Database Develop

Touchflo 3D vs SPB Mobile Shell

Hi,
I've read a lot of pros to deactivate TF3D and install Mobile Shell because of the performance, and i was hoping to hear from people theirs pros and cons and i DON'T mean "i like TF3D bla bla" but an explanation too!!
I thinks it's a lot of storage to be used, or can it be installed on the internal memory?!

TF3D lasted about 20 minutes for me, it looks great but didnt really give me what I needed, when I needed it.
I found it dreadfully slow and fairly clumsy ...yes, I know you can tweak it to the N`th degree now, but still seems to be more cosmetic than funtional. Just a thin flash skin over WM6, and it resorts back to WM6 when you have to do more in depth things with the phone.
I guess I was biased towards SPB Mobile Shell though, as I`ve used it on my last 2 phones (Tytn and Tytn II) and love the way it simplifies and speeds up using the phones. It is not just an improvement over the TF3D but also Windows Mobile. Far more user friendly!! (finger friendly)
I have the latest version on my diamond and love the ability to thumb/finger scroll through the options/section just as well as the TF3D, it`s still layed out well, although I don`t like the way they`ve done the frequently used/favourite programs bits... I liked having the start square infact I prefer the layout of the previous version (9 squares rather than the 6 squares and the messy favourites bar at top.)
It doesnt look as lovely and unified as the TF3D but I realise that you can change the theme. It can look a bit garrish with the multicoloured icons .
The now (today) screen is far more useful on SPB as you can add/remove options.. still not as customisable as real today screen (I probably haven`t found all the plugins tho ?)
I would download the trial as see what you think.
I give TF3D a big thumbs down and SPB Mobile Shell a big thumbs up
Hope this all makes some sense / is of some use, as am slightly sloshed *h*i*c* !

Where have you installed the progam files? In the internal storage or RAM (i guess it's called?!))

I installed it on the phone rather than the internal storage, seemed to be plenty of space. Never normally install to the phone area but feel (rightly or wrongly) that it helps running from phone memory ?? Still loads of room and phone flies along. Doesnt seem to as big an issue as it once was.

hi bro,
being an experience user with spb shell, can you kindly share with us with some skins that you are using?

I have the latest version of SPB Shell (though not installed at the moment as just flashed with a new ROM.
I prefer the SPB Shell as it is alot smoother and faster switching between the menus and the main today screen can be configured to give alot more info than the TF3D one.
For those that like to know the weather it gives you a breakdown of what the weather is going to be like at various times of the day rather than just now (I can look out of the window for that) and even the 5 day forecast can be viewed to see the expected weather at various times of the day.
As for skins the default ones that come with it are only different colours but having a choice of colours from scratch is better than the plain TF3D.
SPB Shell is very configurable compaired to TF3D but still not as configurable as some other Today screens unless like th eother poster said it comes in the form of other plugins.
I have it installed to normal phone memory and everythings fine. I haven't tried installing it to the internal memory but figure if I have to reinstall it if I flash a new ROM anyway I may as well make sure that it's cleared for a fresh reinstall.
Deffo one to give a try if you want something other than TF3D - smoother, more configurable, more skin options, ability to add more plugins.

I have to agree that TF3D is not something that is usable. As a matter of fact, I am very close to labeling it as a piece of crap. All the bad points of TF3D has been posted in this forums countless times and I do not want to repeat it. I am sticking with TF3D is because of one reason only. That is because it's the Diamond's identity. If I were to use other today plugins I would not have gotten the Diamond. Diamond and TF3D is like coffee and sugar/milk (depending on how you like it). Without it, the Diamond loses it's identity.

How about battery usage? Any difference there?

