Earlier this Spring, I started hearing about the new SPB Mobile Shell for use on Nokia Symbian OS, S60 5.0 devices. I could hardly wait to see this app in Ovi Store, and then try it out for myself. My patience has been rewarded, and I must say I am utterly thrilled. How many ways can I say “WOW!”?

SPB Mobile Shell, from Russia-based Spb Software is like a complete overhaul for your Nokia device. I feel a little bit guilty for saying this, because there’s nothing wrong with the user interface on my Nokia device today, but SPB Mobile Shell is kind of like taking your well-loved phone over to the folks at West Coast Customs of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” fame, and getting a complete makeover from the inside out. Once you try it, you may begin to wonder why your phone wasn’t this way all along …

This short video from Spb Software will show you what you can expect, and then I will /try/ to describe the transformation that is now the embodiment of my Nokia N97 mini.

For starters (and for those of you out there that have a Nokia N900, this will sound familiar), you no longer have a single homescreen on your device. You can customize the number of “pages” that will be displayed in either a “professional” or “lifestyle” mode – choosing 1, 3 or 5 pages. I immediately set my device to 5 pages, and at the moment I have additional space on my device homescreen that is waiting to be filled.

All of the functions display in handy, ridiculously easy-to-read widgets, many of which you can adjust in size to suit your needs.The icons and labels are crisp, clear, and beautifully designed.

The Launcher button at the bottom of the screen brings up one-click access to favorites, which you can also cusotmize, as well as a listing of recently used apps and functions on the device. If you click on the little grid to the left of the Launcher, you bring up a unique carousel-style view of the major features and functions of this app, including a call log, favorite contacts – which can all be customized with photos of varying sizes, weather, your agenda (or calendar), time functions and more. There is even a carousel just for your contacts based on your assigned favorites.

If the carousel isn’t to your taste, you can view the various screens in an over-sized tile view, instead.

It feels as though nothing has been left out of this app. The app works equally well in either portrait or landscape mode, and you can also select from a variety of animations that will take place during transitions within the app, including sweeping, sliding, folding and flipping!

One little feature that I think is quite impressive is the fact that the weather report is integrated with the calendar listings, so when you look at a specific date or range of days, you will also see a quick weather summary for that day, too. Smart thinking, right?

And, of course, the entire experience can be tailored to suit your needs and taste. In addition to controlling the number of pages that display with the homescreen, you can customize the background with images provided, images you can download from the publisher, or with photos of your own choosing pulled directly from the gallery on your device. Additionally, editing the widgets that are displayed on your homescreen is simply a matter of clicking on the button in the lower-right hand corner of the app, to bring up options to either edit the layout or add widgets wherever you want.

As a small example, I added the “picture frame” widget, adjusted the size and style of the frame, and then added a recent picture of one of our foster dogs, Parker.

I would also note that SPB Mobile Shell uses the language of your device in the app, too. This is explained in the FAQs for the app.

Now, one small caveat about this app: Having this much cool does result in some potential compromises. The installation file is large – nearly 6 MB – and while running, it does make it a challenge to run lots of other apps at once. I was trying to play a game that I know is a memory hog, and I couldn’t even get it to start while SPB Mobile Shell was running.

The other thing to note is that some might consider this app an investment. Normally, this application costs $30 – whether you buy it direct from the publisher, or from Ovi Store. However, now through 3 September, you can get SPB Mobile Shell in Ovi Store for only $20 – a significant savings, while it is part of Ovi’s back to school promotion (more about that soon).

Yes, it is a lot of money, but I am convinced that once you install it, you’ll be thinking of news ways to say “WOW!” too.

If you need more information about this fantastic application, it is available directly from the Spb Software website; and there is a User Guide, which includes a number of useful tips about the software.