I have been using Vista for only two weeks and my Start Menu programs are cluttered and messy, requiring me to scroll through them to get to what I want. When I first played with Vista, I thought this may be a problem as you get to scroll through your programs folders, rather than hover over them and the menu open automatically. It is possible to go back to the classic start menu and use the menus as we used to, but Vistas Start Menu looks nice, so I want to tidy up my programs to make it more usable.

The most commonly used programs menu is still available and I will use this most the time, but I have more than 8 applications I use regularly so I am forced to go into the “All Programs” cesspit. I came across similar problems with previous versions of Windows, where user guides and uninstallers are all thrown into the Start Menu, when these can be accessed in the program directory itself or using by using “Add/Remove Programs” within the Control Panel.

This article will show you how to tidy up your “All Programs” menu to make it more usable. There are many different ways to file your programs away, so you will need to find out what works best for you. This article will show you how I organise my programs and hopefully give you ideas of how you can best tackle your own.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was very excited to test out the new Windows Mobile Device Center 6 (WMDC) when Inspect my gadget upgraded to Vista. WMDC for Vista replaces ActiveSync and offers everything that ActiveSync offered, as well as some extra features. For a full rundown on WMDC, please check out my article:“Windows Mobile Device Center 6: The complete guide”.

As with ActiveSync, connecting via Bluetooth can often be quite difficult and many people are unsuccessful the first time. This article will contain many troubleshooting tips I have picked up from my own experiences. I had quite a few problems connecting my device but was able to get it all up and running eventually after around 7 hours of trial and error. I hope that this article will assist you to connecting your device in a fraction of the time.

This article will show you how to connect your Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) to WMDC using Bluetooth.

Read the rest of this entry »

Already at Inspect my gadget, I have given you a How-to which shows you how to have your computer alert you of the incoming calls to your mobile/cell phone. Now it is time to do the same for your landline phone. Using old technology we can easily acheive this. You will never miss a call again unless you choose to.

There are many free tools which can assist you in achieving this. Attach your computer to a modem and you have a complete call management system. You are even able to use your computer as an answering machine, with advanced features such as replying with a pre recorded message depending on who the caller is.

This could work well in the workplace depending on your workplaces’ phone system. We always feel the need to answer a phone immediately, dropping everything we are doing, no matter the importance just to find out it is a telemarketer on the other end. Most other methods of communication don’t require this speedy response, such as email. To get out of the habit of dropping everything, this will give you the choice. You can always call the caller back, as once this is set up your computer will log all incoming phone numbers.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are many reasons why you may want to send an email at a particular time. You may want to catch the recipient at the time you know they check their emails so your email is at the top of their list, or you might be out of the office at the time you want to send a message. Many email packages allow you to set the time the email will be sent to the recipients but today we look at Outlook 2003.

When you start a new message, click on options and look at the delivery options section. All you need to do is set the time and date. Fill out the rest of the email and press send, your computer will look after the rest. Depending on what system you are on, it is best to leave your computer on so that the computer can send the message as it is meant to.

One of the major problems with Windows Mobile devices, or any mobile device for that matter, is the time it takes to input data. The built in features in Windows Mobile Devices currently are:

1. Block Recogniser
2. Keyboard
3. Letter Recogniser
4. Transcriber.
5. Built in keyboard on some models

While each of these has their place, none of them offer speedy data entry. Even with predictive text, a simple SMS can take a while to type up and prepare for distribution.

This article will explore a couple of applications I have come across to assist you in your data entry. Whilst nothing will beat a Bluetooth keyboard, these are the next best thing. Of course, as with everything at Inspect My Gadget, they are free.

Read the rest of this entry »