Is there a network browser?

[Guest sashany]

Does anyone know of a network browser for Tornado devices? I need to access network shares from my device. Such software seems to exist only for PPC.

Edited May 4, 2006 by sashany

[Guest hyedipin]

Let us know if you find one..

I tried but was not successful!

[Guest dleasman]

Does anyone know of a network browser for Tornado devices? I need to access network shares from my device. Such software seems to exist only for PPC.

I do not believe the device can really see outside itself, so to speak.

However, you can use PIE to browse your network, if you set up a simple web page using something like Windows Scripting Host. I run a mini website at home that has this, so I can browse my network folders from my phone inside PIE by wifi or wap. I do not have anything set up to transfer this way, and I am not sure how that would be accomplished.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I don't think there's any technical reason it can't be done, just nobody has yet!

P

[Guest Tech]

the technical reason is that the smartphone platform just doesnt support networking.

on the PPC you can - it's nothing to do with Windows Mobile but the actual hardware for some strange reason - no idea why.

I have asked this and confirmed with my colleagues as well as testing it out myself

One way would be, which I could probably do at some point, is to get a list of files available on the shares using a Server software, the phone will then connect and request the list of files - just like my WMP Remote control app.

just thinking unclearly atm - wonder if i could make it transfer the request file over to the smartphone via this software.... interesting......*thinks deeper*

Edited May 4, 2006 by Tech

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

FTP would work...

P

[Guest sashany]

the technical reason is that the smartphone platform just doesnt support networking.

This link shows that in the next version of Resco Explorer network browsing will be supported.

http://www.resco.net/forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=5040

Moreover, it was supported in WM2003 version of the software.

[Guest hyedipin]

FTP works but it is useless, because you need to transfer the whole file. Plus it wont't work with blocked ports..

What works great us ORB, so you can run orb-like system locally using xaamp, which I have done, and lets you access local files from HTTP, but still, you cannot stream, I am working on streaming locally, but even I am trying to get it to work over internet, but cannot test it with t-zones, again due to blocked ports..

I remember there was a php script, that listed eveything in it's subfolder, called "SONGS" and let you play over browser.. If i can find it i will post it here.

[Guest kam_]

the technical reason is that the smartphone platform just doesnt support networking.

on the PPC you can - it's nothing to do with Windows Mobile but the actual hardware for some strange reason - no idea why.

Its not the hardware. Platform builder DOES allow you to add network browsing when compiling the ROM, but for some reason no one has bothered. I assume it was an attempt to keep the roms small, or was left out of the recomended/default configuration by microsoft.

The facility could be added with a stand alone browser program which would have to implement SMB. This in itself isn't very hard, but SMB is at the application layer. In order for it to work it needs a transport mechanism (which we have - TCP/UDP over IP), but also a session protocol like NetBios.

This session layer is what we are missing. It simply doesn't exist in the curret stack on smartphones. I personally don't think it will be trivial to create one and insert it into the stack (this would allow any application to handle network shares). Instead i think someone would have to implement SMB over NetBIOS in a standalone application, and then pass the data to the OS in raw packets. The OS would see it as IP data, create the IP datagram and fire it off.

I wonder tho, would resco be capable of doing this? I imagine they would just buy the stack and drop it into their existing explorer.

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

I wonder tho, would resco be capable of doing this

I believe Resco can, a few years a friend of mine had a very old PPC but he could not browse the network. He took someone's advice and bought Resco File explorer as this has the network client built-in and afterwards he could happily browse his network shares.

So if they do the same for the SmartPhone ;)

[Guest Slavic]

[...]This session layer is what we are missing. It simply doesn't exist in the curret stack on smartphones.

Why we couldn't simply borrow this stack (SMB and NetBIOS) from the WM5 for Pocket PC with same CPU, like HTC Wizard?

[Guest kam_]

I guess its possible, but you'd have to extract it, find all the dependancies and extract those too - then register everything. You run into all the usual problems of transporting files from one rom to the other.

[Guest Ingvarr]

Since network redirector is compiled directly in the Coredll (monolithic api), I dont think its possible - the only way is to recompile entire platform.

Though its possible to write own network browser that would implement SMB/CIFS network protocol and will allow to navigate the network. Its not easy, but defenitely doable.

p.s. It cracked me up when Resco first promised they will be making network browse capability in their next Resco Explorer for Smarphones, and then just backed off "oops, no built-in network API on Smartphone", seems that all challenge they can manage is to write a GUI and let Microsoft do all actual work :D

[Guest rmastbro]

I use avvenu if I ever want to access files/folders from my SP5.

http://www.avvenu.com/products/index.html

Works great !!!

Sign up and get an account download the software and access via

https://share.avvenu.com/login/

Rich

Edited August 21, 2006 by rmastbro

[Guest Ingvarr]

This application, while useful, is not a true network browser.

If you have a computer network, you'll have to install its client on every PC you wish to access, and its hardly feasible with large LAN.