Database Info

Multitask like pre

Hi everyone,
A friend of mine just got a Palm pre plus. Nice phone, not bad at all. I still prefer my Nexus but one tool really did caught my eye on the Palm.
The multitasking ability is wonderfull on the Pre. the ability to view small windows of every tasks you are running, moving left of right to switch and up to close/kill an app is just plain awesome.
I know jailbroken Iphone can download a similar app through cydia. So if the Iphone can do it, Why can't I find anything alike for Android?
That would be a great app that for sure many would download as it is just nice looking.
thanks a lot for reading.
Aeonys

Aeonys said:
Hi everyone,
A friend of mine just got a Palm pre plus. Nice phone, not bad at all. I still prefer my Nexus but one tool really did caught my eye on the Palm.
The multitasking ability is wonderfull on the Pre. the ability to view small windows of every tasks you are running, moving left of right to switch and up to close/kill an app is just plain awesome.
I know jailbroken Iphone can download a similar app through cydia. So if the Iphone can do it, Why can't I find anything alike for Android?
That would be a great app that for sure many would download as it is just nice looking.
thanks a lot for reading.
Aeonys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would love love love this.

That would be way cool Been wanting something like that for a while now

You mean a task switcher
And yes, would be a nice feature

Aeonys said:
Hi everyone,
A friend of mine just got a Palm pre plus. Nice phone, not bad at all. I still prefer my Nexus but one tool really did caught my eye on the Palm.
The multitasking ability is wonderfull on the Pre. the ability to view small windows of every tasks you are running, moving left of right to switch and up to close/kill an app is just plain awesome.
I know jailbroken Iphone can download a similar app through cydia. So if the Iphone can do it, Why can't I find anything alike for Android?
That would be a great app that for sure many would download as it is just nice looking.
thanks a lot for reading.
Aeonys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can simply long press the home button. It's not all your running tasks, just your six most recently executed applications. It's not nearly as cool of an interface as the Palm Pre may have, but it effectively does the same thing. For killing processes I recommend Advanced Task Manager.
I'm sure we'll have a similar interface on stock Android in future releases. 2.5 perhaps?

@mhaedo:
Thanks for the tip! I tried it and it aint bad.
I already had Commantalb and ES task manager.
Both of them and this trick do partly what I ask (and other too.)
Check out the proswitcher on youtube. I'm sure it ain't too hard to have an app running in the back that shows up like commantab show you the windows let you kill them with a vertical slide, etc.
If I wait for this to happen on android 3.1 I may as well buy an Iphone (oh dear no way!)...

Proswitcher looks fantastic.

Now that we have a phone with some decent power, I'd love to see a graphical task switching app with thumbnails and gestures like this!

Aeonys said:
@mhaedo:
Thanks for the tip! I tried it and it aint bad.
I already had Commantalb and ES task manager.
Both of them and this trick do partly what I ask (and other too.)
Check out the proswitcher on youtube. I'm sure it ain't too hard to have an app running in the back that shows up like commantab show you the windows let you kill them with a vertical slide, etc.
If I wait for this to happen on android 3.1 I may as well buy an Iphone (oh dear no way!)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having used the two multitasking solutions available on cydia (multifl0w and kirkae) I can report that they are buggy at best. In theory it works well but in practice, I often had apps crash when backgrounded (pandora was a fine example of this). The phone was not meant for it and could barely support it.
Using backgrounder alone with pandora worked well most of the time but even then pandora would close.
Personally, I have no real compelling interest in a pre-esque multitasking ability on the n1 but if someone came out with one, I would definitely try it out for no other reason than "why not".

coming from a 3gs and having used mquickdo and kirikae, I also would like to see how the n1 would handle task switching.
yep, backgrounding + task switching via card view on the iphone (specially through kirikae) was nice to have and would like to see how a similar solution would operate on the n1 - which supports unfettered multitasking out of the box.
aside from task switching, i would really like to have a nice way to invoke favorite, instead of recently used apps.

