Hi all
i have just got a HTC 8X and am very disappointed to find that not only is Nokia drive 'missing' (although i had researched and knew thus was the case despit Nokia and MS promise that it would be available on all WP devices)
there are some things i love coming,from Android and there are a few frustrating basics missing ... Some are sort of overcomeable (word?) with other apps some less so (as far as I have discovered so far)
- battery percentage ...c'mon why isn't this in the notifications, the app tiles are fine but not real-time and must use up some battery to read from the system what the system could just display ...grrr
- persistent notifications? If an app notifies me and I don't respond immediately then it means a trip back to home screen to scour the tiles for an indicator ... Is there a roadmap for this or an app that helps ?
- maps ... As mentioned above the navigation apps or lack thereof is disappointing.
- keyboard ... Excellent some very nice touches ... As good if not better than the best third party keyboards I paid for on android
- multitasking... A little clunky and lacking task,management...any fixes planned from MS
- applist grouping ... Any news from MS on this topic ... The "named tiles" apps seem like a poor replacement
buy my absolute biggest frustration is that I did the research first with a friend,who had a Lumia 800 and discovered there was a viber app and a smh app ... Not realizing these "third party" apps are exclusive to Nokia. Sure viber has a "messaging only" version but this is no good if you use it for calls. Does anyone know if these are intended to be permanent exclusives or are they,just for 3 months or 6 months or something? I have searched but can't fund any official,info about this?
Skype is good but I can't make the video use the rear cam or rotate to landscape like I could in the android app ... Am,I just being dense?
also how,come,I can't view notifications in the browser
thanks and sorry for all the questions I honestly have had a go at answering them myself
s.t.s said:
Hi all
i have just got a HTC 8X and am very disappointed to find that not only is Nokia drive 'missing' (although i had researched and knew thus was the case despit Nokia and MS promise that it would be available on all WP devices)
there are some things i love coming,from Android and there are a few frustrating basics missing ... Some are sort of overcomeable (word?) with other apps some less so (as far as I have discovered so far)
- battery percentage ...c'mon why isn't this in the notifications, the app tiles are fine but not real-time and must use up some battery to read from the system what the system could just display ...grrr
- persistent notifications? If an app notifies me and I don't respond immediately then it means a trip back to home screen to scour the tiles for an indicator ... Is there a roadmap for this or an app that helps ?
- maps ... As mentioned above the navigation apps or lack thereof is disappointing.
- keyboard ... Excellent some very nice touches ... As good if not better than the best third party keyboards I paid for on android
- multitasking... A little clunky and lacking task,management...any fixes planned from MS
- applist grouping ... Any news from MS on this topic ... The "named tiles" apps seem like a poor replacement
buy my absolute biggest frustration is that I did the research first with a friend,who had a Lumia 800 and discovered there was a viber app and a smh app ... Not realizing these "third party" apps are exclusive to Nokia. Sure viber has a "messaging only" version but this is no good if you use it for calls. Does anyone know if these are intended to be permanent exclusives or are they,just for 3 months or 6 months or something? I have searched but can't fund any official,info about this?
Skype is good but I can't make the video use the rear cam or rotate to landscape like I could in the android app ... Am,I just being dense?
also how,come,I can't view notifications in the browser
thanks and sorry for all the questions I honestly have had a go at answering them myself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Battery percentage > You can see it from Settings>Battery. Looking for it in notifications, too bad. I don't work for MSFT, can't help you there.
2.Notification> Coming soon. Was left out due to the lack of time, but is promised.
3. Maps> Am angry about that also. MSFT paid Nokia to use their maps, but Nokia still insist on having the exclusivity crap. Sigh. The lack of transit directions is a deal-breaker for me. If it dosn't appear, no more WP for me.
4. Keyboard> Yeah, its quite good. Although I dont like how the UK english keyboard comes with .co.uk
5. Multitasking> Works well IMHO. Maybe you haven't discovered that holding back is like holding home in android
6. Applist grouping> I don't understand
Most apps exclusive to Lumia should be for a short period of time ~3-6 months, but apps created by nokia should remain exclusive for the rest of time and eternity.
1 - I know ... was just wondering if there had been a similar announcement wrt to the notification centre
2 - I can't find a MSFT announcement or eta ... just lots of blogs referring to the issue
3 - indeed ...
4 - they could do with adding a few customisable options but it is very good
5 - I dunno ... it seems clunky ... lots of button presses to get it done ... and you can't close apps from the multitasking view?
