Take a look at some of the newest high-end Android smartphones – the HTC EVO 4G or the Motorola Droid X – and you’ll notice a new port we haven’t seen much of before on handhelds: HDMI. Yes, built-in HDMI ports on smartphones is are here, and if forced to wager, we’d bet they’re here to stay.

But you’ll also notice that these ports are not ordinary HDMI.  They’re smaller – much smaller – and won’t work with the HDMI cables you already have laying around.  No, these are HDMI Type D ports, more commonly known as Micro HDMI. And in order to use them, you’ll need cables with smaller Micro HDMI connectors on one end and standard Type A connectors on the other.

These cables aren’t usually as expensive as standard HDMI cables, even at retail.  But, as with all cables, you can save quite a bit if you do a little hunting.  Amazon, for example, has a 6-foot DAEC Micro HDMI to HDMI cable for $11 (as of this writing).  You can also find great Micro HDMI prices on eBay.

Tired of waiting for the over-the-air Android 2.2 update to hit your Droid X?  Take a number.  But if you’re willing to do a little work, you can have your sexy-Xey up and running with Froyo in under thirty minutes.

Interested?

Some devoted geeks at MyDroidWorld have gotten their fast-moving fingers on the Droid X Android 2.2 “Froyo” update – and they’ve posted it as a ready-to-install .ZIP file.  Anyone with a Droid X can install it; all you need is a USB cable, openness to some very low-level geekery, and a few minutes of free time.

We’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.

First, you’ll need to download the 68MB update file – update.zip – and store it on your Droid’s microSD card.  We’ve posted the file for download here, but you can also download it from the MyDroidWorld page.  Be sure the file is stored in the root directory of the SD card (in the main directory and not a subfolder).

Next, you’ll need to restore your Droid X to factory specs.  This will erase all third-party apps and any data not stored on the microSD memory card.  Doing a hard wipe is not absolutely necessary to install this update, but without letting the built-in wiper do the wiping, you’ll have more work to do.  And, even with that, it’s always better to start clean to avoid troubles. 

We highly recommend the clean slate approach, but if you’re interested, you can read a more detailed list of what must be done before starting the upgrade at the main MyDroidWorld article.  You’ll also find information there related to rooting your Droid X and upgrading already-rooted handsets if such things interest you.

To restore your Droid X to factory specs, navigate to Menu > Settings > Privacy, then select Factory Data Reset.

Once your phone is back to its pristine, out-of-the-box state (which can take up to 10 minutes), power your phone off.  Then hold the Home and Power buttons down at the same time.  This will boot the phone into Recovery Mode.  When you see the green android beside an exclamation triangle icon, press the Search hardware button below the screen on your Droid.  This will display a list of options, one of which is apply sdcard:update.zip.  Use the volume-down button to select this option and the camera button (right side red button) to execute it.

The files stored in the update.zip file will work their magic and upgrade the OS of the Droid X to Android OS 2.2.  This will take five to ten minutes.  When complete, you’ll see a message stating that the upgrade completed.  Press the Menu hardware button below the OK label. 

You’re done.  Froyo at last.

After the upgrade (or any factory reset), you’ll have to activate your phone again with the built-in utility.  This takes a couple of minutes.

We’ve installed the update to our Droid X as described above and everything went off without a hitch.  But, as is always the case with non-official upgrade procedures, be careful.   If you turn your Droid into a sleek paper weight, don’t blame MyDroidWorld (or us).  Try at your own risk.

Many thanks to everyone at MyDroidWorld.

Live Mesh is a platform with a lot of potential for Windows Mobile. There isn’t a Live Mesh client for Windows Mobile just yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use Mesh as a tool to help make WinMo more useful.  In our latest tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the service as it exists today to transfer files to your Windows Mobile device.

Read How to Transfer Files to Windows Mobile Using Live Mesh…

We’ve received a few requests from readers asking for how to perform a hard reset of the new Palm Treo 800w.  The 800w lacks both a reset switch and a software utility which performs the reset from within the OS.  To clear up the confusion, we’ve put together a page in the Pocket PC Central Help Center which details both the hard reset and soft reset procedures: How to Reset the Palm Treo 800w.

Have a Windows Mobile tutorial you’d like to see in the Help Center?  Just post a comment below.

If you use Windows Live Hotmail, you’re probably aware that there’s a built-in calendar which allows you to plan events and access your schedule on the Web.  Until now, you could sync your Live Hotmail email and and contacts with Outlook using a free utility called Outlook Connector, but syncing your online calendar with your Outlook calendar required a paid subscription. However, a new version of Outlook Connector, v12.1 (which is currently in beta) allows you to sync your Live Hotmail email, contacts and calendar entries with Outlook for free.

Outlook Connector 12 requires Outlook 2003 or 2007, and of course, if you sync your Windows Mobile device with Outlook, your calendar entries will also be mirrored on your handheld.  We’ve been using it for a couple of days without a hitch, so if you’re interested, give it a try.