Develop Bugs

Touch Pro 2 from perspective of an iPhone fan.

I’ve seen quite a few people struggling with the idea of which one to get. So thought i’d give my two cents. I know many people like to use the ‘Customizable’ argument for windows mobile over iPhone OS, ok fair enough. But for me and i’d say 99% of other mobile phone users. That isn’t such a huge issue. So this comparison isn’t based on that.
Recent history of mobile ownership has been.. iPhone 2G .. to .. HTC Touch Diamond .. to HTC Touch Pro .. to .. iPhone 3G.
So i sold my iPhone 3G 3-4 weeks before the iPhone 3GS was announced at WWDC – that way it sold quickly as majority of the for sale forums have now been flooded with the iPhone 3G.
I loved my iPhone 3G, cracking device. Although the hardware bump wasn’t quite as much as i wanted, i was dead set on getting the iPhone 3GS. Until i had a play with a HTC Touch Pro2. See i had almost given up on HTC, for me the HTC Touch Diamond was a cracking phone. But the resistive touch screen and touch flo 3D wasn’t responsive enough, it was clumsy and disappointing. Compared to the iPhone it was quite far off the mark as a phone you could conceivably use with your finger for everything.
The HTC Touch Pro i was equally a bit miffed about, essentially taking a HTC Touch Diamond and modifying it slightly with a keyboard.. There wasn’t a clear enough division between the two product lines. Again it was as poor as the Diamond when it came to sensitivity.
Now comes the HTC Touch Pro2 – something i loved the look of but ultimately wasn’t considering due to previous experiences. Fortunately a mate of mine got one of the first sets to land in the UK, so i had a little play. Well – crikey.. What an improvement not only to Touch Flo 3D but the screen in general seems almost on par with an iPhone for sensitivity. It really is a leap forward for HTC using resistance technology, a final stand before everything goes capacitive with Windows Mobile 7 / Andriod.
The new interface stuff is cracking, still some signs of Windows 6.1 through the cracks.. But definitely an improvement. With nice little touch’s like linking you contacts to a facebook profile.
So this meant instead of purchasing an iPhone 3GS – i got a HTC Touch Pro2 and really have begun to adore it.
However, couple of huge problems for me personally.. Still no windows market place.. I’m sorry but developers can harp on that there was loads more apps on windows mobile than iPhone, but without a centralized and easy link from the phone to them with reviews and ratings.. It’s a pain in the arse both sourcing and install compared to an iPhone.
Also no multi-touch – which is just indicative of resistive technology.. Have to say, Opera may be good.. But multi-touch really makes sense for mobile internet browsing. I find the zoom bar almost pointless.
So in all, if you can live without an app store and multi-touch.. I’d consider the Touch Pro2 – but be aware, if you’re moving from an iPhone 3G to it.. You will miss the app store, so very very much. Windows Mobile Apps just don’t stack up for me, especially from an interface perspective.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I think some kind of Windows app store (marketplace?) is coming in the WM6.5 upgrade.
Regarding the zoom bar, I actually quite like it, but I can also see it as a bit of a waste of space. There's talk on here about the potential to MOD the control for use as a D pad, which I think is a great idea.