You're gonna end up with like....8 million cards when you want to switch.

aleitry said:
coming from a 3gs and having used mquickdo and kirikae, I also would like to see how the n1 would handle task switching.
yep, backgrounding + task switching via card view on the iphone (specially through kirikae) was nice to have and would like to see how a similar solution would operate on the n1 - which supports unfettered multitasking out of the box.
aside from task switching, i would really like to have a nice way to invoke favorite, instead of recently used apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you want to use a set of favourites, why not just make the "home" desktop where you keep your favourites? Seems to satisfy that ask, no?

deprecate said:
if you want to use a set of favourites, why not just make the "home" desktop where you keep your favourites? Seems to satisfy that ask, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop being so logical.

aleitry said:
i would really like to have a nice way to invoke favorite, instead of recently used apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can create a folder on your home screen, name it favorites, then dump shortcuts of all your favorite, top 5 or top 10 apps in there.

legitimate suggestions and really i'm in no way being critical about current support for folders or shortcuts. pre like task switching or swipe-to-invoke features would be cool - but not necessary. bottom line - my n1 runs circles around my 3gs - without jbreaking.

deprecate said:
Having used the two multitasking solutions available on cydia (multifl0w and kirkae) I can report that they are buggy at best. In theory it works well but in practice, I often had apps crash when backgrounded (pandora was a fine example of this). The phone was not meant for it and could barely support it.
Using backgrounder alone with pandora worked well most of the time but even then pandora would close.
Personally, I have no real compelling interest in a pre-esque multitasking ability on the n1 but if someone came out with one, I would definitely try it out for no other reason than "why not".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree with you on this Sir. proswitcher and Multiflow are both apps made by some user to compensate a HUGE lack in the Iphone. They are comparable to Cyanogen making multitouch on the Nexus (on the video it was shaky and unprecise at best). Besides, they can hardly work well because of the phone's design (solo tasking).
Now you've got the Nexus: Lots of power, and able to multitask. So with such a device I don't think it would be SOOOOO complicated to actually make a switching feature like it exists with great success on the Palm PRE.
I had to spend quite a long while the first time on my wife's Iphone just to get Proswitcher (unlock/root/blackstuff/cydia/backgrounder/proswitcher/settings) to get this important app: because quite frankly, yes it's buggy but it's awesome to be ABLE to do more than 1 thing at the same time like looking for apps and installing apps for example... My Pal who's got the PRE now has this feature built it. His PRE is nice, no offense, but the Nexus kills it. This feature would be one of the only thing I'm really jealous about.

lol from the dev of ProSwitcher when asked about making a similar app for Android.
chpwn
@xManMythLegend If you send me an Android phone, sure, but I don't own any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

proswitcher is sooo cool its almost sickening! our n1's can run x2 amount of apps as the iphone and yet we only get to switch between the most recent 6?! thats weak! i bet if we keep this thread alive (and on topic) we can see some development. lets see what dev is up to the challenge. i would definitely pay for something like this!

your posts needs some clearing up.
Iman07 said:
our n1's can run x2 amount of apps as the iphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
N1 can run not just x2 amount of apps as the iphone. More, way more...prob more near 10? 20? obviously depending on the app itself.
Iman07 said:
yet we only get to switch between the most recent 6?! thats weak!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are able to switch between any open apps by loading up the app again from either the drawer or any shortcuts you've made. I understand you may mean by touch holding the home button but tbh its far far easier to press home once and nav to your app, and having it open instantly. Rather than sifting through pages to find it.

m00moo said:
your posts needs some clearing up.
N1 can run not just x2 amount of apps as the iphone. More, way more...prob more near 10? 20? obviously depending on the app itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was basing it solely on the fact that our N1's have twice as much RAM as the iPhone, 512 vs 256 respectively. Of course it depends on size of the app but it wasnt meant to be scrutinized over.
m00moo said:
We are able to switch between any open apps by loading up the app again from either the drawer or any shortcuts you've made. I understand you may mean by touch holding the home button but tbh its far far easier to press home once and nav to your app, and having it open instantly. Rather than sifting through pages to find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I do mean by holding the home button, but I find it more work to have to open the app drawer and sift through my 100 apps, though alphabetical, can be cumbersome. To each his own though.
Still would love to see a more effective and efficient method of switching between apps than the obvious (placing shortcuts on the desktop), sifting through app cards is cooler than sifting through the app drawer. Perhaps if the cards were limited to a certain number so it doesnt get out of hand. Who knows!

[Q] New to Android; need customization tutorial

Longtime WinMo user (now with TP2). Just bought each kid an Android phone.
Been using XDA for a long time to modify my WinMo, add apps, etc...
Not familiar with the Android OS lingo and need to bone up so I can hook my kids up with some cool stuff
Did SEARCH but didn't find specific thread to read. Little help?

