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It's time for Software Wrangle 22 and we have a bunch of apps to rope in today. Whether you're looking for some new software, need to update some existing software, or want some free apps, take a few minutes and check them out!

This week, WM Standard new software is Spb Online Games and LoanCalc. Updated software includes Bankarama and DVD Catalyst 3. The free app this week is Vibrate On Connect.

WM Professional new software are exoVirusStop antivirus and Halma Sharp. Updated software includes VsNotepad 2 and IM+ Instant Messenger. Freeware is Remote Touch Beta.

WM Standard: New

First up this week for a WM Standard app is Spb Online Games Smartphone v1.1 by Spb Software House. Want to get your game on with other real people online, all from your smartphone?

Spb Online Games is a pack of casual multiplayer online games. Play English Checkers, Russian Checkers, Hexagon and Reversi with real people in real time.

Features: - Two types of Checkers, Hexagon and Reversi - Play with real people - Easy to play casual games - No configuration

Call us fans ('cause we are), but it's nice to see regular updates like this from a Windows Mobile developer, with the updates implemented from inside the application.

And without further ado, the latest update to Kinoma Play brings improvements to:

The file scanner (one of our biggest sources of consternation):

• Kinoma Play now scans for media when you select My Media Files, instead of on startup. This is especially convenient when you launch Kinoma Play primarily to play online media.
• You can now choose between Automatic and Manual scanning in Settings > Library.
  Even with Automatic scanning turned on, scanning can now be canceled other than the first time a new source — like a new Storage Card — is detected.
• A new Scan command appears at the top of My Media Files if Kinoma Play detects that My Media Files may not be up-to-date (i.e. if a previous scan was canceled, or if Automatic scanning is off).

Indeed, those are all good improvements.

Playback on screens that rotate (a la the Touch Diamond, et al):

• On the HTC Touch Diamond, Kinoma Play now uses its orientation sensor to automatically rotate the screen to the correct orientation (0, 90, and 270°)
• Software keyboards (SIPs) are now handled properly on rotated screens.
• Rotated video playback performance has been improved on some phones.

Good. Good. And finally:

• Kinoma Play responds more quickly to the appearance and disappearance of Bluetooth audio devices, like Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
• The installer now works on “Tier 2” phones, which have more stringent security requirements. For anyone who experienced a “security failure” on installation, this release should fix that.
• This release includes preliminary support for the soon-to-be-released Sony Ericsson Xperia X1.

Excellent. Even better than just offering bug fixes is looking ahead to the future, assuming that darn Xperia X1 ever sees the light of day. Now just give us some AVRCP love, and we'll be happy campers. Fire up Kinoma Play and get your update.

To read what we got the in first two updates, click here and here. And if you still haven't tried Kinoma Play, check out Dieter's excellent review.

Chances are you're doing more with your Touch Diamond's (or Touch Pro's) G-sensor (accelerometer) than just switching back and forth between portrait and landscape mode.

But if you need a little help, wmpoweruser has complied a decent list of applications, including games and utilities.

Most of the app links head over to the giants at XDA developers. Included are the ubiquitous Lightsaber app, Lunar Tilt (seen at right), Diamond beer, Magic 8 Ball, and utilities such as BubbleLevel, G-Remote G-Mouse (as seen on WM Experts!), G-Alarm and a host of others.

Hit up the list here. And tell 'em WM Experts sent ya.

Remember how we said the alpha release of Firefox Mobile would be out "in a few weeks?" That still stands. But new this weekend are some leaked screen shots to whet our appetites that much more.

Code named Fennec, the browser will be Mozilla's first in the Mobile space and will compete with the likes of Opera Mobile, Skyfire, the Webkit-based Iris and, of course, pocket IE.

Note how Fennec purportedly scored 88 out of 100 on the ol' Acid3 test, which ain't bad at all for something that fits into your pocket. Stay tuned for more.

Via The Unwired

Looks like LG may be prepping to actually release a Windows Mobile phone here in the US. LG has already shown us the LG KS20 and the WiMAX version thereof at CES 2008, but neither seemed destined for the US. Now Intomobile is reporting that a Windows Mobile phone may be headed to AT&T shelves.

Specifications on this rumored device include 3G capabilities, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, a flush 240x400 screen, and a 3mp camera with flash. Dimensions are reported by Engadget as being 106.95 x 55 x 13.9mm with a full metal case.

If rumors hold true, expect to see this new mystery device later this year, likely during the holiday rush. Not much more to say on this potential LG phone except another passenger has boarded the rumor train.

