Related
I have an external gps that has worked great with my phone. I've recently tried http://trackr.nl and it can accurately capture my tracks as well. It says that it can supposedly geotag your pictures, but it doesn't worked for me. I've also tried http://shozu.com and it says that it can geotag, but apparently that option isn't available for Windows Mobile Standard smartphones. So I also tried http://locr.com (it would error out when I tried launching.)
I'm interested in an application that can geotag my photo when taken, so that when I upload it to Flickr using Shozu or some program like that, it will be automatically geotagged.
Has anyone found the best application for this? I know there are programs where you can first copy them over to your PC, then run some program that will compare it to your trail log and sync it with your date/time stamps on your photos. But I was hoping for something that would skip the PC.
Thank you,
Tim
Hello,
This is actually my first post on XDA; in the past I only downloaded the great roms for my older HTC Touch and never posted something. Now I'm the proud owner of the TP2 and have some questions to ask
It's a great phone, but there are a few things I can't get working properly. I'd like to excuse myself for the awful English I'm writing, but that's because I'm a "Dutch guy" (I also have a default Dutch rom btw)
The Questions
[1] GPS, I've applied all of the tweaks I've found on the Rhodium forum for a better GPS response, I've also installed TomTom 7 - v7.910.9185 with Western Europe 1GB 815.2024. When I try to navigate I don't get an GPS fix, the gps on my TP2 has never worked before. I also tried 'quick gps' for getting some gps settings, but that also didn't work.
[2] On my old HTC touch I could press the battery-icon on top of the taskbar to quickly see the remaining battery-power. Now you get the 'notification screen'. The notification screen is quite good, but I'd like to see my battery-power in just one or two presses.
[3] I'm using Opera browser and when I go to any kind of websites, which have thumbnails of images on it, I have to press several times before the phone opens the link 'behind' the thumbnail image. I also can't select any text on a webpage. How do I fix this?
[4] On my sms inbox I want to select multiple messages with just a sweep on the touch screen. I've read somewhere on the forum that you can change this with a simple registry tweak, but I can't find it anymore.
[5] the TP2 has I nice Facebook future, here in the Netherlands Facebook isn't that popular, Hyves is the rulling social network over now, does anyone now if HTC is going to release a Hyves plugin instead of facebook?
[6] the TP2 stores contact pictures in a larger format than outlook, but because I've imported some photo's to my contacts via outlook, they all have a resolution of 72x72px, which looks quite blurry at my touch pro.. is there any option to increase the resolution of the outlook contact pictures? I've searched on the net, but no luck so far..
[7] I've installed the .cab which gave me the option to delete the first 4 icons on the start menu, but I accidently removed the 'settings' icon, and can't set it back anymore..
[8] My last question, where did the 'audio manager' go? On the tabs you've something like audio manager, but it's always running on the background, right? I want to start it at my own.
In the past; on my HTC touch, I've mapped the camera hardware button to launch 'audio manager', but on the TP2 it isn't even listed anymore at the program list.
Thank you for reading and helping me out!
Brent
EDIT: [9]whoops, another question came up in my mind.. Is it possible to activate the light sensor all the time? When I'm calling someone the screen turns off when you hold the phone next to your ear.. this would also be an nice option for putting your mobile in your pocket or something.
[1] solved: I did a hard reset and then it worked
[2] solved: I installed a customized notificationscreen
[7] solved: After the hard reset the icon was back
Has anyone had this issue:
When calling notes, or the Voice Recorder app, or opening HTC Album, they take a very long time to become ready. The Album is usable but take 30-60seconds to populate the thumbnails, and the notes app just spins the wait icon for about the same time til its usable at all. It used to work fine...
I tried removing the storage card to see if its was the issue. Notes weren't ANY different, and the few wallpapers i had in internal storage still took longer than it should to show thumbnails.
Suggestions?
