Venue Pro issue tracker - Venue Pro General

EDIT: Feb 14 / 2012 - Wow. It has been a while. I pre-ordered one of the original DVPs, went on the roller-coaster ride of trying to get it SIM unlocked, returned it to Dell and took the 15% restocking hit, then watched in agony as a simple "just email Dell" free unlocking solution came available about a month later. I've had a second-hand HD2 through most of 2011, running various builds of WP7 and Android, until the digitizer bit the dust. Just snapped up a DVP on eBay - I'm back baby! Time to update this thread.
Whether you're a DVP owner, future owner or still on the fence about a purchase, it might be useful to have a single thread listing the known issues with this model (and any discovered fixes, workarounds, etc.). I'll try to keep this up-to-date based on comments below. Have I missed anything?
Compass driver broken by Mango update
Much-discussed; interop unlock or custom firmware would allow a fix (i.e. flashing an unsigned cab could potentially put the old driver back)
No HSPA or roaming triangle indicators
Diagnosis: software issue... can't get an "H" or triangle symbol to appear in the relevant contexts.
Apparently this is only an issue on TMO-US branded units, and it is entirely cosmetic. Interop unlock would allow us to make the necessary registry edits to bring back the HSPA indicator.
Camera: slow shutter speed = blurry indoor shots
Partially improved in successive firmware updates
Flaky reception
Somewhat improved, according to user reports.
Cell radio: drops connections when switching from 2G to 3G
Fixed by Dell in new units.
WiFi: some devices can't connect to secure networks
Fixed by Dell in new units.
SIM: error
Fixed by Dell in new units.
Windows Phone 7 general issues
No copy & paste
Fixed in NoDo
Email: forwarding from non-Exchange account uses .eml attachment instead of inline text
Fixed
Camera: issues with retaining settings
Fixed

Headphone jack: curved, bad connection?
I don't think the headphone Jack poor connection is explicitly caused by the curved jack. Checking out my friends HTC desire, I noticed that it too has a curved jack that doesn't completely cover the headphone plug.

jcoob said:
Headphone jack: curved, bad connection?
I don't think the headphone Jack poor connection is explicitly caused by the curved jack. Checking out my friends HTC desire, I noticed that it too has a curved jack that doesn't completely cover the headphone plug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm partly basing this on a youtube video from a DVP owner who demonstrates how the earphone jack won't plug all the way in, because of the curved design.
Can any actual DVP owners comment on this? Is the problem widespread?

RE: SIM locking of Dell Venue Pro
Note: the following threads discuss DVP-US frequencies, possible SIM-locking to T-mobile (even for off-contract, paid-in-full devices), etc.:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858181
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857572
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=838105&page=51

Awesome thread, love the idea & I haven't really heard much of the issues listed here but its great that you put it out there.
Hopefully many get fixed in the upcoming update in January or even the new devices.
Many don't seem to apply to me like the camera since I rarely ever use the camera but the 2G to 3G one is pretty big.

The camera was bad in the first phone I received (Engineering Sample) but in the next phone the Cam was alright. This unit didn't have that slow shutter problem
The images were comparable to HD7.

benjaminries said:
Whether you're a DVP owner, future owner or still on the fence about a purchase, it might be useful to have a single thread listing the known issues with this model (and any discovered fixes, workarounds, etc.). I'll try to keep this up-to-date based on comments below. Have I missed anything?
Camera: slow shutter speed = blurry indoor shots
Reported here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=841391
Diagnosis: since the camera EXIF reports that it is the same hardware as the iPhone 4, hopefully this can be fixed via software patch
Solution: might have been fixed in updated device ROM? (thanks eyan15 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9552249&postcount=6 - can somebody confirm?)
Camera: issues with retaining settings
Reported here: http://en.community.dell.com/dell-b.../19/where-we-are-with-the-dell-venue-pro.aspx
Diagnosis: software bug
Solution: unknown
Cell radio: drops connections when switching from 2G to 3G
Reported here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=839051
Diagnosis: radio firmware issue?
Solution: unknown
Headphone jack: curved, bad connection?
Reported here: http://en.community.dell.com/dell-b.../19/where-we-are-with-the-dell-venue-pro.aspx
Diagnosis: hardware design flaw?
Solution: unknown
WiFi: some devices can't connect to secure networks
Widely reported
Diagnosis: firmware bug
Solution: these units can be exchanged at their source
SIM: error
Reported here: http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/11/23/dell.venue.pro.sim.card.flaw.among.many.issues/
Diagnosis: firmware bug or hardware issue
Solution: these units can be exchanged at their source
Windows Phone 7 general issues
No copy & paste
Widely reported
Diagnosis: missing feature
Solution: OS update in January 2011 will add clipboard functionality
Email: forwarding from non-Exchange account uses .eml attachment instead of inline text
Reported here: http://wpcentral.com/windows-phone-7-email-bug-discovered-when-forwarding-non-exchange-accounts
Diagnosis: software bug
Solution: unknown
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might want to add these to the Windows phone 7 list:
1) No real multi-tasking support to speak of in phone 7, even the "back" button doesn't bring you back to an active program in most cases, but the program has to re-initialize.
2) No support for mobile hotspot function in phone 7
3) No true "live tile" support for 3rd party apps (like twitter etc...); more like dead tiles.
I am concerned that the speed of WP7 is dependent on only having 1 app running and therefore MS doesn't want multi-tasking.

