Vexed - Free (Addictive) Game for Windows Mobile

(Warning!!! The following game is addictive! Don't say I didn't warn you...)

Listen up! I think I found a really nice game!
Took me a while to understand what the game is about and how to operate stuff (new game, new level – the UI is not so intuitive…) but once I got it - it seems to be a really cool game!
PalmOne users will love it as it is based on an old Palm game.
OK, I’m gonna play with it for a couple of minutes and then I’m gonna go to the gym…

...

An hour later...
OK it is addictive.
I just hope the level difficulty algorithm works because I'm about to become the champ of this game!

...

5 hours later...
Yep, still playing alright…
This stuff is good…

...

2 days later
Finished the game.
(Thank god… I can now return to work…)

To download for free:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=390658

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Microsoft Recommends On The SpoonAlarm!

Every once in a while I perform a search to see where my dearest SpoonAlarm had gone to.

There are many freeware sites which already includes the SpoonAlarm, but yesterday I found that Microsoft blogs also include it!



Well, of course that this is very fluttering so I couldn't help myself from adding the official link... sorry... please forgive me... won't happen again...

http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!1pt1v0Q4vD8jSvNS4lqdAuug!469.entry
http://zaurmensimov.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!284A26205FE15253!763.entry

Speaking of the SpoonAlam - I'm finally working on a new version of the tool, which will include recurring alarms and improved snooze functionality.

I will update about it some more in few days...

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Windows Live - Coming to Nokia

Phil Holden has recently announced on his blog that Windows Live for Nokia would be rolling out in 7 new markets, bringing the total up to 33.

The service will be free at first, but will eventually switch over to for-pay at some undetermined date.
For more information and the list of supported S60 devices, check out the Windows Live for Nokia site.

Full list of supported markets:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, USA, UK and Vietnam

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Free Game: Skinz Sudoku

I'm not a big fan of the sudoku game, but since everyone around me seem to like it, here's the coolest free sudoku game I found.

It's nice, the user interface is the best I found (and there are tons of free sudoku out there as you can guess...) and it has few levels.

The game can be downloaded from here.

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Off Topic - Another look at "Windows 7"

In case you didn't see yet (and remember, this is not Windows Mobile 7):

Expected to be released somewhere around the end of 2009 /early 2010.

(I wonder how the iPhone will look like in 2010... Hologram 3D Interface... Multi-Touch for hands and legs...)

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Nokia still leads the cell-phone industry

According to Gartner - 294 million cell phones were sold in Q1 this year (around the world).

Nokia is still the undisputed number #1 with 39% of the entire market (115 Million phones)
Samsung is the second best with 14%.
Motorola (AKA: "the one which looks amazing from the outside but has the worst user interface ever known to mankind!) dropped to number #3 with a significant decline from 19% (last year) to 10%.
Forth place goes to LG with 8%
Fifth place is Sony Ericsson with 7.5%.

Remember we are talking here about the entire cell-phones industry and not just smartphones and PocketPC's.

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HTC Touch Diamond - For Sale

The Diamond is now available in some on-line stores... (I will not publish the stores of course but you can find them easily...)

(and hey, if you already have a device and you wish you could have replaced it with the new Diamond - you can at least click here and get the Touch Diamond theme...)

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Google Android - Another pick

We are all still waiting for a date, a month, a year! even a decade! Something!!!
Oh Google! Throw us a bone!

(in the meantime, here's another 10 seconds about Google's Android... )




Was it good for you as it was for me?

Related posts: Google gPhone

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Hard Reset Guide for All Mobile Devices

If you are a "heavy" Windows Mobile user you will probably know what I'm talking about:

You install some applications, and slowly (but surely) things start to mess up in your device.
Simple features stop working, you encounter more and more bugs, and eventually you decide to format your device (perform a hard reset).

The only question is: how?

Well, Google is one good way to find the answer, I usually ask Yechiel the Widgets Man, who recommended on the link below: the ultimate list - hard reset for all mobile devices!

http://www.hardreset.eu/index_en.html

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What's new with Windows Mobile 6.1?

I just found a good review of all the new stuff in Windows Mobile 6.1.

For the Standard edition: Click here
For the professional edition - here.


My thoughts?

