Wow
 

First off I'd like to say wow and thanks to all the people on this forum and all their hard work.

I purchased a PPC 6700 a couple months ago and was told to come to this site and read/absorb as much as I could.

Well I have been and had a couple of questions.

I understand that by creating a rom/roms, you are able to create more memory on the phone. Is there several ways to do this or is there one way that is constantly being upgraded/enhanced.

I understand that the Apache has windows 5 and the 6800 (not sure on its nickname) has windows 6. Well, I notice a version of windows 6 available for the Apache. Is there any reasons not to upgrade other than the fact that it is a program that was not created by Sprint and if I have problems they might have difficulty fixing/replacing my phone? In other words, what are the advantages of windows 6.

As far as customizing the interface etc, it looks like there are three popular programs, Wisbar, iLauncher, and SPB. Advantages/Disadvantages of each?

What is WM? I thought at first it was windows media, but since most people use it to connect via wifi, it must be something else.

Other than Weather panel, which it seems most people have, are there any other programs that are considered manditory once you have your Apache.

Sorry for all the questions, but I was looking for a bit of info, and this seemed to be the place.

Thanks in advance.

Mo

If you flash the WM6 rom to your Sprint phone, all you need to do is re-flash it with the retail rom if it needs service.

WM = Windows Mobile

The WM6 rom comes with many nice programs, check them all out first before downloading anything!

Go here:

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=6017

for the latest, stable WM5 Kitchen.

The 6800s nickname is Mogul.

Not acutally creating more memory, just utilitizing it better. The stock ROM has a lot of crapware and unused space - long ago someone had the bright idea to unload the crap and use the empty space. These days, the "kitchen" is the tool used to modify what's in a rom. There are several kitchens, based mainly (sometimes exclusively) upon work by Helmi_c on each of the different Windows Mobile versions (5/6) and revisions (AKU).

The WM6 you see available here is Helmi_c's latest project. It's not yet available in kitchen form, and has a few minor kinks - but people seem to like it best. The other ROMs here are based off the WM5 kitchens, the latest being Helmi_c's AKU3.5 v1.04. Helmi_c's WM6 will become the standard for non-stock ROMs once a kitchen is released - but all the custom ROMs here are better than the stock ROM.

As for programs, people pick and choose whatever suits them best. The three you mentioned (well two - spb is a company that puts out a lot of good products) are all commercial, but there are good free programs too. You'll have to look at what's available, try a few, and decide what you need and like.

The typical list of "must have" add-ons is usually:
a weather program (Weather Panel is commonly used because its feature rich and easy to get)
a close button application (there are several good ones)
PocketCM (finger-fick contact list)
a registry editor (TaskMgr is free and really, really good)
a file explorer (Total Commander is free and pretty good)

...and yes, if you have a 6700, this is THE place. Take a spin w/ Helmi_c's WM6. You can always fall back to a WM5 ROM if you need to. Once you're addicted to the possiblities, then look at making your own custom ROM with the latest kitchen.

Go here:

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=6017

for the latest, stable WM5 Kitchen.

I'd have to agree with gguruusa. You have to experiment and decide what's best for you. Some like an open Today screen, some seem to like to use every pixel for an icon or text of some sort. Some like a tabbed interface and don't mind scroll bars, some don't like either of those. The same goes with programs. Some like certain features, others could care less. The 3.5 kitchens are wonderfully easy to work with. Creating your own OEMs to include can be a little trickier, but not impossible (even for me! ;-) ). Reflashing your ROM is easy, and most times completely harmless. I know I've flashed an easy 40 times in the last few months trying various configurations, and trying to get some of my OEMs just right. Make sure you have a copy of the stock ROM, just in case. Whether you start with WM6, a pre-built 3.5 ROM, or cook your own, you'll become addicted to what you can do, always looking for that next capability!

Best of luck!

Brian