Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"I was just going off about this on twitter and I felt it was worth posting about too. I downloaded the beta for FourSquare on Windows Mobile. However, the application requires .Net Compact Framework 3.5 on the device. At first, I figured that a new HTC HD2 running Windows Mobile 6.5 should already have the 2 year old version of the Compact Framework installed in the ROM. Guess what I found out - No .NetCF 3.5 on the device. While that's just short sighted and stupid on Microsoft's part, the solution is pretty simple. All I need to do is download the CAB from the web and I'm good to go. Sadly, it's just not that simple. You see, the .NetCF 3.5 installer is a 33MB desktop installer that contains the CAB files inside of it. So you can't simply download it to your device and install. Now I'm really wondering what the hell Microsoft is thinking. Have they lost sight of the end user in all this?"

Thoughts Emeritus Mike Temporale has a good point about the .NET Compact Framework that you may be wanting to install (in order to run other programs). I found out the same thing Mike did last summer when I wanted to install an app and had to hook my phone up to my computer, download the framework, and install it, all while having the CAB for the actual program sitting on my phone waiting. It used to be (e.g., 2003) that only expert geeks knew about CAB installations to their phones, of course that was also when every device shipped with a cradle and it was expected that the device would be docked a considerable amount of the time. Nowadays docking is mostly an annoyance, and the lack of a CAB for the .NET CF is annoying.

Of course come to think of it, I've never had a good time installing ANYTHING .NET... so why should the CF be an exception? <sigh>

"Spinballs is an exciting puzzle game with brilliant graphics, rocking music and great sound effects that introduces an unique gameplay. Seven discs with six coloured balls on each of them make up the playground. Each disc can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. Try to connect balls of the same colors by rotating those discs but never forget that time is running!"

Looking for a way to pass some time? This graphically-intense game is one way to do it. I'm always happy when I see game designers put real effort into the user interface and graphics of their game - Spinballs looks great. The game is a mere $3.99 in our MobiHand affiliate store, so if you're interested, grab it before the sale ends!

"Verizon Wireless, provider of the nation's largest and most reliable 3G network, today announced the launch of VZ Navigator® 5.0, the newest version of its award-winning map, navigation and local search service, which helps users find their way around town. Powered by TeleCommunication Systems, Verizon Wireless' VZ Navigator is a GPS-enabled service that transforms a wireless smartphone or handset into an all-in-one powerful navigation and communication device, enabling customers to find useful information and discover new places and destinations."

$9.99 a month (or $2.99 a day) will give you access to, well, something Google is giving away for free. But those who don't have an android phone to switch into for navigation may appreciate big V's offering. It runs on Win Mo (hence this post) and also on blackberry. The attractive part may be the traffic updates that are provided by the network in response to what actual users are experiencing. So heavy commuters who are perpetually late (But have enough time to power up a GPS for a route they know by heart) may be interested.

"Regardless of the desktop application that you play your digital music with, or how much storage capacity you have on your phone, Didiom Pro seamlessly scans your computer for audio files in the most popular formats, and maintains an encrypted channel between your computer and phone. What's more, when you add new audio files to your computer, Didiom Pro makes them available for wireless streaming and downloading to your phone in seconds."

Being able to access all my music and podcasts on my Windows phone is somewhat appealing, but I don't get grasp their business model - the app is sold on a 99 cent per month subscription, of $9.99 per year. If the desktop component of their app is installed on my system, transcoding the audio to 128 kbps, uploading the bits to my phone...why the subscription fee? There's typically a subscription fee for applications that involve a server-side component; some sort of Web-based storage or service. I've tried a few of these audio streaming programs in the past, and while they're fun to use, ultimately the battery drain from a constant data stream takes most of the fun out of them.

"With the power of mobile phones more and more people want to watch movies on them. The problem is, a lot of people don't know where to begin. There are a few different routes you can take to get a movie on your phone. The main two are to buy them from various vendors or you can create them. It is pretty easy to buy them and add them to your phone using Amazon Unbox so let me help you with this one first."

Those of you looking for some interesting videos to watch on your Windows Mobile Device may be interested in this piece detailing how to add Amazon Unbox videos to your SD card, to then play in your WinMo device!

With the announcement of the Sony Ericsson Aspen, Windows Mobile 6.5.3 gets its official unveiling - because it's a dotdot release, Microsoft isn't making any big announcements about it. It does bring a few important updates to the table, though the cynical among you (and some days I count myself among you) will no doubt say they're about two years too late. Regardless, 6.5.3 is more touch friendly than 6.5, and that's a good step forward. 6.5.3 adds official capacitive touchscreen support, which is fantastic - hopefully this means well see more capacitive touchscreen Windows phones in the future. I initially wasn't a believer in the superiority of capacitive over resistive when it came to touch input, but after using the HTC HD2, there's no going back. It's just that much better. Read more...

