Windows Mobile
Tivo Scheduling on My Mobile Phone! For Real.
Nov 25th
I have been using my TiVo series 2 with on-line scheduling for years now but it was always cumbersome to say the least on my Windows Mobile. Now just in time to enjoy my HTC Fuze AkA The HTC Touch Pro… All you need to do is point your browswer to http://m.tivo.com , log-in and select your DVR.
That’s it – and in return it will let you search, schedule and set-up season passes! Sweet. Stay tuned for some Tivo + WHS Geeky Goodness!
And if you are into Satellite radio like XM check out this page chock full of deals!
Can I have my Windows Mobile device wipe its memory after failed logons
Aug 28th
Did you know you can wipe a lost or stolen Windows Mobile device if you configure it before hand? As an Administrator using Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (SP2), you now have tools with which to set and enforce your mobile device security policies. You can also control some of the features on the mobile devices by using provisioning tools. Check this out:
Excessive failed logon attempts may signal that a wireless device has been lost or stolen — a serious security risk. Find out how to configure your Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices for local wiping, so they automatically destroy their data after a specified number of failed logons.
Most security policies for Windows Mobile devices are what I call “scorched-earth” policies. Essentially, an Exchange administrator remote wipes a mobile device to mitigate a specific security risk, such as a lost or stolen device. All Exchange Server data is completely erased when a wireless device is “wiped clean.”
You can trigger a remote wipe of a mobile device through Exchange Server 2007 and Outlook Web Access (OWA) 2007, but that presumes the wireless device will contact the Exchange server at some point.
It makes sense to allow mobile devices to wipe themselves when certain prerequisite conditions are met, such as a specified number of failed personal identification number (PIN) entries or incorrect password attempts. This mobile security feature is called a local wipe.
Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices have provisions for performing local wipes. However, this setting is not enabled by default, and for good reason. Discovering that your Windows Mobile device has committed digital suicide after you messed up your fifth attempt to punch in your PIN can be aggravating — especially if you didn’t know such a policy was in place to begin with.
But if your organization wants to implement this additional layer of security around Windows Mobile devices, it can be done — with a little work.
* First, the Password Required Policy (security policy ID 4131), a Windows Mobile security policy setting, must be enabled for the device in question.
* Next, a registry entry has to be set on the mobile device to enable this feature. In HKLM\Comm\Security\Policy\LASSD, create the decimal key DeviceWipeThreshold and set it to any positive number. This number will be the number of incorrect password logon attempts to allow before the device’s memory is wiped. This setting is also available in the Device Security Settings dialog box in the Exchange Management Console.
NOTE: In Windows Mobile 4, this function did not erase any external memory on the device, such as an SD card or other plug-in memory device. However, Windows Mobile 6 devices will erase external memory cards as well.
About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor of Windows Insight, a newsletter devoted to hints, tips, tricks, news and goodies for all flavors of Windows users.
[Via TechTargetl]
How can I get quick Flight Status while i’m mobile?
Jul 2nd
So this nifty obscure use of Google really helps us out on the go. We fire up our mobile browser (whose home page is Google) and type in our Airline and flight number like so:
And Google does the hard work and gives you what you need to see! This will work from any Internet terminal and not just your mobile. For more obscure uses of Google like currency and metrics conversion check out this LifeHacker post. Do you have any other Google tricks or hacks? Put us on! Let us know in the comments!
I have a new favorite Mobile Rss Reader… Windows mobile, Blackberry and Java Support….For Free!
Jun 6th
So I have used Egress since what seems like forever on my Windows Mobile Device. I have used Egress on Pocket Pc, SmartPhone and a bunch of other non-existent platforms. Let me just say after playing with NewsGator Go! for the last few hours I am sold!
And it wasn’t that hard seeming it is free and syncs up with NewsGators other services. This reader will work on your CrackBerry, Windows Mobile Device and Any Java Enabled Phone (Hi Android!). It allows you to view a mobile optimized version of the site at the push of a button. How about sending a well formated blog article to someone via eMail? It’s all in there.
Check it out here or point your mobile browser to: m.newsgator.com/d
I am going to put it through the ringer over the next week or so. Stay tuned for a full review and screen shots. If anyone else is loving or hating this let me know in the comments. Also if you have a different favorite reader put us on… Yup, you guessed it in the comments!
If you are an anti-social geek, feel free to email me at what at asktheadmin dot com.
How can I open Office 2007 files on my Windows Mobile Device?
May 20th
It is no secret that I am not a huge fan of the new office 2007 interface and all that ribbon crap. We have showed you work-a-rounds but, I can not stand in the way of innovation. So when I over heard a conversation between two VP’s in the hall outside of my dungeon I got involved…
“I would go to office 2007 so we can get this to work but my phone just won’t open the new formats. “
“Why don’t you ask Karl to take a look at it.”
“Nah, it’s o.k.”
That was strange. Are they trying to blame their holdup on IT? I walked over and said “I can make your phone open those extensions. Give me your phone and I will bring it back to you when I come to upgrade your Office to 2007.
He looked surprised but handed me the phone and walked away.
