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I was quite happy with windows mobile (5 through 6.5) until I switch to HTC Desire (Android) 3-4 months back. Desire is a great machine, trust me. However since I'm a heavy user of Outlook, hotmail, messenger, Office etc. and use Windows 7 based laptop, I think I should go back to Windows plateform on my phone as well. Haven't got a chance yet to see Mozart in action so wonder if any body who has used it can give answers to some instant queries:
1- I'm with Orange, contract is due upgrade; should I get Mozart from Orange or wait until it's availalbe unbranded/unlocked form Phone4U or from Carphonewarehouse?
2- If getting from Orange is there any benefit getting Orange SatNav or Mozart can support Google maps or Bing maps with directions? (on Desire Google maps with navigation is free)
3- Hotmail connector works on Mozart?
4- Live messenger available on Mozart?
5- Mozart and Outlook sync 100% as in previous WinMo's? (i.e. email, contacts, notes, tasks)
Of any other information will be helpful. cheers...
ZeeShh said:
I was quite happy with windows mobile (5 through 6.5) until I switch to HTC Desire (Android) 3-4 months back. Desire is a great machine, trust me. However since I'm a heavy user of Outlook, hotmail, messenger, Office etc. and use Windows 7 based laptop, I think I should go back to Windows plateform on my phone as well. Haven't got a chance yet to see Mozart in action so wonder if any body who has used it can give answers to some instant queries:
1- I'm with Orange, contract is due upgrade; should I get Mozart from Orange or wait until it's availalbe unbranded/unlocked form Phone4U or from Carphonewarehouse?
2- If getting from Orange is there any benefit getting Orange SatNav or Mozart can support Google maps or Bing maps with directions? (on Desire Google maps with navigation is free)
3- Hotmail connector works on Mozart?
4- Live messenger available on Mozart?
5- Mozart and Outlook sync 100% as in previous WinMo's? (i.e. email, contacts, notes, tasks)
Of any other information will be helpful. cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything you said is all yes but rumors are saying in a january update copy and paste and turn by turn voice naviation ill be coming
also i have a desire and am trading it in for a moozart
that's quite encouraging and yes I think I'll move back to WinMo.
Just called Orange upgrade team and apart from my usual call plan they are charging me £149.99/- one off, unless I choose talk paln of £40+. hmm, will do some more research in the eve.
I have contacted Orange (go through customer services rather than upgrades) and they are offering great deals i.e free phone on talk plans under £35. They are out of stock at the moment but I think a little bit of pestering and not accepting their first offers you may get a good deal
Despite Orange offering me deals, I'm still torn between the Mozart and the Desire HD. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
ZeeShh said:
1- I'm with Orange, contract is due upgrade; should I get Mozart from Orange or wait until it's availalbe unbranded/unlocked form Phone4U or from Carphonewarehouse?
2- If getting from Orange is there any benefit getting Orange SatNav or Mozart can support Google maps or Bing maps with directions? (on Desire Google maps with navigation is free)
3- Hotmail connector works on Mozart?
4- Live messenger available on Mozart?
5- Mozart and Outlook sync 100% as in previous WinMo's? (i.e. email, contacts, notes, tasks)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I'm very happy with the Orange branded one. Very little branding is present and it's easy to remove the Orange apps if you don't want/need them (although the Orange Wednesday app is awesome).
2. Bing maps is included, but not really tried it much to be honest. No Google maps as of yet.
3. Hotmail works nativly within WP7, so you just add you LIVE accont onto the device and everything is setup automatically.
4. There is NOT an official Live Messenger client that I've seen on WP7 yet, but I would be very surprised if one doesn't appear soon.
5. There is NO syncing with Outlook in WP7 via ActiveSync as in previous versions of Windows Mobile. You need to sync your Outlook with an online service like LIVE, Google or Exchange to get it on your phone.
Hmm, syncing now is different. but would it be as good and smooth as it used to be? Is this what Zune software is suppose to do. it'll be bit of exciting experience thought.
I believe Skype can be installed as well.
cheers....
ZeeShh said:
Hmm, syncing now is different. but would it be as good and smooth as it used to be? Is this what Zune software is suppose to do. it'll be bit of exciting experience thought.
I believe Skype can be installed as well.
cheers....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skype is not available on WP7, and Skype have publicly stated they are waiting to see how much the OS takes off before starting development on an app.
Zune only syncs music, video and photos, it does not sync contacts, calendars, and other stuff.
ZeeShh said:
that's quite encouraging and yes I think I'll move back to WinMo.
