Video: iSwish puts the iPhone UI on any Windows Mobile phone
By Thomas Ricker 
posted April 30th 2008 2:53AM
posted April 30th 2008 2:53AM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted April 30th 2008 2:53AM
powered by gdgt
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Woo! Look at everyone go!! Who cares??
Somebody was just playing with their PDA.
The iPhone crashes more than any WinMo phone I've ever seen.
Were they doing multi-touch on Dell Windows Mobile Device? I didn't think that was possible...
The point is not that the Axim is running the iPhone OS to copy it?
It’s the fact that it "CAN RUN IT", But of course the iPhone cannot run any other OS as of yet? And not easily? And the old Axim hardware will probably beat the iPhone hardware?
We have the same club fest as the "Chevy" vs. "Ford" guys? Blind to all but what they want to see.
Luckily we still have a few that understand the value here of what is being done and many new innovations may come out of it?
Kids and the pick of their teams are sometimes funny to watch but most times are just wastefully irritating to the rest of the audience.
The fact is iphone UI is too good for the iphone hardware. iphone is
just a glorified ipod.
Its just like people having dual OS, mac OS X and windows on their
PC. Mac's software is good, but they don't agree with mac's over
priced, over isolated hardware.
looks like the ui a 4 y.o. would like to have.
but what do i know? i've never used one.
PWNED!!!!!!!! Big time.
I'm currently using PointUI, a nice UI similar to this.
A pathetic waste of time by a bunch of catch-up losers.
Buy an iPhone instead and save yourself the trouble.
"A pathetic waste of time by a bunch of catch-up losers.
Buy an iPhone instead and save yourself the trouble."
Why would anyone buy an iPhone when they can emulate one for free on so many other phones and still have all the extra features of a real phone? Like proper bluetooth, removable storage and batteries... the list goes on and on.
You missed the point.
The fact that iPhone's UI was copied on TOP of a WinMo phone shows how powerful the platform is. Can you do that on iPhone? I don't think so, iPhone's SDK is nothing but limitation.
It also shows that the "prettyness" of iPhone can be easily replicated on a WinMo phone, but the richness of features of WinMo phone will be a challenge to achieve in iPhone since Steve Jobs is too scared to give developers greater control on the SDK.
Well, it still looks a little jittery yet, but I'm sure they'll refine it in time. It generally looks very good. All they have to do now is build a new calculator app which has a larger close button - have you tried jabbing your large fingers into the top right hand corner of a PDA to close an app? Difficult. As for the stylus - great, but its not always convenient to take it out and jab at the screen with it. Great work guys!
Hey! Where can you download this software?
No link on Flick Software's website. Just waiting to get it on my WinMob Device !
By the way, I already have 2 iPhones!!
Dell Axims are what? Over 2 years old already? 624mhz procs and 16mb video accelerators in them. Yes, they do play doom too. I still think Apple copied the Axim's design.
My head crashed into the keyboard the first time I saw someone liken the Axim to an iPhone ripoff.
I only hope they were being sarcastic.
Wow. My guess is that if this "someone" is that dumb, they probably wouldn't be able to load this on their WinMo. phone much less have a conversation with you
That really is decent job of copying the iPhone GUI. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say. I guess if you're a cheap WinMo wannabe, Flick Software is the way to go. Too bad not than many people will buy it since I'm sure WinMo users hate everything about the iPhone and the way it works.
Sorry, but I'm waiting for a Windows Mobile interface to put on my iPhone. Come to think of it, Windows Mobile OS might run better on the iPhone better than any Windows Mobile phone. Ahhhh, who cares. WinMo will be a dead platform in a few years probably superceded by Android or something.
wwow.... they have the multitouch feature on it!! impressive...
"Why would anyone buy an iPhone when they can emulate one for free on so many other phones and still have all the extra features of a real phone? Like proper bluetooth, removable storage and batteries... the list goes on and on."
But Joppa, why go to the trouble of emulation? As for batteries, I take your preference, but I've never yet swapped one out – by the time they're dead it's time for a new mob. Maybe I don't use one enough or something.
But apart from its sheer usability, it's the syncing back and forth between iPhone and computers that's the main appeal for me. Just like an iPod, it makes life easy, and I'm a fan of that!
Why to go to troubles with emulation?.
Because can cost half (or even less) to buy a axim rather a overexpensive iphone
Because this dell is full vga, not a squashed resolution of iphone.
Because if you install the emulation, then still you can use windows-mobile.
Because even when Activesync stink, it's fairly better that a overlimited and bloated itunes.
How does an ipod make syncing easy with a computer? You are forced to use an intermediary software to something that could be done with a simple drag and drop. I have an ipod mini and it is more work to get music on their than it is on my Cowon A2 or Sony A728(both of which are ums) and this is under OSX. As for the battery thing I know there are some mobile pro's who are always on their phone on the road receiving email and browsing the web and for them an extended or extra battery is needed.
This will go great with those faux Coach bags imprinted with the letter "G" instead of "C."
Wow, I'm impressed. They spent minutes just flicking the icons back and forth.