sureloch said:
Might want to add these to the Windows phone 7 list:
1) No real multi-tasking support to speak of in phone 7, even the "back" button doesn't bring you back to an active program in most cases, but the program has to re-initialize.
2) No support for mobile hotspot function in phone 7
3) No true "live tile" support for 3rd party apps (like twitter etc...); more like dead tiles.
I am concerned that the speed of WP7 is dependent on only having 1 app running and therefore MS doesn't want multi-tasking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This stuff crosses over into general criticisms of the OS. I'm trying to restrict bugs to things that were obviously overlooked or have been announced as upcoming fixes - not new features or disagreements over design.

This is an Windows Phone 7 bug, all devices suffer from this. So while this is an issue nonetheless, you should not decide not to get the Dell Venue Pro based on this 'bug' alone. If you want a Windows Phone 7 device, you will have this problem, hopefully Microsoft will fix it in the next update.
Camera: issues with retaining settings
Reported here: http://en.community.dell.com/dell-bl...venue-pro.aspx
Diagnosis: software bug
Solution: unknown
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

KilZone said:
This is an Windows Phone 7 bug, all devices suffer from this. So while this is an issue nonetheless, you should not decide not to get the Dell Venue Pro based on this 'bug' alone. If you want a Windows Phone 7 device, you will have this problem, hopefully Microsoft will fix it in the next update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the correction; I was under the impression that each OEM made their own customized Camera app. Curious if they all suffer from the same problem - hopefully that means it will be fixed in the January update.

eyan15 said:
The camera was bad in the first phone I received (Engineering Sample) but in the next phone the Cam was alright. This unit didn't have that slow shutter problem
The images were comparable to HD7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the only thing preventing me from ordering this phone. Can anyone else confirm this issue has in fact been resolved?

seatown1two said:
This is the only thing preventing me from ordering this phone. Can anyone else confirm this issue has in fact been resolved?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We might not get this confirmed until late December - as far as I can tell by the forums, many of the early birds who got their DVPs from the Microsoft Stores are still waiting on replacement units. Hopefully one or two other people who have already got a good replacement can chime in here, but I fear we won't know the status of these issues until the big wave of online orders start shipping out.
Call me crazy, but I think that if this is a simple software issue, Dell will fix it. In the alternative maybe we'll see some homebrew camera apps next year that we can sideload

sureloch said:
Might want to add these to the Windows phone 7 list:
1) No real multi-tasking support to speak of in phone 7, even the "back" button doesn't bring you back to an active program in most cases, but the program has to re-initialize.
2) No support for mobile hotspot function in phone 7
3) No true "live tile" support for 3rd party apps (like twitter etc...); more like dead tiles.
I am concerned that the speed of WP7 is dependent on only having 1 app running and therefore MS doesn't want multi-tasking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. That is the fault of the developers of the apps. The OS supports save states so when you go back it resumes where you left off. You can see this in OEM apps like IE, but the 3rd party browsers don't do this.
2. Not sure if that is in the works
3. Since when? Weatherbug, weather channel, flixter, beez twit app all support live tiles.

