Scrolling list - Windows Phone 7 General

Does Windows Phone have scrolling list like the iphone or android, where yous scroll and letter pops up. Its a pain going through all the letters on my HD7.

KidTech said:
Does Windows Phone have scrolling list like the iphone or android, where yous scroll and letter pops up. Its a pain going through all the letters on my HD7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
press on the letter and a through z pops up, allowing you to select which one you want

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drBhdjHBj4Q

Related

Is there a way to arrange start menu?

Mine seems totally random. It's not sorted by anything.
Not to sound like a jerk but do a search. This was posted recently and discussed before. I don't remember the reg path off the top of my head.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=352968
Thanks! but that one seems for arranging Settings?
download smartToolKit.
mjpuczko said:
download smartToolKit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second smarttoolkit ( www.e-natives.com) . I wish M$ would pay him to license his start menu for when WM7 comes out. Instead of that crappy Grid or List View start menu
for sure. it's a great program/app. i've never had any issues w/ slowness because of it either. plus, the app closer is key to have that handy.
mjpuczko said:
for sure. it's a great program/app. i've never had any issues w/ slowness because of it either. plus, the app closer is key to have that handy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of the app closer key. Can you elaborate? If you're talking about the right soft-key to close applications for the smarttoolkit app then i understand what you're talking about. But if you're referring to a different program, please share.
And BTW, to the original thread creator, The smarttooklit organizes the start menu in alphabetical order with anything in folder form to come up first. But you can also pin favorite programs to the quick launch section of the start menu which are the first 6 programs that pull up on the left-hand side. You just have to navigate through your start menu, press the right soft key select " pin to quick launch" and select which launcher number you want to assign the program to.
on the right side, i have a task button, if you click it, open programs appear & you can close them.

Any way to review all messages in Message Tab?

hi Guys
I was wondering whether there is a way to review all messages in the Message Tab?
It shows the last message that was received and i have to finger scroll up and down to see all the messages. Moreover, it doesn't show me all the sent messages too, so trying to figure out what the message was related to has led to some confusing conversation.
Is there a way to show all the messages in the tab ? Tried looking for it on this search forum, but I wasn't able to find any, possibly due to the wrong keywords.
Thanks !
I'm assuming you mean in the TouchFlo 3D interface... It took me a while to stumble on this one myself (but it made sense thinking about the interface with other tabs), but you can go through the messages by dragging your finger up and down on the message on-screen. Dragging bottom-to-top goes backwards chronologically, and top-to-bottom goes forward.
Hope that helps.
thanks for the post.
Yeah i know that is how to go through the messages.
I was hoping i could see all messages displayed on the tab, instead of one message.
Is there a way to do this ?
I don't think that's possible, but you can tab on the message to open up the TF3D interface to view the conversation thread with the recipient, or click on All Messages (left softkey menu) to open the Windows Mobile interface to see the list of messages with various recipients.
Thanks for the reply.
That kinda is inconvenient. i would like to see all the new messages from different people, and i had already missed a few messages without thinking of going through the All Messages tab.
Wished there was a way to see all incoming new messages from different people at least.
Seeing as how it's still WM 6.1, I figured I'd just reuse all the old programs from my Wing. So I reinstalled the 750v palm threaded SMS program (which overwrites the current messaging app) and all was good in the world. Well, only somewhat...
Unfortunately, MMS no longer works which is really weird because it worked perfectly fine on my Wing. Now when I try to send a MMS, I keep getting the "Out of Memory" error. Oddly enough, I never got that error on the Wing... and it had a fraction of the memory compared to this beast.
Hopefully when 6.5 comes out, this can be resolved (or a program that automatically marks all your SMS's as read). Until then, the only solution I have been able to find has already been mentioned... and that's to manually swipe through each message. Sucks if you're a big texter since you can easily rack up tens (if not hundreds) of messages in a short period of time.
Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, i am a huge texter and i am loving the TP2. I could practically write an essay on it, and i won't feel like it is bogging me down.
Hence why i had "ignored" so many messages lol
With my Vodafone brnaded Touch Pro2 the left soft key is programmed to show "all messages" guess this is what you want but not sure how they managed it, I presume it is a reg edit. Maybe someone else knows which one.
Cheers
Barney
This is an interesting thread, as it highlights the design vs. functionality features of TF3D. As the author of this thread, me too would like to be able to see more than one message on the SMS tab and also have the option to have the reply go to the standard WM6.1 windows instead of the TF3D reply.
improwise said:
...and also have the option to have the reply go to the standard WM6.1 windows instead of the TF3D reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can already do this... kind of. When you go to the SMS tab, click left softkey for "All Messages." This will take you to the default SMS program you have on your phone (in my case, it will launch the Palm Threaded SMS). From here you can reply to any messages you have received. It takes a little longer to reply because you have to open the default SMS program then click the thread you want to reply to. Either way, it works.
Hope this helps!
Yeah I do heavy texting and emails but the touch flow 2d is really crappy. You can't even copy and paste!
I know I shouldn't say it but just simple think like the the safari web browser, sms messaging and big onscreen keypad is being missed on my iphone.
Maric said:
Yeah I do heavy texting and emails but the touch flow 2d is really crappy. You can't even copy and paste!
I know I shouldn't say it but just simple think like the the safari web browser, sms messaging and big onscreen keypad is being missed on my iphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't copy and paste in the TP2 text program? Something I do every day on my Mogul? Geez, I really want this phone when it comes to Sprint, but that doesn't sound to good
TheBundo said:
You can't copy and paste in the TP2 text program? Something I do every day on my Mogul? Geez, I really want this phone when it comes to Sprint, but that doesn't sound to good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it SMS on touchflo sucks bad. I am little weary with my purchase so far since I don't know I've run into a lot these little disappointments.
I guess I was spoiled by the iphone simple and clean interface. Even the dialpad seems kind of small and awkward to use. I am just hoping for some hardspl mods so I can see if this device can still woo me.
You CAN copy & paste from any SMS. Just open the message, or scroll down (if in threaded mode) to the item you want to copy, tap MENU, check SELECT TEXT, highlight the text, tap & hold then select copy.
It's 1 more step than before when I can simply highlight the text or number directly without having to tap menu. I guess the new TouchFlo 3D will have problems guessing if we want to highlight some text or scroll left/right when we slide our fingers across.
Putra said:
You CAN copy & paste from any SMS. Just open the message, or scroll down (if in threaded mode) to the item you want to copy, tap MENU, check SELECT TEXT, highlight the text, tap & hold then select copy.
It's 1 more step than before when I can simply highlight the text or number directly without having to tap menu. I guess the new TouchFlo 3D will have problems guessing if we want to highlight some text or scroll left/right when we slide our fingers across.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you said threaded mode, i am assuming you meant the Windows Mobile SMS app right ?
This is to clarify that the TF3D doesn't have the select text->cut and paste functionality but the Windows Mobile app does. You need to click on the left soft key "All messages" to bring up the Windows Mobile SMS screen, select the conversation, and you can then use Putra's instructions for text selection, copy and paste functionality.
Yes, in TF3D (or manila 2d), you can only read 1 sms at a time and limited to reply, forward & delete.
If you want to copy & paste, you need to open the Win Mob SMS application as outlined by btong1978

