'd have to then get new screen protectors regularly. However, with the E-200, I've never used a screen protector. And I'm HARD on this baby. It gets dropped, abused, wet... sheesh. I even took it to the DESERT (Silver Lake, MI), and had it playing MP3s while I walked for hours. I was drenched in sweat, and so was the E-200, but it took it. However, I did loose the stylus. I ended up getting some from Office Max by Belkin. They're for the Palm V, but they fit in the E-200. They don't match the old stylus 100%, but they do fit, and have not fallen out. I got a pack of 3 for like $8. Also, the paint on my Casio has been fine. Hasn't chipped away or anything. I'm watching the prices of SD memory lately, and the 256MB cards have been coming down big time. I've got two 128MB cards... one for maps and data, and another for MP3s. It's been working pretty well. I've been using it in my home automation testing quite a bit lately. Somewhere along the line, the DHCP started getting flaky, and I'm back to soft-resetting my unit when I need to get on the network. I have not installed the EUU2 update, nor the newest Casio updates. From my previous experiences, the updates just aren't worth it. :(. Especially since Casio cannot stand behind their backup program. I had wanted EUU2 really bad (for it's FTP fix that I keep bitching about). But the reason I wanted it is so that I could recommend the E-200 for use by my agency when (IF) we get rid of our E-125s. However, two things are apparent. #1: Casio is no longer selling the E-200. #2: Our E-125s have been performing like champs. Oh well. Bottom line, I still use my E-200, and still love it!
  • 10/05/2002 - I don't think I've posted about this yet, but I've found it some time ago. My girlfriend is a big fan of the game Snood for the desktop. Now it's available on the PocketPC! You can get it here.
  • 10/05/2002 - Dave, from www.dce200.com (A Casio E-200 Web Site), has e-mailed me to tell me that a FREE mouse pointer program has been created for USB mice! Cool! But I can't use it... oh wait... now I can! He also e-mailed me to let me know that Dream Pages has the 20-Pin Serial/USB adapter!!! However, they had 8 left when I ordered mine. If you want one, better GET IT NOW! I've wanted this for so long now it's not funny. I've not been able to use my GPS for over a year now. Even when I had my E-125, because I screwed up the serial connector on it. I can't wait to use my Casio for GPS again!!! THANKS DAVE! :)
  • 07/31/2002 - OK, just got an e-mail back stating that this person "does not know for sure if we will have any other Pocket PC's in the future, but we are not selling the E200 any more". OUCH :(. A double whammy. No more E-200s, and POSSIBLY no more Casio PocketPCs. :( :( :(. I'm going to go cry now...
  • 07/31/2002 - I never got my backup restored :(. It's really a sad thing. But my Casio has been going strong, and I was happy... up until I found this post on PocketPC Thoughts. According to it, Casio is going to END the E-series line of PocketPCs. What's that mean? No more! Don't expect an E-210 or E-225 or whatever.. :(. Not cool! Now, this is being reported as a RUMOR, and I've sent an e-mail to Casio to see if I can get an answer. If so, this is truly a sad day. I think the E-1xx were awesome, and I liked the E-200 even more, after the production kinks were worked out.
  • 06/25/2002 - To summarize my NEWEST 3-point backup/redundancy plan for my Casio, let me put it like this:
    1. For overall safe keeping: I'm going to backup using the Casio Backup program on a CF card either every one or two weeks. This should work fine, as long as I don't do any ROM updates.
    2. 90% of my important data is in one single CodeWallet Pro file. I routinely make copies of that to the 'Storage Area' in Flash ROM, as well as to my desktop computer (where I have the desktop version of CodeWallet Pro installed).
    3. For my calendar, I'm going to start syncing with my laptop using ActiveSync/Outlook, and making copies of that file on multiple computers (sheesh!).
  • 06/25/2002 - UPDATE: Well, a bit of good news over my way. I've got Outlook '97 working on my laptop (which dual boots between Linux & Win98), and I was able to successfully sync (the calendar, at least, haven't tried the other parts) between the laptop and my E-200 via InfraRed (IR). Woo-hoo! Now I can feel safer about putting calendar stuff on there. I'm not worried about contacts, because I've switched to CodeWallet Pro for all my contacts (as well as my complete digital wallet). For all of you out there thinking "Why the hell is he using Outlook '97? Why the hell is he still using Win98SE?", again let me state that I'm not a big Windows person. I use Linux for the most part. Win98SE does what I need it to. I wouldn't use MS Office at all, except that at work I have to deal with outside sources who refuse to use anything but Office. Lately, I've been using alternatives (such as the older StarOffice, and the newer OpenOffice), so it's not that bad. But a few years ago I picked up some copies of Office97 at a fire sale, so I have it loaded. When I tried this before (syncing via ActiveSync/Outlook), it did not work. I believe I tried to install a newer version of Outlook (that came with my Casio), but I had errors. I had given up. Today I tried to run Outlook, and it was just screwed after all the removing/updating, so I put my Office97 disc in, and let it do it's 'repair' trick. It worked! Then I configured ActiveSync to connect via IR (since I didn't have my cradle with me, and the network sync doesn't work all that well with DHCP), and off I went! I made sure I could create contacts on both the Casio and the desktop, and then synced, and both were copied to each other. Cool!
  • 06/25/2002 - I'm going to re-state here a summary of what's been happening to me so I can *hopefully* help some of you out if you're ever in the same boat I'm in now. If you rely solely on the Casio backup program, and your Casio breaks and you have to send it in, if your fixed or new unit has a different ROM version than your original one, and you try to restore your previous backup, IT MIGHT NOT WORK!!! Hence, you are almost forced to use ActiveSync and Outlook, and we all know how much fun that is :(. However, if you value your calendar/contacts AT ALL, you might want to look into getting this stuff up and running!!! I would personally recommend using BOTH the Casio backup program, AND ActiveSync/Outlook. I *really* don't like to be cornered into doing this. At work I have several Casio's to look after (E-125s, not E-200s), and the ActiveSync/Outlook solution won't work for me. I really hope Casio gets the message and looks at their backup program to see what's the deal!!!!!!!
  • 06/25/2002 - I contacted Casio again. They've agreed to take my backup file, restore it to one of their E-200s, and see if they can save it to an Outlook file. It looks like I'm forced to get Outlook up and running if I value my calendar at all :(. I asked if they planned to look at the Casio backup program to see they can make it work across ROM versions.
  • 06/18/2002 - Welp, the official word is in from Casio... I'm screwed! :(. I e-mailed my contact there asking if they could forward me to a tech person. They promptly did, and I got an e-mail back not long after. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I wanted to hear:
    Judging from the serial number you have stated below, your Cassiopeia has a
newer revision of the ROM that already has the update preinstalled. You can
tell if an E-200 is updated if you tap Start, then ActiveSync. Go to the
Tools menu at the bottom of the screen and select Options. You should see
three tabs at the bottom of the screen: PC, Server, and Schedule. An E-200
unit without the update will just have the PC and Schedule tabs, without the
Server tab.

