Develop Bugs

[IDEA - REQ] D-Pad and VGA-fix in one program

My idea is to make a program that acts like WVGA-fix, that is, reducing the display area ( by 160 pixels in height) in order to make VGA applications compatible AND, at the same time, using the space gained at the bottom for a virtual D-Pad.
That would make many 3D games compatible and playable (becuase of the D-Pad) but also applications like Realcalculator or the SPB suite.
Does anyone want to do this? I'd donate at least 20 bucks and I guess there are lots of other people who would appreciate a solution like this.

Nice idea, but what's the point in the WVGA screen then? Might as well get a Diamond!

also thought about that. tgere is someone working on it. search for the d-pad sip thread.
the idea is to program an emulator, wich opens applications in a 640x480px Frame this way its simulates a VGA screen. the 160px left can be used for virtual D-Pad. when pressing a button on the virtual D-Pad, the direction has to be send to the frame - to the application / game.

Koffein Schluck said:
also thought about that. tgere is someone working on it. search for the d-pad sip thread.
the idea is to program an emulator, wich opens applications in a 640x480px Frame this way its simulates a VGA screen. the 160px left can be used for virtual D-Pad. when pressing a button on the virtual D-Pad, the direction has to be send to the frame - to the application / game.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to go as far as having an on screen virtual keypad with the OS running at a lower resolution to accommodate it, I imagine this would need to be done through a replacement screen driver much like NYDITOT. If you've ever used NVD, you should know what I mean. They use a generic replacement for the screen/display/keyboard driver that then allows the OS display to be run at any resolution and then scrolled.
But since it replaces the entire screen driver (ddi.dll) with it's own generic version, this method is also a performance hit for more graphical apps like games. If someone can figure out something better and easier, go for it. I imagine you would only need to hack with the touch driver if you wanted an invisible on-screen dpad or something.

And it should look like this http://upload.csrune.com/files/dpadsip669.PNG ;-)

It's just another keyboard...
Hello, sorry to unburry this topic, but I consider the concept is of premium importance.
First of all, I think it should have nothing to do with resizing the screen, as it would just complicate the process and slow down the programs...
Games and other software using the HD's missing pad are generally already VGA (if not QVGA) sized (considering recent WVGA games can use the touchscreen or the accelerometer), so they already display black unused sections on the screen (and by the way, a lot of useful apps, such as WVGAFix or Hou Ming's Force Hires already manage the lost margin and/or resize QVGA to VGA).
So it should only be about using this otherwise spilled and already existing dead zone to display a pad.
There are tons of applications for such a pad, and not only games !
Just browsing through directories can just be so painful without a pad, as Windows Mobile massively relies on its presence.
For instance, you have nice thumbnails showing when you parse pictures, but they are rendered useless, as you can't browse through them ! As soon as you select the next one with stylus or finger, it pops opened (well, popping isn't really the appropriate word, if you consider how slow the process is )
Then the best way to browse a directory, is to open the SIP keyboard, but of course, not the Microsoft one, as it has no arrow keys (remember : Windows assumes a pad is present) : you have to open this nice, but oversized HTC one, you know, the one that has arrows, but no Ctrl key, and therefore is unable to copy and paste !...
As keyboard arrows do work in any situation, I really, really think we all lack a simple 4 direction pad (plus "action" button, the other four classical buttons being physically present, phew) that would take no room on the screen, and help us browsing files and menus, or playing games.
The virtual pad should be available in the keyboards and other input devices list, exactly the same way the others are.
Ideally, we could imagine a tiny one that would overlap the central button and take no room on the screen, but just occupy about half an inch in the center of the lower bar, plus the usual SIP input choice arrow, in order we can still change keyboards at will.
For older VGA ou QVGA games, a larger and more finger friendly version could be imagined, either just a thick line of buttons, or why not, a larger pad, as shown on Wolfenzi's nice picture.
Just consider that a lot of virtual keyboards are available, so It doesn't seem to be something impossible to do !
It would be just another keyboard, just having only 5 keys, and nothing else !!!
I actually really can't figure out why nobody seems to be interested by such a simple yet useful idea...
Oh, and as Maati, I'm ready to remunerate anyone who'd do the effort, too.