select copy drag past

Who's going to help me.
In the Dutch windows version Its not possible to slect text with the stylus and then copy past or drag it to another part of the screen.
Not even in word....
Is their an setting or a reg tweak?
All other pda's are capable of doing this exept for the Rhodium (tuch pro 2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by the way. Its a striped down version of the Touch pro.
_
They riped of:
-the radio
-MP3 Trimmer
-zip
-the flash light
- drag copy past
-the one finger control wheel
-voice tags
-voice recorder
so I'm not very pleased with the Pro2
Phones said:
In the Dutch windows version Its not possible to slect text with the stylus and then copy past or drag it to another part of the screen.
Not even in word....
Is their an setting or a reg tweak?
All other pda's are capable of doing this exept for the Rhodium (tuch pro 2)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In which app? In threaded sms you just have to tap and hold a little longer before you drag the cursor. In email, the same, if you want to be easier you can point to menu - select text first. In opera just point, hold until pop up menu, choose text selection on. Just remember to revert to text selection off afterwards or it may get in the way when you intend to default mode of touchflo,i.e: scroll.
Juz fyi that i reply your thread on my TP2, select, copy, cut, all the way
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phones said:
by the way. Its a striped down version of the Touch pro.
_
They riped of:
-the radio
-MP3 Trimmer
-zip
-the flash light
- drag copy past
-the one finger control wheel
-voice tags
-voice recorder
so I'm not very pleased with the Pro2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please CMIIW, rip is when someone steal from you, or lie before selling, right? Now i never stumble upon any features mentioned before i buy my TP2
And actually from list you mentioned, only flash light and scroll wheel not available. The others are only problem for you to SEARCH and LEARN.
G'luck, buddy!
You have to toggle on "Select Text" mode if you want to select text by dragging in the Messaging app.
In Word, you can just do it. Drag with the stylus or your finger nail. If you drag with your finger, you will just scroll.
TAP Select Drag paste - Help with win 6pro bug -
It's in all the programs and applications.
its not the cursor but the text
for instance Word. Its not possible to tap, drag and select text.
Please note. I used several PDA's before the Touch pro 2. All of them had a windows version allouwing me to select text with the stylus.
The pro 2 doen'st have the possibillity.
It must be a Windows bug.
for instance the agenda. If I want to move a appointment several hours I did it with the stylus. Tap hold and move.
On the aganda of the pro 2 the entyre screen moves. You cant move a singel appointment.
WhO......... gana help me out.
When in a message, click 'Menu', 'Select Text' and you will be able to select the text you require.
I must admit that this does appear to be a step backwards. I was quite happy with the way the TyTnII handled it where by you had to leave the stylus down for a few moments and then drag to select anything.
Unfortunatly, with this new method, there are some things that simply are not possible. Like, for example, dragging and dropping appointments in Calendar, dragging and dropping files in Explorer etc.
I would happily go back to the old method if possible...
Phones said:
It's in all the programs and applications.
its not the cursor but the text
for instance Word. Its not possible to tap, drag and select text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, stop panicking. Your spelling, grammer, and sentence structures are all messed up!
I've answered your query on how to tap&drag to select text in MS Word in the above post.
ohyeahar said:
Dude, stop panicking. Your spelling, grammer, and sentence structures are all messed up!
I've answered your query on how to tap&drag to select text in MS Word in the above post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with that. This is not an issue at all. It works fine. The reason you have to hold longer is because it makes slide switching much faster. e.g going to the next or previous emails etc...
intothevoid said:
I agree with that. This is not an issue at all. It works fine. The reason you have to hold longer is because it makes slide switching much faster. e.g going to the next or previous emails etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand Phones frustration, although I'm maybe dealing with it a little better!
Just to give 2 examples where I see issues with this new method...
1) In File Explorer you cannot select multiple files using finger or stylus. In fact, I can't even see the option to 'Select Several' like you have in Email/SMS.
2) When in an application that does support 'Select Several' it's not as easy as it was previously to select lots. For example, I could highlight and scroll at the same time before. I then used 'Ctrl' on the soft keyboard to the select another lot.
In general, I understand why it has been applied, to make finger control easier, however, I prefer the older version.
vigilante_xix said:
1) In File Explorer you cannot select multiple files using finger or stylus. In fact, I can't even see the option to 'Select Several' like you have in Email/SMS.
2) When in an application that does support 'Select Several' it's not as easy as it was previously to select lots. For example, I could highlight and scroll at the same time before. I then used 'Ctrl' on the soft keyboard to the select another lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the default File Explorer (and in most other apps including Messaging), you can hold the Ctrl key on the hardware keyboard and then tap the items you want to select. Alternatively, if the objects you want selected are in order, you can use the Shift key.
Btw, Resco File Explorer supports dragging to select items. Just wanted to throw that out there as an alternative you may consider.

