Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions - Windows 10 Mobile

Hi all,
I've been using a HTC HD2 running WM 6.5 since 2009. I'm still happy with it but it becomes more and more obsolete for many things (no 4G, unable to browse "modern" website, no HTML email support etc.). Now i think about purchasing a Lumia 950 for WM 10. However, there're many functions that seems lost or deeply changed since 2009. I need a new phone for professionnal use. I don't need social networks, games or entertainment things (what Android do very well by the way).
1/ I use Outlook 2010 on Windows 7 and i need to sync all my calendar and contacts with no cloud at all for privacy reasons. I have no exchange server. I'd like to do this through Bluetooth as i do it everyday with WM6.5. This seems impossible nowadays! Even between Outlook desktop and Outlook mobile. This is a hudge regression to me. I'm still stuck with my old WM 6.5 mainly because of this. I've heard of a software called Akruto but it works with a USB cable (another regression). Plus, and i can't find any feedback about this software. Is it really cloudless or not... we don't know.
2/ I need to sync many files by keeping the original tree with folders, subfolders etc, with no cloud again, between my desktop and my mobile. And i need this data being crypted in AES in case I'd lose my phone or some people try to access it. For now with my HD2, i use FreeOTFE which crypts and mounts a drive with a letter (i.e : G: ) on the desktop from a file stored in the microSD card inside the phone. After that, i can sync the files with a special software on Windows 7. This software needs a letter to be mounted for working. But again, it seems the MTP protocol has become the standard, and it's not possible to get a letter with it... Another regression.
3/ I need visual notifications when there's a miss call, a voicemail or a new mail without sound pop-up and without having to turn on the smartphone screen . The LED was very useful but i disappeared too. It was replaced by the glance thing which looks interesting. Does it work with the Lumia 950? I've read the glance doesn't exist (or doesn't work well) with AMOLED screen. By the way, can you choose what kind of notification exactly you need? To avoid draining battery for not useful things.
4/ I've been using Tomtom for GPS for 10 years now. And i'm sad to discover it doesn't exist on WM. What good alternative would you recommand? With of course point of interest customing and lansdcape mode switching automatically. Or, would you think the method to make working Androids apps on WM10 would work with a GPS software?
5/ Does Google maps exist on WM10? I don't want any alternative, but the original one for many special reasons.
Thank you very much.

Lucius Snow said:
Hi all,
I've been using a HTC HD2 running WM 6.5 since 2009. I'm still happy with it but it becomes more and more obsolete for many things (no 4G, unable to browse "modern" website, no HTML email support etc.). Now i think about purchasing a Lumia 950 for WM 10. However, there're many functions that seems lost or deeply changed since 2009. I need a new phone for professionnal use. I don't need social networks, games or entertainment things (what Android do very well by the way).
1/ I use Outlook 2010 on Windows 7 and i need to sync all my calendar and contacts with no cloud at all for privacy reasons. I have no exchange server. I'd like to do this through Bluetooth as i do it everyday with WM6.5. This seems impossible nowadays! Even between Outlook desktop and Outlook mobile. This is a hudge regression to me. I'm still stuck with my old WM 6.5 mainly because of this. I've heard of a software called Akruto but it works with a USB cable (another regression). Plus, and i can't find any feedback about this software. Is it really cloudless or not... we don't know.
2/ I need to sync many files by keeping the original tree with folders, subfolders etc, with no cloud again, between my desktop and my mobile. And i need this data being crypted in AES in case I'd lose my phone or some people try to access it. For now with my HD2, i use FreeOTFE which crypts and mounts a drive with a letter (i.e : G: ) on the desktop from a file stored in the microSD card inside the phone. After that, i can sync the files with a special software on Windows 7. This software needs a letter to be mounted for working. But again, it seems the MTP protocol has become the standard, and it's not possible to get a letter with it... Another regression.
3/ I need visual notifications when there's a miss call, a voicemail or a new mail without sound pop-up and without having to turn on the smartphone screen . The LED was very useful but i disappeared too. It was replaced by the glance thing which looks interesting. Does it work with the Lumia 950? I've read the glance doesn't exist (or doesn't work well) with AMOLED screen. By the way, can you choose what kind of notification exactly you need? To avoid draining battery for not useful things.
4/ I've been using Tomtom for GPS for 10 years now. And i'm sad to discover it doesn't exist on WM. What good alternative would you recommand? With of course point of interest customing and lansdcape mode switching automatically. Or, would you think the method to make working Androids apps on WM10 would work with a GPS software?
5/ Does Google maps exist on WM10? I don't want any alternative, but the original one for many special reasons.
Thank you very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all , this is a huge jump you have made!
but you should just jump in a figure it all for yourself, because there isnt any mobile OS out there that can meet your requirements unless you configure it specifically.

