HTC & Windows Mobile Technology

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Windows Marketplace available for Windows Mobile 6.0 & 6.1

Windows Marketplace is now available to Windows Mobile 6.0 & 6.1. I got this news in my email on Christmas Eve. Windows Marketplace is still in its infancy in my opinion and there are some limitations according to regions -  not sure if it's the same for the Apple App Store. Why would Microsoft limit their customers is beyond me. Also some of the apps are too expensive. Pac Man for $10.69 and Kinoma Player for $40! Anyway, that's just my opinion...

Go &; download Windows Marketplace for your Windows Mobile 6.0 & 6.1 now






Get it here

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Thursday, December 24, 2009

50% off SPB software until 30/12/2009

50% off SPB softwares!

It's been a while since I posted anything here. Since the last post, I've moved house and things have not settled 100% since then. Today it's Christmas Eve and I'm working till 10 pm tonight. Seeing that it's not busy (It's xmas eve!!) I've decided to make this post.

SPB software is offering a 50% discount on most of it's softwares, including the ever popular Mobile Shell! For this period only, it's half price at $14.95!

Just type "SPBHolidayDiscount" in the discount code on checkout.

Better hurry! Offer until 30/12/2009!



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Friday, November 27, 2009

ROMeOS² [07/11] WM6.5.23081 [v3.01] for Touch Pro



Well, I've finally taken the plunge and flashed a custom ROM for my Touch Pro in the form of monx's ROMeOS. Monx caused a bit of controversy a few months back saying that he wanted to leave xda-developers and if anybody wanted his ROMs they would have to contribute to get it. This caused some uproar with members saying it's not his to 'sell' while others backed him.


Anyway, he was back on xda-developers and surprised a lot of people by offering this new ROMeOS build.

Based on 23081 build and clean. Codenamed RAnDIUM.

Flashing was easy but you would need to hardspl your Touch Pro/Fuze. Read this guide

After wards it was smooth sailing...

The ROM itself is nice! I love the fonts that come with it. It is stable and fast. There are quite a few bugs as people in the release thread and me have reported:

"This is a terrific ROM! Thank you very much for writing it.

I've seen very few problems with it so far. One issue is the text messaging popup window stating SMS/MMS sent with the Dismiss button at the bottom. That window is a little annoying and I haven't found a setting for removing it. Is there a way of removing the popup window or is this something for a hotfix?

Another issue is the icons on the top right that look like one for power, another for the speaker, a tiny clock and the signal bars/data signal type icon. The problem here is that touching the clock, speaker or power icons on my phone results in a screen indicating general status with a power percentage and the cell network being used listed at the top. While this makes sense for the power icon and/or the signal bar area, it doesn't make sense for the speaker icon or tiny clock. Also, when the status screen displays, sometimes the power percentage bar near the top of the screen is a disrupted image to the point of being unreadable. By disrupted image, I mean light colored static-like pixels in thick waves across the bar, which are sometimes different colors and other times white."


"I have a few issues on this otherwise fantastic rom.

1. when a call comes in, it takes a while for the vibration to stop after i click answer.

2. when editing an appointment using the manilla calender, the date is stuck - even when picking a new date, it still shows the old date. also the calender seems to be too big for vga - the accept/yes buttons are not seen on the screen, need to scroll down with d-pad

3. the size of manilla itself - maybe not monx's fault. the icons appear a bit cut out at the bottom. on some of my programs, the input box is cut in half because of it. sometimes everything seems aligned, sometimes not.

4. the task terminator as people have said, can only be used once - can't seem to open again when clicked for some reason. I prefer the htc task manager which drops down than this."

 


Monx was apparently going to release some updates for this ROM but never surfaced as yet. I'm waiting patiently since I don't like to flash another ROM and begin customisation from scratch! There are other great chefs abound in the Touch Pro thread, but I've been following threads very closely and felt that monx is the best around hence decided to flash his!

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

30-50% off BodyGuardz & ZAGGskins

Received these offers in my email a few days back.

ZAGGskins, from the makers of Invisible Shield, have 50% off for Thanksgiving from 24-30th November.

Visit ZAGGskins now


BodyGuardz is also having an offer on their products:


BodyGuardz 30% off Black Friday offer

Visit BodyGuardz now

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Ivy the Kiwi? Coming soon to Windows Phone

I saw a post made at Mobile Tech World about Ivy the Kiwi? Thinking that it is about New Zealand, I clicked on it, and saw a video about this awesome new game for Windows Phone! It is by the co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Man it looked really interesting. Ivy moves forward and you use your stylus to draw/make these vines to direct her. It reminds me of Numpty Physics. Looks really interesting. Wait for it in the Windows Phones App Store.

Have a look at this cool video.







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Friday, November 13, 2009

10 Free Graphics programs for Windows Mobile

If you are a Windows Mobile Pocket PC User then this post is just for you. Here I'm going to share most popular Graphic Application softwares with direct download link to my readers. Hope you will like it.

Ρhotos2Resize v2.0.1

An easy to use image resizing tool for free is just what the world needs when the digital camera revolution is here. Now when storagecard is cheap, it is great to be able to use the Pocket PC as a mobile Ρhoto album. With this software you can batch process all your digital camera Ρhotos from your PC to your PDA.

Ρhotos2Resize v2.0.1

Download Ρhotos2Resize v2.0.1

JPeg2Pdf v1.01

JPEG2PDF allows to create ----- albums in pdf format, starting from jpeg pictures. All this directly from you PDA! JPeg2Pdf is a must have application for all the lovers of digital photography.

Photos2Resize v2.0.1

Download JPeg2Pdf v1.01

AB Draw Lite 2.0

AB Draw is a Pocket PC application which allows you to draw using basic shapes (lines, rectangle, ellipses and text). The documents are stored in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format (http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/). This is a XML standard for storing graphics.