Well the problem was more extensive than I thought:
Every app that loaded a file browser, ex. Word/Excel/PPT/Voice Recorder/Notes/etc took a good 30-60 seconds to load and save, and to choose a new folder to browse.
The built-in "File explorer" responded normally and quickly. I had not installed the "file dialog changer" or the file explorer extension.
Turns out, it was the "expose Network folder to other programs" option in Resco File Explorer. I use it all the time to transfer stuff to and from my other machines, so its kind of annoying that either I have the network folder, or programs are speedy and usable. Don't remember this being an issue with my Touch Pro or my 6700.
I guess it timed out trying to search the network folder for various file types every time the file browser appeared in a program.
Hope this helps someone...
Yes, definitely. This did help me and probably saved me an awful lot of time.
So thank you very much for this hint!
mindmachine
I've been using the Desire for a while now. I've come to discover tiny flaws and annoyances with the device. The purpose of this thread is not to say it's a bad device. On the contrary, it has been a dream to use. None of the items listed here are deal-breakers, at least for me.
The purpose is to just foster discussion and perhaps find workarounds to share with the community.
Is there anything about your Desire that rubs you the wrong way? Or perhaps you have a good solution for any of the items listed?
Most recent entries are numbered highest
The items here should be things that are experienced by ALL HTC Desire users.
The reaction to each item by everybody should be either of the following:
"Yeah, that's true for my device."
"Oh? Really? My device has that problem?" (Turn on your device to test...) "Oh, damn, it's true..."
You may or may not care for the items listed here, but nonetheless, they're there and they apply to your device.
That being said, things not included here are the following:
Hardware limitations. Eg. No call start/end keys. You knew about things like this before you bought it.
Hardware defects. Eg. Dust under screen, device not going into standby properly. Most of us don't experience these. Contact your retailer to exchange the unit or HTC to claim warranty.
Problems arising because of your carrier. Eg. Some carriers limit your device's max volume. Speak with your carrier.
Problems arising because of your geographic location. Eg. The FM Radio application freezes in some European countries.
Message from me!
Thanks everyone for contributing! Just a reminder for everyone: Please try not to think of these "issues" as problems. Consider them limitations that we have to work around. There's no such thing as the perfect device and I'm not sure there ever will be. Don't let this list worry you. I don't think there's a single HTC Desire user who thinks that his/her device is absolutely un-useable because of these limitations.
That being said, thanks for those who contacted HTC about this thread. But do manage your expectations because it's unlikely anything will get done since these are such minor things.
Let me redefine the purpose of this thread:
-Identify limitations
-Foster discussion of such limitations in order to find workarounds
For those of you who don't have the HTC Desire, don't be put off by the sheer number of issues listed here. Most are minor nit-picky things. Some have workarounds. Others you might not even care about.
Please read this post before submitting an item. It's being updated for a reason. I'm going to ignore all submissions if it's already mentioned in the 1st post.
Some of you are posting tips and tricks for items that are not in the 1st post. That's fine; I'll just add them to my Tips & Tricks blog entry. Link is in my signature.
General
10. Turning the device facedown on a surface during a call does not activate speakerphone. (Minor issue, but it was something I just took for granted from my Touch Pro2)
14. Vertical slide gesture to answer/dismiss calls. Submitted by DoomFragger. Sometimes leads to accidental answering or dismissing of calls when device is taken out of pocket.
Workaround: Install alternative lock screen and/or take extra care when taking out your device.
16. Only standby button wakes the screen. Submitted by mlear.
Workaround: Install "No Lock". Thanks Karolis.
19. Can't specify duration of notification light. Submitted by Bart1981.
20. Voice-to-text feature removed from Android by HTC. Wonder why...
Workaround: Use HTC IME Mod keyboard. Thanks gogol
Update: The official Froyo update included voice search. But still no voice-to-text button for keyboard.
21. Can't disable proximity sensor. Causes phone to behave unpredictably in pocket if using bluetooth headset. Submitted by Tearlow.