Vic5870 said:
I have to agree that TF3D is not something that is usable. As a matter of fact, I am very close to labeling it as a piece of crap. All the bad points of TF3D has been posted in this forums countless times and I do not want to repeat it. I am sticking with TF3D is because of one reason only. That is because it's the Diamond's identity. If I were to use other today plugins I would not have gotten the Diamond. Diamond and TF3D is like coffee and sugar/milk (depending on how you like it). Without it, the Diamond loses it's identity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you. But where can TF3d Themes be found?
I have found two .theme files that works and easy to set up. O2 Blue and Orange Lite. But it would be nice to get something like the White Diamond

I think its better explained this way:
SPB can house many more functions. If you need your phones apps the whole day long an need to navigate your small system every minute, TF3D is really not the thing. SPB is very good, and takes care of every single corner on your phone. Highly skinnable, and fast.
I tried it, but you know, it's too much for me.
I like a lot of apps, but I don't use em every day. So I want to fast check Email, SMS, or weather, or make a call. For those basic functions I think TF3D is the best. Just grab phone, Thumb-thingy to the right tab and off you go.
I don't need something TF3D cant do. Well, some minor things, like agenda and tasks, but I guess that'll be fixed in a few weeks

I'll vote for the Shell too: I tried Flo, really tried as it looks so good, but found it was just unworkable!
Shell is clean and simple, and fast. Also, I use a P3600i in some situations (such as when I really want to hear incoming call rings) - using Shell keeps me to a common interface.
These are the setting that I use:
TABS Home TODAY Date
Time SPB Shell
Weather Owner
Dial Tab Messaging
Calendar
Fring
SPB Menu Internet IE/Opera + Favorites
No Data
Fring
Internet Sharing
Comm Mgr
Multimedia Media Player
Camera
Pictures
Voice recorder
Album
Tools Task Mgr
File Browser
Rotate
Lock
Profiles
SPB Backup
MemMaid
App to Date
Programmes (auto)
My Menu 1Calc
TomTom
Ozi
Stock Mgr
Best Crypto
FM Radio
Settings (auto)
I run TLR v3 - clean and stable.
Unrelated to SPB Mobile Shell, my final 'make it perfect' was to get rid of the ring delay by:
Diamond Phonepad skin: HKLM -> Security -> Phone -> Skin -> Enable (set 1 to 0), then reset

It all depends on what you do with your phone. I tried SPB Mobile Shell and it worked nicely. Quite happy with it. It's faster and more user friendly compared to TF3D. The homescreen also looks nice and it has a nice feature where you can move your finger in a downward movement from the taskbar to choose between the 3 pages of the shell. Although the Now screen is not very customizable (maybe it is with correct plugins?), the other page u can change every shortcut to programs and such. It's nice, but I don't tweak my Diamond anymore as I used to. I saw the Orange Theme with TF3D and I liked it alot. The analog clock looks great. If you're new with the Diamond and ur tweaking and changing and everything, I suggest you get SPB Shell (or just disable TF3D). But TF3D still looks better (orange theme that is)..
I just need to find a white .tsk theme for wm6.1.. All I see is grey/red/purple/whatever... Goodluck with this..

Spb Mobile 2.0 vs Tf3d

I'm not really gettin used to touchflow yet and I'm checking out other options. So... Lets get down to business:
The things that bugs me in touchflow are:
1.the todayscreen not being able to show more calendarevents.
2. the sms screen, the whole layout really
3. The mediaplayer
4. The alarm, every aspect there as well
I know that there are substitute programs for most of these problems BUT as I have to go in and select the appropriate program I fail to see the advantage of Touchflow..
The things I love with Tf3d are its speed and beautiful graphics and they will be soarly missed if I would go with another shell.
Are there any other touchfriendly options?
What are the pros and cons with Spb mobile shell 2.0? Especially regarding these issues!
Yours sinceraly
Adis Hardis

Sorry but I think you're a bit lazy. Why don't you just download a trial of spb mobile shell and see for yourself?