6 - I was talking about folders
on the exclusive apps ... the frustrating point is that no one is communicating openly ... if Nokia were shouting about the great apps they had exclusivity on then that would be fine ... and I would have bought a Lumia
The task management is different in Windows Phone. Holding the back key pressed comes in very handy when you want to quickly switch between apps. It takes a while to get used to it, but after that it will be fine.
You have other drive/maps apps at your disposal, as far as I know.
App sorting is fine. The more apps you get, the more "sorted" they become alphabetically.
At first, there is a small gap between letters (like last app that starts with C and first with D there is a small gap). When the app list gets big enough, there will be clear indicators with bookmars for letters which you can tap to quickly get to other letters.
IMO, this is way more feasible than folders.
Yeah the back key works to get to the running apps ... but you can't close the apps from that view ... you have to open the app and then exit from the app again ... or am I missing something?
There are a couple of other drive/navigation apps but they don't seem great ... and compared to google maps they are awful. Nokia Drive is a pretty good competitor ... and is offline which is a strong plus
But if you don't want to sort alphabetically ... or if the app does "odd things with its name" ... like "XE" is filed under currency ... then folders are good ... and in particular for a "stuff I don't use" folder it is good to declutter the rest of it. I do like the alphabet tile system ... but it is a click too many (wouldn't it be awesome if it went to that view with a "big flick" of the app list!)
I guess this will take some adjusting from the uber-customization of Android to this ...
A click too many is usually deterred by the swiftness at which the click in executed. In Android, when you have loads of apps installed, the app drawer begins to lag, whereas in WP this never happens.
s.t.s said:
Yeah the back key works to get to the running apps ... but you can't close the apps from that view ... you have to open the app and then exit from the app again ... or am I missing something?
There are a couple of other drive/navigation apps but they don't seem great ... and compared to google maps they are awful. Nokia Drive is a pretty good competitor ... and is offline which is a strong plus
But if you don't want to sort alphabetically ... or if the app does "odd things with its name" ... like "XE" is filed under currency ... then folders are good ... and in particular for a "stuff I don't use" folder it is good to declutter the rest of it. I do like the alphabet tile system ... but it is a click too many (wouldn't it be awesome if it went to that view with a "big flick" of the app list!)
I guess this will take some adjusting from the uber-customization of Android to this ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Closing" apps does nothing, though. They are not running, they are frozen. Not necessary to go through and "close" things. Apps that "run in the background" actually install a daemon that is always running whether you start the app or not.
So don't worry about managing processes, in WP multi tasking is simple. Just go to the app you want to go to, then forget about it. The only time you need to close an app is for password protected things, for example the app photo lock has you type in a password every time you start it, but you can resume to it without typing a password.
Related
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 HATE mini apps on my Galaxy Tab 10.1...
That feature alone is enough to make me want to return the device.
Seriously? Why would Samsung want to decide for me my what apps I want at my finger tips? Then not only that, they use their own cheesy versions of available apps. I have already found the solutions I want to use through my Android phone. I want to carry over the same apps to the tab so that my experience is a little less fragmented.
The "mini apps" constantly get in the way. I'm brushing against the bottom bar causing the apps to pop up... none of which I ever use, completely unintentionally. Annoying! If I could only decide what apps showed up!
Total pain in the REAR!
Then Samsung loads on a bunch of unnecessary software. I HATE having 5 apps that do exactly the same thing on my device... The abundance of music players is asinine. Having three book programs (none of which you can remove) is stoopid.
Why can't you get a piece of hardware without the software all screwed up by the vendor these days?
Why is root necessary every time I put my hands on an Android device to make it useful?
Why can't I purchase an Android product with a Google backed Vanilla version of the current OS installed?
Why?
Why?
Why?
I'm so pissed that this $600 tablet requires an additional 15 dollars in apps and a good 6-12 (or more) hours of set-up time and research to get it properly rooted and operating the way I like it.
Sorry... that made me feel so much better.
Maybe an ipad would have been a better choice for you. I like tinkering with my toys so I chose the tab.
I HATE mini apps on my Galaxy Tab 10.1... do YOU?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may have opened the mini apps tray 3-4 times unintentionally (in the 10 weeks I have the tablet) and I use the "calculator" mini app quite regularly. So no, they don't bother me but I wouldn't miss them if they were gone either.
SGPMan said:
Maybe an ipad would have been a better choice for you. I like tinkering with my toys so I chose the tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Them there are fighting words...
I enjoy tinkering as well. I have loved customizing my original Incredible and now Incredible 2. They have an excellent following with a lot of very reputable ROM "artists". However, their original UI wasn't that bad to start with. And with the CM nighties, my phone is near perfect.
