Hi
I used to be on this forum back in the early 2000s, and a regular contributor using my XDAs (Xda, XDA II, IIs, Exec, the Ameo (bad idea for usability, but the screen was great) and the Tytn II. Half way through the last one, I switched to the iPhone.
That pointless bit of information aside, I recently came across some old data from 2007 - 2010 and I’ve really enjoyed looking through all the backups and saved data from that period in my life. However, I’ve also found a PIM Backup err..backup...that I would like to get access to - but there seems to be no method of getting access to this without an old WM PPC phone.
I am aware that you can download an emulator for old version of WM5, 6 PPC etc, but I’ve been struggling to get the right combination of OS and installed SPs or Visual Studio et al in order to get the thing working. I therefore have two questions:
Does anyone know of any way in which to extract data from those PIMB backups?
Can someone please give me a proper rundown of how to get a working emulation of WM5 or WM6 for Pocket PC, so that if necessary I can install PIMB and extract the data that way?
Any help would be really appreciated, and it’s good to see this site doing so well - even if it’s completely changed focus and design since I was a regular here.
Cheers
Ant
In the end I figured it out. I had to download MS Visual Studio 8, and then the WM PPC 6 Refresh kit, then download the ROM for WM PPC 5 / 6. Even then it wasn’t perfect as the data I wanted included SMS, but the ROM doesn’t have an SMS inbox, so kept crashing. Fortunately, it throws out the CSM files of the data before the crash, so I was able to get the data (call logs, messages, tasks etc) all out.
All’s well that ends well, and if anyone else has the same issue, this is another little internet breadcrumb of how to do this.
Cheers
Ant
Related
Hi,
While I am waiting for my MDA Pro to arrive, I have been reading a lot in the Universal section (have a BA myself).
May I ask for some valid reasons why someone would want to use homebrewed WM6 releases instead of official/customized WM5?
I do understand the fun it is to try out new things, but is it really worth it? I did not find many posts that would clear this question.
Thanks,
vma
WM6.0...
The new look and a lot faster device...
Is there any feature that won't be available with WM6, that did work fine in WM5?
Thanks,
vma
Video call isn't working yet.
Rolud said:
The new look and a lot faster device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way I see it, WM6 may or may not work for you and may or may not do it for you. Try it. You can always go back to WM5. Most people don't.....
Well .... the simple answer is that I did a lot of searching and reading, and finally tried it out for myself.
I asked this very question a while ago right here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1130569&postcount=88
And came to the follwowing conclusion:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1155497&postcount=89
In the conclusion, the thing about the Bluetooth Stack / Voice Command - it was actually Voice Command that was the problem and this issue was fixed in Jrwightmcps' 2.02.00 WWE http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=297256
Crossbow ONLY!
Tell you the truth... i see the new WM6 is better eye-catching GUI not to mention the enhancement in the functionality and other usability such as email related functions. I know that MS wont just upgrade for no obvious reason nor for desktop OS compatibility.
Yet i reckon i wont -never- go back to magento! Crossbow ONLY!
@nvatvani:
Indeed your posts where the only ones I read, that contained some usefull info about the subject.
No offense to all the other members of course!
I was simply wondering about what to do when my MDA Pro arrives: replace the German firmware with a WWE WM5 one or go straight ahead to WM6 without even looking at WM5.
Also, I had some problems with my Blue Angel, when I tried WM5 on it: it may have been a coincidence, but one day after the upgrade the screen went mad and totally messed up. Only 1 Hardreset in about 100 tries would bring it back to normal for some period of time and even reflashing it with WM5 or 2003SE would not make it work normal again. The screen would get messed up suddenly for no particular reason. At the end I had to send it in for repair, which was actually a good thing, as I complained about the loose stylo and bad working hardkeys, all within warranty. I got a new key-pcb, backside and they reflashed the device with 2003SE. I posted this issue in the BA forum, but got no usefull hint. This means I am a little scared of upgrading to unofficial releases.
Other than that, I have no problems with flashing, as I do that on my other hobby (satellite receivers) frequently, including JTAG-operations for repairing bricked devices. The same applies to games consoles. (Note: I do not sell or benefit commercially from that activity and my goal is not to get illegal software or TV - not that you guy's get the wrong idea about me).