In the Standard Edition - the user interface of the today screen was upgraded significantly!
It's about time... and thank god they finally modified the font!
The today screen now can win the competition against other smartphones (such as blackberry, Symbian, etc.)







The Professional got less attention...
The biggest improvement is the zoom out in the Internet explorer! Yippee!!!
(I still think it is the worst browser in the mobile industry but finally it has zoom...)





Conversation mode in the messages window (I have it in my treo and I always turn it off...)
And another good addition - a native task manager!





Overall, this is not a major release, no animated windows yet, but still it has some important additions to the Windows Mobile OS.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

hmmmm...

Weird, but I don't see the use of those moving panels... Reminds me of the useless animations in Windows Vista...

Detailed specifications can be found in here...

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WILLCOM 03 announced in Japan

An advance phone was lately announced by Willcom - the WILLCOM 03.
The new device will run Windows Mobile 6.1 and will be released in 3 colors: gold, pink and lime. It is scehdule to be released late June.

The device will include slide-out QWERTY keyboard, mobile TV, and some kind of smart keypad which can transform from numeric keypad to D-pad.

In addition, the bottom part of the device sports some sort of smart keypad, which morphs from numeric keypad to D-pad. (I need to see how it works...)

Specs:

• OS: Windows Mobile 6.1
• CPU: Marvell PXA270 520MHz
• Display: 3-inch VGA touchscreen, 65K colors. However, it's important to add they (+D Mobile) refer to VGA as 480×800 pixels, so it's WVGA actually!
• Connectivity: 3G, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, IrDA 1.2/IrSS
• Camera: 2 megapixel with auto-focus (why not more)
• Mobile TV: One-seg receiver
• Memory: 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, microSD expansion slot
• Dimension: 50×116x17.9 mm, weight: 135 grams

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Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade for HTC TyTn

Now it's official. Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade for HTC TyTn II (Kaiser) ROM.
HTC has delivered the ROM update to keep their flagship touchscreen handset at the top of its game, and at the same time solve the video performance issues which even brought a class-action lawsuit...

The upgrade package includes:

• Extended better battery life
• Faster performanceThreaded SMS
• "Getting Stated" wizard
• Improved video performance

It's a free update and you can get it in here.

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Slide 2 - 3 cool applications you probably need

A_C has published few freewares in XDA-Developers - all 3 are really good:

S2P
Slide 2 Play - Stylus free media player, nice design, works fast.
I like it - it connects well with the soft keys, and the screen sliding is easy.
I only wish the size of the texts would be a bit bigger, but still a great media player.




S2V
Slide 2 View - cooooool! I like this one!
I'm sick of using my stylus every time I want to switch between my default 'My Pictures' folder to the storage card - and this application is the answer for me.
It has it all - easy navigation, rotation, zoom, good preview, the sliding is almost perfect.



S2U2
Slide 2 Unlock - I already reviewed this one in my weekly freeware competition - definitely worth trying as well.

Thanks A_C for the great work!

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Treo 850 Rumors

There are some new rumors about the specs of the new Palm device.
Other rumors indicate that those are only rumors...

I say: who cares! Here they are anyway...
(we will check it out when the real thing will be released)

• 14 mm in thickness, width 60 mm and length 113 mm
• GSM, EDGE and UMTS HSDPA 3.6
• assisted-GPS receiver
• Wi-FI b/g
• 320*320 screen, touch panel
• micro-SD slot under the battery
• 2 MP camera
• 1500 mAh battery
• a micro-USB connector for both power and sync
• bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP, 256 MB NAND-Flash (> 175 MB for user), 32 MB SDRAM
• Windows Mobile Pro 6.1.

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Out of the Shell!

Once upon a time there was a nice Today screen everyone liked.
They filled it with lot's of plugins showing shortcuts and battery status and made it customized.
One day came the evil iPhone, and changed the game rules for everyone.
The Today screen was pushed out and his place was taken by tons of shell applications trying to imitate the iPhone.
This is their story...

Teksoft SkyBox:
This is the first shell application I tried, and I can say it's interesting
I found some nice ideas, but I'm not sure they will boost my device.
I managed to find few bugs, but the main problem I have with this app is that it works really slow,
My second problem is that it costs money too! I mean - hey, there are so many freewares that does exactly the same, why pay money?