I am not sure why you are unable to restore from your old backup file. It
might have something to do with differences in the Flash ROM. There is no
way that I know of to restore a portion of the data from the backup file.
    ... [He went on to talk about how to sync & restore in the future using ActiveSync]

    :(

    So the verdict is in... if you go to do a ROM upgrade, just because you've backed up your data, it DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE SAFE!!! You better get some redundancy man! It's like the only way to SAFELY back up your data is to use ActiveSync. WAIT... did I just use ActiveSync and SAFELY in the same sentence! Someone slap me!!! I can't even get Outlook installed on one of my machines (and I have several). But I'm Linux boy over here, and I have no real interest in using Outlook... nor ActiveSync. I was perfectly happy living my life knowing that it was safe on a little CF card. Well that just got SLASHED!!! Does ANYONE know of a Pocket Outlook replacement for the PocketPC??? I guess I don't need a full replacement, I just need a new calendar program. Something that saves into neat little files, not a database. Am I going to have to WRITE this damn thing??? ARG! Anyone interested in a calendar program that can import/export XML? I wonder if embedded Visual Basic (eVB) even supports XML? Hmm.... interesting... maybe I can make a kick ass Calendar replacement, and make some money to buy some new toys... muahahahahaha :)

    Why does it have to be this damned complicated??? :(

  • 06/16/2002 - I tell you what, each time I get a new Casio, they keep getting better and better :). I've noticed that on my new one, I've not had to soft-reset it very often. Previously, every time I wanted to open my digital wallet with CodeWallet Pro (due to the 'storage area' issue), or even get on the wireless LAN after powering off due to DHCP, I'd have to hard-reset. Now, when I turn it on, DHCP seems to work quickly, and I can get on the network. Cool! Also, everytime I go to use CodeWallet Pro, my wallet is there!!! Previously, after using it once, I'd have to hard-reset to get back at it. I haven't had to so far with my new unit!!! I hope this lasts, because it sure is nice!! Now this week I have to contact Casio about my BACKUP problem!!!!
  • 06/12/2002 - Welp, I've got my new unit. Serial Number: JX710AAU-7BP124-xxx. Never seen that before! This is my FOURTH unit. I was so happy when the UPS guy knocked at the door. I opened up the package, and realized it was the same package I sent. However, there it was, a shiny new Casio! However, I did not get a new battery or anything. But I'm not complaining! :) In any case, I put the battery in and charge it. When it got done charging, I put my backup CF card in, and went to restore it. OOPS. Casio doesn't install the backup software on the Casio. What's up with that? So I have to reboot my laptop to Win98 (usually I run Linux baby!). I install the backup software and start the restore. A few minutes later... ERROR. What the hell??? I forget the exact error, but it said something about a data file that could not be written. Son of a bitch! It looks like a lot of my files were put back, and a bunch of apps placed in 'Program Files', but nothing is installed in the drop down menu. NOR is my calendar re-installed. This sucks! So I do a hard-reset, and try it again. Same thing. I even backed up using TWO CF cards before I sent it away. So I did a hard-reset, and used the new CF card to restore. No dice! Same error! SHIT! So I did a hard-reset AGAIN. Then I tried doing some updates. Some were already installed, but others would not install... I got a 'Platform Error' message. Shit again!!! What is going on here! So I called Casio tech support. The guy took down my information, and told me a supervisor would call me back within 3-5 days. WHAT? What the hell is that? Am I just supposed to sit here by my phone and WAIT? Man was I mad. I'm so pissed off at loosing my damned calendar so many times. I'm SICK AND TIRED OF LOOSING MY CALENDAR!!! The last time I lost data I told myself I was going to find replacements for all the built-in apps. I started using CodeWallet pro for all of my contacts (hence I did not loose any of those). But instead of finding a calendar replacement, I started backing up with a 64MB CF card. I thought... all I have to do is back up, right? NOPE... WRONG. Damn it! So I spent about four or so hours today re-loading the applications and stuff into my PocketPC. Now, most of my real important information is in my CodeWallet Pro wallet, so it's not like I lost a lot of data (just my FREAKING CALENDAR), but still, I lost a lot of time by not being able to restore my backup, OR getting a quick answer from Casio. Well, in any case, I've got my unit about 90% re-loaded, and am simply happy that I've got my baby back, and didn't loose 100% of my data!!! In any case, a big THANK YOU to the people at Casio for getting me a new unit in such SHORT ORDER!!!
  • 06/10/2002 - I'm even happier this morning! I called Casio to see if they received my unit, and to ask if they were going to repair it or send me a new one. I was figuring they were going to repair it, and then send it back. I was fully prepared to wait a month for it. However, after calling, they told me that they're shipping me a brand new one, and I should have it within two days! WOW! Customer Loyalty is paying off baby :).
  • 06/04/2002 - WOW! I'm so happy right now. Casio e-mailed me back stating that normally they don't cover that in the warranty, but with all the problems I've gone through, they're going to fix it for me!!! WOW! The Unexpected Extra, indeed!!! :)
  • 06/03/2002 - All is not well with my baby... err... my E-200 at the moment :(. I now have a crack in what I think is my touch screen. I don't know how it got there. I used it earlier on the day it happened, and it worked OK. Then I went to use it again, and there it was!!! I have an E&B leater case on it, with a flip cover for screen protection. The cover has something in it, and is fairly hard, so I don't see how something could have just forced it to crack. I carry a pager and cell phone all in the same area of where I wear the Casio, and I'm always making sure there isn't a lot of pressure in that area :). The underlying LCD is not fazed at all, but the area north of the crack in the touch screen always acts like the start button, no matter where I touch it. Everything south of the touch screen works just fine. The crack is in the upper 25% of the screen, so the damage is minimal (with the exception that I cannot press the 'X' smart minimize button). I will try and take a pic if I'm able to see the crack with the camera (you know how horrible my digital pictures are ;) ). I've sent an e-mail into Casio, and am currently awaiting instructions on how to proceed. Again, the unit still works, but it is painful to use it with any application which requires use of the top 25% of the screen for touch input!!!
  • 06/03/2002 - In other news, I'm STILL waiting for the 20-pin Serial/USB adapter! I hope this isn't a vanishing product!!! :(
  • 05/11/2002 - A reader sent me a note that my Casio/GPS page had a wrong link to a cable. My apologies!!! I've fixed the page now, with a correct link!!!
  • 04/22/2002 - NLS in the past has recommended 'SuperAlerts' to me so I'd stop complaining about the repeating reminders going away :). I totally forgot about this until today. So I found his review on PocketPCMinds.com and decided to check it out. You can download it from here. After installation, I restarted my E-200, and went to work... err... play :). By default, SuperAlerts is set up so that calendar reminders now repeat (like they are SUPPOSED TO, just like they did with the E-125, but Microsoft raped the once-great program). But additionally, you can specify other media files (supposedly any file that Media Player can play) to use as the notification sound! This is neat! I wanted to use Drowning Pool - Let The Bodies Hit The Floor to wake me up ;). However, when I went to choose it, the MP3 file wouldn't pop up on the list. I had to choose 'All Files', and then dig through the list until I found it. But the good part is that it did play the file when I hit 'test'! Cool! I'm in the process of testing it now, but I expect it to work pretty well (if I have any problems, you all will know about it here ;) ). If you're like me, and you keep bitching about the reminders going "buh-bye" in PocketPC2002, Give SuperAlerts a try!