From an iPhone/iPod user experience, I find that there are several shortcomings and several advantages on the TP2.
Disadvantages
1. No easy iTunes Sync (If you're a Mac user, this is very difficult to cope with. Missing Sync and also iTuneMy Walkman coupled with Playlist Manager on the TP2 are necessary to get the same level of sync)
2. No App store (for the plethora of applications out there, you can't install many applications very easily and the applications differ across processor types, screen resolutions, and component compatability. Is there no standard for Windows Mobile??? )
3. Movie playback/sync (which codecs work and which don't? How would you know how to encode the video? Why isn't there an iTunes store where you can just buy videos pre-encoded?)
4. Smooth OS (I have to admit, it's slick. Really slick. Android with Sense UI is slicker but hey, you have to start somewhere. The user experience is much simpler on an iPhone. Windows Mobile is prone to lots of odd issues such as memory leaks, bugs, missing features, random restarts which are all fixable after searching on XDA-Developers. Apple's iPhone OS is ready out of the box no questions asked)
5. Internet E-mail setup (It's so easy and simple. Why can't Windows Mobile do this??? Actually I just checked on the TP2 and it sets up just fine but menus for doing this are still a little bothersome.)
6. iPod function (Again, it's easy and simple. HTC Audio still has issues with playlist structure and track listings.)
Advantages
1. Big high resolution screen (at 3.6" and 800x480 resolution, this is close to quadruple the resolution of the iPhone. It's a much better display)
2. TF3D (an HTC invention and totally unrelated to MSFT. Information at a glance and at a swipe, it's done. iPhone doesn't have the same type of instant information access unless you use Intelliscreen which is still a little anemic)
3. Better external speaker (Ever lose a call because the hole on the bottom of the iPhone was plugged up in your pocket? Even if I plug the speaker grill on the TP2, it's still loud and I can still hear it)
4. Customization (Windows Mobile is extremely customizable. You don't have to use TF3D and you can use an alternative such as SPB Mobile Shell or one of those fancy XWindows kits. iPhones when Jailbroken still don't offer this level of customization. In the future, someone will probably be able to write a Jailbroken app that customizes the iPhone but you'll never see it on the App Store due to its restrictions.)
5. Smart Dial (Comes default with HTC TP3D devices now. No more digging through contacts, just dial a few letters from their name and bingo, instant connection. iPhone has a free one on the App Store but it's not as fast or as complete as HTC's Smart Dial.)
6. Full Exchange Synchronization (iPhone only syncs Contacts, Calendar, and the Inbox. You need to have an online connection to get subfolders or anything else.)
7. Push Internet (it's not completely there yet but it's a great concept. It saves me from having to refresh/load websites every time I want to view an important website. No such feature on the Mobile Safari)

Crazy really that one of the issues is with the centralisation of downloadable content, I mean take a look at the Xbox 360 - awesome online experience for games, music, videos etc big selling point of the console itself compared to others and un-rivalled
Just a shame they cant link it all together somehow for windows mobile using your xbox live account or something.

i was an iphone user before, started out iphone 2g then iphone 3g, then now im using td2 the baby bro of tp2. though i missed the fun multitouch apps on iphone, but i found htc's new devices very useful in a way that i can live without my iphone. cant wait for the tp2 to arrive so i got myself the td2. now, im waiting for the official 6.5 upgrade. i might also get an iphone 3gs just for games and as a secondary phone

WRT Point 5, I've found email set-up very easy for my gmail and Yahoo! accounts. Just enter your address and password and almost everything else is done automatically.
How did you create your email accounts? I used the Mail Setup program.
R.

Yeah, I tried the new setup which had been around since 6.0. It's better than 5.x which was archaic back in the day. iPhone still does internet e-mail sources much more easily with fewer options but both devices bury the function like 4-5 menus deep.

Guys, how did your HTC's compare to the iphone in regards to audio quality via headphone jack? I'm talking music.

I'm usually not an advocate of making post to knock threads but there is already a thread for this.

TP2 audio quality is about the same as the iPhone. I think I posted the response graphs for their performance in another thread with almost the same title.

Thanks to all the iPhone users posting this info. I've been trying to decide between an unlocked iPhone (I'm on T_mobile) and waiting on the TP2. The iPhone has some neat apps...my brother pointed his iPhone towards the radio and an app he had installed popped up with the name of the band and song being played! it was pretty impressive.