"SPB Time is an advanced, skinnable time toolbox for your Windows Mobile phone. Analog and digital clock modes, World clock, timers and stopwatches, and advanced alarms. A lot of time-related functions in this world's bestselling application!"

Spb Software has just released Spb Time 3.2. It adds a digital clock widget for Spb Mobile Shell, updates the database, and includes widespread enhancements and bug fixes. If you're a registered user of Spb Time 3.x, this is a free update. Otherwise, head over to our affiliate software store to try or buy.

Rumours about Microsoft's mysterious "Pink" smartphone have been circling around the net for about a year now, but according to a factual statement by a (former) Microsoft employee, we should finally see what Pink is all about this Spring. The "Pink" phone (rumored to be named after the pop-singer Pink) is to be a "Zune-like" smartphone marketed towards youth with a special emphasis on social networking and communication.

Not a bad idea coming from Microsoft. It sounds like the the once popular Danger Sidekick platform (which Microsoft acquired back in February 2008). Perhaps this IS the "next genration" Sidekick? And with Windows Mobile 7 around the corner, I wonder how similar Pink will be to the media edition of Windows Mobile 7...

"While Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile was the company's first mobile SlingPlayer client for its famous Slingboxes, it came into its years since the initial SlingPlayer Mobile 1.0 for Windows Mobile was pretty stylus-centric and Sling Media already showed-off - how a nice looking finger-friendly GUI could look when the company released its Apple iPhone/iPod Touch SlingPlayer Mobile. Now, after months of work, Sling Media released its SlingPlayer Mobile 2.0 for Windows Mobile 6.x touchscreen-based Professional smartphones which features a similar, finger friendly GUI by not cutting-off any of the Windows Mobile features including native streaming over 3G wireless networks."

the::unwired is reporting that Slingplayer's new Windows Mobile version is finger friendly and quite capable. Slingers can check it out and let us know what they think.

"Resco, a supplier of Windows Phone applications and one of the leading mobile software developers officially announced the release of Resco Explorer 8.0, new version of a popular file manager uniting and utilizing all the key features of each Windows Mobile device. Most of the changes go head to head with improvements of not a long time released new version of Resco Photo Manager. Resco team enriched Explorer with the popular feature of uploading images to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Picasa, MySpace and Photobucket. Next main improvement is the introduction of thumbnails view mode. This new mode simplifies work with the image folders. It improves navigation and helps to find the right image. Another big issue; users will be able to recognize interaction with the Photo Manager. The thumbnail loading will become faster and Explorer will support more image file types if users install both programs. The last improvement affects Explorer's Today plug-in. The old one has been replaced by a new totally customizable plug-in with Task Manager and other handy tools."

Resco has upgraded the almighty Resco Explorer to v8.0 (2010). The new version now supports image uploading to a wide variety of social networking and photo sharing services, and includes a thumbnail view mode, integration with Resco Photo Manager, and a customizable Today plug-in. If you're a registered user of Resco Explorer and purchased it within the past year, then this is a free upgrade. Otherwise, head over to our affiliate software store for a free trial version, or the full version for $29.95.

"The Windows Mobile 6.5 SDKs provide documentation, sample code, header and library files, emulator images and tools you can use with Visual Studio to build applications for Windows Mobile 6.5."

Developers, your Windows Mobile 6.5 SDKs (not to be confused with the DTK released last June) are now available. They include Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard and Professional images, and are available in seven locales. Happy developing!

"If you are developing applications for Windows phone, you have probably read about the Standard and Advanced Anti-Piracy Protection available to developers to help protect your hard developed IP. If you haven't done so yet, check out the Windows Marketplace anti-piracy model white paper available here. Advanced Anti-Piracy Protection (AAPP) is designed to thwart the illegitimate sharing of your Windows phone applications. Even if a hacker obtains the binaries from one device, AAPP will prevent that application from running on any other device. While Standard Anti-Piracy protection does not require any intervention by the developer, AAPP does require that you integrate code into your application. We will walk through how AAPP works, how you obtain the AAPP code from Microsoft and how to integrate the AAPP code into your application."

Well I'm sure the 7 developers that have paid to be in Windows Mobile Marketplace will appreciate this. Just kidding - I'm sure their are dozens more (Although the offerings still look kinda skimpy on there, in my opinion). This method does make sense, although if I were developing for WinMo I'd probably want a solution that didn't force me to make two versions of my app (one that checked for marketplace code, the other that didn't). Therefore wouldn't it just be easier for developers to verify licenses by using something simple (like e-mail address lookup) inside the app?

"First LG flat-out says on public record that Windows Mobile 7 is bound for 2010, and now we've gotten apparent word that the company has narrowed said release window to September of this year -- at least as far as its own devices are concerned."

This is about as reliable as HTC's now-you-see-it/now-you-don't disclosures about WM7 for the HD2 - take it with a pinch of salt. Still, this counters some of the unsubstantiated rumours about delays in WM7, and provides some corroboration of the news from LG's CES conference.

