Tip: Upload Photos Directly to Flickr Account from a Smartphone
You don't have to wait to get back to your computer to upload your photos to Flickr. Using your smartphone, you can achieve instant gratification by uploading images directly from your handset. Using the mobile version of Flickr (m.flickr.com), you can also view photos from your friends, read recent comments, or search around for new photos.

Another way to upload images to Flickr from your handheld or smartphone is by sending your photos via e-mail to this address: outside39thus@photos.flickr.com. The subject line of the e-mail will automatically become the title of your image and the body of the e-mail will become your description. E-mailed photos will inherit your default privacy settings unless you set privacy as you

Tip: Some Webcasts, Podcasts for IT, Business Professionals On-The-Go
By downloading or streaming Microsoft webcasts or podcasts for IT and business professionals to your Windows Mobile device, you can listen to all sorts of educational and informative content whenever and wherever you want. Redmond's podcasts are free and do not require registration—just click and listen.

You can download or stream them to your mobile device by simply choosing either the WMA or MP3 link, and right click and 'save target as' to download.

Podcasts for IT professionals, for example, include topics like "An In-Depth Look at SharePoint Server 2007 Search Technology," Extending Search Capabilities with Office SharePoint Server 2007," and "Extending SharePoint Server 2007 Search Capabilities by Exposing Data with the Business Data Catalog."

Below are some more podcasts available to IT and business professionals.

Podcasts for IT Managers
Topics for IT Managers include: "A First Look at System Center Data Protection Manager Version 2," "Infrastructure Optimization (Part 07 of 11): Improving Business Insight and Performance with Business Intelligence," and "Infrastructure Optimization (Part 08 of 11): Shifting Development from a Cost Center to a Strategic Business Asset."

Podcasts for Developers
Microsoft free podcasts for developers include "Building Key Business Applications on the 2007 Office System Server Environment," "Business Data Catalog for Developers," and "Connecting and Extending Client Programs in the 2007 Office System.

Podcasts for Business Professionals
To boost your skill level with Microsoft Office applications or to learn about strategies for greater effectiveness when using them. These podcasts include"Top 10 Tips for Microsoft Office 2007 E-mail," "Top 10 Tips for PowerPoint 2007," and "Improving Data Analysis with Excel 2007 PivotTables and PivotCharts."

Tip: More Windows Mobile Owner's Circle Benefits
There are a number of benefits to joining Microsoft's free Windows Mobile Owner's Circle club, particularly in the way of free downloads. To join Windows Mobile Owner's Circle, visit the sign-up page and create an account by providing an e-mail address and password. You can opt out of e-mail services if you're not interested in getting newsletters or promotions.

Photo Contacts 3.0
Photo Contacts, a contact and Photo Caller ID manager for your Windows Mobile smartphone, features full screen and Business Caller ID. It fully integrates with your device's contact database and uses "intelligent" search to find contacts quickly. Windows Mobile Owner's Circle members can get a free three-month trial of the software.

Free Multimedia News
MSNBC.com's "Multimedia on Mobile" is an application (free to Windows Mobile Owner's Circle members) that offers news and entertainment in the form of videos, photos, and text for Windows Mobile devices. Users can watch NBC News videos from "The Today Show" and the "Nightly News with Brian Williams." The slideshow feature allows you view photos from MSNBC.com, including "The Week in Pictures" and "The Week in Celebrity Sightings." (Currently, the software only works on Windows Mobile 5 and earlier.)

Customize Your Device with Themes
Microsoft offers a decent selection of downloadable themes—free to Windows Mobile Owner's Circle members—that enable Windows Mobile users to personalize their Pocket PCs and smartphones by applying background images to their Today page. Categories include Tropical (sharks, angelfish, beaches, etc.), Abstract (geometric designs, abstract images), Mountains/Snow (mountain peaks, glaciers), and Space (planets, the moon). Some of them, such as "Distant Neptune," in the Space category, include color schemes that make the text onscreen more difficult to read than others.

Tip: Smartphone - Stop Telemarketers
If you do not wish to receive unsolicited calls from telemarketers on your BlackBerry, you can register your mobile number with the FCC's Do-Not-Call Registry. Registration is free and lasts for five years. At the end of the five years, you can sign up for another five, if you wish.

And should you for some reason want to re-enter the world of unsolicited phone calls from people who want to sell you things, you can remove your number from the list at any time. While the Do-Not-Call Registry applies to all telemarketers, it does not cover certain other types of callers who may want to solicit you.

Calls by or on behalf of tax-exempt non-profit organizations, for instance, are still allowed, as are calls from organizations with which you have established a business relationship, calls for which you have given prior written permission, and calls which are not commercial or do not include unsolicited advertisements.