23. The device sometimes thinks you're somewhere you're not. Gives you the wrong weather and/or time. Submitted by Phil750123.
Workaround: Remove your clock widget and add it back. Manually select your location.
24. Compact QWERTY keyboard does not "learn" your typing style. Submitted by Phil750123.
27. Can't just have the pattern lock screen without the default slide lock screen. Submitted by Unfriendly.
30. Alarm sometimes snoozes if the proximity or light sensor is tripped. Submitted by nicelad_uk.
31. Poor button placement for "Snooze" when the alarm activates. It's positioned near the bottom of the screen where it's easy to accidentally hit when attempting the downward slide gesture while barely awake. Submitted by streetdaddy.
Workaround: Start the downward slide gesture towards the top of the display. It's not necessary to swipe the bar on the bottom. Thanks tifosi256.
32. The order of articles in the News widget appears very random and fluctuates depending on time of update rather than time of publish. Submitted by andycted.
33. No native tasks or notes application. This means no syncing with Outlook or Exchange for these items. Submitted by david_inuk.
36. No native file explorer for Android. Can't upload files from browser, eg. can't attach files to posts here at XDA, can't upload to Dropbox. Submitted by mcgon1979.
Update: The official Froyo update didn't include a native file browser. But you are now able to upload files via browser. (Regarding Dropbox, you may use their official app to upload/download files)
45. Cannot turn off camera shutter sound for HTC's Footprint application. The shutter sound will play even if you disabled the shutter sound in the Camera application. Submitted by gogol.
48. Hyphens confuse the phone number recognition software. If you want to dial a phone number displayed in an email or the browser and it contains a hyphen, it will not dial correctly. Submitted by MissStabby.
49. Too easy to power on the device. It takes just a tap of the power button. Would have been better if it required a long press of the power button. Submitted by Cleargrey.
51. Unable to add custom locations into weather application. Submitted by Snowskip.
53. Can't select multiple or all to mark as read in News application. Submitted by benko286.
65. Screen automatically turns on unlocked after ending a call. Leads to accidental screen inputs if device is in pocket while using headset.Submitted by unrealnet.
68. If you start dialing a number, the contacts list in the dialer will not filter to all contacts containing that sequence of numbers. Rather, it will only filter to all contacts that begin with that sequence of numbers. Submitted by hubogoss62.
Browser
2. Internet bookmarks can't be organized into folders. (Sure you can put a folder on the homescreen and put quick links there, but it's not what I'm referring to.)
Workaround: Use alternative web browser. Thanks jannen. But the default browser is so capable.
47. Limit of 4 browser windows/tabs opened at any one time. Submitted by Borgini.
Synchronization
7. Can't specify sync schedule for Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar.
Workaround: Sync with Google's Exchange server instead.
17. HTC removed multiple Exchange accounts support. Submitted by nbedford.
Workaround: Download TouchDown. Thanks defectivereject.
37. When syncing with Exchange server, Exchange Managed Folders are not synced. Submitted by daesimps
Email
4. Gmail application icon does not include counter for new messages.
Workaround: "Gmail Unread Count" from Android Market
6. Can only attach photos in Gmail application
Workaround: Attach other file types via 3rd party file explorer like Astro.
8. Can't select multiple messages to mark as read or unread in Mail application.
9. Mail Widget doesn't display messages from Gmail application.
Workaround: Setup Gmail in the Mail application if you want it to be displayed in the widget.
15. Cannot zoom in/out in Gmail application. Submitted by mlear.
18. Can't hit certain hyperlinks in Gmail application. This is just silly. Eg, this link doesn't work "http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=666332&goto=newpost"
Workaround: Sync with Google's Exchange server to use Mail application.
58. For POP3 email accounts, marking emails as read on your device doesn't mark it as read on the server. This is actually an problem not specific to the Desire, but to Android OS in general. It's been reported to Google already back in Oct 2009. Submitted by well0549.
