Windows Mobile Louisville

Ahh, the lure of SPB products!   When I got my new HTC Touch Pro2 at the beginning of the month, I vowed that I would stick with the default TouchFLO 3D on the device for a while, giving it a chance and running it through it’s paces (typically, I have been a Mobile Shell affectionado).   I was doing fine until I received an email from SPB this weekend, with a review copy of version 3.5 of Mobile Shell.   In all honesty, I have been quite pleased with the improvements to TF3D, so I wasn’t feeling compelled to install Shell or any other UI at the moment.  HTC made some improvements in areas I felt were lacking before, so the UI is pretty darned good. 

But simply knowing that SPB has been in the woodshed hammering out enhancements to Mobile Shell had me very tempted.  I mean, who doesn’t get excited when SPB releases something?!   Needless to say, I installed version 3.5 of Mobile Shell and began playing.  Here are my findings… (more…)

Spb has released a Beta update to Mobile Shell 3.0, SPB Mobile Shell 3.0.1 Beta 1.  The update Beta fixes several “bugs” in the original and adds a few minor features. According to SPB, the release is not designed to add additional “standalone” features but rather to fix known bugs and add small features.

The application is supposed to be more responsive to the touch. One fix was to resolve the tremendously slow screen rotation between portrait and landscape modes. The rotation speed was back to normal levels (maybe a hair faster) when you extend the keyboard on a device such as the AT&T Fuze or Sprint Touch Pro.

A few of the more notable additions/fixes with the Beta include the addition of a “Show Today” widget; the addition of a “Remove All” command in the call log menu, and support for the “call” button in certain screens. From an individual contact screen, when you highlight the desired number to call and hit your “call” button the number is now dialed. In the original 3.0, the “call” button pulled up your dial screen.

There’s no word from Spb when the update will be finalized and it’s nice to see the prompt response Spb has made in addressing these issues. The Beta can be downloaded here.

Source: WM Experts

Spb Software House has released a significant update to Mobile Shell.  Version 3 offers different modes for work and for play, along with integration of picture contacts with Facebook, account-sensitive email indicators, widgets, responsive kinetic scrolling and other enhancements.  If you have used Shell before, you will almost not recognize version 3, it’s that different!

If you have read any of my commentary before (such as this one), you know that I am all about Mobile Shell, so to say that I was excited to check out version 3 is an understatement!  So, at long last, a review copy arrived last week, and I was most pleased.
Here are my initial thoughts, after having played with the app/interface for about a week:

Professional and Lifestyle desktops

Mobile Shell 3 gives you the ability to have two different modes (for what was previously known as the Now screen). You can switch between work (Professional) and play (Lifestyle) desktops.  The Professional desktop contains everything you would need in a work scenario, and is not customizable (other than perhaps background color), but the Lifestyle desktop is highly customizable.  The possibilities are endless for the Lifestyle mode - you can add all sorts of widgets (shortcuts, contacts, indicators) to your heart’s content, and you can change the background image (which can be of desktop resolution!).  The Lifestyle desktop is actually three times as wide as the Professional one, allowing you to scroll left or right and add even more content (more on that shortly). 

Below are my Professional and Lifestyle desktops.  You can switch from one to the other with an upward or downward flick of the finger:

I’ve been having fun configuring the Lifestyle mode, as you can see.  I actually made a contact for each of my pets, and added their contact widgets along with my wife’s contact widget - making it a family affair!  The only other widget I added to the “main” page of the Lifestyle mode was the notification indicator.  I like this concept - it’s nice to switch to a non-cluttered look during “off-time”, so I can enjoy seeing the family when I turn on my device.  I can always see other pertinent info with a tap or a flick if I need… (more…)

VITO Technology has made some updates to their Winterface app.

The main changes are:

• New bright skin
• Ability to hide or show the standard top WM bar with Start button
• Support of Opera Mobile favorites
• Bug fixes

You can get Winterface here.

UPDATE: Here is a video with much better quality!  Yaroslav Goncharov from Spb Software runs through a 10 minute demo of Mobile Shell 3.0, and all I can say is WOW! 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While the filming is absolutely horrid, you can get the idea of what Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 will look like (albeit blurry) here.

Looking forward to this being released, particularly since WM 6.5 is still solid months away!

