SMS Bubbles for Smartphones

[saman-cz]

SMSBubbles displays incoming text message or delivery receipt in a "bubble". If text of message contains a phone number SMSBubbles tries to find matching contact from the phone's contact list and according to the settings replaces the number by composed contact string. All phone numbers in a bubble are shown as links, so it is possible to activate them and then make a call to the linked phone number.

SMSBubbles works on Windows Mobile 5 and higher Smartphones.

Basic features:
* - Displays incoming text message in modal bubble
* - Displays SMS delivery notification in bubble
* - Silent SMS delivery receipt notification
* - Shows bubble even if device is locked
* - Resolves phone numbers in text messages and delivery receipts
* - Provides ability to set custom delivery receipt text
* - Customizable form of resolved phone number replacement
* - Supports both QVGA (240x320) and standard (176x220) resolutions
* - Supports landscape orientation
* - Bubbles can be switched on/off according the phone profile

Screenshots:

http://www.saman-cz.com/ppc/images/smsbubbles9.png http://www.saman-cz.com/ppc/images/smsbubbles1.png

More info and other screenshots on www.saman-cz.com (http://www.saman-cz.com)

Download:
SMSBubbles.CAB (http://www.saman-cz.com/ppc/SMSBubbles.CAB) (95k) or SMSBubbles.zip (http://www.saman-cz.com/ppc/SMSBubbles.zip) (40k)

[cuboosh]

not to be rude but whats the point of this? im slightly confused.

[saman-cz]

Do you have a smartphone (touch screen-less device)?

[cuboosh]

no, i have a at&t tilt. i remmber ur new menu app which i still use even on my tilt so i know you make good apps. just confused on this one! lol

[h4waii]

Smartphone's do not have the built in ability to display notification bubbles. This utility brings them back and works beautifully.

[unleashedvigilante]

Saman,
good to hear from you and glad that this has made its way over to xda. Congrats on this release.

[cuboosh]

oh, i now understand purpose of this app. nice job then

[sharedworld]

Nice Job SAMAN!!!

I'm enjoying very much this official application (as much as I've enjoyed the non-official one...)

[mugglesquop]

looks good, but i dont have a smart phone, so no use. I like the fact that it tries and works out who it is, thats the most anoying thing with the standard WM one, just gives a number :confused:

[raidzx]

great program. thanks!

[owziee]

Great app!! I'm using photo contacts pro which have pop-up windows for new recieved sms messages, can this app work in conjunction with photo contacts pro or will it just conflict? I would love to have sms delivered pop-ups aswell since that never happens with photo contacts pro.

[matrix77]

@saman-cz
Can you fix it to respect keylock, it doesn't respect that when you receive new sms, and because buttons can be pressed when the phone is in pocket, it is possible to lose new recived sms even the keylock is on!

It is very good app!
Thanks a lot!

[saman-cz]

mugglesquop: I didn't understand what you mean. Unresolved number in delivery receipt?

owziee: I don't know photo contacts pro, so can't tell. Just tried that. It shouldn't harm your device..

matrix77: Showing bubble even keylock is feature, not bug. This same as with an incoming call..

Maybe this is information to all: I will not do any changes. App cost me a lot of time, so use it as it is, or delete it. Any additional work on that and will have to make that commercial. Maybe if i receive enough donations...

[eyesee]

Maybe this is information to all: I will not do any changes. App cost me a lot of time, so use it as it is, or delete it. Any additional work on that and will have to make that commercial. Maybe if i receive enough donations...

Thanks for the app. One annoyance is when you use reply from bubbles, the focus is on the to (phone no) field. It would be better if it is on the text entry field ( same behaviour as the default windows sms app when you use reply)

You may consider changing this if you decide to come up with a new release.

[iridaki]

I also have a few suggestion to make:
a) There could be a choice as to what the left softkey does when the bubble appears. For example, instead of SaveRead, it could be View and open tmail application and view the message there.
b) Maybe the bubbles can be skinned.
c) If a picture is attached to a contact, it could appear in the bubble somewhere.

[glester]

Great App!!! working perfect on mi Vox!!:)

thx!

[iridaki]

mugglesquop: I didn't understand what you mean. Unresolved number in delivery receipt?

owziee: I don't know photo contacts pro, so can't tell. Just tried that. It shouldn't harm your device..

matrix77: Showing bubble even keylock is feature, not bug. This same as with an incoming call..

Maybe this is information to all: I will not do any changes. App cost me a lot of time, so use it as it is, or delete it. Any additional work on that and will have to make that commercial. Maybe if i receive enough donations...

Hello!