surya467 said:
First of all , this is a huge jump you have made!
but you should just jump in a figure it all for yourself, because there isnt any mobile OS out there that can meet your requirements unless you configure it specifically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i know i need to configure it to avoid the all-cloud forced step. That's why I'm here.

1. there doesn't seem to be any way to sync your calendar and contacts through bluetooth, and i don't think it's possible with usb either, unless using some kind of 3rd party software.
2. windows 10 has build in encryption, i haven't used it yet, so i don't know what kind of encryption it uses. but i think if you copy your files over they will get encrypted. another way might be using interop unlock, which, if i'm right about this, enables you to mount the phone as usb storage and mount it as a folder in windows, but again, i haven't tried this either, so i don't know how this works.
3. as far as i know glance does work on the 950(xl), but you can only choose 5 apps to display their unread count, in addition to showing the time and date.
4/5. there's no google maps, most google apps aren't available for windows phone/10. there is the default maps app, which uses bing maps. this app has basic navigation possibilities.

mjz2cool said:
1. there doesn't seem to be any way to sync your calendar and contacts through bluetooth, and i don't think it's possible with usb either, unless using some kind of 3rd party software.
2. windows 10 has build in encryption, i haven't used it yet, so i don't know what kind of encryption it uses. but i think if you copy your files over they will get encrypted. another way might be using interop unlock, which, if i'm right about this, enables you to mount the phone as usb storage and mount it as a folder in windows, but again, i haven't tried this either, so i don't know how this works.
3. as far as i know glance does work on the 950(xl), but you can only choose 5 apps to display their unread count, in addition to showing the time and date.
4/5. there's no google maps, most google apps aren't available for windows phone/10. there is the default maps app, which uses bing maps. this app has basic navigation possibilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. The Interop unlock the USB mass storage seems good news.

Hi,
ad3) I don't own a 950 but glance should work with the 950 (I can't posts links but if you google it or look it up on windowscentral you can find instructions how to set up glance on a 950 (XL) )
ad4/5) Build in maps are OK and also allow offline navigation.

