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If you've recently purchased a modern Pocket PC equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you probably spent a fair sum of money on it, and now you're looking for new things to do with the Pocket PC to justify its purchase price. Meanwhile, in your living room are three or four different remotes, all designed to control different pieces of gear, with none of them able to control your wireless media server computer.
You are in luck, because media remote programs can turn your Pocket PC into a powerful and versatile remote control. Programs like Rudeo Play & Control Rudeo.com allow you to control the media player software on your media server computer from anywhere in range of your Wi-Fi network.
Installing remote control software
Follow these steps to install the remote control software:
1. Install Windows Media Connect on your media server computer.
2. Install the latest version of Windows Media Player both on your media server and your Pocket PC.
 | Most remote control programs require Windows Media Player 9 or better; check the software producer's documentation for specific requirements. |
3. Connect your Pocket PC to your computer using a sync cable and ActiveSync. (Make sure that the Pocket PC is powered-on.)
4. Launch the installer for the remote control program.
5. Review any special instructions in the installer. For example, the Rudeo Play & Control program might require .NET Framework software to be installed on both the desktop PC and Pocket PC.
6. When you see the Application Downloading Complete message, check the screen of the Pocket PC for special installation steps. In most cases, you will have to confirm installation and choose an installation location.
If possible, install the remote software on the Pocket PC's internal memory, and not on removable storage media such as an SD card.
Connecting the remote to the media server
To connect the remote to the media server, follow these steps:
1. Make sure that Windows Media Connect is running on your server PC and folder sharing is enabled.
2. Launch the remote software on your Pocket PC.
3. Tap the Menu icon and choose Setup.
4. In the Setup screen, select the desired media server.
5. Tap OK to close Settings and return to the main screen.
| If you have difficulty making a connection between your Pocket PC, you may need to adjust firewall settings on the server PC to allow the remote software to access the network. |
Building the media library
Use these steps to build your media library:
1. In the remote control program on your Pocket PC, tap the device menu and then choose the device you want to control.
2. Read the warning message that appears, and then tap OK to download the library to your Pocket PC.
 | The actual media files will remain on the server computer. When the remote software downloads the library, it simply downloads a list of the items that are in your library. |
3. After the library is downloaded, tap the Music Note icon along the top of the remote control program to view your music library.
4. Tap the Film Strip icon to view your list of available videos.
5. Tap the Radio icon to browse available Internet radio stations.
6. Tap the Playlist icon to access playlists that you have created in Windows Media Player.
Playing media
Follow these steps to play media:
1. Locate some media that you want to play in the media library.
2. Tap to place a check mark next to songs that you want to hear, and then tap the green arrow at the bottom of the screen to queue the media up for play.
3. Tap the Play Control icon on the far left side of the upper toolbar to open the player controls.
| Although the server computer must have Windows Media Connect running, it is not necessary to launch Windows Media Player on the server computer. When Windows Media Connect is running, the media plays automatically. |
4. Use the playback controls to control playback.
The controls include standard playback controls such as Play, Pause, Stop, Next Track, Previous Track, and a volume slider.
5. Tap a song in the current playlist and then use the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen to move the song up or down in the playback order. Songs at the top of the list play first.
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