Link – Ringtones on Windows Phone 7


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The Samsung Omnia’s biggest selling point is its touch screen – it’s huge, very responsive, and looks very sharp. Also worth noting are its 8GB internal memory (expandable to 24GB with a 16GB microSD card!), great battery life, GPS built right in, and a 5MP auto-focus camera (with LED flash).

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Mitchell Oke of GadgetZone had this to say about the Omnia:

The Omnia has a beautiful 3.2 inch 240×400 display that dominates the front of the device. It isn’t quite as high-res as some of its competitors, but it looks great and is extremely responsive. The biggest problem with some of these touch screen handsets is that the display isn’t sensitive enough to a finger press. Fortunately the Omnia passes with flying colours.

In fact, Samsung are so adamant that you won’t need a stylus that there isn’t a slot for one! Some may see this as a nuisance, but in a week of use without it we can safely say that the stylus can stay in the box.

That’s a glowing recommendation if we’ve ever heard one!

Sadly the Samsung Omnia still uses proprietary connectors for power, syncing, and audio. But so many phones still do that we can’t be that disappointed. Someday, my friends. Someday phone manufacturers will light up our lives with 3.5 mm headphone jacks…

Have an Omnia? Be sure to let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

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With the year drawing to a close, it’s time to pull out the best that WindowsMobile Cool had to offer our readers this year in the way of comprehensive guides on everything from personalizing your WinMo phone to using your phone as a wireless modem.

Let’s take a look at WindowsMobile Cool’s most popular how-to guides of 2008:

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1. How-to: Setup, configure, and personalize your device – a comprehensive guide – Configuring your device involves making some one-time settings that personalize the device for your use. It’s super easy! Check out this in-depth how-to on setting up, configuring, and personalizing your Windows Mobile handset and get started now!

2. How-to: Get Wikipedia on your phone without an internet connection – Being a history graduate (go on, make your nerd jokes now), I pride myself as being the Queen of Trivial Knowledge – but even I need a refresher now and again. If I’m lucky enough to be sitting by a computer (which I’ll admit is quite often) the internet has almost every answer I could possibly need in seconds thanks to Wikipedia. But what if I’m not in front of my computer? Here’s the perfect solution: Wikipedia… on your Windows Mobile phone! I know what you’re thinking. Data. Data is expensive! And Wikipedia is full of images and links and then you have to worry about having the right browser to view it in properly… grah! So here it is…

3. How-to: In case of theft, enable ’self-destruct’ mode – So you just bought a brand new WinMo phone. Does the idea of some thief getting their grubby little hands on your new baby and all its private information (text messages, contacts, credit card numbers, private emails) make you absolutely sick? This walk-through will help you protect yourself against information theft by showing you how to turn your Windows Mobile device into a self-destructing data safe.

4. How-to: Getting Internet Sharing to work on your AT&T Fuze, Sprint Touch Pro, HTC Touch Diamond, and Samsung Epix – This one allows you to ‘enable’ (read: re-enable) Internet Sharing on your HTC Touch Diamond, Sprint Touch Pro, AT&T Fuze (Touch Pro) and the Samsung Epix! Now, this is a registry key edit so use at your own risk as we’re never 100% sure of how these things will turn out sometimes.. but if you’re desperate for Internet Sharing (or brave and up for a challenge) try out this trick…

5. How-to: Watch Digital TV on your Windows Mobile phone – This really cool compact accessory for your phone is called MOBio (MOB View) and it’s made by a company out of Shanghai called Permian. MOBio (MOB View) is an SDIO Interface Mobile Digital TV receiver which uses Bluetooth to provide digital TV services.

6. How-to: Get the YouTube app on your Vodafone HTC Touch Pro – If you’ve purchased a Vodafone HTC Touch Pro, one of the first things you’ll notice is that there is no YouTube application — but with this guide, you’ll have it in no time!