AB Draw Lite 2.0

Download AB Draw Lite 2.0

Image Stack v1.0

Show your favorite digital pictures with your Pocket PC to your friends. When meeting with friends, how do you pass around your digital images? It's easy when printed on paper, but jpegs? If you have a mobile device with Windows based Pocket PC 2003, you can pass around this:
- Open the image folder.
- Your friends can shuffle through all pictures just by pressing the left arrow key.

Image Stack v1.0

Download Image Stack v1.0

Screen Capture v1.0.0.1

Capture the Mobile screen and store it in an bitmap file. Two types of capture are available one is automatic capture based on timer and another is manual capture based on hardware key assigned by the User.

Screen Capture

Download Screen Capture v1.0.0.1

ShortCAD

ShortCAD is a free software for Pocket PC that reveals the simplicity of well known CAD products just onto the palm of your hand! ShortCAD brings basic concepts of drawing creation to your Windows Mobile system.

ShortCAD

Download ShortCAD

S2V v0.20

S2V is a stylus-free picture viewing application. It can also be used to set up the wallpapers for S2U2 (0.97 or later).

S2V v0.20

Download S2V v0.20

Image Explorer LE

Open image files with ease using Image Explorer. Supported file formats are Windows Bitmaps (2bp, bmp), all GIF formats (gif), standard and progressive encoded JPEGs (jpeg, jpg, jpe) and X-Windows bitmaps (xbm).

Image Explorer LE

Download Image Explorer LE

PocketPicture v2.2

PocketPicture v2.2 is a new version of the popular free graphic editor for PocketPC. PocketPicture allows you to turn your pocket PC into canvas and easel and be creative everywhere. It is useful to draw small icons as well as painting or editing rather big images (scrolling and zooming is supported).

PocketPicture v2.2

Download PocketPicture v2.2

Blender Pocket v2.42

Blender Pocket is a port of Blender (complete open-source 3D package) for Pocket PC. It is for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production. It requires some time to learn but its possiblities are unlimited! For people wanting to make 3D everywhere, Blender Pocket is for you.

Blender Pocket v2.42

Download Blender Pocket v2.42

Have fun with these free graphics programs!

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Saturday, November 7, 2009

mToolbox 0.3.0 - The Swiss knife for your PPC

mToolbox - the Swiss Army knife for your PPC


Wow! This app is really the Swiss army knife for your ppc! Imagine, if you're a builder & forgot your water level, no problem if you have this app on your device - but it must have an accelerometer to function obviously.

Features include:

  • water level
  • light sensor
  • ruler
  • angle meter and
  • shock sensor
 Very handy isn't it?

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Back FavPeople Up - Save/restore your TouchFlo Favourite people

Back FavPeople Up for HTC devices


I just found out about this tool. It's a very neat app that can save your 'Favourite' people tab in HTC's TouchFlo/Manila today screen. Since it is meant for this, it will not work on non-HTC devices.

This comes in handy if you flash ROMs quite often and need to restore your Favourite people tab.




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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

iDon't and Droiddoes

I read this in the news a few days ago about iDon't and about Droiddoes. The video below shows a teaser for Droiddoes - an Android phone from Motorola to be launched by Verizon Wireless in the US. It takes a swipe at all the flaws of the iphone. Enough said.




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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Get 20% off Bodyguardz by following them on twitter

Got this in the email today about Bodyguardz. Follow them on twitter and get clues to discount codes.



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Monday, October 19, 2009

HTC Touch Pro 2 on Telecom NZ

HTC Touch Pro 2 on Telecom New Zealand


I was browsing the HTC site to see if there is any upgrades on my Touch Pro today. It was the NZ site and it only shows a few models in it - Touch Pro, Snap, Tytn II, Magic. I then clicked on Where to buy and lo & behold, the 'Find a Telecom shop' site opened in a new window.

Interesting I think, so head on over to Telecom.co.nz and saw the Touch Pro 2 for sale at $1499 with price plans extra. To me the price is expensive if you buy it parallel imported. Also, with Telecom, I think it will be locked to the network. But I guess a lot of users would prefer local support from the Telecom.

Browsing further, Telecom also has the HTC Snap at $699. My estate agent is currently using this at the moment. I did wonder where he got it from.

HTC Touch Pro 2 on Telecom NZ

HTC Snap/s523 on Telecom NZ


I'm sorry if the pictures don't load, it because of this.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Windows Phone promotional video

I saw this video on Clove.co.uk's blog. This video is the promotional video of Windows Phone and shows the key features and benefits of Windows Phones and Windows Mobile 6.5.

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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Bandwidth exceeded....

Seems that I'm getting a lot of hits for this blog and my other blogs and I've maxed out my free Photobucket account for this month, hence the Photobucket bandwidth exceeded in place of my images.

If you do find this blog helpful, please consider donating or by purchasing some items in my Amazon.com powered store

Thanks

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

HTC Announce the HTC HD2

HTC HD2 or Leo

Wow! HTC are continuing to make very impressive devices. The HTC HD2 or Leo is the successor for the Touch HD.

HTC have this afternoon officially announced the release of the HD2, AKA the HTC Leo. The HD2 (Not the Touch HD2), is the successor to the highly popular HTC Touch HD and is set for a November release.

Following on from the success of the Touch HD, the HD2 will maintain the features that made its predecessor so successful, whilst bringing some great new additions to the market.

The stand out features of the HD2 are Windows Mobile 6.5 Operating System, a 1GHz processor, a massive 4.3” display and an incredibly thickness of just 11mm. The Touch HD was regarded by many as HTC’s most popular device last year, so they’ve taken some of its best features and built on them. The screen has been made half an inch bigger, the talktime/standby time improved significantly and the processor speed doubled. New features such as a G-Sensor, Digital Compass and Footprints have also been added, so there’s no doubt that the HD2 won’t disappoint.

HTC HD2 or Leo


Here’s the key specs that the HD2 will feature:



  • Windows Mobile 6.5






  • 1GHz Processor






  • 4.3-inch VGA display






  • GPS






  • WiFi






  • Bluetooth






  • 5 Megapixel Camera






  • 3.5mm Audio Jack




  • See that? A 3.5mm jack. And the 1GHz processor and 5MP camera? Wow! Expect a November release.

