Did you know this? I found a nice feature.

Did you know this? I found a nice feature. - Thunderbolt General

Don't know if my EVO was able to do this ( never noticed it ) but this is a nice feature. While browsing, if you have multiple windows open, instead of hitting menu then windows to pull them up, just take your 2 thumbs and shrink the page that you are viewing as much as possible and your windows will automatically pop up. I was like ohhhh nice.

Feature is new

I like it.

Just had to try this out for myself. Lol nice feature, this will make browsing so much faster for me now.

Nice find. Makes it alot easier now.

Related

SPB Mobile Shell, what's so great about it?

Owning a TD since it first launched and having used touchflow 3d ever since I thought I'd try something different for a change. I for one have been pretty happy with TF3d. For daily use, once you tweak it a bit and install some extra software it works fine for me. Looks decent and is not to slow. But I hear everyone rant about it and hear how great spb is supposed to be so I though why not give that a try.
It sucks. It looks nice, without a doubt. But thats about it I think. Its stupid, really really stupid. For example if you go to the whatever you want to do selection menu. Why is that load of **** on top of the screen there? I dont want all those stupid small icons. Secondly, whats with the useless big buttons? For example, under organizer, why cant I chose year for my agenda? And why under programma's do I get all the software? I dont want that! I want it like TF3d where I can select the software I actually use but apparantly its not possible to edit what you see there with the spb menu editor. Also, why di you get buttons to go to the next page? Besides it being slow what is even worse is that you dont have a X so if you actually want to close it you need to switch all the way back and press that button like atleast 6 times. And why cant I get network status to show up? I'd like to be able to see if my 3G is on or not and if it is I want to be able to manually disconnect it. And where is the decent contacts menu? One thing that sucks about TF3d is doesnt change the WM menu's when for example you go on and add a contact. SPB isnt anything better, it still has that and you dont even get something like iContact, your still stuck with the unusable WM contact menu's with the small not so finger friendly scrollbar. Oh, but there is the contact page, ****ing useless. I dont give a **** about my 15 favs or whatever. I want the complete list and be able to chose from that easy and fast. Also playing a mp3 sucks. No build in software so you have to bother with extra software again. As I use my TD for mp3 playback everyday SPB isnt exactly making things work faster for me.
Yeah maybe im just a incapable idiot but I really dont see how SPB is better than TF3d. It looks better, is a bit more responsive, but for daily use give my TF3d. No need to switch 12389 screens to get where I want. Got the left softkey editted, for iContact, the right one for my Agenda, got the software I use in the programs tab and for fast and easy mp3's playback the mp3 tab. Really, SPB doesnt come close to it if you ask me.
Maybe someone here can enlighten me as to how I can SPB to be what some people clame it to be...

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!

Vote: Microsoft made tabbed browsing more difficult with mango. Do you agree?

Microsoft has a powerful browser in MANGO. Its ability to load multiple pages in the background is very effective to those who visit many different sites. This definitely reduces overall waiting time. Microsoft, however, has chosen to remove the easy accessed “tabs” and “favorites” icon and bury it under the menu, thus making tabbed browsing two taps more difficult, and to some, more annoying. Many mango users have been irritated with this change, myself included.
The reason for this removal is that Microsoft has collected sufficient data to conclude that most users don’t use the “tab” and ‘favorites” feature often.
Do you think Microsoft made the right choice to bury the “tab” and “favorites” icons into Mango’s menu to provide a more “full-page-experience?” Would you have sacrificed easy tab browsing? What would you done differently? How can Microsoft push innovation for mobile browsing to the Next Level? Your thoughts are welcomed.

Obviously not, but Microsoft is not known for making good choices these days.

I dont mind the change. The only thing i would like to see is the address bar disappear after a minute or so to provide a larger viewing screen.

DJRedLine said:
I dont mind the change. The only thing i would like to see is the address bar disappear after a minute or so to provide a larger viewing screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. They obviously deprioritized tabbed browsing but it's not that big of a deal. Fullscreen after a timeout would be a welcome addition.
The "Favorites" buttons were a waste of space.

I wonder what type of data they collected.
They should at least add a setting that gives users a choice on whether to bury it or leave it show.
Hopefully, they'll set things right in the future minor updates.

