Facebook update 2.5 - Windows Phone 7 General

http://wmpoweruser.com/facebook-for-windows-phone-update-v2-5-now-in-marketplace/
Not tried it yet but thought it worth a mention.

yeah but still some bugs there, some massive bugs.
NO pictures in messages, if you get a picture via message you dont see it, its just a empty message,
The same is with links, if you send or get a link from a friend or somebody, you dont see it, just an empty message. now the messages look nice and metro but not helpfull with not displaying pictures in messages, and links.

App is slower loading and there's a bit of a lag pivoting left and right. It was never as slick as the people hub but its got worse with this new version.
My phone is an Omnia 7. I expect it is fine on 2nd generation handsets. Will be worse on the Tango 256/384MB devices though...not a great experience.

sab742 said:
My phone is an Omnia 7. I expect it is fine on 2nd generation handsets. Will be worse on the Tango 256/384MB devices though...not a great experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a slight bit of lag on the nokia 900 but nothing insanely annoying. I do like that I can finally like comments. That was my main gripe about the app.

I still can't tag people in my comments am I missing something? I typed with the the persons name and it didn't work. Do u type @thenname like u do on the computer? How do u know you're tagging someone? Does the auto suggest for ur friends pop up like on the PC?

I think the lag is just bad coding to be honest. Although I won't hold it against the dev team because they're obviously working hard to bring us all the features. Windows Phone 8, come on baby!

The update is nice, but it's still not even as functional as the FB mobile website, let alone the Facebook apps for iOS and Android (which both have proper timeline support and this new Facebook camera app).
Also the lag is a huge issue on my 1st gen HTC Mozart. Totally blows away the idea that WP7 is a fluid smooth experience; Welcome to the Android world of stutter and non-responsive scrolling. Personally I'm going to stick to using the People hub (for the basics) + touch.facebook.com (for more advanced operations). The only really useful thing about the app is being able to check in other friends.
pLUSpISTOL said:
I think the lag is just bad coding to be honest. Although I won't hold it against the dev team because they're obviously working hard to bring us all the features. Windows Phone 8, come on baby!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's written and published by Microsoft isn't it? If MS can't write a decent smooth app for their own OS, that's a pretty huge embarrassment. I think it's just trying to do too much at once; photos, news stream and friends all syncing at once when you start the app. They need to make it do less (maybe offload some to a daily background service) and test it more thoroughly on old WP7 hardware.

It takes 11 seconds to start up on my Omnia 7. I wouldn't mind if it was pre-loading my feed but it isn't - that takes a further 2 or 3 seconds once it is loaded.
I don't really care that much about loading time..its the lag pivoting in-app that bothers me.
I'm guessing it is stretching the memory capabilities by having news feed, notifications, photos and favourites/groups/more/apps screens pre-loaded as pivot pages. Obviously Android and iOS do not have this problem because that information is not being displayed on a pivot UI.

eu acho que ainda falta alguns ajustes para o aplicativo ser bom!

only performance improvement I found is when scrolling through your timeline fast it scrolls properly and isn't so jaggy like the versions before. rest is the same.

It loads a lot slower than the previous version for me on the Lumia 800.
But it is not made by Microsoft, the app is outsourced by Microsoft to another company which apparently can not make it any better

Video....
I haven't used this app since v1.0. Does the app finally allow you to upload video to FB? Or any app for that matter?

Still can't go to another person's profile, and view THEIR friends list.
Can't believe they can't get this feature implemented...

Related

Facebook App MarketPlace 3 issues fixable?

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone else had 2 issues I've run across since using the Facebook app from Marketplace:
1) Sometime when posting comments, it doesnt send to post, anyone have this problem?
2) Does the Facebook app always have to be re-freshed to see whats been posted instead of it notifying you when something gets posted?
3) I know everyone has the photo album not displaying issue I do too, but when I go to HTC Album, I have a freaking list of folders with either pix or no pix, how to I make them not appear in the HTC album when I am picking albums to view?
Thanx
I had the same issues as 1 and 2 and gave up on the app. I use the mobile website for everything except uploading pics, in which case I use the application.
Kind of a pain until someone smarter than me comes up with a good app.
Sux, dont want to use the website, I know they have it working on the blackberry where its real time updates, you'd think they would have done that with this lite app, whats the point of refreshing manually.
the app is pretty worthless, i rarely use it. the manual refresh is horrible. It'll only download the latest (say 25) posts, and if there are 35 new posts on your wall/feed and you refresh, it will only update 25, and when you scroll through them, it would go from the last of the latest 25 to the latest of when you previously refreshed so there would be a gap in your feed...
i use touch.facebook.com and lite.facebook.como via opera mobile and works out very well.
i no longer attempt to use it to post comments because what i found out is its posting on random old posts. it can cause you to say some things you really dont mean.
my other real issue is it will only load the first photo in an album and just sit there rather than opening the next. and of course you cant see who likes a post. hopefully microsoft will fix these little issues so it will be as complete as it is on an iphone or android.
TJoC,
Thanks for the laugh, Microsoft does as little as possible, and in their eyes it works, Being a expert in windows, dont expect MS to be adding anything to this app, MS rather have you jump to a 3rd party. The one that SHOULD make the app is Facebook themselves. But who are we? Just barnicles on the end of a stick.
I went so far to try the Xperia X1 panel facebook, as much as I like its functionality it also lacks simple basic features, like the ability to comment, like/dislike. You would think someone would be smart enough.
Your right, facebook does need to create the app.. They created the app for the iphone and android, what blackberry? did facebook create that or was that RIM?
also since WP7 is due to be released soon, i think MS dropped the development for this as social networking is a big focus for WP7
MS drops everything trying to make the big buck, if they set a dept up to take care of the little things like this, they'd be amazed how all the little cents would add up. They crippled WinMo 7, from everything I have heard and read, I'll stick to the flexibility of 6.5, not that its great, but sure beats the choking factor. If they are so big on social networking, they sure dropped the ball on that front.

Dear Steve Ballmer and Microsoft (WP7 Related)