We have exchanged some e-mails about translation of the application in Greek. Ι tried to reply to your last message but I got a permanent delivery error. So, I am writing here.

Thank you very much for responding, first of all.
And you could be right about the UI incompatibility but I have my doubts
(I will talk later about that).
Secondly, I totally understand your disappointment about people asking too much from you and your application.
Moreover, I understand why you may want to be paid for it.

But, at this point I have to make a reference to people who compile much more complicated applications and they keep it free.
Don't these people spare their time?
Don't these people make efforts?
They do, just like you.
Take SmartToolKit for example. It could be sold for 30 dollars or even more! But it is FREE and it is updated and improved very often based on users suggestions.
And the developer was kind enough to make localization very easy, by just editing a .lang document in Notepad.

Keep in mind, for your own sake, that the attitude you are showing
won't make people pay for your application.
It is indeed a great application and a very useful missing feature from Windows Mobile Smartphones, but you have to admit that it has its drawbacks.
And IF it could be localized and IF you listened to people's suggestions about bugs or wanted features without negative attitude,
then -believe me- you would get paid.
Because that is what happens with people compiling applications and share them with the internet smartphone-users community.
What did you actually expect?
OK, localization may not seem to be important to you and you might say that it won't fit the UI (which I actually don't think so, as I have translated more than 10 other applications in Greek, with much more complicated strings and commands, including AbstractStart, PhoneAlarm, SmartToolKit, Don'tForget, etc)
but trying to do so, instead of telling me "I will not bother", means that you're working on the application and that would make me feel that you worth being paid.
I am not saying that you did not do a nice job.
But think about it this way: we live in a world of PR (Public Relations) and with this attitude you will not get any attention, respect or money.
At least as long as there are other developers that do constant work on wonderful applications, for free.
I am telling you all this, as an advice, I do not mean to offend you at all.
It is your right not to want to develop this application further and I respect that you choose to ignore my suggestions and, of course, I will not bother you again.
You can ignore my advice too and this post altogether. I just wanted to point-out one or two things.

Cheers,

[eyesee]

Bug in replace number

if you have
+1234567890 (1) in the sms, the number will not be replaced by name

OR

+1234567892 (+1234567890) in the sms, the number in the bracket will be replaced but the first no will not ie you get

Carmen Electra (+1234567892 (+1234567890)) where the name refers to the number in brackets (+1234567890)

[saman-cz]

My_Immortal,
if you want to continue with public conversation, ok.

Let's clear one thing: if i ever wanted to get paid for it, i would make it commercial.. But i didn't do it.

If you so smart about comparing applications and efforts, try to make one app, release it and continue with development.
Of course i know some other free apps, that are more complicated (i.e. mentioned Smarttoolkit).
A can only say. It's the decision of the author how he releases app and provides support for it.

And what you know about authors?? One could be a single student on college with plenty of time and other working man with family. You cannot compare them. The latter definitely treasures its leisure time much more.

A simple rule: free app is mostly created it reflects creator needs. Any other stuff is only good will.

Localization: I wrote you in email your greek strings won't fit until i regroup ui. Clear example:
"Use FileAs" (that has another input besides) vs. your "Προεπιλεγμένη ταξινόμηση επαφών". How it should fit in the current ui, wise guy?
I know, editing some "lang" document is easy. But it is not default feature of the OS API. Each developer must provide ability in his app to parse such file and design ui to count with different lengths of different languages. I'm not telling it is hard, but it's a bother.

And my listening to people? I always check and react on bug report, once i have a time..

[iridaki]

My_Immortal,
if you want to continue with public conversation, ok.

Let's clear one thing: if i ever wanted to get paid for it, i would make it commercial.. But i didn't do it.

If you so smart about comparing applications and efforts, try to make one app, release it and continue with development.
Of course i know some other free apps, that are more complicated (i.e. mentioned Smarttoolkit).
A can only say. It's the decision of the author how he releases app and provides support for it.

And what you know about authors?? One could be a single student on college with plenty of time and other working man with family. You cannot compare them. The latter definitely treasures its leisure time much more.

A simple rule: free app is mostly created it reflects creator needs. Any other stuff is only good will.

Localization: I wrote you in email your greek strings won't fit until i regroup ui. Clear example:
"Use FileAs" (that has another input besides) vs. your "Προεπιλεγμένη ταξινόμηση επαφών". How it should fit in the current ui, wise guy?
I know, editing some "lang" document is easy. But it is not default feature of the OS API. Each developer must provide ability in his app to parse such file and design ui to count with different lengths of different languages. I'm not telling it is hard, but it's a bother.

And my listening to people? I always check and react on bug report, once i have a time..

