Handy Shell Replaces Everything
Earlier tonite I found a thread on Howard Forums, which led me to a thread on My-Symbian, revealing a new beta application from Epocware, who make the popular Handy line of S60 applications. The new application is called Handy Shell, and from what I can tell, it’s designed to replace the entire S60 Active Standby screen, along with a few other features. Handy Shell is currently in open beta with a 14-day trial available, though I would expect the full retail version to be available soon.
Here you can see Handy Shell’s version of the S60 Active Standby screen. What’s cool about this is that, like Handy Taskman, Handy Shell completely takes over the functions of the S60 menu key, but also the red ‘End’ key. Users can customise what happens when you press either key, and you can even include the original S60 Active Standby screen in the rotation, so that each time you press the S60 menu key, you get a different screen, as seen below.
There is also a neat Dial or Start option, which mimics the behaviour of other applications’ ability to search your entire phone, simply by you starting to type on the home screen. This uses predictive text, so that, for instance, from the homescreen, I could simply press ‘6622′ to get to Mobbler. When you search like this from the homescreen, your contacts are mixed in with your applications, so you really do have the full selection of nearly anything on your phone.
This is the new ‘Applications‘ view that also mimics the regular S60 menu, though as of yet you cannot create folders. You’re forced to choose 12 applications (3×4) to have as shortcuts in this view, though oddly, you cannot use the normal keypad shortcuts.
A new one-touch dialing screen is also available, dubbed ‘Contacts‘, which allows you, again, to select 12 contacts to have as shortcuts. This screen will either simply display the contacts’ name, or if you have a thumbnail set, it will automatically show that, as you can see in the screenshot. When you first use the application, these contacts are preset to the last few numbers you have called.
There will also, apparently, be a weather plugin that can show on the homescreen, as pictured above. Cleverly, this will require you to have a full license for Handy Weather v.6, which is currently not available. As soon as this is available, we’ll be sure to let you know. You can, however, pick up a license for Handy Weather v.5 from the Symbian-Guru store, or check out our review here.
I’m still tinkering with Handy Shell, to see how I like it and try to find any bugs that I can, but you should also give it a go, if you’re in the mood to try out a beta application. You can download the installation file for Handy Shell here.
…now THIS is a find! Good looking, bro! Your sources always have great stuff.
I like it, but there is not enough customization on the home screen, you should be able to change any of those 12 apps.
Also, the auto keylock should be enabled for that screen, because I keep turning my bluetooth on and off by accident.
So the “Shell Mania” finally hits the S60 world too! This one looks very similar to the SPB Shell available for windows mobile.
My personal experience with these shell applications is that after a few weeks/days of usage, I normally go back to the default interface. 3rd party shell apps are usually not stable and also consume more memory than the default ones.
[...] Testbericht [...]
@Jaganath
EXACTLY, i was thinking that I have already seen this somewhere else, but can’t remember where. It’s almost the same as SPB mobile shell, which totally replaced my default WM screen when I had the qtek9100. I think we shouldn’t cross Handy Shell off for the lack of customization yet, this is not even a full release now, still a beta, so let’s give feedback and hope they improve. And also, let’s applaud them for opening and rethinking the S60 Standby system.
Awesome find Ricky!
wicked find!
[...] Bericht und Download bei Symbian Guru [...]
Nice find, indeed. :)
It is really cool. I really like the front screen with the extra icons stating message numbers, emails, call log. Also the clock part showing the next alarm.
More features are needed though. The ability to add or customize all 12 icons on the front, and to even add more – I have plenty of space on my front screen. 18 icons would work for me as well.
The menu cycle with the red key is AWESOME!!! I was going to say I don’t like the fact that it’s replaced the two menu buttons that I use all the time, but when I pressed the red button and it scrolled to Shell and back to original I was impressed.
[...] Some folks are gonna love this. Others will hate it. But Handy Shell is coming, taking over the whole S60 standby/menu/control key schema and making it remeniscent of a Windows Mobile home screenadding new functionality. Ricky Cadden’s been playing with the Handy Shell beta and you’ll find his thoughts and screenshots right here. [...]
[...] Fonte: Symbian-Guru. [...]
How much memory does this use ?
Hy! pls help me! handy shell doesn’t work on my 6120c?? why is it ?? what does it mean?? Should i install a patch before runing the app?? or what might be the problem?
Epocware releases Handy Weather 6 on same day, September 15th.
[...] a new application by Epocware which can personalize your whole S60 standby, menu and control keys. Jump over to read his great [...]
[...] a new application by Epocware which can personalize your whole S60 standby, menu and control keys. Jump over to read his great [...]
does it work on nokia 5700>coz when I open it it hangs…
cept it doesn’t work on 6120c
Tracker is much better on my N73 with customizable pages, folders, applications, speed dials. Only better thing that Handy Shell offers to me is the E71 style dialing.
doesn’t work on 6120c…why???
[...] via [symbian-guru] [...]
It’s worth noting that Handy Weather is a yearly subscription service.
Other services like Worldmate are completely free.
the GDESK software does the same and even more than handy shell and its free open source for symbian s60v3 google it and install it to ur n-series
[...] If you have a Symbian S60 phone and are looking for a better Active Standby screen, then Ricky over at Symbian Guru has written a detailed review of Handy Shell, which seems to offer a very good range of features. This is a new application from Epocware, and it is still in beta right now. Head over to Symbian Guru to read the review here. [...]
[...] been using the beta version of Handy Shell now for several days, and after some initial tweaking, I’ve come across several rather [...]
not working on my N95 – the shell active standby screen is blank.
[...] read in symbian-guru.com about another S60 application under the name, Handy Shell. According to our sources it is designed [...]
Wicked find Ricky. It does look a lot like SPB’s WinMob shell, and having switched back to S60 from WinMob I am psyched about this. Having weather, better message alerts and such on the standby screen is a killer productivity app and one I have really missed.
I suspect you’ll find a pile of plugins appear (as well as weather) fairly quickly, probably one for Handy Calendar.
Awesome news and def one for my new phone.
[...] let you know about the new Handy Shell application a few weeks ago. Handy Shell completely replaces the Active Standby screen on your S60v3-powered [...]
Hi! I’ll like to see is custom actions on each contact (call, sms or mms directly) and email alerts on the active stand-by (based on simple criterias like priority).
I want a license! I promese a full review in SPANISH :)
Hey Ricky,
Do you know if its possible to get handy shell to link to handy calendar when you click on the most recent event in your standby? Seems silly that the Handy software links to the super lame s60 calendar
[...] recommended Epocware applications that we have tried and loved, are Handy Calendar, Handy Profiles, Handy Shell, Handy Weather, Handy Taskman, Top Hits Solitaire, and the list goes on and on. Head over to [...]