It is hard to believe that it has been only a little over two years(February 2007) since Spb Software House revolutionized the way we useour Windows Mobile devices. Since that time, dozens of other softwaredevelopers and OEMs such as HTC, Samsung, and Sony-Ericsson haveadopted this same technique of replacing the user interface entirely. Through all of this, however, Spb Software House has managed to stayone step ahead of all the others by constantly refining and updatingMobile Shell. And just when it looked like some of the othershell-type programs might be gaining a foothold, Spb ups the ante againwith version 3 of their award winning program. You are really going towant to sit down, hit the jump, and enjoy the ride for this one.
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Doug: With every iteration of Mobile Shell, Spb hasmeticulously offered new ways to access your important information. With version 1, they started with the Now Screen and Menu, whichreplaced the Start Menu. Version 2 dug more deeply into your device,with the Contacts Screen and Launcher. Now, with version 3, Spb ispulling out all of the stops, giving us the carousel view, which letsyou scroll through and access any screen in the interface; and thelimitless customization of the lifestyle view. But we are getting abit ahead of ourselves. Let’s get back to the beginning.
Chris: I have to agree with you, Doug. Spbcertainly started something here; and you’re definitely right about anumber of other players throwing their hats into the ring. HTC hasreally tried hard with both HTC Home and TouchFlow 3D. They haveclearly targeted Spb’s Mobile Shell with their latest versions of TF3D,and Spb has clearly…CLEARLY taken up the challenge and fired back withMobile Shell 3; but like you, I’m jumping the gun…
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Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: Like Mobile Shell 2 (above, left), the mainview in Mobile Shell 3 (above, right)still consists of three screens:Now, Launcher, and Contacts. But each of these three screens has beensignificantly updated with all new controls and graphics.Clinton I fully admit that whenthe first version of Mobile Shell came out I simply didn’t get it. Partof it was me. Having had used Windows Mobile since the way early days,I’d become so use to the Today screen and plug-ins that the wholeconcept was a challenge for me to understand. By the time 2.0 camearound I was hooked. It so revolutionized the way I used my phone! Nowwith 3.0, I’ve completely ditched the Today screen as it comesout-of-the-box and on my HTC Fuze, I’ve even ditched Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.., something I did not think I’d do for anything.
[LEFT]Professional Now Screen [/LEFT]
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[LEFT]Doug:The Professional Now Screen should look familiar to anyone who has usedMobile Shell in the past. On the surface, it has not changed much(Although I do lament the removal of the Classic View,) but it doesfeel much slicker and more in control than the previous version. [/LEFT][/CENTER]
[LEFT]Clinton: I love thenew layout of the Professional screen. I find it decidedly better thanin 2.0 as it looks more, well, professional. I never was a big fan ofthe Classic View so not much missing there for me, Mr. Doug.[/LEFT]
Doug: On the top of the Professional Now Screen, you will find the weather and clock. Tapon the weather icon to head into the weather sub-panel. Sadly, thiswill give you only a four day forecast, as well as a little moredetailed breakdown of the weather of the course of a selected date. Idid remain disappointed, however, with the continued inaccuracy of theweather forecasts coming out of Spb. While they are starting toimprove, you really cannot rely on it consistently for much more thanthe current temperature and conditions. This inaccuracy and Spartaninformation really serve to minimize the usefulness of this screen forme.
Clinton: Couldn’t agree more withyou on the accuracy of the Weather panel in Mobile Shell. The problem,I think, is that it using European sources for the weather information.I don’t know that for sure, so don’t quote me. BUT, I do know how tosolve this problem. Get Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register...It automatically plugs into Mobile Shell 3.0 and replaces the built-inweather function. Spb Weather can be pointed to Weather.gov here in theUnited States which provides much more accurate weather information.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Chris: I agree, 100%, Doug. The accuracy ofthe weather data is really pitiful. I would also like to see a littlemore information, and perhaps links to radar or other weather maps.What we have now leaves a lot to be desired. However, while I alsoagree that Weather 2.0 will resolve the problem, Clinton, it bothers methat I have to spend more money to resolve an issue that really shouldbe fixed by Spb in the first place. I don’t want to sound picky orspoiled, but…I’m not rich.