SimoSoft iFonz:

One of the most popular freewares out there. Has some good animations

Unfortunately for me, after the start-up animation I got this…

Brrrrr….
Well, you'd have to look for a review somewhere else, I'm uninstalling this one… if it'll just let me…
&$###&@$%&

(still trying...)
@@$%$^&%*
OK, After 2 soft resets I managed to uninstall it.

PointUI
This one is maybe the best freeware shell. It is good, works fast, nice animation, the today concept is good, I like it.

One problem I noticed, the 'back' buttons are located on top - which makes it inconvenient to click it using one hand, something small which is important for me.

GSmart
This one is a freeware as well, it's nice but many of the features don't work perfectly.
Maybe in the next version…

SPB Mobile Shell
Costs around 30 USD but if you are looking for a good shell application - this is the one!
Not bugs free (yet) but I assume most of the things I found will be fixed in future versions.
Great UI, cool icons, good animation, highly configurable. I like it.

The shortcuts are good allowing fast calls making, applications launchingand more.

Summary:
There are few options to wrap up your device with nice UI and cool animations.
You can argue if eventually those applications make a difference when it comes to device performance and usability, my opinion is that most of them don't.

I am using the SPB Mobile Shell which has nice user interface but the thing I like the most in it (and you will laugh about it) is the fact that it can be minimized easily in order to put me back on my Today screen… :-)

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iPhone vs. Blackberry & Windows Mobile - Round #1

Round #1 - iPhone vs. Windows Mobile & Blackberry devices.

1. The iPhone is Not Designed for One-Handed Operations

And one-handed operation is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
Blackberry devices are well designed for one-handed operations which means you can do stuff and operate your device at the same time. The iPhone will probably requires a second hand for typing and navigating - bummer.
(Good) Windows Mobile devices comes with both touch screen and embedded keyboard which gives the ability to use two hands with a stylus (which I personally dislike) and also the ability to use one hand. Cool.
2. No Removable Battery, No Backup Power Supply for the iPhone
What is that? Why is that? Bad news for people on the go or people who are using the device as an iPod…
The Apple iPhone's Li-ion battery is built into the device and cannot be removed.
You can pick up extra batteries for your BlackBerry for as little as $20 on ShopCrackBerry.com, so you don't even need to shell out a lot of cash for back up.
3. No GPS for iPhone… brrrrr
No GPS? Well, you can always call someone with a Windows Mobile to help you with the route...

Most blackberries and Windows Mobile devices come with GPS (the one that don't should not be bought...)
4. No Physical Keyboard
You can phrase the virtual keyboards but as someone who used it for a while - there's nothing like a good old physical buttons. Try typing with one hand while driving with a virtual keyboard… you can't.
With a physical one - you will probably manage to write something (with few typos)…
5. Third-Party Applications
Windows Mobile and Blackberry have tons of software and freewares out there just waiting to be picked up and be downloaded… I agree that many of them are poor freewares no one really needs but the community is huge and you can find almost anything you are looking for.
For now - the iPhone users still have a very slim selection of applications they can download.

Comments are welcome - remember this is only round #1, there's always round 2...

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Sprint 'Instinct' starts selling on June 20

Samsung's iPhone-killin' device called the 'Instinct' (wooo... what a name...) will be available from June 20th.
Initially, it's the select stores (major metro areas, I guess) and online, but soon users around the country will be able to grab the stylish all-touchscreen device.

Specs highlights:
- high-speed Internet,
- 3.1-inch touchscreen,
- GPS navigation,
- live TV
- Camera.

I personally like the Samsung devices - and this one certainly looks promising
Via PhoneScoop:

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SpooNotes New Version (Bugs Fixes)

People sent me few bug reports related to my latest freeware - the SpooNotes.

They were cought, fixed, and destroyed completely...

To download the updated version - click here

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Free Messengers for Windows Mobile

Someone asked me about it couple of days ago - so here are some useful links for different messengers for Windows Mobile:

Yahoo! Messenger

Can be found in here: http://yahoo-messenger.en.softonic.com/pocketpc



Personally I didn't like the UI of it as it looks too much like a PC application locked inside a tiny screen... I assume people will still find it useful.