nrfitchett4 said:
1. That is the fault of the developers of the apps. The OS supports save states so when you go back it resumes where you left off. You can see this in OEM apps like IE, but the 3rd party browsers don't do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an interesting one. I agree with you that a lot of this is developer-related, but I think Microsoft will still end up making some adjustments to multitasking next year. Remember that the internal system apps (like IE) are permitted to do true background multitasking by the OS, while 3rd-party apps aren't.
I have read that the save state thing is kind of tricky because apps often don't get a warning that they are about to be put to sleep - the OS just responds instantly when you hit "back" or "home". So the only apps that can take advantage of this feature are the ones that are saving their state all the time - which is only practical for some app designs. A 3rd-party music or video app might make a record of whatever song or video you're watching, but must it save the elapsed track time every second? Every 10 seconds? Whatever granularity is chosen will be the state you can return to after the app loses focus.
MS needs to allow true background multitasking/threading in a few limited situations:
- the app loses focus, receives a "save your current state" message from the OS, and is allowed to save its state in the background
- the app sends a tiny bit of data to the cloud every 5 minutes (i.e. Google Latitude) - MS could maybe impose a "maximum lines of code" on this upload function?
- the app does a tiny bit of processing with the push data it gets from the cloud, without necessarily getting user interaction
I believe allowing these three types of multitasking would really open up possibilities for developers.

What you say is not entirely true. Applications do receive a warning when the system is going to navigate away from the application, just the way like you suggest it as the first option. However in practice it is a little more complicated than that.
There are 4 events in Windows Phone 7, Launch/Close and Activated/Deactivated. The first two are just the startup and closing of the two while the latter is the tombstoning warning and retrieval event. So when your application receives it's 'deactivated' message, it is allowed to do some final saving of it's state (there is a time limit, but it's rather flexible). Windows Phone will navigate away even though the save state hasn't been completed yet, so that part of 'multi-tasking' is implemented.
The problem you all mention comes from the fact that 'home' and 'back' are not the same for 3rd-party applications (and even some internal ones). Back is generally seen as 'back one page' and 'home' as 'go to the start screen'. However if you are 1 page away from the home screen, the 'back' button will act as 'close' button... So it will sent a 'close' event to the application, rather than the 'deactivated' event (and not allowing the application to tombstone itself). This way, the next time you boot the application it will restart as it will receive the 'launch' event and not the 'activated' one. Easiest 'solution' is to use the 'home' button instead, however this will mess up your 'back'-botton behaviour a little.
benjaminries said:
[...]I have read that the save state thing is kind of tricky because apps often don't get a warning that they are about to be put to sleep - the OS just responds instantly when you hit "back" or "home". [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically I think Microsoft needs to 'fix' the 'back'-button acting as 'close'-button, as no-one thinks it will act this way.

KilZone said:
What you say is not entirely true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, it sounds like I was pretty darn close for a lay-person. I don't have a WP7 device yet, but tell me, how often to do you navigate away from an app OTHER than by going to the homescreen? The only other way I can imagine is by accepting some kind of toast push notification, pressing the Search button or the Camera button.
The bottom line is that MS intended to do this better - but as you have said, apps are often losing focus in a way that doesn't even allow the app to save its state, even if it has been designed to do so. Apps should be given a chance to save their state whether they're being minimized or closed, so they can return to the last state whether they're being woken up or started fresh.

You were quite close indeed and you're right that this is quite an irritating bug (Microsoft might say it's a feature, but let's keep it at a bug for now). Mostly because as a Windows Phone user you have no idea when an application 'closes' or 'tombstones'...
benjaminries said:
LOL, it sounds like I was pretty darn close for a lay-person. [...] The bottom line is that MS intended to do this better - but as you have said, apps are often losing focus in a way that doesn't even allow the app to save its state, even if it has been designed to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, I think you have a valid point there. It certainly would increase the multi-task-experience (even though it is not true multi-tasking) as all applications would seem as if they were running next to eachother (as was the idea initially). It might be nice if an application could implement 'tombstoning' when it receives the 'close' command, which is not available right now (no access to the tombstoning service).
benjaminries said:
Apps should be given a chance to save their state whether they're being minimized or closed, so they can return to the last state whether they're being woken up or started fresh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

nrfitchett4 said:
1. That is the fault of the developers of the apps. The OS supports save states so when you go back it resumes where you left off. You can see this in OEM apps like IE, but the 3rd party browsers don't do this.
2. Not sure if that is in the works
3. Since when? Weatherbug, weather channel, flixter, beez twit app all support live tiles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you are correct as I have ordered thte dvp, but though the suspend/resume multi-tasking sounds like a good idea, it seems extremely weak in practice.
Here is a clip showing the types of behaviors that concern me including the live tile issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNfpPrto07Q&feature=related
WP7 is a very elaborate and beautiful operating system which must require heavy resources to accomplish. Perhaps we will have to wait for dual core devices before we will see WP7 multi-tasking like we would hope. But it seems like the caching and accessing current tasks to preserve resouces could be done more effectively, and would definitely improve the user experience.