El_Mariachi said:
Nice idea, but what's the point in the WVGA screen then? Might as well get a Diamond!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, not as I see it, and support the need for such a utility.
This utility would allow older (no longer actively supported?) applications what were design for VGA and control (only!) thru the D-pad, to still work.
Of course, new applications will be written to fully use WVGA, and have control thru means other than the D-pad.

maati said:
My idea is to make a program that acts like WVGA-fix, that is, reducing the display area ( by 160 pixels in height) in order to make VGA applications compatible AND, at the same time, using the space gained at the bottom for a virtual D-Pad.
That would make many 3D games compatible and playable (becuase of the D-Pad) but also applications like Realcalculator or the SPB suite.
Does anyone want to do this? I'd donate at least 20 bucks and I guess there are lots of other people who would appreciate a solution like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+2 Ditto.

Z80-Man said:
Hello, sorry to unburry this topic, but I consider the concept is of premium importance.
First of all, I think it should have nothing to do with resizing the screen, as it would just complicate the process and slow down the programs...
Games and other software using the HD's missing pad are generally already VGA (if not QVGA) sized (considering recent WVGA games can use the touchscreen or the accelerometer), so they already display black unused sections on the screen (and by the way, a lot of useful apps, such as WVGAFix or Hou Ming's Force Hires already manage the lost margin and/or resize QVGA to VGA).
So it should only be about using this otherwise spilled and already existing dead zone to display a pad.
There are tons of applications for such a pad, and not only games !
Just browsing through directories can just be so painful without a pad, as Windows Mobile massively relies on its presence.
For instance, you have nice thumbnails showing when you parse pictures, but they are rendered useless, as you can't browse through them ! As soon as you select the next one with stylus or finger, it pops opened (well, popping isn't really the appropriate word, if you consider how slow the process is )
Then the best way to browse a directory, is to open the SIP keyboard, but of course, not the Microsoft one, as it has no arrow keys (remember : Windows assumes a pad is present) : you have to open this nice, but oversized HTC one, you know, the one that has arrows, but no Ctrl key, and therefore is unable to copy and paste !...
As keyboard arrows do work in any situation, I really, really think we all lack a simple 4 direction pad (plus "action" button, the other four classical buttons being physically present, phew) that would take no room on the screen, and help us browsing files and menus, or playing games.
The virtual pad should be available in the keyboards and other input devices list, exactly the same way the others are.
Ideally, we could imagine a tiny one that would overlap the central button and take no room on the screen, but just occupy about half an inch in the center of the lower bar, plus the usual SIP input choice arrow, in order we can still change keyboards at will.
For older VGA ou QVGA games, a larger and more finger friendly version could be imagined, either just a thick line of buttons, or why not, a larger pad, as shown on Wolfenzi's nice picture.
Just consider that a lot of virtual keyboards are available, so It doesn't seem to be something impossible to do !
It would be just another keyboard, just having only 5 keys, and nothing else !!!
I actually really can't figure out why nobody seems to be interested by such a simple yet useful idea...
Oh, and as Maati, I'm ready to remunerate anyone who'd do the effort, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hail to this simple, yet working solution.
and even include gestueres perhaps like windows and resco keyboard has.
why is it that we dont have this yet than??
sorry for my bad english

Hey, there's even worse than our good old Touch HD !
I recently tried a Touch HD 2 a friend wanted to show me (actually the guy who sold me his Touch HD ! ) and now there's an even biggest problem with HTC Sense (or maybe just Windows mobile 6.5) and the capacitive multitouch screen !
The good old scroll bars on the sides of the windows have been replaced by a thin line popping a slider when you press on it...
But, now it's all but precise !
As your finger now touches an entire area at the same time, it becomes almost impossible to scroll precisely to a desired position in a long list or directory (just try to go where you want in the Windows directory, and you'll go quickly mad) !!!
Maybe it would be better with a stylus, but there's no stylus provided with the Touch HD 2...
Or maybe it would be better using the arrows keys... The ones that should be on the pad if it was there...
Now you know why I told you that story !