  • 04/21/2002 - Hey all you Casio/Outdoors/GPS freaks out there, I've got some pretty neat software for ya. I received e-mail from Livingstone Guides about their PocketPC software for reading topographic maps. When I first got the e-mail, it said that the software engine was free, and the individual maps were only a few dollars each. Then I went to the website, and saw that each map was USD$6. At first, I wasn't impressed, because I can freely download most USGS DRG maps, and read them using OziExplorer (of course, OziExplorer costs money, too). However, after I installed the software and one of their sample maps, I believe that this software does provide some really good value. In order for you to get USGS DRG maps working on the PPC, you have to do quite a bit of playing with the maps to get them to fit and look nice. However, the Livingstone software does provide a nice feature set. First off, it provides several different views (24k, 150k, & 200k DRG views) integrated into each map. In order do this by yourself, you'd have to download each of these maps separately and get them working individually... this can take quite a bit of time. Also, the software makes use of the GNIS (Geographic Naming Information System (I think)). You can look at the Points of Interest for each map in a list, and when you choose one, it takes you to that point on the map. These facts together with the ease-of-install, make this (to me), a great value for individual maps. If your time is valuable, then spending $6/map (which is really 3 maps in one) to download and install it in less than 5 minutes (with a cablemodem, DSL, or some other type of broadband), is not much to ask. Now, it also has GPS capabilities, but I've not been able to test this out yet due to not receiving the Casio 20-pin serial adapter yet. They currently have maps available for spots in the U.S., U.K., and New Zealand. I do have one big program with the program installer. It's extremely Windows-centric, and there isn't any way to get directly to the .CAB files for OSes other than Windows. For the most part, this doesn't affect any of you, unless you're using Linux/Unix or the Mac. Other than that, it was very easy to install using Windows and ActiveSync. The bottom line is, if you're into using the PocketPC while checking out the Great Outdoors, and want ease-of-use, then give Livingstone Guides a try!!!
  • 04/15/2002 - The case does indeed prevent the Casio from being synced in the cradle. Again, no biggie for me, but for others, it might be. I'm not sure if you can use the USB sync cable, as the two notches on the sides are covered by the case. That's what wireless is for :).
  • 04/15/2002 - Jennifer (The UnrulyGrrl), sent me a link to a great little utility which performs a soft reboot on any PocketPC. This is great for Casio E-200 owners with a case that prevents you from reaching the reset button! It's freeware, and available from PocketGear. It's called SoftReset. Jennifer mentioned placing it in the start menu for quick access. Sometimes I reset so much, I might reassign one of the bottom four buttons to do it ;).
  • 04/14/2002 - Here are some pics of the E&B E-200 Slipper case:
    The back of the case The front of the case The inside of the case The inside of the case The side of the case The bottom of the case
  • 04/12/2002 - I've finally created a page to describe how to hook up a GPS to the Casio E-1xx/E-200. I get asked this question on a nearly DAILY basis. Please, before sending me e-mail, READ THIS :).
  • 04/12/2002 - I got my E&B E-200 case! So far, it's pretty great. I forgot to bring my digital camera to take some pics of it. I will try to do this sometime this weekend. It's a very nice case. One thing different from the previous E&B case (for the E-125) was that this case has magnets to close the cover. At first, I didn't like it, but after a few hours with it, I think it's kind of neat. Just have to remember not to put credit cards or anything in there!!! Another great thing is that there is a small pouch on the inside of the cover where you stash an extra CF card! This is awesome. I used to have my 128MB CF card stashed in my pocket (in it's plastic cover). Now it's always with the E-200. It's great. The pouch was made for the size of a CF memory card. It's easily accessible. Nearly every function except for the reset button is directly accessible. Unlike the E-125 case, there is no plastic covering the buttons on the front. I'm not sure if I like not having this plastic protection this or not, time will tell. But with the number of times I press the reset button (mostly for DHCP to release my network configuration), I wish they had direct access. I know I can punch a small whole in it, but I guess it's easy enough to slid it out an inch, punch the putton, and push it back. Also, I have a fitting problem due to my Symbol CF 802.11b card. The cover will not shut with this card in. I was kind of anxious about cutting my new case, because I really screwed up my old E-125 case when I tried to cut it, but since the Symbol card is so small, I made a few cuts, and now it works, and looks, good. I will take some pics of this to demonstrate this. All-in-all, I think this is a great combonation! I've got a great case with a belt clip, I can keep my network card in at all times, and I can also keep my extra CF memory card around!
  • 04/12/2002 - It says that I'm supposed to be able to sync the E-200 while in the cradle (unless they mean the optional USB sync cable). I have not tried this, but I will again try to do this sometime this weekend. I don't really use the cradle that much because I mostly use Linux. That and the wireless card provides me with easy network access to the unit (via FTP).
  • 04/09/2002 - Just got an e-mail from E&B Cases that their Slipper E200 Case (W/Belt Clip is now ready!! Woo hoo! I just ordered mine... can't wait to get it. No more worrying about my trusty little friend... he'll always be at my side!!! (I know, I'm sick.. I need help :) ). The price seemed about $10 higher than their E-125 case when I got it, but maybe that's just me. In any case, they've got FREE SHIPPING, so that's nice!
  • 04/09/2002 - E-200 workin' just fine over here. Only major grip at this point is still the problems with the built-in storage, having to reset in order to access it after a while. Oh well. Aside from that, it works GREAT. Still waiting for the serial adapter. Sheesh. I'm backing up regularly (copying my CodeWallet file to the built-in storage area every day, copying the same file to my desktop weekly, as well as backing up to a 64MB CF card roughly weekly). Don't want to take any chances man!!! Would still like to get a nice sized SD card, but between hearing about problems, and the price, I'm just not there yet (normally I would get the card, but I'm trying to stop spending so much on gadgets :)... I've got a 128MB CF card, and I can live (for now) with taking out the wireless card and putting the memory card in when I want to listen to music...
  • 03/22/2002 - I edited my previous message. Some tidbits in there just weren't meant to get it out :)
  • 03/22/2002 - Hey all! my Casio is still working here (whew!). Aside from the DHCP & flash-ROM accessibility issues, I'm still quite happy with it! NLS has e-mailed me with the information that he has received the PCMCIA expansion pack! How in the world did he do that? :) Read on for more info!
    Hello Joe.

