Windows Mobile Smartphones

BT launched this Windows Mobile device in May 2008 - the handset is provided for free with their top-end BT Broadband Anywhere package.

Price: The BT ToGo handset is available free on the BT Broadband Anywhere. More details on our BT ToGo page

Orange SPV c500

Price: Available free on selected Orange tariffs directly from www.orange.co.uk, or from Carphone Warehouse and MobileShop.

Orange SPV e200

This powerful smartphone is the successor to the Orange SPV and the SPV E100

Price: Available free on selected Orange tariffs from www.orange.co.uk, or at Carphone Warehouse and MobileShop.

Motorola MPx200

Handset became available in December 2003. Fully functioned smartphone (no camera)

Price: Available on o2, Vodafone and Orange tariffs at Phones 4 U . Also at Carphone Warehouse and MobileShop.

If you're looking to get the most from your Windows Smartphone, there's a whole lot of third-party software that you can install on your device.

Check out www.handango.com for one of the widest ranges of Windows Mobile Smartphone software out there. If they don't have what you need, try www.pocketgear.com.

If you have files on your computer that you'd like to copy to your Smartphone, there are several ways to achieve this:

• ActiveSync - Certainly the easiest option, you make use of Microsoft's ActiveSync software. When your phone is connected to your PC, you'll find you can use the connection to copy files using drag-and-drop. Go to Windows "My Computer", and you should see a "Mobile Device" icon. Double-click on this icon, and it should open up the files and folders on the Windows Mobile Smartphone - you can also drag files to an installed memory card this way.
• Bluetooth - If your desktop computer and Smartphone have Bluetooth, you can beam files in either direction. For more on Bluetooth, see our Bluetooth Pocket PC section
• Memory card - If your smartphone takes memory cards (such as MMC or SD), you could get a card reader for your PC, and use that to transfer files
• Email - A last resort, but you could email files to an email account, and then configure the Smartphone to download emails from that account. Not ideal, but may help if you're trying to get a small file and away from your normal desktop. More on using Email on our connectivity page.

For a good range of spares and accessories, we recommend you try Partmaster - Spare styli, cases, Memory cards, leads and batteries can all be found on the Partmaster site for to-the-door delivery.

Also recommended for accessories is Dabs.com or you can try bidding for a bargain on eBay.co.uk

We've been asked if Windows Smartphone supports different font sizes. The Windows Smartphone platform has the option of Normal or Large font. This can be accessed from Settings > More > Accessibility > "System font size". Not all apps support Large font.
Here's a comparison of small vs large in Messaging:

Here's some information on how to use MSN from your Windows Mobile device:

• As the MSN Messenger service makes use of an Internet connection, you will need to ensure that your Windows Smartphone can go online. If you need help setting up your phone for an Internet connectiion, see our Smartphone Connected page. You'll probably want a GPRS or 3G data connection, and not a dialup connection.
• Once you're able to connect, press the Start button, then go to 'Pocket MSN' and select 'MSN Messenger'
• You'll then be prompted to enter your MSN username and password

For problems with ActiveSync, see our page dedicated to Microsoft's PC synchronisation solution, Activesync

We've been asked for help showing how to connect a Windows Smartphone with a Bluetooth headset. Here's how to connect to using your Smartphone. Here, we're connecting with a Plantronics Discovery 640 (pictured - excellent value from Amazon or Misco)

• Switch on the phone's Bluetooth - 'Start' > 'Settings' > 'Connections' > 'Bluetooth', then set 'Bluetooth' to 'On'
• Turn on the Bluetooth headset and set it to "discoverable" , so it can be 'paired' to the phone. On the Plantronics headset, 'pairing' is enabled by holding down the Call button until it goes Blue, then flashes red/blue. Refer to your headset manual if in doubt.
• Scan for the headset - From within 'Bluetooth', press 'Menu' > 'Devices' > 'New', then wait while it scans. When found, press 'Next'
• On the next screen, you're asked for the headset's four digit passcode. On our Plantronics, this is '0000' but check your headset manual if in doubt.

You should now be paired, and ready for action.

Many Windows Smartphones have expansion slots for external memory cards, such as a Micro-SD card (pictured). If you're looking to extend your Smartphone's memory, recommend Amazon. There's more on storage cards on our Memory Card page

To access the storage space on an installed memory card, go 'Start'> 'More' > 'File Explorer'. Then, from File Explorer, press 'Menu', and choose option 8 'Storage card'.
Alternatively, you can access the memory card from the Windows Media application - to do this, go to the main menu, press 'Start', go to Windows Media, then press 'Menu', choose option 4 ('Library'), then choose option 2 for the storage card

We offer some pages of help on this, as follows:

• Connecting to Email and the Internet
• Connecting to the PC