Related
I believe the HTC Hero has a softkey-menu called "share" in the camera-function, for instant upload to facebook, twitter, youtube and so on.
Is there any way to add this to the TD2? A dedicated share-menu, without the hazzle of browsing your way to the site and then uploading. Or maybe a little upload-app could be written?
anyone?
i know shozu can achieve this - but it would be good to have something built into the manila software...
For others interested, I found a solution to this one, at least for me. I've used ShoZu earlier, on symbian, in which you had to open shozu, click upload, browse your album, and then upload. So I didn't bother trying that at first, because for that I could just use the Microsoft Facebook app.
But, I downloaded ShoZu yesterday, mostly for fun to see how it is on winmo. Nothing apparantly different.
BUT, when I snapped a picture later in the day, I discover that ShoZu is automatically linked with your camera! As soon as I'd taken the picture, within a second, a ShoZu-menu popped up, asking if I wanted to share the photo(to facebook, which is my default in ShoZu. You can however choose whichever social site you prefer). And Shozu was not running beforehand.
As neat it would be to have this in the manila-menu, I think this was even better. You don't even have to click your way to a share-menu, all you have to do after taking a pic/video, is press "yes" and it's instantly uploaded!
You can also choose to add tags and info before uploading.
Hello XDA,
I am one of the developers of the Asurion Mobile AddressBook and I would like to get some feedback on our product from the users here. I have been using this forum for some thine now for Winmo and respect the opinions of the developers here. It would be great to see what everyone thinks of the application. It is available in the Android Marketplace, just search Asurion. Or you can go to our site at http://www.getaddressbook.com/.
A little about AddressBook, it is a socially connected address book that allows you to get information about your contacts from different social sites like Facebook and Twitter right in the address book, through mini programs called Mixins.
Soon we will have an APK for developers to develop their own Mixins for AddressBook. When its ready I will post more information if anyone would like to beta for us.
AddressBook is still in a beta form and is available for 1.6 and 2.0 and above. Please try it out and let me know what you think. AddressBook is new and we are open to positive and negative feedback.
Thanks,
Peter
Just installed
Main app + all MixIn
It's a nice app, just a bit slow on my HTC Sapphire Magic Vodafone 32B with 2.1 Eclair Rom
I don't like "MixIn solution", why not a full app with all modules inside ?
I've launched main app, then I gone to market and installed Facebook MixIn for first.
After a lot of privacy authorization with some screen not well fitted I did a little war with Matching People, cause a lot of them were not matched nice.
I need Photos compare, cause I've some cases with two or more people with the exact name... like my cousins =)
I had some Facebook MixIn Force close Crashes and some com.google.process.gapps crashes too, right now...
I installed flickr and associate it with some of my contacts and no problems at all.
at last I tried Twitter and no probs with it...
I think it's a good app, but a bit slow...
last thing:
Support for all languages (I could translate it in Italian if you need)
I don't like number in this format 000-000-0000
or 00-000-0000
I know it's a developing app and I will wait for next releases of this.
Well Done
Good Job
This is some great feedback, thanks for taking the time to try it out and post back.
Just wondering
Is this ultimately going to be a paid application?
You know like:
5.99/mo
4.79/mo
1.99/mo
What's our deductible? :0
Haven't tried the app, but if you could spread the QR codes apart it will ease their reading.
Thanks for your app!
played with it 30mins.
1. got the main app
2. started a new a/c in www.getaddressbook.com
3. got the MixIn: Facebook
4. start the MixIn app, input Facebook a/c
5. click Allow buttons 3 times
6. MixIn starts to get contacts from FB
7. Auto Match
8. Manual adjust Auto Match results
9. Launch main app
The above steps took about 25mins (330 FB contacts; 300 gmail contacts; Auto Matched 180; manual picked out... haven't counted >_< i believe picked out 30 - 50).
