Summary: XP Modification for Pocket PCs is a tool that imitates the looks of Microsoft Windows XP on the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform. It lets you explore your file system and open different file formats using default programs as assigned in your device. It also provides the common file system operations like open with, copy, cut, paste, rename, new folder and provides properties just like the Windows XP. Multi tasking enabled — more on freewarepocketpc.net
“At an executive dinner during CES in Las Vegas, while Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was talking up the company’s upcoming 4G devices, I managed to snap a few pictures of the first Windows Phone 7 device coming to the carrier within the next few months. Hesse was coy about the exact timing, but did hint that we could expect the 3G-enabled smartphone to be available soon.”
Philip Berne over at Phone Scoop managed to snap a few pictures of an as-yet unreleased Sprint Windows Phone 7 phone. Berne reports the phone is manufactured by HTC, which you can definitely believe when looking at some of his photos. It has a slide out keyboard, for those people who like the option of a physical keyboard. Complete specs are unavailable at this time, but if this is a carrier that you’d like to use and a nice new Windows Phone 7 phone is on your short list you will find the pictures of interest.
“eWallet GO! is a streamlined, stand-alone secure information manager. It allows you to safely store your important information on your Windows Phone 7 device and to backup or restore your information using Google Docs or Dropbox.”
In the 7 years I’ve been involved with Windows Mobile, eWallet has been one of my must-have, can’t-leave-home-without-it apps. I’ve found it an indispensable tool for managing (and generating) passwords, and keeping sensitive information safe and easily accessible. Now Ilium Software have just launched a Windows Phone 7 version that’s going to be one of my very first purchases, as soon as Microsoft gets around to actually making the Marketplace available in my region (hint, hint). It would be even more useful once we have cut and paste on board (hint! hint! hint!). The app is available through the Windows Marketplace for $4.99, and there’s a conversion tool on the way for users of eWallet 7.
I read a couple of reports from Engadget and the BBC that some Windows Phone 7 devices seem to be consuming data at an extraordinary rate. I have been using Windows Phone 7 devices since last July and find this reported anomaly hasn’t affected me with the HTC HD7 or Samsung test WP7 device.
Matt Miller over at ZDNET has been looking into the reports of rogue data usage by Windows Phone 7. He has had zero issues while using both the HD7 and the Samsung Taylor on the T-Mobile 3G network. I have also been using the HD7 on T-Mobile and have had zero issues with data, so this could be isolated to AT&T. Have any of our readers encountered any issues with extreme data usage? Microsoft is investigating the issue but whether this is an AT&T issue or caused by a rogue app only time will tell.
Summary: mVu Mobile Viewer is a Windows Mobile application for searching, downloading, creating playlists, and streaming videos from multiple websites, including YouTube. — more on freewarepocketpc.net
Summary: Fun and addictive single-player poker game. Get as many as possible points in 5 minutes by selecting the right cards. — more on freewarepocketpc.net
“Verizon Wireless and Sprint will start selling Windows Phone 7s by the end of June…In his keynote Wednesday night, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the software would be ready for Verizon and Sprint. Today, I spoke with Aaron Woodman, director of the mobile communications business atr Microsoft, who said devices would be ready on both networks by June 30.”
Unhappy with AT&T and T-Mobile? On another network but hankering for Windows Phone 7? You’ll have to wait awhile, but news from CES 2011 indicates that Microsoft is working with Sprint and Verizon to get WP7 handsets by the end of the 2nd quarter of 20ǫ. There’s nothing yet beyond this bare news, like pricing plans or subsidies, and it’s a little longer than expected, but having some official confirmation on the timing is nice - time to save up the pennies!
Who says there aren’t any useful navigation applications for WP7? A little while ago, I wrote up a review of a running/walking training assistant called Marathon, by JMD Software which I found very useful on my treks around the local parks with my wife. Well, it seems JMD have jumped on the Silverlight development bandwagon and produced a version for Windows Phone 7. It’s available from the Windows Phone Marketplace for $1.09USD which is pretty reasonable and the statistics presentation and interface to the Internet have been improved. It’s neat to see software from the WM6.5 world evolve along with the O/S.
As I’ve been playing with WP7 over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed a particular dearth of applications which make use of the Location Services and GPS within the phone. We seem to still be waiting for that turn-by-turn navigation application to show up. However, one application I’ve regularly used on my Ẅ.x phones for ‘personal’ navigation and training was Marathon — just because it was small, easy to use and provided good information from our fitness hikes.
I was browsing through the Marketplace and I happened to find the new version of Marathon, written specifically for WP7. Below are some screen shots from the new application. Unfortunately, there isn’t (yet) a screen capture utility available for WP7, so the images below are truly ’shots’ taken with my Nikon D70. Hence, I apologise in advance for any imperfections in the imagery.
Figure 1: After a short, test walk around the local park, you get a pretty good set of stats on how you did. If you include your body weight in the settings, it can even tell you how many calories you burned!
Figure 2: In the WM6.5 version you got just a graphic picture of your track. In this version you get more useful graphs of your speed during the recording and the change in altitude.
Figure 3: If you tap on the magnifying glass on the previous screen, it will present a more detailed view of the graph displayed in landscape mode. In this case, I selected the speed graph. I think the numbers along the right hand side are artifacts left over from the previous screen.
As with all WP7 ‘paid’ applications, there is a try-before-you-buy option, and in Marathon’s case, the trial version provides all the basic funtionality, but for a limited distance and number of tracks. If you liked the WM6.x version, or are looking for software to help you out with the training for that next marathon, give this a try.
Don is a Senior Soluton Architect for Fujitsu Consulting, specializing in mobile security and privacy. In his spare time, he enjoys long walks on beaches and through forests — yes, for real!. Sorry, ladies — already taken….(and you have to put up with new gadgets in the house every few weeks
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