Mobility Site » Forge42

SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 – Review

Forge42 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:47:11 +0000

Introduction:

A few days ago, SPB released a new update to version 3.5 of Mobile Shell. For those who aren’t familiar, Mobile shell is a complete overhaul of your phone’s interface. Generally, it tries to make your phone look better, be more usable and more “touch friendly”. With Mobile Shell Installed, you will rarely see your Windows Mobile phone’s today screen or start menu. Rather, most of your interface with the phone will be through Mobile Shell’s GUI. This is a decidedly good thing. Mobile Shell was a very successful product and is on my personal short list of ‘must haves’ on a Windows Mobile device. It did a great job of making my phone easier and more pleasant to use, along with making the phone feel more ‘modern’ by allowing mostly touch based interaction with the phone.

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Saddleback Leather’s Large Laptop Sleeve Review

Forge42 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:15:09 +0000

Introduction

Saddleback Leather Company recently added several products to their lineup, including a laptop sleeve. I have previously reviewed one of Saddleback’s core products, the large briefcase, here. Some of the observations that I made in that review also apply here, especially concerning the experience of working with the company. I thought that the addition of a laptop sleeve to their product family was a very interesting choice. I think that part of they mystique that Saddleback has going for it is that the products they make feel like something that might have been made 150 years ago. You get the impression that when people use the phrase "They don’t make ‘em like they used to.", they’re talking about something like a Saddleback bag. That feeling of an ageless high quality product is one of the distinct features of Saddleback’s leather goods. So, making something like a laptop sleeve almost seems out of character for them. Not because they couldn’t do a good job, but rather because it is an admission that they are actually making products in the 21st century. I was very excited to get my hands on one of these bags and see if they could make a product for a modern computer user. Read on to find out how they did…

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SBSH releases CalendarTouch 2.1

Forge42 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:18:20 +0000

Introduction:

Hot off the heels of the release of CalendarTouch 2.0 (reviewed here), SBSH has released the next iteration of the software, CalendarTouch 2.1. This is typical of SBSH. They tend to be very aggressive in their release and development cycles. Personally, it is something I really appreciate and respect. SBSH is one of my favorite developers in the mobile software industry.

The review linked above provides a good overview of what Calendar Touch has to offer. My intention here is not to repeat a full review of the software, but rather, to comment on some of the changes made to the software and my overall impression of it and the path the SBSH seems to be headed down with this program.

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Review: Saddleback Leather Company Large Briefcase

Forge42 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:52:36 +0000

Introduction
Whenever a designer sits down to design a product, of any kind, there are usually a number of considerations. The design process is really about finding the right balance between all of those considerations to make the product do what it is supposed to do. Things like finding a balance between making something strong but lightweight, high quality but affordable, fast but fuel efficient, and the list goes on and on. New products can have dozens or even hundreds of design considerations. But, every now and then, a company or a situation will come along and call for the design of a hyperbole. The design of the “-est”. Lightest. Fastest. Cheapest. Tallest. Toughest. Sometimes, maybe even most of the time, those designs turn into trainwrecks. The products are so single-minded in their purpose that they lose any of their usefulness. But, every now and then, these types of designs achieve a certain elegance in the process of meeting the goal. The elegant simplicity of the design will allow it to be useful while still being the “-est”. In those rare cases, the product can take on its own mystique and become something great. It was clear from reading Saddleback Leather’s website that this was exactly what they had set out to do. The question is, did they succeed? Read on to find out.

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Saddleback Leather Company’s Backpack/Briefcase Preview

Forge42 — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:11:24 +0000

I recently found myself in the market for a new briefcase. After some extensive web searching, I came across www.Saddlebackleather.com It is a small, family owned and operated company based out of Texas. They specialize in leather goods of all types. Their website is full of some of the most entertaining (yet simultaneously, effective) advertising copy I’ve ever encountered. With a slogan like “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead.”, it seemed that the company had a lot of character. I, personally, like working with smaller companies if I can choose to do so. This company seemed like a really interesting organization that just happened to be offering a bag that appeared to be just what I was looking for.

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