In the past, buying a PDA would simply mean having an electronic assistant that would help you organize your time, tasks and contacts on a mobile device. As time evolved, smartphones are the new enhanced PDAs that now enable you to not only organize what you need to do, but also

do it

to do more with your time while you’re on the go with just the right amount of added solutions that surround it.

    This article is about five productivity tips that cover only some of the things that’ll help you take even more advantage on your Windows Mobile investment. Some of you may probably already use some of them or all, and some of you may just be unboxing your first device and have no idea what to do with it. In any of both cases, we invite you to comment on your experiences and contribute with even more tips on how to get things going while you’re going with Windows Mobile.

1. SYNC YOUR LIFE WITH LIVE MESH

    Imagine getting 5GB of free storage on the internet that’ll enable you to sync data seamlessly between your device, your PC and even your friends. Live Mesh is a free Microsoft Service that maintains constant communication with a server and will sync all the data you choose between your Windows Mobile device and the server automatically. Think again about the problems behind loosing your phone? Live Mesh can solve your problems as long as you choose to sync your important data with the Mesh server. All you need is your Windows Mobile device connected to the internet for you to download the Live Mesh application from http://m.mesh.com using your favorite mobile browser.

2. GET YOUR WINDOWS MOBILE DEVICE SOME INTERNET LOVE

    The quote scenario (mentioned above) could’ve been solved if you stopped your vehicle on the side of a road, had a copy of the Excel form in your Windows Mobile device, updated it with Excel Mobile or Softmaker’s Plan Maker and simply sent it right then from your phone using a data plan. We’re not only talking about a happy customer, but also of one less thing to do once you get to the office. Data plans may not be economically accessible in most countries, but in some cases, the importance and the revenue behind business is so significant that it pays off to have your team connected permanently. What can you do with mobile internet on your phone? Tons of things actually, but just to name a few:

• Mobile Email – How much time will it take you to read email on the three accounts that the average American has, using an internet browser? If email is an important part of your day, Windows Mobile can support as much as 10 email accounts from almost every service and also give you the advantage of HTML for true visual fidelity on the emails received.

• Microsoft Exchange Enhancements – Exchange is a true gem once you add some mobility to it. Syncing contacts, calendar, tasks and email is only the simple part of its benefits.
  • How much time would it take you to schedule a meeting with five team members through phone calls? Solve that by simply scheduling an appointment on your device and adding attendees through a meeting request using Outlook mobile. How much time did you save?
  • Forgot your bosses email? Ouch… But hey, simply browse his contact on the Global Address List with Exchange.
  • Lost your device and got a replacement? Ouch again… but don’t worry about loosing your Contacts because syncing this new device with Exchange will solve it all.
  • How much time did you save there? There’s more, so make sure you follow Anton’s article on 4Smartphone.com and Stephen’s article on Exchange to see what else it can do for you.

• Mobile Web Browsing - Yup, we know you got the picture, but if you also add Opera Mobile 9.5, Opera Mini, or Skyfire to your device for free…browsing on your PC becomes a bit of a lag if you think of it.
• Other Services - The fun behind a Windows Mobile device is having it fetch things for you instead of having to loose time getting it yourself. You can actually IM, make VoIP calls through Skype, stream video, radio, news feeds, podcasts and tons of other things.

3. USE SOME REMOTE DESKTOP ONCE YOU GET SOME INTERNET LOVE

    Yeah, I also hate it when I’m half way home and remember I forgot a file in my office’s PC that I urgently need to finish updating later on. Gladly, a network with the right attributes and a Windows Mobile device that has the Remote Desktop application and some internet love, will help you solve your day by letting you get that file remotely with Device Mapping support as you can follow on Adam’s post. Isn’t it cool to be able to control a full Office document on your PC from your device?

This video can give you a good idea on how it works and why it’s such a practical way to save you some time and hastle on your day. Follow our discussion for more.

4. FIND YOURSELF WITH GOOGLE MAPS AND STREETVIEW

    One of the biggest time consumers in history is not knowing where you’re going. If you’re a constant traveler like I am, renting a car and driving in the middle of "no where you know" is a common deal. Sure navigation systems are common, but why invest on a separate device for navigation when you’re already carrying a Windows Mobile device that is now commonly featured with GPS chips and when Google Maps is a free ride? And yes, if your device doesn’t have a GPS, there is always the My Location feature that uses the cell phone towers to find your location, or there are always Bluetooth GPS devices like the ones we’ve reviewed to help you out.

    Street view is another gem in a true traveler’s needs. One thing a conventional navigation system can’t do is show you an image of the building you’re looking for or even let you get a walking idea of how the street looks. How much time can that save you?

5. USE YOUR MOBILE OFFICE TO AVOID THE BOOT LAG

    Between the time a Vista computer boots and lets you open Microsoft Office Excel, I can easily get to Starbucks and back and still have enough time to catch it loading something before I can start working. Yes…it’s that bad at times. Windows Mobile includes Office Mobile to help you deal with some basic office tasks, but there are always great third party applications to get you covered. As I mentioned before, there are always options like SoftMaker’s Office 2008 for Windows Mobile Professional or DataViz Documents to Go for Windows Mobile Standard and Professional which will give you more robust versions of Microsoft Office to suit your needs.

    These applications are all offered at a competitive price and will let you enhance your mobile office experience by letting you create or edit Power Point documents, print PDF files directly on your device, etc. PlanMaker will even let you do complicated functions from Excel and even protect your sheets for distribution. How’s that for a time and life saver on the go?

CONCLUSION

    This article listed just a small number of productivity savers if you have a Windows Mobile phone. What do you do to save time with your WinMo phone? Back in the old days, I bought my first device because of all it could do in comparison to other conventional PDAs. Today, I use it because I can practically do a great majority of my office tasks directly on my device which most of the times saves me both time, money and fuel. Sure there are many smartphone platforms in the market today, but I consider it a smarter investment to use the one that has the most capabilities. Windows Mobile has proven to be just that for me.