    You can get it at Clove.co.uk

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    Microsoft My Phone - Simplify your life. Connect your phone to the web.

    Microsoft My Phone


    Microsoft has a new service called My Phone. It is essentially an online Windows Mobile (Windows Phone as it's called now) back up or syncing service. I installed it recently while it was in beta and worked ok.

    Since October 6th, the official launch date of Windows Mobile 6.5, it has gone out of beta and becomes an official release. The software on my Touch Pro has been upgraded as well.

    With My Phone you can:

        * Back up your phone automatically
        * Share photos on your favorite social networking sites
        * Access your contacts, text messages and more online for free
        * Locate your lost phone

    It gives you 200mb of data space to save all your contacts, appointments, messages/email and even your media files like music & photos. It can also locate your lost phone! It's free to use but obviously you need some sort of data plan as well. You would also need a Windows Live ID

    When I used the locate your phone service, it had the correct country and city, but it was not accurate. It was off by a few kilometers! It showed a location near Grey Street but I'm near the Hospital. This is still beta so hopefully improvements will still occur. To use this feature, you need to sync your PDA with My Phone

    There are also Premium features on free trial, however NZ is not in the free trial offer. :( With this, you can lock your phone, erase your data and also it can ring your phone.

    Another new feature not present in the beta version is the social networking sharing feature - you can share photos on facebook, MySpace, flickr and naturally Windows Live

    Microsoft have done a good job with My Phone. If you have a Windows Mobile Phone do install this application and sync your data online.

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    Thursday, October 8, 2009

    WIndows Mobile 6.5 is here!



    Windows® Mobile 6.5 Begins Shipping Today!

    Today marks the release of the all new Windows Phone Operating System, Windows Mobile 6.5.

    An update to the popular Windows® Mobile, 6.5 extends the innovation to bring you new and improved features to make your mobile experience that little bit better.With a Windows® Phone, your business doesn't have to stop running when you're on the road. With a Windows® phone you can remain connectected and productive wherever you are. Whether you need to manage email, juggle your calendar, draft client proposals, or update sales spreadsheets, you'll have access to the information you need by using an all-in-one Windows® phone. Thanks to the familiar applications, you can keep working with the features you already know, so you can focus on the task at hand.

    Hopefully all the bugs are sorted! If you don't know, xda-developers have some 6.5 ROMs to try out.

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    Thursday, October 1, 2009

    Google Sync: Now with push Gmail support




    Google's Gmail now supports Push
    It is likely that you have, even if you don’t use regularly a Gmail email account.
    Gmail by Google
    You have always been able to connect to the account via a mobile device using the traditional pull mechanism, that pulls new emails down to your handset, thus enabling you to read and respond to your email whilst away from the PC.

    A technology that has long been available is ‘push’ email which results in any email that hits your inbox being directly sent to your mobile device, as opposed to the pull mechanism where emails were only received on the mobile device when you asked it to.

    Push technology solutions only work if your mobile device has the technology and your email provider offers push services.

    Windows Mobile devices have long supported such technology, but your email provider may have not provided the push facility. Very few online/ISP email services do unless you pay a premium.

    To offer push services there needs to be an exchange server, which can be configured to push emails to users mobile devices as and when emails arrive.  This setup is common for businesses and ISP’s have always had exchange servers, but very few offered push email services.

    The most demanding user will have subscribed to a service provider (usually having paid a reasonable fee) to get such.  This way any mails sent to that users email address got directly sent to their mobile device that they had configured to connect to it, the moment the email arrived.

    The majority of email users will not have subscribed to such or even contemplated the need to have the email, the moment it arrives, often waiting an hour or more to check their mail.

    However you can now get ‘push’ email services for FREE from Google’s Gmail service.
    Announced yesterday the online giant has enabled this service for all users of Gmail.  If you have a Windows Mobile, iPhone or iPod Touch device you can take advantage of this service and get your emails even quicker than before.

    This sync solution works with your phone’s native email application so there’s no additional software needed. Only interested in syncing your Gmail, but not your Calendar? Google Sync allows you to sync just your Contacts, Calendar, or Gmail, or any combination of the three.

    To try Google Sync, visit m.google.com/sync from your computer.

    To set up you mobile device, find out how to HERE

    Important! Google Sync uses the Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol. When setting up a new Exchange ActiveSync account on your Windows Mobile device, existing data may be removed from your phone. Please make sure to back up before you set up Google Sync.

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    Tuesday, September 22, 2009

    Upgrade your HTC Windows Mobile phone to Windows Mobile 6.5!




    Windows Mobile App 6.5 for HTC

    HTC have announced that they plan on letting users of the three most recent WinMo phones upgrade to version 6.5 when it comes out. Let's check out the three phones the upgrade will be available for.

    HTC Touch Diamond2

    The HTC Touch Diamond2 actually does a very good job of making it so you don't have to go into standard Windows menus that often, as on top of the operating system, the interface is HTC's patented TouchFLO 3D setup, where everything is achieved through various finger swipes and sweeping gestures. It is truly intuitive, and it's the reason why the HTC Touch Diamond2 is such an unmitigated joy to use. Of course, it's not all about being pretty, a phone needs to have decent features and the HTC Touch Diamond2 has them in spades, from the 5 megapixel camera, through GPS, to incredibly fast HSDPA internet access (not to mention the superb Opera Mobile web browser). To many, the HTC Touch Diamond2 is the ultimate Windows Mobile phone and it's only set to get better when it becomes upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5.

    HTC Touch Pro2

    Next up is the HTC Touch Pro2, and here, you get the added benefit of a QWERTY keyboard. However, like the previous TyTN II, with the HTC Touch Pro2, you can also tilt the screen up after sliding it open, putting it at a more natural viewing angle. In terms of other hardware, the HTC Touch Pro2 also gives you a 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA internet access (as well as WiFi), and GPS, putting it right up there in the top echelon of mobile phones. Software-wise, the HTC Touch Pro2 is powered by Windows Mobile, but, like an increasing number of Windows Mobile phones, it uses a proprietary interface on top (TouchFLO 3D, again, as with the Touch Diamond2), that takes the power of Windows Mobile, and makes it user-friendly. All in all, the HTC Touch Pro2 is one incredible mobile phone.

