In case anyone of you wants a Samsung i600 and lives in the USA or the UK, Expansys is your friend.
The box pictured above runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone and has 64MB of RAM/128MB of ROM. It includes a HSDPA radio, has BT 2.0 and a 1.3MP camera - other than that, there is little else to see here…a solid QWERTY phone…
Anyways, the purchase links are here:
Expansys UK - 99.95GPB
Expansys USA - 177$
P.S. Don’t ask me why their German sub-branch doesn’t match these prices…
Use the discount code FUNNYHEX to get 20% off Hexic in the TamsShop!
AstraWare recently ported a few puzzlers from MSN Games to the Windows Mobile platform. Hexic is the second application(coming after Mozaki) that is unleashed onto Windows Mobile Smartphones - can this Bejeweled clone stack up?
Like its sister product Mozaki, Hexic can be played in timed and untimed modes at varying difficulties:
Astraware also gave the program a ‘puzzle’ mode - here, you are assigned specific jobs that must be solved by clearing the board:
Anyways, the goal of Hexic is rotating tiles to form three adjacent ones which then disappear. For example, look at the marked tiles below:
Similar to Mozaki, the game includes a detailed tutorial and in-game help system.
This review looked at version 1.02 of Hexic on a QTek 8500 running its stock Windows Mobile 5 ROM. The program needs 2796KB of RAM and can be stored on an external memory card.
In the end, Hexic is little more than Bejeweled for people with a good spatial sense. People who like Bejeweled will probably like Hexic, as will people who have played it on MSN Games. Get the trial here and see if you can cope with the controls: the full version can be purchased for 9.95$ in the TamsShop.
The office suite found on most Windows Mobile Smartphones is truly pathetic - hell, you can’t even create new files… . DataViz’s DocumentsToGo is considered the king of office suites for Palm OS- can it stack up on Windows Mobile Standard?
General appearance
People who know DocsToGo from the Palm OS are used to having a desktop conduit - this is no longer the case on WMS. Instead, data is put onto the device via ActiveSync…and then open the file from the file manager. Alternatively, the DocsToGo folder in the launcher can be used to access the individual apps(and open the files via a slightly confusing dialog):
Word support
I tortured the program with a small word document(loan form) - the program had no problems rendering it:
Innovatively, the selection of text is handled via a toggle. Once selection mode is enabled, text can be selected with the 5way(it usually moves the cursor):
The program also allows you to add tables, bulleted lists, hyperlinks and page breaks on the go - unfortunately, images cannot be added. Stylesheet-based editing is not supported either.
A variety of zoom levels are supported - unfortunately, some of them produce at least slightly unreadable text(I never liked ClearType):
Excel
The version of Excel included into Documents To Go supports most business spreadsheets. I tortured it with a few, and had no major issues:
Adding new functions is not particularly difficult due to a well-done function picker; the program seems to support all commonly used functions:
Charts can be generated comfortably on the go:
Unfortunately, the product lacks support for conditional formatting and pivot charts - however, they remain in the file when saving and can be used again when a desktop or laptop is closeby.
The parts that I have seen so far leave me convinced that all works like it always did at DataViz’s. The product covers the essential features(except for inserting images and stylesheets) - and literally beats the s*** out of Microsoft’s embedded solution.
Tune in soon to find out about the PowerPoint, Zip and PDF support!
Use the discount code FUNNYMOZ to get 20% off the list price of Mozaki in the TamsShop!
People frequenting MSN Games will probably know Mozaki - a simple puzzler that is insanely amusing. Now, AstraWare has ported the game to WMS’s - can it stack up here?
Mozaki can be played in two modes - it supports both timed and untimed modes:
However, the game principle remains the same. Bricks appear randomly at the right side of the screen; they must then be moved onto the screen to create lines from the border to the center:
Tiles can be rotated on-screen with the 7 key:
If a line of matching colors is established, it disappears:
Ganging up tiles leads to cubes which are worth more points when being removed:
The tile at the bottom right provides with special tiles that are colorless(match all colors) or remove tiles around them:
Replayability is achieved due to the level system. After a few lanes are cleared, the colors at the borders are swapped(adjacent tiles also swap colors); eventually, new colors appear.