Nice summary mate! I am in the same position as you, with an iPhone 3G at the moment, upgrading to the TP2 soon!

whtrbt7 said:
TP2 audio quality is about the same as the iPhone. I think I posted the response graphs for their performance in another thread with almost the same title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, I'm just really torn between getting an HTC phone and an ipod touch + cheap winmo phone. The more personal input, the better.

booshwa said:
Thanks to all the iPhone users posting this info. I've been trying to decide between an unlocked iPhone (I'm on T_mobile) and waiting on the TP2. The iPhone has some neat apps...my brother pointed his iPhone towards the radio and an app he had installed popped up with the name of the band and song being played! it was pretty impressive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there is something like that for wm phones too

whtrbt7 said:
From an iPhone/iPod user experience, I find that there are several shortcomings and several advantages on the TP2.
Disadvantages
1. No easy iTunes Sync (If you're a Mac user, this is very difficult to cope with. Missing Sync and also iTuneMy Walkman coupled with Playlist Manager on the TP2 are necessary to get the same level of sync)
2. No App store (for the plethora of applications out there, you can't install many applications very easily and the applications differ across processor types, screen resolutions, and component compatability. Is there no standard for Windows Mobile??? )
3. Movie playback/sync (which codecs work and which don't? How would you know how to encode the video? Why isn't there an iTunes store where you can just buy videos pre-encoded?)
4. Smooth OS (I have to admit, it's slick. Really slick. Android with Sense UI is slicker but hey, you have to start somewhere. The user experience is much simpler on an iPhone. Windows Mobile is prone to lots of odd issues such as memory leaks, bugs, missing features, random restarts which are all fixable after searching on XDA-Developers. Apple's iPhone OS is ready out of the box no questions asked)
5. Internet E-mail setup (It's so easy and simple. Why can't Windows Mobile do this??? Actually I just checked on the TP2 and it sets up just fine but menus for doing this are still a little bothersome.)
6. iPod function (Again, it's easy and simple. HTC Audio still has issues with playlist structure and track listings.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Do you really need this bloated DRM infested program just to sync music? Cant you just sync a directory using USB mass storage or foobar or winamp or whatever?
2. Appstore? that will be only an excuse to charge for minor freeware apps in the future.
3. Buy videos? You mean like pay for encoding? That would only make sense if you bought HD videos on iTunes and also got a free mobile version to save you the time of encoding. And dont tell me you cant find a video converter and a suitable preset for windows mobile.
4. Gotta agree iPhone OS is smooth and full of eye candy. Its also extremely stable, since it does only one thing at the time, and tries to simplify anything. It's nice, but certainly not my kind of thing. I even prefer to use the stylus but have all the options available, and running 3 or 4 apps simultaneously is a must for me.
5. It could be better, but come on. It's a one time setup, and there are lot of guides out there.
6. iPod? DRM infested gay looking extremely expensive audio players that force the use of DRM infested useless bloated software? do not want.
whtrbt7 said:
Advantages
1. Big high resolution screen (at 3.6" and 800x480 resolution, this is close to quadruple the resolution of the iPhone. It's a much better display)
2. TF3D (an HTC invention and totally unrelated to MSFT. Information at a glance and at a swipe, it's done. iPhone doesn't have the same type of instant information access unless you use Intelliscreen which is still a little anemic)
3. Better external speaker (Ever lose a call because the hole on the bottom of the iPhone was plugged up in your pocket? Even if I plug the speaker grill on the TP2, it's still loud and I can still hear it)
4. Customization (Windows Mobile is extremely customizable. You don't have to use TF3D and you can use an alternative such as SPB Mobile Shell or one of those fancy XWindows kits. iPhones when Jailbroken still don't offer this level of customization. In the future, someone will probably be able to write a Jailbroken app that customizes the iPhone but you'll never see it on the App Store due to its restrictions.)
5. Smart Dial (Comes default with HTC TP3D devices now. No more digging through contacts, just dial a few letters from their name and bingo, instant connection. iPhone has a free one on the App Store but it's not as fast or as complete as HTC's Smart Dial.)
6. Full Exchange Synchronization (iPhone only syncs Contacts, Calendar, and the Inbox. You need to have an online connection to get subfolders or anything else.)
7. Push Internet (it's not completely there yet but it's a great concept. It saves me from having to refresh/load websites every time I want to view an important website. No such feature on the Mobile Safari)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. True
2. TF3D is good, but neither innovative or so useful. There where other, possibly better alternatives before TF3D, simply with less eye candy. I think its the minor menu, taskbar and other HTC enhancements that make the difference.
3. Didnt know that. I thought iPhone's speaker was better. Nice knowing that.
4. Customisation Customisation Customisation. Developers Developers Developers. Go windows mobile. Widely available SDKs and samples, and everyone can beggin programming for Windows Mobile without paying Microsoft for Closed SDKs etc.
5. iPhone doesnt have Smart Dial? You have to buy it? That's ridiculously sad. I had smart dial since 2004 on my magician.
6. A must for Business use.
7. Nice idea, but not needed anymore for me since i have a nice data plan.