Cool:
-Auto Match tried to best match FB | Local contacts even they are not perfect match.
e.g. Shirley Lam | Salei Lam (it matches)
-Facebook photos can replace local as well as sync. to Gmail Contacts
-Consolidated activities log (SMS, voice call, etc) for individual contact
Not:
-[MixIn: FB] Say you have some contacts named Peter Chan, you will get confused without some other hints like Organization.
I picked those contacts out in Auto Match to prevent mis-matching as Org is not displayed in Auto Match results
-[main app] Contact list won't remember the last viewed location.
I scrolled from top to Carol, click twice to view details, click Return and the contact list scrolls back to top.
-[main app] Slow. Maybe it's my outdated HTC Magic... (it's CyanogenMod 4.2.13 w/ EBI1 mod]
For me:
Keep and waiting for updates!
looks cool..will try this later when i get home for work..
speed is defiantely something that can be worked on.
thebluecoat said:
Is this ultimately going to be a paid application?
You know like:
5.99/mo
4.79/mo
1.99/mo
What's our deductible? :0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the application will be free. And no deductible that I know of
It looks interesting but what you should definitely not miss is the T9 dialer. The way you can find contact by typing their name directly from the dialer is the only feature that makes me stay on 1.5. I tried other apps from the Market but nothing could match HTC's Sense UI dialer. If you can bring something clean similar to this I'm sold!
Another question for the community. Are there any features you are not seeing in the AddressBook that you would like to see, things that would make this app a must have?
Great work on the app. After using the app for a few days the main reason I stopped us using it was the user interface. Its not horrible but compared to everything else on the phone, it looks a bit outdated (quality wise). Other then the ui, it can be sluggish at times but nice work.
DesertWolf1971 said:
Another question for the community. Are there any features you are not seeing in the AddressBook that you would like to see, things that would make this app a must have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Darvo is absolutely correct. The T9 dialer is something that is sorely missing from most builds. I think it would especially appeal to stock users as well as those running cooked roms. I have been searching for a reliable answer to this outside of a Sense UI but haven't found anything that I'll stand by 100%.
Thank you .........
I appreciate your effort with AddressBook; however:
I find it extremely inappropriate and invasive that the app immediately syncs my contacts upon install to -- where? your servers?
There should be a clear warning that this is about to happen!
Please delete my data from your servers!
Also, the 'delete all' function on your site does not work, at least not with Safari. I 'moved' all to the 'delete' column on right, but clicking on 'delete selected' does nothing.
And with Chrome I couldn't even log in. Got some error about 'src' and try the support page.
I am sorry that app is frustrating you. There is a screen during setup that lets you know about the backup. This function can be turned off in the app. If you give me your user name I will delete your account from the database. The back up is meant to protect your contacts in the case that you loose your phone or get a new one. As for browser support, right now we are only supporting IE and Firefox. Again sorry the app is frustrating for you.
Great app!
I really like and appreciate this app. The 2 biggest features that drew me to waste countless hours playing w/ hero roms on my mytouch were hero's T9 dialer, and the social integration. I'll 3rd the motion for a T9 dialer in your app. No complaints otherwise. Bravo - and thanks for the great app.
P.S. Backup to server is a bit redundant in my opinion, because your contacts already sync w/ your Google acct - but, to each is own. I might be missing an advantage to it anyway. I just opted not to use it.
And props for soliciting feedback here in the forum - where the REAL users are.
DesertWolf1971 said:
There is a screen during setup that lets you know about the backup. This function can be turned off in the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Because I can see in the options where to change the time and frequency of the sync, but I don't see how to disable syncing altogether. Maybe I'm just missing something?
Good catch, looks like there is a bug, you should be able to set it to not backup. We will work to get that fix in.
I have been playing around with the Hero, but I am not sure I have found the T9 dialer, what does it do?
Feedback
I've been following this app since it first arrived, and I must say bravo for doing what only HTC dared to attempt. It works well, too, except for a few things.
1. It may SEEM that scrolling smoothness isn't that important. Ask Apple, they'll tell you the truth: Its the only thing the masses give a Sh&% about, how something looks. So imitate the apple or hero contact style, because the one here is rough but needs only an easy fix! Smooth scrolling and better "sleek" colors. Same for the dialer.
