I recently changed the background image for the Today screen on my XDA Orbit, however when you set an image to background it washes it out with a grey layer so that text is still readable. However, if you used a very light image to begin with, the standard white text of the Today screen becomes almost unreadable.

In true Microsoft style, there’s no way to change this easily through the Settings pane, or through the Theme settings pane either. So how do you do it?

1. Download Mobile Registry Editor
2. Make sure your phone is connected over ActiveSync
3. Load Mobile Registry Editor
4. Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Color\

If you see a binary key named 4 simply edit that and if you want the colour black, put in 00 00 00 00 then save it.

If you don’t see a binary key named 4 then you’ll need to create it. Do this by right clicking and going to New -> Binary Value…

Value Name: 4
Value Data: 00 00 00 00

If you had to create the key then the colour change should be immediate, if you were editing it you probably need to restart the phone.

Well, I think I have decided against getting the new iPhone as a replacement for my trusty XDA Orbit. The reason why I was going to get one was so that I lost no functionality between my current phone and the new one, that included GPS functionality. I was very happy to hear on launch that the 3G version was going to include A-GPS technology, that was the last thing on the check-list I had against getting an iPhone.

So after a few weeks of looking forward to the 11th of July today I have decided against getting one, but why? The GPS, by Apple terms and conditions, cannot be used for navigation…

Applications [that use location-based APIs] may not be designed or marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.

Fantastic, so just what is the GPS used for then?

• Photo Geo-tagging
• Location finding

So.. Apple make possibly one of the most sought after phones this year, yet put a stupid restriction on the GPS side of it. I expect GPS was a real deal breaker for lots of people, but will those users ever be told about the restrictions? I wonder what will happen if I go ask the people in the o2 shop about it, I wonder if they’ll try to sell it to me neglecting to tell me that fact.

Guess I’ll be waiting a month or two after release for the jail breakers to take it apart, and allow the functionality that Apple have restricted…

• No VoIP Apps on EDGE
• Only Apple Approved Code
• No Background Processes
• Applications are sand-boxed
• Only Official APIs
• 3rd party applications without $99 charge

Congratulations Apple, you’ve not only shot yourselves in the foot again, but also given the jail breakers more reason to carry on their work.

Well, this is something I’ve been trying to work out how to do for quite a while, I had browsed the entire file system of the phone through Windows, and by looking at it specifically through the phone, but couldn’t find anything as to where it stored SMS text messages. I have over 4,500 text messages on my phone, and I have made it a habit of mine to never delete anything, this includes every e-mail I send and receive and all IRC channels.

So when Apple announced the iPhone 3g, I needed to find a way to save or backup these messages, otherwise they’ll be lost forever and stuck on this little XDA Orbit. o2 came to a possible rescue with their Bluebook website, however this only backs up messages once you sign in and agree to it, no storing things from the past. You can however send it new messages, but im not going to forward it 3000 text’s, no only will it take me forever, itll probably cost me a kidney (or 2).

Instead of the obvious health problems I would get after doing that, I started Googling for a solution, and it seems that quite a few people want to be able to backup their txt messages from their Windows Mobile phones. Luckily after a little time I managed to find something partly useful which just about does the job while providing a few extra little functions.

This program is called Jeyo Mobile Extender, this allows you to backup all your text messages from your phone into Outlook. It also provides you with a way of responding to text messages through that, so if you have your phone connected via ActiveSync no longer do you have to reply through that! It’s SMS downloader however is a little buggy, when telling it to download every text message I have it took a little while to think about it, then just crashed out telling me my phone was not connected. I then found a way to tell it to download certain text messages from certain folders, and it seemed to be much happier doing it this way.

This appears to be a nice solution to a problem lots of people are having, and seems to work quite well, other than in the extremes of thousands of messages. Either way, i’ll be using this until my new iPhone arrives!

Although that bodes the next problem… how do I transfer these text messages onto an iPhone? Doh!