Tips: Windows Mobile - Typing & Navigation
Most Windows Mobile devices offer a number of shortcuts, including keys and buttons, to make navigating through menus and applications easier. Below are a few tips to help you keep that stylus in check on a Pocket PC (Professional phone under Windows Mobile 6) and reduce frustration when using those Windows Mobile Smartphones ( Standard devices in Windows Moblile) without touch screens.

It's Okay to Use the Ok Key
As you work on mastering using the thumb keyboard on your Pocket PC device or Windows Smartphone device, utilizing the OK key as frequently as possible allows you to keep your fingers on the keyboard and leave your stylus stowed away in its little slot.

So when you see an OK button on the screen, pressing the OK key on your keyboard clicks it for you. And when you see an X (Close Window) icon in the upper right corner of the screen, pressing the OK key on your keyboard closes the window, for example.

Quickly Move Between Data Fields
Just as it does on your PC, the tab key on your Windows Mobile device allows you to quickly navigate Web pages. It can help you to jump from one data entry field or from one hyperlink to the next.

For example, if a Web page asks for your username and password, you can enter your name in the first field, then press the tab key to move to directly to the password field without having to take your fingers off the keyboard. You can also use the tab key to move from one hyperlink to the next. To follow a hyperlink, just press the enter key.

Quickly Launch Applications
Internet Explorer and MSN Messenger have their own dedicated application launch keys on most Windows Mobile devices. Your's might also have Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and other applications with their own keys as well. Or, perhaps, you can associate a key with an application you use often.

If you use these keys you can launch those applications without taking the time to navigate through the Start menu. That's a real timesaver.

Take Advantage of Soft Keys
Soft keys are found on both Windows Mobile smartphones and Pocket PCs. They’re called “soft” because their function varies based on the software that you’re running.

In a camera application, for example, a soft key may snap a picture. In Internet Explorer, that same key may work as a back button.

The function of a soft key is listed on the screen next to or just above the button. On the Sprint Mogul by HTC, for example, the soft keys have one dot in the center of each. They are located just above the Talk and End keys (see above).

Tips: Smartphone - Keep Your Mobile Number When Changing Carriers
Below are couple of tips to ease the transition when switching from one mobile operator to another.

Keep You number
If you've decided to switch carriers, and want to keep your phone number, it's important that you do not cancel your existing service before opening your account with your new carrier. To ensure that you are able to maintain your number, inform your new carrier when you start the service that you want to port your number over from your current provider.

Your new carrier will then do the legwork for you by informing your old carrier that you're making the switch. The transfer itself will happen automatically, though it may take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. To cover your bases, you may have to carry around both your old smartphone (the one locked to your original carrier) and your new one 'til the switch is complete. When your old one stops working and your new one starts ringing, you'll know the process is complete.

The Cost of Switching
If you want to keep your number when you switch to a new carrier, you may have to pay for the privilege—then again, you may not.

According to the FCC, carriers are allowed to charge a fee to customers at the time their number is ported. However, there are no rules preventing a new carrier from paying an old carrier's porting costs for the benefit of the new customer.

Most mobile operators will cover the cost of the switch as a means of enticing new customers. When you switch, be sure to ask your new carrier whether it has a policy of paying or reimbursing such charges.

Tip: Windows Mobile - Take Advantage of Soft Keys
Soft keys are found on both Windows Mobile smartphones and Pocket PCs. They’re called “soft” because their function varies based on the software that you’re running.

In a camera application, for example, a soft key may snap a picture. In Internet Explorer, that same key may work as a back button.

The function of a soft key is listed on the screen next to or just above the button. On the Sprint Mogul by HTC, for example, the soft keys have one dot in the center of each. They are located just above the Talk and End keys (see above).

Tip: Avoid The Mall, Shop From Your Smartphone
Last year, Japanese consumers spent about $6.3 billion (U.S.) on retail goods that they purchased using their mobile phones. More and more Americans are starting to take advantage of m-commerce to make purchases on-the-go, or to do price comparisons, as well.

Imagine standing in a sporting goods store and using your Windows Mobile device to find out if you're getting the best price on a set of golf clubs. If you're new to shopping from your smartphone or Pocket PC, start by visiting an m-commerce portal such as the mPoria Shopping Portal. It offers millions of products from retailers who use mPoria's GoMobile software to run their mobile commerce sites.

Retailers include Buy.com, GameStop, Moosejaw Mountaineering, and TicketsNow.com. The mPoria portal is available on Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 service and will soon be available through Sprint's Vision service and can be viewed on most Windows Mobile devices by visiting mall.mporia.com via your mobile Web browser.