2. It seems to run too often in the background, which slows my phone seemingly, no matter how often i taskiller it.
Eagerly awaiting the next release...
Longtime winmo user with t-mobile since mda vario so have gotten used to tweaking the registry direct and finding/installing ARM cabs off the internet, but as Android seems to be the way to go i feel now is a good time to take the plunge, so just a few noob questions about android to make me feel at ease
#1 Can you save direct from the browser files such as mp3s zips rars etc to be viewed later? having used a friends iPhone i noticed it streamed music and video files rather than a save as option.
#2 Do you have control of the directory structure eg a form of file explorer,so you can rearrange where things are located on your device or card.
#3 given I'm not very likely to mess around with roms and the like, and this phone has htc's sense front end, will I find the migration from the HD2s interface to the sensation easy? i love all the Facebook, YouTube and twitter integration so I'm hoping it will all be there in some form or another.
I realise a lot of this is subjective and rather depends on the individual, but I would appreciate feedback on these less techie issues, as im more likely to base my upgrade on functionality than specification.
cheers!
major_otaku said:
Longtime winmo user with t-mobile since mda vario so have gotten used to tweaking the registry direct and finding/installing ARM cabs off the internet, but as Android seems to be the way to go i feel now is a good time to take the plunge, so just a few noob questions about android to make me feel at ease
#1 Can you save direct from the browser files such as mp3s zips rars etc to be viewed later? having used a friends iPhone i noticed it streamed music and video files rather than a save as option.
#2 Do you have control of the directory structure eg a form of file explorer,so you can rearrange where things are located on your device or card.
#3 given I'm not very likely to mess around with roms and the like, and this phone has htc's sense front end, will I find the migration from the HD2s interface to the sensation easy? i love all the Facebook, YouTube and twitter integration so I'm hoping it will all be there in some form or another.
I realise a lot of this is subjective and rather depends on the individual, but I would appreciate feedback on these less techie issues, as im more likely to base my upgrade on functionality than specification.
cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) yes
2) yes (Astro File manager works very well)
3) you shouldnt have a problem making the transition.
I'd like to add in a questions since I'm doing the exact same thing (MDA>Tilt>TP2>HD2).
Is there any way to backup my text messages to my PC & read them from there? I currently use Jeyo Mobile Extender to back up my HD2s texts to Outlook & can read them there.
Also, I use Outlook to sync my calendar & contacts, is it an easy transition from this to using Google? I've seen how you can use the HTC Sync program to sync with Outlook but that doesn't look as easy as using Active Sync/WMDC
When I used WinMo/Outlook last (2008), I imported my contacts directly into Google. A search will get you multiple ways I'm sure.
Handcent is widely considered the best replacement SMS client on Android, and it offers some cloud features for SMS.
Alternately, you could port your number to Google Voice or simply use Voice for all of your SMS needs so it's all managed withing the Android app and available on the web.
There are many SMS backup app utilities also.
Ok more questions.
-How easy/hard is it to change the various icons & stuff in Android. I currently use DINIK's custom just about everything on WM6.5 & would like to do something similar in Android.
-Can the camera timestamp pics on the image like in WM?
-If you add a birthday to a Contact & sync does it automatically add it to the Calendar (& put it all the way back to the year) like in WM?
I may have more. Also, sorry OP for hijacking your thread.
I've never seen a reason to change any of the icons in Android. The stock Android icons are just fine, and Sense might change that. Can't answer that one.
I'm not sure why you'd want to put a timestamp on the actual photo. All of that information is in the EXIF data embedded in the .jpg. My Nexus One has no apparent means of adding the timestamp, but there are many, many camera applications available and I'm sure it's a feature elsewhere. Also, the Sensation might not use the Android camera, and that feature could be present in an HTC camera.
I always did like the birthday thing in WM, and I've not fiddled with it enough to see if that's a feature that has been retained. The stock Android calendar widget is crap, as it's only one event per day, so perhaps Sense and/or a Calendar app, of which there are many, can facilitate this.