Just called Orange upgrade team and apart from my usual call plan they are charging me £149.99/- one off, unless I choose talk paln of £40+. hmm, will do some more research in the eve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have taken out a 18 month contract with orange with the mozat, its 30 queens heads a month with the hand set for free. they sold me orange maps but have compansated me as i called them back as i found out wp7 does not support them at the moment( been told they are hoping for them to be live late november).
Here's my opinion on the Mozart.
Got it a few days ago and i'm quite split, i've previously supported HTC and WM so naturally WP7 sounded great and the Mozart seems the best handset.
Overall the winning feature has to be the sound quality, with a 3.5mm jack for headphones and SRS enhancement available in an app, the sound quality is amazing. One bad point is teh shoddy handsfree kit provided with it, seems to be quite low quality for listening to music, does calls just fine though.
The camera is a high point, 8MP - more than enough quality there for my uses, unfortunately it comes with a flash, that doesn't sound like a bad feature but heres why - without the flash images are blurry, dark and as bad as they were on previous HTC devices, with the flash it takes about 5 seconds to actually take the picture, so forget about any kinda of quick snaps, the flash is also far too powerful, making shots look too dark without and too bright with, i'm sure an update will bring a little bit of control to the flash eventually though.
HD Video, great idea, great quality... that is if your target isn't moving, the autofocus is slow, exposure adjustment is the same, making the whole thing look cheap, uploading movies is also impossible without syncing to zune, no facebook upload like in WM6, again something that will be sorted in time hopefully.
Onto the programs. Unlike the camera tools, everything else is light and snappy, the Mozart opens programs quickly and effortlessly, making use of the lack of multitasking and heavy UI of WM6, WP7 is a completely differente experience. Live tiles are so so, some tiles are large and some are small with no way to switch between them, some are blank and give no information wheras teh built in ones are great. I think given time, live tiles will become a lot more custom built.
Internet is provided with good old IE, no opera yet, but given time i'm sure tjhat will change. The lack of flash is a bit annoying, needing a seperate plugin for youtube and no way to streaming any other kinda of flash video. I know windows believe HTML 5 is the future but it would be worth considering teh present, flash is a necessity pulled from under my feet. Altogether teh broswer is amazingly smooth, custom built for WP7 offereing many features like capturing a page for the live tiles. No copy and paste does cause issues but the January update will take care of this.
The marketplace is well equipped, more so than I thought it would be, with about 20 different apps for a flashlight (unfortunately those that use the camera flash do not work on the mozart for some reason), about 10 different apps to fake a phone call should you ever want it, all these range from free to about £2, the more expensive apps are mainly games, these run smoothly on the Mozart and give a nice touch to the new OS.
The major downsides to teh Mozart are the following:
Lack of ringtones, a few default boring chimes that you'd expect your dad to use, but no way to use mp3s, its just painful for me.
Battery life varies, I've been wuite impressed at times with it lasting me about 2days with light use, but everyday tasks like phone calls and wifi takes its toll.
Outlook doesn't combine emails or thread them, this may seem like somethign you don't need but WM6 had it, why doesn't WP7?
The marketplace is lacking many programs I would like such as a GPS program, bing maps is a poor substitute for Googlemaps, with very few inviting features, though i'm sure this will change.
Overall I'm impressed with the device, almost everything is snappy, the screen is great, devices are nice looking, but unfortunately with a new OS with no backward compatibility, it will take a while for things to pick up, whether the limited APIs and pricey edevelopers licence with hinder the growth of WP7 only time will tell.
My opinion of the Mozart is that although the camera puts it above the other, its software just brings it back down to the same level, theres almost no difference in the devices, maybe the Omnia 7 might push ahead with the super AMOLED screen, but as far as i'm concerned, and extra 3 megapixels on the camera makes no difference given the software.
I've been mainly distracted due to me having to switch back to Orange to get this phone. I live in North East England, and after orange and T mobile merged signals, I found t-mobile to have a constant 3G signal, cracking out speeds up to 2 meg (which is odd since only the 2G signals were merged). After having super fast mobile internet for the past few years I've moved to orange which seems to struggle to give me any form of mobile internet, I measured a mighty 13kb/s next to a 1800kb/s on my t-mobile, lets hope it improves or i won't be keeping the Mozart, after all a PDA is pretty useless without internet...
Hi All,
Thanks for you feedbacks, I'm quite convinced that I should move from Desire to Mozart. I'm really enjoying Desire as well but due to home / work on windows plateforms I think I should remain on windows plateform for my mobile as well, as I always used to be since 2006.
Orange UK is out of stock on Mozart at the moment but hoping to get it within November. cheers...