Let me get back to the sleeve so you have some info:

- Extra battery IS included

- Sleeve is plastic but looks nice

- Comes with extra wire insulator probably for USB cables connected on
it (yes USB is there)

- Has independent power plug (since the E-200 power plug is covered)

- It has all the pins to allow for the sleeve + E-200 to fit and sync
through the standard craddle

- Has a CD included labeled "PocketPC 2002 Update File" (I didn't open
to see what's in it)

- Seems the PCMCIA slot has a fake card in it (like the CF slot)

NLS
    I e-mailed him and asked about the serial port. I thought the PCMCIA expansion pack had this on there, but he said it did not. He did, however, say that the 20-pin serial/USB adapter may also fit on the bottom of the PCMCIA expansion pack! Imagine that... the E-200 w/PCMCIA expansion pack w/serial port adapter! Holy cow. I personally don't like the fact the PCMCIA expansion pack doesn't have the serial port. I've been waiting since November to use my E-200 with GPS!
  • 03/14/2002 - I meant to post (and try this) yesterday, but couldn't get around to it (hehehe 60 degree sunny weather)... Casio has released another update! This one is called 'Protection Enhancement Pack 1.0'. You can download the ZIP file here. I found this link on PocketPCThoughts.
  • 03/14/2002 - Having some e-mail problems here (or rather, my web hosting service is). Please be patient with me :).
  • 03/12/2002 - Casio still working. No sidelight issues. Have had to soft-reset some, but it seems to be related to two specific problems:
  • DHCP - For some strange reason, when I turn it on, DHCP doesn't always work... I have to do a soft-reset for DHCP to kick in. What's up with that? I'm not changing locations... I'll be at home, do a soft-reset (to get updated DHCP settings), then use it. I'll turn it off, and later come back to use it, and I won't be able to get on the network. If I do a soft-reset, the DHCP kicks in, and it works. Strange!
  • Developer One CodeWallet Pro - Sometimes after using the program, and trying to use it again, when I run it, it will show NO wallets. I think this is a Flash-ROM problem... I keep my main wallet in main memory, but keep a backup-copy in flash-ROM in case I have problems. With my other two E-200s, I was able to just use the copy in Flash-ROM, but now it takes FOREVER to load & write. In any case, if no wallets are shown, and I do a soft-reset, everything works fine.
  • 03/12/2002 - I forgot to update my What Works & What Doesn't (Yet) page to reflect the CECraft Pinball program. Fixed!
  • 03/07/2002 - On my journey today, I found that CECraft has released a new release of CECraft Pinball: Young Paladin. It worked on the Casio E-200! Previously I could not get this to work. Also, CECraft has come up with a new skin for CECraft Pinball, and they're calling that Dark Paladin. I've loaded it, and it works, but it doesn't look that much different. I'll have to check it out later. In any case, a big THANKS go out to CECraft for adding value to an existing product, without charging more money!!!
  • 03/07/2002 - Welp, I'm back in business here! Just spent quite a few hours reloading this baby. Started with the four Casio updates. Got a little scared with the ROM upgrade again. Said two minutes... took more like 6 or so. But it did finish. Whew! Then started with my software. Got it pretty well loaded up now! Woo-hoo!
  • 03/07/2002 - I've heard about the Windows Media Update, but haven't heard enough about it to make me want to upgrade. It requires some of your RAM. For some reason they didn't make it a ROM upgrade. Doh! As far as I'm concerend, if there isn't something major in it, I'm just not going to do it. I use Media Player for playing MP3s and sometimes streaming video, and that's it. The Media Player that comes with the unit does that just fine!
  • 03/07/2002 - I GOT IT! It's here, in my hands. I'm charging it at the moment. Serial Number: JX710AAU-5AP122-XXXXXXXX. I don't know how to act ;). After it's done charging I'm going to apply the several patches avilable for it first thing, before I get too far. Then I'm off baby!
  • 03/07/2002 - Welp, a call to home revealed that my Casio has arrived and is waiting for me! I may have to take an extended lunch break to retrieve it :). Can't wait to get that baby loaded back up!
  • 03/06/2002 - According to this link from E&B cases they're going to release a Slipper case for the E-200! I used an E&B Slipper case with my E-125 and loved it. The belt clip was AWESOME, too. NEVER fell off! I found this link while I was looking Dave's E-200 Accessories Page. No release date or price is listed :(.
  • 03/06/2002 - I asked about the 20-pin/USB adapter, and they're still not in stock yet. I was hoping to get one shipped with my new unit :). At least I'll be back up and running. This past month has been very crazy, and I know I've screwed up some appointments and missed a birthday :(. I never got around to writing things down because I kept expecting it next week :). Have to get in gear and pick up a 64MB CF card and a CASE!
  • 03/06/2002 - Still Casioless... however tomorrow that may change! I got an e-mail from Casio today stating they can ship. I asked for overnight, and had to pay a shipping charge. They would have done 2-day, but you guys know how I am :). That one day counts for us geeks. So, I *SHOULD* be receiving my unit sometime tomorrow! I won't get it until tomorrow night, as it will be shipped to my home. I can't wait!
  • 02/26/2002 - It seems I never created a new links page for my E-200 site... Doh! I'd like to remind everyone that most of the things on my Casio E-125 page are still relevant to the E-200! I will be copying the links page, and updating it for the E-200.
  • 02/26/2002 - A friend sent me a link to another E-200 users' site. Dave's Casio E-200 PDA Website. He's detailing his experience with the E-200, and he's got some nice case links! He's got links to three cases for the E-200! Two of which I didn't even know existed! Check out his site!
  • 02/25/2002 - Upon hearing this news, I've e-mailed Casio. They said (the person I spoke with) it would be another week, and this person was hoping to ship me one out on Monday... Arg! I guess the shipment they got already went out the door. Ugh! Arg! Ugh again!
  • 02/25/2002 - I'm going to say this again... if you want to by a Casio E-200, and want to make sure you're not going to have the backlight problem, ORDER IT DIRECT FROM CASIO!
  • 02/25/2002 - OK all, here is the deal. A wonderful fan of the site e-mailed about their lengthy fight with the E-200. They bought it from a retailer, and of course, the backlight went out. They contacted the retailer, and, to make a long story short, eventually got to the top ranks, the president of Casio! A lot of negative comments regarding Casio customer support was forwarded to the president, and apparently, this is when he personally ordered all E-200's in stock at Casio to be sent back to Japan to be fixed. Wow! Casio has received (reportedly... see next note) a small express shipment of these, and are handing them out (but seeing as I'm still waiting for mine, the backlog must be HUGE). However, units in stock at retailers (like your local store or on-line places) may still be FAULTY. SO, if you're looking to buy a Casio, ORDER ONE DIRECT FROM CASIO! Don't take a chance!
  • 02/25/2002 - I just got back from a spontaneous vacation. I'm working through my e-mail, so if you e-mailed me between last Tue and today and haven't gotten a reply... that's why :).
  • 02/20/2002 - Hey all, got some potentially good news for backlight problem sufferers out there.... A friend of the site managed to track down a person who is supposedly in charge of replacing defective E-200s... this person called Casio and spoke with a person who was very unpleasant, then managed to get ahold of someone else who was much more helpful. The problem is Casio is still waiting on a shipment of new E-200s. However, according to the e-mail I received, when they recieve the new ones, they can cross-ship one to you!!! Also, according to the e-mail, they will reimburse you for the cost of shipment of the defective unit. Wow! Now, I've not confirmed this, so if you call, please let me know how it goes!!! The number is (973)361-5400 ext 4265!
  • 02/15/2002 - Wow! You guys are quick... I've gotten TONS of e-mails in the past 24 hours from you guys. The reponses sure are varied. There are a few on 3rd units who are happy, so far. There are a few on 3rd units who aren't happy. There are quite a few on 2nd units who seem to be happy. There are also a bunch on their first units (some for only a week, others for nearly two months) who seem to be quite happy. I guess it REALLY depends on the unit! I am hopeful, for it seems that it's not every unit that has a problem, like I had previously thought. A friend of the site sent me this thread URL he started on PocketPCPassion regarding Casio and it's customer support. A lot of people are very unhappy with Casio. One person even says that he's been waiting SIX WEEKS for a new unit! Oh no! That's not cool. I'm going on nearly three weeks... but that's kinda my choice... they could have sent me another unit, but it may be another flawed unit. They keep saying their going to get a shipment of new units in that won't have the sidelight (and other?) problems. It was supposed to have been on this Wed., but then they said next week. Ugh. But I'd rather wait, I guess. I've lost a ton of data with the new unit, so since I'm going to be without, I may as well wait for a unit which shouldn't give me the same problems. But that, of course, is my opinion. I didn't think I could live without the PDA once I had it, but I'm managing (but I do find myself grabbing for it when I need to jot down a note, or get a phone number, etc...). But I'm sure a lot of you probably really do need it on an every day basis (if you're a real On The Go type person). Welp, it's Friday, and the end of another week... here's to a good weekend for all! I hope that all of you with Casio problems out there get your issues resolved, and I hope that all of you out there who are issue-less remain that way!!! :)
