Boardroom Bingo for your handheld

From...

May 29, 2000
Web posted at: 10:31 a.m. EDT (1431 GMT)

by Mark Gibbs

(IDG) -- This week we will follow up on an earlier column: "How to play tech support Bingo" (see link below). After we wrote the piece, we were contacted by one Mohan Embar of Mohan Embar, Inc., the owner of the cool site name www.thisiscool.com.

Embar told us of a piece of software he created called BSBingo for Palm OS systems. This software presents a list of words and phrases (typically corporate "yuckspeak") down the left-hand side of the Palm screen. As you tick the phrases off, the corresponding square in a bingo grid on the right is filled in.

If you are lucky enough to fill a row or column, the software displays "bulls**t" or whatever expletive you have specified. According to the rules, you should shout the same word to indicate your win.

	MESSAGE BOARD
Wireless world

In our exchanges with Embar, we lamented that BSBingo, being written for Palm OS, limited the number of players (and left us out, since the palmtop of choice here is the Cassopeia 105). Embar rose to the challenge (or bait), and the results can be found at the link below.

The new version is called BYOBingo (for "build your own bingo") and you can get versions for Windows CE, Palm OS, and Windows 95, 98 and 2000! (For CE, "only Palm-sized PCs running Windows CE Version 2.11 are supported," Embar reports. "Other models might work but are unsupported. HPC and HPC/Pro models should work.")

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE

IDG.net home page

Network World Fusion home page

Free Network World Fusion newsletters

IDG.net's bridges & routers page

IDG.net's network operating systems page

Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net

E-BusinessWorld

TechInformer

Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you

Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletter for network experts

Search IDG.net in 12 languages

As the instructions say: "BYOBingo is highly customizable. You can substitute the default word list for your own. You can change the board color as well as the picture that flashes when you get bingo. You can move the word list around. Whereas similar games target professional settings only, BYOBingo can also be used in other settings, such as long car rides ("license plate from Maryland"). Using the Random Board option, you can play a classical bingo game with numbers."

We love this! Even better, you can print out bingo cards with the target phrases in the cells! Now you can add a bingo card to each attendee's agenda. Meetings will never be the same again!

Embar, fine-spirited public figure that he is, has gone even higher in our estimation by releasing the programs to the public for free.

We're about to introduce BYOBingo to our company, and we expect far greater productivity in future meetings as well as rather more giggling than usual. Well done, Mohan!

15 ways to beef up your handheld
May 25, 2000
Be a Palm pro
May 24, 2000
Handheld Linux device debuts
February 29, 2000
Palm finally goes color
February 22, 2000
Snap photos with your Handspring
February 9, 2000
A better platform on your palm
January 31, 2000

How to play tech support Bingo
(Networld World Fusion)
Top 15 programs for your Palm
(MacWorld.com)
Palm, HP scramble to fix PDA flaws
(PCWorld.com)
City guide puts nightlife at your fingertips
(The Industry Standard)
Can you upgrade to Pocket PC?
(PCWorld.com)
Handspring brings Visor to Europe
(IDG.net)
Wireless Palms challenge phones
(PCWorld.com)
Opera coming to Macs, handhelds
(MacWorld.com)

This is cool!
BSBingoú (PalmOS)
BYOBingoú (Win32/WinCE)

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.