(As I said, I've used WM6 in the past, but it's been a while. My Herald with WM6.5 was okay, but the last time I used it as a primary phone was November 2008 on the MDA.)
I understand all the info in in the EXIF data, but I do like having the timestamp so I can see the date of the pic right away.
So the stock Calendar app kinda sucks huh? Hmm I'll have to look in to that when I get this phone. I rely on this app a lot for reminders of birthdays, bills, tasks, etc.
As for the icons, I'm just curious. WMs icons sucked (as everyone knows) so of course everyone wanted them changed. I'd just like to know that the option is there for Android in case I want to do it.
Fair enough.
The calendar app is decent, and you can set alarms and notifications with ease. One of the greatest things about the Google integration is that your changes done on the device or web are synchronized, which I'm certain you're aware of.
The Calendar widget is my complaint. You can have 10 events happening on a day and it'll only display one of them. Not two, or an indicator that there are more events to be seen. One.
There are other free and paid calendar widgets that make this much less an issue.
Google app icons are, like most things Google, simple and effective.
kampf said:
The Calendar widget is my complaint. You can have 10 events happening on a day and it'll only display one of them. Not two, or an indicator that there are more events to be seen. One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah ok, thanks for the clarification. Sadly WM is the same way but the mod Cookie's Home Tab was able to fix that & let's you decide how many to show. I guess I'll have to find a replacement.
I'm actually shocked people still use winmo on HD2. Android is a breath of fresh air.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
I tried it once, couldn't get the MMS settings to stick & just forgot about it. I like WM6.5 but I'm ready for an OS that still has support for new stuff.
Another question: my girlfriend has the MyTouch4G. I've noticed the screen doesn't turn on when receiving a text message. Is this standard on Android? Is there anyway to fix that?
Also, for the MMS settings on hers, there's no way to choose how to download the pic. With WM on my HD2 it gives you the option of original resolution & other, smaller ones. Is there a way to do that in Android as well?
The MT4G has some serious tweaks to it, but the SMS behavior is probably normal. I recommend Hancent again because not only does it wake and notify, but you can send a reply without unlocking the screen, though it does not unlock the device.
MMS saving is pretty much save-what-you-get, which sometimes is not that large. There are also MMS-saving apps.
xnifex said:
I tried it once, couldn't get the MMS settings to stick & just forgot about it. I like WM6.5 but I'm ready for an OS that still has support for new stuff.
Another question: my girlfriend has the MyTouch4G. I've noticed the screen doesn't turn on when receiving a text message. Is this standard on Android? Is there anyway to fix that?
Also, for the MMS settings on hers, there's no way to choose how to download the pic. With WM on my HD2 it gives you the option of original resolution & other, smaller ones. Is there a way to do that in Android as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If she is on stock? The stock screen turns on briefly then turns off. The mms setting is weird it took me awhile to find out how to do it. You don't click the picture you click and hold slightly above it and then there is an option to save.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
MaxReality said:
I'm actually shocked people still use winmo on HD2. Android is a breath of fresh air.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty much a stickler for stock roms. i know, call me old fashioned but I'm probably going to mess about with my HD2 once it isn't my only phone
major_otaku said:
I'm pretty much a stickler for stock roms. i know, call me old fashioned but I'm probably going to mess about with my HD2 once it isn't my only phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair play. what got my goat, was windows mobile has been out for a looong time. And it didn't really change much. then iphone came along, with a million quality apps, and nothing really changed with winmo. and then Android came along with a million free apps, and after a while in the UK we got the Marketplace in the UK with, erm about 8 apps, and then they charged you like £20!
After playing with these other phones, as soon as a reliable android rom became available, I gave winmo the 2 fingers. I've used them for 10 years, so have a right to be miffed. But yeah, roms not designed for the device were flakey. and like you I prob won't mess with my next phone.
Was just shocked that people stuck to winmo, with there being an alternative, - unlimited amount of android fun.