Related

Dash sync solutions with Vista or Mac

I have a T-mobile Dash that I am very happy with but am shopping for a new laptop. I am considering 2 laptops running Vista (Dell XPS 1330 and a Toshiba Protege R500)and the 13' Macbook. My concern is being able to sync up contacts and calender. I am currently syncing to Outlook on my laptop running XP. I am not sure which would be easier to sync my Dash with. I have heard the problems with Vista and Mobile Device Center, and have know that there is software that allows syncing with a mac. I am mainly concerned with being able to sync my contacts and calender, everything else is secondary.
My options seem to be basically,
Deal with WMDC on Vista,
Use software such as missing sync to sync to the mac,
run xp on parallels to sync with outlook via active sync.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I need microsoft office for compatibility with the computers at school for projects etc, so I have outlook but use it only for contacts and calenders, not email.
Thanks,
Bryan
well, you could start by getting a laptop with Vista on it, and immeditealy re-format it XP...which should be the default choice if you ask me
ashasaur said:
well, you could start by getting a laptop with Vista on it, and immeditealy re-format it XP...which should be the default choice if you ask me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep unfortunately Vista isn't up to par with windows mobile compatibility as yet. I got a MacBook Pro and an iPhone but yes you could use the missing sync and a MacBook. I haven't used it personally but I've heard good reports. Get the Mac first and you'll love its philosophy so much I bet you get an iPhone.
I use missing sync with my Imac and it's great.
How to get ahold of a copy of XP
How hard is it to get a copy of XP to replace Vista? That would be an ideal solution. No new software to buy as the software that I have would need I have already. If XP was offered as the OS on one of the windows laptops I would not be tempted by the mac. I am happy with my XP laptop now and am just looking for something smaller and more portable.
I phone
Indiekiduk,
I would love to get an apple SMARTPHONE. If apple released a 3G iphone and opened it up to third party apps i would consider it. I was really looking forward to the potential that the Iphone had, but am extremely disappointed with the current version. If apple released a smartphone with the capabilities of a WM phone then I would be tempted. I work for a cell phone company that sells Verizon, ATT, and T-Mobile. I would consider ATT service for an apple smartphone, not the current entertainment phone.
It has WiFi that goes faster than WM and can run 3rd party apps. Yes GPRS is a little slower than 3G and it takes a small bit of effort to set it up to install the installer which lets you install the 3rd party apps from one tap, but overall the iphone is leagues above a windows mobile. The interface is stunning, so intuitive and a joy to use. The device is sleek and the hardware is the most powerful ever in a phone, multi-touch screen, orientation sensor, one button on the headset for pause music, skip song, answer and hang calls, it even has a 3D graphics accelerator!! It has a full web browser, pages look just like your laptop, double tap columns of text to zoom to them, supports javascript, ajax, animations, more people are browsing on the iphone than windows 98 and Windows mobile combined in the latest stats! I'm only touching on the features here.
Here is the installer:
http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/
Here are some other things to get excited about!
http://cre.ations.net/creation/dock
http://navizon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/a-version-of-na.html
Honestly man, windows mobile is up **** creek.
You can use the iPhone on T-Mobile if you unlock it, either using the freeware AnySim (in installer) or using www.stealthsim.com (the latest iphones require this method at present). If you work for a cell phone company this should be trivial for you.
Not about Iphone
Im glad the Iphone works for you, but it does not offer anything that would make me spend the money for one at this point. I know that there is unlocking software and applications out there, but it is a lot of trouble to go through for an expensive phone. If I were going to spend that kind of money right now i would probably but an unlocked Kaiser. Like i said, if apple brought out a true smartphone i would be seriously interested, rigth now there are just too many drawbacks for me.
The way apple has treated the iPhone actually makes me want to buy a mac less (and certainly not right before Macworld). I have not been impressed by the way they have handled the iphone, but I am not really impressed with Vista either. If microsoft had not messed up Vista and WMDC then I would not be considering switching to a mac, I would just adjust to vista.
If I switched phones right now it would probably be to a BB Curve, as UMA (hot spot at home) calling would be a a good feature for me.
atlp99 said:
How hard is it to get a copy of XP to replace Vista? That would be an ideal solution. No new software to buy as the software that I have would need I have already. If XP was offered as the OS on one of the windows laptops I would not be tempted by the mac. I am happy with my XP laptop now and am just looking for something smaller and more portable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I dont know what we are supposed to post on here, but shoot me a PM and I can see about hookin you up...
i haven't had any problems with Vista and my S621... i sync up to Outlook with my contacts and calendar no prob...
atlp99 said:
Im glad the Iphone works for you, but it does not offer anything that would make me spend the money for one at this point. I know that there is unlocking software and applications out there, but it is a lot of trouble to go through for an expensive phone. If I were going to spend that kind of money right now i would probably but an unlocked Kaiser. Like i said, if apple brought out a true smartphone i would be seriously interested, rigth now there are just too many drawbacks for me.
The way apple has treated the iPhone actually makes me want to buy a mac less (and certainly not right before Macworld). I have not been impressed by the way they have handled the iphone, but I am not really impressed with Vista either. If microsoft had not messed up Vista and WMDC then I would not be considering switching to a mac, I would just adjust to vista.
If I switched phones right now it would probably be to a BB Curve, as UMA (hot spot at home) calling would be a a good feature for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh? The Kaiser is twice the price of the iphone! $800 compared with $400. Here are more apps to wet your appetite!
http://lifehacker.com/339834/the-20-best-iphone-and-ipod-touch-applications
I know its a tough decision moving from something you know to something new. But honestly, owning a Mac will blow you away and your only frustration will be why you didn't get one sooner!
I know that the Kaiser is expensive but it lines up better with what I need in a phone.
If I went to an I phone I would lose
Push email (WM6 push email with hotmail) and easy setup of gmail
Hardware keyboard, ( after spending some time with a friends iPhone this is fairly neutral, i prefer a hardware keyboard but the iPhone keyboard is workable)
MMS, (I send enough picture messages to my wife that I would miss this ability)
If I unlocked it to use on my T-mobile dealer line then I would not be able to update to the newer versions of the software as they come out without locking the phone again until the software has been hacked again. Has 1.1.2 been fully unlocked for both applications and sim?
Indiekiduk, this has me rethinking how what i would really miss if I went to an Iphone so keep the ideas coming
Thanks
Vista and Dash will not exchange passkeys
So I have given up on getting the toshiba BT stack to play nicely with my device, and have opted to used the default vista drivers. All this to simply get active sync to work via bluetooth.
I have been able to pair the two devices, but when it comes time to sync... regardless of what I use as a passkey, I always get a failure message from vista. Passkey was not exchanged variety...
I have researched across the web to see similar problems, but no solutions. Any thoughts
Thanks
ROM: Kavana 6.1 (rickwyatt flavor) v. 18
OS: Vista x64 ultimate
WMDM: 6.1
Okay... I finally have my dash synced via bluetooth...
...now how can I edit my registry on my pc to change what serial port (com6) my bluetooth uses to push data files
Help i cannot sync!
Hi, I hope somebody can help me, ever since I installed 6.1 and try to syn either via bluetooth or usb my phone says "this device its not allowed to connect to desktop computer" i dont know what to do and i really need to sync my phone!
XP or vista?
what bluetooth stack?
its vista and its the built-in bluetooth on my laptop!
Vista won't partner after upgrade to 6.1
I just upgraded to mobile 6.1 and overall everything works now after installing a bunch of cab files to fix the keyboard issues. However now my Windows Vista won't recognize my HTC phone. I finally went to USB to PC setting and unchecked "Enable Advanced Network Functionality" and Vista seemed to recognize it. However my Dash now says it REQUIRES Active Sync 4.5 or higher. Vista uses Windows Mobile Center and for some reason I can't get it to recognize and create a partnership. Any thoughts?
Also how do I get a song to become my ring tone. Seems this was lost
Thanks!
Unfortunately, I have the same problem. I updated to the latest "Windows Mobile Device Center" - still no luck, I get "Synchronization Failed Error" and to update to active sync 4.5 - Wierd :S
However, I have another computer running vista, it's a brand new pc which barely has anything on it and it connects just fine so I had to use that all day yesterday but the pc I use is in my room and that's the one giving me errors.
Any Solutions?
firewall? that might be a part to your problem

