Alternatives to Skydrive, DropBox et al - Windows Phone 7 General

Ok - So cloud computing is the way to go. However, for some this is not an entirely valid option due to security etc., and many will not like their data on servers that they do not control. Help may be at hand! I'm putting this up more for info rather than a sugestion of the way to go.
Below are some details of products which might help although none are free (unlike Skydrive, Dropbox and others - loads in fact) but it means that you get to keep the data off of systems you do not control.
Netgear Stora - It's a 1TB box that connects to your own WiFi and the web. It works like Dropbox and you can access files and stream from it too. It costs around £150
Linksys Media Hub - It's similar to the Stora but only has a 500GB hard drive but simpler to use than the Stora. It costs around £130.
Lastly but not least, the Pogoplug - It's pink and slightly gay looking but hooks on to your router and makes use of any hard drives connected to it. It's even simpler to use than the other two.
Basically all 3 of the above allow you to punt your files around the internet securely. They should all work with the WP7 OS and phones though someone will have to give them a go. You can get more info on the websites for these products.
Personally I'm looking at hot pink but I'm bigger and harder than most of you so say nothing .
Hope this helps in some way
Thanks to Stuff magazine 138 September 2010

In theory it should be fine but (there is always but) consider following items and their challenges
1: 99.9% uptime,
2: data in transition, secure/unsecure, between wp7 and these devices.
3: security on these devices, how do u authenticate yourself
4: application that can be configured to individual client storage devices
5: WP7 OS api to access personal data
6: communication protocol, no raw sockets remember,
7: size of data
8: DR (disaster recovery) what is a backup plan?
9: cost of running these devices
I am thinking out loud here, there will be many more things to consider, not impossible but difficult and require lot of time and effort.

k_aftab said:
In theory it should be fine but (there is always but) consider following items and their challenges
1: 99.9% uptime,
2: data in transition, secure/unsecure, between wp7 and these devices.
3: security on these devices, how do u authenticate yourself
4: application that can be configured to individual client storage devices
5: WP7 OS api to access personal data
6: communication protocol, no raw sockets remember,
7: size of data
8: DR (disaster recovery) what is a backup plan?
9: cost of running these devices
I am thinking out loud here, there will be many more things to consider, not impossible but difficult and require lot of time and effort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of the devices I mentioned are IMO for home use so yes indeed, all you mentioned is spot on and anybody who decides to get one should be under no illusions that it will be exactly like what is offered by the big boys and that they don't need to consider these issues.
In terms of the set up etc., I believe for all it's pretty simple and so issues with security and so on are taken care of and once set up need little to no ongoing maintenance. You can make them as secure or un-secure as you want, but remember - they are on your own home network.
Cost wise (apart from the initial £100-£150), I guess this will just be the cost of another device permanently on, bandwidth (but if for personal use probably negligible) and hard drive space.
What I was going for here was to show people that don't want to store their data on cloud servers, that there are alternatives that they may like to consider.
Best thing to do is for interested parties to have a look at the websites (Netgear, Linksys and Firebox) and ascertain for themselves which one if any is for them

