TIPS Volume 3, No. 3
November, 2002

     Grade Level Key 
     Suitable for elementary school= Elem, Suitable for middle school= Middle
     Suitable for high school= High, General interest= Teachers

Editor: Jeffrey L. Jones,
District Tech Resource Teacher
jjones@fayette.k12.ky.us
This website is intended for the instructional use of students and staff of Fayette County Public Schools.

TIPS from the Pros
General interest Mark's Corner - The iPac
General interest Personal Folders in Outlook
General interest Inserting Word documents to FrontPage



Tips from the Ambrose Office Expert
The Compaq Pocket PC: (See what the Pocket PC can do for you!)

Tour the Today Screen, Start Menu, Inbox, Find, Calendar, Tasks, and Contacts

One of the many ways you can use the Pocket PC is as a smart mobile personal information manager. Check out how the Pocket PC keeps you productive wherever you go.

Some useful Tips: 

  • To conserve memory, Microsoft® ActiveSync® synchronization settings on your Pocket PC that came from the manufacturer do not synchronize all appointments, e-mail messages, or message attachments. 
  • You must add e-mail to your synchronization options to receive e-mail on your Pocket PC. Although you can synchronize other information between several personal computers and the Pocket PC, e-mail can be synchronized only from one computer to the Pocket PC.
Today: The Today page displays your day at a glance with a concise summary of your appointments, tasks, and e-mail messages. Conveniently located in the upper left corner of the Pocket PC screen, the Start menu provides an easy way to switch from one program to another. Simply tap on the Start menu to see your available programs.

 

Start: In addition to the cascading list of programs, the Pocket PC displays the programs you have used most recently on the top of the Start menu. (Find additional programs within the Programs folder.)

You can customize the Start menu with the programs you use most frequently. To add a program to the Start menu: 

  • On the Start menu, tap Settings, and then tap Menus. 
  • On the Start Menu tab, select the check box for the program you want to add to the Start menu. 
  • Tap OK once you have made your selection.
 
Find: If it’s on your Pocket PC, the Find feature can locate it. The Find feature conducts searches in a manner similar to the Find feature on desktop and laptop computers. 
  • On the Start menu, tap Find. 
  • In the Find box, type or write the text you want to locate. 
  • If you want to narrow your search for files of a specific type, select the file type in the Type list. 
  • Tap Go.

 

Keep track of your appointments and create reminders from within the Calendar program. From the Start menu, select Calendar. How do you want to see your calendar? By day, week, month or year? Simply tap the different View icons at the bottom of the screen. 

Let’s set an appointment. 

  • From the Start menu, select Calendar. 
  • Tap New. 
  • Enter the subject. 
  • Select the date and time. To do this, use the arrows to view drop-down selection boxes. Make your selection by tapping the correct entry. 
  • After you have the appointment the way you want it, tap OK.
Contacts: Your Pocket PC makes it easy to keep track of friends, colleagues, and clients -- wherever you go. ActiveSync automatically transfers your Outlook contacts to your Pocket PC. Do you know that categorizing your contact information can make searching faster? You can separate your professional contacts, for instance, from your friends and family contacts. Categories designated within the desktop version of Outlook® 2000 transfer automatically to Contacts on the Pocket PC. 
  • From the Start menu, select Contacts. 
  • Quickly narrow your search using the letter options or enter several letters into the box at the upper right side of the screen. 
  • To enter a new contact, tap New. 
  • Enter all relevant contact information including e-mail, phone numbers, and addresses. 
  • When you are done, tap OK.
Tasks: Keep on track in your projects and activities with a prioritized list of tasks and assignments. Pocket PC keeps your to-do list up-to-date. Create a new task item for your to-do list. 
  • From the Start menu, select Tasks. 
  • Tap New. 
  • Using the input panel on the lower right side of your screen, select an input method. 
  • Enter a description of the task. 
  • Select a start date using the drop down menu. 
  • Assign the task to a category by tapping Categories and selecting from the list. 
  • To finish, tap OK to return to the Tasks list.
Inbox: Your Pocket PC includes Inbox, a full-featured e-mail program. Use Inbox to send and receive e-mail messages by synchronizing messages with Microsoft Outlook on your computer, or by connecting directly to an e-mail server through an Internet service provider (ISP) or a corporate network.
Notes: Just as in Outlook for your computer, Notes are the electronic equivalent of paper sticky notes. Use Notes to jot down questions, ideas, reminders or anything you would write on paper. Notes is also useful for storing bits of information you may need later, such as directions, or text you want to reuse in other files and applications, even e-mail or documents. To create a note: Tap the Start menu. Tap New. Select your choice of data input method at the lower right hand corner of your screen. Choose from drawing (the stylus icon), or via the arrow, the "soft" keyboard or handwriting. Or, you may choose to record a "voice note." Once you have drawn, typed, written, or recorded your note, tap OK.
Conclusion: Taking the information you need along with you has never been easier. If you are familiar with Outlook on your computer, you will be delighted with the Pocket versions of these productivity applications. Are you new to Outlook? It won’t take long to learn and enjoy this full-function personal information manager.

Submitted by Mark DiMascio
Mark DiMascio