Skype
working great with both 3G and WiFi. Really nice - even for PDAs without phone (with WiFi).
I found myself playing around with it from home using WiFi - calling people just to find out I don't have anything interesting to say to them...


Microsoft Live Messenger
Took me some time to find the 'none-beta' version. With the help of XDA-Developers I managed to find a working version - really good, helped me a lot in boring meetings ;-)
The installation does require a valid connection for initial configuration steps - but once you get over it - it is ready for use.


Enjoy!

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HTC Touch Diamond - First Review

I already blogged about the Diamond, (click here to download the diamond's keyboards: )
Today I saw a good review in MobileReview

Some highlights:
3-megapixel camera,
Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro.
3G support,
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and/or GPS.
528 Mhz CPU

Size
As you can see - the Diamond looks very impressive with a thin cut comparing to other Windows Mobile devices:

Screen:
The HTC Touch Diamond is the first device to bring VGA resolution and a 2.8-inch display together


TouchFLO 3D - the great user interface which wraps up the entire device. As cool as it may look, I assume that behind the scenes it will be the same good old Windows Mobile user interface which means - you have a great shortcuts interface, but opening the calendar, messages, tasks and mails will still look the same as it is today...

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Nokia's "Must Have" Applications

I personally do not use Nokia, but I saw the following posts in IntoMobile and The Nokia Blog and I thought it would be good to mention those apps as some of them can be used on other devices and others may give some ideas about mobile apps.

Opera Mini 4.1. Yes I know the browser built into the latest version of S60 is awesome, but this takes it up a notch. For people who don't have flat rate data or for people who have ADD and want websites to load as fast as humanely possible, Opera Mini should be the only browser you live in.
GMail Mobile. Love using GMail? Threaded conversations, staring, all of that is fine and dandy, but what makes this application extremely powerful for me is that fact that I can search through over 4 GB of email remotely, with no lag, for that needle in a haystack piece of data I need. Can't recommend this application enough. TIP: If you have more than one email account you can download GMail Mobile and Google Mail Mobile, same application, different name due to copyright issues, no need to log in and out of one application.
Google Maps. Don't have GPS? No problem, Google's triangulation will tell you where you are. Google's vast points of interest library is so impressive it can practically be called epic.
MobiTubia. A pretty front end for YouTube so you don't have to visit the website, I start my day in bed looking at the top videos over the past 24 hours. Out on the go and want to hear a specific song? Just search for it and chances are you can find the music video.
Walking Hotspot. Turn your S60 device into a WiFi access point that you can connect up to 5 devices to. Useful when you simply need to use your laptop to get something done and sent out to your friends or boss.
Shazam iD. If I'm in a cafe listening to a song I want to download later on, but have no clue what it is I'll launch this application and point my mobile's microphone to the closest speaker.

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RIM becomes the fifth-largest phone manufacturer in the US

The shaky economy is starting to show up in U.S. phone sales. In the first quarter, consumer phone sales reached 31 million handsets, falling 22 percent compared to the year-ago period. For the first time, the NPD Group said sales fell between the busy holiday quarter and the first quarter. Despite this, the phones being sold today are higher-end compared to the year ago period, with smartphones comprising 17 percent of all phone sales, a 10 percent increase. Two of the big features being sold are Bluetooth at 79 percent of all phones and music-playing capabilities at 60 percent. The struggling Motorola (NYSE: MOT) maintained its No. 1 position, however, its share fell to 27 percent in the period from 35 percent a year ago. Likely to Apple’s (NSDQ: AAPL) chagrin, for the first time RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) BlackBerry improved its ranking, edging out Sanyo as the fifth-largest manufacturer. Apple didn’t make the list.

Here’s the breakdown:
-- Motorola 27 percent
-- Samsung 18 percent
-- LG (SEO: 066570) 17 percent
-- Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 8 percent
-- RIM BlackBerry 5 percent

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Can Blackberry Bold give a decent fight to the iPhone?

Nope.
(Didn't think so...)

Here's the entire film (coming from the iPhone Blog)

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Treo 800 and 850

I don't know why, but even in the days of iPhone 3G, HTC Touch Diamond, RIM Blackberry BOLD and more, I still like my good old Treo 750, which operates fast, without problems, and has the perfect built in keyboards.