Verizon TP2 - Selecting Text Issues

Hey gang,
I'm driving a Verizon TP2 with the standard ROM, TouchFLO 3D 2.1.38420.2 out of the box with WinMo 6.1. I'm still fairly new to WinMo and the TP2 and am having some frustration with selecting text, mainly with trying to select text that extends beyond the visible screen. I can select text that's on the screen easily enough, but when the text I want to select extends either above or below what's visible on the screen, I can't figure out how to get that extra bit of text.
For example, let's say I go into a sent email that has four total paragraphs of text, the first two of which are completely visible on the screen. I need to select and copy the first three paragraphs only. I can easily select the first two visible paragraphs, but I can't figure out how to scroll down and continue getting that third paragraph.
I've tried with my fingers and the stylus, with no luck. Once I have the visible text selected, if I scroll down with the scroll bar to get the text below, once I click on the text it deselects. I've also tried getting the screen to auto-scroll with the stylus as I'm selecting text, by keeping the stylus down at the bottom - much like you would with your mouse pointer in Outlook/Word on your computer - but it won't scroll.
I've read posts about using the shift and arrow keys, but I can't seem to make that work either. Selecting all the text, then copy/pasting that over and deleting the extra works in some situations but not all. I need to be able to select exactly and only the text I need before copy/paste.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
-Stever
I believe you have to map the shift function to a key and then go from there. Or you could highlight the first part, copy paste, scroll down, highlight the second part, copy paste.
I'm looking for a thread where someone asked a similar question
burtonsnow8 said:
I believe you have to map the shift function to a key and then go from there. Or you could highlight the first part, copy paste, scroll down, highlight the second part, copy paste.
I'm looking for a thread where someone asked a similar question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to give Rhodium Keyboard Controller GSM/CDMA v1.4 a try and see if that helps.
That being said, am I seriously *not* doing something stupid here? Is there really no built-in function to continue scrolling as you're selecting text with WinMo 6.1? I've really been enjoying WinMo 6.1 on my TP2 over my previous Blackberry experiences (including old non-touch and the Storm), but this seems like an amazing oversight.
Anyone know if this is corrected/included in WinMo 6.5?
Are you in TF3D or the standard windows view? In TF3d I cannot highlight any part of the message, I can only scroll. When I opened windows view (click all messages in the txt tab) I was able to touch click (hold down on screen) > "Make Selection" > and then highlight as much text as needed. It works exactly like excel and word mobile. I'm on Mighty Mikes 6.5 sense 2.1 rom.
Stever315 said:
I'm going to give Rhodium Keyboard Controller GSM/CDMA v1.4 a try and see if that helps.
That being said, am I seriously *not* doing something stupid here? Is there really no built-in function to continue scrolling as you're selecting text with WinMo 6.1? I've really been enjoying WinMo 6.1 on my TP2 over my previous Blackberry experiences (including old non-touch and the Storm), but this seems like an amazing oversight.
Anyone know if this is corrected/included in WinMo 6.5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may very well be a 6.1 vs 6.5 issue...I just confirmed that the problem exists on my T-mobile TP2 as well, stock 6.1 ROM.
I tried everything I could think of, with no luck...except for one thing: if you have the keyboard open when you start to select text, you can use the arrow keys to scroll up/down. Of course, it's not exactly easy to do that and hold the stylus on the screen, but if you're using your fingertips to select text, you might be able to get away with that.

