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Judie Lipsett Hughes
02-06-2007, 07:45 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_01.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Software - Pocket PC Phone Productivity<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/?en">Spb Software House</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://software.pocketpcthoughts.com/product.asp?id=10499">Mobihand Affiliate Store</a><br /><b>Price:</b> $29.95 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> A Windows Mobile Device, may be downloaded as a CAB file (1.96MB) or as an EXE (2.52MB)<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Improves one-handed operation of Pocket PC Phones;<li>Added features and a tidier Today screen;<li>Smart contact search.<br /><br /><b>Cons:</b><br /><li>Hmm...I'm really trying to come up with one!<br /><br /><b>Summary:</b><br />One of the things I like most about my Treo 700wx is that it allows near perfect one-handed operation, both as a phone and as a PDA. However, due the lesser resolution of its screen when compared to other Pocket PCs, many of the Today screen plug-ins that I enjoy on other models require scrolling in order to be seen. Spb Mobile Shell manages to provide a more intuitive launcher than the Start menu, while combining a variety of desirable Today screen functions.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Yet Another Today Screen Plug-In?</b></span><br />Well yes, at first glance it is; and I wasn't sold on the idea of installing yet another one, either. I should mention that in the past I have installed various Today plug-ins on my Treo that provided instant views of the weather, the time in different cities, and system information. I also use the 700wx's built-in photo speed dial, which is a bit of a Today screen hog - but I like it. According to an early press release, all of these features that I enjoy having on my Today screen would be rolled into one plug-in with Mobile Shell, which promised:<br /><br /><li>The most important information on one screen;<li>A phone style menu;<li>Weather forecasts;<li>World time;<li>Launcher;<li>Big Dynamic tabs on Today;<li>Color based themes;<li>Smart Contact search; and<li>Auto-hide mode for Today plug-ins.<br />I'll install nearly anything once, so after a quick backup (with <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/?en">Spb Backup</a>, <i>natch!</i>), I was ready to install.<br /><br /><span><b>Tidying Up the Today Screen</b></span><br />One of my pet peeves is a Today screen with a scroll bar on it; don't bother asking why - it's just one of those things that makes me wince when I see it. Usually by the time a couple of Today screen items have been checked, the scroll bar on the Windows Mobile Treo's 240 x 240 screen will have made its unwelcome appearance. In order to avoid seeing it, I have to carefully manage my Today screen real estate. Sometimes this means doing without an item or plug-in that I might have otherwise enjoyed using. <br /><br />This first picture shows the Spb Mobile Shell Today plug-in. It has four standard tabs: Home, Time, Weather and Dial. Their orders can be rearranged in the program's settings, and more tabs can be added. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_01.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: Spb Mobile Shell showing the four standard tabs.</i><br /><br />Each tab, when clicked either by stylus or with the select button of the D-pad, will expand to show the various goodies contained in its section. We'll start with the Home Tab, which contains an always visible battery meter in its tab pocket, and which when expanded shows the 12 most recently opened applications. There is an option to pin the application shown in this tab - by pressing and holding it with finger tip or stylus - and then choosing that option from within the pop-up menu- or it can be removed from the Today screen entirely In this manner you can somewhat customize a personalized launcher. This is one of the few times that I'll mention where it is necessary to touch the screen while using Mobile Shell.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_02.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: The 12 most recently used applications are shown in the expanded tab view.</i><br /><br />The Time Tab shows the correlative times in three user-chosen cities. The "Next alarm" box shows the next of any three programmed alarms in the WM5 Clocks and Alarms settings. You should know that Spb scored<b> major</b> points with this Time Tab, because San Angelo was one of the included city options. Of course they didn't do it just for <i>me</i>, and of course they had no idea I would be reviewing this software...but let's just say that San Angelo is <b>never</b> on anyone's default time zone list - it just <i>never</i> happens; I usually have to select a city three hours away, like Austin or San Antonio, and well...<i>pffffft!</i> This was a nice surprise.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_03.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Three correlative cities time zones, including mine - for once!</i><br /><br />The Weather Tab shows the next four days' forecast for one chosen city, and yes - San Angelo was once again once of the options. I'm getting pretty spoiled by the city personalization offered here, let me tell you! Pressing and holding the day's forecast will allow the user to update the city's weather, choose Celsius or Fahrenheit, or change the selected city.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_04.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Four days of weather are shown.</i><br /><br />The last option is the Dial Tab, and it allows up to five representative graphics or textual entries for often-called numbers. These are the photos that have been selected for an entry either through Outlook or through the WM5 Contacts application.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_05.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: A mix of graphics and text for five of my most called numbers.</i><br /><br />Pressing and holding either the picture or text entry with a fingertip or stylus will reveal a menu of all the available numbers or other options for the contact. Unfortunately, there is no way to call up this menu without tapping the screen; pressing the D-pad calls the number that is specified as the speed-dial choice. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_06.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 6: The menu options given when a contact is tapped and held.</i><br /><br />As just a Today plug-in, I would be impressed with Mobile Shell, but it is only the beginning...<br /><PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>The Launcher</b></span><br />On my Treo, pressing the button with a Windows icon - the left soft button - will usually launch the Start menu. But Mobile Shell hijacks that option, and instead takes you to a very easy to use graphical launcher. The first view includes Spb's dynamic icons which will either "glow" or change to reflect when the D-pad selection is hovering over them. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_07.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 7: The Spb launcher, with various options.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_08.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 8: Notice how the Organizer is opened in this view.</i><br /><br />Since I just hovered over the Organizer, it makes sense to go ahead, click, and open it. Inside are the various personal information management choices.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_11.