Anyway, thanks for your replies!
Cheers,
vma
What Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU 2.0 has and Windows Mobile 6 (the cooked ones, having tried them all) doesn't have, according to my experiences:
1. Videocalling - at least not a proper one
2. Bluetooth Dial Up Networking (the DUN profile)
3. Wireless Modem (yet some WM6 ROM's have it, although without shortcut in the start menu)
4. Cyberon Voice Dial by default (some WM6 ROM's have it by default, others will need a 500kB CAB to activate it)
The reason why I went back to "good old" WM5 is mainly the reliability. Ok, the OS may be a bit slower here and there, but it has all the functionality (e.g. videocalls and Bluetooth DUN), and NEVER hangs. It just always works and that's what I desperately need right now.
---
The things Windows Mobile 6 has for me that 5.0 hasn't which I miss the most:
1. High resolution browsing in the normal Internet Explorer (I don't want to use alternatives)
2. HTML email support
3. The impressive speed of the OS
Applications like WM6's Windows Live and the superb Remote Desktop Client are also available for WM5, so I don't need to miss those, otherwise I sure would, and then I might have sticked with WM6.
The new sounds and GUI are great, but I don't really miss them, since that's not a true functional thing.
Having WM5 up and running again, without freezes and memory leaking and with full HTC Universal functionality, is enough for me to be happy with it and to stick with it. If there ever will be a ROM that actually ADDS Windows Mobile 6 on top of all of this (without a single registry tweak or CAB fix needed), then it's the time for me to upgrade again.
If such a ROM will ever see the daylight, since it won't be officially available for the Universal, I don't know. I think the HTC X7500 (Athena) will be there sooner (April 2007 over here), and that one will have a official WM6 upgrade for sure. That'll be my next one, so until then: WM5 for my Universal!
So far for my opinion.
why do I use WM6
vma said:
Hi,
While I am waiting for my MDA Pro to arrive, I have been reading a lot in the Universal section (have a BA myself).
May I ask for some valid reasons why someone would want to use homebrewed WM6 releases instead of official/customized WM5?
I do understand the fun it is to try out new things, but is it really worth it? I did not find many posts that would clear this question.
Thanks,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I used them all and later delteted them after 5 2 hours. They leak a lot, ram is at minimum and useless third party applications, and a lot fo thing sodn't really work or missing (I just want a vanill aone without 3rd party applications).
Except for one rom, Darkforce, it is fast and furious, and so far I have using it for two days; battery usage is good, and no leaks. However, no video calling, and no way to set com ports for bluetooth devices. any1 has this problem?
However, common to all ROMS, no video calling, old calculator, speed dial messed up (some work and some don't), wireless connection bubble missing (yes you can install a cab but I don't want to do that).
<Mind you, contrary to other reports, I never had any freezes with any rom.
The thing that attracts me is HTML in email, High resolution mode in explorer, better remote desktop connectivity.
So I thhink I am sticking with DarkForce ROM, so far so good.
Thx
Guys and gals, sorry for not re-editing the entire article so that I can incorporate the update into the main body of the article. Hope it’ll be still be understandable.
UPDATE (10/02/2007): there is an even better, easier-to-install and, what is more, even MS Smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard)-compatible hack. Just download the CAB file linked from THIS post (I’ve also mirrored it HERE, just to be on the safe side, should you not want to register at XDA-Dev to access the download), install it (by simply clicking it on your handheld), power down your device (if it’s a Pocket PC – in order to make sure the Registry changes are all flushed) and restart it.
This hack will add full BT DUN to both platforms. I’ve thoroughly tested it on both my WM6 HTC Universal (a Pocket PC) and WM6 HTC s710 / Vox (a Smartphone) and found it excellent. Note that the traditional, BT PAN-based Internet Sharing will still work alongside with the added BT DUN (tested on both devices).
Note that it has a minor annoyance. After you terminate the connection, you will still be unable to access the Net on the Pocket PC or Smartphone that you used as a modem (also see THIS and THIS for similar bug reports). The solution to this is pretty simple: instead of (lengthy and/or awkward) soft resetting your handheld, just make sure you tap either the data connection icon in Comm Manager (this seem to be sufficient with Smartphones) or, as with, it seems, with Pocket PC’s (like the Universal), just dis- and, then, re-enable the phone connection itself (or, alternatively, en-, and, then, re-disable Flight mode). This all makes this small bug easy to live with.
