"Pocket Stock Monitor features an easy-to-use portfolio manager, four advanced stock information views, stock charts, stock price alarms, detailed stock quote information, profit/loss and portfolio value calculations and an automatic quote fetch timer. Best in class user interface coupled with multiple stock data viewing options. Access to latest company news, multiple color schemes and large, easy to read text used for price information make Pocket Stock Monitor a must-have for everyone interested in becoming a more sophisticated investor."

Now that we're seeing some sanity coming back to equity and bond markets worldwide, software like PocketX Stock Monitor becomes more interesting and useful (and less a source of anxiety and heart attacks) - unless of course you've been shorting stocks. Version 5.9 adds some finger-friendly enhancements to the UI, as well as adding support for WM6.5.x which covers a whole slew of devices including the HTC HD2 and Touch Pro 2, Samsung Omnia II, and Sony-Ericsson's Xperia X2. I do wish they had better international exchange coverage, but you can't have everything. You can try out a demo or purchase the software for $24.95 through our affiliate link. PocketX Stock Monitor 5.9 is a free upgrade for registered users if you purchased Stock Monitor within the past year; otherwise an upgrade costs $17.95.

"Synerge Tech Solutions has released Google Analytics Mobile. As the name implies, Google Analytics Mobile allows you to access your web site's Google Analytic's data directly from your Windows Phone. For those not familiar with Google Analytics, it is a program that tracks your website activity ranging from the number of visits to where your site visitors are located (geographic regions)."

Are you an analytics fiend? Always wanting to check your Web site stats, no matter where you are? Then you'll be interested in Google Analytics Mobile from Synerge Tech Solutions. It's a neat concept, if only in that it will allow you to drill down and learn more about your Web site stats when you have some down time (sitting in the dentist's waiting room, etc.).

"Opera Software today launched a native version of Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile 5- and 6-based handsets. By integrating Opera Mini with the Windows Mobile platform, Opera is able to deliver an optimized version of the popular Opera Mini browser that dramatically improves performance and the overall user experience. While Opera Mini traditionally requires Java, the new Windows Mobile version does not, which means that Opera Mini will work on any Windows Mobile phone. The Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile includes the same rich feature set as the Java-based version. Renowned features, including tabbed browsing, the password manager, bookmarks and Speed Dial, are built-in to deliver convenience while on-the-go."

If you've found Opera Mobile to be too much for your needs and prefer something a little more lightweight such as Opera Mini, then you'll be happy to know that the latest beta is now native on Windows Mobile. That's right, there's no longer any need for a JVM. It's free, so head over to the Opera web site, download it, and give it a whirl.

"Guess we don't have to wait until MIX to have all our Windows Phone 7 Series questions answered! Microsoft's Eric Rudder, speaking at TechEd Middle East, showed off a game developed in Visual Studio as a singular project (with 90% shared code) that plays on Windows with a keyboard, a Windows Phone 7 Series prototype device with accelerometer and touch controls, and the Xbox 360 with the Xbox gamepad. Interestingly, not only is the development cross-platform friendly, but the game itself (a simple Indiana Jones platformer was demoed) saves its place and lets you resume from that spot on whichever platform you happen to pick up."

So if you're wondering what is meant by the Xbox live tile on a Windows Phone 7, this video should help explain what will soon be possible. Hit up this video, and find out! Warning: It's pretty cool!

Sometimes there are advantages to living nearby to Microsoft - Chris Pirillo got some hands-on time with a Windows 7 phone via a walk-through with Microsoft's Greg Sullivan. Well worth watching!

"As part of our continual review of our mobile range, we've decided to make a few changes to our lineup. Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Phones are no longer available for download. This isn't a decision we've taken lightly, but the reason is simple. Neither of these apps offered a great Skype experience... with the latest version of the Windows Mobile OS, it's been increasingly challenging for us to maintain an app which behaves as you'd expect on a wide range of handsets without working with a mobile operator partner."

Skype's reasons for killing the development and availability of the Windows Mobile version of Skype may be questionable, but the fact is, it's happened. And it comes at a time when Skype is performing strongly on the iPhone and Symbian platforms, and is soon to make an appearance on a wide range of BlackBerry and Android handsets. Perhaps Windows Phone 7 Series is what Skype needs to make a return? Then again, maybe not. Time will tell.

With SpaceTime 4.0 now available, the developers at Pomegranate Software have generously offered SpaceTime 3.0 for Windows Mobile Standard as a free download. So if you're toting such a device and want one of the best math apps out there, head on over to the SpaceTime web site, download a copy, and grab your free registration key. Enjoy!

