Chome Configurator for 6.1 Sliding Panels

Someone's already created an awesome application to configure the sliding panels on the Windows Mobile 6.1 homescreen...apparently by starting to work on it with the 6.1 emulator in the SDK since the phones with 6.1 weren't out yet.

Get Chome Configurator here.

The app is incredible, though a little confusing at first. It basically lets you create new panels and edit some of the existing ones. You can add pages that can launch applications, launch websites, dial contacts, etc. It also lets you associate an icon with each of those activities and comes with a dozen or so that may be useful. (You can easily add your own images...I suggest using 48x48 PNGs with transparency since the tranparency makes it much better and they'll be really small in size).

I used it to create an application panel for launching programs and a web panel for launching my website favorites. I also added some entries into the existing settings panel like my registry editor and the file manager.

To give a quick overview, once you launch the app, the right softkey does most of the work. You can customize an existing panel (though several are locked) or create your own new panel under the Menu->plugin option. Once you have your panel (or an existing one), you basically want to create a new page and then pick a template for the new page. The template makes it a lot easier to fill in the fields on the page as it does nearly all the work for you. You can view existing pages as examples of what goes in the fields.

Chome Configurator is actually making all the changes behind the scenes in the registry...really it's just a nice GUI. You could make the changes yourself if you wanted.

Windows Mobile 6.1 released for the Q9C!

This is a great development for users of the Q9C, as 3 days of Windows Mobile 6.1 has made me quite pleased. You can get the update from Motorola since Sprint doesn't seem to be doing it yet (or at least some techs don't know about it) and it's pretty painless to do. I recommend doing the update using the "Via Your Computer" option since the phone will need to reboot and continue installation. There's already a rundown of the new features by Microsoft:

• Instant messaging-like texting
• Improved Internet browsing
• Simpler e-mail and Bluetooth setup
• New Home screen interface
• New Getting Started Center
• Security enhancements
• Easier Wi-Fi connection
• More personal choice

Of those, I've found some great changes. It's nice to have copy/paste functionality in texts, emails, and IE. Texts are now threaded, meaning your conversations get grouped which is much nicer than a linear list of texts where you can't follow a conversation. The phone seems to respond quicker, and I'm pretty certain the battery life has improved. The new Sliding Panels homescreen is really slick and very functional. IE seems to load pages more quickly, lets you zoom in or out on the page, and finally lets you set your homepage without some ugly registry tweak. Most apps from 6.0 still work fine, as do the tweaks.

Bottomline: If you own a Q9C you want this upgrade.

We'll see if I come up with more benefits in the coming days...for one, I've spotted a feature in text messaging that lets you use some predefined messages (you can create your own too) so if you like using a phrase a lot or find yourself sending a "Where you at?"-type text message frequently, it just got even easier.

Sprint Q9C users getting Windows Mobile 6.1 this summer

Microsoft officially announced Windows Mobile 6.1 today, also releasing the fact that Sprint plans to update all current Windows Mobile 6 phones to 6.1, which is great news. Particularly because 6.1 has truly useful improvements that will make everyday tasks easier.

Major Improvements from 6.0:

• Getting Started Center
  
  • Get help setting up your new phone—from e-mail to a Bluetooth headset, so you can start using it right away.
  
  
• Sliding Panel Home Screen
  
  • The home screen has a whole new look. View notifications and calendar appointments. Go straight to the Getting Started Center and settings. Listen to your favorite music and view your favorite photos.


• Threaded Text Messaging
  
  • When you text with a friend or colleague, the messages are threaded together into a single conversation, so you can view the entire conversation as you type.


• Internet Explorer Mobile Zoom Support
  
  • Zoom in on a Web page to view small text or images.


• Internet Explorer Mobile Page Overview
  
  • View an entire Web page at one time, navigate to a specific segment, and then select that segment for a closer view.


• Cut, Copy, and Paste
  
  • Select and copy text from Web pages in Internet Explorer Mobile. And cut, copy, and paste text in e-mail and messaging.


• Home screen music and photos
  
  • Music can be played/paused and photos can be viewed, all on the homescreen itself

Sprint's press release lists Summer 2008 as the date for updates to existing devices.

Google Search Box on Home Screen

Today Google released a tool for Windows Mobile devices which will put a Google Search box right on the homescreen, saving you the steps of opening the web browser, typing google.com into the address bar, and then performing a search. Personally I find this incredibly useful and it's transparent background does not disrupt the homescreen. Check it out below:


You can get it by going to http://mobile.google.com on your mobile device, and then clicking on the "Search (Download)" link.