Having been writing Windows Mobile software reviews for over 8 years now, I’ve had the opportunity to use a lot of different applications from a host of developers. Some of these have been good, some not-so-good and others have been brilliant. One of these in the brilliant column is Spb Pocket Plus.

I started using Pocket Plus about 3 years ago and have watched mature and grow with each release.

The next topic of joint conversation for the Experts here at Smartphone & PocketPC Magazine is an interesting one: How do I save space on my Windows Mobile device? This is one of my favorite questions and one that I have received dozens of emails on over the last few years.

To answer the question I almost have to ask a question in return: Which memory are you asking me about?

I tend to look at my device like I do my PCs. I have storage memory (ROM) and I have application memory to run what I have installed (RAM). How I go about saving these really are fundamentally different. To be sure though you can save those precious megabytes on your device and here is how I do just that.

As we here at Ask The Experts post our thoughts on the question of why Windows Mobile, it is probably a good opportunity to do a little introduction.

As most readers know, I am the owner and “Chief Geek” of Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com!, a site that has been dedicated to Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone) and Professional (Pocket PC) reviews and opinions since August of 2004. Before that I wrote for a variety of sites (I still do in fact: Gear Diary, Pocket PC Thoughts, Pocketnow.com) and focused mainly on the Handheld PC platform. You will still find me writing on the venerable H/PC over at HPC:Factor, a site I co-own with Chris Tilley who is the real brains behind that operation.

So for me, the answer to “Why I have chosen Windows Mobile?” is one that has a long, somewhat drawn out answer. While a student at Dallas Baptist University (go Patriots!), I began finding myself needing more control over my calendar and what seemed to be an ever increasing number of contacts. After asking several friends about devices, I had essentially decided that I was going to buy a Palm. It seemed to do what I would need and with a little bit of piddling with HotSync, I could get my contacts to and from my PC – a 286MHz running Windows 95 if I remember correctly.

With the unofficial-official announcement this week of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft also introduced a new naming convention for their mobile platform as well. Werner in his post earlier this week here in the Blog goes over the details of the new naming scheme so I won't bore you with details yet again. But I will ask this question: Will you miss the terms "PocketPC" and "Smartphone" and will the new namings - Classic, Standard and Professional - clear what is already a somewhat confusing landscape in the device arena?

As Windows Mobile devices have become an ever increasing part of the enterprise and education landscape, the need to limit the functionality or access to applications or parts of the device have increased as well. After all, the last thing you need is an employee surfing the Internet while they are suppose to be taking a customer's drink order at a baseball game! Or even better, having Junior playing Quake on a PocketPC while he is suppose to be reading Shakespeare.

The challenge of course is the very nature of Windows Mobile itself. As the Operating System is in your device's Non-volitile ROM (Read Only Memory), it is not erasable like your computer's hard disk. This means that if an application is included in the ROM of your device when you purchase it - such as Solitare or Mobile Word - you can't simply uninstall it. This is in contrast to your device's volitile ROM (or in older PocketPCs the RAM) where you install applications. This can be erase meaning that any data or applications you install can be removed.

For those interested in reading all the difference of the ROM/RAM and all things memory related, check out the Windows Mobile Team blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/default.aspx There are several entries related to RAM, ROM and Presistent Storage

So how do you get around this challenge? Simple, you hide them!

Unlike almost all of my blog entries here at Smartphone & PocketPC magazine, this entry is really geared for the enterprise or academic readers out there. Everyone however can benefit from seeing yet another example of how flexible Windows Mobile devices can be.

One of the many things that I love about Windows Mobile devices is the amazing array of customization you can do to them. From colorful external cases to a seemingly unlimited amount of Today screen images, you can truly make your device more reflective of you!

One such customization you can do is change your System Font. The System Font is, essentially, the default font that your device uses to display text on the Today screen, menus and dialog boxes. With all due respect to Tahoma... I find it a little boring! :-) So with a little bit of time and a piece of software or two you can change your System Font to make your Windows Mobile device even more reflective of its owner - YOU!

To change your System Font you are going to need a few things ready and available on your PC and your Windows Mobile device:

1. You need to you have your device connected to your PC via ActiveSync

2. You need to have Tweaks2K2 installed on your device (personally I recommend Tweaks2K2 as you can make these types of changes to your device without the fear of "fat fingering" a change in your registry that could cause your device to not work properly)

3. You need to have all files visible on your PC. To do this, go to File Explorer and click on Tools>Folder Options...>View and move the radio button to "Show hidden files and folders"

If you look on my blog you will note that my last entry was in July... sad...

Last year I wrote a blog entry regarding the surprising number of Windows Mobile devices I saw during the December 2005 CIPTUG (Cisco IP Telephony User Group) convention in Las Vegas. As one who is tied to the Windows Mobile community, I was struck by the number of devices and in talking to users, found that Windows Mobile wasn't just a "fringe" thing - it was for real.

The question I had then and had as I went to Cisco Networkers in Las Vegas two weeks ago was this: Was what I saw in December just a particular group of "techies" or was Windows Mobile really gaining ground? Afterall, Networkers reaches a broader base of people, not just the propeller heads.

The answer: Windows Mobile was everywhere!

It's officially Spring here in the United States. The flowers are in bloom, pregnant rabbits run about and here in Texas, it's thunderstorm season! On the change that you have never experienced a thunderstorm in Texas, well you have just not lived. Having been born and raised here, I don't think you ever get use to them and the only thing scarier is a thunderstorm in Oklahoma!

Sling Media introduced the Slingbox in 2005 and it has been a great success for them. The Slingbox is a small device that sits within your audio/video equipment at home that allows you to control your television, your cable or satellite tuner, and your DVR all from your PC. The beauty of it is you can view your local stations and DVR content from anywhere in the world! As long as you can get to the Internet, you can view it!