Database Users

SPB Pocket Plus 3.1 vs. WisBar Advance 2...which is better?

SPB Pocket Plus 3.1 vs. WisBar Advance 2
I have searched everywhere on the net and there are such mixed emotions as to which utility is overall better (based on stand alone performance, plug-ins you add, themes etc.)
So I turn to this orgi of experts....
What are all your opinions (be detailed if necessary)???
(Please state which one of the two you are currently using if you are using either.)

I use Spb Pocket Plus 3.1 and tried Wisbar 2.x, the reasons I still run PP 3.1:
- I like tabs on my Today Screen to sort my stuff instead of going through menus, submenus and sub-sub-menus
- It performs better on my Vario than Wisbar
- It has a SafeMode for booting/removing programs that otherwise would have to be deleted by hand.
- I like the meters that come with PP3.1
- I like the interaction with Spb Diary 1.7 ( Messages, Contacts, Notes, Tasks, etc. )
- Its ease of use and simple customizing functions
- I prefer the taskmanager more than the wisbar one
But all in all its a matter of PERSONAL TASTE. Some swear on PocketBreeze/Contact Breeze others Spb PocketPlus & Diary for example.
So best thing is - try it - see how it performs on YOUR machine and then go ahead an purchase which suites you best.

hi
may be you can try WAD with WA2 from lakeridge software to. :wink:
regards

i wouldn't directly compare which one is better since they don't exactly do the same things
wisbar is more for skinning and interface while spb is more like utilities and plug-ins
i used to use both together, but i found that wisbar was slowing my device too much, not that it's bad, but i didn't care to skin it anymore

i also prefer pocket plus 3.1
if your using a Wizard device it seems to perform the best and integrates w/the other utilites very well! (i also have spb diary and weather and time)
i've noticed that since i've went to using spb based products/plugins the perf on my mda is way better! (tmobile mda usa w/kjam aku2 rom)
before i was using seperate apps for task managing and today screen info and had to reset daily. now i can go a few days with out a soft reset..
just my .02
oh yea, once you get pocket plus, extended themes will work! and you can make your own via a free add-on to the windows theme maker..

Spb Add-ons

Was just over at Handango and saw that the Sbp Mobile Shell and Pocket Plus were two of the best selling programs they have. Yet a search of the entire xda forum gives back no hits. Does no one use this? The shell seemed like a pretty good looking interface.

Mobile Shell versus Pocket Plus
So far I think the general trend is to towards Pocket Plus as Mobile Shell is still on version 1.
I use pocket plus and so do quite a few others on the forum. It's very customisable and a good piece of software.
So far Mobile Shell is lacking in a lot of areas and while it promises to be a good interface I think it will take a few more versions.
There is a thread on it somewhere.

You're searching wrong if you're getting no hits on "Sbp Mobile Shell". There are several threads.
However, remember that XDA devs ironically borks at search keywords <= 3 letters. (ie SPB is not a valid search term)
Ergo, try google:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22Mobile+Shell%22+site%3Aforum.xda-developers.com
I use SPB Mobile Shell. Some bits of it are nice. Some are useless or eye candy only. Give it a trial! It's technically a nice piece of work, and will improve your productivity. You have to decide on whether it's worth the price.
V

mobile shell IS quite nice. I use it with Diary and GPRS monitor. could use some refinement but it works as a today screen.

SBP software
I'm a big fan of SPB stuff.
I use SPB Pocket Plus, SPB diary (which work well together) and SPB finance.
I've trialled some of the others - the phone suite is good, but not as good as phone alarm...yet. I'm hoping it does improve as it was the first version.
Have also tried SPB mobile dvd and SPB backup - both work very well too - they'll be next.
J.

I used to use SPB programs as well, Mobile Shell is quite nice... of course there are much more advanced and skinnable today plugins than SPB today plug ins so I dont use them anymore..

I use MobileShell and PhoneSuite on my 8525
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/htc-hermes-cingular-8525/211777-my-setup-log-my-cingular-8525-a.html

TF3D vs SPB Mobile Shell

hi,
i'm trying to work out which shell replacement to use on my experia. i've used the full version of spb mobile shell on my kaiser and quite like the functionality although it looks pretty dull. i'm tempted to install TF3D but would like the opinion of someone who has used both as to which is better ?
unfortunately, i need the ability to go back to the standard wm homescreen as i don't think any of the shell replacements can take advantage of standard wm today plugins (i'm thinking david andr birthdays here which i use to warn me in advance of upcoming birthdays so that i can get a present in time ...)
does anyone have any opinions ?
thanks in advance ...

