Posts Tagged ‘Windows Mobile’

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Samsung Mondi Reviewed

August 22nd, 2009

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Continuing with the Samsung Mondi and its Widget Loving Smartbook self. CNET Kent German reviewed it and it is a good opportunity to have a good look at it running and decide if it is for you.

However i must say that Kent got some serious disdain (bias even?) against Windows Mobile and maybe against the whole Smartbook concept.but hey maybe he is just getting old. (kidding…i think) still worth a look.

Samsung Mondi SWD-M100  via CNET

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FEWidgets Ultimate

August 22nd, 2009

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Sure, Samsung TouchWIZ is now a platform open for third party developers. But for over half a year before that. The Windows Mobile prodigal hackers of Xda-Developer got their own version of that named FEWidgets.

FEWidgets Ultimate is the update and ongoing project for that. The original works for Windows Mobile 5,6 and 6.1 but requires both Compact .NET and Flash installed for it to work.  Ultimate that is the new version is Native to the device but this comes to a price and only Windows Mobile 6.1  and 6.5 will be able to use it. So if you got a Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device i recommend you to still go and install the original FEWidgets since there are dozens of widgets available and it is a good way to add something to refresh your old device.

FEWidgets Ultimate Two         

Ultimate just like its predecessor is to be used in your Today screen. in the case of 6.1 that is straight forward, in the case of 6.5 you may end up having it into a new panel in your device.

Here are the highlights of FEWidgets Ultimate

  • Haptic feedback
  • Multiple Layouts/Pages support (up to 4)
  • Multiple Windows for each page with 0 loading time
  • Support for Landscape/Portrait modes
  • Skinnable though XML files (or just modifying the images)
  • Scriptable through javascript
  • Extensible though C++ plugins

Some of the widgets included with FEWidgets are:

  • Operator Name
  • RSS Feed Reader
  • Appointments
  • Tasks
  • Contact widget
  • Battery/Phone signal Strength indicator
  • Background Image Changer
  • Quick Dial
  • Calendar (when tapped will link to \Windows\Calendar.lnk)
  • Weather. Shows you the weather for today. Current temperature and forecasted Min/Max for today.
For Windows Mobile 6.1 i think this is the best choice if you don’t have a TouchWIZ ( a Samsung WM Phone). In the case of Windows Mobile 6.5 its use is more a matter of taste since  WM 6.5 will come with its own Mobile Widget Engine.
 
 
 
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Samsung Mondi: A Widget Loving Smartphone / Smartbook / MID

August 10th, 2009

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Samsung is no stranger to widgets. But the Samsung Mondi goes beyond all the other devices when it comes to them. One thing you will note from the Title is that i could not make up my mind in what to call it because:

Smartphones are CellPhones with High End Features and a High End Mobile OS

Smartbook is a proposition term to call a “Portable Personal Computer in a Smartphone factor with a Smartphone OS but that is not actually a Phone”.

MID (Mobile Internet Devices) are usually the size of a Smartphone but come with Skinned versions of Embedded XP or tuned versions of XP home and sometimes come with phone functions.

So Samsung says that the Mondi is a MID but it don’t comes with phone functions and it uses a Smartphone OS and Factor.  So for me it more of a Smartbook. But whatever. What do you need to know is that it loves widgets.

It comes with Windows Mobile 6.1 (should be upgradeable later to 6.5 that got its own widget engine). comes with TouchWIZ that is the mobile desktop widget engine from Samsung (That may also get updates), Should come with Opera Mobile 9.5 that also got its Widget Engine. And finally it supports Flash so most widgets you have online will work too.  Lots of widgets for all!.

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It is a device to look for  now that is out and here are its specs:

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  • Windows Mobile 6.1
  • Microsoft Outlook and Windows Mobile Office
  • WiMAX Mobile Internet Access
  • WiFi Access (BTv2.1+EDR)
  • GPS: Route 66 Navigation with Preloaded Maps
  • 4GB of Internal Memory
  • Direct Push/Mobile Email (POP3, IMAP, SMTP)
  • Supports Instant Messaging and MMS
  • 3.0 Megapixel Camera and Camcorder
  • Bluetooth ® 2.0
  • Opera 9.5 Web Browser
  • HDMI TV Out
  • Supports Multiple Video and Audio Player Formats

    One Last thing to note is that it comes with VOIP apps from the let go so it does indeed lets you make calls if you were wondering why buying such a beast of a device if it cannot make calls.  It can make them but it is not a phone.

    via SamsungNews

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    On Opera Mobile 9.7 and Its Widget Manager

    June 14th, 2009

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    Opera released Opera Mobile 9.7 for Windows Mobile over a week was great advancement for Opera now that they have to worry about having to fight on the Smartphone space with SkyFire that is now finally out that supports a true full web experience when it comes to content (flash, flex, silverlight, java, heavy ajax), IEM6 (when it comes to Windows Mobile) and soon enough with Firefox Mobile that will bring addons to Mobile Browsing.  their response so far relies on Opera Turbo that is a network traffic compressor so you get a much faster browsing experience and in its built in Widget Platform that now has been highlighted by Opera with the introduction of a Widget Manager.

