My T-Mobile contract is coming to its end and thought I should just check back with Orange to see if their data plans had joined the 21st Century, and seems good news is on the way. Apparently on the 6th April Blackberry users will be given a new 2GB allowance for £6/month and the rest of us will get a 2GB allowance for £8 permonth from May 5th.
Time will tell if these come to fruition as there have been many false dawns for Orange data plan upgrades so far, if so then I would like to welcome Orange to the 21st Century!
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I have to say I love the new WindowsMobile 6.1 upgrade. I’ve tried it on a few devices including the T-Mobile Mail and it feels twice as fast and a lot smoother. One device it has brought back from the dead is the Qtek 8500/HTC STRTRK/i-mate smartflip, the fab clamshell device that had been languishing with WindowsMobile 5. WindowsMobile 6.1 really flies on this device and makes it feel fresh and modern. Watch this space for the official announcement at CTIA!
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Well it had to happen. the excellent T-Mobile Mail (HTC S620) is discontinued. No stock left, all traces erased from the T-Mobile website. I am really sad as this was a fantastic device, the best I ever owned. Now its unlikely to ever get an official 6.1 upgrade from T-Mobile, which will mean unlocking the phone and applying an HTC image… when it arrives.
So what next? Well the Samsung i780, thats what. Almost identical dimensions plus assisted GPS and WiFI. I almost bought one on Orange, but their stingy data allowance means I’ll wait for an unbranded device and continue with T-Mobile. There is no unlock for this yet either. I don’t like the number keys being two in, they should either be on the left edge or one in. The only other thing I’m not sure about is that this is a WM6 Pro device (PPC) not a smartphone, and I’ve not yet seen the need for a touch screen on a phone, and theres a stylus to lose, but we will see.
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Finally, TMO UK are releasing WM6 updates for 3 devices, the Compact III, The Vario II and fortunately the MDA Mail. Goto http://www.tm-phonedownloads.com/ to get them. Bizarrely, the MDA Mail is located under MDA but Other. I can’t figure out why its taken TMO UK so long to catch up with these updates although you do get a newer build, CE 5.2.1620.18125 which is a benefit I guess. I hope that they are going to also provide WM 6.1 updates for at least these devices, although I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.
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Reported on SiliconValley.com, this guy feels vibrations in his leg near where his phone normally is kept, even if his phone is not there, like a phantom vibration. Freakily, I have experienced this a couple of times as well! Several times I have thought my phone was ringing (vibrating) I’ve put my hand in my pocket and found no phone…. not often, but enough that I could recognise this straight away. Should I worry?
http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_7138576
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The pink T-Zone button on the T-Mobile Dash/Mail has its function defined in the \Windows\Sort_IE.lnk file which by default contains the line:
36#”\windows\winwap.exe”
I can think of a far more useful way of re-assigning the key to CommManager so I can switch bluetooth on and off for use in my car. So, a simple edit to the file deleting the old line and replacing it with this;
36#”\windows\CommManager.exe”
Now I can launch CommManager with the T-Zoes key.
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If you find holding the FN key on the Excalibur fiddly there is a simple solution … just press and hold the appropriate key down until the key legend symbol appears. So, on my UK T-Mobile Mail the H key also shows the ? symbol, so holding the H key down produces a ? symbol automatically after about a second. Keeping the key depressed causes the symbol to repeat like ????
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Resetting the Excalibur turns it back into XT9 predictive text mode and you will find that a and z keys no longer display characters. Holding the FN key just temporarily switches between XT9 and 123# mode, so not much help. To change to abc mode so that a and z work as designed you need to hold FN and SPACE which will pull up the text entry selection menu where you can select the abc mode
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This is my edited simple home screen for the WM6 based T-Mobile Mail (Excalibur). One of the big changes to my taste is to change the font form 16 point bold to 18 point normal as I think this looks more elegant.
