[ Concept UI ] Windows Mobile Center

[gxsaurav]

Mods, I was unable to decide which section I should post this into. So I am posting here, please move it to apropriate section as applicable.

You can also read the whole article on my blog.

Windows Vista comes with Windows Mobile Device Center which support only for Windows Mobile Devices. I thought that this should be changed, so I made this concept User Interface for my own application which I think should be bundled with Vista.

Presenting Windows Mobile Center, the solution to all your mobile phone & PDA needs. Everything you are about to see is made on a system running Windows Vista Ultimate with Photoshop CS3 & Axialis IconWorkshop 6. I have not made a single icon in this mock UI because everything is already in Windows Vista. It is very easy for developers to make the backed of this application.

When you first start Windows Mobile Center this is how it looks like. A simple welcome screen telling you what Windows Mobile center is for & what can it do for you. Just click on "Select Device" to select the device you want to manage.

You now come to the second screen on which you are asked to select what kind of device you have, whether it is a Mobile Phone or Pocket PC or PDA or UPMS. Just click on the type of device you have & click on "Next". For this article I selected Mobile Phone because I have a K750i & it is easier for me make a mock UI keeping a phone in mind. Obviously the phone is in my hand, that why.

After selecting "Mobile Phone", I am given a list of all the mobile phone Windows Mobile centre can sync. This database is plug-in based & new phones can be added via simple Windows Update. Here for the article I selected K750i because like I said, that is what I have in my hands right now so easier to make this UI for me.

You are given information for your phone & a photo which makes it easy to visually identify the phone from the list. You are also given 2 checkboxes stating whether you want to let Windows Mobile Centre automatically try to connect using the best & fastest available connection or whether you want to select a connection type manually such as Bluetooth or WiFi or IrDA or a Data Cable. For this article I have selected to connect automatically. Now click on connect.

Windows Mobile Center now automatically tries to find the best & fastest possible connection available. It searches & finds Bluetooth connection.

Once the connection is established it displays the status of the phone such as Phone's name, battery left, connection type, free memory in memory card or phone itself, IMEI Number, firmware etc. It also tells you whether the phone is synced with Windows Mobile Center or not. Since this is the first time, it is not synced & it gives you an option whether to sync right now or not. Without syncing you cannot see the saved Phonebook, SMS, and Mail etc. You can sync the whole phone anytime using the green Sync button at the topmost toolbar alongside Configuration Options & Help button. Or in this case for the first time you can also sync using the options given below the notification.

You can also get advanced information using this window. Like clicking on Bluetooth Icon gives info in a new palette like which COM Port it is connected through, which Bluetooth device it is using etc. Same goes with battery.

Once the phone is synced, you can start working on it the way you like. Some basic phone tasks are available in the right click context menu or the following toolbar button. You can mouse over the toolbar buttons to get information regarding what that button does. Let us go through all sections one by one.

Contacts Section. : After you sync the phone with the computer, Windows Mobile Center automatically copies all the contact to Windows Contacts folder through which these are also available in Windows Mail, Windows Calendar & other such Windows application like Live Messenger etc. Those contacts which are not in Phone but are there in Windows contacts are also synced to the phone.

The contacts are available in a list view depending in whether you have selected to show Phone contacts or SIM contacts. You can search for a particular contact using the search bar provided at the toolbar. You can simply right click on the column to show more info as required such as other phone number, fax, address etc. To copy a contact from Phone to SIM, either drag & drop it or simply copy paste using the keyboard or right click menu.

The toolbar provides access to some basic tasks available for contact list, like refreshing the contact list or adding a new contact to the contact list, editing an existing contact, deleting a contact or simply sending a message to your contact using the computer. You can also select whether the message is a SMS or E-Mail.

The call logs section shows the recent call logs. It shows all calls, missed calls, answered calls or dialed calls as selected in the left hand pane. You can again perform basic tasks such as refresh the list or add an unknown number to your phone or delete the entire recent logs or send a message to a recent number. You can also search for a particular caller in the call logs.

The Messages section provides you a view at the SMS ails you have in your phone. It shows your phone Inbox, the saved messages, drafts, sent messages & Outbox. From here you can simply click on any message & either forward it to another number, or reply to that sender or delete the SMS or refresh the SMS list. You can also select to write a complete new SMS using the new message button in the toolbar.

The Files section gives you option to browse the phone's memory or the memory card in the phone. Although the memory card is also available in Windows Explorer as a removable drive. The explorer is just like Windows Explorer & you can navigate or sort. You select the type you want to view the folders as, or simply right click in the Explorer area & select to view as large or small icons for folders. If you have selected to show thumbnail previews of files, then it will show the images as thumbnail by simply downloading them to computer in the background.