To be fair, I think he wants opinions..
SPB Software always rates highly in my books, I used to use the Shell on my Hermes. My girlfriend used to hate it, as it restricts access to the main features of the phone unless you kill it off.
But I guess if you tweak it to how you want it, then you never need to access the back end of the phone, pretty much like the HTC one I guess.
SMS's are visible (at least the count) on the main screen, and link direct to the pocket outlook folder
Media player - There's non built in, so again it's just a link.
Urm, Alarm again is built in.. Unless you put SPB time on??
Guess its worth a try! There's plenty of support on their forums, and hundreds of themes for it

I'm no expert in these areas but can I install spb without uninstalling? (and loosing all the settings and so forth). Cause thats my main concern!
Lazy or not, thats what forums are there for in my opinion, to get input and help...
Adis Hardis
Ps
Thank you MikeSel

Yeah you can, there simply 'today' plugins so you can disable one, and enable the other.. Make an informed decision and then dump one if you like.. Or just keep both, and leave one disabled
Have fun, and give me a shout if you get stuck!

Nice, I'm on it, thanks for your help Mike!
Peace
Adis Hardis

i just recently installed SPB mobile on my diamond and i love it a lot more then TF3D. I thought TF3D was great at first, but it a shame it's not configurable even with TF3D advanced config etc installed. Only the very basic functionality is available. It does look very good though and maybe the future could hold great things for it. But for now and the near future SPB mobile is the winner for me
-it's better and more customizable
-it's got lot's of good plugins
-the latest version got guestures like touch flow
-runs smooth as silk
-great animation without slowdowns
-all of the functions are easy accessible

Tried spb 2.1 for a week, but changed back to tf3d.
For my use, tf3d its enough and mobile shell, is atm a bit slower than tf3d and i dont like the default look. And with a better looking vga skin its slower than the first versions of manila, so i stay with tf3d.

Manilla vs. Htc Home

This topic may be a bit premature seeing how manilla 2d is still in it's beta stages but...
I havn't tryed Manilla 2d yet but for everyone who has, what do you like/dislike about it? Would you prefer it over Htc Home? Why would you? I'm using Htc Home right now. Especially with the nice Htc Customizer.

I suggest you try it first, before creating a thread - it only takes 5 minutes..
and to answer your question I prefer Home.

Manila absolutely no question about it. Seriously, this is like asking if one prefers a bumper car or a real car. Just my .02 but i think you'll find most will choose manila.

over Manilla
I found this thread while looking for a non Manilla ROM after being annoyed by the screen rotation to not want to use it any more.
Looked cool initially...

it looks cool and stuff but i changed back from manilla to the htc home because manilla had to many bugs

todd737 said:
I found this thread while looking for a non Manilla ROM after being annoyed by the screen rotation to not want to use it any more.
Looked cool initially...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search for AthineOS. He made two roms, one for manilla and one for htc home. Rom is superfast. I also suggest Duttys_WM6[1].1_5.2.19700_Hybrid_V2 rom. Not so lite as AthineOS rom, it's a very good rom and always had decent battery life no matter what radio u used...
Back to topic..
This is exactly what i wanted. So far poll is 2-2. I think Manilla will outweigh HHome once all the bugs are tweaked and landscape = 100% other than the quick fix he has out right now. In any case, they are both really nice apps to have for our today screen and for the authors to have many donations going there way..

Home until the bugs are sorted although have recently fiddled with mobile shell and throttle launcher. I find I keep going back to home with ultimate launch.

swtaltima said:
Manila absolutely no question about it. Seriously, this is like asking if one prefers a bumper car or a real car. Just my .02 but i think you'll find most will choose manila.
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Click to collapse
Great analogy mate haha
I figured I would try Manila2D for a day and then go back to HTC Home when it first came out in a Rom but from the moment I first used it I fell in love with the feel and ease of use. You can navigate through all the menus using your finger or DPad as prefered whereas Home tended to be very fiddly and I was always using my stylus or the start menu to get where I wanted. Im using SJ's OPAL build 11th Oct now and I have absolutely no bugs and its extremely fast and responsive. In my experience most of the people who have experienced problems in the latest builds have been down to bad flashes. I always advise everyone to shut down all other programs and keep the Rom update program in the foreground when flashing and to take out the sim card to avoid all posibility of glitches occuring.
Manila wins hands down anyday.

