For you fans of SPB Mobile Shell out there, we're pleased to report that good things are coming in Version 5.0. They're not quite ready for you yet, but they're coming this year. The 3D animations are as smooth as butter, and the video doesn't do justice to how nice it looks on a screen as large as the HTC HD2. Peep the video after the break.
For the longest time SPB Mobile Shell was easily the best choice to customize the look and feel of your touchscreen Windows Mobile device. Our review of the most recent version of Mobile Shell (version 3.5) touted SPB’s penchant for putting so much functionality at your fingertips.
Somewhat lost in the shuffle of Microsoft’s big Windows Phone Seven Series announcement at Mobile World Congress, SPB announced version 5.0 of SPB Mobile Shell. Mobile Shell 5.0 introduces a number of new features such as a 3D engine which allows for a number of 3 dimensional graphical effects and 3d widgets. Improved support for social networks such as Facebook and Twitter will allow for status updates as well as contact and photo synchronization. One innovative feature that SPB is introducing is their Natural Interaction Engine which will provide support for technologies for Multitouch and G-sensors.
SPB has made a significant investment in the developer/hardware manufacturer segments with Mobile Shell 5.0. SPB UI Builder 2.0 is a set of tools that allow for customization of Mobile Shell and includes access to a number of APIs and includes a skin builder and plugins for integration for industry tools such as 3DMAX and Microsoft Expression Blend.
We have hands-on video coming. Stay tuned, folks.
SPB Software recently released an updated version of Time. Time is a one-stop shop for all your time-keeping needs, and the updated version (v3.0) is packed full of analog and digital modes, a world clock, timers, stopwatches and alarms. It may very well be all you'd ever need in a time application.
So what's new with v3.0? Here are the highlights:
We took SPB Time v3.0 out for a test drive. More after the break.
SPB Backup, one of our top choices for full-device backups, got a slight spec bump this week. Tilt Mobility spied it and notes the following changes:
You can snag the new download over at SPB's site.
It is time, ladies and gentlemen, for the sixth annual SPB Survey. SPB Software House is looking to get a better look at your needs in the mobile applications, and they're doing so worldwide, with the survey going out in 10 languages.
And your time may be rewarded. Three winners, picked at random, will receive the following:
So, really, you have no excuse for not taking the survey, which runs through 7 p.m. GMT Dec. 4, 2009. Take the survey now!
We’ve all heard it before; some well-meaning friend or relative made some comment to you that playing video games would turn your brain to mush (or some variation of that phrase). Not all video games are completely void of redeeming value however. SPB has a couple of games that are actually pretty decent about exercising various brain cells. Coincidentally, both have been updated recently. The first, SPB Brain Evolution 2.0 was announced last week. The second, SPB Quads is an update to SPB Quadronica.
For all the details on Quads, keep reading. (Hint: this has nothing to do with the popular off-roading vehicles.)
The other day, SPB announced the release of SPB Radio, a high-quality internet radio player for Windows phones. The radio application gives you subscription-free access to a wide variety of live streaming radio stations.
SPB Radio's key features include:
SPB Radio is available for both Windows Mobile Professional and Standard versions. We had the opportunity to take SPB Radio out for a test drive. Follow the break to see if what type impression SPB's latest offering made.
One of the major benefits of having a mobile device is the ability to stay connected and have instant communication in many different forms. One problem that can come up with the relatively small devices that we carry is actually getting access to the vast amount of information that is available on the Internet. Every once in a while, evolutions in separate technologies sync up and complement each other extremely well. Such is the case with mobile devices and syndication.
For the uninitiated, syndication in the form of Atom or RSS feeds (you can find ours here) offers a simple method of gathering articles or news items from various places around the internet and centralizing them in a feed reader. We’ve featured a number of feed readers on WMExperts including Newsbreak, Viigo, FeedMe, and even Google Reader within Kinoma Play.
SPB software sets the standard when it comes to Windows Mobile software. SPB is updating their Insight RSS aggregator and giving us SPB News 2.0 for $19.95. A free upgrade will be available for owners of Insight.
The full review is after the break.
One of the big selling points of Windows Mobile at this point is the amount of choice you have when you are looking to buy a device. Whereas some of Microsoft’s competitors in the Smartphone market are pushing one piece if hardware on one carrier, you can find Windows Mobile phones in all shapes and sizes on your carrier of choice. Honestly it’s kind of ironic that Microsoft is one of the more “open” or “accessible” choices when it comes to buying a handheld.
A priority when choosing a new piece of Windows Mobile hardware is what input method you prefer to use. I think most of us would agree that the software keyboard in Windows Mobile leaves a bad taste in your mouth, especially when compared to what is offered on some of the more popular hardware on the market.
With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at a small selection of what is available from third party developers in the way of software keyboards.
SPB has released a Beta Update to their Mobile Shell 3.0, SPB Mobile Shell 3.0.1 Beta 1. The update Beta fixes several "bugs" in the original and adds a few minor features. According to SPB, the release is not designed to add additional "standalone" features but rather to fix known bugs and add small features.
I installed the Beta update on the AT&T Fuze and the overall performance of Mobile Shell seemed to improve. The application felt more responsive to the touch. One fix was to resolve the tremendously slow screen rotation between portrait and landscape modes. The rotation speed was back to normal levels (maybe a hair faster) when you extend the keyboard of the Fuze. However, when you rotate the Fuze horizontally (without the keyboard extended) the screen no longer rotates. The fix is still in the Beta phase so I'm sure SPB will correct this.
A few of the more notable additions/fixes with the Beta include the addition of a "Show Today" widget; the addition of a "Remove All" command in the call log menu, and support for the "call" button in certain screens. From an individual contact screen, when you highlight the desired number to call and hit your "call" button the number is now dialed. In the original 3.0, the "call" button pulled up your dial screen.
There's no word from SPB when the update will be finalized and it's nice to see the prompt response SPB has made in addressing these issues. The SPB Mobile Shell 3.0.1 Beta can be downloaded here and for those interested, follow the break for the complete change log provided by SPB.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
New in the Forums
|
|
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