With the Galaxy Tab 10.1, my initial experience (3 days) I have found it to be laggy and glitchy, which I was shocked about. I want this tab to work for me, but it seems that I'm trying awful hard to make this work. I think it's the fact that my phone is setup so well and runs so well... I figured the tablet would be so much better. I set my expectations high, only to be disappointed so far.
I have rooted and removed a bunch of unnecessary apps, but haven't figured out how to remove that dam mini app bar. As far as custom ROM's go... I haven't loaded any since I am still trying to figure which has the best reputation for stability and speed.
I am trying to figure out something, other wise by Thursday this thing is headed back to Best Buy. Sad thing is... I don't want an apple device, but if that's what is comes to, then I will retire my Android phone as well to keep everything streamlined. Sucks!
gokpog said:
I may have opened the mini apps tray 3-4 times unintentionally (in the 10 weeks I have the tablet) and I use the "calculator" mini app quite regularly. So no, they don't bother me but I wouldn't miss them if they were gone either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Real Calc regularly, a donate (paid) app which can handle higher level math functions. I wish I could just substitute it in place of the basic Samsung/Android version.
Agree with you, mini-apps are boring me every time i wanna play a fullscreen game, like "fruit ninja thd"... This "rolling dock" is not a great feature.
SGPMan said:
Maybe an ipad would have been a better choice for you. I like tinkering with my toys so I chose the tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, the reason most of us choose Android is that we aren't forced into "one man's vision" and have the ability to choose for ourself. The mini-app bar forces us into one company's vision. I have to agree with the OP about this.
We should at least have the ability to turn it off.
Meh...it's there, it's unobtrusive, and at least my experience with it is that I really have to try to get it to come up when I want it. Have never accidentally brought it up. Sometimes the calc and the memo pad are useful.
Can't see why people hate it so much.
MMcCraryNJ said:
Meh...it's there, it's unobtrusive, and at least my experience with it is that I really have to try to get it to come up when I want it. Have never accidentally brought it up. Sometimes the calc and the memo pad are useful.
Can't see why people hate it so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So...
Try a vs party on "Fruit Ninja THD", you'll see ^^
Just hide the status bar with this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1265397
problem solved!!!
I actually don't mind having mini app tray. I use task manager, calculater and memo pad for taking notes from web regularly. The only thing I don't like is accidentally hitting the screenshot button. But I totally agree with the original post. An option to turn it off would be nice.
Personally I like them. Two of them I use on a daily basis. Most of the others occasionally.
JHeal77 said:
As far as custom ROM's go... I haven't loaded any since I am still trying to figure which has the best reputation for stability and speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Task360/Phantom "In Paris"
v.2 works great for me, but v.4 is coming "soon"(tm)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1284355
Really not a massive fan of them being there tbh, but I don't accidentally press the button (not like the screenshot one...grr!) and I don't use the apps in it. I just ignore it and get on my way.
If there was an option of getting rid of it though, I would.
I found this thread while searching for a way to at least configure this menu bar... unfortunately it looks like the whole thing is embedded in the ROM and the only way to hide it is to patch the ROM and/or completely replace it (thanks for the links in the thread).
I fully agree with the OP on a lot of his rant. This is an awesome peice of hardware that comes out of the box with some insanely bad software. I'm still deciding on what launcher to replace the stock version with, but so far both Go and Launcher Pro are tons faster, more configurable, and better looking than the laggy default version that doesn't even let you use the full display.
The status bar menu is kind of a nice idea, but the execution is terrible. If I could configure what apps and quick commands I wanted on the menu and easily hide it, it would be a great feature.
But as it is, the choices of what to put there seem really bizarre. I can't for the life of me figure out why "screen shot" was deemed important enough for most users to justify space on an "always on" menu. I have to routinely go delete unwanted screenshots taken by accidentally brushing that menu option.
The choices of what to put on the quick launch app menu are even worse. Holding the "home" button on the main menu for a couple seconds pops up the task manager so why do I need a whole other button dedicated to pulling up this app? The world clock is just plain terrible compared to other clock apps. The calander is alright, but there are better widgets out there that serve the purpose better than a quick launch menu. The memo and calculator are again terrible and need to be replaced by 3rd party apps so you should be able to replace them on this menu too. The music player is the only one of the apps that serves my purposes, but again there are better 3rd party apps and you should be able to configure what is on a system wide quick launch bar.