Long story short I downloaded a patch installed office and I was the hero of the day. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say at our board meeting today…
“The big project that was being held up by in-compatibility and inter-operable issues has been resolved in ten minutes by our resident Tech Genius…”
I know I’m dreaming it wil be more like “IT fixed the snags it had that was holding everything up. Let’s think ahead next time…”
Apparently Microsoft realizes how hard the push for the new 2007 document types is going to be and seemingly released a free upgrade for Windows Mobile Devices with any installed office applications on it. It will allow for all the file types to be opened and edited on your hand held. Long story short here is the…
From Microsoft’s Website:
What’s new in Office Mobile 6.1? The ability to view Office 2007 documents. (eg. pptx, xlsx, docx). Other improvements include:
• Enhanced viewing experience for charts in Excel Mobile.
• Ability to view SmartArt in PowerPoint Mobile.
• Ability to view and extract files from compressed (.zip) folders.Microsoft Office 2007 introduced new Open XML-based file formats for Office applications. These new file formats reduce file size, improve security and reliability, and enhance integration with external sources.
To allow Windows Mobile users to work with Office documents created in the Open XML formats, Microsoft has developed an upgrade for Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile applications. This upgrade to the Office Mobile applications allows viewing and editing of Word documents and Excel workbooks and viewing of PowerPoint slideshows created by using Microsoft Office 2007.If your Windows Mobile device does not have a version of Microsoft Office Mobile prior to 6.1, you can purchase the full version of Microsoft Office Mobile.
The Office Mobile application suite includes Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint® Mobile for Windows Mobile 6 powered devices, helping users manage and review documents. Microsoft Office Mobile includes support for rich reviewing and minor editing capabilities as well as support for rights-managed documents.
The primary user scenario enabled by Office Mobile is viewing e-mail attachments, performing minor edits, sharing document versions, and opening documents from an SD card or a SharePoint server. Office Mobile provides a high-fidelity document viewing experience, with capability to edit as well as fast performance in loading the first page of the document.
Note: This free upgrade works only for Windows Mobile powered devices that have an earlier version of Office Mobile. If your Windows Mobile powered device does not have Office Mobile applications, this upgrade will not work for you. You can purchase the full version of Office Mobile 6.1 online. For more information, click here. [Via MS]
So while I am on the prowl for the Windows 6.1 update for my Dopod C730 this is how get my compatibility on with the newer file types that all the kiddies are jumping into this days. Anyone got a Windows Mobile 6.1 Update Rom for me and my Dopod??
Use a free Exchange server to sync up your calendar with one person and task list with another.
May 9th
Hi boys and girls,
Do you remember when Ask The Admin covered a very interesting topic of Free Exchange services? For those who don’t, you can look here, here and sometimes here.
In a nutshell, this article talked about how me and my fiance’ had to plan our wedding and had tons of appointments flying in from both directions.
In order to get our two phones talking to one another and playing nicely, I used a free Exchange hosting service called www.Mail2Web.com to enable my WinMo PDA and my fiance’s Blackjack to sync calendars every 10 minutes logging into the service through ActiveSync, as if they are the same phone. As a result, both phones would have the same calendar information, and keep it that way every ten minutes.
I’ve had this system going for some time now, and it’s been working just fine. I haven’t even had to login to the control panel for anything!While figuring out this howto, I noticed in my own phone that WinMo gives you 4 categories of info items to sync, (as illustrated by the image so cleverly placed on the top of this blog) – Contacts, Calendar, Email, and Tasks. I realized that my fiance’s BlackJack also had the choice of 4 different points of info to sync. This meant that every WinMo device can choose which information to sync with an ActiveSync Server Source and more importantly, which information NOT to sync with an Exchange Server. So we’ve established that my fiance’s BlackJack and my ATT 8525/Hermes were acting as if they had the same calendar – consider them synced.
So this was a real world problem solved by the fact that 2 people have phones with WinMo and Activesync, and the availability of a free exchange service @ www.Mail2Web.com.
Now onto the next real-world problem: The Admin and I have a lot of tasks involved with keeping our beloved website up and running, current and fresh. Throughout the months tasks have come and gone, but certain tasks fell through the sieve and got replaced by more current, more urgent tasks that took precedence at the time. So basically tasks were getting lost. Since neither of us used the built in Tasks application in WinMo, this presented the perfect opportunity to put my theory to the test.
I know that I already have 2 people logging into MY Mail2Web account to sync calendars. But what would be wrong with 3 people logging into that same account – except that my Fiance’ will only sync Calendar information, and The Admin will only sync Tasks information (and NOBODY syncs Contact information).
So I had the The Admin log into my Mail2Web account through his ActiveSync Server Connection and sync only Tasks, and I had my own phone begin to sync Tasks with the same service it was already syncing to for Calendar information, which coincidentally my Fiance’s phone was simultaneously syncing Calendar information with as well.
Problem solved:
Me and the Admin with synced Tasklist,
Me and the Fiance with synced Calendar.
Free.
Automatic.
Just the way we like it.
AskTheAdmin.com.
Free Tech Support for the Masses.
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