New HD2, where do I start? - HD2 General
Hi guys, I'm new to this forum and it's a pleasure to be a new member! As a brief introduction, I'm completely new to HTC, Windows Mobile and any non-Symbian device! I've used Nokia's, Sony Ericssons & Motorola's all my life and Symbian is all I know, I think you get the picture......
Anyhow, I should be getting my HD2 within the next few days because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and I just want to know where to start?! This looks like the most comprehensive forum I've seen on the net and I couldn't think of a better place to start learning. I know it's a bit of a broad question and I have had a look through a number of posts to get my bearings, as such. I've seen posts about Roms, registry modifications, patches...... and it all sounds very interesting and I want to know all the functions and information I can about my new device.
Coming from the Symbian background, everything is pretty straightforward but Windows Mobile sounds a lot more technical and something I'm looking forward to learning about. Any information or tips about what I should & shouldn't do to help improve performance/tweak the device would be much appreciated and I'm a fast learner. PS I've seen this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
and will work my way through it when I get the device, but it seems to be aimed at people with some previous experience with this platform. I'm sure you guys see these tpye of 'Help Me!' posts all the time but thanks in advance.
Hello Gargon, welcome aboard!
I too am new to these forums and I've spent a not-insignificant amount of time browsing threads on the HD2 since I made the decision to finally ditch the venerable nokia 6030 that has served me so well all these years. Being a self-confessed techie the HD2 appealed to me the very instant I first caught a glimpse of it in all its Kubrick monolithic glory and as soon as O2 release info on their tariffs I will be seriously weighing up my options.
Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty. As a disclaimer I've only been here a short while so I wouldn't be surprised if I get a few facts wrong. Hopefully someone will correct me if I do!
The HD2 is powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 edition and as you might imagine it's not too dissimilar in how it operates to the PC desktop version. You have a desktop, start menu, program files etc. with all the various settings held by the registry. The beauty of WinMo is that it is far more customisable than the iPhone OS/Symbian in that you can change pretty much everything you see and also how you interact with the device. For example, a developer on these boards has released an application which enables the vibration feature on almost every keypress whereas the default HD2 only goes so far. Another dev has released an app which changes HTC's desktop from a 3x3 grid of shortcuts to 4x4. You can even do away with HTC's superb frontend entirely and install something like SPB Mobile Shell which has a snazzy rotating cube effect desktop and many other alternative enhancements (although you will have to pay for this). And this is only the tip of the iceberg! There are thousands of applications and games out there on the internet, and with Microsoft finally getting into the appstore gig we can expect a well-stocked central repository for software sometime in the near future. Failing that, google is our friend
With the help of the talented and selfless developers here at xda-dev almost anything is possible, including the potential for changing the operating system entirely, so you can't rule out the HD2 one day running Android or WM7 somewhere down the line, however this depends on one crucial bit of software -- the Hard SPL. Without this essential bit of kit, peons such as myself are unable to reflash the device to a different operating system or even a different version of the current OS (e.g. a lite version to save valuable ROM space, or an enhanced version with greater functionality). Everything hinges on this being developed by the code masters behind the scenes however such projects require a lot of skill, time and effort and such is the support of the community here that monetary donations are pledged in gratitude for past endeavours and in the hope of new enterprise.
As for installing applications themselves, I haven't yet delved deep enough to give you a comprehensive answer, however I suspect that there are FAQs on the parent forums which will give you all the information you need. From what I can tell, applications are released in .cab format which are executed from the phone and self-install. I can't wait until I can get my grubby paws on this masterpiece and get busy pushing buttons! I'm sure I've missed a whole lot of information but my lids are getting heavy and my battery needs charging. I hope this wasn't too patronising for you and I'm sure some other people here will gladly fill you in on anything I've missed.
Welcome aboard, great first posting. Showing the threads you read already makes many people want to help you more.
If you come from Symbian, some stuff will be the same, i.e. you use icons for programs.
What differs the most is the customization possibilities and the level of deep control you have over the behaviour of your new machine.
Get to grips with Microsoft Mobile Device Center, (syncing your data).
