Nikita Polyakov

This review is based on Emulator Image. Not a real phone experience.

Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard is a Non-Touchscreen version of Windows Mobile 6.5 OS.

Why Standard?? It is still very popular today due to its ease of one handed navigation though real buttons, instead of touch controls on touchscreen based phones. Entire OS is fine tuned to let a user access most features one handed though tactile feel. After sometime using the phone most common operation do not require looking at the phone - which is Impossible with touchscreen based phones. I have been using this as my favorite OS for almost 5 years, with breaks to suffer WM Professional devices. Also, this was first real Smartphone from Microsoft; not a Pocket PC Phone Edition ;-)

Samsung Jack is first announced 6.5 Standard Upgradable phone, and it is a beauty to hold and use, also has a really fast 528 Mhz CPU. The 6.5 update date or price [if any] have not been announced.

To preface the review: WM 6.1 Standard UI and UX was so far ahead of WM 6.1 Professional, there is little left to change.

 

So what’s actually new?

 

-New Default Style & Home Screen Time-out mode

 

New Black Default theme, goes with same look that WM Pro 6.5 chrome does, but is not as exciting on WM Standard.
Because WM Standard does not get highlight effect or new upsized Menus, it’s just for product styling consistency.

There are 4 new wall papers, that came with Emulator. You see water in my screen shots, others make text unreadable, with out black text theme.

 

-IE6Mobile

Due to no touch screen, we have SkyFire-like navigation with mouse cursor on the page:

The mouse in the screenshot is actually there. When you type into textboxes, you are actually typing into them.

  
User must hit a softkey once to see the chrome. Then again to select a menu item. Clicking on Zoom, brings up the zoom bar.

To navigate across the the page when zoomed in, use the Up Down Left Right rocker, moving the mouse close to the edge of the screen.
You will only have to be in the right not that far off the center of the page to start scrolling. There will be an indicator where on the page you are.
It’s impossible to Print Screen so no screen shot, sorry. It’s very intuitive though and shows you where on the page you are.

Bing is the default search engine, right now. And looks fairly good on the device.
Also in the menu up and down arrows [indicating that more menu items are then screen shows] looks different, and we finally have “Exit”, no more “End Task”!

A new address bar icons. The progress bar is light blue behind the address text, left to right progress.

 

Browsing Modes:

To quickly switch from Desktop to Mobile UAs, check out Menu -> View. [Thanks  Alpha for letting me know ]
But I really don’t like how there isn’t a fast way to switch desktop to mobile version. Desktop is default mode.
It takes 6 clicks and navigation steps needed to get to this part: 
Here is where you can switch the default browsing mode:

 

And Favorites Home screen Item, let’s you quickly navigate to selected sites from your IE Favorites list.

 

-Widgets Support

 

Widgets install almost like apps, download the .wgt file or get it from Marketplace, locate it on device and run.

[ The green check icon is mine, and does not indicate anything related to being Certified or Approved. ]

Unfortunately, for some strange reason, I am not able to see the Icons form the Widget.
Even the built in Live Search Widget does not show it’s own Icon, hoping it’s an Emulator bug.
This was confirmed to be a bug in Emulator version. WM Standard uses .ico files. Read more here.

 


I will do a Widgets Tutorial soon. For now read this one: Getting started with widgets on Windows Mobile 6.5

To remove a Widget, simply go to Remove Programs in general Settings Menu of the phone itself.

I also noticed that I was able to install same Widget, twice and have both of them…Devs - read up on fix for that here.

-Windows Mobile Marketplace

 

 

Screen shot says it all at this point. It did open in IE btw…

-Minimal UI Refresh

Reworked a few elements in menus and settings, new Loading/Busy Icon, very Windows 7 Beta boot-up like:

 

 

What can I still do:

 

-Run 6/6.1 Standard Apps, like Live Search Mobile, Google Maps, SkyFire and others.

-Change the style and home page back to WM 6.1 look. I enjoy the Grey and Samsung Green on BlackJack II.