if youre going to miss the appstore go to an android phone..htc magic or htc hero..it has multitouch and flash player

I would just consider the Iphone as a toy for kids. It's totall useless for business purpose.
I got the touch pro 2 which is a real business phone: conference in one single touch, perfect sounds in hand free mode (just put it upside down on the table to activate!), direct call from an email
AND a real keyboard!

kourampies said:
1. Do you really need this bloated DRM infested program just to sync music? Cant you just sync a directory using USB mass storage or foobar or winamp or whatever?
2. Appstore? that will be only an excuse to charge for minor freeware apps in the future.
3. Buy videos? You mean like pay for encoding? That would only make sense if you bought HD videos on iTunes and also got a free mobile version to save you the time of encoding. And dont tell me you cant find a video converter and a suitable preset for windows mobile.
4. Gotta agree iPhone OS is smooth and full of eye candy. Its also extremely stable, since it does only one thing at the time, and tries to simplify anything. It's nice, but certainly not my kind of thing. I even prefer to use the stylus but have all the options available, and running 3 or 4 apps simultaneously is a must for me.
5. It could be better, but come on. It's a one time setup, and there are lot of guides out there.
6. iPod? DRM infested gay looking extremely expensive audio players that force the use of DRM infested useless bloated software? do not want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. For Mac users, this is an only resource. I totally agree that iTunes is possibly one of the worst music management programs out there. It's not DRM infested anymore luckily but it's still a mess when managing music. I normally prefer Winamp but haven't found anything to emulate performance on a Mac yet. iTunes I have to admit is "easy" if you have an iPod or iPhone. It's just that if you don't really care for your music, iTunes is the easiest way to go.
2. Appstore is a double edged sword. Apple dictates what can and can't be on it and there is so much crapware on it that it's painful to browse (although really amusing and time wasting).
3. For normal consumers, they don't care if they have to buy the movie as long as it works. It's true for if you use an iPod or iPhone. Windows Mobile users have to encode their own videos normally since we don't have a centralized place to buy our movies and getting custom resolution encodes is not easy for a normal consumer.
4. I agree with you. A Jailbroken iPhone can do background apps and also has quick access to commonly used functions. I really hate digging around in the settings menu on the iPhone.
5. Yup, totally agree with you on this one.
6. For Mac users, it's the only thing that really works. It's smooth as long as you have an iPod or iPhone. Requires extra software if you want to use it well with WM.

[Q] The best true (non-cloud) audio streaming apps?

Hello all,
In light of the recent congressional events regarding ("shhhh") downloaded music, I am now in the wanting to play it safe mode. At my age I have more too loose.
What I'm looking for is the best home to phone streaming app that does not also utilize web based streaming like Audiogalaxy and Subsonic. I am now using both of these but would like to see if there are any alternatives which...shall we say...'are more private'. Simply an app that does not require any website registration but only needs ones own IP to access music.
I would also welcome discussion on the legalities of steaming already downloaded music (home to phone).
Thanks for any thoughts on this topic.
Edit: Now trying Gmote. Can anyone recommend a better one?

Just use Grooveshark.

if you have a daap server at home, say itunes or WDLXTV firmware, there is a simple daap client in the market that works well

coldsweat said:
if you have a daap server at home, say itunes or WDLXTV firmware, there is a simple daap client in the market that works well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. After trying Gmote for a couple of days I've decided to ditch it. It tends to start/stop too much on a 3g network, and the UI is horrid. The daap server sounds interesting. If you could recommend one that will work on either XP or W7 I'll try that...assuming there is such an animal.

