We’ve posted some of the apps which are considered to be the “top 10” apps for the Xperia X1 and now Mixu’s Blog have also posted a list of their favourite apps and tweaks for the X1.
Obviously some of the apps are sure to make everyone’s list. One’s we’ve already told you about, include; Xperia Facebook Panel, Finger Keyboard and Xperia Tweak. But others, such as KeePassSD, we haven’t mentioned before and deserve a mention.
Mixu have organised the list within categories, which you can view after the jump.
Xperia panel creators who wish to release their work, or participate in promotional events within Sony Ericsson channels, such as the next Content Awards event, will now have to have their panel certified. Sony Ericsson have released the Xperia X1 panel certification program so developers can see if their panel passes. The certification program checks for performance and quality in the panel. If the panel passes, the developer can use the certified for Xperia X1 logo on promotional products.
Whether it’s a web panel or a native panel that’s created, the program is able to check both for performance and quality and give it a pass or fail. However the requirements for each type of panel is different and is worth checking before starting. It’s also noted that, while the panel can meet the requirements for the Xperia X1, it may not pass the certification process for Windows Mobile phones, but more information on the certification of Microsoft Mobile2Market can be found on the Intertek NSTL website.
We recently announced the winner of the Sony Ericsson Content Awards winner in the Panels category, as well as listing other nominees. At the time of writing, none of the panels were available for download. Eventually the winning entry, SPB Traveler was released for download. Now one of the nomination panels is also available for download.
The newest panel for Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1, is the Evernote panel, which allows you to sync files between your phone, desktop and the web. Evernote is a free application and the panel is no different. You can download the panel here. Below is a video of Evernote in action, albeit not on the X1 though.
The winning Xperia Panel from the Sony Ericsson Content Awards 2008 is now available to download for trial and purchase. The winner for the Xperia X1 Panels category was SPB Traveler, developed by SPB. When the winners were announced, the panel was unavailable for download, but it has now been added to SPB’s website. You can download a trial version or purchase the full version for $29.95.
The panel allows users to access a phrase book, keep track of meetings, convert currencies and clothing sizes. The panel also features a world clock with global weather forecasts. Other useful travel features include flight search, 3D globe and a geographical game.
Over at the Unofficial Sony Ericsson blog, Michell has tried out the YouTube panel for Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1. A mini guide on how to use it and what’s needed has been provided.
Not only is the YouTube panel required but also the YouTube application which was originally made for HTC’s Touch HD. The application needs to be installed first, followed by the panel. There have been instances of the panel not working and so the installation file needs to be run. The process also isn’t as simple on non English X1s, but there is a solution available which you can view here.
Once the panel is activated, it will load the YouTube application, which presents you with 25 popular videos, displayed as a list with a thumbnail and link to the video. Scrolling of the list can be operated by using the touch screen and more popular videos can be shown by expanding the list. What videos are shown when you load it up can be changed via a setting. The application has four buttons located at the bottom allowing access to your watched videos history, bookmarked videos, search and an overview of the video list presented when launched. Another button is located at the top of the screen, giving you a program guide, which lets you keep track of your subscribed channels. While watching videos you can bring up an onscreen player menu, allowing you to rewind, fast forward, stop, etc, by tapping the screen.
Michell states that he uses the YouTube panel on his Xperia X1 quite a lot and is quite impressed with it. It’s described as being easy to use, with the ability to change the video quality and makes best use out of the screen resolution of the X1. One downside however is that it can use quite a lot of data so it’s recommended for use on contracts with unlimited data usage or while connected to a WLAN network.
The Traveler Panel by SPB includes many useful tools for travellers such as a phrasebook, currency converter, flight search and a multi-time zone diary. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be available for download currently from SPB or from Sony Ericsson’s website.
Other nominees in the competition included an English to Japanese dictionary named Mobisystems, Ping.fm, PlusFourSize, used with the operator 3 and Evernote. Likewise these panels are also not currently available for download but we’ll keep you informed when they’re available for download.
The popular Xperia panel, SPB Mobile Shell has, thanks to a member of the XDA Developers forum, a new skin. Originally just one skin was available for the panel, but Cheekbone has posted up his sleek skin for all to use. The skin works better in portrait mode with the landscape design not being 100% yet. You can download the new skin and view instructions of how to install it here. Below are some screen shots of the skin and a video of the skin in action.
Over the past couple of months we’ve seen the HTC interface TouchFlo 3D ported to the Xperia X1 as well as the Xperia Panels being ported over to the HTC. Up until now, the cab files for the Xperia Panels on the HTC have been in private beta testing. WMPowerUser has revealed that Paul from Modaco, who’s provided us with many other applications for the X1, has released the xperia panels cab file for the HTC Touch HD.
The application works well, but there’s a couple of issues which are still being worked on. The panel select app takes a few seconds to open and the FM radio and Media Xperience panels currently don’t work properly. TouchFlo 3D also needs to be disabled when using the panels app as the home key will take you back to TouchFlo 3D, but this is being worked on. Apart from that though, the performance of the panels is described as great, and the Panels icon can be found via the start menu. You can download the cab file and view the installation instructions here.
The nominees for the Sony Ericsson Content Awards 2008 have been published on their website, but there’s still one category that’s accepting submissions and that’s the Xperia Panels category. The competition is open for any developer including individuals as well as companies. Panels can be created with the Sony Ericsson Beta SDK, which can be downloaded here.
The competition is open until the 30th of January 2009, so get your submissions in by then. The winners will be announced a few days later on the 5th of February.
Good news for all Facebook panel users out there, it’s been reported that the panel has been updated. While the update doesn’t bring any added features, users are reporting it is much faster when loading and provides better performance.
The Facebook panel for your Xperia X1, can either be downloaded directly from the Sony Ericsson website or via your handset. Going to the More Panels option on your handset will allow you to download the update.
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