Develop Bugs

Weather - wind speed/direction possible?

I love the weather app on my HD especially since it's now working on S2U2, but one thing that really annoys me is the lack of info about wind speed & direction.
I like to get out sea fishing when I can, and this would be REALLY useful info if there was a way to add it into the Touch HD's weather app, or if there is an alternative program that would pretty much do the same nice front end as it but with more info and the same locations.
Is there any hope of finding something suitable?

I'm sorry, with TF3D you have no chance. If you need advanced weather infos, then you should try a advanced application. Unfortunately I'm not into this whole weather thing - I only use the TF3D thing, but I'm sure somebody can tell what Prog you need.
TF3D defenetly doesn't work

Would you rely on a mobile phone app for weather info before going out to sea??

No, of course not - despite what some may think I'm not a moron and have been safe at sea for many years now.
It would be extremely useful however to see at a glance what the wind speed is predicted to be for the next few days on one of the tabs, like the weather one, as then it can show you at a glance whether it's even worth contemplating & planning a trip out, or if there'll be no likely chance of it.
Regardless of the use of it,the question was whether/how it's doable, not whether I'm a competent mariner or not.
For instance my watch has a built in tide graph that lets me see at a glance what sort of times the tides will be and it's very useful. But I wouldn't go out without knowing the exact tides otherwise I could have problems when I come back in. Having a gadget isn't mutually exclusive with common sense & reliable methods.

Not an app but...
www.xcweather.co.uk
you can get it on the mobile browsers

Cheers - have added that to bookmarks.
I found an app called secil weather that looks great but no wvga/vga sadly

Can we make it easier please?

Can I make a humble request to reorder the main page on the forum so that it lists the newest devices at the top and the oldest devices at the bottom....
It currently takes ages to scroll to the bottom of the list on a 4.3" touchscreen lol...

It's on the new admin's "TODO List".
I don't know what it will be, people are still banding about ideas, but in time there will be a new index.
Ta,
Dave

So all the rich people with their new expensive devices don't have to scroll, but us poor people with our 2, 3,4,5 year old devices have to scroll all the way to the bottom. Indignities upon indignities
You guys have the bigger faster screens, it's easier for you to scroll.

i suggest it to be indexed in alphabetical order so that there'll be no bias..

Alpha would be cool

DaveShaw said:
It's on the new admin's "TODO List".
I don't know what it will be, people are still banding about ideas, but in time there will be a new index.
Ta,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bookmark, maybe? Just sayin.
Alphabetising seems like a decent idea. But, then again, what of phones like, Elf and Vogue, that are essentially the same, except GSM and CDMA. Seems odd to separate the two.

We're working on this right now. You'll be able to not only filter the forum by Operating System and Manufacturer (coming soon), but sort by release date and other parameters (coming a bit later).

just remove G2 from hero and everything will be solved heheh just kidding
why don't you all use find (crtl+f) and start typing desired name/word/whatever...it is the fastest way to do it...imo

Maybe searching on size qvga, vga wvga etc and then alphabetic ....

denco7 said:
So all the rich people with their new expensive devices don't have to scroll, but us poor people with our 2, 3,4,5 year old devices have to scroll all the way to the bottom. Indignities upon indignities
You guys have the bigger faster screens, it's easier for you to scroll.
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Click to collapse
Completely agree

Transparent/Translucent Forms & Controls

So I have been searching these forums a bit each day for the past week, and I have yet to see a working solution for SmartPhones AND PPC's alike. I have tried P/Invoking AlphaBlend, SetBkMode, etc. but to no avail. I am not a great coder, so I may be using them wrong.
If anyone knows how to get this to work on SmartPhone's and PPC's, could they please share their knowledge
Thank you!

Cyclonezephyrxz7 said:
So I have been searching these forums a bit each day for the past week, and I have yet to see a working solution for SmartPhones AND PPC's alike. I have tried P/Invoking AlphaBlend, SetBkMode, etc. but to no avail. I am not a great coder, so I may be using them wrong.
If anyone knows how to get this to work on SmartPhone's and PPC's, could they please share their knowledge
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly do you want to do?