What I could not find:

 

-How to change my Start Menu Style to be a scrolling list in All Programs, not having to press “More” for next page. This might be something that is only specific to my BlackJack II with WM 6.1 and not the OS itself.

-Widgets are only listed in the Start Menu Program List. Not very differentiating at all, especially when custom icons did not work. [Once again, hoping it’s an Emulator bug]

 

Overall:

As an upgrade from 6.1 it’s 3.5 out of 5 stars.
As a Smartphone OS, it’s now 4.5 out of 5 stars!

 

All in all, I like it!

And I want it on my BlackJack II. There is no compelling reason why I would need new hardware for it. Especially since AT&T seems to have locked the Samsung Jack phones down so harshly.

Mostly because there is not much new for WM 6.1 Standard owners, but Standard already had it so good :-)

In fact that is actually the problem - 6.1 Standard was so polished, that not much needed to change.

I like the addition of IE6Mobile.

But it seems a little buggy in the Emulator, Ex: I could not type digits in it at all !?!

But I had trouble pulling up some mobile sites, this is most likely due to new Browser ID, so I simply get rejected and re-directed to search engine.
Hope this goes away soon. Or is an issue because I am browsing though Cradled Emulator…

And of course lack of Silverlight or Flash still puts IE6Mobile behind newer Mobile Browsers.

I’d be happy to use 6.5 Standard on a device like Samsung Jack [ if that device comes App unlocked AT&T :( ]

Widgets:

Love them. But, they can’t be added as Favorites on Sliding Panel home screen, this would have been huge!!!

I created a favorite pointed to the file, but it opens in IE, as expected. Safe to say this is IE Favorites home screen tab, bummer!!!

The widget is usable, but one looses the custom soft key menus and it just feels wrong.

 

Here are some more screen shots:

 

Default Color Theme, Sliding Panel Homepage, Water wallpaper:

Here is something new – Display time out, there are no icons shown, just Wallpaper:

 

This is how the default emulator looks like, when it’s first booted up:

Anyways, let’s hope next version would look more like this:

Available now!

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=20686a1d-97a8-4f80-bc6a-ae010e085a6e#filelist

Overview

I had an amazing time at IT Pro TikiHut event with Blain Barton. Thank you to SCC for space and awesome A/V setup for us.

Thank you to Microsoft Spring Board Series for Sponsoring this event. Check them out here!

There are lots of videos and walkthoughs here related to the two topics I discussed and other topics from the event.

In case this is not enough, here are some more:

Resources from my Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 DirectAccess and BranchCache presentation at IT Pro TikiHut on 6/2

I find these features highly anticipated for Enterprise consumers. I find them valuable means of seamless access to machines and reducing load on WAN.

TechNet home page for DirectAccess, lots of information:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/dd420463.aspx

Walkthrough Video:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd572177.aspx

Blog Post with some condensed details:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.05.cableguy.aspx

Edge TV:
Windows 7 DirectAccess - the next killer enterprise feature 

DirectAccess with Devrim

 

TechNet home page for BranchCache, lots of information:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/dd425028.aspx

Walkthrough Video:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd573290.aspx

Edge TV:

Branch Cache in Windows 7

 

Need a live event?
IT Pro Tiki Hut Tour - Spring 2009 Registration Open!
There is still one more event left, not presented by me though:

Polk CC Technology Center

3425 Winter Lake Road

Lakeland, FL 33803

Tampa Area

Thursday, June 4, 2009

6:00 PM–9:00 PM

Register

Event ID: 1032406335

Here we go, as a proper response to my own rant – Google Maps Mobile 3.0 for Windows Mobile, or what Live Search Mobile forgot to do, again.

Windows Live Search Mobile client for WM6 has a feature called Collections, this feature let’s the user look up RSS content and map it. Hmmmm…

Sarah Perez has found an article a while back on how to open up your collections in Live Search Mobile here: Make Your Live Maps Collections Mobile
The tutorial linked is actually really nice: Live Maps Collections Mobile – Create a collection and add it to your phone 

So you can check out my test collection, here: http://tinyurl.com/WLMNPFave

But it’s still not exactly what most people would want. One reason: Privacy.
I don’t want everyone in the world to know my favorite bar or my home address…even if it’s not linked with to my real name.