ZeeShh said:
1- I'm with Orange, contract is due upgrade; should I get Mozart from Orange or wait until it's availalbe unbranded/unlocked form Phone4U or from Carphonewarehouse?
2- If getting from Orange is there any benefit getting Orange SatNav or Mozart can support Google maps or Bing maps with directions? (on Desire Google maps with navigation is free)
3- Hotmail connector works on Mozart?
4- Live messenger available on Mozart?
5- Mozart and Outlook sync 100% as in previous WinMo's? (i.e. email, contacts, notes, tasks)
Of any other information will be helpful. cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For what it's worth I'm sending my Mozart back as much preferred my Desire so will get a Desire HD.
But to answer your questions
1) Your call... cheaper on Orange and then pay £20 to unlock it
2) Orange Sat Nav doesn't work yet. Bing does support directions but is not a Sat Nav replacement.
3) Yes
4) Not that I've seen but sure it would be soon
5) Yes but as far as I could tell only email, contacts and calendar. Not tasks or notes. The outlook syncing (at least for me via exchange) has been flawless and enables you to sync multiple accounts.
Hope that helps.
Hello everyone,
I received a Samsung Vibrant S for christmas and am a real noob to the android scene. I come from the world of WinMo 5.0 so please bear with me.
I have been playing with this thing for a just a few days so far and am hesitant to root the phone as I don't know yet all the features I currently have in my possession, let alone the amount of money this 'super computer' costs. But I am enjoying the phone so far.
So, I have at the moment just a few questions and would really like your opinions and suggestions on what you use to do certain things.
My Vibrant has the Eclair 2.1-upd1, UVJI6. I'm currently running the system without a data plan, just a basic phone service. With my WinMo 5.0 and having internet at home, a wifi on the rails to/from work, internet at work, there is no need to spend an extra 30 a month for a data plan.
First, I need to sync my outlook calendar on my desktop to the phone. I have tried Kies but the thing doesn't recognize the phone half the time and the other half is used in trying to figure out why there is no connection.
[Q] What do you use to sync your calendar events with an XP / Windows7_64 MS outlook calendar? I am not necessarily interested in syncing email, I have enough of that already, no need to add it to my phone. I would like to sync my personal contacts though, seperate from those at work.
[Q] I have noticed there are very few places to download an APK file. Most are simply installed from the market. From the old WinMo 5.0 days, I had to watch what applications would run on what systems, so my practice has been to download the application and save it to a disk so when I needed to reset my phone/PDA, I could just pull the applications off the disk. You can't do that now with the market. So what do you use to back up your purchased/free applications so you can get them back if you need to?
[Q] I've noticed there are so many upgrades that can be done to this phone, and with all the posts here at XDA, it is very overwhelming. My question here is what about the apps from the market, can they be used with any version of android?
[Q] I have many more questions, but I know you all would simply refer me to the endless amount of posts and suggest I do a little research. The problem I am finding with this approach is the mass amount of data and all the little quirks that set one issue/solution different from another. You can easily spend weeks going through page after page to try and get an answer to a single question. So my last question is this; Do you have any suggestions on how to weed through this conglomerate data to find what you seek without spending too much time?
Thank you all for your insight and hospitality.
First off I would say check out the bible in the development section . You will find most of your answers there . As for your question about app capability most android apps will run on any android phone with a few exceptions . To back up your apps you could use TitaniumBackup but you most be rooted . Read up before you do anything . If you get stuck our are uncertain just ask . The community is usually very helpful .
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I hope no-one minds but I got my Mozart yesterday and the only link that seems to talk about what is good and bad about it (here) hasn't had a new entry since November.
I also reckon that the Microsoft Developers know that xda-developers is the only place to go for sensible smartphone discussions and hopefully they will read this and make some changes.
I wasn't convinced that the Mozart would be better than my HD2 but actually....
Good:
Great Screen Resolution
Fast
Internet Explorer is better than I expected and the Pinch to Zoom is great
I like the start screen and the way the 3G signal gets out of the way
Bad:
No Comm Manager - switching on WiFi, Bluetooth, Flight Mode is a real pain
No Internet Sharing - AARRRRGGGHH!
Can't find my WiFi with hidden ESSID - GGGRRRRR!
No MyPhone Sync
I'm not sure I'm keen on the lock-down on apps - it's probably the only thing that will force me to Open Source Android.
I used gyrator2 to switch the screen off when I turned the HD2 vertically down - it saved on battery.
Thank goodness MS don't seem to have made WP7 into a steppingstone to a proper OS (like vista was to Win7!). The way I'm using it, it's the almost finished.
