Since yesterday’s topic dealt with security (or lack of) with Presidential use of mobile devices, it seemed like a fitting follow up would be information regarding security features of Windows Mobile (6.1).
PocketNow has a short article and a presentation discussing these features which can be found HERE.
Disclaimer: The presentation is almost exclusively geared towards topics applicable to a corporate environment.
Barrack Obama is reported to be a big Blackberry user (Email) who may be subjected to withdrawal if the secret service take it away because of security concerns. There are also laws about retention of Presidential documents and emails would fall into that category.
If you are interested in reading more about this and possible Windows Mobile phones that could be a solution to his e-mailing habit, click HERE to read an article from C/Net.
Non-touchscreen based smartphones are designed to be used one handed. They are however more limited with regards to interacting with software as there is no stylus or touchscreen. Touchscreen based devices are much more powerful with regards to software operation, but are more difficult to use one handed.
Pocket PC Thoughts has an article that may be the solution to this problem. Innovisoft has released VirtuaMouse One-Hand software for Windows Mobile 2003 and newer devices that have a D-Pad. (The 5-way controller that is found on most touchscreen based devices)
If this sounds interesting, click HERE for the Pocket PC Thoughts article.
If you have a smartphone or other Windows Mobile device with Bluetooth, you should be able to setup ActiveSync so that you can do synchronizations wirelessly. However, most desktop computers don’t come with bluetooth, but here’s one solution to the problem. (There are many other providers of USB bluetooth “dongles” as well)
Click HERE for Gear Diary article on a new Bluetooth Dongle.
If you already have a bluetooth connection but haven’t installed XP Service Pack 2, here’s some information that you may find useful. It also discusses how to setup ActiveSync to work with Bluetooth after you install SP2. (Service Pack 2 adds new bluetooth drivers to XP)
Click HERE for the Bluetooth ActiveSync Guide from Geekzone.
ActiveSync is the software that comes with your Windows Mobile device that is used to communicate between your desktop/laptop computer and the device. However, with the introduction of Windows Vista, ActiveSync was replaced by Windows Mobile Device Center.
Lately there has been quite a bit of news about the future (End of 2009?) Windows 7 release which will replace Vista. (It’s been getting a lot of good press with regards to interface changes and performance improvements)
With Windows 7, it sounds like Windows Mobile Device Center will be replaced by something called Device Stage. (Which is MUCH more than just for syncing your Windows Mobile Device)
Click HERE to find out more information from WMExperts.
Smartphone Thoughts has put together a Quick Reference in PDF format which describes all the icons and items that can appear on your today screen, a handy reference for knowing what all those “pesky things” mean.
The article and a link to the PDF file can be found HERE.
What is a Redfly you ask? Well, up until today, it was $399 and in my opinion not worth mentioning because of the price. But for a limited time in conjunction with WMExperts, you can get one for $199.
The Redfly is a mobile device companion produced by Celio, basically a “dumb” mini-laptop that connects to your mobile phone via USB cable or Bluetooth. In other words it’s a larger keyboard and screen for your mobile device. It’s not a standalone device as it requires a connection to a smartphone… it merely takes what you see on your smartphone and displays it on a larger screen. It also has a VGA connector so it would be useful for connecting to a projector (or external monitor) for presentation purposes.
Information on the Celio website indicate that Windows Mobile 5 and 6 are supported. Although they only reference “Smartphones”, it may also work with non-smartphone PDA’s as well. (You will need bluetooth or a device that can connect via a USB cable available from Celio) If you are interested you should verify wth Celio that your device is supported before purchasing.
The WMExperts announcement of the limited time $199 offer can be found HERE.
The Celio Redfly website can be found HERE.
And a list of tested devices can be found HERE.
My Today Screen has a series of 8 articles about things you can do to your device to improve performance or increase productivity. Click on any of the titles below to go to that article.
College Degree.com has come up with a list of 101 ways to make your Smartphone Smarter. Since the list covers smartphones that use all types of operating systems, Mobility Site has summarized the items in the list that are specific to Windows Mobile.
The Mobile Site list can be found HERE.
The original College Degree.com list can be found HERE.