"Neowin first reported over a week ago that Microsoft was planning a Starter version of its mobile operating system. But that news was overshadowed by all the Windows Phone 7 Series hoopla from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Windows Phone Starter is similar in concept to the original Windows Starter Edition products. Windows XP and Windows Vista Starter were products exclusively tailored for emerging markets. With Windows 7, Microsoft broadened the availability of the Starter Edition to include all countries, with Home Basic becoming the new emerging-market-only SKU. So far, it seems as though Phone Starter is going to be an emerging-market play only and not a low-end platform for users in developed countries."

Mary Jo Foley has posted a Q&A regarding the interestingly-named Windows Phone Starter Edition that we've heard rumors about. However in the end this piece raises more questions than it answers. Personally I'm not a big fan of a "starter edition" mobile OS, considering that the whole point of a "starter edition" OS on the desktop is to eventually drie upgrades that the consumer is in control of. However upgrade when it comes to "starter edition mobile" surely means new device, right? Ugh...

"While in a recent Twitter Q&A, Microsoft UK's Director of the UK Mobile Business Group Alex Reeve hinted that 'ODMs are free to offer Windows Phone 7 Series upgrades for Windows Mobile 6 smartphones', Natasha Kwan, General Manager for Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region, told APC that the HD2 - the hottest candidate for such an upgrade - 'doesn't qualify because it doesn't have the three buttons'."

With its uber-specs, the HD2 was the likeliest candidate among the current crop of WM6.5 smartphones to get an upgrade to WP7. But Microsoft appears to be taking their lockdown of the user experience in WP7 very, very seriously - and the HD2 doesn't qualify. That's going to disappoint a lot of HD2 buyers (in Asia and Europe) and prospective buyers (in N. America). I'd bet the possibility of an upgrade was a factor in the buying decision (I was certainly thinking that way), and with this development sales of the HD2, as well as its resale value, might take a hit with WP7 just 7 months away.

"When you activate SharePlug, it creates a virtual computer that represents your real computer back at home or office behind firewall. You can use this virtual computer to securely access Windows shared folders, Web server or any service running on the real computer that's compatible with TCP port forwarding. You don't need to sign-up for any monthly service or install software on every computer you wish to connect to. You simply need to setup a sharing gateway server on your remote site and run SharePlug."

At first glance, SharePlug sounds sorta magical. However it's actually a pretty simple app that lets you easily harness the power of SSH Port Forwarding (Think PocketPuTTY plus Port Forwarding & a good UI). If you can install an SSH server on it, you can access it through SharePlug. Sounds pretty useful for the $9.99 pricetag. You can find it (and literally hundreds of other apps) in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

"In the past, the industry has been hard-pressed to find a real competitor to the iPhone. Several "iPhone killers" have come along, including the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Storm, but both devices have failed to live up to Apple's product on any level. Even Android-based devices like the Nexus One have come close but can't quite attract the kind of attention the iPhone does...But there is a strong possibility that Microsoft's newly announced Windows Phone 7 Series will change that."

eWeek weighs in on the merits of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series, specifically comparing it against the iPhone. Some of the points are a little weak in my view (a sense of urgency? really?), but there's always room for debate. I think it's premature to start discussing this seriously until we know more on what restrictions developers have to work under - I'm not very happy with what I've heard so far - but then speculation is half the fun. What do you guys think? Is eWeek making sense to you, or are they somewhere off in la-la land?

"Now this is intriguing. PocketGear has just acquired its former competitor Handango in the cross-platform app store space, and can now claim a library of software that places it right alongside Apple's App Store in terms of the pure number of applications on offer."

The graphic above comes from Engadget's post, and it's pretty spot on and self explanatory. PocketGear has purchased Handango, creating quite a huge store of apps that you can browse, regardless of platform!

Product Category: Software

Manufacturer: Resco

Where to Buy: Mobihand [Affiliate]

Price: $24.95 USD

System Requirements: Windows Mobile 5.x or 6.x.

Pros:

• GPS Phototagging (with a GPS enabled Windows Mobile phone);
• New finger friendly touch features;
• Ability to create photo albums.

Cons:

• Slightly expensive for some, but it’s an excellent program.

Summary: Resco Photo Manager 7.02 has really come a long way from its humble beginnings. This piece of software is a total re-write of their old Resco Photo Viewer and Photo Viewer Pro.

Read more...

