MobileViews Blog

Category: Pocket PC/Phone Edition

Pocket PC or Pocket PC Phone Edition

  • Why Did Microsoft Remove Backup/Restore from ActiveSync?

    One of the innovations that came with Microsoft Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC users was non-volitile flash RAM and the storage of key Windows Mobile databases in this RAM. This meant that both Pocket PC users would no longer lose their contacts and calendars when a battery died. Since Microsoft presumed that Pocket PC users would no longer need to restore their system from a hard disk through ActiveSync, they removed the Backup and Restore function for Pocket PCs in ActiveSync!

    IMHO, this was a truly bad idea. Let’s say you lose or badly damage your Pocket PC (or Smartphone for that matter since it was never able to Backup/Restore over ActiveSync since it always had non-volitile flash RAM for PIM data). You go ahead and get an identical new Pocket PC. You know have to rebuild the Pocket PC from scratch. Sure, ActiveSync will repartner with it and flow data from Outlook. But, you have to reinstall your applications, rebuild email definitions for Messaging (Inbox), type in your name, etc., etc. In other words, you end up wasting an hour or more rebuilding your setup. This is something that ActiveSync Restore could have handled mostly unattended in much less time and hassle.

    Manufacturers didn’t help matters much either. Prior to Windows Mobile 5, many Pocket PCs came with manufacturer supplied backup-to-storage-card utilities. These utilities archived your system RAM contents to a storage card in a single file. This file could be easily copied to your hard drive and further archived on a CD-R, thumb drive, or network store. But, many WM5 Pocket PCs don’t have these add-on utilities in firmware.

    So, now what? Fortunately, there are other people who, like me, believe that a simple single file archival backup is a good idea. I use Spb Backup from Sbp Software House on my i-Mate K-JAM Pocket PC Phone Edition. It’s simple, fast, and has a notification area on my Start window to let me know when I last performed a backup.

  • Spb Club Launched This Week

    If you use a Windows Mobile Pocket PC, you might want to consider heading over to the recently launched…

    Spb Club

    This online destination is produced by Spb Software House which created and sells numerous Pocket PC and Smartphone applications. One of my must-have Pocket PC apps is Spb Backup. But, more on that tomorrow when I rant a bit about backup assumptions for the Pocket PC.

    Joining this free online site gives you access to free Pocket PC ring tones, free Pocket PC themes, and access to support for Spb Windows Mobile products.

  • HTC’s Smartphone Guide

    HTC seems produce most of the cool Windows Mobile phones on the market. Unfortunately, they also seem to have a bazillion code names for their models and I can never remember any of them. If you have a problem following the phone buzz in various news sites and forums, this HTC sponsored wiki page may help you out.

    HTC Community Wiki Smartphone Guides

    It has photos, code names, and released product names for each of their products.

  • Q&A: How to Configure Email for an IMAP4 Server

    From the beginning of Windows CE/Windows Mobile-time, it seems like people have had problems configuring Messaging (formerly known as Inbox) for their POP3 or IMAP4 and SMTP email servers. Reader D.B. recently wrote me email asking about this issue.

    D.B. writes: I recently got the Cingular Treo 750- my fiorst experience with Windows mobile. I read you peice below and wondered how I can go about configruing my email as you have apparently done the the very last scenario (IMOAP4)…any advice greatly appreciated!

    IMAP4 06

    The response is way too long for a blog entry. So, I created a special How-To page for D.B. and anyone else wanting to configure Windows Mobile 5 Messaging with an IMAP4 server. Click on the link below to read what I hope is a simple 10-step process with lots of screen shots to step you through the configuration process.

    Configuring IMAP4 Email for Windows Mobile 5

  • Virtual Earth Mobile 1.69

    I mentioned Virtual Earth Mobile for the Pocket PC a while back. An update to 1.69 became available last week. You can find it at:

    Virtual Earth Mobile 1.69

    Changes include: Ability to drag the map with a stylus, get directions in text form, bug fix for Add to Contacts option.

    Virtual Earth Mobile is a Pocket PC application that uses data from Microsoft’s Virtual Earth to display maps on a Windows Mobile Pocket PC. You can read Jason Fuller’s complete description of his app in the original blog entry describing it at:

    Virtual Earth Mobile (2005.10.23)

  • ActiveSync: Pocket PC vs. Smartphone

    ActiveSyncSmartphone
    Figure 1. ActiveSync Options for Smartphone
    ActiveSyncPocketPC
    Figure 2. ActiveSync Options for Pocket PC

    A lot of the confusion I see in email and comments (to blogs and articles) are caused by Mobile Phone carriers and Microsoft failing to properly distinquish between their Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition and Smartphone platforms. The main problem is that several Smartphone devices such as the Motorola Q and the T-Mobile Dash look like the Treo 700w Pocket PC Phone Edition. They have similar looking form factors, LCD display, and QWERTY thumb keyboards. But, they are quite different.

    Compare the two ActiveSync options lists displayed above. The one at the top is for a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone. The one below it is the options list for a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition. Note that The Smartphone does not provide the option to sync Notes (from Outlook) or Files. We can only guess that Microsoft assumed that the previously keyboard-less Smartphones would not be used as text entry devices for various kinds of note taking options. That is also why the Smartphone does not have Word Mobile or Excel Mobile.

    But, several Smartphones do have QWERTY thumb keyboards (though they still lack a touchscreen). And, many people assume that their device is a Pocket PC Phone Edition instead of a Smartphone. So, if you are thinking about buying a Windows Mobile based device, check if it is a Pocket PC Phone Edition or Smartphone and buy the one that fits your needs. If you are voice-centric, a Smartphone is probably the device for you. If you are data-centric, a Pocket PC Phone Edition is probably the one you want to look closely at. The main thing, though, is to be aware of the strengths, features, and limitations of whatever device you choose.

    The basic rule of thumb is that a Pocket PC Phone Edition will have many more features and applications than a Smartphone. However, the Smartphone can be easily used with one hand while the Pocket PC Phone Edition will almost always require two hands.