The good news is I’ve done most of the work. I’ve tried so many softwares and gotten down to the few that work great. So here are some that are great, others that might work for you and some you really need to stay away from.

FREE TOOLS AND UTILITIES

GMAIL Java App: The latest Gmail app does not work with Xperia but this one does. However, I prefer to use POP mail to download Gmail and that works better not to mention it is also more readable.

MSS Converter: This could have been designed better. But where it lacks in aesthetics it makes up in application. This thing can convert anything you can think of be it currency, weight, temperature, etc.

NeboPad: A very nice finger friendly notepad. It not only looks good but is simple and effective. However, since the built in notepad does the same work, this really isn’t that essential IMO.

PocketTwit: One of these days, this is going to be the best Twitter utility. As soon as all the bugs get ironed out i.e. Keep an eye on this one as the author is aware of and working on the bugs. It has one of the best interfaces I’ve seen on a software especially a free one. Actually it beats some paid ones, too. I am going to wait for this to be bug free. Hey it looks too good

PAID SOFTWARES

Resco Explorer: A replacement for the basic file explorer. Personally I am fine with the basic explorer but this has additional features like a registry editor, FTP explorer, ZIP compression, network browser, today plugin and a recycle bin. So if you looking for these, you might want to try this software. Be warned, though. It is not free.
Note: Paid software for $29.95, 7 day free trial

RESCO has some other great softwares as well that you might want to look into especially their value packs which have 40 to 50% off.

–

Sprite Backup Pack: Best value is to get Sprite Backup and Sprite Terminator as one pack. There is also a 20% off coupon at the site for Xmas 2008. And HTC device owners get the pack for 50% off. Wonder if it matters that HTC built the Xperia

Sprite Backup is a great software for backing up and restoring your phone settings, data, apps, contacts, etc. The backups are self extracting. And I’m a sucker for good looking apps anyway

The second software in this pack is Sprite Terminator. This is another must have utility to protect your phone and data in case it gets lost or stolen. You can locate your phone using GPS, get an SMS on a cell of your choice if SIM is changed, lock your phone and/or delete all data remotely.
Note: Paid version for $39.95, HTC version for $19.95, 10 day free trial

Another option for backing up software is SPB Backup. I didn’t find this to be very user friendly. It kept breaking up my backups into more than one file and was giving me problems restoring. I gave up on it.

SPB does however, have a really great collection of softwares you might want to check up on.

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MagiCall: Life saver is what I call this software. Alright may be a bit dramatic but it has definitely saved me a lot of sleep. MagiCall filters out unwanted calls and SMS. It also offers a lot of options like ignore, reject, pick and hold, pick and cancel or answer for phone calls. No more crank calls disturbing me. Phew!
Note: Paid software for $24.95, 10 day free trial

I had tried SPB Phone Suite to filter calls but it let a bell ring and did not have the SMS option. It also did not have the kind of options Magicall does.

–

Mobile Security Combo: Unfortunately you do need an anti-virus and firewall for your phone. Air Scanner is a good option as it offers both an anti virus as well as a firewall. However, it is a bit costly.
Note: Paid software for $39.95 per year, 30 day free trial

PANELS

Facebook: Other than the SPB Mobile Shell Panel, this is the only other panel worth downloading IMO. It has its drawbacks but I’m hoping these will be solved. It is lacking some basic features:

1. There is no comment on status option
2. You cannot search for new friends nor view friends of friends
3. You can view status updates by friends but no recent activity list like on Facebook’s home page.

The panel will be perfect if they add these features.

INTERFACES

• SPB Mobile Shell Panel: Recommended
• Winterface Replaces your today screen. Costs $19.95. I haven’t tried it yet.
• Skybox: Basic icon interface was nice but do not like the title bar replacement. Stay away! Uninstall does not work.

So…

These are some softwares that I have checked out. I am going to add a list of games in my next post.

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Windows Mobile 6.1 Softwares For Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

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Align Screen

This is the first thing you will need to do in order to get your phone working. Make sure you use a stylus. Using your fingers is not a good idea as you will find the screen very unresponsive after that. I found out the hard way.

The second thing you have to remember is that the pressure with which you use the stylus also gets recorded and used to determine screen sensitivity. So make sure to tap the screen as lightly as possible and you will have a more responsive screen.