Do you have an Exchange account or Gmail ? You can setup your device to have pushmail connectivity with GMail or Exchange.
If you don't own an Exchange Server, you can setup your own free
Custom Domain at http://domains.live.com and have your own email adress as a LIVE-ID and have pushmail with it (free).
Then, I would dig in to the many cool free applications around.
Yes, hunt for .cab files as they will install over the air (OTA) and from your device.
Another tip: When you get your device, start at the first Icon, view it, try and dig deeper in the menu's, always. Press and hold the screen/text to see if there are context menu's.
Then work your way through all the settings and icons available. It will take you about 3 days to see all the menu's and options, although the first 80% you will discover the first day
Hope you will enjoy the transition.
Hey guys
First off, this a awesome site with heaps of help. And advice which is great
Secondly I amnew here too and hopefully getting my hd2 soon. Can't wait!!
Thanks a lot for the replies guys, very informative H2D2 and thanks for the tips lucid. It's good to know that there are other people in a similar situation to myself! If anyone can post any relevant links to any apps or roms/cab files that might be useful for a first-timer then it would be much appreciated. In the meantime, I'll keep doing the research and, if I find anything myself, I'll post it here. Thanks again.
Well I'm new as well so hi everyone!
I used to have a wm phone but that was a few years ago and things have changed a lot since then... so have a bit of catching up to do. Been browsing on here the last few days and ordered the HD2 this morning.
Gargon, I'm sure you'll get used to it all in no time, I know it all looks confusing at first but really it's not that bad and I'm sure the nice people on here will help if you're stuck.
Greetings our new community members
I was in the same situation as You guys half year ago when I purchased my first WM device, the Diamond2. And now Im awaiting my HD2 already ordered
As for the Windows Mobile platform, it is the most powerful, sophisticated and versatile mobile platform ever made, and that's why it has always attracted more advanced users. But on the other hand, it is in many ways very similar to Windowses on your PCs At first you may feel a little overwhelmed of all the functions, tips, tricks, registry hacks and so on. But what's great about Windows Mobile platform, is that once you start to "feel" it, then playing around with your phone becomes extremely addictive. I remember my first week with the Diamond2, it was nothing else than playing with it, installing and testing every trick i could possibly find
Moving on to the relevant stuff:
First of all, you should equip your device with a decent file explorer, as the native WM one is a bit clunky. I recommend Resco File Explorer. Second, equip yourself with a registry editor, as you gonna need it for tweaks. Resco Explorer has a plugin for registry editing and there are even desktop PC editors which you can use when device is connected to the PC.
As for application installation, it can be performed in 2 ways:
1).cab files. These are like .sis in Symbian. You run them directly from the device just by executing them from any file manager.
2).exe files. Those can be installed from your PC when the device is connected to it. Sometimes developers make small apps for phones which are in form of exe files which are designed to run directly from the device. This is possible because every app after installation usually has its folder in Program Files where an exe file of the app itsself is stored (exactly the same as on Your PC Windows)
Moving on to the interface. One of the biggest advantages of Windows Mobile is that it enables you to change practically the whole interface with minimum effort. The native WM interface is unfortunately very old and not finger friendly, and thats why every major company designed their own interfaces. On the HD2 it is called Sense. In fact Sense is only a further developement of an interface which was called TouchFlo 3D. And one thing more you should know. Developers on this forum use the code name of this interface, which is Manila. HD2 has the latest Manila v2.5. So basically Manila=TouchFlo=Sense.
Feel free to ask any questions, everyone of us was a newbie at first I personally am very happy to see new people being attracted by new fantastic WM devices. I myself was a Nokia/Symbian fan for many years, untill half a year ago I discovered that I was living in the darkness all these years
The XDA-Developers is one of the greatest, biggest and oldest communities on the whole internet. This makes this community concrete, mature and serious. This means that members are very helpful to each other and they always communicate with a certain level of etiquette, so You surely won't hear any offensive words, swears or any vulgarisms
So enjoy your new devices and this community, as it will bring you many happy moments, i guarantee this to You
the wiki is a great tool (not much on the HD2 in there yet) but background reading on other devices is good.