Doug: I agree, Chris. After spending $29.95 on aprogram like Mobile Shell, the last thing anyone wants to here is thatyou will need to spend another $19.95 just to make part of itfunctional.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: Sharing space with the weather is the clock. Tap this and you will open a second sub-panel. This one allows you toview the time in up to three locations around the world, which is greatif you are a frequent traveler. From here, you can also view anyalarms you may have set. Tapping the alarm panel, however, is wherethe illusion of Spb Mobile Shell takes a short break, because this willnot take you into another Mobile Shell screen. Instead, this takes youstraight into the default Windows Mobile Clocks & Alarms Settings. While I was a bit disappointed to find any path leading to a defaultWindows Mobile screen, I was pretty impressed by how far I had to digbefore I hit it.
Clinton: Yeah, I kinda agree. Itwould have been nice for Spb to continue their reach down into WindowsMobile but to your point, you had to dig to get there in the firstplace. A suggestion for version 4.0?
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: One final note on the Weather and Clocksub-panels. Both require you to set your current location. Given thefact that most devices now include a GPS, it would have been nice ifthese sub-panels could access the GPS to set your location. Instead,you have to select your location from a list. I was disappointed bythis list, which really felt incomplete. My town, Bristow, was notincluded in the list, not were many neighboring towns. Many programs Ihave used, allow you to set your location by zip code. That would havebeen far preferable.
Clinton: I do agree that havingaccess to the GPS would be helpful but I can kinda see leaving it off.There are still a lot of devices - think Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0generation - that don’t have GPS and there are a lot of those outthere. As for the zip code entry, TOTALLY agree. I home this comes in a.x release because that would be a super helpful feature.
Chris: I swear, Doug, we must be channelingeach other. I had the exact same thought about the GPS integration. The fact that Mobile Shell won’t use zip codes is also a big problem. My town, Oswego, IL also isn’t included (though Oswego, NY is…gofigure). I have to pick Naperville, IL (about 30 minutes East of whereI live), and there’s not much else to choose from.
Doug: Exactly. Clinton, based upon my experienceswith Windows Mobile 2003 SE, most developers I have talked with tend toaim their programs at the latest (or even upcoming) devices. So, itwould not be a stretch to say many new and upcoming devices do includea GPS. Plus, I am in no way suggesting that Mobile Shell only allow youto set your location by GPS. Only that it should be provided as anoption, in addition to the searchable list, and zip code search. Nowthat would be ideal.
Doug: The next zone on the Now screen gives youyour communication indicators. This will show you whether you have anynew email, text messages, voicemail, or missed calls. That last one onthe right will also show your phone profile. I was a bit disappointedto find that the email and text message indicators jump directly intoPocket Outlook, which is really just not a great program. While Irecognize that a whole new email interface would have been a massiveundertaking, they could at least have offered a nice skin and bettercontrols.
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Clinton: Ha! This is why I lovedoing these dually or trifecta reviews! I love the fact that it goesstraight to Pocket Outlook. For me it is great in that it takes medirectly to where I need to be - no extra taps or clicks.
Chris: Ok…this is where we are NOT going tochannel each other. I’m going to disagree with you a bit here. Idon’t think its within the scope of Mobile Shell to provide a newe-Mail interface. You’re right in saying that it would be a bigundertaking. It certainly would be. Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..tried to do this with their own e-Mail plug-in, and while the resultallows you to read e-Mail on your Today page, its not the most elegantthing in the world; and takes up a huge amount of RAM. The performancealso leaves a bit to be desired. I think Mobile Shell is right ontarget here leaving the e-Mail interface to Microsoft.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: OK, let me clarify that I am not suggestingMobile Shell should replace Pocket Outlook entirely. Just that it wouldbe nice if they had offer a better skin for the interface, and morefinger friendly controls (such as those which are on the pop-up buttonin the rest of the interface.) That being said, the fact that MobileShell 3 allows you to add individual email accounts to the LifestyleView is really a giant leap forward in my book.
