Winterface - a new shell application for Windows

Now thats an odd name! Winterface. At first I thought it was something to do with snowmen. But then it dawned on me; W(indows)interface. OK, has a nice ring to it. And as the chilly name suggests, this is a COOL piece of kit.



So, what is Winterface? It is a shell program. Similar idea as SPB Mobile Shell but done totally different. It sits comfortably on top of Windows Mobile and lets you run things how you want them to run. And if you don´t like it, un-install it. It leaves no trace behind and WM works like it did before. Not that you are likely to want to uninstall it once you´ve tried it out.



"It´s just another iPhone clone." Yes and at the same time, no. iPhone started a revolution in the way we use our touch-screen devices. This is another approach to how it can be done. Love it or hate it, the iPhone has done a lot to shape the way our phones work these days. VITO have taken some of these elements and shaped them into something new.



Obviously, the main thing is the interface itself. A very tidy looking screen with button icons, similar to what you see on the iPhone. However, on closer inspection, you will notice that some of the buttons are infact meters. The battery button shows the charge status and the clock button shows the actual time. Nice little features that give a feeling of a well made program. And do you see the button marked "Running"? Thats a task manager. Tap it and you´ll be shown all running progs, in a semi-transparent screen that over-lays the main screen. I like that, nice feature! Tap an icon to change to that prog. Or tap the little red marker in the top corner of the icon to kill the running program. Microsoft didn´t build a task manager for WM, so it is a very nice feature from VITO.



Of course, you´ll want to add your own programmes and applications to the interface, for easy access. This is the main purpose of Winterface, afterall. Nothing easier! Tap the "menu" button and choose "Applications". You will be then shown a list of all the apps that you have on your phone. Just tap next to the app you want to add (you can add sigularly or multiple entries) and then tap the tick icon bottom right. All chosen apps will now be added to the screen. Instant access to all your favourite apps.




But the fun doesn´t stop there! You can also add your favourite contacts directly to the screen too. Again, go to Menu and tap "Contacts". This brings up a trimmed version of FunContacts up. You use the same method to pick which contacts you want to add and voila!, they are added to your home screen. Each contact has all numbers and e-mail addresses shown in another semi-transparent box that over-lays the main interface. Again, neat and well thought out.


There are a few small things that I miss, such as a weather link. VITO currently do not have such a program in their portfolio, so not suprising that there is no icon for it. But it would be nice. Also, the icons cannot be customized (as in SBSH iLauncher for example). Winterface uses the default icons for each program. That said, they are small things that I can also live without. But maybe for the future??





On the whole, this is an excellent application. It´s thought through and works well. So far I have not had to revert to using my stylus with it, everything is finger friendly. I have also installed it on my Dell Axim, which has a VGA display. Again, no problems (and looks even better!). So if you are thinking of getting a new Diamond or TouchPro in the near future, you can be sure that this will work on that too. And, even though its not aimed at WM2003, Genesis installed it to his XDA IIi and it works on that too! For £10 (€12.50), this is a bargin!

Where to get it? http://www.iwindowsmobile.com/vito-mobile-shell.html
Price? $19.95 / £10 / €12.50
Value for money? 10/10
Would I buy it? Sure would!!