12/15/2001 - Version 1.22 of MeetingMute is available.  This update addresses an issue that leaves reminders and alarms on Pocket PC 2002 machines inaudible under certain circumstances.

12/09/2001 - Version 1.21 of MeetingMute is available.  This update is free to all registered users (Trial users can download as well, but your trial period expiration date will remain unchanged).  This update prevents MeetingMute from being closed by the Operating System under certain low memory conditions.  Additionally, the registration button now remains available after registration.  This will allow registration information to be updated if needed.

12/9/2001 - The MeetingMute special introductory price of $9.95 USD will expire on January 10, 2002.  Starting January 11, 2002 MeetingMute will be available at the normal price of $12.95 USD.

11/22/2001 - MeetingMute is released! (Press Release)

11/22/2001 - PocketConcepts launches new web site.

10/22/2001 - I have obtained some limited assistance from Microsoft with the Pocket PC 2002 changes.  The assistance has pointed me in the right direction for updating MeetingMute to work with the new OS.  Unfortunately, the assistance was incomplete and Microsoft is not willing to provide any further support, citing that the behavior of programmatically muting the volume is unsupported - even though there are many applications that do it.  Therefore, I am left on my own to work through the final issue of keeping the task bar volume icon (the one that appears at the top of the screen) synchronized with the actual state of the system volume.  I have already worked through the muting and volume restore issues.  It is Microsoft's incomplete implementation of the task bar volume icon that is at the root of the remaining issue.  The icon is not fully integrated with the rest of the OS and is many times out of sync with the current volume state-- regardless of the presence of MeetingMute.  I will take a reasonable amount of time (probably the rest of this week) to research a solution.  If after that time I have not found one, I will release MeetingMute with this as a known issue when running on Pocket PC 2002.  Please note that this is a Pocket PC 2002 issue only, users of the original Pocket PC are not affected.  Also note that MeetingMute's Sound Protection feature will overcome some of the shortcomings of the built-in handling of sound settings in both Pocket PC and Pocket PC 2002.

10/18/2001 - Further in-depth testing of MeetingMute on Pocket PC 2002 reveals some incompatibilities.  Microsoft has been contacted for assistance with undocumented behaviors and to report inconsistencies in the implementation of the new task bar volume icon in Pocket PC 2002.  Updates to MeetingMute for Pocket PC 2002 compatibility are in progress. Work continues on the new web site as well.  For those who received MeetingMute v1.1 at the Pocket PC Summit, that version does not function as intended on 2002, but should not cause any major problems.

10/16/2001 - Began expanding the Sound Protection feature of MeetingMute after a discussion on BrightHand

10/10-12/2001 - I attended the first Pocket PC Summit in Santa Monica Ca.  It was an exciting conference.  I made many new friends and acquaintance.  Congratulations to all the award winners.  Some brief testing of MeetingMute on Pocket PC 2000 hardware was done.  On the surface it appears that MeetingMute functions appropriately.

10/6/2001 - PocketConcepts has found a real web host, so expect some changes over the next few days.

10/4/2001 - The release of MeetingMute has been delayed by a week or so to check compatibility with Pocket PC 2002.

9/25/2001 - Fifth Beta released to beta test group. Some bug fixes and new features added, including complete on-line help.
 

From the Owner's Desk Archive

06/30/2003 - MeetingMute v1.3 is now available.  This update is free to all registered users and provides compatibility with Pocket PC 2003 along with a couple new features.  Most notably is a Mute to Vibrate setting allows MeetingMute to activate the vibrate mode found on some Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices (Pocket PC 2002 and later).  Please see the Revision History at the bottom of the Support page.

Send comments to jim@pocketconcepts.com.

Thank you for your continued support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

06/25/2003 - It's been a while since I have given an update and I'm sorry for that.  I have been extremely busy with personal obligations  and the web site, and MeetingMute updates, have taken a back seat.

Let me bring things up to date.  First, as you probably know, MeetingMute did not receive a 2002 Pocket PC Award, but at least it was nominated and I thank the judges for considering it. 

Second, I had started work on adding features to MeetingMute specifically for the Phone Edition devices, but my efforts have been stalled due to the availability of Phone Edition devices in my area.  they have only recently been available and I have not been able to negotiate an appropriate contract with any of the carriers.