Doug: The final portion of the screen is thecalendar and appointments. I have to say that my disdain for thisportion of the application goes all the way back to the beginning. Itdoes not offer enough space to show more than three upcomingappointments. Furthermore, the calendar beneath the appointmentsshifts around in order to make space. This means you are not likelygoing to be able to see this whole calendar unless you turn off theappointments.
Clinton: To a point I agree with you but really it’s no different than Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. in this regard. With it you only see one or two appointments as well.
Doug: To be fair, I did have the same criticism of Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. when I reviewed it on my HTC Touch Pro.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: What is new here is the calendar sub-panel. Tap on any appointment or the calendar itself and this sub-panel (shown above) pops open. Honestly, you would never know that this wasdesigned by the same people who brought you Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register... I wish Spb had chosen to include a modified version of Diary, ratherthan this screen. I found the calendar and appointments sub panel justfelt cluttered, and the color scheme and layout made it almostimpossible to look at for more than a few seconds at a time. Finally,this screen does not feature any other traditional PIM information. Most notably, there is no way from within Mobile Shell to access yourtasks. Considering this is a feature which has been requested in theirOnly Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. since the Professional Now Screen was introduced, I had hoped this feature would have made an appearance by now.
Chris: I agree that this area is cluttered anddoesn’t provide you with enough space to do or see much of anything. On VGA devices, it should be a little bit better (I have yet to installthis on my ETEN V900); but on my Epix… ick! It really leaves a bit tobe desired. I only see 1 appointment and a week worth of dates. There’s not enough room here to see anything or to plan out any part ofyour day.
Doug: Exactly! Even on the VGA screen on my Touch Pro, it really was not an effective interface.
Doug: On the bottom of the screen, you will findfour buttons, which take you to Mobile Shell’s other features. On thefar left is the entry to the carousel view. We’ll get into that a bitlater, but needless to say, it is one of the cooler new features in theprogram. In the middle are the links to the Launcher Screen andcontacts Screen. The far right button will open the settings panel. While you can open this panel from any screen, its contents will changedepending upon where in the program you are and what you are doing. From here (on the Professional Now Screen) you can switch to theLifestyle View (another of the program’s really cool features) and theToday Screen. This is really handy, because many Windows Mobileprograms still rely heavily on Today Screen plugins, which cannot bedisplayed within Mobile Shell. The ability to switch back to yourtraditional Today Screen allows you to access any of these plugins.
Clinton: Agreed Doug. The two-tapsto access the Today screen is great. I use Newsbreak for my RSS readerand having it only two-taps away is great. I really like the contentaware settings panel as well. That really makes it easy to learn MobileShell 3.0 and have whatever settings or features you want/need a tapaway no matter where you are in the shell. Greatness.
Chris: I also agree. I however, prefer to use Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..to display Today plugins. That application is an oldie but a goodie,recently updated to work with WM 6.1, and specifically, the SamsungEpix. The fact that this view, and the rest of my plugins are just 2taps away, again, is pretty cool, so we are all in agreement here.
Doug: Another great option for this is Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register...
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Launcher[/LEFT]
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Doug: One of my biggest criticismsof Mobile Shell 2 was the launcher screen. Essentially, it amounted tolittle more than the Spb Menu with space for a small handful of quicklaunch icons. This interface, which did not necessarily allow quick andeasy access to all of the programs I used most, was simply frustrating.All that has changed, however, with Mobile Shell 3. In this latestiteration, the two sections of the launcher screen have been dividedinto two tabs: Launcher and Menu.
Clinton: For me, the launcher inversion 2 was acceptable. I found it handy and somewhat useful butthere were points of frustration for me as well. Not in this newversion though. It is fantastic and is so much better organized.
[LEFT]Chris: I like the fact that the Launcher has 2different views (see below). The ability to change this view, allowedme to approach getting to my most needed apps in the most convenientway possible (and yes, I did change back and forth, as my needs seemedto change…)
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Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. [/CENTER][/LEFT]Doug: The top portion of the launcher tab containsyour Favorites. Probably one of the best updates to this section isthat the favorites are now unlimited. You can load any and as manyprograms as you will need quick and easy access to. And this includesmuch more than just programs. You can add messaging, settings, andother tools stored on your computer.