Multimedia
12. When watching video or listening to music via the default applications, it's difficult to navigate to a particular point in the middle of the clip, especially if the clip is long. You can only drag the progress bar but you can't get very precise. HTC/Android should allow the optical trackpad to be used for precise navigation here (ie, perhaps use left/right commands to move the clip by several seconds) or just copy Apple (ie. decrease horizontal sensitivity of the screen as you drag your finger vertically away from the progress bar. Those of you with iPod Touches or iPhones will know what I'm talking about here).
Workaround: Install alternative video player. Thanks defectivereject.
13. No equalizer for the music player. Submitted by admoo. Some would argue that equalizers distort and add noise. But there's enough people who want it that it should have been included by Google/HTC.
Workaround: Use alternative player. Thanks quicksite.
39. Default Music application does not display lyrics even if they are properly tagged. Submitted by daesimps
50. The default music application will not use track numbers as the play order if you long-tap on an album (in album view) and select "play". They will be played alphabetically by song title. Similarly, if you long-tap on an album and select "add to playlist", the tracks will be added in alphabetical order. Submitted by Scottland.
55. Only specific events trigger the Album to update. If you added/removed items from the Album without triggering the specified events, your changes may be reflected in the Album until the next time you triggered said events. These events are the following (may not be exhaustive list)
-Camera application takes a photo/video
-Modifications made from within Album application
-Save image from default browser.
-Unmount/mount of microSD card (ie, soft reset, enter/exit disk drive mode, manually trigger SD card scan)
Submitted by Laban.
56. The default music application may not display the genre tag of MP3 files correctly. It writes "Unknown Genre" instead. With OGG vorbis files the year tag is also buggy. Submitted by arminius.locustus.
Workaround: Switch your complete music collection to mp3. Tag the files according to the last standard (id3.2v4). Only use predefined genre tags. And even then: Pray that the internal number of the genres you listen to is below 100. Thanks arminius.locustus.
60. When activating Voice-to-Text during music playback, the music pauses, but does not resume after the device accepts your voice command.
Connectivity
28. No proxy support. Can't connect to internet at many workplaces. Submitted by Jade_user.
40. SMTP Authentications not handled properly by HTC's Mail client. Submitted by lolomin.
52. VPN connection state not consistent across reboots. After reboot, device thinks it's still connected to the VPN when it's not. Submitted by Fiouz.
Contacts
3. Contact photos become blurry if synced with Google Contacts. Happens with Windows Mobile too, so Google really needs to fix this.
Workaround: After your device downloads your contacts from Google, disable contacts syncing. Any changes to your contacts will not be saved in the cloud and you have to add photos manually for each contact. Detailed instructions here.
Alternatively, create new contact in the phone memory with hi-res picture and link it with existing Google contact. Thanks spooky75.
22. Can't specify particular contact groups within Google Contacts to sync. Submitted by freddyemmer.
25. Cannot hide SIM contacts from dialer. They can be hidden from contact list but still appear in dialer. Submitted by cworrall.
29. Facebook contacts information not syncing properly. Submitted by nicelad_uk (check out items 1 and 2 at his/her post).
41. Website address is not a field you can input for a new contact. But you can input it in Google Contacts with your browser. You can however, edit that field on your device after you've set it in Google Contacts. Submitted by vlad69uk.
42. For contacts, the type for Microsoft's instant messaging users will always be "None" if you sync with Google Contacts. Google Contacts and Android use different identifiers for Microsoft's instant messaging system. Android sees labels it as "Windows Live" while Google Contacts labels it as "MSN". So, once it syncs, the IM type changes to "None" in Google Contacts and on your device.
43. If a contact card includes a website, tapping on it does not open your browser to take you there as you would expect. It doesn't do anything! That's not very well thought out.