"The Windows Mobile 6.5.3 DTK provides documentation, sample code, header and library files, emulator images, and tools to Visual Studio that let you build applications for Windows Mobile 6.5 and 6.5.3."

Yesterday wasn't all just about Windows Phone 7 Series. On the development side, Microsoft updated the Windows Mobile DTK to cover 6.5.3. It includes both Standard and Professional images, and is available in seven locales. Developers, go grab it!

Greetings from the Microsoft MVP Summit. Today I'm happy to write to you and tell you... absolutely nothing from Summit due to NDA! But I do have some interesting developments regarding Windows Mobile Marketplace which should make developers smile. These will all be rolling out over the next few days from Microsoft.

• The $10 fee to submit to additional marketplaces. The $99 fee is still applicable, but to submit to smaller market segments, the additional fee is now gone.
• Registration flow for ISVs should be improved.
• Users in Russia will now be able to access Marketplace.
• Acceptance policy changes, including allowing VoIP applications unless specifically prohibited by the carrier.

Hopefully this will help remedy a few Marketplace issues, and encourage its growth!

"Today Opera Mobile 10 moves one step closer towards final with the release of Opera Mobile 10 Beta 3 for both Symbian/S60 and Windows Mobile. Beta 3 includes a few new features, and a lot of bug fixing and stabilization. Read more on www.opera.com/mobile. Or download it now at www.opera.com/mobile/download from a PC or "m.opera.com" from a mobile phone."

New features in Beta 3 includes keypad support for non-touch Windows Mobile devices and experimental Flash Lite 3.1 support, along with numerous bug fixes and improved speed and stability.

I've been using Beta 3 for a couple of days now on my Touch Pro 2, and while flash support is still a bit buggy (as anticipated but disabled by default), beta 3 has worked very well overall and is a noticeable improvement over previous versions.

Have you had chance to try Beta 3 yet? If so, what do you think?

"Major updates to the new version include a new 3D engine and an improved social networking integration. The former means support for new types of eye candy effects such as 3D Media Player, 3D Photo Viewer, 3D Weather, dynamic 3D widgets and more, while the latter involves message, contacts, photo and status sync with popular services, namely Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn...One important innovation in SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 is the Natural Interaction Engine which includes support for G-sensor and multitouch, a dedicated Feedback Engine providing realistic visual and haptic responses, and a Physics Engine responsible for the real-world behavior of all objects."

Among the alternative UIs available for Windows Mobile, SPB Mobile Shell was among the first and the best. It hits version 5 with some major improvements that take it to another level, though I wonder about the resource requirements for all the extra functionality and eye-candy you're getting with this version. The other major news with version 5 is that SPB has now ported Mobile Shell to the Android and Symbian platforms, a timely move given the UI lockdown coming in Windows 7 series phones (and maybe the reason for skipping a version number). There's no news on pricing, upgrade rights, or availability yet (it isn't even available from SPB's own store) though v3.5 retails for $29.95 (affiliate link). I'll update this post when those details come available.

Update: Mobile Shell v5 has been spotted on the upcoming Toshiba TG02. Still no word on pricing or consumer availability, but scuttlebutt has it we're looking at a Q2 2010 release.

"With SyncMate 2.5 all Mac users can sync their Macs with Windows Mobile devices or Nokia phones, other Macs or Windows PCs, Sony PlayStation® Portable, USB flash drives, Google accounts and special online storage provided by Eltima! New version provides additional sync options."

SyncMate is available in both Free and Expert editions. The free edition allows you to sync only calendar, contact and and SMS data, while the Expert edition ($39.95) adds the ability to sync iTunes & video, iPhoto, bookmarks, folders, mail, notes and more. Read the press release for full list of features after the break.

Read more...

"Are you changing all your contacts one by one to make them appear as "Firstname Lastname"? Then Contact changer will help you! It will make your life easier by changing all your contacts in one operation. You start the application, select the way you want to sort your contacts and press Change."

This is a one-trick pony, but for 99 cents, it's worth it to get all your contacts into the sorting order you want them to be in. Since the beginning, the defaults of Lastname, Firstname were standard when creating a new contact on your device or in Outlook. It looks like Outlook 2010 has finally changed that, but if you have 100's of contacts that you'd like to swap around, here's the best 99 cents you'll ever spend.

Looking to save some money on software? Check out the latest Mobile Heist that ends TODAY. Apps include IM+, Mobiscope, GPSed, Translator+, and more. If you're using a Windows Mobile Professional device (touch-screen), go here. If you're using a Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch screen), go here.