Nicky Boom was a nice platformer game released for the Commodore Amiga and MS DOS back in 1992 (Wiki page HERE).

Through Enemy Eyes has a strange setup for a game. On the one hand, it's a treasure-hunting arcade based on exploring ancient ruins. You know the routine: wandering through ancient crypts, finding treasure, taking out bad guys (mummies and such), and the usual mischief. But don't expect a fast-paced arcade shooter (Lode Runner) or a tricky puzzle game (Pitfall). Through Enemy Eyes (TEE) is entirely turn-based.  

In a move that I did not expect, Skyfire has recently (not sure how long ago it’s been added though) added a weather feature to your browser’s homepage. It’s pretty cool and even shows you the full 5 day forecast when you tap on the double arrows to expand it. Funny thing was, I didn’t hear about this and I am still using the same version that was released some time back (4503) so I guess these changes are on the backend of things. Wonder what else the developers added.

Hello, my name is Dale and I am an Opera Mobile addict. Okay, now that I have THAT out of the way, let me tell you, I LOVE OPERA. Nope, not the kind with the heavy weight, horn-helmeted singer, but the Opera that makes my mobile web viewing so nice. I have been using Opera Mobile for a couple of years now and I have to say that it is, by far, the best mobile web browser I have ever encountered. In my article on replacing a laptop with a mobile device, I talked about the fact that Opera Mobile was indispensable in my effort to use only my mobile device.

In my latest Misc News collection, I’ve already recommended Towers Trap, a brand new game on two mobile (Windows Mobile and Symbian S60) and desktop Windows platforms. GameZoneProject’s official page is HERE. No matter what platform you have, I really-REALLY recommend giving the trial a try and play through the (initial) tutorial. (Again, you’ll have text rendering problems on VGA Windows Mobile devices).

We are soon making public many 100's of well-constructed tips and how-to's. Microsoft liked them so much that they purchased a portion of them for their web site.

We will probably add a link to our web site menus early next week. However, please take a sneak peek. If you find any problems or have suggestions, comment here, or E-mail me privately at hal@thaddeus.com.

Alerts.com looks like a useful new service, so this week we’ll take a quick look at that as well as note other online tips and help, including tips from Microsoft and the relaunch of our forums.

I reviewed eWallet 6.0 here some time back, and this incremental update adds some useful tweaks and is free for existing users of 6.0 (discounted rate for older versions), so go grab it. If you are a relative noob to mobile gadgets, and have your passwords just sitting in an un-encrypted file on your handheld, you might want to go here and see how eWallet might help.

"July 14, 2008 - VITO Technology releases iWindowsMobile Communication Suite v 1.05. The Suite contains #1 finger-friendly contact manager FunContact, unique texting application SMS-Chat, zooming onscreen keyboard ZoomBoard, and now outstanding mobile shell Winterface instead of GoodWin! The price is $39.95, not  $70 when purchasing separately."

Our judges are getting ready to vote in the 8th annual Best Software Awards. For almost three weeks a draft of the nominations has been public. The public until is invited to suggest nominations or that product should be un-nominated until Wed, July 16.

So far, the biggest problem with running Opera Mini (or any MIDlet that uses characters to display anything; for example, the Gmail MIDlet) on high-resolution (W)VGA Windows Mobile devices was the far too small character size all contemporary, recommended (most importantly, Jbed) MIDlet managers used.

   Ho hum, you say, not another shell to supplant the Today screen. I have long been an advocate of having easy, instant access to everything in and about my device from the opening screen.

Now that I’ve become a proud owner of a super-mobile HP TC1100 Tablet PC, using mobile devices (smart phones) as external modems have became essential for me. Up until now, I’ve done most of my Web browsing, YouTube watching outdoors with some of my mobile devices.

This one may be a freebie, but it has a good foundation to become a decent game. The good: It's a space shooter with very decent graphics, large, fairly complex levels, a multitude of enemies, power-ups to make your ship stronger, decent animation and video effects, and a decent flow. It also has mappable controls to ensure playability across a wide range of devices. 

Hardware

There’s a really interesting article comparing the built-in camera of the four most widely discussed new Windows Mobile phones: HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. There is also a dedicated PPCT thread HERE, with some of my comments.

Games

It's not everyday that a big company or developer like Spb Software House offers you a chance to meet with them but that day is coming soon. On August 9th 2008, Spb will host their annual Spb Day Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. There are no special requirements and anyone can join in. All you need to do is register in advance here. That page's in Russian you say? No worries.

I’ve been touting Yahoo Go, and haven’t yet mentioned AOL’s MyMobile, which is somewhat similar — a free application that gives you handy access to a range of Internet content. So I thought I’d cover it this week, along with news and reviews about new devices.

"July 7, 2008 - VITO Technology releases Winterface - a major breakthrough in the world of Windows Mobile. Winterface is the Next Generation Shell for Windows Mobile comprising the options of a launcher, a task manager, and a multitude of Today plug-ins. Winterface gives the user unprecedented freedom to easily lay out the interface exactly the way they like it."

Vito Technology has developed a stable of iPhone like finger-friendly applications, which are constantly updating to the point that it’s difficult to keep up with their exuberance. FunContact in iteration 2.15 is the latest to receive enhancements.