7. How-to: Stop ActiveSync from eating your valuable system resources (and your money!)

8. How-to: Internet Sharing – love between a laptop and a Windows Mobile phone – This how-to was born on a day that I had a bit of a scramble to find a reliable internet connection in order to bring my readers the latest Windows Mobile news so I decided it was a good time to use WinMo’s Internet Sharing application. If you haven’t tried this out – I suggest you do! It’s very easy and works better than you expect it will, I assure you.

9. How-to: Turn your favourite mp3 into a ringtone – A little birdy told me that putting a ringtone on their phone is one of the first things new phone owners look to do. So today, for your auditory pleasure, I’ll show you how to put a ringtone on your Windows Mobile device! You’ll be glad to hear that it’s actually dead simple!

10. How-to: Sync your Windows Mobile device with your Mac – Are you a Windows Mobile user… but a Mac user as well? Well, it’s not impossible to sync up these two devices – in fact, it’s very easy! This tutorial will walk you through installing, setting up and using SyncMate to sync your Windows Mobile device with your Mac.

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AOL has just announced the availability of AOL Sync for beta testing!

AOL Sync allows users to sync up Microsoft Outlook and their AOL Calendar and Address Book with a wide range of mobile devices, including (and, of course, most importantly) Windows Mobile!

It offers two-way “over the air” synchronization so users can make real-time updates to their calendar and list of contacts over the cell network.

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The new service is powered by open source mobile push email and sync provider, Funambol. Having recently redesigned and opened up its home page, AOL continues to turn to openness and open source for mobile sync.

AOL Sync is device- and carrier-independent, meaning AOL users can now leverage the open MobileWe capabilities from Funambol and its world-leading mobile developer community to sync their calendar and contacts with more than 1.5 billion devices worldwide.

For more information, check out the following sites:
AOL Corporate Blog
AOL Mail Blog
Funambol CEO Blog

You can use your Windows Mobile device’s Calendar to schedule appointments, including meetings and other events. Your appointments for the day can be displayed on the Today screen. If you use Outlook on your computer, you can synchronize appointments between your device and your computer. You can also set the Calendar to remind you of appointments with a sound or a flashing light, for example.

You can view your appointments in several different views (Day, Week, Month, and Agenda). To see detailed appointment information in any view, tap the appointment.

Schedule an appointment

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Tap Menu > New Appointment.
• In the Subject field, enter a name for the appointment, and then enter information such as start and end times.

To schedule an all-day event, in the All Day field, tap Yes.

• When you are finished, tap OK to return to the calendar.

Note: All-day events do not occupy blocks of time in Calendar; instead, they appear in banners at the top of the calendar.

To cancel an appointment, scroll to the appointment, and then tap Menu > Delete Appointment.
Update an appointment

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Edit.
• Scroll to or tap the message area and enter your message.
• Scroll to the fields that you want to update and make your changes.
• Tap OK.

Delete an appointment

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Delete Appointment.
• Tap Yes to confirm.

Respond to an Outlook meeting request

• Tap Start > Messaging > Outlook E-mail.
• Tap the meeting request and do one of the following:

o To accept the request and insert the meeting into your calendar, tap Accept.
o To decline the request, tap Menu > Decline.
o To tentatively accept the meeting request and insert a tentative meeting into your calendar, tap Menu > Tentative.

• The next time that you synchronize, your response will be sent to the meeting organizer and the meeting will be added to your computer’s Outlook calendar.

Add or remove a recurrence from an appointment

When you schedule an appointment on your device, you can set it to occur one time or many times:

1. Once a week on the same day
2. Same day of every month
3. Once a year

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Edit. If the appointment already has a recurrence, tap All to update all occurrences of the appointment.
• Scroll to and tap the Occurs field, and then select an option.
• Tap OK.

Note: You cannot create an appointment on your device that occurs irregularly (that is, does not recur at the same time every week or month). If you create an irregularly occurring appointment on your computer and then sync with your device, the word Custom will appear in the Occurs field on the device. This cannot be altered on your device. If you want to change the recurrences of that appointment, edit the appointment on your computer and sync again to update the recurrences on your device.