I want to be able to make forms / controls that have Opacity less than 255 ... (I want to do this in C#) ... take, for instance, SMSBubbles, it displays a small bubble at the bottom of the screen about a new text message...how would i be able to achieve that and still maintain the background to be transparent. Also look at SmartToolKit, when you pop open the Start Menu, the back (what is not covered by the menu) remains updating (etc.) but you still get the menu..
I want to do something along those lines...
any help is greatly appreciated

Have you checked out this blog entry?
blogs.commentor.dk/post/Transparent-Controls-in-NETCF.aspx

Or a library: http://beemobile4.net/?sitecateg=products&productID=5

Thanks for the replies, the first I tried implementing, but it didn't work as I would have hoped (The second, well I don't want to pay 45+$ for it...heh)
So I re-tried P/Invoking SetBkMode in the onPaintBackground method:
Code:
protected override void onPaintBackground(PaintEventArgs e)
{
setBkModeCE(e.Graphics.getHDC(), BkMode.TRANSPARENT);
}
I also made sure to P/Invoke
Code:
SetCursor(IntPtr cursor)
...main loop starts here...
SetCursor(IntPtr.Zero)
to get rid of the wait cursor.
While this works perfectly in terms of eliminating the background, it doesn't actually make it transparent. What it does, i can do by taking a screenshot and applying it as the bg (It doesn't update). I suppose I can use a timer and have it update the background on Events of all sorts, on user-activity, and every minute, but that seems like it is a hassle.
That may be the only way to actually do it, I don't know, but it just seems that there is a better way to do it (and be able to conserve RAM).

I used this library in one of my apps: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/uiframework
Sourcecode is available, written in C# so its easily adaptable to your needs too.

Surf cube 2.0

This thing has not gotten near the respect it deserves on WP7... this browser is amazing compared to IE, it renders about a millisecond slower and I have a landscape address bar, better access to tabs, and just a more enjoyable and fun browsing experience. Worth the 1.99 without a doubt.

Is version 2.0 even out yet? I thought the announcement last week said it would come to the Marketplace 'within the next few weeks'.

OGCF said:
Is version 2.0 even out yet? I thought the announcement last week said it would come to the Marketplace 'within the next few weeks'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just now came through some time within the last 30 minutes or so. It's so much better than IE.

Really? Awesome! I didn't buy version 1 but I think I'll buy this one. I'll get the trial first.

Best buy I've made next to ilomilo... really an awesome browser.

Downloaded it love it but having trouble loading YouTube videos anybody know why? YouTube works with IE

I love this one but unfortunately the rendering is IE.
So the same issues as stock browser for me.
But the UI is great.

Surfcube 2.0 is great, but the Tile on the startscreen is bad...it's not a square so it destroys the elegant design of the tiles.
That's the only reason for me not to buy it, I can't live with such a fractured startscreen

Hello guys, it's the developer of SurfCube. Thanks very much for this thread, we are very glad that you like our work! Also, thank you for the purchases - every penny we get is going back to development. If you have time, we would really appreciate a rating in the Marketplace.
Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions! So far, SurfCube's development has mostly been request-driven, and we intend to keep it that way,
@Asheyb8: As for playing Youtube videos, unfortunately we as developers have to work really hard to get it done from the browser. Microsoft didn't give us the facilities that would make it easy, and have to settle for lots of hacks.
@skycamefalling: are you using your phone with the light theme? I admit the icon looks a bit out of place there, but we cannot put transparent pixels in it - that would show the accent color instead of the background, and the icon would look horrible with purple, blue, red, etc tile colors. If you don't want to pin the app to the start screen, just use voice recognition to start it

