Expert: David Shier

This month, we were asked to talk about what is the most creative thing we've done with our Windows Mobile device. At first, I was thinking about a few custom applications I have written for my "day job". But then, I thought it would be more interesting to discuss something that anyone can do using nothing but the built-in applications.

So here's a little story about how I saved money on a hotel room with the help of my Windows Mobile phone - and not with William Shatner.

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When asked what is the one third-party Windows Mobile application I use everyday, I really had to think about the choice. I have a number of "must have" applications I use all the time and don't think I could live without.

Certainly DeveloperOne's Agenda Fusion is high on my list, but I suppose I could get along with the built-in Contacts and Calendar if I had to.

Also, I have gotten hooked on Spb Brain Evolution and run through it's "training" program each day I have the opportunity. On the other hand, while stimulating, it's certainly not my "must have" application.

But the one program that I use everyday that I couldn't live without is: Ilium Software's eWallet.

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For me, saving space on my Windows Mobile device means pushing as much as I can to the memory card. Cards are extremely cheap these days and there’s no reason not to have one in your Pocket PC or Smartphone.

Main memory, on the other hand, is limited, and when it’s full, the performance of the device degrades.

The first tip I can offer is to choose to install all applications to the storage card with the exception of any programs that launch via hardware keys. For example, I have Developer One’s Agenda Fusion and Microsoft’s Voice Command installed in main memory, but all other applications are on the card.

If you are still running out of space, one thing to remember is that Internet Explorer on the Pocket PC can fill up your storage space quickly with a lot of garbage. Unfortunately, the temporary Internet files are buried quite deeply and can be difficult to find. While there are some third party utilities out there that can clean this up, you can easily do it yourself if you know where to look. Run the File Explorer application and select “My Device” to go up a level from the default My Documents folder. From there (on a Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6.0 device), select Windows, Profiles, guest, Temporary Internet Files, Content.IE5. You will see some subfolders there with random names. Delete them and their content to clean up LOTS of space.

Pocket IE's Temporary Files Folder

Windows Mobile 6.0 has been announced, and now the fun discussions begin. You can read about the new OS in various places - including an article I wrote that will appear in the next issue of Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, but that's not what I'm blogging about today.

There are new features we all would like to see: HTML email is the one I'd like most. And if you have a current model Smartphone, you might be anxious to be able to read Word, Excel and PowerPoint file attachments on your device as this screen shot shows:

But before you get too excited, you might want to read on for a bit of a reality check...

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Yesterday, Steve Jobs joined most of the public in calling for an end to DRM (Digital Rights Management) for music files. Aside from a fair bit of self serving statements in his "Thoughts on Music" (see below), I think it's great that Jobs has brought the subject to the mass media's attention. Will Microsoft weigh in on this debate?

If you live in a cave, don't use your Windows Mobile device as a music player, or are one of the three people under 30 that doesn't own an iPod, then you might not be aware of this issue. In a nutshell, in order to "prevent" piracy, the music industry requires downloadable music files to be encoded with a key that limits how and where you can copy the file. In practice, this DRM encoding doesn't prevent any piracy and only makes it harder for honest people to use the media content that they paid for.

DRM doesn't just apply to music either. It's used for video and even electronic copies of books (known as eBooks.) The problems faced with DRM encoded music apply to other types of media as well.

Before I get into the solutions Jobs is suggesting, let's look at some of the problems.

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