I personally don't miss these icons as I never used them. But I agree with the point, that the adress bar could disappear after a while, the question might be: How can we get the adress bar back, when we need it again

I dont particularly like it off the bat but I'll get used to it I'm sure.

i would like a "half button" like the paste button on the keyboard. when swiping the address bar this could reveal the button (again, exactly like the paste button) allowing access to the old tab interface.

I really miss quick tab access and the folders button in Outlook. Seems to me gesture based access to tabs would have been a better solution for tab access than deprecating tabs into the menu. They have their data from testing, but it doesn't make it any more palatable.

It's really all about how you use it, isn't it? In general, I like the fact that the majority of the chrome was moved to the bottom of the screen, but otherwise I'm finding that (personally) I have more clicks to get to what I need.
For instance, I don't tend to enter NEW urls very often (almost never), nor do I refresh the page I'm on very often. Now those controls are front and center, and I hardly ever use them. I would also like to see the URL box disappear after a short time. No need to see it so prominently. Also, when you flip up the bottom of the screen for more options, why does the top of the screen (time, cell reception, etc.) come down as well? Seems unnecessary.
Otherwise, I tend to open my browser, look through about 8 sites that I have in my "favorites", and then close it up. Now I have to perform an extra "flip up" action for each favorited site I visit. Annoying, but not the end of the world.
Certainly interesting changes to make.

I hate Microsoft's removal of the "tab" and "favorites" icon in the browser!

IMO the new solution is much better at least where tabbed browsing is concerned ..... try fast app switching while two or more apps are open .....you'll see what i mean.
in regards to favorites the solution is not as good as before but since i rarely use that feature.... and after all i could pin a website i frequently use to my home scree....

AdryJay said:
I hate Microsoft's removal of the "tab" and "favorites" icon in the browser!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I normally navigate from site to site using the bookmarks I keep saved. In WP7, without quick and simple access to the bookmarks, it makes things less desirable.

funnystar said:
I personally don't miss these icons as I never used them. But I agree with the point, that the adress bar could disappear after a while, the question might be: How can we get the adress bar back, when we need it again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe swiping from the top of the screen like in W8.
Sent from my Samsung Focus using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

Can't answer the pollthe way it is worded. I do agree that it is more difficult but I would not say I hardly use tabs anyway. I used them all the time. I also use favorites a lot and only rarely type in address bar.
It isn't a huge problem but it's a step back.

I did use tabbed browsing but only because whenever I opend a link, I would have a new tab open and thus I had to close tabs. I was not browsing different pages at the same time very often, but from time to time.
I like it the way it is now, because otherwise the "Tabs" button would have taken up space I need.
Now it is two taps away instead of one tap and I don't think that is so much of a deal. If you look at the usage stats they shared its obvious this was the right decision.

Microsoft surface experience?

Hello guys. For those who have used the Microsoft surface, can you share your experience? I am just curious about its speed, performance, and how user friendly it is
Sent from my GT-N7005 using xda premium

I love mine. I find the interface refreshing and unique, the people app lets me do way more with social media than I have been able to do in the past. Typing on the touch cover is still a bit of a challenge but they are saying it takes a few days to get it done properly. Speed wise, there are no issues. Mine is snappy and responsive. Battery life is amazing. I can use it all day 6am until 7pm and still only be down to around 30-40% battery remaining. There is a lack of apps but nothing that I can't wait out. I expected the ecosystem will take a bit to get going and I'm willing to wait. I sold my ipad with retina and honestly don't miss it at all.

