Turning the M2000 off !

[Guest jmcglynn]

Do you agree that whoever designed the M2000 to turn off/on with a quick press of the power button, and to dim with a long press should be sacked? !

Is there a hack to turn it off/on with a long press and dim it with a short press?

Jim

[Guest Chaser81]

I doubt it. Its a feature which has been a part of the Pocket PC Operating system since the very first models; its always been like that.

[Guest Drewtech]

I don't have an M2000 but I have had a number of iPAQ PPCs and have never found this to be a problem.

[Guest jmcglynn]

I'm really surprised. It seems like such an obvious design flaw to me. The amount of times I have taken my m2000 out of my pocket and found it on, surely I'm not the only one that has this problem?

I know you can use a PIN to stop it doing things, but it still wastes battery, and I find the pin a little annoying.

Perhaps the button is more accesible on the M2000? don't know ?

I'm sure there is some really really clever person out there that can write this hack. :-)

Jim

[Guest dazultra2000]

I agree with you on this actually - it's annoying. I think something like you find on MP3 players would be good...a "hold" switch, so that you can put it into standby and then flick the switch, and it disables the keys....would be useful.

I often put my hand into my pocket and accidentally press the button, and then the calendar or contact button gets pressed, and then the call button and I end up making calls to people I didn't mean to call!

[Guest fraser]

I'm really surprised.  It seems like such an obvious design flaw to me.  The amount of times I have taken my m2000 out of my pocket and found it on,  surely I'm not the only one that has this problem?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've got mine set so that the only button that will wake it up is the power button. That stops a lot of these. However, the phone switches itself on now and then to do housekeeping tasks (scheduled wakeup), and there's nothing you can do.

Even when you don't want it off, I want to be able to fire up an mp3 and drop it in my pocket. Without having to arange the pocket lining so that it won't touch the screen and hit the stop icon!! Grrr!

[Guest Chaser81]

Even when you don't want it off, I want to be able to fire up an mp3 and drop it in my pocket. Without having to arange the pocket lining so that it won't touch the screen and hit the stop icon!! Grrr!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you use Windows Media Player, you can use Screen toggle to switch the screen off whilst you listen to your music.....

[Guest fraser]

If you use Windows Media Player, you can use Screen toggle to switch the screen off whilst you listen to your music.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean the backlight toggle? The light is off, but the screen is still active, so you can still hit the icons. Can't see any other options in WMP that you mention, could you clarify?

[Guest Chaser81]

Go into Media Player, hit Menu-->Options-->Buttons and assign a button to "Screen Toggle".

This switches the screen off whilst continuing to play music.

[Guest fraser]

Neat, nice undocumented feature. I've started using MortPlayer to play music though, seems less "stuttery" for mp3, plus it makes playing albums easy.

EDIT: cool, Mortplayer has this as well!!

Edited March 7, 2005 by fraser

[Guest jmcglynn]

Thanks for the replies folks.

I have all buttons disabled for power except the power button, but I still knock it on occassionally.

So, is there a clever developer out there? :-)

Jim

[Guest pizdyetz77]

The only decent way to stop calls etc being made is to set a password that activates after the device has been unused for 30 secs.

It's a bit of a pain to type each time you need access but it's better than making calls you don't want to. The device still wakes on mssg receipt but won't let you do anything until 4 digit-pass is entered. At least the keypad that appears is a large thumbnail-type you can hit with grubby fingers . . . .

I tried MortSaver but couldn't get it to work.

[Guest imt21]

Go into Media Player, hit Menu-->Options-->Buttons and assign a button to "Screen Toggle".

This switches the screen off whilst continuing to play music.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry if I'm being thick... but is this on the M2000? I can't find it anywhere.

[Guest Pondrew]

Go into Media Player, hit Menu-->Options-->Buttons and assign a button to "Screen Toggle".

This switches the screen off whilst continuing to play music.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've just looked for this on my MDA III... no Menu in Windows Media Player here... just Playlist and Tools.

More info?

[Guest stug]

try tools - settings - buttons... thats where it is on my mdAIII

[Guest Pondrew]

try tools - settings - buttons... thats where it is on my mdAIII

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmmm... there is an option in that section called Full Screen Toggle but it doesn't do what Chaser described.

[Guest fraser]

It's on my M2000 right above Full Screen Toggle, the entry is "Screen Toggle". The media player MortPlayer does this as well. There is a slim but remote chance that some third-party software installed this feature, perhaps even MortPlayer if others who do have the option have installed it. I didn't notice it until someone pointed it out to me above, but I didn't exactly go looking either, never thought that there would be options that were only assignable to buttons.

[Guest stug]

Hmmm... there is an option in that section called Full Screen Toggle but it doesn't do what Chaser described.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep, and on my MDA III there is Screen toggle above full screen toggle

[Guest sprouts42]

Mortsaver works a treat for me.

[Guest Pondrew]

It may have just been me as the option is there now and I haven't installed Mortplayer! Time to get my eyes tested methinks...

[Guest jmcglynn]

Turning off the screen, that's the answer.

I've been ignoring you thread hijackers :-) but having just read through them I think you've hit on something, it would be great if you could lock the screen on the PDA at the operating system level as you would a normal phone.

That way, when the phone comes on either by accident or for a reminder or something then you can't accidentally send a message, or delete an e-mail, or create loads of notes.

So, the new challenge for someone really clever is to create a little program that locks the screen, and only unlocks when you press a certain combination of keys.

What do you think? Would that work?

Jim

[Guest fraser]

It's already there!! Put on the security password. The "certain combination of keys" is your PIN. Mine is set to auto-activate after 15 min.

Plus, should your phone get stolen, the thief will have to hard-reset it to get any use out of it. Which will erase all your contacts, appointments, emails, personal documents, saved web passwords, all of which is pretty damn desirable should it get nicked!

[Guest jmcglynn]

fraser,

Fair point !

Is there a way of locking it on demand, rather than waiting for a timeout? Else, if there is a program that does this then i could re-assign one of the buttons to lock the device.

Jim

[Guest Farhad]

I'm not sur eif this is of any help, and i pressume you already know about it, but if you go to the Settings > System >Button Lock and set the option to Lock all buttons.... then you will not have the problem of removing it from you pocket only to find it on since the power button has to be pressed to allow any other button/screen to work.

As i say, i just thought to post it, just in case it was overlooked

[Guest jmcglynn]

Thanks Farhad. Yes, I already have that setup.

After going round and round in circles a bit, I have finally realised what I'm after:-

A way of locking the screen (as Fraser suggests) without having to wait for a timeout. Bit like pressing * and # at the same time on a Nokia (I presume you can still do that on a Nokia).

Jim