Alternative UIs?

I have been doing some looking around already, even before I got my Touch HD or joined this forum but I don't seem to have dug up much so far.
Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, I don't know - I'm still rather new to WinMo, so it's a distinct possibility.
Basically, I'm not hugely fussed on TouchFlo.
I mean don't get me wrong, it's not terrible and I can think of far worse interfaces but half the reason I went for a WinMo handset was to be able to customise and tweak it.
So whilst I'm far from hating my phone, I am wondering if maybe there's something better out there.
So far, in terms of alternatives, I'm aware of the Xperia panels (which currently don't work on the HD), whatever exactly the name is of Samsung's UI that runs on the Omnia (which I just don't like the look of), something called 'PointUI' (which seems to resemble a rather simplistic TouchFlo clone, from what I've seen in screendumps) and Winterface I think it's called (but if I wanted a phone with the iPhone's UI, I wouldn't've bought an HTC).
I'm also aware that other companies who also make WinMo handsets have their own UIs as well but the only one I've read anything about so far is the UI that Asus use and what I read wasn't good. Plus, obviously, there's the UI for the up-coming TG01 but it doesn't really jump out at me.
What I'm wondering than is if there's any notable exceptions from the group I've listed, or even any not-so-notable/relatively unheard-of ones.
I'm just looking for something... different. I know that's not much to go on but I suppose the truth is that I don't really know myself what I'm after.
Something that stands out is probably about as close a description as I can offer up.
Any help or advice will, of course, be greatly appreciated.
edit: apologies for posting this in the wrong place.

You could try Wisbar Advance Desktop with one of the WVGA skins you find here, or even make one yourself.
WAD is highly customizable, you can create almost anything you like.
Another UI is Bell UI, which is pretyy similar to TouchFlo.

hello,
on my side I have chosen UltimateLaunch. Quite satisfying for its simplicty and customization possibilities.

I actually did not like TF3D at first, now I've been seduced by it !
BUT, I have SecondToday running so at a touch of my right softkey I have a new today screen which now is full of PocketBreeze and various other today plugins on the vertical Tabs.

Cheesy Dave said:
I actually did not like TF3D at first, now I've been seduced by it !
BUT, I have SecondToday running so at a touch of my right softkey I have a new today screen which now is full of PocketBreeze and various other today plugins on the vertical Tabs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My objective (when I stabilize my installation ...) is to have the TF3D as a plugin inside the first Tab of my UltimateLaunch UI.

You could try some of the cubes,
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Cube

Cheesy Dave said:
I actually did not like TF3D at first, now I've been seduced by it !
BUT, I have SecondToday running so at a touch of my right softkey I have a new today screen which now is full of PocketBreeze and various other today plugins on the vertical Tabs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just set this up a day ago - works very well indeed. 2ndToday is launched from the Left softkey (as detailed elsewhere in this forum) and pocketbreeze can fill the screen nicely.

Initial impressions and many problems (long)