KilZone said:
Agreed, I think you have a valid point there. It certainly would increase the multi-task-experience (even though it is not true multi-tasking) as all applications would seem as if they were running next to eachother (as was the idea initially). It might be nice if an application could implement 'tombstoning' when it receives the 'close' command, which is not available right now (no access to the tombstoning service).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The App Style Guide is clear about the 'right' app behaviour, and I'm sure Microsoft consider it a feature, not a bug. It enforces a set of rules that they just expect users to get used to:
1) Switching away from an app (e.g. hitting search or launch) should leave the app in a state where you can come back to it (and pick up again from where you left off) by pressing the back button.
2) The way to terminate an app is to 'back out' of it. Once you have terminated an app, you can't come back to it.
3) Whenever you launch an app from the menu, it will start from scratch.
Microsoft's own apps follow this pattern.
These rules are intended to give the feeling of 'all apps existing in a stack' (like the stack of navigations you move through when using a web browser). I think that represents a conscious design decision on Microsoft's part ... maybe a bad design decision, but not a bug as such.
By the way, an app can trap and modify the behaviour of the 'back' key. Actually, the developer has to do this, to ensure that the app does the right thing in all cases (for instance, if the app has a popup dialog open, the 'back' key will close the popup dialog, not back out of the app). This does give the app a chance to respond to the 'back out' action, by saving state or by putting up a 'do you really want to quit?' message. But Rule #3 above means that when the app is restarted, it has to look like a new instance of the app, not a continuation of the instance that the user terminated.

Jim Chapman said:
But Rule #3 above means that when the app is restarted, it has to look like a new instance of the app, not a continuation of the instance that the user terminated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. It would be nice if there was at least some subtle little toast or something like "do you want to pick up where you left off?", maybe just for apps that are super-complex, at the developer's discretion.
Whatever MS and developers did, I'm glad that MS appears to recognize that users aren't super happy with the outcome - I believe we'll see a change in the second update of 2011.