Touch Pro 2 WM 6.5 - Wierd Issue

Hi,
Just got the touch pro 2 and its awesome. I upgraded to WM 6.5, so I don't know if this post would be better in the Rom development folder, but here goes.
When I attempt to connect to my school wireless network it asks me to Download Cisco Clean Access Agent which is a utility that Windows Computers use to connect wirelessly. Previously with my HTC Trinity on the same Network w/ WM 6.5 and IE (not Opera) I was able to login using the web-login.
Basically Opera is saying the wrong thing and I obviously cannot run a Windows Login tool from WM6.5. Anyway work-around from the Opera stand point? Or should I use IE?
(BTW, I can't find IE on the phone anymore, maybe its not included...Does anyone have a CAB file for the New IE that normally is included w/ WM6.5?)
seyarr said:
Hi,
Just got the touch pro 2 and its awesome. I upgraded to WM 6.5, so I don't know if this post would be better in the Rom development folder, but here goes.
When I attempt to connect to my school wireless network it asks me to Download Cisco Clean Access Agent which is a utility that Windows Computers use to connect wirelessly. Previously with my HTC Trinity on the same Network w/ WM 6.5 and IE (not Opera) I was able to login using the web-login.
Basically Opera is saying the wrong thing and I obviously cannot run a Windows Login tool from WM6.5. Anyway work-around from the Opera stand point? Or should I use IE?
(BTW, I can't find IE on the phone anymore, maybe its not included...Does anyone have a CAB file for the New IE that normally is included w/ WM6.5?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should be a setting in the browser that allows the phone to be identified as either a mobile device or a PC. It's likely that the school network is seeing it as a computer and thus trying to install the software. Try changing the setting in the browser so that it is identified as a mobile device.
Thanks for info...any idea where that setting may be in Opera.. I checked the settings and Under Advanced I only found 3 checkboxes: 1 for Plug-ins, Cookies, and Javascript?
Under Display - there was a checkbox for Mobile View (which I tried, it only changed the way I saw the website, but it still asked me to Download the clean access program).
Report The Issue To Your School IT Staff
My university uses Clean Access, and there are ways it can be exempt certain IP-based devices. Smart phones, printers, scanners, etc. are all those kind of things.
Yes, you could tell Opera to mis-identify itself, but those of us who work in IT would rather do it properly and set rules to exempt devices. Yours will not be the first on your campus, so the sooner your IT department is able to get this issue on the radar screen, the better for all concerned. Help them help all students, not just solve your own issue.
Thanks, I'll go by and see what they do about it.