As long as you're willing to take time to learn to use the search (often searching around the term you're looking for) then you'll solve issues you may have quickly as well..
several of us are happy to discuss stuff on PM as well..
and don't forget if you find something that you think others would find useful,
The WIKI is always there, to be edited at your leisure
Welcome
Very nice attitude from Gargon01 and H2D2.
You are on the right track about the winmo os.
In itself it is clunky on the surface but the structure sits on the registry database which is accessible through a registry editor.
This forum is quite unique and must be the largest of It's kind, that is, a community of smartphone developers/hackers.
I have been dropping in for 4 years but only started flashing recently after buying an HD.
The HD came with an earlier development of Touchflo and I saw rom versions on Youtube etc of more advanced versions from XDA Devs.
I took the plunge in flashing roms and have been addicted ever since.
I am running the latest version of sense on my HD but am awaiting an HD2 from clove tech on the uk for which sense was made.
There are many brilliant people in this community who generously offer their creativity, time and energy.
You are in the right place. More will be revealed.
Thanks a lot for the responses guys, exactly what me and I'm sure a lot of other new users are looking for! I'll look for the Resco File Viewer jgal, there was a similar app called Modo on Symbian that was also used for deep-file exploration/modification purposes.
Also, it's good to know that there are a lot of similarities to the desktop version of Windows. I'd like to think that I'm pretty proficient with that so I'll look forward to taking that knowledge and applying it to the HD2.
A big thanks to all the other users who have contributed to the post as well! I was pretty sure that my thread would fade away into non-existence but it's good to know that people seem genuinely interested in offering help and advice.
I should hopefully be getting the handset on Monday so I'll give it a good examination and keep you all posted should I run into any problems. Keep the tips/links coming though, my brain is like a sponge!! Cheers.
Related
noob needs some help (long... yawn)
I am sorry that the title is so general but I really do need lots of help with my wizard and don't know where to start. I have had the thing since xmas and have not used it for a single day ! it was an impulse buy and probably a mistake. I realise that now but I'm stuck with a 12 month contract so might as well try and use it.:roll: I work a 12 hour day and simply do not have the time to experiment and play with it. I need someone who has considerable experience with the o2 mini s and is able to explain how to set it up properly and use it effectively and has both the ability and patience to explain it to me. I am happy to pay for this as I see it like any other service which we pay for. I do not expect help for nothing. Is there anyone prepared to help me with this ? first I would like to know how I can change and improve my desktop. second I would like to know how I install TomTom thanks Nick peanut
Long yawn answered with enthusiasm Firstly I have an xdaII + 2i and i'm pretty good with pc's, but there are some glaring holes in my knowledge. My brother has the phone you have, and on his I have installed ttn5 and stripped the rom back so that the phone works much faster. There's an awful lot of reading for you to do, so seen as i can prob not help much on this forum i'd be glad to help customise and suggest tools and s/w for your ppc up for you so that you'll find it at least fun and maybe use it.
