E@zyVG’s Vichar::World Connected

As I am an avid user of Windows Mobile Pro version, having the HTC Artemis “P3300″, I keep my eyes on what is going on with this mobile platform. Though Windows Mobile 6.1 will be unveiled officially in about 2 weeks at Mobile World Congress 2008 but already people are running it, including myself.

Here are the highlights of WM 6.1:

• Office Mobile now includes also One Note Mobile application - apart from Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile, one new application is available - it can record voice notes and drawings and textual notes
• Internet Explorer now has function “Zoom Out” what enables page-overview mode and better overall navigation through web pages
• Windows Mobile 6.1 still is based on Windows CE 5.2 so no upgrade to Windows CE 6.0
• SMS chat view mode is available so SMS messages can appear in threaded-way - more comfortable to follow SMS conversations
• instead of “Settings / Memory / Running Programs” now a Task Manager is available with possibility to set settings of executed threads/processes like CPU (indication of dual-core Windows Mobile devices?) and memory
• new menu item “Managed Programs”

As anticipated, the much expected improvements in usage for finger based navigation are nowhere to be found, meaning users will need to wait till 2009 for Windows Mobile 7 to get them. Small improvements are definitely there. I’d recommend to flash your device to latest 6.1. If you are one of the owners of HTC Artemis and want to run Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro version check out the following forum thread. Check out xda-developers site to see if there is one available for your HTC device.

We all know that there are several browsers in the market available that can be used on Windows Mobile for browsing the web, and from day One I hated the built in PocketIE. The best one is considered Opera Mobile, version 8.65 being the latest release. Another great product from the same publisher is the Opera Mini 4 which is a Java program. This browser can run on most Java enabled PDAs and mobile phones, including the Windows Mobile 5/6 (Standard and Pro). My current Windows Mobile device is the HTC Artemis WM6 Pro mobile phone. And believe me, there is nothing better than Opera Mini 4 (OM) for browsing the web. Compared to Opera Mobile 8.65, the OM is faster, cooler and much lighter, the best feature being the zoom in and out and the auto formatting for your devices screen.

To run Opera Mini 4 you need Java and the best JAVA Midlet Manager out there today is considered the Esmmertec Jbed. If you have a Windows Mobile device with at least WM5 (previous operating systems aren’t supported) and it’s not the latest models (for example HTC Artemis as mine), and or with the one you have problem running the latest Java apps such as the discussed OM4 here and latest GMail, then, you will want to download the Jbed MIDlet Manager HERE. Just install it (it’ll be installed in the main memory) and you’re set – you can go on installing Opera Mini itself. Jbed will run on ALL Pocket PC’s and Smartphones running at least WM5 and in ful-screen mode.

Note that you can ONLY use this MIDlet manager if and only if your locale is set to a language using Western characters. If your locale is Russian, then, you will want to check out THIS file instead; linked from HERE.

I have this Jbed installed in main memory, in fact it comes with the ROM that I am using, which is Artemis Touch 3.01 (you can find them at xda-developers.com -> Forum -> Artemis). Once you got the Jbed and Opera Mni4 installed and nicely working:

1. download and install MortScript if you haven’t already done so. Make sure you install it in the main memory (unless you’re ready to modify the scripts I’ve provided).
2. download THIS file
3. depending on your operating system version, go to either the WM5 or WM6 directory of the ZIP file downloaded in the previous step. Note that if you’re still using a pre-WM5 operating system, you’ll need the WM5 version.
4. transfer OMInvokeAndPasteScript.mscr to \Program Files\MortScript on your device
5. import the registry file into the Registry (WM5: OMInvokeAndPaste.reg; WM6: OMWM6DefBrowser.reg). if you do this on a MS Smartphone, make sure it is application unlocked.

This script works exceptioanlly on my phone, even with the embedded links in the third party apps such as Spb Insight. Now when you will click on the link (for example in your e-mails or RSS articles) you will be presented with a screen where you choose which browser to launch to see the complete website or just copy to the clipboard or just cancel the operation.