Related

Importing Phone Contacts to Desire

Hi
Just discovered this excellent forum.
What a difference 4 years makes, have gone from a 2006 Sony Erickson W810 walkman phone to this and its just a little bit different shall we say.
I'm still playing with it. trying to get it set up etc. Have tried to bluetooth across my phone contacts from the Sony (before the number transfer takes place on 6 April) and message comes up saying that the Desire is awaiting 'acceptance of the transfer). Symbols have appeared on the top of the Desire.
Where do i go to accept the contact list transfer?
Any other 'top tips' woulod be greatly appreciated.
Can you also watch 'live' TV i.e. Sky sports through the Sky player.
I read on UK hot deals forum how to speed up the 3G, this seems to be working.
Other probably stupid questions:
On a PC you would set up a firewall, virus protection for the internet etc. Do you not have to do this when accessing the net via a phone? What happens with span, hackers etc if you accidentially access 'dodgy sites' shall we say.
Have to say loading apps looks a little complicated for the novice, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I think I can address a couple of issues, just not the BT issue.
Live TV?
Well, I don't think there's an app for live TV (at least here in the UK). However a site which broadcasts live TV (probably requiring Flash) may work. Though Flash is known not to work great yet so don't get your hopes up. Would love to be wrong on this point though. I saw a friend in Sweden watch live TV on his iPhone with a station specific app, over wifi. Was kinda cool!
No idea what you're talking about with speeding up 3G. Maybe you can share...
Virus/firewall protection?
Ah yes, that old nut. I'm guessing that they break down into 2 groups, one's that scan constantly and one's that scan occasionally. The 1st offers highest protection but requires highest resources and thus few people will use it on mobile devices. The 2nd is more possible and is available.
But then you have the issue of risk. Many argue, in short, there's not enough risk (even though malicious software does exist). There's not enough devices to make it worthwhile (the same arguements of why Macs don't have so many viruses) and even if there are millions of devices running the same software, the proportion of people that have stuff that is worth stealing puts the value even lower.
I'm sure when mobile devices are more integrated, more powerful (though running Google Earth on my desktop a few years back was hard enough, so to see it on my Desire...!) and when they hold/access more valuable data (i.e. more mobile banking and passwords on mobile devices), then the risk will no doubt also increase.
TV Catchup is the place for live tv. like its been said not sure of with the flash as my desire is on charge and i havent tried it yet.
if your old phone can sync contacts to outlook then do that and save the contacts as a csv file.
then go to google mail and import the .csv file
Thats the theory that worked for me. Your best bet is to google search the rest

EVO Security Questions

This is not troll baiting or OS Slamming...
Looking for knowledgeable and constructive feedback regarding device security. I'm thinking in terms of an Executive or VP or Network Admin or such loosing the device. a piece of software
1) to do more to control access than a squiggly line
2) to allow for remote GPS tracking and/or device data wiping
3) that is stealthy and/or hard to remove.
I know there are a few "security services" out there but that leads me into "how do i know whose who and who can be trusted in the android segment". I place a great deal of trust in the developer of my ROM. That he/she/they are benevolent and not including by intent or negligence loggers or other malware. then i have a companies like Wave and Norton and Good all angling to get installed on my device. i don't know Wave nor Good and I have no luv for Norton.
The EVO allows for RDC and VNC sessions. It allows for VPN access and has the pwd's to my personal and work email. meebo has me signed into all my chat networks. As a long time Windows person I guess it's just a lil disconcerting when i stop and think on it. this device can easily be configured to hold everything needed to access a secured network. Perhaps this is a reflection on my lack of understanding the system in depth. perhaps i'm not sure how well the opensource community will communicate "problem" apps and developers.
Also, and kinda sorta related. Applications in the marketplace. sometimes you get an application and the types of security access it is asking for seems a bit "off". occasionally in the comments the developer may comment that "i need to access X in order to provide Z". It usually makes sense (whether true or not i cannot say), but is there any nice cross-reference of what types of actions require what access level. or why so many apps need to know the phone state and identity or general location or full network access and what exactly that means to me as the end user. this second paragraph is proving difficult to put to paper..i may come back and edit for clarity.
and lastly, i guess is a question on how to protect from apps like this...
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/060210-android-rootkit-is-just-a.html?page=1
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/commercial-spying-app-for-android-devices-released/4900
looking for something kinda like this, but useful...
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/06/28/understanding-the-android-market-security-system/

EVO insecure?