What's wrong with ICS and the Galaxy Nexus

First off; I love Android. I think that Ice Cream Sandwich has led to a greater harmonisation of the Android operating system and adds a bit of polish to something functional. Google's apps are starting to feel like they belong together, rather than giving a sense that they're being produced by different teams who have little contact.
However, I'm no fanboy. I don't buy a product and deny that it has flaws just because a certain company produced it *ahem *. So here it is; one humble man's opinion on what's wrong with Ice cream Sandwich.
1. Blue theme.... really? There's a reason that designers avoid blue-on-black. It offers poor contrast, and looks cheap; much like the Geocities sites of the 90s. The blue taskbar and app icons used in ICS just don't go with... well... anything. It's all well and good being able to customise your home screen, but when anything except a blue background clashes it's all a little redundant.
2. The stock icons themselves are disgusting. We all knew this from the leaked screenshots, which forums were praying were fake. Mostly, they just don't look like they belong to the same set. There's no consistency. Half are blue, half are not. Some are three dimensional, and some are traditional, flat icons. Some are different sizes. They just don't work. They look cheap, childish and don't match the 'magazine' style of the UI overhaul. It's like someone realised at the last minute that they'd forgotten to redesign icons, so just did a Google Image search and used the first of each that they found.
3. Google Plus pages won't open in the Android Browser. This one is just plain embarrassing. Google's flagship device can't view Google's new hub outside of the restrictive app? The browser just panics and shuts down with no option to report it. Did no-one test this?
4. Google Talk isn't in the sharing options. That's right, click on the share icon within an app and it'll show you every way of sharing except Google Talk. Following the above, it seems like Google is boycotting their own services.
5. Speech to text for UK language setting is insane. After a few words, it seemingly switches to using your contacts directory as a dictionary, rather than real words. You end up with a full sentence made entirely of surnames and forenames. I cannot believe that no-one tested this.
6. Removing the search key doesn't just remove the ability to search from some apps; it means that you can no longer assign functions to long press, or use voice command from any app. You have to return to the home screen each time. This is a huge step backwards.
7. Similarly, this has led to a non-removable search box on the home screen. Not only does it take up space, but the white icon doesn't work on a light background. The customisability of Android has just been taken down another notch. Sure, you can use a 3rd party launcher, but with no search button, you need the box there for searches.
8. A minor point, but Android can't seem to decide if going for a futuristic hologram look, or the Windows Phone 7 style magazine layout. It's like Mathias Duarte turned up, and they said “Make our OS beautiful... but it still has to look like ugly old Honeycomb (TRON)." All in, it just feels a bit cheap and confused.
9. The soft keys which Google has opted for in ICS are not well positioned. The home key is far too close to the space bar, which is infuriating when typing.
10. The action bar is horrific to use. It means that the menu and search keys jump around the screen. So you're in the Facebook app and want to see the menu. Where is it? Well it's not where it used to be and there's no action bar. Oh wait, three dots have appeared in the soft-key bar. Ugly and inconsistent, but OK.
Switch to messaging. Where the heck is it? Ah it's in the top right now! The little scamp.
Now you're in Gmail. Where is the menace? I know you're here somewhere... Ah, there! In the action bar in the bottom right. Android Market: back up top! There is just no consistency and it makes everything feel disjointed and unpredictable.
The action bar essentially negates the large screen on the Galaxy Nexus. The row of soft keys, plus the action bar actually leads to a lower proportion of screen space for the app than on previous versions of Android.
11. Cut, Copy & Paste: What the hell were they thinking?! This doesn't just jump around based on app, but depending on which page of an app you're in. And even then, the buttons are different every time.
Take Gmail for example. Copying text from the body of an email: a menu appears in place of the action bar at the bottom. However, in the 'compose' screen this menu appears at the top, but with different icons. Another 'paste' button (but not using the paste icon) also appears above the selected text, but no cut or copy buttons. If you try and make a selection from a link, a long press summons a pop-up dialogue where paste is an option. That is four ways of pasting, just within the Gmail app.
Not to mention, that they've opted for icons with no words. Unless you're accustomed to using old Windows machines, this may as well be code. It's like it's intentionally trying to confuse you.
12. Relationships with app vendors must be non-existent. If I was releasing an update to a platform which relies upon people being able to install apps, I'd make sure that the most common apps work on the new platform before release. This could involve providing phones and assistance to the big names. As it stands, neither Facebook nor Whatsapp (two of the top 5 most downloaded apps) work. Both of these are communications related. I feel cut off from the world. I'm sure this could have been sorted before release. Swype is another big name that doesn't support the screen resolution.
Google launched the Galaxy Nexus weeks ago. Facebook was initially unusable due to the absence of a menu button. The app was updated today to a version akin to the iPhone. However, the drag-to- refresh animations don't work as they should, and the damn thing will alert you of 'new messages' every 30 minutes if you have any unread, regardless of whether or not they are new. Atop this, Facebook will still not sync with official Google devices as Facebook does not properly use Google's contact API. Rather than being stubborn, Google should be helping Facebook, or seconding engineers, as they know full well that the majority of their users will require his service.
I appreciate that a lot of this is out of Google's hands, but this is just a warning to early-adopters – be prepared to lose the services you use most.
13. The browser is still useless with forms. Try entering text in a field. It'll type past the edge of your viewport and you can't scroll to the cursor. The viewport should follow the cursor. You can't zoom in and out because you can't get 'hold' of the web page due to the full-screen text entry field.