46. Birthday information for contacts cannot be synced from your device to Google Contacts. It can only be synced from Google Contacts to your device. Submitted by yeepeekai.
Workaround: Use EboBirthday and EboBirthday Contact Sync. Submitted by tifosi256.
59. Search in the contacts list only searches the contact name. It should search other fields such as the Organization as well. Inspired by IceBone.
Workaround: Use the paid application "Contacts Search+". Thanks IceBone. See here for more info.
Calendar
34. No monthly-calendar style date picker when creating new entries in default Calendar application. Only have the rotating dials. Submitted by mrdo.
35. If more than one calendar event reminder comes up, you can only dismiss all or snooze all. Cannot action on them separately. Submitted by mrdo.
Workaround: "Calendar snooze" from Android Market. Submitted by vivus.
38. Calendar does not support setting appointments as free, busy, or out of office. Submitted by daesimps
45. Can't specify end-date for repeating calendar entry. Can only do so in Google Calendar. Submitted by joeboyc2.
Workaround: Set up the recurring event. Then delete the event that occurs after the final occurence you want. You will be given the choice to delete all future occurrences. Thanks Eggmoon.
54. Google Calendar events don't sync properly if change type to/from "Default" and "Private". Submitted by mroek.
57. Reminders for Outlook all-day events starts going off at midnight.Submitted by anthonyeeles.
61. No year-view for default calendar application. Submitted by amak_ot.
63. Can't add additional sports calendars under Google's "Other Calendars". You can only add additional Google "My Calendars". Submitted by TractorMatty.
Workaround:Use www.markthisdate.com. Submitted by TractorMatty.
Messaging (SMS)
11. Autocomplete in the "To" field of the SMS application is not very smart. It shouldn't list the Home or Work numbers as options to select when you start typing a name.
Workaround: Install alternative SMS application (eg, Handcent). Thanks Smirge
26. Bug in default Messaging (SMS) application that displays incorrect timestamp and messes up the order of the threaded conversations. Happens when receiving messages from external carrier networks and/or across time zones. Submitted by Jaa-Yoo.
44. Can't set a number as the default for messaging. Where contacts have more than one number (even if they're not 'mobile' numbers), if you select "New message" from the messages tab in the phonebook, you get a "Phone numbers" prompt like you do with standard Android asking which to use. This is fine, but it does not have a "use this as default" checkbox like it should. Submitted by Simon143.
64. Strange behavior in Messaging application when sending messages to multiple recipients. Seperate threads are created for sending to multiple numbers of a single contact. Upon replies, the initial message sent out is no longer displayed. Submitted by PseudoReal.
67. SMS Received Notification does not work. Submitted by tomvdp.
Items that were initially applicable but have since been fixed by official OTA updates.
62. Can't have the screen rotated 90 degrees clockwise. It only recognizes portrait and landscape in 90 degrees counter-clockwise. Submitted by jamfitz86.
Update: The official Froyo update fixed this.
1. Internet bookmarks always default to sort by newest. It makes more sense to be sorted alphabetically.
Workaround: Use alternative web browser. Thanks jannen. But the default browser is so capable.
Update: The official Froyo update fixed this.
66. Mobile Terminated SMS are linked to random contact. Submitted by pascanu.
Update: The official Android 2.1 update 1 fixed this.
5. Can't select text to copy to Clipboard in Gmail application.
Workaround: Use the Mail application to sync with Google's Exchange server. You can select text to copy to clipboard in the Mail application.
Update: The official Froyo update fixed this.
13. Theres no bloomin' equaliser for the music player!
For the internet browsing bookmarks - you can always use Opera. Works fine on my phone - but I still prefer the default one
I hate problem no. 3.
Can someone create an app "Replace Contact Photos" ... to replace all photo contacts programmatically using the hires one from sd-card?
That would be awesome!
Lock Screen
May I had the annoyance of the lock screen dropping calls. It's been already discussed in the forum.