Just came from my Tilt to the Tilt2. Having lots of problems. Device is slow and a bit painful overall.
Background: Not a "chef" level enthusiast but comfortable upgrading ROMs, registry edits, general customization, good device organization/maintenance, etc. Been using WinMo since my trusty PDA2k. Definitely a big HTC fan overall. I was really excited to get this device as on paper it seems so much better than my Tilt. I had my Tilt for quite a while (~2+ yrs) and ended up sending it back twice to HTC for repairs. Each time they fixed something and broke something else. I finally got so sick of the non lighted keyboard (that they broke) I "upgraded" to the Tilt2. Needless to say I have been spending a lot of time here since then...
1. How many folks are sold on TF3D? Sure it looks great, a nice iPhone ripoff but does it really make you more productive, faster, offer a more intuitive UI, etc.? I'll have to say my impression is no. I am certainly giving it a chance. One big gripe is that is was fairly easy with WM 6.1 and a good today screen customizer to get access to everything you needed on a single screen. Under TF3D - no way. How many clicks or gestures does it take to start a new text message? How many to get to your tasks/to-do list? Why do all of the icons in the "top bar" such as BT, 3G, volume all go to the same useless "Notifications" menu? Very keen for feedback from some longer term TF3D-ers.
2. Phone: Used a lot of BT connection to my car system for hands free today. Dropped calls like mad. Way worse than doing the same with my Tilt/WM 6.1. General call quality is substantially improved including clarity, volume and speakerphone. But what the heck how much does quality really matter if you are dropping like mad? To me these devices are phones above all and that means phone and BT should be rock solid. With HTC they simpy NEVER seem to be. I suppose this could simply be AT&T in San Diego but the comparison with the trusty Tilt was so much worse I don't think it is signal strength. How about the slide gesture that is required to take a call? That is clumsy, why not just a red and green screen button, sure I know you can use the hard buttons but I prefer the larger easier to see screen based buttons. Perhaps the justification is less accidentall accpeted calls while reaching into pant pocket...
3. General speed, stability: Not good. Tilt/WM 6.1 was quite a but snappier. Tilt2 hangs more often and many apps are a lot slower. One staple app for me is Resco File Explorer. It is so slow it is almost useless. Just like laptops/desktops CPUs get faster, you get more memory but the overall experience and speed does not really improve.
4. IE: Sure the zooming and panning via TF is nice but when you don't want to use the mobile version of google the page is never loaded at a good size, the cursor does not seem to default in to the search text box. I seem to have to pan and zoom before entering a search. Am I really that much of a noob? Also, I just can't seem to loose the stylus and select URLs with a finger or fingernail. It seems there is a minimum required zoom level to click URLs. In general web pages load substantially slower than with IE in WM 6.1. I need to spend some more time with Opera (or others?) but not happy thus far at all.
5. AT&T bloatware: Removing it requires going through a highly manual process or using a fairly highly customized ROM. Ugh.
6. Clock: Both the fact that you can not change the clock size and the annoying auto-flipping numbers "feature" when the today screen refereshes are enormous oversights IMO. Also main TF home clock does not match clock in the top bar. They can be off by 1-3 minutes.
7. Screen ocassionally gets locked in landscape after keyboard closure. How many versions of hardware and software will it take for the HTC/Win folks to get this right? Why do we need the Gyrator or other software to get this to work like it should out of the box?
There are tons of positives for sure. One huge one is how clear the device talks to your desktop when connecting the cable (sync, disk drive, interner sharing). So much better here than prior WM versions. Of course the screen in general is crystal clear and a real beauty. Keyboard is quite good as well. The in call phone menus are great too.
I'm keen for any encouragement, general advice, ROM advice or specific advice or fixes for any issues above. Thanks.

TF3D is cute, but IMO not useful.. You're right, that stupid "flipping numbers" thing is beyond stupid. What the hell is it really doing? Every time anything changes, it flips random numbers around. Perhaps if the device and graphics were uber fast it wouldn't be bad, but it's.... well, daft.
If your phone is dropping calls, that's hardware/radio, not Wm 6.5...
Personally I had my Tilt 2 about 3 days before I moved my SIM from my Tilt to my Tilt 2. In that time I was setting it up, adding my programs, updating random stuff to go from QVGA to WVGA. Along the way I used TF3D a little, but it was mostly just aggrivating so I went back to Pocket Plus where I can use my Today Screen plugins that I love.
There's a whole thread about not using TF3D, I think you should just read it, I think it covers most of your gripes ;-) TF3D is just a Today Screen plugin, you realize that right? If you want, disable it, use what you used in WM 6.1. It should all work, assuming resolutions or other compatibilities, but personally all of my today screen plugins worked.