14. Horizontal lines everywhere. Did I mention that text fields are now horizontal lines? Text boxes are indistinguishable from divides and text doesn't sit on the lines so you never know where one ends and the other starts.
As I said, all in, it is an improvement. However, there is a heck of a lot of room for improvement. There is still a feeling that things aren't really designed, or connected; just a bit haphazard. I'm just hoping Cyanogen pulls something wonderful. For the standard consumer, the experience aspect is still playing catchup with Windows Phone and iOS.
I agree with most of what you are saying... nothing makes me angrier than trying to use google search on android's mobile browser, and not being able to add additional words onto the end of my search string because I can't Freaking scroll the text over to enter it in. (I do think this is a webpage issue possible though, because it happens on iphone as well)
I think they should have gotten rid of the flip button (task switcher button) and have that be the settings button, then just have the HOME button be a long press for task switching.... simple, effective, makes sense.. consistent. I guess having settings in the app allows developers to have more control, but I think consistency would be better.
mike freegan said:
First off; I love Android. I think that Ice Cream Sandwich has led to a greater harmonisation of the Android operating system and adds a bit of polish to something functional. Google's apps are starting to feel like they belong together, rather than giving a sense that they're being produced by different teams who have little contact.
However, I'm no fanboy. I don't buy a product and deny that it has flaws just because a certain company produced it *ahem *. So here it is; one humble man's opinion on what's wrong with Ice cream Sandwich.
1. Blue theme.... really? There's a reason that designers avoid blue-on-black. It offers poor contrast, and looks cheap; much like the Geocities sites of the 90s. The blue taskbar and app icons used in ICS just don't go with... well... anything. It's all well and good being able to customise your home screen, but when anything except a blue background clashes it's all a little redundant.
2. The stock icons themselves are disgusting. We all knew this from the leaked screenshots, which forums were praying were fake. Mostly, they just don't look like they belong to the same set. There's no consistency. Half are blue, half are not. Some are three dimensional, and some are traditional, flat icons. Some are different sizes. They just don't work. They look cheap, childish and don't match the 'magazine' style of the UI overhaul. It's like someone realised at the last minute that they'd forgotten to redesign icons, so just did a Google Image search and used the first of each that they found.
3. Google Plus pages won't open in the Android Browser. This one is just plain embarrassing. Google's flagship device can't view Google's new hub outside of the restrictive app? The browser just panics and shuts down with no option to report it. Did no-one test this?
4. Google Talk isn't in the sharing options. That's right, click on the share icon within an app and it'll show you every way of sharing except Google Talk. Following the above, it seems like Google is boycotting their own services.
5. Speech to text for UK language setting is insane. After a few words, it seemingly switches to using your contacts directory as a dictionary, rather than real words. You end up with a full sentence made entirely of surnames and forenames. I cannot believe that no-one tested this.
6. Removing the search key doesn't just remove the ability to search from some apps; it means that you can no longer assign functions to long press, or use voice command from any app. You have to return to the home screen each time. This is a huge step backwards.
7. Similarly, this has led to a non-removable search box on the home screen. Not only does it take up space, but the white icon doesn't work on a light background. The customisability of Android has just been taken down another notch. Sure, you can use a 3rd party launcher, but with no search button, you need the box there for searches.
8. A minor point, but Android can't seem to decide if going for a futuristic hologram look, or the Windows Phone 7 style magazine layout. It's like Mathias Duarte turned up, and they said “Make our OS beautiful... but it still has to look like ugly old Honeycomb (TRON)." All in, it just feels a bit cheap and confused.
9. The soft keys which Google has opted for in ICS are not well positioned. The home key is far too close to the space bar, which is infuriating when typing.
10. The action bar is horrific to use. It means that the menu and search keys jump around the screen. So you're in the Facebook app and want to see the menu. Where is it? Well it's not where it used to be and there's no action bar. Oh wait, three dots have appeared in the soft-key bar. Ugly and inconsistent, but OK.
Switch to messaging. Where the heck is it? Ah it's in the top right now! The little scamp.
Now you're in Gmail. Where is the menace? I know you're here somewhere... Ah, there! In the action bar in the bottom right. Android Market: back up top! There is just no consistency and it makes everything feel disjointed and unpredictable.
The action bar essentially negates the large screen on the Galaxy Nexus. The row of soft keys, plus the action bar actually leads to a lower proportion of screen space for the app than on previous versions of Android.
11. Cut, Copy & Paste: What the hell were they thinking?! This doesn't just jump around based on app, but depending on which page of an app you're in. And even then, the buttons are different every time.
Take Gmail for example. Copying text from the body of an email: a menu appears in place of the action bar at the bottom. However, in the 'compose' screen this menu appears at the top, but with different icons. Another 'paste' button (but not using the paste icon) also appears above the selected text, but no cut or copy buttons. If you try and make a selection from a link, a long press summons a pop-up dialogue where paste is an option. That is four ways of pasting, just within the Gmail app.
Not to mention, that they've opted for icons with no words. Unless you're accustomed to using old Windows machines, this may as well be code. It's like it's intentionally trying to confuse you.
12. Relationships with app vendors must be non-existent. If I was releasing an update to a platform which relies upon people being able to install apps, I'd make sure that the most common apps work on the new platform before release. This could involve providing phones and assistance to the big names. As it stands, neither Facebook nor Whatsapp (two of the top 5 most downloaded apps) work. Both of these are communications related. I feel cut off from the world. I'm sure this could have been sorted before release. Swype is another big name that doesn't support the screen resolution.