Anyone not used these android phones will be blown away with the amount of free useful and gimmicky apps.
kampf said:
MMS saving is pretty much save-what-you-get, which sometimes is not that large. There are also MMS-saving apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it sucks. I'll send her a pic from the HD2 & when she gets it it's been shrunk down a lot. When she sends me a picture it's still fairly big because of the setting on WM.
Killbynature said:
If she is on stock? The stock screen turns on briefly then turns off. The mms setting is weird it took me awhile to find out how to do it. You don't click the picture you click and hold slightly above it and then there is an option to save.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not the saving that I'm worried about, it's the fact that pics that I send her that should be a lot bigger are shrunk down in size. If someone sends me a pic, I want it to be as big as possible & not be messed with before it gets to me.
major_otaku said:
I'm pretty much a stickler for stock roms. i know, call me old fashioned but I'm probably going to mess about with my HD2 once it isn't my only phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I like stock ROMs. The 3.14 ROM is nice & I have it set up perfectly with CHT. I'm going to do the same thing tho with my HD2 once I get the Sensation.
There's no good reason to use MMS between you two. Get Dropbox accounts and share a folder. Upload photos there and they're full size and accessible anywhere.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
yeah but there's still a reason to MMS between me & my mother/sister/brother/buddy/friends that don't have Android phones.
Your reasoning is kinda like the reason Apple kept MMS out of the iPhone for so long: they thought it wasn't needed because you can just email it. Sorry but MMS will be around for a bit.
Oh man, good on you for reminding me of how Apple resisted MMS for so long. Heck, most people forget that the iPhone HAD NO APPS for a year after it was released.
@OP
Are you looking about upgrading to the Sensation, or is this about android on the HD2
If it isn't about the sensation, do you mind if I move this to HD2 Android.
Hey all,
I’m thinking of switching from my Galaxy SII to a Windows Phone 7 based phone. As of now, the switch is temporary till SIII comes out but maybe who knows if I like it, I might just stick to WP7 after all.
Major usage of my phone is in Emailing, Messaging, VOIP, Calls, Navigation, Music, Browsing and News reading. I’m dependant on the following apps on the Android :
Swype
Google Reader
Gmail
Google Docs
Google Maps
Google Talk
YouTube
Any.do (Task management Application)
Dropbox
Polaris Office (Full fledged document editor)
IMO (Multi-messenger)
Skype
Teamviewer (Remote desktop)
My Data Manager (App to keep a track on bandwidth consumption)
and some less frequently used :
Zedge (just an easy to use source for wallpapers and ringtones)
SoundHound
Facebook
So given the above usage pattern and apps that I’m on dependant on, do you think I could switch to WP7 painlessly ? Are there any alternatives available for my apps ? (Swype or something similar is a must)
Couple of more queries..
Also, I’m thinking of getting the Samsung Focus so if I get an unclocked device would there be a possible scare of getting it locked again once I update the firmware (either officially or custom) ?
How is the battery life on the Focus ?
I am not much aware of Sideloading/Jailbreaking of a WP7 device and the Custom ROM scene , is it similar to Android ?
Can I debrand Focus or should I consider Omnia 7 instead ? (I’d prefer Focus as its thinner than Omnia)
What is the best ROM out there and when updating to a newer ROM does it wipes all the data ?
Is there any lag in the phone ? Maybe after installing too many apps (like how some Android phones lag)
Is multi-tasking experience (apps/services running in the background) similar to Android ?
are there any other limitations worth mentioning on WP7 / Samsung Focus?
and what about the plus side of WP7 when comparing to iOS and Android ?
Thanks
There is currently nothing remotely similar to Swype on WP7.
WP7, currently being a closed OS, does not have the option of swapping the native keypad for a Swype version. There's an app called Slyde that attempts to be like Swype, but it cannot until the ecosystem changes.
You will have access to document editing for Word and Excel docs via Office. It's quite handy, especially being able to pin files to your home screen.
