Windows Mobile Thread

Shawn

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Hey, I figured I'd start a thread for the few WinMo users on here... I know a few threads gravitated towards the topic, but they were all about phones and hardware.

This is a place for the software side of things... Windows Mobile and software for it.


About a month ago I budged and grabbed a WinMo 6.5 ROM for my Samsung Omnia. Given this is Windows it took quite a while to get everything sorted, but I finally got everything worked out after a few nights of tinkering.

I read a really scathing (pre-)review of 6.5 on Engadget... glad to report those guys don't know what they're on about. This is a great improvement to WinMo 6.1 and older versions. It might still not look quite as eye-catching as the competitors, but it looks much better than before and functionality is top notch.

I've tried all sorts of WinMo interface alternatives... Samsung's widgets, HTC's TouchFlo, iFonz (iPhone-like homepage), Spb Mobile Shell and others. This is definitely the cleanest and least cluttered of them bunch.

I made some screenshots of the new stuff in WinMo 6.5... obviously it's not all standard issue, but I've grown to like my phone all over again... the ugly underpinnings of 6.1 were starting to get to me.

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sh/shawn/2009/07/12/WinMo6-5Screens.jpg
 
I'm not sure about those ROMs because I don't have that phone, but if you look through those threads you'll get a good idea.

I definitely recommend trying the 6.5 though, it's a world of difference. Aside from the aesthetics the usability is improved as well... much better gestures and improved performance and all that.

What does your device run now? If it's 6.0 then the jump up to 6.1 is pretty insignificant really.
 
I had the opportunity of trying out Samsung's own WinMo setup, and I have to say that I wasn't impressed. It was buggy, not very user friendly (especially when your used to the iPhone OS). I thought HTC's was a lot more intuitive and attractive looking. My next phone is probably going to be running WinMo. Are there any suggestions? Right now, I think the new Omnia might be the one I might go for.
 
^ Which Samsung did you try?

Little things like which ROM version you have can make a difference, but Samsung's interface isn't the best... it's better than the pre-WinMo 6.5 defaults, but not the best of the bunch. Plus, those widgets that you see in all their advertisements and even on the product packaging are all totally useless and gimmicky.

But the good thing is WinMo is fully customizable. The US Omnia (i910) should be a good choice, I think it's $199 on contract from Telus? You can grab and put 6.5 onto it, it makes the whole thing much nicer to use (and does away with most of the Samsung stuff).
 
Wait you were surprised when engadget didn't like windows mobile anything microsoft?
 
Wait you were surprised when engadget didn't like windows mobile anything microsoft?

I won't be any more... I don't read Engadget, I think I arrived at that article via some WinMo blog.

It was just a retarded article. Gladly their readers mostly recognized it as such.

Edit: Here's the article... if anyone would like I'll go ahead and debunk each of those ten points in one sentence. :)
 
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I'm not sure about those ROMs because I don't have that phone, but if you look through those threads you'll get a good idea.

I definitely recommend trying the 6.5 though, it's a world of difference. Aside from the aesthetics the usability is improved as well... much better gestures and improved performance and all that.

What does your device run now? If it's 6.0 then the jump up to 6.1 is pretty insignificant really.

Nope, currently running WM5 on the atom exec.........:lol:

Samsung Blackjack is running WM6 standard.

6.1 will be a big update for the atom exec. I'll wait till 6.5 becomes a bit more mature before flashing over. Development work for the atom exec seems to be going along quiet nicely from reading the XDA developers threads.

I'm going to try flashing this one later today: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=521723
 
Nope, currently running WM5 on the atom exec.........:lol:

Samsung Blackjack is running WM6 standard.

6.1 will be a big update for the atom exec. I'll wait till 6.5 becomes a bit more mature before flashing over. Development work for the atom exec seems to be going along quiet nicely from reading the XDA developers threads.

I'm going to try flashing this one later today: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=521723

Windows Mobile 6.5 is very stable in my phone... it's already been shipped from Microsoft to the manufacturers I believe so it's pretty final. I'd say on the Omnia it's probably more stable than the default 6.1 OS.

With that said, I'm not sure how it will run on a device as old as the Atom, but it's probably worth a try.
 
Hmm, I'll see how well 6.1 runs first I think...

First time flashing a phone, so slightly nervous about bricking it............
 
^ Follow the instructions and it should go well... I've probably flashed my phone fives times in the last month (trying to see which 6.5 ROM I liked best).
 
Hmm, it just seems like I need to click a few buttons and thats it....
 
Pretty much... make sure your battery is full or almost full and that's about it. The people who make these ROMs do most of the work thankfully.
 
Right, just flashed over to 6.1

Everything working OK so far.
 
I have an older Samsung i760 running 6.1 and I am digging it. I have found that the most useful piece of software for it to date has been the one called CleanRAM. It is written by some HTC freaks, but it is a very useful tool when your phone starts to drag!

Anyway, I am wondering if 6.5 will run on my phone. I have done no research on the topic yet, but if anyone here has tried it or read about it, I am here to soak up what you know!
 
Shawn, how different is 6.5 compared to 6.1?

With 6.1 running very well, I'm pondering flashing over to 6.5......
 
^ It's the biggest upgrade since Pocket PCs came out I would say, get it. :p

Probably not as big of an improvement if you use your device with a stylus.
 
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Hmm, might as well.

Downloading ROM from XDA developers now =)
 
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