I am currently on my 4th iteration of a Pocket PC phone. I started out way back with an Ipaq 3650 with a softphone, migrated to the 1st T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone (Wallaby, XDA, ect.), spent a year with the Ipaq H6315, and have now been using the new T-Mobile MDA USA (Wizard). When I had the original XDA (Wallaby), got lured into the "Fix it 'til it breaks" addiction by this site. The "ROM Kitchen" was just too inticing to resist. That first generation platform in its factory state left much to be desired and the enhancements created by this forum and it's members greatly improved the user expierience of those devices. Now that I have skipped the XDA II, III, and IV devices and all of the jargin associated with these newer generations of this platform and are now using the Wizard, I find myself relegated back to "Noowbie" status with regard to my knowledge of how, when, & why to upgrade my new device. The usefulness of this forum and the many contributions of its members have contributed to the dificulty in extracting the information one may be looking for. There is simply so much information here to sift through. I too find it hard to find the time required to assimilate all of the data here. My device is in it's stock configuration with the exception that I have run the Lockwiz unlocking program. Until I can get my head around what these varius other rom images will do for me, I am going to use the device as it is now, which is a quantum leap in usability compared to the other devices I have been using for the past 4 years. It probably already exists, ( although burried in countless 30 page threads) but perhaps a sticky Noowbie section that will help us that are time challanged so that we can someday increase our usefulness to this forum. :idea:
A problem with your question about your desktop is there is more than one answer. My answer is to use: *Wisbar Advanced --Close apps (you can define exceptions) --Define a top bar theme --Define top bar buttons and multiple actions for each --Show running task icons on top bar *Wisbar Advanced Desktop plugin --Define multiple "virtual" taoday screens --Place shortcuts, buttons and even links to place a phone call on any desktop --More themes --Pin items that can be available on all virtual pages *Pocket Breeze --A great way to see all PIM items (calendar, task, etc). --Allows other today plugins to be used in tabs *Pocket Weather as a tab in Pocket Breeze *Pocket Alarm --This does lots of things in addition to phone profiles and includes a today plugin *SPB Backup and its today plugin *The SearchToday plugin borrowed from the Treo 700 There is just so much you can do and it has taken quite a while to evolve to this for me. And sometimes I change it To get the most out of it, you will just need to budget some time.
Wow thanks for the replies everyone. Phoneguy glad to see that I am not the only one with insufficient time to assimilate all this new technology. So much & so little time ... Thank you for your offers of help. Perhaps I should make a list of what I would like to do with the mini s and start from there. I'll do that tonight. Perhaps any readers would make some suggestions as to what I can do to make the ppc a more friendly interface
YADA (Yet Another diamond Appstore)
Hi I see a few threads of people developing an appstore alike program for the diamonds and other devices. They all seem a lil bit too over the top. So, iv begun an online AppStore clone. No windows coding, no programs, just an online website, optimised for diamonds (to begin with) that lists apps by genre. This way, developers can upload thier own apps, the website can host them, people can subscribe to the apps and recieve updates when the developer adds new files etc. Iv even started playing with notifying subscribers via SMS when a new program becomes available from a developer. As opera is so good, flick scrolling, fullscreen, etc, an optimised webpage should pretty much be able to do alot, if not all, of the things any windows program can do and would involve no installs and be very lightwieght.. So before, i go too far into this thing, id love to know your thoughts on this, is it worth developing further?
Hello I think that having several projects around one theme is an excellent thing because it leads to better results. So, yes, you should continue on your project. Good cheer !
look forward to seeing it if you carry on the project
Exactly whats needed. Surur
ROM with WM6.1 for g1?
I've always been windows mobile user ever since i could remember, now faced with a possibility of getting g1 i was wondering(pehaprs a stuped question-but new to g1) if there is a ROM or a hack of some sort to completely replace android with windows mobile 6.1? G1 seems to be very nice hardware-wise but from what i read android is not for me, i use word daily, got used to opera browsing and so on
it may not be for you... there is no real app that compares with word, simple text editors so far but nuthin like word, we do have an opera mini browser port that seems nice I haven't played to much with it, ATM android isn't business ready IMOP, that said it wont be long before there will be super high power office type apps, as well as kick arse video games, or whatever the beauty of open source to me is this, Ive found if I want to to "ACTION A" with my open source platform "OSP 1" somebody else has an OSP1 and also wants to be able to complete ACTION A, and he or somebody else that can write code and has the same wants as the other OSP1 users and he make a way to do it... this has yet to ever fail me inside the confines of what we call open source. but there have been alot of tasks I wanted to do on my CLOSED SOURCE PLATFORM, CSP (aka, winblows) and never found a way to get it done despite finding other user who wanted to do the same task. MS has SO FAR has had a pretty loose attitude as far as the WM products go, the fact that this place still exists is almost amazing, compared to the same type of site for say...XP so the WM does have some of the same I need it, so does he, so somebody will write an app, kinda thing but they used to let the site host roms (i dont think this is allowed here anymore, still) So it may change.... To wrap up my cafe & canabanoid induced ramble, the G1 may not be ready for ya yet but it will be in time, maybe hold on to your phone you have now and get the g1 when it has all the apps you need to function. Or stick with win mobile Its not bad I used it on my WIZ for years and had alot of fun with different roms and such, but once you go G1 you never go back. But no as of now there is not a WM port for the G1(I think I just puked in my mouth a little bit as I typed that) bhang
Please refer to this link, for further ciscussion on windows Mobile on a G1. Thank you, Thread will be closed
What Makes Android Better Than Windows Mobile?