I use neither, because:
1. Manilla vanilla, shmanilla. Sheesh, if I wanted a touchflo device I would buy a Touch Pro/HD or something like that. Every second thread in development and hacking is about manilla something or other. Enough already.
2. I HATE fingerprints, smears, etc on my screen.
3. HTC Home requires far too much Today real estate!
This is my setup:
PhoneAlarm Pro with B&W pure Skin (small footprint)
PDC (Pocket Digital Clock) with Alien Round fonts
Sun n Moon
Homescreen ++ (Ex Batterystatus) with Tray Icons activated.
SPB Traveller
TodayAgenda
And then I use S2U2 with an animated gif. That's it.

I use manilla. I love the customization of it. I love using my fingers to get to the things I use. I alos love the themes I can make. Home just never appealled to me at all. I was lucky enough not to have my phone bit for a week or two before M2d came out.

I use Manilla. It's attractive, responsive, and well laid-out. It's not perfect, though -- I find the built-in weather app pretty weak and I like Live Search better than Google Maps. But even with those complaints, I still prefer Manilla.

You forgot the "None" option. No matter how hard I try, I keep going mad at those "newfangled" interfaces - both of them - and end deactivating them after 1 hour.
Good'ole today plugins and Quickmenu rule.

MANILLA!
If I wanted things plain ole, I'd buy a flip phone or something. Manilla looks great, works great and I wouldn't have anything else.

The new ThrottleLauncher 0.9.5 Beta destroys Manilla. I cannot stand how hard it is to customize Manilla (not graphically), where ThrottleLauncher can be customized very easily. The lastest release is quite fast!

MACkjam said:
I use neither, because:
1. Manilla vanilla, shmanilla. Sheesh, if I wanted a touchflo device I would buy a Touch Pro/HD or something like that. Every second thread in development and hacking is about manilla something or other. Enough already.
2. I HATE fingerprints, smears, etc on my screen.
3. HTC Home requires far too much Today real estate!
This is my setup:
PhoneAlarm Pro with B&W pure Skin (small footprint)
PDC (Pocket Digital Clock) with Alien Round fonts
Sun n Moon
Homescreen ++ (Ex Batterystatus) with Tray Icons activated.
SPB Traveller
TodayAgenda
And then I use S2U2 with an animated gif. That's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can always buy a new device with TouchFLO but roms are something free.
I have used Manila for a few weeks and, trust me, you won't have fingerprints on your screen unless your fingers are sweaty. You will always wipe away your fingerprints with touchs

tanked said:
The new ThrottleLauncher 0.9.5 Beta destroys Manilla. I cannot stand how hard it is to customize Manilla (not graphically), where ThrottleLauncher can be customized very easily. The lastest release is quite fast!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely keeping my eye on ThrottleLauncher. I like it a lot in concept, and customizability is great. But my experimenting with the 0.9.5 Beta didn't impress me much. It still felt a little sluggish and I just couldn't control it as accurately and quickly as manilla.
I need to try loading it onto a lighter ROM and doing a little customization.

typo said:
I'm definitely keeping my eye on ThrottleLauncher. I like it a lot in concept, and customizability is great. But my experimenting with the 0.9.5 Beta didn't impress me much. It still felt a little sluggish and I just couldn't control it as accurately and quickly as manilla.
I need to try loading it onto a lighter ROM and doing a little customization.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you installed NetCF 3.5, and that apps are set to use it as defualt. I turned off all the transarency and went into the vars.xml and set my fps to 30 (because the editor is 20 max). It's smooth and quick.
PM me if you want the NetCF 3.5 standalone cab and NetCF config tool cab. I don't want to hijack this thread more than I already have.