Dear Steve Ballmer & Microsoft,
Before I begin my rant, please allow me to say that I have used many many many PDA phones. And WP7 has without a doubt, some of the most GLARING problems I have ever seen in a mobile OS.
My phone history (in no [particular order]:
-T-mobile Pocket PC (the 1st one)
- SE P800, P900, P910I
- Xperia X1
- Many different WM 5.0, 6.0 6.5 phones (maybe 10 or more). If I were to list them all this would take all day. My most recent WM phone before this HD7 was the HTC TyTN II.
- Nokia N93i, N95, N900 (still got it)
- Nokia Communicators 9210 and E90
- Iphone 1st Gen
- Kyocera Palm OS phone
- Probably other stuff I forgot about along the way.
(Btw, all of these phones had address books which worked great)
I am in no way saying that I am some PDA expert, but I think its safe to say I've used alot of PDAs.
Good afternoon. I really hope somebody from Microsoft or Steve himself or some MS dev is reading this.
I recently bought a HTC HD7 and after using it for 1hr my initial impressions were very good....THEN i used it a bit longer and I started to realize something.
Cons:
1. The contact list function is really really bad. You guys replaced the standard address book function with the Facebook contact list. It is horribly bad. It is so bad that it leads me to believe that NONE OF YOU have actually used facebook in your life. If any of you developers were actually familiar with Facebook, you would have realized that most consumers definitely do not want 80% of their Facebook contacts cluttering/polluting their cell phones address book. Also, why am I not able to browse through my Facebook contacts photos? Am I missing something? Why cant I simply just tap the portrait of my facebook friend and look at his profile pictures?
2. The WP7's media playerss seek function needs to work like a STANDARD portable TOUCH SCREEN media player. Why am I not able skip to the part of the video I want to watch by simply sliding my finger along the time bar until I reach my target moment? Why am I forced to press a seek button instead? I thought this was a touch screen phone, not to mention the fact that Pocket PC, Pocket PC 2003, WM 5.0 WM 6.0 WM 6.5 all included this missing function. Do you guys even watch movies on your cell phones? Or are you guys still using Nokia 5200s?
3. Xbox Live is buggy as hell. I download a game through Xbox Live and it says I need to connect my phone to my computer or connect to wifi (It was already both) in order to complete the install. There is no easy way to check the progress of the installation of download unless I try to download another application. Is the ability to check the progress without downloading another app hidden somewhere? If so, why is it hidden?
4. When I try to visit a previous webpage and I press the hardware backwards arrow botton, it kicks me out of IE.
5. The hardware buttons have great sensitivity, but I am constantly pressing them by accident (with my palm), thus closing my active program unintentionally.
And let me tell you, I do not have large hands.
6. I dunno why it doesnt work as a USB drive natively. Perhaps this is some sort of piracy control measure or you are trying to mimic apple.
7. Cant copy and paste. I dunno why this is so hard for you guys. You guys could have some sort of hardware button, that when pushed activates a 2nd function to the screen pressing. Instead of clicking on a link, if the hardware button is pressed, it would allow the user to select the letters and highlight them. Then copy/paste somewhere else.
8. I cannot delete/hide my recently browsed youtube video history. I was looking at videos of girls shaking their butts and afterwards when I went to my zune application, I saw the video thumbnails there! I cant delete or hide them? Where is the privacy?
9. Doesnt support Divx codecs, which it should because this is a phone for a "mobile life style". Why would I want to sit at my computer for hrs waiting for my videos to convert? Why do you guys and apple insist on your own proprietary formats?
Sub-Score: -9
Pros:
1. Works fast, very smooth. Is this a result of the reduced interface .
2. Web browsing is pretty good, except I cant fast forward through youtube videos by sliding my finger on the time bar.
Sub-Score: +2
Total Score: -7
I do not believe this phone is beyond saving. Surely you guys must have noticed some of the things I mentioned. Why you did not remedy these issues before the release? I do not know. If you guys were unaware of the problems I mentioned, well now you know. Please fix these issues soon and FFS, please add a proper address book application and allow me to use my finger/time bar to seek through a video/song/youtube vid.
Currently, I would have to say this phone is nothing more than a portable media player with some phone functions built in. And you guys already screwed up with the media player part.
If I could go back in time (which was only yesterday) I would have bought a HTC Desire HD. But I cant so I can only pray that you guys fix some/most of these issues.
If I am sorely mistaken and some of these functions actually are included and hidden somewhere, why are they not intuitive?
Thanks.....for nothing.....
I always liked the N95 symbian address book that allowed me to create groups for my contacts and I liked all WM previous phone dialers which would cross reference all incoming and outgoing calls with the numbers I was pressing.
Microsoft should atleast make a dialer thats as good as their previous ones, and maybe learn a thing or 2 from Symbian.
Edit: I just read that it was possible to cut down the number of contacts from facebook that appear in your phone, but it still should not be this difficult. I should be able to simple long press the contact and select delete or hide.
Nice One Star thread repeating issues in about 20 other threads
One thing I'd like to agree with the OP about is the Capacitive buttons. They're a good idea in theory (the Vibrant has them as well), but they're practically terrible. They are very prone to hitting by accident.
Lots of OSes can learn from Symbian, but being the Jack of All Trades has not worked for any OS to date. Windows Mobile also supported a ton of stuff and it's marketshare in the US suffered a lot. Symbian has great marketshare overseas because the OS is used in low-end feature phones as well. They aren't strong in the mid-high end smartphone market.
And they would be, if they didn't put such small NANDs in the phones, skimp on the RAM in the phones (it uses a Virtual memory architechture, but the phones still need at least 348 MB RAM, IMO), and have such an embarassing user interface. I really like that it has the most flexible development environment of any smartphone OS, though (similar to [again] Windows Mobile on that front).
Blazerfan722 said:
Dear Steve Ballmer & Microsoft,
Before I begin my rant, please allow me to say that I have used many many many PDA phones. And WP7 has without a doubt, some of the most GLARING problems I have ever seen in a mobile OS.
My phone history (in no [particular order]:
-T-mobile Pocket PC (the 1st one)
- SE P800, P900, P910I
- Xperia X1
- Many different WM 5.0, 6.0 6.5 phones (maybe 10 or more). If I were to list them all this would take all day. My most recent WM phone before this HD7 was the HTC TyTN II.
- Nokia N93i, N95, N900 (still got it)
- Nokia Communicators 9210 and E90
- Iphone 1st Gen
- Kyocera Palm OS phone
- Probably other stuff I forgot about along the way.
(Btw, all of these phones had address books which worked great)
I am in no way saying that I am some PDA expert, but I think its safe to say I've used alot of PDAs.
Good afternoon. I really hope somebody from Microsoft or Steve himself or some MS dev is reading this.
I recently bought a HTC HD7 and after using it for 1hr my initial impressions were very good....THEN i used it a bit longer and I started to realize something.
Cons:
1. The contact list function is really really bad. You guys replaced the standard address book function with the Facebook contact list. It is horribly bad. It is so bad that it leads me to believe that NONE OF YOU have actually used facebook in your life. If any of you developers were actually familiar with Facebook, you would have realized that most consumers definitely do not want 80% of their Facebook contacts cluttering/polluting their cell phones address book. Also, why am I not able to browse through my Facebook contacts photos? Am I missing something? Why cant I simply just tap the portrait of my facebook friend and look at his profile pictures?
2. The WP7's media playerss seek function needs to work like a STANDARD portable TOUCH SCREEN media player. Why am I not able skip to the part of the video I want to watch by simply sliding my finger along the time bar until I reach my target moment? Why am I forced to press a seek button instead? I thought this was a touch screen phone, not to mention the fact that Pocket PC, Pocket PC 2003, WM 5.0 WM 6.0 WM 6.5 all included this missing function. Do you guys even watch movies on your cell phones? Or are you guys still using Nokia 5200s?
3. Xbox Live is buggy as hell. I download a game through Xbox Live and it says I need to connect my phone to my computer or connect to wifi (It was already both) in order to complete the install. There is no easy way to check the progress of the installation of download unless I try to download another application. Is the ability to check the progress without downloading another app hidden somewhere? If so, why is it hidden?
4. When I try to visit a previous webpage and I press the hardware backwards arrow botton, it kicks me out of IE.
5. The hardware buttons have great sensitivity, but I am constantly pressing them by accident (with my palm), thus closing my active program unintentionally.
And let me tell you, I do not have large hands.