  • 02/14/2002 - Looks like a user on his 3rd unit is giving up :(. He's going back to using his E-115. The 3rd unit isn't having the sidelight issue, but he says he's resetting it very often. And he even had to do a HARD reset THREE times! One of the times the unit would not turn off, and he hit the reset button to do a SOFT reset... but instead he got the "Initializing Memory" message. Man what a total pain. He thinks that some problems might lie with his 340MB MicroDrive. He says that even when the power has been off, that thing is warm to the touch! Not cool at all. In any case, he's send it back. This is the only person who has reported this many problems with his third unit. There are a few others out there who're on their 3rd, too... can you guys e-mail to let me know how your units are doing??? Anybody out there on their FIRST unit and having NO problems??? Would LOVE to hear from ya!!!
  • 02/14/2002 - St. Valentines day, and I'm STILL without my 2nd love ;). No shipment in yet, looks like another week. I want to cry!
  • 02/11/2002 - I e-mailed Casio back asking how a person would go about getting a newer unit if they wanted a new Casio. They said that all the units will be good. They did an inventory, and I guess old ones will be sent back and fixed (they didn't say that, but that's what I'm assuming). So... if you've been holding out on the E-200 due to either my reports of problems, or others' reports of problems, then this may be a better time! I will, of course, let you guys know when I get my new one!
  • 02/11/2002 - I'm still Casioless. I sent an e-mail this morning, and they said they were expecting a new shipment of E-200s on Wed., and that these units shouldn't have the problems of the others (sidelight, etc...). So, it now looks like the beginning of next week. Arg. But at least I'll know I won't have the same problems with it!!!!
  • 02/05/2002 - Casio has sent me a message stating that they've received my Casio, and are checking to see if anything can be retrieved. They're also going to send me a new one sometime this week. I was hoping for shipping today... however, I'm getting a new unit AND they're trying to restore my files (which is my fault for not backing them up properly in the first place), so I'm not going to complain. I'll be very happy when I get a new unit and start reconstructing my 'digital life'. :)
  • 02/05/2002 - GOOD NEWS for Symbol Wireless Networker users w/PocketPC2002! I was checking out PocketPCThoughts (congrats on getting it back up!), and according to one of their entires, Symbol has finally released their 'stable build' of the driver for PocketPC2002! Woo hoo! Please note that I haven't tried this. I can't... don't have my unit back yet :). But you're more than welcome to! Let's hope that this driver solves all those flaky issues... HOWEVER, I'm doubting it will solve the Casio E-200 specific problem where if the backlight is up too much it goes flaky... but we'll see. You can find the driver here! You can find more information here! HINT: You want PocketPC2002... NOT PocketPC...
  • 02/04/2002 - Well, it's Monday. According to the shipping confirmation, Casio has received my unit. I'm still hoping they can retrieve something from it! Otherwise, hopefully tomorrow they will ship me out a new one. Being optimistic right now, but I hope to have a replacement by Friday!!!
  • 02/04/2002 - In light of recent events, I've decided to start using Developer One's CodeWallet Pro for my contact list. Why? Two reasons... 1) Password-protected encryption, and 2) All information is stored in one file. The 'one file' thing is important to me. The contact list on the PocketPC is stored in a database or somewhere. And the only way to back it up is to backup to entire PocketPC. And that backup is only valid for the PocketPC. You can't take the backup and restore that information to a desktop computer. Now I've heard of Sprite and stuff like that. Maybe that stuff does otherwise, I'm not sure. But that's yet another piece of software I'd have to buy. And I also know that you can sync the calendar/contacts to Outlook on a desktop. But what if you're in a situation where you want to sync the stuff, but the computer doesn't have Outlook? Or even if it doesn't have ActiveSync??? Or if you don't have your cradle handy??? Just too many variables. I use a lot of computers. If I can store all my important stuff in one encrypted file, then copy that file AT WILL (via a wireless card and FTP, or via a CF card), then that makes it so much more simpler. Also, installing CodeWallet Pro on a machine is simple, and takes up only a very small space! Plus it's not a MS product. If I was in a pinch, and needed access to the data on someone else's PC, they may be much more willing to let me install something that can probably be uninstalled much easier than Outlook. Outlook is a big program. Not sure how well it un-installs either. It may be fine, but just because it's MS, I have doubts. I'm already using CodeWallet Pro on the PocketPC, so with little additional effort, I can start using that for all my contacts. No extra money involved, and there are benefits (encryption, one file). And then I can use the desktop verson (which I just started to... I don't have my Casio back yet, and I need access to an old copy of my wallet). There is a minimal charge for the software, but it's very small, and it has encryption, and can be un-installed easily. The files it creates are 100% compatible with each other, and are EASILY copied (unlike contact databases). In any case, this is my rationale for switching from the built-in contact list in the PocketPC to using CodeWallet Pro for contacts. There are obvious downfalls, too. I can no longer beam a contact to someone else (I'd have to re-create the contact in the PocketPC contact list then beam it... vice versa, if someone beamed me one, I'd have to re-enter it... kills the whole purpose of beaming). But after having such a backup debacle, I'm to the point where I'm fanatical about this topic. How many redundant backup systems can I have? That's my point. Now, obviously this entire scenario doesn't cover calendar entries. I'm still likely to use the built-in calendar. Unless I can find a replacement which is cheap and has a desktop partner which doesn't involve Outlook. In any case, I hope this proves helpful to somebody... it's just my 2 cents!
  • 02/04/2002 - BACKUP DEBACLES. Wow. In addition to my own little events, it appears that a few weeks ago Dale at PocketPCPassion had a little backup problem of his own. In addition, Jason over at PocketPCThoughts is having a problem too! In fact, his problem seems to have been CAUSED by his backup software. What a mess. I feel for both of them! Let our mistakes be message to you. Don't let your stuff go without being backed up. Your personal stuff, too!!! If you assign ANY value to it at all, then back it up. Establish a regular routine for backing up. Copy important files to multiple computers (encryption would apply if this is confidential personal information). Just keep REGULAR UPDATED copies of your stuff!
  • 01/31/2002 - A friend of the site has e-mailed me that his unit is suffering from 'faulty' memory. Seems to be rebooting itself. If it does it anymore, Casio told him it needs to be shipped in... oh no! I think 3 is turning into the magic number. This person also has tried to install the Socket Bluetooth Kit, and it's not working :(. Neither Socket nor Casio seem to know when it will be ready. They couldn't give him a date... double bummer!!!
  • 01/31/2002 - Welp, I wrapped and shipped my poor little E-200 off to the doctors today!
  • 01/31/2002 - Got ahold of Casio again yesterday. Apparently they're going to send me out a new unit! Woo hoo! Except they won't send it until Tuesday. Hopefully in that time they can find me a known-good working unit :). I'll be very happy if I can get a new unit out, and even happer if they can free my digital wallet!!! Again folks, if you didn't do this yesterday or the day before, BACK UP YOUR UNIT!
  • 01/31/2002 - I got an e-mail today from another user who says he's on his third unit! This one has been running for two weeks, so he's hopeful :). Wish you the best of luck!!!!
  • 01/30/2002 - Was unable to get ahold of Casio yesterday. Very VERY frustrating. However, I called in today, and got right through to a tech guy. Was nice, but couldn't do much over the phone, as I figured. He's going to relay this to developer sales, and hopefully I can get sent a new unit out. At the same time, I also hope they can look at my old unit and see if they can't restore any type of data (calendar/contacts probably gone, but digital wallet was stored on flash storage)... keeping my fingers crossed...!
  • 01/29/2002 - WHAT A HORRIBLE TIME. So I decided to go forth, and install the Service Pack 1 for my Casio E-200. I wish I could turn time backwards and smack myself. I tried to install it. Plugged the power in like it told me, and off I went. The message said it would be 2 minutes. Two minutes turned into 15. Decided to stop it. OOPS. Couldn't turn it off. Had to remove both the batteries to restart it. The unit tried to re-initialize, but no luck. That crashed. Now it's totally unusable. ARG. I'm so frustrated right now. I know I've lost my contacts and calendar. But my digital wallet is in the 'built-in storage', and I hope that can be gotten to. I do hope so! That's very important to me... in any case, I'm trying to get ahold of Casio... one of their techs called my cell phone, but I left my cell in the car for 5 minutes this morning and missed him. Now I can't get him back. I want to scream. I haven't backed up my E-200 yet (SMACK SMACK SMACK). I was using my E-125 as a hot-backup, but JUST sold it a few days ago. Damn damn damn what a mess I've gotten into.
  • 01/28/2002 - While I do love the performance of this little unit, there are a few of problems starting to show themselves:
    1. The purple paint on the side is indeed starting to flake off! While this is purely aesthetic, I'm not happy about it.