Remember that you don’t need to deploy this script if you don’t need this kind of functionality but always want to be redirected right to Opera Mini. Therefore, you will also find included in the ZIP file a NoBrowserSelectionDialog subfolder with the same file name, which you can use instead of the one in the main folder.

Now ain’t that cool … I am simply loving it. (do not confuse this with McDonalds slogan :-p)

For more info on this head to author’s blog post and for further discussions to xda-developers.com site (smartphones here and toucscreen versions here).

Tip: If you have HButton app installed and want to invoke the same script using your hardware button, then copy the OMInvokeAndPasteScript.mscr file to your Windows Startup menu (Windows/Start Menu/Programs) and then add it to your preferred hard button using the HButton settings. With this you don’t have to manually launch Jbed Midlet Manager first and then select OM4, every time you want to surf the web.

A BIG shout out to Werner Ruotsalainen “Menneisyys” and “badbob001“.

UPDATE 1 (12.07): I have updated the script to launch Opera Mini, Opera Mobile or Pocket IE …. below is the link to get it. Mostly the script stays the same. I prefer Opera Mobile over PIE … guess you know why. Remember, that I have WM6 Pro and Opera Mobile is installed on Storage Card.

• Get Modified Script

UPDATE 2 (12.07): XDA-Devs forum member shlomki has released the hacks in CAB format so that they’re very easy to install.  These CABs are for ARM processors and for Pocket PC only (not smartphones).

1. Installs MortScript (Default to Internal Memory, because of links and shortcuts)
2. Installs script to Windows dir and imports Reg values (to be independant of MortScript folder)
3. Creates a shortcut for OperaMini in the programs folder!

• WM5 OperaMiniAsDefaultBrowser - WithoutSelectionDialog.cab
• WM6 OperaMiniAsDefaultBrowser - WithoutSelectionDialog.cab
• WM6 OperaMiniAsDefaultBrowser - WithSelectionDialog.cab

The reason I decide to write this post is that there were several problems with JAVA Midlet Managers with some of the latest coocked ROMs such as awesome B&B series and Artemis Touch ROMs (you can find them at xda-developers.com -> Forum -> Artemis). Though being unofficial, these ROMs are truly awesome and reliable, with latest and greatest features included.

The problems were of several nature, but with the latest one is that whenever you try to install Java application (.jad/.jar), you end up getting a message stating “low space” even though you have a lot of room in your phones memory.

Before the following steps I as well tried Intent’s latest 1036 Midlet Manager, but to no avail with important apps. Tried installing in main memory as well as on storage card. Then, according to Java guide (see below), I tried relocating the Jbed files to storage card and then applying the reg key. Still was getting the same “low space” error.

Here is what I ended up with … it is quite simple:

I downloaded the Cloudyfa’s Jbed 20070802.2.1 .cab installer and installed in main memory (effectively overwriting the existing 20070802.2.1 in B&B 4.2 ROM in my case).

Esmertec Jbed has very good softkey support.

MIDlets, after compilation as .obj, are kept in the same directory, making phone’s memory usage even worse. Again, if you manually relocate it, or install it using .cab file onto a storage card, it’s on the card that it’ll keep its deployed MIDlets on!

Now Opera Mini 4 Beta2 and Gmail 1.5.0, as well as several other applications are running nicely (though few are still not) and in full screen which is really cool. Only downside for this Jbed 20070802.2.1 is that it doesn’t support for example cookie handling, unlike previous. Apart from that Esmertec Jbed is without a doubt the best KVM/JVM out there right now.

Check these out as well:
Comprehensive Java Midlet Manager Guide - check out on Jbed 20070802.2.1 section
The Definitive Guide to Running 3D-enabled Java MIDlets on Windows Mobile

UPDATE (Feb’08): The latest Esmertec Jbed build 20080222.3.1 can be downloaded from here (.cab 1.18MB).

For the purpose of using Internet Sharing over WiFi I am using my HTC P3300 connected to internet over EDGE, acting as an Access Point and a notebook connected to it.