When the phone is pulled out from pants, it will dismiss several calls. Why did they put a vertical slide?
DoomFragger said:
May I had the annoyance of the lock screen dropping calls. It's been already discussed in the forum.
When the phone is pulled out from pants, it will dismiss several calls. Why did they put a vertical slide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've added it to the list. But I have to say that I don't think this is a very prevalent problem. I counted only 4 users who has this problem in that thread dedicated to this issue.
I keep my device in my front pants pocket with the screen facing me all the time and never have I had any problems with accidental receiving or dismissing of calls. Sure, I don't wear tight pants but they're certainly not baggy either!
i am a fat bastard with tight jeans, and i don't get a problem with dismissed calls.....
Act 1 Video Player allows optical trackball for tiny precise forward/rewind.
ohyeahar said:
11. Autocomplete in the "To" field of the SMS application is not very smart. It shouldn't list the Home or Work numbers as options to select when you start typing a name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is particularly annoying and makes this feature almost unusable. grrrr. it's now actually quite difficult to send a simple sms.
1. Internet bookmarks always default to sort by newest. It makes more sense to be sorted alphabetically.
Workaround: Use alternative web browser. Thanks jannen. But the default browser is so capable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When in bookmarks you can press menu and change the sort order.
cannot zoom in/out in gmail app
cant use bottom middle button to wake screen
mlear said:
cant use bottom middle button to wake screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what the power button in the top is for.
I know that
maybe it is just because i am coming across from iphone but i would like to be able to use this button to wake the screen
i think it is easier to do one handed than the top button
ohyeahar said:
I've added it to the list. But I have to say that I don't think this is a very prevalent problem. I counted only 4 users who has this problem in that thread dedicated to this issue.
I keep my device in my front pants pocket with the screen facing me all the time and never have I had any problems with accidental receiving or dismissing of calls. Sure, I don't wear tight pants but they're certainly not baggy either!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rhedgehog said:
i am a fat bastard with tight jeans, and i don't get a problem with dismissed calls.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another thing I've noticed is that, even if I wrap my finger with my jacket, I still can operate the device... Maybe there are same of us that have special electric powers, lol!
Even so, I wish I could get the option to have a call lock screen which works in horizontal, rather that in vertical...
No Multiple Exchange accounts, even though this was supposed to be in Android 2.1 I read it is HTC who have removed/disabled this feature
ohyeahar said:
1. Internet bookmarks always default to sort by newest. It makes more sense to be sorted alphabetically.
Workaround: Use alternative web browser. Thanks jannen. But the default browser is so capable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to believe anyone would not be using free Dolphin Browser, with its superior multi-touch, and gestures galore -- for adding a bookmark, go back, forward, home, go to bookmarks, new page, everything imaginable, in user-defined gestures. GREAT UI ! Hideable tabs, easy switch to tabs.... I suggest you use cyan candy SKIN on dolphin browser. Both free from Market. OperaMini is, of course, great for speed, and a good idea to use as a dedicated browser just for gmail.
ohyeahar said:
13. No equalizer for the music player. Submitted by admoo. Some would argue that equalizers distort and add noise. But there's enough people who want it that it should have been included by Google/HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Astro Player (beta) has damn good equalizer.
But I would much rather the music player called "Rock on" for its unique UI, allows you to see album art, song duration status, at same time can flip other album art up/down to select other songs to play. AND its controllable from Notifications Bar... so you don't have to hunt around to access the contrls. always one click away.
MixZing is also a nice player that is growing on me.... each have 1x4 widgets.
nbedford said:
No Multiple Exchange accounts, even though this was supposed to be in Android 2.1 I read it is HTC who have removed/disabled this feature
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
download touchdown. it has multiple exchange accts
ritdaw said:
When in bookmarks you can press menu and change the sort order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, of course. But it automatically changes back to sort by newest after a soft reset.
