Theme Review Wednesday: iV3, iColor,

It feels like it’s been a while since we ran a theme review. I’ve had these in the queue for a bit, so don’t feel neglected if we didn’t feature your theme. Make sure to keep those emails coming. If you email me (jpawlikowski at bbgeeks) chances are I’ll eventually review it. I also promise to be honest. This week we’ll review two user-submitted themes, plus the latest from one of our faves.

iV3

There are plenty of themes that emulate other platforms. It started, I think, with the iPhone-style themes, but it has expanded since then. We’ve seen Droid-like themes, and even Windows-like themes. This is one of the latter. iV stands for iVista, I guess, but regardless it’s a pretty neat theme. The home screen looks like a typical Windows menu, with a clever substitution of the Windows logo for the BlackBerry dots. The theme features two hidden docks that can store up to 14 icons, plus a few different home screen gadgets. I also like how the signal and battery meters are tucked away in the bottom right corner of the screen. And, of course, there’s the hidden Today area. While the theme works with OS versions 4.6 and above, it looks like it’s best suited for Storm users. You can get the iV3 theme for an even $5.

iColor

Another user-submitted theme, iColor is simple if not prolific. Seriously, when you check out the buy link you’ll see that they’ve covered all the bases individually. As in, each device and each available OS. That should make it easy to select the version that best fits your particular situation. The theme certainly looks nice. The icons are pretty standard, though they’ve changed the color scheme to make them stand out more, especially against the background. Yet nothing really stands out about this theme except for the design. It strikes me as an odd one to charge for, considering there are so many quality free themes. The video they put together does a good job of walking you through it. If you like what you see you can get the iColor theme for $3.99.

Cartan

Clearly, we have a preference for badass themes. The more lightning bolts and skulls and robots the better. It’s just the natural bias of having a dude write these reviews. Yet, as I’ve noted before, not everyone shares my excellent taste in themes. I wouldn’t blame a female, really, for not liking the theme with a bloody skull as the wallpaper. But we’re accommodating, and so is Hedone Design. The Cartan theme embodies warm and cuddliness. It has rolling hills and a calming, cloudy blue sky in the background. Along with the theme comes a special ringtone, too, one that will have you feeling fuzzies in your tummy. It has useful features, too, like the use of three home screens that let you put 15 icons right in front of you. Like most Hedone themes, this one is available across operating systems. You can get the Cartan theme for $6.99.

About the Author

Joe Pawlikowski is the Senior Editor at MobileMoo.com and has been covering the mobile industry full time since 2007. When he's not writing about the tech scene, he can be found discussing his personal love - baseball (and more specifically the New York Yankees) as well as writing on his personal blog.