New Shells for Windows Mobile: Some Thoughts

The shell applications for Windows Mobile are now mushrooming. This trend is quite noticeable after the introduction of Apple iPhone - It should not come as a surprise because when compared to the modern UI on the iPhone, Windows Mobile provides a decade old, boring and sometimes confusing user interface. But given its extensive programming library, developers have the freedom to create new interfaces that can change the user experience on the Windows Mobile devices. HTC TouchFLO was one of the first and still a popular shell for the WM devices. Others like SPB also have some offerings. While these shells provide a nice way to launch built-in applications, their novelty wears out once the native applications come to the front. Most shells try to enable a finger based navigation, but the lack of consistency becomes apparent when the native applications require you to use the stylus. This severely limits the usability of the shell applications.

Pointui, a group of developers, have created a new shell application for windows mobile. This shell installs a home screen which has a finger based slide navigation that provides appointments, weather and a nice pair of digital and analog clocks on the screen. What impressed me most was the fluid animation on the screen when you scroll the content and flip the pages. It is very well implemented and the look and feel is extremely professional. The icons on the bottom of the screen represent the four commonly used applications. Touching the bottom slides a launch screen for all the other applications that are installed on the handset. For the first time, I could see that the Pointui developers have replaced the official title bar on Windows Mobile with their own, which provides easier access to the Home (instead of the typical start menu of WinMo) and also provides battery status and a clock. The misleading 'X' mark, which Microsoft still persists with, is replaced with a more intuitive '-' which aptly denotes minimize. You can watch a YouTube video of Pointui in action here.

The problem starts once the native applications are launched - you no longer have the freedom to use your fingers, but you have to fall back on using the stylus. The same old Windows Mobile applications start presenting themselves in all their glory. You forget that a nice little shell launched this clumsy application. This is where the developers need to look beyond the standard Windows applications. For example, using the POOM API (Pocket Outlook Object Model), the developers of Pointui could have created replacement applications for Contacts and Tasks. This would have enhanced the user experience even further as the new applications could blend very well within the shell, thus providing a consistent user interface. Pointui did a good job with the call history list - they can think about extending this further to other applications which can be replaced using the APIs provided by Windows Mobile. A good possibility is the complete PIM suite.

Proliferation of new shells also send out a clear message to Microsoft: It is time to retire the current UI on Windows Mobile. Rumors point to a reworked interface for Windows Mobile 7, which is good news, but you can expect new devices only next year, which is a long time in the technology industry.

Related: Can Microsoft get it right with the next version of Windows Mobile?