I never meant to take it in public, it's just that I could not e-mail you.
And of course, I do not intend to take it any further, as we both expressed our opinions, so case is closed. And for the record, I never said I was wise, I have limited knowledge on programming and I just put my thoughts in words.

Cheers

[ccl13]

Great software!!! Thx!
Some bugs i've found during a weeks' use.
1. When i use call back function, it automatically add a '0' to the end of the number.
2. If there's more than one SMS, "save read" will mark the early one read and leave others unchanged.
that's probably the biggest bugs i've found.

And a few suggestions:
1. I think provide a option like display overtime would be good.
2. If possible, could key action customizable? If not, I think you exchange current functions of two softkeys will be more convenient to people using a password.
3. Addition to 1, There should be a switch for some people who doesn't like the bubble shows if the phone's locked.

And since i'm Chinese, i really hope you can provide us with a mui file for easier localization!

And thank you again for your great work!

[Cannavaro]

Hi all ! ;) my first post goes to this thread, anywayz I want to thank you for this amazing app but the problem is the same like someone mentioned it earlier ... when the keypad is locked it still responds to left soft key somehow :S and that's a burden atleast to me :) cuz I always end up with a discarded "bubble" when I wanna unlock the keypad :S but I see that probably we won't get an update so I guess I'll have to use it with this slight inconvienence :)

Regards Ramunas
P.S. Sorry for my english guys :)

Ohhh and maybe someone could suggest somekind of alternative app for this one ?

[matrix77]

I have the same problem with SMS Bubbles when my key lock is ON and I am on daylight I can't read my message because the backlight is dimmed when the keypad is locked and I can't unlock it to get full backlight without discarding received SMS from the bubble.
There is a different right soft key when you have keypad unlocked and when it is locked:
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5221/keylockoffrm7.jpghttp://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7715/keylockonof8.jpg
I think it is better to respect the key lock because 99% of SMS are received with the keypad locked and then you don't have the full backlight.
Now I am using a older version or maybe it is a version for PPC that I found on other forum, and it doesn't show bubbles with received SMS at all when the keypad is locked there are bubbles only for DR, and that is for me more functional. This should be a option in settings of the program to show bubbles only for DR if you want so you can delete it quickly.

One suggestion for future version (commercial or freeware) is to recognize smiles in messages since it can now resolves phone numbers in messages, something like this program for PPC:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=328363

[wessel99]

Great app! Thanks a lot!! Fixes one of my biggest annoyances with WM6 smartphone!

[roozbeh]

One suggestion for future version (commercial or freeware) is to recognize smiles in messages since it can now resolves phone numbers in messages, something like this program for PPC:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=328363

Well you can use that application in your smartphones too!
i've just tested it and forms with smileys work.
well smileysms in smartphones doesnt show a bubble,so i guess you can mix these two programs together to get one functional one!
(if it doesnt work just notify me in my thread,it is probabely due to privilages,i will make one with required certificates)

[Andreas083]

Hi! I’m currently using your program SMS delivery fix, but would like to try the SMS Bubbles, however I can’t install it. Security is fine, I can install other apps, installed the cert but I only get a message, "program has not been installed" (translated from swedish).

I have the LG ks20 with WM6.

Please advice

Thanx for a great app!

[empire29]

Thanks for the excellent app Saman -- it works great on my blackjack2.

[gonet9]

Please, make version for WM2003 and QQVGA. I need this program, but C500 is too slow for GPS on WM6.
Greetings,
gonet9

[Malibu]

When I install this app it messes with TCPMP and or Skunkworks Flashvideobundle. I cannot play any streaming videos, when I uninstall this app the streams do not work still until I master reset the phone, not even reinstalling the 2 aformentioned programs fixes the issue, my guess is that its messing around with the registry and skewing the settings for tcpmp or skunkworks fvb. Can you look into this?

Blackjack II ATT Branded
SW: CE OS 5.2.1620 (Build 18125.0.4.2)
Radio i617UCGK2
PDA Vers. i617UCGK2
H/W Version Rev0.3

[Elluzion]

my Treo 700w (VERIZON), wont let me install it and says the install was unsucessful when i try to install the .CAB file on my phone. how do I fix this???

[dannydai]

great program!
solves my problem effectively
thank you so much

[SGH-i200]

Thanks for the excellent app Saman -- it works great on my Samsung i200 (WM6.5 Standard)! :-)

[zizou44]

i can't install sms bublle on my touch 3G (jade), i don't know why.
is there someone to explain?
thanks

[SGH-i200]

i can't install sms bublle on my touch 3G (jade), i don't know why.
is there someone to explain?
thanks

SMS Bubbles is for non-touch devices (WM Standard)!

