5 Great Accelerometer Applications for Windows Mobile

If you're using any of the HTC Touch series of phones, then you can take advantage of your device's accelerometer function - a hardwired gyroscope function that can be programmed to react in different ways and affect your phone's behaviour, display and and sound depending on how it is moved and what position it is left in.

Also known as g-sensor, this is a great piece of technology that comes in the HTC Touch Diamond, Touch Diamond Pro, Touch HD and others, and it will of course be in the new versions of the HTC Windows Mobile phones that are available from 2009.

These 5 great applications utilise the wide ranging benefits of the g-sensor accelerometer, providing an amazing new dimension to your Windows Mobile device.

Adding this dimension to your Windows Mobile handset results in setting your phone free from the usual "point, click and respond" routine, and brings with it a world of possibilities.

We're going to look at the applications one at a time:

• Shake and Save
• hdBoobs
• Magic 8 Ball
• Waterlevel
• Gyrator

That's 5 quite different mini apps that each utilise the g-sensor system of a modern, suitably equipped Windows Mobile device in a slightly different way.

Each of the applications in the list require Windows Mobile 6.0 or greater, as well as Microsoft .Net CF 3.5 installing.

Shake and Save is a marvellous way to capture and save screenshots of your Windows Mobile device. Whatever screen or software is being run, simply shake your WinMo device to capture the image - there are options to save in the 4 most common image formats (PNG, BMP, GIF, JPG), and the application runs in the background.

Taking screenshots is always a useful function to have, and Shake and Save brings a nice bit of usability to this field. Download from FreewarePocketPC.net.

hdBoobs is as the name suggests an adult themed novelty application whose sole aim is to make a pair of ladies breasts bounce. It's a great example of how the g-sensor accelerometer functions - the more vigorous the shaking the more dramatic the on-screen movement.

Available from the developers website, like all examples on this page hdBoobs is free, and requires the Microsoft .Net CF 3.5 and Windows Mobile 6 or greater to run.

Magic 8 Ball (Let the Universe Guide You) is another fun application - the simple aim is to ask a question and shake your phone. A magic answer is produced as the result, which in theory will give you the needed guidance, but most likely give you a chuckly.

Download Magic 8 Ball from the developer's website.

Waterlevel is available from FreewarePocketPC.net and basically acts as a spirit level. The three meters on the top, left and centre of the screen measure your phone's position on the x, y and z axes allowing both accurate measurement and calibration of your g-sensor accelerometer.

Finally, Gyrator2 is a useful configuration tool for applying a screen orientation to your Windows Mobile applications,based on a range of events such as how your phone is positioned, what task is being performed, and so on. It's a very cool application and out of all of those listed here is probably the most useful.

Download Gyrator2 from the developer's website.