Exploring the New Bell Experience on Windows Mobile

There’s no shortage of manufacturers that are tweaking and extending Windows Mobile these days. The latest addition to the group is Bell Mobility – one of Canada’s big 3 carriers. Bell announced that they would be releasing a new interface, referred to as the “Bell Experience” on their upcoming Windows Mobile phone. The phone in question is a Touch Pro from HTC and the interface is not a simple rename or quick modification of the TouchFlo interface that HTC has loaded these devices with. Instead Bell has actually created a new interface that, surprisingly, looks pretty nice.

Fellow MVP, Mark Arteaga, has had the chance to play with this device for the last couple weeks as he tours across Canada presenting at the Windows Mobile TechDays sessions. He’s posted a number of screen shots showing off this new interface. The image I used here is from the new entertainment tool Bell has provided. Mark has a complete collection of images including the new Today screen, how to customize it, and even the more accessible volume settings. Check out the images and what Mark has to say about this new interface and let us know what you think.

Personally, I think it’s pretty nice change. I don’t know if it’s enough to get me to switch from the GSM network to Bell’s CDMA based network. However, for the average customer this could really make Windows Mobile a much easier platform to use, while still providing the great power and extensibility one would expect from Windows Mobile.