6700 and other smart phone tips and tweaks

[perris]

the sprint ppc 6700 is one fine piece of equipment, it's already the most desired smart phone and I'm going to do a few tutorials here starting with setting up your modem...I'm getting between 500 and 800 kbps anywhere I have a signal, so this is REALLY sweet.

most of the tweaks or suggestions I make concerning this phone will work on any windows smart phone or device

there are some tutorials around the net, but I don't think they're as clear

just like a pc, obvioulsy back up all your data whenever you're gonna be messin with tweaks

the first thing you want to do after you get activated is purchase the insurance, this is one phone you don't want to have to pay to replace.

the very next thing I think users should do is set it up as an internet modem for their laptop.

if you have blue tooth you're going to set the modem up twice, once with blue tooth for convenience, and you're going to want to have the usb connection also since you pretty much double your connection speed over a blue tooth tether

if you don't have blue tooth on your laptop, pick it up, it's only about 40 bucks and installs in a snap

the drivers for the modem that are on the cd aren't recognized by some computers, if not use this download (http://www.sprint.com/pcsbusiness/downloads/Install_MSI_Sprint.exe) and install

we'll start with the usb connection and take it from there.

do not plug your 6700 into the laptop yet.

on your phone, go into programs from the start menu, find "wireless modem, double click

the middle scroll down pain should read "usb", if not, switch that view so it does.

hit start bottom left...you cannot do this while the 6700 is connected, it won't work...ever.

once you have that done, and the modem is started, plug your 6700 into the computer.

the new hardware wizard will come up, follow the wizard, you will have be able to choose your 6700 as modem or cdma modem

both will work, I have no idea which will be faster, I'm pretty sure both connections to the internet are free if you have a vision plan, but some seem to think it's only free if the modem is set up as cdma...I don't know.

now you have to create the connection;

go into your control panel and hit the "network and internet connections" link, you're going to "setup or change your internet connection" "setup" a new internet connection

the wizard opens, hit "connect to the internet"> next> set up a connection manually.

you're using a dial up modem, hit next, pick any name for this connection you want.

for the phone number,#777, then hit next.

for the sprint service there is no name or password, hit remember password, hit next, fini.

to get on line I would drag the icon from internet connections into your quick launch bar.

double click, the window comes up, the fields for name and password should be blank, the number to dial should be set to #777.

before anything, hit properties, make sure your modem is checked, also hit the arrow to the right and move this modem up to the top

since I never use dialup modems, I went into hardware and I dissabled my 56k modem

you really need to check this everytime you go to dialup because when you remove the modem xp moves the only modem that's left up to the top and if you don't check it before you dial you'll get an error

that's it, you should be able to get on line

follow the same instructions above for your blue tooth modem, first partner, then do go to create a new connection and follow the wizard exactly the same

if you get the verizon version instead of sprint, everything is the same exceptyou'll need to fill in the user name and password.

I believe the default username is your 9 digit phone number with area code@vzw3g.com

the default password is vzw.

I don't think they have unlimited data plans at verizon so I don't recomend verizon for this phone.

[perris]

the tweaks that I'm posting I didn't come up with, I'm only rewording instructions that aren't quite clear enough for my liking

the next thing you need to do is fix a bug in the software,

the hardware button that's supposed to go to your homepage will not even if you set your home page, you have to fix that.

there are a few programs that are free that need to be installed in the 6700

believe it or not, there's a regedit after maket, I'll get to that in later posts, but for now download total comander (http://www.ghisler.com/wince2x.htm) which is a file tool that's not available in the pocket pc

isntall the smartphone version, I would put it on your data card and not in main memory;

once you have the program installed the icon is going to be in the "programs" link on your phone

double click, navigate to "\Windows\AppButtons" folder, find the "Internet Explorer.lnk" file.

after you find the file, highlight, hit the file button that;s ont the bottom right of the screen, in the scroll down hit edit, change

"\Windows\iexplore.exe\windows\default.htm"

TO:
"\Windows\iexplore.exe"

that's with the quotes

hit the file button again, hit save

then soft reset the phone

to soft reset the phone, just put your sylus in the whole at the bottom of the phone to the left of the usb port,,,the soft reset doesn't loose anything, it's just a reboot for the pda

now when you hit the hardware button the internet explorer will go to the home page that you set through the regular gui

[perris]

later on I'll post some more...another very important hack is going to be keeping the keyboard light on for more then the default 10 seconds.

though some have tried, do not change the location of your internet files to the sd card, that eventually freeze the phone