<?xml version=”1.0″?>
<home>
<author>Tim Carmichael</author>
<contacturl>http:/blog.timcarmichael.com</contacturl>
<title>Tims Simple Home Screen</title>
<version>1.0</version>
<!– filename tim.home.xml - copy this to application data\Home directory on your device –>
<!–The HTC Excalibur has a Square 320 x 320 screen so target height and width are both 320 –>
<!– I use normal weight Segoe font (instead of bold) but increased in size from 16 to 18 point –>
<default target-width=”320″ target-height=”320″ font-face=”Segoe Condensed” font-size=”18″ font-weight=”normal” padding-left=”5″ padding-right=”5″ bgcolor=”transparent” fgcolor=”COLOR_HOMETEXT” padding-top=”3″ b-border-color=”COLOR_HOMERULE” b-border-width=”1″>
<format state=”unselected” fgcolor=”#FFFFFF” bgcolor=”transparent” font-weight=”normal”/>
<format state=”selected” fgcolor=”#FFFFFF” bgcolor=”COLOR_HOMEHIGHLIGHT” font-weight=”normal”/>
</default>
<!– This was designed for a T-Mobile Dash version of the Excalibur so I use the T-Mobile background, change to your own choice –>
<background bgimage-rotated=”TMobile.jpg” valign=”top” />
<!– Standard colour scheme settings which I haven’t changed –>
<scheme>
<color name=”COLOR_WINDOW” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_WINDOWTEXT” value=”#000000″ />
<color name=”COLOR_STATIC” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_STATICTEXT” value=”#000000″ />
<color name=”COLOR_HIGHLIGHT” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_HIGHLIGHTTEXT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_TEXTSELECT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_MENU” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_MENUTEXT” value=”#000000″ />
<color name=”COLOR_GRAYTEXT” value=”#CCCCCC” />
<color name=”COLOR_GRADLEFT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_GRADRIGHT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_INTGRADLEFT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_INTGRADRIGHT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_TRAYGRADLEFT” value=”#0a4476″ />
<color name=”COLOR_TRAYGRADRIGHT” value=”#155D9C” />
<color name=”COLOR_HIGHGRADLEFT” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_HIGHGRADRIGHT” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_TRAYTEXT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_WINDOWFRAME” value=”#000000″ />
<color name=”COLOR_BTNFACE” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_BTNTEXT” value=”#000000″ />
<color name=”COLOR_SCROLLBAR” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_HOMETEXT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_HOMEHIGHLIGHT” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_HOMEHIGHLIGHTTEXT” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_HOMERULE” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_ALERTWINDOW” value=”#FFFFFF” />
<color name=”COLOR_ALERTTITLE” value=”#444444″ />
<color name=”COLOR_ALERTRULE” value=”#000000″ />
<color name=”COLOR_TITLEFLATCENTER” value=”#3485ce” />
<color name=”COLOR_SOFTKEYFLATCENTER” value=”#3485ce” />
</scheme>
<!– This is the icon bar at the top with signal strength and battery status, remove if you add another custom battery/signal strength plugins –>
<plugin clsid=”{837FC251-FE69-43ad-84E0-EBCEDEBA0884}” name=”iconbar” height=”25″>
<iconbar y=”5″ fgcolor=”#ffffff”/>
<background gradient=”title” bgcolor=”#114676″ b-border-color=”COLOR_HOMERULE” />
</plugin>
<!– This is the most recently used (MRU) list of applications displayed as icons under the iconbar–>
<plugin clsid=”{79EFB752-CB70-446d-B317-499723482B3D}” name=”startmru” height=”35″>
<background>
</background>
<mru icon-size=”16″ max-buttons=”6″ x=”2″ y=”6″ valign=”center” button-transparent-color=”COLOR_HOMERULE” highlight=”COLOR_TRAYGRADLEFT”/>
<appname halign=”right” x=”0″ y=”8″ w=”320″ font-size=”18″ />
</plugin>
<!– This is the plugin carrier which says which operator I’m connected to –>
<plugin clsid=”{E09043DF-510E-4841-B652-388316977A7A}” name=”carrier” height=”24″>
<allowselection/>
<background>
<format state=”selected” bgimage=”" />
</background>
<!– I set x=0 below so that the ‘carrier’ name is displayed left justified –>