[Q] phone7 in business

i've been trying to find info over the last 30-60mins, and cant find anything really conclusive.
the best info i've found is phone7 is going for blackberry market.
however, from the many other results i've found, it's very limited an no where near capable of being a business-grade OS.
ok, what i've been trying to find out is the following:
having a wm6 handset right now, what features is phone7 missing?
is mass-storage mode available?
is exchange 2007 sync available, or is it only exchange2010 compatible?
is the office suite complete? (word, excel, powerpoint, sharepoint etc)
i'm having a hard time realising what phone7 is like in the corporate environment and everything seems to be so focused on facebook and the social side of things, rather than serious business requirements.
i've had the luxury to use android on my touchHD for more than just a few minutes, so i know what it's capable of. phone7 on the other hand i dont have the luxury of trialling.
veehexx said:
i've been trying to find info over the last 30-60mins, and cant find anything really conclusive.
the best info i've found is phone7 is going for blackberry market.
however, from the many other results i've found, it's very limited an no where near capable of being a business-grade OS.
ok, what i've been trying to find out is the following:
having a wm6 handset right now, what features is phone7 missing?
is mass-storage mode available?
is exchange 2007 sync available, or is it only exchange2010 compatible?
is the office suite complete? (word, excel, powerpoint, sharepoint etc)
i'm having a hard time realising what phone7 is like in the corporate environment and everything seems to be so focused on facebook and the social side of things, rather than serious business requirements.
i've had the luxury to use android on my touchHD for more than just a few minutes, so i know what it's capable of. phone7 on the other hand i dont have the luxury of trialling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Mass Storage = NO - Use a USB stick. Use DropBox. Use SkyDrive. Use something else but don't use the phone as a storage device. Think about it this way. You carry the WP7 device with you and you have something on it. You then have to carry the sync cable and make sure that the other computer can install the device driver on it as well. There are many other reasons I can understand why it isn't a good reason to use the WP7 phone as a Mass Storage Device.
2) Exchange 2007 and 2010 = YES - I sync to both type of servers with Policies.
3) Office Suite = Word, Excel PowerPoint, OneNote, Sharepoint.
mrmomoman said:
2) Exchange 2007 and 2010 = YES - I sync to both type of servers with Policies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about Exchange 2003?
Hiya ive had a device since the 21st and this is what ive found.
Q1. Having a wm6 handset right now, what features is phone7 missing?
A1. There are no Notes sync with using exchange but M$ answer is to use OneNote, no VPN or remote desktop. Most things have to be synced using an exchange server over the air. But contacts, Calendar and Email do work fine.
Q2. Is mass-storage mode available?
A2. No
Q3. Is exchange 2007 sync available, or is it only exchange2010 compatible?
A3. We are running exchange 2007 and it works just fine, 2010 will add sms backup weather this will work with WP7 i dont know but it does with 6.5.
Q4. Is the office suite complete? (word, excel, powerpoint, sharepoint etc)
A4. Yes Word, Excel, share point, One Note and Power Point is included. But the only way to get them to the phone is email or you will need a Live account to share documents.
mrmomoman said:
1) Mass Storage = NO - Use a USB stick. Use DropBox. Use SkyDrive. Use something else but don't use the phone as a storage device. Think about it this way. You carry the WP7 device with you and you have something on it. You then have to carry the sync cable and make sure that the other computer can install the device driver on it as well. There are many other reasons I can understand why it isn't a good reason to use the WP7 phone as a Mass Storage Device.
2) Exchange 2007 and 2010 = YES - I sync to both type of servers with Policies.
3) Office Suite = Word, Excel PowerPoint, OneNote, Sharepoint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
short addon to the exchange sync info:
WP7 will not allow sync of tasks! (calendar will be synced)
Even check your capabilities to deploy certificates for ssl-secured exchange connections.
I've wrote a short closeup about my business experience HERE.
Greetings Ralf
thank you all for your replies.
lack of mass storage is a PITA for me personally. it's not so much a business need, but the ability to simply whack the phone onto any pc (i presume HTC are keeping the miniUSB connector, and not propriety) and use it an an 'emergency' pen drive is a requirement. most people have miniUSB cable now, and if not, then i'll have my car with me and have such cable present.
i actually use 'Mass Storage' it to install activesync, and then able to use activesync.
that said, another feature that i plan to use in the future is to use Mass Storage with my car; ala ipod when you connect with USB cable.
infact, having to install drivers/software to interface with the phone is a big turn off for me.
@2good4you - thanks for the link.
phone7 (in it's current form) is a complete disgrace. no teethering that'll annoy our mobile users!
time to work out if we want to be android-only, or symbian/android.
tnedator said:
What about Exchange 2003?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's supposed to be able to work with Exchange 2003 as well but I don't know if it does.
TBH from a business point of view, this OS isn't geared up for it at least at the moment. M$ did state sometime earlier in the year that business and power users are a secondary concern. Basically they are aiming for a different market share to begin with. This doesn't mean that they are not going to cater for our needs - just not yet.
2good4you said:
short addon to the exchange sync info:
WP7 will not allow sync of tasks! (calendar will be synced)
Even check your capabilities to deploy certificates for ssl-secured exchange connections.
I've wrote a short closeup about my business experience HERE.
Greetings Ralf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Assumed most knew that tasks would not sync. He was asking in general terms. It does work. Certs can always be a pain no matter what. Sometimes its butter and other times it salt.
I hope the tasks update will come.
chubnut said:
It's supposed to be able to work with Exchange 2003 as well but I don't know if it does.
TBH from a business point of view, this OS isn't geared up for it at least at the moment. M$ did state sometime earlier in the year that business and power users are a secondary concern. Basically they are aiming for a different market share to begin with. This doesn't mean that they are not going to cater for our needs - just not yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reading earlier, i believe if you have exchange 2003 with sp2, it will work fine.
veehexx said:
that said, another feature that i plan to use in the future is to use Mass Storage with my car; ala ipod when you connect with USB cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
be careful there, I tried to use omnia 7 with my car to listen to music via usb it didn't work and when plugged back into WIN7x74 , it complained that drivers are missing, after countless hours of workaround i had to reset it and it is now fine.
i am using line connector for music now.