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 9: PIM options in the Organizer.</i><br /><br />Clicking Contacts reveals an alphabetical list of companies and individuals. I was disappointed at first because the usual Pocket PC quick-scroll option which displays a large capital letter reflecting the current position while scrolling through the Contacts list was not displaying.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_09.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 10: The default Contacts view.</i><br /><br />A moment later, all was forgiven when I realized that the name selection was completely intuitive, and all I had to do to find a contact was enter the first couple letters of their name or the first few numbers in their phone number. Clicking a contact with the D-pad's center select button will bring up the WM5 contact card, which allows you to choose which number to dial.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_10.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 11: Entering the first few letters of a name pulls up all possible options.</i><br /><PAGEBREAK><br />Going back to the Organizer screen and choosing Calendar opens a menu of options allowing the user to make a new appointment or select a particular view.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_12.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 12: The menu options given when a contact is tapped and held.</i><br /><br />The following pictures represent some of the other options available from within the Mobile Shell launcher screen; they should give a clear picture as to the easy navigation and some of the results when certain options are chosen.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_13.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 13: The view when the tools button is opened from the main launcher screen.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_14.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 14: Colored theme choices, there are 16 total.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_15.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 15: Options from within the center Start menu of the main launcher screen.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_16.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 16: Options from within the Programs folder of the main launcher screen.</i><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Controlling Spb Mobile Shell Options</b></span><br />This is the center hub of Spb Mobile Shell's options, and it is definitely a place with which the user will want to become familiar. It can be reached from the Settings menu of the main launcher screen, or by tapping an holding one of the tabs on the Today screen. The Today Tab offers the choice of allowing the selected tabs on the Today screen to stay expanded or to auto-hide when tapped. If auto-hide is not selected, and the tabs are expanding on the main screen to the user's annoyance, the option to auto-hide can be immediately chosen, also by tapping and holding the offending tab on the Today screen.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_17.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 17: Options involving the Today screen.</i><br /><br />The Now Screen Tab is the screen that appears when the screen is first turned on. I'll show it in all its glory shortly, but in the meantime, choices may be made as to whether or not it will show first thing, and whether a digital or analog clock will be shown with the other information it displays.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_18.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 18: The Now Screen Tab's options.</i><br /><br />The aptly named Tabs Tab is where the Today screen's Tabs may be rearranged or new ones can be created. One thing that I wish was possible, and I could not find a way to do it, was to create a quick and dirty specialized list of programs which I wanted to be able to launch from within their own tab without losing the option to display the recently chosen application icons. I did find a way around this, however. Clicking the Add button allows the option to add a tab for just about any program with a Today screen plug-in. I have Resco Explorer installed on my Treo, which has a simple icon program launcher, so I was able to create a Resco Tab. From within that tab I can very quickly access the programs I want to launch, even though they may not actually be my more recently chosen applications.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_19.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 19: The Tabs section allows the ability to add custom tabs to the Today screen.</i><br /><br />The Theme Tab is a second way to access the setting which controls the overall coloring of the Spb launcher and Today Screen.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_20.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 20: Another way to choose on of 16 available colored themes.</i><br /><br />The Weather Tab offers the option of whether or not to update weather forecasts automatically or manually with a simple check mark. Remember that cities and temperature grades are changed by tapping and holding the forecast from the Today screen.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_21.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 21: The one and only Weather Tab option.</i><br /><br />This last capture is of what's known as the Now Screen. It can be set to display when the device's screen is turned on, or it can be accessed by tapping Now from within the launcher. This is a <i>very</i> handy screen which displays the device's battery level, any new email, new text messages, any waiting voicemail messages, wireless signal strength, the time, the day, date and the weather. Tapping the email, text message or voicemail icons will take you directly to their respective program screens. Tapping the weather icon will take you to the Weather Tab on the Today screen, and tapping the time will also take you to its respective Today tab.<br />Not too shabby, huh?! <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ppcthoughts_judie_spb_mobile_shell_22.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 22: The Now Screen in all its glory.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />I am actually pretty amazed that Spb House released this program, because it takes several of their popular Today Plug-ins and offers "lite" versions of each rolled into one very nicely rounded application. I recognize bits borrowed from <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/weather/?en">Spb Weather</a>, <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/time/?en">Spb Time</a>, <a href="http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en">Spb Pocket Plus</a>, and perhaps snatches from a few of their other titles. This is a <b>really great</b> program for someone that doesn't need all of the extra features in the other full Spb applications, but it will also integrate and play nicely with the Spb titles I just mentioned and others. I like that it allows such a high degree of personalization while making the entire one-handed mobile phone experience even better with my Treo. Spb Mobile Shell has earned a permanent spot on my Treo.<br /><br /><i><a href="http://www.geardiary.com/about/">Judie Hughes</a>, who spent six years earning a reputation as a respected reviewer at The Gadgeteer, has now added "member of the Pocket PC Thoughts review team" to her list of credits. Her site, <a href="http://www.geardiary.com">Gear Diary</a>, continues her exploration of the gadget world with blog entries and reviews of all things geeky.</i>