I really love mine the more I use it. I'm typing this on the touchcover and although I make a lot of mistakes I seem to be getting better at it. That said, I do have some issues but nothing that major (yet!). Battery life seems to be much less than the ipad, people report 8-10 hours, I only get like 4-7. The apps are a disappointment, but I plan to use this device productively soo all I really need is dropbox. The device seems to slow down when editing 2 page documents in word. I tried to make a brochure on here and dragging pictures around was a nightmare. I did type a paper onhere and while it took longer then on a regular keyboard it wasn't that bad.
IE 10 for metro is complete trash. Can't even load XDA so I find myself always forced to use the desktop version. If you buy one, I suggest the model higher than 32gb as we really only get lke 14 gb because of the os taking up so much room.
The touchcover gets very dirty it seems. I'm not suire if I can clean it without ruining it. I sneeze on it before and it has a nasty stain =/.
The device itself is very prone to scratches, I tend to try to plug the thing into charge while its dark and that damn connector is such a pita that I always scratch the bezel.
I love the keyboard gestures (which I know can be used on any computer). The UI is very fast, there's a crap ton of gestures to learn. Yet, there are some gripes. Closing an app takes a crazy amount of time. You have to drag all theway from the top of the screen to the bottom, unnecessary.
Overall, I love it and I plan on keeping it. I still have my ipad and my nexus 7 but this really helps me get stuff done. The fact I can plug in almost any usb device and hve it work is amazing. You can even charge cellphones and stuff with the USB. I would recommend getting the surface IF you realize you can't run anything that's not in the store. No browser addons, no exe fils, nothing. Sometime that makes me wish I got the pro, but this device is really enough. Get past the quirkiness of metro + desktop and it's a beast.
Sorry for the typos. This was typed on the touch cover while lying down in bed.
*EDIT* The messenger app sucks realy badly too. You add someone as a friend (which can't be done in the app you have to go to a website) then you can't ever send them a message cause it says "Name unavailable" but they can send you messages. Its a one way form of communication.
*Edit2* Another clunky part. There are no jpg thumbail previews in the desktop. And when you want to open an image it has to open a program in metro

brandonjuraimi said:
Hello guys. For those who have used the Microsoft surface, can you share your experience? I am just curious about its speed, performance, and how user friendly it is
Sent from my GT-N7005 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the surface responsiveness and the new UI. But still there is still miles to go to get this perfect.
1. After being ON for more than 3 days, clicking on Email opened up weather, can't reach the email by clicking on any of the tiles. Same with IE. I had to reboot.
2. The auto rotate stopped working suddenly. I had to reboot to get it working again.
3. The email Client is awful. Need a better email app. It can't even match 10% of other email client's functionality. (No multi select, too much delay when navigating emails in the list, no option to Archive vs Delete, Moving to folders isn't as easy,
4. There is no Cisco VPN client. If your work requires non standard Cisco VPN connectivity, stay away.
5. Enterprise Distribution of apps isn't clear yet. We shouldn't have to have enterprise apps published to Microsoft Store every time.
6. Silverlight doesn't run on RT? Kidding me?
7. Playing HD video isn't going to be easy. Not even one app which could play MKV files.
8. The copy paste of text inside surface isn't as easy as in iPad. Sometimes it takes too much time to get the needed text selected on IE.
9. Needs tweaking to run Flash on all websites (its a hack. Why?)
10, Pointing the cursor to an exact place in a text area isn't as easy as in iPad with the magnifying glass.
By the way, WHERE IS THE REPORT A PROBLEM button in RT ?
Though I have so many complaints, I still love my Surface. I don't use my iPad anymore. Many times, I had tried to touch my monitor while using my laptop. MS is spoiling me

