However, Samsung Today is not for me. Windows Mobile original interface is worse.
SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 came to the rescue and it worked better, if not, one of the best. It is touch-friendly and users can customise the layout with widgets and shortcuts. With SPB Mobile Shell Skin application, users will have the ability to change the clock design, icons, weather icons as well as additional widgets.
Preview
SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 places itself into one of the startup applications. Essentially, it replaces the whole Windows Mobile interface while it still allows users to go back to Today screen with a touch of a button. SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 comes installed with several quick access screens and quick access buttons for programs, weather and contacts.
Quick Access Screens
- Home Lifestyle Panel
- Professional Panel
- Contact Carousel Panel
- Call Log Panel
- Launcher Panel
- Weather Panel
The most useful panel, I believe, is the Home Lifestyle Panel because it gives users the ability to customise the layout using drag and drop gesture. Moreover, it consists of three screens by dragging left and right to reveal different screens. Users can also add more screens by editing a registry path.
For me, the other panels are quite useless as I use another program to track my calls and contacts. Launcher Panel is where SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 lists all your applications. On landscape layout, SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 will list eight folders for users to access different types of applications while there will be nine folders in portrait layout.
- Messaging
- Settings
- Tools
- Navigation/Shortcut
- Games
- Programs
- Organizer
- Internet
- Multimedia
Some of the SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 folders can be customised by adding widgets or programs while some do not give users the options. Simple registry editing will open up the settings or change the names of the folders. Volume profile and wireless manager provide quick access to sound as well as Bluetooth and Wireless communication.
By default, users can only change the background of the SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 Home Lifestyle Panel and everything else will be one dull colour.
User Interface
SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 is easy to use and if you do not like the hassle of customising, the default installation is good enough to get you up and running. However, if you like to fiddle around and customise SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 to suit you, there are tons of customised widgets available for download. In addition, understanding the registry entries will help you to achieve more. Rest assure as editing SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 registry entries is easy and it is not easy to break.
Performance
SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 runs almost without any hiccups. Navigating between pages is fast and you can easily backup the settings in case something goes terribly wrong. It does not hang easily unless other programs are causing unexpected errors. For example, when I switch Core Player from Landscape to Portrait mode, it seems to have caused SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 to hang on the last screen. Pressing the back or carousel button does not get me anywhere. As a result, soft reset is the only solution.
Undeniably, SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 will help you to run your Windows Mobile more efficiently and effectively.
Verdict
Moving up to SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 from SPB Mobile Shell 2.0 is not considered a huge step. Both versions serve well. In fact, SPB Mobile Shell 2.0 offers more customisation on the front while in SPB Mobile Shell 3.0, you have to fiddle around with the registry settings which can be frustrated sometimes.
What separates SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 and SPB Mobile Shell 2.0 is the fancy interface in SPB Mobile Shell 3.0. It tries to impress its users by introducing carousel navigation and sleeker icons yet the settings in SPB Mobile Shell 2.0 are much more straightforward and easy to customise.
SPB Mobile Shell 3.0 is a great piece of Windows Mobile application and it transforms the clumsy Windows Mobile into a better and more user-friendly device. It works out of the box but still, the customisation is somehow limited.
Source
SPB Mobile Shell 3.0
