Best Software Awards nominations?In an effort to help our readers sift through an expanding library of third-party programs, we established the Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine Best Software Awards six years ago. In the first year of the awards, over 20 experts from around the world examined over 300 Pocket PC programs, nominated 116 as finalists, and selected 33 titles to receive first-place awards. This year, over 90 experts will examine over 650 Smartphone & Pocket PC nominees. We will announce the winners in over 115 categories in the next issue of the magazine, the 2007 Buyer's Guide.

GPS section?The second special section in this issue reviews GPS solutions available for Smartphones and Pocket PCs. If you're interested in adding GPS to your Windows Mobile device, you'll want to take a look at the first article in this section?a roundup of compatible GPS receivers and navigation software. We also look at "geo-referencing," which allows you to stamp the photos you take with their exact location. Finally, we take another look at the "high-tech treasure hunt" known as geocaching.

Hot, new Smartphones?Phone-enabled devices continue to dominate the Windows Mobile world, and we review 4 hot new Smartphones in this issue. The first is the long-awaited Motorola Q, which is marketed in the U.S. by Verizon. This ultra-slim device is the first Smartphone with a built-in QWERTY keyboard and push e-mail capability. Not surprisingly, Verizon and Motorola are promoting it as a BlackBerry killer. We also take a look at Cingular's new 2125 and HTC's MTeoR, small candy-bar style phones that work on GSM/GPRS networks. Finally, we review the Qtek 8500, a RAZR-thin flip phone. All of these phones are based on the Windows Mobile 5.0 software, and are push e-mail capable.

Many more articles are packed into this issue, including a look at new mobile content available online, a brief review of new and updated soft keyboards for the Pocket PC, and a profile that describes how a Kung Fu student uses a camcorder and Windows Movie Maker to create training videos for his Windows Mobile Smartphone. You'll also find regular features like Tips & Tricks, Tips from the Forums, NewsBYTES, Inbox (letters to the editor), and more.

Enterprise Section

Large organizations are always looking for the Next Big Thing to improve worker productivity. Years ago, this was the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, transforming the way we look at and work with numbers. More recently, it was the Pocket PC, taking the PIM concept and adding robust support and integration with the desktop PC operating system and software. What's next?

There's been a lot of buzz lately about Smartphones. We see predictions that Smartphones will replace almost everything else. They'll be entertainment devices, PIMs, e-mail hubs, and mobile audio/video replay devices all rolled into one.

In this issue we have two articles that suggest that the Smartphone predictions are starting to come true based on clever new technologies. In the Windows Mobile space, we'll soon be seeing Smartphones with two-way video conferencing. Tsahi Levent-Levi discusses some of the technical underpinnings that will make this possible. We're also increasingly able to stream and download broadcast TV to our devices. Thomas Murray tells of one system for making TV fast, of high quality, and ubiquitous among 3G-enabled Smartphones and Phone Edition devices.

Meanwhile, America is immersed in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The U.S. Army has a drastically increased need for blood supplies for battlefield wounded. Peter Phillips reports on a new system developed using Pocket PCs and barcode scanners that speeds, simplifies, and vastly improves the way the Army gathers, stockpiles, transports, and uses blood products. It was developed by an Army Major who realized that the system used previously was slow, error-prone, and resulted in some of the blood being wasted due to its short shelf life and the way it was being tracked. This is a great example of a life-saving use of Windows Mobile technology.

Securing Windows Mobile devices is critical for organizations concerned about the security of their information. Chris De Herrera details the security tiers of Pocket PCs and Smartphones so that IS professionals can protect the mobile devices they manage.

Finally, John Kennedy has an early holiday gift for developers. It's called the Mobile Client Software Factory. It's a system, offered free for the taking from Microsoft, which helps make the application development process quick, easy, and productive. John summarizes the system and helps you get started with it.