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).
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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
Related
Hi. I should be getting a new verizon touch pro 2 and was wondering what I might be able to expect from it and if you guys could give me some new owner suggestions tips etc.
Thanks alot.
Joe
Be prepared to do a lot of reading if you really want to change things.
I have hosed up the phone several times and had to do hard resets because I installed so much crap that did not work.
Just make sure you search PPC forums and here and makes sure if you try something read up on it first.
What do you mean change things? I don't think I will change anything. At least not right away. Not sure if I'll even like the htc touch pro 2.
buggs1a said:
What do you mean change things? I don't think I will change anything. At least not right away. Not sure if I'll even like the htc touch pro 2.
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What he means is that if you want to reg hack or add any .cab files found here or on ppc geeks do your research first. Even though there are tp2s out there they all differ between cdma and gsm as well as carrier customizations. These differences can screw up your device causing u to loose original functionality or possible bricking your device.
A couple of things to do when you first get your phone:
Do a hard reset when you first turn it on. It will get rid of any errors or bugs you might or might not have. It will not hurt to do it regardless.
Next go to main page of XDA developers website and read the article about disabling push internet. It will free up some memory for you. It works great.
Also, search the XDA forum for the resproxy registry hack or edit or what ever you want to call it. It will also free up and stalblize your memory. you will need total commander to do it, so you will want to search and download then install the program before hand.
Those are the first three things that I would recommend as it made a big difference for me as far as performance is concerned
Thanks alot guys.
I should get it tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight.
How would I do a hard reset and what is that? Would I do that right after I open it and before doing anything else or right after I activate it?
Yeah. I read something that mentioned push Internet. Kinda sounded like rss. I don't think I would use push Internet.
Will it be possibleto landscape without sliding out the keyboard? Or could someone add this or is it something htc has to do?
How will I upgrade to winmo 6.5 when it's released?
I know I need to learn and read but not sure what and where. I do have the xda wiki bookmarked but couldn't tell what I should look at first.
I don't care about fm radio but will it be possible to have am radio? I would listen to my local baseball team games. I don't listen to the radio now as there's no music I like. So that's why I'm curious about am. Internet radio streaming is of course different story. Is shoutcast available?
I've seen here people talk about gps. What is possible to use that's free? I can't afford vz navigator per month.
I wonder if there are any phone body protectors and screen protectors available at the local verizon store.
If I did change anything will it void my warranty? How does that work? I did add the extended warranty insurance.
Thanks alot.
If you are starting fresh you may want to consider doing this right after you get the phone before doing anything.
This should cover most anything you would need to do including the resproxy and other tweaks.
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=84404
Download the Verizon CAB and install it and it takes care of most everything you need done.
To hard reset you just go to SETTINGS>MEMORY TAB> and choose Factory Default. It basically resets the phone to settings of when you first got it.
The Radio as of right now either does not exist on the Verizon phone or is locked out.
The only way to void your warranty is to flash a new ROM, which you can't do yet anyway. But any tweaks you make wont effect warranty.
Streaming internet radio is available and included with the phone, you just need the web address.
Other services like orb from winamp is also handy where you can stream your music collection from home if your PC is on to your phone.
Most anything you can think of you should be able to find, with some searching.
And yes when WM6.5 is released you will have to wait for Verizon to officially release the update.
So even though you will see WM6.5 released next month don't expect Verizon to have the update ready right away it maybe a while.
Well I got my verizon touch pro 2. It's not bad. I hate the browser though. Scrolling sucks and moving around on a zoomed page is terrible when you swipe your finger to go up down etc. The page just keeps going. It's near impossible to touch links to go there. I have to many times just for it to register that I touched a link. Or I have to use the keyboard arrows. It really sucks. You can download files though and this rocks!! I didn't know you could. I got an mp4 and couple other files. Pretty cool.
The ui is ok. I'm surprised how smooth the ui is compared to iPod touch I have which is exactly the same as iPhone minus the phone. So htc did ok here.
I ran the cab installer for disabling push Internet but can't tell anything is different.
So my question now is this.
When winmo 6.5 is released how long might it take verizon to offically release it? Can't I just do the update from Microsoft? I want it as it's supposed to be way more touch friendly.
Why does it violate the warranty if you install a rom? Do any of the toc etc mention this?
Is there a way to do a backup of the phone incase anything goes wrong with a rom or something?
There's a couple things I don't like about that thing you mentioned that would take care of a lot of stuff. The guy disables something I don't want disabled. I forget what it is right now.
Is shoutcast available?
How does the sbp shell thingy work? Like is it just a file you install to change the theme or something? Can you easily install and uninstall without any issues? Same question for the iPhone look GUI.
Will marketplace be available as a widget type of thing or do we know how you go about using it when it's available?
I'm curious also where a good place is to download free themes and apps for the phone?
Is it possible to have free voice gps somehow? There's google maps of course but don't know it. Never used it more then looking at it on my Storm.
This touch pro 2 is supposed to be 3.6" screen but it's not as wide as my storm or iPod touch. How is that possible? I don't understand if it's supposed to be bigger why is it smaller? There should be only 1 way to measure size. This sucks.
how do I make the screen brighter? It doesn't seem as bright as other devices like my iPod touch.
Can I file share with my LAN?
What is remote desktop like? How does the built in one work? Is there something better?
Sorry for bombarding you all with so many questions.
Answers that I have are in BOLD within your quote...
buggs1a said:
Well I got my verizon touch pro 2. It's not bad. I hate the browser though. Scrolling sucks and moving around on a zoomed page is terrible when you swipe your finger to go up down etc. The page just keeps going. It's near impossible to touch links to go there. I have to many times just for it to register that I touched a link. Or I have to use the keyboard arrows. It really sucks. You can download files though and this rocks!! I didn't know you could. I got an mp4 and couple other files. Pretty cool.
Opera browser takes a little getting used to. Double tap to zoom in, and then you can click links pretty easy. I've been using WinMo phones now since the ATT 8525 (Hermes) and HATED the Opera browser the first time I tried it in a custom ROM. Since then, I've come to prefer it over PIE...just seems more user friendly once you do get used to how it operates - plus, it actually shows websites as desktop sites instead of as mobile sites.
The ui is ok. I'm surprised how smooth the ui is compared to iPod touch I have which is exactly the same as iPhone minus the phone. So htc did ok here.
I ran the cab installer for disabling push Internet but can't tell anything is different. If you don't have any pages set up to push on the web tab, I don't think you'll notice a difference. I could be wrong though.
So my question now is this.