I would make sure the path to all your video's and pictures go to the sd card as well, that can be done throught the gui

I'll go over some gui tweaks and reg hacks that I like, I won't post anything I haven't tried unless I say that I haven't tried it

another first thing you have to do is reasign the hardware buttons to your liking, make sure you take advantage of the tap and hold feature which gives some buttons double the functionality

[perris]

I guess this is going to be for all pocket internet explorers, but go to menu, view, hit full screen to regain plenty of real estate

then both the address bars and task bar disapear until you push the menu again...I like this

personally I use one column view also

[perris]

go to settings, today screen, uncheck everything you don't use every day

go to settings, menu, take out whatever you have set up for hardware buttons since you won't be using the screen for those functions, I would uncheck the help tab, and of course all the firmware buttons you'll never use

try to keep the menu streamlined with items you know you'll be using pretty often

I went to settings, sounds, and hit loud screen taps and hardware sounds

I went to saettings, screen, and increaseed the time out on batteries to 3 minutes, the battery lasts pretty long and I would also increase the back light brightness to maximum

open a screen and hit the screen key pad icon so the keypad goes on screen

there's a pop up button to the right of the keypad, hit options and make that kepypad large keys

[perris]

well, this wi fi finder (http://www.aspecto-software.com/WiFiFoFum/) is excellant

the 6700 is pretty sensitive telling you when you have a signal, but this program puts up a radar screen and gives you location for best reception

it's free, and it's very nice...if you need help installing it let me know

[perris]

another great free program (http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=7438)

on pocket pc's you never turn off an app unless you go through a long process of accessing the memory readings...too much trouble

this applicarion is a separate task manager that hangs out on the address bar...you can use this to shut down individual programs

this came with my axim called the switcher bar, but there's nothing like it on the 6700 so you're gonna need this app

[perris]

attached on this post in the zip is a registry editor for a pocket pc

it works and looks exactly like regedit on your comouter.

to install, sink with your pocket pc, hit explore

go to the storage card, right click, create a folder to put all your programs in, you can call it program files if you want

now, open the zip and drag in the regedit file from pc to the data card.

go to your pocket pc, find the file, double click, install to data card, finished

regedit is now in your list of programs when you it the link from your start menue

[perris]

ps

if you have a smart phone, do not install netstumbler, it won't work

the program I listed above, wififofum works very nicely

[perris]

this is pretty good, the keyboard only stays lit for ten seconds, I think that's got to be raised...at least to 20

open the regedit program I just posted, navigate

HKCU\ControlPanel\Backlight\QKeyLedTimeout

double click that and change the value to your pleasure

[perris]

the 6700 comes inststalled with some favorites in internet explorer that take up too much real estate

get rid of what you don't want;

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internetexplorer\Main\FavoritesEntries]

the sub keys have the default favorites with the url and icon data.

delete whichever favs you don't want

[perris]

holy crow, this is nice

I just blue toothed my axim pocket pc to my 6700

the axim has a screen that's about twice the size, but the 6700 goes on the internet and the axim doesn't have any network cards

anyway, I bluetooted the axim, opened all services like dialup, opened all ports, I married the two, and the 6700 went on the internt as a modem for the axim.

this was a pretty simple set up and I'm very surprised I couldn't do it the same way with my laptop...instead with the laptop I needed to download some drivers.

anyway, this works very nicely

[NetRyder]

Hehe...regedit on a phone. Tweaker's paradise. :D

I wish I could find a good deal on a smartphone with Windows Mobile 5. T-Mobile is expected to release the MDA and the SDA in February, both of which are sweet devices, but I suspect they'll be far too expensive for me at launch. :(

[enotram]

Do you know of any cases or holsters for the 6700? Also, is there a way to use the 6700 as a modem for your laptop?

[perris]

ya, I posted the instructions to use the 6700 as a modem with both blue tooth and usb on the very first panel

usb is faster then blue tooth, but set up both

mine came with a holster, yours didn't?