Using the toolbar, you can simply refresh the file list or go one up level, create a new folder, delete a file or download the file to a location in the computer or upload a file to the location in Phone. You can also install JAVA application using this Files view because K750i supports installation of JAVA Applications. You can also search for a particular file in the Phone or Card memory.Single clicking over a file or folder gives its information in the File Properties pane such as file size, location, type etc.

I have not made the organizer section yet. I got an exam on Sunday so organizer will be designed after that.

Please leave a comment about how this Concept User interface is. Any improvement advice is very much appreciated. I hope Microsoft incorporates such application in Windows Vista SP1 as it is qutite an essential tool be there out of the box.

Still to come

1) Organiser Section

2) SMS Window

Oops for the typo in Images

Edited June 8, 2007 by gxsaurav

[Digitalx]

interesting idea... probably would be more useful then current mobile center lol.

[gxsaurav]

Ya, I mailed this to MVP discussion list , now I hope it gets into the eyes of Microsoft & they incorporate something like this in Vista SP1 for Windows.

Windows Mobile device center available today only works with Windows Mobile devices, this instead works with many mobile phones like SE K750i or Nokia N92. Much better in my prespective

[gxsaurav]

Just made the concept UI for SMS Windows.

Actually, the main inspiration is MyPhoneExplorer. Other then the UI that is an awsome application for SE Phones. i hope the developer of MyPhoneExplorer can implement a UI of this kind. Best of both worlds, looks & funtionality

[maxsquared]

I like the idea, it's a bit like isync tho

[Sheppard]

Yes but you cant get iSync for windows?

[gxsaurav]

I like the idea, it's a bit like isync tho

iSync :blink: from which angle?

I have used iSync on Mac. This looks nothing like iSync, nor even this works like iSync. iSync won't copy paste files through a file browser. This is more like MyPhoneExplorer which leaves iSync far behind in functionality.

I got a reply from a fellow MVP. Who knows this might come out in form of a real Application :rolleyes:

[maxsquared]

Not the look, I meant the concept.

[b0m8er]

the idea is nice, but OMG - the icons are huge... way too huge... i'm not visually impared, and 80% of users are not also, so what's the point making icons so big?

[gxsaurav]

the idea is nice, but OMG - the icons are huge... way too huge... i'm not visually impared, and 80% of users are not also, so what's the point making icons so big?

Umm...ok. I used bigger icons because they show more details etc. After my exam on Sunday I will update the UI with small icons.

Right now, the sidebar & toolbar both are using 32X32 icons. Will keep the icon same & lower font size as well as try another version with 24X24 Icons & lower font size :yes:

Not the look, I meant the concept.

The concept has been available since long before iSync even came into existence in form of applications like Nokia PC Suite. Now if they both provide support to sync & manage your mobile devices, then I won't call it similarity. This is an obvious thing. In that context you can also say Sony Ericsson copied Nokia because they also made a Mobile Phone :p

[b0m8er]

;) yeh, and scale down your interface in general! The idea is great! But icons are overly huge ;)

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

I like the idea - but one problem - all phone manufacturers use different ways to store their crap.

But yeah, I like it - the software that comes with phones could just provide a driver or interface to such a method and bingo!

I detest the cruddy software you get with most phones.

[gxsaurav]

I like the idea - but one problem - all phone manufacturers use different ways to store their crap.

But yeah, I like it - the software that comes with phones could just provide a driver or interface to such a method and bingo!

I detest the cruddy software you get with most phones.

Actually, I had this in my mind while desigining the concept. Suppose Microsoft makes this application to integrate in Windows Vista SP1, then to support the phones there are 2 ways

1) Microsoft makes plugins, more like small dll or similar files which after copying to say \phones\brand\ folder will make Mobile Center work with those new phones.

2) Microsoft releases API & SDK, & using these the mobile phone manufacturers can themselves make such plugins or dll files using which we can connect. Just check at manufacturers website whether a compatible plugin is available for your phone or not.

Anyway, its 2 AM here, time to hit the bed else I might fall asleep in exam. :p

[gxsaurav]

Lets call the old version 1.0 & new one 2.0

Now in 1.0, the toolbar as well as sidebar icons are 32X32 pixel big, while the sidebar font is 24pixel in Photoshop. The font used all over is Segoe UI.

I modified the contact list first, & showing it here. Now there are 2 renders. Just a quick change.

1st is Toolbar & sidebar button at 32X32 Pixel, but the sidebar font is reduced to 18 pixel which now looks more sober.

2nd is same thing but with 24X24 pixel toolbar buttons.

The user will have choice to change the toolbar & sidebar icons as well as font size so big icons is not a problem. Is it ok now or should I further change?