Is there any app to stream live radios station ?
I move from WM to Android, and I would like to know if there is any app to stream live radio station Wm normally use WMP, but android doesn't support Wmp
please if some one know something about it point me to the right direction.

there are ways to use VLC to do it.

Have you tried Homepipe?

neodorian said:
Have you tried Homepipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet, have looked that one over a bit. Gmote lags too much on 3g so I'll try Homepipe next. Oh yea, and my Bucs almost came back on your Ravens last Sunday. If only Freeman had started his "famous" quick offense earlier.
@dsuare021979 For music streaming try:
Pandora (unlimited access is 36/year but has the best quality sound IMO.
A Online Radio (the "A" is part of the app name)
iheartradio
Last.fm

Thank you for the help, but none of them work with the radio station I normally stream
MEGA 97.9 NY. I hope we get an app like wmp soon.

neodorian said:
Have you tried Homepipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checked into Homepipe a bit more closely and it's another type that requires a website registration, which is what I'm trying to avoid. Gmote is what I'm looking for, but it's too buggy for me. Guess I'll keep looking but use Audiogalaxy in the meantime. I like Subsonic but on the EVO it has a tendency to repeat the first song all the time. Anyway, thanks for the input.

Just a question to see if you know something that I don't... if you go through and Retag all of your mp3s there should be no real way to see where they came from... ripped from your own cds or otherwise.... at least that's my opinion. But maybe you know something that I don't?

finsmaniac02 said:
Just a question to see if you know something that I don't... if you go through and Retag all of your mp3s there should be no real way to see where they came from... ripped from your own cds or otherwise.... at least that's my opinion. But maybe you know something that I don't?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only experience with re-tagging is to get the files to look right in Audiogalaxy. I collect alot of "Greatest Hits" albums and most of the tracks each have their own album tag. I wish I knew the answer to your question for my own benefit. Anyone else?

I finally found and app that let me stream any radio stations around the world, ( RADIO TIME ) it work great

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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 ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

Lumia 900 - What I need to switch

Hi
I am interested in buying the lumia 900 as soon as its on the market in my country. just a couple of weeks off.
anyways, im on android now. not doing very much with the phone, but there are a few things that are must-haves for me.
so, id be glad if anyone could take the time to check if there is a counterpart for the lumia for the following:
- podcast app that automatically loads my podcasts (video&audio) during the night using my wlan according to a time schedule (on android, beyondpod does that for me)
- playing divx and other popular internet movie formats without any decoding etc. (android on sgs2 does that out of the box)
- sending/receving emails with all kinds of attachments
- streaming from and to the smartphone to my pc/tv (allshare from samsung does that for me)
- backup app that uploads all my taken pictures to the cloud ONLY when I am connected to a wlan (not 3g, my dataplan is not large enough)
- full torrent client, not remote only (ttorrent on android)
- moving any kind of files to the device without any restrictions. drag and drop preferred.
that are the must-haves for me if I make the switch to windows phone.
thanks and br
marco

If those are "must haves" then don't waste your time. I don't see why you would need a full torrent client, but it can't and won't exist on WP... Along with some of your other points
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

Yep. Looks like you are stuck with Android. Enjoy.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

If your not going to use torrents on a mobile network I would just keep the android phone as a media player and for games. You can still use it on wifi for torrents. I'm doing this with my inspire because I was worried about app selection
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2 Beta-6

hmm and apart from the torrent client? is the lumia capable of the other points?

Windows Phone isn't a flash drive either
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

so it has no torrent client and cannot be partly a flash drive.
i guess all the rest it cant do either....?
kinda limited it seems - no wonder it has difficulties to penetrate the market.

