TamsPPC - the PocketPC Blog

Welcome back to the TamsPPC StyleTap review. Part 1 looked at the installation and setup process of StyleTap - now that StyleTap is running, let’s see how a bunch of popular Palm OS apps like it:

AcidImage
An old version of AcidImage laying around on a memory card worked and displayed images in QVGA mode - however, the program had a bunch of weird display quirks:

Discovery
PalmSource’s ever-popular bluetooth device scanner does not work with StyleTap - apparently, the program does not support bluetooth(yet):

Documents To Go 9
DocumentsToGo 9 worked well in StyleTap. Parts of the application even appeared in native resolutions - but other parts of the suite had incredible display problems leading to parts of the UI being displayed entirely in red:

PocketTunes
PocketTunes worked well in StyleTap - it could even run in the background.

Resco Explorer
Resco Explorer worked flawlessly, although it had its issues with the display resolution:

SrcEdit
Jogn Wilund’s source code editor works with StyleTap - as long as custom fonts stay disabled:

VersaMail 2.7.1
Palm’s ever-popular, always-crashing email client works in StyleTap but does not display the emails in list mode. This could be due to a missing file though…as the rest of the program works fine:

Overall, most Palm OS applications worked pretty well(although in lowres - Palm developers rarely support QVGA natively). Some applications still have minor but annoying quirks - however, the manufacturer is busily chasing these down. Tune in soon to find out more about compatibility with games!

In the first article about WM6 for Blue Angel, you learnt how to prepare the upgrade. Today, we will have a look at the flashing itself. You can read the documentation in the xda-developers wiki here:

http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Blueangel_WM6_Home

Even if your flashing process will be successful, there are many bugs yet. So better have a look at the xda-developers forum, wiki and the following parts of this article.

According to this wiki page, I downloaded an archive which contains the update program. The SD card has to be removed. Then you must start your device in the bootloader mode (hold and press the power button, the button for voice records on the left site, and then the reset button). Now put your device into the cradle. To play it safe, I also deactivated ActiveSync on my computer. The update installer detects some data of your device and then flashs it.

The flashing process is the most dangerous part. If something goes wrong, your device could be damaged. Don’t disconnect your mobile from your computer or your computer from power supply. Also, all applications on your computer should be closed in order to reduce the possibility of a crash which could interrupt the flashing process. And make sure that your phone’s battery is full. In most cases, 50% and more (in other cases: 100%) are recommended.

After flashing you have to do a hardreset. Three options (”Enable KITL”, “Clean Registry Hive” and “Format Storage”) should appear. The first one has to be “No”, the second and the third one “Yes”. This can’t be done using touchscreen - you need the two keys (Camera and Voice Record) on the left side. One key will change the option, the other one its value. Once you are ready, press the mail button. You can find a detailled description here.

First you should see a white screen for about half a minute, then Windows Mobile 6 should boot on your phone. As soon as the coloured stripes appear, your device is booting. After ~ 10 seconds a “Windows Mobile” screen should appear. After another 10 - 15 seconds you can set up your device using the Welcome application.

If Windows Mobile 6 is not running correctly or you have problems during the flashing process, have a look at the Wiki pages mentioned above. If you can’t find a solution, ask in the xda-developers forum.

The next parts of this article will show you how to install missing software, how to fix certain bugs of this ROM image and other tips and tricks.