Windows Phone Italy

Is it just me, or does technology move too fast some times? I like new toys and all, but sometimes, just after I get things working the way I want them, my rig becomes unsupported or outdated.

Let me explain...

Back in the day, and I do mean, BACK in the day, when Windows Mobile devices weren’t Windows Mobile Devices... when they were Pocket PC’s; and the iPAQ 3600 was all the rage, a small company called Snoopsoft was just starting out.

Its founder, Chris Scott, a good online friend of mine, had introduced an awesome Today page replacement application. To boot, he had also cut a killer deal with Compaq for exclusive distribution of the application (specifically, with a Contacts module) with one of their EUU’s (End User Updates). It was an awesome time.

The application, called Snoopsoft Dashboard, replaces the static, one screened Today page, with an interactive, multi-screened interface, that allowed you to more effectively interact with the device, without having to dive into menus and such.

It put your Calendar, Tasks and Contacts right on the Today screen, giving you easy access to all of your PIM information.


I liked the application so much (still do, in many ways) that NONE of my devices were without the application. They all ran it. Dashboard makes your device easier to use. My problem is that it doesn’t quite work on my current daily driver, the Samsung Epix.

As you can see from the screen shot above, there’s supposed to be a row of icons on the bottom of the screen. These are Dashboards different views, or tabs. Tap an icon; go to different Dashboard tab... very simple.

One tab might have your calendar on it. One might have your contacts, etc. Dashboard supports all existing Today plug-ins, so if you have one you really like, you can use it with Dashboard and not have to go without. I really like this... a lot.
You can use your favorite plug-ins inside the Dashboard framework or outside of it (displaying it on the Today screen, like any other plug-in). It doesn’t matter. Dashboard works and plays well with most every plug-in I’ve encountered.

Anyway, on the Samsung Epix, the app doesn’t work correctly. I have the following problems:

1. No view icons – The view icons that are supposed to run on the bottom of the screen are missing, so I can’t get more than one tab on my device.
2. Event icons are 3x their normal size – Dashboard will allow you to display icons representing alarms and recurring appointments (see the picture above, the bell icon represents an appointment alarm). On the Epix, these are 3 times the size you see in the picture above.
3. The Screen must be setup after each soft reset – The apps display settings don’t save; and you must reconfigure the one view each time the device must be soft reset or cold booted.
4. Tasks do not appear in the Appointment and Tasks view – No matter how you configure things; Tasks simply do not show on the screen.

I am not certain if this is a WM 6.1 issue, a screen resolution issue, something specific to the Samsung Epix, or a combination of all three. The worst thing here, is that my preferred way of working with my Windows Mobile devices, with Snoopsoft Dashboard, doesn’t seem to work with the Epix, and unless my friend can fix the application, I’m out of luck.

Windows Mobile has moved past this, it seems when plug-ins like HTC Home was released. In the absence of Snoopsoft Dashboard, it would be nice to use HTC Home, but unfortunately, it won’t work on the Samsung Epix. I’ve tried it, and had to hard reset the device, the results were so bad.


While a version of HTC Home was modified so that it could be used on the Samsung Blackjack 2, that version won’t work on the Epix either. Again, I’ve tried, and had to hard reset the device, though my wife currently uses that version and LOVES it to death...

Samsung includes a Today plug-in called Samsung Today with the Epix, but after Dashboard and HTC Home, it’s a sad, sad replacement.


I’m currently working with Snoopsoft to determine if the app can be modified to work on the Epix, and will let everyone know how things go in a future column. However, it really stinks when your device leaves an application you really depend on behind...