I use all.. I use WM today screen. and spbshell and tf3d.. I choose what I like at that moment. Thats why the panels are so handy

thanks kev!n - you don't find that your phone slows down at all ?
how do you access all 3 ? do you have TF3D set up as a panel od you access all 3 from panel 1 on your x1 ?
thanks

Yes I installed it as a panel. And acces it all with panels. And the phone did not slow down for me so I think its great

thanks for that. did you manage to get the full version of mobile shell working as a panel or are you using the panel version ?

mobile shell + pocket plus + phone suite all the way
TF3D is only a little eye candy no more, and I prefer more info on screen than good graphics on screen.

I have both installed (as panels). No problems here, running very nicely.
Using TF3D more, for the most part simply because the HTC Music Player is more touch friendly (although the eye candy doesn't hurt either if I'm being completely honest).
Can't really see a reason not to have both, especially now that TF3D is available in panel form (and also more stable in that form if others reports are to be believed).

NZtechfreak said:
I have both installed (as panels). No problems here, running very nicely.
Using TF3D more, for the most part simply because the HTC Music Player is more touch friendly (although the eye candy doesn't hurt either if I'm being completely honest).
Can't really see a reason not to have both, especially now that TF3D is available in panel form (and also more stable in that form if others reports are to be believed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree 100% i'm using both and they both work great. I'm hoping someone comes out with a WVGA skin for spb mobile shell panel. If not who knows i might try and make one myself.

Ever so slightly off topis but....
I've got the normal version of SPB MS installed rather than the free panel version. I can access the normal today screen at any time.
A senior member called GREATBAL has made some fantastic skins/mods for mobile shell, these worked perfectly on my Kaiser but unfortunately due to screen resolution they don't work on the X1.
Anyway I have PM'ed GREATBAL and he gave me this reply
'The Xperia-ish theme won'twork on the X1's screen resolution. But it would be very interesting to get hold of the graphics files in the X1 so we came make it into an MS theme. Those graohics files would be hi-res and suitable for VGA/QVGA devices. The images i used are drawn from scratch using photoshop based on screenshots i found on the net. but they are low-res suitable for QVGA devices only'
So if anyone can send these files to the great GREATBAL you never know what magic he could do for us!!

Greatbal has a wvga spb mobile shell theme. Ultimate Windows 7 or something like that. I doesn't work on the spb mobile shell panel but it might work on the full version. I dunno.

Do you mean this one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=407487
Post 3

nim said:
Do you mean this one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=407487
Post 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup that is it. I took some screen shots and they are shown here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=407487&page=64

I followed the installation instructions in the post and installed this last night including soft reset.
It crashed my X1!.........but soft reset again and its been fine.
It's an OK theme (for the time being).

Hmmm it didn't work for me at all. The theme is chopped off on the bottom.

Does anyone know how to change the default view on the panel version of SPB Shell so that it displays the 'home screen' when opening rather than the 'shortcuts' view?
I hope I've used the right terminology, I'm a bit of a noob.
Cheers,
Ronnie

Bump...
Thanks in advance.

which one u prefer: TF3D v/s SPB Shell

doing a poll to see which is more popular among X1 users.
i like spb shell because its simpler and faster.

I like TF3D cause it make the PDA Phone not like PDA phone anymore = ="
And TF3D is pretty good look, also TF3D access is not slow
And I agree with you SPB Shell is access is faster than TF3D "mean the click times to access which you want"

BOTH!
Why choose between them when you can have both?!
I have Manilla 3D as a panel and SPB MS (retail version) mapped to my right hardware button

call me old-fashioned, but i am using the WM Today Screen with a couple of plug-ins (PocketInformant, Pocket Weather, ...)
SPB Shell would be pefect, but as long as it has problems showing whole day appointments, it's not usable for me.

honestly speaking i prefer the SE Panel 1...but it doesnt mask the Windows mobile as much as the other two..hence i didnt mention it.
but for quick access ..its best

tflo3d rulez. spb software is p.i.t.a. to skin (even more than manila...), poorly documented, poorly integrated even with other spb software, huge, memory hunger and drains battery very quickly. Only pro is that support landscape

I'm actually using SE panels and love them.
That's exactly what I need: a lot on the screen, all the apps shortcuts.
I appreciate all the other solutions but they're less functional just for me.
And not really my taste. Especially Spb.
So I just use panel with 25 apps on it plus all the connectivity and calendar+clock. I also have some most used apps on popup menu.
The second panel is only clock+calendar&entries and CommManager shortcut. Perfect...
P.S. As I see there's no functional difference between two SE panels....

SPB vs TouchFlo 3D

I'm seriously thinking about flashing my HTC Touch HD with the basic WM6 ROM (without TF3D) and using the various SPB products to provide me with the interface I need.
The way I see it, the SPB products will probably be faster than TF3D (I've got my HTC Wizard running pretty quickly this way), more stable and they offer more variety (TF3D tabs are very limited in what they can do and hard to customize)
Has anyone done this? Can you tell me about your experiences?

You don't have to completely install a TF3D-free ROM. You can simply go into Settings > Today > Items, uncheck TouchFLO 3D and check your replacement UI.
That's what I did when I wanted to try the new PointUI Home 2 on my Touch HD.