Windows Mobile is all about having options, sometimes to a fault. If you want someone else to decide how you're going to use your device, go here.

That's why the advent of yet another browser for Windows Mobile is a time for celebration. Opera Mobile, Skyfire, Webkit — they all bring something to the table that Internet Explorer does not. And they're all different enough to make having more than one browser not seem silly.

We're eagerly awaiting the alpha release of Firefox Mobile, aka Fennec (we'll save you the trouble: It's a small desert fox), any day now. And after a quick read through Mozilla's mobile roadmap, we can sum up our excitement with a couple of points (after the jump).

 

Mozilla Weave

Fennec is being developed by Mozilla, makers of uber-browser Firefox, so it's pretty safe to assume that it should be a competent mobile browser. Fennec and Weave are where it can get really sexy.

A spin through that Fennec roadmap brings us a couple of juicy tidbits:

Release themes

In priority order, here are the key themes of the first Fennec release:

1. Simple, fast navigation to Web content 2. Compatibility with the Web 3. Secure 4. A "whole product" 5. A platform for innovation on mobile

Getting to Web content

• Awesome bar
• Search integrated into URL bar
• Password manager
• Weave

By comparison, here are results from my browsers on a Windows XP desktop, plus what I run on my Motorola Q9h:

• Internet Explorer 7.0.5730.13: Scored 12 out of 100 (I think) after about 30 seconds. It rendered so horribly it was hard to tell.
• Internet Explorer 8 beta (8.0.6001.18241): Scored 15 out of 100.
• Firefox 3.0.3: Scored 71 out of 100.
• Safari 3.1.2 (525.21): Scored 75 out of 100.
• Google Chrome 0.2.149.30: Scored 79 out of 100.
• Opera Mobile 6.5: Scored 3 out 100.
• Skyfire 0.8.0.68.43: Scored 52 out of 100.

So, Fennec appears to have a bit of browsing power under its belt. I'll be interesting to see how older devices handle it. That said, the Fennec roadmap lists Windows Mobile 6 as the earliest version supported.

Not quite drooling - yet

At this point, we're mildly excited about Fennec. Having more options on your Windows Mobile device is a good thing, especially one that's open source. We won't go into full-on drool mode until we see some actual hands-on video and get to try it for ourselves.

But Fennec is looking like it may be a fine addition, along with Skyfire and Opera, to our browsing arsenal.

 

As Dieter and Malatesta talked about in their latest podcast, we're just a few short weeks from learning when the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 should (finally) be released in the United States.

While we wait, let's take a look at some of the early hands-ons from around the Internets.

• WM Experts: As a baseline, we'll start with our man Dieter (natch) at CTIA way back in April. As an added bonus, Dieter also spied one at the BlackBerry-centric WES in May and shot it alongside a Touch Diamond.
• Swedish site M3 gives it a go with a video. Er, in Swedish (we presume).
• Speaking of Sweden, Daily Motion brings us an unboxing. [via]
• Some beautiful pics and a review from Dutch site jouwMobiel That not enough? How about a head-to-head with the new T-Mobile G1?. [via]
• A video hands-on from Xperiancers.com. [via]
• Paul from MoDaCo and Matt from Tracy and Matt get on board with a video. [via]

That should tide you over for a few weeks. As an added bonus, we've dug up the official announcement video from SE itself. Peep it after the break.

(In a related note, the X1 is now available for pre-order from Carphone Warehouse in the U.K. Price is FREE with an 18-month contract from O2. [via] Don't expect to find that kind of deal over here, though.)

You likely know GoDaddy.com as an Internet registrar and for its, er, eye-catching advertisements. Now you can add hosted Exchange to its resume.

What's hosted Exchange, you ask? It's most often found in the workplace, but outside vendors are now offering its push-email and cloud-based storage for monthly fees. We've written about it a bit, and Dieter and Mal have touched on it in a couple of podcasts (19 & 22).

For $6.99 a month, GoDaddy gives you a single mailbox with 2 gigabytes of storage, POP3 and IMAP access (and presumably OWA, though it's not listed), plus the usual calendar goodies. For $9.99 a month you get all of that plus access on your mobile device.

The price isn't bad, but we'd like to see more storage. While 2 gigs is still a boatload of space when it comes to e-mail, it hardly stacks up to the 7 gigs gmail gives you for free. Yeah, it's still not true push e-mail and it doesn't play as nicely with Windows Mobile as Exchange, but you can't beat the cost.

However, it is nice to see another hosted Exchange option come to fruition. Check out GoDaddy's offerings here.

via jkontherun