When winmo 6.5 is released how long might it take verizon to offically release it? Can't I just do the update from Microsoft? I want it as it's supposed to be way more touch friendly. The phone is locked through what is called HardSPL to only accept "official" ROMs that are are correctly signed or whatever. MS won't actually issue a ROM for WinMo 6.5 - they'll issue the software to the individual manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, etc. At that time, the manufacturers then have to customize that OS into a ROM that works for the specific device (each device hardware requires specific stuff to function - which is why you can't put a FUZE ROM on a TP2, or a GSM rom on a CDMA phone, etc). Then, the manufacturer has to work with each phone carrier to put in the specific items the carrier wants included or excluded. So you won't ever see an "update" from MS, but only one issued by HTC possibly that won't be compatable with your specific phone until they release one that is authorized by Verizon.
Why does it violate the warranty if you install a rom? Do any of the toc etc mention this? The custom ROM is not officially authorized by your carrier, and requires you to modify the phone software and bootloader to install it. It also may or may not enable components of the phone that are not officially supported by the manufacturer or carrier. Will simply installing the ROM void your warranty - not necessarily. There are ways flash back to the original ROM before sending in for a warranty claim (assuming the phone is not 100% dead/destroyed), but if you make a warranty claim and it is determined that you had a custom ROM installed, they won't stand behind it because you modified the phone from the way they sent it to you.
Is there a way to do a backup of the phone incase anything goes wrong with a rom or something? There are backup programs out there - but you cannot do a "full restore" after changing ROMS because it may overwrite files that are newer or different and mess things up. I personally don't use any backup programs specificially. I keep all my media files on the MicroSD card, keep my emails synced through IMAP (personal account) and Exchange (work account) as well as all my tasks/calendar/contacts in Exchange. I don't have many SMS/MMS messages, so losing them when I reflash is not an issue for me. And I've gotten really good at restoring my settings and programs (which I keep saved on the SD card as well).
There's a couple things I don't like about that thing you mentioned that would take care of a lot of stuff. The guy disables something I don't want disabled. I forget what it is right now.
Is shoutcast available?
How does the sbp shell thingy work? Like is it just a file you install to change the theme or something? Can you easily install and uninstall without any issues? Same question for the iPhone look GUI. AFAIK, the different GUI overlays are simply a matter of "install and reset". I used to use SPB shell on my 8525 and Tilt, but it seemed to be a resource hog (version 2). Since the TF3D GUI on my Fuze and now TP2, I've been happy to simply use it.
Will marketplace be available as a widget type of thing or do we know how you go about using it when it's available?
I'm curious also where a good place is to download free themes and apps for the phone? You've already joined...search here and you'll find links to more places to find goodies for your phone than you'll ever be able to stay on top of.
Is it possible to have free voice gps somehow? There's google maps of course but don't know it. Never used it more then looking at it on my Storm. Don't know about free ones out there. I use Garmin Mobile XT myself - it's not voice command enabled (unfortunately) but does to audible directions and works pretty well. There are others out there too - TomTom, iGo, etc.
This touch pro 2 is supposed to be 3.6" screen but it's not as wide as my storm or iPod touch. How is that possible? I don't understand if it's supposed to be bigger why is it smaller? There should be only 1 way to measure size. This sucks. There is only one way to measure screen size - diagonal from corner to corner. That said, the TP2 is setup in a more HD style wide-screen format than many other devices. So the measured dimension may be bigger than other phones/devices, but the width may be narrower (when looking in Portrait view) because the screen is taller the other way.
how do I make the screen brighter? It doesn't seem as bright as other devices like my iPod touch. Start/Settings/All Settings --> System tab --> Power --> Backlight tab --> uncheck "Auto Adjust" and then you can manually play with the brightness
Can I file share with my LAN? Yes, but not with the stock file explorer I think. I personally use Resco Explorer, but have had a few issues with the network drive mapping locking up this device. Total Commander (free) has the functionality in it as well.
What is remote desktop like? How does the built in one work? Is there something better? I use the built-in RDC just fine. It actually shows a useable desktop image (albeit very tiny). No idea if there are other clients out there...the built-in one has always worked for me.
Sorry for bombarding you all with so many questions. No problem - hopefully I was able to answer a few questions.
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I'm impressed...
dezoris, Humble1 and the others...
It doesn't mean a thing coming from me but....
I would like to thank you for not being assholes.
You both took time out to answer his numerous questions without a snide remark or rude comment.
Thats refreshing!
Thank you!
MBK
Well thanks so so much. Truly! I dunno what to say except thanks sooooooo much! I'm kinda speechless.
I have to save those responses locally to turn to incase I need to.
I do like the phone. That's for sure.
In Opera I did zoom right on top of links and tapped the links and it took multiple tries to get it to work I'd say if I had to guess and I am, 7-9 times out of 10. That's terrible. Could it be opera, the screen itself or winmo 6.1 or that I have not run the screen calibration thing? I hope the next browser version works way better and more touch friendly the I am experiencing so far. Oh yeah. It's currently like dial up speed compared to my iPod touch and I'm even using wifi on the phone. But yes, I have read that Opera is very slow. It works at least . Hopefully things will improove in this area in maybe the next version or another browser.
What is it like to install another theme or whatever it is called? The iPhone GUI one and that SPB thing? Are they easy to get rid of? I think I'd like to try them, but am wondering the what if something goes wrong question.
Hmm. I'm not sure where to start now. I should look through this sites wiki, but don't know what parts or where to start. Also I'd like to install some neat apps to see what this phone could do, but not sure where to start.
Thank you so very much! thank you for being patient in answering my questions.
Update. Remote deskto doesn't work. I try to connect via wifi to my vista and remote desktop on the phone imediatly after clicking connect says , the connection was ended because of a network error. Please try connecting to the remote computer again.
Also windows update won't connect either. Same type of message.
Remote desktop works from my other pc and laptop too.
Any ideas?
Ok. Now my phone won't get a connection to the net via wifi and I changed nothing on phone or router. Reboot router and shut off phone doesn't help. I'm on my iPod touch right now just fine. I don't get it.
Thanks a lot guys.
A few small things.
#1 Don't install a bunch of garbage.
#2 The version of Opera on it sucks. The Beta on their site kicks the crap out of it.
#3 Try Skyfire. I don't like the idea of using a proxy browser, but lordy if it isn't useful.
#4 Be patient. I hated both of my previous HTCs until they started releasing ROMs for it.
#5 If you are having troubles with remote desktop, then get VLC. I hate remote desktop because it locks the display and inputs of the host. I use my TP2 as a remote control for my media center. I'd like to find a smarter VLC client though. =(
Enjoy the phone. The WorldCard app is cool as hell.
Remote Desktop
buggs1a said:
Well thanks so so much. Truly! I dunno what to say except thanks sooooooo much! I'm kinda speechless.
I have to save those responses locally to turn to incase I need to.
I do like the phone. That's for sure.
