Application Lock Makes its Way to Touch Screen Windows Mobile 6.5 Devices

Back when Microsoft first released their first Windows Mobile Smartphone based device, they also introduced an application lock that was not found on existing Windows Mobile Pocket PC based devices. This application lock introduced a new level of security that prevents unprivileged applications from accessing certain system functions, files, and registry locations.

During some recent research, it came to my attention that Microsoft has taken this application lock and implemented it on Windows Mobile 6.5 touch screen devices. This means that 3rd party applications won’t have free access to the entire device as they have in the past.

So while I found some documentation that referenced this new feature on touch devices, there were no production devices available to test this on – until now. Mobile Jaw reader, Keith Ramsey posted about his brand new HTC Imagio in this thread, about the problems he is having when trying to install applications on the device. As more carriers release Windows Mobile 6.5 based devices the number of application locked devices will continue to grow.

Previously, I had created a CAB file that would remove security from Windows Mobile Standard devices (non-touch screen devices). So I have now created a similar CAB file that works for touch screen devices. You can read all about application lock – what it is, and how to remove it, along with the download steps over here.

The quickie details are to copy this CAB file to the device, install the CAB and then browse to Start / System / Settings / Remove Programs and uninstall the MobiControl Device Agent from your device. If you want more details about what you’re doing, what the CAB file does, or why you need to uninstall it after it’s installed, then you should read the above linked article about removing application lock. It will answer all those questions.

If anyone else has a new Windows Mobile 6.5 device, please reply and let me know if you’re seeing the same behavior and if so, did this CAB fix things?

Changing the Startup and Shutdown Animation

MobileJaw reader Tisha, asked about how to remove the AT&T animation that takes place on startup and shutdown of your device. This is the same animation used on any of the Windows Mobile 3G smartphones that AT&T carries – the one where 3G clouds fly by and leaving a trail that transforms into the cellular reception bars. On other carriers this a different animation or sometimes just an image that shows the carriers logo or something simple like that.

The steps below will walk you through removing this animation and there’s even details about what you need to do to display your own graphic. One special note – If you have a Samsung Jack or Propel Pro, you can not remove the startup animation. If you do this, the screen driver fails to load and you can no longer see anything on the device. You can, however, connect to the device using Pocket Controller Pro and reinstate the startup animation and all will be fine again. Again, this is only a problem on the Propel Pro and the Jack. All other devices have not displayed this behaviour.

1) The first thing you need to do is remove the application lock from your device (Windows Mobile Standard or non-touch devices only). To do this, check out my other post about Removing Application Lock.

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Home Screen Love for Windows Mobile Standard with Facade 2.0

SBSH Mobile Software has released an update to their popular home screen plugin – Facade. In the touch screen world, home screen replacement and customization tools are popping up all over. However, that’s just not the case in the world of non-touch. Facade has long been the plugin of choice for those looking to do more with their home screen on Standard devices. The latest update brings a great new interface with loads of new features to the Standard community.

The new version of Facade adds support for skin packs (the ability to bundle up the layout along with skin files into one easy to install package), Thumbnail previews of the background image and Facade layout before you apply it, changing the Softkey and category colors, PIM Integration with all major PIM applications, advanced configuration of each tab, Windows Mobile 6.5 support, and so much more.

After you install Facade, you’ll notice the home screen on your device has changed just a little. The following screen shot is taken from a Samsung Propel Pro Smartphone and it’s what you can expect to see as the default home screen after you install Facade.

There’s a lot of information on that screen, but don’t worry, it all makes sense once you work your way through it. I’ve taken the image and added highlights to the different sections. Here’s the updated image:

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The Dominant Mobile OS in 3 Years Will Be…

Every now and then a new forecast will be released that claims some sort of radical change in the overall market share of product X will occur in the next 3, 4, or 5 years. The latest Gartner study fits perfectly into that template. Gartner is saying that Google’s Android OS will rocket to second place among the mobile operating systems by 2012, behind Symbian. It sounds shocking and almost scary for those that make their living off Apple or Windows phones.

What I don’t like about these predictions is simple – no one can see the future.  In the tech industry, every time there’s a major challenge produced, the analysts come out with these wild predictions about how the world will change because of this new challenge. For the most part, it never happens. There are some times when it does come true, but that’s so rare. I can recall when IBM launched OS 2.1, the analysts predicted that it would capture some ridiculous share of the market in the next 2 years.  They had pages and pages of reasons why this was going to be the case.  I think we all know how that turned out. This is just one example.  Tech history is littered with failed predictions.

So will Google manage to move all the way to second place in 3 short years? If the competition doesn’t change and role with the tide, then sure.  But I really don’t see Palm, Apple, Microsoft, and RIM sitting still over the next few years.  Right now, in the mobile space, you need to be moving forward at a aggressive pace or risk being left behind.  Microsoft was caught taking a nap recently and are already reacting and pumping things up to the level where is should have been. A couple years ago, Palm was caught napping and came very close to losing everything.  They’ve finally started to turn things around and with any luck they could have some serious market share in a couple years.