Related

10 things I hate about my HD2

Hi,
My first post - sorry about the agressive title, but I really am a little frustrated with my new HD2 which I have had for about 3 weeks now. Some of the things may be due to my ignorance and others are to me clearly errors:
1) Alarm clock does not always work. I set the alarm and set the phone to silent (I use that every day). The alarm goes of, but only displays a message on the screen and no sound (which reallly does not wake me up). I tried experimenting and turning up the ringer volume and setting a new alarm. The result is that the phone uses my e-mail sound for the alarm! If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while. I have set the flag is the settings specifying that alarm should sound even i silent mode.
2) Data connectivity drop outs/malfunction. I can have all signal bars on a 3G signal and the browser gives me "Not able to display page". I've tried Opera and IE and I've also tried closing all tasks, nothing helps. If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while.
3) Not able to delete multiple mails at once. On my iPhone I can click Edit, mark the mails I want to delete and then click delete. I get a lot of spam/commercials that I delete without reading, so its a nice feature for me.
4) Keyboard is just way to sensitive - I make so many typos on the HD2 keyboard and the arrow keys are next the space key, so many times I also end up pressing those
5) Speakerphone - the volume can wake up dead people and it is not possible to turn it down (enough)
6) Dropped network connections/no access - The phone seems to switch constantly between E/H/3G connections and sometimes inbetween I just don't have network access at all, e.g. I can't make/receive calls.
7) Video recording. If there is just a little movement in the scene - I get seasick from watching the recording
8) Freeze during incoming call. The phone just freezes and the Start menu changes to: "We're sorry..." - Soft reset required...sigh!
9) Mails deleted on the phone (OUtlook/Exchange account) is kept on the server and visa versa. On my iPhone, deleting a mail on the phone or in Outlook instantly (with the next send/receive) removes it from the phone/pc. On my HD2 that does not seem to happen
10) Charging via USB/PC - I use that a lot, also on pc's that do not have ActiveSync installed. On the iPhone you can do that and when you plug it in it brings up a dialog asking what you want to do - ONCE. On the HD2 I get a messsage saying "New hardware is detected" every single time I unlock the phone e.g. to read a new message, mail etc. That is so annoying.
I'm on 1.48 and applied all three released hotfixes (Camera, SMS and SD card). I've only installed Tomtom and Navigon (trial) and nothing else.
Any help is appreciated as I'm stuck with this phone for the next 6 months.
Thanks,
Jacob
Hi Jacob,
Have you looked at the hints and tips thread here that should help you get over some of the problems you have? Have you read any of the forums at all?
There are solutions to some of your issues on here. Use this tool to help you find them...http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=+site:http://forum.xda-developers.com&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all
Good luck
WB
onkeldunkel said:
Hi,
My first post - sorry about the agressive title, but I really am a little frustrated with my new HD2 which I have had for about 3 weeks now. Some of the things may be due to my ignorance and others are to me clearly errors:
1) Alarm clock does not always work. I set the alarm and set the phone to silent (I use that every day). The alarm goes of, but only displays a message on the screen and no sound (which reallly does not wake me up). I tried experimenting and turning up the ringer volume and setting a new alarm. The result is that the phone uses my e-mail sound for the alarm! If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while. I have set the flag is the settings specifying that alarm should sound even i silent mode.
2) Data connectivity drop outs/malfunction. I can have all signal bars on a 3G signal and the browser gives me "Not able to display page". I've tried Opera and IE and I've also tried closing all tasks, nothing helps. If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while.
3) Not able to delete multiple mails at once. On my iPhone I can click Edit, mark the mails I want to delete and then click delete. I get a lot of spam/commercials that I delete without reading, so its a nice feature for me.
4) Keyboard is just way to sensitive - I make so many typos on the HD2 keyboard and the arrow keys are next the space key, so many times I also end up pressing those
5) Speakerphone - the volume can wake up dead people and it is not possible to turn it down (enough)
6) Dropped network connections/no access - The phone seems to switch constantly between E/H/3G connections and sometimes inbetween I just don't have network access at all, e.g. I can't make/receive calls.
7) Video recording. If there is just a little movement in the scene - I get seasick from watching the recording
8) Freeze during incoming call. The phone just freezes and the Start menu changes to: "We're sorry..." - Soft reset required...sigh!
9) Mails deleted on the phone (OUtlook/Exchange account) is kept on the server and visa versa. On my iPhone, deleting a mail on the phone or in Outlook instantly (with the next send/receive) removes it from the phone/pc. On my HD2 that does not seem to happen
10) Charging via USB/PC - I use that a lot, also on pc's that do not have ActiveSync installed. On the iPhone you can do that and when you plug it in it brings up a dialog asking what you want to do - ONCE. On the HD2 I get a messsage saying "New hardware is detected" every single time I unlock the phone e.g. to read a new message, mail etc. That is so annoying.
I'm on 1.48 and applied all three released hotfixes (Camera, SMS and SD card). I've only installed Tomtom and Navigon (trial) and nothing else.
Any help is appreciated as I'm stuck with this phone for the next 6 months.
Thanks,