Jon Westfall
02-06-2007, 08:03 PM
Hey Judie - Great Review!

I haven't had a chance to play with Mobile Shell yet (But I've been drooling over it...). Perhaps you can answer a couple of questions I have...

How does Mobile Shell play with other Today Plugins (Does it play at all?) I hate the scrollbar as much as you do, but I would like to put a small plug in below Mobile Shell - is this possible?

How does Mobile Shell play with other Spb titles? You mentioned that it was a "lite" version, but if I have the full version, does the support increase within the program? Or if I'm using Mobile Shell, should I steer clear of full versions?

Lastly, when you click the start menu in the upper left, do you get the classic start menu / program screen or is this taken by Mobile Shell? You mention the button mapping is "hijacked" - can one still get to the built in menus?

Again, the review looks great!

Judie Lipsett Hughes
02-06-2007, 08:20 PM
Hi Jon,
See - just when I think I have covered everything ad nauseam...you find some things I should cover more fully. :wink:

So here we go:

1. How does Mobile Shell play with other Today Plugins (Does it play at all?) I hate the scrollbar as much as you do, but I would like to put a small plug in below Mobile Shell - is this possible?

It plays VERY well. I had removed other programs from the Today screen for the review so there would be no confusion. Here is how it would look:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/72/pc_capture3.jpg

2. How does Mobile Shell play with other Spb titles? You mentioned that it was a "lite" version, but if I have the full version, does the support increase within the program? Or if I'm using Mobile Shell, should I steer clear of full versions?

If you are using Spb Mobile Shell and you have the full versions of Time, Weather, Plus, etc - there are no compatibility problems whatsoever. These programs integrate fully into Mobile Shell, and they will tuck into their own tabs. Here is Spb Diary, for instance:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/72/pc_capture2.jpg

3. Lastly, when you click the start menu in the upper left, do you get the classic start menu / program screen or is this taken by Mobile Shell? You mention the button mapping is "hijacked" - can one still get to the built in menus?

You do get the classic Start Menu when you click the upper left corner. The direct button (if your device has one) to the Start menu is hi-jacked, but the manual option is still available.

Let me know if you have any questions or need any other screenshots. Better yet, go download the trial. :)

bdavidson9554
02-06-2007, 08:49 PM
Just for the record, I tested these "fingertip/stylus only" cons on my iPAQ hw6945, and in all cases, if I held down the D-pad button, the popup would appear. So far, 100% stylus-free! :D

Great review. I'm really liking this app!

Brian

Judie Lipsett Hughes
02-06-2007, 08:54 PM
Just for the record, I tested these "fingertip/stylus only" cons on my iPAQ hw6945, and in all cases, if I held down the D-pad button, the popup would appear. So far, 100% stylus-free!

Totally not fair! That won't work on my Treo at all. :(

It's just a minor quibble - not really a con, and very interesting that it is device specific. Thanks for sharing the info. :)

rich710
02-06-2007, 09:33 PM
For my HTC P3600 (Trinity) The Start button below the scrollwheel is NOT hijacked by SPB Mobile Shell, it opens the usual startmenu...

Jerry Raia
02-06-2007, 10:05 PM
The button is hijacked on my 8525. :(

Jason Lee
02-06-2007, 10:07 PM
The button is hijacked on my 8525. :(

aah... can this be disabled.? i HATE button hijacking.... :evil:

brianchris
02-06-2007, 10:09 PM
This app definetely seems to improve one handed control of the PPC. One question though, regarding looking up contacts: IF the "quick scroll" icond does NOT appear anymore, and you have to enter the first few letters of a contacts name, that seems *less* one handed......or am I mis-understanding somethig? Everything else about the app seems great, and thanks for the review!

Jerry Raia
02-06-2007, 10:09 PM
Hijacked is the wrong word really, it is disabled! It does nothing now!

Yaroslav Goncharov
02-06-2007, 10:09 PM
Totally not fair! That won't work on my Treo at all.

It's just a minor quibble - not really a con, and very interesting that it is device specific. Thanks for sharing the info.
Tap and hold with the Action key on Today works on most devices. Unfortunately, it does not work on Treo because of a conflict with some additional features Palm implemented on top of Windows Mobile.

For my HTC P3600 (Trinity) The Start button below the scrollwheel is NOT hijacked by SPB Mobile Shell, it opens the usual startmenu...
By default, Spb Mobile Shell "hijacks" the Start Menu only on Treo devices since for other users Spb Menu is available through the right soft key on Today. You can always assign a hardware button to open Spb Menu in the Settings panel: go Spb Menu->Settings->Personal->Buttons and select "Spb Menu" in the combo box.