So would one go about creating a private collection?

NOTE: This is only feasible if you are technically inclined user that can host and build their own RSS feed. This is NOT easy for average user, hence I call it a hack.

Taking a close look at my sample collection, in Internet Explorer you will need to Right Click –> View Source. Now you know the RSS format.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Nikita Polyakov's Faves</title>
    <link>http://www.bing.com</link>
    <description />
    <item>
      <title>MICROSOFT Corp</title>
      <link>http://www.bing.com/?cid=153154D6F7D12177!223</link>
      <description>&lt;img src='http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pIhl0fFeMIJIrz0oiLWrm3-oEfL8YCS1yndsmhaWI4pWGpk3ONKAP6zlrEY2DFWOTxTBqrfqAuT04tBEvEYRYJg'/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;5426 Bay Center Dr, Tampa, FL</description>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">ef9e2df66a2eb8d8</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:49:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <georss:point>27.94417 -82.537292</georss:point>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

All you have to do is create a a hidden RSS feed with same format and create your own collection.

Unfortunately WLSM does not seem to have access to a protected Feed, if you were to add Authentication to this file.
I don’t have a way to test this right now, but make sure to exclude the RSS from Search engines using robots file, if you want to hide it.

So I wondered maybe if I simply provide a link to a RSS list of addresses and WLSM will figure out the rest when it pulls up the feed? Read on.

Windows Live Calendar Web Scenario:

Simply adjust your calendar to be shared, with a read-only link, and enable RSS feed.

http://tinyurl.com/WLMNPFaveLiveCal

Now, unfortunately just this feed will not work as a Collection. So you will have to tinker with it using XSLT.
Loooong solution to code, but will not need a mobile client on the device to keep this updated.
There is another way, connect your Windows Live account to your phone to show your calendar on the phone, and read on.

Outlook Mobile Scenario:

Create a web application to keep list of locations for you on your own server. With publicly hidden RSS feeds.

Now for real Windows Mobile integration, this is the crazy solution:

1. WM .NET application reading your current Outlook Mobile calendar location field of your appointments for day or week, you decide.

2. Clear your “My Appointment Locations” RSS feed. Post updated locations.

3. Then WLSM would pull it down in RSS feed. And Voila!

This is soooo backwards, but simple enough for a small project and get the job done of getting your locations for upcoming appointments in your Live Search Mobile Client, the long way, to the moon and back, solution. 

Anyone interested in building this micro app with me? Drop me a line in comments or @NikitaP me.

I rarely find Google’s product as exciting or as innovative as other people think they are. BUT…
[I’ll come back as to why later on, don’t worry it’s only one feature that I need, but it’s important]

I was driving yesterday, and needed to quickly look up an address, as I know the destination moved addresses recently and did not want to drive the wrong way. So I decided to use Google Maps for Mobile, as it seems to fixate on GPS in my BlackJack II faster. [To note I use my phone’s Internet and GPS capability a lot.]

As a well designed application, let me know there was a new version, from 2.0. something to 3.0.something. Install asked me if I’d like to keep my settings and favorites from previous install, how nice of it. Now I think it’s a good time to get into why I had this application on my Windows Mobile phone to begin with, when I used Live Search Mobile most of the time.

Favorites.

Yes, favorites. Like list of locations you been to or just selecting a location and marking it as Favorite for later. Something that Windows Live Search Mobile seems to think is not important on a mobile mapping client…and could have had such a nice integration from the desktop Live Maps in the web browser – send to Windows Mobile phone, instead of Send to Mobile and get a mobile Web link, instead an option to pop the SMS right into Live Search Mobile and add it to list of locations or places to go.

One more, WHY ARE BOTH OF YOU NOT READING CALENDAR LOCATION FIELD FOR ME???? Usability fail.

Back to the story.

