[8125, K-JAM, P4300, MDA Vario General] guttrhead:
RANDOM TIPS

The Extended ROM is not locked, but hidden, and can be accessed and customized using Ghisler's Total Commander 2.0 utility for Pocket PC. (mixmaven and nobackup)

An electronic version (PDF) of the manual and the quick-start guide can be found here and here, respectively. Page 11 of the manual contains some good information. (mixmaven, local links provided)

Hold down the Comm button to toggle vibrate/sound mode. (farzonalmaneih).

Bootloader mode can be accessed by holding the Camera and Voice buttons, and tapping the soft reset hole. (mashie)

Using tip #1, the integrated antivirus software can be removed for reported better performance. (mmg)

Download the latest beta of ActiveSync 4.1, build 4807 here, as it has provided a number of bug fixes from the public release of ActiveSync 4.0. (mixmaven, local link provided)

Put the Wizard in standby (phone/data will still work if radio is on) by pressing the Power button. Turn off the Wizard completely (you will not be able to receive calls) by holding down the Power button for 5 seconds. With persistent storage, this new feature will ultimately save the battery power better than any previous Windows Mobile device. (mixmaven)

WM5FixSite.com provides a user-submitted database of current applications and their compatibility with Windows Mobile 5.0. (prodigalfish)

Use OCP's WinCE CAB Manager to open pre-XML-based CAB files. Digital signature authentication will be broken if the CAB files are modified, however. (beyondthetech)

The digital signature security that's enabled by default can be disabled by using the digitally-signed CAB file from Sprint PPC-6700's Extended ROM. Add a "Default_" prefix to the name and have it run first in the Wizard's Extended ROM, so that any CAB, CPF, or EXE file, signed or not, can be used after that CAB file has been installed. (beyondthetech)

Changing the value of "OffOnRotation" from 0 to 1 in registry location HKLM\System\GDI\ClearTypeSettings, followed by a soft-reset, will give the ClearType feature in landscape (keyboard open) mode. ClearType must be enabled in portrait mode first. (mixmaven)

Double-clicking on the Shift key will toggle Caps Lock mode. Double-clicking on the Dot key will toggle Symbols mode. (sparkomatic)

Change the Comm button to OK/Close in the Buttons applet under Settings, to make it easier than tapping the OK button when in portrait (keyboard closed) mode. (sparkomatic)

Left-handed action of the Wizard can open the keyboard slightly enough to hit the OK and Windows buttons without it going into landscape mode. (nobackup)

Tapping the End key will minimize the current application and return to the Today screen (if you have a valid SIM card installed). (nobackup)

Use Orb on your desktop to stream multimedia files to the Wizard via its fast Wi-Fi or EDGE capabilities. (mmg)

BoxWave's VersaCharger, accompanied with a mini-USB cable is a single, perfect solution to charge the Wizard in a vehicle or at a wall outlet. (beyondthetech)

Create an Internet Favorites shortcut to http://mobile.google.com/loc_search.html and get a PDA-friendly Google interface to search for business listings. (beyondthetech)

Create an Internet shortcut to your local Loews Cineplex Odeon theater. Surf their main site (www.enjoytheshow.com), punch in your zip code on the 'Theatre Search' box on the left, click on your theater, grab the 5-letter code for your theater in the URL, and get a 'very light output' version of the showtimes using their 'Print Showtimes' shortcut. (beyondthetech)

NEW! Create an Internet shortcut to any movie theatre that Fandango supports. Using the same method in tip #19, get the 5-letter code for the theater of your choice, and make a shortcut to http://www.fandango.com/TheaterPage.aspx?pf=1&tid=XXXXX and replace XXXXX with that 5-letter code. This will be a PDA/printer-friendly output of today's movie showtimes. (beyondthetech)

Microsoft Voice Command 1.5 can be installed in replacement of Cyberon's Voice Speed Dial software. Further cleanup to remove Voice Speed Dial in the registry is also available.(beyondthetech and beyondthetech)

Perform a full wipe of the device by going to Settings > System > Clear Storage. It is disputed that it may not be a full equivalent to a hard reset. (Dave Evans)

A hard reset can easily be performed by holding down the Comm and Voice buttons, and tapping the soft reset hole. While still holding down the two top buttons, the screen will go black and you will be prompted to hit Send to restore factory default settings. (nickp)