why doesnt a chef put the new TL on a rom ...that would be so cool

I like having all my info available to me on one screen, especially the weather. I have my phone set up to use HTC home, Calendar++, and weatherbug. I don't have any ugly scrollbars on my screen, I have a clear view of messages, time, next appointments, and weather for the next three days, all without having to click through various screens. Plus, Manilla, HTC Weather, and pretty much any other built-in weather app I've used does not have weather info for my small town I live in, but weatherbug does, plus I get severe weather alerts and it's very customizable.

I hate Manila, it sucks to me! HTC Home allow you to have more things under control on the screen. HTC Home no doubts

spb Mobile Shell vs TFL3D

Is there allready a discussion between those 2 user forntends?
http://www.areamobile.de/specials/Xperia_X1_vs_HTC_Touch_HD/Video.php
In this german comparisson between the Touch HD vs Xperia X1 the Touch HD was winning 3:2 and one reason was the better user interface of TFL3D vs the Panel system from the X1 but they have not taken the spb Mobile Shell into consideration which is available for free for the X1.
Beside that they have not rated the battery capacity, so at the end I would say that for both devices it is at least 50:50 and the user have to decide what direction he want to go - more multimedia with a bigger screen or more business with better battery and keyboard.
This is the background of my question. And I think it is a fair question because the spb Mobile Shell is free for the X1.
Claus
PS: Me personaly I am more in favor of the X1 (because of the battery and the hardware keys)

dingolino said:
In this german comparisson between the Touch HD vs Xperia X1 the Touch HD was winning 3:2 and one reason was the better user interface of TFL3D vs the Panel system from the X1 but they have not taken the spb Mobile Shell into consideration which is available for free for the X1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add to that that the Touch HD TFL3D is already ported to xperia and then the whole decision is based on if you want a hardware keyboard or prefer a larger (in size) screen.
For me the hardware keyboard wins by far.

XavierGr said:
For me the hardware keyboard wins by far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree
can't wait to have my xperia...

Maybe somebody who has both
TFL3D and spb mobile Shell on his X1 could comment?
Claus

they are about the same...you can do more stuff with mobile shell, but TF3d looks better...so its a matter of taste really...just install both and try

SPB Mobile Shell seems far superior to me. TF3D is way too slow and requires several more clicks to get to where you want to go. It looks great, but also is less responsive and slows down the rest of your phone's interface.
One issue I have with Mobile Shell is that the task manager seems to have disappeared. Does anybody know how to get this back? It is still running, as I can see the icon flickr in it's spot sometimes, but for the most part it is gone. Also, I can't seem to uninstall TF3D which is ridiculous.

Task Manager will disappear when you use SPB Mobile Shell Panel!
+1, same here. The task manager icon on the right corner of the screen will disappear when switching to SPB Mobile Shell Panel. That's just a really wield bug and Xperia staff did not test it thoroughly at all before release!

Touch3d slows the phone down quiet alot, and crashes and is not 100% usable right now (some things still need more work to be done to be usable on xperia)
the spb on the other hand is faster, designed for the xperia, free. It is not impressive, but it is "efficient".

Efficiency is everything.
Sure, TF3D looks great but, as previously stated, eventually it slows down the device to the point where you just want to cry, alternatively, throw it out the window. I also suspect touchflo eats battery like crazy. Besides, Mobile Shell looks pretty good as well.
TF3D was great fun for a while but now I realize it really isnt very useful. I'd rather have quick and responsive before shiny and cool.