vbandi said:
@skycamefalling: are you using your phone with the light theme? I admit the icon looks a bit out of place there, but we cannot put transparent pixels in it - that would show the accent color instead of the background, and the icon would look horrible with purple, blue, red, etc tile colors. If you don't want to pin the app to the start screen, just use voice recognition to start it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I am using the black theme because the display is a SAMOLED. I just tried the light theme and there the tile of your Surfcube looks good because it is a black square and fits the other squares on the startscreen.
With the black theme you cannot see the black square around the cube-icon, so it looks like there is only the cube. Between all the other square tiles of the startscreen this looks bad. It would be nice if the tile would have a colour different than black so it stands out from the background.
Of course, this is just my opinion...but I don't think my collegues would be happy if I started talking to my phone to open your browser

skycamefalling said:
No, I am using the black theme because the display is a SAMOLED. I just tried the light theme and there the tile of your Surfcube looks good because it is a black square and fits the other squares on the startscreen.
With the black theme you cannot see the black square around the cube-icon, so it looks like there is only the cube. Between all the other square tiles of the startscreen this looks bad. It would be nice if the tile would have a colour different than black so it stands out from the background.
Of course, this is just my opinion...but I don't think my collegues would be happy if I started talking to my phone to open your browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I guess it is a matter of taste - I personally love the icon on the black theme, because it stands out - but I feel it is out of place on light, because of the different square color.

vbandi said:
Hello guys, it's the developer of SurfCube. Thanks very much for this thread, we are very glad that you like our work! Also, thank you for the purchases - every penny we get is going back to development. If you have time, we would really appreciate a rating in the Marketplace.
Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions! So far, SurfCube's development has mostly been request-driven, and we intend to keep it that way,
@Asheyb8: As for playing Youtube videos, unfortunately we as developers have to work really hard to get it done from the browser. Microsoft didn't give us the facilities that would make it easy, and have to settle for lots of hacks.
@skycamefalling: are you using your phone with the light theme? I admit the icon looks a bit out of place there, but we cannot put transparent pixels in it - that would show the accent color instead of the background, and the icon would look horrible with purple, blue, red, etc tile colors. If you don't want to pin the app to the start screen, just use voice recognition to start it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello. It's great you're here.
I have a question:
Is it possible for you to build browser based on different rendering engine than IE built into WP7?

doministry said:
Hello. It's great you're here.
I have a question:
Is it possible for you to build browser based on different rendering engine than IE built into WP7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at present nope. even though i'm not the developer, i know it isn't possible.

The Gate Keeper said:
at present nope. even though i'm not the developer, i know it isn't possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right. Technically it is possible, but it would require tons of work, and most likely, even then it wouldn't be smooth and fast enough. Same goes for porting an existing browser engine.
However, HTML5 support should hit WP7 this year, and I expect the IE engine we are using to be updated, too.

Thanks. I was asking mainly because of annoying problem with support for certain pages, not html5/flash related.

vbandi said:
Hello guys, it's the developer of SurfCube. Thanks very much for this thread, we are very glad that you like our work! Also, thank you for the purchases - every penny we get is going back to development. If you have time, we would really appreciate a rating in the Marketplace.
@Asheyb8: As for playing Youtube videos, unfortunately we as developers have to work really hard to get it done from the browser. Microsoft didn't give us the facilities that would make it easy, and have to settle for lots of hacks.
Hacks? so youtube won't work at all? That is a pity since its a very cool browser, is there no way to get around this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

AsheyB;11281266
Hacks? so youtube won't work at all? :confused: That is a pity since its a very cool browser said:
By hacks, I don't mean OS hacks or anything illegal. I mean, we as SurfCube developers have to do a lot of extra work, some of those may not be too elegant, and may not work in all circumstances.
But if enabling video support in a third party browser is possible at all, rest assured, we will do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

vbandi said:
Interesting, I guess it is a matter of taste - I personally love the icon on the black theme, because it stands out - but I feel it is out of place on light, because of the different square color.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a quick note to say that I also really like the cube icon on the black theme (SAMOLED screen here). It gives the app an elegant look that makes it stand out from the other tiles, and I like periodic alterations from the standard theme (Surf Cube, AP Mobile, Office, Newsroom, etc.). Kudos on the version 2 release, by the way; it's the best browser purchase I've made on the platform.
Would it be possible to have the tabs in the next release able to completely rotate as an option? Also, do you know if it is possible to do any sort of text reflow on zoom with 3rd party browsers based on the IE render engine? I would guess not, based on the browsers that are out today, but it's one of the features I really miss from Opera.
Cheers, and keep up the good work.