I'm hoping that someone will come up with a Comm Manager App. But I don't know about the other stuff.
Has anyone else got anything to add? What would make WP7 work better for you?
PS Please move this if it's duplicated elsewhere.
Thanks for the heads-up, just brought a Mozart today expecting delivery on Tuesday, I've come from the Android phones Galaxy S & X10 Mini, will be interesting to see how this shapes up against them.
anoyances
i also bought one and generally i think they realy solved the job doing a MS based phone that works. (i moved from a diamond2 with os6.5)
but what realy makes me angry is that i read in the commcersials and specs that i could use mp3 for ringtones (wich phones cant today anyway). but even if being a trivial requerent i would not go with out it.
now i realize that i can use mp3 - BUT ONLY IF I BUY IT FROM ZUNE WTF!!!!!
are they trying out the apple business plan?
im aware that i can "jail break" (where did i last hear about this.. og iPhone/apple) .. but i risk brick´ing my phone and thats a bummer.
still realy nice phone.
a file handler would be nice though and some grouping functionality. the start screeen cannot collect all your messaging and mail in a single icon for access. you have to add evry single one of them in the shortcut list for ease of access.. thats anoying if you have 4 mail and text messaging like me.. grouping would rock..
another thing is "People" its a looker if you want to see contratct and facebook updates, byt anoying for phone contact list
and whats it with the contact list? you cannot sync with outlook only exchange serveres. otherwise you have to expose your full contact list on windows live or facebook to get it synced to your phone.
now i believe i should be paid for using my phone then.. they get to know me and all of my friends including phone info, full name, job detaisl address etc etc. thats something that valueable.. and i dont get to choose if i want to take part.. i want money Zune/HTC and Microsoft!
im semi pleased .. nice phone but realy creapy business methods
A week later....an update
I can see what you're saying js0937.
I'm not really into changing the ringtone but I did notice that you couldn't do it. I can't believe that it has to come from Zune - it does make Android seem very attractive!
I've coped with the Outlook / Live syncing by having a separate account for my contacts but it is a bit long-winded.
I'm waiting for the update (due in Jan 2011 but when??? we're already two-thirds through!) to see whether these problems get solved.
Given that I worked with winphone 6.5 for so long, winphone7 is still much, much better but I still want Internet Sharing and a Comm Manager
tony_wh said:
I'm waiting for the update (due in Jan 2011 but when???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update whill be soon (7 feb.?)
h..p://microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/features/update-info.aspx
Hoping the update sorts the voice dialing out as its rubbish compaired to 6.5. This is a big step back. Be nice to get more info of what the update will bring. Roll on the 7th, fingers crossed.
My 2 cents
Ye, here you have the list:
MUSTS (otherwise I will NOT use the phone for my business):
- Network sharing
- People view by company OR search by company
- copy paste OR use selected text as signature
- outlook categories (seriously!) sort/show calendar, ppl, by category
- tasks list
WANTS (It would be nice to have it):
- activesync with desktop (mailny notes, and such)
- messaging hub (it is enough to group it together in one tile displaying summary of all unread messages, no matter from where they come. It can link to selection screen, where I can pick the mail/messaging account).
- connect tasks with SharePoint lists
- see Active Directory coleagues callendars (or at least simple meeting assistant that shows free/busy for attendees)
- Remote Desktop Connection (it is a pity that having that screen I cannot connect to my virtual desktop if needed)
I am business guy, and always used WinMo as a nice tool. Now... I have waited so long for WP7 and I cant use it for work. I gave it to my Woman, and now I am considering other OSes...
Microsoft, you are pissing on your most loyal customer segment!
I am looking for a Smartphone with a particular form factor, the form factor is shared by the P3600, the Aria & the HD Mini. I have the 3600 but it is time to upgrade
I’ll be honest I’d rather get a HD Mini than an Aria, but I want to stick with Tel$tra and Next G is on 850 Mhtz,
So Aria it is.
Now looking at the ups and downs of this proposition it looks like it will do everything I want out of the box (Give or take a bit) the only concern is the ability to run apps from the SD which doesn’t appear to be available until upgrading to 2.2.
If I want the phone unlocked and free to do as I say, I obviously can’t go downloading a carrier specific Rom, so need either a factory default or Home baked number.
So… What Android 2.2 ROM is available that is as close to the Unlocked factory default as possible? Or can you download the Unlocked Factory Default from HTC direct (I have tried and failed)
You're looking for gene Poole's liberated 2.2.2 or attn1 fr008.