[perris]

edit

I'm told that the verizon phone has hidden the cdma modem

it's still possible to install it, but I don't use verizon so I don't know how to do it

my freind has one and I'm trying to work it out with him

will report when we get it done

[perris]

I guess this is now one of my favorite tweaks for pockey pc

first thing everyone has to do is install the free program "magic button"

when you launch an app on a pocket pc it never shuts down unless you go into the controll panel which takes too long

magic button configures so whatever programs you want to close will do it when you x the program out

one exception though

active sinc always wants to run, even if you physically close it down

got a tweak for ya

while not in the cradle, open active sinc on the pocket pc

hit "add server source" and configure a new server...to make this simple, just tap "a" in every field, cuz you're just gonna delete it when you're done

once you follow the wizard and finnish there will be new options in the menue on active sync;

" schedule" will be available

use the scroll bar to scroll up and there is "manually"

check that in both fields, hit ok, then go into options again and delete the new server

you have to delete the new server otherwise active sinc will try to connect and you will have to wait for it to time out

done

now active sinc will activate when you cradle and won't launch on it's own otherwise

sweet tweak

[perris]

this is just TOO sweet

there used to be a program called smart dialing for the 6600 which for some reason wasn't included in the 6700

it's basically an auto complete for your phone, while you're dialing manually, options come up from your contacts list and numbers you've already dialed

VERY nice

you're going to need the total comander program I posted above to follow the directions

unzip the file, click the read me, follow the instructions, WELL worth the trouble

DO NOT OVERWRITE any files that ask to overwrite, if it's there, the one that's there is fine

once you've completed the instructions, you'll have a new skin for the phone, but it's very nice

you'll need to enable "smart dialing" from the phone menu

enjoy, this is EXCELLANT

[madmatt]

Great job Perris. This is useful information. Even though I don't have the phone (I was bored) I read through the information... nice work.

[perris]

must do;

real time memory management isn't bad in this pocket pc, but permanent memory management is horrible

your phone will slow to a crawl unless you clear the internet explorer cache every once in a while

I set history to 3 days, make sure you delete the files every once in a while also

some people have tried moving these files to the data card which for some reason only works for a little while before the browser becomes corrupt

to clear the cache, menue>tools>options>memory

clear both fields...this takes quite a few minutes, so do it when you don't plan on using the device, hit the button, go play a game of chess, it should be done by the time you get back

[perris]

here's a great little tip for those of you that have this phone

there's a bug, once in a while we get what's called "dsod" (DARK SCREEN OF DEATH)

the phone still works but the screen light won't come on

somehow the user gui actually flips a check to not turn the light on, and if you can navigate without the light you just have to go into the "backlight" settings and turn the light back on

most people can do this plugged in because the setting for the back light will be on while plugged in

anyway, another solution is to just hold the power button for a few seconds, that turns the backlight on

[perris]

this is a supposed bug, but I don't know if it is or not, but since I don't see anything wrong with running scary bear (http://www.freewareppc.com/utilities/notificationclearfix.shtml) I'll post the issue

when you do a soft reset, some notifications are supposedly duplicated and that takes up some valuable computer memory, eventually slowing the unit down

I see nothing wrong with deleting notifications on this device, espeically the ones that are targeted by this program

anyway, whenever you soft reset, this program will eliminate all of the offending notifications that duplicate

it's free, the first time soft reset the phone will take a while to delete the files it wants to delete, so soft reset when you know you won't need the phone for a while

after the first restart, the subsequent restarts are pretty quick since there are fewer if any notifications to delete

[perris]

new hack...this one is a hardware hack

one of the very first things you are going to wonder about is if you can increase the speaker volume and quality

answer till now was no

now the answer is a yes

you have to take off the mirror in the back, (yes, that's a mirror, designed for self portraits if you can believe it)

once you take that off, use a very sharp razor, or one of those electric ditty things known as a dremel to carve out the plastic that guards the speaker

sand that down with the same dremel and the sanding bit you probably also have included with your dremel thingy

when done, you can use the ear bud of a head set to use as grill and you can even use the foam to further protect the speaker from damage

pretty crude but works nicely

[perris]

new "tweak"...not new, just new to me

I've been wasting some ac outlets when hooking my 6700 to the laptop, I just found out the usb charges the phone without plugging in (silly me)

[policyvote]

attached on this post in the zip is a registry editor for a pocket pc
regedit is now in your list of programs when you it the link from your start menue

I registered to grab this file, but the forum won't let me . . . any ideas?

Peace
policy

[Ryein]

That hardware tweak you talked about its great, but I don't want to take the chance of damaging my phone. Is there replacable cases? or even different cases to buy that already have this taken care of?

EDIT : OH and I think this phone needs our own forum like the Razor :D

[perris]

That hardware tweak you talked about its great, but I don't want to take the chance of damaging my phone. Is there replacable cases? or even different cases to buy that already have this taken care of?