"Leveraging the latest NetFront Browser core available for the Windows Mobile platform, NetFront Browser v4.0 for Windows Mobile Concept Version features significantly improved JavaScript execution performance. ACCESS encourages you to download NetFront Browser v4.0 for Windows Mobile Concept Version and submit your feedback by clicking on the download button and or comment form button listed at the bottom of this page. ACCESS will use your feedback to strengthen NetFront Browser v4.0."

Remember NetFront? After an update hiatus, it's back! The new v4.0 is supposedly twenty times faster than v3.5 in the JavaScript side of things. It's also free for you to try, so scoot over to ACCESS and grab yourself a copy. There are limitations, however: the trial version expires on June 30, plug-ins are a no-go, and you may encounter hiccups if you install on a storage card. Other than that, happy browsing.

While I use Nuevasync to get my Gmail on my Windows Mobile devices, I still like to use Google's Java applet from time to time to fill in some gaps (such as search) that Nuevasync doesn't currently support. This stopped being an option earlier this year as the Java applet wouldn't load on my Dash 3G. It would download, and then fail to install giving an error reading "errono=910 Application Authorization Failure". While I'm not sure if it's an evil carrier lockdown or something less sinister, I was quite annoyed by this. Until today when I found this FAQ for the software product AviatorCalc. Seems that AviatorCalc is having the same issues with Windows Mobile devices as the Gmail applet. And their solution, downloading a new version of Esmertec Jbed seems to do the trick (FAQ contains a link for the download). I now have Google's Java applet running on my Dash 3G again! Highly likely this will work on other WinMo handsets too - I personally haven't tested them yet.

"GestureTek will announce at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that its patented, award-winning software for gesture-based mobile device interaction now supports the Android® operating system. The company is also launching a brand new engine that allows Windows® Mobile publishers and developers to integrate motion and object tracking into their gesture-control games and applications."

Controlling by motion may be an acceptable solution with the lack of buttons and D-pads on modern devices. It will be interesting to see how GestureTek's product is used by devlopers!

"Say, for a moment, that you're Microsoft and you're on the cusp of releasing a version of the much-maligned Windows Mobile 6.5 that actually made it touch-friendly for once -- but like all WinMo versions before it, you're relying on carriers and manufacturers to wage an inexcusably slow, arbitrary, incomplete upgrade campaign. Wouldn't you think that quietly burying its launch amongst a sea of more interesting (and less controversial) products might be a good idea?"

The folks at Engadget, in their quest to report the weird and wonderful at CES, discovered Windows Mobile 6.5.3 running on a TG01 and Traveler, which more or less confirms its existence. When it'll officially be released as an upgrade for said devices is anyone's guess. It is, after all, in the hands of the related manufacturers and carriers. But what's so great about v6.5.3, anyway? More touch-friendly adjustments throughout the UI. Less great is the fact that they're somewhat of an eyesore. One can only hope that's something that the much-anticipated Windows Mobile 7 will rectify.

Product Category: Imaging Software

Manufacturer: WizCode

Where to Buy: Mobihand [affiliate]

Price: $14.95USD. A fully-functioning 30-day trial version is available.

System Requirements: WM5 or above; Works with touch or non-touchscreen phones; resolutions from 240x240 to 800x480. Requires phone/pda to have built-in camera and have approximately 5Mb of free RAM to run.

Specifications: Uses approximately 1.5Mb of memory.

Pros:

• Simple to use, very finger friendly;
• Can produce single or multipage PDFs;
• Works in colour or b&w (best results are in b&w, depending upon light levels).

Cons:

• Output is dependent upon the quality of the photo images -- there is no image enhancement capability built into the application;
• Only produces an image-imbedded PDF -- no OCR to translate content into text.

Summary: This is my kind of application. It does one simple thing, it does it well, and it's simple and easy to use. Wizcode's Photocopy Mobile turns your phone into a mobile photocopier/fax/scanner with the ability to convert an image taken with the camera into an emailable PDF document. Now, you can easily share those wonderful whiteboard ideas with the rest of the workshop, or send in that latest signed contract to head office, right from your phone! Read more...

LG in their press event at the Consumer Electronics Show, mentioned that they would have devices in the market this year with WM7. That's no biggie, if reports of WM7 hitting RTM by the second quarter are true. On the other hand, LG is the first major manufacturer to go on the record as committing to WM7, which is nice confirmation. The clock's ticking though - Apple may debut a new iPhone OS this year, and Android looks like it'll make huge strides in mind share and market share in the next few months. And if "this year" means the 2010 holiday season, Microsoft will have a big hill to climb come 2011.

The chart says it all - ChangeWave's report on its survey of smartphone users barely even mentions Windows Mobile, and even Palm's Web OS gets more love. The big news is the surge of interest in Android (now coming up to version 2.0) which is shaping up to be the new major competitor to Apple's iPhone. Where, oh where, is Windows Mobile 7?