6. I dunno why it doesnt work as a USB drive natively. Perhaps this is some sort of piracy control measure or you are trying to mimic apple.
7. Cant copy and paste. I dunno why this is so hard for you guys. You guys could have some sort of hardware button, that when pushed activates a 2nd function to the screen pressing. Instead of clicking on a link, if the hardware button is pressed, it would allow the user to select the letters and highlight them. Then copy/paste somewhere else.
8. I cannot delete/hide my recently browsed youtube video history. I was looking at videos of girls shaking their butts and afterwards when I went to my zune application, I saw the video thumbnails there! I cant delete or hide them? Where is the privacy?
9. Doesnt support Divx codecs, which it should because this is a phone for a "mobile life style". Why would I want to sit at my computer for hrs waiting for my videos to convert? Why do you guys and apple insist on your own proprietary formats?
Sub-Score: -9
Pros:
1. Works fast, very smooth. Is this a result of the reduced interface .
2. Web browsing is pretty good, except I cant fast forward through youtube videos by sliding my finger on the time bar.
Sub-Score: +2
Total Score: -7
I do not believe this phone is beyond saving. Surely you guys must have noticed some of the things I mentioned. Why you did not remedy these issues before the release? I do not know. If you guys were unaware of the problems I mentioned, well now you know. Please fix these issues soon and FFS, please add a proper address book application and allow me to use my finger/time bar to seek through a video/song/youtube vid.
Currently, I would have to say this phone is nothing more than a portable media player with some phone functions built in. And you guys already screwed up with the media player part.
If I could go back in time (which was only yesterday) I would have bought a HTC Desire HD. But I cant so I can only pray that you guys fix some/most of these issues.
If I am sorely mistaken and some of these functions actually are included and hidden somewhere, why are they not intuitive?
Thanks.....for nothing.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. There's a separate Facebook app in the marketplace. If you don't want to integrate everyone, get it.
2. Agree on this point.
3. Never happened to me. If you want to see the progress stay on that page. A little bar begins to fill up. So I don't know what you're talking about.
4. Only time that happens to me is when I exit IE and then try to come back in.
5. Sorry, but that's user error.
6. There's already a workaround. You can use it as a mass storage device.
7. Its coming in the update. Why is that so hard to get?
8. Don't browse inappropriate videos? Or play a few more things after to make it replace the history items.
9. Kinda agree, but its not unheard of at all. So why would they do it?
EDIT: Poster above was more succint.
The problem isn't DivX as far as I understand, it's avi. Divx is just an implementation of MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile, which is supported. And the strange part here is that avi is Microsoft's own proprietary format, while mp4 is Apple's. Strange times.
Scrubbing is needed not only for long videos, I use it all the time for YouTube and music (especially podcasts, many of which aren't properly separated into chapters).
WOW, only the 20th "I hate WP7" thread for today so far? Hmmm, the trolls are slacking.
eternalemb said:
1. There's a separate Facebook app in the marketplace. If you don't want to integrate everyone, get it.
2. Agree on this point.
3. Never happened to me. If you want to see the progress stay on that page. A little bar begins to fill up. So I don't know what you're talking about.
4. Only time that happens to me is when I exit IE and then try to come back in.
5. Sorry, but that's user error.
6. There's already a workaround. You can use it as a mass storage device.
7. Its coming in the update. Why is that so hard to get?
8. Don't browse inappropriate videos? Or play a few more things after to make it replace the history items.
9. Kinda agree, but its not unheard of at all. So why would they do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He got the phone. It has many limitations he doesn't like.
So what's your problem?
"Coming in the update" means nothing. It may be month or 5 months.
Nobody buys a device to wait for update, well, maybe only tech geeks, but that's not the phone for them.
doministry said:
He got the phone. It has many limitations he doesn't like.
So what's your problem?
"Coming in the update" means nothing. It may be month or 5 months.
Nobody buys a device to wait for update, well, maybe only tech geeks, but that's not the phone for them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And he, like everyone else who bought one, should've known the deficiencies the devices carry atm. So, what's your problem?
You don't like the features a phone has or is lacking, you don't buy it. Simple, no?
And the update is expected in January.
f1restarter said:
WOW, only the 20th "I hate WP7" thread for today so far? Hmmm, the trolls are slacking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, no, I'm watching ....
Blazerfan722 said:
Dear Steve Ballmer & Microsoft,
1. The contact list function is really really bad. You guys replaced the standard address book function with the Facebook contact list. It is horribly bad. It is so bad that it leads me to believe that NONE OF YOU have actually used facebook in your life. If any of you developers were actually familiar with Facebook, you would have realized that most consumers definitely do not want 80% of their Facebook contacts cluttering/polluting their cell phones address book. Also, why am I not able to browse through my Facebook contacts photos? Am I missing something? Why cant I simply just tap the portrait of my facebook friend and look at his profile pictures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do know that you can disable Facebook friends as contacts in the settings, don't you?
CR1M1N4L said:
You do know that you can disable Facebook friends as contacts in the settings, don't you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People these days expect the phone to pop up push messages from the microsoft servers for days after they buy it detailing every single detail of the device.
Reading, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking... These sorts of things are out the window these days.
N8ter said:
People these days expect the phone to pop up push messages from the microsoft servers for days after they buy it detailing every single detail of the device.
Reading, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking... These sorts of things are out the window these days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bet your house on that. Our society is getting dumber, lazier and more malleable by the minute. Though I digress...
LOL... This guy's not a troll!
He's genuinely disappointed with his purchase and has every right to complain about it. If you WP7 sympathisers were honest with yourselves, you would recognise that there are currently plenty of problems with this platform, and disaffected users have every right to complain.
There's no point pretending the problems don't exist.. it's obvious they, perhaps you only ever read Microsoft blogs and listen to Channel 9. If you want a true indication about how many users are feeling, just read the Microsoft questions and answers forum.
Guys,
This is still a new OS, it's been out for ONE month, many of these things gonna be replaced or added with updates. Just wait and see. The most important thing now is that's a fast and simple OS. Just remember what ****ty phone iPhone was, look what it became now... Time does miracles!
Alright guys, I'm leaving this open thread to know the answer, if it occurs.
And also for others to vent, but we will maintain an acceptable level before they start fighting funboys because of companies.
AceofSpades25 said:
LOL... This guy's not a troll!
He's genuinely disappointed with his purchase and has every right to complain about it. If you WP7 sympathisers were honest with yourselves, you would recognise that there are currently plenty of problems with this platform, and disaffected users have every right to complain.
There's no point pretending the problems don't exist.. it's obvious they, perhaps you only ever read Microsoft blogs and listen to Channel 9. If you want a true indication about how many users are feeling, just read the Microsoft questions and answers forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed,
Unfortunately I have the feeling that most people here now refuse to see the obvious problems with this platform (no USB, no DivX, and so many others...)
Seems like there is no right to judge and criticize the OS.
We shall not become like the iPhone fanboys. Seriously.
I also think that WP7 is a truly disappointing experience as I don't like to be forced to use all these external MS services (Zune, Skydrive, Marketplace, etc...) that just make me waste my time.
And I expect nothing from the so-called January update.
I love threads like this. Keep em coming lol jk. But man the pole jockers in here have fits when anyone say something about wp7. I dont know what everyones country rules are. But mine is freedom of speech. So if the dont like what the guy or troll have to say, dont feed him. Case Closed.
To the OP, I suggest you spill your mind on these boards http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsphone7/threads
At least it gets some exposure for Microsoft.
lqaddict said:
To the OP, I suggest you spill your mind on these boards http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsphone7/threads
At least it gets some exposure for Microsoft.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good tip, if OP find interesting; closure here, and this link is for future users to enjoy!
Thanks!