Jacob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Throw it away, better yet send it to me!
I mentioned that in another thread, but I think it fits better here :
What I hate about the HD2:
1- Screen bugs. You must rely on your luck to get a good working screen
2- Voicecall quality: for some people it's acceptable but for too many others, the quality is one of the worst you can get for a 1000$ phone. Noise, crackle, distortion etc..
3- SMS loading time is miserable. HTC still is not aware of the problem or they are ignoring us because they know that their software code is buggy and needs recoding
4- Some if not most HTC devices have some hardware flaw like screen not evenly aligned with the frame that puts some question marks whether if it's going to put us into trouble in the future or not ie: top notch ( can leak water, dust, backlight, whatsoever ) or something like that http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...4&postcount=94
5- Mediocre back speaker performance. And when it rings, it really feels like a cheap phone.
6- loose keypad. That's not really a problem but sometimes it's annoying, it also feels cheap in hand although the build quality is almost excellent.
7- Poor battery life, I mean really poor. If I forget to charge it at night, forget about calling me the next day.
8- Very sharp lens frame. That's not a big deal if you keep your device in its case but if not, beware, this thing can scratch anything it touches.
That's for me, you must also note that what I wrote is subjective and based on a comparison with my old XDA and HTC devices.
Hope that clears up things.
Hi WB,
Yep - I've read most of the posts (that looked relevant) on the Leo forums for the last month or so. I'm also aware that I can e.g. install a different alarm clock, connect to the standard button/place on the screen (described on Pocketnow), I also know there is a sensitivity tweak, I can install alternative keyboards and so on, but come on should that really be necessary on a state-of-the-art phone like the HD2?
Best regards,
Jacob
yeah, I got f-****ed by the alarm clock twice .
blame myself for not testing out.
Funny, that I do not seem to have your problems in the even no. of your points 2,4,6,8,10
A question of each piece of HD2?
onkeldunkel said:
Hi,
My first post - sorry about the agressive title, but I really am a little frustrated with my new HD2 which I have had for about 3 weeks now. Some of the things may be due to my ignorance and others are to me clearly errors:
1) Alarm clock does not always work. I set the alarm and set the phone to silent (I use that every day). The alarm goes of, but only displays a message on the screen and no sound (which reallly does not wake me up). I tried experimenting and turning up the ringer volume and setting a new alarm. The result is that the phone uses my e-mail sound for the alarm! If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while. I have set the flag is the settings specifying that alarm should sound even i silent mode.
2) Data connectivity drop outs/malfunction. I can have all signal bars on a 3G signal and the browser gives me "Not able to display page". I've tried Opera and IE and I've also tried closing all tasks, nothing helps. If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while.
3) Not able to delete multiple mails at once. On my iPhone I can click Edit, mark the mails I want to delete and then click delete. I get a lot of spam/commercials that I delete without reading, so its a nice feature for me.
4) Keyboard is just way to sensitive - I make so many typos on the HD2 keyboard and the arrow keys are next the space key, so many times I also end up pressing those
5) Speakerphone - the volume can wake up dead people and it is not possible to turn it down (enough)
6) Dropped network connections/no access - The phone seems to switch constantly between E/H/3G connections and sometimes inbetween I just don't have network access at all, e.g. I can't make/receive calls.
7) Video recording. If there is just a little movement in the scene - I get seasick from watching the recording
8) Freeze during incoming call. The phone just freezes and the Start menu changes to: "We're sorry..." - Soft reset required...sigh!
9) Mails deleted on the phone (OUtlook/Exchange account) is kept on the server and visa versa. On my iPhone, deleting a mail on the phone or in Outlook instantly (with the next send/receive) removes it from the phone/pc. On my HD2 that does not seem to happen
10) Charging via USB/PC - I use that a lot, also on pc's that do not have ActiveSync installed. On the iPhone you can do that and when you plug it in it brings up a dialog asking what you want to do - ONCE. On the HD2 I get a messsage saying "New hardware is detected" every single time I unlock the phone e.g. to read a new message, mail etc. That is so annoying.
I'm on 1.48 and applied all three released hotfixes (Camera, SMS and SD card). I've only installed Tomtom and Navigon (trial) and nothing else.
Any help is appreciated as I'm stuck with this phone for the next 6 months.
Thanks,
Jacob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gotta feeling you have totally different device man Seems this is really a question of each piece of device... E.g. I've no bugs with screen, keyboard, calls, alarm clock... Also after the official fixes and some additional patches (DAMIEN's camera fixes) the photos and video in mpeg4 is awesome (you can check out my photos on forum).
sorry for stating the obvious but maybe you actually still want an iphone. sell Leo and get an iphone 3GS mate as you clearly still stuck on iphone.I have many annoying things on mine but i am sure that customs roms will fix all these issues when we can flash them. its the same with most new devices mate, they are just not perfect and patience is needed. the raw power under the hood of this thing has not been tamed yet dude so hold tight. it took the HTC Rhodium to finally get a good blend of touchflo 3D and winmo. it will get better dude
OK, so let's try to help a bit, shall we?