SCtud said:
SPB Mobile Shell seems far superior to me. TF3D is way too slow and requires several more clicks to get to where you want to go. It looks great, but also is less responsive and slows down the rest of your phone's interface.
One issue I have with Mobile Shell is that the task manager seems to have disappeared. Does anybody know how to get this back? It is still running, as I can see the icon flickr in it's spot sometimes, but for the most part it is gone. Also, I can't seem to uninstall TF3D which is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd also like to know how to get the HTC task manager to show up in the upper right while using SPB mobile shell...

dinan said:
I'd also like to know how to get the HTC task manager to show up in the upper right while using SPB mobile shell...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, me too - its the main thing that stops me settling on SPB at the moment! Ruddy stupid bug, that one!

i've figured out the solution to not having the task manager is to install aeb plus and set one of the buttons to open it's own proprietary task manager (i've set it to double click the right silver button).
works awesome and i don't have to rely on touching the corner of the touchscreen which requires using two hands.

I'm still trying to figure this out too. Very inconvenient

I think you'e missing the point.
SPB panel tries to place as much stuff as possible, into 'thum-able' icons so u can use the phone one handed without the stylus, hence task manager is located under the tool menu with large close this, close all options.
The only bug I found so far on SPB is the quick contacts, when you switch from portrait to landscape you lose the first entry in the list....very annoying.
I've used TFL3D and while very pretty the usability of SPB is greater hence i've switched back, my only requirement would be the ability to skin the SPB UI, now that would be cool

I'm experiencing some troubles with SPB, while I really enjoy using it, sometimes the phone freezes after using SPB for a while and then pressing the "panel" button.
Anybody else have this problem?

SBP on Xperia and task manager
When SBP pannel is active, the task manager is still accesible through the Button "Tools". It is removed from the corner to make it more "finger friendly". When you launch it, it displays the task list and then you have similar options than in the standard WM task manager, but arranged as a list of big buttons.
I agree that loading touchflo 3D slows down the UI (and eats 30Meg of memory). SBP is"ugly" but quick and efficent, specially if you remove the animations. However if you've used SBP in other WM device, there are lots of possibilities to customize backgrounds, colors, fonts etc. Maybe they want to get people used to it and then launch a "pro" version of the panel with enhanced look and functions (and not for free obviously)..

may i know whats the function of the Spb shell? Installed it,it's there in the settings, but no single change in the phone.

Uhhh..its a user interface. Add it to your panels and try it out.

mkent_barbados said:
Uhhh..its a user interface. Add it to your panels and try it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TYVM. But how will i add it into a panel?

...push the panels button, push the icon that looks like a spanner, choose a blank panel, pick the panel you want to assign (it's in the user manual).