Judie Lipsett Hughes
02-06-2007, 10:14 PM
Hijacked is the wrong word really, it is disabled! It does nothing now!
I think you broke it - stop mashing at it with your thumb! :wink:

Yaroslav may be able to help with this, he is from Spb...

Tony Rylow
02-06-2007, 10:15 PM
This app definetely seems to improve one handed control of the PPC. One question though, regarding looking up contacts: IF the "quick scroll" icond does NOT appear anymore, and you have to enter the first few letters of a contacts name, that seems *less* one handed......or am I mis-understanding somethig? Everything else about the app seems great, and thanks for the review!

It may be less one-handed for you because your device has a sliding keyboard that you have to open to type. For those us us with keyboards on the front of our devices, it works great.

Yaroslav Goncharov
02-06-2007, 10:16 PM
Hijacked is the wrong word really, it is disabled! It does nothing now!
Spb Menu leaves all hardware alone on all devices other than Palm. Could you check Settings->Personal->Buttons to cofirm that this problems is caused by Spb Mobile Shell. If it is, could you contact me via email (yaroslav at softspb.com)?

Jerry Raia
02-06-2007, 10:16 PM
I'm too upset over this to talk right now. I'm going to lay down.

OK I'll take a look there :lol:

brianchris
02-06-2007, 10:19 PM
This app definetely seems to improve one handed control of the PPC. One question though, regarding looking up contacts: IF the "quick scroll" icond does NOT appear anymore, and you have to enter the first few letters of a contacts name, that seems *less* one handed......or am I mis-understanding somethig? Everything else about the app seems great, and thanks for the review!

It may be less one-handed for you because your device has a sliding keyboard that you have to open to type. For those us us with keyboards on the front of our devices, it works great.

Ahhhh....OK, so the assumption is it contines to excel at one handed use*if* you have a front keyboard.....strange, as *most* Pocket PC's do *not* have a front keyboard.....I wonder why the quick scroll can't still be there for the majority of us out there??? I may still be missing something here.

Tony Rylow
02-06-2007, 10:26 PM
After playing some more,i'vefound that if i assign a button to open contacts or hit Menu>Contacts, the quickscroll does work normally.

Yaroslav Goncharov
02-06-2007, 10:26 PM
This app definetely seems to improve one handed control of the PPC. One question though, regarding looking up contacts: IF the "quick scroll" icond does NOT appear anymore, and you have to enter the first few letters of a contacts name, that seems *less* one handed......or am I mis-understanding somethig? Everything else about the app seems great, and thanks for the review!

It may be less one-handed for you because your device has a sliding keyboard that you have to open to type. For those us us with keyboards on the front of our devices, it works great.

Ahhhh....OK, so the assumption is it contines to excel at one handed use*if* you have a front keyboard.....strange, as *most* Pocket PC's do *not* have a front keyboard.....I wonder why the quick scroll can't still be there for the majority of us out there??? I may still be missing something here.
The current idea is that you enter as many letters to have only a few contacts on the screen and then select the contact you want. You can do it easily using DPAD or screen taps (since all elements are large enough). We are looking into improving the scenario you described.

paschott
02-06-2007, 11:42 PM
Just wanted to add my feedback. I've been using the product for a while and it's a great addition to the SPB lineup. The ability to pin certain programs and remove others from the quick-launch is a great addition. One-handed use is pretty nice. The auto-hide feature is great when you don't want to use it directly and just want it available as needed. The Now screen is pretty cool. And if you have other SPB apps, they plug in rather nicely to enhance the built-in functionality. Time and Weather can enhance the default behaviors to add options and enable additional customization. Pocket Plus plays well with the app as a plug-in and if the current integration is any indicator, it looks like the next releases of all of their apps will really play well together.

I haven't really found too many drawbacks to the app. It's not Pocket Plus with its configurable program launchers, but it doesn't pretend to be. What it offers is really a good deal for most non-Power Users (and even for power users). It's a good add-in without being overly intimidating with various options and such.

Kudos to SPB for a great addition to the lineup.

Jason Lee
02-07-2007, 12:20 AM
it doesn't appear that Spb Weather or Spb Time really enhance the time and weather tabs in Mobile Shell as much as simply replace them. You can choose to replace one of the tabs with the real program.

paschott
02-07-2007, 01:16 AM
it doesn't appear that Spb Weather or Spb Time really enhance the time and weather tabs in Mobile Shell as much as simply replace them. You can choose to replace one of the tabs with the real program.

Sorry - my mistake there. I apologize for the misleading comments. I remember the change, but didn't remember that it was by replacing the tabs. :oops:

Jason Lee
02-07-2007, 01:42 AM
Sorry - my mistake there. I apologize for the misleading comments. I remember the change, but didn't remember that it was by replacing the tabs. :oops:

no worries. I was just throwing in my observations. :)

mm
02-07-2007, 01:55 AM
Seems like a great program and adds the finger control that should be part of the ppc experince, but is there any way to reduce it's footprint?

2.56 M is a lot of precious memory.

Can one get rid of parts of it and save memory like all the color options?

brightppc
02-07-2007, 02:11 AM
I don't know about that software but Judie is hot !! :mrgreen:

fmcpherson
02-07-2007, 04:02 AM
I generally avoid Today screen plugins due to the performance hit you normally take when using them. Does using Mobile Shell degrade over all system performance at all? Is there any delay in redrawing the Today screen?

Jason Lee
02-07-2007, 04:14 AM
I generally avoid Today screen plugins due to the performance hit you normally take when using them. Does using Mobile Shell degrade over all system performance at all? Is there any delay in redrawing the Today screen?

Honestly my system seems faster now that i have pocket plus off of the today page and set as a tab inside mobile shell. Now if mobile shell just had memory meters i could loose the pocket plus today plugin all together. :D

I was very afraid that this app would really slow my 200MHz device down. I have been very surprised.
It does take a lot of rom to install though. but it runs well.

Phillip Dyson
02-07-2007, 04:32 AM
Great review Judie!

By the way I hate the today screen scroll bar too. Does this play nice with other today plugins like PocketBreeze, or does it only integrate with SPB software?

ctmagnus
02-07-2007, 07:05 AM
There are also recent updates to Pocket Plus, Diary, and Weather.

Is anyone who uses custom templates in Spb Weather having issues downloading from the sources that use those templates? I can pull from GisMeteo (the default template for Spb Weather) without issue, but the WeatherNetwork-CA template that was working for me five hours ago no longer works with the latest version of Weather.

jngold_me
02-07-2007, 08:41 AM
Let me just say that v1.0 is a fantastic achievement.

However, that being said, there are too many places in the application that make assumptions that the WM default apps are what is used.

For example:

1. Organizer - 3rd Party PIM support is needed (as mentioned by others)
2. Multimedia - Only WMP shows for music. I use PocketPlayer. What about the Core Player? Pocket Music? etc. etc.
3. Internet - what about netfront? Opera?
4. Tools->Browse Files - uses default file explorer, I use Resco

The ability to add 3rd party apps to replace the standard functions would be awesome, but would also increase the complexity of the shell. However, since the menu is a major component of the application, it should be customizable enough to support other applications besides the default.
Sure you could launch these apps via tradional methods as PPC owners have done for years, but since the shell is supposed to aid in this process, it should be able to conform to your apps.

Tony Rylow
02-07-2007, 12:05 PM
Something else that would have been cool to include in this would have been the option of having the Now screen to come up after x minutes idle. I'd be willing to drain my battery some more and keep the device on for longer, if that Now screen would be back automatically after a predetermined period of time, even after i tap a few things on the screen, then leave it alone. Great for when I am at work, and want to monitor my device (but keep my hands off so boss doesn't bug me!!).

le_meilleur
02-07-2007, 02:29 PM
2 ctmagnus:

Hello,

Probably you need to re-add this source through the template you have.
Please try to remove all your cities which are using this weather source.
Then please remove the source itself from Spb Weather.
Then quit Spb Weather and open again and add the source and your cities.

I do hope this will help.

hoffman
02-08-2007, 12:14 AM
Hi

I downloaded the 15 day trial last night onto my iPAQ 2790 before I decide to purchase it.

I think SPB shell actually speeds up the today screen if you have other spb today plug ins. I timed the time it takes to reload all the programs running and ready for use after a soft reset which I think is an indication how much today plug ins will slow a device down.

SPB pocket plus and a few other plug ins without SPB shell took 1 minute and 20 seconds to reload after a reset.With SPB shell and pocket plus in the SPB shell tab it took 56 seconds.

These times are obviously device specific and depends also how many plug ins you have and how many plug ins are in the pocket plus tabs but on my device I found having pocket plus in the SPB shell an improvement.

The only real irritation I have with SPB shell are tha large tab icons. I never like large icons on the today screen and with Pocket plus one can reduce the size of these icons and with SPB shell one cannot. The tab icons become smaller if you add one more to the 4 but on my iPAQ 2790 5 tab icons appear to be the maximum.

I know SPB software always listens to the wishes of their customers so I can well imagine within the next 6 months there will be upgrades if we voice our concerns.

Regards Brian

Perry Reed
02-08-2007, 02:55 AM
Something else that would have been cool to include in this would have been the option of having the Now screen to come up after x minutes idle. I'd be willing to drain my battery some more and keep the device on for longer, if that Now screen would be back automatically after a predetermined period of time, even after i tap a few things on the screen, then leave it alone. Great for when I am at work, and want to monitor my device (but keep my hands off so boss doesn't bug me!!).

Yes! I was just going to suggest this very thing. I'm loving this app so far, and that would be my only request. I really dig the Now screen.

Perry Reed
02-08-2007, 02:58 AM
Actually, there is one more thing I'd change. The CAB install doesn't let me choose where to install it and I'm forced to put it main memory when I'd much rather install to my storage card.

huangzhinong
02-08-2007, 03:16 AM
Hi

I downloaded the 15 day trial last night onto my iPAQ 2790 before I decide to purchase it.