Third, with the release of Pocket PC 2003 this week, the need for further updates to MeetingMute has been identified.  MY new IPAQ h2215 was delivered yesterday and I immediately found that there are some compatibility issues with MeetingMute.  I am working on an update and will post it as soon as it is completed.  This will be a free upgrade for all registered users.

Fourth, I have decided make the $8.95 registration fee for MeetingMute permanent.  It hasn't changed in quite a while and I don't see any reason to return to the original price now.

Send comments to jim@pocketconcepts.com.

Thank you for your continued support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

08/21/2002 - I'm pleased to announce that MeetingMute has been nominated for the Pocket PC Awards 2002.  This is a big honor and I would like to thank the Pocket PC Magazine team for considering MeetingMute.

In celebration of this nomination I am running an $8.95 special on MeetingMute.  This is the lowest price ever for MeetingMute so get your copy today.

Send comments to jim@pocketconcepts.com.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

08/02/2002 - OK, it's been a while since my last message (4 months...).  Things have been quite busy.  I have been working on some new things, but nothing is ready for prime time yet.  I do want to mention an updated review at Foxpop.  Look in the PocketConcepts News section or on the MeetingMute reviews page for more information.

I have had several offers to help translate MeetingMute into German.  I am working toward this goal, but I'm not quite ready yet as I'm still establishing the English version in the Marketplace.  If you think that MeetingMute might do well translated into another language, let me know.

I have also been thinking about a pricing change for MeetingMute.  It seems that prices have been coming down around the industry and it may be time for a similar change for MeetingMute.  If you have any thoughts on this I'd like to hear them.

Send comments to jim@pocketconcepts.com.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

04/22/2002 - It has come to my attention that we have experienced some email problems again.  Apparently, our hosting provider decided to impose an arbitrary quota on our supposedly unlimited email accounts.  This caused some email to be returned as undeliverable.  The problem has now been rectified and the quota's removed.  Our apologies to those that sent us email and had it returned.  Please resend any email that was returned. 

A special thanks to Harmut Schumacher of Pocket PC Magazin (the German Pocket PC Magazine) for quickly alerting us to the problem.  Also, please see our news item of 4/21/2002 about the review of MeetingMute Harmut wrote for Pocket PC Magazin.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Develope

03/24/2002 - Well, I thought it was about time I updated this section since my last letter was back in January.  Word about MeetingMute continues to spread.  It was featured in the New Products section of the May 2002 issue of Pocket PC Magazine.  The latest review is from Tekguru.co.uk where it received their highest rating. 

I have started working on the next PocketConcepts application, but external commitments are limiting my available time.  This does not affect our support, though, as anyone who has asked for support can attest.  I'm currently doing research and trying to nail down the initial feature set.  I'll keep you posted as the project progresses. 

I will be attending the Pocket PC Summit May 28-31, 2002 in Philadelphia, PA USA.  If you are a Pocket PC enthusiast, you should check it out.  This will be the second Pocket PC Summit.  The first one was held back in October in California.  I attended that summit as well and met many influential people in the industry and made some new friends.  The first Pocket PC Awards were also given out at that first summit (by the way, I donated the use of my personal laptop to run the slides for the presentation.  The Pocket PC Magazine staff were in a bind when things didn't go quite as planned and needed a quick solution.), but it looks like this summit is too close to the last one for the awards to be included this time.  Hopefully we can get MeetingMute nominated this year.  It wasn't even released at the time of last years awards.  As a matter of fact, today is the 4 month anniversary of MeetingMute's release (11/24/2001).

I have also been asked to put together an article for Pocket PC Magazine.  I'm trying to fit it in, but it may take a little time.

I'm thinking of doing more advertising for MeetingMute, but I'm not quite sure what will give the best bang for the buck.  I have put together a prototype ad.  Let me know what you think by sending email to jim@PocketConcepts.com.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

01/16/2002 - The MeetingMute special introductory price has now expired.  The regular low price of $12.95 USD is now in effect.  Since we had a good response to the introductory price, I will probably continue this practice as we release new products. 

I have had quite a few questions about what's next for PocketConcepts.  There are several ideas on the drawing board, but none are to the beta stage yet.  When we near that point we will have a signup for a limited public beta similar to the one we had for MeetingMute.  The MeetingMute beta team consisted of nearly 100 Pocket PC users from all around the world.  Not bad for a new company that didn't have a released product yet. 