This is not troll baiting or OS Slamming...
Looking for knowledgeable and constructive feedback regarding device security. I'm thinking in terms of an Executive or VP or Network Admin or such loosing the device. a piece of software
1) to do more to control access than a squiggly line
2) to allow for remote GPS tracking and/or device data wiping
3) that is stealthy and/or hard to remove.
I know there are a few "security services" out there but that leads me into "how do i know whose who and who can be trusted in the android segment". I place a great deal of trust in the developer of my ROM. That he/she/they are benevolent and not including by intent or negligence loggers or other malware. then i have a companies like Wave and Norton and Good all angling to get installed on my device. i don't know Wave nor Good and I have no luv for Norton.
The EVO allows for RDC and VNC sessions. It allows for VPN access and has the pwd's to my personal and work email. meebo has me signed into all my chat networks. As a long time Windows person I guess it's just a lil disconcerting when i stop and think on it. this device can easily be configured to hold everything needed to access a secured network. Perhaps this is a reflection on my lack of understanding the system in depth. perhaps i'm not sure how well the opensource community will communicate "problem" apps and developers.
Also, and kinda sorta related. Applications in the marketplace. sometimes you get an application and the types of security access it is asking for seems a bit "off". occasionally in the comments the developer may comment that "i need to access X in order to provide Z". It usually makes sense (whether true or not i cannot say), but is there any nice cross-reference of what types of actions require what access level. or why so many apps need to know the phone state and identity or general location or full network access and what exactly that means to me as the end user. this second paragraph is proving difficult to put to paper..i may come back and edit for clarity.
and lastly, i guess is a question on how to protect from apps like this...
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/060210-android-rootkit-is-just-a.html?page=1
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/commercial-spying-app-for-android-devices-released/4900
If the app seems fishy don't download it you can allways get lookout from the market it will pull your phone up on the gps and tell you exactly where it is I've tested you can also make it chirp real loud as for them accessing your phone put the pattern lock on in stead most thiefs are not hackers so they probably won't be able to access your phone even if you hard reset you still have to draw the pattern I mean unless they full root the phone and wipe it in petty sure you will be ok hope that helped
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Lookout kinda falls into the same category at Good or Wave. (at least to me thus far). All appear to be fine and yet somehow free products. I'm looking for a corporate solution, not end user solution. a free solution would be swell, so long as trust can be established.
i am looking at this from a corporate IT security perspective. not a young person, a enthusiast nor regular end user. heck, if I could get all of my users to actually know what is meant by "if the app seems fishy don't use it", most of my job would be completed. but to be honest, i'm still trying to get a grasp on that myself in the android world, hence the question about access levels in last paragraph of original post.
the zigzag is nifty and should protect from casual access. Froyo will provide an interface that a secured Exchange server would prefer to have. that will help.
( BTW ... if anyone knows how to make the red line not appear when you mess up the pattern lock...you'd be my personal hero for the day)
its not thieves that I'm worried about...it's my own end users that have to be protected from themselves. if a device was left in a bar or cab and did end up in the wrong hands....data could be sold, deals could be lost, people could be embarrassed, with the type of data that 'can very easily' exist on these devices...network security itself can be compromised. and sadly, i must assume that a good many end users will disable security if they are able to. for the same reason they ***** at automatic screenlocks on their desktop/laptop computers.
would you rather your IT team "hope/pray/expect the device will be picked up by some incompetent/benign/lawabiding citizen" or the opposite?
i choose to prepare for the worst...hope for the best. not the other way around. hence, my questions.
Isn't remote wipe being built into froyo somehow? Thought I read that somewhere.
I have my exchange email set up on my device and it requires me to use a passcode. I cannot disable it.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
As for wiping data remotely wave secure will do that it might be close to what you need or something for the time being hopefully this will help
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
This is kinda sorta what I'm lookn for.
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/06/28/understanding-the-android-market-security-system/

What has Zune got to do with updates?

