Xperiancer

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, t...

I came across this thread in XDA developers about an application that is under development right now, an though the Alpha 0.3 release is nothing close to the final intended version, it is an exciting app. is intended to be a lightweight, smooth and sweeeet style SMS & MMS application! The application development has the following high priorities: sending/receiving SMS (of course) finger-friendly, sweeeet and attractive UI multi-resolution being lightweight and fast Slide2-buttons (e.g. Slide2Send, Slide2Reply, Slide2NewMsg etc) Below are a couple of mockups. For more information on the project, which by the way is open-source, head on to the XDA thread here . I hope that the guys wrap this up quick and put it on Windows Marketplace; this is one app i wouldn’t hesitate to purchase if it delivers what it promises…

Xperiancers – Get your cables out. x1owner at XDA forums has released a new custom ROM today that is built upon the final HTC HD2 extracted ROM. HTC Sense is a lot more stable and really fast. And the best thing of it all… unlike most of the custom ROMs that came out previously with leaked HTC Sense, this one utilizes approx. 50% of the RAM thus leaving a lot for other programs to work properly. The ROM also comes with X1 Panel Manager installed along with a couple of panels. The only issue i have right now is that the Start Menu has 5 columns of items – makes sense for HTC HD2 given its huge screen, but will have to find the registry hack to move that to something less since it is a bit too small on the X1. :) To download the ROM, head on here . Note; i just flashed this ROM an hour back and though have not run into any bugs so far, i can’t confirm it to be bug-free either. So flash at your own will. To get more information on Touch HD2, keep a lookout at TracyAndMatt . They ha...

Xperia X10 (my thought is that they switched to X10 rather than X3 to leave X3 to X9 for future WinMo devices…?) was announced today and it is looking extremely tempting! I have to say that this is by far one of the sexiest and most gorgeous looking smart phones by Sony Ericsson… ever! Not to mention that the customizations on Android make the OS a lot more tempting too…! C’mon SE!!! Could you not have done something as enticing for X2 too? Head on here for an hand-on early-impression review from Engadget.

I know this is an old one but definitely one that i hadn’t tried out yet and thus the post. If you are among those who flashed their X1s to custom ROMs based on windows mobile 6.5, then here is a special treat for you – that is if you don’t belong to the majority who probably already knew about this… ibrythill at XDA Forums has been working on modifications to Titanium to give it a more WinMo 7 look’n’feel – based on the “leaked” shots. And i have to admit that though i hadn’t tried it yet because of the Beta tag, it looks amazing and works fabulous. The main change, of course, is in how the Titanium interface appears. Giving a makeover with a cool bluish theme and way larger panels, i have to admit that i love it more! Click on the pic below to go to the XDA thread to download and give it a whirl. (Yes – no problems on WVGA)

I came across this really cool app today called ‘Nimbuzz’. Nimbuzz lets you call, chat, message, and send files on the go, for free. It combines all your buddies from Skype, Facebook!, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AIM, Google Talk and more. One login, one contact list, all accounts. The app lets you see who’s online and where, call an individual or make a group-call, 1-on-1 chats or initiate a group chat, offline messaging, and ability to send photos as well as voice messages. Best of all - Nimbuzz Mobile is free to download and use. Nimbuzz will not charge or bill you for anything. (However, since Nimbuzz uses your internet connection, incremental data charges from your provider will apply.) I tested the app out on my wi-fi connection and it works superb! Some quick facts: Save Money : Instead of calling minutes, Nimbuzz uses the internet to let you make free international calls to your buddies. You can also register your VoIP account to call your friends on landlines and mobile phones...

Good news is that SPB has finally released the panel version of SPB Shell 3.0.1. Bad news? So far only the Korean version has surfaced. You can grab the .Cab file from here . Having tested it for a couple of minutes, I like the overall speed of the panel and it feels good to finally have a panel of such depth! Now if we could only get the English version soon…! Update : To switch the Korean panel to English, just delete the file SpbMobileShell.txt in the installed path (my device/program files/spb mobile shell) to make it English. (Thanks to Lars for the handy tip…) SMS/MMS Fix : Click here to get a solution to fix SMS/MMS if it is not working on your device…

Check out what one fellow Xperiancer (Paul White) did with his Xperia X1’s battery cover. I must admit, it looks awesome and I am now seriously considering doing something similar this weekend – especially since my X1’s battery cover is extremely faded! (For details click on the picture or here .)