DLTempler said:
Longtime WinMo user (now with TP2). Just bought each kid an Android phone.
Been using XDA for a long time to modify my WinMo, add apps, etc...
Not familiar with the Android OS lingo and need to bone up so I can hook my kids up with some cool stuff
Did SEARCH but didn't find specific thread to read. Little help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well..
With android (especially with HTC Sense, HTC's UI) you can add plenty of little things to customize your phone. From the top
You can move application icons from page to page on the homescreen along with widgets. to add an application to the homescreen you can open the app drawer/list and longpress it and drag it to the homescreen. Once on the homescreen you can move it around.
Along with Apps you can add widgets to the homescreen, a widget is an app that runs in the homescreen it can do things like display a news ticker, enable/disable settings (power control widget), and other things like play music and search boxes. these can be very useful for getting a quick glance at information without opening up the app.
To change the background you can longpress the homescreen and select wallpapers.
If your phone supports it you can use live wallpapers, search for them on the market or on XDA.
One tip is dont install lots of apps! dont go and download every app you see it will slow down your phone, also dont use task managers as it messes with android native application closing process.
Also the biggest customization of all if your phone is rooted (IE: full permissions and access to the system) and has a hacked bootloader you can load custom roms that are themed or have a big performance boost.
Best of luck!
If you have any questions PM me and I will be glad to help!

Thanks
I spent the weekend tearing through other forums
Found a program called Sideload Wonder Machine that allows apk files to be put into the Aria without having to "root" the phone or otherwise dcik around with it. Worked pretty good after I found the USB Driver to sync it up with my laptop. that was a bit of a process in and of itself.
At the end of the day (weekend) I didn't really find too much to load into the phone that was not already available at the droid market. Swype, yes, but not for this phone. Loaded F-Secure anti-theft too but that, too, is not for this phone.
I am not sure how business savvy these droids can be but they are cool. Kids love them. The UI operates much like the iPhone and much less like WinMo.
I'll keep dciking around with it and see what happens. Thanks again.

DLTempler said:
Thanks
I spent the weekend tearing through other forums
Found a program called Sideload Wonder Machine that allows apk files to be put into the Aria without having to "root" the phone or otherwise dcik around with it. Worked pretty good after I found the USB Driver to sync it up with my laptop. that was a bit of a process in and of itself.
At the end of the day (weekend) I didn't really find too much to load into the phone that was not already available at the droid market. Swype, yes, but not for this phone. Loaded F-Secure anti-theft too but that, too, is not for this phone.
I am not sure how business savvy these droids can be but they are cool. Kids love them. The UI operates much like the iPhone and much less like WinMo.
I'll keep dciking around with it and see what happens. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They can be quite business oriented (IE: Exchange, Calendars, Productivity Apps) If you want help PM me
Cheers,
Cap'n Krtek

Captainkrtek said:
They can be quite business oriented (IE: Exchange, Calendars, Productivity Apps) If you want help PM me
Cheers,
Cap'n Krtek
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree dont let the inteface fool you, android works as a tool just as well as winmo if not better

