New User's Guide to Windows Mobile

Congratulations on the purchase of your new handheld. Whether you have a Windows Mobile Pocket PC or a Windows Mobile Smartphone, an amazing new world awaits you. But chances are, right now you're just doing "one thing" with it. The PIM (Personal Information Manager) functions like Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks are the most common uses. But quite frankly, that's like buying a Lamborghini Countach because you want to store your wallet in the glove box.

Like a Lamborghini, your device has an incredible amount of horsepower just waiting to be used. And the Windows Mobile platform is like the open road, which you can take in any direction you want. This article will help you expand the horizons of what you should expect from your new device and give you a more satisfying experience as you get acquainted with what Windows Mobile can do for you.

Tip 1. How to recover a lost Pocket PC or Smartphone

You wouldn't leave your Lamborghini Countach unlocked with the keys in it just sitting in a parking lot, and the same should be true for your new handheld. As soon as your power up your Pocket PC for the first time, enter your owner information (Start > Settings > Owner Information) and create a power-on password on the device (Start > Settings > Password). This accomplishes two things: First, if you loose your device, you're contact information will be displayed when the person who finds it presses the ON button. (Hint: put "$$ REWARD FOR RETURN $$" in one of the Owner Information data fields or in the Notes tab. This will help encourage the return of your device.) Second, password protection insures that person who finds your lost device will not be able to access any of the data on your device. (The Owner Information screen will display with password protection turned on.)

If you have a Smartphone or Phone Edition Pocket PC, enable the phone lock feature (Start > Settings > Security > Enable Phone Lock). This will make sure that nobody else can use your phone.

Fig. 1: Setting your user information can help you recover your device in case it is lost or stolen.

Fig. 2: Set the information to display every time your device is turn on. That way, a person that finds your lost device will know how to contact you to return it.

If your Windows Mobile device is lost long enough, its battery will run out of power. In that case, the owner information you've programmed into the device is useless. You might also want to put a permanent identification tag on the back of your device. Something as simple as a mailing label will do and some people simply tape a business card to the back of their device. My favorite approach is Stuffbak (http://www.stuffbak.com), a low-priced service that provides you with adhesive return labels. Each label features a unique serial number, Stuffbak's Web address, and a toll-free number. When someone finds a device with a Stuffbak sticker on it, they can call or log onto the Web site and arrange to return the item to you. The company offers a free set of ID labels to the person who finds your stuff, so they can protect their mobile devices. You can also elect to offer a cash reward for their honesty. The labels are hard to remove and are weather and scratch resistant. This method offers an extra level of privacy, since Stuffbak manages most of the contact with the person who found your device.

Tip 2. Avoid sync problems: follow the steps exactly!

One of the first things you do when you get a Windows Mobile device is connect it to your PC to synchronize data. The quick start guide or user manual that ships with the device describes the steps you need to follow to connect and sync your device. Most of the problems a new user can encounter are caused by not following the sequence of steps as described in the manual. Check your manual and follow those steps exactly and in sequence. Here's a summary (steps 2 and 3 can be switched):