This is why I feel obligated to keep track of Palm's new devices: Treo 800 and Treo 850.


The Treo 850 looks really good, with a cool slim fit:

In addition, from that Vodafone roadmap, it stated that this device would have:
- Quad-band GSM
- Windows Mobile 6.1
- 320x320 Flush (!) screen
- 2mp camera
- 1500 mAh battery (huge!)
- GPS, WiFi (at last...)
- Bluetooth 2.0

The Treo 800 looks less attractive to my opinion, with a GPS and WiFi inside.

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Weekly Freeware Competition - YouTube Player, PocketCM, HButton and S2U2

OK, so in this week's competition - 4 popular freewares that can be found easily all over the web. I spent the night installing and playing around with those cool apps and I must admit I was a bit disappointed.

HButton:

http://hundera.dyndns.org/hbutton/downloading.jsp?name=HButton_2.3_WM5.CAB The idea is great, I usually prefer using the keyboard over pulling out my stylus or slide my finger on the screen (it leaves fingerprints…) so I was thinking it may become handy to have some more shortcuts assigned to those keyboards. The user interface is problematic and it is not clear what to do. I think that for simple users it might become risky to use this tool. Especially when uninstall does not remove the configuration and may cause errors.

Good for advanced users but I'm afraid that on my beloved Treo it was uninstalled after 20 minutes.

Rank:

PocketCM:
http://www.pocketcm.com/contact.php
This is another version of the cool freeware, but comparing to older versions - this one is really buggy. I've counted around 7-8 crashes since I started using it.
The user interface is amazing but has few small bugs. The idea is really good and I will be checking for newer versions to get some bugs fixes.

For now - I removed it, because of 2 reasons: bugs, and SPBMobile Shell which is already installed on my device and includes better shortcuts for favorite contacts.

Rank:

YouTube Player:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-youtubeplay.html
Cooooool! I actually managed to download and even save a nice clip!
Here too, I encountered some nasty bugs which made me soft reset my device - but in general it is working good.

I am keeping it, not sure how often it will be used - but it's a good software to keep.

Rank:

S2U2 (AKA: Slide 2 unlock)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=353008
I like it.
Didn't find bugs (yet, but being a bugs magnet as I am I will probably will…).
The configuration capabilities are terrific, and the application is neat.
I would suggest to add some more stuff to the main form - more meetings, maybe some shortcuts, etc.

Since I'm using a device with a built in 'Key-Lock' system - I will probably not use the S2U2 in the future but for now I am keeping it.

Rank:

And so,
The winner for this week's freewares competition is:
(Drums…)
(Someone is fainting…)
(Some more drums…)
S2U2!!!
With a high rank of 4 spoons which is the highest this week and very nice! (5 is the maximum)

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Opera Mobile 9.5 Review

A good review coming from Matthew Miller The browser does seem to be working smoothly, presenting the entire pages and fluently switching between screen orientations. The User Interface seems to be very good and the "key buttons" are located in a friendly place. The browser is definitely designed to support using a single hand.



HTC Touch Diamond includes this as the default Internet browser, and I am going to buy me one right now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaBvVsqca1I



For the entire review: http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=1107

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Advanced configuration Tool for Windows Mobile

There are many small things that can be modified in Windows Mobile. They can all be modified from the registry, but this tool is much more friendly. The UI in this version was completely upgraded and it looks very nice. The things I always set in my device are: - Security Warnings - disabled (so that they will not pop up every time I install a freeware) - Default image storage (move it to my storage card) - ClearType - for nicer clear-type fonts - Thin scroll bars - I always make them thin. - Change softkeys to invoke messages



To Download: http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-advanced-configuration-tools-v2-0-2-0.html

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Tweak of the day: How to change the softkey buttons

If you are using your device a lot, you probably need the ability to invoke some application in minimum clicks - this tweak will help you attach one of your favorite tools to one of the softkeys.

Create the following keys and Strings in the registry (using the Registry Editor):
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Today\Keys\112
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Today\Keys\113

The 112 entry will set the left left key and the 113 entry will set the right.

For each key - create a new string with the name 'Open'.

The value of the string should hold the path to the application you wish to invoke by clicking the softkey.