Microsoft says about updating:
"Before you start
1 Install the Zune software on your PC or Windows Phone 7 Connector on your Mac. You'll need these programs to download the update to your phone."
Why on earth do you need to install software on your PC to update your phone? The update goes from Microsoft and has to reach the phone; why are they using the PC as an intermediary?
What does the phone need a PC at all? It's its own operating system, has its own data and applications.
Is this something that is going to be fixed when WP7/8 is business-ready? Businesses are hardly going to roll out Zune software across corporate PCs.
I have a suspicion this is connected to the failure. Windows has countless updates and close to none of them are failures. WP7 has had one minor update and it was a failure. They are introducing extra complexity, incorrectness, and unreliability into the system with Zune.
mcfly ? hellllo mcfly ?
I wonder if microsoft is paying attention ?
CSMR said:
Microsoft says about updating:
"Before you start
1 Install the Zune software on your PC or Windows Phone 7 Connector on your Mac. You'll need these programs to download the update to your phone."
Why on earth do you need to install software on your PC to update your phone? The update goes from Microsoft and has to reach the phone; why are they using the PC as an intermediary?
What does the phone need a PC at all? It's its own operating system, has its own data and applications.
Is this something that is going to be fixed when WP7/8 is business-ready? Businesses are hardly going to roll out Zune software across corporate PCs.
I have a suspicion this is connected to the failure. Windows has countless updates and close to none of them are failures. WP7 has had one minor update and it was a failure. They are introducing extra complexity, incorrectness, and unreliability into the system with Zune.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used SE phones for years and in order to update firmware you always had to connect to PC and use OEM software to update the device. It isn't extraordinary.
ohgood said:
I wonder if microsoft is paying attention ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you even own a wp7?
Well, let's just say if you were to extract the update on the phone, then there would probably not be enough space for it. Also, the connection with Zune allows a backup of the phone to be taken, so if your update fails, or you want to restore to a previous backup, you are able to do so. Stop complaining.
sure haven't said:
Do you even own a wp7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no. I don't own an iPhone, symbian, landline phone, xbox, or windows pc, boat, pig, or elephant either. the short time I've spent with demo (I have friends that sell) units proved I can't use wp7 on a daily basis for simple tasks -yet-.
if the update is less than 20mb it will be OTA, but if it's bigger and requires changing the lower layers of the OS, then you are required to connect it to your PC.
connecting it to your PC and using Zune software also provides the ability for a backup/restore capability. though as we have seen, it's still being ironed out...
Look, I am so incredibly happy that Zune was required for this phone, as I had no idea of how awesome it was, honestly. I always pushed it to the side for WMP and now I regret it, as the Zune Pass is the greatest thing I've ever spent money on. Dealing with the update, it allows for stability. I, personally, would never want my phone updating over the air when it comes to an entire OS update. Too many factors, too many things can go wrong, I prefer to let my PC handle the process. It's worked for Apple, while it's gone wrong for Google not to use software...
ohgood said:
no. I don't own an iPhone, symbian, landline phone, xbox, or windows pc, boat, pig, or elephant either. the short time I've spent with demo (I have friends that sell) units proved I can't use wp7 on a daily basis for simple tasks -yet-.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems rather strange - I swapped from an HD2 to the amazing HD7 and apart from missing a few games and apps I CAN use it for everyday tasks with no problems at all. It syncs with my work Exchange server faultlessly, and allows me to view office files without the need for extras. Indeed my IT manager has been so impressed with its smooth integration into our mainly 'Blackberry & iPhone' infrastructure that he has got himself a WP7 device as well now!
Yes there are a few bits missing but I can hardly believe it is unusable in your environment. Most descent coming to the WP7 forums comes from people who either do not even have a device or from those who listen to wining from users who expected far too much from a new OS. All this complaining about updates is laughable as iOS took ages to get an update and so did Android.. yet MS takes less than 6 months to be ready with an update and people moan! LOL.
I thought the PC/Zune requirement was already explained somewhere...
-Zune is used to both download and apply the update to your phone. This eliminates the need to download large (or small) updates through your device's data plan and therefore removes that obstacle in the case of limited data plans.
-Zune also takes care of the backing up (and restoring) of the phone in case of issues.
I'm not too sure what's so complicated about plugging your phone into a computer that should already have the Zune software installed (since it is your only method of syncing content to your phone). If anything, the fact that Zune creates backups makes its a far more reliable method then crossing your fingers and hoping your phone can do it all for you. Imagine if all the phones that failed to update were not initially backed up or didn't have Zune to restore the phone? There would be a great deal more angry consumers. Not to mention, you'd have to download something extra anyway that would do the backing up/restoring for you.