Finally, Smartphone users: remember NOT to long-press the Red dial button to lock your device – it’ll also terminate the call. Instead, use the standard lock menu accessible via the Power button.
There is also a tutorial on making USB connection work with Modem Link HERE, should it be messed up. Also, the entire thread might be worth giving a read, should you still have problems.
Thanks for FX Belloir for pointing out this hack!
(end of update, the now-outdated original article follows. This means you’ll want to prefer the new hack explained above, NOT the old one I still keep for historical purposes only. It's only the first sections, which explain what this is all about, are worth reading for casual users.)
Anyone having read my article New dial-up networking model of the WM5 AKU3 – a must if you use your WM phones as modems knows WM5 AKU3 (and, of course, WM6) has dramatically changed the way dial-up networking is handled – not necessarily in the good direction. (Please DO read the article if you don’t have a clue what I’m referring to and you have ever wanted to use your Windows Mobile handheld as a cellular modem!)
Microsoft, so far, haven’t really done anything to the problem, except for publishing an article (also discussed for example HERE). Therefore, hackers needed to concentrate their forces on solving the problem. After the first failed attempts (for example mine, as is explained in the first-linked article), at last, some excellent XDA-Developers folks have managed to enable this feature with a comparatively easy-to-do hack. I’ve developed the hack further, making it compatible with several handheld models and ROM versions (the previous version available at XDA-Developers doesn’t support the Universal, Wizard and, probably, several other models because it doesn’t do any forced Registry import – it might only be compatible with the P3600.)
The hack makes it possible to use most WM5 AKU3 / WM6 devices in the traditional (pre-WM5 AKU3) DUN dial-up method, in addition to the new, in WM5 AKU3 introduced Internet Sharing.
This means you can use BOTH technologies and can have the advantages of BOTH approaches. With the “traditional” DUN dial-up, you still have the freedom of NOT having to manually start / reconnect Internet Sharing AND the ability to use clients not supporting the BT Personal Area Network (PAN) profile required by the new Internet Sharing. And, as Internet Sharing is still supported, you can still have a real internet sharing approach, making it possible to use the Internet on both the Windows Mobile device acting as a modem and the client that connects to it (and can still have the other goodies Internet Sharing also offers: for example, the accessibility of the phone even with an ongoing Internet session.)
Again, it’s almost impossible to emphasize how important, how revolutional this hack is! If you’ve EVER tried to use your WM5 AKU3 / WM6 Windows Mobile phone as a modem you know Internet Sharing can be a REAL pain in the back, particularly if the client you’d like to use it from doesn’t support BT PAN.
Installation
Import THIS registry import file (via, say, the brand new, EXCELLENT desktop-side Registry editor of SOTI’s Pocket Controller 6) and copy the contents of THIS file to the \Windows directory of your Windows Mobile device. Soft reset your device and voliá: after this, clients discovering the Bluetooth services your device provides will also see it offering the DUN service (in addition to the PAN one) as can also be seen in HERE.
After this, everything will work just great – as in the pre-AKU3 days. Follow for example THIS tutorial on using DUN modems if you don’t know how it’s done.
Problems
It’s incompatible with some HTC Wizard ROM versions, namely, the official AKU 3.3 T-Mobile ROM – see THIS. It, however, has no problems with mfrazzz's XDA Mobile 6 Release 2a Full at all.
It seems it’s incompatible with WM6 MS Smartphones (Windows Mobile Standard). I’ve tested this on my HTC Vox (S710).
Compatibility
In my tests, it worked just great on my HTC Universal and HTC Wizard. A lot of people have reported other success stories; for example, with the AKU3 HTC Trinity (P3600).
Verdict
Again and again: if you EVER plan to use your handheld as a modem, this hack is a MUST!
UPDATE (11/02/2007): There's a version specifically meant for the T-Mo Dash is at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340762 .
Note that if you have a MS Smartphone (as opposed to a Pocket PC), it MUST be application unlocked for the hack to work. See for example See for example http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=2004&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more links on application unlocking. Note that app unlocking is absolutely legal.