Teksoft has released their own version of a user interface for Windows Mobile touchscreen devices.  

“Glyphs fully transforms the Windows Mobile device: Everything can be controlled with the finger, and the device functions are easily accessible. Glyphs is composed of 3 major components, that are installed together to fully customize the look and feel of your mobile device.”

The Menu is a standalone application, 100% configurable, that contains shortcuts to the most important applications and options, and advanced graphics for the most pleasant end user experience.

The menu is the direct way of starting everything the user needs: applications, favorite files or applets.

The Info screen works similar to a screen saver for the Windows Mobile device.
It can be started from the Glyphs Menu, or automatically every time the device is turned on.
Its purpose is to show most relevant information and to allow the user to interact with it:

With a single tap the user can view more on:

• battery level
• operator name and signal level
• date and time and a nice analog clock
• scheduled appointments
• scheduled tasks
• unread messages, including Email, SMS, MMS
• missed calls

The Glyphs plugin:
This component is the ultimate Today Screen organizer: it is a plugin that can load other plugins, and can be customized to offer shortcuts to the favorite applications, files or applets.

Glyphs can be downloaded here. The trial version can be used for 5 days, and a full version is about $12.95 (Euros converted to Dollars as of today).

Spb Software will offer a sneak preview of the new Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 at Mobile World Congress 2009.  Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 sets a new standard in handset user interfaces and goes far beyond what is available on any phone today.  The new software is fitted with a flexible engine for 3D animation, clever Facebook integration, kinetic scrolling, widgets, and multiple usability innovations.  Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 has gained a thrilling ‘wow’ factor and preserved the speed and clarity of device navigation.

Designed to be highly flexible, with not just the end-users, but also the device manufacturers in mind, Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 offers many different levels of customization, and is a viable basis for a new generation of world-class smartphones on Windows Mobile platform.

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 is scheduled to release to manufacturers in late February of 2009, with release to the consumer market expected to follow in late March.  According to Spb Software upgrades policy all end-users, who purchase software within 90 days of a new version’s release, are eligible for free upgrades.

To say that I am excited about this pending release is an understatement!  Mobile Shell has been so impactful on my device, it even replaced TouchFLO 3D on my Touch Diamond!  I can’t wait to see how Spb has improved upon what I already consider the single most important app required on a Windows Mobile device! Woot!

A while back, I did a commentary on TouchFLO 3D vs. Spb’s Mobile Shell, so a similar article from Gear Diary was quick to catch my eye!

Doug, Lauren and Sue did a three-person review of TF3D, and they did a great job - I always enjoy multi-person reviews!

Check it out here.

Version 1.1 of Winterface includes numerous improvements. The major one is that they’ve changed the start gesture - now the application is started with the help of the upside-down tick ^.  This gesture is unlikely to interfere with other applications so that Winterface won’t pop out each time you slide the screen.  Drawing the gesture “tick” or letter “v” on your screen can close any application you are working in.

Improvements were also made on Tasks and Calendar.  Winterface now has red indicators with numbers above Calendar and Tasks icons to show active tasks and upcoming events.  When tapping Calendar, you can see a semi-transparent window with all events.  If you need to make any edits, you can go to the Calendar, otherwise you can return back to the screen.  With Tasks, pressing the icon takes you straight to the Tasks to look at them and to edit.

There was great discussion with users who expressed desire to have quick access to separate files, therefore “Files” was added to the menu of the program.  You can now add any file to the screen. 

Minor bugs were fixed:

1. It is now impossible to delete Menu and Running icons of the program
2. Some of the icons are not doubled any more (like Phone)
3. The bug on HTC devices with battery icon was also fixed.

Winterface is available here for $19.95.

Spb Softwarehouse has released a minor revision to Spb Mobile Shell.  Version 2.1.1 (July 31, 2008) includes the following enhancements:

• Better support for new device models
• Improved design for black colored themes
• Opera 9.5 support (OEM version only)
• Fixes for password prompt related bugs
• Fixes for device lock related bugs
• Better support for 320×320 devices
• Other minor bug fixes

You can download the update here.  Current version 2.x owners can upgrade for free.  If you have an older version of Mobile Shell or never have tried it/owned it,  get it here.