Yeah, that's why the iPhone has done so poorly.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

marco_ch said:
hmm and apart from the torrent client? is the lumia capable of the other points?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea thats the dirst thing I look for in a phone.....I make sure I can use it as a flash drive

marco_ch said:
Hi
I am interested in buying the lumia 900 as soon as its on the market in my country. just a couple of weeks off.
anyways, im on android now. not doing very much with the phone, but there are a few things that are must-haves for me.
so, id be glad if anyone could take the time to check if there is a counterpart for the lumia for the following:
- podcast app that automatically loads my podcasts (video&audio) during the night using my wlan according to a time schedule (on android, beyondpod does that for me)
- playing divx and other popular internet movie formats without any decoding etc. (android on sgs2 does that out of the box)
- sending/receving emails with all kinds of attachments
- streaming from and to the smartphone to my pc/tv (allshare from samsung does that for me)
- backup app that uploads all my taken pictures to the cloud ONLY when I am connected to a wlan (not 3g, my dataplan is not large enough)
- full torrent client, not remote only (ttorrent on android)
- moving any kind of files to the device without any restrictions. drag and drop preferred.
that are the must-haves for me if I make the switch to windows phone.
thanks and br
marco
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zune handles podcasts and auto downloads subscriptions for you.
It also backs up pictures to Skydrive/FB for you.
However...
marco_ch said:
so it has no torrent client and cannot be partly a flash drive.
i guess all the rest it cant do either....?
kinda limited it seems - no wonder it has difficulties to penetrate the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are numerous, countless, exhaustive posts ALL OVER the internet, not only here, about what Windows Phone is and isn't. I think it's ridiculous, annoying, and pretty ignorant to continue to post comments like this. You came in asking for answers, they were provided, there is no need to throw in a fanboyish jab.
I really don't see the need to receive .psd attachments on my phone, I really don't. I don't see the need to use it as a flash drive, I never did when I had the ability to on WinMo or Android. I also don't see the need to. I understand others have different needs... And I respect that, I just don't see the need to call it limited because it doesn't do things I personally consider unnecessary. I mean, with that logic, Android is "kinda limited it seems" because it can't last anything on battery, it can't run stable, it can't give me a consistent experience, it has stolen IP everywhere, it has an asshole CEO, etc, etc...
I hope you find a phone that suits your needs, the Lumia (and Windows Phone in general) is a great experience.

marco_ch said:
Hi
I am interested in buying the lumia 900 as soon as its on the market in my country. just a couple of weeks off.
anyways, im on android now. not doing very much with the phone, but there are a few things that are must-haves for me.
so, id be glad if anyone could take the time to check if there is a counterpart for the lumia for the following:
- podcast app that automatically loads my podcasts (video&audio) during the night using my wlan according to a time schedule (on android, beyondpod does that for me)
Zune player lets you sync podcasts and set it to download them as soon as they are available using WLAN. You can set it to 'download 3 latest episodes' for example. Scheduling when it downloads them is not available, but I don't see why you'd not want them on your device as soon as they are available.
- playing divx and other popular internet movie formats without any decoding etc. (android on sgs2 does that out of the box)
While I am not sure if WP will support every codec out there, the only way to upload a movie to WP is using Zune, and Zune automatically decodes the movie to the proper format. It takes 15-30 minutes to do this but you don't have to worry. You just drag the movie you want to your device and Zune takes care of the rest.
Another option is to get an awesome app called Plex and set up a HTPC at home which will allow your windows phone to stream any movie in your collection from anywhere that has an internet connection. 3G Data limits may be an issue for this method...
- sending/receving emails with all kinds of attachments
WP email client can do all this stuff. Infact the I find the WP email client as good if not better than Android and much better than iOS.
- streaming from and to the smartphone to my pc/tv (allshare from samsung does that for me)
Streaming form computer to smartphone: PLEX does it very well.
http://plexapp.com/
Streaming from smartphone: various DLNA clients are present on some windows phones. I am not sure if Nokia has one, but my old LG and Samsung Focus had it.
- backup app that uploads all my taken pictures to the cloud ONLY when I am connected to a wlan (not 3g, my dataplan is not large enough)
WP was the first device that allowed things to be backed up to the cloud automatically. However there is no Wifi only uploads. It will do it in 3G or Wifi. The picture quality will be compressed and they will be smaller in size.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/pictures/upload-pictures-to-the-web.aspx
- full torrent client, not remote only (ttorrent on android)
Not available on WP
- moving any kind of files to the device without any restrictions. drag and drop preferred.
There is a homebrew solution for this but the device needs to be unlocked for you to apply it. I personally wouldn't bother with this considering I have a tiny USB key on my keychain that is larger than any WP out there (Other than the fujitsu one )
that are the must-haves for me if I make the switch to windows phone.
thanks and br
marco
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've answered some of your questions above...hope it helps.

disolitude said:
I've answered some of your questions above...hope it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent. thanks a lot!