I think SPB shell actually speeds up the today screen if you have other spb today plug ins. I timed the time it takes to reload all the programs running and ready for use after a soft reset which I think is an indication how much today plug ins will slow a device down.

SPB pocket plus and a few other plug ins without SPB shell took 1 minute and 20 seconds to reload after a reset.With SPB shell and pocket plus in the SPB shell tab it took 56 seconds.

These times are obviously device specific and depends also how many plug ins you have and how many plug ins are in the pocket plus tabs but on my device I found having pocket plus in the SPB shell an improvement.

The only real irritation I have with SPB shell are tha large tab icons. I never like large icons on the today screen and with Pocket plus one can reduce the size of these icons and with SPB shell one cannot. The tab icons become smaller if you add one more to the 4 but on my iPAQ 2790 5 tab icons appear to be the maximum.

I know SPB software always listens to the wishes of their customers so I can well imagine within the next 6 months there will be upgrades if we voice our concerns.

Regards Brian

you can have one more (6 is the max).

huangzhinong
02-08-2007, 03:17 AM
Actually, there is one more thing I'd change. The CAB install doesn't let me choose where to install it and I'm forced to put it main memory when I'd much rather install to my storage card.

You can't install them to storage card, all resources are required during bootup.

asherlockhart
02-08-2007, 05:36 AM
Important - I love this Mobile Shell except for this problem, somebody help me please.

Since I installed SPB Mobile Shell, my alarm does not execute after I select the snooze feature.

(To be clear, the alarm goes off correctly, but if I hit snooze, it does not go off again. If I then turn the device on, the alarm goes off instantly.)

I'm running the latest version of all SPB products as of today (2007-Feb-07).

My products include:

SPB Mobile Shell
SPB Time
SPB Weather
SPB Diary
SPB Backup

On a current o2 Atom (Windows Mobile 5).

I have verified this by removing Mobile SHell and finding that the snooze feature returned to normal...

Any help would be appreciated.

Jason Lee
02-08-2007, 05:43 AM
Important - I love this Mobile Shell except for this problem, somebody help me please.

Since I installed SPB Mobile Shell, my alarm does not execute after I select the snooze feature.

(To be clear, the alarm goes off correctly, but if I hit snooze, it does not go off again. If I then turn the device on, the alarm goes off instantly.)

I'm running the latest version of all SPB products as of today (2007-Feb-07).

My products include:

SPB Mobile Shell
SPB Time
SPB Weather
SPB Diary
SPB Backup

On a current o2 Atom (Windows Mobile 5).

I have verified this by removing Mobile SHell and finding that the snooze feature returned to normal...

Any help would be appreciated.

are you using spb time for your alarms or the built in pocket pc alarms?

asherlockhart
02-08-2007, 05:46 AM
Important - I love this Mobile Shell except for this problem, somebody help me please.

Since I installed SPB Mobile Shell, my alarm does not execute after I select the snooze feature.

(To be clear, the alarm goes off correctly, but if I hit snooze, it does not go off again. If I then turn the device on, the alarm goes off instantly.)

I'm running the latest version of all SPB products as of today (2007-Feb-07).

My products include:

SPB Mobile Shell
SPB Time
SPB Weather
SPB Diary
SPB Backup

On a current o2 Atom (Windows Mobile 5).

I have verified this by removing Mobile SHell and finding that the snooze feature returned to normal...

Any help would be appreciated.

are you using spb time for your alarms or the built in pocket pc alarms?

Yes - I'm using SPB Time as my alarm clock. Any help would be appreciated.

myrampar
02-08-2007, 07:03 AM
I installed Spb Mobile Shell last night and have been playing around with it. I really like it so far but for me there are a few things I believe could use some improvement.

One thing that is frustrating me currently is the inability to add my city (Boise) to the tabs on the Today screen for Weather and Time. It is there in both programs if I display their individual Today Plugins, but I can't find it in the list of cities in the options of either Tabs settings and there doesn't appear to be any other way to add it. Perhaps its just an oversight on my part.

I also second a previous posters comments about the ability for Spb Mobile Shell to use 3rd party applications rather than the built-in Mail and Explorer applications. We all know how complete those are. :wink:

I much prefer to use FlexMail and Resco Explorer than the WM5 defaults.

Yaroslav Goncharov
02-08-2007, 09:59 AM
Important - I love this Mobile Shell except for this problem, somebody help me please.

Since I installed SPB Mobile Shell, my alarm does not execute after I select the snooze feature.

(To be clear, the alarm goes off correctly, but if I hit snooze, it does not go off again. If I then turn the device on, the alarm goes off instantly.)

I'm running the latest version of all SPB products as of today (2007-Feb-07).

My products include:

SPB Mobile Shell
SPB Time
SPB Weather
SPB Diary
SPB Backup

On a current o2 Atom (Windows Mobile 5).

I have verified this by removing Mobile SHell and finding that the snooze feature returned to normal...

Any help would be appreciated.
Asherlockhart,

We will try to reproduce the problem you described.