Defy: my first Android. Very Dissapointed. Why is android so popular?

hi there,
the defy is my very first android-mobile device. I had windows mobile 4,5,6 in the past and i'm using palm pre (webos) since over a year now. I am dissapointed about the apps for webos, because they dont exist every app appears first on iphone.. somethimes for android... and never for webos. So, on amazon-cybermonday, i bought a cheap motorola defy.
But i am dissapointed.. not in the device but in the OS. This is Version 2.1 and feels like a buggy windows mobile 5 Nothing works really intuitively (?).
i installed all the cool apps in from the app-catalog, which first doesn't worked with my gmail-adress. i had to use googlemail.com adress (?). that took me about 2 hours then i installed the facebook app, which didn't told me that i have unred messages. I dont Like this app because i know the webos one.
so i tried google goggels.. cool app, indeed. But after 2 fotos, the device hangs and had to be restarted. there is no button to restart -.- ^^
ok, after the restarts, i tested other apps.. i downloaded very much apps.. there are very trashy apps in the store. Some japanese, chinese and other unreadble apps with no description.. hmm... until a message appears, that i dont have enogh memory and should close some apps. ...
and .. really.. how do you life with a OS without an ability to exit apps?? i had to download a taskmanager to kill open programs (to get 90% of the used memory back.. not 100%).. so after some opening and closing, i had no more memory and had to restart (pardon: shutdown and start) again.
my sum up: i have a mobile phone with has potential. it has a great camera (which an app had destroyed so i cannot use it anymore because blue color switched to red color, it was a filter in an crashed (or killed) app) and a good display, waterproof and long durability.. but the OS is not usable in my option. the apps are not designed well, they are mostly "ugly". i dont know what app is running without looking into another app, which is ugly too
so my question about one week of testing and finally returning to Webos. Why is android so.. unusable? i would call myself as a geek, but hey... that is too much Or.. maybe.. i am doing it wrong! what is possible with an android-phone? how many hours of customizing do you have to spend to have an android which is exactly like you want it? and where can i copy that
I think the problem with the Defy is that it's shipped with Motoblur which is by and large the cause of the "ugliness" and sluggishness of the phone.
Get Launcher Pro, I've only heard good things about it
Sounds like you have been installing a few too many apps my friend!
One of Android's stong points is it's ability for apps to customise the interface and modify the functions of the device. However, this can also be a weakness with poorly written applications bogging things down, or as you experienced with the camera app, stopping some features from working.
I would reset your device back to it's default state, and start again, choosing carefully what you install (tip: Check the reviews and comments in the market before you hit install).
LetoKynes said:
I think the problem with the Defy is that it's shipped with Motoblur which is by and large the cause of the "ugliness" and sluggishness of the phone.
Get Launcher Pro, I've only heard good things about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i like the motorola blur although i dont really know where this starts and ends The widgets are ok and the ability to have a connection from my pc zu the android-blur from the internet is good to know if i cannot find my device or want to upload something without moving..
But, like milesg suggested, i will reset the phone.. i have to anyway because of the camera-bug. maybe i can install this launcher.. i dont want to break the phone because it is proberbly a gift for christmas.
@milesg.. i have written the reviews on androit-pitt and have installed only the very good apps.. thats what dissapointed, too. ^^
I wouldn't worry about "breaking" the phone, as far as I know (at least from what I've read), LauncherPro is just a simple download and install app (doesn't involve any unrooting/unlocking/etc.) so I'd definitely give it a shot.
I'm surprised by the undertones of this thread. It's a phone! It's not a general computer, it's not a GameBoy, it's a portable communication device. I have not owned a smartphone before. Well, at least not for long. I tried the HD2 Pro and thought it was a device with the clunkiest interface I ever used. I tried a Blackberry (Bold 9700) and hated the walled-off ecosystem (a reason I will never use Apple devices), and now I got the Defy and after a week of playing and tinkering with the setup I'm happy as a clam. I installed LaucherPro (and paid for the plus version although the only widget I ended up using is the calendar) and PowerBar. Then I added Pure Messanger for my unified Gmail inbox. I have no Motoblur accounts, no Social services of any kind, only two home screens (one for e-mail, and one for weather/calendar/Reuters news, and a few shortcuts), and that's it! I've got a phone with good quality calls, great speakerphone, maps, navigation, e-mail, and IM on the go. I'm happy. Less (of good quality) is more.
prophil said:
Or.. maybe.. i am doing it wrong! what is possible with an android-phone? how many hours of customizing do you have to spend to have an android which is exactly like you want it? and where can i copy that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you to some extent. I just finished 2 days of getting my new phone to run, and I only persisted because I am a software developer and never give up on a computer, as small as it may be. In terms of immediate usability, my previous SonyEricsson P1 is still ahead.
just some examples: after importing my contacts through motoblur, I realized that birthdates were not mirrored in the calendar. I created a few test contacts, whose birthdates DID appear. I now decided to delete all contacts from MB and re-import through my google account. After that, the birthday events of the newly created entries were still in the calendar, even though the contacts proper were deleted. I had to root my device, install a database client app, and go directly to the Contacts/Events database to delete the entries.
This morning, the calendar widget insisted on showing yesterdays date. No way of convincing it that this was the 8th of December. Meanwhile (12:00 am) it has caught up, however.
Bottomline: if you feel this platform is still in its infancy, and it is questionable how it will ever become the platform of choice for your wife or for efficiency-oriented business purposes (in other words: non-geek usage), you have my sympathy.
chris
I installed LaucherPro (and paid for the plus version although the only widget I ended up using is the calendar) and PowerBar. Then I added Pure Messanger for my unified Gmail inbox. I have no Motoblur accounts, no Social services of any kind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds like you did the right things - i will investigate this for myself. But you really just confirm what has already been said. Unless one has a clear understanding of what does not work, and what alternatives are available, the DEFY (and probably any other Motorola phone, and most other brands as well) will cause a lot of frustration.
I say exchange/return it asap and get a diff andriod device before getting stuck in a 2 yr contract....but don't let that one phone give a bad rep to all android phones...get an android that doesn't come w motoblur
