September 9, 2008 11:49 PM PDT

Nokia offers Microsoft e-mail on smartphones

Posted by Marguerite Reardon

SAN FRANCISCO–Nokia took aim at smartphone rival Research in Motion Tuesday with plans to expand the number of devices that will automatically be capable of accessing Microsoft corporate e-mail.

Hello Everyone, 

Ever get frustrated with trying to figure out how to dial vanity telephone numbers?

A vanity telephone number is one that uses the alphabet as a mnemonic to remembering the number.  For example (800) FLOWERS. 

Well now you can dial to your little heart’s content with the new Vanity Dialing feature now available on many WM6.1 mobile devices such as the Samsung Blackjack II Smart Phone. 

Here’s how it works:

Hello Everyone, 

Just a quick note to let you know that Windows Mobile 6.1 users can now select which website is automatically displayed when opening Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer. 

To set the browser’s default home page:

Hello Everyone, 

While those using Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional (touch screen) devices have always enjoyed the convenience of Microsoft’s Voice Command, with the upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition, those using non touch screen devices such as the Samsung Blackjack II may now take advantage of this handy tool as well without having to purchase it as a separate product. 

What is Voice Command?

Hello,

I realize that several of the articles posted on the BLOG have focused on Windows Mobile Devices.  In fact, with the growing presence of WM6.1  I will definitely be posting more WM articles.

However, I want you to know that I have recently obtained  a  Symbian based phone and will begin working with it and will be posting Symbian device focused articles soon. 

So, hang in there, OK?

Your New Partner in Symbian Crime,  (Smile)

Mark

Hello Everyone,

Among the many changes those upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.1 are noticing are (1) the SMS Inbox is now displayed in a threaded or conversation mode view and (2) sent SMS notifications are disabled. 

As usual, Microsoft, while brilliant in it design, is amazingly dull in its implementation.  By this I mean, it would have been nice for those using Windows Mobile 6.1 devices to have a way of enabling and disabling these features.  Please note that while there are a couple of Windows Mobile devices that allow these features to be toggled on and off, at the time of this post, most WM6.1 devices do not.

Hello Everyone,

The following are some simple suggestions which may help reduce battery drain on your Mobile device:

1.
When not in use, disable both the Bluetooth and/or WIFI transmitters.

2.
If possible, such as on the Samsung Blackjack 2 Smartphone, turn off the keyboard backlight or, in the alternative, reduce the time period which is automatically turns on.

3.
Reduce all display time-out periods.

4.
Lower the display brightness level. 

5.
Generally, charging from a standard outlet provides better battery power than charging from a computer via USB.

6.

Mobile Speak users can turn off, by unchecking the checkbox, the BlueTooth setting located in the Mobile Speak Control Panel in the Braille Settings Dialog box found under Modes > current mode.  This option turns off Bluetooth after disconnecting a brail device.

Please note that it will only work if Bluetooth was already off before the Braille device was connected.
    

Click Here for a companion article entitled “When All I Want Is A Little Power”. 

Good Luck,

Mark

INTRODUCTION:
By now, many of you know that I am a huge proponent of “cloud computing”.  As the online universe continues to evolve, this cleverly coined concept will continue to define our digital destiny.

Be that as it may, as a visually impaired person using both screen reading software such as Mobile Speak (Mobile Phones) and Jaws (Desktop/Note Book PCs) as well as Screen magnifying software such as ZoomText, I find accessing web-based email, in the “cloud” as it were, slow and inefficient at best, unsatisfying and tiring at worst. 

In a previous article I posted entitled “Email Me One More Time”, I discuss how the iMAP (iMAP4: Internet Message Access Protocol) as opposed to the POP (POP3: Post Office Protocol) has significantly shortened the gap between web-based email access via a web browser such as Fire Fox and locally installed email clients such as MS Outlook for those not fortunate enough to be on an MS Exchange service, truly the Cadillac of online communication vehicles.

In its infinite wisdom (not), Microsoft does not allow iMAP access to those using Windows Live Hotmail, MSN, or anything else Microsoft.  Further, those wishing to access Live Hotmail through an email client can only do so via POP and only after upgrading to a Windows Live Hotmail Plus account at the cost of $19.95 per year.

Now, let me say that I have no problem with the upgrade cost as paying it insures that my Microsoft Live account will not be deleted due to inactivity and, more importantly, it removes any advertisements from any messages sent or received.  

You may be wondering why a person like me, who owns and manages several email and web servers, would want to use a Microsoft Windows Live account.  There are several reasons but perhaps the most significant is the fact that using a Windows Live Hotmail account streamlines the Microsoft Mesh experience.  Oh yeah, and I like having an email address with the domain of “live.com”.  (Smile) 

Like Google, Microsoft offers an ever increasing array of free online services such as Calendar and Contacts synchronization.  Unlike Google, however, Microsoft makes any online synchronization convoluted and, at times, down right painful; at least until now. 

Hello Everyone, 

As you may guess, I am always searching for the perfect all-in-one mobile phone portal that will forever change my view of not only myself, my family, my work, my country, my world, my universe, and even my very existence but also, more importantly, my experience on the Internet, itself.

While we all know there is no such thing as a perfect online resource, KeyToss, currently in beta,  comes closer to reaching mobile portal perfection than any I have seen so far. 

Take a look at what it has to offer:

INTRODUCTION

Hello Everyone,

I received a text message from a friend of mine, the other day, while I was in a city council meeting.  I was just thinking how bored I was when my mobile phone silently notified me that I had just received a text message.  With just the click of a few buttons I learned that a friend had just wished me a good day and wanted me to know that she was thinking about me.  That message put a smile in my heart and a grin on my face. 

In that moment I began to wonder how many of us still do not recognize the ultra convenience and awesome power of text messaging. 

Therefore, in an effort to bring some understanding to the unfathomable and ever-changing ecosphere of SMS, I have collected the following information for your perusal. 

I’ll tell you now that there is a lot of material covered in this article.  Please know that you are, in no way, expected to memorize its contents.  Instead, use the information here as kind of a blueprint for how you may better take advantage of the SMS lane of the information super highway.  So, relax, put a smile on your face, and enjoy the ride.

Most Sincerely,

Mark

IMPORTANT NOTICE
I have attempted to remove any profane, adult, and/or what I consider to be offensive material from the following information; however, I cannot guaranty that I have successfully removed it all.  If you discover a definition or translation that you deem inappropriate for this platform, please let me know and I will update the information accordingly.  
BASIC TEXT MESSAGING ETIQUETTE