mDesktop 2.0
I think i would try this in next few day. Look so nice and easy. BTW all article below is from Windows Mobile experts review.
We live in a time of amazing technology. The advances that have been made in the last 20 years are positively astounding. As computers have gotten smaller and merged with our phones, issues have started to pop up regarding form factors and interfacing with the device. Various permutations of hardware have manifested themselves in Windows Mobile devices. Touchscreen and non-touchscreen; qwerty keyboards, standard dial pads and devices without any hardware keyboard at all have been attempted by various manufacturers. All styles have their strengths and weaknesses.
In recent years, attempts have been made at extending the interface through third party hardware and software have come and gone. Software that allows you to remotely control your handheld through your computer's mouse and keyboard have met with some success. Hardware options such as Celio Corp's Redfly platform have been somewhat slow to gain traction.
MotionApps, makers of mSafe and others; has developed a tool that takes the interface extension to a new level. Like SOTI's Pocket Controller, mDesktop takes the remote interface idea to a whole new level. Instead of only replicating the screen to your desktop, and translating mouse clicks and key presses; mDesktop actually reads and interacts with the data on your Windows Mobile device while presenting it in a custom interface that allows for increased productivity. It's not all sunshine and roses however. Keep reading to see the good, the bad and the quirky.
Concept
The idea behind mDesktop, is that on a device the size of modern Windows Mobile phones, there is productivity lost due to things like small screens and keyboards. Bringing the data to a full sized screen and keyboard not only makes it easier to type and see, it adds an element of simplicity to the experience. You no longer have to navigate menu items to find the appropriate application; a tabbed menu gives you quick access to much of the available functionality.
Phone
The phone function in mDesktop provides you with dial pad as well as a list of the contacts on your phone. The phone can be dialed by either clicking on the numbers on the screen, or by typing a number or even a contacts name on your computer's keyboard. Once the number is dialed; buttons appear on screen that allow you to place the call on hold, end the call or to activate your phone's speakerphone.
SMS
mDesktop allows you to view all of your SMS messages in a message by message or threaded view. Additional functionality such as printing your messages or copying them as plain text or HTML to your clipboard add amazing flexibility to a function that is normally incredibly simplistic when you stop and think about it.
Contacts
One of the most difficult tasks for me using the standard Windows Mobile interface is managing my contacts. Frequently I want to copy and paste something or do some simple edits and it will take two or three times as long as it would with a full size computer. mDesktop allows for basic contact management and creation through it's interface. The only available fields are First Name, Last Name, Company, Mobile Phone, Email, Work Phone and Home Phone; so it doesn't really help you with the more advanced edits that you would have to do. It also doesn't allow for any kid of drag and drop or copy and past functionality from Microsoft Outlook (I know Windows Mobile can sync with Outlook, but I see some value in being able to copy and paste a single contact instead of syncing the entire address book).
Agenda
Calendar items (and Tasks) are another type of data that benefits from mDesktop's interface. Tasks are as easy as typing in a title and pressing enter. Calendar items require a bit more configuration due to the different data that is required.
The Agenda application could be a lot better in my opinion just by gaining some features that many of us take for granted in desktop based calendar applications. There is only one way to view your calendar from within mDesktop, and that is in a list view that is grouped by the day of occurrence. A standard set of graphical or timeline views would improve this application immensely.
Pictures and Files
The Pictures application allows you to view pictures located in device memory or on a storage card. mDesktop allows you to navigate through folders in the file system and display pictures in a thumbnail view. Limitations start to manifest themselves when you want to do more than view the pictures. Right clicking on a picture gives you the option to view the picture in an popup window within mDesktop or to view it in the default image viewer on your machine, and the option to Delete. There is no copy/paste or save function at all. I would have thought that this would've been a no-brainer. The File application does allow you to copy/paste, rename and create a folder as you would expect.
Screen
The Screen application gives you a view of the actual view of your device's screen as well as giving various buttons to emulate the standard hardware buttons that we've come to expect on Windows Mobile. Similar to other remote control type software that I've come across in the past, there is some lag time between clicking on a control and the action being passed to the device.
Other
This is where mDesktop really starts to shine. The Info tab gives you detailed information about your device hardware. Processor specs, IMEI, phone number, memory size/capacity, and battery type and charge level are all displayed in groupings to increase readability.
The Install application is the coup de grâce. Applications and favorites can be installed by simply dragging the file (cab or shortcut) to the Install screen.
Conclusion
MotionApps has a good, solid concept here. There is some excellent functionality packed into mDesktop, but they also dropped the ball on some things. I realy would like to see the holes in the Contacts, Agenda and Pictures applications to get plugged. The fact that some functionality that we have come to expect is missing is a little frustrating. I also would have liked to see some attention payed to email, as this seems to have either been overlooked or MotionApps felt like that is what synchronization is for. I for one have some email accounts that I only access on my phone, and it would've been nice to have some options there.
All in all I would have to say that the decision on the purchase of mDesktop depends entirely on what you're going to do with it, although the cost is fairly reasonable ($19.95 from MotionApps). If you're planning on having text messages that you're going to want to print out, or you really like the idea of adding favorites and installing applications through a simpler interface; then this might be a good investment for you. Personally, I would wait on the current version, but keep my fingers crossed for additional functionality in future releases.
Ratings (out of 5)
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posted by asriey @ 9:21 PM
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