*Sent from my Tmobile MT4G*
I installed launcher pro as well. Phone runs supper smooth now. Also, this thing is way better than gameboy. I play nes and snes games all day
@prophil
Windows mobile (note not WP7) is the best OS ever, so i can understand you're disappointed.
But, be realistic, development is getting poor and WM will die soon.
All the OS available today are worst than WM but you have to chose one of them if you want to do more than calls with your phone. In my opinion Android is the best choice among those OS, that's the reason it is so popular.
MarSOnEarth said:
I installed LaucherPro (and paid for the plus version although the only widget I ended up using is the calendar) and PowerBar. Then I added Pure Messanger for my unified Gmail inbox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you please tell me where to find PowerBar? Cant find it in the AppStore
I felt the same way about my hero until i found xda!!
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Lol you're coming from a winmo and saying that android isn't intuitive and that its ugly? Lmao ok. I've never used a winmo that i didn't wanna throw off the bridge.
Sent from my DEFY using XDA app
I love Android noobs
Sent from my defy using XDA App
disturkis4u said:
Lol you're coming from a winmo and saying that android isn't intuitive and that its ugly? Lmao ok. I've never used a winmo that i didn't wanna throw off the bridge.
Sent from my DEFY using XDA app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. BB is too limited and win mo was probably the worst
System ever
disturkis4u said:
Lol you're coming from a winmo and saying that android isn't intuitive and that its ugly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, i see that my poor englisch leads to a miss understanding. I'm not coming from Windows Mobile. I had owned a xda and and xda2i .. thats about 8 years ago i think?.. and i could get used to it. it was cool.. you could do a lot of things.. (while other phones still had monochrome displays).. but the feeling, that the OS and the Device were married like El and his wife in "married with children" is : that just doesn't work.. so i had putted it in my desk and forgot about it. for about 7 years or so. I thought things have changed.. but they haven't really.
I come from WebOS.. that was.. is.. my actual smartphone-OS. That is exactly like a OS should look und feel in my opinion.. <- that was my mind before i every tried iOS or Symbian or Android... i never will go to Apple, so my curiosity leads me to android. That should be the best, they all told me. (ok, like iOS is the best is what all the apple-people tells me). And.. its not
Have to ever had the chance to test webOS?
anyway, my work is done, im at home now and im just going to reset the device and try my luck again
Fact is Android might not be for you. But that doesn't mean it's a bad OS, just means it's not what you want in an OS.
Definitely need to take your time with downloading apps your first try out with the phone. Don't go app crazy. Download a few of them, test them out, uninstall those you don't like and go on, but don't do this with twenty apps at a time.
My first Android phone was a Cliq...believe me you are much better off with the Defy.
Its me again
I've been installing and testing.. configuring and uninstalling.. i think.. i made one mistake on my first run. i didn't installed the launcher Pro!
after i installed the launcher pro, the OS is becoming usable.. i can make folders instead of scrolling through a buggy endless list of apps. and if i want to scroll, it is smoothy
then, i have found very attraktiv apps, like a file-manager with bluetooth and smb support. and i can send everything from and to my dlna-devices. .. ok.. thats just funktionality, not more.. but.. i think, i just have to play some more days with the OS to get used to it..
or.. shouldn't I because i will give it away (gift^^)
I used my Samsung Soul for more than two years before I moved to Motorola Defy to increase my productivity. In 2000 I bought the HP Jornada 720 (WinCE) that I really liked but stop using it as it wasn't truly a portable device and I couldn't possibly have it with me everywhere. I kept it until 2008 as a secondary backup solution for important information such as contacts before threw it away.
Now that I own an Android OS based mobile phone for more than a week I can say that I'm kind of disappointed with the OS. Maybe I had too much expectations but I'm not disappointed enough to give up the OS just yet.
Android 2.1 out of box is hardly worth investing in my opinion when you have no use for social networking i.e. Facebook and twitter features. However, the prospect of checking emails on the road with availability of a wireless connection is very appealing to me but Android 2.1 is very poor in supporting multiple email accounts. I understand that Android 2.2 has a better email support but I have to wait up to six months for better support. It is beyond me how Google didn't see the demand of such feature in the first place. I think the lack of proper email support in Android 2.1 demonstrates that Google didn't target users like me originally.
The lack of Office Suite is another disappointing thing for me. Out-of-box I cannot even write/read a simple note in a text file. The sticky notes widget shipped with Motorola Defy does not serve my needs at all. I would have loved to be able to trasnfer a word document to my phone for later reading.
I'm sure there is an app on the market for whatever I want my smartphone to do but the cost and time I have to invest deters me even from trying.
I haven't found browsing internet on a 3.7" device a pleasant experience but having that feature in Android by default is assuring for urgent matters when a laptop or desktop PC is not available.
I'm also pleased that I can watch videos and listen to music when I left my Sony Walkman S series at home. Watching video on 3.7" device is certainly an advantage but the battery usage is always a concern on phone devices but not with PMP devices.
I was also surprised to find the lack of customisation compared to my Samsung Soul. Everything about Samsung Soul can be customised and one can build his own theme without any technical knowledge. In Android 2.1 only ring tones and wallpapers are customisable. I can't even change the background colour of system menus for instance. I'm sure there is an app for that.
Google's own services/apps are great if you have a use for them. For instance google's map comes handy for me very occasionally. I have lived without it so far while I was on the road. On the other hand, I will have a use for a proper GPS software such as CoPilot that I intend to purchase soon and I'm pleased it is available for Android platform.
Conclusion
I doubt it Motorola will upgrade Defy beyond Android 2.2 and I'm willing for the time being stick with Motorola Defy until end of 2012.
By no means I dislike Android but in terms of productivity I expected much more. All the features I use on my Motorola Defy can also be found on other mobile platforms so nothing to praise about when it come to Android. The initial ownership cost of my Motorola Defy which I like the hardware very much is much lower than equivalent/similar handsets on other mobile platforms.
In my opinion Android platform is not suited for very active business users nor power users like me out-of-box. Once out-of-box features are improved for business oriented users or power users then I do not see why I should consider what other mobile platforms are offering.

