Sorry for the delay but I've now had the chance to install the update to SBSH's Facade application for Windows Mobile Standard (the Smartphone edition) and wanted to share some comments.First off, I've been using Facade since getting my HTC S620 (otherwise known as the T-Mobile Dash, unlocked for use on AT&T) and have been really impressed with the application from day one.
Facade offers Windows Mobile users the ability to get the most important information of Calendar and Task items on the screen of your Smartphone as tabs while adding a very handy third tab for you choice of most frequently used applications. As a "Today" screen plug-in, Facade works flawlessly at giving you your most important information at a glance and is a great replacement option to the standard "Today" screen provided by Microsoft or even your phone carrier.
In no particular order, what the latest version of Facade adds are more tweaks to the choice of layouts and graphics for your customizing 
pleasure, rotation support and increased plug-in options while running Facade. There are other additions but I think these are the three that help Facade stand even further from the pack for Windows Mobile Standard users.
pleasure, rotation support and increased plug-in options while running Facade. There are other additions but I think these are the three that help Facade stand even further from the pack for Windows Mobile Standard users.The added screen rotation is one of the more handy features of the new release that will take advantage of the upcoming HTC Vox that are Windows Mobile Standard but have the slide-out QWERTY style keyboards. SBSH is one of the first software companies to include this as native support but I am sure others will follow suit as the Vox and its various renamings across carriers becomes available. Native screen rotation is available for any of the standard screens that come with the new version.
The other thing that impressed me with the latest addition is the added support for a larger choice of plug-ins to Facade that will let you customize your device even further. Having played around with a 
number of them (I must confess some of which I wasn't even quite sure what they meant), I was able to set up my home screen to display exactly what I wanted, in the order I wanted, to keep me happily up to date with all the information on my phone. Also, allowing such options as a dedicated plug-in for Skype impressed me with how much SBSH is trying to make Facade as "information rich" and "future proof" as possible. No more having to scroll through and select an application as more and more things can be directly accessed through the main interface.
number of them (I must confess some of which I wasn't even quite sure what they meant), I was able to set up my home screen to display exactly what I wanted, in the order I wanted, to keep me happily up to date with all the information on my phone. Also, allowing such options as a dedicated plug-in for Skype impressed me with how much SBSH is trying to make Facade as "information rich" and "future proof" as possible. No more having to scroll through and select an application as more and more things can be directly accessed through the main interface.The only thing that left me a little ho-hum was the three new skins that came with the program. Not that they are bad (just look at them, gorgeous!) but they certainly weren't "ground breaking" in my opinion to be listed as a top feature of the new upgrade.
The skins were provided by Juni, one of the more highly regarded makers of Windows Mobile Standard and Professional skins for a variety of applications. Whenever Windows Mobile users hear the name Juni attached to new skins, we take notice. I've downloaded and used Juni's skins going all the way back to my PocketPC days and always came away with something I thought was unique for me and my device.
These are adequate but not nearly as big a jump forward as I thought when I first heard the news of the upgrade. After playing around with them, I went back to using Juni's Windows Mobile 6 skin (WM6 landscape) he created a little while ago since I didn't think any of the new ones were better than that one. Honestly, green as a color on my smartphone, even "money" green, just doesn't do it for me.
There were other upgrades to Facade such as new meters, transparent buttons and more translations but those definitely fall into the category of tweaks more than out and out new innovations.
All in all, I think Facade users would do well to upgrade to the newer version (especially seeing how it is free for registered users) and those needing a better option than the standard Windows Mobile Standard screen should hit up the SBSH site for a trial download. Once you take Facade for a spin, I think you'll want to give this application a permanent home on your device.
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