Participating in a PocketConcepts beta program is your opportunity to help shape a new product and see it mature.  If you look on the MeetingMute screen shot page, you can see what MeetingMute looked like in it's first beta (It's the last picture at the bottom on the right hand side).  As you can see, it has changed quite a bit.  Many of those changes were a direct result of feedback from the beta testers.  I expect that user feedback will continue to shape MeetingMute in the versions to come.  In my book, there is no substitute for input from users with hands on experience.

My mission with PocketConcepts is to provide programs and utilities that improve the Pocket PC user experience.  I'd like to differentiate PocketConcepts by listening to the users and giving them what they want at a reasonable price.  PocketConcepts is all about taking simple ideas and turning them into great software.  I have my own ideas drawn from personal experience, but yours are always welcome as well.  If you have an idea that you think sounds like a PocketConcepts program, let me know and I'll see if we can implement it.  

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

01/09/2002 - I am pleased to announce that in addition to using PayPal, you can now purchase MeetingMute at PocketGear.com.  Thank you to all of you who have waited patiently for another purchase method.  The distribution of MeetingMute will be greatly expanded in the coming weeks.  It has already been listed with CNet downloads and ZDNet downloads.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that the special introductory price of $9.95 will expire on 01/15/2002.  The regular price of $12.95 will then take affect.  If you have seen MeetingMute on CNet, you may have noticed that the price is already listed as $13.  It was actually submitted as $12.95, they rounded up.  The regular price was submitted because it can take up to 6 weeks for a listing to appear.  I guess we were lucky in that it only took a week or so for MeetingMute.  MeetingMute is also listed on CNet Asia, but the download link is currently not functioning properly.  I have reported this and hopefully it will be quickly fixed.

l hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe holiday season and wish you all the best in the new year.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

12/15/2001 - The cause of our recent email problems has finally been determined.  It seems that the server that hosts email for the PocketConcepts.com domain was overloaded by a spammer.  In response to this, our web host is moving our email to another server that will be less susceptible to such issues (we hope). 

A new MeetingMute update (v1.22) is available for download.  I know this is the second update in approximately a  week, but I feel that the issue it addresses is important enough to warrant another update.  It was brought to my attention last evening that under certain circumstances reminders and alarms can be inappropriately made inaudible on Pocket PC 2002 machines running MeetingMute (Pocket PC 2000 machines are unaffected).  I strongly urge all Pocket PC 2002 users of MeetingMute to download and install this latest version of MeetingMute which corrects the issue.  Pocket PC 2000 users can download and install as well, but there is nothing new for you in this version.

One last issue relates to the PocketConcepts website itself.  Modifications were made this past week that  should improve the rendering of the site by Netscape browsers. 

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

12/11/2001 - Two days ago we reported that we were experiencing problems with our email.  The email seems to be back up, but we have yet to receive an explanation from our hosting company.  If you have sent email to us between 12/08/01 and 12/11/01 and have not received a reply, we may not have received your message.  Please resend.  We will be resending our outgoing mail and apologize in advance for any duplicated messages. 

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

12/09/2001 - We are currently experiencing problems with our email (both incoming and outgoing).  Our hosting provider has been notified.  Hopefully the problem will be resolved quickly.  Until then, please be patient.  We have also received emails (when email was working) indicating that some of the emails we have sent out in the past were not received (namely around 11/25/01).  If you were expecting an email from us  and have not received it, please send an email to let us know as we have no way at this time of knowing who has not received emails we have sent.  If you send email and it is returned to you, please resend.  For urgent requests we have set up a temporary email address at pocketconcepts@yahoo.com.

We are confident that the problem will be resolved quickly and apologize for any inconvenience it has caused.

Also, please note that a new version of MeetingMute (v1.21) is available for download.  Please check the details in the news section below.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer

11/22/01 - Welcome to PocketConcepts, home of innovative software for the Pocket PC.  We have FINALLY replaced our temporary site with this one.  Hope you like it as much as we do-- it was a long time coming.  We have been busy preparing our first software title, MeetingMute, for release.  The release was delayed so that support for Pocket PC 2002 could be added.  With all  the Pocket PC 2002 issues now completed, and some additional features implemented. MeetingMute is being released today.  

As time goes by we will be adding additional titles to our product line.  Initially we will follow the path we set out on with MeetingMute and concentrate on simple utilities that improve the Pocket PC user experience.  We have quite a number of ideas waiting in the wings, but we are always open to suggestions.

Thank you for your support,

Jim Verrelli             
Owner / Developer