Spb, KAMware Release SE-Compatible Theme Makers

[Janak Parekh]

This week, KAMware released <a href="http://www.thememaker.biz/thememakerproplus.htm">ThemeMakerPro Plus SE</a>, and Spb released an <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/extthemegen/?en">Extended Theme Generator</a>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040714-KAMTMP.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040714-SpbTheme.gif" /><br /><br />Spb's solution is a free add-on to <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/themegenerator_eula.mspx">Microsoft's Theme Generator</a> and supports Pocket Plus 2 Extended Themes, while KAMware's solution is a higher-end standalone product. Both are tools you should be certainly checking out if you want to make WM2003SE themes. 8)

[MasterOfMoo]

OK, for starters, I am admittedly cheap. But I will purchase software for my Pocket PC when it's something I feel I need/want bad enough even if there is the occassionally high price point. BUT I seriously doubt I'd ever go the Thememaker Pro route for the sole factor of the $34 price for a utility to make a theme for my Pocket PC.

What in the world would drive anyone to do so? I'm very curious to know.

[mf24]

http://www.ida.net/users/oe1k/programs/ThemeBuilder/index.htm

I make all my themes with Theme Builder since I updated my Toshiba to SE. I stumbled onto an easy method for editing the theme.inf file to set the colors: I make a preliminary version of the theme in Theme Generator, then load it onto my device and activate it. Then I open my registry editor and navigate to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Color. All the hex codes for the colors are right there.

[KAMware]

OK, for starters, I am admittedly cheap. But I will purchase software for my Pocket PC when it's something I feel I need/want bad enough even if there is the occassionally high price point. BUT I seriously doubt I'd ever go the Thememaker Pro route for the sole factor of the $34 price for a utility to make a theme for my Pocket PC.

What in the world would drive anyone to do so? I'm very curious to know.

Because ThemeMakerPro Plus SE is not intended for someone like you. It is for someone like me who makes scores, or hundreds or thousands of themes!

ThemeMakerPro Plus SE is not just a Theme Maker. It is an image editor, defined area screen capture program, video frame capture program, theme management program, theme web posting program and more.

If you just want to make a couple of themes for your self then it is not for you. There are plenty of less costly and free solutions available.

"Say mister how much did ya pay for that fancy Palm Pilot? What! Hundreds of dollars for that! Jeeze you are Krazy to spend that much money for that little thang!"

There are people on this site that have purchased thousands of dollars worth of Pocket PC's and other gadgets. None of them really needed to buy them. They got them because it is FUN!

And to some people Theme Making is fun. I am one of them and all the ThemeMakers I have made I have made primarily for myself. Selling a few of them helps offset all the tools and time put into them.

In my opinion $34 is cheap for a program that does all the things that this one does. But I am naturally biased on this point! :D

I started making the ThemeMaker programs because I was dissatisfied with the solutions available. And I feel all the ThemeMaker programs are a better alternative to the other solutions. They offer lots of features and customizability plus I believe I give the best support. I am always trying to make them better and easier to use.

Not too much support for free these days...

[Tierran]

I'm gonna have to agree with you here, kamware. When I had my PPC2k2 devices for almost 3 years...I loved making themes. I made probably close to a hundred themes just for fun. I only used the free generator because for PPC2k2 there wasn't that much you could do with the themes anyway.

WM2k3se is far more sophisticated and I've discovered the free solutions aren't solutions enough anymore. I'm checking this out now, but I think I'll probably be plopping the cash down for it. I was really dissappointed a lot of my themes were lost when I upgraded to my x30. But I knew it was only a matter of time before I could start making new ones :)