Updating my Xperia, need suggestions for ROM, software etc. :D

So, I've decided to reflash my Xperia after I played with some of the settings and managed to make the whole thing really slow, choppy and buggy. There's nothing wrong with the device, I've just messed things up a bit. Nothing to worry, I'm not a newbie with stuff like this, just a bit over-enthusiastic and overconfident at times.
So, to the point, I'm looking for better alternatives to the ROM and software I already have. I'll give you a quick run-down of the stuff I have, the stuff I love and the stuff I never use with my Xperia.
The stuff I have:
-SEX1 R3.61 Barebone ROM (and all the apps et al that came with it) with SEX1cons F v3
-SPB Mobile Shell 3.x (the newest one ATM with the Weather widget)
-G-Alarm
-Opera Mobile (newest Beta)
-Opera Mini
-Pocket Player
-Google Maps
-VistaHide Battery Gauge
-Some YouTube stuff I would use if they worked properly (which they don't, partially thanks to me)
The stuff I love:
-The SPB Mobile Shell above all else. If someone would make a ROM based on the Shell alone, I would flash my Xperia with it immediately. It's got the most conventional interface in any operating system I've ever come across. I just love it.
-G-Alarm. Never has waking up been so easy. (OK, it's still not easy, but at least I do get up nowadays. )
-The conversation-style SMS
-The both Opera browsers (when they work, which is less often than I'd like)
-The tweaked camera of the SEX1 ROM
-Google Maps. I've lost count how many times I would have lost without it.
-The "notes" function.
-Messenger
-The music and video playing capabilities of the device (regardless of programs. I use Pocket Player out of habit and WMP for video playback because the PP can't handle videos all that well)
-VistaHide Battery Gauge & the fancy SEX1cons
The stuff I never use and would like to get rid off or at least hide/disable somehow:
-All the GPS garbage. QuickGPS etc. I have no GPS devices and I'm not about to buy any. Google Maps is more than enough for me.
-E-Mail. I use E-Mail so seldom anyway, I haven't even bothered to set up an account on my Xperia.
-Panels. They were fun in the beginning, but nowadays I prefer apps to panels. I don't even remember when was the last time I pressed the "X Panel"-button on purpose. Not useless, but unnecessary to me as I never use them anyway.
So, the thing I'm asking is what would be the best choices for a new ROM and whether there's some software I should consider adding or replacing some of my old apps with? For me, a ROM is just something to install SPB Mobile Shell over, so there's no need for a fancy interface or loads of apps or anything. Just the bare essentials; a fast and stable ROM plus some of the basic apps (calculator et al I seldom use, but couldn't live without). I'm not a conservatist, so I'm not afraid to abandon any of the stuff I have for something better if there is.
Also, as I obviously have to backup my PIM data, do most of the backup apps out there function correctly with the conversation-style SMS messaging?
Give me a hand here, guys, I know your collective brainpower and knowledge far exceeds mine, that's why I asked you in the first place. Thanks in advance of any tips, suggestions etc. you could give me.

24 hours, 120 views, 0 replies.
Hey, if I wouldn't need the help I wouldn't have asked. It's a sign of respect, you know? That I trust in your knowledge? You don't need to answer to anything. Even small opinions and pieces of information are more than welcome.

I recently flashed my X1i, tbh it was piss easy, just install hardspl and copy the image to ur SD card!
I would suggest trying EnergyRom, or if u need Jack's 4.x full if u need asian language support
SPB Mobile shell 2.0 is was my favourite, but that was easily replaced by Touchflo3d!
The rest of the apps u listed u can easily install afterwards.
btw there's an entire forum section dedicated to X1 ROM's, so u're prob posting in the wrong place

As I told, I'm not a newbie with this stuff. It's pretty dang easy, it's just that as you guys've been here longer than I, you naturally know more about the different ROMs and software than I do. I'm not asking you how to flash or anything, I'm asking you which ROM would best suite my needs and whether or not I should replace some of the apps I've been using so far with something better.
I took a quick look at the EnergyRom and if the author knows his stuff (which it seems), it seems like a cool pile-o'-bytes. I'll take it into consideration.
The rest of the apps u listed u can easily install afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I know. If you read my post through, I just asked you people for possible better alternatives for the apps I've been using so far. I know how to install stuff and anything.
btw there's an entire forum section dedicated to X1 ROM's, so u're prob posting in the wrong place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking that, too, but then decided to post here as I'm not specifically talking about ROMs alone, but the whole device's software in general.

I agree with Mjollnir1983, jackleung's "Jack V4.x Lite" would most likely be a good choice for you. I also agree that Touch Flo 3D is better the SPB Mobile Shell, but that's your personal choice. If you wanted to try TF3D, "Jack V4.x Medium" would be a good combination of a clean rom and TF3D. I personally like agent_47's "Valkyrie v3.x FireStorm", because it is has TF3D and is a fast rom with some useful apps. However it may have to many apps for you. If you decide you like agent_47's roms, then "Xperio" might work out alright. It doesn't have TF3D, but still has some good HTC stuff that makes it look better and is a more clean rom than firestorm. Links are bellow. Also I thought I would mention that QuickGPS is something you might want to keep, because it helps Google Maps get a satellite lock quicker. It doesn't always work great, but their are some fixes if your having problems with it.
Jack V4.x Lite / Medium
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=543073
Valkyrie v3.x FireStorm / Xperio
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=512050

