Skins and or Today Screen Theme Customisation for PPC 2003SE?

frostytwospoons · 02-22-05, 06:08 AM

Does anybody know how to create or has software or knows of a way of creating and or customising Windows Mobile PPC 2003 SE skins and or Today Screen themes?

I am getting bored of cycling through the microsoft standard themes and the HP themes are not to my taste, and I really need a way of creating my own otherwise I am afraid I am going to turn into someone who is unhappy, or what is worse, bored with their iPAQ

I think iPAQs are awsome, the future in fact, but I am someone who likes a change of theme from time to time.

frostytwospoons · 02-22-05, 06:14 AM

As ever, I post a thread, then instantly find what I am looking for.

So if anyone else is looking for a way of creating their own themes for pocket pc then go to :

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobi...generator.mspx

and download microsoft's theme generator.

I am yet to use it, but will post a short review soon.

frostytwospoons · 02-22-05, 06:50 AM

My short review...

If you can submit to a patronising microsoft hand holding experience

, which guides you thorugh setting up, creating and customising a today screen theme, the end result is very satisfactory.

I like the way the generator automatically crops any image (bmp, jpg, gif?) to the correct size (better to start large if possible), then gives you an 'Advanced' option (

) to modify the crop area of the image you wish to use. So that you can exactly determine how your today screen background image will appear.

Then, the following screens allow you to setup object colours (banner, taskbar, font colours etc), which are v.simple.

I am using PPC 2003SE, and the theme generator is designed for PPC 2002, and tells me that it can't upload to my iPAQ. But simply copying the saved *.tsk file to the windows folder on my iPAQ is a sucessful alternative.

Happy enough for now.

jhc99 · 02-22-05, 07:09 AM

Wow - problem / solution / review all in less than an hour - and all doe by the same person!!

(I know it my comments sound as though I'm making a joke but I think this is a good example.)

Well done frostytwospoons

imported_ironguy · 02-22-05, 09:27 AM

You really need to google "pocket pc themes". There are literally tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of PPC tsk files out on the web. As far as skinning goes, there are many programs that go do great things. Check out PPX, WisBarAdvance2, Dashboard, PocketBreeze,... the list goes on and on.

camarojones · 02-22-05, 11:51 PM

beat me to it!

here is a french site with 53 good themes to start you. by the way...copy the *.tsk files to your ipaq filestore and browse to them from file explorer...saves memory for the OS.
Tom

camarojones · 02-22-05, 11:51 PM

http://www.pocketpcparadise.com/page...t_vga_qvga.htm

sorry

frostytwospoons · 03-01-05, 03:02 AM

Thanks for all your replies. Especially jhc99

Thanks Ironguy, I can't see the wood for the trees sometimes, there are
just too many ways of finding solutions (although I do prefer forums as you get top quality responses

) I have since Googled 'Pocket PC Themes' and have not looked back.

I now concider myself a proper skinner! And the thought of ever being bored with my iPAQ, gone!

Pummy · 03-02-05, 01:06 PM

Off topic a bit but a proper skinner? I take it you realise the undertones that phrase gives off to a UK member

frostytwospoons · 03-07-05, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pummy

Off topic a bit but a proper skinner? I take it you realise the undertones that phrase gives off to a UK member

Did not realise there were undertones for the use of 'proper skinner'. My meaning, for any other UK members who are confused by my use of the phrase 'proper skinner', simply means that I now understand how to create skin themes for PPC2003. Was not aware that I had to take into concideration undertones of any phrases used. Perhaps cockney slang would better suit;

if I were down a nuclear sub, I wouldn't buy any geezer that understood 'proper skinner' to mean anything other than the formentioned, an aristotle of any ping pong tiddly, even if they were last geezer in the gaff ... would propably be best if people kept their norths shut?!

Perhaps a different kind of forum would best suit the realisation and use of innocent phrases which have alternative meanings for select social groups?? As this is a globally accessed knowledge resource, I can safely assume they have no place on this forum.