Pros/Cons of WP7 ?

I recently jumped the ship from iOS to Android, and being dissapointed by the "Android-Experience" (Overall esthetics, User-friendliness, etc etc..), I was considering changing to WP7. Would it be possible for someone to list the major pros & cons of WP7, 'cos I haven't been able to try it out yet.
Thanks in advance.
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
For me its about the user interface and the stability. To give you an idea - I have an iPad and was an iPhone user from the first until the 3GS. I then used a Nexus One for 18 months.
Windows phone offers a better interface than iOS in that it puts emphasis on the information rather than pointless Chrome and interface elements like buttons etc. Its the only mobile OS thats actually innovative in its approach to displaying info.
In terms of stability it knocks the socks off of android because the thing actually does what it says it will all of the time. With Android i always feel like its hit and miss.
However what i will say is that the quality and the reach of the apps needs to improve. now Ms has sorted out the multi tasking and notifications service with Mango it will take some decent competitive apps to keep me here as i have been flirting with Android again recently. ( for example the Twitter app has no notifications, birdsong aint bad but only polls every 5 minutes).
Hope this help!
Jay
I dont want to spam, but i am a Android Xperia Neo (2.3) and a WP7 Mango (with the HTC Trophy user) and i recomend you to see this video I made up youtube.com/watch?v=NNo13-LUlHo (if it inst allowed than i will remove the link). Well i prefer WP7 because of its estability and interface and smoothness. Sorry for my bad english
Jay_uk1185 said:
For me its about the user interface and the stability. To give you an idea - I have an iPad and was an iPhone user from the first until the 3GS. I then used a Nexus One for 18 months.
Windows phone offers a better interface than iOS in that it puts emphasis on the information rather than pointless Chrome and interface elements like buttons etc. Its the only mobile OS thats actually innovative in its approach to displaying info.
In terms of stability it knocks the socks off of android because the thing actually does what it says it will all of the time. With Android i always feel like its hit and miss.
However what i will say is that the quality and the reach of the apps needs to improve. now Ms has sorted out the multi tasking and notifications service with Mango it will take some decent competitive apps to keep me here as i have been flirting with Android again recently. ( for example the Twitter app has no notifications, birdsong aint bad but only polls every 5 minutes).
Hope this help!
Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Kim
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Kim
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will be on to a winner with WP7 to be honest. It certainly presents the information in a far better and more innovative way than any of the competition and certainly works far more reliably.
The only caveat is that up until you have Mango - the live tile updates are terribly unreliable. (These are the widget-type tiles on the start screen)
Jay
WP7 is pleasure to use but is at an earlier stage in its life than ios or android, it has the potential to be a leading smart phones but I'd wait a few weeks to see if mango manages to push us to the forefront ?
Yeah, I was gonna wait a month or two to see how Android fares with me, and then eventually jump ship ... again
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
yup can't go wrong with wp7 everything is much faster and cleaner while android and iOS are just offering specs and graphics, wp7 is offering real usability and features.
Pro:
The performance is superb. No Android phone (even with dual-core) can match Windows Phone's. Apps rarely crash and rarely lags.
The whole WP OS UI carries a unified theme and even 3rd party apps seem to use the same theme.
The OS itself is very integrated. Many features that come build in to the WP OS are separate apps on other platform.
Con:
Lack of customization. You don't like how the WP OS looks? Too bad.
day2die said:
Pro:
The performance is superb. No Android phone (even with dual-core) can match Windows Phone's. Apps rarely crash and rarely lags.
The whole WP OS UI carries a unified theme and even 3rd party apps seem to use the same theme.
The OS itself is very integrated. Many features that come build in to the WP OS are separate apps on other platform.
Con:
Lack of customization. You don't like how the WP OS looks? Too bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OS's look is the first reason I'd move to wp. The integration astounded me, we're only seeing it appear in iOS 5 (I'm a beta tester), and as for Android ...
I'd heard of the hardware stability, that'd be a definite plus+. Can't wait to try it out !
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
I look at WP7 as having the best of both iOS and Android.
On one hand you have the Android approach of different handset makers and a choice in hardware. Like Apple, Microsoft is showing tight control over the OS. So between two WP7 handsets you aren't going to see a huge difference in terms of how the OS performs. The biggest problem I have had with Android in the past is how the user experience is vastly different between two phones, especially when hardware manufacturers start skinning the OS.
You honestly can't go wrong with WP7, especially with the Mango update around the corner.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Would it be possible for someone to list the major pros & cons of WP7, 'cos I haven't been able to try it out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What type of user: "consumer" or business or both?
Your level of computer skills: basic or proficient?
CSMR said:
What type of user: "consumer" or business or both?
Your level of computer skills: basic or proficient?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
User: both, private/business 30%/70%
Computer skills are rather mediocre in the ms/linux world, I'm more of an os x guy.
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
Pros:
WP7 is fast & stable
Does what it does very well
You can get in & get out fast
Integration
No "real" need for flashing custom ROM's
The UI is clean & easy to read
Cons:
If you're like me & like "hacking" your device, Mango killed Homebrew (Hopefully we'll find ways around this)
Customization (If you like the UI exactly as is, not an issue for you)
Lack of choices in certain functionality
3rd party apps are a bit immature
In the end I suggest going to your local carrier's store & playing with a display model or if a friend has one play with it. The best thing about WP7 is it's performance. Someone said that touching the screen is like touching the pixels. This is a very good analogy, because what ever you do (in most cases), the device reacts to your inputs almost instantaneously. You can't really see any lag except in maybe some 3rd party apps & especially homebrew, but with homebrew, that's performance issues of the hacks currently being used. The last couple days I've been playing with my ex's Android & it feels so slow. Granted it's a cheap no name $50 Metro PCS one, but still. When I try to scroll throw the apps list, it takes a few seconds for my touch inputs to actually be displayed. The screen has a delay of input of scroll to it actually scroll. Everything I try to do takes so long to do.
Than again, I don't understand why she even has an Android device or smartphone in general. She never setup a Google account, which i had to do to access the market for an app for her. She wants to record a couple voicemails. So, I installed a call recorder app for her. She never setup her home screen. It has 5 "tabs" or what ever their called on Android & she only has the stock icons on the main tab & a music player on another. Nothing else setup.
As for 3rd party apps on WP7, yes they're a bit lacking, but I hardly ever use any. I have a few games & 3rd party apps installed, but most of what I do is handled by the core WP7 functionality.
EDIT: Just a little correction to the person who mentioned Chrome. WP7 does indeed have the "Chrome" element of the UI. The Status Bar at the top that auto hides is Chrome & so is the Menu Bar. It just auto hides & in some apps, isn't there at all (aka fullscreen mode).
drkfngthdragnlrd said:
Pros:
WP7 is fast & stable
Does what it does very well
You can get in & get out fast
Integration
No "real" need for flashing custom ROM's
The UI is clean & easy to read
Cons:
If you're like me & like "hacking" your device, Mango killed Homebrew (Hopefully we'll find ways around this)
Customization (If you like the UI exactly as is, not an issue for you)
Lack of choices in certain functionality
3rd party apps are a bit immature
In the end I suggest going to your local carrier's store & playing with a display model or if a friend has one play with it. The best thing about WP7 is it's performance. Someone said that touching the screen is like touching the pixels. This is a very good analogy, because what ever you do (in most cases), the device reacts to your inputs almost instantaneously. You can't really see any lag except in maybe some 3rd party apps & especially homebrew, but with homebrew, that's performance issues of the hacks currently being used. The last couple days I've been playing with my ex's Android & it feels so slow. Granted it's a cheap no name $50 Metro PCS one, but still. When I try to scroll throw the apps list, it takes a few seconds for my touch inputs to actually be displayed. The screen has a delay of input of scroll to it actually scroll. Everything I try to do takes so long to do.
Than again, I don't understand why she even has an Android device or smartphone in general. She never setup a Google account, which i had to do to access the market for an app for her. She wants to record a couple voicemails. So, I installed a call recorder app for her. She never setup her home screen. It has 5 "tabs" or what ever their called on Android & she only has the stock icons on the main tab & a music player on another. Nothing else setup.
As for 3rd party apps on WP7, yes they're a bit lacking, but I hardly ever use any. I have a few games & 3rd party apps installed, but most of what I do is handled by the core WP7 functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u earned a thanks from me. I do believe that th apps will get better once the mango ones hit the marketplace. I rarely use them tho as like yourself almost everything I do can be done in the OS on its own
I am on mango, here is my list:
Pros:
Smoothness
The live tiles (I know it sounds like the windows phone catchphase but mango upped the info and style of them and made them a powerful tool)
Social network intergation (having the people and messaging hubs allow you to do 80% of the stuff that you do on it I.E. Facebook and having the cache locally instead of waiting for an app to pull it live from the site.
Search and bing vision, audio, local scout (having it all at your fingertip)
Tellme! The voice command is awesome and I sometimes use it to show off =)
Metro UI, simple and clean and easy to look at
IE it is the smoothest browser around, no checkering
Cons:
Customization
Playing app catchup (mango should fix it and see a lot of ports from iOS and android very soon)
Video scrubbing
No way to bring back toast notications
The biggest thing is once you start use wp7, it grows on you and you find ways to do what you want and most of the time it is a better way than on any other device.
hardcoreplur said:
The biggest thing is once you start use wp7, it grows on you and you find ways to do what you want and most of the time it is a better way than on any other device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is probably one of the best descriptions I've heard about WP7 & couldn't be more true. While WP7 is not perfect. It does indeed grow on your & 99% of what you need to to you can figure out how to do in some ingenious ways. It is a beautiful thought out OS.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GUI and the essential smart-phone stuff (email, calendar, contacts, social media integration) work really well. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!
Bad things you'll discovered compared to iOS is lack or apps, and lack of google maps and other google services. Remember WP7 uses Bing, which is very USA-centric, and Microsoft keep regions very cut off from each other. So if you do live in France as your avatar suggests, you may find several features (such as maps and local scout) don't work, and the French app store may be pretty sparse (and no you won't be allowed to access the UK or US one).
I 2nd that. WP7 as far as services go is a worse experience outside the US, & something you should look into before making a decision.
Many people complains about the need for Zune Sync instead USB Mass Storage. I am the opposite one - I like this better. Why?
You are sure, that the phone will play the music or movie (converting 1.5 hours long movie took 3 minutes on my PC).
Also, when you are watching movie on phone, then close it somewhere during the movie, sync the phone to PC and open the movie in PC (through Zune), it will continue where you left off - that is something that without Zune Sync can't be done.
I use Zune for listening to music anyway. Just drag & drop the music on icon of your phone and once you connect it, it synces all the changes and adds music and what not.
And major PRO for WP7 is the UI. Best UI around. UI designed for phone from beginning, that is not just rows and columns of icons.