1) Alarm clock does not always work. I set the alarm and set the phone to silent (I use that every day). The alarm goes of, but only displays a message on the screen and no sound (which reallly does not wake me up). I tried experimenting and turning up the ringer volume and setting a new alarm. The result is that the phone uses my e-mail sound for the alarm! If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while. I have set the flag is the settings specifying that alarm should sound even i silent mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is a problem that Windows Mobile has had from the beginning. I've got no idea why they don't get that fixed, but whatever...
...there are good replacemet alarm programs, like G-Alarm and others, that are much better that the built in alarm. Try one of those.
2) Data connectivity drop outs/malfunction. I can have all signal bars on a 3G signal and the browser gives me "Not able to display page". I've tried Opera and IE and I've also tried closing all tasks, nothing helps. If I turn the phone on/off everything works fine again for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I can't help with this. Maybe it's a problem of the phone's radio firmware that doesn't work well with your carrier's network.
Watch out for radio ROM upgrades!
3) Not able to delete multiple mails at once. On my iPhone I can click Edit, mark the mails I want to delete and then click delete. I get a lot of spam/commercials that I delete without reading, so its a nice feature for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Outlook, press Menu --> Select Messages --> Several
4) Keyboard is just way to sensitive - I make so many typos on the HD2 keyboard and the arrow keys are next the space key, so many times I also end up pressing those
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download 'BSB Config' and reduce the screen sensitivity.
BSB Config is a must-have anyway.
5) Speakerphone - the volume can wake up dead people and it is not possible to turn it down (enough)
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Click to collapse
I don't have a problem with it and I don't know a solution. Sorry.
6) Dropped network connections/no access - The phone seems to switch constantly between E/H/3G connections and sometimes inbetween I just don't have network access at all, e.g. I can't make/receive calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that happens to me also. This is radio firmware related for sure. As said before: Watch out for radio ROM upgrades.
7) Video recording. If there is just a little movement in the scene - I get seasick from watching the recording
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem with that. Sorry can't help.
8) Freeze during incoming call. The phone just freezes and the Start menu changes to: "We're sorry..." - Soft reset required...sigh!/QUOTE]
Disable Windows Error Reporting with BSB Config.
Error Reporting is responsible for several problems, including music player crashes and others.
9) Mails deleted on the phone (OUtlook/Exchange account) is kept on the server and visa versa. On my iPhone, deleting a mail on the phone or in Outlook instantly (with the next send/receive) removes it from the phone/pc. On my HD2 that does not seem to happen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you enabled push synchronization?
Every change I make on my phone Outlook gets immediately synchronized with my Exchange account and vise vers, so maybe you just have not enabled push.
10) Charging via USB/PC - I use that a lot, also on pc's that do not have ActiveSync installed. On the iPhone you can do that and when you plug it in it brings up a dialog asking what you want to do - ONCE. On the HD2 I get a messsage saying "New hardware is detected" every single time I unlock the phone e.g. to read a new message, mail etc. That is so annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. None of my PCs brings up any message except for the first time I plug it in, but maybe that's because all of them run Windows 7.
1- Screen bugs. You must rely on your luck to get a good working screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure most people have one with a good working screen
2- Voicecall quality: for some people it's acceptable but for too many others, the quality is one of the worst you can get for a 1000$ phone. Noise, crackle, distortion etc..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not only acceptabel... it's great
3- SMS loading time is miserable. HTC still is not aware of the problem or they are ignoring us because they know that their software code is buggy and needs recoding
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. But I prefer the standard WM SMS interface anyways, so what? I think HTC should not have made a replacement in the first place, now they only have problems with it...
4- Some if not most HTC devices have some hardware flaw like screen not evenly aligned with the frame that puts some question marks whether if it's going to put us into trouble in the future or not ie: top notch ( can leak water, dust, backlight, whatsoever ) or something like that http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...4&postcount=94
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware flaws? Not at all, the HD2 is probably the highest quality phone ever created. Of course that does not eliminate the possibility of production faults, but saying that 'most' devices have flaws is ridiculous.
5- Mediocre back speaker performance. And when it rings, it really feels like a cheap phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, actually, according to professional tests, it's one on the better speakers among phones. Not the best, but better than e.g. the iPhone and lots of others.
6- loose keypad. That's not really a problem but sometimes it's annoying, it also feels cheap in hand although the build quality is almost excellent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is by design. You wouldn't be able to press the keys anymore if they were not that 'loose'.
8- Very sharp lens frame. That's not a big deal if you keep your device in its case but if not, beware, this thing can scratch anything it touches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