Remember you can always re-do this: Start > Settings > System > Screen

Set up Phone and Data Connections

The phone will automatically configure your provider. Next click on the Comm Manager icon from the top bar. From here you can turn on data connections or Wi-Fi. If you choose to turn on Wi-Fi, the phone will find wireless connections and ask you for any needed security settings. That’s it! You are done.

If you prefer to use Wi-Fi make sure you enable it manually as currently the phone chooses to use GPRS over Wi-Fi if it cannot find a data connection. SE is working on a fix.

SPB Mobile Shell Panel

Make your life simpler and download the SPB panel asap. Click Start > Internet Explorer or Start > Programs > Opera. Click Panels. Next download and run the SPB cab file. The panel is now installed but you still have to select and display it on your panels screen.

Go to the panels screen, click the bottom right icon. Choose the panel position and choose SPB Shell.

This interface is finger friendly and makes it very easy to browse the basic windows settings.

Hot Fix for Sending POP and IMAP E-mail

This is a must if you plan on sending and receiving emails.
Download

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WinMo Settings

Next I am going to cover the basic settings for Win Mo 6.1 so this can apply to all Win Mo 6.1 phones. You can get to the settings via Start > Settings or use the first tab on SPB shell and then settings. These are some of the settings I change:

Personal (Start > Settings > Personal)

Buttons: I set the left key to rotate the screen and the right key for one of the programs I installed – Voice Command.

Input: Choose your input method and word completion settings according to your preference.

Menus: You can choose up to 7 programs to display in the start menu.

Owner Information: Self Explanatory.

Phone: There are two main settings I change here. One is the default ring (more detailed options are under Sounds and Notifications). Next make sure automatic pick up is off under More (unless you want it on). Last setting is advanced. I prefer not to send messages to calls that are being rejected. Beats the point of rejecting them IMO Not to mention any xyz person can be calling and I, for one, do not want to send messages to them. I also turn off the option of adding every incoming number to my phone book.

System (Start > Settings > System)

Clear Storage: In case you want to go for a one click hard reset.

Clocks and Alarms: Set your current place and time. Set up to 3 alarms . Under ‘More’ I prefer to display the clock in the title bar and choose the option to turns alarms off if device is silent.

Error Reporting: I turned this off. It was just annoying for me.

GPS: I just select manage GPS automatically from the third tab here.

Illumination: Events for which you can turn screen illumination on or off.

Key Lock: I prefer to wake up the device using the power button only. But you can set it to any key as well.

Microphone AGC: I have this enabled.

Power: Here you can see battery consumption. Later in this post I will show you an easier way. You can choose to tun off phone charging when connected via USB although I don’t get why anyone will want to.

I have auto adjust backlight on although if you turn that off and set your backlight to the minimum you can live with, you will most probably save more battery.

Use advanced to set the turn off time for the screen. I find 1 minute to be sufficient. Just don’t check the turn off device. It is after all a phone, too.

Regional Settings: Set your preference for time, date, currency format etc. I prefer a 12 hour clock so in order to get that you need to choose hh:mm:ss tt for time style.

Screen: You can re-align the screen and also choose the text size. I slide the bar all the way to the largest. I have also enabled ClearType.

SPB Mobile Shell: Choose the animation. You can also set the city for the weather settings here.

Connections (Start > Settings > Connections)

Connections are pretty simple to set up. Pick one and set it up.

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Some Tips

1. SMS Delivery Receipts: I prefer receiving these. Go to Start > Messaging. Next Click Menu > Options > SMS/MMS and choose receive delivery receipts.
2. Copy/Paste: I felt like such a dud because I just could not find the paste option in File Explorer. Turns out it is the last option in the menu and I just didn’t see it as I was either covering it with the stylus or my finger. So just in case you are like me…
3. Camera Photos: Since Xperia does not have a lot of internal storage it is best to save all data on your storage card. You can change the default location by going into the camera. Click the settings tool button in the bottom right. Press the down arrow bottom right again. Click the icon in the top left corner. The fourth setting is the one you need to set. Change the Save To option to Card.

–

Basic Software

Some basic softwares that I find to be a must.

Battery Indicator: This is the best battery indicator out there. It adds a very thin bar across the top of your screen. This is a must have as you can tell your battery status at a glance.

Xperia Tweak 2: Adds some very useful tweaking options for your Xperia.

• Disable conversation-style SMS/MMS (nah, I prefer threaded)
• Disable security warning @ installations (disabled as it was a pain)
• Disable screen turning off during call (disabled so I can use the screen)
• Show SIM-contacts in contact list
• Disable “message sent” notification (disabled)
• Change popup menu font size (I set mine tio 950)
• Ability to change the default system browser (set to Opera)
• Built-in application for changing the sort order of contacts from “Lastname, Firstname” to “Firstname Lastname” (this one’s a relief)
• Built-in application for changing the phones overall font (except some applications) (read below for more info)
• Some LED illumination tweaks (in case you want to)
• Ability to disable phone screen lighting up when an incoming message is received (saves battery)
• Ability to choose default panel to load after restart (haven’t tried yet)

Just a word of warning. If you increase the font from default to a wider font, say, Verdana, you might notice that some screens are spilling out in portrait mode. I had to go thru one hard reset to figure out the problem was changing the font.

Advanced Configuration Tool 3.3: If you are not too much into tweaking you might find this to be a bit complicated at first sight. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Just go over everything one by one. I find the Locations option to be the best as it lets me configure my music, photos and document folders.

HTC Ports: The four main files you will find in the main post are:

1. Keyboard: Definitely recommended as the Xperia keyboard is too small and requires stylus use. This one has a full QWERTY Keyboard as well as a Compact QWERTY option.
2. Volume Control: Another recommendation. The default Xperia sound control is ugly to say the least. This not only looks good but makes it easy to set the volume.
3. Comm Manager: I haven’t tried this as I am quite happy with the default Xperia Comm Manager.
4. Phone Dialer: This one’s a mixed bag. I wanted to have a better notification screen which this does but it also replaces my default Xperia dialing pad and logs interface. I really like the brushed metal look of the default version. Plus I find the slide to accept call on the HTC a bit annoying. So for me this had to go.

Power SMS: A very useful software especially for backing up your messages.

Main Features:

• Note to Self
• Group Message
• Auto Reply
• Schedule SMS
• Cool Stats
• Backup & Restore

VIP PIM Ringtone: One of the first things you want to do with your phone is add contacts and then you may want to set up their ring tones. This freeware utility lets you set ring tone by category thus saving you the trouble of setting for each individual contact.

SMS Reports Eraser: If you turned on the delivery receipts, then after a while you will find them piling up and becoming completely annoying. The software deletes these notifications after a set time. It can also replace the default text notification with a voice notification.

S2U2: I love this utility. It replaces the default incoming call notification with a slide to answer panel and a larger caller ID screen (and I get to keep the Xperia dial pad). It also has a slide to unlock screen and a great many options on when to lock your phone. I have set it to lock it when the screen goes blank. Now I don’t have to do it manually each time. What a relief! Just make sure to use RawBuffers only for graphics to get this to work flawlessly.

–

These are just a few of the basic tweaks, settings and softwares that are good to start out with.

Coming Soon: Additional Softwares for Xperia. All tried and tested so rest assured they will all work.

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Setting up Sony Ericsson Xperia For the First Time

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First Impression

When I first saw the box, I was quite surprised. I had expected it to be bigger for some reason. The next surprise was the phone itself. It looked so small. And if that wasn’t enough I got another shock on sliding out the keyboard. The keys are so small but not in a bad way. It’s just that the photographs give you the impression of the phone being a bit bigger for some reason.

Build Quality

One word. Fabulous! It is a solid phone and feels great in your hands. I got the black one, which has a brushed metallic look. The top part around the stylus and camera and the bottom part at the back are a bit rubbery.

Keyboard

No one was exaggerating when they said the sliding mechanism is really good. It slides out very smoothly with a definite click at the end.

I did not feel the keys were too flush or did not have a lot of bounce. They feel quite alright to me. The top row of keys is close to the phone and you do sometimes bump while typing. I do have small hands so people with bigger hands might find this to be an issue. Try out the keyboard first if you have the opportunity to do so.

Other than that I wish they had dedicated number keys at the top but its not a deal breaker.