control WP7 phone/SMS from PC

hey guys, i'm having trouble with finding a program like mobiledit or jeyo that allows you to SMS and have phone priveleges on a pc. my netbook has windows 7 starter and i can't find anything that works with windows 7 starter or with wp7 or with both. anyone know something i could use? this is a necessity with me. if i can't find something, i'll be migrating away from wp7 and my samsung focus. even samsung's own pc studio software does not support the focus.
all my controls would be via bluetooth.
there isn't a program at present to do this as the phone is locked down quite a bit and APIs would need to be written to get this going (or phone needs to be hacked up for it, which i don't see happening any time soon).
The Gate Keeper said:
there isn't a program at present to do this as the phone is locked down quite a bit and APIs would need to be written to get this going (or phone needs to be hacked up for it, which i don't see happening any time soon).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that seems so odd to me. windows 7 starters automatically answers incoming calls and allows me controls of my phone's zune playback (forward/backwards, stop/pause) while connected to the phone via bluetooth, so you would think since windows has already got the functionality of partially controlling the phone, they would go ahead and add the texting and the "answer/ignore/dial" functionality as well.
there are some serious functionality problems with the wp7 in these regards. you go look at mobiledit's list of working phones and it is just about every phone made except the windows phone 7. any ideas on if this could happen in the next year?
i would suggest hitting up social.microsoft.com about this. that is more of a direct source. MS could provide more ideas as to what they're doing at the MWC next week, but i doubt it would be detailed enough down to particular featuresets.