From the perspective of an average consumer the out-of-box experience is fairly poor due to the OEM software rather than the hardware or system software. It should be easy for a user to fix this with simple market based apps and configuration options rather than having to apply warantee voiding ROM patches and rooting the OS. Allowing OEM's to "lock" bad software is a really bad policy. If an OEM wants me to use their software, they should develop or license best in class versions of those apps rather than locking the software on the system and forcing me to root the system to get rid of poor quality software.
You can disable all of these functions with some XML editing if it really annoys you that much
I'd happily do all these changes for you for a little donation of just a couple of quid
Try one of the sweet new cm9 kangs, I'm on the 7500 version. So much better then tw honeycomb.
I Agree!!
hate it so much, but now on overcome rom,
its at least slightly less annoying. just ever so SLIGHTLY.
at least in this rom, a swipe upward wont activate it.
wont disturb me during fruit ninja.
but still sometimes press it when i wana press spacebar.
stupid piece of crap tray.
the motorola xoom already has ICS.
samsung will be the slowest tab to get it cos of this touch widz.
Sometimes i feel sorry for samsung.
i have a hunch there is some kind of conspiracy goin on at the back,
where google force manufacturers to implement their own skin. (why else would samsung waste effort to make rubbish that people dont want?)
and google can sell their overprice nexus device to make money.
just imagine, if samsung can sell or upgrade the galaxy S2 and note with the pure and stock vanilla android, and upgrade them to ICS without touch widz, would anyone buy galaxy nexus?
nexus has lausy hardware. last gen GPU and horrible camera. (not due to the 5MP, but generally a weak camera compare to S2 and note)
Luv'em why we have android
Pop up windows that are independent of screen, getting closer to desktop experience. I would like to swap some out but overall, (calc, note, calendar, calculator, & music player) work great. Allow true multitasking.
I just installed OverSkreen which gives me a windowed web browser on top of screen. I really like them.
I am on an ICS KANG version by Mabalito
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1461240
With this ROM, I don't have a bottom row of mini apps.
I am using GO Launcher EX HD
http://golauncher.goforandroid.com/2012/03/go-launcher-hd-v1-0-beta/
With the launcher, I able to hide the bottom bar whenever I want.
This is awesome when I watch video and play games
Ok so. I've been really wanting so much to like this new Nokia Lumia 920. I've had been waiting to get rid of this IPhone 4 because I remember the days of my brick HTC Tilt and how customizable Windows 6 phones were. So far, I'm am disappointed. It isn't that I hate the phone. It is just that I expected more. I was expecting a lot out of this phone and it has not met the high standard that I (they) set for it.
The first major complaint is the camera. Are we being fooled into thinking it is that much better in low light. Yes, from what I've seen in reviews, it is better, but in my own experience, it isn't that much greater (I have tried auto and night mode). Am I too used to SLR pictures? The camera was supposed to be a big selling point! We have already been fooled once by Nokia about their "Pure View." (http: // articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/06/business/la-fi-tn-nokia-fake-ad-20120906) I wonder if all of this is just a scam. Now it seems that Nokia is owning up to more camera flaws (http: // pocketnow.com/2012/11/05/nokia-lumia-920-camera-fix). I really hope that this isn't a hardware issue and that they fix it right and not try any tricks. It isn't that the pictures/videos I take are bad, but they aren't that much greater(if they are greater) than the competition. Duped?
Battery life: I just switched from an IPhone 4 with no 4G LTE so i'm unaware of the battery consumption of 4G LTE but I have noticed that the battery sure does drain a lot quicker. I'm used to being able to go a couple of days without having to charge. I have noticed ways of getting the phone to last longer. Ff you run Nokia Drive beta, the GPS stays on in the background even when it is closed (you will notice a target at the top status bar remains on). You can turn the background option off, or you have to restart your phone to turn off the GPS and it can consume your battery. Yes, this should be an easy fix, but think about all the people that have to deal with this. Also there is not way to switch off 4G LTE.
Limited voice commands: I'm a big user of the voice commands to play my music. One of the first things I've noticed about this phone is that there are no voice commands from the touch and hold windows button that allow you to play your music. I get it that you can get the "Hey DJ" app and use voice commands for music, but why didn't they just integrate this into the OS so that I don't have to unlock my screen, and tap a few places. Isn't the point of voice commands so that you don't have to look at the screen.
Here are some other small complaints (Maybe some XDA developers could help cook up some changes.... I have paypal ).
No separate volume for ringer and music.
Internet explorer is limited when you search through Google
It is easy to accidentally press the back or the search when using the phone with one hand and reaching across the screen.
No apparent way that I have found to get the Nokia Drive Beta to repeat the last spoken direction.