Clinton: 100% Agree. The abilityto customize this screen (and many others for that matter) make thisscreen super fantastic. I like the fact that I can add just aboutanything as a favorite.
Doug: The only problem I had was that there is noway to easily rearrange the shortcuts stored in your favorites. Thismeans there is no easy way to organize your favorites, or group thingstogether. They simply appear in the order you place them. This alsomeans that if you later decide to remove a favorite, you are going toend up with holes in your list, which can be unsightly and annoying. It may seem like a small thing, but being able to drag and dropfavorites so they can be rearranged would have significantly added tothe functionality of this screen.
Clinton: You can do it but youhave to go into the editor and manually move everything about. Kind ofa pain. I’d like to see an automatic alignment feature that could beoff of the Setting menu.
Chris: This is a good idea, Clinton; and it seems pretty reasonable, too. This was also a pain point for me.
Doug: The latter portion of this screen containsyour most Recently Used programs. I’ll be honest here, and tell youthat I almost never used the recently used feature. That just is nothow I used my device. But that is just me. Other people might havedifferent uses for their devices, and might find this section to bemore useful. This is one of the things that is great about MobileShell, no matter how you access the information on your device, you cando it from here.
Clinton: I actually like therecently used feature but I agree that this is likely more userpreference than anything else. I use Recently Opened files in Vista aswell so that should tell you something
Doug: The Spb Menu screen really has not changedmuch. Sure, you will notice the icons have all been given a facelift,which looks great, but in terms of the functionality, everything ispretty much where you left it, giving you access to all corners of yourdevice.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: The biggest change you will find, however, isthe customizable My Menu portion. In the past, this has been one ofthe most heavily criticized portions of the program. Although this wasdesigned to be a customizable portion of the menu, adding anything tothe menu was nothing more than an exercise in frustration, with aconfusing and complicated interface. With Mobile Shell 3, My Menu hasmorphed into My Shortcuts, and customizing My Shortcuts has beencompletely overhauled. Now, instead of the confusing tree structureinterface, you can choose between adding programs or adding files. These will take you to a list of programs or a standard fileexplorer-type screen, respectively. This is still not as easy asadding icons to tabs in Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..,but it is still significantly better than what we had before. To saythe least, it has taken My Menu from being an afterthought on mydevice, to being a central area for accessing certain programs in MyShortcuts.
Clinton: When I look at thechanges in My Menu it shows me just how much work Spb put into theapplication and how much they listened. I am very happy to see thisfeature dramatically improved in v3 as it’s, well…usable now.
Doug: The other thing I liked about the newinterface was the scrolling animation. In Mobile Shell 2, if you hadmore programs or shortcuts than could fit on a screen, then they weredivided into pages. While you could choose a number of differentanimations to flip, swipe, or slide from one page to the next, thetruth was it could get to be a bit cumbersome. Often, I would drillall the way down to the last page of the programs, only to realize thatthe function I needed was elsewhere in the program; which required meto flip, swipe, or slide, all the way back to the main menu. In thenew version, everything is contained on the same level (unless youcreate subfolders), which means a single flick of your finger will sendyou scrolling down through the icons, and a single tap of the backbutton (from just about any location) will take you right back to themain menu. This is a fantastic improvement in this interface.
Chris: I have a WM 6.5 ROM on one of my mobiledevices, and this scrolling animation is very much like the Start Menuin WM 6.5, (no secret or big news to anyone…) which, if I make my guessright, is what Spb was shooting for. This type of animation issomething that most users will like, and possibly want, as they will belooking for that WM 6.5 look and feel for their device, especially ifit doesn’t get an upgrade. I see this as a big win for Mobile Shell 3,as it will bring new life to older devices with enough punch to run it.