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
mtnlion said:
You're looking for gene Poole's liberated 2.2.2 or attn1 fr008.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
You want Gene Poole's Liberated 2.2.2
Also, how and where are you getting your phone?
Most of us (it seems) in this forum got our phones when they were running 2.1 and we were able to easily root them with unrevoked. People who have gotten the Gratia or warranty replacements recently with the official 2.2 system in place have not been able to root.
FALCON-LORD said:
I am looking for a Smartphone with a particular form factor, the form factor is shared by the P3600, the Aria & the HD Mini. I have the 3600 but it is time to upgrade
I’ll be honest I’d rather get a HD Mini than an Aria, but I want to stick with Tel$tra and Next G is on 850 Mhtz,
So Aria it is.
Now looking at the ups and downs of this proposition it looks like it will do everything I want out of the box (Give or take a bit) the only concern is the ability to run apps from the SD which doesn’t appear to be available until upgrading to 2.2.
If I want the phone unlocked and free to do as I say, I obviously can’t go downloading a carrier specific Rom, so need either a factory default or Home baked number.
So… What Android 2.2 ROM is available that is as close to the Unlocked factory default as possible? Or can you download the Unlocked Factory Default from HTC direct (I have tried and failed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that mtnlion. I thought this was my last hurdle but then I considered the implications of syncing outlook contacts and calendars… It appears that you need a third part application to do that. FFS why can’t someone port WM6.5 to the Aria HW? It would make life so much easier.
Is it time for me to start learning to cook ROMs?
Thanks for the update stoneship. So it isn’t all as easy as it seems on the surface. SOD…
Maybe I just have to cross my fingers and hope that HTC keeps supporting the small form factor and wait for there next round of releases, and hope something fits.
I haven't used it in quite awhile but I'm pretty sure the HTC sync software will sync outlook and calendar when you plug in your phone.and there are apps on the market also.
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
Thanks again mtnlion, but this still leaves me with the issue highlighted by stone ship that some systems won’t let you root break them and put on non official ROM images. The Aria as a solution is so close I can taste it… But I am just not confident it is going to be without issues.
Ahhh Screw it… I have bought one… How much trouble can it be???
Well... after rereading your post it seems that you may not be aware of this.
The phone you purchased will most likely (if new) come with software preinstalled from the factory that will prohibit you from rooting it via software methods.
You will need to send the phone to someone else to downgrade it for you. Then you can root it and install the software above.
Hope that made sense, I'm running on fumes... :-/
FALCON-LORD said:
Ahhh Screw it… I have bought one… How much trouble can it be???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cross your fingers that you got one with 2.1 on it so you can root it easily. If not I can point you to someone who can s-off it for you.
The Aria is a great little phone and once you get things sorted out I think you will find you can do what you need with it. Syncing outlook contacts and calendars should not be an issue either through activesync or HTC sync regardless of official or cooked rom.
You say Active sync or HTC sync??? Does that mean that M$ Active sync can sync with an Android device? That would be weird.
The device is advertised as unlocked and 2.1 As long as it is unlocked then I am good even if it is 2.2 I don’t expect to need it rooted in the immediate term, though I do expect I am going to have to hack around a little to get the Audio on my Cardo Scala headset sorted (it doesn’t support A2DP) so I may be eating those words in short order.
Though in the words of the great tosser Jeremy Clarkson… “How Hard can it be?”
Seeing I am asking these questions I may as well outline the Bluetooth issue I have and see if any one can shed any light on the Android solution.
As I said in my previous post my Bluetooth headset doesn’t support A2DP, so to get music playing on it (or get GPS spoken directions) I need to perform a couple of hacks
The first one is to combine the stereo channels so on my Windows mobile I do this by applying the following to the registry.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Bluetooth\A2DP\Settings]
"UseJointStereo"=dword:00000001
The second (And more important) is to change the Bluetooth channel behavior which is done by making the voice command attribute do nothing (remove the path of the executable) and keeping the channel open for an indefinite amount of time (VoiceCmdDuration being a large number)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\OEM\VoiceCommand]
"LaunchApEnable"=dWord:1
"VoiceCmdDuration"=dWord:15180
So… In Android, what files do I need to tweak, and how do I need to tweak them to achieve the same results?
Thanks
Well I now have my aria in my greasy little hands, and for better or worse… It has 2.2 loaded.
Starting to sort my way through the maze of setup now…
Patience.