swamp2 said:
Just came from my Tilt to the Tilt2. Having lots of problems. Device is slow and a bit painful overall.
Background: Not a "chef" level enthusiast but comfortable upgrading ROMs, registry edits, general customization, good device organization/maintenance, etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're comfortable flashing ROM's - try some of the offerings from the chefs here. I used my T-Mo TP2 stock for about 2 days before flashing. They make a huge difference in both performance and usability. I'm partial to AthineOS and NRG's ROM's, currently on the latest AthineOS with WinMo 6.5.1 (Start and OK on the bottom - very finger friendly) TF3D 2.1, as of last night. I use a product called Sashimi (Google it) which automates flashinbe by auto-configuring all my apps, wifi, ActiveSync, customizations, etc. I can now flash a ROM and be up and running as if nothing happened in about 30 minutes. The custom ROM's are all mostly tweaked for speed, and are absolutely faster than my stock ROM was.
Opera is head and shoulders above IE these days, get a copy of 9.7, it compares very well to the Safari browser on the iPhone - the best mobile browser IMHO.
I've had a Tilt (numerous WinMo's actually), iPhone 3GS (still have it), Android G1 (still have it), and think right now this phone beats most.
The one area I will agree is very buggy still is the landscape flipping. I just make sure I'm in a very compatible program (Opera, Mail, Garmin, etc) when opening the slider, and then stay away from TF3D while landscaped. It's a bit of a PITA, but worth it for the awesome keyboard.
Don't give up, this phone has a ton of potential.
-JS

TF3D is too slow for my liking, any better options?

Hi all, its been a while since I posted but I am the former user of the 8125,8525, and 8925 (tilt) and haven't used a pocket pc phone since then. I had my stints with the Fuze & Touch HD but thats another story. Anyways Ive been using the iPhone 3g/3gs for the last year and I recently sold it to purchase the AT&T Tilt 2. I must say although the phone is very good looking and this is the best qwerty I have ever used, the phone lags and it is kinda slow especially comparing phones like the iPhone or BBerry Bold 2. What are my options in terms of Navigating the GUI without TF3D? I remember when I used to own my pocketpc's I used a program called "HTC Home" which was simple,fast, and efficient. Does that program still work on the Rhodium? Do I have any options of using something similar to the TF3d but faster? Or will changing my ROM make the difference up in speed? Let me know what you all think and thanks in advance. Also What does "Manilla" mean?

Dude there are so many ways to have a decent UI without manila go through a lot of the rom threads and read about each one, Most have light versions and a titanium version that eliminate tf3d completely. MANILA= TF3D they are one and the same as I see it, some people might get more technical with you but its like a tilt 2 and a touch pro 2 different names for basically the same thing, minus a few hardware differences when talking devices. Also Give SPB Mobile Shell a try, you can download a trial and if yuo like it can either purchase it or do one of those promotions and get it cheap o pm me and I'll let you know where to find it I myself love tf3d and cant wait till it becomes fully modifyable with the ability to make my own tabs for whatever we see fit, It will happen just gonna take a while and have some genius' coding things so quick links can be installed in the script with copy and paste so its easy for everyone to do. I think there may be a few other 3rd party UIs out there too, so just play around and see what fits you. And if you cant fully uninstall something its not like a hard reset cant be done! Always backup what you dont want to lose.

See here for HTC Home for WVGA/VGA devices.

Buy an HD2

Windows default "titanium" is also very customizable and much less RAM eating than TF3D.
I´ll stay with Manila 2.1 working very smooth for me

I really lost interest in this phone the more I used it - I found tf3d to be too slow... Rather than flash ROMS, I gave SPB Mobile Shell a try. It's awesome! I removed all items from the today screen and just run the shell.
Memory usage is different as well. Before I had to keep it under 50% to get the phone to run. With Mobile Shell I just keep opening programs up to 80% and the interface doesn't lag.
Give it a try...