Change the calendar view

You can view your calendar in several different layouts:

1. Today’s agenda
2. Appointments for the week
3. Agenda for a specific date
4. Appointments for the month

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Do one of the following:

o Tap Menu > View, and then tap Agenda, Day, Week, Month, or Year.
o Tap Menu, and then tap Go to Today or Go to Date.

Note: Go to Today and Go to Date are not available in the Month or Year views.

Change the sensitivity of an appointment

You can define appointments in your calendar as confidential, personal, private, or normal.

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Edit.
• Scroll down to the Sensitivity field, and then scroll down to select an option.
• Tap OK.

Change the status of an appointment

You can change the status of your appointments to:

1. Busy
2. Free
3. Tentative
4. Out of Office

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Edit.
• Scroll to and tap the Status field and then select an option.
• Tap OK.

Set a reminder time for an appointment

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Edit.
• Scroll down to the Reminder field and then select the desired reminder time.
• Tap OK.

Set a reminder for a recurring appointment

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• When you are prompted, do one of the following:

o Tap All to edit all recurrences of this appointment.
o Tap One to edit only one instance of this appointment.

• Scroll down to the Reminder field and then select the desired reminder time.
• Tap OK.

Add a note to an appointment

You can add notes to an appointment as you would in Outlook on your computer.

• Tap Start > Calendar.
• Scroll to and tap the appointment.
• Tap Menu > Edit.
• Tap the Notes tab and enter the text.
• Tap OK.
• If you receive the message “Inform attendees about meeting changes?”, tap Yes or No, as you want.

Tasks

This section shows you how to manage the tasks and notes you create on your device, and how to use the built-in calculator.

Create a task

• Tap Start > Programs > Tasks.
• Tap Menu > New Task.
• Enter a subject for the task, and fill in information such as start and due dates.
• Tap OK.

Mark a task as complete or incomplete

Checking the box next to a task marks it as complete. If you decide to reopen the task, clear its check box.

• Tap Start > Programs > Tasks.
• Scroll to the task you want to mark, and then tap Complete or Activate.

Delete a task

• Tap Start > Programs > Tasks.
• Scroll to the task you want to delete.
• Tap Menu > Delete Task.
• Tap Yes to confirm.

Use the calculator

• Tap Start > Programs > Calculator.
• Enter numbers using the keypad.
• To select a function, tap:

o + (add)
o – (subtract)
o x (multiply)
o ÷ (divide)
o . (decimal point)

• Tap = (equals) to perform the calculation.
• Tap C to clear the screen and start a new calculation.

Alarms

This section shows you how to set and manage alarms on your device.

• Tap Start > Settings > System tab > Clock & Alarms.
• Tap the Alarms tab.
• Tap and enter a name for the alarm.
• Tap the day of the week for the alarm. You can select multiple days by tapping each desired day. To clear a selection, tap it again.
• Tap the time to open a clock and set the time for the alarm.

o To enter the time from the clock, drag the hour and minute hands.
o To enter the time from the box, tap hour or minutes. Then either tap the up and down arrows, or use the text input panel to enter a number.
o Tap AM or PM.

• Tap OK.

Quick Tip: To remove an alarm, clear the check box for that alarm.

Set the alarm tone

• Tap Start > Settings > Personal tab > Sounds & Notifications.
• Tap the Notifications tab.
• In the Event field, tap the down arrow and select Reminders.
• Select the Play sound check box.
• In the Play sound field, tap the down arrow and select the tone you want.
• To hear a selected tone, tap the arrow under the Play sound field.
• Tap OK.

Turn off a sounding alarm

• Tap Dismiss.

Voice notes

• Your device enables you to record voice notes. This section shows you how to create and delete voice notes, and how to set a voice note as a ring tone.

