Hacking E-Mail Productivity on Windows Mobile 6

As I mentioned last week, I upgraded my Samsung Blackjack to Windows Mobile 6.  I wasn’t one of those people itching for this upgrade.  I was pretty happy with the phone as-is(was?) Casually browsing different forums you’d see various people lambasting AT&T for delaying the release of the Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the Samsung i607, better know as the Blackjack. Nonetheless, a co-worker mentioned it was available and I jumped in feet first.

So far the coolest feature is the key shortcuts in email. I don’t know how I stumbled across them, but if you are looking at the main list of your emails or messages, hold down the zero key.  Up will pop up a list of key shortcuts for acting on your emails:

0 - List Shortcuts
1 - Reply All
2 - Reply
3 - Mark Read/Unread
4 - Flag
5 - Move
6 - Forward
7 - Delete
8 - Download Message
9 - Send/Receive

I mainly triage email on my phone. Generally, I’ll read the email, and if I only need it for future reference, I’ll file it away in a folder.  Now, I hold down “5″ and the folder list comes up, I pick the folder and I’m done. Doesn’t save a ton, I could hit menu, 4, but it is one less keystroke.

In addition to getting my corporate e-mail over the Exchange ActiveSync connection, I get email from two IMAP accounts I have (one for this domain, one for my photography business) . Since I’ve yet to figure out how to get it to check those mailboxes on the same schedule as ActiveSync, I check them manually (it took two nights in a row of getting a new email notices at 3am before I knew I had to stop that in order to stay married.) Pressing and holding “9″ kicks off the send receive and I’m in fresh mail business.

I have no idea if this shortcut list was there in prior version.  I’ve been using some version of Windows Mobile for Smartphone for about four years now and don’t remember it.  Nonetheless, it does make life a little easier.