Skybox V1.0 Review

Skybox is a user interface or shell replacement for Windows Mobile touchscreen devices much like PointUI, or Spb Mobile Shell. A shell is just what you would think. It's like a protective covering that keeps you from the guts of your computer's operating system. A shell provides an interface for you to enter commands without having to know machine code. It interprets your input instructions (taps, button pushes and so forth) to the processor, and likewise the output sent back to you all nicely formatted in some human-readable fashion. The default WM shell (loosely defined here as the today screen and graphical menu system) is not bad, but still a little clunky and almost impossible to use without a stylus. The newer "shell enhancers" do not truly replace the default WM shell, but in fact run on top of it. A true shell replacement would probably require code to be compiled into the WM OS (say in place of the default today screen code). Shell enhancer programs start like any normal application, and can be killed in the same manner. Because of this, they essentially eat up extra resources while providing little, if any payment in return--other than a more eye-pleasing user experience and some extra features the standard shell doesn't include. I tell you this because there are a ton of hacks and tweakers available that provide many of these enhanced features without running a shell on top of your WM shell. Still, a shell enhancement program will quickly (without learning/knowing all the hacks, etc.) make your device easier to use and cooler to look at, and there is no doubt of it. The Skybox graphics and animated menus are a beauty to behold, but the app will require some tweaks to configure and customize.

Shell enhancement is not a new phenomena in WM. Products like Wisbar have been doing this sort of thing for some time now, however the newer crop of enhancers are going big, as in big buttons, and whole screens that slide from side to side. Comparatively, the most animation you can expect in the WM shell is maybe in the way the start menu appears (requires a hack). The use of fingers directly on screen--likely would have gotten you a slap from a geek in the old days--is now the norm input method in the iPhone-crazed mobile world today. Shell enhancers excel in this niche market that has been mostly left open by Microsoft.

Installation

Skybox doesn't have any special requirements in the area of installation and setup. I downloaded the cab from here, and installed directly on my device. Skybox jumps right up in front of the WM shell after install. You might have a brief moment of hysteria when you realize you can't find the program start menu, or your third-party application shortcuts (or special vendor-specific ROM apps). Tapping the little icon in the upper left launches the skybox launcher, which is a 3X3 panel interface that groups your programs according to functionality. The default setup has no shortcuts for third party apps configured, so they must be added manually later. Luckily, Skybox can be stopped by using the new close button menu (tap-n-hold the X button in the upper right) to locate the item for exiting the titlebar (under tools). This way you can get back to the default shell if needed. The titlebar looks a little different than the standard shell, but will keep the same color scheme that your device is using except a little lighter in shade. The icon on the far left will start the main Skybox menu launcher, with navigation to your programs and settings. Tapping the second icon will take you back to today, and the third will start up the Info Screen, which is a replacement summary home screen, and can be set as your default startup view.

Program/settings Menu and Task Management

To quickly go to the main launcher, simply press the right soft key (or the icon in the upper left). The Skybox main menu is kind of the point behind why you install this kind of application. The nine default panels provide an array of categories for what might be considered by some to be the common WM apps and settings (not all are mapped here). The rest you will have to add yourself through the Skybox setting applet, which I feel is a point of minor criticism. You can tweak the default setup, or add to it--up to 9 groups with 70 icons to select from in your custom setup. The enhanced close button will make short work of running programs, and you can even soft-reset from here. You can also set the close action to kill or minimize programs, but this does not work well when changing settings. The close will simply exit the settings applet you tweaked and not save your change.

Info Screen

The WM home screen has never exactly been a big hit (hence the UI enhancement programs), but the one thing most cell-phones have always had is an easy to read and simple home screen. The Skybox Info screen has indicators that keep you informed about the state of your battery, date/time, recent message counts, and upcoming appointments/tasks. You can set this as the default view at startup (after reset) or after resume. Nothing fancy or complicated about it, and it serves this purpose well.

Shortcuts and Tweaks

Okay, so the animations and stuff are cool, but bottom line, the tweaks are worth more IMHO. You want to send a message, but not click through a bunch of windows--Skybox adds several useful shortcuts that will aid you with such common tasks. Of course, you can also add your own shortcuts, and customize skybox to a great extent. You do need to understand the parameters, and even be able to edit the registry (in some cases) to tweak everything, and the help doesn't exactly explain it all that well. You can download skins from the forums at teksoftco.com, but there were none posted yet for Skybox. I hope that soon some alternative skins, icons and such will be released, and this part of using the product will also be simplified a bit.

Skybox is a great add-on for your Windows Mobile touchscreen device, though it's tweakability factor suffers a little because of the difficulty mentioned above. The software will run on WM2003SE and newer versions, and I tested it on both my wife's phone version and my iPAQ. The software is reliable, and the graphics are very attractive. It's a tad bigger (3MB) than Spb Mobile Shell (2.5MB), but works just about as well (not as many features, however). It chewed up a little less than 1MB of program memory when running, so if your device has limited resources, you may want to consider an alternative. It costs $24.95, but VIP members at our site can get a 15% discount. Mobile Shell is $29.95 in comparison (on Handango). Go check out Skybox, and leave your stylus behind!