Error on a StarTrek
Hey all,
I get the following error after installing:
"Alert
Can't find 'ATCIUI' (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all the required libraries are available."
Any ideas? All the components are there...
qnonsense said:
Hey all,
I get the following error after installing:
"Alert
Can't find 'ATCIUI' (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all the required libraries are available."
Any ideas? All the components are there...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one did you try? "Technology"'s CAB? Mine?
Menneisyys said:
Which one did you try? "Technology"'s CAB? Mine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried both CABs, as well as simply copying the files into the Windows directory, all to no avail. My phone is application unlocked and I've verified that the registry entries are all in place... Very confusing.
Motorola Q9c
I couldn't get it to work on the Motorola Q9c either. Any chance there is a way to get it to work with this device?
What Are You Trying To Do
mabmarc1 said:
I couldn't get it to work on the Motorola Q9c either. Any chance there is a way to get it to work with this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have bluetooth on your device, then I believe it will work on your device! If you are trying to configure the bluetooth {"DUN"} dial-up configuration setup on your Motorola Q9c, then it will never work. Just install the bluetooth Dun.cab on your Motorola Q9c to the MAIN MEMORY! (NOT IN THE WINDOWS FOLDER)! Soft reset your device. Next turn the bluetooth on, pair the two devices, now the Motorola Q9c is ready to be use as a "modem" for bluetooth {"DUN"} dial-up. Nothing else is to be done to the Motorola Q9c. The bluetooth {"DUN"} dial-up configuration setup should already be on the other device (PDA, Laptop, ect...) that you paired with the Motorola Q9c............! The directions that I'm giving you are for the bluetooth Dun.cab in my thread only............!
VZW Moto Q not working
Okay so I tried the .cab file and stupid me forgot to back up my device before hand. Yeah now I don't have any working Bluetooth.
2 questions.
1) Could someone please provide me with the files from a WM5 AKU3 phone?
ATCIUI.exe
ATCIUI.lnk
atcmdint.dll
bthatci.dll
2) If I can't get these files from someone will a Master Reset get my device back to normal or will it leave the broken files still in place.
This worked great on my Treo 750 w/ATT used it on my TomTom 920. THanks!
Anyone got luck using this on a HTC S730?
I'm trying to access the internet from my QTek 9000 (HTC Universal) through my HTC S730 phone. No luck.
On QTek 9000 (with crossbow's WM6) no clientside PAN is supported and on HTC S730 I cannot get DUN working...
Yes bmorg, master reset will revive your device
user 888
user888
matey did you make any progress with your query?
user888 said:
Anyone got luck using this on a HTC S730?
I'm trying to access the internet from my QTek 9000 (HTC Universal) through my HTC S730 phone. No luck.
On QTek 9000 (with crossbow's WM6) no clientside PAN is supported and on HTC S730 I cannot get DUN working...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your quest is similar to one I have. I have a T-Mobile Dash with HTC-S620 WM6.1 Smartphone ROM and EDGE data that I want to access the internet from a SE TM506 with HSDPA 3G data. There is no clientside BT PAN on the S620 and no way to BT DUN to the TM506. I have clientside serial port on the S620 to the TM506 but no app to take advantage.
So far quest was futile.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=433074
Help for WM6 GSM dial-up internet connection
Hello,
can anyone help me?.
I would access internet with my cell phone (Samsung SGH i780 os WM6) without having any kind of fast data connections with my provider, like gprs edge or hsdpa.
In other word I would connect to the service with a dial-up gsm connection at 9600bps, but WM6 seems to haven't capability to connect to internet this way.
I found here: http://www.modaco.com/content/smartp.../#entry1048254 some related like informations, think to understand that this post tells about to connect a BT device like gps, trough BT connection of a WM6 cell phone, via DUN to internet; someone think this could also be useful for me? If so how?
Please forgive me my english I hope it could have be understandable.
Tankyou.
Roberto Ruvinetti
Edit/Delete Message
Hello all,
Just looking around the upgrade section of the Magician (or O2 as ive got) had led me thinking about upgrading my O2 with custom software.
However, one thing sticks in my head. Which one ?
I've been doing some reading on the 2.03 which is commonly mentioned, however reading from peoples experience, there are things which have been left out - one user mentioned he no longer had things like O2, excell etc.