Last night i came across Boom Blox for Pocket PC by Electronic Arts. The aim of the game is to solve puzzles by blasting and moving blocks in colorful 3D levels. Slide on ice blocks, blast blocks with bombs, bounce off springs, and more to level the playing field in this brain-twisting puzzle game. Featuring forty levels, the game offers the ability to create custom levels and post them online directly from your windows mobile challenging other players from around the globe with your dynamic puzzles or simply play other gamers’ creations and rate their work. Blast ‘em with Boom Blox! To get the game, go here . The game is WVGA compatible – both in landscape and portrait.

SPB Mobile Shell has been one of the most used UI replacement application. Fast and sleek with smooth animations and the ability to easily create themes for the shell made it popular among all users of Windows Mobile users who wanted to escape the Windows Mobile interface or wanted an alternative interface for their device. Recently SPB announced SPB Mobile Shell 3, and we finally get a small demonstration of what the new version has to offer. Beware all UI developers, the bar has been seriously risen! SPB Mobile Shell 3 is not only as smooth and sleek as before but it now includes tons of customizations, features, and way cooler animations. The question on my mind at this moment is; will SPB release a SPB Mobile Shell 3 Panel? I seriously hope so, but i doubt that it will come for free. :) Check out the videos below…

Microsoft’s My Phone portal is a backup service that helps Windows Mobile users by providing them a simple solution for backing up their personal information. The data is easily retrievable in case they have to hard-reset their mobile or purchase a new device. The portal went (some-what) live yesterday for the public where they can register and be informed of when the beta becomes available publicly. Though there is no indication of the when it will actually be available publicly, however, during registration it also asks the user for an invitation code if they have one. Luckily for me, an acquaintance of mine was kind enough to get me an invitation code. And thus… here is an in-depth walkthrough of My Phone via a couple of screenshots. After installing My Phone, starting up you get an introductory screen. You’ll be glad to know that My Phone is more than a contacts and calendar backup portal. It lets you synchronize your phone’s contacts, calendar, tasks, text messages, music, photos,...

When Beta 2 of Windows Mobile 6.5 hit HTC HD, it was given that it would show its face on Xperia soon. And the time has come. What is the difference between this beta over the previous one? It includes a couple of Windows Mobile 6.5 interface in raw format. I say raw in the sense that the interface though working is not optimized and is buggy, but it definitely gives a good indication of what is coming in Windows Mobile 6.5. With Windows Mobile 6.5 being officially unveiled this week in the Windows Mobile Congress 2009, if it gets you excited enough, you might want to try out this beta. For me, i am going to try it out regardless of any announcements in the WMC. I’ll post my findings/xperiance with the beta 2 later this week as soon as i get the chance to flash it onto my device. For more information or to download the ROM, thanks to itje at XDA developers, go here .

Sony Ericsson will be unveiling 4 new panels today in the Windows Mobile Congress. Finally a step in the right direction! But will they be worth it? You decide. The panels include a Skype Panel which would probably bode well with any Skype users. Allowing you to easily call or IM any of your contacts easily, it promises to offer a pleasing UI. The next panel is reported to be ‘On the road’. As the name suggests, this panel is specifically for when you are on the road providing you with bigger touch buttons and simplifying media streaming, GPS tools, and of course call management. Another panel is by CNN which would deliver live news and weather directly to your Xperia. It will also feature access to CNN’s citizen journalism tool (i-report). And finally the Mytopia panel. Poker or Bingo anyone? Yes. This will be the first gaming panel to hit Xperia. Well… i’m not entirely sure if it can be categorized as a gaming panel per se, since it is only reported to allow you access to the online ...