    2. Sometimes when I turn the unit on, none of the hardware buttons work, and I cannot use the stylus... it simply will not respond. Very strange. When I do a soft-reset, it works just fine. But it's VERY annoying.
    3. When the screen is on full brightness, the network card flakes out. While I've known about this for a little while, it's still annoying...
    4. I use Developer One's CodeWallet Pro. I keep my 'wallet' on the 'built-in storage', so I will not loose it even if the unit gets hard-rest. If I use it, open the wallet, close the wallet, and do a smart-minimize, then the next time I go to use it, it can't find the wallet. I either have to do a soft-reset, or have to go into 'Start' -> 'Programs' -> 'Memory', and stop the program. Then it will find it A-OK.
    Again, these are just small nuisance problems, but when you add them all together, you find yourself using the 'reset' button quite a bit! Never had these kind of problems with the E-125 (but then again, the E-125 didn't have these kinds of upgrade possibilities!). I personally like the unit, but between the above problems, MS fudging up the FTP libraries (or whatever), and MS removing the repeating reminders... it's very hard for me to recommend the E-200 for business use at this point! I still have not installed Service Pack 1, I will have to make an effort to do so, to see if it fixes any of these problems!!!
  • 01/25/2002 - Nick "NLS" Sardelianos is reporting that Applian Software's RemindMe is working well for him. It seems to be a replacement for the broken repeating reminders in PPC2002 :). I've not tried it yet, but will get around to it. The only thing I don't like is the fact that I'd have to create a note in my calendar AND another application. I like the calendar, but I also want my REPEATING reminders man!
  • 01/25/2002 - Reggie, a friend of the site, is on his THIRD E-200. His previous two BOTH had sidelight problems. Let's all wish him good luck! :)
  • 01/21/2002 - NO RECALL. Just another rumor. Also, Casio says that they still do not have the 20-pin/USB adaptor. Gave me an unconfirmed date of the end of January.. so hopefully soon!
  • 01/21/2002 - Still more people e-mailing me about sidelights going out. One person said that CompUSA said that Casio issued a recall. THIS IS UNCONFIRMED on my part. I'll check this out and post when I find out. I need to contact Casio anyway to check on the status of the 20-pin/USB adapter!!!
  • 01/21/2002 - A friend of the site sent me this link to a case for the Casio E-200 made by Extreme Limit, located in Japan. Looks like a pretty neat case. Prices are in Japanese Yen, but using the Universal Currency Convertor, the price appears to be roughly $40. Not totally sure if this includes shipping or not. This price is for the model with the belt clip. I definately need a case right about now. Check it out!
  • 01/21/2002 - Was looking at my dates, and realized that all my posts in Jan were being listed as '2001'... sorry :).
  • 01/15/2002 - A LOT of you have e-mailed me with the info that your sidelights have gone out :(. I'm sorry all, I know how much of a pain it is. I had it happen, too. But I can't give out the Developer program number for anyone (i.e., the person I talk to at Casio), because I signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement and that prohibits me from talking about it :(. Here is what I suggest you do. Call up Casio and try your hardest to find a human being who will talk back with you (I know it's hard, but this only works if you get one). Keep this person on the phone for as long as you can. Explain to them that you'd like to have them cross-ship you a new unit, and you'll send in your old one. I'm not sure it'll work or not, but a lot of big companies have pre-defined time limits to get you off the phone. If you keep them on the phone for more than that time (could be 30 minutes, could be an hour, could be TWO hours...), then chances are they will cave in and give you what you want (as long as it's reasonable). Someone told me about this, and I tried it with DirecTV. I got my bill slashed in HALF after waiting for quite some time and patiently explaining to them that my local cable company just rolled out digital service which was cheaper and had more channels (which was true). After keeping them on the phone for some time (30-45 minutes), they finally started offering me cheaper pacakges, that had the same channels. Finally they gave me a killer deal (like half off for 12 months). It was outrageous. I couldn't believe it worked, I never tried anything like that before. In any case, I would try this Casio. Just keep asking them if they would cross-ship you a new one. It's a very reasonable request. They will bill your credit card for a new unit, and will take that charge back when they receive your old one. That's what they did with me. If they don't agree to it, then keep asking for their manager. You have to be VERY VERY persistant here! I wish you all the best of luck!!!
  • 01/11/2002 - So I was reading PocketPCThoughts (which I check out several times a day to get my gadget fix ;) ), and I saw this article which talks about .NET and PocketPCs. Now, I'm not all that into .NET. I think it's a civil liberties disaster waiting to happen (as I personally link .NET to Passport and Microsoft's ultimate domination plan). But anyway, I'm getting off the point. The article talks about how all the embedded versions of windows interoperate and such. I understand that PocketPC is not Windows CE. It's a sub-version (or you might say super-version). And they're not totally sure that a WindowsCE .Net UPGRADE will be available for the PocketPC! It's like... OK... why the hell did I just buy a brand new PocketPC that actually has Flash ROM if I won't be able to use it? I understand they may continue to make version of the PocketPC OS, but they may not be as linked to the Windows CE OS as they are now... and that sucks, because the PocketPC is the flagship mobile device. If Windows CE .NET takes over, and people stop developing for the PocketPC, then we're still screwed in my opinion. I know this is a lot of IFs and ASSUMPTIONS... but MS has a long record from which to judge from. They're good breaking things that otherwise should be perfectly backwards-compatible. It just makes me wonder. I loved my E-125. I love my E-200. They do wonderful things, and they do them now. But I don't want to pay for a new PocketPC every year. Or even every two years ;). I didn't want to get rid of my E-125 at all, but expansion just made it look good, and I know it's going to work out well. But who knows, maybe something'll come along tomorrow that will actually work so good that they'll have to change things (like 802.11b, in my opinion... sure, you can do 802.11b on the E-125, but then you're left with very little memory to play with, and have to flip cards (the flipping isn't necessarily the biggest pain, it's the storage of the items that need flipping which is). Okay, enough blabbing :).
  • 01/11/2002 - Good news! Casio has released the PocketPC2002 Service Pack 1! Woo-hoo! You can find it here! (Thanks to PocketPCThoughts.com for the link). I downloaded it, but can't fully install it yet... you have to have the unit plugged into power for some reason. Maybe ROM flashing takes up loads of power? In any case, I will try it tonight. Most of the benefits appear to be network related, but I'm hoping there are other undocument things that may cause it to function better. Here's to hoping :). I called Casio today, but couldn't get ahold of anyone. Left a voicemail. I'm trying to find out when the 20-pin serial/USB host adapter is going to be released!!! I *REALLY* want to hook my GPS up to this baby!
  • 01/07/2002 - Hey all, I've gotten a ton of e-mail from you guys over the weekend :). Lots of information. One scary thing, a friend of the site said their Casio's backlight went out... weeks after receiving their unit. Oh no! No I'm scared again. They actually purchased two... one for a friend. Their friend's went out, and now theirs did...! Not cool. I hope Casio speeds up the process of returning these things. Also, another person has e-mailed me saying that Snoopsoft Dashboard has prevented them from using their SD card. After doing a hard-reset, and not installing Dashboard, it worked. Also, in terms of USB stuff, a friend of the site tried a USB keyboard, and it worked... EXCEPT for the ENTER key. What's up with that? Be interesting to see if that's a WinCE USB HID (Human Interface Device... mouse/keyboard) driver problem! Another friend e-mailed me saying that his power charger from his old E-115 was charging his E-200 OK. Curious, I looked at the batteries of the E-125 vs. the E-200. They have the same voltage (3.7V), but different capacities. Very interesting. I'm going to ask a friend whose more knowledgeable about these things to see if it's OK in the long run to use the old chargers with the new batteries. It's quite possible that it might. Be great to use my car charger from my E-125 with my E-200! Also, the batteries from the E-125 and E-200 are a different size and shape. But the E-125 batteries are higher capacity.... wonder if an adapter can be made for the old batteries. I've got two batteries from my E-125, and if they can be used with the E-200, that's two spare batteries!!! :)
  • 01/03/2002 - This article is pretty neat, it's from The Gadgeteer. She went into this article talking about how they were un-inspired to review the E-200, even drawing straws... However once she did get a few days with it, she loved it! Good for her! The article explains alot about her bias towards the iPaq, and how the dual-slot capacity of the E-200 is great.
  • 01/03/2002 - I was also thing about USB related stuff the other day. I thought it'd be killer to have a USB touchpad-type mouse mounted in my arm rest, and pop that baby into the Casio while driving. Easy access to the GPS navigation software would be KILLER. I'm still awaiting information about getting the mouse pointer/cursor to be displayed on the screen (it's been reported that although a USB mouse works NOW with the Casio, no cursor is displayed :(.. but they found that clicking around does apparently work...). I think if that can be accomplished, then this little E-200 could be made even that much more valuable!