<label bgcolor=”transparent” halign=”left” h=”20″ font-weight=”normal” y=”0″ x=”0″ w=”81″ font-size=”18″>
<text><carrier/></text>
</label>
<label bgcolor=”transparent” halign=”left” font-weight=”normal” y=”0″ x=”0″ textwidth=”115″ font-size=”18″>
<text><wifi/></text>
</label>
<clock>
<time font-weight=”normal” font-size=”18″ valign=”top” halign=”right” y=”0″ x=”0″ w=”320″/>
<!– I set mode below to long so I see the date in long format eg 24 August 2007 –>
<date font-weight=”normal” font-size=”18″ valign=”top” halign=”center” mode=”long” y=”0″ x=”58″ w=”320″ />
</clock>
</plugin>
<!– Calls Plugin –>
<plugin clsid=”{0BA8ABB8-1F1D-417f-88C6-DA8530E2E7A6}” name=”missedcalls” height=”22″ width=”320″>
<background>
</background>
<!– visible=false means this text is only visible if there is an actual missed call –>
<format state=”nocall” visible=”false”/>
<label font-weight=”normal” fgcolor=”#FFFFFF” font-size=”18″ x=”0″ halign=”left” y=”0″ >
<text>Missed Calls : <calls/></text>
</label>
</plugin>
<!– Messaging plugin –>
<plugin clsid=”{2F930BF0-6FE9-4a53-9E17-88E9247BAB48}” name=”SMScount” height=”22″>
<background>
</background>
<label halign=”left” h=”23″ x=”0″ y=”0″ w=”290″ font-size=”18″ padding-right=”0″ >
<text>SMS : <unreadSMS /> Email : <unreadEmail /></text>
</label>
</plugin>
<!– Calendar plugin –>
<plugin clsid=”{865A354A-4A96-4687-B001-C155DC0DBE76}” name=”Calendar” height=”41″>
<background>
</background>
<label halign=”left” h=”22″ x=”0″ y=”17″ w=”285″ font-size=”18″ padding-right=”0″ >
<text><time/> <location/></text>
</label>
<label halign=”left” h=”22″ x=”0″ y=”0″ w=”285″ font-size=”18″ padding-right=”0″ >
<text><subject/></text>
</label>
</plugin>
<!– Show All Day events –>
<plugin clsid=”{2FFD93B3-0FF0-4228-A6D6-D2DF177D7D92}” name=”alldayevent” height=”24″>
<background>
</background>
<format state=”noevent” visible=”false”/>
<label halign=”left” h=”20″ x=”0″ y=”1″ w=”280″ font-size=”18″ padding-right=”0″ >
<text>All Day Event: <subject/></text>
</label>
</plugin>
</home>
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The devices I just bought on ebay were already flashed with the US version of WM6 for the T-Mobile Dash, however the UK T-Mobile Mail has butle differences with the euro symbol being the only really obvious one to me. But to make sure nothing in life is easy they moved around a couple of symbols on keys for no really obvious reason. This means that the Q key on my keyboard which has a ! symbol on produces a % instead. Nothing major, just a bit irritating.
There is a solution however. With the UK region set the device looks for a file called \Windows\eT9.Excalibur.0409.kmap.txt containg keyboard remappings. This is a standard file and you can replace the excalibur part of the filename with your devicetype name and the 0409 with your region code.
Anyway, you can edit this file using notepad to overide particular keyboard responses. You must save it as UNICODE however when you finished editing. Here is the correct uk version of the file, just copy it to \Windows directory on your device.
//
// eT9.Excalibur.0409.kmap.txt
// N O T E: This file must be saved as Unicode
//
// This file contains the virtual keys mapping table for the
// Excalibur device. The mapping table is define as follow
//
// VK_TPOUND = 0×78
// VK_TSTAR = 0×77
// VK_TAB = 0×09
//
// We do not support escape value yet. So the key/char values should be
// entered explicitly or by encoding start with 0x
//
// Format:
// {VK VK’ CH1 CH2}
// VK -> value from keyboard driver
// VK’ -> printed on keys
// CH1 -> symbols produced by Fn + key
// CH2 -> symbols in 123 mode
{Q Q ! !}
{1 W 1 1}
{2 E 2 2}
{3 R 3 3}
{T T + +}
{Y Y ( (}
{U U ) )}
{I I - -}
{O O _ _}
{P P ” “}
{0×78 A # #} // VK_TPOUND maps to Device Button A
{4 S 4 4}
{5 D 5 5}
{6 F 6 6}
{G G / /}
{H H ? ?}
{J J £ £}
{K K $ $}
{L L € €}
{0×77 Z * * } // VK_TSTAR maps to Z
{7 X 7 7}
{8 C 8 8}
{9 V 9 9}
{B B ‘ ‘}
{N N @ @}
{M M = =}
{0xBC , ; ;} // 0xBC = VK_COMMA
{0xBE . : :} // 0xBE = VK_PERIOD
{0 0×09 0 0} // 0×00 = VK_TAB
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