I do a lot of demonstrations of prototype .NET Compact Framework applications. While you could capture screenshots and/or video of just the Device Emulator itself, there are times where you might want to add a bit more "sizzle". While you could spend time playing with custom skins for the emulator, you can save a lot of time and effort by simply allowing SOTI's Pocket Controller to come to the rescue.

I have been asked on several occasions how I made a demo from the emulator look so good. Well, I finally decided to document the whole process for everyone's edification. Of course, to accomplish this you will need the following:

• The Microsoft Device Emulator. You can use the emulator provided with Visual Studio, or you can download the standalone version.
• SOTI Pocket Controller. If you don't already have this amazing product, then you are definitely missing out. Get the trial version here.

The following steps are shown using Microsoft Windows Vista Business and Windows Mobile Device Manager ("WMDC"). You can, however, do the same thing with Windows XP and ActiveSync (remember - Windows Mobile 6.0 requires ActiveSync 4.5 or higher).

1. Before beginning the process, be sure that WMDC or ActiveSync is configured to allow for an emulator image to be "cradled". To do this, open WMDC and select "Connection Settings".
   
   
2. Under the "Allow Connections to one of the following:", select DMA from the drop down list.
   
   
   
   Select OK when done.
3. Start the Device Emulator Manager. If you are using Visual Studio, this can be found under the Tools menu option.
   
   
   
4. Once the Device Emulator Manager is open, select the emulator image you wish to work with and right-click on it. Select Connect from the menu items shown.
   
   
   
5. Your emulator image should appear after a brief period. Once it is up and running, return to the Device Emulator Manager. Again, right-click on your selected emulator image to bring up the menu. This time, select the Cradle option from the menu.
   
   
   
6. Just like with a regular device, it might take a minute for things to "fire up". Just be patient. If you have never established a partnership between this emulator image and the desktop, you should get the prompt from WMDC to either establish a partnership or connect without setting up the device. Personally, I never establish a partnership between an emulator image and WMDC, but to each their own ;-)
   
    
   
7. Once successfully connected and cradled, you should be able to easily identify the state of things by looking at the Device Emulator Manager for a special "Connected icon".
   
   
   
8. Now we are ready to configure SOTI Pocket Controller. Open the application, then go to the Start icon, then Settings then Settings again.
   
    
   
9. Under the Settings dialog, you will want to focus on Connection Profiles area. You can either select to use an existing profile or create a new profile.
   
    
   
   Either choice will bring you to the Connection Profile dialog.
   
10. In the Connection Profile, simply make certain that the Connection Type is set to ActiveSync.
    
    
    
    It is also in this connection profile that you can choose the device type that you (for lack of a better term) wish to pretend to be. For the maximum effect, you will want to check the View In Skin option and (if necessary) select the Skin Catalog... option to download the appropriate skin. Once completed, press the OK button.
    
11. You are now ready to try to connect to the emulator with Pocket Controller. To do so, simply click on the Connect icon in the main screen of Pocket Controller.
    
    
    
12. If you have never previously used this emulator image with Pocket Controller or you never saved the emulator image state after a previous install, Pocket Controller will inform you that it cannot find the Pocket Controller client on the device and that it must first be installed.
    
    
    
    Select Yes to start the installation. The install should be like any regular application installation for a Windows Mobile device. Once complete, you will receive the standard installation confirmation in the emulator.
    
     
    
13. You will now need to once again attempt to connect to the emulator image using Pocket Controller as shown in Step 11. This time, you may have to wait for a brief period and then receive a message regarding not being able to connect using "Auto-Sensing mode".
    
    
    
    Not to worry - simply select Yes to try connecting in Standard mode. Within a few seconds, a connection should be established. If you are prompted to change the connection profile to always use Standard mode, you can say Yes. If you are using this profile for regular devices as well as the emulator, you may choose not to reset the mode.
    
14. You should now be connected and displaying the emulator in Pocket Controller!
    
    
    

There are a lot of great things you can now do. You can leverage Pocket Controller for screen captures (complete with skin), record video (again with skin included) and even do some troubleshooting using Pocket Controller's tools. When doing live demos this way, I usually minimize the emulator window, leaving only the Pocket Controller session active. It's fun to have someone ask afterwards "Where's the device you were displaying on screen for the demo?" ;-)

Hopefully this little tutorial will help some of you out, whether it is for demos, documentation or training.