I see a lot of threads about Android. I've never tried converting or even seen it in action but have a question. How is Android better than Windows Mobile Professional? Also how is it worse? Or is it just different?
All I can say is 'try it to believe it.' I can talk about it on and on, but you are not going to realize what you can get until you try it.
sshark said: All I can say is 'try it to believe it.' I can talk about it on and on, but you are not going to realize what you can get until you try it. Click to expand... Click to collapse second that. easy enough to dump on your sdcard without even touching your current winmo setup, so try it out and see.
jimt007 said: I see a lot of threads about Android. I've never tried converting or even seen it in action but have a question. How is Android better than Windows Mobile Professional? Also how is it worse? Or is it just different? Click to expand... Click to collapse Its just better. Really.
Main thing for me, besides that its totally better, is that its finger based. No more silly stylus....
+1. I just recently went all the way back to the stock sprint 6.1 rom just to see if I could ever live like that again. After spending an hour or so gathering cabs and tweaking everything just to get it to a comfortable state, I realized that all of the things I was trying to do are pretty much already done in even the most basic android builds. It does come down to preference I suppose, but for me, just signing into my account upon booting android beats digging around for a WMMarketplace cab on a crippled IE browser, cumbersome setups for things like Windows Live, setting up and scheduling active sync, installing replacements for almost every default part of WM. I really did love windows mobile for a long time. It's certainly one of -if not- the most customizable platforms. If you don't necessarily like how something works in WM, chances are you can do something about it. But that can take time. I was never really that interested in scripting out one of those huge uc files way back when. The way everything works so well together in android without getting in your way is fantastic, but stop reading this and just trying it!
If you want to get your feet wet: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/58383/android.exe A self-extracting zip file I made to get a friend running Android. It's a all-in-one Haret of zenulator's 1.6 Donut. Just extract the Android folder it contains to your Secure Digital card, then run Haret.exe in Windows Mobile File Explorer. Then hit Run. For porting contacts from WinMobile to Android, check this: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138636&topic=14299
You know what? I'm going to quote myself, from another thread: Pandemic187 said: Personally, I like Android better than Windows Mobile because: 1. It's significantly faster for me 2. There's more freedom in terms of tweaking it 3. I think it has a MUCH better notification system than WinMo 4. I like the integration with GMail (better than WinMo's Exchange support) and other Google services 5. It has an app market! These are pretty self explanatory, but I just love the notification system of Android. I was pleasantly surprised to see a weather alert appear in my notification bar after I downloaded the Weather.com app the other day. Everything appears there - including your appointments on your Google Calendar, texts, e-mails - everything. I think it's just great how it's all unified. Click to expand... Click to collapse
jnadke said: If you want to get your feet wet: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/58383/android.exe A self-extracting zip file I made to get a friend running Android. It's a all-in-one Haret of zenulator's 1.6 Donut. Just extract the Android folder it contains to your Secure Digital card, then run Haret.exe in Windows Mobile File Explorer. Then hit Run. For porting contacts from WinMobile to Android, check this: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138636&topic=14299 Click to expand... Click to collapse Thanks. I installed it without any problems. Nice looking. Very clean interface. But.... EVERY program that I tried, opened but had no way to back out. I had to soft reset each time. I tried 3 or 4 different things, and nothing let me go back to the main menu. Phone hard keys didn't do what they are supposed to do. After all it is a phone, the hard keys make it easy to call and hang up. I guess I'm not patient enough to continue to experiment so I just deleted the file and am back to using Windows Mobile Pro 6.1.