If, for example you wish to open a great notes application (AKA: SpooNotes) set the following path: "\Program Files\SpoonTools\SpooNotes\SpooNotes.exe".

Enjoy!

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Off Topic - Great Song From Serj Tankian

One of my favorite artists - Serj Tankian the soloist of 'System Of A Down' has recently released his first solo album 'Elect The Dead' - this is my favorite song from that album (even turned it into a ringtone for all my friends using my ringtones application (SpoonRing)

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Recommendation: TCPMP

The Core Player is probably the best media player for Windows Mobile.
If you are interested in seeing movies on your WM device—this is the perfect solution.
The official website (http://www.coreplayer.com/) offers a new version of the player - no longer as a freeware.



Older versions can still be downloaded for free in all the usual sites... (even in mine)
http://www.spoontools.com/index_files/TCPMP.htm

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BlackBerry Thunder Coming in Q3

According to The Wall Street Journal the device that should appeal to both business and individual users is in the making process.

Verizon will get the exclusive launch rights for the U.S., while the rest of the world will at least initially be able to grab the gorgeous device through one of many Vodafone's subsidiaries. Release date is set for Q3 2008.

Roughly at that time, Sony Ericsson will release XPERIA, 3G iPhone may also be announced, and suddenly buying a mobile phone goes from complex to ultra-complex decision…

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Google's gPhone - Coming to T-Mobile

T Mobile is preparing to ship its first cell phones based on Google's Android operating system this year.




Click here for a video demonstration:
http://www.last100.com/2008/02/28/video-gphone-android-demonstration/

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TomTom gets go-ahead to acquire TeleAtlas

TomTom has been given “unconditional clearance” by the European Commission to acquire mapping company TeleAtlas. The EC approval follows a similar green light from US regulators in October last year.
The satellite navigation market is undergoing a transitional period with smaller hardware vendors being bought out or dropping out of the picture, with the big three satnav companies – TomTom, Garmin and Navman – consolidating their positions.
However, there is increasing evidence that the market for portable satellite navigation devices is reaching saturation point, with consumers looking to mobile phones as an alternative, single device to deliver navigation information on top of telephony.

For the full article: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=13046

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Palm Treo 800w

First pictures of the new Palm device can be found all over the Internet.

Expected to be released in July. Specifications include 320x320 display, Windows Mobile 6.1, EV DO Re, and finally: GPS.

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New Version of Windows Live

• Map a contact: For any people in your contacts list/address book, immediately view their address on a map and get directions there.
• View Virtual Earth collections: View custom maps of locations and events that are created on the PC by you, your friends, or the broader community
• Web search: Launch web search directly from the client to find web pages, product price comparisons and reviews, news, images, and more.
• Weather: View the latest weather conditions and the 4 day forecast
• More Traffic Information
• Voice Search

Client can be downloaded for free from http://wls.live.com

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SpooNotes - My Free Notes Taking Application

I've just published my new freeware - the SpooNotes in my website (http://www.spoontools.com/).
There are many cool features in this free handwriting application but the coolest one is taking notes on top of pictures that can be taken 'on-the-fly'.

The tool was mentioned in Mr. Mobile's Weblog (my favorite blog) and since then it was naturally linked by many other sites as well...

As a result - my sister's scary dog is now a celeb!

Few links...
http://blogs.msdn.com/stevecla01/archive/2008/05/16/live-search-mobile.aspx
http://www.pocketpc.ch/news/40913-spoonotes-freeware-notiz-applikation.html
http://www.pcdemano.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13218
http://www.rss-verzeichnis.de/eintrag.php?feed=13683

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.Net Compact Framework 2

I'm receiving many questions about where to find and how to install it...
So, if you are getting errors about missing .Net Compact Framework 2 - just download it and install from your PC, while your device is connected.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9655156B-356B-4A2C-857C-E62F50AE9A55&displaylang=en&displaylang=en

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Microsoft vs. Google

According to 'Silicon Alley insider': "Google's search business will pass Microsoft's Windows business by early next year (at the latest).

Hmmm... interesting.

Read more in here:

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/5/google_to_surpass_size_of_microsoft_windows_in_2009

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Registry Editor

This is not new, but still mandatory for people who would like maximum control on their device.