Yes, it is a couple extra steps initially, but it seems like a small price to pay when you think about how you would have to solve your own issues if Zune and backups did not exist.
The Gate Keeper said:
if the update is less than 20mb it will be OTA, but if it's bigger and requires changing the lower layers of the OS, then you are required to connect it to your PC.
connecting it to your PC and using Zune software also provides the ability for a backup/restore capability. though as we have seen, it's still being ironed out...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but any phone updates must be done through the PC because the phone needs to be backed up before the update can take place. The size doesn't matter. The 20 MB rule ONLY applies to games/apps on the Marketplace.
prjkthack said:
I thought the PC/Zune requirement was already explained somewhere...
-Zune is used to both download and apply the update to your phone. This eliminates the need to download large (or small) updates through your device's data plan and therefore removes that obstacle in the case of limited data plans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no such need since the phone should be able to access internet via wifi or via a usb connection to the PC. If there is no such connection you can't use Zune, so Zune is a strict disadvantage here, not an advantage.
-Zune also takes care of the backing up (and restoring) of the phone in case of issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then this can be an option. Backup is separate to restore as processes, even if they are run at the same time.
I'm not too sure what's so complicated about plugging your phone into a computer that should already have the Zune software installed (since it is your only method of syncing content to your phone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a terrible aspect of WP7. The question is, when Microsoft adds some of the basic missing features, will updates come over the air and Zune be just an option for consumers.
If anything, the fact that Zune creates backups makes its a far more reliable method then crossing your fingers and hoping your phone can do it all for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup software is fine. I have no objection to making backups. There are multiple ways to backup. Backup is not as important with phones as other devices though as it is not a primary location for data storage, or shouldn't be. However yes, you want your particular choice of content for your phone to be backed up, reselecting it from some other source may be inconvenient.
I'm not going to buy a WP7 phone because I'll have to install the Zune software to install OS updates.
ohgood said:
no. I don't own an iPhone, symbian, landline phone, xbox, or windows pc, boat, pig, or elephant either. the short time I've spent with demo (I have friends that sell) units proved I can't use wp7 on a daily basis for simple tasks -yet-.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good for you, but no one asked u for your opinion on this thread.... so stick to your own OS threads...
CSMR said:
There is no such need since the phone should be able to access internet via wifi or via a usb connection to the PC. If there is no such connection you can't use Zune, so Zune is a strict disadvantage here, not an advantage.
Then this can be an option. Backup is separate to restore as processes, even if they are run at the same time.
This is a terrible aspect of WP7. The question is, when Microsoft adds some of the basic missing features, will updates come over the air and Zune be just an option for consumers.
Backup software is fine. I have no objection to making backups. There are multiple ways to backup. Backup is not as important with phones as other devices though as it is not a primary location for data storage, or shouldn't be. However yes, you want your particular choice of content for your phone to be backed up, reselecting it from some other source may be inconvenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if u dont like it dont buy it what is the point *****ing???
CSMR said:
There is no such need since the phone should be able to access internet via wifi or via a usb connection to the PC. If there is no such connection you can't use Zune, so Zune is a strict disadvantage here, not an advantage.
Then this can be an option. Backup is separate to restore as processes, even if they are run at the same time.
This is a terrible aspect of WP7. The question is, when Microsoft adds some of the basic missing features, will updates come over the air and Zune be just an option for consumers.
Backup software is fine. I have no objection to making backups. There are multiple ways to backup. Backup is not as important with phones as other devices though as it is not a primary location for data storage, or shouldn't be. However yes, you want your particular choice of content for your phone to be backed up, reselecting it from some other source may be inconvenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you ever listen to the wp7 radio podcasts, they just talked about the update last week and decided they would force a backup just to be sure that people didn't screw it up.
It's really not that complicated. If you want OTA updates, get a damn android phone and move on.
mdotgarcia said:
I'm not going to buy a WP7 phone because I'll have to install the Zune software to install OS updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then why are you here??? Not to mention zune software has been the most pleasant suprise of my buying the hd7.
CSMR said:
There is no such need since the phone should be able to access internet via wifi or via a usb connection to the PC. If there is no such connection you can't use Zune, so Zune is a strict disadvantage here, not an advantage.
