Update: SPB Mobile Shell 3

By Phil Nickinson
last updated

A few weeks ago we mentioned the pending release of SPB Mobile Shell 3. And while the application hasn't gone live yet, it does have it's own Web site, and a video presentation has surfaced on You Tube. Still no hard a release date (Aprilish maybe?) but the updated version is being billed as having such features as multi-home pages (hello, Xperia X1 panels?), widgets, kinetic scrolling, 3D screen switcher, hardware acceleration support, Facebook integration and support for Windows Mobile 6.5.

Barcelona Bureau Chief Dieter Bohn was able to get his hands on the application at Mobile World Congress. Check in after the break for his impressions and a few more pictures.

SPB Mobile Shell 3 appears to have dual modes; pro and lifestyle. You switch between the two by swiping up on the screen.  Lifetstyle mode offers a very cool widget system. You get three screens to populate with widgets. Widgets include time, weather, calendar, speed dial (where the photos are re-sizable), app shortcuts, and maybe one or two others. Mobile Shell 3 also lets you connect to facebook to download pictures for all your contacts – you can do it photo by photo or run through your entire address book.

Professional mode is very similar to the current version of Mobile Shell, except it no longer has three screens to swipe through.  Instead, you hit a button to activate a very cool 3D carousel (it uses 3D acceleration) to switch between the Pro screens. Off the top of my head there's a home screen, a new app launcher with favorites and an "Most Recently Used" list underneath it, a speed-dial screen and a more traditional SPB Shell menu. The contact screen gives you the photo speed dial and also a list of contacts and call history.

All in all, the new version of Mobile Shell is interestin,g and we look forward to getting our hands on the utility to give it a proper test drive.

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson

Phil is the father of two beautiful girls and is the Dad behind Modern Dad. Before that he spent seven years at the helm of Android Central. Before that he spent a decade in a newsroom of a two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist newspaper. Before that — well, we don't talk much about those days. Subscribe to the Modern Dad newsletter!

33 Comments
  • Funny that the panel-style SPB would show up on the Xperia. if only the SPB panel on the Xperia was as well polished as the Shell2, then I would dream of a Shell3 panel. Only for the ability to have panels in panels of panels.. wow that gets tiring.
  • All those bells and whistles and no 'current temp' on the weather portion of the 'Now' screen. Shows high/low forecast only.
  • As with current version of shell2, if you install SPB weather (an additional app) weather on homescreen shows current not just forcast
  • WoW!!! That's the best interface I've seen! And yes, that includes iPhone. If this had come out before I bought my G1, I'd be rockin' some version of Windows Mobile right now. Makes TouchFlo seem like a cartoon (except for that weather screen ;-)
  • One of the great features of the treo 800 wm home screen is that you just start pressing keys and it searches your contacts. With this shell on, it takes like 3 extra steps to get there.
  • No. do you have an 800w with SPB? shell? one more keystroke, not three more
  • SPB is THE BEST
  • Damn, I just bought version 2.x yesterday.. Is there any way I will get a free upgrade?
  • The folks at pocketnow.com say "yes".
  • Actually.... we said "yes" here as well.
  • Seems like the company gives 90 days of free upgrades (since time of purchase).
  • excelent cant wait any more pointUI 2 is better then mobile shell 2 and its free... i want mobile shell 3 please
  • wath are you waiting
    for mobile shell 3
    now have point ui 2 becouse mobile shell 2 is old and out off data ... mobile SELL 3 pleasssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  • Looks exciting! Can't wait. It's April. I wonder what the hold-up is.
  • Release data For v3 can
  • the good news is: its available and i'm testing it on my wm 6.1 awesome... say bye bye to spb shell 2 haha
  • I've managed to find a leaked beta of this application on rapidshare. bets v2 no end :-)
  • Version 3.0 is finally out.
    I've been using an early release for over a week and I think it's great. I like it more than the TouchFlo mainly because of the speed. It is working very fast! Surprisingly fast! One thing I miss, though, is the paging of the lists - I kind of prefer it over the kinetic scrolling. I'm sure I'm the only one in the planet who thinks like that, but still, I actually liked those arrows of the old version better... Nevertheless, it's the best WinMo shell for me.
  • Well there's two on the planet, cause I like to thumb through pages rather then scroll too. The wigets are cool with the lifesyle pages. Only have had it installed for an hour, so that's my initial impression over 2 so far.
  • and may be three.im the 3rd one using.i love it .its gr8.much more better than boring thochflo.its more beatyful by its widgets. i wish if it could be an os instead of being just a grafical app.
  • Sorry to break the boost, but I installed this on my Samsung Omnia (i900), and all multitasking was lost. I couldn't even listen to music while sending a sms. when SPB shell 3 is running my phone would ONLY RUN 1 APPLICATION A TIME. don't get me wrong, I'm not using lots of apps, but when driving, I like to keep the gps going when I recieve a sms so that I don't have to restart my gps app and tell my gps where I'm going once more. This is ok one time, but not when people are sending messages, or even calling. I think I should be able to use my gps while still recieving incoming calls without my gps app going down. Shape up FFS. No graphic is worth that.
  • Stange, not happening with my Omnia at all. Sounds like an install problem.
  • SPB 3 is phenomenal. Runs amazing on my LG Incite. The ease of use and configurability already has made me forget SPB 2.
  • Runs great on my HTC Touch Diamond. Really cool interface - great customizations.
  • Oh god.
  • Looks hot on my Treo Pro
  • Just installed this on my Touch Diamond - it's like a whole new phone, I am very pleased. Well done SPB!
  • spb is the best
  • i only have one issue. the album on this uses the AWFUL WM one. tf3d album is a billion times better but i cant get it to run through spb.
  • Are you referring to a Music Album?
    If so, you can just try this app called S2P.
    Works great together with S2U2 auto keylock and they all run well together with SPBMS3! For those who want a little taste of an IPhone layout, you can put all your apps and arrange them in the LifeSyle layout view and make it look like the iPhone - but better cos with just one flick or one click, you get another view anytime! Thanks SPB!
    Keep up the great work!
    (Toshiba G810 user)
  • I noticed that my LG Incite takes a split second longer to switch from portrait to landscape with SPB Mobile Shell 3 installed. I switched the hardware accelerator option to "on" and it livened the whole thing up a bit. :)
  • An extensive list of themes and skins for SPB Mobile Shell 3 can be found in here:
    http://mobilespoon.blogspot.com/2009/07/themes-spb-mobile-shell-3-skins....
  • Sorry to break the boost, but I installed this on my Samsung Omnia (i900), and all multitasking was lost. I couldn't even listen to music while sending a sms. when SPB shell 3 is scrub m65running my phone would ONLY RUN 1 APPLICATION A TIME. don't get me wrong, I'm not using lots of apps, but when driving, I like to keep the gps going when I recieve a sms so that I don't have to restart my gps app and tell my gps where I'm going once more. This is ok one time, but not when people are sending messages, or even calling. I think I should be able to use my gps while still recieving incoming calls without my gps app going down. Shape up FFS. No graphic is worth that.