This video is a short introduction to syncing music with Windows Media Player. If you are new to Windows Mobile devices then this video is must as it takes you through the basics of taking your music with you.

Awhile ago we posted about updating the Shadow to the newer software version released from T-Mobile. Apparently there are a lot of Shadow’s still being sold with the older software. The new software fixes a lot of problems and it is actually in everyone’s best interests to update before you get your phone too personalized. If you haven’t yet then you need to read Taking the Plunge: How To Update Your Shadow.

Also, if you own a T-Mobile Wing a new software update was just released that improves performance and memory management. You can download this update on T-Mobile’s Upgrade page.

As a further public service announcement, there has been an update for the Dash for awhile that fixes some problems as well. Available from the same page.

If you get tired of the Neo Home screen, you’re in luck - there are a plethora of other Home screens you can load onto your Shadow, and heck, we even have a Themes Forum that puts them all under one place.

I recently found a Home screen that I thought to be particularly good-looking: the HTC tabbed Home screen.  If you’ve seen HTC devices like the TyTN II or Touch, you know that they come with HTC Home out of the box.  Good thing we have a version that works on the Shadow - download the CAB here.

To get it going, transfer the CAB to your device and run it.  Then, go into Settings, Home Screen, and choose “HTC” … be sure to set Color scheme and Background image to “default.” Also, in order to get weather updates, you’ll need to be on a data plan or on a WiFi network.

Thanks to ShadowMike for posting this in the forums.

I get a lot of emails asking about about an adapter to allow members of the Shadow Community to connect their Shadows to car auxiliary input jacks and home stereos. Most of the time I point them towards the above pictured adapter. There are many versions out there but the concept is the same. We sell a few in our store, some adapters sell for $5.95. Right now, there is a deal on an adapter at Amazon for $5.00

Well - if you’re seeing this message, the new server IP address has propagated to your computer, and you’re seeing AllShadow.com on its new server.  Forums are also back up. =D

Some more leakage has been thrown down the InterWebTubesNet. This time it comes from phonemag.com. The rumor states 16 phones to come to T-Mobile this August, but phonemag.com could only get names on 13 of them. Such a huge number of phones makes sense with their new network. Consider it a Homecoming dance. The biggest surprise is that not only is the Shadow II listed but the Shadow III is as well!

1. Nokia 5310

2. Nokia 5610

3. Shadow II (YAY!)

4. Nokia 2760

5. Nokia 1208

6. Nokia 6301

7. Shadow III (Really? No…really?)

8. Samsung T339

9. Samsung T229

10. Blackberry Bold

11. Blackberry KickStart

12. Motorola W450

13. Motorola Rokr E8

There has been some rumor that the HTC Touch Diamond would be the Shadow III, phonemag.com is making the same guess. Sure would be nice, but really what I would like to see is the Shadow II after all our hype J

Logically, if they release a Shadow II and III at the same time then the form factors would have some differences along with major functionality differences. Possible variations could include Touchscreen/Non-Touchscreen; sliding keyboard(s) of different styles; GPS/Non-GPS (although I believe at this point every phone should have GPS); 3MP+ cameras. Remember, until we get eyes and hands on, everything is just speculation.

What are your thoughts/guesses/fuel-for-the-fire/wishes/conclusions? For once I’d like to see a good phone with the ability to record decent Video…

Many times a program will need you to Application Unlock your phone (App Unlock). Most of the time the software won’t tell you this needs to happen but someone eventually figures it out. So to alleviate this problem it is best to app unlock your phone early on. Download the App Unlock cab, place it on your Shadow and run it from there. The appropriate registry entries will be made.

The good news: we’re moving to a faster server. It’s sporting plenty of RAM, a multi-core processor, and RAID 1 (mirroring) to protect against hardware failure,

The bad news: to avoid losing your posts, we’re shutting down the forums from Saturday morning until Sunday evening, possibly Monday. For the non-technical, pointing a domain to another server requires “propagation” — meaning that after that change, there is a period of time when some of you see the new site, and some of you see the old.

Sorry for the inconvenience - it’s a necessary action that will keep things running smoothly at AllShadow.com into the future. And hey, it’s Memorial Day Weekend, so you’ll probably be at a BBQ sipping on a beer, or other preferred beverage =D.

DVD collections range from meager to impressive yet with all those discs in little plastic binders how can you comfortably take them with you? This is an age of convenience right? The best way to take your favorite DVD with you is to convert it into a format compatible and small enough to fit on your Shadow. This is where DVD Catalyst comes into play. Over the years I’ve used and tested many DVD conversion programs and I confidently say that DVD Catalyst is the best.

The main screen has no fluff and gets right down to business without confusing the process too much. Nearly every setting you need to mess with is displayed right at the start. To begin conversion run DVD Catalyst and insert the DVD you want to convert. DVD Catalyst will begin scanning the DVD and display the results. From there you will be able choose your settings and begin conversion. Keep reading to find out more. Read Full Entry

The Shadow comes with Microsoft Voice Command 1.6. This little gem can be very handy in a variety of different ways. If you want some in depth information about it go to Start > Voice Command > Menu > Help. Included here is a list of the commands it recognizes. Voice command works with Bluetooth headsets as well and can announce incoming calls, upcoming appointments over the headset if you want it to. The best times to use Voice Command are when you are in a slight rush and don’t have the luxury of looking at your phone’s screen and pressing buttons. If you find you like Voice Command set your Shadow’s shortcut key to launch it quickly. I find the Short Press to be a better option than the long press, there are a few people that like to set the Short Press and the Press and Hold to launch Voice Command.

Keep reading for a list of commands to use with Voice Command Read Full Entry

Do you enjoy hands free bliss with a Bluetooth headset, or do you find using one to be annoying? It’s a pretty polarizing question - either you like them or you don’t.

There are more choices than ever for those that do like using a Bluetooth headset. If you’re looking for a good headset, our sister site, pocketnow.com, has reviewed many, and here are a few that turned out to be winners: Aliph Jawbone ($77), BluAnt Z9 ($64), and the Iqua BHS-303 ($29). The Aliph and BlueAnt include noise cancellation, which can make a big difference if you’re chatting in the car or making phone calls outside.

Do you have a Bluetooth headset recommendation?

How much better? Well that’s for you to decide. They have implemented some bug fixes and incorporated some new features. Read more for pictures and descriptions of these new treats. Read Full Entry

If you send and receive a great deal of text messages throughout the day then you might get tired of going back to the inbox all the time. SMS Bubbles to the rescue! From the Today screen you can view the contents of your incoming text message and decide to Save as read, reply, delete and more options from the bubble. There are more settings available in the Programs list under the Start menu once you have it installed. Adding this to Extreme Text and you are practically in text message heaven. Of course it’s free and available for download right here. Enjoy!

In the past we’ve shown you ways to stream music and radio, make off with your favorite pod casts, sync with Windows Media Player and now we’d like to show you how you can take millions of songs and thousands of artists with you. Rhapsody To Go costs less than $15/month, allows you to download whatever you want, as much as you want and sync it to your Shadow and take it with you. Read on to see exactly how easy life is with Rhapsody To Go. Read Full Entry

I often use call history to find the number of someone that I’ve called in the past.  It’s also helpful to note the duration of each call, if you’re counting minutes.  By default, your phone only stores 100 entries.  With an easy registry hack, we can extend this value so that you can get call history for the last few weeks.

Using a registry editor:

Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Phone
Change value “CallHistoryMax” from 100 to a higher number.