Do the following:
1) Open Settings->Internet Sharing. Enable IS for Bluetooth PAN.
2) Change HKLM\Comm\ConnectionSharing\PrivateInterface to “TIACXWLN1″ (it should currently be “BTPAN1″).
3) Open Settings-> Connections -> Wi-Fi. Select Network Adapters tab. Click IEEE 802.11b/g Compatible Wi-Fi.
4) Enter IP address 192.168.1.1 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Click OK.
5) Select Wireless tab. Add New.. to add the Network name for your ad-hoc network (I prefer “adhoc”
6) Set the client computer to use the same ad-hoc network. Client will receive an IP address from the device (don’t need to manually set the IP).

And it works!

Interestingly, while IS was enabled, wifi stayed on and connected when the phone went to standby mode. Normally WiFi turns off to save battery during standby. So that’s a good thing, although I imagine this will drain your battery in a hot minute, so bring your charger.

UPDATE: Attached is a beta release of a patched intshare.dll, which uses TIACXWLN1 when Bluetooth PAN is selected. I.e., if you use this, you will not need to make the registry changes above. Now, unfortunately you cant just overwrite the original in \Windows, as it resides in ROM. So, you have two choices:
1) Replace the original intshare.dll with this version during the cooking stage.
2) Use the extracted IS files here and place them in a directory under \Program Files. Overwrite the original intshare.dll with the patched version attached. Change your Internet Sharing shortcut to use this new \Program Files\ICS\IntShrUI.exe.

This will handle the registry part, but of course you’ll still need to set the ad-hoc network up on your own.

Download file: intshare.zip

- Tnx to fluxist from xda-developers network.

At last a much better way to play them Youtube (and alikes) videos on your WM powered phones … no more fisrt downloading and then watching. You now have direct, unfettered access to Youtube, Google Video & Veoh, in all their glory. Simply install the CABs listed below, go directly to these websites, and click on a video to play. That’s it

If you follow the instructions exactly and use the preconfigured TCPMP settings, you should be able to play videos smoothly if your network connection is adequate.

Installation instructions:

1. If you already have a version of TCPMP installed, uninstall it now.
2. Install tcpmp.pocketpc.0.72RC1.cab: link here
3. Install FlashVideoBundle.CAB (this MUST be installed in the same location as TCPMP): get it
4. Soft-reset

Note: In order to play back videos on a touchscreen-less MS Smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard) platform, you’ll need THIS TCPMP CAB file (instead of the one linked in the tutorial) – while the other CAB file, FlashVideoBundle.CAB, can be installed on Smartphones as well.

Caveats:
Requires pocket IE. This plugin will not work with Opera, NetFront, Picsel, etc. (at least for now). However, it is compatible with PiePlus.

Tips:
- If your video is scrambled, change the video driver setting from “Raw Framebuffer” to “DirectDraw.”
- Google video is a mess, IMHO. They mix links to Youtube, Google and even AOL and they continue to index lots of videos that have been removed. In addition, the complexity of their javascript/flash code make it a bear to deal with. If you are using it, I’d recommend skipping their main page and going to their “Top 100″ page instead.
- Veoh videos tend to be higher quality than youtube, so it requires a fast connection.
- When clicking on a video image or title, be patient rather than repeatedly clicking it. It takes a little time to load up TCPMP, especially the first time.
- The FlashVideoBundle will work with TCPMP .81Beta, however I wouldn’t recommend it.
- If you want to disable the pocket IE plugin, first exit IE and then run “DisableVL.exe” in your TCPMP install directory. To enable it again, run “EnableVL.exe”

P.S.> Tnx to all developers for this great pieace of code … works like a charm on my HTC P3300.