AstraWare included a little on-screen-help system - it proved to be extremely useful for me:
This review looked at version 1.02 of the game on a QTEK 8500 running its stock Windows Mobile 5. The program needs 1595KB of memory and can be run from an external memory card.
In the end, Mozaki is an excellent and amusing puzzler - but like many other games for Windows Mobile Standard, suffers from the lack of a touchscreen. Puzzle fans should definitely download the free trial from here - if you like it, get it for 9.95$ at the TamsShop!
Use the discount code SECUCHEAP to get 20% off SecuBox in the TamsShop! The code is also valid for the PocketPC version of the program!
Nowadays, Windows Mobile Smartphones can store literally hundreds of sensitive files. However, data on a memory card can be accessed even if the system is locked - just remove the card, and voila. Aiko Solutions wants to put an end to this…do they succeed at making data thief’s days ugly?
SecuBox is centered around so-called storages. A storage is a fancy expression for a secure archive file; it can contain encrypted files and folders:
New storage files are created with a special wizard. The maximal storage capacity must be fixed while the storage is being created - once the storage is created, it can no longer be changed.:
Once this is done, the file can be mounted and unmounted in the startup screen. Mounted storage files can be accessed just like memory cards:
SecuBox protects the files with 256bit AES encryption, which is considered safe by the US military. The product contains a variety of options accessible via a menu of checkable icons(weird UI…) - for example, all mounted storages can be removed when the device goes to sleep(unfortunately, unmounting can not be tied to the password system(delay timer)):
Last but not least, the product ships with an excellent help system:
This review looked at version 1.4.2 of the program on a QTEK 8500 running its stock Windows Mobile 5 ROM. SecuBox was stable in the reviewing period - no issues here. The program needs 557KB of memory and can be installed onto an external memory card!
In the end, SecuBox provides an excellent(although slightly cumbersome) way to protect your memory card data. If the company would allow images to change their size automatically, security nirvana is reached. But even now, the product is an excellent choice - if you have sensitive data on your memory card, get the program NOW…
Blizzard has been mentioned on our sister site TamsPalm quite a few times due to the incredible mess also known as World of Warcraft customer support. WoW, however, has had a predecessor known as Warcraft 3. This program was popular especially because of its rich map creation possibilities. Tower defense(aka keep critters from reaching a point by building guntowers) has been a recurring topic in these self-generated maps - Resco Defender brought the game to the PocketPC. Now, a smartphone version is available - can it stack up?
Most tower defense maps are designed for XGA screens; Resco thus had to redesign the gameplay a bit. The boys divided the screen into two parts - the bottom part contains the castle, the top part contains a grid.
Selecting one of the grid cells allows you to build various structures - if you can afford to do so:
Each tower has special capabilities - some attack all critters in a defined area, while others slow critters down without actually damaging them. All towers can be upgraded to become even stronger.
Once the first structures are built, the first wave of critters comes in:
Should your towers fail to eliminate all of them, the remaining critters damage the castle. After 20 critters reach the castle, the game is over:
The waves(called mobs) are mostly balanced - however, some of them have special and annoying capabilities. For example, flying critters don’t care much about your walls; bomb critters just tear them down.
At higher levels, the grid can become pretty crowded with literally dozens of critters and towers.
Last but not least, the game also contains a tutorial that teaches beginners how to play:
This review looked at version 1.20 of the game on a QTek 8500 running Windows Mobile 5. The game needs approximately 3MB of memory and can be run from an external memory card.
Overall, Resco Defender is one of the few games that are really really dangerous and should be prohibited by law - once you start playing, there is no way you will put your smartphone down. The folks did a great job at adapting the game’s controls to the smartphone platform. If you love great games, get the game over at the TamsShop!
Further reading:
Interview with the developer
For literally ages, MP3 files could be used as ring tones on various phones running different operating systems. However, one crucial weakness has so far remained - while a ring tone should be loud right from the start, most MP3’s(even radio mixes) start with 10-15 seconds of introductory beat. Vito Software’s RingtoneEditor promises to fix this - can it stack up?