An Open and Honest Review of the HTC Arrive & Windows Phone 7

To begin, I am/was a "fanboy" of Windows and Windows Mobile. My first "smartphone" was the Toshiba 2032 running Windows Mobile 5. My next phone was a PPC-6700 using Windows Mobile 5 and my last phone was the PPC-6800 using Windows Mobile 6.1. I honestly detest the iPhone and Mac computers and go out of my way to stay clear of those "popular" items. I'm not even a fan of the Android operating system. I played on it for a while and it seemed "meh" to me. What I was looking for was an "iPhone Killer" in the HTC Arrive with WP7. What I got was the iPhone/Kiddie Phone Light....
Perhaps I had grown too accustomed to the various customization options offered by previous versions of Windows on cell phones. Perhaps Windows Phone 7 has decided to no longer be a "businessman's phone." I understand that the market was for general consumers but to shift so far away from their original product, well that just sucks.
The Good
1. THE SPEED OF THE HTC ARRIVE AND WP7 IS EXCELLENT. Apps load quick and easy and without lag. I am impressed by how quickly my phone restarts once completely shut down. I measured the time it took the PPC-6800 to load the operating system in minutes where the Arrive load time is measured in seconds.
2. THE SMOOTHNESS OF THE SCREEN OPERATION AND WP7. Flicking my thumb, I can quickly scroll across to another page or scroll down a long list of applications installed on my phone. It also works well within applications and using internet explorer.
3. THE MAIN START SCREEN. I like the way almost any app can be pinned to the main start screen for quick and easy access.
4. PLENTY OF PROGRAM MEMORY. I remember how I had to shut down programs on my PPC-6800 in order to conserve memory, especially if I was using Opera 10 for browsing the internet. So far, I have not had any slow-downs or freezes due to have various programs open on my phone.
5. THE PHONE INTERFACE. I like the way the phone works in that the screen goes black when you are using the phone up to your ear so that your cheek, ear, whatever doesn't hit any buttons and when you pull the phone away, it recognizes this and gives you the options to end call or open the keypad.
6. CALLS ARE CRYSTAL CLEAR. So far, the calls have been great, but I've only used it in an office setting or in my vehicle. I have yet to visit a construction jobsite with heavy machinery moving around. I'll see how it works in that scenario soon enough.
7. THE SCREEN. Wow! I love the screen. HD Movies are clear, colors are vibrant, it seems the screen is one of the best features.
8. THE CAMERA. Some may disagree, but I think the camera on this phone is good. Not great, but good. It is good enough to take photos. The only change I would make would be for the camera to remember the previous settings and not default back to 5MP.
The Bad
1. HUGE CHANGE FROM WINDOWS MOBILE. I think the Microsoft Programmers were too influenced by the Apple iOS and Android to stay with what they originally had in terms of "Windows" operating system. The name of the operating system is "Windows" so just keep it with actual windows on the phone. They moved so far away from the standard windows operating system that it isn't even recognizable. Was Windows Mobile really that bad? I was able to be quite productive with WM, let's hope WP7 proves to be the same.
2. CUSTOM OPTIONS. The phone leaves little for customization in terms of giving the user options for color, background, theme or even the transfer of multimedia or files (see Ugly #1). It seems Microsoft has made the statement, "Do it OUR way or not at all!"
3. HARD KEY SENSITIVITY.. I can't count how many times my fingers have accidentally hit the "search, windows, or back" keys on the face of the phone while browsing, texting, or picking up the phone. I like having the keys there, but they are too sensitive to the touch!
4. PHONE VOLUME. The volume maxes out at the number "30" which seems fine for a quite office or home setting but at the gym, driving, outdoors, or at a jobsite, one should be able to crank it louder. I hope HTC or Microsoft can come out with some kind of fix or crack to allow for greater volume on this phone.
5. A KEYBOARD WITH A "SMILIES" BUTTON. Seriously? Is this a kid's phone or an adult's phone. I'm ok with smiley use, but to actually have a key that pops up options for various smilies? My 3 year old daughter uses this, not me. That should have been my first hint that this phone was made more for adolescent teenie-boppers and not a businessman.
6. FORCED INTEGRATION OF CONTACTS. The worst is from Face book directly into the phone. I know I can turn it off when looking at contacts, but why not give me the option to import them or not. There are people that are FB friends that I don't even speak to or haven't spoken to since High School. I should have just downloaded the FB app and skipped logging into the phone's built-in FB app which to me is worthless.