In Opera I did zoom right on top of links and tapped the links and it took multiple tries to get it to work I'd say if I had to guess and I am, 7-9 times out of 10. That's terrible. Could it be opera, the screen itself or winmo 6.1 or that I have not run the screen calibration thing? I hope the next browser version works way better and more touch friendly the I am experiencing so far. Oh yeah. It's currently like dial up speed compared to my iPod touch and I'm even using wifi on the phone. But yes, I have read that Opera is very slow. It works at least . Hopefully things will improove in this area in maybe the next version or another browser.
What is it like to install another theme or whatever it is called? The iPhone GUI one and that SPB thing? Are they easy to get rid of? I think I'd like to try them, but am wondering the what if something goes wrong question.
Hmm. I'm not sure where to start now. I should look through this sites wiki, but don't know what parts or where to start. Also I'd like to install some neat apps to see what this phone could do, but not sure where to start.
Thank you so very much! thank you for being patient in answering my questions.
Update. Remote deskto doesn't work. I try to connect via wifi to my vista and remote desktop on the phone imediatly after clicking connect says , the connection was ended because of a network error. Please try connecting to the remote computer again.
Also windows update won't connect either. Same type of message.
Remote desktop works from my other pc and laptop too.
Any ideas?
Ok. Now my phone won't get a connection to the net via wifi and I changed nothing on phone or router. Reboot router and shut off phone doesn't help. I'm on my iPod touch right now just fine. I don't get it.
Thanks a lot guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this: http://www.rdmplus.com/
I was using it on my Storm and they allowed me to change to the Windows Mobile version when I finally unloaded that POS. Its a bit pricey but it works well even on a EVDO connection. Works great over wifi. One of the few bright spots in my Blackberry endeavor.
buggs1a said:
Well thanks so so much. Truly! I dunno what to say except thanks sooooooo much! I'm kinda speechless.
I have to save those responses locally to turn to incase I need to.
I do like the phone. That's for sure.
In Opera I did zoom right on top of links and tapped the links and it took multiple tries to get it to work I'd say if I had to guess and I am, 7-9 times out of 10. That's terrible. Could it be opera, the screen itself or winmo 6.1 or that I have not run the screen calibration thing? I hope the next browser version works way better and more touch friendly the I am experiencing so far. Oh yeah. It's currently like dial up speed compared to my iPod touch and I'm even using wifi on the phone. But yes, I have read that Opera is very slow. It works at least . Hopefully things will improove in this area in maybe the next version or another browser.
What is it like to install another theme or whatever it is called? The iPhone GUI one and that SPB thing? Are they easy to get rid of? I think I'd like to try them, but am wondering the what if something goes wrong question.
Hmm. I'm not sure where to start now. I should look through this sites wiki, but don't know what parts or where to start. Also I'd like to install some neat apps to see what this phone could do, but not sure where to start.
Thank you so very much! thank you for being patient in answering my questions.
Update. Remote deskto doesn't work. I try to connect via wifi to my vista and remote desktop on the phone imediatly after clicking connect says , the connection was ended because of a network error. Please try connecting to the remote computer again.
Also windows update won't connect either. Same type of message.
Remote desktop works from my other pc and laptop too.
Any ideas?
Ok. Now my phone won't get a connection to the net via wifi and I changed nothing on phone or router. Reboot router and shut off phone doesn't help. I'm on my iPod touch right now just fine. I don't get it.
Thanks a lot guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opera is as slower browser no matter how you shake it. You could try the 9.7.1b version and see if it is any better for you.
I have an iPod Touch 2nd gen and was playing around last night with the TP2 and the iPod. I found that the TP2 was just as responsive as the iPod in almost every task aside from web browsing.
The link clicking in Opera bothers me too. The zoom slider has delay.
I just think it is the application. Good thing is newer versions are coming, and Firefox and IE mobile will have newer versions soon.
You could try Skyfire browser as well. In the end you have options.
A few things:
* Make sure you have a memory card
* Install all your apps to it
* Install the Stop Push Internet.cab
* Install the disable resource proxy .cab
Opera is built into the ROM. So basically it is always running, the stop push internet just stops it from running until you launch it among other things.
Resource proxy is something HTC uses to quick cache things into memory so its always ready to open. Its supposed to make launching last used apps quicker. Everyone finds it not to speed up anything and it just eats up RAM.
After you do those both restart the phone.
As far as your RDP issue with Vista and Win7 you have to make sure you allow connections from all clients and make sure the you add the user account you want to connect with to the remote users under the same tab.
Check your firewall settings in vista and make sure RDP is allowed.
Also try connecting by IP instead of PC name, often more reliable, bypasses the router for name resolution.
Skins and Themes, I make my own wallpapers.
I also don't install anything theme related until I see a thread or a bunch of people with the same phone doing something.
I did the HTC Black upper banner, one file and selectable in the home menu.
I did the standard HTC flip clock because it was verizon tested and made my own wallpaper based on something someone else did. I think mine is better.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Any theme stuff I want to be reversible or selectable without a registry change or 3rd party app that's just me.
As far as apps you have to decide what you want to do on your phone.
If you dont know and just want to start installing things just be prepared to hard reset it if you hose it up with some app that does not play nice.
These are the apps I run. (Everyone has different needs)
S2US Slide to unlock - I turn off every feature of it expect the one to lock when screen goes black. I found the phone was constantly dialing out in my pocket so I had to do it.
Smart Gear Emulator - To play old Nintendo and Genesis games. I tried the demo and at least for Genesis games it sucks. I will probably uninstall.
WVGA Fix - Allows you to change the screen resolution down to 480x480 or 640x480. My old Genesis emulator wont work at 800x480 so I have to switch it to 640x480 before I launch it.
Pico Drive - Genesis Emulator plays most genesis games perfect
XDAShutdown - Just an app that you launch that allows you multiple options, to shutdown or restart. It also has skins to make it look how you want.
GarminXT - I bought it as a NAV application. Works really well on Verizon. And you can copy it to other cards. Maybe be legal but works.
Advanced Config 3.3 - I dont trust it have no need for most of the options in it.
Weather City Editor 2.1 - Did not work, tried it 20 different ways adds more accuweather cities to your weather tab.
Nitrogen - Audio player does not work very well for me, but is good for directly opening audio files from opera
Bing - Live Search
.Net Framework 3.5 - Required for many app installs
Facebook App
Netflix App
MS Font Pack
Microsoft MyPhone - Handy for backing up all your files, SMS and more.
Palringo - Chat client does everything, pretty resource intensive
Midomi Audio Identifier - Play a song or hum a song into the micand it finds the name of the artist and song.
Skype
Flash Hack for Opera - Sucks don't bother, any webpage with flash usually freezes the browser.
Remote Desktop w Vista/7
If you have problems connecting to your vista or 7 machine using the built in RDC program on the phone, you need to change the security level on your computer to:
"Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure)"
WinMo 6 doesn't have the new network level authentication bits. Maybe it'll appear in 6.5.....