UPDATE (01.02.08): This one is for WM 6.1 update (cab came out on Jan 22, 2008 — to fix the youtube issues)

1. Uninstall your TCPMP and Flashbundle player. Yes you have to install TCPMP and Flashbundle all over. I read you had to do this or else it wont work properly.
2. Install TCPMP (a media player that is used to play many files.For example youtube videos ). When you install it chose to install it to your SD card.
3. Copy the NEW Flashbundle cab (the one I provided) to the program folder that was created for TCPMP on your SD card
4. Once you copied the Flashbundle Cab to the TCPMP folder run the Flashbundle Cab from there and chose to install it to the SD card instead of local memory.
5. Soft Reset

If you ever experiece issues where you flashbundle doesnt work dont worry. Youtube updates their site many times and our Flashbundle is incompatible. Lucky for us we got a source where they update the Flashbundles to work when this happens just visit : http://discussion.treocentral.com/sh…=youtube+tcpmp

A document comparing the features between Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6, as well as basic information on different versions of WM6.

Click here to get the document (PDF ~400Kb)

BTW, are you a Windows Mobile Guru you think you are? Then visit the Windows Mobile Training website and Prove It. Heck, you even get a nice looking PDF certificate to print out and frame (why not …. if you have time and it is kinda cool)

Right now I am using HTC P3300 “Artemis” - an award winning pocketpc phone with Windows Mobile 5 (upgraded to WM6) and cool design. But there are few things that I am missing, and one of them is a full QWERTY keyboard.

This is what I am hoping to own as my next mobile device replacing my current Artemis - the HTC P4550, code name “Kaiser” (sounds very cool).

Running on Windows Mobile 6 Professional, the P4550 has a 32bit Qualcomm MSM7200 CPU at 400Mhz (wonder how it compares to Samsung 400Mhz and perhaps PXA 412Mhz) with 128 MB RAM and 256Mb ROM with a 2.8 ” TFT screen and a full QWERTY keyboard with unique option that lets you tilt the screen to have it sit on your desk perfectly aimed at you.

The device supports plethora of networks - CSD, GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA. Other key features include - SDIO, microSD, TransFlash slot, USB 2.0 client, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, WLAN and 3MP primary camera with VGA forward facing secondary camera. The only thing that I can think of missing from this killer device is VGA resolution - now that Toshiba and E-TEN are offering small-size Windows Mobile phones with touch screen and VGA resolution (640×480, but Toshiba offers even more: 800×480) it seems a little bit strange that HTC is missing this one from high range product such as Kaiser ……… making surfing the web much more pleasant experience than on QVGA screen.

Another really cool addition could have been a fingerprint scanner for authentication, such as one on Toshiba G900.

Complete specs for this device can be found here.

I guess the price will be quite steep for this device here in Moscow, at a mobile retail shop, perhaps somewhere in the range of $800-900, as I paid around $750 for my HTC Artemis. But that ain’t gonna stop me from getting one, that if I have cash :) Plus I am anxiously awaiting for one of those MIDs, running Linux, to hit the street.

Regular Windows Mobile 5 users who pick up a Windows Mobile 6 device probably won’t notice much difference, apart from the Today screen with its mock translucent effects, spruced-up icons and larger fonts. Everything else looks pretty similar - WM6 has been designed to improve on its predecessor.

Just for fun let us reminisce and find out what codenames were given to the previous versions of mobile Windows platform:

• Windows Mobile 6.0 – Crossbow - April 2007
• Windows Mobile 5.0 – Magneto – May 10, 2005;
• Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition – Ozone Update –March 24, 2005;
• Windows Mobile 2003 – Ozone – June 23, 2003;
• Pocket PC 2002 – Merlin – October 4, 2001;
• Pocket PC 2000 (Palm-size PC v2) – Rapier – April 19 2000;
• Palm PC v1.0/1.2 – Gryphon/Wyvern – January 8, 1998 (3 moths later Palm PC was renamed to Palm-size PC).

After upgrading my HTC Artemis, WM6 is significantly faster than WM5, especially when you have lots of applications running. The release build also seems stable, with far fewer resets required than with WM5 devices.