7. NO FOLDERS FOR APPS. At this time, I don't have an overabundance of apps for the phone, but as time goes by, I might have need for more. Why not have folders for apps or the option to place them in folders so that I don't have to scroll down through a long list. Sure, scrolling is quick, but with 100 apps (if possible) it could take a while.
8. PHONE TEMPERATURE. Remember when Dell's laptops would burn people's legs because they became so hot? Well, the HTC Arrive may not cause burns but it is the first smartphone I have experienced that actually radiates heat from the battery compartment. Maybe this is a heat exchange issue to allow the phone to cool off. Maybe it is a big problem to come.
9. BATTERY LIFE. I know many have complimented the battery life of the HTC Arrive but I have to state that it is not as good as it should be. I have to charge the phone at least once a day and it has actually shut down on me twice before I could charge it, whereas the old PPC-6800 gave me plenty of warning before shutting down. I am disappointed with the batter life and will need to purchase a spare for long trips where I can't stop to recharge the phone.
The Ugly
1. TRANSFER OF FILES. Honestly, why are we forced to use Zune to transfer files to WP7? I used a "hack" to allow me to open WP7 in my explorer but now what do I do? Do I just transfer files over? The files on the phone are not in the window so I have no idea where the files are going! And what about "syncing" Word and Excel documents? How do I do that without having to upload them to a skydrive??? I've already had problems trying to transfer a single photo from my computer to my phone. Let me choose how I want to transfer files. I'm not an idiot, I can work with computer hardware and software, I did it flawlessly on WM5 & WM6 but now it seems Microsoft doesn't trust me to do this on my own so I am forced to use Zune!
2. MS EXCHANGE SYNC ISSUES. I am not the only one that cannot sync my e-mail, calendar, or contacts with my Microsoft Exchange Server here at work. I've read numerous items on the net about these issues. I was hoping that a Microsoft Windows Phone 7 would work flawlessly with Microsoft Exchange Server. It used to be a piece of cake to use ActiveSync to establish a physical connection for the option to Sync this data. Why not bring back that option?
3. AUTOMATIC TILT. Honestly, why do I need to have my screen tilt automatically? I understand if I don't slide out the screen all the way I don't have to tilt it, but why not give me the option to tilt like the TP2? HTC really screwed up on this one. In order to type with my thumbs and view the screen in tilt mode, I have to bend my wrists forward to compensate for the angle. What is the reason for the tilt, anyway? The only reason I could come up with for the automatic tilt was to annoy HTC Arrive users so much that they would rather use the onscreen keyboard than to use the physical one. This way, HTC can stop making phones with a physical keyboard which costs more to manufacture in terms of parts and labor!
4. NO REMOVABLE MEMORY CARD. I know one can remove and replace it with skill (at least on the 7 Pro) and with voiding any warranty, but this was one of the WORST ideas yet! After painfully transferring multimedia with Zune and realizing I had to do a hard reset for another reason, I lost all the information that was on the card! At least with the PPC-6800 a hard reset just lost my phone settings and programs but not everything on the memory card!
5. FORCED TO USE ONLY ONE LIVE ACCOUNT. This sucks big time! If you enter a live account and need to change it to another one later (I get waaaay too much spam in my hotmail account - and have turned off syncing with it) one has to do a hard reset on the phone to return it to factory settings and delete everything, including what is on the internal memory card. See #4.
6. NO UPLOADING OF VIDEOS DIRECTLY FROM THE PHONE. Sure, I can upload photos I've taken with the camera but I have to transfer the video to my computer (through Zune, see #1) in order to upload it to Facebook? Honestly, quit treating us like children and let us work with what we know! Microsoft has added yet another barrier/step to a process that used to be so simple!
7. NO 4G, NO EASY ACCESS TO WIFI OPTIONS. I understand that "4G" is possibly on its way out, but why not have the phone have that option. I don't even know if I am getting 3G service with this phone! Also, the ONE thing I would have stolen from the Android OS is the ability to scroll to my left from the start screen and access my communication options, Airplane mode, WiFi, 3G, etc... Having to scroll down numerous apps to get to the phone communication settings is just plain idiotic.
If I were grading the phone I would give it a solid C+. No, I'm not returning it for an Android, I am too much of a Windows user to give this up. I'm not sure how much of a "fix" can be done with some of the issues so I guess I will have to wait for a new phone to come out next year. By comparison, when the HTC PPC-6800 came out, I graded that as a B+/A-.