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Contacts[/LEFT]
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Doug: Like everything else in theprogram, the contacts screen has been significantly overhauled. Whereit used to be a single screen with up to 16 contacts, it now features amulti-tabbed interface, with tabs for: call history, photo contacts,and address book.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: The address book (formerly known as SpbContacts) has not been significantly updated, nor would I really haveexpected it to. It is essentially an alphabetical list of all of thecontacts on your phone. Just flick your finger to scroll through thelist. It would have been nice if there was an alphabetical scroll baron the side, like some programs feature, so you could jump straight tothe first letter of the person you want to contact. With well over1000 contacts, scrolling down to the bottom of the alphabet can be abit of a chore. The good news, however, is the T9 style soft-keyboard(which can be hidden when not in use). Just start typing the name forwhich you are searching and the program will automatically startfiltering through your contacts. Users of previous Spb programs,including Mobile Shell 2, should quickly recognize this interface.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: The call history tab is pretty much what youwould expect. It shows you a chronological list of calls, with colorcoded icons for incoming, outgoing, and missed calls. That is aboutit. You can scroll through the list, but there is no way to filter it,which I found to be a disappointment. Most apps will allow you to atleast filter by call status. Still, in terms of keeping a record ofyour activity, this really does work well enough and is perfectlyfunctional.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: The final tab, and yes we saved the best forlast here, is the photo contacts. There are numerous improvements overMobile Shell 2. The most obvious is the layout, which allows limitlessphoto contacts (or at least considerably more than I was interested inadding). You will also notice that your contacts can be resized tosmall, medium, or large. The large and small photos made sense here. You can basically fit four small photos into the same footprint as asingle large. The medium size, however, just does not quite fit intothis paradigm. It would be nice if it was arranged so that, forexample, a medium and 2 smalls would fit into a large footprint, but Icould not make that work either.
Clinton: This to me is one of thegreatest new features. I have a lot of contacts and being able to crama bunch of them on the screen by setting the size to small is fantasticfor me. This saves me a ton of tapping looking for a contact. I likedthe old layout before but this is way better.
Chris: Sheesh! Ya think?! This is by far (inconjunction with Facebook integration, see below) is the biggest drawfor me to use and continue to use Mobile Shell 3. I mean, who DOESN’Tuse Facebook?!?
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: Well, since Chris mentioned it, let’s goahead and talk about the Facebook integration. One of the problems Ialways have is finding photos to assign to each contact. This can be areal pain; especially for people I have not seen much in order to takea picture. Well, Spb found an ingenious way to solve that problem. You can just let your contacts choose the photo for you. Just connectto Facebook and Mobile Shell will search your Facebook friends for amatch. You can then select any of their photos to attach to theirprofile picture on your phone.
Clinton: I have nothing more toadd other than THIS FREAKIN’ ROCKS! The tie in with Facebook is justbrilliant and shows the progressive thought of Spb. They get it - thewhole social networking thing that is - and having this simple buteffective hook into Facebook is just great!
Chris: In a word… “sha..!” I think you’remaking the understatement of the year, Clint. I have a lot of contactsthat DON’T have pictures, but those contacts likely have a Facebookaccount. Now, at the very least, I can put a new and often UPDATEDphoto with that contact, right from their Facebook account. The guythat thought this feature up definitely needs a promotion and raise. No… I mean it….REALLY!
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: Finally, you can arrange your contacts in acarousel view, which allows you to spin through your contacts’ photos. I never really figured out a good reason to use this screen, especiallysince I am generally already in my photo contacts when I would want toget there. But it is a pretty cool look at the kind of animation youcan do here.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: Now that you have your photos and contactsorganized, let’s take a look at the fully redesigned contact cards. Ialways liked the contact cards which were introduced in Mobile Shell 2,and Spb has done a fantastic job of really adding to them, withoutaffecting the functionality. When you open a contact card, you will bepresented with a the contact picture and name. From here, if you tapthe picture, you can resize or custom crop it from right inside thepicture. This is a fantastic response to teh criticism or contactphotos which ended up with their heads chopped off due to the programauto-cropping photos.
Beneath that are the main contact numbers: cell phone, home phone,SMS, pager. The large green button on the bottom is the last numberyou called.
Clinton: Having the ability to call, email, or text someone from one screen is just great.