  • 01/03/2002 - Hey all, long time no post! Sorry about that. Took some time off during the past week to re-group after the pure madness of the Holidays!!! My E-200 is still going strong. I'm anxiously waiting for Casio to release the JK-744CV 20 Pin/USB Host Controller so I can play with my GPS!!! I've heard about some Casio E-200 updates. One of them is reportedly a re-pacakged Microsoft Service Pack. This says something about Casio being quick to offer service after the inital purchase! Try getting that from Compaq or HP. It took Compaq quite some time to get the PocketPC2002 upgrade out to older iPaq users who wanted to upgrade. Of course, the older iPaq device is upgradable, which is a pro against the E-125. However, if you have to wait months after the release to get it, I'm not sure it's a huge benefit. In any case, I'm really impressed with Casio's service in that regard.
  • 12/20/2001 - Another link from NLS... this time to a European site. Apparently they're being found over there!!! Kewl. Here is the link... but it's not in English :) ).
  • 12/20/2001 - Pertti sent me a note stating that he's been having problems with 802.11b cards. He e-mailed me again today stating that he might have found the problem... SnoopSoft's Dashboard. He said that this program somehow prevents the system to recognize any more I/O CF cards! That sucks!!! He said removing the software does not fix the problem. I suggested he do a hard-reset of the machine. I'll post more info as I get it!
  • 12/20/2001 - USB drivers may be coming more quickly than I thought!!! (Thanks to NLS for the links!)
  • PocketPCMinds Thread - Talks about WORKING USB keyboard and mice (but no on-screen cursors with mice).
  • Brighthand Thread - More USB ramblings
  • Another Brighthand Thread - This page has an AWESOME picture of an E-200 hooked up to MULTIPLE USB devices through a USB hub. Killer!!! I don't think drivers are available for all these things... YET. But it's a nice thought!
  • 12/19/2001 - I was reading the newsgroups, and I came across a thread in which the poster stated that when he had his sidelight turned up all the way his Symbol Wireless Networker card was acting flaky. When he turned down the light (not off, but down a level or two), it worked fine. I tried to replicate this, but couldn't. I've been having some temporary, off-and-on, problems with the card. The next time it happens, I will try this, and see if maybe that's a magic bullet! :)
  • 12/19/2001 - Hey all E-200 owners... you need to GET THIS FILE. It's the official Casio E-200 update file which fixes a BAD BUG with some video players (i.e. PocketTV). I installed it, then installed the newest version of PocketTV, and it works fine for me!
  • 12/18/2001 - I just called Casio, and they said the RECALL is NOT TRUE. They're not sure how this got started, but the OFFICIAL word is that there is NO RECALL.
  • 12/18/2001 - Hey all... some potentially BAD NEWS here... there is a news thread on Brighthand about a *POSSIBLE* Casio E-200 RECALL. It's up in the air right now. Some are saying yes, others are saying no, so keep tuned for more information!!! Here is the link. Thanks go out to Nick "NLS" Sardelianos for the link!!!
  • 12/17/2001 - Casio still working. Backlight still working. Woo hoo!!! The alarm work me up today OK. Reminders seem to be working OK as long as I set them at 5 minute intervals and set the reminder time for at least five minutes. My version of PocketTV expired because I forgot to register it. I'm not going to get the new one until I'm SURE that the problem others have been having is fixed. One of you guys sent me an e-mail to a thread (*THANKS!*). I'll have to check that out. I think they did fix it. I want to be sure first. I've got this thing loaded, and am pretty happy with it so far. After XMas I'm going to get the 128MB SD card. That'll complete the storage picture. More space for MP3s & data. Woo hoo!
  • 12/13/2001 - Oh, I'm such an idiot. I figured out how to get the contacts sent from the E-125 to the E-200. I couldn't figure out where to tell the E-200 to receive a contact. It's in 'Programs' -> 'Infrared Receive'. :)
  • 12/13/2001 - Earlier I had made a post about the Casio not going off when it was supposed to in regards to reminders. What I've been doing lately is to make sure my reminders are at 5-minute intervals. Earlier I was setting the reminder for like 3 minutes in the future, with a 1 minute alert time. Maybe it didn't have enough time to put that in it's internal clock or whatever. But I've tried it 3 times, and 3 times it's popped up at the correct time (after putting the reminder in and turning the unit off and walking away from it). That, combined with the new bell, seems to work well.
  • 12/13/2001 - Another 'reminder' about the reminder :). I found a post in the newsgroups that recommends taking a .WAV file off the Casio E-200 to your desktop. Then edit the .WAV (make it longer, make it louder), and put it back on the E-200. I did this, and it seems to work well after a few tries. What I did was to copy the \Windows\Alarm2.WAV file and copy it to my desktop. On the desktop I used the good ole' sound recorder to insert the file on itself four more times. So now the file has a bell which rings five times in a row. I also increased the volume by 75%. The unit seems to have a problem playing back sound as it turns itself back on. Kind of odd. But with the bell happening five times in a row, and at an increased volume, you should at least hear the unit making noise. So I think I'll be able to live with it.
  • 12/13/2001 - I contacted Casio today. During our conversation, I asked about the backlight problem. She said a few were coming in, but it wasn't like a mass problem. She said their techs are looking at the problem, and if there is something big, the factory will be contacted to fix the problem!!! I hope so. I'm lucky to have had them cross-ship me a new one. It would suck for others who would have to return it to be fixed. And with shipping right now, it's probably going to be a nightmare. In any case, I'm trying to phase out my E-125 here for every day use. But until I can get my contacts moved over in a quick fasion, that's going to be a problem... Most of the applications I use seem to be working OK on the Casio. But I will still have to refer to the E-125 for use with my Digital Camera! That kind of blows. As always, I'll report what comes up!
  • 12/13/2001 - Well, I've set a daily alarm on the E-200 (not a reminder, but an alarm), and it did go off correctly this morning. I guess if you want a real alarm, you have to use an alarm, not set a reminder. Oh well. I did try the reminder today, and it did go off OK. But now I've got a new problem... I'm trying to beam my old contacts from my E-125 to my E-200, and it's not working. In the 'Tools' dropdown, there no longer is a 'Receive Contact' function like the E-125 had. I know in 'Settings' -> 'Connections' -> 'Beam' there is an option to 'receive all beams'. I've got that set. But it will not accept a contact from the E-125. However, I can SEND a contact from the E-200 TO the E-125, so I know the IR ports on both of them work. There is NO WAY I will be able to type all of these contacts in. Holy crap!
  • 12/11/2001 - Not much good news on the E-200 while reading the newsgroups. Seems more people are getting the backlight problems... Also, I'm playing with the reminders, and it's giving me problems. I set it and my E-125 to wake me up this morning, but the E-200 didn't do it. After I turned the E-200 on, it gave me a reminder. What the hell is that??? A little bit late... Also, later in the day I set a reminder, and the screen lit up, but no sound played. I've noticed that on the E-200 there are some sound problems. Just small, weird problems. But I use reminders alot, and I had better get this problem fixed.
  • 12/10/2001 - I've FINALLY got my new E-200! After yet another shipping fiasco, it is in my hands, and I've got it semi-loaded. The unit seems the same, quality-wise, as the other unit. Unit looks good and feels good. The screen looks good with AND without backlighting. Absolutely NO DUST. Not sure where that rumor is coming from, but I will keep a close eye on it!!! Also, I've installed PocketTV, and it works just fine. I was able to run the demo, and it works. I will play some more MPEGs and see if I can't replicate any problems others seem to be having!
  • 12/10/2001 - A friend of the site overseas e-mailed me to let me know that stores should be receiving the E-200s sometime in JANUARY. Keep patient all! Casio also called me back, but didn't get much info in regards to overseas shipping.
  • 12/10/2001 - I'm STILL waiting for my E-200. Someone bungled the shipping YET AGAIN. Arg!!! It's SUPPOSED to be delivered today.
  • 12/06/2001 - I've been getting a lot of e-mails from you guys asking me about the E-200. Most of what I think about it the unit is expressed in my thoughts here. Before you e-mail me with a specific question about the unit, please read through all of this page first :). It's not that I don't like the e-mails... I love you guys! It's just hard answering the same questions. I think pretty soon here, time-allowing, I will develop a 'Casio E-200 Pros & Cons' sheet, mostly pointed at the differences between the E-125 and the E-200. In the meantime, I'm anxiously awaiting my new E-200 to come!!! I miss it already. :)
  • 12/05/2001 - I did a quick search on MobilePlanet for the E-200, and it came up! The link is HERE! It says 'Usually Ships: Same Day', so I'm ASSUMING they're in stock. HOWEVER, don't trust me! E-mail them or call them to be sure! Not sure what their overseas shipping rates are, so be sure and check all that out. If you are overseas and manage to get one, let me know how so I can post that here for others!!!