You said it.
Everything you said is correct. I'm with you. They need to fix all these issues.
I have the Arrive and its like they put us on lock down. They need to unlock this.

I agree with your ideas and i...:
VERY, VERY, VERY UGLY
The phone doesn't have the confortable phonepad of wm6.5 that i could use to get the contact of everybody with some pression.

agree with u on some, disagree on some
overall, i find this an upgrade over my touch pro, but although the execution leaves much to be desired, it's ms's fault, not htc's
u didn't mention a nice feature.
tried sliding out the keyboard when using IE in landscape mode vs using ie in landscape mode without the keyboard slid out?

??????
so what's going on!!!
I really love to work with WM or WP .... but the new htc phones have android...
We can simply write program for WM with Visual Studio . and WM is so user friendly and programmable . I Really need a phone like Htc 7 Pro - but with this OS ....
my previous phones are : K-Jam and Touch Pro -- both of them have keyboard and good style and very very user friendly - Touch pro simply upgrade to WM 6.5 with good Roms Like : Tael Rom ..
maybe they force us to use android ??

Sorry guys. You want endless customization and a huge developer/hacker community, Android is the current platform for that. Android has basically become exactly what WinMo is/was: does a lot, can endlessly modify anything and everything, but user experience is mostly poor.

As far as UI and the complete experience, the Arrive is really the best phone I've seen. It is smooth, intuitive, and just looks great. The style is really unique.
That being said, I will be trading for an Epic tomorrow. While I really like the overall experience on the Arrive, the M$ "branding" really limits it for now. I understand they are trying to get a baseline across all carriers/devices, and it is still an early OS, but this isn't really a "smart" phone as far as I'm concerned.
Coming from WinMo, this phone seems just as useful as an iPhone. No real customization options, no Mass Storage device, no way to even download a file from the internet. IE is not bad(or Cube) but there's not even any other browsers that aren't based on IE yet.
I know it's still early on, but I would rather go with a phone for now that lets me do what I want to do, or can be customized to do so. And can multitask. I have used my Touch Pro to fix people's computers, and can run a mostly functional(if battery eating) Android. I can't even change the Arrive's ringtone(although I do like 8-Bit).

This is a great comment that I agree with 100%. If you want an experience that is very similar to what Windows Mobile used to be, Android is the platform for you. There is a huge developer/hacker community out there doing lots of awesome things for an unbelievable number of devices. If you could do it on WinMo, chances are you can duplicate it on Android and it'll be easier to do. So to the OP who doesn't want to go with Android because he's a Microsoft Fanboy - well, your loss.
Personally, I've recently discovered that I'm either no longer a power user, or never really was one. Sure, I tethered used BT PAN and then WMWiFiRouter on the 6700, Mogul, Touch Pro, and then a similar solution on the Evo. But I've since moved to where my smartphone is no longer my primary internet connection. Windows Phone 7 does most everything else that I used my WM/Android phones for. There are still some gaps - I miss multitasking and Google Maps from Android, and I miss... well, I can't really say I miss anything from my WinMo days. Those days were great to begin with, but when I got my Evo, I swore I'd never go back. And yet it only took ten months for my love affair with Android to sour and I was right back to where I was with WinMo - endlessly customizing my device and never being truly satisfied with the results. Basically it comes down to UI performance for me, and right now iOS and WP7 are untouchable. Android has become a laggy mess (this was especially evident last weekend, when my friend showed me his brand new Droid2 Global and it was chugging and stuttering right out of the box). WebOS could have been a contender but terrible hardware and a glacial pace for updates have spoiled any momentum it once had. Which is a damn shame, because I think I'd like a Pre3 just as much as I like my Arrive, but the Arrive is here now and I've already fallen in love with it.
jaqual said:
As far as UI and the complete experience, the Arrive is really the best phone I've seen. It is smooth, intuitive, and just looks great. The style is really unique.
That being said, I will be trading for an Epic tomorrow. While I really like the overall experience on the Arrive, the M$ "branding" really limits it for now. I understand they are trying to get a baseline across all carriers/devices, and it is still an early OS, but this isn't really a "smart" phone as far as I'm concerned.
Coming from WinMo, this phone seems just as useful as an iPhone. No real customization options, no Mass Storage device, no way to even download a file from the internet. IE is not bad(or Cube) but there's not even any other browsers that aren't based on IE yet.
I know it's still early on, but I would rather go with a phone for now that lets me do what I want to do, or can be customized to do so. And can multitask. I have used my Touch Pro to fix people's computers, and can run a mostly functional(if battery eating) Android. I can't even change the Arrive's ringtone(although I do like 8-Bit).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You know, guys... I don't think it was Microsoft's intention to create the ultimate hacker phone.

thanks for the review with the anger.
i knew ms can do it again just like they did on winmo6.5.
now i know for sure not to touch anything cellphone related from ms.

Hmm, who has the anger issues?

I have upgraded from Mogul -> Touch Pro 2 -> HTC Arrive. All I can say that I am really happy with the update

I just got the Arrive and honestly, I love it. I haven't had any problems at all of any kind, ever.

I think the auto tilting thing will drive me nuts too... WHen I got my TP2 I used it a few times but, I can see how it got annoying and it's very rare that I tilt the screen now, unless it's got perfect with no light lost at a angle...I'd hate it

[Q] Upgrading from HD2 / WinMo6.5

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.

