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Tips & Tricks: Windows Mobile

Posted on 01-12-2008

Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile is the operating system of choice for many mobile phones. To clear the ambiguity, Windows Mobile phones with a touch screen are Pocket PCs and phones without a touch screen are Smart Phones. Most of these tips work for both Pocket PCs as well as Smart Phones, but some require a touch screen and stylus.

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Use Finger Gestures For Typing

Go to Settings > Input > Input method and change the input method from the default setting to Keyboard setting. Next, select the Large keys radio button, and check Use gestures for the following keys: This allows you to use gestures with your fingers while inputting text. Drag your finger across the screen to the right to input a space, drag your finger to the left to delete a character, drag it upwards to capitalise the next letter, and drag it downwards for Enter.

View Hidden And System Files

To view all files while exploring your pocket PC, go to the file explorer, then hold the stylus against an empty space. When the context menu pops up, check Show All Files. If there is no space below the list of files in the explorer, navigate to a folder with a few files to do this. The settings will be applied to the entire file system.

Access The Run Command

You can run a program in Windows Mobile, similar to the run command in the desktop Windows OS. To access the command, press and hold the Menu Button, or the Command 1 button, while simultaneously pressing the battery meter in the display. In some phones, instead of the battery meter, there is a clock. Make sure that you use this feature only in the portrait mode. If you use it in the landscape mode, the keyboard will overlap the run command box itself, and you will never be able to execute the command.

Turn On ClearType

ClearType renders the fonts in such a way that the edge of the text is smooth and not harsh and jagged. This makes the text on the phone clearer, and easier to read. If ClearType is not enabled by default in your device, to turn on the feature, go to Start > Settings navigate to the System tab and select Screen. Navigate to the ClearType tab, and check Enable ClearType.

Increase The Vibration Strength

If you feel that the default vibration in the phone is too weak, you can increase the strength of the vibration. To do this, go to Start > Settings under the Personal tab select Vibration. There are five grades of strength available for the vibration, use the slider to set an appropriate strength.

Turn Off Automatic Orientation

If your phone has any kind of motion sensor, it is likely that by default the screen is going to switch from portrait to landscape mode at its own violation. This can be irritating and distracting, to turn off this feature go to Start > Settings under the System tab select Motion Sensor. Under Auto orientation select Manual. If you like the auto rotate feature, you can increase the sensitivity from the slider here or use a vibration alert for every re-orientation of the screen.

Use A Larger Display

If the text on the menus and the icons are too small or you have trouble recognising them, you can increase the size of the display. Go to Start > Settings under the System tab, select Large display and check the Use large Start Menu check box.

Connect To A PC Without ActiveSync

If you have to connect your phone to a computer that does not have access to the Internet or ActiveSync installed, then there is a useful little feature that lets your phone behave like a USB drive. Go to Start > Settings. Under the Connections tab, select USB Connection Mode and change the mode from ActiveSync to Mass storage. When you plug in your phone to a computer, it behaves like external storage. You can choose to connect either the phone memory or the memory card in this manner.