REVscene Automotive Forum - The Official Windows Mobile Thread

OK so you just bought a Windows Mobile phone. Either you have been using for the last 10 years while everyone "discovered" smartphones 2 years ago, or you weighed the pros and cons against the iPhone and Android phones, and decided Windows Mobile is the best choice (and you were probably right).

Unlike the other two though, WinMo only recently got a central marketplace. If you were to just look at the programs listed there, you'd think that there are absolutely no good apps available for your shiny new phone!

Luckily, you'd be wrong if you thought that. Because WinMo has been around for so long, there are a ton of very well established apps. And a lot of them are being updated for today's higher-res screens and the popularity of a touch interface (rather than using a stylus).

I'll list some apps that I think are essential, as well as some just for fun. I have personal experience with most of these - if not, I will mention it.

Essential: Marketplace for Windows Phone (free) - this should be one of the first things you install, just to see what is available. There are some free apps out there, but it's usually better to install them direct from the programmer when possible. This is because Marketplace only lets you install on the device's main memory (unlike the others, you can choose where you want your programs to be installed). If the link above doesn't work, visit mp.windowsphone.com on your phone.

Essential: .NET Compact Framework 3.5 Redistributable - Just get it, you'll need it eventually. If you don't use ActiveSync, you can grab a .cab version here.

User Interface: SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 $30 - Unlike the other two smartphones, if you have a Windows Phone, you can choose from many different user interfaces. If you have something like an HTC HD2, you probably will be happy with the one you get. But if you got a Samsung Omnia II, it won't take long to get tired of their sluggish bloated interface. In that case, the best UI out there is SPB Mobile 3.5. IMO, it's better than any interface out there, including iPhone, HTC Hero, and HTC HD2. It is light, easily customizable, and very fast.

See the video below to see it in action:

User Interface: PointUI Home 2 (free) - I haven't used this one personally, since I am happy with Mobile Shell. But it looks like a pretty nice interface. Also be sure to check out their dialer, which features a really unique look (yup, you can have custom dialers on your phone too!)

If you want to replicate the HTC Sense interface, you can get PointSense addon for Point UI Home 2.

User Interface - TouchFlo3D for Omnia II (free) - If you really like HTC's TouchFlo interface, then you can install it on your OII if you wish.

Home Lock Screen: S2U2 (free) - If you'd like to have various information when you turn your phone on - list of messages, missed calls, texts, time, etc, then this program is for you. It is very robust, and works with a lot of other apps. Personally I don't use it, since I rarely use the "phone" part of my "phone". But a lot of people like it, and it's free so give it a look. It's extremely customizable, and there are a lot of cool skins for it:

http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/z...Screen02-3.png

Typing Interface - CooTek TouchPal $9.75 - Both the Omnia II and HTC HD2 come with nice keypads, but they're not perfect. Personally, I find the OII to have a few milliseconds of lag. I gave TouchPal a try, and was absolutely hooked. To me, this is the perfect software keypad interface. The buttons are available in 4 different sizes, and I find Medium to be just the right size (and since WinMo doesn't use capacitive screens, you can be very accurate with them, so you might even like to use a smaller keypad). The interface uses finger swipes, so you will never have to hit "shift" again. If you want a capital letter, just tap the letter, and slide up. If you want a symbol or a number, tap the appropriate letter, and slide down. It's also skinnable, and there are plenty of good ones available. I personally use the blue version of EZInput. It supports T9 predictive text (and again with clever use of sliding gestures, you have access to a lot of words at once)

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6...nvgam2dmod.png

Typing Interface - FingerKeyboard 2.1 (free) - Another good keyboard, but I personally prefer TouchPal. Most people will use FingerKeyboard simply because it's free. IMO it's still better than the Omnia II keyboard, but not as good as TouchPal. It also smartly uses gestures, and has the advantage of supporting user-made gestures. So if you type "dick" a lot, you can set "dick" to your L key or whatever.

http://i42.tinypic.com/ivwajn.jpg

Typing Interface - Swype ("free") - This is first seen in the US release of Omnia II. Someone has extracted it to a CAB that can be installed on any Omnia II. But I have heard reports of it working on the HD2, so it's possible that it may work on any WVGA WinMo 6.5 device. It is pretty amazing, and could possibly the best way to type on a PDA ever. Check out the video below to see how it works:

File & Registry Explorer - Resco Explorer $30 - The default explorer is actually not bad, especially compared to the terrible Omnia II version. But the best by far is Resco. It supports a nice finger-friendly interface, and advanced functions such as a registry editor, and the ability to manage system files. This one is priced in the "pre iTunes App Store" days, so quite expensive. There is a beta 2010 version available for free though, and it supports the cool feature of uploading images and videos to social networks.

File & Registry Explorer - Total Commander CE (free) - The next best thing is Total Commander. Since I have been using Resco for like 5 years, I never bothered to try this though. It's free though, so if you need a registry editor, this is the one for you.

Ram Cleaner - CleanRAM (free) - This isn't really necessary with today's devices (unlike the other "smart" phones, Windows Mobile was designed from the ground up to multitask) which have a lot of memory. But if you are on an older phone, or just like to keep things running as smoothly as possible, then CleanRAM is for you. Just run it, and it will close all unnecessary executables from the system ram. You can set it to ignore certain apps you always want to keep running, etc. A nice little app to have installed.

Tweaking - Advanced Configuration Tool (free)- If you like to tweak settings, then this is for you. It digs deep into your registry, but gives you a nice readable interface to change things such as cache locations, ring timers, default fonts, scrollbar sizes, and more. It's a good way to update an older WinMo phone!

Calculator - HTC Calculator (free) - If you don't like the default calculator that is on your phone, then grab this one. It has the nice HTC interface. This is perfect for my old HTC Touch, since it used the old Microsoft calculator which was a total system hog. This one is light, and nice to use. The Omnia II calculator is quite awesome though.

Task Manager - Showcase 1.1.0 (free) - Unlike the iPhone and Android, Windows Mobile was meant for multitasking. However, the replacement for "alt-tab" is by default not very good. Most new phones come with one, but are often very bloated (the Omnia II one is full of whacky 3D effects that slow things down). That's why Showcase is perfect. Just top the top corner, and you have access to all running apps. This is a must-have for most people!

http://www.1800pocketpc.com/blog/wp-...ase-1.0.1b.jpg

Task Manager - WkTASK (free) - This one makes your top bar work like Windows Desktop. Kind of old-school though (not particularly finger-friendly) and can't be used with Showcase above.

Data Transfer Monitor - SPB Wireless Monitor $20 - IMO this one is essential if you have a limited data plan. This program tracks data transfer across all your connections, and all your applications. So if you want to leave Messenger running, or have Twitter updating every 30 seconds, then you need to know exactly how much data is being transferred. This does that for you.

Remote Desktop - WM6_RDP (free) - This app can come in handy, giving you the ability to log into your Windows PC from anywhere. Totally easy to use, so have it with you at all times!

Video Player - CorePlayer Mobile $30 - Chances are, your device came with a good media player (Omnia II's is excellent) but it probably won't play everything. If you want such a player, this one is perfect. It supports everything from AVI to MP4 to MKV, and everything in between ;). Also has a Youtube interface built-in, which is very handy (and plays all types of available Youtube file types). If you're looking for something free, check out TCPMP, although it hasn't been updated in a long time, the latest version is still quite useful.

Travel (subway lines) - MetrO (free) - I really wish I had this for all my trips to Japan. It is a VERY useful app to find out which trains to take, how long it will take, etc. It has several attractions built in, making it very useful for travellers. They have tons of databases for subways all over the world, just download the ones you need! Not the best interface, but still totally useful and FREE so be sure to have this one installed at all times.

Twitter - Twikini $5 ($1 on Marketplace) For the longest time, Twitter apps on Windows Mobile SUCKED. But thanks to Twikini, that is no longer the case. The interface is just right, and it supports pretty much everything you'll want to do with Twitter. Although it doesn't have the fancy effects you'll find elsewhere, nothing beats its solid, sleek, fast design. Get it on Marketplace for just $1

Twitter - PockeTwit (free) - The best free Twitter app for WinMo is probably PockeTwit. It is very finger-friendly, but I find the scrolling to be a bit sloppy. If you can't part with the $1 to get Twikini, then this is for you.

Twitter - moTweets (free/ads) - Another good Twitter app, probably the 2nd best compared to Twikini. But if you want the free version, you have to put up with ads. You can grab a paid version for $4 at the Marketplace (or direct from them, which would be preferred).

Web Browsers - The browser situation with WinMo is good and bad. On the bad side, the fact that most web developers are only keeping Safari and Android in mind is very frustrating. Even Google is only really developing GMail for those two browsers. The good news is, you have a ton of choices as a WinMo users:

-Opera 9.7 beta should be your main browser. If your phone already comes with it installed, us that version. If not, get the latest beta here (latest is highlighted in red)

-Opera 10 beta just came out, but IMO it's not ready to be used as a main browser. You can grab it here.

-Iris Browser had the opportunity to be easily the best browser for Windows Mobile. Version 1.1.9 is based on Webkit (same as Safari) so could potentially support all Webkit sites natively (in fact, I use it as my GMail browser). Unfortunately, as soon as it started to get really good, they got bought out by RIM to make a new browser for Blackberry. You can still get 1.1.9 http://rapidshare.com/files/253601439/iris-browser-1.1.9.cab, it's still worth having for Gmail (and other "iphone only" sites).

-SkyFire is totally worth having, as it perfectly replicates a desktop browser, including full Flash support. If you come across a crappy Flash-only site, you will need to use SkyFire to access it. But the interface sucks, and it sucks battery like you wouldn't believe, so you will probably be using it sparingly. Grab it here.

Diamond Theme - If you don't like any of the themes that came with your phone, this all-black theme is great. The high contrast makes everything readable, and it's very classy looking. The Omnia II comes with a black theme, but it is "broken" in that you will have cases where there is white text on white background (DUH).

Google Maps - Even if your phone came with Google Maps pre-installed, you will want to have the latest version. This is one of the few Google apps that is quite a bit better on WinMo than it is on iPhone or Android. Get the latest version (3.2.1 #17 as of this moment) here.

Links:
XDA-Developers - This place is a gold mine for information, free apps, and mods. But the interface is... well, it's a forum. It wasn't made to be easy to share applications, it was meant for chatting. Still, if you spend some time, you will come across some really cool information and toys to play with. The English isn't the greatest either, so take care when attempting to follow instructions that may damage your phone.

MoDaCo - Another big forum, they have categories for pretty much every phone. Their Omnia II forum is very useful, and in fact I will link to another thread in a bit.

PocketNow - This blog is updated several times a day with the latest news and apps. A lot of the time it can seem like an HTC HD2 Fanboy Club, but it's still worth reading.

Omnia II Suggested Software - A HUGE list of software, many of which I wrote about here. I am only really posting apps that I personally have experience with, so it's not going to be the most exhaustive list. If you want to see even more recommendations, be sure to read this post over at Modaco. It applies to all WinMo phones, not just the OII. As you'll see, I have only just scratched the surface of what's available out there. It all depends on your needs, which are probably different from mine.

iPmart Apps Forum - For the cheap fucks who are too cheap to spend $1 or $5 (or $20) on an app ;)