jimt007 said: Thanks. I installed it without any problems. Nice looking. Very clean interface. But.... EVERY program that I tried, opened but had no way to back out. I had to soft reset each time. I tried 3 or 4 different things, and nothing let me go back to the main menu. Phone hard keys didn't do what they are supposed to do. After all it is a phone, the hard keys make it easy to call and hang up. Click to expand... Click to collapse Power Button = Menu Button Camera Button = Back Button Hang-Up Button (long press) = Silence, Airplane, Shutdown Those should work on every Vogue.
cybik said: Power Button = Menu Button Camera Button = Back Button Hang-Up Button (long press) = Silence, Airplane, Shutdown Those should work on every Vogue. Click to expand... Click to collapse I'd like to give a friend the package above, but he is on a Touch Pro. Would this be good for him to try? or is there something else better?
TheKartus said: Main thing for me, besides that its totally better, is that its finger based. No more silly stylus.... Click to expand... Click to collapse lol..huh? I have used Windows Mobile forever and cannot remember the last time I used the stylus...in fact, the only time I use it, is to reset the phone through the little hole.
jimt007 said: Thanks. I installed it without any problems. Nice looking. Very clean interface. But.... EVERY program that I tried, opened but had no way to back out. I had to soft reset each time. I tried 3 or 4 different things, and nothing let me go back to the main menu. Phone hard keys didn't do what they are supposed to do. After all it is a phone, the hard keys make it easy to call and hang up. I guess I'm not patient enough to continue to experiment so I just deleted the file and am back to using Windows Mobile Pro 6.1. Click to expand... Click to collapse Well..........after reading some of the replies I reinstalled Android. Not to belabor the point but I still don't like it as much as Windows Mobile Pro 6.1. I would be losing to many things I'm very pleased with for a change to a different operating system. It's back off again, I'm staying with Windows Mobile Pro 6.1. If I ever want Android I'll buy an Android phone.
I agree with you about Android, it's not something I would use, but that's just me. I wouldn't go back to 6.1 though, I'll stay with 6.5.x, it's a lot more finger friendly. The UI graphics on Android is decade behind everybody else. I would need a microscope to see what's on there. That's why HTC developed its own UI. Knowing Google, they probably can make up that decade in a week, but for now its Winmo. PS you might want to try one of the port/build with SenseUI.
stopthebus said: I agree with you about Android, it's not something I would use, but that's just me. I wouldn't go back to 6.1 though, I'll stay with 6.5.x, it's a lot more finger friendly. The UI graphics on Android is decade behind everybody else. I would need a microscope to see what's on there. That's why HTC developed its own UI. Knowing Google, they probably can make up that decade in a week, but for now its Winmo. PS you might want to try one of the port/build with SenseUI. Click to expand... Click to collapse To each their own I suppose - but it really sounds like your config is off or you're using some odd build if you "need a microscope to see what's on there".
plemen said: To each their own I suppose - but it really sounds like your config is off or you're using some odd build if you "need a microscope to see what's on there". Click to expand... Click to collapse I would love to be able to increase the font size on Android. I've play around with both 120 and 160 and different resolutions, but unable to increase the font size to something usable. Any help would be appreciated. I've been scouring the net reading up on Android and trying different builds (last one was eclair 2.0.1) because I was offered the Droid for Xmas. After all the readings and research, I turn down the offer in favor of the trusty old Vogue (being made by Motorola is another reason; every Motorola phones I got, I had to open them up and super glued everything down). I do appreciate some pointers on increasing the font/widgets size on these test builds.
crobs808 said: lol..huh? I have used Windows Mobile forever and cannot remember the last time I used the stylus...in fact, the only time I use it, is to reset the phone through the little hole. Click to expand... Click to collapse I often got annoyed with certain apps I put in, certain games, or menus and just brought out the stylus.