No seeking option in visual voice mail. You have to listen to the whole thing all over again to get to one point in the voicemail.
Bottom line. This phone seems rushed and unpolished. I got it that some of these issues are OS issues, but come on! Am I expecting too much or isn't this the phone that Nokia was making such a large deal about? 10 more days to give this a try before my return policy expires. Come on Nokia and Microsoft. Change my mind!
Camera taking blurry pictures is a SW issue, as you probably know from having read about it, which hopefully theyll have sorted out fast in an SW update. The nighttime pictures Ive taken are very nice, though, so I dont know whats going on there.
Battery for me is fine, Ive only had my phone for a day, so I cant really say much, but the way its worked so far it seems about the same as my SGS3 in that department. Which is quite good. But of course, I need more time for that.
Voice commands I never was a big user of, since I feel like a moron walking around yelling commands in english (especially when Im in a non-english speaking country). But Im sure its annoying.
Volume thing I agree on, that should be an easy fix for MS to make, really.
Not sure what you mean by "limited" when searching through Google?
The accidental pressing is much like on the SGS3, really. Just a habitual thing, youll get used to handling the phone so you eventually dont mispress.
Iunno, I have a single real annoyance and that is wordwrapping in IE10.
i'm not sure what you were expecting from the camera, but the low light shots are some of the best i've ever taken with a smartphone. and i've had my share of smartphones (this year i've probably had between 8-10 different handsets from various oem's) the daytime shots are a little bit soft, but on par with some of the better smarphone camera's i've used, and it's something that is completely possible to fix via firmware updates (as in, it's not a hardware flaw, but rather a software one)
battery is pretty good for me, on par with my SGS3, it's so much better than my 4s on iOS6 though. there are a couple quirks that are causing the battery to drain rapidly, but people haven't been able to point the blame completely yet. some people have had google accounts getting stuck on syncing constantly and that is killing the battery and the only solution for now is a hard reset. it's an odd issue since it wasn't present in wp7.x and afaik the method wp8 uses to sync is the same as before. it's something that will most likely be fixed via software updates as well
limited voice commands are something that wp8 has the ability to deal with but i'm also bummed they didn't add more voice controls to the built in apps. music in general seems like a really rushed revamp in wp8 which is surprising since the zune software was quite well done in 7.x and was also a major feature which i liked a lot about windows phone. they're changing a bunch of stuff though so it's something that will probably be updated over time. personally i don't like voice commands outside of when i'm driving because i feel like it's faster to just use my fingers, but i understand your disappointment.
volume is something i agree on as well, why microsoft hasn't figured out this is something people have been wanting since 7.0 is beyond me, it really seems like a pretty simple change to make, especially when one is rewriting the entire OS.
accidental pressing is something that will lessen with muscle memory, i always have a lot of issues with button presses and a lot of typos when switching phones, but after a couple weeks you learn to do it a lot less.
i remember getting drive to repeat the last direction, but for the life of me right now i can't figure out what i did. if i figure it out, i'll post it.
the OS isn't for everyone, but for people who like the curated user experience a semi-closed system provides, but don't like apple's 1 handset philosophy it's a good platform.
i admit, i get bored sometimes and end up going to android, but almost always, after about a month of whatever the latest and greatest android handset, i always come back to windows phone. once you figure out your workflow on it, it's really the most efficient and fluid mobile OS out there.
Slai said:
Not sure what you mean by "limited" when searching through Google?
Iunno, I have a single real annoyance and that is wordwrapping in IE10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word wrapping is exactly what I mean when I say searching through Google is limited. If you use IE and search through google, at the top of the page, you get a: "This page adapted for your browser comes from...." If you search through through the built in Bing search, you don't get the word wrap. You get the actual page. This is very lame and I think its Microsoft's way of getting us to use Bing instead of google.
Also if you just enter the URL, there is no text wrapping.
Okay? Ive set Google as my default search engine in IE10, and while word wrapping doesnt seem to exist and double-tap to zoom isnt really working perfectly, I havent seen a big change from searching with google and searching with bing or just using a bookmark or directly typing in the url :s ?
vangj said:
Word wrapping is exactly what I mean when I say searching through Google is limited. If you use IE and search through google, at the top of the page, you get a: "This page adapted for your browser comes from...." If you search through through the built in Bing search, you don't get the word wrap. You get the actual page. This is very lame and I think its Microsoft's way of getting us to use Bing instead of google.
Also if you just enter the URL, there is no text wrapping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will happen if you have the 'defaul view' as desktop, if you select 'mobile' they will display fine, it is annoying, what I did was install the Google app and I just use that for my search and browsing.