    They introduced the Widget Manager as a way to keep happy mobile carriers as they depend on them to continue dominating the space and because having it separated means the mobile browser will not suffer from crashes related to the widgets and that the widgets will be able to work without the process from the mobile browser gets in the way.

    Another good thing about having the Widgets Manager is that you get a Opera Widgets springboard that will drive you use these widgets more and to use more of these widgets, as it increases its ease of use and convenience factor.

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    Right now it is anybody’s guess if Opera Mobile 9.7 will indeed come with Flash support but i hope it does because, it will be harder and harder for Opera to keep up with the Windows Mobile market as it is the one that got not only a lot of mobile browsers to choose from but the most powerful from any platform as Windows Mobile is getting the most powerful hardware. Opera Widgets will serve as a edge for symbian and Windows Mobile phones from 5 to 6.1, but starting with Windows Mobile 6.5 they would do little good as Windows Mobile comes with its own Native Widget Engine and one that looks to be a lot more powerful that the one from Opera. and as stated also comes with the new IE Mobile 6 that will come with Flash Support.

    Opera Mobile 9.7 Beta

    via CNET

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    Posted in Mobile, Tools, Widget Platform

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    FEwidgets:Widgetize Your Windows Mobile Phone Today Screen

    January 20th, 2009

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    With the release of the Omnia. many Windows Mobile Users are having a widget envy. but don`t feel it as strong enough for them to motivate them to buy a omnia either. so what to do?. how about being brave and installing the widgets yourself?. this is possible thanks to a project called FEwidgets.

    This project got out of the now quite legendary Xda-Developers community forum where you can find the best Windows Mobile Hackers and part time developers around.

    FEwidgets is a project that got initiated by Nicodega and since then it has been extended and supported by many other Xda-Developers and now counts with themes for the application but what is more important a growing library of widgets.if it looks like out of the omnia. that is no coicidence. there is even a theme to fully imitate the TouchWIZ widget sidebar.

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    You can now find over 20 widgets for the application and you can count many features too as you can see from this Quote out of the project page:

    Features:
    - Haptic feedback. When clicking on widget buttons you’ll feel a small vibration.
    - Can be run as a Today Plugin. (It must be the only one selected)
    - Multiple Layouts/Pages support (up to 4).
    - Support for Landscape/Portrait modes.
    - VGA/QVGA/WQVGA/WVGA support.
    - Extensible/Open architecture. Anyone can create it’s own widgets just using flash. If you need something “special” and know some C#, you can extend available commands through a custom assembly.


    Implemented Widgets:
    - RSS Feed Reader New!     usage
    - Comming appointments
    - Tasks
    - Contact widget
    - Date widget
    - Battery/Phone signal Strength indicator.
    - S2P Player control.
    - Analog Clock
    - Diamond like Clock
    - Background Image Changer
    - Bluetooth State (Can turn on/off)
    - Wi-Fi State (Can turn on/off)
    - Quick Dial.
    - Layout swapper.
    - Locker (locks widget dragging)
    - Calendar (when tapped will link to \Windows\Calendar.lnk)
    - Shortcuts Widget. This widget allows creating shortcuts to exe/lnk files. You can drop the widget as many times as you want.
    - Missed Calls. Shows the number of missed calls. When double tapped will take you to the missed calls log.
    - “Profile” changer. Lets you switch between On/Vibrate/Off modes.
    - Weather. Shows you the weather for today. Current temperature and forecasted Min/Max for today.
    - SMS information. Once you drop this widget once, if you remove it, it’ll spawn automatically the next time you have an SMS message on the same possition you had placed it.

    Quite a great project indeed. you can also develop widgets that can work with the application if you know your way around flash. but anyone can use it because everything is free of charge. the only cost is a little time for you to set it up. FEwidgets can be used in Windows Mobile 5,6 and 6.1 pro. so that means around a 100 different phones are ready to go to try this out.

    For more instructions and download links. you can check out the Project Page at Xda-Developers.

    FEWidgets

    via WMpoweruser (they also got a video of it in action)

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    Posted in Hardware, Mobile, Widget Development

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