Do You Want A Windows Mobile-Style Today Screen?

JAMM’s Doug Goldring is in the midst of an exceptionally long in-depth multi-part review of the iPod Touch. Doug is doing an excellent job of looking at the Touch as both an iPod and a PocketPC/Mobile Internet Device (MID) replacement. It is really worth a read.

Doug made a comment in his most recent post that got me thinking. For Doug the lack of a Today Screen is a missed opportunity. Actually, he said much more than that-

I thought the unlock screen itself was, perhaps, the biggest waste of space on any device.  I am about to make a controversial statement here, but one of my favorite features in Windows Mobile is my Today Screen.  Why?  because with a glance at the Today Screen, I can see my agenda, my to-do list, the current status of my device, and any number of other tidbits of information, all without opening a single program.  Its just there, staring me in the face.  This is particularly useful for my daily schedule, as I never remember to open the calendar and look unless I have some kind of a reminder.

This doesn’t come as a surprise since Windows Mobile devices have a long history of having Today Screen that are both customizable and rich with information. Moreover, Doug is also the editor of the website MyToday Screen– a site dedicated to Windows Mobile phone. WM devices have always offered some degree of customizable Today Screen so that you immediately had you calendar, email, calls and SMS available to you. In recent years software such as SPB’s Mobile Shell (a favorite of mine the last months I used a WM device) and OEM-loaded Today screens have taken this accessibility to an entirely new level.  

It got me thinking about whether or not I want a WM-type Today Screen on my iPhone.

Part of me really likes having a nice, wallpaper image of my choosing when I first turn on my iPhone or iPod Touch. The data I need, calls, emails, SMS, schedule etc is only a finger slide and a tap away. Not a big deal.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized how convenient it would be to be able to wake the device with the touch of a button and get all the information I need immediately. It would allow me to get to my information a step or two more quickly than I currently do and over the course of a busy day one or two steps adds up.

There were some early options for jailbroken iPhones available through Installer.app but none of them really met my needs.

What do you think? Are you happy with the minimalist approach that Apple now takes? Or would you like to see some real Today Screen for the iPhone functionality. If so, what kind of functionality would you be looking for?