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
The Limitations of Android are really annoying. (Unrooted)
I can’t Leave the device Synchronizing and also copy files back and forth (I Can in WM5)
I can’t copy files directly to the device only to the SD Card (I Can in WM5)
I can’t access the SD card from the device while I am accessing it from the PC (I Can in WM5)
I can’t edit configuration files to alter how it interacts with things such as Bluetooth (I Can in WM5)
I can’t store resources such as ringtones on the device, only on the SD card (I Can in WM5)
I can’t control the phone from my desktop computer such as MyMobiler (I Can in WM5)
And these are just the limitations I have found in 3 days when comparing it to a 6 year old Operating system.
And because it came pre installed with 2.2 I can’t root it…
It really appears that if it isn’t rooted it is pretty F#$ked.
Android is not really designed to be synchronized over USB. Yes, you can do it, and HTC makes a program for it specifically, but I suggest abandoning that habit and getting used to wireless syncing instead. The only reason I ever connect my phone to a computer is to copy a file, and even then I sometimes choose to do it with Dropbox instead, or send the link to the phone through ChromeToPhone.
Even if you don't want to use Google Calendar/Contacts as your primary calendar/contacts manager, you should be able to set up Outlook on your computer to synchronize with them. I don't personally use Outlook so I can't say what the best method for doing this is, but perhaps someone else can chime in with a suggestion.
As for the SD card, I don't think there is really any significant disadvantage to storing files on the SD card. Assuming you just leave your SD card in the phone, what's the difference? Some Android phones do have internal memory you can use for copying files to though.
As for the bluetooth issue, yes, that sucks. Good luck finding a solution for that if one exists.
Well An Update…
My Blutooth issues are managed by this app
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.bedoig.BTmono_Donate&feature=search_result
It is O.K. But does have a nasty habit of rebooting the device if you don’t shut it down properly before disconnecting the bluetooth connection.
It still doesn’t allow me to initiate actions from the headset other than picking up calls, but at the end of the day this is all I require.
After my torrent of negatives I have found a few starters for what Android is doing better…
When you mount the SD card to the computer it is fully available, you can read & edit files not just copy to and from (I Can’t in WM5)
Once you throw a file manager on the device it browses UNC paths well
Though It does appear I am getting some really weird $hit happening with my Outlook calendars.
And I have noted that I can’t have different screen timeout behavior dependent on weather it is plugged in or not.
If I could have the best of WM, and the best of Droid, I would be a happy little camper.
Hi Titan users
I'm a current Android user and was thinking of jumping over to WP7 and Titan.
My question is, how is customization on WP7? I know WP7 uses tiles, can I make my own tiles and replace the stock ones?
I used Launcher Pro 7 for Android for awhile and I was able to customize the tiles in that.
Also wanted to know how the marketplace is compared to Android. I don't use a whole lot of apps but there are important ones I do use. Netflix, GooglePlus, maps etc etc....
Any advice in moving from Android to WP7 would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Mortem Tuam said:
Hi Titan users
I'm a current Android user and was thinking of jumping over to WP7 and Titan.
My question is, how is customization on WP7? I know WP7 uses tiles, can I make my own tiles and replace the stock ones?
I used Launcher Pro 7 for Android for awhile and I was able to customize the tiles in that.
Also wanted to know how the marketplace is compared to Android. I don't use a whole lot of apps but there are important ones I do use. Netflix, GooglePlus, maps etc etc....
Any advice in moving from Android to WP7 would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've moved from WinMo 6.5 to Android to WinPho 7.5
From WM6.5 to Android - I loved the market and apps and games (for first 10 days). Then I got bored. As I only install about 9-10 apps max and on daily basis used probably 2-3 of those. But then it was boring boring boring. I used Launcher7 for about a year just to make it 'feel' like WP7. However all those tiles in Launcher7 are just big icons that launch apps. But after buying Titan yesterday, I've realised how much I've been fooling myself! The real WP7.5 tiles do launch an app but again the UI and interface makes you drool! It's cool, crisp, quick! Feels nothing like Launcher7. In terms of customization, like Launcher7 you can't rename tiles etc. But if you have an app that can be pinned, your bookmarks can be pinned, your contacts can be pinned, your fav recipe can be pinned, you fav anything can be pinned! The apps are pushing major updates now to support 7.5 Mango which has major benefit of live tiles - Launcher7 never will be able to achieve this! The live tiles in apps like BBC News, Scorecentre, FB etc - are much fun and gives all the info you need. This way in past two days I've not launched FB, Twitter even once to see if I had notification coz the tile said it as soon as I unlocked the screen!