Dropbox isn't so dandy yet, IIRC, but you will have access to 25GB of SkyDrive storage.
With what you've mentioned, I'm not sure WP7 will be a smooth transition for you. It's definitely worth a shot to see if you might like it, but will take some getting used to. See what you can live with and what would be a deal breaker.
The WP7 software keyboard is much nicer than I expected, expecially on a largish phone (I have an HD7) but it's true that there's currently no Swype or equivalent available.
There are lots of Google Reader apps available, some quite good.
Gmail integrates pretty well with the phone when you add a Google account. My phone is the primary way I access my Gmail now.
You might be able to access Google Docs through the web browser; I haven't tried. For actually reading and editing Microsoft Office documents, Office Mobile wors very well indeed.
Google Maps is available (via apps, or somewhat awkwardly via the web); Bing Maps is built into the phone and works well for me.
There are IM clients that support GTalk on the phone, but the only messenger network currently built into the phone is Live. That said, IM+ handles my GTalk-using friends very well.
There are a multitude of YouTube apps. You can also use HTML5 on YouTube via the browser just fine.
I don't know Any.do. There are a lot of task management apps on WP7, but I don't know how they compare.
Not sure how good Dropbox access is on the phone (obviously, you can download via the browser, and there are apps which use it as a way to transfer data, but I've never looked for a real DropBox client).
I would be quite shocked if Polaris Office is more full-fledged than Office on WP7. It's not impossible, but for a phone-based office suite it would be very impressive.
I don't know IMO, but there are a number of multi-network IM clients on WP7. My preferred choice is IM+ but that's just personal preference.
Skype is (finally) coming to WP7. The current app is actually pretty good, and it's still in beta. Considering MS now owns Skype, the future for Skype on WP7 should be very good.
I don't know if TeamViewer is available for WP7 yet. Remote Desktop (as in, Terminal Services Client, the built-in Windows feature) is, though... Also, SSH clients.
T-Mobile provides an app for tracking usage for my phone. I don't know what's availble for whatever carrier you'd be on.
There are a couple of cool apps that provide wallpapers and ringtones, with frequent updates (weekly or more). Never heard of Zedge, though.
There's a SoundHound-like feature built into WP7. Shazam is also available. SoundHound might be; I'm not sure.
Facebook is definitely available (both as OS integration, and through a now very good app).
Responses to a few select questions:
3. The homebrew and custom ROM scene is smaller than Android (though growing) but the Focus (gen1 phone, not the Focus S or Focus Flash) does support "interop-unlock" hacks through WindowBreak, can run WP7 Root Tools (run any app with full privileges, under your control though), and has custom ROMs.
4. If for some reason you get a branded Focus, yes, it can be de-branded. I'm not convinced that it's a good idea to do so (without just installing a custom ROM or some such anyhow) but it's possible. The update story on WP7 is generally much better than on Android, and you can force updates anyhow if the carrier is taking too long. Not many other reasons to debrand are coming to mind...
5. I can't answer the first part, but as for the second, yes you will completely erase the phone when installing a custom ROM. If you want to do so, I suggest making it one of the first things you do (this will save on trying to back up and later restore things, which - aside from contacts and media files - sadly is not automatic on WP7).
6. No. There are a number of technical reasons, but the simple fact is that a single-core 1GHz WP7 device has a significantly smoother UI than a (for example) 1.5GHz Android device. Since apps are *extremely* limited on what they can do in the background (by default), there's no risk of them slowing the phone's UI down no matter how many you install.
7. Not really. It's much closer to Apple's approach. The advantages are better battery life and no lag. The disadvantages are that apps pretty much can't do anything real-time while backgrounded, and need to resume (although it's very fast on apps built for Mango or later) when returned to the foreground. You can switch between apps quickly, though.
8. SD cards don't work the same as on Android. They are used for permanent increases to device storage. You can't use them to transfer data onto or off of the phone, and if you want to add or remove/replace one, you'll need to hard-reset the phone. That's the main thing not already mentioned that an Android user might find odd. Oh, and stock ROMs don't allow replacing things like the dialer and such (you can install alternates, you just can't replace the built-in one completely).
