I've just "upgraded" my phone from a T-Mobile MDA to the T-Mobile Dash. It's much smaller and the phone functions work much better and I'd been eyeing it for a while. The Dash runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard which is the son of Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone. WM Smartphone OS has some oddities about it so that many people don't even bother porting their apps to it, or they just haven't realized that there is a new version since Smartphone 2003.
I am easily distracted so I really need my ever present personal companion (my phone) to tell me when to pray. The MDA did this nicely with Pocket Islam, as I mentioned earlier, so the first thing I did was try to install Pocket Islam on my new Dash. No luck. Their software will install, but it hasn't been updated since the version for 2003 so the screen doesn't map correctly. In addition it actually messes up parts of the OS like the fonts, and can never be fully uninstalled. So I wiped my phone back to factory settings and tried a few others.
mAthan is bare bones. Super bare bones. It would install, but it just assumed my screen was the size of an MDA screen and you can't read 1/2 of the screen. It also doesn't have any way to stop the Athan, so if you are in the wrong place you have to leave or smother your phone to not bother folks once it goes off. It also makes a few assumptions about how you want your times calculated.
I tried Delta Minaret, but it is a java program and doesn't do Athan, just calculations. I guess it could be handy to have the calculations portable, but Delta Minaret also didn't calculate my screen correctly, and didn't have many cities to choose from.
Everything else I found for a Windows Mobile platform didn't do WM6 Standard, so I can't tell you what they are like. This means I have to resort to the method I previously used on my Sidekick. The advantage to the method is that as long as you can sync your calendar with your phone/PDA/watch or anything else you carry with you, you can get alerts when it's time to pray. The disadvantage is that it requires MS Outlook and doesn't call Athan. So I installed the Microsoft provided ITWorx PrayerTimes calculation plug in for Outlook 2007. (Update: links no longer work, plug-in can now be found at Speedy Share)
It's working fine, though now on my Laptop I have 3 programs that calculate prayer times. The Outlook plug-in, the ITWorx Vista Sidebar Gadget (with crappy echoey Athan), and Islamic Finder's prayer times calculator.
I did find another Java prayer times calculator, Islamic Finder Mobile, that I like a lot, it still doesn't do Athan, or have alerts, but it covers thousands of cities around the world, so it's good for travel.
22 January 2008
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Hi!
May I know whether you have found a solution for Athan for Windows Mobile Standard yet? I moved from A Professional to a Standard (Samsung Blackjack) and was sad that Pocket Islam doesn't work in it
Thank you
Regards,
Helmy
Still no. I have been using the Prayer Times Scheduler for Outlook, which then syncs with my phone over the air via Plaxo. I'm not very happy with this solution, but it's the best I've found.
I found an app called azan 2.5. It's everything like Pocket Islam. A perfect copy, but.. (there's always a but):
a) it's java based. So, unlike Pocket Islam, you have to keep it running to get it to automatically play the azan. And since it's running on the foreground it takes a lot of memory, 7Mb to be exact (2Mb for the IBM MIDP 2.0 and 5Mb for Azan app.
b) Also since it's java-based, it doesn't auto-launch after a soft-reset. So, you have to launch it manually to get it to auto-play the azan again. Even though there is a setting for Auto-launch, it doesn't work :-( And anyway, you have to auto-launch the MIDP 2.0 first before you need to auto-launch the Azan. Maybe there are just too many steps. I thought about having MIDP 2.0 to be auto-launched in the Startup, but even tho MIDP 2.0 is running, Azan still doesn't auto-launch after it's closed (i use minutes adjustment to test all kinds of settings so that the Azan played again and again)
c) it can't play the full azan, even though there are two full Azans in there in .wav format (the .amr doesn't even work). Only the short azan works which basically is 'AllahuAkbar'2x and that's it.
A question on your solution: Will the Prayer Times Scheduler clog your Calendar? ie will there be entries everyday of the Azan times?
Forgot to mention that you can find it at www.searchtruth.com and click on "Azan Times For Worldwide Prayers For Mobile Phones"
I'm pretty sure I tried that application and had the same experience that you did, which wasn't really acceptable to me. My poor T-Mobile Dash already has issues with my mail package and contacts running at the same time...
The Microsoft sponsored prayer time calculator plug-in for Outlook has quite a few settings. It can do all 5 prayer times and "Shorouk" (for Duha or to know when you've missed Subh/Fajr I guess) or any lesser combination of those. It will preschedule the prayer times for a day, week, 2 weeks, or month and it deletes the old calendar entries, so it really doesn't clutter your calendar except for a short period, which is handy to have cluttered anyway. It can also restrict itself to just "work days", incase you are only using it to determine what meetings to accept so you won't miss a prayer. It can set the appointments free, tentative, busy, or out of the office as well. I used a prior version in Outlook 98 I think, and this version does about the same thing as it did, but actually works with Outlook 2007 and 2003. There is certainly feedback I'd love to give the team if they were working on another one, but I haven't a clue how to get in touch with ITWorx.
http://www.islamicfinder.org/mobile
I didn't see islamicfinder mobile app. It seems to work well, I haven't had the chance to soft reset, but I think it will act just like azan 2.5 that Helmy brought to our attention. It is a Java app as well. I'm still searching for the right one. I know a friend of mine who has developed Athkar (Azkar) and Athan software for PCs, soI'll ask him if we can create a similar app for WM6. Also, has anyone found an app for Qura'an or Athkar for WM6?
sorry, I seem to have missed the last paragraph of your post where you mention the Islamic Finder Mobile app. please ignore above.
Still does anyone know of an athkar app?
Brother try
http://www.pocketislam.com/
its the best with Quran
As I mentioned above, when I had a Windows Mobile device that supported it, I used Pocket Islam, and thought it was the best thing out there for that platform.