You are looking for the WM Pro compatible version: SMS Delivery Receipt Fix v2.0.0 (PocketPC) (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=258130) - http://www.saman-cz.com/ppc/index.html

[SGH-i200]

...Maybe this is information to all: I will not do any changes. App cost me a lot of time, so use it as it is, or delete it. Any additional work on that and will have to make that commercial. Maybe if i receive enough donations...

@Saman
Since you have ceased development, can you please post the source code in either a zip file, or on an open source site, like CodePlex or SourceForge? Doing so would allow another developer to pick up where you left off without having to reinvent the wheel! :-)

I want to update the design to WM6.x and add contact pictures to bubbles!

Another thing to do:
I also have a few suggestion to make:
a) There could be a choice as to what the left softkey does when the bubble appears. For example, instead of SaveRead, it could be View and open tmail application and view the message there.
b) Maybe the bubbles can be skinned.
c) If a picture is attached to a contact, it could appear in the bubble somewhere.

[SGH-i200]

Great News! Saman answered my mail!

Hi,
I planned an update, at least localization, but I've abandoned WM platform due to the MS senility in WM evolving and HTC stupid firmware update policy, I will not do any updates. But as it seems, surprisingly, that apps are still popular despite their age, I plan to release sources to give someone chance to continue development..
As soon as I will pack the sources to appropriate form I will post notice on my site and xda-dev.

Regards,
Saman

I'm looking foreward to your post Saman - and really want to say thanks for all your developings for WM! :-)

CU

[SGH-i200]

Saman mailed me the source files of SMSBubbles!!!

If anybody wants to continue the development - here are the source files!

It would be great to see an WM6.5 style version! :-)

---

But I come back to you all now with the knowledge of C++.... I want to develop CycBubbles, an SMSBubbles remake with features YOU want!

Have you tried to compile the source of SMSBubbles (and SMSDRFix) (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5705058&postcount=37)?

The project is consisted of two apps - the original SMSDRFix for touch screen devices and SMSBubbles for smartphones. They share the same core.
But SMSBubbles is a lot newer, so I guess SMSDRFix will most likely not compile.

I tried a few times to get the SMSBubbles source to compile in VS2005. But it didn't work. Lots of errors...

It seems the file "lists.h" in "_Common" folder is defect? Can you look in that file and tell me, if there is missing a part or ";" before the first "private:"?

Error 1 error C2059: syntax error : 'private' c:\...\_common\lists.h 5
Error 2 error C2143: syntax error : missing ';' before '*' c:\...\_common\lists.h 6
Error 3 error C4430: missing type specifier - int assumed. Note: C++ does not support default-int c:\...\_common\lists.h 6
...

Can you try to compile? I am new to C++. Maybe the errors are simple ones...

Thanks in advance!

[senderj]

The SMSbubble does not install in my touch device HTC HD. I tried SMSDRfix, it shows the receiver's name which is what I want, but it remove the DR date time which is also important to me. So anyone know how to recover the date time of DR? Or any other software that can do the same with the date time?

[Cyclonezephyrxz7]

Hmm, i thought that touch-screen phones (meaning Windows Mobile Professional Phones) had these Bubbles built in...What would I know though, I have never had a touch-screen phone. I am probably wrong about that.

Anywho, I did declare this in the Excalibur Forum (my home :D and starting place on XDA) that since it would seem that this program no longer has support, and with some of the Excalibur ROMs didn't work all that great, I would be re-making SMSBubbles, naming it CycBubbles. It didn't take much interest over there (probably a relatively dead sub-forum), but if there is some interest, I can start up a thread in Software Development...get ideas flowing, get it started.

[senderj]

The reason I try smsbubble and smsdrfix is not because of the bubble, but the ability to show the receiver's name in the DR so that I know who had read my sms. smsdrfix can do this but unfortunately it removes the date/time of the delivery notification which make it useless. So I tried smsbubble which is a newer version and includes smsdrfix function. However, it didn't install in touch device.

I hope there are other software that can do this.

[SGH-i200]

If you like to change the language in SMSBubbles follow these steps:

1. Start your favorite HEX editor (I used HxD)
2. Open SMSBubbles.DLL
3. Change block A060-A0EA (shown in pic)
4. Change block A428-... for settings
5. Change block C174-... for SMSBubble popup menu
6. Save new SMSBubbles.DLL
7. Copy new SMSBubbles.DLL to Windows folder on device
8. Restart device
9. Be happy! :-)

I created a DLL for German (DE) language (0407) - but translated only the entries for the SMSBubble popup menu.