9. Faster, and smoother UI (even with theoretically slower hardware). Essentially no risk of malware from the Marketplace (apps are checked before approval). Timely updates, even for older phones (of course, "older" for WP7 only means about 18 months so far). Xbox Live games. Zune Pass streaming (costs money but it's awesome). Great integration with Facebook (pretty good with Twitter and can pull LinkedIn contacts, too). Excellent email and calendar, especially if you use any Exchange servers. Hardware-accelerated rendering in the browser. Consistent UI style in apps. All phones have very similar hardware specs, so fragmentation is not a problem. Live Tiles are great for at-a-glance info, and the app list is (for me) much clearer to use than the "grid of icons". Dedicated double-action camera button and dedicated rocker buttons. Local Scout is a pretty cool built-in feature. Really good developer tools make writing apps very easy and quick.
I'm sure there's a lot more, but it's 5AM and I need to sleep.
Swype -None, WP7 native keyboard prediction works impressively!
Google Reader - 6 or more apps available. Fuse seems to be popular.
Gmail - Syncs natively without any glitch.
Google Docs - You might have to save your docs onto Skydrive which integrates natively on the WP7 (free 25GB storage too!)
Google Maps - GMaps Pro or Bingle maps. But Bing works fine, integrated too.
Google Talk - IM+
YouTube - YouTube Pro or Prime Tube.
Any.do (Task management Application) - don't know this app's functionality.
Dropbox - BoxShot for Dropbox, 3rd party client, works without any issues for me.
Polaris Office (Full fledged document editor) - I've heard of this one. But Office built-in won't make you feel the need of Polaris. However, what sort of editing do you normally do?
IMO (Multi-messenger) - again IM+ (?)
Skype - there is a beta that won't run in background, but otherwise very much working, excellent call quality. It should come as an app in a month or two and hopefully integrated with Apollo (rumour).
Teamviewer (Remote desktop) - RemoteDesktop7
My Data Manager (App to keep a track on bandwidth consumption)- Very limited apps, one that might work is - Call Credits, but never tried it. Only read a review.
Zedge (just an easy to use source for wallpapers and ringtones) - Plenty of these sort of apps and can easily sync other websites too other than Zedge. Ringtones is an app that uses 3 different clients in a single app.
SoundHound - Yes, you won't need it though, music search is inbuilt.
Facebook - Yes inbuilt and there is an app.
Plus side of any windows phone in my opinion is, it's rapidly developing new platform which is a fresh UI, security is top-notch, integration works well, it's never frozen on me, I did not have to restart my phone once in last 7 months of using it, Zune and Xbox integration is amazing if you are a music freak or a gamer, 25GB of Skydrive access from your phone for documents, pics, music streaming - will only get better once you start using it. Integrated Bing maps, local scout, music discovery and search, accessing camera without unlocking the phone, search from lockscreen etc.
"You don't need an app for this or that and it just works!"
GoodDayToDie said:
Responses to a few select questions:
The disadvantages are that apps pretty much can't do anything real-time while backgrounded, and need to resume (although it's very fast on apps built for Mango or later) when returned to the foreground. You can switch between apps quickly, though.
I'm sure there's a lot more, but it's 5AM and I need to sleep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the indepth response, it cleared a lot.
When you say that apps can't do pretty much anything, I hope at least apps like IM+ and Whatsapp can retrieve and send messages in the background.
drupad2drupad said:
Polaris Office (Full fledged document editor) - I've heard of this one. But Office built-in won't make you feel the need of Polaris. However, what sort of editing do you normally do?
Plus side of any windows phone in my opinion is, it's rapidly developing new platform which is a fresh UI, security is top-notch, integration works well, it's never frozen on me, I did not have to restart my phone once in last 7 months of using it, Zune and Xbox integration is amazing if you are a music freak or a gamer, 25GB of Skydrive access from your phone for documents, pics, music streaming - will only get better once you start using it. Integrated Bing maps, local scout, music discovery and search, accessing camera without unlocking the phone, search from lockscreen etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sometimes edit Word and PPTs on the move.