Apple and Google are here to stay.  And for that matter, so is Microsoft, RIM, and Symbian. All of these guys will have a significant share of the market in 3 years time. I’m not so sure about Palm and Linux but that’s a rant for another day.  Unfortunately, these forward looking statements are not about to go away.  The public and the press need to remember that the future has not been decided yet and that anything can happen.

(source = PPCGeeks)

Apple’s iPhone is Dominating the Mobile Market – Or Is It?

“Apple’s iPhone has 40% of the mobile market, surpassing that of Symbian. Windows Mobile drops to just 4% which is exactly where Palm’s new WebOS debuted.” – This exactly what someone was trying to tell me this morning. Now, I have a hard time believing these numbers, so I asked them to send me a link to their source. The story comes from a CNet News article called “AdMob: iPhones, Android Phones on the Rise”.

The article has this really graphc that shows iPhone at 40%, up 7% from last month. And Symbian drops 9% from 43% to just 34%. There’s lots of conclusions that someone could try to make from this chart. However, I think the most important thing to understand is where these numbers are coming from.

As I mentioned already, it’s important to know where the numbers are coming from. In this case, admob specializes in placing ads on mobile friendly sites. So their vision of market share is going to be different then the rest.

In this chase, admob gets their numbers from websites, ad impressions, ad requests and of course, clicks. But wait a second, that’s not an accurate representation of devices sold in the market! All that means is that more iPhone users are using the web than Symbian and Windows Mobile. That doesn’t mean that Apple has shot like a rocket to number one. When you think about it, these numbers aren’t even surprising. Windows Mobile devices have been available for years, but very rarely were they bundled with attractive data plans. With the iPhone, it’s a requirement when you buy the phone. Furthermore, this only looks at web traffic on sites monetized by admob. They aren’t capturing the number of people getting email on their device, browsing RSS or Twitter, or whatever the hot new mobile application is. This is just web traffic and just on sites that have signed up for admob.

Hey, I’m happy to see that more and more people are doing it the mobile way. But that’s not the same thing as market dominance.

ClintonFitch.com Takes on iPhone App Reviews

Clinton Fitch has long been reviewing devices and applications in the Windows Mobile space. Earlier today, Clinton stepped outside of his comfort zone and posted his first ever non-Windows Mobile review.  Dan over at GearDiary.com does a great job of describing this monumental event.

Now, in terms of the review, Clinton takes a close look at Exact Magic Weather Radar and Zyrtec AllergyCast for the iPhone. Both of which are available from Apple’s app store. Given the crazy and unpredictable weather we’ve been seeing this year, I think every gadget should come with some sort of weather radar system.  Exact looks to be a great option for that.  When it comes to allergies, I can’t really speak as I don’t have any allergies. So I’ll just leave it with a  – If you do, check it out – comment.

Clinton has assured us that he will still continue reviewing Windows Mobile devices and applications, but you can expect to see him spread his wings and include other platforms going forward.  Congratulations on the new addition to your site Clinton!

Windows Phone 6.5 – Launch Day!

Back in February of this year, Microsoft stood on the stage at Mobile World Congress and made public their intentions to bring Windows Mobile 6.5 to market with the help of their partners. Along with the new mobile operating system comes a new name. From this point forward, it will be referred to as Windows Phone running Windows Mobile 6.5 or whatever the version of Windows Mobile is used to power the device. Today, Microsoft along side its partners, are celebrating the general availability of this new mobile OS.

Devices powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 offer new and updated features, functionality, and services that significantly enhance and improve the user experience. The most notable of these improvements can be found on the new Lock Screen, Home Screen, Start Menu Screen, and Internet Explorer Mobile (based on the rendering engine from Internet Explorer 6).

Along with the improvements to the core features in Windows Mobile, Microsoft has added key services – My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The My Phone service has been available for a couple months already, but has just gone through an update to correspond with the release of Windows Mobile 6.5. The original service lets users access, manage, and backup their personal information to the cloud. The updated release will add the ability to remotely wipe or display a message on the screen of the device to assist in recovering a lost or stolen device. The Marketplace for Mobile will allow customers to browse, buy, download, and manage mobile applications for their device. Marketplace for Mobile is currently available for new Windows Phones running Windows Mobile 6.5, but will be coming soon to devices powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0.

Since the majority of the enhancements in 6.5 are directly related to touch enabled devices, you won’t be finding them on devices running Windows Mobile Standard. However, you will find services like Marketplace for Mobile and My Phone.

Key partners have already announced support for Windows Mobile 6.5 powered Windows Phones. Both HTC and Samsung have committed to releasing updated ROMs for some of their existing devices. More details on when these will be available should be coming in the days following today’s announcement.