Doug: I have to say that I was probably moreimpressed by the contacts view than almost anything else in theprogram. This is one area which, while it functioned fine, was thesubject of a lot of criticism in the previous version. Much of thiscriticism dealt with minor details: you can only add 16 contacts, thepictures are not cropped right, contact cards are not organized well. Most of it was small, most of it was cosmetic, and all of it is morethan addressed in this version. Very nicely done.
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Alternate Views[/LEFT]
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Doug: There are three alternateways to access the Mobile Shell 3. One of these you have seen before,but the other two are sure to amaze. Let’s start with the old news. Like Mobile Shell 2, the latest iteration of Mobile Shell includes bothportrait and landscape views. Until now, we have been pretty muchfocusing on portrait. In the landscape view, everything will still beon the screen, but that bottom bar will shift to one side, in order toallow the screen to rotate.
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Doug: For the most part, this worked pretty well. But watch out for screens with custom arrangements, like the contactsscreen and lifestyle view. These custom arrangements do not alwaysrotate cleanly.
Clinton: The landscape view isgreat compared to version 2. Having used Mobile Shell 3 on my AdvantageX7510, it handles landscape far better than before.
Chris: My Epix is already in landscape view bydefault (320×320 resolution is its default); so I really don’t see anydifference in it vs. a portrait view. My Epix is already in portraitview by defaul… wait a minute..it’s the same thing.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: The second alternate view is the carouselview. You can reach this by hitting that button on the left hand sideof the button bar. The one that looks like a grid. Carousel viewconsists of a rotating ball of panels. Just give it a spin and you canview all of the panels, in Mobile Shell. Jump to any one you want bytapping it.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: From here, you can also swap the screen into the flattened grid view.
Doug: Aside from the fact that the carousel viewexists at all and works as smoothly as it does, there are two reallycool aspects to it. First, these are not generic representations ofyour screen. This is an actual miniature of each screen as it actuallyappears in your program. Pretty cool. But not as cool as the detailyou can see if you look between the panels. Do that and you can seethrough to the inside of the circle where you can see the back of theopposite panel. Giving you the opposite side in reverse (from theinside) is just an incredible attention to detail.
Doug: The problem I had, however, was that therewas really no good reason to use the carousel view. As amazing as itlooks and feels, it does little more than look and feel cool. Noscreen in that carousel is more than a tap or two away from the mainscreen. In many instances, it is actually more difficult to switchscreens using the carousel view. So, go ahead and marvel at what agreat job Spb did with this one. And then check back in and let usknow if you find any further use for this great looking feature.
Chris: I agree. You asked if I had something tosay about Carousel View, and I really didn’t. This is why. I am havinga hard time wrapping my head around why I would want to use somethinglike that to go from screen to screen. You mention that all of thescreens are no more than one or two taps away, and you’re right. Ijust don’t see the need for this feature, and see it as nothing morethan unneeded eye candy.
[CENTER]Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..[/CENTER]Doug: The final new view is probably my favoritepart of the whole program. This is the lifestyle view. Just slide yourfinger up or down the screen to switch between professional view andlifestyle view. What you are going to find here is a fullycustomizable blank slate. At first blush, it appears to be threeseparate panels. But in reality, it is one long panel, which requiresthree full screens to display. Look carefully at the images in thescreen captures and you will notice that the background image is onelarge panel, not the same image three times as you might expect. Notonly can you change the background, but you can add anything you wantto this screen using the built in widgets. Just about anything thatcan be displayed in any of the other screens in Mobile Shell 3 can beadded to the lifestyle view, including: programs, settings, contacts,indicators, even the calendar.
Doug: Pretty much the only thing you could not addhere was individual media files. You could not create a shortcut toWord documents, music, videos, or Internet shortcuts. This is a prettysmall complaint, but it would have been nice. More importantly,however, this would have been an ideal platform in which to be able toadd today screen plug-ins. For example, it would be nice to add SpbDiary to the lifestyle view. But there is currently no way to do so. Hopefully, this is something which may be added down the road in afuture version. Despite these slight omissions, lifestyle view is justamazing. It allows you to design the shell exactly the way you want itto look.