Clubimate.com offers a hosted Exchange Server solution for email for free to all i-mate device owners. Additional Exchange Server features are at an additional cost. (beyondthetech)

The 24-hour clock mode and English-UK regional settings customizations are performed by one of the CAB files in the Extended ROM. Delete the unnecessary CAB files, or perform a soft-reset before customizations are performed, or simply go to Settings > Regional Settings and change it back afterwards. Make sure you use the lowercase 'h' time format for 12-hour mode. (beyondthetech, nickp and nickp)

Change the Network Selection to Manual to customize preferable cellular towers and maintain a better signal. (prodigalfish)

The built-in Wi-Fi radio on the Wizard allegedly does not transceive on all channels. (kid1972)

The installation of Skype and SmartDialing is reported to make the device run slower, and the Network Setting of Automatic can make the device more busy in low-signal conditions. (nobackup)

There is no cut/copy & paste keyboard shortcut on the Wizard's hardware keyboard. (cdtv)

The device can play ringtones in MP3 and WMA format. (boxer82003)

Easily toggle the Wi-Fi radio on and off in the Comm Manager to resolve any DHCP/IP issues. (bubmc)

Relocate the Temporary Internet Files, History, and Cookies locations to the Storage Card to save precious main storage memory. It is reported that there may be a slight performance impact with this configuration. (mixmaven and dherrero)

Spb Pocket Plus 3.0.1 should work better on the Wizard if the Safe Mode feature is unchecked, but now Spb Pocket Plus 3.0.4 apparently resolves the Safe Mode issue. (mixmaven and mixmaven)

Use 3M First Aid Tape or eGrips to keep a better hold or grip on the Wizard. (hitch and beyondthetech)

Prevent any connected Bluetooth device from timing out (sleeping) by changing the "Sleep" value from 1 to 0 in registry location HKCU\ControlPanel\Phone. (mixmaven)

Power the Wizard in an emergency using the Arkon Battery Extender with USB Port (CA062) and 4 AA-size batteries (NiMH, NiCd, or alkaline). (hitch)

A prestine copy of the K-JAM's initial shipping version of the Extended ROM can be found on XDA-Developers' FTP site. (beyondthetech)

Updating the desktop to Windows XP Service Pack 2 and all the hotfixes can resolve many ActiveSync connectivity issues with the Wizard. (garyhartaz)

A detailed method on resolving 'Blue Screen of Death' issues on PC's trying to ActiveSync can be seen here. (swjg)

Steps to reverting to ActiveSync 4.0 after an ActiveSync 4.1 installation is detailed here. Preserving Outlook settings during this process is also detailed here. (lcavada and swjg and aadadams)

Change the User Agent information to trick websites into receiving pages normally designed for desktop with these instructions here. (aadadams)

Google "PDA version" can be accessed through http://www.google.com/pda and http://www.google.com/xhtml. (mmg and mmg)

Keep the GPRS connection active at all times possible by changing value "AlwaysOn" from 0 to 1 in registry location HKLM\Comm\ConnMgr\Providers\{7C4B7A3...}\Connections\GPRS...\. (aadadams)

Back up your Cyberon Voice Tag database by copying the CommandModel1.bin file in your \Windows folder to your PC or Storage Card for safekeeping. (simx)

The current version of OmegaOne Journal Bar hangs in its Links section. Disable the section until a newer version is released. (mixmaven)

Changing the timeout value from 1 minute to 2 minutes in the Power settings has been reported to resolve some alarm notification issues. (zedeff)

Registry location HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FavoritesEntries\ contains the default Internet Favorites that can't be removed from within Internet Explorer Mobile. Delete them manually in the registry instead. (mixmaven)

Tweaks2k2.NET has incorporated many registry hacks (including some listed previously here) and performing certain tweaks is reported to have better performance results, especially when converting the registry from hive to file format. (bengalboy)

To date, SunnySoft Backup Manager is the only reported working file and registry backup utility that works on Windows Mobile 5.0. Version 3.6 has just been released.(beyondthetech)

Last, but not least, HowardForums has established their own user-supported Wiki to incorporate all the inner workings of Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC devices. (howardforums)