    HTC Snap

    So, both the HTC Touch Diamond2 and the QWERTY-enabled HTC Touch Pro2 will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when it gets released. But HTC aren't stopping there; they're also letting non-touchscreen users upgrade, if they have the email-centric HTC Snap. Anyone who's used Windows Mobile before will know it's exceptionally good at emails and info management, and the HTC Snap is no exception to that rule. You get the same excellent POP3 and Exchange Server (for your corporate emails) support, but the HTC Snap also includes something new: Inner Circle. This is a new feature for the HTC Snap, that lets you set an Inner Circle of friends or important people, and automatically prioritises emails from them, to make sure you get the emails that matter the most, first.

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    Tuesday, September 8, 2009

    A_C's S2P gets an update to v0.70 beta




    A_C S2P v 0.70 beta
    I'm a fan of A_C's S2P. It is and will be my main media player for my Touch Pro and was also the main media player for my Prophet. The contender to this is Microfi Nitrogen.

    I like the finger friendliness of it and also the simpleness. You don't have a lot of options, it just works.

    It's been a long wait for a new version of S2P. The last version, 0.58 was out a long time ago, 9 months in waiting. The wait is now over since A_C has released a new version: 0.70 beta. He's calling it a beta since Album view and playlists are still "experimental".

    I have not updated yet because my usual laptop is going back to the shop for repair. My motherboard was just replaced, managed to use it for a few days & now the problem is back again! Damn you hp and your crappy laptops!

    v0.70 beta
    - temporarily disabled the "Album View" & "Playlists".
    - added option to set/refresh the music library.
    - added more views to play or shuffle songs; an artist's songs or albums.
    - added option to play album by album randomly - "Shuffle Albums".
    - added support to MP4/AAC as long as the device already has the corresponding WMP decoder.
    - faster startup.
    - AVRCP no longer requires WMP running in the background on some HTC devices (read the FAQ for details).
    - a lot of enhancements made on the user interface.
    - a lot of minor bugs fixed.


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    Friday, September 4, 2009

    Windows Mobile/Phone 6.5 out Oct. 6 2009!

    Windows Phone
    Microsoft has announced that Windows Mobile will now be called Windows Phone. Why can't it just be Windows Mobile? Apparently a lot of people do not know that their PPC devices run Windows Mobile. So it makes sense to change the name to Windows Phone? I don't think it will make a difference but only if Microsoft made the hardware for it. Oh wait, if that was the case, then maybe change the name to Mirosoft Phone?

    Windows Mobile 6.5

    Anyhow, Windows Mobile/Phone 6.5 will officially be released on Oct. 6. What devices will come out with them? Nothing yet as far as I know. But check out xda-developers for WinMo 6.5 Roms for your device to get a taste.

    Microsoft to Deliver New Generation of Windows Phones on Oct. 6


    REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 1, 2009 —
    Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows®
    phones will be widely available at retail stores worldwide on Oct. 6, 2009. The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile phone software, and will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone.

    “A Windows phone gives people a single phone that works for their whole life, keeping them connected to the people and information they care most about by harnessing the power of the PC, phone and Web,” said Todd Peters, corporate vice president of the Mobile Communications Marketing Group at Microsoft.

    Industry Players Rally Behind Windows Phones

    Partners from around the globe are committed to updating or expanding their portfolios to include phones with Windows Mobile 6.5.

    In North America: Mobile operators AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, and phone manufacturers HP, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba Corp.

    In Europe: Mobile operators Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone Group Plc, and phone manufacturers Acer, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba

    In Latin America: Mobile operator TIM Brazil, and phone manufacturers HTC, LG Electronics and Samsung

    In Asia Pacific: Mobile operators NTT DOCOMO Inc., SOFTBANK Mobile Corp., SK Telecom, Telstra and WILLCOM Inc., and phone manufacturers Acer Inc., HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba

    One Phone for Work and Play

    Windows phones are ideal devices for work and play, giving consumers the confidence to get things done with mobile versions of the software they recognize and expect from their PCs. The redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile browser includes a new engine and built-in Adobe Flash Lite support for better rendering and completion of tasks, so it’s easy to do more from a phone, such as check in for a flight, get directions or pay bills while on the go. Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile delivers a familiar, consistent e-mail experience across the PC, phone and browser, while Microsoft Office Mobile allows customers to open and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents right from their phone. With Windows Live on their phones, users can keep track of friends in one place, no matter which social networking sites they belong to — Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or Windows Live.

    Powerful Mobile Services

    Windows phones will debut with two new powerful mobile services so that the information, contacts and applications customers want are always at their fingertips. A wide variety of approved and certified applications will be available for direct download to Windows phones from Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and an easy return policy lets customers buy with confidence. The free My Phone service allows customers to automatically back up and sync photos, music, contacts and text messages from their phone to the Web, making it easy to access and manage them from their phone or PC or restore the information in the event of a lost phone.

    A Customized Experience, From Keyboards to Widgets

    Windows phones give consumers the choice of a broad selection of form factors from sleek, touch-screen devices to full QWERTY keyboards to make it easy to find a phone that fits their needs. Windows Mobile 6.5 provides easy access to third-party applications such as Facebook, Netflix and Zagat, and an improved, touch-friendly user interface that allows customers to tailor their phone to suit their individual style. With the new version, users can change the look and feel of their phones with designer themes or a personal background and customize their home screen with widgets so the information they need is always easy to find.