- Do you have password lock enabled? If so what is the timeout?
- Do you lock your device when turn it off?
- Is problem reproduced everytime or once in a while?

You can reach me via email yaroslav at softspb.com

asherlockhart
02-08-2007, 11:45 AM
Important - I love this Mobile Shell except for this problem, somebody help me please.

Since I installed SPB Mobile Shell, my alarm does not execute after I select the snooze feature.

(To be clear, the alarm goes off correctly, but if I hit snooze, it does not go off again. If I then turn the device on, the alarm goes off instantly.)

I'm running the latest version of all SPB products as of today (2007-Feb-07).

My products include:

SPB Mobile Shell
SPB Time
SPB Weather
SPB Diary
SPB Backup

On a current o2 Atom (Windows Mobile 5).

I have verified this by removing Mobile SHell and finding that the snooze feature returned to normal...

Any help would be appreciated.
Asherlockhart,

We will try to reproduce the problem you described.

- Do you have password lock enabled? If so what is the timeout?
- Do you lock your device when turn it off?
- Is problem reproduced everytime or once in a while?

You can reach me via email yaroslav at softspb.com

-Yes the lock is enabled, 1Hr.
-No
-Everytime.

Thanks for the help.

Zagleft1
02-08-2007, 07:45 PM
I'm having alarm problems too. I had SPB Time installed and since I've installed Shell, my heretofore-always-100%-reliable morning alarm has stopped working altogether (as contrasted with asherlock's snooze problem).

Basically have the same setup- 1 hour lock delay, don't lock device when just turning it off. SPB Time alarm has failed both days since installing Shell.

I'll try a random alarm now to see what happens; hopefully that will tell me whether its a "sleep" problem.

Zagleft1
02-08-2007, 08:15 PM
Well, a newly set one-time alarm did not work either, so it doesn't appear to have anything to do with the "time-out locking" aspect of the device. The regular system alarm seems to work fine, so it seems just to be a conflict with Shell and SPB Time. Yikes, this a problem because I rely on SPB time for a daily alarm.

Jason Lee
02-08-2007, 11:12 PM
I have MS and spb time installed. my alarm worked fine this morning..

floepie
02-09-2007, 04:13 AM
Nice first release.

I do have another problem to report - The backlight adjuster doesn't work, and I think I know why.

Phone Alarm, another app which can control the backlight based on profile changes, also has problems being able to change the backlight on some devices.

The common factor on these devices is the presence of only 1 backlight slider as opposed to 2. They will release an update soon for devices which have only 1 slider and include the Prophet.

So, perhaps SPB Shell and Phone Alarm have the same problem with these devices.

BTW, I have a Prophet.

Don Tolson
02-09-2007, 06:06 PM
I'm fascinated by it's ability to update the weather when the unit is 'cradled'. I can understand if the unit is connected to the internet, but how does it do it just attached to my PC?

Is it somehow making use of the internet connection on the PC to get updates?

Tony Rylow
02-10-2007, 01:18 AM
I've installed the shell trial on my Treo 750v and I have SPB Time also installed. My alarms have worked fine all week.



I'm fascinated by it's ability to update the weather when the unit is 'cradled'. I can understand if the unit is connected to the internet, but how does it do it just attached to my PC?

Is it somehow making use of the internet connection on the PC to get updates?

When you have it attached to your PC with the sync cable, Activesync uses your PC's internet connection to give access to your WM device.

ctmagnus
02-10-2007, 07:42 AM
2 ctmagnus:

Hello,

Probably you need to re-add this source through the template you have.
Please try to remove all your cities which are using this weather source.
Then please remove the source itself from Spb Weather.
Then quit Spb Weather and open again and add the source and your cities.

I do hope this will help.

:oops: I was using the wrong template.

Something that you may want to consider for future versions is the ability to save the template files when uninstalling a given version in order to upgrade to a later version.

tivoboy
02-14-2007, 11:05 PM
I like the product, decided to buy it.
this was posted on another user forum, nice discount, making it 18$

51956289572

claus2488
02-20-2007, 07:47 PM
i seem to have a new empty temporary contac list ...when i go to add contacts to the tab screen and when i add a contact to this new list it disappears when i open again

how can i get it to open my real contact list


i love the program and judi's fantastic review

wally

ctmagnus
02-21-2007, 05:43 AM
i seem to have a new empty temporary contac list ...when i go to add contacts to the tab screen and when i add a contact to this new list it disappears when i open again

I was having a similar issue for a while. Performing a soft-reset cleared it up for a while, but then it would resurface.

I eventually did a hard-reset on the device and reinstalled everything, as I hadn't done so in a while, and I haven't had that issue since.

claus2488
02-21-2007, 02:56 PM
thank you for this ... what do you use for full backup ... i need a good one to the disk ... before i do a hard reset

wally

ctmagnus
02-21-2007, 11:24 PM
Spb backup (http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/)

claus2488
02-21-2007, 11:59 PM
i just got it and it is good

Don Tolson
02-26-2007, 11:44 PM
Anyone else noticed that their weather forecast is a bit 'off'?
For the last couple of days, Spb has been forecasting Snow for Victoria, B.C., but Environmment Canada is showing high/lows of 8/2 and Chance of Showers.