mchimney said:
I really love mine the more I use it. I'm typing this on the touchcover and although I make a lot of mistakes I seem to be getting better at it. That said, I do have some issues but nothing that major (yet!). Battery life seems to be much less than the ipad, people report 8-10 hours, I only get like 4-7. The apps are a disappointment, but I plan to use this device productively soo all I really need is dropbox. The device seems to slow down when editing 2 page documents in word. I tried to make a brochure on here and dragging pictures around was a nightmare. I did type a paper onhere and while it took longer then on a regular keyboard it wasn't that bad.
IE 10 for metro is complete trash. Can't even load XDA so I find myself always forced to use the desktop version. If you buy one, I suggest the model higher than 32gb as we really only get lke 14 gb because of the os taking up so much room.
The touchcover gets very dirty it seems. I'm not suire if I can clean it without ruining it. I sneeze on it before and it has a nasty stain =/.
The device itself is very prone to scratches, I tend to try to plug the thing into charge while its dark and that damn connector is such a pita that I always scratch the bezel.
I love the keyboard gestures (which I know can be used on any computer). The UI is very fast, there's a crap ton of gestures to learn. Yet, there are some gripes. Closing an app takes a crazy amount of time. You have to drag all theway from the top of the screen to the bottom, unnecessary.
Overall, I love it and I plan on keeping it. I still have my ipad and my nexus 7 but this really helps me get stuff done. The fact I can plug in almost any usb device and hve it work is amazing. You can even charge cellphones and stuff with the USB. I would recommend getting the surface IF you realize you can't run anything that's not in the store. No browser addons, no exe fils, nothing. Sometime that makes me wish I got the pro, but this device is really enough. Get past the quirkiness of metro + desktop and it's a beast.
Sorry for the typos. This was typed on the touch cover while lying down in bed.
*EDIT* The messenger app sucks realy badly too. You add someone as a friend (which can't be done in the app you have to go to a website) then you can't ever send them a message cause it says "Name unavailable" but they can send you messages. Its a one way form of communication.
*Edit2* Another clunky part. There are no jpg thumbail previews in the desktop. And when you want to open an image it has to open a program in metro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In response to some of your issues. I love metro ui based IE and find it loads XDA without issue. A good tip is to enable adblocking filters using the tips in this forum (find the topic called tips). It loads XDA fine now for me.
Closing an app by dragging top to bottom takes a lot of time? It's a half second gesture man. Be realistic. Alot of your complaints are issues that are not issues at all. It's a different UI, give it a break.
---------- Post added at 05:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:03 PM ----------
tcsekhar said:
I love the surface responsiveness and the new UI. But still there is still miles to go to get this perfect.
1. After being ON for more than 3 days, clicking on Email opened up weather, can't reach the email by clicking on any of the tiles. Same with IE. I had to reboot.
2. The auto rotate stopped working suddenly. I had to reboot to get it working again.
3. The email Client is awful. Need a better email app. It can't even match 10% of other email client's functionality. (No multi select, too much delay when navigating emails in the list, no option to Archive vs Delete, Moving to folders isn't as easy,
4. There is no Cisco VPN client. If your work requires non standard Cisco VPN connectivity, stay away.
5. Enterprise Distribution of apps isn't clear yet. We shouldn't have to have enterprise apps published to Microsoft Store every time.
6. Silverlight doesn't run on RT? Kidding me?
7. Playing HD video isn't going to be easy. Not even one app which could play MKV files.
8. The copy paste of text inside surface isn't as easy as in iPad. Sometimes it takes too much time to get the needed text selected on IE.
9. Needs tweaking to run Flash on all websites (its a hack. Why?)
10, Pointing the cursor to an exact place in a text area isn't as easy as in iPad with the magnifying glass.
By the way, WHERE IS THE REPORT A PROBLEM button in RT ?
Though I have so many complaints, I still love my Surface. I don't use my iPad anymore. Many times, I had tried to touch my monitor while using my laptop. MS is spoiling me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MKV does not equal HD, so try playing an MP4 or something in HD before making comments like this. So what if it doesn't play MKV format, there are plenty it does play.

cmscritic said:
I love mine. I find the interface refreshing and unique, the people app lets me do way more with social media than I have been able to do in the past. Typing on the touch cover is still a bit of a challenge but they are saying it takes a few days to get it done properly. Speed wise, there are no issues. Mine is snappy and responsive. Battery life is amazing. I can use it all day 6am until 7pm and still only be down to around 30-40% battery remaining. There is a lack of apps but nothing that I can't wait out. I expected the ecosystem will take a bit to get going and I'm willing to wait. I sold my ipad with retina and honestly don't miss it at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow your experience with the Microsoft surface sure is awesome. It sounds awesome and I can't wait to check it out. Not sure if it is available in my country though...
Sent from my GT-N7005 using xda premium

tcsekhar said:
I love the surface responsiveness and the new UI. But still there is still miles to go to get this perfect.
1. After being ON for more than 3 days, clicking on Email opened up weather, can't reach the email by clicking on any of the tiles. Same with IE. I had to reboot.
2. The auto rotate stopped working suddenly. I had to reboot to get it working again.
3. The email Client is awful. Need a better email app. It can't even match 10% of other email client's functionality. (No multi select, too much delay when navigating emails in the list, no option to Archive vs Delete, Moving to folders isn't as easy,
4. There is no Cisco VPN client. If your work requires non standard Cisco VPN connectivity, stay away.
5. Enterprise Distribution of apps isn't clear yet. We shouldn't have to have enterprise apps published to Microsoft Store every time.
6. Silverlight doesn't run on RT? Kidding me?
7. Playing HD video isn't going to be easy. Not even one app which could play MKV files.
8. The copy paste of text inside surface isn't as easy as in iPad. Sometimes it takes too much time to get the needed text selected on IE.
9. Needs tweaking to run Flash on all websites (its a hack. Why?)
10, Pointing the cursor to an exact place in a text area isn't as easy as in iPad with the magnifying glass.
By the way, WHERE IS THE REPORT A PROBLEM button in RT ?
Though I have so many complaints, I still love my Surface. I don't use my iPad anymore. Many times, I had tried to touch my monitor while using my laptop. MS is spoiling me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds really troublesome and watching movies and videos is a pain.
Sent from my GT-N7005 using xda premium