Hi. I'm sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I been kinda lazy about posting a foow up. Plus 2 days ago Wednesday I had a tooth extracted on lower left side. So I haven't done much except try to rest, take my tylonol #3 codene and Pennicillan I been taking for a week to fight the infection from my tooth. Not a brushing issue but the tooth first was like cracked on the bottom around the root and then I was eating pizze a few weeks ago a d heard a high pitched pop/crack sound when I took a bite. That hurt like heck. I could not eat or touch it anymore. Went to my dentist and he saw immediatly the top of the tooth had cracked right down the middle. So it looked like a + kinda how it was cracked. So they took it out 2 days ago. I have to ice my left cheek for 30 minutes on, off then on again after every meal and I have to eat soft room temp foods. Plus take my meds. I also try not to talk much and when I move, specially up and down I go slow. My dentist said the healing now will take at least 6 weeks. He will take out the stitches next tuesday or Wednesday. Well that's what's going on with me now.
I have played with the phone a little each day. I have not made a phone call yet. I installed the no push Internet thing and don't notice any difference. Maybe a tiny bit less ram is used now. But I never used much anyway. I installed a few days ago the trial for the SPB 3 shell. It's not bad but I wish every button and window was uniform. Because with touchflo and the spb shell when you file browse or do messaging or certain settings screens you get tiny buttons that are like black and white. Like looking at the memory screen. It's nothing like spb and touch flo. This is annoying that the ui is not uniform the same all over. The spb shell and touchflo are responsive. Yes it does seem with only the web browser is it crummy. I did install yesterday opera 9.7 beta and looked at the local help docs. It was ok but scrolling still sucks major.
If you read what I posted you'll see my remote desktop works on computers just not the phone and that means it's set up already. I think I also already said I typed in the ip of the pc. I did everything right but no matter what remote desktop gives that error immediatly after clicking to connect. So I have no clue. I need to get it working though. Pay remote desktop apps I can't afford.
Why would you install apps only to the sd card? I haven't even put in my unopened 8gb card yet but I will.
The local verizon store said that verizon won't get the htc touch pro 2 in store for a long time. He said that's how htc is. Huh?
How can you make onscreen keyboard same as apples in safari on iPhone/iPod touch? It really sucks. No auto correct and the stupid keys aren't spread enough. Plus the stupid black and white text selection thing that pops up. Landscape really sucks for the keyboard since the keys are way too small a d way to close together. Portrait is much better and easier. The hardware keyboard I thought I liked. That is till I actually tried it. The keys are not spread enough. Way to close and I always have typos and there's no auto correct or auto punctuation or anything even remotely close to the iPod touch. Also there's a delay when typing and the sound sometimes. I like the sound and the vibration feedback when typing.
I wish messaging had add to contact in each message you read. And when you do try to add to contact it doesn't put in any info for you which is really stupid. You have to type in everything. It should auto the name and email address.
while XDA has huge amounts of programs on it, you may end up searching forever. A decent website for programs, themes etc. is http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ just make sure they are capable with the screen resolution (wvga) and some things may not work on the TP2. Also most of the phone forums on xda have some sort of thread that says must have programs or something along those lines. Read a few of those.
btw, WAZE is a community based gps program that has voice directions and is free. its kinda neat, you should give it a look.
Good stuff up there, gang. Some even was helpful to me, after a year with a Crapberry.
I think I am going to like it here.
RaggedOne said:
Good stuff up there, gang. Some even was helpful to me, after a year with a Crapberry.
I think I am going to like it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto, except I've been on a 'berry for the past 4 years...
Thanks guys.
Should it take over 9 hrs for a full charge from 0 to 100% battery charge?
Guys, I'm interested in buying this phone http://negrielectronics.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=9193&order=relevance&dir=desc but my problem is my eyesight and I need something that enlarges everything on the phone. NOT just the font when you write or something.
Less space between icons, utilizing the space better and instead of like the way the iphone was (sample)
John Smith 888-444-555
Have something more like this
John Smith 888-444-555
You know, use the space instead of just wasting it.
I tried years ago with my LG 9800 putting people's pics on there so I could see who was calling and still, they wouldn't let me use the whole screen for the picture but only a small portion in the middle.
With the help of one of the guys here, I found this http://www.touchxperience.com/en/applications/advanced-configuration-tool.html but of course, unless I have the phone, I can't test it.
The same guy suggested I get someone here to help me and write something for me so here I am.
I found this DROID app that says "Font Size globally enlarges text in all apps (Email, SMS, Maps, Home, Weather, Calendar, Widgets, ...)."
That's kinda what I want but possibly even bigger icons to boot.
Now, for my use and where I am, I have been recommended the 9193 so it would be great if someone here that has one could do something and show me how big things can get (if this is possible).
Thanks
George
Hi George and welcome.
I am sure someone on XDA can help you out.
I will move your thread to the Themes and Apps forum where you will probably get a better response.
Good luck with this venture, hope you find what you seek.
WB
Thank you Mr. Banana sir
I hope I can get some help too. Man, I can't believe this should be so hard. I mean, I'm not the only ol' fart around am I?
'preciate it
Oh, and I changed the title since you moved it.
Thanks again
George
There is a global "text size" setting which can be changed in WM. It will change the text for most of the system. Unfortunately some programs do not obey this setting and will default to small fonts - there's not much you can do about those programs though rather than get the developer to rewrite them.
I´m using zoo(o)mer a program that enlarges your sight.
Just try .
Guys, I don't have the actual phone nor do I have access to one.
Is there anyone here that can do this and show me a screen capture or something?
Ideally, putting it on a scanner and scanning it would be great. That way the size of the unit is accurate and I can compare it to other phones.
Thanks
George
Get one and add stuff
I have the T9193 and Zoomer is about your best bet at the moment, it will allow pinching to enlarge in most programs and areas in the phone.
When it comes to the phone calls etc there are some great apps developed on here that enlarge keys etc and use the vast space of the screen so blokes like us can see to do what we need to do without glasses.....mostly.
I use Iconsoft Phonex 2.2 for the dialer app, everything is nice and large!
Zoomer works great.
The phone is brilliant so get one add zoomer and Phonex and you will be very happy.....mostly...there will be the odd spot to annoy you but you will be able to live with it.
Well, I may have to take your word for it and of course, if I don't like it, I can just send the phone to you for a refund, right?
Seriously though, that sounds good.
Don't suppose you're in a position to do some screen captures, video or a scan of the phone so I can see what I'm doing?
Where do I get the zoomer and phoenix and how much are they?
Are you running 6.5 on there and is there anything different in 7?
