As you perhaps know I have a weak spot for mobile development. For a project I recently dug through the "Designed for Windows Mobile" logo specifications. This logo is meant as a certification that the app will run on any mobile device. One of the logo requirements is that the app will adapt to the screen real estate available. The first generation of devices were all 240 by 320; these days smaller square screen as well as a full size VGA ones are abundant. To make sure your app will handle these smaller or bigger sizes is, using the compact framework, no big deal.
Being interested in mobile I also read the MS Mobile newsletter. Last issue offered some quite appealing downloads. Space-invaders for my iPaq as well as a lite version of 1-calc. The most interesting part of the latter are endless conversions; living in the metric Europe it would be a great help to understand foreign metrics. Now here is the rant: Both applications don't carry the logo and would never get one. They are hard coded to a 240*320 screen size and don't display right on my 240*240 mobile messenger. I can see the aliens coming but I can't fire back. The calc application uses hard coded skins. The trial version of the full product includes (and installs) a square skin; the free version does not. Even when the skin fits the soft keyboard gets in the way and some of the dialogs are completely clipped.
It would have been so nice if MS took their own logo serious and either use it to convince software publishers to comply or use it to select something less frustrating. The apps look great but they just don't work for me.