    From Microsoft and Windows Mobile Blog

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    Tuesday, August 25, 2009

    Speed City: Moto GP racing game for Windows Mobile




    Speed City
    Another free game from the Microsoft Windows Mobile Total Access site. They are really giving away great games for free. Other games include Astraware Boardgames and Texas Hold 'Em. Be careful with Astraware Boardgames since I've noticed that it would establish a data connection when open. This game unfortunately does not support an accelerometer. Such a shame...

    Speed City, from OmniG Software, Inc., is a 3-D street racing game inspired by the rebel motorcycle subculture. Master your tremendous speed machine as you hug curves and burn through the sleek nighttime streets of the glittering city.

    With stunning city scenes, lifelike physics simulation, and exciting street racing, you’ll definitely feel the pulse of Speed City!

    Game Details

    • For touch screen and non-touch screen phones
    • Free full version
    • An endless challenge with randomly generated racing routes
    • Stunning city scenes and lifelike physics simulation
    • 3-D graphics

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    Wednesday, August 19, 2009

    How to bring drowned gadgets back to life




    If you accidentally drowned your shiny new widget, don't stress as you're not alone. I've had near misses but never gone the whole way. I know some if not most of you have accidently done this to your gadgets.

    In the UK, those enterprising Brits manage to drop a staggering 850,000 phones down the toilet in 2007 and this number will have only grown since then.

    Luckily in many cases a drowned gadget can be resuscitated back to life using several simple steps. Old wives tales and urban myths abound on how to dry and fix a sodden phone (e.g. packing phones in uncooked rice or baking it in an oven etc.), yet most of these will at best deliver mixed results or more seriously can potentially be dangerous. Here's a quick step by step guide to safely attempting to bring back a drowned phone or PDA.

    1. Don't turn the device back on!!! I know this is the most 'logical' thing to do to check whether it is ok and tempting to do so. As soon as possible (preferably as soon as a dunking has happened), remove the device's battery to prevent any electrical shorts from creating permanent damage and once the battery is out, shake out any excess water.

    2. Dry your gadget using a soft absorbent towel. Remove any battery covers, memory cards etc. Grabbing a blow dryer, set it to low heat and position it to blow on your widget from approximately 100cm away. Keep an eye on it for the first 10-15 mins, checking to ensure it doesn't get too hot. If the device gets too hot to touch, turn off the blow dryer immediately, leaving your gizmo to cool down. Increase the distance between the blow dryer and your device and start again. You'll probably need to do this for at least an hour, maybe even 2 - 3 hours.

    3. Next, drop your device into a small container and loosely pack it with cotton balls. Whilst some suggest using rice, cotton balls won't leave a starchy residue, and won't gunk up your device. Ideally you should leave it packed in cotton balls sitting in an airing cupboard for at least 24 hours, longer if necessary.

    4. By now your device should be dry and the cotton balls damp. Check the device thoroughly for water, if any can be seen behind its screen, keys and other parts, repeat step3 until there is no trace of water.

    Assuming your device looks and feels dry, re-insert its battery back and try switching it on. If it won't start, your battery could be dead and might need to be charged. Before doing any charging, make sure that the battery is a 110 per cent dry before charging it. As there may be some moisture still inside the device do not connect it to its power adaptor/charger to see if it works as this could permanently damage your device, blow a fuse or make your hair stand on end.

    5. If device refuses to work after 24 hours, repack it in cotton balls, put it in the airing cupboard and give it another 48 hours before trying to restart it. If your device still refuses to work, use its power adaptor/charger and see if that works. If at that point it still doesn't want to play ball, you'll probably need accept defeat.

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    Tuesday, August 18, 2009

    FingerSuite & Ftouchflo - Finger friendly goodness







    While browsing through xda-developers trying to make my wife's Eten Glofiish X610 more finger friendly, I came across this smart little program that replaces the standard menu & message box on windows mobile devices so that they are finger friendly. I'm finding this app really useful on my wife's pda.



    Another app to make your pda finger friendly is the excellent ftouchflo by efrost. It was freeware but since last year, he's decided to make it a commercial software suite called FTouchSL. I missed the scroll feature that was present in my HTC devices and just remembered this tool.

    So if you want to make your device more finger friendly, try these 2 tools. It'll be worth it!

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    Wednesday, August 5, 2009

    Why is Microsoft Not Winning the Smartphone War?



    Windows Mobile
    skylar17 posted this on wmpower user a few days ago. Read it and comment. I think what he/she's saying is true to some degree. Long live Windows Mobile!

    Why is Microsoft Not Winning the Smartphone War?
    Microsoft, the personal computer juggernaut, has long dominated the computer industry with their Windows Operating System. Windows has managed to stay dominant and ward off both Apple and the countless versions of Lunix thus far. If Microsoft has been able to do this in the PC industry, why can’t they win in the mobile industry?

    It’s personal
    A mobile phone is much more personal than a PC. Microsoft’s goal (and how they make money) is to have every person in the world own a PC.

    The truth is, there are more phones than PCs in the world today. Because of the huge amount of mobile phones owned, it has given room for six contemporary smartphone operating systems:

    * Iphone OS
    * Blackberry OS
    * Android
    * WebOS
    * Windows Mobile
    * Symbian

    Unlike in the desktop/laptop/netbook/nettop/whatever industry, the mobile industry is brimming with competition.

    Faster Paced
    Microsoft is familiar with releasing an updated version of Windows system roughly every 3-5 years. This differs from the mobile landscape where new smartphone OS are being developed in intervals as little as 6 months.
    Take for instance the Iphone’s OS. Each year a new version is debuted.
    Android: 1.0 released in late 2008, was updated to 1.5 in early 2009
    I could list more examples but it is clear that the industry is filled with constant evolution.
    The PC industry evolves in steps. The mobile industry evolves up a hill (constant).

