There are links to messages and missed calls on the NOW screen. Anyways, mobile shell is more akin to reskinning the GUI of the whole OS to be more finger friendly where as the HTC homescreen plugin is just that... a home screen plugin that gives shortcuts while on the homescreen. It's not really fair to consider them the same product. They are products that complement each other and as some have done, run side by side. Unfortunately due to memory usage, most people chose one or the other.

The point I was trying to make was to not think of mobile shell as a HTC replacement... they are complimentary. The purpose of Mobile shell is increased ease of one handed use. All of the icons even after the homescreen are huge and hence easy to use one handed. The HTC homescreen plugin resides on the homescreen. Once you go off the homescreen, it's basically WM6.

The RAM issue is something each user will have to decide on their own. Some users find it workable to run both. Some who are more cautious run only one.

I currently run both Mobile Shell and HTC. I like the HTC items on my today screen, but the Mobile Shell Menu is invaluble their BROWSE FILES, TASK MANAGER and MULTIMEDIA MENU. Not to mention they make the settings and program menus much more finger friendly.

I don't seem to have too much trouble with RAM, but these are the only two items I am currently running.

On a side note...does anyone using Mobile Shell know how to make shortcuts to items that SPB didn't place in the programs folder? (for example, I would like to make a HTC link to the SPB Multimedia Menu)