FiyaFleye said:
Zune handles podcasts and auto downloads subscriptions for you.
It also backs up pictures to Skydrive/FB for you.
However...
There are numerous, countless, exhaustive posts ALL OVER the internet, not only here, about what Windows Phone is and isn't. I think it's ridiculous, annoying, and pretty ignorant to continue to post comments like this. You came in asking for answers, they were provided, there is no need to throw in a fanboyish jab.
I really don't see the need to receive .psd attachments on my phone, I really don't. I don't see the need to use it as a flash drive, I never did when I had the ability to on WinMo or Android. I also don't see the need to. I understand others have different needs... And I respect that, I just don't see the need to call it limited because it doesn't do things I personally consider unnecessary. I mean, with that logic, Android is "kinda limited it seems" because it can't last anything on battery, it can't run stable, it can't give me a consistent experience, it has stolen IP everywhere, it has an asshole CEO, etc, etc...
I hope you find a phone that suits your needs, the Lumia (and Windows Phone in general) is a great experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude seriously..... but lol about the CEO thing ;-)

APP Google Play Music All Access

So I signed up for this new service and its awesome. Way better then pandora and other music apps. Especially with the ONE's sounds, perfect app to take advantage for any music lover. Anyone else plan on taking advantage of this or already sign up for it?

Cool.
Heard about this last night.
I have a couple of questions.
So, I know there is a spotify element to it, with subscription and all.
But the "your music uploaded" that you can stream/listen to on the move, is this part free? or part of the subscription?
Sorry if that sounds a bit "window lickers special"
Cheers

snowblind2142 said:
Cool.
Heard about this last night.
I have a couple of questions.
So, I know there is a spotify element to it, with subscription and all.
But the "your music uploaded" that you can stream/listen to on the move, is this part free? or part of the subscription?
Sorry if that sounds a bit "window lickers special"
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you choose to use Google play music without the subscription, you can upload 50,000 songs to their cloud and stream it to your device as much as you'd like. The all access just gives you similar features to Spotify and Mog... Options to download music to the device and custom artist radio stations etc... I signed up for all access, created a 30 songs playlist, and went on a 5 mile run today... Totally worth it Imo. Especially with the HTC One.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

theli0ntamer said:
If you choose to use Google play music without the subscription, you can upload 50,000 songs to their cloud and stream it to your device as much as you'd like. The all access just gives you similar features to Spotify and Mog... Options to download music to the device and custom artist radio stations etc... I signed up for all access, created a 30 songs playlist, and went on a 5 mile run today... Totally worth it Imo. Especially with the HTC One.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The limit is actually 20,000 songs. A friend of mine ran into that uploading his library yesterday after the announcement.

Yes the limit for uploads is 20,000 and that is not at all a new feature. All Access is just the payed subscription portion which adds functionality like internet radio with on-demand as well, similar to slackr, spotify and mog.

Signed up myself so far I'm impressed. Little disappointed in the classic rock options but everything else is great. Just kind of wish there a quick widget button to enable or disable beats it's really not meant for all songs
my One sent this

I signed up for it the day I could; just to test it. I figure it's a free trial, why not.
Well; I'm keeping it for sure.
I always have to cut some music out, because I stay really close to the 20k limit; and I've tried other services, but when I am out and about I hate switching apps. This just makes life so much easier. From what I can tell, they have a really good catalog to choose from for me; from hardcore, to pop-punk, to hip-hop to dubstep. I've really enjoyed it the past few days and I am definitely keeping it.
It's a unified solution, that in my opinion, hits the nail on the head. The new UI is fantastic as well, I love what Google is doing!
If you haven't tried it, I definitely recommend it!

I want to try it out... but it's not out in Canada : (
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium