WHEN air stewardess Celest Foo goes on her long trips overseas, she is never far away from making a call on her smartphone.
Instead of calling home on an expensive IDD link, she relies on the Skype software on her Samsung i780 Windows smartphone to make cheap or even free Internet calls.
The trick is to first log on to the Wi-Fi available in many hotels these days.
Says the frequent flyer: "I enjoy huge savings on phone bills by using Windows Live Messenger instead of SMS. I use Skype (which is downloaded on the phone) to make international calls at amazingly low rates. If the other party is a Skype user, the call is free."
The savings are clear for messages too.
While each SMS message can cost 30 cents or more overseas, an unlimited number of instant messages can be sent via a free Internet link using Live Messenger.
A lover of new gizmos, Celest is among a growing number of users who are finding that their smartphones offer a lot more than they imagined when they first took their devices out of the box.
From playing Sudoku on the go to reading the Bible to sending updates to her followers on Twitter, the 27-year-old is constantly staring at her phone.
She says: "Due to the nature of my occupation, my schedule can be unpredictable at times. The features and applications on my phone help to keep me organised and efficient."
The long-time fan of Palm, an industry pioneer that made PDAs sexy to the masses in the late 1990s, first switched to Windows Mobile in 2004 when she was wooed by the O2 xda mini, one of the smallest Windowsenabled PDA phones at that time.
Since then, she has had a handful more Windows Mobile devices, as she switched to a new phone every year.
"I'm so reliant on my phone that many friends call me a phone addict. My standard reply is: 'I can't afford a personal assistant, hence this is the best alternative'."
For another Windows smartphone user, businessman Shane Chiang, the instant messaging (IM) available on his device is his life-saver, especially when it comes to saving SMS costs.
"All I need is an unlimited data plan and I am ready to IM until I drop. This is a great way to stay connected to people without increasing cost," says the 37-year-old.
Another favourite feature is the ability to watch movies on the go.
Says Shane: "I recently learnt how to download movies to my device, which makes it a hoot to travel and catch up on some missed DVDs that I never seem to have time to watch - except when I am on the road."
He adds: "I also take snap shots of my kids and MMS or e-mail them to their grandparents and other family members. Furthermore, with GPS now, I can even log where I last took my pictures and upload them to Google to view them later."
Like Celest and countless other early PDA users, Shane was a Palm fan several years ago.
He first picked up a Windows-powered phone back in 2000, when the software was known as Pocket PC.
Over the years, as Microsoft's offering improved on initial rollouts, Shane became a fan of Windows Mobile as well.
He remarked: "I find that a lot of the other phones are following in Microsoft's footsteps in the smartphone/PDA phone space.
"Some have better and interesting hardware, but the features are limited and not as robust as the Windows Mobile platform, which is more complete with its years of experience and improvements."
Asked what he would want to see in a future Windows phone, he says he expects the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 software to be faster and smarter with updates under the hood.
"There is a new GUI (graphical user interface) which is very refreshing and the operating system has been tweaked," he notes.
Clearly, despite the improvements over the years on their most cherished gadget, there is room for more things to be packed in.
Celest, for example, wants something more fun for the future.
"How about integrating Nintendo DS Lite games into Windows Mobile?" she asks.
"I have friends carrying four or five gadgets in their bags (mobile phones, MP3 players, portable game consoles). Imagine combining all into one. That would be so cool."
Brought to you by Microsoft
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.