EDIT : OH and I think this phone needs our own forum like the Razor :D
the razr is the most popular phone in history, this phone has only a few techys that know what to do with it, face it, it's not as kewl looking as the razor

it's just the best phone on the market, not the best looking phone on the market

[madmatt]

The HTC series (Sprint 6700, Verizon VX6700, Cingular 8125, T-Mobile MDA) is the most functional phone on the market. I love my 8125 and the voice command software is a must. A 2GB miniSD card is a must, too.

[perris]

whatch pay for that 2 gig card?

I have the one gig, payed 70 bucks. best buy didn't have the 2 gig

[madmatt]

$65.00 for the 2GB card. Manufactured by SanDisk and includes the adapter.

[perris]

jeeeze, I payed more for the one gig

that sux

[perris]

had to log in to tell everyone about this since I just downloaded the new version of wififofum (http://www.aspecto-software.com/WiFiFoFum/)

this is one excellant program you put up the radar view and this tells you which wifi has the best signal.

the wifi on this phone is EXTREMELY sensitive, and this phone becomes a wardriving terror with this program

however, for the latest version of wififofum, you need the new .net framework

get that from this page at micosoft (http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/programming/netcf/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnnetcomp/html/whats_new_netcf2.asp)

install the comapct 2 framework, install wififofum, set wififofum to "radar" in view.

if you want, you can install a gps on the phone and then wififofum will actually log hotspots for you

I don't need that, I just need to know which signal to tie into when there is a hotspot

anyway, wififofum is a must have when you have this phone

ok, I just dupdated the netframework, which you have to do manually, this is a surprise to me, the network should update these things automatically

[perris]

hey guys, if you havn't installed magic button (http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx) then do it

if you have installed it, uninstall and reinstall the latest version

the latest version puts a soft reset in the user interface and you don't have to use the hole at the bottom of the phone

to soft reset after you istalle the program just tap the little house icon hit more options and there is a reset button

also you'll see in that menu a "close all apps but current" button

cool

[Ryein]

Way cool..thanks for the links.

[killeroffers]

whatch pay for that 2 gig card?

I have the one gig, payed 70 bucks. best buy didn't have the 2 gig

I purchased a 1 gig mini sd at Frys Electronics fo $29 plus tax!
Such a good deal I purchased another the next day!

The 6700 is the best Pocket Pc Phone ever!

Sent from my Pocket PC 6700Q Phone...
This messege may be short but to the point!

[sshere]

wififofum is not currently being developed any longer and is not on their website, I cannot find a single link online. Can anyone post the cab or exe? Thanks in advance!

[perris]

I have the file on a hardrive that I have to house before I can access, will

will try to get this for you

[sshere]

Thanks a lot. No one could be more helpful.

I am having a problem running the registry editor, trying to install .NET Compact Framework 1.0 before I ask for further help

[sshere]

Yes, I am still having problems. Sorry if this is not the right place for this post, point me in the right direction if it is not. When I try to run the MobileRegistryEditor.exe after installing both Framework 1.0 SP3 End-User resistributable and Framework 2.0, and reoboting I still get this error:

MobileRegisteryEditor:

TypeLoadException
could not load type System.Windows.Forms.Application from assembly system System.Windows.Forms, Version=1.0.5000.0, Culture=neutral, PublickeyToken=....


All files are placed in /Windows and I've tried My Documents folder as well, both have the same result.

[sshere]

Nevermind, found the support page!

[perris]

wififofum is not currently being developed any longer and is not on their website, I cannot find a single link online. Can anyone post the cab or exe? Thanks in advance!


get it here (http://www.net-security.org/software.php?id=580)

and get it fst, I expect the link to go down here too, I xhecked the download link and it's working for now

[dubstar]

my 1 year phone upgrade is on Aug9th. cant wait to get this phone. I'm with T-Mobile so I'll be getting the MDA. just curious. if i get the MDA, can i use Wifi or do i need to pay for it? I want to be able to use it at home, on my network. T-Mobile said I would have to pay $29.99 for it to be unlocked. Can i just flash my firmware with some custom firmware?