Google Maps Mobile installs and launches, shows me a tiny preview screen of new feature called Google Latitude – which basically shows where you friends are on the map, if they are signed on to their G account, which I don’t have and don’t know any people I want to track, or that would share their location to begin with. Might be nice during a conference somewhere. Now if Live Search Mobile did this with my Live Messenger Account I would have some interest in this kind of a feature, personally.

Anyways I Click “Continue” and Not logon to “Spy on your girl by hacked G-mail account on her G1” feature.

So here are my impressions:

Application instantly fixates me on the map within 1 second of loading up the tiles on the screen.
I instantly notice subtle different in map chrome. All the pop-ups are nicer with light blue gradients, very Web 2.0 for a phone app.
This UI is actually exclusive to Windows Mobile, as other platforms use their own Menu system, iPhone and G1 version use this extensively; but we’re on WM here…

[I am using Windows Mobile Standard 6.1 on a Samsung Black Jack II with is a Non-touchscreen phone.]

There has been quirks in how the UI operated in WinMo Standard version, and I was not able to move my focus well around the app, frustrating me.
For example: Like recent search terms were hard to highlight, focus was stuck in Search box. It was nice to see this Fixed in this verion.

Oh and since I needed to check if the two addresses for this location in the address books, showed the right place, I needed to check out Satellite View.

Well I saw StreetView and was relived to not have try to make out a roof on a 2.5 Inch screen phone:

Go to 59 seconds in here, see it work on BlackBerry, it works same on Windows Mobile.

That needless to say, clarified which location was which and I was on my way.

Could I have done the same with Live Maps, yes, but I wanted to bookmark this location once and for all; which I could not do.

Where is Windows Live Search Mobile ?

Now, I am highly anticipating the Windows Live Search Mobile answer with a new version of their client, maybe I can finally get my Favorites list :-]

If Not, at least give me an API and I will do it myself already. Through SMS interceptor and companion .NET mobile app managing this list for me.
For example pulling out my location field from my appointments in OutlookMobile would be another great feature.
Another sad example is Google Maps had implemented “Locate in Google Maps…” as an option when selecting in the built-in Contacts list, for two years now!

Maybe, just maybe before Google Maps Mobile looks up Movie Showtimes and Gas Prices thereby leveling feature playing field.

I’d not be upset only in one condition - if the team building Windows Live Search Mobile is currently busy working on 6.5 or Windows Mobile 7, or were busy resurrecting  -  New Windows Live for Mobile on Windows Mobile, or something related to www.Bing.com.

Otherwise surrender the APIs to the people! :-) </rant peer pressure attempt>

Downloads and more info:

To download the Google Maps for Mobile client CAB, go here:

Windows Mobile (download binary)

Or text message “maps” to 33669 in US

You can read more:
http://www.google.com/mobile/default/maps.html

To compare for yourself, and to get other features NOT in Google Maps Mobile…

To download Windows Live Search Mobile:

Manual download page, to use from a mobile phone: http://tinyurl.com/WLSearchMobile

Live Search Mobile Home page, download and read more:
http://www.windowsliveformobile.com/en-us/livesearch/default.aspx

MSDN : Windows Mobile Track for RampUp

You can access this track here

You get access to basic training to get you off the ground developing for Windows Mobile.

So many ways to learn to suit your learning style too!

There is even:

Level 7: Mobile Web Development that describes how to build ASP.NET AJAX pages for PocketIE!

Here is what's My Phone:

Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1 - Professional or Standard

Back's up your contacts, calendar, photos/videos and text messages.

All you have to do on a new phone, is login and wait for the download.

There is also a neat online viewer for your textmessages and photos, contact browser, tasks and calendar. Best part is that all of that is searchable and easy to navigate on the My Phone web site.

I've been using My Phone for a few months now, and feel almost over confident about losing my phone or breaking it, without loosing much data at all.

You can download My Phone here: http://myPhone.Microsoft.com

I also have LiveMesh mobile beta for my mobile photos synchronication set up.

After a long time wait, Windows Live applications are back with a refresh for Windows Mobile.

The Messenger application is finally back!

The suite works great on both Professional and Standard version of WindowsMobile.