Record a voice note

• Voice notes provide a quick way to keep a list of tasks or other items. Instead of typing a list or item, you can record an audio reminder. When you record a voice note, it will be given a default name that you can change later.

You can create a stand-alone recording or you can add a recording to a note.

• Tap Start > Programs > Notes.
• To record a voice note in a note, scroll to and tap the note.
• If you do not see the Recording toolbar, tap Menu > View Recording Toolbar.
• Tap the record icon to begin recording.
• Hold your device’s microphone near your mouth or another sound source.
• Tap the stop icon when you finish recording.
• Tap OK to return to the notes list.
• If you record a voice note in an open note, a voice note icon will appear in the note.
• If you record a stand-alone voice note—one that is not embedded in a note—a voice note icon will appear in the note list.

Note:To play a recording, tap the record icon in the open note or tap the recording in the note list.

Quick Tip: To create a recording quickly, press the RECORD button. When you hear the beep, begin your recording. Release the button when you are finished.

Rename a voice note

• Tap Start > Programs > Notes.
• Scroll to the voice note you want to rename.
• Tap Menu > Rename/Move.
• In the Name field, enter a new name for the voice note.
• Tap OK.

Play back a voice note

• Tap Start > Programs > Notes.
• Scroll to the voice note you want to hear.
• Tap the record icon in the open note or tap the recording in the note list.

Set a voice note as a ring tone

• Tap Start > Programs > Notes.
• Scroll to the voice note you want to set as a ring tone.
• Tap Menu > Rename/Move.
• In the Folder field, tap the down arrow and then tap My Ringtones.
• Tap OK.

Delete a voice note

• Tap Start > Programs > Notes.
• Scroll to the voice note you want to delete.
• Tap Menu > Delete.
• Tap Yes to confirm.

NO, ActiveSync. BAD, ActiveSync.

XDA Developers has just written a very helpful utility called ActiveSync Killer to help you free up your system resources and memory by stopping ActiveSync from running in the background.

ActiveSync Killer works my stopping the ActiveSync application process from idly running in the background. This unclogs your phone’s resources and memory during those times when ActiveSync is not actively syncing up to your information.

After download, ActiveSync Killer needs to install directly onto the device then the device will need a soft reset. The application should run on any Windows Mobile Professional device but as always, use with caution as this is not an official Microsoft software application.

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Looks like Microsoft is preparing to launch Live Mesh for Windows Mobile by the end of the week.

Live Mesh allows you to sync your files with your PC/Notebook presently, and soon you’ll be able to sync your WinMo device with your Mac as well. It allows you to access files from the web or any device and easily share them with others. It also works to allow remote desktop use between PC/laptops as well.

Sounds pretty rad. Here’s hoping it works as promised!

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In these times of economic uncertainty, everyone wants to keep their spending to a minimum. There are many features in Windows Mobile that can help you save money while maintaining the productivity advantages of a smartphone. Most carriers trying to sell you a phone won’t tell you about these things, and most other “smartphones” aren’t even capable of some of these features.

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Is it really worth it to pay an extra $30-$60 per month for internet access on your phone? For some, yes it’s definitely worth it, but for others? You’re already paying for it at work and at home. You’re only really out on the weekends, and then you’re probably too busy to care about email or internet news anyway.

Unlike many smartphones that have become symbiotically dependent on expensive wireless internet access, Windows Mobile can still be very useful without a constant internet connection.

One reason is ActiveSync and Mobile Device Center’s internet pass-through capability. That means that when your Windows Mobile device is plugged into a computer via the USB connection, it can use that computer’s internet access. Furthermore, Windows Mobile is capable of syncing your email inbox and OUTBOX with Outlook. So, while you’re out and about, you can take pictures, record videos, attach them to emails and write messages to your heart’s content. Then when you get home, just plug-in to the computer and the emails will send through Outlook as part of the sync process. You might say, “You can do that with WiFi too,” and yes of course you can, but maybe you’re still using dial-up in a remote part of the world, or you don’t want to deal with the complications and expense of setting up your own WiFi router. Plus, WiFi takes up battery life and needs to turn on to connect. With the USB email sync solution, all you do is plug in a wire (which recharges the battery too!)

The internet pass-through also works with any other internet capable application as well as non-ActiveSync email accounts. So if you set up a regular POP3, IMAP or Exchange account on the device (instead of an Outlook sync,) you will be able to use it both when plugged into the USB on your computer as well as when connected to WiFi hotspots. Also with the internet pass-through capabilities, you can use any number of RSS readers to download your daily listing of news from news sites, as well as podcasts and video podcasts, which you can then read offline on Windows Mobile while you’re out and about.

Speaking of WiFi, some home internet service providers these days also offer free WiFi internet access to their customers. WiFi access will of course be limited to certain hotspots, but this can come in handy if you want to save money on your wireless phone bill. Optimum Online customers now have free WiFi in certain areas, as does ATT broadband.

Now what about GPS? Mobile phone carriers like ATT, Verizon, and Sprint often include GPS navigation programs on their mobile phone offerings. Unfortunately, they usually require an additional fee to use. Most are in the $10/month range AND require an internet access plan which tends to add up. Luckily, Windows Mobile still supports the largest number of full offline GPS navigation programs which don’t include monthly fees and don’t require internet access. Say you’re herding cattle in Montana for a week and you get lost chasing down a straggler, other smartphones are going to be pretty useless without wireless internet to download those maps. But you came prepared and installed a moving map application on your WM phone loaded with custom topographical maps of the area. Programs like Fugawi, Memory-Map Navigator, Ozi Explorer, Outdoor Navigator and Vito can all be used to navigate “all terrain” areas of the world. If you’re more of a road warrior and just want to be directed to a meeting location or friend’s house, TomTom, iGuidance, CoPilot Live, OnCourse Navigator, Garmin, etc. are all fully functional street-based route navigation programs that function independently of internet access. You do have to purchase them, but it’s a one-time fee and often turns out to be much less expensive than using the carrier-provided GPS navigation program. Furthermore, if your phone does not have GPS built in, you can easily get a Bluetooth enabled GPS receiver to connect to.

Now what about phone calls? If you want to reduce your bill with your wireless phone company, you can use a number of Voice over IP applications with Windows Mobile instead. These will require a WiFi connection, but you’ll save money by not using up your minutes on your wireless carrier. Actually, Windows Mobile has built-in native support for SIP based VoIP which is completely integrated with the phone dialer and contacts program. However, most OEMs and carriers choose to not include that feature because they want you to pay money for voice calls. There are also a number of 3rd party VoIP applications that you can use for voice calls on your Windows Mobile device. Skype is fully supported, and Fring does SIP VoIP as well as instant messaging, Skype, Twitter, etc.

How about editing Office Documents? Everyone uses Microsoft Office documents at work. It’s practically impossible not to. Since most versions of Windows Mobile included Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel and OneNote, it’s very easy to store in-progress files on your mobile device and edit them whenever you have a spare moment. Windows Mobile shows up in Windows Explorer when connected to ActiveSync or WMDC, and you can simply copy/paste files to whichever folders you’d like. You’ll quickly notice some major roadblocks if you try to do similar things on other mobile device platforms.

Another thing many people don’t know regarding internet access on their smartphones is that certain carriers allow you turn on an internet plan for a period of time and then cancel it and only pay a pro-rated amount for the time you used it. So if most of the time you’re next to a desktop computer, you can use the USB connection to download email and sync your device… but maybe when you take a couple weeks off to go on vacation, you can turn the data internet service on so that you’ll have mobile internet access during that time. It’s a slight hassle calling your phone company to turn it off and on all the time, but it could save you money if you can get by with out it for longer periods of time.

[via Adam L Zein via Windows Mobile Connection]

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