Personalize a mobile phone for a truly custom gift |
| | You did it! You finally committed and purchased a Windows Mobile phone for that special someone on your holiday shopping list. It doesn’t matter whether you chose the perfect gift based on hours of research, advice from friends, or the strict direction of your child—what does matter is that you picked a device from the array of available mobile phones and plopped-down your hard-earned cash. Now what?
You could wrap the phone in a pretty bow and be done with it. After all, you paid for it; let the lucky recipient figure out how to make it work.
Or, you could spend just a bit more time and customize it to create the perfect gift for your giftee (and maybe even learn something new yourself). How much better to receive a phone already personalized with images and sounds than to spend Christmas morning reading manuals? Better still, you’ll impress the person on the receiving end with your technical know-how!
I’ll walk you through some basics of personalizing the phone:
| Add images and sound to the phone. Customize the Home screen image. Create contacts and assign pictures and ring tones. Specify sounds for calls, text messages, appointments, and more. Add holiday wallpapers or themes.
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| Note: Although most Windows Mobile phones work pretty much the same, be sure to check your phone’s user guide for device-specific details. |
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| The first task is to gather or create the content you’ll use to personalize the phone—images, sounds, and maybe even a video clip. As with all digital media projects, gathering the content is the hardest part (relatively speaking). Once you get it all together, using it on the phone is a snap. Of course, you can simply use the sample images and sounds included on the phone, but adding personalized content is so easy, seems silly not to.
Add content to the phone by using one of the following methods:
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| Use the phone’s built-in functionality—create content. Snap a few pics (make sure to include one of you to tag your contact info with), record a short video clip, and make a voice recording. Refer to the phone’s documentation for detailed instructions.
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 Record a short video. |  Record audio and snap some pics. |
Transfer existing media files—connect the phone directly to a computer to transfer existing media files. Before you can transfer files, you’ll need to install ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center, depending on your system, onto the computer (ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center is already installed on the phone). The installation disc is included with the phone.
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Warning: Make sure to click Cancel in the Synchronization Setup Wizard because you do NOT want to create a partnership with your computer. The person you give the phone to will do that with his or her computer later. |
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 Use Explore within ActiveSync to transfer images from your PC by dragging files. |
Customize the Home screen image |
| From the Home screen, click Start > Settings > Home Screen. | Click Background image, and select the desired image from the list that appears. Click Done and then return to the Home screen to view the image.
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 Click Start > Settings > Home Screen. |  Customize your Home screen. |
Hint: Assigning the Home screen image by using Start > Pictures and Videos allows you to specify the exact part of the image to use. You can also rotate, crop, and auto correct an image in the Edit mode. |
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Add contacts and assign pictures and ringtones |
| Though you can manage contacts in several ways, for this task, limit yourself to adding new contacts manually. As you add your own contact information to the phone, assign it a unique ring tone and picture.
To add yourself as a contact: | |
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 Specify ringtones and pictures for contacts. |  Incoming call from customized contact. |
Specify sounds for calls, text messages, and appointments |
| You can assign unique sounds to different events, like a telephone ring to signify calls or a beep to announce new text messages. | On the Home screen, click Start > Settings > Sounds. For each event (such as a new e-mail, new text message, or a reminder), select the desired sound. Click Done.
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 Set custom sounds to events. |
Add holiday themes or wallpapers |
| If you don’t feel like customizing everything, you can simply set the holiday mood with a holiday theme or wallpaper. Browse the ringtones while you’re there, and you may find the perfect one to make your gift truly sing! |
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Wrap your gift—add the final bells and whistles (literally!) |
| Once you’re finished personalizing the phone, it’s time to wrap and present your gift. Let your imagination—and the Windows Mobile media features—guide you.
You could, for example, record a voice note (complete with festive music in the background), and apply it to new text messages. Then wrap the phone in a small box and place it beneath the tree. When the family gathers to open gifts, discreetly send text to the phone to play the message. Imagine your wife’s surprise when she hears from beneath the tree, “Help me Elise! I’m trapped in this box!”
To really make them work for it, you could assign voice notes to different events, hide the gift-wrapped box, and then covertly text or call to guide your loved one to the gift. On Christmas morning, before she’s even had her coffee, she hears a tiny voice from the kitchen. “Elise, over here.” She may think she’s hearing things; then a few moments later, “Hurry, I’m suffocating.”
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 Be creative with voice notes. |
No matter how you decide to present your phone, the person you give it to will be delighted. You’re giving a very useful gift that you want them to use to the fullest. By customizing it even just a bit, you inform and inspire. |
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