I tried the TouchFLO 3D on my friend's cell and it seemed okay after a short while of getting used to. Not that different from SPB Mobile Shell and no disadvantages whatsoever compared to it. I'll give it a shot. Thanks a million, guys.
Now, the biggest question is whether or not there's a PIM backup app available that works correctly with the conversation-style SMS. (At the moment every time I restore a backup, it only restores the messages I've sent, not received. It's the messaging app itself that is responsible, cos I've tried several backup apps.) Is there, or is it just the messaging app I've tried to tweak that is responsible?
About the other apps... Well, I'll do some research myself. I'll probably stick with at least some of them for a while.

Um... I don't know man, there are thousands of apps. I think ROMs are down to personal preference and you should just try many of them to find the best one for you. From the top of my head:
Pocket Music - best music player IMHO.
SkyFire - nice broswer for flash heavy sites.
HTC mp3 trimmer WVGA - perfect for making your own ringtones.
SKTools, advanced config and xperia tweak - best tune up software there is.
SPB Online - online games, radio and TV.
MyMobiler - lets you control the X1 from your PC.
Innobec Side Window - use the X1 as a secondary screen for your PC.
Resco Explorer and Photo Viewer.
SPB Weather
SPB Insight - RSS feeds.
HTorch - pocket flashlight.
WinMobileTorrent
Core Player - best player for every video file except mp4 (use WMP for that).
MS Reader - E-Book reader.
Skype mobile
MorphGear - perfecr emulator for every old game possible.
WK Task - best task manager/launcher/x button.
Homescreen ++ - lets you check your temp, cpu speed, ram usage and more, directly on your homescreen. You can havega taskbar launcher as well. This app is a must.
There are many more, but you have to be more specific about what you want.
Cheers

Tych0n said:
The stuff I never use and would like to get rid off or at least hide/disable somehow:
-All the GPS garbage. QuickGPS etc. I have no GPS devices and I'm not about to buy any. Google Maps is more than enough for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have the internal GPS of the Xperia!!!
Google maps use A-GPS need data connection to work. The normal GPS is free (exception of software and maps).

@orelsi: Thanks, I'll take a look at those shortly.
kremlincrackers: The more you know...
Thanks a lot, I wasn't aware of that at all. That means I should keep the QuickGPS, then.
EDIT: I started flashing the Jack V4.x Medium ROM. Let's see what this thing's capable of...

What you're looking for is a similar version of what I have,
You could have any light/fast ROM, I prefer to use a tweaked ROM with cache and memory enhancements. At present I am using WM 6.5 but it's even more stable with 6.1
Then SPB Shell 3, as for applications adn in addition:
- Removed X Panels and remapped panel key to Resco Explorer.
- TOMTOM this is essential, if you wish not to spend money on it there are some free alternatives, although not as good.
- Resco Explorer and Registry editor
- SBP Television, Insight, Snapshot and Imageer.
- My Mobiler
- Finger Keyboard
- World Card Mobile
- Rhodium Dialer
Cumps

Okay, fellas, thanks for the help!
I tried the ROMs mentioned above, but finally settled for the awesome Touch X ULTIMATE X-TREME 10.1 Original Green which was suggested to me by a friend of mine. I can't praise it enough. I've used 8-12 ROMs (including big names like Valkyrie, Touch-IT and SEX1 R3) in the past and it's ultimately the fastest and most stable of them. As long as it keeps running as well as it is ATM, I seriously doubt I'll ever change the ROM again. The only tweaks I had to make were adding a Programs-tab to the TF3D and removing all the Panel Manager stuff while rebinding the panel key to Pocket Player.
Give it a shot, guys. You might fall in love just like I did.

http://www.wcxxperia-nce.com/index.php
Register, participate and enjoy the most stable bug-free winmo 6.5 in my opinion.
Clean and ready to customize at owner's discretion.