  • 12/05/2001 - While I was talking to Casio, I also asked about overseas availability. A few of you guys have e-mailed me asking where to get them. This person didn't know off hand (made a reference to www.mobileplanet.com shipping overseas, but was unsure if they were in stock yet). They're going to get back to me, and I'll post that here when they do!
  • 12/05/2001 - Got ahold of my contact at Casio. They're going to cross-ship me a new unit! This is wonderful. I should have it on Friday sometime. I was holding out on sending it back to get it fixed, and I'm glad I did!!!
  • 12/03/2001 - A lot of you have asked where I got mine from. I ordered it directly from Casio. If you can't find it at your store, give them a call. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about international shipping, I'm sorry :(. I don't know where to get them overseas or outside the US. I would suggest calling, or e-mailing Casio. They should be best able to answer that question!!!
  • 12/03/2001 - In the past two days I've hard-reset the device many times hoping the light will suddenly start working :). It has not, of course. But I noticed that even after doing this, any data stored in the FLASH ROM (called 'Built-In Storage') outlives a hard-reset!!! I placed my 'wallet' file created with DeveloperOne CodeWallet Pro onto the built-in storage the other day. Then today, just for grins, I checked to see if it was still there. It was! This is a *VERY* cool feature. However, there is only about 5MB of FLASH ROM storage space. Plenty of space for a digital wallet and some important text files! But not for MP3s and such ;).
  • 12/03/2001 - A friend of the site asked if the E-200 could register multiple button presses. The E-125 does, but the iPaq does not (the old one, at least). So I loaded up DOOM and tried it out. To answer the question, YES, the E200 does do it. You can move around via the joypad and use an action button (i.e. for shooting, opening doors, etc...) at the same time. HOWEVER, there is one very negative thing I did notice. On the E-125 (and every video game console that I know of), when you use the joypad, you can freely move your thumb around it, and your motion will follow. For instance, if you are moving forward, and then slide your thumb to the left, you will start moving left on the screen. I take this for granted, I'm sure you do to, if you're a gamer. However, on the E-200, this is not so! If you are moving straight, then slide your thumb to the left, you will keep going straight! It's like it knows your pressing a button, but it doesn't know you're going a different direction. In order to move straight and then left, you have to pick up your thumb slightly, then replace it down on the joypad on the left side. That will take some getting used to. For me, and surely for many of you! So if you're intending on using the E-200 for gaming purposes, you'd better preview one (i.e. borrow a friend's, or go to the store and check one out) before you buy it!!! And, one final thing. Also remember that the joypad is now in the center of the bottom of the Casio E-200. On the E-125 and nearly all video game console controllers, the joypad is on the left side. This is something I'm sure we can get used to... more so than the other issue!
  • 12/03/2001 - I've placed some bars in between days to help make it a LITTLE bit easier to read. I realize I'm dumping a lot of info on this page QUICKLY (although it's slowing down), and it's getting hard to read. Thanks for all of your comments on the site!!!
  • 12/02/2001 - I tried a hard-reset of the Casio E-200. Didn't seem to fix the backlight problem. Arg. Now I have to jump through some hoops. Ugh.
  • 12/02/2001 - BAD NEWS ALL. Seems like my Casio has decided to go on the fritz. This is very disappointing! The backlight has gone out... it still works, and I can read it just fine in direct lighting. I also took it outside today, and it looks GREAT in the direct sunlight! Should be great for geocaching... but I'm gonna have to call Casio tomorrow and see if I can get the damned thing fixed. ARG.
  • 12/01/2001 - Hey all. A friend of the site sent me a note that he contacted Casio regarding the Casio JK-710DC digital camera and the E-200. According to the response he got, he wasn't sure if they were going to develop software for the E-200. I've got the e-mail address of the person he was speaking too. I'm going to post that here in the hopes that you all will send a short, POLITE, note indicating that us Casio E-200 users with the Casio JK-710DC digital camera would sure like to use that item with the E-200! Again, if you are going to send a note, plese sent a POLITE one. Sending a flaming hatemail is never productive, and can be, in fact, counter productive!!! Here is the e-mail address: smanfredonia@casio.com.
  • 12/01/2001 - I want to clear something up that I said earlier... I had said that the serial cable and stuff that I have now will not work with the E-200. While it's still true that it will not work DIRECTLY, Casio is going to introduce an adapter for the Casio E-200 that will allow you to hook up the Casio E-200 to your E-1xx serial cables, AS WELL AS the USB host stuff. The new part is listed on the Casio.com page for USD$29.99. However, it's not avialable for sale yet. Arg. I wanted to do some GPS stuff this weekend with the new Casio!
  • 12/01/2001 - Still playin' around here. Got listed on PocketPCThoughts... woo-hoo! For all you newcomers, I've used the Casio E-125 before the Casio E-200, and have a page for that too... you can find many tips and cool stuff on that page that should directly work on the Casio E-200... Casio E-125 Page.
  • 11/30/2001 - This display is AWESOME! In a room with full lighting, you can turn OFF the back-lighting on the Casio, and still see crystal-clear! It's GREAT! That's going to be a GREAT energy saver. Now I'll have to wait until this Toledo sun comes back out, and see how well it works in direct sunlight...
  • 11/30/2001 - Got the Symbol card working! Woo hoo! Don't know what happened. Went out to lunch... then returned to a different location with a different access point (Linksys BEFW11S4). It worked! Went back to the office (with the Linksys WAP11)... it worked! Killer! This is using the Symbol BETA PocketPC 2002 drivers.
  • 11/30/2001 - The new ActiveSync supports network pass-thru! So with the Casio E-200 in it's cradle hooked up to a Windows machine with MS ActiveSync, you can access the network. As well, the device has proxy support for not just HTTP proxies, but for the SOCKS4 & SOCKS5 server! This is great, because that's what I use. This is a wonderful addition. Thankfully, I can still test out my network stuff without the wireless card!
  • 11/30/2001 - Welp, after playing with this thing for most of the day, it seems quite zippy. Been having major problems with the Symbol Wireless Networker card. Symbol doesn't yet support PocketPC2002. Arg! But some things do appear to work great! In addition, that little 'X' in the upper-right hand corner sure is useful!!! It's not a 'close' button, but more of a 'smart minimize'. Seems to have worked OK for me today. I think it's a good addition. Copying stuff seems pretty fast, too. Also, I didn't need new drivers when I plugged in the USB cradle. Seems it uses the same drivers as the E-125 USB cradle. Cool!
  • 11/30/2001 - ACCESSORIES. Welp, it's quite clear to me that all my old E-125 specific accessories (extra battery, LandWare GoType keyboard, belt clip case, serial cables, etc...) will NOT work with the E-200. It's of a fundamentally different design. Darn! It's a shame, because I know most of this stuff worked with all the older Cassiopeia models (E-10x, E-11x, & E-125).
  • 11/30/2001 - What works & what doesn't.. I've started a table which lists what I've gotten to work so far, and what I have not (yet).
    What Works & What Doesn't!
  • 11/29/2001 - Photos (I apologize for HORRIBLE quality... my photo skills are NONE):
    E-125 vs. E-200 E-125 vs. E-200 E-125 vs. E-200
  • 11/29/2001 - I've spent about one hour with the new Casio. Here are my first impressions. Everything I've read from other people seems to indicate that they think it's BIG. I think it's SMALL! And that's not a bad thing. Also, people say it looks and feels "plasticky" and cheap. I think it looks sexy... as far as a gadget can look sexy. But it doesn't FEEL cheap. I think it feels just as sturdy as my ever trusty E-125. It's got 64MB of RAM! Killer! That means I can keep all the games and GPS applications in memory, instead of boosting them off to the memory card. This is great! Also, it's pretty nice having the media player and other apps in ROM. That means the RAM is free for other apps (on the E-125, the new Windows Media Player 7 must be loaded into RAM). And, you can by SD memory cards, AND have an 802.11b card in AT THE SAME TIME! Kewl. However, I do not like the speaker. The speaker is located under the "joypad". The speaker sounds "tinny", there just isn't any bass. The E-125 sounds great, lots of bass for a small speaker. I guess it's something I'll have to get used to... Some people are stating that the keys and joypad also have that cheap plastic feel. Again, while they do look plastic, it doesn't feel cheap, in my opinion. I still think it looks great. We'll see how long it lasts! Also, the connector at the bottom has changed. Holy crap is it big (see photo)! It's huge! But the thing I do like about it is that it has the two side clips where a connecting cable/attachment will securely lock in place. But there is no sliding cover, and I don't like that. But it does have USB client AND host capability, and that should prove very interesting here pretty soon as more drivers become available! Welp, that's where I'm at right now. Just wanted to get first impressions out there. In my personal opinion, I think after I get used to the changes, and get this baby loaded up with a 128MB or 256MB SD card and the Symbol Wireless Networker 802.11b CF card, this thing is going to ROCK!!!
  • 11/29/2001 - The wait is over! The Casio E-200s are shipping! WOO HOO! I've got mine right here baby!

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