Slai said:
Okay? Ive set Google as my default search engine in IE10, and while word wrapping doesnt seem to exist and double-tap to zoom isnt really working perfectly, I havent seen a big change from searching with google and searching with bing or just using a bookmark or directly typing in the url :s ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so it does text wrap well if you choose the mobile option for internet explore. I for one do not like the mobile version and chose to set my settings to desktop (sorry still a newbie so i can't post links)
ht tp://postimage.org/image/w6w5t09ml/
If you set your IE settings to desktop and search with Google, you get a funky altered website that looks like this at the top.
ht tp://postimage.org/image/j1gnmwfr1/
It seems like the phone is sending to Google that it wants to still be a mobile phone. When you search with Bing you don't get this option. If you search with Google in Desktop mode, you can scroll to the bottom to get to the desktop site but it can be a hassle.
ht tp://postimage.org/image/5zuyx1rct/
Like I said, I like the desktop mode because I can zoom in and out and make great use of this huge screen.
Hoping google releases Chrome.
Yeah normally I like using desktop mode myself, but my most visited website works really well in its mobile form, so I figured "what the hell".
Would be interesting to see Chrome for WP8. I dont see why not, it is available for W8.
vangj said:
If you set your IE settings to desktop and search with Google, you get a funky altered website that looks like this at the top.
http://postimage.org/image/j1gnmwfr1/
It seems like the phone is sending to Google that it wants to still be a mobile phone. When you search with Bing you don't get this option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you look at the URL of the page in your sample image, the URL is one on Google.com. It seems that Google recognized that you're on a phone and gave you a search results page that contains modified URLs that point back to Google itself (not to xda-developers.com) and that Google then proxied it for you, reformatting things to fit your phone.
Your complaint seems to be with Google for forcing you in to a "mobilized" view. Unless Google can't tell which "website preference" you're set to (mobile or desktop). I don't know how that preference gets conveyed in HTTP requests. Sorry.
vangj said:
Also there is not way to switch off 4G LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Rogers variant has the "max speed" option to shut off LTE. The AT&T one doesn't seem to have that... so this is an AT&T issue, not a Nokia one. And if AT&T is doing this on Windows Phone, I'd assume they are customizing their Android phones similarly, no? (I have no experience with Android.)
vangj said:
Limited voice commands: I'm a big user of the voice commands to play my music. One of the first things I've noticed about this phone is that there are no voice commands from the touch and hold windows button that allow you to play your music. I get it that you can get the "Hey DJ" app and use voice commands for music, but why didn't they just integrate this into the OS so that I don't have to unlock my screen, and tap a few places. Isn't the point of voice commands so that you don't have to look at the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an OS issue, so not too much to do with Nokia. The voice commands in WP8 are extensible. That means 3rd party developers can easily create apps that support it. I think Urbanspoon, Hey DJ and Audible are already out and support voice commands (meaning you can launch the apps by long pressing the windows button).
I expect a lot more apps will add that feature because it's so easy to implement. That makes the lack of voice commands for the built in apps really strange.
EShy said:
This is an OS issue, so not too much to do with Nokia. The voice commands in WP8 are extensible. That means 3rd party developers can easily create apps that support it. I think Urbanspoon, Hey DJ and Audible are already out and support voice commands (meaning you can launch the apps by long pressing the windows button).
I expect a lot more apps will add that feature because it's so easy to implement. That makes the lack of voice commands for the built in apps really strange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhm, you could always launch ANY app with your voice, even on WP7.
Those new apps support voice commands for other things. For example, from your start screen you might be able to say, "Urbanspoon, find nearby burgers" and it'll launch and go straight to finding burger restaurants around you. I have no clue what their apps actually support, but I know that it's possible to make an app that does that!
As a long time android user (since the T-Mobile G1 so about 5 years) i decided to try the Lumia 920 a few days ago and so far i`am loving it, so here are my first thoughts :
- The speed and lagless performance of the OS powered by a dual core cpu instead by a quad- or octocore cpu that is required for android. Clearly the OS and hardware are far better optimized than android. Also i had no reboots or fc`s so far.
- Many specific Nokia apps like Drive that enables navigation without a data connection required as you can download and install maps from the country`s you need.
- Seemless integration and synchronisation with Google and great data/contacts/calender transference when setting up the phone.
- Though there are obviously less apps available than with iOs and android there are many more than i initialy thought and most good and important apps are available. Only Dropbox is limited imo as it doesn`t sync and add automaticaly.
- Great camera and speakers.
- Good call quality.