Thanks guys
George
PhoneEx is good. But when I try to send an email from the contact of PhoneEx, "send from" will be "outlook mail'. Is it possible to change it to "hotmail", if yes, how?
Thanks a lot!
Is outlook mail the only choice?
Mind you, I would probably do it directly from the server like I do now but still, I hate outlook
give it a search... im quite sure there are lots of solutions instead of using outlook.
(p.s. I dont have mobile internet plan so i dont use the email function that often. but im sure you will come up with lots of solutions. the hd2 is great )
Hell, as long as it does the other stuff I want it to do, that's gonna be a minor thing since I tend to do my mail directly from the mail server anyway. I was just curious.
I'm hoping to get a reply on the zoom and phonex questions soon and I might go ahead and buy the phone tomorrow or something.
Thanks guys
George
Guys, while I'm at it, I just realized I should post my "wish" list here for you to comment on it and what's available and not on the 9193.
I actually sent this to Negrielectronics.com and they've been working with me to find the right phone so again, I want to put a plug for them 'cause they've been great!
Anyway, here it is in "kinda" order of importance to me...well, except for the first few, they are just questions I added later.
Cell Phone Wish List
1. Voice recording for PHONE conversations
2. Voice recording for other conversations, as in voice memos with built in mic.
3. Phonebook limited to memory size or are there size limitations?
4. Can I import my information from my Palm PDA?
5. Ability to have LARGE Letters and Numbers
6. LOUD RINGER and ability to put any ring tone on it. I will attach the one you put on the last phone so you can see it.
7. Loud Volume on phone
8. Loud Volume on speaker
9. Function as modem for getting online. NOT a must but would like to.
10. Pop e mail so I can check my mail if I want to.
11. Good browser capabilities (think iPhone)
12. Large clock so I can see it easier. You know, when the phone is in standby mode and you want to check what time it is. I love the clock that’s show in the picture of the HTC Touch HD2 T9193
13. Predictive dialing (I liked this from the HTC Vox that you let me try. Very cool. You dial and it keeps trying to guess which number you want. I’d LIKE this but NOT a requirement.
14. Latest Bluetooth version
15.
16. PREFER Real keyboard but not a requirement. I’ve gotten used to dialing on the screen and I don’t text at all.
17. GSM/3G/Fast Internet speeds. Probably going to use it on AT&T. I was never very happy with Verizon and for me at least, ATT worked better. Note, Ryan recommended T-Mobile and I will probably go with that, if nothing else but for the cost.
18. I don’t need a whole lot of the cool gadgets and features on it. I don’t do music or watch videos or download stuff. If it has a good browser like the iphone, that would be great but I mainly want a good PHONE. Camera is good to have and I do actually use it. Liked the one on the iphone and that the lens wasn’t too damn wide. That always pisses me off.
19. I would like a way to connect a corded headset, preferably without adapters.
20. I don’t care if it’s windows or not as I don’t plan on having letters and spread sheets on it. I have PDA’s for that.
21. At least 500 numbers in the phone book. Maybe predictive
22. I do NOT want a flip phone!
23. If it has keyboard on the front, I need LARGER buttons, NOT like the blueberry. My fingers are too thick for that.
24. Also, I would like the option to return it to you if it doesn’t work with my hands free in the car. Just like I did with the Vox and I would be happy to pay some fee for this if necessary.
25. As a phone, the Vox was superior to the iPhone but two things I didn’t like. Size of everything of course and it sucked at displaying web pages. I would actually like to change my requirement. I WOULD like something that displays web pages as well as the iPhone does. It did a beautiful job and I MAY need this feature in the future so if you guys are going to recommend something with a little larger screen, type HTC or iPhone, then I would like something that displays the web pages properly. Of course, it could be that they all do that now, I don’t know.
26. Ryan, I talked to Kenwood to find out which Bluetooth version it had as the handsfree unit was built in but they had no clue. Big surprise there. THIS is the unit I have from Kenwood (DNX8120) and although they didn’t have a list of compatible phones, there is a page on their site where one can look up the compatibility so I’m sending you that instead so that when the guys find a phone that’s suitable for me, they or I can go online and check it.
http://www.kenwood.com/cs/ce/bt/index.php In the first drop down menu on the left, select DNX8. underneath select DNX8120 and under that, select INCLUDE and then on the right, find the phone I’m getting.
Well, I think this is about what I can come up with.
IF I get a laptop with built in wireless that I can use would I have to have an account for that and again, would I be stuck with the higher priced plan or how does that work
I've got a phone, nah nah nah nah nah nah...
Alright boys, I went with the Desire for AT&T from Negri Electronics (and by the way, if someone wants one, they've got 50 of them coming in monday or tuesday) so I need to ramp up the search for apps to make me see things better
Oh, and linky if someone wants it http://negrielectronics.com/htc-desire-a8183-android-att-850-us-na-3g-unlocked.html
They've got other versions if you don't want AT&T by the way.
Later yall
George
Hey there,
I'm a Winmo user/fan and have been for a few generations of phones now. My first Winmo device was the HTC/UTStarcom Apache for Verizon (aka the XV-6700). My next upgrade was to the XV6800, which I loved. It served me very well, even when friends around me went on and on about their iPhones, I couldn't help but say how much I loved my phone.
Now, I have the Verizon Touch Pro2 (Rhodium). It really was a natural upgrade for someone who loved full qwerty keyboards, and this phone really didn't disappoint. I pretty much stuck with stock ROMs for a while, from the original Winmo 6.1, to the MR1 update to 6.5, and finally when MR2 landed, I loaded up Mr X's custom ROM, which was the MR2 with some annoyances fixed (he did a great job with it, I picked it up at ppcgeeks.com). With Sense 2.5, I finally got to mod my home screen with Cookie's Home Tab, and it simply rocks. CHT is a very awesome mod.
So, suffice to say, it wasn't all that long ago, I got my phone to the point where I really really liked it. I'm extremely happy with my current phone; I have over a year left on my contract. Which gives me plenty of time to think about what's next. Where do I go from here?
So, what is next??
Hardware is just going to keep getting better and better. I'm not really worried about that so much as I am what OS I use.
I love Winmo simply because it is so customizable. It isn't all that hard to get it to do what you want it to do. Most times, all you have to do is look around, and someone already solved the problem you're working on.
Windows Phone 7 doesn't really appeal to me. I can certainly see why it would appeal to other people, but it doesn't look like its going to really be my type of phone OS. Honestly, if I wanted the type of OS Microsoft iss building, I would much rather go with an iPhone. And, for that matter, if a CDMA version of iPhone hits the big VZW I might really think about it.
And then there is the new kid on the block (sort of). Android.