WP7.5 - Market is tiny compared to Android, but I got all the apps I use apart from a decent forum app. All the apps/games I liked on android I found it free here on WP7.5. But if you are into apps and their numbers, you won't like WP7.5 so don't buy it. There is no official Google+ yet, but there are couple of workaround for now. I think major apps will show up in next 5-6 months or so in the market.
drupad2drupad said:
I've moved from WinMo 6.5 to Android to WinPho 7.5
From WM6.5 to Android - I loved the market and apps and games (for first 10 days). Then I got bored. As I only install about 9-10 apps max and on daily basis used probably 2-3 of those. But then it was boring boring boring. I used Launcher7 for about a year just to make it 'feel' like WP7. However all those tiles in Launcher7 are just big icons that launch apps. But after buying Titan yesterday, I've realised how much I've been fooling myself! The real WP7.5 tiles do launch an app but again the UI and interface makes you drool! It's cool, crisp, quick! Feels nothing like Launcher7. In terms of customization, like Launcher7 you can't rename tiles etc. But if you have an app that can be pinned, your bookmarks can be pinned, your contacts can be pinned, your fav recipe can be pinned, you fav anything can be pinned! The apps are pushing major updates now to support 7.5 Mango which has major benefit of live tiles - Launcher7 never will be able to achieve this! The live tiles in apps like BBC News, Scorecentre, FB etc - are much fun and gives all the info you need. This way in past two days I've not launched FB, Twitter even once to see if I had notification coz the tile said it as soon as I unlocked the screen!
WP7.5 - Market is tiny compared to Android, but I got all the apps I use apart from a decent forum app. All the apps/games I liked on android I found it free here on WP7.5. But if you are into apps and their numbers, you won't like WP7.5 so don't buy it. There is no official Google+ yet, but there are couple of workaround for now. I think major apps will show up in next 5-6 months or so in the market.
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very cool.
thanks for your reply, much appreciated
I'm coming from a Samsung Galaxy S (also used to have an iPhone), and I have to say the switch to Windows Phone was pretty smooth, and I love my Titan now.
The only nuisance I've had so far is getting my Google Contacts to show up in my address book... I couldn't find an option for "only display contacts with phone numbers" as there is on Android, so I had to go through one by one and pin my most contacted people for convenience - not sure if there is another way to do this.
But other than that, I love WP. Very clean interface, very cool transitions from page to page, good integration with Xbox Live, Zune, etc., I recommend it to any Android user.
As the person above me stated, the biggest difference between WP vs Android/iPhone right now is the size of the market. But most of the apps you use are probably on the Windows Marketplace in one form or another, and apps are slowly being ported over.
I have an HTC HD2 (no Titan yet). I started on WM6.5 with it and moved to Android (ACA Rom) loved it. I stayed primarily on Android until the end of Aug when I flashed my first WP7 Rom. It was a NODO Rom, I didn't really like it very much and went back to Android for my daily driver for a few more weeks. Yuki/XBMod's Rom was released at the end of Aug. I flashed that and have only gone back to Android just to keep it updated. When my HD2 dies, I'm probably going to go with a WP7.5 device. Even on the HD2, WP7.5 is responsive, smooth and quick. It meets my needs in almost all respects. Android is much more customizable then WP7.5, no question. There are a few things on my "wishlist". I miss Swype, I would like to be able to modify bluetooth so that I can have my BT connected for phone calls and still have the 3.5mm output for music. It's also missing internet connection sharing (right now, hopefully that will be remedied soon). No flash for WP7.5 and I can't connect to my companies webmail (both work fine on Android). You can't transfer files to the phone easily over usb and you are really tied to Zune. I think that's the one of the biggest drawbacks. I hate being tied to a computer. Another major drawback is that there is no way to back up SMS or other personal info and apps (Titanium Backup). You can backup (only when updating with Zune) if you are unlocked and can use Yuki/XBmod custom cab sender to backup (not sure about other pure WP7.5 phones though).
WP7.5 market is terribly small and limited compared to Android, but as I said I don't get crazy for apps. I've found most apps that I need. Official Netflix works great and gMaps Pro is a Google maps app, Bing maps is pretty good and Nokia maps/drive will be available in the near future. Unfortunately, no Google+.
I think my biggest difficulty was trying to use the Google Calendar & Hotmail Calendar together.
Overall experience with both Android & WP7.5 has been great. Both have limitations, both have advantages. I'm so glad I have an HD2 so I can go back and forth to try both out and so each can compliment the other!