...wonder where Spb is getting its weather from????

Jason Lee
02-27-2007, 12:56 AM
the weather forcasts can be very off depending on your location.
Spb uses www.gismeteo.ru for their weather forcast info. It is all based off computer predictions of global weather patterns. so there is a lot of room for error.

It seems to be off to some extent for everyone world wide. So more than others. This past week my forcast has been 10+ degrees cooler than what it actuall has been here. :)

Denis Khitrov
02-27-2007, 06:12 PM
Hi Don,

You know, sometimes I think that meteorologists use magic forecast making. =) Actually, as Jason already wrote all big meteo agencies use common global world weather models (there are two or three of them) and they apply a custom technique to approximate data for the specified location. This is what Gismeteo does as well. Surely they just can't guarantee a high accuracy of their forecasts. And as far as we know they are making some updates of their servers, probably this is somehow related.

But if you use Spb Weather you could try to get data from different weather sources. There are more then 20 templates developed by advanced users are available at www.pdagold.com. If you are experienced in programming you even can create your own template. You could find more information about this in SpbClub.com forums.

Thank you!

ctmagnus
02-28-2007, 03:25 AM
fwiw, I use the Weather Channel template available here (http://www.pdagold.com/themes/detail.asp?t=14490). You just need to go to weather.com and look up your city's weather code, as indicated in the example in the text file included in the zip file available from that site. There're also a few Weather Network templates available here (http://www.pdagold.com/themes/list.asp?tp=11&amp;c=0&amp;ld=0&amp;s=&amp;fi=10).

The latter option is local to Canada, so it should be more accurate. ;)

SteelWheel
03-14-2007, 07:53 AM
I just got a Treo 700WX to replace my old XV-6600..I wasn't thrilled about making the change, but Verizon's "firmware upgrade" semi-bricked my old device, so I was sort of endplayed into getting this new gadget.

I was looking for the WM5 version of Spb Pocket Plus, and saw the review here of this new Spb product. It seemed as if it might be better for me than Pocket Plus, but not sure. My favorite features on Pocket Plus were:

1. Close button that really closes
2. Battery power meter at top of every screen
3. Ability to open multiple IE windows.

Pocket Plus' Today plug-in seemed like a really good idea in theory--in practice, I just found it to be a tremendous resource hog.

I can see this new app will cover the battery life issues; does it share the "close button that really closes" and multiple IE windowing features? If so, I'm sold. If not, I have to make some decisions. Getting both seems like overkill--to say nothing of the potential for the device to get confused with two similar apps both in the mix.

Jason Lee
03-14-2007, 12:38 PM
I just got a Treo 700WX to replace my old XV-6600..I wasn't thrilled about making the change, but Verizon's "firmware upgrade" semi-bricked my old device, so I was sort of endplayed into getting this new gadget.

I was looking for the WM5 version of Spb Pocket Plus, and saw the review here of this new Spb product. It seemed as if it might be better for me than Pocket Plus, but not sure. My favorite features on Pocket Plus were:

1. Close button that really closes
2. Battery power meter at top of every screen
3. Ability to open multiple IE windows.

Pocket Plus' Today plug-in seemed like a really good idea in theory--in practice, I just found it to be a tremendous resource hog.

I can see this new app will cover the battery life issues; does it share the "close button that really closes" and multiple IE windowing features? If so, I'm sold. If not, I have to make some decisions. Getting both seems like overkill--to say nothing of the potential for the device to get confused with two similar apps both in the mix.

Pocket plus and mobile shell are totally different programs with totally different functions. Pocket plus tweaks how windows functions. Mobile shell adds new ways to interface with your pocket pc.
They are designed to work togather and do quite well.

I run both. Much like you I only use plus for the battery bar, close button and IE windows. The nice thing about pocket plus is that you can remove the components that you do not use. I have actually removed almost all of pocket plus. ;)

The today plugins are entirely different between the two programs. I actually like the Mobile shell plugin better so that is what I use. You can actually put the pocket plus today plugin inside the mobile shell plugin it you still need its functionality.

There are free 30 day trials of both programs. I would download and install both just to see what they are like.

Honestly the only thing similar between plus and shell is they both have today plugins... However those plugins are totally different.

Keep in mind that if you but one program from Spb's website the will give you a discount of future software purchases. ;)

circc
05-01-2007, 05:31 PM
I like the mobile shell a lot, but my biggest complaint is that the menus only work with standard wmo5 applications (Messaging, IE). As someone who uses FlexMail as email client and Opera as the web browser, the otherwise nice menus are completely useless, as is the message button on the NOW screen. I am hoping this will be configurable in the next version!

YKiY
12-27-2007, 04:27 AM
I don't think that SPB mobile shell and Pocket Plus are desinged to work together, once I used them both and what I got after that? White screens, low speed... hard reset

1. Close button that really closes
2. Battery power meter at top of every screen
3. Ability to open multiple IE windows.
wkTASK can do that much better