Google launched the Galaxy Nexus weeks ago. Facebook was initially unusable due to the absence of a menu button. The app was updated today to a version akin to the iPhone. However, the drag-to- refresh animations don't work as they should, and the damn thing will alert you of 'new messages' every 30 minutes if you have any unread, regardless of whether or not they are new. Atop this, Facebook will still not sync with official Google devices as Facebook does not properly use Google's contact API. Rather than being stubborn, Google should be helping Facebook, or seconding engineers, as they know full well that the majority of their users will require his service.
I appreciate that a lot of this is out of Google's hands, but this is just a warning to early-adopters – be prepared to lose the services you use most.
13. The browser is still useless with forms. Try entering text in a field. It'll type past the edge of your viewport and you can't scroll to the cursor. The viewport should follow the cursor. You can't zoom in and out because you can't get 'hold' of the web page due to the full-screen text entry field.
14. Horizontal lines everywhere. Did I mention that text fields are now horizontal lines? Text boxes are indistinguishable from divides and text doesn't sit on the lines so you never know where one ends and the other starts.
As I said, all in, it is an improvement. However, there is a heck of a lot of room for improvement. There is still a feeling that things aren't really designed, or connected; just a bit haphazard. I'm just hoping Cyanogen pulls something wonderful. For the standard consumer, the experience aspect is still playing catchup with Windows Phone and iOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yawns, i respect your opinion. But i can list 15 things wrong with IOS5 as well. Overall ICS and android has matured over the few years android has existed. No product software/hardware is perfect. Most of the issues can be corrected with customization. Like i said i respect your complaints and opinions, but i just feel they are picky...Comparing the OS from my G1 to what android is now, i LOVE IT
Thanks for typing this up. While I still plan on buying it, I like to get a well-rounded opinion about the device and software. I have to agree with #12. Launching this device exclusively on one carrier and then delaying it is very embarrasing. I know, the better developers will have a Verizon account or buy the phone unlocked from an international dealer, but still not good. It makes it more difficult for app developers to work their apps for ICS.
I had to laugh at Eric Schmidt's thought that ICS will be #1 for development in 6 months. ICS wont be off exclusivity or on any other devices for at least 3 months.
First of all, the theme Android has used for Honeycomb and ICS - holographic, blue themes, etc. - is awesome. Everybody has their own opinion but for me it's no turn off.
As far as action button placement, Google's central idea on that is leave it to the developer to say where it goes - in the top bar? Bottom ribbon action bar? Wherever is more appropriate for the app design. Matias himself said he's pushing Android to a more unified UI style without straight-jacketing it (ala iOS).
As for apps being compatible with new releases, it's up to the developers to keep that up. Google is not responsible for if Swype or Facebook doesn't update their app before a new release.
And for saying Google should help Facebook, why should they? You realize Google has their own social network, don't you? It sounds like you do know that in the past Google has let Facebook basically hack their way into your contacts list separate from the Contacts API, but later blacklisted that because it didn't conform to their data exportability policy and API. "the majority of their users will require his [sic] service." Since the 2.3 update that cut out Facebook's hackish ways, customers who want Facebook integration in their Android phones should get something non-Nexus. That's why Google is advertising the deep integration with G+, not social media in general.
mike freegan said:
First off; I love Android.
- cut -
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more. This could easily become the best Android phone I've bought (and I had them all), but at the same time it's the first one (and only one) I cannot stand because of the too many hiccups and bugs it has. Can you believe that I haven't put my main SIMcard in it yet? I keep playing with it at home, trying new roms and kernels, but when it comes to using it as my main phone... we're a long way from it!
- The Stock browser is not that good (have you tried to write something in a forum and then move the cursor back in the text to change a word? Good luck with that!!) and Dolphin Browser is not yet supported.
- As we know, Flash doesn't work yet (this is just hilarious).
- The stock Keyboard in the browser doesn't correct your mispelled words, and Smart Keyboard Pro doesn't work all the times.
- speakers are too quite, I have found a workaround using Volume + (but beware! The version available in the market is not working).
- if you try any animated wallpaper, UI will slow down painfully.
In the end as much as I love its gorgeous screen and huge potential, as things are now, I find it one of the most detestable phones out there.
Great job, Samsung/Google!
Nice write up....but so many of your complaints are just because you don't like them. Really your complaining about the color.... I'm sorry so much bothers you because honestly ICS makes Android and the Galaxy Nexus a great phone! Windows phone is a far cry from being compared to Android and IOS.
I'm all for putting out there the faults of devices but if you say I like Android -cut- I hate everything about it bla bla bla....um... how can you like it if you think another brand or device works better?? Wouldn't that mean you like _____ << insert favorite OS here??
Danny80y said:
Windows phone is a far cry from being compared to Android and IOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But on my Lumia 800 I can write effortlessly on this and every other forum, and things just work well!
I agree, colour is generally subjective. But what they've gone for is almost universally accepted as a poor choice by designers.
And to the dude above: I know very well that I can patch around a lot of these issues. I mentioned that in the article. However, most users buy this phone, don't root and don't change much.
ICS is good. IT could have been great.
And saying Google shouldn't be concerned that third party apps don't work is incredibly ignorant.