cmscritic said:
In response to some of your issues. I love metro ui based IE and find it loads XDA without issue. A good tip is to enable adblocking filters using the tips in this forum (find the topic called tips). It loads XDA fine now for me.
Closing an app by dragging top to bottom takes a lot of time? It's a half second gesture man. Be realistic. Alot of your complaints are issues that are not issues at all. It's a different UI, give it a break.
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MKV does not equal HD, so try playing an MP4 or something in HD before making comments like this. So what if it doesn't play MKV format, there are plenty it does play.
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I agree MKV does not equal HD. But the best compression today seems to be MKV files, and I have a ton of those. I don't want to convert all of them again into MP4 or any other format at this point. When all other OS supports playing it, why not MS - especially when they are late in the game, and know what the expectations are?

only 4-7 hours? maybe faulty device? everybody has like 8-10.. 4-7 aint too good

mr_dan said:
only 4-7 hours? maybe faulty device? everybody has like 8-10.. 4-7 aint too good
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Click to collapse
Mine with continuous use from morning 7AM till 9PM still have 30% juice. I just use for browse & search - no play or video.

tcsekhar said:
Mine with continuous use from morning 7AM till 9PM still have 30% juice. I just use for browse & search - no play or video.
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Click to collapse
Agreed. Mine is about the same.
---------- Post added at 08:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 PM ----------
tcsekhar said:
I agree MKV does not equal HD. But the best compression today seems to be MKV files, and I have a ton of those. I don't want to convert all of them again into MP4 or any other format at this point. When all other OS supports playing it, why not MS - especially when they are late in the game, and know what the expectations are?
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Click to collapse
I know what you mean, I'd love to have it too (especially for the space savings) but I think we need to give MS some time to get the apps rolling. It's a new ecosystem and I've no doubt it'll get rolling soon. Would LOVE to see VLC on it.. that would rock.

I understand the os is new but I love the potential. I love this device regardless of my complaints. I do miss Google though.
In regards to my battery, I think something must be wrong, I'm using quite a lot of battery even just idling

mchimney said:
I understand the os is new but I love the potential. I love this device regardless of my complaints. I do miss Google though.
In regards to my battery, I think something must be wrong, I'm using quite a lot of battery even just idling
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Click to collapse
I'd take it in and have it looked at. I can usually go the whole day without issue.

mchimney said:
I understand the os is new but I love the potential. I love this device regardless of my complaints. I do miss Google though.
In regards to my battery, I think something must be wrong, I'm using quite a lot of battery even just idling
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Click to collapse
Probably your wifi, email or any idling applications could have cause the huge drainage of battery
Sent from my GT-N7005 using xda premium

brandonjuraimi said:
Probably your wifi, email or any idling applications could have cause the huge drainage of battery
Sent from my GT-N7005 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I know Bluettoth also kills battery on phones and on the surface it is on by default. We need one of those battery monitoring apps, especially since the Start screen doesn't report battery details - I did find the "Windows Mobility Center" in the backend/desktop, and created a link on the start screen - it provides batter percentage among other shortcuts - pretty cool.
what I do love about the Surface is all the little things that can be tweaked on the descktop - By far more customizable than any other tablet out there.

tcsekhar said:
I agree MKV does not equal HD. But the best compression today seems to be MKV files, and I have a ton of those. I don't want to convert all of them again into MP4 or any other format at this point. When all other OS supports playing it, why not MS - especially when they are late in the game, and know what the expectations are?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MKV is just a container, like avi or ogg. So actual compression is x264 or as some call it mp4. There is also MP4 container which contains also x264 compressed videos, so moving files from mkv to MP4 is possible without reencoding, but just repacking.
But I agree, it is not for everyone and I'm sure mkv support will come soon through some third party app like vlc or mplayer.
This device is very new to the market and the os as well.