Then this can be an option. Backup is separate to restore as processes, even if they are run at the same time.
This is a terrible aspect of WP7. The question is, when Microsoft adds some of the basic missing features, will updates come over the air and Zune be just an option for consumers.
Backup software is fine. I have no objection to making backups. There are multiple ways to backup. Backup is not as important with phones as other devices though as it is not a primary location for data storage, or shouldn't be. However yes, you want your particular choice of content for your phone to be backed up, reselecting it from some other source may be inconvenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the end of the day, Zune is here to say, at least for the foreseeable future, so there isn't much point in arguing its existence (or necessity). For most, it brings many conveniences. Its not perfect, and it doesn't work for everyone, but if you decide to buy into this platform and its many advantages, you've gotta roll with the punches.
Another important thing to remember is that no matter how much Microsoft may want this phone to be a viable business option, it isn't (at least in its current form). This platform was designed for the general consumer. Sad to say, but your general consumer isn't too bright. So I understand why backing up during every update is a necessity. I understand why Zune and a PC is required to sync media. I understand why they don't do OTA updating and limit OTA app downloads to under 20 MB.
Some of these things may be slight inconveniences to others, but I appreciate the fact that my phone always has a backup in case something goes wrong, and that I don't have to fumble between 5 different .EXE's or pages of directions to do what I need to do. I just fire up Zune, and it does my syncing, my backups, my restore, the marketplace, podcasts, etc. I mean my goodness, how many different applications did Windows Mobile have to accomplish all this. It was crazy. Windows Phone 7 has nowhere near the amount of issues that Windows Mobile had/has and I love it.
Look at it from a business standpoint too, and it further makes sense. Plug it into your Windows PC and hey that sells software. Require Zune and hey that sells movies, music, games, apps, and Zune Pass subscriptions. It advertises products not only from Microsoft, but using the Zune software is another way for Microsoft to provide access to and advertise the Marketplace to generate more sales and exposure for its developers.
In the grand scheme of things, plugging in your phone to your computer every once in a while is a rather trivial thing to complain about to most people.
prjkthack said:
At the end of the day, Zune is here to say, at least for the foreseeable future, so there isn't much point in arguing its existence (or necessity). For most, it brings many conveniences. Its not perfect, and it doesn't work for everyone, but if you decide to buy into this platform and its many advantages, you've gotta roll with the punches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. It should be there. There should also be alternatives for businesses or anyone who is not the mass consumer.
Another important thing to remember is that no matter how much Microsoft may want this phone to be a viable business option, it isn't (at least in its current form). This platform was designed for the general consumer. Sad to say, but your general consumer isn't too bright. So I understand why backing up during every update is a necessity. I understand why Zune and a PC is required to sync media. I understand why they don't do OTA updating and limit OTA app downloads to under 20 MB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good point, but Microsoft would be crazy to abandon business. They called it WP7, not Kin 2, and they know they need to cater to business at some point.
Some of these things may be slight inconveniences to others, but I appreciate the fact that my phone always has a backup in case something goes wrong, and that I don't have to fumble between 5 different .EXE's or pages of directions to do what I need to do. I just fire up Zune, and it does my syncing, my backups, my restore, the marketplace, podcasts, etc. I mean my goodness, how many different applications did Windows Mobile have to accomplish all this. It was crazy. Windows Phone 7 has nowhere near the amount of issues that Windows Mobile had/has and I love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see that. It's a minimal system that is easy. The problem with Zune is if it is so integrated that there is no alternative. Then it's a phone that is targeted towards entertainment but cannot be a business phone. Instead, the convenience features should be an added, optional layer on top of the OS, not integrated into the OS.
In the grand scheme of things, plugging in your phone to your computer every once in a while is a rather trivial thing to complain about to most people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's fair. It's more of an architecturaral issue, that integration may be tying down the platform to specific uses and types of customer.
I don't understand the problem. iPhones require a connection to iTunes to update from what I recall, and those have been integrated into a business environment. I don't see how this is any different.
FiyaFleye said:
Look, I am so incredibly happy that Zune was required for this phone, as I had no idea of how awesome it was, honestly. I always pushed it to the side for WMP and now I regret it, as the Zune Pass is the greatest thing I've ever spent money on...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 exactly!
and now what..
w/ windows mobile device center and active zinc ""?

