I recently updated Total Commander on my old IPAQ hx2415, which runs windows mobile 2003se, to Version 2.52 beta 2.  The most notable difference between this version and earlier versions of Total Commander is that you can send files to other Bluetooth enabled devices directly from Total Commander (see screenshots below). 

Total Commander version 2.51	Total Commander version 2.52 beta 2

Total Commander for Smartphones

There’s also a version of Total Commander that runs on Smartphones (windows mobile phones that do not have a touchscreen).  This version does not provide all of the same functionality as the Pocket PC version, but this version allows you to send files by bluetooth.

Total Commander (version 2.52 beta 2) is installed on my windows mobile 2003se pocket pc and my WM6.1 and WM6.5 professional phones, and Total Commander 2.51 is installed on my WM6.1 standard phone.  The software works great on all my mobile devices.

To download Total Commander directly to your mobile device, click

• Total Commander Version 2.52 beta 2 for pocket pcs (touchscreen)
• Total Commander Version 2.51 for smartphones (no touchscreen)

To learn more about this fine application, go to the Total Commander website.

I've used SPB Time for several years and it's one of the first application I install to a new device.

I recently upgraded to the latest version (3.0), and it's great.

Main Screen		Tap the arrow on the lower edge to get here
World Time		Countdown Timer
Alarms		Skins
Calendar		Moon
Options

 

By default, the only programmable button on the Voice Messenger, which is the lower key on the left side of the device, is set to Voice Commander. 

You can reprogram this button to open up a different application by selecting Start > Settings > More > More > Button Assignment.  Then you can scroll through the options there.  Unfortunately, you are are limited to the following applications:

• Voice Commander
• Windows Live
• Windows Media Player
• Pictures & Videos
• Tasks
• Contacts
• Calendar
• Internet Explorer
• Messaging
• Messenger

I don’t use Voice Commander much and so I wanted to use this button to open up a different application.  I searched around the Voice Messenger’s registry and figured out how to assign the button to any application that is installed on the device through a simple registry edit.

Most all applications on a Windows Mobile device are opened through the use of shortcuts found in the \Windows\Start Menu folder (there are also some subfolders in this folder, like games, that include applications as well), so I used Total Commander (my preferred file explorer application) to look through the applications there to find the correct shortcut for the application I wanted to use (in this example I am assigning the key to the Camera) and wrote down the entire path for this shortcut (\Windows\Start Menu\Camera.lnk).

To program the left key to always open up the Camera, I used Total Commander’s registry editor (SKTools Standard also includes a registry editor that could have used for this) to navigate to:

HKLM > ControlPanel > RedefineKey > LowerLeftSide > Open

Then I changed the reference there to \Windows\Start Menu\Camera.lnk, and selected OK and exited all the way out of the registry.

you might have to perform a hard reset to get the device working properly again. Last weekend my IPAQ Voice Messenger froze up on the splash screen after I synced it to MyPhone. The device was frozen on the splash screen and would not turn off, take a charge or reboot beyond the splash screen. After a couple of hours I finally performed a hard reset and then spent a few more hours reinstalling software, setting up user settings and getting the device back to working order.

Then a couple of days later, the Voice Messenger hung up again on the splash screen after a failed ActiveSync session. I thought it could not be a coincidence that the device got stuck again after syncing PIM data to it.

Hard reset Averted! 

I didn’t want to perform another full reset of the device. I decided to explore a hunch I had about the problem, so I plugged the device up to my computer. Even though ActiveSync didn’t recognize the existing partnership, it still connected to the Voice Messenger in guest mode.

I used ActiveSync’s Explore option to browse the Voice Messenger.  I navigated to the pim.vol file, which is found in main memory off the root directory, and renamed the file to pimbak.vol. Then I disconnected the Voice Messenger from my computer, performed a soft reset and this time the Voice Messenger booted up to the Start screen.  Then I deleted the existing ActiveSync partnership between my computer and the Voice Messenger, set up a new partnership and synced my data to the Voice Messenger.

 

Copying, moving and/or deleting blocks of text on a Windows Mobile standard (non-touchscreen) phone may not be as convenient as it is on a Windows Mobile professional (touchscreen) phone, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy:

First move the cursor where you want to start selecting text you want to copy, cut or move.

Then Select Menu > Copy/Paste > Select Text (See 1st screenshot above)
Now when you move the Voice Messenger's optical navigation button right/left and up/down, the text will be highlighted.  Move the optical navigation button to select all the text you want to copy, cut, or move.

After you've selected all the text you want to copy/cut/move, select Menu > Copy/Paste (see 2nd screenshot above)

To MOVE text:

• select Cut from the menu
• move your cursor to the place in your document where you'd like the text to go
• select Menu > Copy/Paste > Paste

To DELETE text:

• select Cut from the menu.
• You're done.

To COPY text:

• select Copy from the menu
• move your cursor to the place in your document where you'd like the text to go
• select Menu > Copy/Paste > Paste

Here's a great video that demonstrates this procedure on a Windows Mobile standard phone and the last half of the video shows you how to do it on a Windows Mobile professional phone.

I haven't had many problems using GPS on the IPAQ Voice Messenger, but I've read lots of forum threads from users who have.  One thing that has been missing in Windows Mobile Standard phones (no touchscreen) is the GPS applet, which is readily available on windows mobile professional phones (touchscreen).

Today, after searching around the internet, I found a CAB file that reveals the GPSID applet on non-touch screen Windows Mobile (Standard) devices (sometimes referred to as Smartphones).  I installed the CAB file on the IPAQ Voice Messenger and it works great!

The Microsoft_Smartphone_GPSID Settings.CAB file can be downloaded from MoDaCo or if you do not want to register at MoDaCo, the file can be downloaded here.

To install the CAB file, just copy it to your Voice Messenger, then use File Explorer to navigate to it.  Select the file and a wizard will install the software to the device.  You can access the application by selecting Start > GPSID Settings icon.

HandyBits Voice Mail is a lightweight, easy-to-use application that is free to non-commercial users.



To send out audio email from your computer all you need to do is 1) open up HandyBits, 2) select the Record button, 3) record your message, and 4) then select the Send button.  HandyBits opens up your email software and attaches the recorded message (a WAV file) to a new email message.  You can add a written message and anything else you want to include with the audio message before you send it.

Check out www.textmemos.com - a free, ad-free, web-based text messaging service where you can send yourself or others scheduled reminders (or other text messages) at specific dates and times.

You can text messages from your computer and even from your internet connected mobile device.

I've got the website bookmarked in Opera mobile browser on my old Ipaq hx2410 Pocket PC, and I can send myself text reminders to be delivered at just the right day and time.

You won't be charged anything when you use textmemos.com to send text messages, but, of course, the recipient of your message may still have to pay to receive them (depending on the plan they subscribe to through their mobile operator).

If you run MyMobileR on multiple computers you may have received the error message below:

Please install MyMobileR on your mobile (Version Mismatch)
[Configure Mobile]-[Install]

The Version Mismatch error occurs when your computers and, by extension, your windows mobile devices are not running the exact same MyMobileR version and build number. You can check the version and build number by right clicking on the MyMobileR icon in the taskbar of the computer and then selecting "About."

Resolving the error is easy:

• First, reinstall the same version and build of MyMobileR to your computers, as needed.
• Then soft reset your Windows Mobile device.
• Next, navigate to the \windows folder on the Windows Mobile device and delete remote.exe
• Finally, connect the mobile device to your computer. MyMobileR will install the correct version and build to it.

If you ever upgrade My MobileR on a computer, make sure you install the upgrade to all your computers.