[perris]

wi fi is just the ability to recieve the signal, it' not the actual isp or provider

for instance, if I set up wifi at my house but didn't have an internet service, you would get the wi fi signal, but there would be no content, just the signal...sort of like tuning in to a frequency on your radio that has no station using that frequency

someone needs to be piping some internet service through the wi fi for it to do anything for you

however, wherever there is a free hot spot, your phone should be able to use the internet...t mobile has pay for hot spots around the country and maybe as a subscriber they give you free access

the problem with some of the firmware on these 6700 phones is they disable the ability to use the phone as a cdma modem to go on the inrenet

if you have the ability to use the phone as a modem, wherever you have a phone signal you can get on line at the bandwidth your phone service provides

I kind of doubt t mobile allows this, I know sprint invites it, verizon turns a blind eye to it and usually encourage people to go on the internet to get the hacks

but as far as 802.11, wherever there is a broadcast you will be just as able to use that broadcast as you would if you had a laptop

[dubstar]

ok. the tmobile rep is probably reading a script then. he said it needs to be 'turned on'. good to know its just there, or else i'd really be turned off to the idea of a new phone.

so out of the box you get: wifi, bluetooth, word/excel/blahblahblah...,

can you play your MP3s as ring tones?


also, for those interested....

http://www.free6700.info/ has something nice for ya.

[perris]

ther's a wireless manager that will tell you what you have in firmware..you have the option to turn on and off wi fi and blue tooth...you'll need to do this sometimes whenyour batttery gets low.

you'll have to look for the cdma modem and that should be in the programs list...I know it can be installed on the verizon model, I don't know about yours, it's there by default on sprint

the cdma modem is key...anyhwhere you have a phone signal you can go on line, you can blue tooth it to your laptop or usb the tether...the usb gives you about double the bandwidth

[dubstar]

are you talking about having a data plan also, or are you saying that you can jump online when there is phone signal and not get charged?

[perris]

yes, but it depends on the plan you have

I have unlimited internet through my phone and the tether connects my computer to the phone...internet at about 700 kps anyhwere I have a signal and on sprint that translates into unlimited internet for free

it's pretty good, but I don't know which deals are avaiable on vrizon

[Joark]

hey guys, if you havn't installed magic button (http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx) then do it

if you have installed it, uninstall and reinstall the latest version

the latest version puts a soft reset in the user interface and you don't have to use the hole at the bottom of the phone

to soft reset after you istalle the program just tap the little house icon hit more options and there is a reset button

also you'll see in that menu a "close all apps but current" button

coolItried Majic Button and can't seem to get it to work.It says it is installed ok but when I click on it nothing happens.My device ie PPC6700AL
it's new and I am also.What do I need.Thanks in advance.
Joark

[Joark]

hey guys, if you havn't installed magic button (http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx) then do it

if you have installed it, uninstall and reinstall the latest version

the latest version puts a soft reset in the user interface and you don't have to use the hole at the bottom of the phone

to soft reset after you istalle the program just tap the little house icon hit more options and there is a reset button

also you'll see in that menu a "close all apps but current" button

coolThanks again It worked that time. Great forum
Joark

[Joark]

Thanks again It worked that time. Great forum
Joark
Anybody how do you delete an email account?
I'm learning but it's slow. Thanks
Joe

[kcnychief]

Hi Joark,

Within your messaging area, click on Menu -> Tools -> Options. That will give you the screen where you can press and hold on one of your accounts, and then select delete.

Be warned that any messages within those folders will also be lost, and system accounts (MMS, Text) can't be deleted.

[Joark]

Hi Joark,

Within your messaging area, click on Menu -> Tools -> Options. That will give you the screen where you can press and hold on one of your accounts, and then select delete.

Be warned that any messages within those folders will also be lost, and system accounts (MMS, Text) can't be deleted.
Thanks a million. I just got this thing a couple of days back and I'm learning.
I knew about the press and hold but my memory an't working real good.
Thanks again.
Joe

[kcnychief]

No problem, glad it worked for you :)

You may also want to keep an eye on this thread - http://forum.osnn.net/showthread.php?t=83415

[EuroTrash]

this is just TOO sweet

there used to be a program called smart dialing for the 6600 which for some reason wasn't included in the 6700

it's basically an auto complete for your phone, while you're dialing manually, options come up from your contacts list and numbers you've already dialed


I just got Sprint's PPC 6700 to replace my 2 Qwest versions and it now has this program pre-installed. Kinda nice.

[perris]

I just got Sprint's PPC 6700 to replace my 2 Qwest versions and it now has this program pre-installed. Kinda nice.
ya, I had a replacement phone sent to me since I lost it in vegas

and there it is, auto complete on dialer

there is now also a preinstalled voice recognition for contacts...this is cool too

[perris]

cute little trick here;

if you hit the button that changes the landscape by mistake you don't have to keep hitting the button to get it back to original position

just slide out the keyboard, close the keyboard and landscape is auto reset