    So will Windows Mobile Die?
    No,
    Windows mobile, or “Windows Phones” are here to stay. Because of the sheer size of the mobile industry there is room for 6 smartphone operating systems. For now, Microsoft is able to afford being ‘late to the game’.
    Windows Mobile needs revolution, not evolution
    This is where Windows Mobile 7 comes in. Like Windows 7, WM7 it is the opportunity for Microsoft to ‘get it right’. Microsoft is taking the correct path in my opinion, by having WM 6.5 and 7 out in the market at the same time. This way, they can attempt to compete in two different categories:

    * 6.5:The all-in-one hardware/software experience (Apple, Palm, RIM’s approach)
    * 7: The general operating system for many different types of hardware (Google and Symbian’s approach)

    Who will become dominant?
    If you are asking my opinion: undoubtedly Google’s Android.
    Android is constantly evolving at an alarming rate and it thrives off of ‘the cloud’. Since cloud computing is surely moving mainstream I believe that Android will be the most commonly used smartphone OS.

    How Could the others win?
    Blackberry: is in a niche market for the business or text-happy consumer; failing to make real cutting-edge progress in multimedia consumption. They need to modify their OS for multimedia consumption and creation.

    Iphone: is in too closed of an environment to allow innovation outside of Apple’s own updates. In addition multitasking is completely necessary.

    Symbian: Nokia needs to step-up on their hardware’s power. The N-Series, E-Series devices are high-quality but the processors used inside of them are clocked at laughable speed. In addition the S60 email experience is terrible, to say the least. Perhaps the Symbian foundation’s next releases will rapidly improve on this. I am not quite sure yet.

    WebOS: Palm has already made an Os that also thrives in ‘the cloud’. Palm’s hardware manufacturing sadly falls short of other manufacturers. Palm should let HTC manufacture their devices and instead put more time and effort into evolving WebOS. In addition, gaming support is necessary for the mainstream consumer.

    Windows Mobile: Multi touch, capacitive screens, Zune integration. There are so many opportunities that Microsoft has refused to take advantage of thus far.

    Let’s hope for a better tomorrow.

    Long live Windows Mobile!

    via clove via wmpoweruser

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    Sunday, August 2, 2009

    HTC Hero unboxing






    Pocketnow.com have an unboxing video of the HTC Hero. Brendan is impressed with the packaging and so am I. You can a small bag, small & slim box and everything in the box is white. The teflon coating really makes a difference.

    Comparing different phones makes the HTC Hero a bit thicker but feels nice in the hand.

    Can't wait for the software review. Brendan please hurry up!

    Should I switch to the HTC Hero from my HTC Touch Pro?


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    Fighter game - Use G-sensor to control your ship



    G-Sensor Shoot 'em up - Dopod warship
    Here is an excellent game that xda-developers user xxmarkosxx found on a Chinese site. It is a shoot 'em game but you use your G-sensor or accelerometer to control your ship! It is addictive, but... it's all in Chinese! baymon another user has given a translation with thumbnails. The game is actually called Dopod Warship. GmoLopez has translated the game to Spanish but some graphics can't be changed as easily.

    Heads up to all the guys there! Now only if we have a full English game, that would be awesome!

    I did find at first try, it was a bit difficult to control the ship but later got the hang of it.

    Download from the thread, unzip on your pc and copy the whole contents of the folder to your pda. Click on fighter.exe and your good to go!

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    Saturday, August 1, 2009

    Windows Mobile App store opens to Developers





    Windows Mobile App Store
    Looks like the Windows Mobile app store is open for Developers on monday, but as usual with new sites there's bound to be glitches as reported in The Inquirer. First there was a bug in the credit card process and hidden fees! Microsoft wants $99 per app from Developers to release an app in the store. WTF???

    "Microsoft, in its all-powerful wisdom, has decided to levy an extraordinary $99 fee for each and every application, regardless of whether the code passes the company's 'rigorous' testing and selection process or not."

    Obviously with charges like these, there will be no free apps in this store. Why can't MS learn from the successful Apple App Store? It is a very good model - free apps & paid apps. MS are late in starting an app store & now are charging for developers to upload their apps.

    I don't know about you guys but I'll be holding my breath to see if the WM app store really will become a success. If not, I know where I can get some of the best freeware for my WM - xda-developers or warez sites hehehe

    from The Mobile Spoon via The Inquirer

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    Wednesday, July 29, 2009

    TrineFix 2.0.3 - Utility for PIM data




    Here is another app similar to Outlook Cleaner and called TrineFix, made by xda-developers member RonnyGydar. It can do a lot of things as seen below. In case you are wondering why the name, it's the name of Ronny's GF - Trine, who had problems when syching her pda to various computers with duplicate PIM info... nice.

    Some of the features in this version (2.0)

    • Duplicates (app, con)
    You decide what fields should be compared (for example you might want to see all contacts that has similar names only)
    Auto-remove exact duplicates, and get a preview of "near matches", and decide which instance to keep for these near matches
    • FileAs (con)
    In Outlook you can set FileAs (ie. "Firstname Lastname", "Lastname, Firstname"...) differently per contact. I prefer to have them all the same, and TrineFix can set it as you wish for all your contacts in one go.
    • Country codes (con)
    Change the formatting of countrycode on all your phonenumbers ("+1", "001", "(+1)", "(001)"...).
    Add a default country code (your home country normally) to all phonenumbers that have no country code defined
    • Bulk deletes (app, con, tsk)
    Get a list of all appointments, contacts or tasks that has a specific keyword/characters in them, and quickly uncheck/check all or some of these and delete. Might sound complex, but it sure ain't when you do it in TrineFix! :-)
    • Built-in version check and download feature
    TrineFix now has same built in version check as all TrineSeries applications, so you get a hint when there is a newer version, with info about whats changed/improved since the version you have, and let's you download and install cab directly from the application
    • Truly finger friendly (no small buttons or menus)
    • Keyboard friendly (we do not leave poor Smartphone owners behind:-), do everything with the keyboard if you want to

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    Monday, July 27, 2009

    iPhone Today 1.0b - iPhone Today clone application






    MiToNiOeS over at xda-developers has made a very nice iPhone today application for Windows Mobile. It is highly configurable and uses little memory. It has been hailed as THE iPhone today app for Windows Mobile as mentioned in the thread.