Mango is here... Where are the apps?

Remember when people were complaining about a lack of good apps and all they could hear was "There's no API for that, wait for Mango, bla bla bla...".
Developers have had the tools since when? May, June, July? Yet the only worthy app we've seen is WhatsApp. At a time when people are preordering the iPhone 4S like crazy, isn't it time WP crank it up a bit?
Why can't I have something as simple as Audible for instance (heck, there isn't even an Amazon app outside the US)? It's like the world stopped with Mango, I don't get it.
[Insert "you're to impatient", "buy an iPhone" comments here]
a good chat client. WhatsApp, IM+ DO NOT count as good chat clients. They are both broken, slow, buggy, laggy and half the time don't even work. If someone now says IM+ works then I'll ask them to use it on iOS or Android and see what 'works' REALLY means.
I must admit I was all excited about getting Mango and having Live tiles on the home screen.
Sadly there are hardly any good apps to use, And even fewer with live tiles.
{I would love Twitter to have a live tile}
The little things like no WiFi tethering and no decent Navigation app for WP7 is testing my patience as well. I am hoping Nokia will rectify these short comings as I really do love the windows software.
I just hope the hardware that this platform deserve is released soon.
TuneIn radio has been updated to Mango, and now supports background audio. That's the best update I've had - use that app all the time. Other than that a few of my map apps (Bingle Maps, GMaps) open quicker, but that's it really.
Yeh is a bit of a let down so far; still no augmented reality apps yet, or properly good WP7 exclusive games (could we have *one* FPS please?)
another complaining thread sighs....
sayonical said:
another complaining thread sighs....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well WP7 isn't a bed of roses as you might think it is. For those who paid through the roof have the right to complain if the platform doesn't meet their expectations.
agp64 said:
..... The little things like no WiFi tethering and no decent Navigation app for WP7 .....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe Navigon Navigator does'nt support your region but for 95% of the users Navigator IS a decent navigation app (and version 4 should to be released soon to the market i read somewhere).
There will never be an OS that will fully forfill YOUR needs but when it does what the majority of users want it's on the right way.
I dont get the "no good gps apps" argument. Is Garmin Streetpilot not available in the US or Europe?
How about this. Let's come up with a list of the apps that we really want and some of us can start to ping them (via twitter or email) to see whether or not they are working on a WP7 app and any idea when it's coming.
Im getting 5+ updates everyday and most are for mango. It takes time.
Sent from my T8788 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
PG2G said:
How about this. Let's come up with a list of the apps that we really want and some of us can start to ping them (via twitter or email) to see whether or not they are working on a WP7 app and any idea when it's coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an idea I can run with instead of countless posts moaning and groaning!
I'll start
Ereader.com (Back when I had my pocket pc, then android so I have a lot of books on there, would love to have this on wp7) However Barnes and Nobles own the company now and they have the nook so probably a hopeless cause....
A Barnes and Noble Nook app wouldn't hurt though...
sent the tweet: @BN_care will you be releasing a Nook app for Windows Phone 7? I'd also like to read my ereader.com books on my windows phone. Help!
the92playboy said:
I dont get the "no good gps apps" argument. Is Garmin Streetpilot not available in the US or Europe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Garmin is US only, Navigon so far is only available in Germany (?)
Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Peew971 said:
Garmin is US only, Navigon so far is only available in Germany (?)
Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Canada also has Garmin, and works awesome for those interested.
This is pretty much the reason I can't see myself switching. I have an iPhone. Why do I want to move to a platform where I can do less than I already can? I really want certain apps on WP7 before I move or I just cannot justify moving. It may be an unimportant app to most people, but an app like Grindr is something I don't want my platform without. Not to mention I have a free turn-by-turn app with iOS(which I believe Nokia is going to be addressing, and is most likely the hardware I'd be buying if I got a Windows Phone).
A lot of people on here(from what I've noticed) are saying that WP7 needs to get more unique apps. While that's nice and all, I want already existing apps. Most of my friends also have iPhones, and I don't want them to tell me to pull up an app and be unable to. I don't really care about the "look what my phone can do and yours can't." I care about being able to do all that they can at the very least.
Many people on here care about games and think that could be the main selling point of WP7. I just don't see it happening. While it's a small sample size, most people I've met pretty much only pick up simple games like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope(if that). I just don't feel that a large majority of smart phone owners want to play action-packed RPGs on their phones. We have computers and consoles for that. And while it might be a nice novelty to be able to once in a while, again, the only games people I know as well as myself play are the simple pick it up for a few minutes and put it back down games.
Next comes the photography apps. I almost never take pictures, but many, many people do. I don't have a WP7 to compare apps with, but I'm curious what the photo apps on there are like. I have Camera+, Hipstamatic, and Instagram on my phone. How do non-native apps(and I guess the native app) on WP7 stack up to those? I hope Nokia will save the day in terms of excellent camera quality, but the in-app editing is also a pretty important feature to me(when I do actually take pictures) and others.
The Windows Phone OS looks pretty amazing, but I just can't justify moving until it can do all that my iPhone can in terms of apps relevant to me. I'm hoping by WP8 it will be all I want and more, and just maybe it will be able to suck me out of the Apple ecosystem. The live tiles are a pretty excellent concept, and while it's compelling, I need more apps to be available. People almost always develop for iOS before they develop for Android or WP7, so it definitely leaves something to be desired in that department.
The only thing I'd be pleased with is the fact that Skype integration is coming. On that token, I already have a Skype app with video calling on the iPhone. So Microsoft has definitely got to step up their game, get existing apps on this platform at all costs, and make sure their own in-house apps completely blow the other platforms' alternatives away.
the92playboy said:
Canada also has Garmin, and works awesome for those interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While iOS and Andorid have MapQuest for free with virtually all the features of Android's Google Maps and Navigation for free.
http://wireless.mapquest.com/
Uses Navteq map data, BTW. Guess they were better at negotiating a licensing deal than Microsoft...
whistler-nl said:
Maybe Navigon Navigator does'nt support your region but for 95% of the users Navigator IS a decent navigation app (and version 4 should to be released soon to the market i read somewhere).
There will never be an OS that will fully forfill YOUR needs but when it does what the majority of users want it's on the right way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all well and dandy for those that have access to it. But there are many areas in Asia that still have no way to navigate offline.