This is a sweet looking phone. I've been a long time iPhone user and tried Android. Went back to the iPhone. Android was to buggy for me. Tried WinMo and really liked it. I did go back to the iPhone just because I am so vested in the Apple ecosystem. But if I had to give up the iPhone it would be for the Windows phone. The Windows phone is the closest thing to the iPhone in terms of stabability and smoothness.
lantern20 said:
I have an HTC HD2 (no Titan yet). I started on WM6.5 with it and moved to Android (ACA Rom) loved it. I stayed primarily on Android until the end of Aug when I flashed my first WP7 Rom. It was a NODO Rom, I didn't really like it very much and went back to Android for my daily driver for a few more weeks. Yuki/XBMod's Rom was released at the end of Aug. I flashed that and have only gone back to Android just to keep it updated. When my HD2 dies, I'm probably going to go with a WP7.5 device. Even on the HD2, WP7.5 is responsive, smooth and quick. It meets my needs in almost all respects. Android is much more customizable then WP7.5, no question. There are a few things on my "wishlist". I miss Swype, I would like to be able to modify bluetooth so that I can have my BT connected for phone calls and still have the 3.5mm output for music. It's also missing internet connection sharing (right now, hopefully that will be remedied soon). No flash for WP7.5 and I can't connect to my companies webmail (both work fine on Android). You can't transfer files to the phone easily over usb and you are really tied to Zune. I think that's the one of the biggest drawbacks. I hate being tied to a computer. Another major drawback is that there is no way to back up SMS or other personal info and apps (Titanium Backup). You can backup (only when updating with Zune) if you are unlocked and can use Yuki/XBmod custom cab sender to backup (not sure about other pure WP7.5 phones though).
WP7.5 market is terribly small and limited compared to Android, but as I said I don't get crazy for apps. I've found most apps that I need. Official Netflix works great and gMaps Pro is a Google maps app, Bing maps is pretty good and Nokia maps/drive will be available in the near future. Unfortunately, no Google+.
I think my biggest difficulty was trying to use the Google Calendar & Hotmail Calendar together.
Overall experience with both Android & WP7.5 has been great. Both have limitations, both have advantages. I'm so glad I have an HD2 so I can go back and forth to try both out and so each can compliment the other!
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you've got to remember though that most of android functionality are because you had it rooted! If you jail break wp7.5 it will have many other apps to support things similar to what you mentioned. However that said, we still have slower development on wp7.5 but I think one major update and 50,000 apps in just over a year is very positive news for fresh from the scratch OS!
I can connect to 6 emails and 3 social networks without any issue with contacts or sync or anything! That's where I got very impressed compared to android or iOs. In other OS you have to have atleast 3-4 apps to sync that amount of data with pictures!
No issues with work emails or work address book. We use outlook 2007.
I do have internet Sharing on this phone. It works fine! Obviously you won't find the real experience with a ported OS. Maybe Bluetooth might work if you use a real wp7.5? ;-)
I have also easily synced google, hotmail, yahoo and Facebook calenders. Not a single issue.
Best part is WP 7.5 NEVER force closes :-D
3.5 mm will be supported on Titan in near future apparently. However using connected media app its possible to link up. You can use this phone as a usb stick TRUE, but you can sync all you need via Zune so don't see this as an issue. Its rather safer knowing how easy it is to get windows corrupted if plugged as a usb.
drupad2drupad said:
you've got to remember though that most of android functionality are because you had it rooted! If you jail break wp7.5 it will have many other apps to support things similar to what you mentioned.
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Speaking of which, I understand jail-breaking WP7(.5) just got a lot easier.
https://labs.chevronwp7.com/
However, last time I logged into my account there, they were "out" of unlock tokens available for purchase.
spd_rcr said:
Speaking of which, I understand jail-breaking WP7(.5) just got a lot easier.
https://labs.chevronwp7.com/
However, last time I logged into my account there, they were "out" of unlock tokens available for purchase.
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I'm not sure if jailbreaking is reversible. I don't know much about it, but don't want to not be able to come back to WP standard. Because in future if updates stop coming to jailbreakon WP, then it's not good. Because Mango, Tango anything, keeps making it better and better...
It's not a jailbreak like iOS or root like android. It allows you to sideload apps from outside the market but doesn't elevate your privileges beyond that.
The Chevron WP7 Labs are done in cooperation with Microsoft and uses Microsoft's own Servers at some point to do the actual Developer Unlock on the phone. It is the same as the Developer Unlock but without the possibility to publish to the Marketplace.
Calling it Jailbreak therefore is pretty much misleading.
StevieBallz said:
The Chevron WP7 Labs are done in cooperation with Microsoft and uses Microsoft's own Servers at some point to do the actual Developer Unlock on the phone. It is the same as the Developer Unlock but without the possibility to publish to the Marketplace.
Calling it Jailbreak therefore is pretty much misleading.
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Any links to developer unlock? Or is it not possible?