VelJharig said:
Would it be possible to have the tabs in the next release able to completely rotate as an option? Also, do you know if it is possible to do any sort of text reflow on zoom with 3rd party browsers based on the IE render engine? I would guess not, based on the browsers that are out today, but it's one of the features I really miss from Opera.
Cheers, and keep up the good work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - if you really like SurfCube, a 5 star rating in the Marketplace helps a lot
I am not sure I understand what you mean by rotating the tabs, can you elaborate on that?
Text reflow is unfortunately not possible - I have found no way to determine the current viewport of the browser. Even if there was, it would require tons of html / javascript trickery, and may not be practical. I miss text reflow, too - but most sites can be read pretty well in landscape mode.
Cheers

I tried out the first version and at first I thought it was a browser where you rotated the cube not only to different settings pages, but also to different tabs of the browser (for instance, one side of the cube is Google.com, and the other could be set at yahoo.com, etc).
To me that would be more useful as I don't go into settings very often. Favorites would be the most used setting, and I don't use that very often.
So what if you could make it a cube with each side a different tab, and be able to specify a different start page for each side of the cube...
If it already does something similar, I apologize.. it is cool though.

First time with....well everything almost.

I've been with Sprint for almost 9 years now, and before my Evo 4G in 2010 all I had were the old Nextel i95's...so needless to say I'm at a complete loss with WP7. I tinkered and tailored with Android ROM's for years now and have loved a lot about the OS...but I just couldn't pass up this deal for the Lumia 900 on AT&T. I'm beyond satisfied after having set everything up and loving how tightly knit and integrated a lot of the features are. But I still have some questions:
1) Can i screen capture with the stock rom? I don't want to have to unlock this phone (That was one of the reasons I left Android, you needed to unlock to do ANYTHING)
2) Are there any apps beyond the 3 that use a double tile? Is this a setting somewhere that I'm missing on? Kinda like resizing widgets?
3) Are there different themes, beyond the color switching pallete, that can be used with WP7? And while we're at it, is there a different lockscreen or anything else that can be done from it besides unlocking it? (Such as unlocking to text, email, custom app?)
4) What's up with the notifications disappearing after a while before I get a chance to check em? Is there a way to check them besides going to their respective clients to see what I missed?
5) Can you guys point me towards some alternative apps or settings to replace some of the stock feaures?
6) Besides having to login to AT&T all the time, is there a different way to monitor my data usage? A simple app perhaps?
7) Oh and how could I forget....do I have to go all the way to the settings every time to see what the percentage on my battery is? I found a couple threads saying that you have to unlock the phone for this feature but I refuse to believe that something this simple needs a workaround like that.
Thanks in advance guys, loving this OS and looking forward to some of the changes.

1) Unfortunately not. Most screen captures you see on the net are done using the development software.
2) Tiles sizes are determined by the developers. I wish there was a way of making them single or double too.
3) The colours are the only customisation you can do right now without unlocking the device other than changing the lock screen. The lockscreen I like, as it unlocks to the "desktop" when there is no notifications but if you unlock it as a notification happens then it will take you the application required to see the notification.
Also for some awesome lock screens go to the deviantart website.
4) This is my one and only gripe with WP7. Having said that after unlocking the notication is either facebook or twitter (the only ones not shown on the home screen) and both of those show on my "ME" tile. So really if I want to see anything I missed I go to the "ME" tile and slide across to notifications.
5) What stock features do you need help with?
6) Im not on AT&T and my phone provider has an app to do this so I would be contacting AT&T about this.
7) They do not show a % because its not very accurate I think. This is something I at first hated but I don't care that much any more. This is not like my Samsung Galaxy II which wouldn't last a day. I usually get over a days use out of my Lumia so I don't have to look all the time and be worried. When the love heart goes on the battery I know its getting low but still I have HOURS left.