Tip: Sprint Mogul - Controlling the Speakerphone
Unlike with some other smartphones, you must first wait until your call goes through turn the speakerphone on or off with the Sprint Mogul by HTC—a Windows Mobile 6 Professional (formally called Pocket PC Phone) device.

After the call goes through, tap Menu and select Turn Speakerphone On or press and hold the Talk button (the one at the base of your handset with the green light-up phone) until the speakerphone turns on.

When speakerphone is activated, a phone icon appears in the title bar. To turn the speakerphone off, tap Menu and choose Turn Speakerphone Off, or hold the Talk key again until it turns off. (Tapping the onscreen Talk key will not activate or de-activate the speakerphone.)

Tip: Get Free Ringtones for Your Pocket PC, Windows Smartphone
Join the Window's Mobile Owner's Circle and get six free ringtones for your Windows Mobile Smartphone or Pocket PC. Four themed ringtone packs are available; each includes six ringtones. There's no cost to join and sign-up is quick and relatively painless. If you don't want to receive e-mail, remember to opt out during the sign up process.

Tip: Amplify a Treo's Low Volume Level
Do you find the volume level on your Treo too low, even when you have alarm volume set to high through Preferences? If the answer is yes, you're not alone.

This appears to be an all-too-frequent complaint among Treo users, for models ranging from the very earliest to the most recent. (Personally, I've noticed a huge difference between the Nokia N93 smartphone I was using regularly and the Treo 750 I've been using of late. The Nokia model was louder in every way.)

A member of our forum community recently posted a question about this very problem; writing how the alarm volume on his friend's Treo is set to high, "but the sound is still low, very low."

Whereupon a veteran forum member recommended a shareware program, called VolumeCare, which amplifies a Treo's "so-so normal volume" by boosting handset, speakerphone and wired headset sound levels. It also allows you to adjust your voice volume (microphone) so others will hear you better.

While it's a drag that you may have to turn to a third-party to hear your smartphone properly, at least someone has addressed the issue; but only for Palm OS-run Treo's, unfortunately.

Tip: Partnership Means Free Music For Pocket PC, Windows Smartphone Users
Music subscription service, Mercora, has partnered with Microsoft to offer a free six-month subscription to the Mercora M service for Windows Mobile users for a limited time.

The service, which costs $49.99 annually (or $14.99 quarterly) boasts over 3.5 million songs in "ad-free, high-fidelity streaming audio." There are over 100,000 channels that, according Mercora, are searchable by artist, genre, and subgenre.

Mecora also allows you to access your music library on your PC, or optionally on Mercora servers, requiring no side-loading or synchronization. You may also listen to music, playlists, and listening histories from up to five "friends and family."

Sound files are optimized versions of the open-source Ogg/Vorbis audio codec. Support for the A2DP Stereo Bluetooth profile means music can be played back wirelessly over a smartphone's Bluetooth connection; so you can listen on wireless stereo headsets, in-car, or through in-house connections.

The Mercora M music subscription service is compatible with Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphones and Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile 2003 SE devices. It requires an EDGE, EV-DO, UMTS or HSDPA cellular-wireless data connection. And, as with all services that require the heavy exchange of data over a cellular connection, we highly recommend you’ve signed up for an unlimited data plan with your mobile operator.

Tip: Sprint Mogul - How to Set Up A Conference Call
To set up a conference call (with up to two other numbers) using your Sprint Mogul by HTC, first place a call (or receive an incoming call.) Then, press the Talk key to put the first call on hold, and dial the second number. Once you've connected to the second party, press the Talk key again to begin your three-way conference call.

The Mogul is a slider-smartphone that when opened reveals a landscape-oriented QWERTY thumb-keyboard. It is built on Microsoft’s most recent Windows Mobile platform, version, 6. As a Professional edition device (formally known as Pocket PC Professional), the Mogul sports a touch screen.

Tip: Easy (Nearly Free) Way to Make Ringtones
A new service from Myxer allows users to turn any song into a ringtone for their smartphone or cell phone—all for the cost of a text message.

Called MyxerTones, the service asks you to choose a track from your computer to upload to Myxer's server and enter your cell phone number. Once the file is uploaded, it SMSs you a link to where the new tone can be downloaded.

You must have Internet access with your smartphone to make this work.

I just tried Myxer. It took about 20 seconds for the audio file to upload and less than five seconds for me to receive the text message with the link to my new ringtone.

Next, I tapped the link in the text message to download the tone. MyxerTones attempts to figure out what ringtone format would work best for your particular handset. If it can't, the service offers a dropdown menu to allow you to download your tone as either an MP3, AAC, MMF, QCP, AWB, AMR or WAV file — one of which should work with your device.

To know for sure, I recommend you check the documentation that came with your handset.