Since I was using a Nokia 6670 before, my fingers kept trying to find the alphabets in the dial pad fashion. It took me a couple of days to get used to a QWERTY version on a phone. But now that I have I enjoy typing on it.

Screen

Nice, bright and crisp. The resolution is awesome. My sister tried her IMATE from a couple of years back and was wondering why my phone had a sharper, crisper screen. It is because of the 800×480 screen resolution. Amazing!

However, this does lead to one problem. Very tiny fonts. Although this is a software issue and you can tweak your software to get bigger fonts in most, if not all areas.

Panels

This is a brilliant concept and really makes the Xperia a unique phone IMO. There was a time when I was debating between the HTC Pro and Xperia. However, with the HTC Pro I was stuck with the interface it came with or at max I could install another Today screen plugin. But only one option at a time.

With the panels, I can switch interfaces with the click of a button. Just have to wait for more panels to be developed now as there aren’t too many options available currently.

Responsiveness

I find the touch screen to be responsive. Although people who have used a capacitative screen like on an IPhone may not like it too much. The panels open up fast but once open it takes a couple of seconds to get it fully loaded. You see a screenshot while it loads in the background. Once you are inside a panel, then the phone works fast.

The only place with a noticeable lag is when you change the screen orientation of the panel view. The panels freeze for a split second while changing. But seriously it doesn’t kill you I hardly ever change orientation in that view anyway. You normally tend to do so when inside a panel to write an sms or to view a website in wide view.

Input

I love the multiple input options. You can use the stylus, touchscreen or keyboard. You can write directly on the screen using the stylus. And with the right software you can even talk to your phone.

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If you are like me and haven’t used a Win Mo device in years or perhaps never at all, then you might find the phone overwhelming to start with. There are so many options and tweaks that can be applied and so much to learn. But don’t worry, you get the hang of it.

Just think of Xperia more like a computer where it gets better with the utilities and tweaks you add as opposed to a phone you can use out of the box. You can still do that but you will be missing out on the best Xperia can offer.

–

Coming up soon: A list of Xperia Tweaks, Settings, Utilities, Panels, Software, Games, Tips and Tricks

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 – First Impression, Thoughts and Review

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To cut a long story short, I asked my cousin in the UK to get me an Xperia. We ordered from a shop which had it in stock. Turns out our shipment is delayed and my cousin being unsure of it being delivered in time (flight on Nov 14), ordered a back-up option on Ebay.

Now we have two phones on the way LOL.

So we decided to sell one of them on Ebay.

We put up an auction on Ebay and the phone has a high bidder. It is sold.

Then we find out the store we ordered from has had stock delays and won’t be delivering before the flight.

Now we are out of both phones

Panic!

So I look around and finally find a shop which has stock and are shipping next day to UK. Phew! They had 6 in stock at night and by the time we were ready to place an order they were down to 4 units. Wow! These sure sell fast.

So now we finally have my phone. The other one is all ready to ship out on Ebay.

And then it turns out the buyer claims his account was misused and he never bid on this item.

Ouch!

We are back to two phones.

So my cousin sends one of them to me. And still has the other one waiting for someone to claim it

And you can do it at my new auction:
Bid At EBAY

But please only bid if you are serious.

I am shipping worldwide so this is an opportunity for you to get it even if the Xperia has not been released in your country.

The auction is ending at approximately 6:30 GMT. So hurry and good luck!

I will be back with a detailed review of Xperia and info on tweaks and must have programs. Stay tuned!

-----
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Sadly I have been trying to change my phone for the past 18 months and just didn’t find any that will fit the bill. And now 18 months later I am finding way too many options.

IPHONE

I have been eying the IPhone ever since it came out. I was unable to get it as it was carrier bound and only available in the US. This is the reason why I even waited 18 months to change my phone hoping they will release it in my country in just another 2 months. Well all those 2 months have added up.

And finally the Iphone is available unlocked in Hong Kong for around $800.

PROS

• Great looking phone
• Amazing Interface
• As far as I know the Iphone still has the best touch screen plus the multiple touch gestures, etc and is great in terms of speed.
• App Store
• Graphics Accelerometer.
• Orientation sensor works fast

CONS

• No Bluetooth
• No Video Recording
• No out of the box exchange support
• No self service battery replacement option
• No memory expansion slot.
• Still not available in my country. Will have to find a way to get an unlocked version from Hong Kong
• No physical keyboard

In other words a lot of missing stuff. But I still drool over the phone when I see it. If you could take the performance from IPhone and add the missing features, this would be the perfect phone! Although for most people it still is.