I didn`t think it was going to be as good as it turned out so far but atm i don`t miss android at all and so i might stick with WP8 for a long(er) while than i anticipated.
Hope the coming update planned for July will bring some more goodies
if any problem with Google sync, simple set Google account via advanced setup
settings - email+accounts - add an account - advanced setup
- add your account info
- select Exchange ActiveSync
- add other data (dont forget to enter full email address for username), for server use m.google.com
- Sign in.... that's all
for calendar's problems look Microsoft advises
http://microsoft-news.com/sync-google-calendar-events-to-windows-calendar-app-via-outlook-com/
P.S.
Also must have app for WP is Store Deals to check latest discounts and occasional free periods for pay apps
Don't know what you mean about seemless integration with Google Calendar. Can't edit it at all. I had to follow Microsoft's tip and subscribe to it via Outlook.com but you can't edit the Google calendar that way as it is read only. Email and contacts are great. Hopefully the update that includes CalDAV support will fix the calendar issues.
Spectre51 said:
Don't know what you mean about seemless integration with Google Calendar. Can't edit it at all. I had to follow Microsoft's tip and subscribe to it via Outlook.com but you can't edit the Google calendar that way as it is read only. Email and contacts are great. Hopefully the update that includes CalDAV support will fix the calendar issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use Google calendar which i don't changes you make on the regular calender on the phone will sync to the google calendar and vice versa if you change google calendar on the PC. Just use the normal calendar on the phone and it should sync with your other calenders linked through google or hotmail.
Solarenemy68 said:
If you use Google calendar which i don't changes you make on the regular calender on the phone will sync to the google calendar and vice versa if you change google calendar on the PC. Just use the normal calendar on the phone and it should sync with your other calenders linked through google or hotmail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I was getting my windows devices mixed up.....It is working for me on WP8 just not Windows 8
Agreed in everything.
worst problem I found in WP8? Whatsapp...not always updating, got the notification but not the message....and we really need a good video player with mp4, avi and srt support.....and a notification center.
Any MS guy ever read this forum?
ramping said:
Agreed in everything.
worst problem I found in WP8? Whatsapp...not always updating, got the notification but not the message....and we really need a good video player with mp4, avi and srt support.....and a notification center.
Any MS guy ever read this forum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whats app working fine for me... no missed or late notification....
also avi and mp4 files work fine... and dont except or hope for srt (or any other subtitle) player... f you hope for this, you not learn anything about WP....
dxdy said:
whats app working fine for me... no missed or late notification....
also avi and mp4 files work fine... and dont except or hope for srt (or any other subtitle) player... f you hope for this, you not learn anything about WP....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YXPlayer can play videos with srt subtitles....but it´s a crappy app.
Still waiting for the VLC official app.
Anyone expiriace any problems with whatsapp?
Mobtel063 said:
Anyone expiriace any problems with whatsapp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use it; I use Skype and MetroTalk. Skype's not free but I'm not going to worry about paying on average $60 a year; $5 a month. It doesn't require my universe to have the identical app on the other end.
Quick question...
I really, really, really detest my Xperia S now, like really detest it.
The lagging, god-awful camera, the freezing, everything.
I would try to install a custom Rom, but my Bootlocker unlocked allowed is: no.
I'm really not a high-end user. No interest in games, or intensive apps.
Camera, browsing, travel apps are the main interest for me.
I can get rid of it and pay approx £60-£100 to get the Lumia 920
Would you guys advise it?
steevio_uk said:
Quick question...
I really, really, really detest my Xperia S now, like really detest it.
The lagging, god-awful camera, the freezing, everything.
I would try to install a custom Rom, but my Bootlocker unlocked allowed is: no.
I'm really not a high-end user. No interest in games, or intensive apps.
Camera, browsing, travel apps are the main interest for me.
I can get rid of it and pay approx £60-£100 to get the Lumia 920
Would you guys advise it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the 920 to replace the xperia t I had, best thing I ever did
It's fast, fluid, no freezes or hangups, battery life is great for me, the camera is awesome and I love the wireless charging.
If you can live without the modding and just use your phone for what it is then I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Sent from the event horizon of a quantum singularity
steevio_uk said:
Quick question...
I really, really, really detest my Xperia S now, like really detest it.
The lagging, god-awful camera, the freezing, everything.
I would try to install a custom Rom, but my Bootlocker unlocked allowed is: no.
I'm really not a high-end user. No interest in games, or intensive apps.
Camera, browsing, travel apps are the main interest for me.