[Q] how hide apps in start menu of Windows 10 Mobile "or" add whitelist to Edge?

[Q] how hide apps in start menu of Windows 10 Mobile "or" add whitelist to Edge?
Hi,
is it possible to "hide" an app from the W10M start menu? And I don't refer to the home screen, I mean the full list of apps.
Or would there be a way to let the browser only work with a whitelist? .. No, Microsoft Family does not work properly on W10M.
Background - feel free to call me soft:
- Bought a Lumia 640 XL for my wife and a 2nd hand Lumia 535 for my daughter (to be her first smartphone, getting 9 end of the month) so that they could "share" the same experience, more or less.
- Played around with the "Microsoft Family" feature, and, to make it short, it doesn't work properly, not nearly close to what was expected or advertised. That might change ... in a few months. Maybe.
At least the URL filtering does not work "at all".
- So, in short, in order not to instantly fall back to pick an Android based device for my daughter (one beloved Razr i still in close range...), I was wondering if it was possible to "hide" one or the other thing from the start menu instead, the Edge browser in particular. Uninstallation I don't expect to be possible, probably being a deeper chunk of the OS, but only touching the start menu I concluded "should" be possible, one way or the other. At least I hope so.
Would I start to deal with the "full file system access" approach or rather try to dive into registry fiddling? Any help or maybe clear hint would be highly appreciated.
By now I did not find anything related to this. Neither here at xda or somewhere else. Probably no one considers doing something like that for his kids on Windows 10 Mobile ...
Who would want to hide a browser on a smartphone, anyway? .. yeah, I can't keep my kids "off" of the bad Internet, but I can at least keep an eye upon as long as possible.
Thanks in advance,
regards,...
bloodot
additional remark:
... after adding "a few" URLs to Microsoft's web interface for blocking URLs (via a web automation tool, yeah, I'm lazy...) it stopped working at 1003 regitered URLs. So, as long as they don't come up with something that works (whitlist... external service for checking URLs... whatever...) any help on this matter would be highly appreciated.
You want to keep her off the "web," correct?
Change your Mobile Data & Wifi DNS to 127.0.01
(You will need interop/FS access: )
Create a hosts file in C://Windows/system32/drivers/etc
Determine what sites you want to *allow* and find their IP. For example, if you want to whitelist Facebook, open cmd.exe from your PC and type:
Code:
ping facebook.com
You'll see:
Code:
C:\WINDOWS\system32>ping facebook.com
Pinging facebook.com [31.13.76.68] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 31.13.76.68: bytes=32 time=75ms TTL=82
Reply from 31.13.76.68: bytes=32 time=76ms TTL=82
Reply from 31.13.76.68: bytes=32 time=79ms TTL=82
Reply from 31.13.76.68: bytes=32 time=74ms TTL=82
Ping statistics for 31.13.76.68:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 74ms, Maximum = 79ms, Average = 76ms
C:\WINDOWS\system32>
So, you'd add:
Code:
31.13.76.68 facebook.com
31.13.76.68 www.facebook.com
to your phone's host file.
If you can create profiles on your router, you can also do the same (DNS to 127.0.01 for her phone's MAC address)
Doing this would make all of the web unresolvable, except facebook.com
To change the Wifi DNS:
Settings -> Network & Wireless -> Wi-fi -> Static IP -> fill your info
*If your router doesn't support static IP, you should check and see if your router supports profiles, and build one to target her phone mac address.* (If you don't target her mac address/other phone identifier and set your router to 127.0.01, all of the devices on your network will encounter blocked access to the web)
For Mobile Data:
I don't see an immediate switch for this (at least with my provider), it's routed through a network port on their servers. Unless something changes in future builds, it's probably best to just turn mobile data off and use the Wifi/hosts to keep control of what sites she can access.
Thank you very much!
Point is, I don't want to keep her off completely, and the major issue would be to keep control once she's "not" inside our home network but on cellular.
So I think I need to start investigating on my own whether I can manipulate the start menu or even the browser itself.
The local DNS lookup, which would only work on WiFi anyhow, would also result in me analyzing all communcation end points for "any" kind of
app I'd like her to use. Doable, but still the mobile part would be open. Beyond that I cannot block here "re-enabling" the cellular data connection,
the system isn't that strict in that matter. Would be nice, though, ...
@home I already use OpenDNS, probably should have mentioned that, so that's more or less under control.
Let's see if some other ideas or approached pop up from xda; I'm actually trying to get in direct contact with one of the Microsoft Family team