    Personally it does look nice, have not had the chance to install it yet, might do it with my wife's x610, but as a lot of people has pointed out - why make an iPhone clone? Why don't people just go out & get a freakin' iPhone? I wouldn't for one, because I'm a Windows Mobile fanboy! hahaha

    Features:
    - Multiples screens (With animates transactions)
    - Notification on icons for calls, sms, etc
    - Is a Today (No problems when we push the home button, no problems with incoming calls, ...)
    - Compatibility with others todays (By example: Date Today and iPhoneToday after), today height configurable
    - QVGA, VGA, WVGA... (The user define the icon size and height screen)
    - UI for Icons managings
    - UI for configuration
    - Very low memory
    - FAST!



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    Wednesday, July 22, 2009

    Hero theme for Throttle Launcer - Impressive!



    HTC Hero theme for Throttle Launcer by ryomahinoOver at xda-developers, ryomahino has made this very nice looking theme for Throttle Launcher based off the Hero Sense UI.

    Really nice looking if you asked me and excellent work by ryomahino! Just take a look at the screen shot. It's only for QVGA and WVGA resolutions at the moment.

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    New Sony Ericsson Xperia 3 announced on Expansys!





    Sony Ericsson Xperia 3
    Looks like another Xperia is almost on sale - Xperia 3 has been announced on Expansys.com and is available for pre-order. Xperia 2 is not out yet by the way. This would be another Android phone similar to the HTC Hero. Impressive specs - 8mp camera, high resolution recording and an impressive 4" screen! I hope the camera is a lot better than my Touch Pro. Look at the specs here:

    Technical Details
    • Display:
    - 800 x 400 pixels/4"
    - Touch Sensitive
    • Network:
    - 2G 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
    - 3G: 900/2100 (Dual-Band)
    - HSDPA (10Mbps)
    - HSUPA (2Mbps)
    • Camera:
    - 8 mega-pixels (auto-focus)
    - 8 x Digital Zoom
    - LED Flash
    - Image Stabilization
    - Smile Shutter
    - Face Detection
    • Video:
    - VGA Video Recording
    • Music:
    - Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+
    • Ringtones:
    - Monophonic
    - Polyphonic (64)
    - MP3
    - AAC
    • Messaging:
    - SMS
    - MMS (with video)
    - E-mail (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, MS Exchange)
    • Memory:
    - Phone Book
    - Dialled Calls
    - Missed Calls
    - Received Calls
    - microSDHC (external)
    • Call Features:
    - Hands Free
    - Caller ID
    - Voice Dialling
    • Connectivity:
    - miniUSB
    - 3.5mm AV connector
    - Bluetooth (2.1)
    - Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11g)
    • Navigation:
    - AGPS

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    Sunday, July 19, 2009

    Finger Keyboard 2 - finger friendly keyboard




    I've been installing apps for my wife's X610 and found this very nice finger friendly keyboard. I've used a few software keyboards with my Prophet before especially PocketCM keyboard and others that I forgot. I think that this is better in my opinion. It is customizable and has all the features you have on a full PC keyboard, it even has a cut/paste/copy function as well. The developers has labelled it "The best touchscreen typing experience ever.". I do agree with them.



    As with all software, it needs to be configured first and that was easy. I initially downloaded the Giannis86 QVGA with arrows cab but with the arrows, the keyboard filled half the screen - the arrows are a d-pad which you can scroll up/down etc. I normally use the hardware d-pad anyway. So if you want a bit more space on your screen, choose the version without arrows. In normal typing - Word or sms/email it's ok, but in settings, it's a bit annoying that you can't see what you've typed.

    You can configure to have press sound, vibration feedback, hold time, smileys etc etc. It caters for most if not all the EU languages and you can easily switch between them with ease. One thing that it doesn't support is T9, but it's no biggie to me since I don't use it anyway.

    All in all, this is one of the best software keyboards out there. Highly recommended to all Windows Mobile users.


    - free for personal, non-commercial use
    - one of the most (if not the most) finger-friendly touchscreen keyboards out there
    - great looking!
    - supports both portrait and landscape modes
    - supports WVGA, WQVGA, VGA and QVGA resolutions
    - over 20 language layouts
    - numeric keypad
    - Windows Mobile Contact name suggestions
    - Windows Mobile Word suggestions
    - customizable click sounds
    - configurable vibration feedback
    - configurable pop-up images
    - text selection
    - cut+copy+paste+undo
    - customizable emoticon shortcuts for fast typing of smile-faces
    - you choose what gets typed!
    - customizable shortcuts for fast typing of names, numbers, web or e-mail addresses... Or anything you want!
    - many great looking selectable color schemes that will satisfy even the most demanding design-aware users
    - has excellent layout of buttons in both portrait and landscape orientation
    - configurable key stroke repeat-mode
    - navigational arrows + home, end, page up and page down buttons
    - user-controlled backspace button behavior
    - anyone can create their own personal layouts simply by editing default txt files


    Get it here



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    Monday, July 13, 2009

    LG launches Windows mobile app store!






    OMFG!! LG has beaten Microsoft in making an app store. WTF MS? LG so far has only managed to make a few devices with Windows Mobile and already has an app store. Whereas MS are still sticking their thumbs up their butts. I have nothing against LG, but this goes to show that MS are really lagging in updates and an app store.

    With only 1400 quality apps in the store and going to be increasing by 2000, is not a bad start. when you go to the site, you will be greeted by where you are in the world. At the moment, it's only for Asia Pacific region, most precisely Australia & Singapore.

    Navigating through the site is easy enough. Currently only limited to both countries above.

    I surely wish MS get off their high horse and hurry up with their own official app store!

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    Try the Samsung Omnia II emulator!




    This microsite of the upcoming Samsung Omnia II is so cool. It's a virtual Omnia II, you can click on the buttons and have a 'play' of the Omnia II. The widgets based homescreen is nice compared to the native Winmo screen. The AMOLED is one of the pluses of this pda with vivid and apparently ultra bright images. The audio in the background really annoyed me as I played with this, it wasn't until I was almost finished I saw the graphic equalizer in the right bottom hand corner - make sure you turn it off, or don't if you like the music.