I can get rid of it and pay approx £60-£100 to get the Lumia 920
Would you guys advise it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been an iPhone user and then a multitude of android phones user (Samsung) before embracing WP8.
My opinion: iPhone is fine if you just want a phone that works - although Apple lost me after the release of the iPhone 4: I was obviously holding it wrong when I wanted to make a call so it mostly wouldn't iOS is simple to use and has lots of apps, but is a walled garden.
Android, while open and extremely customizable, really annoyed me: at first the phones were fine, then became laggy over time. I also found I was frequently rebooting the phones daily. You shouldn't have to install a custom ROM for it to work smoothly. While there are a lot of apps, they are mostly poor quality compared to their iOS counterparts.
So I decided on trying out WP8 around 4 months ago and bought a Lumia 920. First off the build quality is excellent, it's a solid lump of a phone, not tacky plastic feeling like the Samsungs I had. The operating system has NEVER lagged on me...EVER. I only found out a few weeks after I'd had it how to reboot it, and I only did that to find out how to, not that it needed it. Although not nearly as customizable as the androids, I personally got bored doing so with the Samsungs anyway. I love the Live Tiles on the Lumia 920. Again there are nowhere near the amount of apps as iOS or Android, but those there are I find to be as good as iOS apps.
The camera is excellent. So good in fact that when my other half wants pictures taken she asks me to do so - she has an iPhone 5.
At first I was worried by the fact you cannot use a memory card, but honestly I find the 32gb onboard to be plenty - never had to go through and delete stuff to make more room. An added bonus is the wireless charging - I still think it's witchcraft :laugh: no idea how or why it works but it does lol
So in summary, yes - I thoroughly recommend the Lumia 920 for your needs: the camera is great, the stock browser is quick and I never had a problem with it and navigation is top notch.
Thanks so much for your replies.
I have had the phone for 4-5 days now and I am absolutely delighted by the decision. Possibly the best hardware change/update I've ever made.
I am finding excuses for taking pictures, such is the quality of the camera, enjoying getting to grips with the new layout and O/S, trying to find decent apps for certain things I used on Android, the main one being the notes app, which was sat on my Android home screen and I used regularly as a 1 click solution to add a note and remind me of things.
Something like that, as a simple live tile would be great, but haven't found such an app yet. (Any you guys suggest?)
I was initially very concerned by the battery life. I took it out with me after an initial charge and found the battery draining away at an alarming rate, even with it in my pocket!
But as I'm sure you're well aware, there's the changes to remedy this;; turning NFC off, location, background apps, getting used to exiting an app with the back button etc.
Great battery life now.
Just ordered a case and I'm one happy bunny!
My god, the Xperia S seems like a distant nightmare now! :victory:
Hey guys and girls,
I am a long term Windows Phone / Windows Mobile user and am thinking about switching to android... The reason is the app gap that is getting bigger every day with more and more companies shutting down their WinMo apps... And at the end of the day apps are the core of smartphones...
Nevertheless, I really love the WinMo experience itself...
- the live tiles,
- the snappy performance,
- the concept of the home screen on the left and all apps in a list on the right...
- the integration of social media in the contacts,
- Cortana,
- Offline navigation with Windows maps,
- the interaction between my phone and my destop PC (synchronization of messages in the message center etc.)
- and much more
Regarding android I am mostly sceptical regarding security issues and stability. On the other hand I heard and read that nowerdays stability is not a big issue anymore with android...
Long story short... Are there some guys here that made the step from WinMo to android and did never regret it?? Maybe you guys can even say sth. to the points I listed above and how these look in android. I think there is even a launcher that "emulates" the WinMo experience on android...
Thanks in advance.
Greetz Ric
Did you find a sweet phone and how was the transition?
I am wondering about the same - been an Insider since day one, but tired of the app gap
Forgot10Concept said:
Did you find a sweet phone and how was the transition?
I am wondering about the same - been an Insider since day one, but tired of the app gap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I bought the Honor 8 about a month ago. So far I am more than happy with that purchase. And so far I dont miss Windows at all.
Maybe the only thing that I miss a bit are the live tiles, but other things on my new phone make up for this.
- Performance and stability are better than on WP
- Google maps offers muc more information and information are easier to find than on MIcrosoft Maps
- I found a launcher that is completely customizable (total launcher) With this launcher I did kinda rebuild the vertical scrolling of the WP home screen (only better)
- I think I dont have to mention the apps...
- Only thing is the Office sync. I had to buy an app (called nine) for a perfect Outlook desktop sync. The Microsoft Outlook app doesnt let you edit contacts / create new contacts....
So for me the decision was the right thing.
Greetz Ric