How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile [Paperback]

Frank McPherson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072262508 | ISBN-13: 978-0072262506 | Publication Date: May 17, 2006 | Edition: 1

Get the most out of your Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, or Smartphone using the latest Windows Mobile software and this easy-to-follow guide. Learn fast and simple ways to manage all types of information-from everyday essentials such as scheduling appointments and storing addresses to balancing your checkbook and reading email-no matter where you go. Written in a step-by-step format, How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile shows you how to share data with other wireless devices, play music, watch videos, send messages, write letters, and much more. Whether your needs are business or pleasure, this handy guide will have you fully utilizing all of the expanded features and capabilities of your Windows Mobile device.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get the most out of your Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, or Smartphone using the latest Windows Mobile software and this easy-to-follow guide. Learn fast and simple ways to manage all types of information-from everyday essentials such as scheduling appointments and storing addresses to balancing your checkbook and reading email-no matter where you go. Written in a step-by-step format, How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile shows you how to share data with other wireless devices, play music, watch videos, send messages, write letters, and much more. Whether your needs are business or pleasure, this handy guide will have you fully utilizing all of the expanded features and capabilities of your Windows Mobile device.

• Personalize your Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, or Smartphone
• Synchronize data with desktop computers
• Send and receive text messages and manage phone call information
• Schedule appointments and manage contacts
• Add notes to documents and make voice recordings
• Create and view pictures
• View presentations and access corporate databases
• Play movies and watch television shows
• Track finances and manage your money on the go
• Expand your device with accessories

 

About the Author

Frank McPherson is the author of the first three editions of How to Do Everything with Your Pocket PC, and his articles about Windows Mobile have appeared in Pocket PC Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (May 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072262508
• ISBN-13: 978-0072262506
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Computers & Technology > Mobile & Wireless Computing > PDA & Smartphone Guides
  • #3 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Mobile & Handheld Computing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I regret not having bought it sooner!, December 16, 2006

By 

M. L Lamendola (Merriam, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile (Paperback)

If you have a mobile computer (for example, a PocketPC) that runs on a Windows platform, you probably found the instruction manual grossly inadequate. I know I did. I also found some basic, expected functionality missing from my PocketPC and immediately set about finding third-party applications to resolve those deficiencies. Along the way, I found out just how frustrating it is to set up or even use a mobile computer without something other than just the manual to serve as an information source.

What a jewel I found in this book on Windows Mobile! Most computer-related books are either way too simple to be of any use, or they are written for people who don't need a manual in the first place. This one is targeted squarely at the typical user.

I have a real problem with "newbie" books that assume you can't read a display menu. This book doesn't start at that point. It starts with the assumption you don't live under a rock and aren't too lazy to click a few things to see what they do. It also doesn't assume you have an advanced degree in computer programming. My first reaction when reading this was, "Pinch me--I must be dreaming!" Definitely a great value for every penny spent and definitely worth the time spent reading it.

The book is arranged logically, with five major parts. Part One focuses on the "get started" issues. It starts off by explaining the Windows Mobile platform. It then provides some basics about the devices that run on Windows Mobile, so you're not lost in later sections. After this, it explains various settings--what they mean and what you can do with them. It ends by addressing specifics with Smartphones.

Part II helps you master using your laptop or desktop PC with your Windows Mobile device. I found this extraordinarily helpful, because the manual for my device left me to bumble and stumble in needless pain and misery. But now, I am very comfortable using my laptop to manage my Pocket PC. If you are wondering what the heck "manage" means in this context, you need to read this book!

One operation I don't do is synchronization--I find that far too scary. What if it wipes out the files on the computer? The first time I tried this process, it created all kinds of problems and I had to restore my computer's calendar and e-mail from a backup. To prevent a disaster, I now use my laptop rather than my desktop to do things on my Pocket PC.

A weakness in the book is it doesn't explain how to selectively synchronize. It gives a hint, though--setting up a special mail profile for this may solve the problem of unwanted "updates." But it doesn't address this problem directly. The synchronization function needs to be fixed, so that a person can use it without the risk of losing data. A well-explained workaround would have been nice.

Part III addresses many issues I don't care about and that don't affect people who have broadband service with their Pocket PC. If you have to use a dialup, though, this information is indispensable.

Part IV talks mostly about various applications that strike me as laptop or desktop stuff. For example, running spreadsheets and databases on your Pocket PC. Maybe my view is just too narrow. To me, the small screen and tiny keyboard mean you pretty much stick to calling, e-mailing, and doing minor text work. In an age where 21-inch CRTs and 17-inch LCDs dominate desktops, it seems ridiculous to try to cram those same applications into a screen that is 1.75 x 2.75 inches. If you can't have a laptop with you, then maybe the actual work can wait. It may seem unbelievable, but there was a time when people weren't expected to respond to a call 24 hrs a day and were expected to go back to the office to update a file.

Throughout the book, there are resource recommendations with accurate URLs provided. I followed up on many of these and found some excellent applications at reasonable prices.

If you are looking at any kind of computer/phone combo, get this book first. Yes, that applies to thinking about a Blackberry or PalmPilot, too. I was originally going to buy a Blackberry, but my product research led me to select a PocketPC instead. I have never regretted that choice. I bought this book several months after buying my device (I didn't know there was such a book, until then). My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful for Anyone, September 29, 2006

By 

Ellen Craw, Ilium Software (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile (Paperback)

This is a very useful book, either for beginners or for more advanced users. Whether you're looking for a reference manual or a users' guide, you'll be sure to find the information you need here. The many pictures and highlighted tips and notes make "How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile" easy to read, and easy to quickly find the information you're looking for.

This very thorough book covers both Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones, whether running standalone or connected. There's a lot of information on using wifi or bluetooth connections, which I'm sure many of the new Windows Mobile device owners want to know.

The information is all current, the pictures useful, and the tips excellent. Whether you're a newcomer to Windows Mobile looking for basic information, or a more sophisticated user looking for reference information, you'll be sure to get a lot of good information from this guide.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Limited to version 5, August 10, 2008

By 

Edward M. Welch "Ed Welch" (East Lansing, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Do Everything with Windows Mobile (Paperback)

This books covers Windows Mobile 5. Most new phones come with version 6. This greatly limited the value of the book.