Whoo freakin' hoo.
NOT
that is NOOOOT impressed.
:)
You mean the way people do on the iPhone?
O_O ????
there are still people that buy music??? where it can obtain it for free on many many places around the internet.
Just nice!
Isn't it just amazing to listen to some of these Apple guys.
They are actually angry that someone did this! When have you've ever heard anyone actually get angry over someone emulating aspects of one device on another? They almost act appalled that someone would do this rather than plunk down money for an iPhone. It's a GUI and they have become a sudo RIAA over it!
Unless these guys work for Apple, which is at least understandable because they are getting a check for this, they are just acting being good little unpaid iDrones.
sudo RIAA?
password?
oh...you meant pseudo-RIAA. I thought for a second you were trying to make a point as superuser.
What I like to do when I am around my IPhone friends is enable my WiFi hotspot on my WinMo phone so they can have some HSDPA love. The facts and specs speak for themselves; WinMo phones are far superior to the current IPhone models in every way except looks. Apple has duped many nontechnical users into buying their devices based on the fact that the hardware looks good and the Software looks and feels good. This ok for a user that will simply pick a device up and make calls or check emails, but for those who really care about the actual capabilities of the device and want a virtually unlimited supply of 3rd part applications, WinMo is the current front runner. I work for a very large corporation as the Sr. Mobile Solutions Engineer and I have demoed almost every model of every type of Phone including the IPhone and the current technology leader is WinMo phones. I would of course by an iPhone immediately if the tech bypassed my WinMo devices. For the record I currently use a HTC Touch Cruise.
HSDPA and creating a hotspot is nice.
"fact that the hardware looks good and the Software looks and feels good." so we're not supposed to care about how the hardware looks and feels, and how the UI looks and feels?
aren't those 4 of the MOST IMPORTANT aspect when it comes to actually using a device day in and day out?
We're supposed to care about techie-spec lists that include pages of crap 99% of the consumers will never use (or even understand) and somehow value that over the 2 most basic, most important aspects of the device? (look and feel)
...come on now: it's okay for you to be a nerd, but to expect the rest of the population to ignore what makes a device nice to use, and instead look for the *specs* that somehow make the device "superior" ....well that's just incredibly obtuse.
by the way, the 3rd party apps argument will be interesting in a few months.... of your " virtually unlimited supply of 3rd part applications" how many are quality? how many AREN'T worthless crap? as the amount of applications available reaches infinity, the ratio of worthwhile apps approaches 0 (or statistical insignificance) haha. :P
Jeff I would say total quality of the product to be up there.
clak @ Apr 30th 2008 7:55AM
I can't wait for someone to try to sync this baby to iTunes.
"WTF? Load my iTunes music, motherf*cker!"
>> Instead they'd sync to a subscription service like Rhapsody.
Then they try to buy music from the imitation Wifi Store.
"This f*cking button doesn't do anything, motherf*cker!"
>> Or stream video/audio over wifi instead.
Then they try to download a cool app they see in Apple App Store.
"It won't work with WinMo? Huh? Motherf*cker!"
>> True, perhaps they'll skype another WinMo user and cry about their access to install whatever they like.
They try to use Visual Voice Mail.
"Motherf*cker!"
>> People still use voicemail?
iTune Movies?
"Motherf*cker!"
>> I like to think WinMo users are brighter than to buy overpriced locked down videos when they can stream whatever they like off their home pc over their phone's data connection via Orb, Slingplayer Mobile, or other similar apps.
And then one of their friends show up.
"Hey, is that an iPhone? Dude, you said you would NEVER buy an iPhone! Let me borrow it for a second, I need to make a call. Thanks. Okay how do I make a call on this thing? A Stylus? Huh? The iPhone has a stylus?"
>> I mean what the heck man, where are all the fingerprints, I can like.. READ the screen.
Not that WinMo is particularlly great, but it's silly to dismiss it as outright inferior when there are just as many (if different) shortcomings to the iPhone..
Your average consumer seems just as concerned with something being shiny as they do it's functionality, and evidently the people behind iSwish wanted to put some of the irrelevant shine factor on Windows Mobile.
I like the bit where he tried to scroll through a list and there's about a second delay...
If you really want to replicate an icraphone you should first do this: overcharge for the cheap hardware, install a crappy bloated os (osx) on the phone, lock the hardware down and make it propriatary, add no features that appeal to anyone older than 8 years old, add fancy graphics again to appeal to the 8 year old, close the ability to install any real applications, don't let users change the battery, force them into contracts.
thats really all it takes to have an iphone, oh and you have to be a retard to buy one.
wow.
The way I look at it, I can get an AT&T Tilt for free after rebate (even before rebate it is only $200), and then put this software on it. Even if I never send in my rebate for the phone, and this software costs 30 bucks give or take, I'm still getting off at least $100-$150 than I would if I'd bought an iPhone.