I was just using Whatapp two days ago and it was working fine. Is there something specific you were having problems with?
Three words. Point Zero one.
jrl022 said:
I was just using Whatapp two days ago and it was working fine. Is there something specific you were having problems with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine FCs on startup. I think having group chats may kill it. I've read this in a few places.
All I see is waaah waah wahhh
I have to respectfully disagree with most of your observations.
I love almost everything about the redesign. I don't miss the search button at all. I love the color scheme, and don't really care about app incompatibilities because well, it's a Nexus device. It's a brand new OS version and really made for early adopters. Developers will work out the kinks and you'll see more ICS support for common apps in the next week or two, I'd guess.
I do agree with you about the inconsistent action bar. Google should put it in one place for all their core apps. 3rd party apps, you can't dictate, though. I don't mind the slight difference in look in some apps, though. I love the new People app and the way it's set up. But I don't think it fits in everywhere, so I'm glad they didn't force it in all over the place and try to look like WP7.
I can't comment on the UK speech settings, as I'm in the US and not using it. Really lame if it doesn't work, though. I also don't really mind the new text box look. It was a little confusing when I first saw it, but they're not that hard to recognize after you get used to it. I have mixed feelings about the permanent search box. I like it because it doesn't take a ton of space - especially with the 720p display. But I wish there was more customization.
All that said, I think the positives hugely outweigh the negatives. Most of what you posted is a little nitpicking. I don't blame you complaining about things not working as they should, but beyond that, I think the OS has come a very long way and looks amazing all around. Google has already said this is just the beginning of Android's design changes to make it more accessible and fun to use.
I can't wait to see Cyanogenmod's finished launcher. I know they made the search box removable, but we'll see. I do still love the stock launcher, too.
The ultimate question is:
Would you use another OS? I sure as hell would not! ICS is the best thing out there right now by far.
The ultimate question is:
Would you use another OS? I sure as hell would not! ICS is the best thing out there right now by far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed. i can't go back to either iOS or GB after using ics for the last 2
weeks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
To add the injuries, here are some things that are bad in ICS:
1. Contact photo is still low resolution after synced with GMAIL Contacts. This issue has not yet been solved for years already! Why? Do you run out of storage space to hold high resolution images?
2. The app drawer icon position in the button bar cannot be changed. I hate that thing, because I can't put Phone app there.
Why? If the argument is to never loose the app drawer, at least give ability to change the position.
3. Request Desktop version on the web browser doesn't stick!
Grrrt...!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
gogol said:
To add the injuries, here are some things that are bad in ICS:
1. Contact photo is still low resolution after synced with GMAIL Contacts. This issue has not yet been solved for years already! Why? Do you run out of storage space to hold high resolution images?
2. The app drawer icon position in the button bar cannot be changed. I hate that thing, because I can't put Phone app there.
Why? If the argument is to never loose the app drawer, at least give ability to change the position.
3. Request Desktop version on the web browser doesn't stick!
Grrrt...!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol. Grrrtt.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
To sum up your entire post: Nothing's perfect.
We know. But Google has done a superb job fixing many things, and hey will continue to improve in new updates to 4.0.
mike freegan said:
First off; I love Android. I think that Ice Cream Sandwich has led to a greater harmonisation of the Android operating system and adds a bit of polish to something functional. Google's apps are starting to feel like they belong together, rather than giving a sense that they're being produced by different teams who have little contact.
However, I'm no fanboy. I don't buy a product and deny that it has flaws just because a certain company produced it *ahem *. So here it is; one humble man's opinion on what's wrong with Ice cream Sandwich.
1. Blue theme.... really? There's a reason that designers avoid blue-on-black. It offers poor contrast, and looks cheap; much like the Geocities sites of the 90s. The blue taskbar and app icons used in ICS just don't go with... well... anything. It's all well and good being able to customise your home screen, but when anything except a blue background clashes it's all a little redundant.
2. The stock icons themselves are disgusting. We all knew this from the leaked screenshots, which forums were praying were fake. Mostly, they just don't look like they belong to the same set. There's no consistency. Half are blue, half are not. Some are three dimensional, and some are traditional, flat icons. Some are different sizes. They just don't work. They look cheap, childish and don't match the 'magazine' style of the UI overhaul. It's like someone realised at the last minute that they'd forgotten to redesign icons, so just did a Google Image search and used the first of each that they found.
3. Google Plus pages won't open in the Android Browser. This one is just plain embarrassing. Google's flagship device can't view Google's new hub outside of the restrictive app? The browser just panics and shuts down with no option to report it. Did no-one test this?
4. Google Talk isn't in the sharing options. That's right, click on the share icon within an app and it'll show you every way of sharing except Google Talk. Following the above, it seems like Google is boycotting their own services.
5. Speech to text for UK language setting is insane. After a few words, it seemingly switches to using your contacts directory as a dictionary, rather than real words. You end up with a full sentence made entirely of surnames and forenames. I cannot believe that no-one tested this.
6. Removing the search key doesn't just remove the ability to search from some apps; it means that you can no longer assign functions to long press, or use voice command from any app. You have to return to the home screen each time. This is a huge step backwards.