You can get a new version here:
http://windowsliveformobile.com/en-us/windowsmobile/default.aspx

NOTE:

The site is a bit confusing, but easiest is to have the site SMS you a download link for WL mobile.

The box for mobile number and Send that you need to click on is:

Enter your mobile number to get Windows
Live on your Windows Mobile phone.*

NOT

Enter your mobile number and we'll
send you a link to access Windows Live
and MSN Mobile on your phone's browser.*

Above is what the homepage lists and other pages has different links they send you.

Also, besure to enter your phone number in this format, for US: 813 123 1234 in 3 boxes. 

PS: If you rather download it manually - or want to get International versions, here is a link:
http://mobile.microsoft.com/live/en-us/mobile/default.mspx?WT.mc_ID=WLFM

I getting really excited for Windows Mobile 6.5!

At first I was skeptical and upset about no WM7, but after further investigation I found that 6.5 is a great improvement on the OS with lots of new features that will make daily use of your WM device a pleasure!

Here is a great collection of firsthand videos.
http://pocketnow.com  

Here is a direct link to their YouTube in HD  channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pocketnowvideo

There are some comparisons between 6.1 vs 6.5 and iPhone vs 6.5 and even the new skins are sexy.

Really useful demos, if you are on the edge and considering next phone a non-WM.

Nikita

PS: As some of you know, I will be blogging and speaking, and talking mostly on WinMobile related topics from now on.

PSS: I just bought a house and have been busy with that lately. Sorry blogosphere. [in Brandon, FL]

Tampa UX: Improving your ASP.NET Ajax Interactions using Services
03/11/2009 - 7:00 PM - Answers Systems, 4029 Tampa Rd Oldsmar fl 34677,
6:30pm (doors open)/7:00pm (Sessions start)
Click here for Registration and Details 

www.tampaux.org

WHO: John Papa (MVP C#)

WHEN: Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Doors open at 6:30PM, presentations start at 7:00PM Sharp!

WHERE: Answers Systems in Oldsmar, FL (www.tampaux.org)

WHAT: John Papa on ADO.NET Data Services with a little Silverlight Binding.
Much of this material comes from John's excellent book Data-Driven Services with Silverlight 2. John writes the Data Points column for MSDN Magazine and speaks at a lot of national conferences.
We'll have a few other things going on too. We are giving away a full copy of Blend Studio (that's all the MS Blend products in case you didn't know).
As always we'll have pizza, additional prizes, and plenty of fun.

Directions)

Out of all the Windows 7 SKUs I am most excited about Enterprise, see the highlighted reasons as to why:

Windows 7 Enterprise

This is recommended for medium-to-large business and enterprise customers that choose to license Windows through Software Assurance and is available only through Microsoft Volume Licensing.

Key Feature list:

• Professional features
• Unlimited applications
• BitLocker data protection on internal and external drives
• DirectAccess provides seamless connectivity to your corporate network (requires Windows Server 2008 R2)
• Decrease time branch office workers wait to open file across the network with BranchCache (requires Windows Server 2008 R2)
• Prevent unauthorized software from running with AppLocker

Source: Windows 7 Product Lines Announced 

If you ever met me in person and I haven't bragged about how great the FL community is and how many choices you have to attend a very diverse set of user groups. Here is proof.

This is a great comprehensive article on all of the FL communities:

Scott Dorman - Florida Technical Communities (January 2009 Update)

Here are my references from the presentation I did at Tampa SQL Saturday - SQL Compact & Data Sync 

Of most importance are these:

SQL Compact Homepage
http://www.microsoft.com/Sqlserver/2008/en/us/compact.aspx

Sync Framework Download
http://blogs.msdn.com/sync/archive/2008/09/16/now-available-sync-services-for-ado-net-on-windows-mobile-devices.aspx

Sync Developer Center, note the "Getting started with Sync Framework" list of intr 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sync/default.aspx

 

Also a great write up of of setting up a project similar to the demo:
Introduction to ADO .Net Sync Services by

Here is the list of resources, as mentioned in the slides: