WAD 2 Themes, PointUI Phone, and more

Xperiancers,

After a long while I’ve finally found a ROM that i like in terms of performance and functionality, thanks to x1owner at XDA forums. This is by far the best Windows Mobile 6.5 custom ROM loaded with the latest HTC Sense based on the official ROM of HTC HD2 (Leo). HTC Sense works exceptionally (though no landscape) and takes up lower memory than most other ROMs I’ve tried in the past, and Windows Mobile itself is working flawlessly.

So with a working ROM that agreed with me, I thought I’d try out a few new things on my X1 and see how it holds up. Though below you’ll mostly find information on a couple of WAD2 themes, be noted that I will be making additional posts during the week on other applications and “games”. So keep a lookout.

Note: At the end of the post you will find two videos that I captured demonstrating everything in action. Please note that i tried to capture the video with my Canon Power Shot SX110IS (9.0 MP) camera but no matter what setting i tried, the display was blurry and too bright (even with the backlight on the set turned too low…) So for this one, i had to rely on my iPhone’s meager 2.0 MP camera for the video – thus the video and audio aren’t too great but not that bad either. When you watch the video, please accept my apologies for the unclear parts. If you have created videos in the past, i would love to know your thoughts on how to capture my screen best using the canon camera in the future. :)

PointUI Phone

One of the things that i tried out recently is PointUI’s Phone – a new dialer for Windows Mobile. PointUI Phone gives us a completely fresh and streamlined way to make calls and though it looks strange at first, once you get to know the dialer, you’ll end up loving it. Though I could not find a setting to specify it as the default dial-pad on startup, but once you launch the program it makes itself the default dialer unless you exit it out.

Point UI Phone provides;

• Main Screen with Last Call, Missed Call, Time and Date information
• Keypad with intelligent T9 capabilities
• Calls screen with your recent activity
• A fresh new take on Favourites Contacts
• Contact details with easy access to required functions
• Dynamic themes, Classic and Zun3 with more to come
• Slide to Answer to prevent accidental acceptance of incoming calls

Watch the video to look at the dialer in action, and to download, click on the image below to be taken to the application’s website.

Wisbar Advance Desktop

I have never been much of a fan of Wisbar Advance Desktop but i understand now what the hype is all about. In my defense, the only times i tried Wisbar before, it hogged memory and performed too slow, but i now believe that to be a problem with the custom ROM i had been using at the time. Because WAD2 works exceptionally on the X1 as i have tested out and continuously use daily nowadays. For more information on WAD2, head on here.

One of the best things about having Windows Mobile is the level of customizations one can achieve with the phone. Themes on a Symbian OS or others is a completely different thing than what us Windows Mobile users have at our disposal. One second you could be running a completely professional interface and the next a cool looking entertainment interface. It is completely refreshing and gives you a completely new level of experience. (And is most definitely one of the best features of Windows Mobile)

So eventually, when i installed WAD2 on my X1, i went out in hunt of some good and usable WVGA themes. Here are three of my favorite themes themes that i have been using.

Windows 7

Windows 7 is taking over the market by storm. It is the best Windows to date… Period. And of course when i saw a theme for WAD2 based on Windows 7, i just had to try it out and here’s the verdict: the theme is simply amazing and gives a real Windows 7 look’n’feel to the X1. Though it may not be as friendly to use as most of the other themes, but it is definitely one to have on your device to show off at the next party. From the start menu to the battery indicator, most of the things are based on – that’s right – Windows 7 and they actually look cool in action. Though not as touch-friendly as others, take a look at the video for a quick demonstration of the theme in action. Note: Most of the windows such as the battery indicator, clock, or the start menu appear in positions specific to a VGA screen, so once you install, you will have to modify the layout to get everything to appear in the correct position. Also, the theme currently only supports WVGA in portrait mode – don’t worry though, when you switch to landscape, you can have an alternate theme in place ready to take over. (there is a VGA compatible landscape theme so hopefully we will see a landscape version of the WVGA theme soon as well)

For more information on the theme, click on the image below to be taken to the XDA forums thread.

Concept

Based on the original theme by Destri for the Omnia, dgen at Lakeridge forums created a WVGA compatible theme and it is the best themes i have used in a while. I don’t think that words can justify this beautiful theme which offer both performance and style. So check out the video at the end or click on the image below for more information on the theme and to download.

Natural

A minimal theme for WAD2 that grabbed my attention due to its simplicity and attractiveness. Though the theme’s main page does not have much to offer, that’s the whole point of having a simple theme, you are provided with an additional second page that you can place quick contacts and other shortcuts on easily using WAD2’s customizability features. Check out the video below for the theme in action or click on the image for more information and to download.

HTC Sense

And of course when you are using an HTC Leo ROM, you have to give HTC Sense a whirl. And in all honesty, it is extremely stable and fast in performance and provides a way better integration than previous versions of HTC’s offerings. I won’t go into detail about HTC Sense here but click on the image below to be redirected to TracyAndMatt’s blog where they’ve posted an unboxing video of HTC HD2 and are expected to post an in-depth HTC Sense videos soon.

Video Demonstration