Hey,
got a Desire recently, which I basically love. The only thing that's giving me troubles is syncing Outlook (2007, will upgrade to 2010 shortly) contacts and calendar and the general way to use the Desire for legitimate PIM (especially calendar).
I used both an HTC Himalaya and Athena running Windows Mobile before, and the one thing that always worked smoothly was syncing with Outlook. Also, I really liked the way Outlook Mobile worked as a PIM solution (I used a today screen plug-in called Calendar+ I think to display my appointments for the next 10-14 days).
First of all, HTC Sync doesn't really work well for me. First time sync went just fine, but subsequent syncs put all my appointments of by one hour (I am in the GMT+1/CET time zone, that might have to do with it). This is especially annoying, as full-day appointments, birthdays, etc. are now displayed as lasting from 01.00 to 01.00 am.
Contacts get synced multiple times, so each phone contact is now available at least twice and as often as four or five times (all the contacts get linked into one by the Sense UI though).
Also, multiple groups are merged on subsequent syncs, for example if a contact is in the groups "Family" and "VIP" in Outlook, they are now in an Android-only "Family\;VIP" group.
Furthermore, Calendar (both from Android and HTC) really feely toy-ish, compared to Outlook Mobile. I was used to full-day-appointments being displayed as a general line of information with other appointments being display by time or length, including place and maybe conflicts with other appointments. The Android/HTC calendar just shows me a long list of things - I could use a spreadsheet or even a textfile if that's all I wanted or expected out of a calendar.
Is there an app, including widget(s) that is somewhat more like Outlook/Calendar+ on Windows Mobile?
Also, could my syncing troubles get solved if I decided to sync Outlook with Gmail/Google Calendar and sync the Desire with these (even though I'm not too keen to store these things in the Google Cloud).
Kind regards and thanks for any info anyone could provide!
Hi,
I have most of the sync working, but still get some odd things happen, like no GAL lookup and occasional duplicate entries. There is an app call Touchdown that is worth a look.
I am trying to get HTC to fix my issues, will let you know how I get on.
Peter
my HTC sync works fab!.. I have an Orange Uk .. slate colour !
I have office 2003 and at work 2007.. all works fine .
Contacts and calender works fine.. when you first sync you do get mutiple entry's for each user .. but the phone sorts this out for you ... re the mobile , facebook gmail etc
UK ist GMT, so maybe it's a bug in Sync that throws the appointments off by GMT±x hours?
It's OK that the contacts get merged, I jsut don't see it as desired behaviour to have every contact in my phone 8-10 times, even if the phone merges everything into one.
If I change any contact info on the phone and sync back into Outlook, who can guarantee the proper change is applied to the respective Outlook contact?
PIM - Personal Information Manager, what "smartphones" where soposed to be, what they used to be, what Android needs to become.
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH, the 3 most important features of any PIM device is:
1. UNIVERSAL SEARCH
Search of the entire phone (not the internet), search through all your personal data, thru the contacts, notes, calendar, spreadsheets, memos, to-do lists, word processing files, SMS/MMS, thru every native apps, thru every 3rd party app data, anything and everything on your phone (not the internet) quickly and completely the way Palm OS did. Fast information retrieval of your personal data and databases is the most important and single most useful thing on this planet as far as PIM’s are concerned. Not links to twitter, not cool little icon creation tools, not fun cutesy little play things, but real world useful things.
2. UNIVERSAL CUT/COPY & PASTE
The ability to copy an address or sentence out of a text message or email, (not the entire message, only the portion you need) and paste it into a contact, or paste it into a memo or task field, or it into Google maps. Or Copy part of a to-do list item and paste it into a spreadsheet, or copy a value out of a spreadsheet cell and paste it into an email etc.