In terms of number 5 I just meant is there an alternate keyboard, browser, gallery, search feature/marketplace etc. Not that I have a problem with any of these (although I do miss haptic feedback on my keyboard) I just wanted to know if there were alternatives.
EDIT: I do have a problem with ONE of those things I mentioned. The marketplace...it seems too cluttered and feels like the phone is always zoomed in with the way everything looks...but that looks like it was done on purpose.

You.can get two off your list with a Developer unlocked device. Think of it this way. Nokia is giving you a $100 credit because of the data issue. Use it to purchase a legitimate Dev key from Microsoft. Can sideload apps, and also develop with it.
1) can do it with homebrew Screen Capturer app.
2) Only Microsoft or OEMs can develop double wide tiles.
3) Need to have an interop unlocked device to add colors, etc. More involved than dev unlocked and not yet available for the L900.
6) The AT&T myAT&T app will give you the info you need. Nokia is also releasing a data tracking app. Coming soon.
7) Homebrew Battery Meter app. Updates a Live Tile every 10 minutes. Pretty accurate. Good history charts.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

There are a few other browsers and such but they are all just front ends for the existing apps supplied with the device. There is also a few marketplace apps which you might find better. I use AppTastic every now and then purely as it shows what's on sale. There might be an app which I don't think is worth $5 or $6 after the trial but would happily purchase to support the developers for a few bucks.

iiDeadSeriousii said:
In terms of number 5 I just meant is there an alternate keyboard, browser, gallery, search feature/marketplace etc. Not that I have a problem with any of these (although I do miss haptic feedback on my keyboard) I just wanted to know if there were alternatives.
EDIT: I do have a problem with ONE of those things I mentioned. The marketplace...it seems too cluttered and feels like the phone is always zoomed in with the way everything looks...but that looks like it was done on purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, there are alot of the things that are different. Can't/Won't say if its better because thats a personal choice. I've grown to love the look and feel now. So has my daughter...but my son hates it. I gave them both 2 weeks to like it or I would buy them their next phone. My daughter converted...my son did not, and did not want new phone. But, with that said, there are some things I miss from Android....not much, but some. I do wish Live Tiles were a touch more customizable. I wish I could have some more color schemes instead of the just the current ones. I'd love to have a Black/White and/or Grey/white combination of colors also.
Otherwise....its a matter of just trying and getting used to it. I think it took my daughter 3 days to get used to the tiles and groupings of the hubs and what they are designed for. Her original list of must haves went away....

Thanks for all the help guys, yea I figured that most of my complaints/issues could only be solved with an unlock phone but I figured I'd ask. I've got another question, do apps auto update or do I need to manually check em every time?

Your marketplace tile will have a number on it showing the number of updates available. So no you never need to go check but you do need to initiate the update manually when you see that there is some waiting for update.

Again thanks guys for getting me started with the phone. Just a few more questions:
1) Is there a way to set a tile to immediately turn on/off either Bluetooth or Wifi? Or am I stuck with the default settings tile?
2) Can I save a setting where I don't have to download my pictures every time I open an email? I used to just pit "Always show pictures" on the Android GMail client.
3) I've looked and looked and still cant find a tile to just show battery. Can someone link me to an official one that I don't have to side load?
4) Is the app Bandwidth the only app for network speed test? Its kinda glitchy for me.
5) Is there a way to get that HTC Hub on this Lumia or is that another thing where I gotta unlock the phone? I really like the look of it.
6) Someone mentioned that you can change the lockscreen, or at the very least the wallpaper, how do you do that?
Thanks.