Enables manipulating the registry - be careful not to damage anything with it...

http://www.phm.lu/Products/PocketPC/RegEdit/

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Touch Diamond - More Screenshots

If you are still waiting for it - here are some more pictures of the cool device:

http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/htc-touch-diamond-en.shtml

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Opera Mini - For Windows Mobile

I was trying to install a Java based poker game the other night, when I started learning how difficult and complicated it is to run a simple Java application on a Windows Mobile device.
Not that I'm lazy or something but the procedure required installing and configuring a MIDlet application (Risidoro's MIDlet can be found in here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=286604), then I learned that those MIDlets will only run on Phone edition devices…
OK, and then, I had to move the Jar file to my device, install it using the MIDlet and run it only from there…
This is supposed to be a really good Texas Hold'em poker but guess what? It took it ages to open and it doesn't seem to work like it should...

But, Since I spent some time investigating the subject, I accidentally found the Opera Mini Java based browser which is really good! And for FREE!



So, if you are interested in a (long) adventure - try it out! http://www.operamini.com/download/
The browser seems to work perfectly and has some nice browsing features. Feels like using a Blackberry device, but still nice.



BTW: The complete MIDlet tutorial can be found in here: http://www.pocketpcmag.com/cms/index.php?q=blogs/3/644

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Touch Diamond Keyboard - Free For All Devices!

Amazing! Those geniuses in XDA-Developers have done it again!
HTC just unveiled their beautiful Touch Diamond and for those of you who can't wait - here is the new Diamond QWERTY keyboard - hacked and ready for download - for free!

I tested it on my HP device and it seems to be working perfectly.
(By default it's set to Italian so don't forget to change it after installation...)

To download:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=390688
http://www.4shared.com/file/46751331/8555bc14/HTC_Diamond_QWERTY.html

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A Remote Control for Windows Mobile

MyMobileR is a great freeware to view and control your device from your PC.

Works fast, with no bugs, and on top of all - the latest version also has some nice features like screen capture, drag & drop and more.

Can be downloaded from here: http://www.mymobiler.com/

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A Great Today Clock

I just downloaded this digital clock from XDA-Developers, this is really a great one with tons of configuration options which makes it absolutely perfect!

For my personal use, I configured it to be smaller by changing the font size and removing the date...

Author's web site: http://project.ionized.googlepages.com/pdc

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Is Palm OS a dying platform?

You probably noticed it as well, but Palm devices look a bit 'old', the stores are closing, related web sites are harder to find, 3rd parties applications are mostly for Windows Mobile, RIM, and Symbian, and everybody wants to look like iPhone...

I personally LOVE my Treo 750 and think it's one of the best devices ever made, but the OS is Windows Mobile and not Palm, so it doesn't count...

Here's an interesting article about it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043000556.html

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Windows Mobile 7

Single handed navigation, adjusted to finger size, graphical transitions, visual effects... in other words: iPhone...

Read more: http://symbian-free.blogspot.com/2008/01/windows-mobile-7-information-leaked.html

During a press event to announce the launch of MWg in Europe, a roadmap from the device manufacturer seemed to indicated that Windows Mobile 7 might be available later this year. The company showed a roadmap listing several smartphones and handhelds and one of them indicated a Q4 release with Windows Mobile 7.

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3G iPhone rumors: May or June?

According to some web sites, 3G iPhone is probably closer than ever!

Apple Inc. said Monday its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device's next generation featuring GPS and faster Internet surfing speeds.

Read more in here:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/05/13/3g-iphone-rumors-may-or-june-plus-att-web-gaff

And here: http://www.mobile-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59743

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SpoonAlarm 1.1

Turn your Windows Mobile Device into a powerful alarm clock for free!

This freeware was downloaded by over 40,000 users in just a couple of months.

To download the freeware, visit spoontools.com (my web site :-)

Link: http://www.spoontools.com/

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HTC Touch Diamond

This smartphone is an upgraded version of the very popular HTC Touch, and targeted at the pro-sumer class. Like its predecessor, it doesn't have a hardware keyboard, but instead is focused on its touchscreen. It has a number of upgrades, like a VGA display, a 3-megapixel camera, and Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro.There will be both GSM and CDMA versions with 3G support, and some of these will include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and/or GPS.

Read More: http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=46278

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