Palmcricket Frequently Asked Questions

Does Palmcricket run on Pocket PC, and if so, how do I handle this?

Yes, Palmcricket runs quite successfully on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile handheld units using the StyleTap emulator, a $50 third party application developed by a Canadian company. Palmcricket is fully certified to run on StyleTap. These are the few basics:

ActiveSync needs to be operational, with the Pocket PC hand-held hooked up to the desktop computer.
Buy StyleTap, or download the evaluation version.
Install StyleTap, which comes with its own installation program, to the hand-held.
StyleTap will allocate a random Palm User Name. To change the Palm User Name, run StyleTap on the Pocket PC, then tap on Options/User Name. More details are available on the StyleTap website. Note that one cannot change the Palm User name again within 24 hours.
Install Palmcricket (pcri.prc and pcrteams.rc) by using the StyleTap Application Installer which should now be visible on the desktop.
On the Pocket PC, first launch StyleTap, then run Palmcricket. Register Palmcricket first, by tapping on the Utils and Register buttons. The correct Palm User Name should be displayed.

StyleTap support desk advises the following regarding PalmOS databases:

The file names of the databases are not instantly recognizable, but they are in the \Program Files\StyleTap\db folder, with the extension .stp (instead of .prc or .pdb). The filename for the databases starts with the original database name, followed by the # character and a string of gibberish that improves the StyleTap database manager's performance. In any event, the .stp files can be renamed back to .prc or .pdb databases without losing any information at all.

Note also that Microsoft's ActiveSync works with files in a different manner to Palm's HotSync. The "\Program Files" folder referred to above is actually found on the Mobile Device under My Computer, when connected, and NOT, as one might expect from a Palm perspective, on the C:\ drive.
What this means for Palmcricket users is that one should use Windows Explorer to:

Copy scoresheets (eg Australia-England-3rdODI.pdb) from the Mobile Device's \Program Files\StyleTap\db folder to a safe folder (e.g. C:\Palmcricket)
Rename the file by retaining the original first part, deleting the rest of the gibberish after the # character, deleting the extension .stp and adding the extension .pdb
One should then be able to open, view and print these score-sheets using P-Viewer, by navigating to the safe folder.

The end result is that, with a bit of fancy footwork, Palmcricket works 100% on the StyleTap platform running PocketPC devices. Certainly good news for all the cricket-scoring Microsoft fans out there. However, before you rush out to buy that new $1000 Garmin to score your next match, first make sure that the device meets the Palmricket scoring criteria of visibility and battery life (since cost is no longer an issue if you can afford these top of the range models).

Remember, however, that for the extra $50 needed to buy StyleTap, you can buy a very good second-hand Palm, which you can use just for scoring. So why risk your expensive Pocket PC at a cricket field, if you don't need to?