Pocket Shield for HD2 Review

Send to KindleTweet So when I first used the HTC HD2 (The best Windows Mobile phone out there), I immediately noticed how bad the lock screen was. It wasn’t useful because of it’s lack of notifications which are the most important thing in a lock screen. I had to unlock the phone to find out if I had any new messages. From a personalization point of view, I couldn’t do anything to make it more personal. The way to unlock the device was old and boring unlike the Android and iOS lock screens. So overall, the HD2′s built in lock screen was terrible and not very unique. In fact, it’s not just the HD2′s lock screen that’s bad, all touch screen Windows Mobile devices have terrible lock screens. That’s where Pocket Shield comes in. Pocket Shield is a $14.99 application for your touch screen Windows Mobile phone, which makes the lock screen a lot more customizable and more “protected”. So lets start of with the design features. Once Pocket Shield is installed, the lock screen is completely skiable with downloadable skins. These skins are completely free and can be downloaded in the application. Each skin has all the features that Pocket Shield offers. Two of the notable skins include Android and Windows Phone 7. When using Pocket Shield, there are several ways to unlock your device (this is configurable in the configuration panel. Some of these methods take advantage of some of the sensors in your phone no matter what Windows Mobile phone you have. Some of the ways to unlock the phone include flip to unlock and gesture unlock. One of the notable ways of unlocking your phone is with the built in proximity sensor. For example, if you get a new email when your device is in your pocket, the phone won’t unlock to show you’re the email. As soon as you take the phone out of your pocket, it will unlock. For me, this is the coolest feature of Pocket Shield. Demo of the proximity sensor unlock feature on the HTC HD2   The configuration options are just as good for locking your device and notifications on the lock screen. You can control many settings like how long should it wait before it locks automatically. Unlike the built in lock screen on the HD2, you can also configure the notifications on the Shield Lock screen like if it should show new mail. There are so many customizability options in Pocket Shield, which satisfy even the must fussy customer The last major feature in Pocket Shield that I am going to cover is the custom phone screen. If your someone that accidently clicks buttons while making phone calls, Pocket Shield has got you covered. There are configuration options for blocking the hardware keys and answering the call by a gesture (moving the device). Just like the locking feature, you can completely customize what happens during a call. Verdict Overall, Pocket Shield is a must have app for the [...] Read more »

Foursquare Finally Comes to Windows Mobile

Send to KindleTweet Not everyone wants to share their location with Foursquare, but the people that do and use Windows Mobile, will be happy to hear that there is now a Windows Mobile Foursquare app. Unfortunately, this app is only available on Windows Mobile 6.1-6.5+ and it can only be used on Touch screen phones. If you fit these categories, you can submit your email address for a beta here. Iyer, the guy that made this application has been working on this project on the side for a few months now, and made the app along with the help of development house Touchality. Right now you can only access foursquare from the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, and Mac OSX, but we would like to see it come to more platforms in the future. Read more »

Windows Mobile Total Access

Send to KindleTweet Are you a Windows Mobile user? If so, then you’re in luck. With Microsoft’s new Total Access, you can get tons of free stuff for Windows Mobile! You can get ring-tones, wallpapers, themes, games, software, and other cool stuff. All you need is a phone that runs Windows Mobile and a Windows Mobile Total Access account. You can sign up at: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/totalaccess/default.mspx Read more »