Well, one thing you always have to keep in mind running Android on the Vogue, is that it is not native to the Vogue. So, there is always going to be little imperfections. I was so impressed by Android on the Vogue, that I bought a G1. So now I run WM6.5 on the Vogue, and Cyanogen's ROMs on my G1. I really will never go back to WM. The only reason I use it now is because I have a contract with Verizon that somebody else pay for. If you really want to be blown away by Android, go to a store and play with a native Android phone. I find content is way more accessible for Android. For an OS that has been out for a very small fraction of the time that WM has been out, it's incredible. Lol, I'm rambling now, point is, try a native Android phone if the Vogue port doesn't suit you. Don't give up on it too easily.
Hello I am using NFSFAN latest rom on my vogue.Have not tried any android as yet.Honestly,I have not followed it atall.So I am a complete noob to android platform. So can anybody point me where I can get all the guidanceThanks.
Wow! I don’t mean to sound patronizing but I am genuinely impressed by the quality of responses to this question. Someone actually dared to ask a question about comparing WM vs. Android and there wasn’t any of the typical flame war style responses. Thanks guys! Just one more reason why I like the XDA forums. I have been looking for a clear and concise answer (or partial answer) on this exact topic myself. I was hoping to get a quantifiable “here’s why I like Android” or “here’s why I like WM” response and I finally found something in this discussion. I find that a certain anti-Microsoft sentiment often clouds these discussions to the point where they are not useful. I have been using WM for *years* and develop applications for it. I am also supporting over 50+ Windows Mobile-based devices in the enterprise (warehouse & sales force automation apps). So when people come out and say stuff like “WM is slow, bloated and buggy” I find it an unhelpful response. I just have to chalk their comments up to anti-Microsoft sentiment that is so popular these days. From this discussion I have a partial conclusion. It seems that the main difference between WM and Android are from a “user experience” perspective. Both of them seem to be reliable robust platforms from an OS perspective. The problem is that the WM interface is dated and heavily stylus oriented. Microsoft’s response to this is to make things “bigger” but not to radically rethink the user interface. Windows Mobile in its present form bears an uncanny resemblance to Pocket PC 2002. This was designed to compete (and win) against the then popular PalmOS. Android represents a complete rethink from a user interface perspective. On top of that companies like HTC add their own stuff like SenseUI (on Android) and TouchFLO (on WM) that change the user experience some more. So sometimes that makes the discussion more about the phone manufacturer (HTC vs. Samsung for example) then about the platform itself. Microsoft is in a tough spot with WM right now. There is a huge install base of mobile business apps running on industrialized PDA’s (stuff like the MC75, MC55, Intermec CN50, etc, etc). The Purolator guys use WM for proof-of-delivery. These types of apps are often custom developed, expensive and have long life cycles. They are not sexy but they get work done. Radically rethinking the WM user interface would likely break a lot of these types of applications. Everyone knows when switching to Android that their existing WM apps will not run. But everyone expects their existing WM apps from 1998 to run unmodified on the latest version of WM (and surprisingly they often do). So how does Microsoft keep WM dominant in the business sector while at the same time making it “exciting and sexy” in the rapidly changing consumer marketplace? Tough spot indeed. I wonder what they will do. I do love the competition from Android (and iPhone) and expect to see cool stuff from WM in the future. I just hope it doesn’t break too many of my 10+ year old apps ;-) Regards, The Fish
[Q] Desktop Manager
All, First of all let me say how much I have enjoyed this site and learning more about the Android OS. I have been a user of an Eris for about a year but really never liked it. The phone was slow, buggy and just gave me all sorts of problems. After some searching and finding this site I have actually started to love my phone. A lot of the things that I had to do in order to get it rooted and things installed made me realize that there needs to be some sort of desktop application that can manage an Android phone. I have been developing desktop software for a long time and have started a small project that I'm hoping people will be interested in. If you were to use a desktop software capable of managing your Android phone, what would you want? The application is definitely going to be open source as there is no question about that. Currently, I have all the functions that ADB provides and are looking for other things that I can include. Any help is appreciated. Jason
Jason, check out AndroidCommander. I have been using that and LOVE it, perhaps you two can work together.
Thanks for the info. I guess I should have done a little more research because that is pretty much everything in mine. LOL.