Xperiancers, I wanted to apologize for not updating the blog in over a week as i was extremely busy with the job… however, get ready for some fun. Windows Mobile Congress 2009 starts today and with it Microsoft will unveil Windows Mobile 6.5 which should drastically improve the interface as well as functionality of Windows Mobile devices. You have probably seen Windows Mobile 6.5 BETA screenshots around the internet and might also be aware of the beta being ported to Windows Mobile, are you excited about it? I guess the biggest question lingering in us Xperiancers’ minds is whether or not Sony Ericsson would release an official ROM for Xperia that moves us to Win Mobile 6.5 later this year when the retail version is released. In other news, we definitely have a few panels heading our way. Not entirely what i was expecting, but it is a step in the right direction. And then there were a couple of utilities and software that i did test out in the last few days that i have been dying to ta...

Hi all. Thanks to Johnny Boy (a reader of the blog) for the notification… PointUI is now available for download! And they supposedly have a Panel just for Xperia! I’ll be downloading in a bit and will post in detail with screenshots later tonight this weekend. To grab it yourself, head on over to www.pointui.com .

The Sony Ericsson content awards for 2008 have come to an end, and the winner of the best new Xperia Panel is SPB’s Traveler Panel! This panel by SPB provides with a number of useful travelling tools including a currency converter, flight search, multi-time zone diary, and a phrasebook. Among other nominees were Evernote , Ping.fm , Mobisystems (for their English to Japanese dictionary), and PlusFourSize (for the Swedish operator 3’s panel). Are these panels available? As far as i searched, neither could i find any mention of these on the respective company sites, nor were these panels located in the Panels section of Sony Ericsson’s Fun & Downloads page. C’mon Sony Ericsson! Step it up. Where are all the panels that were supposed to be available? Maybe at-least support C#/VB.Net for the Panel SDK so that people can create panels with ease and quickly.

Note : If you have installed the Bell UI onto your Xperia, then please share with all (via comments) the effect it has on the battery life of the device. For me it has come down to a full day of use with DirectPush, Wifi, etc. enabled along with Bell UI running. FYI : I have been enjoying the Bell Xperiance since three days now and i have to say that it doesn’t disappoint. Though the media section’s links are all wrong, despite it is one of the best inteface out there, if not “the” best. And since day one, it has been running as smooth as it should. If anything, Bell UI is definitely getting me excited to get my hands on PointUI as soon as it is released. To-date i was quite in awe of TouchFlo 3D. Okay so that is a bit over the top, but i seriously love the Weather tab on TF3D and slick animations here and there. But today i came across something known as the Bell UI or Bell Experience. Bell (the Canadian company) announced a few months back that it would use its own innovative u...

Smaberg at XDA Developers has released a 12-button action screen for Xperia for quick access to some of the basic tasks. Installed to the main/phone memory, the action screen is automatically assigned to the Power Button. Invoked when the power-button is pressed for 3 seconds, it displays 12 quick-launch buttons: E-Mail – Compose a new email message. SMS – Compose a new SMS message. MMS – Compose a new MMS. Appointment – Add an appointment to your calendar. Task – Add a new task. Note – Add a new note. Contact – Add a new contact. Wifi – Toggle Wifi. Bluetooth – Toggle Bluetooth. Camera – Start camera. Softreset – Restart the device. Power Off – Turn off the device. A very handy utility but the biggest drawback – doesn’t work in WVGA, does work but in 480x800 resolution rather than 800x480 (thus part of the action screen goes out of screen bounds. If you want to test it out, go here .

Although Xperia provides the default Device Lock today plug-in, i never used it. Turning off the display was always good enough for me. Besides, the Device Lock plug-in didn’t appeal much when it came to functionality and looks. But then last night i came across Sunscape. Sunscape is an open source lock application for Windows Mobile. Written in C#, it tries to allow the user to fully configure the screen locker down to the very last details as well as maintaining a small memory footprint and trying to be as compatible as possible with many different devices. Sunscape includes an impressive set of features: R2U (rub to unlock) and S2U (slide to unlock) fully configurable interface (including graphics etc...) based on a documented XML file with configuration tool. on screen display for time, date, appointments, alarms. on screen display of battery, messages, notes, emails, signal, weather, etc... uses pressure-points instead of "slide to unlock", future releases will include o...