It seems to me that a majority want WIFI tethering to avoid having 2 data plans, The same reason I want it.
My 4 year old Nokia had WIFI tethering and world GPS maps.
I do love this OS. I am hopping Nokia maps will make it our way soon.
---------- Post added at 10:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 AM ----------
Bl4ke said:
This is pretty much the reason I can't see myself switching. I have an iPhone. Why do I want to move to a platform where I can do less than I already can? I really want certain apps on WP7 before I move or I just cannot justify moving. It may be an unimportant app to most people, but an app like Grindr is something I don't want my platform without. Not to mention I have a free turn-by-turn app with iOS(which I believe Nokia is going to be addressing, and is most likely the hardware I'd be buying if I got a Windows Phone).
A lot of people on here(from what I've noticed) are saying that WP7 needs to get more unique apps. While that's nice and all, I want already existing apps. Most of my friends also have iPhones, and I don't want them to tell me to pull up an app and be unable to. I don't really care about the "look what my phone can do and yours can't." I care about being able to do all that they can at the very least.
Many people on here care about games and think that could be the main selling point of WP7. I just don't see it happening. While it's a small sample size, most people I've met pretty much only pick up simple games like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope(if that). I just don't feel that a large majority of smart phone owners want to play action-packed RPGs on their phones. We have computers and consoles for that. And while it might be a nice novelty to be able to once in a while, again, the only games people I know as well as myself play are the simple pick it up for a few minutes and put it back down games.
Next comes the photography apps. I almost never take pictures, but many, many people do. I don't have a WP7 to compare apps with, but I'm curious what the photo apps on there are like. I have Camera+, Hipstamatic, and Instagram on my phone. How do non-native apps(and I guess the native app) on WP7 stack up to those? I hope Nokia will save the day in terms of excellent camera quality, but the in-app editing is also a pretty important feature to me(when I do actually take pictures) and others.
The Windows Phone OS looks pretty amazing, but I just can't justify moving until it can do all that my iPhone can in terms of apps relevant to me. I'm hoping by WP8 it will be all I want and more, and just maybe it will be able to suck me out of the Apple ecosystem. The live tiles are a pretty excellent concept, and while it's compelling, I need more apps to be available. People almost always develop for iOS before they develop for Android or WP7, so it definitely leaves something to be desired in that department.
The only thing I'd be pleased with is the fact that Skype integration is coming. On that token, I already have a Skype app with video calling on the iPhone. So Microsoft has definitely got to step up their game, get existing apps on this platform at all costs, and make sure their own in-house apps completely blow the other platforms' alternatives away.
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Great post Bl4ke.
The cross platform apps are a must for WP7.
I still cannot believe Skype is not available for WP7. My friends laugh when I tell them I do not have Skype on my phone.
It is a disappointment ... coming to WP7 from Android ... I patiently heard the argument that the apps will come once mango is here ... and considering such quick deployment of the update, I was hoping the developers will take notice and flood the market with apps... instead all I see on the marketplace is the same set of apps being repeated in the featured section ...
1. There isnt a decent chat client for WP7
2. Youtube playback seems to be slow
3. No third party browsers ... IE9 does not support text reflow ... i see myself scrolling sideways and downwards ...
4. Bing navigation is so crippled ... thanks to their deal with Navteq
5. Facebook client looks ancient .. Twitter client is marginally better ... where are the live tiles though ?
I can continue ranting but honestly, I feel really sad about how slowly the new apps are coming in ... It was almost the same when I was with Symbian and the Ovi store basically did not grow ... I sometimes get so annoyed with WP7 that I wish to put my sim back in my LG Optimus One (a very midrange phone) ... but heck, I can do a lot more with it ...
k4ce said:
It is a disappointment ... coming to WP7 from Android ... I patiently heard the argument that the apps will come once mango is here ... and considering such quick deployment of the update, I was hoping the developers will take notice and flood the market with apps... instead all I see on the marketplace is the same set of apps being repeated in the featured section ...
1. There isnt a decent chat client for WP7
2. Youtube playback seems to be slow
3. No third party browsers ... IE9 does not support text reflow ... i see myself scrolling sideways and downwards ...
4. Bing navigation is so crippled ... thanks to their deal with Navteq
5. Facebook client looks ancient .. Twitter client is marginally better ... where are the live tiles though ?
I can continue ranting but honestly, I feel really sad about how slowly the new apps are coming in ... It was almost the same when I was with Symbian and the Ovi store basically did not grow ... I sometimes get so annoyed with WP7 that I wish to put my sim back in my LG Optimus One (a very midrange phone) ... but heck, I can do a lot more with it ...
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I am coming from WM 6.5 and its an utter let down and nothing but regrets..
following are some apps which dosent need any further API release, nor any hardware shortcoming:
A 'decent' wallet app. (code wallet pro)
A decent agenda and appointments app (pocket informant)
A call monitoring app, calculating PEAK/offpeak/weekend minutes (phone dashboard) Basic call times is missing from call history.
An application to send SMS on particular time and date, like a SMS scheduler.
SMS backup application.
A Data monitor to calculate how much 3G/WIFI data I am using, weekly/daily/monthly/yearly.
A call/SMS blocker.
Audio recorder to record incoming/outgoing calls automatically. (resco audio recorder)
Last good game which lasted more than one day from start to finish was on 5/18/11: plant vs. zombies. You dont need APIs to make a good nor is their any hardware limitation. There were games in begining but now its just pathetic.. COLLAPSE? Burn the Rope? I mean seriously.. Why we still call it a 'smartphone' with dumb games like that?
All the apps right now are so basic.. and all the 'mango' updates have been equally basic. I guess mango was all about flipping that tile to show other side.. thats it.. we got the flipping tile.. NOW WHAT? WTF can I do more with this phone than just stare at that flipping tile??
Quality apps take time to make. MS did give a decent window to prepare apps, and Kinsoft apps was able to get their apps updated, but we only enabled fast resume - the easiest Mango feature to add. Some of these other features/API's take more time to add or even require a ground-up approach. So give it time.
Wp7 is new. You knew what you were getting yourself into when you bought into the platform.
WP7 won't be perfect overnight. Takes time. If you don't have the patience or certain features are as vital to you as oxygen then by all means sell your wp7 and jump to the flourishing app store of iOS or Android.
Sent from my HTC HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

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