A few questions from a beginner
 

I am brand new to the touch, or any pocket PC for that matter, so please bear in mind that I have no experience with any of the mobile apps I'm now dealing with.

When I got my touch I immediately grabbed the pocketcm keyboard and it worked reasonably well (although I really wish it had a Period button on the main text entry panel). However, after I reset the touch, it doesn't seem to want to show up anymore. Its there in the list, but I can't get to it. When I select it, the touch just defaults back to "keyboard". Also, for some reason the keyboard NEVER wants to give me that nice black "touch themed" 40 key keyboard - its always the really tiny white one with a million keys on it. Is there any way to force it to use the larger black one? Also, when I go into the settings to change input method to PCM keyboard, then click on options, it tells me that "pocketcm keyboard has to be the current SIP in order to configure it." But I'm not sure what that means.

Also, with regard to web browsing, I really hate the IE browser, and have found the opera mini (both 3 and 4 - I'm using 4 now) browser to be MUCH better. Is there a way I can make opera the "default" browser? Like when I get emails and such, the links always just use IE. Also, is there a better way to access it? I curently go into the Java program, then have to load it from the "applications" menu. Is there no better way?

Also, when I try to download anything (I tried Google MM), it kind of goes crazy and gives me some errors. It sucessfully downloaded, but it couldn't detect what kind of phone I have, and it recommended I download with my phone's built in browser. I really don't understand what the whole "MIDlet" thing is either.

This is all very complicated, any help would really be appreciated.

No help at all?

First in regards to the keyboard, search the forums for SIP change and there is a free program you can download and configure the default input method as the PCM keyboard. Personally I have better success with the SPB full keyboard but that is just my personal preference.

If you use your touch flo interface you can map Java to one of the launcher icons and just select it from there.

As far as it being the default program, I think the short answer to that is no, at least not without removing PIE..

Thanks! I'll look into the SPB keyboard, maybe that's the ticket since I still think the PCM keyboard is too small.

However, I've been having trouble with my phone locking up (4-5 times a day with heavy use) and not receiving calls when in sleep mode. I might have to look for another pocketPC... :(

touchpal!! download that thing asap man... im typing faster then i ever typed on my sidekick and treo on this thing lol

What apps do you have installed?
I don't have that problem and I have the iPhone theme and several other 3rd party apps installed and have no hangups or missed calls...

Sprint mobile email
default company name SM_ARM9
Arcsoft arcsoft MMS
OZ Instant Messaging
PocketCM Keyboard 0.12
Sprint TV
Microsoft Live Search

I also installed the Java apps Opera Mini 4 and Google Maps, but the google maps is obviously the wrong version because it won't work without number entry. Unfortunately I have no clue how to uninstall it because it doesn't show up in the windows uninstall programs section.

I don't know, maybe I got a defective one - it just seems like every 30 mins something else goes wrong. I've had the thing 2 days and it's locked up at least a dozen times, plus now my Gmail is reporting an "error synchronization" every time I try to send email, and it won't download new email (i've verified with my home PC). Plus about once every few hours it won't turn back on when its in sleep mode when I hit the button. Either that or it takes 10 seconds until it does turn on, then when its back on it doesn't respond to entries at all (more soft resets).

This thing is just flat unusable. I really want to keep it, but I just can't deal with a phone with so few reliable features.

Is the mogul really that inferior to the touch? I think the wifi and built in keypad would actually be nice too.