Zaza le Nounours said:
You don't have to completely install a TF3D-free ROM. You can simply go into Settings > Today > Items, uncheck TouchFLO 3D and check your replacement UI.
That's what I did when I wanted to try the new PointUI Home 2 on my Touch HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes! I forgot about that
What's PointUI and is it any good?

Tried PointUI
It's good - very fast and I like how colourful the interface is. It's still very limited though but hopefully that'll change in the future. It's definitely one to keep an eye out for
I'm installing the various SPB packages now and will report in a short while

Hmmm.. I'm torn about SPB
It's quite clearly a very good UI with a lot of capabilities but there's still something about it that I don't like
It has a weird sort of 'rigidity' which only allows you to do things the SPB way. I also don't like the flow from one screen to the next

Try spb mobile shell - the latest version and then install this free software from here http://www.imarche.net/omnia/index.php
Think you will be nicely surprised at what you can achieve....
regards
jpw

I really like the TF3D. It has a smooth design and runs pretty fast.
I also like the weather section and although there are some nice UI in the market i think i will stick with the TF3D.

JPW said:
Try spb mobile shell - the latest version and then install this free software from here http://www.imarche.net/omnia/index.php
Think you will be nicely surprised at what you can achieve....
regards
jpw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. still too rigid for my liking.

i use spb software and have ditched touchflo, dont bother with mobile shell as it offers me nothing in function
i use the following:
spb pocketplus
spb phone suite
spb weather
also on my today screen i have owner info edited to display as follows:
Owner: MY NAME
Touch to contact
at the bottom i have rsshub on autoupdate (trailling spb insight but not sure about it
in the past i have used spb diary on the today as well, but find it can comprimise some confidentiality issues so dont bother, after all my diary is but one touch away
i save at least 3mb of program memory and subjectively id say my machine is faster for it.
i can access all my functions i use daily with one touch on the pocketplus screen (ive done away with all the tabs and just have the one screen with my program icons) switch profiles with a swipe of my finger and likewise wifi etc on/off
sure it doesnt look as glam as tf3d but it offers me so much more function
as for the rigidity of spb products... yes they do want to do things their way, but ive used their software for a few years now and its second nature to me

I found this thread when looking for replacements to TF3D on my touch pro. I've been using SPB mobile shell for a few weeks now, and would mostly be ok with it if it wasn't for the annoying notifications that force me to exit mobile shell, and clear from the normal today screen. Do any other mobile shell users have that problem, or have you figured out a way around it?

Take a look at yrgo you might like it. It is highly customizable. here is a link to its website
http://www.2daysoft.com/yrgo/videos-and-tutorials/

Switched to SPB
I'm using SPB Mobile Shell + SPB Weather + SPB Phone Suite instead of TF3D.
Never looked back. And with SPB MS 3.0 coming TF3D will be like a toy
http://www.spbmobileshell3.com/

brusko1972 said:
Take a look at yrgo you might like it. It is highly customizable. here is a link to its website
http://www.2daysoft.com/yrgo/videos-and-tutorials/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's one heck of a customizable desktop. Seems like it could be really good once I get used to the UI.

I like the shell3 alot and have the tf3d and titanium actually removed from the 6.5 custom rom I'm using. Works much faster that way anyhow and I was growing weary of the limited functionality eyecandy of tf3d. But got a question and didn't want to start a new mobile shell thread. Anybody using ms who's figured a way to change font color on the shell ui? I know there are apps that will do it on the today screen, but can't seem to do it on the shell interface itself. Anybody got any info? Thanks

I bought SPB Mobile Shell 3 due to the good reviews it has generally received. However, after a week solid of use, I found it to be sluggish, so I asked for a refund which they promptly provided
It definitely has potential, looking forward to seeing what the next iteration is like. I'm using Point2Home now - quick, finger friendly and just pleasant to use, although I really wish some of these would go deeper in re-skinning the windows interface.

i like spb mobile shell 3 , but there is something which puts me off it but i just cant put my finger on what it is (maybe lack of customization) but im led to believe its getting better

I tried SPB3 and after a few weeks, I went back to TF3D. SPB was sluggish and it just was not as smooth as TF3D. I love the concept behind it and it definitely makes getting to your functions much easier. It just needs a lot more refinement. Especially in the area of text messaging

I'm not having sluggish issues at all and think it to be quite snappy. So I'm not understanding those comments, but there are so many diff roms out there that surely that is the difference in alot of cases. I thought that tf3d was sluggish on the email opening especially it would really lag at times. Then I read that the 6.5 roms had that issue. I'm not getting email open lagging at all with ms3. To each their own.

Hi there...
I've installed SPB Mobile Shell 3.0.1 and I LIKE IT A LOT!
but does anyone know HOW to get the name of provider onscreen?? (lifestyle)
thanx!