iiDeadSeriousii said:
Again thanks guys for getting me started with the phone. Just a few more questions:
1) Is there a way to set a tile to immediately turn on/off either Bluetooth or Wifi? Or am I stuck with the default settings tile?
2) Can I save a setting where I don't have to download my pictures every time I open an email? I used to just pit "Always show pictures" on the Android GMail client.
3) I've looked and looked and still cant find a tile to just show battery. Can someone link me to an official one that I don't have to side load?
4) Is the app Bandwidth the only app for network speed test? Its kinda glitchy for me.
5) Is there a way to get that HTC Hub on this Lumia or is that another thing where I gotta unlock the phone? I really like the look of it.
6) Someone mentioned that you can change the lockscreen, or at the very least the wallpaper, how do you do that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont know if someone mentioned this, but you're in the droid mentality right now. Like Apple, alot of the framework is locked down. Even with sideloads, alot of the framework is not available. HTC Hub is one of those. MS did not want that kind of screen and they don't allow it. WP is based on Live Tiles and they are sticking with it...for now.
You can change the lock screen pic by going to settings and Lock+Wallpaper. You can change the timeing settings and the picture. If you have a picture you want to use, go to your pictures hub and simply long press on the pic, use as wallpaper is an option.
But mostly, do not expect alot of hack/modding on these phones. For the most part, most of Windows phones, were Android phones at 1 time...ie the Samsung focus line. HD7 was the HD2 line which has been successfully ported to Android and WP7. If you want android type functionality in terms of look and feel...probably not gonna get it here. Of course, I could be wrong....but...who knows.

iiDeadSeriousii said:
Again thanks guys for getting me started with the phone. Just a few more questions:
1) Is there a way to set a tile to immediately turn on/off either Bluetooth or Wifi? Or am I stuck with the default settings tile?
2) Can I save a setting where I don't have to download my pictures every time I open an email? I used to just pit "Always show pictures" on the Android GMail client.
3) I've looked and looked and still cant find a tile to just show battery. Can someone link me to an official one that I don't have to side load?
4) Is the app Bandwidth the only app for network speed test? Its kinda glitchy for me.
5) Is there a way to get that HTC Hub on this Lumia or is that another thing where I gotta unlock the phone? I really like the look of it.
6) Someone mentioned that you can change the lockscreen, or at the very least the wallpaper, how do you do that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have answers for all of these, but here's a few (and fwiw I agree
with alodar1). But before I begin, not sure if you're aware of the Marketplace online (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/marketplace) - might make searching easier as you're starting out.
1) "Settings Tile" is 1 such app (I don't use these, so I can't recommend which one to install, but I've seen this one recommended... *shrug*) http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/102014a6-156e-4604-8f1a-2a86e4edf191
2 & 3 don't know, sorry
4) TestMyNet works decent: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/a25ec139-fc33-4571-9425-cf031a3312bb
5) No, sorry (I had it and never really used it...)
6) Answered above =)
You may also want to check out 'AppFlow' (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/578ef361-c265-46b7-b6f4-63cbd7fbefe0) or some similar application recommendation app.

alodar1 said:
Dont know if someone mentioned this, but you're in the droid mentality right now. Like Apple, alot of the framework is locked down. Even with sideloads, alot of the framework is not available. HTC Hub is one of those. MS did not want that kind of screen and they don't allow it. WP is based on Live Tiles and they are sticking with it...for now.
You can change the lock screen pic by going to settings and Lock+Wallpaper. You can change the timeing settings and the picture. If you have a picture you want to use, go to your pictures hub and simply long press on the pic, use as wallpaper is an option.
But mostly, do not expect alot of hack/modding on these phones. For the most part, most of Windows phones, were Android phones at 1 time...ie the Samsung focus line. HD7 was the HD2 line which has been successfully ported to Android and WP7. If you want android type functionality in terms of look and feel...probably not gonna get it here. Of course, I could be wrong....but...who knows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I realize I still kinda am in that mentality. It's just there's so many little things I took for granted that I never realized were there until this happened. I love this platform so far though, I have no major complaints, just small issues with it. But thanks for the tip, yea I know about the HD2 cause the first thing my brother did when he got that a couple years ago was have me put Gingerbread on it lol. I'll stick with what I've got for now tho, this is a ridiculously smooth experience and if I've gotta make some sacrifices, oh well. I still get everything done that I want throughout the day...I just wished some apps were better supported.