The state of MTP on Mac OS X (as required for ICS/GNex)

So, this isn't about the Galaxy Nexus per-se, but I know many of you are scared of the change to MTP and the interaction with the computer, especially those of you coming from Gingerbread directly through to the Galaxy Nexus.
I've had a Motorola Xoom (which doesn't support USB mass storage mode) for a while. Simply put, there is _no_ native support for MTP in OS X (10.7 or lower). If you plug your Galaxy Nexus into your Mac, nothing will happen at all. OS X won't see it, DoubleTwist doesn't see it, Songbird won't and iTunes (obviously) won't see it. As far as I know, there's no way of enabling your Mac to see the device natively, and all of the software designed for other MTP devices that I've tried doesn't work.
In fact, the only way your Mac will ever see it is if you download Google's Android File Helper software. This program, once installed, runs in the background, and whenever you plug in your Honeycomb (or ICS) device, it pops up a window showing the contents of the phone's memory. From here (and only from that window), you can pull files from the phone/tablet or put them onto it.
This works acceptably, but with a few hangups. First, unlike a normal finder window, only one transfer can occur at once, and there's no queueing. So, if you drop one folder on to copy, you're not able to move anything else onto or off of the card until it's finished. Also, large transfers (~10 GB) don't work particularly reliably, and may fail partway through, so you may consider dragging files in in groups. Finally, and most frustratingly, it will often not be up to date with what files are on the device, especially if you've recently deleted them. So, folders or files may still show up that you've recently deleted. Maybe this has been changed in ICS (I hope so!), but that's my experience.
That's your primary way on or off the device. I've had limited success using DDMS for transferring files on and off of the device, and although it's clunky and requires USB debugging mode, it's the most reliable way I've found for transfers that fail in the Transfer client. In practice, I'd recommend using something like SwiFTP to copy (smaller) files to and from your device, and avoiding the hassle when you can.
In short, you definitely CAN use OS X to transfer files onto and off of your Galaxy Nexus, but it's not as easy as it was for Gingerbread Devices, and tools like DoubleTwist and Songbird can no longer access your device at all (in their current versions). You can get around this using AirSync for DoubleTwist to load music, or doing so manually, but it's kludgey. It's unlikely that Apple will choose to support MTP in future versions of OS X (it's a Microsoft protocol now used mostly by Android), but hopefully Google will improve the tool as time goes on.
Sorry if this is all well known and obvious, but if you were on the fence about the GNex because of this, don't be. The MTP switch is annoying, but nothing showstopping, even for OS X. Just FYI.
wanderfowl said:
I've had a Motorola Xoom (which doesn't support USB host mode) for a while.
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Which doesn't have USB Mass Storage mode (not USB Host - this is USB OTG where you can plug in other USB peripherals into the Xoom). Sorry just a pet peeve watching people confuse the two.
Thanks for an informative post. MTP looks like it is going to cause headaches to every non-Windows device by the looks of it. Ironic for a Linux based device ; ).
Jebus99 said:
Which doesn't have USB Mass Storage mode (not USB Host - this is USB OTG where you can plug in other USB peripherals into the Xoom). Sorry just a pet peeve watching people confuse the two.
Thanks for an informative post. MTP looks like it is going to cause headaches to every non-Windows device by the looks of it. Ironic for a Linux based device ; ).
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Whoops! Edited
So WiFi File Explorer outta work though if your other ftp type app did?
Thanks for the info. I remember using the app on my MacBook when I had the Xoom. I didn't mind it too much, but it was a tad annoying having to open the app rather than just pop open 'finder' and go. FWIW it DID work just fine for my couple months with the Xoom.
So WiFi File Explorer outta work though if your other ftp type app did?
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Yeah, FTP apps of all sorts work fine. I use Transmit on the Mac to access the phone via FTP, and that works like a charm.
martonikaj said:
Thanks for the info. I remember using the app on my MacBook when I had the Xoom. I didn't mind it too much, but it was a tad annoying having to open the app rather than just pop open 'finder' and go. FWIW it DID work just fine for my couple months with the Xoom.
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It works fine to the internal storage. Maybe I should've said explicitly that I had more issues using the Android File Transfer app with the SD Card in the Xoom.
I'm glad Google gave this a thought, now they should make one for linux too, but they probably won't.
wanderfowl said:
iTunes (obviously) won't see it.
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My post is pointless, but hell will freeze over before iTunes recognizes a Samsung device, lol. If it wasn't for laws and standard, they wouldn't allow their PC to recognize Samsung devices either.
eksasol said:
I'm glad Google gave this a thought, now they should make one for linux too, but they probably won't.
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That's the nice part about Linux. The people working on Linux have an active incentive to add this functionality, as it improves the experience. With OS X, they have an active (marketing) reason to not add it, anti-competitive behavior. Don't give up hope
