INTRODUCTION
Apple’s iPhone did away with the need for a stylus with its
compelling touch interface. Attempts to replicate the user experience of the iPhone
on Windows Mobile with a substitute for the Today screen seem to be cropping up
quite regularly, and VITO Technology
has put forth their attempt with GoodWin. GoodWin provides stylus-free access
to your SMS messages, task list, e-mail, and phone as well as direct access
to all the applications and system settings for your device.
But is it compelling enough to leave your Today screen in the past?
GoodWin key features include:
WHAT’S HOT
- A finger-friendly replacement for the Today screen
- Direct access to both applications and system settings
- Task management
- Today screen plug-in
Setup is a straight-forward process. Download the software and
SETUP
launch the installer. GoodWin will install the desktop components and once you
connect your mobile device, ActiveSync (AS) or Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) installs the mobile
components on your device.
Microsoft has managed to pack quite a bit of information As an alternative, GoodWin provides a finger-friendly
PRODUCT FEATURES
on the Windows Mobile Today screen, but it certainly doesn’t lend it itself
to stylus-free navigation. Most of the items on the screen are just too small
to reliably tap with a fingertip.
solution to using your Windows Mobile device.
Like the unlock feature on the iPhone, GoodWin is unlocked
by sliding a button across the screen.
The smaller icons at the top of the GoodWin interface show
battery status, ring profile, time and cellular signal strength.
Tapping the ring profile icon opens a menu to quickly change profiles.
The other icons or text at the top of the screen open related System
Settings applets.
Tapping one of the large icons at the top of the GoodWin interface
allows you to easily access your SMS messages, task list, e-mail
and phone. Red flags indicate unread messages or incomplete tasks.
The remainder of the GoodWin interface is a scrollable
array of icons divided into three sections: favorite and running applications,
installed programs, and system settings.
Tap-and-slide gestures produce a very smooth scrolling effect which allows
you to quickly run through all the icons (and there can be many).
Tapping an icon will launch the application, while tap-and-hold will
display an application menu.
The application menu allows you start the application, add/remove it
from the Favorites group, or even uninstall the application. If the
application is already running, you have the option of switching to it
or shutting it down.
For those applications that won’t shut themselves down nicely, you will be presented
with the option of forcing them to terminate.
One really nice feature of GoodWin is its inclusion of all the System Settings icons
in the application list. If you find that you frequently need access to WiFi settings,
for example, you can make it a favorite and get quick access to it from the Favorites
section (this can be seen in one of the images above).
If you find yourself back at the Today screen, GoodWin provides a plug-in to get
back to the application launcher or other tools.
GoodWin serves as a rather efficient application
launcher. Its menus scroll into view with smooth animations and the graphics
have a nice, professional feel to them. Some gesture interfaces I’ve used have been
buggy in that you might accidentally register a tap instead of a tap-and-slide, but
GoodWin doesn’t seem to have any of those problems. If you would like to see
GoodWin in action, VITO Technology has put together a nice little video showcasing its
features.
HELP SUPPORT
GoodWin help comes in the form of an online PDF manual
or an HTML file installed with the application.
The manual provides a pretty complete explanation of how to use GoodWin, but
e-mail support is also available for problems or questions. I sent one e-mail
during my review and received a very quick response (see Bugs and Wishes for
details). I did not identify myself as a reviewer, so I expect any support
requests would receive equally prompt answers.
OPTIONS
Users of FunContact and SMS-Chat (also from VITO
Technologies) will benefit from their integration with GoodWin.
These applications extend the touch interface to SMS messages and
contacts, giving you the same gesture scrolling you find in GoodWin.
These applications are available stand-alone or as a combo-pack including
GoodWin, SMS-Chat, FunContact and ZoomBoard for $39.95.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
GoodWin works on Windows Mobile 5.0/6 Pocket PC or Professional devices. Program memory required is 1.75 MB, and storage memory comes in at 1.2 MB.
BUGS AND WISHES
GoodWin allows you to keep favorite applications at
the top of the application list, but I would
prefer having the ability to categorize applications into user-defined groups
(e.g. Games, Office, and Utilities). This would be much more useful than a single
Favorites group that’s mixed with running applications.
In addition to categorizing applications, I would also like
the option of having GoodWin track which programs are launched and maintain a
“Smart Favorites” list containing my four or five most used applications.
The icon for accessing e-mail shows the number of unread
messages, but if you have more than one e-mail account configured, you can’t
determine the specific accounts which have new mail. GoodWin keeps things simple
by combining all the unread e-mails, but if you prefer seeing them broken down
by account you’ll need open the mail icon first. An option to select the
e-mail accounts that are included in the tally would be nice.
Because there are so many applications and system settings
I rarely need to access, it would be helpful if I could tell GoodWin to either
hide them or group them together at the bottom of the scroll window.
I only experienced trouble using GoodWin when coming out of
suspend mode. My T-Mobile Wing will almost always jump to the Today screen unless
I make a point to lock the device using the “End Call” button before suspending.
I haven’t been able to resolve this issue, but after contacting VITO’s support
team about this, I’m not sure if it’s a software issue VITO needs to resolve or if
there is something peculiar about the Wing that causes this.
The $19.95 price tag seems a bit steep for GoodWin on its own.
I would consider $9.95 a more reasonable price point for an application launcher,
and perhaps a $24.95 price for a combo-pack including SMS-Chat, FunContact and
ZoomBoard.
GoodWin
PURCHASING
is available in the pocketnow.com store
for $19.95 using a major credit card or PayPal. The GoodWin
product page on VITO’s
website provides an FAQ and product manual.
PROS
Finger-friendly interface
Direct access to system settings applets
Shutdown of running applications
CONS
- Lacks ability to group applications beyond selecting favorites
- E-mail indicator doesn’t reflect multiple accounts
- Price is a bit steep for an application launcher
| Value |  |
| Ease of Use |
 |
| Features |  |
Overall |
 |
I’m still a bit ambivalent concerning the shift toward
OVERALL IMPRESSION
stylus-free interfaces. GoodWin does provide a very nice application launcher and task
manager. However, I still find that pretty soon after launching an application, I’m
usually right back to needing the stylus. Until all the applications on my device are designed
to be finger-friendly, GoodWin will only give me a glimpse at what stylus-free living
might be like. Also, since I like the option of taking a quick glance at my Today screen to
see what e-mail accounts have new messages, I will likely stick with using the Today screen
instead of GoodWin for now.
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