IPhone info at Apple.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

After getting sick of waiting for the IPhone to arrive, I started looking around for a similar if not better option. And this is when I found the Xperia X1 (not yet released) a few months back. Apparently I have a tendency of falling for stuff that is either not released or not available for purchase.

This phone is what I call perfect! Well almost.

It has all the features I want plus a few more. Seems like someone has finally thought of adding it all in the same phone. The only missing option is a graphics Accelerometer. I figured one can’t complain with the feature set the phone offers.

So I started following this phone set to release in Q4 of 2008.

It has finally launched in October in Sweden, Germany and UK. However, launched does not mean in the market. A few people have it in their hands in Sweden. Most are still waiting in the UK where the final date keeps getting pushed further and further. Other countries like the US, Australia and the rest will get it either by the end of 2008 or early 2009. Wanna bet which one?

PROS

• Great set of features. Covers 95% of what I want.
• The 9 Panel Interface which is a skin for Windows Mobile looks great.
• Expandable memory using a Micro SD card.
• Several input options using touchscreen, stylus and a physical keyboard which slides out.
• 800×480 screen resolution. The best out of the lot!

CONS

• No graphics accelerometer. You need to either open the keyboard or press a button to change the phone orientation from portrait to landscape mode.
• Phone is too new. Not many reviews out there. And the ones that are available are pretty mixed. Some love the phone and say it is fast and easy to use. Others claim it is laggy. In that sense it is still a risk to pre-order. Not to mention the earlier you get it, the higher the price.
• Very pricey. That is if you are looking at the unlocked version which is on average around 500 pounds or around $800.
• Can’t say if the keyboard is any good without trying it out.
• I can get it from the UK only if it comes in the market before Nov 15.

In other words I have fallen in love with this phone and am 85% convinced on buying it.

Check out the Official Website.
Check out the feature set at Sony Ericsson’s website.
SIM Free available for pre-order for 500 pounds at Sony Ericsson’s official E-Store.

HTC Touch Pro

If the above two options weren’t enuff, I decided to take a look at HTC Touch Pro.

WOW! The 3D Flo interface looks pretty impressive.

PROS

• Almost as strong a feature set as Xperia.
• Graphics Accelerometer. Senses phone orientation. Unlike the Xperia, the display automatically changes from portrait to landscape mode.
• Already available in the market.
• Less expensive than Xperia.

CONS

• Not too sure about the keyboard. The keys look more spaced out on the Xperia. However, some people prefer the Xperia keyboard while others like Touch Pro.
• The interface is pretty snazzy but I’m just wondering if it will get old with time. As a designer I know jazzy snazzy looks great to start out with but fizzles out with time. So is the Touch Pro interface one of those?
• Orientation sensor only works in some areas of the phone and the menu in landscape mode is not the same as the one you get in the portrait mode.
• Screen is slightly smaller than Xperia with a lower resolution.

Check out the product features at HTC’s website.

So Which One…?

The question now becomes which one.

IPhone is the first to go out of the picture. Mainly because of its missing features and the fact that it won’t be easy to get the unlocked version from Hong Kong.

The battle is between Xperia and Touch Pro.

I started reading as many reviews and watching as many videos as I could find on both phones.

The screen size and resolution on the Xperia is bigger and better. From the pictures and videos, the Xperia keyboard seems better to me. And I love the way it slides out.

The more I look at Xperia, the more I fall in love with this phone. The more I look at Touch Pro, the more I think I will get over the very WOW interface.

For now Xperia is the WINNER for me.

Now here’s to hoping it gets released in the UK before Nov 15 and for under 500 pounds – the lower the better.

–

If you own any of these phones, I would love to hear your experiences and thoughts. And if anyone has done a live comparison of the final versions … that is just fantastic and we are all waiting to hear from you.

–

Update: As you can see from my next few posts on the subject, I did end up getting Xperia and very pleased with the phone

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IPhone 3G vs Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 vs HTC Touch Pro

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