Windows Mobile – Help and Advice

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

• ActiveSync
  – Certainly the easiest option, you make use of the Pocket PC’s
  ActiveSync software supplied with your Pocket PC. When your
  Pocket PC is docked with the desktop, 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 Pocket PC.
• Infrared
  – If your Pocket PC and desktop computer (or other PDA, phone,
  etc) both have infrared, you can beam files to and from your
  Pocket PC. It’s a case of lining up the infrared windows and
  using the appropriate software the beam files
• Bluetooth –
  If your desktop computer and Pocket PC have Bluetooth, you can
  beam files in either direction. For more on Bluetooth, see our
  Bluetooth Pocket PC section
• Memory card –
  If your Pocket PC 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 Pocket PC 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

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

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

• Connecting
  to Email and the Internet (two box solution)
• Connecting
  to Email and the Internet (one box solution)
• Connecting
  with Bluetooth
• Connecting
  via Mobiles with GPRS
• Connecting
  with Wi-Fi
• Using
  WAP

We’ve been asked for help showing how to connect a Windows Mobile PPC to a Bluetooth headset, for hands-free voice calls. Here, we’ll walk through how to connect – we’re connecting an o2 XDA Orbit PPC 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.
• On the PPC, scan for the headset – From within ‘Bluetooth’, got to the ‘Devices’ tab and select ‘Add new device…’, then wait while it scans. When found, select it and 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. Then press Next.
• There an option top set a name for the headset, and make it hands-free.
• Select Finish when completed

You should now be paired, and ready for action.

Looking to use a social networking site such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or Flickr? It should be possible to access the major social networking sites from your Windows Mobile device.

If you’re looking for information on social networking on your mobile, or for some screenshots of these applications, check out our Mobile Social Networking page.

If you come across Pocket
PC software asking you to pick one of these three options, the
one to go for is almost certainly ARM. These options represent
earlier days of Pocket PC development, where an application had
to be compiled for a specific processor. Just about all of the
Pocket PC 2002 / 2003 devices are ‘ARM’ (including IPAQ and Loox).
Early Casio Cassiopeia were MIPS and the early HP Jornadas were
Sh3.
If you see software making this distinction, it indicates the
software may have been complied a few years ago, and therefore
may not run on the latest machines. If in doubt, check with the
software author

Want to be able to access your desktop PC from your Windows Mobile device while you’re out and about? You’ll find that you can use your mobile device to access a larger PC, using the GoToMyPC service.

More on our dedicated GoToMyPC page, or go to www.gotomypc.com for a free trial.

Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices are designed to sync with a desktop PC. Microsoft hasn’t released a program that supports sync with a Mac, which make connection tricky. Luckily, a few companies have brought out software that supports connection between Pocket PC / Windows Mobile devices and a Mac. Here are a couple worth taking a look at:

• The Missing Sync – Supports Pocket PCs and Smartphones from 2002, right up to Windows Mobile 5
• PocketMac – Also offering a Pocket PC to Mac solution, although at the time of writing, not for Windows Mobile 5

It’s important to check that the Mac Sync solution you go for supports your make and model of device