From time-to-time there are really quick/easy programs that are available on the Internet and sometimes even for free. In this case, the product Phone Tools for Communicator by ESTOS is all of the above.
Phone Tools for Communicator is a small applet that runs on your local PC that enables you to quickly call any phone number using Office Communicator.Communicator and the back-end Office Communications Server must be capable ofmaking outbound calls - this tool does nothing for that - but assuming you have a functioning telephony solution this product assists you in making those calls.
How? Communicator already has the ability to understand the tel: hyperlink so that if a phone number is linked correctly, it is click-able and the number is dialed. However, it is all too often that numbers are entered into documents, websites, or other electronic communication without the hyperlink. To call the number withoutPhone Tools for Communicator you have two options: 1) Stop being lazy and simply push the numbers on your Windows Phone Device or 2) highlight the number, copy it, open Office Communicator, paste the number, and press enter.
For all of us lazy folks, option two is generally the route we take. Phone Tools for Communicator is essentially performing option two but with fewer clicks. To use the product, simply highlight the desired number and click F8 (the default hot-key which can be changed) and viola, the number is dialed - simple, yet satisfying.
As I mentioned, the product is free, it takes 2088k of memory to run, and I have successfully used it on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Save yourself a few extra clicks and go out and try Phone Tools for Communicator - you won't be disappointed.
With the recent release of Windows Mobile 6.5 and the newly improved Mobile Outlook most of us WM6.1 users are saying - what about us? Well the story is not as bleak as many might imagine. While the OS in the Windows Mobile devices is carrier 'owned' the applications are not. Luckily, Microsoft has decided to release the Outlook portion of WM6.5 as free upgrade for WM6.1 users. This is great news for me - I don't know about everyone else, but I am not interested in most of the WM6.5 features I simply want the new Outlook.
My current back-end environment is Microsoft Exchange 2010, Outlook 2010 and using the latest Mobile Outlook enhances my experience keeping the look and feel similar across clients. The upgrade was easy although it did force a re-sync of my Exchange data to my phone which took a bit of time even over the EvDO Rev A network.
More information about the upgrade and the features can be found here and it is a CAB file so you can use your WM device to navigate directly to it (my preference).
New Inbox View in Outlook Mobile
Single conversation thread Previous OCS RFC. There are four emails that make up the thread and all can be seen in a single view (reducing clutter and speeding up your day)!
The folders you select to sync are shown in your folder list. You can still expand your entire folder list by selecting All Folders.
New Single-click Voice Mail Integration or Exchange 2010 UM users. The play button eliminates the need to launch Windows Mobile player leaving you in your Inbox where you should be. The green phone button allows a single-click call back to the sender.
With Exchange 2010 and Mobile Outlook 6.5 text messages to your phone have the option of being integrated. This mean a text message received to your phone is synced with Outlook where you have the option of replying to the text directly (assuming you have the optional TXT provider in Outlook 2007 or you are using Outlook 2010 / Outlook Web Access 2010).