How to get Email description in notification bar instead of generic "1 unread message

How to get Email description in notification bar instead of generic "1 unread message
When I receive an email with the gmail app, there is a description of the email i.e. subject line shows up in notification bar. With the stock email app there is just a generic "1 unread email" that shows up.. Ive looked at all the settings and searched.

nimski62 said:
When I receive an email with the gmail app, there is a description of the email i.e. subject line shows up in notification bar. With the stock email app there is just a generic "1 unread email" that shows up.. Ive looked at all the settings and searched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately this isn't an option on the stock email app. It's possible that ROMS will allow you to do this in the future but you need an unlocked bootloader in order to do that.

NextNexus said:
Unfortunately this isn't an option on the stock email app. It's possible that ROMS will allow you to do this in the future but you need an unlocked bootloader in order to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As an iPhone user for the past 4 years, I just don't see the Android hype. Why can't personalize the phone the way we want.. it's an ANDROID for Pete's sake. So far, my push email has been delayed, the phone heats up for no reason and drains battery, and there are no Google voice missed call notifications for android, all things that I could do and/or worked perfect on my iPhone.

Guys, have I got a great app for you.
Notifier Pro in the Play Store, sorry to lazy to link it to you.
But there is a free version and it does the notifications way better and somewhat iPhone like.
It has made a big dif for me coming from the iPhone 4S

nimski62 said:
As an iPhone user for the past 4 years, I just don't see the Android hype. Why can't personalize the phone the way we want.. it's an ANDROID for Pete's sake. So far, my push email has been delayed, the phone heats up for no reason and drains battery, and there are no Google voice missed call notifications for android, all things that I could do and/or worked perfect on my iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you dont like android im fairly sure nobody forced you into it. If you truly think the iphone is better, then you can easily switch back. BUT, if you really want a different experience than every other iphone user on the planet, you wont get it. Give these developers a little time and an unlocked bootloader and you can make your phone YOURS. Want something tweaked in the notification bar, chances are someone here can do it. Concerned about battery drains, chances are they will get fixed.
Androids not perfect, but luckily we have all these amazing people to make it as close as it gets. The way i see it, you can either have your phone be Apple's experience, OR you can have it be a personal experience, the way you want it.

nimski62 said:
As an iPhone user for the past 4 years, I just don't see the Android hype. Why can't personalize the phone the way we want.. it's an ANDROID for Pete's sake. So far, my push email has been delayed, the phone heats up for no reason and drains battery, and there are no Google voice missed call notifications for android, all things that I could do and/or worked perfect on my iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya bro...you should return it for iphone 4s....Android is not for everyone...especially android phone with locked bootloader...

Trying the One X too - from a 4S
Nimski62, I get what you are saying - there are aspects of the Android OS that have been surpassed such as the email notifications you are describing. And I can relate - I've have every iPhone (all were my daily drivers) and have been trying out different android models to see what the hype really is about. (AT&T- Inspire, Atrix, Atrix 2, SGS 2 & VZN - TBolt, Razr, Rezound, DINC2) and now the One X.
Different doesn't always mean worse. For me, I'd rather see a single notification saying there are 4 unread emails, instead of a mini preview entry for each one.
But the Google Voice notifications for missed calls IS REALLY NICE - especially if you are out of a service area, but have a WIFI connection - those notifications still come through.
For me, I keep trying to find a handset that is at least as good speed, battery, and feature-set as the latest iPhone. With each phone, I get a chance to re-evaluate what I think is important for what I want in a phone. For now, I think that MAY be the One X but the BIGGEST factor is getting over the idea of what you are used to using. If you have a 4S, then getting over the one-handed ease of use (along with the instant functionality of Siri [when she works]) is rather difficult. There aren't many droids that are butter smooth and have near instant UI responsiveness as the 4S. Photostream and iMessage rocks
But I love Swype, SwiftKey X, and the faster and more accurate google voice to text (IMHO) as well as the built in navigation. I love the bigger screen and hate it at the same time each time I pull it out of my back pocket. I love the part that you can add software to almost any part of the phone - launcher, dialer, lock screen, file and video viewers, etc. Thats what keeps me coming back to android.
The issue I have now is that I've been trying to find out myself about why the Google Voice missed call notifications are not coming through all the time on my 1X - but yet they works faster on my 4S. go figure. Its still new and updates are coming - I'm sure and I still have about 24 days to go before I have to commit.
Since I added a line to my account, I'll still keep the 4S as a backup on the other number. But so far, Im really impressed.