as, on a business level, we're currently working closely with some of the Microsoft 10 teams.
If they, if connected that is, tell me that they're aware of the bugs and that they're actually part of a road map, I'd be happy, too.
However, for the time being I expect I have to sort it on my own.
I'll give it a go with interop and see what I can find to deal with.
So, any other ideas?
Regards,..
bloodot
How about interopunlock and use your own hosts file?
How about App corner inside settings?
augustinionut said:
How about interopunlock and use your own hosts file?
How about App corner inside settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... the hostsfile will only work via WiFi, at least that's my current understanding as for cellular one cannot change the DNS settings, meaning, you can't make them point towards 127.0.0.1.
App Corner I already "played" around with - it has some other issues
- it's buggy, sometimes it doesn't even start.
- can be bypassed by just restarting the device
- everything "allowed" is available to public, more or less.
- the App Corner does not allow "games" to be made available ...
... hey, so what about the kids' corner?
- well, that doesn't allow the phone app... but still, that would also be a half-baked approach again.
I hope it were at least three different teams designing those packages, the kids' corner, the app corner and the family safety integration.
As a whole, NONE of them delivers what a parent needs when actually "permanently" giving a Windows based phone to one of his children.
bloodot said:
... the hostsfile will only work via WiFi, at least that's my current understanding as for cellular one cannot change the DNS settings, meaning, you can't make them point towards 127.0.0.1.
App Corner I already "played" around with - it has some other issues
- it's buggy, sometimes it doesn't even start.
- can be bypassed by just restarting the device
- everything "allowed" is available to public, more or less.
- the App Corner does not allow "games" to be made available ...
... hey, so what about the kids' corner?
- well, that doesn't allow the phone app... but still, that would also be a half-baked approach again.
I hope it were at least three different teams designing those packages, the kids' corner, the app corner and the family safety integration.
As a whole, NONE of them delivers what a parent needs when actually "permanently" giving a Windows based phone to one of his children.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PIN + kids corner. Can't bypass it.
-W_O_L_F- said:
PIN + kids corner. Can't bypass it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... it's not my phone she should use. She should be able to use her own phone.
That includes calling her mum or me.
"Phone" is not an allowed app for the kids corner, it ain't listed when setting that up.
And even if it was, it would allow "anyone" who would steal that phone to directly use it's SIM card hazzle free.
And, as a minor annoyance, anything else that would be allowed via that mechanism.
It's just the current truth to deal with, W10M is not child-ready by any means.
If I want more control, I need to switch the phone.
Or start trusting a 9year-ish old girl to deal with the Internet without restrictions.
... so fiddled around with a few things, though interop is active according to the tool itself after sideloading it, wconnect won't work at all (crashes, no proper error given and before that IpOverUsbInstaller won't finish installation), so I can't get that key to get the SSH connection done and therefore I can't get full file access.
I think I'm done with this now. Selling the phone, using the Razr I instead, already have the proper system locking tools in place for that, bye bye Lumia 535. I would have loved to see my child deal with such an "easy" OS interface for getting used to smartphones, but I can't let her have access to the Internet while "not at home" without restrictions. No way.
... went so far and tried miradore to restrict the system via MDM. And guess what ... the f'n browser CANNOT be blocked via MDM. At least miradore has a free trial of 14 days. I was even willing to pay the damn 2$ per month for that service. *sigh* MAYBE it has a URL filter SOMEWHERE ...
... however, at least one can disallow the "usage" of the browser. MAYBE that works. Trying...
Yes. Works. JESUS ... what a mess. Let's see if I can get that done somewhere / somehow via MDM "without" another monthly fee ...
yeah, worked. Pitty though, they want "10$" minimum fee per month.
BUT: ... I stumbled over https://www.manageengine.com/mobile-device-management/
Free for up to 25 devices. Either cloud based (not supporting W10M for now) or Windows based installation (supporting W10M, more up2date...).
And it works. Thank you very much. Case closed.
Though I cannot restrict the URLs ... I can blog the Edge browser. And the Microsoft Store. Happy bunny.

Categories

Resources