Chris: Lifestyle view…wow. You know, I’m notall that crazy about Lifestyle View. Its not that I don’t like thewidgets or anything, but I really want to do more with my device thanwhat is offered with LSV. If I were still interested in using my WMdevice as my music player (I stopped doing that in 2004 after I boughtmy first iPod…), then using something like LSV to swipe between theconsumer based screens for calls, contacts and my music player would begreat. Unfortunately, I’m more business oriented with my device, andwant access to my calendar and tasks; and LSV simply doesn’t offer methat kind of data.
I also wasn’t very impressed with the type and amount of widgetsthat came with Mobile Shell 3. For example, I would love to see a BigDigital Clock, and the largest one that is offered is Medium. Where’sthe GPS widget, or a Tasks widget?? Something like those would havebeen very welcomed…
Doug: I do agree that Spb could have done a lotmore with this screen than they did. But I also have to keep in mindthat this is their first attempt. I suspect that they will continue torefine and develop this screen, adding new functionality just as theyhave with other portions of the program. In fact, they have alreadyadded a space in their Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..
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Conclusion[/LEFT]
Doug: All I can say is Wow! I was involved in theBeta test of this program, but seeing the final version just completelyblew me away. Mobile Shell 3 picked up right where the previousversion left off. Not only that, but Spb has done a great job oflistening to the criticisms of the previous version. Don’t like thereliance on the Spb Menu in the launcher? Now it is divided into twoseparate tabs. Don’t like the multiple pages to flip through as youhunt for that program? Now all those layers are removed, letting youscroll through all of the programs with a single flip of your finger. And most importantly, you wanted more customization, and Spb gave youthe widget oriented lifestyle view. If you thought Mobile Shell was acritical application before (and we would certainly agree) then you aregoing to definitely want to check out Mobile Shell 3…the only app whichcan make Mobile Shell 2 look inconsequential.
Clinton: When I got my HTC Fuze Iimmediately fell in love with TouchFLO 3D. I found it so much easier tonavigate my phone with and put a lot of my key information at myfingertips. With Mobile Shell 3, I’ve ended up moving away fromTouchFLO 3D altogether. It provides such a rich experience and anabundance of data at my finger tips, making it one of my must-haveapplications. The improvements from v2 to v3 are substantial. There isstill room to grow but it is clear that Spb have a hit with MobileShell 3.
Chris: Since getting my Epix, I’ve been lookingfor a decent alternative to the two Today plugins that come with it. Samsung Today just sucks weenies; and unfortunately, HTC Home or ANYversion of TouchFLO simply won’t run on the Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. (did I mention that THAT sucks, too??). I have versions of Mobile Shell on other devices, and the Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. comes with Mobile Shell 2 in its ROM.
I wasn’t very happy with Mobile Shell 2; but had heard some verygood murmurs about Mobile Shell 3, and jumped at the chance to be apart of this review effort. Mobile Shell 3 is fast becoming a must haveapp in my device corral. In my opinion, if you don’t have an HTC devicethat can support HTC Home, or better yet, a version of TouchFLO 2D/3D,then you NEED Spb Mobile Shell 3. Its going to fill the gap betweenyour fingers and your device, and make it much easier to use.
Doug: Normally, this is the part of the reviewwhere we would list off what we loved about a program and what needimprovement. The truth is, however, that would be almost impossiblewith a program like Mobile Shell 3. Almost everything about it isabsolutely incredible. Sure, there is room for growth and improvement,like in the lifestyle view, but these tended to be pretty minordetails, which rarely affected our use of the program.
Chris: I couldn’t agree more, Doug. My day jobis all about improvement and getting it right, so things like this arein my face all the time. Spb did a great job with Mobile Shell 3. While there are some definite opportunities for improvement within theapp, it is VERY usable, and adds a great deal to any device using it.
Mobile Shell 3 is available from Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register.. for $29.99. Discounts apply for owners of previous versions.
Ref: Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..
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Only Registered Users Can See Links.Click Here To Register..
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