Starting the program presents you the following, rather simple user interface:
Click on a file, and the program starts to play it back at full volume. Press Start to mark the beginning of your ring tone:
After having pressed start, the program allows you to move the exact starting point forward a bit:
The same thing is then done for the end point:
Once the ringtone is complete, you can either save it to your phone or start using it immediately:
This review looked at version 1.2 of RingtoneEditor on a QTek 8500 running its stock Windows Mobile 5 OS. The program needs about 2MB of storage memory and can be installed onto an external memory card without any issues.
In the end, Vito’s RingtoneEditor does exactly what it promises to do - it allows you to take snippets from MP3 and ogg files and use them as ring tones. People who feel like changing their ringtone a lot, will definitely be able to redeem the purchase price of 10$….
AstraWare’s pirate-themed TradeWinds 2 game brought a fresh twist to “travel-and-trade” games on PDA’s…most of them were set up in a space environment before. AstraWare has now ported it over to Windows Mobile smartphones - can it stack up?
TradeWinds is centered around “ports”, which are arranged on a map. Your task is sailing from port to port with goods which can then be sold for a profit:
Each port looks different, but contains more-less the same buildings(some aren’t available in every port):
For example, a marketplace allows you to buy and sell goods(the exchange rates vary from port to port):
The money gained in trading can be invested into your ship’s armament at the shipyard. Alternatively, you can use it to buy more goods and get even richer(:)):
While traveling, pirates can attack you. The battles happen in “real-time”, you just click the target that shall be attacked.
Special ammunition can be fired by clicking its icon in the “toolbar”:
In Story mode, “tasks” are assigned to you that must be completed in order to unlock new characters, ships and ports. Additionally, completing a task gets you a nice cash bonus:
This review focussed on version 1.00 of the program on a QTEK 8500. The program needs approx 4100k of memory and can be run from an external memory card!
Overall, TradeWinds 2 is a must-have for everyone who loves “turn-based” strategy games. One can’t imagine how much fun trading and fighting can be…until one has played this game. The first version of TradeWinds was a bit “shallow” to play, but TradeWinds 2 is much more challenging and less repetitive. It’s graphics and background music are quite nice, too - the price of 19.95$ is a bit steep but justified!
Use the discount code TRADEWINDSWMS to get 20% off the purchase price at the TamsShop
Weather forecasting has traditionally been a popular sphere of activity for smartphone application developers - literally every platform(even the obscure ones like the Motorola Z8/Z10) has like xy different (looking) weather forecasting programs. Elecont Software has just released its new flagship application, Weather - can it stack up?
After installing the application, your today screen contains an additional plug-in:
Clicking it takes you through a configuration dialog:
After that, you can select a city using the classic Country/City process. The program seems to have a very big database - I had no problems locating even smaller Austrian cities:
Once a city has been chosen, the program proceeds to downloading weather information:
Elecont has chosen a rather particular way of displaying data - the list at the top contains the data points, the bottom half of the screen shows some details about the currently-selected data point:
The program can break down forecasts on a per-hour scale(!!!), although some detail(e.g. humidity,…) is lost:
Elecont Weather is very flexible - you can configure literally every parameter: Animation speed of today plugin? Display format - 50 formats available. Style - 3 included. Automatic updating - when? Over which network? How often?
Finally, here are a few images showing some of the different configurations possible with the Today plugin. On a real device, data scrolls across the screen like a stock ticker while the icons show rudimentary animation:
This review looked at Elecont Weather v1.0.616s on a QTEK 8500 running Windows Mobile 5. The program needs a hefty 5000KB of storage memory and can be installed onto an external memory card without any excessive problems(it still eats an (annoying - remember, its a QTEK 8500) bit of storage RAM).
In the end, weather forecasting programs are a matter of taste. Elecont Weather has all features one expects from a weather forecast program. The ancient latinians already figures out that there’s no accounting for taste - I consider discussing fully-featured weather programs futile as everybody has his own favorite(for completely irrational reasons). Thus, why not get the free 3-day trial and see if you consider this well-done program worth 15 of your hard-earned US dollars!