encho said:
MKV is just a container, like avi or ogg. So actual compression is x264 or as some call it mp4. There is also MP4 container which contains also x264 compressed videos, so moving files from mkv to MP4 is possible without reencoding, but just repacking.
But I agree, it is not for everyone and I'm sure mkv support will come soon through some third party app like vlc or mplayer.
This device is very new to the market and the os as well.
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Click to collapse
MKV is definitely the container of choice for HD in this day and age so any current system needs to be able to handle it if they want to sell units My whole HTPC movie library is in MKV. Having to convert to mp4 is not very practical as it requires time and steps (I use Handbrake for my Ipod touch). The latest Androids can play alomost anything thrown at them. I am sure someone will release a video player that will handle it if the surface is truly to be considered a media device. The question is will MS let it get certified in the store (Still unclear on the process and what's allowed - I would love to see a Opera or Firefox borwser too and I thought MS got sued years back for limiting options of browsers on the desktop OS). The question is how open MS will be to allow competing apps, especially if they want to sell hardware.

guitar1969 said:
MKV is definitely the container of choice for HD in this day and age so any current system needs to be able to handle it if they want to sell units My whole HTPC movie library is in MKV. Having to convert to mp4 is not very practical as it requires time and steps (I use Handbrake for my Ipod touch). The latest Androids can play alomost anything thrown at them. I am sure someone will release a video player that will handle it if the surface is truly to be considered a media device. The question is will MS let it get certified in the store (Still unclear on the process and what's allowed - I would love to see a Opera or Firefox borwser too and I thought MS got sued years back for limiting options of browsers on the desktop OS). The question is how open MS will be to allow competing apps, especially if they want to sell hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back in my Linux days I had a script which unpacks MKV like it would zip file and repacks into MP4. The whole process takes 1 minute. But as you said MKV support needs to come to RT and MS is aware of the fact that sale of their Surface tablets depends on third party apps.
So I don't think they'll have an issue with VLC or Opera or anything else. More apps equals more profit.

tcsekhar said:
3. The email Client is awful. Need a better email app. It can't even match 10% of other email client's functionality. (No multi select, too much delay when navigating emails in the list, no option to Archive vs Delete, Moving to folders isn't as easy,
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Click to collapse
Agree its not very good, I hope they release an RT version of Outlook.
But you CAN multiselect, kind of swipe an email to the right a bit and a tick pops up in the corner, and then do the same for other.
At the moment, Hotmail/Outlook.com is better than the RT mail app...

[App][4.3+] Sesame Lock Screen / App Switcher: quick launch everything!

Howdy. My friend Steve and I made Sesame so we wouldn’t have to swipe around looking for things anymore.
It puts your favorite apps in a ranked list on the lock screen along with a keyboard that can filter to pretty much anything in 1 or 2 touches. What’s cool about Sesame is that it learns from your behavior and makes new shortcuts deep into native apps.
This thing is like a power tool for Android. It takes some getting used to but it’s worth it.
Shortcuts it makes today
All your apps (ranked by how often you use them)
All contacts w/ 1 touch to text, call, or email (WhatsApp too!)
Websites you visit (but not when browsing incognito)
Music library and new stuff you listen to (Spotify only atm but expanding soon)
You can Quick Search: Maps, Waze, Netflix, Spotify, Google Music, Chrome, Play Store, Yelp and YouTube
It makes shortcuts back to your searches
Hangouts conversations, including groups
Alarms you set
Uber/Lyft see live ride options w/ ETA & Surge Pricing
Smart Keyboard
The keyboard is designed to pull things up fast. It’s not swipe, it’s faster. You don’t need to type full words. It understands shorthand, so if I want to play music by Ratatat I can type ’S’ for Spotify then ‘R’ and 'Spotify: Ratatat' will come right up. It also learns from your choices so next time only ’S’ might get the job done.
Lock Screen and/or App Switcher
The Lock Screen version displays your notifications and keeps your existing security 100% intact. Note: some device types see display issues when transitioning from Sesame to the system lock screen. If that happens, you can still use it as an app switcher.
There’s no registration and none of the data leaves your device.
It’s still got some rough edges. If you do try it, give it a shot for a few days. Our test users said it took some getting used to but they’d never go back now. We try to get out 2-3 new versions a week. So please give feedback, we want to make it better!
It’s free in the play store, check it out!