Apple designs beautiful LOOKING products, but beyond that, it's all fluff. Tracks bought from iTunes have terrible fidelity and a proprietary format that's not worth the extra effort required to convert it to MP3. Visual voicemail is great, but despite Apple touting it as another grand Apple innovation, it has been done before. I could go on about the software, but this post is going to be too long as it is.
Okay, so maybe this UI is a blatant rip off, but I don't think anyone's arguing that Apple doesn't put careful thought and consideration into the design of their product. But after all is said and done, I can make the Tilt do anything the iPhone can do and more with free software that I can download anywhere, instead with propietary software on the phone itself. It has WiFi, 3g, GPS, Bluetooth, and, probably most important of all, a full slide out QWERTY keyboard. So if I want to give it the defined elegance of an Apple inspired UI, I don't think that's such a big deal. BTW, I have no problem with the default WM6 interface, and truth be told, I may never even use this UI replacement, but I do think it's well made, and would be a good showpiece to make your friends jealous.
Sure, the iPhone is elegant and a well designed piece of equipment but Apple cripples the iPhone and everything else they make in order to maintain their dominance over all their precious products (and customers). Sorry, this post has started to sound like an anti iPhone rant, which I didn't intend for it to be. Bring on the MS haters, but WinMo6 is by far the best designed and most functional version that MS has put out to date, if this software can augment that, AND give me a great looking and functional interface, I'd gladly be willing to throw down a few bills for it. Okay, rant over...
Grngh. I guess there's a market for this stuff, but I don't understand it personally. If this sort of eye candy is important to you then please, just buy an iphone, it will satisfy you far more than this non-native fakery ever could. If on the other hand you're not an idiot, just get used to the WinMo interface, it's perfectly usable and easily customisable to however you like it, far more than the Iphone is. It also gives you proper access to the kind of features and functionality you'd expect in a modern high-end smartphone, including all that stuff that Apple left out of their prototype.
The post by "Jeff" above is exactly what was needed to drive home the point of this post. You can see how the Apple marketing campaign works. Users are brainwashed into thinking the external coolness factor is the most important part of a product. They believe actual technical specifications are a luxury at best and will sacrifice usability for looks (The Air is another example). Also there are many very nice looking devices on the WinMo platform, and the OS is very easy to navigate and customize to your preferred look and feel.
Oh the other phone wannabe. Just proves that people like the iPhone interface better!
Wow this gets stranger every time I see one of these discussions started. and what is scary is none of these have a clue?
A lot of people here simply just don't get it. Especially, (not surprisingly) the iPhone users and fanatics. For the long time WinMo users, and saavy Internet crawlers, this is nothing new (iPhonz, i.e.). The frequenters of XDA-Developers.com know that this has been done already (and pretty damn well, I might add) by people that do this as a *hobby* or on the side. They've EMULATED the unlocker (S2U2), the music player w/ CoverFlow (S2P) [the last two by just one person, I believe], the Keyboard (PCM and Resco) and so much more, and not just from Apple. Plus, they've all added customizations to their utilities that iPhone users can only dream of. I tested them all, kept the ones I liked (S2x series) and customized them to my liking and discarded the rest... And, guess what? All for free... (well, I felt obliged to donate for their excellent work).
For the rest of the interface, I either used WinMo's or HTC's offerings, because I liked how they worked better (I'm using the "AT&T" Tilt). In other words, I got so many choices, I don't have time to try them all.
This software is not so much saying that the iPhone UI is better that WinMo's, but that you can have it on your WM5/6 phone or PDA IF you choose to. Yes, no one can make a UI as pretty as Apple can, but if you could customize it to your liking you know you would...
Even when software developers start releasing applications for the iPhone they're so far away from the freedom that WinMo has for basically anyone to share their great ideas on how to improve the platform. Don't give me the crap about "that's why there's so many crappy WinMo software" speal. Just look at the applications I mentioned above, and look at how it is with Windows XP and OS X and if you're smart enough you'll see that that's not a valid point.
Yup S2U and S2P both were done by AC at XDA, he also did software for photo viewing, kind of like HTC album meets the iphone photo viewer.
Just the fact that WinMo allows you to do this should speak volumes. That's why it's my mobile OS of choice.
Lets face it the iPhone is great at what it does, but its not a PPC phone, its for the general masses who dont care how or why it works, it just works.
That being said, any real PPC user doesnt want or care about an iPhone interface: but this will appeal to the dumb masses who bought PPC phones when all they really wanted was an iPhone.
And no, it will never be as good as an iPhone because iPhone hardware was designed for the software.
As for me, I prefer my Mogul keyboard and the options of many and varied software packages available for WM
I'm already doing this on my iPAQ using Touch Commander.
You haters. Just cause I can have everything the iPhone has and the iphone can't have anything my PPC has.
you geniuses don't get the point here:
you can develop anything you want for a windows mobile phone.
the iphone SDK is still "closed" when compared to the windows SDK.
There are almost no applications for the iPhone and in that sense it's actually funny that a company like Microsoft is more open than a company such as Apple.
And it also proves that the iphone has no revolutionary functions what so ever.Everything it has has been done on windows and linux.Before it even came out.