Not much but basic formatting in word and the ability to edit the layout and slide design is what I need.
Yeah thats the most exciting part of WP7. Its a rapidly developing platform and on top there's gonna be a unification of the mobile and desktop OS. I hope they build a deep seamless integration between the two and they play well with each other.
anseio said:
There's an app called Slyde that attempts to be like Swype, but it cannot until the ecosystem changes.
With what you've mentioned, I'm not sure WP7 will be a smooth transition for you. It's definitely worth a shot to see if you might like it, but will take some getting used to. See what you can live with and what would be a deal breaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't find any info on Slyde app ?
Well, the responses here have cleared a lot for me. I m definitely gonna give it a shot. Now my only gripe is Swype, I'm far too dependent on that. I hope there is something out there in the homebrew community.
Btw, is there a possibility that the current generation phones would get the WP8 update ? Well there are rumors that it wouldn't but then Windows Tango is primarily being released to make sure WP7 can run on lower spec devices.
It is confirmed all WP models will get Apollo update will pretty much be like with iOS some features will not be available. The next major update is no promise but that is over 2 years so if you have not updated your phone by then not much can be said.
tricurious said:
I couldn't find any info on Slyde app ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad. It's called Slydr, not Slyde.
It is NOTHING like Swype. Since it cannot replace the native keyboard, in order to use it you have launch the app, type what you want, put it on the clipboard or choose an option to send it as sms or email.
It does not work from within SMS or email, so replying while using slydr will mean that you have to leave the message, open the app, type what you what, copy it, return to the email using back arrow long press and then paste.
Looking forward to the options that WP8 may make for.
IM+ and Whatsapp and the like can use Push Notifications to receive messages while the app is not in the the foreground. Technically it's not the app doing the receiving (it's not running); instead the app tells the OS to listen for messages from a specific server, and to mark them as being intended for that app. When the messages arrive, the phone will display a notification and, if the app's tile is pinned to the Start screen, can also show a number of waiting notifications (typically, the number of messages received). When the app is run again (either resumed, or launched anew, or launched directly by tapping on a notification "toast" popup) the app will check with its server for all the messages that arrived while it was "out".
The overall effect is very much like the app continuing to receive messages in the background, except in weird edge cases (for example, if you try to resume the app while there's no data connection available, it won't be able to retrieve the messages that arrived earlier). On the plus side, the push notification system is much easier on the battery than almost any third-party app running in the background would be. It is technically possible to have apps actually run in the background (there are a couple ways, with varying degrees of official support and different limitations) but the battery hit for doing so tends to be pretty harsh (one reason why Android has a reputation for awful battery life).
Everybody is welcome to post their opinions but flame is against the forum rules.
PLEASE USE REPORT BUTTON.
I see that the HTC First will be more integrated into the notification system of Android. Will ROM makers be able to make these higher level integrations on their ROMs, or is this specific to individual devices, like PhotoSphere?
Probably way too early in the game for such. Don't know much about it yet but it seems Facebook Home is deeply integrated into the OS (with respect to the First), mainly in the form of a launcher. However, HTC/Facebook states the First comes "preinstalled" with Home so maybe they will be releasing a stand alone launcher for other phones.
zhp pilot said:
Probably way too early in the game for such. Don't know much about it yet but it seems Facebook Home is deeply integrated into the OS (with respect to the First), mainly in the form of a launcher. However, HTC/Facebook states the First comes "preinstalled" with Home so maybe they will be releasing a stand alone launcher for other phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand, the idea is to have a standalone launcher serperate from the Facebook and Messenger apps, in case you don't want the launcher. But if you get the launcher, it also includes a universal messenger for Facebook and SMS. The "deep integration" on the First is for notifications only, and the way the OS handles them.
I read an article stating the First will have a way of uninstalling the app so you have a stock OS.