Android intrigues me. So much so, that I tried installing the Project Android Port on my TP2. Gotta love Haret. I started with the basic ROM that looks a lot like the UI for the Motorola Droid. It wasn't too bad, but the ROM ran rather poorly on my device. Then, later on, I installed the Klinux version, that has the Sense UI on top of Android. I think I really like that interface. It rocks. The port is still a little slow, but its also running off of a SD card, and its not really a 100% working port yet.
Now, I think I like the Sense UI implementation in Winmo more than I do the implementation in Android. However, HTC has done a fine job with it on Android, and it's got a lot of potential.
So, I'm really starting to think now, "Could my next phone be an Android device?" And to be honest, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's an open platform, it's very customizable (why I liked Winmo so much), and it seems to be picking up steam in the Apps category (sometimes I'm jealous that I can get an app for something on my Android port and not on Winmo).
But, what would be nice to have, in my mind, is a little more help from the big G itself. Google already has a feature with its Gmail application that allows you to basically tell Gmail to log into your other email address (that you are presumably trying to switch from) and it will pretty much import all of your old messages and contacts, etc.
I think it would be really spectacular if they could do the same thing for Winmo users. Basically, have a new site --> phone.google.com (or something similar), and have it be your cloud based backup location for everything that doesn't get synced now from Google. Sync up all of your SMS Text Messages, your documents stored on your phone, music, videos, and photos. Also, it can be a portal linking you to other Google apps like your calendar and contacts. And then, give this new site the ability to log into myphone.microsoft.com and pull all of the old stored data from there.
It would be perfect for someone like me who has all of his content there. Bam, all of your saved SMS messages... pulled over from MS to Google, and you don't miss a beat with them. Seriously, SMS is becoming as important as email for a lot of people. I hate having to lose texts, so when MS offered MyPhone and the ability to back them up, I was all over that.
Heck, Google could even improve upon what MS started. Have customizable settings, where if any SMS is older than a certain date, it gets archived in the cloud (so its still stored and searchable), but your device doesn't have to get bogged down with actual files, and older messages that have been archived get automatically removed from your device. If your device gets wiped, and you reinstall everything, when it syncs up, you pull back all of the messages that are newer that "X" date, while everything else older than "X" stays in the cloud in your archives. They could make the data exportable... its just data in a database, you could export to a spreadsheet like Excel, or Google Docs equivalent. Give people options, they'll love you for it.
I'm sure that there is only a small fraction of their userbase that is coming from Winmo over to Android, so I really don't expect them to do this... but wouldn't it be nice. They'd surely win me over with it. I know, somewhere out there, there is an SMS backup application for Android, but it sends your SMS messages to an email account to be backed up there. I think a dedicated system in place for backing up, restoring, and archiving SMS would be better. To me, its one of the missing pieces to Android's way of doing things.
If any of you out there have any thoughts on this, why not comment. I'd love to hear other ideas that people have regarding this.
(Also, I couldn't really figure out a good place to post this, so "General" seemed as good a place as any. If any mods see fit to move this to somewhere better, go for it.)
I agree with this completely. I'm a big Winmo advocate, and I love the customiseablity that it gives. I've pretty much got my device to the point of perfection, and I'm practically in love at this point. Anyway so I decided to give android a go on my device, and at first I was pissed that they tried to force me to register a google account, which I was unwilling to do. I somehow got it to work and I quite liked it in all honesty. I bought my topaz outright, so I don't plan on getting a new phone anytime soon, but Android intrigues me and if there isn't any new WinMo or something in the future, that will be what I will switch to.
Switching for me wouldn't be a problem, I don't really have anything that I can't backup to an sd card so thats not a problem for me.
Android is 3 thime more customizeable than winmo, I switch from winmo to android and LOVED WINMO but now I can't stand it GET ANDROID
Sent from my myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
The wonders of the cloud... seriously. MS had a good thing going with the KIN and KIN Studio, where it would upload every single thing to a server in the cloud- pictures, videos, favorites, status updates, etc. And everything you put on the cloud from your PC would beam back down to your phone (contacts!).
Google could probably easily push this very easily- their cloud services are extremely powerful already, so I don't see why they couldn't and shouldn't.
I have a loyalty towards WinMo from having used the Touch Dual, Touch Diamond, and Touch Pro2.
But it's getting very difficult to defend WinMo. It basically comes down to WinMo gives users the option to tweak everything about the OS. You can make the OS look like whatever you want it to. You can tweak it for performance. But let's stop and think about this for a moment.
1. Why do we tweak the aesthetics of the OS?
We do it because the the OS looks ugly and outdated. The main look of the OS hasn't changed in over 10 years! We do it because it's not fingerfriendly since the OS was designed to be used with a stylus.
2. Why do we tweak the OS for performance?
We do it because despite the OS being known for multi-tasking, it just doesn't now how to handle RAM very effectively.
So far with Android, I've been able to do everything I could on WinMo. Plus, the OS looks modern and performance is excellent. Aesthetically and in terms of performance, Android is significantly much much better. So what's the reason for staying with WinMo? I can't think of a legitimate reason anymore...
Thanks for the input folks! ohyeahar, you make some very good points, and its some of the things that I have been mulling over myself.
I think my biggest point, is that Google has a chance to really improve its cloud based services with their phones, and I hope they do.
Okay, so its been a little over a week, so I thought I would post some objective opinions.
Whilst there a mixed batch of reviews out there, my personal overall feelings on the device are quite positive. Its a sturdy, well built device which in my opinion is let down mainly by a below par screen and a keyboard that is not quite as good as the one on the touch pro 2.
Additionally the paltry 8gb of internal storage borders on an insult! Particularly as microsofts cloud services are not what they should be, and wp7 currently has no apps to support streaming from home media servers.
Having bought it to replace my lost TP2, I honestly think that HTC also should have included a front facing camera and the speakerphone functionality of its predecessor. In terms of hardware, that's where my criticisms end......
Whilst the keys lack the travel found on the tp2,the keyword still works pretty well!
The screen washes out far too easily, but out of direct sunlight it is vibrant with good colour reproduction.
If you are moving from a windows mobile device, whilst wp7 is a delightful interface, you may wish to wait for Microsoft to release the mango update. As slick and intuitive as wp7 is there is still a great deal missing...
No direct sync with outlook
No unified mailbox
No ability to make or send videos in mms form.
No voice guided Sat nav software
No support for Rar files......... No file explorer!
No cut and paste
No pause dialling
And these are just the things I can remember off the top of my head!
To reiterate the user interface is awesome but still very much in its infancy. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that I can no longer drag and drop audio and video onto the device without first going through Zune.
the camera is pretty good as is 720p video recording.
Overall it is a good device that has the potential to be great but only if and when MS decide to pull their finger out.
I've probably forgotten loads of stuff. If any one has any questions please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
I think it's only fair to add a comparison to the HTC Arrive (sprints 7 pro).