Dear All Brother whole over the world,
I just want to start my words with the permission of Allah, and SalamuAleikum.
I suggest you to use a new software that is totally free from this web site.
Please visit http://www.vakitler.net/PDAezan for the full working software and install kit.
The software is in Turkish however all the things are easy to understand since it is interested in playing Athan and before athan alarm.
The sotfware is always startup on the time that you wanted to have alert before ATHAN and also plays Athan or WAV file just on the ATHAN time.
It supports GPS calculation from Latitude and Longitude automatically if there is gps in the PDA, do not worry, it is possible to calculate even if you insert the latitude and longitude manually as well.
Praying Calculation methods are also in the system as well.
Beyond that the software remembers you and also wake you up for the Night prays as well.
You can see the software picture right here;
http://vakitler.NET/PDAezan/VakitlerPDAanim.gif
@MyReaLiTe night prayer alarm is a nice touch, I don't think I've seen that before. Do you have a way to localize in English? It may seem like that won't be confusing, but I've tried to use software in other languages (that I don't know) and it's tough. I'd provide feedback, but I no longer use a Win Mobile device as I've upgraded to a Google phone (and love it!)
@Br.David,
Thank you very much for your feedback, would like to localize to English in a near future inshaallah.
Since the topic in the software is very technical, and I am not very good at on technical English, I could not find the exact English equal words, if someone help me to do that would like to localize in English at once.
I need to translate some spesifical words to English.
For example: there is all the prayer in vain (beyond the 5 times indicator) indicators in the software not only night pray alert, but also there is one for, after the sunrise time we call ISRAK in Turkish, and so the next one DOHA prayer as well. And also another indicator is before 45 minutes to Maghrib pray (sun down time in the evening.)
Especially for the night pray time, you know there is a very important time for the pray in the night. That's calculation is dynamically calculating according to the Maghrib time and the IMSAK time (the beginning time of Morning pray) everyday it is changing according to the times.
VakitlerPDA is a freeware software which is used as a reminder while following up ISLAMIC Timeframes and Athan (Adthan Times)
Now English version is on since v.2.6
You can reach the English website from this address;
http://vakitler.net/PDAezan/indexen.asp
Software belongs to the Basic Features; AZAN(Muslims prayer call) is played automatically for 5 times a day after you set the time according to your country.
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Predefined 44 Country & City for timeframe calculations.
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By clicking the Diyanet İnternet button, you can recieve the prayer time over the Internet buy using (Wi-Fi/GPRS) .
Latitude and longitude information is retrieved automatically from GPS (embedded by Bluetooth or GPS). Diyanet prayer time and direction to the appropriate angle is provided for free without any external connection to the internet.
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It calculates the manually entered GPS information (latitude and longitude), appropriate prayer time and any angle direction according to the Diyanet for free without any external connection to the internet. (To manually enter the latitude and longitude information,make your own query by address, your address, latitude / longitude information from here.)
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Times are updated with Auto Calc.Option Formula at solstice, calculating the time of daily prayers. (without the need of Internet connection)
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When you select Confidential reminder at the end of time, the automatic program will turn off itself, only the prayer time will be open for warning. Without running the program or the time on the background it just gives an alert. (The system uses resources economically.)
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Exe files can run directly without requiring installation. (Compact Framework 2.0 must be installed.)
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Athan is played in mp3 format, and is read specifically to each pray time by different authorities in athan reading. You can change the existent athan file with your own one and play your own athan.
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Athan Vibrating alerts help to keep track of information in crowded places.
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The next information reminder is given in the lower right corner of the screen in yellow color.
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The calculated time for each day is displayed in burgundy color on the main screen.
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If Safi Madh option is on, the Fair athan time is played, if not athan is played an hour before the sunrise.( according to the Hanefi Madh.)
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Athan is not only played in regular pray times but also it can be used as a reminder of other special times such as Daybreak time, Israk timeframe and Doha timeframe) by an optional menu of chosing different audio files and creating different alert times in different units.
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When the Makruh timeframe alert is marked, the alert warns you 55 minutes before the actual time and 10 minutes before the kerahat time. Different audio options and number of alerts can be set.
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Daybreak is the best time to wake up in the night for Tahajjud, so alert modes are avaliable fort his pray, too.
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Time calculation can be done with any of the accepted pray times around the world.
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Calibration of time can be created according to where you are to adjust the time to the location.
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When the athan time comes you can get the alerts in any audio file you wish instead of the athan sound. (In the meeting etc.)
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With the Voice alert mode (WAV) the athan is only read in the morning and the other times are alerted with a voice warning.
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There is a feature on the main window to quickly change the settings.
Hello,
I have been searching for an app that will allow me to put the daily prayer times in my Outlook 2007 calendar, and this seems to be it, but http://www.itworx.com/downloads/PrayerTimes/PrayerTimes_2007.msi doesn’t seem to work…does anyone have a local copy/mirror/alternate download location for this extremely useful application?
Salam alaikum,
Hossam El-Saie
All of the original download sites appear to no longer have the plug-in. Fortunately, from experience with the Office 2003 plug-in, I saved a copy. You can get it from http://www.speedyshare.com/692363754.html
Jazak Allah khair Br. David!
So far so good, I had a little trouble configuring the precise latitude/longitude of my location in North Carolina, but it's worked out now I think.
I have a HTC Tytn2 running WM6.1...Pocket Islam is the best option in your opinion?
Also, is it possible to flash a WM device to run Android or is the OS hard coded into the phone itself? I've flashed a few different ROMs onto my Tytn, but they were all WM based...
Salam alaikum,
Hossam
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