SPB Mobile Shell Review - the best Windows Mobile extension I ever installed

Windows Mobile 6.1 is a solid operating system and, while it has numerous faults, I'm overall happy with it. You need to do some tweaking, though, if you want to handle your mobile using just your finger. Unlike iPhone, out-of-the-box WM6 devices don't offer graphical interface customized for finger control. But thanks to the third party applications, you can enjoy some of the advantages, too. I can recommend SPB Mobile Shell.

This app installs like any other, but then, depending on your setting, can perform various different tasks the Windows Mobile usually do. I use it all the time, making it the default screen after device is turned on or woke up from sleep. It offers three screens: Now screen, Applications/Menu and Contacts. You can always find the three SPB screens with a nice smooth finger gesture: slide your finger from top of the screen to the middle and then, still sliding, choose one of these screens. Gestures are also used to switch between screens as if sliding (you can set the animation mode).

Now screen on SPB Mobile Shell

Offers you the weather information - very nice graphics, inboxes, time and calendar. Weather is informative and sleek, quick button for switching on or off the ring tones, or switch to vibrate. New messages are shown, as well as missed calls. So far the best default screen on any mobile, I think even better than iPhone.

Applications

You can customize this screen very thoroughly, and it also customizes itself based on how you use it. Extremely usefull and, compared to any other way of starting an aplication, very pretty.

   

Contacts

You have not nine (Touch Flo) but 16 places for the pictures of people you often call. Well, it's fifteen, actually, since one place is reserved for the Contacts button. This Contacts button is actually one of few weaknesses: it is fairly quick and easy to use, but it doesn't offer searching by firsta and second name combined (writing jsmi for John Smith) doesn't work. They might fix it before we know it, the developement seems quite active.

Using SPB Mobile is easy, you can play arounf with lot of setting to make it just right and customize all the details. The Shell is also supposed to work with other apps from SPB, but I haven't tried them much.

If you want to control your Windows Mobile mobile with your finger touches, I can strongly recommend checking this out. Reviewed SPB Mobile Shell runs smoothly on HTC TyTN II, but also on much older HTC Wizard, which shows it is not too hardware-demanding.

Video of SPB Mobile Shell

Here is a video review I found on YouTube.

Conclusion