No direct sync with outlook
- Outlook works perfectly fine with HTC Arrive, syncs and pushes.
No unified mailbox
- There is no unified email on any WP7 device yet, but will come in Mango release.
No ability to make or send videos in mms form.
- Can't do this on the Arrive either, can send pictures just fine though.
No voice guided Sat nav software
- The Arrive comes with TeleNav, which works just fine. It is voice guided, text to speach and all.
No support for Rar files......... No file explorer!
- Can't do this either, however, you can have a file explorer once unlocked (though, unlocking via Chevron doesn't seem to work with NoDo update. Official Developer unlocking seems to not work also, but I can't confirm)
No cut and paste
- NoDo update enabled this, so the Arrive can do it.
No pause dialling
- I'm not even sure what this is.
Can you force this phone to roam like in WM6.1?
I gotta say that MS nailed the OS in terms of actually working and being vert smoothe and fast!
As mentioned, Zune for syncing blows nasty chunks. It's a shame because I like the Zune app, but dragging and dropping files is a must, just like custom ringers, IMO.
It also sucked that SkyDrive is such a piss-poor excuse for a cloud service. I had to email all of my word and excel documents to myself and save them to the phone, only way I could get them on there.
The hardware is great but the antenna is worse than the TP2, less signal. Also when coming out of roaming, I have had to reset because on the Sprint Arrive, it wouldn't kick back from 1X to EVDO.
92GTA said:
I gotta say that MS nailed the OS in terms of actually working and being vert smoothe and fast!
As mentioned, Zune for syncing blows nasty chunks. It's a shame because I like the Zune app, but dragging and dropping files is a must, just like custom ringers, IMO.
It also sucked that SkyDrive is such a piss-poor excuse for a cloud service. I had to email all of my word and excel documents to myself and save them to the phone, only way I could get them on there.
The hardware is great but the antenna is worse than the TP2, less signal. Also when coming out of roaming, I have had to reset because on the Sprint Arrive, it wouldn't kick back from 1X to EVDO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In regards to Zune for syncing, what do you mean dragging and dropping files is a must? I was able to drag and drop all my MP3's and Picture folders from Zune onto the phone icon in Zune and it synced up for me just fine.
I haven't messed with skydrive, so no comment on that one.
My phone went into roam a second ago here in my office (always had bad reception here), and when I moved to a better spot it jumped back onto EV without any resets or anything like that.
cyclical said:
In regards to Zune for syncing, what do you mean dragging and dropping files is a must? I was able to drag and drop all my MP3's and Picture folders from Zune onto the phone icon in Zune and it synced up for me just fine.
I haven't messed with skydrive, so no comment on that one.
My phone went into roam a second ago here in my office (always had bad reception here), and when I moved to a better spot it jumped back onto EV without any resets or anything like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying going into roaming in the mountains and no signal at aall, then let me know if it comes back to EVDO ok
What I meant was unless the files are already in ZUNE, you can't drag them to your device. Which means for example when I put my MicroSD card from my TP2 into my computer, I could not drag the files onto my Arrive. Even when I told ZUNE to check that folder, it still wouldn't import the files for me to drag them on.
Yeah SkyDrive is a joke, especially for media...
92GTA said:
I gotta say that MS nailed the OS in terms of actually working and being vert smoothe and fast!
As mentioned, Zune for syncing blows nasty chunks. It's a shame because I like the Zune app, but dragging and dropping files is a must, just like custom ringers, IMO.
It also sucked that SkyDrive is such a piss-poor excuse for a cloud service. I had to email all of my word and excel documents to myself and save them to the phone, only way I could get them on there.
The hardware is great but the antenna is worse than the TP2, less signal. Also when coming out of roaming, I have had to reset because on the Sprint Arrive, it wouldn't kick back from 1X to EVDO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure I understand your frustration with SkyDrive?
1. Go to www.skydrive.com and login
2. Select the folder you want to upload to
3. Click "Add Files" on the top
4. A new windows pops up where you can drag documents to. You also have the toption to select documents for upload manually.
5. Drag and drop away
Shouldn't be any reason to email files to your phone first.
my thoughts on the HTC 7 Pro (after 2 days)
I've had HTC's for a long time now, XDA2, XDA2i, Tytn, Tytn2, TouchPro, TouchPro2, and now the 7 Pro. Although I'm by no means an expert, I like to think I know what I'm doing...
So I was really excited about getting this phone!! really excited! maybe abit too excited, i incorrectly assumed that this would basically be a WP7 version of the TP2, so maybe i didn't check the spec as well as i ought.
Couple of things that disappointed me as soon as i unpacked the phone. Firstly searching for the slot to put my 16GB MicroSD... why would they not allow external memory cards? ALL of the phones i listed above had storage card ports... Secondly, finding ANOTHER different type of interconnect to the phone! grrr... so that means the home/car chargers, the data-cables, the speaker dock, the funny little HTC breakout cable are not compatible. Since the Tytn, i thought HTC would stick with their MicroUSBex port... it always seemed to work well so why change it? Finally regarding the layout of the 7 pro, the interconnect ports seem to be in very odd positions. My car dock has the phone upright, and the arms which hold it in place are in the way because the charge cable is on the side... weird! likewise i think the position of the headphone/mic socket is weird... had my hands free on for the drive to work this morning, and it's dangling in front of the screen... again, put the connector at the bottom! surely that's a better place for it?
so after using the phone for a while i can almost forgive all the draw backs i mentioned above, i love how fast and responsive it is! the camera seems to be of good quality and there also seems to be enough apps available to keep me busy for a long time. however, there are some annoyances from M$ too. wallpaper? very large buttons on the home screen... it's a BIG screen, i can use it with my thumb without the buttons taking up half the screen! where on earth have all the settings gone? i can see they're trying to simplify the operations, which is really good... but! if some people want to drill down into some more specific settings then they should be able to? a clock... on the dashboard, i don't think tiny one in the corner counts as a clock .
i have read that alot of people are unhappy with the Sky drive situation... i don't think it's too bad, being forced into slimming my data down (because of the MicroSD port situation) has probably done me some good, i'm happy that my photo are now stored somewhere safer than just on my phone (and home computer if you count syncing 3 or 4 times a year!). my big problem is the situation with M$ "my phone" i have around 10,000 text messages on there, i don't know why i want to keep them... but i do! and i want to continue to keep syncing them! before my phone was about, i was using JEYO to sync to outlook (i still haven't got around to exporting those out and putting them on "my phone"!). why would M$ stop supporting something that worked well? lastly about data management, file explorer? OMG i had that on windows 3.1! surely it's got to be there somewhere?