    News via pocketnow.com

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    What were these thieves thinking?





    Saw this on the nzherald site last night. What a bunch of idiots. after all the hard work in breaking into the shop, made off with only dummy phones.

    Hey guys, I have of a dummy phone of a Sony Ericsson W800, are you gonna come and break into my house & take it?

    Stupid thieves flog fake phones

    10:31AM Thursday Jul 09, 2009

    MORELIA, Mexico - Call it the case of the dead cells - both telephones and the ones in the brain.

    Employees at a Telefonica Movistar cell-phone store in Morelia, Mexico say they arrived one recent morning to find that the store had been broken into.

    An examination of the shop revealed the only items missing were hollow replica phones for display that are completely useless for making calls.

    Employees say the clueless thieves overlooked real mobile phones and cash in another part of the shop.

    Store owners nonetheless reported the theft to local police, who are investigating.

    - AP

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    Eten Glofiish X610 part 1





    A few weeks ago I saw an ad for the Glofiish X610 in one of the free weekly papers. It was on 'sale' at $340 (my Touch Pro was $1300 in comparison). After doing a bit of research and asking the missus if she wants a windows mobile phone, we went to the shop on a saturday morning.

    Man, I wish I was still building my own PC's again, it was like going into a candy store. We had a look at the X610, the shop didn't have a 'working model' but the sales girl had one, so we played with hers for a few minutes.

    Eventually we bought it. I'll make a review of this windows mobile pda phone in the next few days/weeks. Until then, here's the specs & an unboxing video by Matt & Tracey

    General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
    Announced 2008, June
    Status Available. Released 2008, December
    Size Dimensions 107 x 58 x 15 mm
    Weight 136 g
    Display Type TFT resistive touchscreen, 65K colors
    Size 320 x 240 pixels, 2.8 inches
    - Handwriting recognition
    Sound Alert types Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ringtones
    Speakerphone Yes
    Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
    Call records Practically unlimited
    Internal 64 MB RAM, 128 MB ROM
    Card slot microSD (TransFlash), microSDHC
    Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
    HSCSD No
    EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
    3G No
    WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
    Bluetooth Yes, v2.0
    Infrared port No
    USB Yes, miniUSB
    Camera Primary 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, LED flash
    Video Yes
    Secondary No
    Features OS Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
    CPU Samsung S3C2442 400 MHz processor
    Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
    Browser HTML (PocketIE)
    Radio No
    Games Yes
    Colors Black
    GPS Yes, SiRF Star III chipset
    Java No
    - Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, PDF viewer)
    - Windows MPlayer 10
    - Direct push technology
    - Organizer
    - Voice memo
    Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion

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    Wednesday, July 8, 2009

    e-Natives Showcase - Finger Friendly Task Switcher + X Button Enhancement







    Talk about wow! This is a very nice looking & finger friendly task switcher. It also has an add-on for a finger friendly X-button as well that you can use to close any open apps. It supports most resolutions, just give it a try. It is now RC3 - release candidate 3 version.

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    Tough times ahead for Windows Mobile?




    I saw this article today. It's with regard to Windows Mobile and how it is or will be doing against the 'new boys' of the Mobile OS.

    I do believe Microsoft is lagging behind compared to... dare I say it, the iphone and even now with webOs for the Palm.

    One of the main reasons for this according to that article is that Microsoft has not developed its own hardware to go with its software. Palm previously had a relationship with its Treo range but now has gone back to developing it's own os - WebOs. Motorola as well has backed away from Windows Mobile.

    Windows Mobile 5 was released 4 years ago. With WM6 & 6.1, it was all the same with just a few updates. WM6.5 is not officially released but thanks to the good chefs at xda-developers, we have been able to test drive it. Even then, it's not as finger friendly or efficient as Mac OSX for the iphone.

    Hopefully with the release of WM 7, things would change and put Windows Mobile back at the forefront of things, but I won't hold my breath.

    Windows mobile to me is far superior to Mac OSX and WebOS in my opinion. It's been around the block a while and highly customizable. Lot's of apps are made for it especially for my medical field. Mac OSX to me is more eye candy than anything. I really do hate the fact that Windows Mobile is in fact buggy - programs don't work and the occasional soft or hard reset, just like your Windows PC I assume.

    One new OS that is making waves is Google's Android and companies are taking notice - HTC for one.

    Microsoft really needs to make a big leap forward to make Windows Mobile back in the limelight, but I sometimes feel they have missed the boat.

    Whatever the future holds, I will stick to Windows Mobile, since I owned my first Windows Mobile device - the Dopod 818pro or the HTC Prophet. But then again, if something new is being offered and maybe better than Windows Mobile, I might go for it then.

    What do you guys feel?

    News via msmobiles.com via Total Telecom

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    Monday, July 6, 2009

    WM 6.5 build 21501 Titanium Neo Shadow WWE for Prophet







    Here is a WM6.5 ROM that I am using at the moment on my Prophet. It is called Titanium Neo Shadow from wapvirus. It's based on Build 21501. It's a really nice ROM. Everything works, even wifi - but the Comm Manager is still based on WM6.1. I'm using the boa background as in the thumbnail above and it looks fantastic! If you want to test drive a WM6.5 Rom for your Prophet, try this.

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    Thursday, July 2, 2009

    Free shipping and free cleaning cloth with Body Guardz





    Just got this news today via email. Body Guardz are offering free shipping and a free cleaning cloth with every order until midnight, July 4th. The cleaning cloth is already included in this offer, so don't add it in your cart.

    I am currently using Body Guardz on my Touch Pro and I think they are very good and good value as well - you get 2 Body Guardz for the 1 price and a lifetime guarantee!

    Get it here

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    Wednesday, July 1, 2009

    Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile







    Skype has just released version 3.0 for Windows Mobile. New to this version is the ability to send files Skype-to-Skype and SMS.

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