Microsoft Releases Daylight Saving Time Patch for Windows Mobile Devices

This year marks a change in the Daylight Savings Time (DST) ritual, with it beginning three weeks earlier and ending one week later than before.

And while it's possible to manually make the changes to watches and clocks, Microsoft had provided a patch for Windows Mobile users that will do the work of adjusting the clock settings at the new calendar intervals.

Download this patch for Windows Mobile Smartphones or Pocket PCs from Microsoft's web site

Also available from that same page are tools that will update Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Outlook with the new DST rules.

Why Is This Necessary?

Previously DST began on the first Sunday in April, and ended on the last Sunday of October. Beginning this year, though, it will start on the second Sunday in March (March 11, 2007), and will changes back to standard time on the first Sunday in November (November 4, 2007).

The idea behind the Energy Policy Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress signed into law by Pres. Bush in 2005, is to save energy.

But it will require a large number of computers -- including handhelds and smartphones -- to have an update, as these devices use the old rules for when DST begins and ends. Otherwise, calendar events and email messages will indicate an hour off the actual time.