Windows Mobile 6.5 Home Screen Customization

Windows Mobile 6.5 introduced a major shift in user interface design by replacing the traditional "Today" screen with a touch-friendly, vertically scrolling interface codenamed "Titanium." While built-in personalization was limited to basic theme changes and item reordering, users and developers could extensively modify the layout using registry edits, XML-based layout files, community modification tools, and alternative third-party interfaces.

The Titanium Interface (CHome)

The default home screen in Windows Mobile 6.5, known internally as CHome or Titanium, was designed specifically for capacitive and resistive touchscreens without requiring a stylus. It organized information into a vertical stack of sliding panels, including Contacts, Phone, Voicemail, Text Messages, Email, Calendar, Pictures, Music, and Internet.

Users navigated the layout by sliding up and down through the categories. Sliding horizontally on a selected item revealed sub-menus, notifications, or quick actions, such as browsing recent photos or skipping music tracks directly from the home screen.

Built-in Customization Settings

Out of the box, Microsoft provided basic options to manage the home screen layout through the device settings:

  • Toggling Panels: Users could navigate to Settings > Today > Items to enable or disable specific panels. Unchecking an item removed it from the vertical carousel entirely.
  • Themes and Wallpapers: The interface supported .tsk theme files, allowing users to alter system accent colors and set custom background wallpapers across both the home screen and the lock screen.
  • Time Display: Users could toggle between an analog clock and a large digital clock widget at the top of the screen.

Restoring the Classic Today Screen

For users who preferred the older, highly modular interface from Windows Mobile 6.1 and earlier, Windows Mobile 6.5 allowed Titanium to be disabled completely.

By navigating to the "Items" tab in the Today settings and unchecking "Windows Default," the OS reverted to the classic Today screen layout. This restored full compatibility with legacy Today screen plugins, allowing users to add third-party information bars, system monitors, and custom application shortcuts that were not natively supported by the Titanium framework.

Advanced Customization via CPR Files and Registry

Power users and developers customized the layout deeply by manipulating the underlying files that powered Titanium:

  • CPR Layout Files: Titanium relied on XML-based layout files with the .cpr extension located in the \Windows directory (such as Titanium_240x320.cpr or Titanium_480x800.cpr, depending on screen resolution). By editing these files with a text editor, users could adjust panel heights, change font sizes, reposition text and icons, and add custom graphics.
  • Registry Modifications: The order of the panels and their individual behaviors were managed under the registry path HKLM\Software\Microsoft\CHome. By adding or reordering registry keys, users could change the sequence in which items appeared on screen or register custom panels developed by third parties.
  • Community Tools: Applications like Titanium Customizer and MortScript utilities automated these complex file edits, allowing everyday users to rearrange panels, add weather widgets, and install entirely new community-built panels via simple user interfaces.

OEM Skins and Complete Replacements

Because the default Windows Mobile 6.5 interface offered relatively rigid layout structures, major hardware manufacturers and users frequently replaced the home screen entirely:

  • OEM Overlays: Manufacturers like HTC bundled proprietary interfaces, such as TouchFLO 3D and later HTC Sense (most notably on the HTC HD2). These skins completely bypassed Microsoft's Titanium layout in favor of animated, tabbed home screens with extensive widget support.
  • Third-Party Shells: Users on devices without OEM shells often installed replacement home screen environments like SPB Mobile Shell, which provided multi-page grid layouts, free-form widget placement, and 3D transitions far beyond the native capabilities of Windows Mobile 6.5.