Will take it for a spin and give feedback later. thanks.

Hey, I'm Steve. I'm the developer working on this. Happy to answer any questions on how this works.
Hope you like it!

GerManiac said:
Will take it for a spin and give feedback later. thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How'd it go?

We pushed a new update. Version 0.5.16 now makes Reddit shortcuts and has an improved keyboard.
This post didn't exactly catch fire irl like it did in my dreams but if you've tried it and want to give feedback, we're definitely listening. Cheers.

Pwallius said:
How'd it go?
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Click to collapse
So far so good. I think it's a great idea, and you made the idea into a fantastic app, but I for myself noticed that I hardly launch apps or anything from the lock screen, since I automatically unlock my phone with the fingerprint.

GerManiac said:
So far so good. I think it's a great idea, and you made the idea into a fantastic app, but I for myself noticed that I hardly launch apps or anything from the lock screen, since I automatically unlock my phone with the fingerprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if you could launch it by swiping from the edge of the screen? I'm thinking the upper right edge is easily reachable and out of the way. You could swipe and pull down to pull Sesame up right away.
Lots of people just aren't interested in changing their lock screen but I do think there's some potential here. Thanks!

Pwallius said:
What if you could launch it by swiping from the edge of the screen? I'm thinking the upper right edge is easily reachable and out of the way. You could swipe and pull down to pull Sesame up right away.
Lots of people just aren't interested in changing their lock screen but I do think there's some potential here. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds good, however, maybe you could give the option to choose from where to swipe, upper right is for me a no go, since I've got a six inch Huawei Mate 8, it would still be reachable but not convenient.

GerManiac said:
That sounds good, however, maybe you could give the option to choose from where to swipe, upper right is for me a no go, since I've got a six inch Huawei Mate 8, it would still be reachable but not convenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roger. That can be done.
I think we're going to try to make the Lock Screen pretty first. Something like this.
There are lock screen apps w/ 50MM users that are basically rotating pretty pictures. They get around all the lock screen compatibility problems by building their own security then having the user turn off the system one. This isn't 100% secure, which is why we didn't go that way. But it'd keep out anyone except a motivated hacker. And if the system security is OFF we can build a seamless experience. So maybe that'd open Sesame up to a wider audience. It'd be totally optional, you could still keep the system security if you wanted.
Thanks for the feedback. It def moves our thinking. Let me know if there's anything else we can improve.

Pwallius said:
Roger. That can be done.
I think we're going to try to make the Lock Screen pretty first. Something like this.
There are lock screen apps w/ 50MM users that are basically rotating pretty pictures. They get around all the lock screen compatibility problems by building their own security then having the user turn off the system one. This isn't 100% secure, which is why we didn't go that way. But it'd keep out anyone except a motivated hacker. And if the system security is OFF we can build a seamless experience. So maybe that'd open Sesame up to a wider audience. It'd be totally optional, you could still keep the system security if you wanted.
Thanks for the feedback. It def moves our thinking. Let me know if there's anything else we can improve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I understand, but you are right you are not going to get the audience you want.
Take for example hilocker I've been watching the locker growing but then it grew slower and slower. however it was not only the app which wasn't always running smoothly, but also the little to non response of the dev.
The features however integrated are great.
Giving the user the option to decide to keep security or to have a better experience at the cost of some security, is a good idea.

GerManiac said:
Yes, I understand, but you are right you are not going to get the audience you want.
Take for example hilocker I've been watching the locker growing but then it grew slower and slower. however it was not only the app which wasn't always running smoothly, but also the little to non response of the dev.
The features however integrated are great.
Giving the user the option to decide to keep security or to have a better experience at the cost of some security, is a good idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. We've got a few cards try to play. Let me know if some insight hits you about this conundrum. Thanks for the legit feedback.
I'll let you know when the next version is out.

No posts in close to three years. Did everyone stop using this? What are you using instead? The googl app?

user2837 said:
No posts in close to three years. Did everyone stop using this? What are you using instead? The googl app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just started using it on my NexS and it's very good. I've always liked these types of apps having used Fastkey Launcher and Launchboard previously. This is much better and very customizable. I use it as a widget and not the lockscreen.

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welcome