wanderfowl said:
It's unlikely that Apple will choose to support MTP in future versions of OS X (it's a Microsoft protocol now used mostly by Android), but hopefully Google will improve the tool as time goes on.
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It's a protocol native to the USB standard since 2008 so if Apple want to be standards compliant they should implement it. There are lots of other devices that use it as well.
wanderfowl said:
As far as I know, there's no way of enabling your Mac to see the device natively, and all of the software designed for other MTP devices that I've tried doesn't work.
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Those apps probably just need an update to libmtp.. for some reason that library has the device ID of every device it supports hardcoded in, rather than working out whether a device supports mtp in other ways as things like windows do.
If anyone has ported mtpfs to OSX you should be able to get that going (will probably do that myself when I get time.. Android File Transfer is OK but a bit quirky).
blunden said:
It's a protocol native to the USB standard since 2008 so if Apple want to be standards compliant they should implement it. There are lots of other devices that use it as well.
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Trust me, I'm not defending it, but I can't imagine Apple in its current state implementing a change which would help in supporting a competitor's product (especially Android) just to be open and compliant. Given how willing Apple as a company is to cut off its nose to spite its face, I doubt that they'll rush to help their users here. Prove me wrong, Apple.
TonyHoyle said:
Those apps probably just need an update to libmtp.. for some reason that library has the device ID of every device it supports hardcoded in, rather than working out whether a device supports mtp in other ways as things like windows do.
If anyone has ported mtpfs to OSX you should be able to get that going (will probably do that myself when I get time.. Android File Transfer is OK but a bit quirky).
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I've tried working with the existing mtpfs ports, but wasn't able to get very far at all. I'm hoping that ICS will spur people to develop further on that, maybe pulling it into MacFUSE.
wanderfowl said:
Trust me, I'm not defending it, but I can't imagine Apple in its current state implementing a change which would help in supporting a competitor's product (especially Android) just to be open and compliant. Given how willing Apple as a company is to cut off its nose to spite its face, I doubt that they'll rush to help their users here. Prove me wrong, Apple.
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You certainly have a point and is the primary reason I dispise Apple as a company.
My main point was that it's not to be considered a "Microsoft protocol" as it's been part of the USB standard for years now. Nothing is stopping any OS from implementing it and as a standard they really should as it brings some nice improvements like not requiring the OS on the PC to have support for the filesystem used on the device. Considering FAT32 and exFAT are basically the only filesystems that work in all major OSes, the former being old and having severe limitations and the latter requiring a license it's nice to be able to use something like ext2/3/4 or any other filesystem of choice and still maintain compability.
Apple hasn't typically been particularly resistant to implementing standards and protocols used to communicate with 3rd party devices. Also, the major force behind Apple's resistance to just about everything is gone now... We'll see if they continue the trend without him.
Just bumping this again for the new crop of ICS users
So I've just gotten my VZW Gnex, and unfortunately, Android file transfer seems to have the same problems with not refreshing the files in the folder as it did on the Xoom.
That said, if you're trying to get into a given folder and your Android File Transfer can't see the contents (or the folder itself), just reboot the phone and when it comes back up, the new folder should be there and right as rain.
wanderfowl said:
OS X won't see it, DoubleTwist doesn't see it, Songbird won't and iTunes (obviously) won't see it.
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If syncing with iTunes is your goal, you left out iSyncr. Our app can sync Android 3.0 and 4.0 devices with iTunes on a Mac over USB (and WiFi). If your Android device is supported by Android File Transfer, it is supported by iSyncr.
As always, you can shoot me an email if you are having an issue with this.
-Justin
I seem to be having a new issue. All of a sudden, I can't sync anything to my XOOM. I had to unlock, and re-unroot it to install ICS on it. I don't know why, but everytime I begin a transfer to my XOOM Android File Transfer instantly says that my my device is locked and I need unlock the screen and/or it can't access the media storage device. It's really frustrating. I can't push the SU.zip bc it gets lost in between the "Ext SD Card" and the "Internal SD Card." Long story short... my Xoom boots into ICS and runs perfectly fine, but I can't finish the root process. Any help?!
Android File Transfer supports files up to 4gb in size. This may be why you are having trouble transferring files that are 10 gb. At least this is the case in OS X Lion
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

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