First, download
BigOven for your PC. Then, if you have a Windows Mobile
or Palm Device, you can
carry your recipes and shopping lists with you, to the kitchen,
grocery store, work, neighbor's house, vacation... and more!
With the new BigOven Mobile Companion, you can carry your favorite recipes,
recipe photos and
complete shopping
list to the grocery store! Tight integration with BigOven for Windows lets
you publish your current shopping list and any set of recipes you'd like
to your Pocket PC device.
You can publish your recipes and shopping list
from BigOven for Windows right to your Mobile device. You can fetch
your Try Soon Queue, your Favorites list, or those from any chef.
You can save new items to the shopping list, and check them off as you go
through the store.
How to Install
- Windows Mobile Devices
(If you've got an Internet-connected Windows Mobile device, the easiest
way to install it is to visit
www.bigoven.com from Pocket Internet Explorer on your Windows Mobile
device. There, you can simply tap on the Over-the-Air file to
install it.)
To install it from your desktop, here's what you
need:
Hardware: a Windows Mobile or Pocket PC
2003 device
Our free mobile software. First,
download and save the tiny CAB file to your PC. Then use ActiveSync to transfer this .CAB
file to any folder on your Windows Mobile device. Then,
using your stylus, start Programs/File Explorer, and tap on the File
name to install it.
Microsoft Compact Framework
(CF). This is a set of libraries that the mobile companion
REQUIRES. It ships pre-installed with newer PDA's; it's a free
download
if you don't have it already installed.
Optional but recommended: Our desktop
software, BigOven for Windows
here. This will allow you to publish recipes and shopping
lists to your PDA.
There are two simple steps to installing BigOven
Mobile Edition for the first time.
Step 1: Before
downloading, take a moment to
ensure that ActiveSync's file synchronization service is active.
From your PC, open Microsoft ActiveSync, choose "Options" from the tools
menu. Ensure the "Files" line is checked (see the
screenshot below). By default, it's often not checkd ON, and
you need it on for BigOven to be able to transport files to the PDA.
The File
Synchronization service keeps a directory on your PC and the "My Documents"
directory on your Windows Mobile device synchronized.
Step 2: Get the free download of
BigOven for Windows Mobile.
Download
BigOvenMobile.CAB. This CAB file can only be run on
Windows Mobile or Pocket PC devices. Copy it over there, and tap on
it to install.
Here's How (Step-by-Step):
Click on the link above. Save the .CAB file to your PC; any location
will do -- we generally use the Desktop.
If you have another version of the Windows Mobile
Companion already installed on your PDA, now's the time to remove it.
From your PDA's Start menu, use Settings/Remove Programs to remove it.
(On some PDA's you may also need to manually delete the folder Program
Files\BigOven.)
Then, cradle or connect your PDA, and make sure
ActiveSync is running. Once ActiveSync is running and your PDA is
connected, you can open Windows Explorer on your PC, and navigate to your
Windows Mobile device, then to a folder within it, and simply copy this
.CAB file to your PDA. Just like with the PC, any location will do
-- you're simply transferring the file to your PDA.
Then, to run the installer, using your PDA's
stylus, simply tap on the CAB file itself (from your PDA's Start
Menu/Programs/File Explorer). The CAB
should extract, and you should have a new icon "BigOven" in your
Start/Programs group.
Troubleshooting Tips
Remember, this program requires the .NET Compact Framework on your
PDA. While most of the newer PDA's on the market ship with this
free library pre-installed, your PDA might not have it. It's free;
please
visit this Microsoft site and download and install the
Compact Framework if you are receiving any errors.
If you get an error message that the program cannot be installed, be
sure you've uninstalled any previous versions of the Mobile Companion.
To uninstall, go to your PDA's start menu, choose Settings, Memory, and
"Remove Programs".
Here's how to use BigOven for Windows Mobile
At the moment, we're expanding our help file with descriptions on
how to use BigOven Mobile. In the meantime, here are some quick tips
to get you started:
A) Cradle your Windows Mobile Device
B) To add recipes to BigOven Mobile
Edition, simply run BigOven for Windows, click on the Recipe View icon,
select the recipes you'd like to copy in the Recipe Results Window (on
the PC), and then click "Publish / To Mobile Device" from the File menu.
You can also right click on the recipe(s) in the Recipe list.
The first time through, you need to tell
BigOven where the synchronized "BigOven" folder is on your PC.
Setting up File Synchronization (Step 1) above
will create a subfolder under "My Documents" on your PC that is always
synchronized with your Pocket PC's "My Documents" folder.
Find that folder on your PC (for instance, it
might be called "StevePocketPC_My Documents", and under it, create a
folder called "BigOven". Then, launch BigOven, select some
recipes, and choose Publish / Publish to Mobile Device. In the
dialog, be sure to specify the synchronized subfolder "BigOven" on your
PC. (e.g., "c:\documents and settings\steve\my
documents\StevePocketPC_My Documents\BigOven").
BigOven Mobile Edition will create the necessary subfolders
on your Pocket PC. Note that you only need to do this
once; BigOven will remember this file location for future runs.
C) On the next synchronization,
ActiveSync should copy your recipes and shopping list over to your
Pocket PC's My
Documents\BigOven folder, which contains subfolders named "Recipes" and
"Shopping Lists".
D) Go to your Windows Mobile device, tap
on the Start menu, then Programs, then "BigOven". You should see
the recipes and shopping list ready to go!
If you are not able to publish recipes to your
Pocket PC -- e.g., somehow they are not showing up when you synchronize --
make sure you carefully re-read all the steps above, and in particular, be
sure that:
i) ActiveSync File Synchronization is
checked ON. If not, launch ActiveSync and use Tools/Options to
select it.
ii) The "Pocket PC My Documents" folder
that ActiveSync File Synchronization is keeping synchronized for you
contains a folder named "BigOven". (You can find out the full name
of the My Documents folder that the ActiveSync is synchronizing for you by
launching ActiveSync, and double-clicking on the "Files" information type
in the lower half of the ActiveSync window.)
iii) This "BigOven" subfolder is the one
you've named in the "Publish to Mobile Device" dialog.
Please send bug reports / feature
requests to support@bigoven.com
For bug reports, please be sure to specify which make and model mobile
device you have.
In other words, the Palm Companion is in
"beta testing" -- we're still making some
tweaks to the product before we call it finished, and we welcome your
feedback before final release.
We're pleased to announce the availability of the
Palm Companion for BigOven! Now you can carry your shopping list and
recipes with you on your PalmOS(r) compatible device.
Steps:
1. Ensure you're running
BigOven version 1.8 or higher. The version can always be found via
Help/About BigOven, or the splashscreen. To get the latest version
of the produce, choose "Check for Updates (Internet)" from the Help menu.
2.
Download the BigOven Palm Companion, approximately
1.5Mb. Save
to any location on your PC.
3. Cradle your Palm, and ensure
that HotSync is installed and running properly. (We do not
provide technical support for general HotSync setup issues; so please be
sure that HotSync works properly before you attempt to install the BigOven
Palm Companion.)
4. Run the setup program you
downloaded in step 2 above.
5. Press your HotSync button to
install the application.
6. Run BigOven for Windows, click
the recipes view on the left, and select any set of recipes. Choose
Publish to Mobile Device from the file menu, and then click on the Palm
device icon. HotSync, and you should see the recipes and your
current shopping list on your Palm!
Please send bug reports / feature
requests to support@bigoven.com
For bug reports, please be sure to specify which make and model mobile
device you have.
