The Windows Mobile Missionary. Issue III: Dipping A Toe Into The Windows Mobile Smartphone Pond, Ever So Carefully.

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It’s time for another installment in the monthly Windows Mobile Missionary Series. This one is about the little steps sometimes taken by those who are intrigued by what our Windows Mobile devices can do. Those simple little steps that make the Missionary think he might have found a kindred soul.

A lawyer-friend of mine, I’ll call him Alex, wasn’t afraid of Windows Mobile. He bought his first device about four years ago. If memory serves, the first one was a iPAQ hx 2000 series PDA. A pretty impressive non-converged WM5 PDA.

When I first saw Alex with his iPAQ, I was still using my Dell Axim X50v. I was also a bit surprised. Alex just didn’t strike me as a “real” PDA-guy. Definitely more of a pad and paper type. My impression was that he was about as far away from modern technology as you’re gonna get these days. Seeing this device convinced me that I was wrong about Alex.

I quickly realized that he really liked his iPAQ, and more importantly, that he was was using it. He seemed comfortable and able to use it as his daily calendar and business tool. I became convinced that he had potential to be a geeky techno-lawyer like me. (I doubt he’ll be flattered at the thought.)

A couple of early attempts to get Alex to try some third-party software and tweaking were unsuccessful. Alex liked the built-in Microsoft applications. Those, and the others that came preinstalled on his iPAQ. I decided that I wasn’t going to be able to get Alex to dig a little deeper into his device’s potential. At least not yet.

Skip ahead a year or so, and I bumped into Alex again and by this time I had been “converged.” I think I was using either my Cingular 8125 (Wizard) or my Sprint 700Wx Treo. And, while I gave Alex the same speeches I gave that I gave to a lot of other colleagues about the capability and benefits of using such a device, he might have been the only one who paid any attention.

Within a couple of months, I saw that Alex was carrying a nice new (at the time) Verizon Motorola Q. I was impressed–again. That geek-potential was rearing it’s head once again.

This was about a year and half ago, and at that time a few of our other colleagues had begun to carry Q’s and Samsung Blackjacks.

I was able to tell that Alex had evolved into a pretty heavy-duty user of his Windows Mobile machines by that time. He was doing a lot of texting, emailing and web surfing, while waiting for his cases to be called in court. This was good, practical, professional usage–but still barely scratching the surface of what his phone could do.

And, while this would be more than enough to satisfy me, the Missionary, were it some of my other colleagues I was watching, for Alex, in my eyes, it wasn’t enough. I knew he could be doing so much more with his Q, and that if he actually began to use it for these other functions, he’d really enjoy it! So, I knew what I had to do.

I began to try to entice him to the geek-side. Doing my best Darth Vader persuading, I showed him glimpses of my screen and of the many third-party applications that I rely on for fun and productivity. I showed him a movie which I had converted from a DVD to play on my device. I showed some of the accessories I was using, and described others that he might like: a quality leather case, some durable screen protectors, Bluetooth GPS software. I raved about programs I thought he might like. Applications like like Pocket Informant, PhatPad, and CorePlayer, to name just a few.

I wrote up lists of great enthusiast websites to peruse, and steered him towards some of the software vendor sites to see what programs were available and how they could transform his phone into so much more than it was when Verizon sold it to him. I gave him my extra copy of Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine’s “Ultimate Smartphone and Pocket PC How-to-Guide. ” I wasn’t sure if it was making a difference.

This went on for months. I felt confident that he’d either try our some of my suggestions, or that he’d finally punch me in the face or get a restraining order to keep me 50 yards away.

Then fate–or klutziness–intervened. As Alex continued to (seemingly) ignore my unsolicited advice, his Motorola Q’s screen broke. And, not just a little hairline fracture. This was a great big crack across his entire screen. Despite this development, the Q continued to work ok. And, Alex’ contract wasn’t yet due for renewal. So, a new phone was going to be a lot of dough.

Still, this was an opportunity for me! He had to get a new device soon. Didn’t he?

Apparently not. Well, at least not yet.

I couldn’t believe it when he continued to use the cracked Q for months. I hate smudges on my screen protector. I can’t imagine using one with a big crack across the screen.

As this went on, I suggested that he look into some cool new devices. I suggested that he even search eBay or Craigslist–where I found my Mogul–for bargains.

He kept saying he was going to get a new phone, but he never got around to it. Until…

One day I saw Alex in court. He approached me and was excited to show me something.

From his suit jacket pocket came a beautiful new Verizon XV6800.

This is the kissing cousin of my own Sprint Mogul. Wow! I couldn’t believe it. Not only did he get a new phone, he got a beast of a phone! One of the best phones out there for a Windows Mobile power-user.

This really shocked me. I was sure that when he finally replaced his Motorola Q, he’d replace it with another non-touchscreen Smartphone. Maybe a new Motorola Q9m, or, maybe even a Samsung Blackjack. Maybe he’d get “daring” and try the Treo 700Wx which Verizon was selling, and which I previously raved about.

I feared he’d get a Blackberry, just as many of our colleagues had been doing lately once the Curve and Pearl were released. Thankfully, he didn’t.

So, my first gander at his new machine was as I expected: strictly “stock.” All the default today plug-ins were showing on his screen, including a lot of assorted Verizon junk. And, as a result of this, he had that big and ugly scroll bar showing on the right side of his screen. After I picked up my jaw from the ground, and offered my hearty congratulations, I diplomatically offered to clean up his screen of unwanted plug-ins. He demurred. He liked how it was set up. His machine. His call. My disappointment, once again.

But, the glass was really half-full. Alex had a really nice machine. And, since it was the same as mine under the hood, I knew I’d have a chance to work on him over time.

A couple of weeks later, I showed him my Mogul’s screen with the HTC Home plug-in installed.

You know, the big digital clock with basic profile, weather and picture-dial capability. He liked it. More than a mere polite “that’s nice,” too. I sensed an opening. And, I took it.

Did he want me to email him some information about how he could have this setup on his machine? Yes. Send it along when you get a chance. Eureka! More progress?

I sent my email, saw him a few days later and confirmed that he got it, and then…nothing. Nothing for weeks. No more mentions or questions at all.

He still loved his machine. But he still loved it in it’s ugly “stock” configuration. As they say, there’s no accounting for taste.

And, to make matters worse, he still wasn’t using a case or screen protector–two of my must-have’s. This after cracking his screen on his last device, the Q.

Then, about a month or so later, I got a text message from Alex asking me how to turn off some of the default plug-ins. He didn’t need them to show, as they duplicated the HTC Home plug-in which he had just installed and that he LOVED!

The next time I saw Alex, he had customized his today screen’s icons, fonts and colors. I helped him to turn-off those duplicate plug-ins, and showed him how to configure the weather module to deliver his hometown’s custom forecast. The SmartPhone now looked a little bit like this, only more colorful:

As you might imagine, the Messenger was very pleased with these developments!

It had taken some time, and of course the steps were taken by Alex when he decided the time was right. But, I can’t help but feel that I helped to nudge/harass him a long just a bit. And, as a result, he’s beginning to discover the real joy in tweaking and customizing his wonderful phone.

As Sean Connery said to Kevin Costner in the Untouchables, “now endeth the lesson.” Windows Mobile Messenger: 1. Skeptical User: 0.

My job here is done. At least until Verizon starts selling the iPhone…

How about you? Have a similar story to share? Any tips for me to try to spread my message?

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