I'll try and be positive to finish this up. LOVE the speed, LOVE the screen especially the dual touch, LOVE the apps, LOVE the Xbox360 integration. i really think it's got HUGE potential. i hope someone cares enough to sort out the problems for the HTC 7 pro II
thanks for taking the time to read
After looking closely at my HTC Arrive, I swear I can see 2 small circles just above and to the right of the HTC symbol on the front. One I know is the light sensor but what is the second one. I hear that it is actually a front facing camera... The whole thing looks just like it does on the Evo.
I was just looking at some reviews and noticed the USB port on the side.
WTF are they thinking?
I keep my Tilt2 in an upright dock on my desk for sync.
How do you build a dock for that?
And in my car, i keep the unit in a dash holder with a power connector
out the bottom. A side connector would be real clumsy.
The cord would be under a tight stress angle.
Dave.
Yes - it's VERY annoying! aside from the position, which as far as i can tell is just a poor design, changing to ANOTHER different connector is ridiculas...MicroUSB-EMU was fine, most camera's and other USB devices use MicroUSB connectors, so i have loads of those cables... now i have to buy all new! boo!
WM6.5 for 7PRO?
jb347 said:
Can you force this phone to roam like in WM6.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I make the same question: ¿can I have in my 7 PRO the WM6.5? I would be very happy if they could. The WP7 is very poor.
I want to run in my phone apps like Garmin, WiFi-Router, File Explorer, Remote Desktop native, and more.
Is there a miraculous person who can create this ROM?
mikoriad said:
After looking closely at my HTC Arrive, I swear I can see 2 small circles just above and to the right of the HTC symbol on the front. One I know is the light sensor but what is the second one. I hear that it is actually a front facing camera... The whole thing looks just like it does on the Evo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One is Proximity and one is Ambient Light
Ricki_Hunter said:
Yes - it's VERY annoying! aside from the position, which as far as i can tell is just a poor design, changing to ANOTHER different connector is ridiculas...MicroUSB-EMU was fine, most camera's and other USB devices use MicroUSB connectors, so i have loads of those cables... now i have to buy all new! boo!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure the switch to micro-usb is due to the European standardization on that plug. All phones in Europe must comply and it just makes sense to push that to the US (and any other country) as well since it simplifies manufacturing. I've seen news articles where the US is standardizing starting in January 2012.....guess which plug they are standardizing on -- micro-usb. Bite the bullet, it'll be worth it in the long run.
I'm just glad it's getting easier to get USB plugs for the wall and car.....now you only have to swap out the cable instead of getting new chargers.
cohowap said:
I think it's only fair to add a comparison to the HTC Arrive (sprints 7 pro).
No direct sync with outlook
- Outlook works perfectly fine with HTC Arrive, syncs and pushes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I have HTC 7 PRO, ¿can I sync with Outlook "perfectly"? Because now I can't.
udaberrian said:
If I have HTC 7 PRO, ¿can I sync with Outlook "perfectly"? Because now I can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Syncing with Outlook should really read "Syncs with Exchange" as you sync to the server and not to your local program. I exported all of my contacts from Outlook and imported them into Windows Live Mail (tied to my Live account) and got them across that way.
Hi guys!
I have been following this forum for quite some time now and so far I have not found a problem that did not had an answer here (unfortunately I started reading it after I made a huge mistake). But let me explain the problem from the beginning. A more than a year ago, my service provider offered to change my HTC HD phone for a brand new HTC HD7, free of charge. So, an idiot me went for it. I was to naive to think that new MS operating system is gonna be more advanced with features. Instead of a phone that you can customize according to your needs I got a peace of junk that cant even play mp3 as a ring tone... And I cant sell it. If only I was smart enough to read the review on it before I said yes...
In fact this OS was so bad for me that I put it back in the box, bought two android phones (HTC Desire and Xperia X10) and was finally able to work on something that is worth calling a smart phone... I was never hopping that MS will be smart enough to fix this trash, but I waited to see if those smarter then me will be able to tune it in a way that it can at least be semi-usable. And here I am 14 months later and this garbage is still in the box. I updated it to mango, it looks a little bit better, but still many of the setup functions that I need are missing. I would leave it for another 14 months in a box but I am in a situation that I really need an extra phone.
So, finally, here is my question (and sorry for the long intro, I just needed to say how bad this wp7 crap looks to me). Is it possible to tweak it in some way NOT to auto display a new SMS on a locked screen. Can you set it up just to give you a notification of the new sms, without the actual message on the screen. I dont wont to leave my phone on the office desk and everybody in the room to be able to read the content when I am not there. Only an idiot can leave this without an option to disable it...
If anybody knows some sort of solution, please help. I even tried searching the market for sms applications (like Go SMS in android which lets you customize all sort of sms notifications), but of course, there is nothing out there. If I had the power, I would punish those MS developers who came up with this idiotic OS to be forced to use their own products until the end of time...
stariparalitik said:
Hi guys!
I have been following this forum for quite some time now and so far I have not found a problem that did not had an answer here (unfortunately I started reading it after I made a huge mistake). But let me explain the problem from the beginning. A more than a year ago, my service provider offered to change my HTC HD phone for a brand new HTC HD7, free of charge. So, an idiot me went for it. I was to naive to think that new MS operating system is gonna be more advanced with features. Instead of a phone that you can customize according to your needs I got a peace of junk that cant even play mp3 as a ring tone... And I cant sell it. If only I was smart enough to read the review on it before I said yes...
In fact this OS was so bad for me that I put it back in the box, bought two android phones (HTC Desire and Xperia X10) and was finally able to work on something that is worth calling a smart phone... I was never hopping that MS will be smart enough to fix this trash, but I waited to see if those smarter then me will be able to tune it in a way that it can at least be semi-usable. And here I am 14 months later and this garbage is still in the box. I updated it to mango, it looks a little bit better, but still many of the setup functions that I need are missing. I would leave it for another 14 months in a box but I am in a situation that I really need an extra phone.
So, finally, here is my question (and sorry for the long intro, I just needed to say how bad this wp7 crap looks to me). Is it possible to tweak it in some way NOT to auto display a new SMS on a locked screen. Can you set it up just to give you a notification of the new sms, without the actual message on the screen. I dont wont to leave my phone on the office desk and everybody in the room to be able to read the content when I am not there. Only an idiot can leave this without an option to disable it...
If anybody knows some sort of solution, please help. I even tried searching the market for sms applications (like Go SMS in android which lets you customize all sort of sms notifications), but of course, there is nothing out there. If I had the power, I would punish those MS developers who came up with this idiotic OS to be forced to use their own products until the end of time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though I love my Trophy I'll have to agree with you, I miss my Touch Pro 2 with Windows Mobile on it; on Windows Mobile if you wanted to do something on it, it did it for you Vs. Windows Phone . I have never had issues with ringtones, I have always been able to do that. As far as SMS notifications not showing up on the lock screen, there should be a registry tweak just search for it here.