3. DESKTOP APPLICATION to sync with.
A desktop application to sync with, to back up all your PIM information (contacts, calendar, to-do lists, memos, wordprocessing files, spreadsheet files etc, to your PC and vice/versa (without being forced to use Outlook). Not syncing to “the cloud”, I don’t want all my personal info spread out all over the internet for who knows who to snoop through. I want my personal info on my phone and my desktop PC only. A Desktop application to be able to do the bulk of your data entry from your PC then syncing it to your phone instead of having to type out and tons of personal data, such as useful formulas, extensive notes about people, long letters or ebooks you want to cut and paste into your desktop app so you can sync it to your phone so you can read it on the road at your leasure without trying to type all that data into your little touch screen pad. To be able to look up information and data stored on my phone without not having to wait on a slow connection as it stores and retrieves from the cloud. And to be able to look up the same information on my desktop app when I can’t find my phone. To backup my data or retrieve it without being dependant an internet connection. When I lose my old phone, I want to be able to sync the new phone to my Desktop application had have all my personal info and data files loaded on to my new phone putting me right back in business without skipping a beat.
Primary PIM Apps to be fully intergreated with each other on the phone and on the Desktop are:
* Calendar/Scheduler/with very flexible alarms (i.e. repeat every third Thursday etc.). Should have Day/Week/Month/Year views.
* Contacts/Addresses/People that will show the long names on the screen when you select it.
* To Do List (KISS applies here, just need to easily slide line items up and down on the priority list and/or give it a changeable priority level, and to be able to attach longer notes if need be)
* Memo/Notes/Flash Cards to store anything and everything you think to write down to take note down, any thought, idea, note, comment, list of items, what someone said – Any and all inputs instantly retrievable by the “Universal Search”.
* Media/Pictures/Video/Music sync between desktop and device.
* Third party attachment handler (to automatically sync spreadsheet files for instance).
Store, Retrieve, and Manage/Manipulate Personal Information, that’s what Personal Information Managers (PIMs) are for. Not for doing animated gifs or other cutesy time wasters.
This is something the Twit(ers) writing software today don’t understand, not everyone has the luxury of laying around drinking soda pop and twittering each other all day, most of us need to actually get some work done in the real world. To manage and access personal information as well as internet info.
I would have switched from Palm OS to iPhone a couple years ago but the iPhone had no universal search or universal copy/paste at the time which made the iPhone worthless game machine to me. So I stayed with Palm. Now that Palm OS is being replaced with WebOS, I see now that the “new blood” writing the new Palm WebOS software left out the 3 most important things, the very things that made Palm great to begin with. So I bought a Droid Incredible, it falls flat on it’s face as a PIM, now I am back to carrying two devices a Palm OS for an actual working PIM, and a Droid for all the other “cool” stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Droid but it would be nice to get them back into one device again. The industry sometimes goes backwards instead of forwards. Now I see that Apple finally caught up to Palm by including a universal search and copy/paste into the iPhone finally, Android needs to catch up to Palm OS also, in a hurry, otherwise I may have to sidestep to an iphone when my one year contract is up.
PalmOS had a much more precise touch screen, all you had to do to select text was touch your fingernail, pen, or stylist to the letter you wanted to start with and drag to the end point to highlight the text you want, and then hit Menu/Copy. The new Johnny-come-lately touch screen phones do not have a precise way to select text directly, though the iPhone has come up with a good workaround for this, it’s not quite as fast and easy as the PalmOS but just as accurate at selecting only what you want, and it is universal just like the Palm.
If and when iambic ports Agendus to the Android OS it will be a great day for Android users, but the MOST IMPORTANT thing is we still need universal search & copy/paste across all 3-party applications. When I was a palm user I didn’t see the need for Agendus (a very robust PIM) because it seemed redundant on the Palm, but I could see the need for it on other platforms such as Windows devices, iPhone, BlackBerry etc. Now that I am a Droid user I see the need for Agendus for the Android. Agendus is starting to sound like a great Idea, a robust PIM application that can be ported to any new phone platform that comes out, that way you learn one app and keep it with you across platforms as the phone market keeps changing.