7. Similarly, this has led to a non-removable search box on the home screen. Not only does it take up space, but the white icon doesn't work on a light background. The customisability of Android has just been taken down another notch. Sure, you can use a 3rd party launcher, but with no search button, you need the box there for searches.
8. A minor point, but Android can't seem to decide if going for a futuristic hologram look, or the Windows Phone 7 style magazine layout. It's like Mathias Duarte turned up, and they said “Make our OS beautiful... but it still has to look like ugly old Honeycomb (TRON)." All in, it just feels a bit cheap and confused.
9. The soft keys which Google has opted for in ICS are not well positioned. The home key is far too close to the space bar, which is infuriating when typing.
10. The action bar is horrific to use. It means that the menu and search keys jump around the screen. So you're in the Facebook app and want to see the menu. Where is it? Well it's not where it used to be and there's no action bar. Oh wait, three dots have appeared in the soft-key bar. Ugly and inconsistent, but OK.
Switch to messaging. Where the heck is it? Ah it's in the top right now! The little scamp.
Now you're in Gmail. Where is the menace? I know you're here somewhere... Ah, there! In the action bar in the bottom right. Android Market: back up top! There is just no consistency and it makes everything feel disjointed and unpredictable.
The action bar essentially negates the large screen on the Galaxy Nexus. The row of soft keys, plus the action bar actually leads to a lower proportion of screen space for the app than on previous versions of Android.
11. Cut, Copy & Paste: What the hell were they thinking?! This doesn't just jump around based on app, but depending on which page of an app you're in. And even then, the buttons are different every time.
Take Gmail for example. Copying text from the body of an email: a menu appears in place of the action bar at the bottom. However, in the 'compose' screen this menu appears at the top, but with different icons. Another 'paste' button (but not using the paste icon) also appears above the selected text, but no cut or copy buttons. If you try and make a selection from a link, a long press summons a pop-up dialogue where paste is an option. That is four ways of pasting, just within the Gmail app.
Not to mention, that they've opted for icons with no words. Unless you're accustomed to using old Windows machines, this may as well be code. It's like it's intentionally trying to confuse you.
12. Relationships with app vendors must be non-existent. If I was releasing an update to a platform which relies upon people being able to install apps, I'd make sure that the most common apps work on the new platform before release. This could involve providing phones and assistance to the big names. As it stands, neither Facebook nor Whatsapp (two of the top 5 most downloaded apps) work. Both of these are communications related. I feel cut off from the world. I'm sure this could have been sorted before release. Swype is another big name that doesn't support the screen resolution.
Google launched the Galaxy Nexus weeks ago. Facebook was initially unusable due to the absence of a menu button. The app was updated today to a version akin to the iPhone. However, the drag-to- refresh animations don't work as they should, and the damn thing will alert you of 'new messages' every 30 minutes if you have any unread, regardless of whether or not they are new. Atop this, Facebook will still not sync with official Google devices as Facebook does not properly use Google's contact API. Rather than being stubborn, Google should be helping Facebook, or seconding engineers, as they know full well that the majority of their users will require his service.
I appreciate that a lot of this is out of Google's hands, but this is just a warning to early-adopters – be prepared to lose the services you use most.
13. The browser is still useless with forms. Try entering text in a field. It'll type past the edge of your viewport and you can't scroll to the cursor. The viewport should follow the cursor. You can't zoom in and out because you can't get 'hold' of the web page due to the full-screen text entry field.
14. Horizontal lines everywhere. Did I mention that text fields are now horizontal lines? Text boxes are indistinguishable from divides and text doesn't sit on the lines so you never know where one ends and the other starts.
As I said, all in, it is an improvement. However, there is a heck of a lot of room for improvement. There is still a feeling that things aren't really designed, or connected; just a bit haphazard. I'm just hoping Cyanogen pulls something wonderful. For the standard consumer, the experience aspect is still playing catchup with Windows Phone and iOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Don't care .the only thing that is weird is white background in people app. I'd prefer it to be black like in missed call section.
2. Really? Icons brother you that much when you can change them?
3. The whole google isn't working properly in Android browser. Try searching for images in desktop view and tell my chow do you change to larger images ... this is issue that needs to be addressed directly to Google its not a browser issue
4. I presume you're an American. Here on the old continent we don't use gtalk. Well at least none of my friends is using this. We have things like Skype which is far more popular in EU
5. I'm guessing you're from Texas then . Well my accent isn't really British and everything I date 9 out of 10 times is spelt correctly. Ha I can even say that I use dictation more than actual keyboard. Its easier for me to say the text message then type it especially with my second language which Android keyboard does not have dictionary. So I can speak in either one of the two of my languages and its veeeeeeery accurate
6. Blame the developers not Google. They should be ready for new os
7. I love the search box its easy and accessible.
8. I love tron design. However I have to agree its a bit of hit and miss when it comes to design but colours can be changed in custom roms I bet that CM team will do it .
9. Wtf are you taking about. I'm typing this msg and didn't press home bar even once. Anyway try taping between space bar and home button .... it won't even work. Have you got arthritis?
10. Don't see problem here either.
11. Anything with action bar that you don't know what it does just press and hold on the icon there will be pop up window.
12. Again blame developers. Look at rovio. They could update their games at the same time for all devices and os but they choose not to. If the developer can be bothered to update his app in timely manner than who's fault is that?
13. agree with that.
14. Huh?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Categories

Resources