So i guess the point of this thread is to ask you out there and provide me with your opinion on what is the best upgrade. Of course its going to be a personal preference, however the more opinions i get the better informed ill be.
Things i need to consider:
1. Overall improvement of the O2
2. Speed - I need the O2 to run better for when im being a 'power' user
3. Improvement to existing applications such as camera, sound, bluetooth etc.
4. Minimal loss of current 'standard' applications. Im not totally experienced with my O2 and i dont really want to go start looking for applications that i already had on my O2 when i first got it.
5. New programs/applications - There must be things that O2 didnt plan on putting on the device that others have thought of.
Any help would be most appreciated.
doesnt anyone have any opinions ?
I tried 2.03 and didn't like it. The lack of transcriber annoyed me the most as well as the fact it is Russian and doesn't quite have 100% English compatibility. It did feel a bit quicker than the standard rom though. I think excel works now though, which is a plus
I flashed back to my original rom (1.11 i think it was), but did the soft reset before the extended_ROM installed, and installed just a select few options, which drastically improved the speed.
Not really aware of any other custom upgrades... are there others?
I installed 2.03 since 1-2 week and I like it very much: I have installed all the programs I need and I never saw any russian text (except Keyboard+ options menù, but I do not use it, and CabInst , easily replaceble by english version).
It is fast and free of useless standard programs like the ridiculous FileExplorer well replaced by the beautiful TotalCommander. It does not have Excel? Wonderful!!!! Pocket Excel (and Pocket Word too) is just something more than a viewer. without basically Office functions: use SoftMaker Office 2006 and you can finally really work with Word and Excel documents!
I am quite sure that if you want standard programs like transcriber you can find easily a valid substitute on the net or directly the CABs extracted from original ROM by someone.
Intalling into the "RAM" only the programs that really need speed (today plugins, input tools, profile manager, ecc), and the other ones between BigStorage and SD, I have a more stable Magician with very good performance and more than 30Mb of free RAM for loading programs!
Hiya's, I found this site while looking up info on the HTC cruise as I have just received a hand-me-down Cruise from a friend (had a very old nokia..). This is a major upgrade for me (it has a 2 camera's unlike my nokia which has none). I am keen to get the most use from the phone as possible and at the moment it seems to be going ok but having read a couple of the forum messages it seems that there are various upgrades that can make it a better phone.
I have been accused of being a semi-ludite when it comes to using technology so would appreciate any advice on what can be upgraded as far as the operating system and other programs are concerned. I have used the CoPilot program this morning and think is is the greatest thing since individually sliced and packaged cheese..
The settings on the phone indicate it is ROM 1.26.710.1 WWE (date 12/17/2007), Radio Version 1.58.21.23 and Protocol Version 25.65.30.04H.
If any advice is forthcoming, please keep things as simple as possible or I will have to get one of my neighbors kids to come over and explain..
Cheers
Ian
Welcome to the wonderful world of a touchscreen windows mobile device.
Of course there are a lot of things you can improve, thousands of programs are waiting to be installed and so on.
IMHO the most important thing is: If you are satisfied with your current system DO NOT change it. If everything is running smooth there is no need to flash a new operating system or radio. If you notice slowdowns during using the device or if the radio in your area is not running perfect you should flash the latest upgrade from HTC. They are offering WM 6.1 (WM = windows mobile, the operating system) and a new radio. Its very easy to flash but you will loose all your data on the device.
If you don't like your today screen, you can check some replacements, Mobile Shell is one of it:
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/pocketpc-software/mobileshell
And if you like this shell you can change its look with upgrades like this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3904948&postcount=2513
Of course you can flash one of the Roms created by one of the devs. You will find an overview here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=521961
But you should be aware that many of these roms are using stuff from other devices like Manilla, this might cause problems. And you have to be very careful if flash a self created rom, its not that easy like flashing an original HTC rom.
Last but not least you have to think about the way you want to use your device. If you just need a phone you need nothing else. If you want to read ebooks like wikipedia you need a reader and so on. Here you can find tons of programs for your device:
http://www.handango.com/homepage/Homepage.jsp?storeId=2218
You will also find a lot of freeware apps here:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/
And a very important thing is: Backup your device often if you are trying different applications, you are having a windows device
For a list of recommended software check my signature.
