June 8, 2005

Windows Mobile 2005 Magneto for XDA 2

Windows Mobile 2005 Magneto for XDA 2

After exchanging my XDA 2 in favor of a Nokia 7710, I never looked at the O2 PDA again. But like a friend of me, the Nokia 7710 experience was not one without irritation. Its slow, very slow and crashes are not uncommon.

After surfing a bit on the net I ran into the the xda developers forum and found a thread, chaotic as ever, about a version of Windows Mobile 2005 that supposed to be working on the XDA II, the Himalaya version.

People with exotic names like buzz_lightyear, do little wonders by creating installable versions of the new Magneto Operating system. Many others on the forum help out with adjustments and information about the Windows Mobile 2005 “Update”.

I might as well give it a go, and downloaded all nescessary software to update my O2 Himalaya to Magneto, a nice 25 mb or something. The update went without problems. I just put in all my provider settings and it worked.

My main concerns, besides usability and speed, are connectivity and stability. If the new Windows Mobile 2005 is more stabile then previous versions is something I cannot tell yet, but until now everything looks fine. But I gave the Nokia 7710 to my wife….. for now….

Some things that should have been in Windows Mobile 2005, battery indication on screen, and SMS delivery notification always on, still need to be supplied by third parties and registry hacks.

I read that Windows Mobile 2005 should be compatible with software for Windows Smartphones, so I downloaded the Opera browser, because I like to be able to upload pictures via a web browser, something that was not possible with the Internet Explorer on Windows Mobile 2003. The Opera browser (it is a beta) crashed however, and I removed it again. To my surprise the Internet Explorer of Windows Mobile 2005 is able to upload pictures I saw later, so that is a big improvement, no need for Opera.

I had no problems synchronizing Outlook 2003 with ActiveSync v4, either via USB or Bluetooth. My GPRS didn’t work (provider problem) so I tried emailing and browsing while connected to my PC. Works !

If you have a Himalaya (O2 XDA 2 or similar) and want to try yourself: (it seems a OEM version, no beta)

Windows Mobile 2005 Wiki and downloads

Windows Mobile 2005 registry hacks

Windows ActiveSync 4 download (FTP)

Windows Mobile 2005 Software I use:

Windows Mobile Registry Editor

Spb Pocket plus (current version 2.5 is not working fully, but the battery indicator works)

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