Windows Mobile and time zones revisited
Anyone who uses Outlook and Windows Mobile is familiar with the time zone bugaboo. Outlook knows when you add an appointment what the time zone is and the appointment time will be adjusted automatically if the creator of the meeting request was in a different time zone than the local machine’s. This is not a problem as long as you are aware that will happen and is probably the best way to handle multiple time zones. But when you are taking a trip into a different time zone you have to make sure that you select the proper zone at appointment creation time so that it will display in your calendar at the proper time at the destination. To avoid this confusion I do what many Outlook users do and do not change my PCs time zone when I arrive at the new one. This prevents Outlook from auto-adjusting times for all appointments that are created prior to adjusting the systems time zone and insures that all appointment times are consistent.
This gets more complicated when you also use a Windows Mobile phone device as I do. While all the appointments are correct on the PC side the times all auto-adjust when you arrive at the new destination because Windows Mobile adjusts the time zone based on the phone network’s information. RIght now I have many appointments on my schedule for this week at the CES that display the proper start time on the PC but are off two hours on the Windows Mobile device. It gets really confusing when someone sends a meeting request here locally with the Vegas time zone because when I add it to Outlook it displays off two hours but correctly on the WM device. This is not a bug, it’s the best way for time zones to be handled but you must be aware of how this works or you’ll be constantly arriving early or late. The proper way to handle this is to change the PC time zone to match the local time but if you do that then all appointments entered without specifically designating the destination time zone will be off on both devices.
Does anybody in this situation have tips on how to handle this better?
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OK, I just broke down and changed the TZ on all appointments for this week to PST. Then I changed the TZ on the PC to the same so hopefully all my appointments now display the correct start time on both devices. I just have to make sure and change it back on the PC when I return home. :)
James, I thought you were carrying a Blackberry?
Frank, I am indeed carrying the Blackberry 8830 for my phone and email needs. I use the HTC Advantage as a PDA/ mobile PC though.
Arghhh, that is the most awful “feature” in Windows Mobile but I didn’t realise it also occurs in the full version of Outlook. I’m afraid I don’t have any advice on how to deal with it but I do feel your pain.
James, three suggestions:
1. Make both time zones visible in Outlook on the PC. I did that a couple months ago when I starteed scheduling appts for CES.
2. Make the Time Zone field visible in outlook appts.
3. Insert the meeting details with times in the body of the appt, at the very top. That way you can verify every mtg or appt easily with a glance.
I’ll post this on my blog with some screen shots.
Good points Ed, especially displaying dual TZ in Outlook. I always forget to do that.
i cant help but wonder if not outlook should have just used GMT to store the times internally, and then only adjust the displayed time based on the timezone shown.
or is that just whats going on?
timezones, got to love em…
bic pen and a pad of paper might work best
actually, i travel alot and never find an issue.
I do have an exchange server behind it all. We’re a multinational company. I get meeting requests from all over the world.
I have a treo 700W and it auto shifts the timezone. I just leave my laptop on EST and everything seems to work okay.
The exchange server may be doing the right magic.
The way I get around this is using the BlackBerry. It’s annoying that the times don’t appear properly in my WM device, but I just ignore that.
On the BB, you can choose the time zone for the item you’re entering. That syncs via Exchange to the WM device with the proper time across timezones.
Not ideal, but a way to work around it – enter the item quickly on the BB. You can always enter it there and then update it with more information on the WM device.
I also travel a lot changing to 5 or 6 international time zones a month on average. I keep my laptop on home timezone. A widget shows local time onscreen. All appointments I put as local time, but I have a flag to show which country I am in on any given day day. Then I do no phone timezone updates from the network – It takes 30 seconds to set manually on arrival but at least keeps all appointments on all devices to their correct times.
I believe the guys who make PocketInformant have a small software widget addressing just this problem… it’s part of the Web IS toolbox.
Thanks for this discussion, which has given me a clue how to deal with this annoying “feature” of windows mobile.
Why on earth they cannot simply give those of us who tend to use our own input for appointments the option of NOT changing times when changing time zones I cannot guess. We’ve just suffered through the “let’s change the end date for daylight saving” disaster, and I’m about ready to go for turn-self-off’s solution.
You could try Time Zone from http://www.geocities.com/alexaleks3
Thank you so much Stormyview! From the description on the website, Web IS toolbox is exactly what i’m looking for. The perfect solution for those of us who want to FIX this “feature”.