A welcome addition in WM6 is the ability to view HTML emails, including any embedded graphics - fast becoming the format of choice within many businesses. Other mobile platforms will only show a simplified text representation, often with links stripped out. There are several other enhancements to WM6 email, but many will work only if you’re running Exchange Server 2007 - tasks such as setting an Out of Office message, searching your complete mailbox and intelligent attachment handling. While on the subject of email, WM6 Standard users in particular will appreciate a new set of keyboard shortcuts available using the numeric keypad, making common tasks much quicker.

There’s a new search facility that works across several applications. Just type a word while you’re looking at your inbox, for example, and it will quickly find the messages that match.

Another area where the improved speed is really noticeable is the web browser - it’s much faster than WM5 when rendering pages containing large tables or using complex CSS-based layouts. But my preferred mobile web browser remains to be Opera 8.65, as of now, and am eagerly looking forward for Opera Mobile 9 release as well as mobile version of Firefox.

Windows Live is now fully integrated, including Messenger, Mail and Search. Messenger is becoming an increasingly important business tool, and with WM6 it integrates with your contacts list, allowing you to instantly see who’s online - not bad. I really like the voice clip in Messenger, and really dislike the results that Live search presents - Google or Yahoo is much better.

Lastly, there’s now a mobile version of Windows Update incorporated into WM6, but Microsoft has said it’s only intended to be used rarely, and purely for critical updates - hope they will not keep up with XP and Vista cycles of patches.

While at first glance Windows Mobile 6 might look much the same, there are plenty of important changes below the surface - some things that improve the user experience and others that are important from a corporate operation and security point of view. But by far the most noticeable change with WM6 is the improved stability and speed of operation - it’s been a long time coming, but is one of the most welcome enhancements, as are the visuals.

Here is a comprehensive review of WM6 - by mobile-review.com.

My Artemis: Spb Mobile Shell Now Screen and Today Screen listing few applications that I use frequently.

I have been waiting for this one for some time now and now it is on my mobile phone and I am super happy.

I have been waiting for WM6 upgrade for my HTC P3300. Now there is one available today, though not being an official ROM from HTC, as it is based on official O2 XDA Orbit WM6 German ROM, which is based on HTC P3300. I have tried this method on my CID-Locked HTC P3300 device several times and it works nicely, including GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

DISCLAIMER: Make sure you have original ROM as well, just in case your device stalls. I am not responsible if you brick your device.

The following WM6 ROM is of course in English, dont want one in any other language.

1. Download the WM6 English ROM

2. Download the package for upgrading your device

3. Copy the os.nb file to extracted folder (ARTE_WWE_WM6) and rename the file to tom.nba

4. Establish an ActiveSync connection

5. Run UpgradeRom_Artemis.bat

(don’t bother about the text output, as the package is from other “WM5 Crossbow Style” ROM)

6. After around 25-30 mins hard reset your device

>> If you encounter some problem while flashing, try change the value from 03900000 to 03500000 in the UpgradeRom_Artemis.bat file, and then try flashing again.

Once you are in WM6 Today screen, when you get 3 seconds screen for extended rom to be launched -> press soft-reset (you don’t want WM5 related patches installed on top of your WM6 device), unless you have flashed your device completely with another WM6 “other language” ROM, meaning you have CID-unlocked P3300 and just want English ROM.

Welcome to all new Windows Mobile 6:

Check the following forum for more help and details. Or wait for the official WM6 ROM from HTC.

P.S. Thanks to “bepe”, a member of xda-developers site.

UPDATE (02.02.08): Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro - Introduction and Running on HTC Artemis

In the past couple of years, I have tried a lot of news readers but none of them stayed in my Pocket PC beyond the evaluation period of that software. But, SPB Insight is the one software that surpassed the evaluation period and going to stay long on my Pocket PC after I purchase it tomorrow.

I’ll not do a comparison of SPB Insight with other leading news readers. Instead I will concentrate on the features that I have liked in SPB Insight.

Figure 1: SPB Insight — Main Screen

Apart from the usual RSS, Atom and OPML feed support; SPB Insight supports a proprietary channel template called the SPB Insight Templates. Insight Templates take information directly from the news web pages and optimize its presentation for your device. But the channel templates have to be written for every web site.

(more…)