Want a familiar and friendly (as well as FAAST) interface?
Google iPhoneToday. It's mimics the iPhone interface and is very easy to setup shortcuts and icons.
Simply go t your SETTINGS>TODAY button and disable TF3D and ENABLE iPhoneToday.
I love this interface much better as it's quick and to the point. Also less memory uses than TF3D

[Q] Custom ROM or XDANDROID on Touch Pro 2

Okay, so I have been playing with the XDAndroid port on my touch pro 2 (t-Mobile).
the reason I wanted to try the Port was 2 fold. 1) I was less than happy with the touch flow 3D interface and the regular interface w/ t-mobile's ROM and 2) I wanted to give android a try.
Now having more or less successfully installed the port (A couple of minor quirks that I am sure will be resolved with some more digging) I am at a crossroads.
Android hadn't totally impressed so I wanted to pose the question on what is the best way to get my touch pro 2, which is a pretty powerful phone, to operate at it's optimum speed while still having a nice and organizable interface?
Any suggestions?
thanks
Rob

BUMP - Please Help!

have u consider looking at the NRG rom? its pretty darn fast. i like it .

I haven't looked at any ROM's in particular. The ROM thread is extensive and i couldn't decipher the lingo to make heads or tails of it.
Is there a directory or site or something that breaks down each ROM?
Thanks
Rob

have you tried spb mobile shell in my opinion it works much better than touch flo and is totallty customizable. Android is fun to play with though im not sure it is good for regular use. I may be wrong on that though.

Okay so I got around to flashing an NRG ROM and the Touch Sense is certainly better than the Touch Flo3D, but I was still unhappy with it. so I tried the SPB Shell Demo and though a few quirks I like it much better.
Now the question is, how do I solve these quirks?
(Keep in mind I only have the demo version right now)
1) The Sense and NRG Rom seem to override the SPB interface for things like SMS and Email. The SPB interfaces for these look much better and would seem to function the way I want them to, but i can't figure out how to get them to work.
2) The Top Function/Task Bar is still the NRG bit and though it is graphically appealing, it doesn't seem to work quite as well as the my default TMO ROM, and doesn't seem to be necessary as part of the SPB Shell. Any ideas on that?
3) the FN (Actually ALT on my device) key on the slide out keyboard is programmed differently. i learned it is swapped with the CTRL key, so it is functional but, i am wondering if there is a way to change that?
I think if I can solve these three issues then I may just be happy enough with the SPB Shell to purchase it.
Thanks for the help!
Rob

Have you tried XDAndroid Startup Utility... It might be a lil more device specific and pick up a better keyboard driver, also it allows you to easily overclock it and has backlight settings which come in handy for battery life.

1) The Sense and NRG Rom seem to override the SPB interface for things like SMS and Email. The SPB interfaces for these look much better and would seem to function the way I want them to, but i can't figure out how to get them to work.
||>SPB is just something to "mask" the real phone, as soon as you want email it returns to the phone application. Click X and you get SPB back.
2) The Top Function/Task Bar is still the NRG bit and though it is graphically appealing, it doesn't seem to work quite as well as the my default TMO ROM, and doesn't seem to be necessary as part of the SPB Shell. Any ideas on that?
||>There may be a "full screen" function (don't remember).
3) the FN (Actually ALT on my device) key on the slide out keyboard is programmed differently. i learned it is swapped with the CTRL key, so it is functional but, i am wondering if there is a way to change that?
||>You can download many keyboard languages/ versions, just need to find out what phone version you have combining the right language.
Also every Rom has there own build in language/ version of keyboards.

yo can try this and used android CWM is very fast.. instrucctions in spanish .. traslate with google
Methods to install android on your cell phone