All are freeware except iGO, and easily found on this forums (or links from here lead to authors pages).
And welcome to Polaris owners club...
Thanks very much for the replies..
It seems to be going ok at the moment. I am not too sure whether it is slow or not (nothing to compare..) but opening an application only takes a couple of seconds so I am happy with that. I have been using it primarily as a phone (of course) but have been using the camera like mad. I even made one of my friends give me a video call..very cool...I have tried to use the voice commander application but it doesn't seem to want to do anything and eventually just says "Goodbye" and closes. I am going to look at the list of applications at some of the website that are list above and see what is available.
Cheers and thanks again..
IJ
I went from iphone to android to webos to comeback to android.
I use google voice. I use last.fm to scrobble. And pandora.
None of this are on windows mobile marketplace.
I just got the htc hd2 today while i love the hardware and everything. Comparing other mobile os's windows mobile sucks in terms of
app choices.
Can somebody please guide me in the right direction for replacements
or if the programs are available please tell me how to get them?
I also noticed my email inbox looks like it never left the 90's. Html emails are not being displayed and pictures are not loading automatically.
Trying to adapt need it for work so i must make the best out of it
GNOve said:
I went from iphone to android to webos to comeback to android.
I use google voice. I use last.fm to scrobble. And pandora.
None of this are on windows mobile marketplace.
I just got the htc hd2 today while i love the hardware and everything. Comparing other mobile os's windows mobile sucks in terms of
app choices.
Can somebody please guide me in the right direction for replacements
or if the programs are available please tell me how to get them?
I also noticed my email inbox looks like it never left the 90's. Html emails are not being displayed and pictures are not loading automatically.
Trying to adapt need it for work so i must make the best out of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay... look here for all the apps we use on our hd2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=603880
On Windows Mobile.. you can look for apps outside of the "marketplace".. you download them as a .cab file (on pc or phone) and place them on the sd card if you want... which out the box is unique to windows mobile (doesn't eat up phone memory (but not that we lack it on the new hd2 lol))
Once the .cab file is on your phone/sd card... in the phone you go to file explorer (in the start menu)... click on it and navigate to where you placed the .cab file and run it. You can save the installation to the "device" because there is plenty of memory and tends to run better.
To awnser your questions;
[1] Google voice idk, but im sure google will have a wm app out soon (if not already, im not 'in' google voice so dunno)
[2] Last.fm Googling around a bit i see they (or someone) released a windows mobile app in 2008, but all links to it trow a 404, so check out their mobile forums, specifically this sticky
[3] Pandora, just read this; http://www.pandora.com/on-windowsmobile (Point your mobile phone's browser to www.pandora.com)
[4] Incomplete emails Thats just a setting since most people use gprs/hsdpa, im sure you can change it, either somewhere in the settings or trough a registry edit
Though i just have to say/write this, DONT GET ME WRONG but honestly, you shouldn't try to make this like your iPhone, although Microsoft/HTC are clearly trying to 'collect' some iPhone users, overall the HD2 isn't user friendly enough to be a iPhone (yes i sayd it) That doesn't mean you shouldn't stick with the HD2 though, just forget the iPhone
To put some strength behind my 'user friendly' statement, if your ROM is from before 1.66, the HD2 will have quite some silly bugs, like SMS messages that get stuck in the outbox but only (if your lucky) send 3 weeks later, problems with the camera, not beeing able to read/write large miniSD cards & more.
On the other hand, if your in any way IT related or just in general good with computers, this is currently the best phone on the market (counting HD2 and HD2b as one) it does the latest wireless connection methods, has build-in gps, compass and g-sensor, a 1ghz gpu, a 'gpu' (kinda) and more geeky features, and hey, it can emulate most psx games at full speed (www.fpsece.net)
I'd just strongly suggest you to get a new ROM from the HTC site, assuming you have a device with pre 1.66
I hope the above helped a bit, not trying to make windows mobile even more confusing for you, just trying to tell you that it cant really be compared to iPhone/Android, it can be compared to windows, there are actually millions of apps, nobody ever felt the need for a windows marketplace until iPhone got one and Microsoft had to compete, at which they currently fail hard i agree, the windows marketplace thing is a joke, just use google.