Windows Phone Thoughts: Tame Your Phone This New Year

Back in the day (e.g., 5 years ago), I realized that my shiny new Pocket PC Phone needed taming. It would beep at strange times, it would vibrate loud enough to be heard, and generally could be a nuissance during such things as "attending a lecture" or "taking an exam" or "sitting in a meeting". Hopefully this post will help you tame such a device in time to save your dignity and prevent embarassment in 2009!

The first product I used to tame a device was from a company named PocketConcepts called MeetingMute. MeetingMute had a feature I found to be totally great - it could mute my phone during appointments depending on the category I assigned to the appointment. So for important stuff, like classes or meetings, the "Mute Phone" category was created. For less important meetings (e.g., a casual lunch date with friends) the phone could remain noisy. Today I use PhoneAlarm Pro by PocketMax (Screenshot above) to accomplish this same goal and more. PhoneAlarm features a today screen plugin, mute based on category, multiple profiles, skinnable interface, and more. For between €14.50 and €18.50 (for Pro), the price is well worth the ability to set your phone and forget it - confident it won't be embarassing you in public. Now that I've shared my tip for taming your phone, feel free to share your own or talk about other products you find valuable for keeping your phone "discreet"!