Okay, now to my own list (which is a bit shorter):
1) Storage. Most people who buy the phone probably don't have a clue about hov to free up the internal memory, how to delete Youtube caches, the Copilot executable files etc. That is a huge issue, because those same people also have no clue about how to get applications from outside the Marketplace, which doesn't allow installations to the storage card. This is a huge issue for non-powerusers, and given the popularity of the phone, there's probably lots of users running into it.
2) The music player: There is no search bar or (alphabetic) scrollbar.
3) UI flaws: Swiping through TouchFlo Tabs should be fluid, like swiping through pages on the iPhone's Springboard. Scrolling in TouchFlo is not optimized, can be made a bit better via registry (speed, friction), but still laggy sometimes. Pinching in Opera is much too slow, that's much better in Safari. RSS Hub lags a lot.
4) The messaging applications. I've not had any problems so far and I've turned it off in favor of the default one anyways, but HTC should not have created it at all. The default one was okay and similar to the Email one as part of Outlook, there was nothing wrong.
5) The radio firmware - buggy as hell, that's all I have to say about it.
6) The camera flash brightness and/or exposure should adjust according to the distance of the target, which is determined by the auto focus, to prevent overexposure.
Other than that: Great phone
No phone is perfect these days, unfortunately, but this one, I think, comes closest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
onkeldunkel said:
....but come on should that really be necessary on a state-of-the-art phone like the HD2?
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Click to collapse
I agree with you. However windows mobile devices are not as "simple" as the Iphone that I believe you have just come from. I know I risk opening up world war 3 by merely mentioning iphone in this post so let's move on quickly.
Regretably, as an early adopter, you will have to invest some considerable time tweaking the device to get it to what you thought you had bought. Most seasoned winmobile owners are used to this, hence the existence of XDA-Developers.
Once innovations like SPL/Hard SPL are with us then you will, if you wish, get the opportunity to change your roms at will and customise your device ad-nauseum. If this is not the journey you wish to take then you will have to reconsider your purchase and go for something else.
I'm definitely not being arsey, just being a realist.
Hope you make the right decision for you.
Cheers
WB
@Seed_al: This is really good stuff - thank you very much for taking the time to answer my post. I will give BSB Config a try and also G-Alarm (I really depend on the alarm to wake me up )
The tip for selecting multiple messages is also great. Another n00b question - how do you enable push for an Outlook account?
Thanks,
Jacob
Sigh, just one another of those "I hate my HD2/The worst phone I ever had, etc. threads. It is just getting boring. I does not contribute anything, so I would like to ask the mods to have a close look to these kind of threads and judge/act on them them as demmed necessary.
kuzibri said:
Sigh, just one another of those "I hate my HD2/The worst phone I ever had, etc. threads. It is just getting boring. I does not contribute anything, so I would like to ask the mods to have a close look to these kind of threads and judge/act on them them as demmed necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fairness, he's getting (mostly) constructive responses, so if he gets answers to problems then isn't that what this whole forum is about?
I do actually agree that there are too many "slagging off" threads, but as long as something good comes from it then it's worthwhile. If someone reads it and fixes issues they have with their phone, then who cares about the people that simply agree and flog their phone. That's 1 less person whining on the forums! lol
wacky.banana said:
I agree with you. However windows mobile devices are not as "simple" as the Iphone that I believe you have just come from. I know I risk opening up world war 3 by merely mentioning iphone in this post so let's move on quickly.
Regretably, as an early adopter, you will have to invest some considerable time tweaking the device to get it to what you thought you had bought. Most seasoned winmobile owners are used to this, hence the existence of XDA-Developers.
Once innovations like SPL/Hard SPL are with us then you will, if you wish, get the opportunity to change your roms at will and customise your device ad-nauseum. If this is not the journey you wish to take then you will have to reconsider your purchase and go for something else.
I'm definitely not being arsey, just being a realist.
Hope you make the right decision for you.
Cheers
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent answer and you are right - the unmentionable (is that a word) puts much harder restrictions on what can be done and by whom.
You are also spot on with the earlier adopter - I'm always doing that, not only with phones Maybe I should just see this as a new opportunity to explore the WM world I just need to sort out the most basic issues, like alarm, keyboard, mail etc. I got a 6-month contract with the phone, so I definately keeping it and I really like the hardware side of it...
Thanks,
Jacob
kuzibri said:
Sigh, just one another of those "I hate my HD2/The worst phone I ever had, etc. threads. It is just getting boring. I does not contribute anything, so I would like to ask the mods to have a close look to these kind of threads and judge/act on them them as demmed necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you read my 1st post in this thread? I'm not saying that this is the worst phone I ever had, because that was my Qtek 9100 I'm saying it had some flaws IMHO and as John says I actually got very good answers that already helped me...
Best regards,
Jacob
Well, with a bit of luck, you'll get to see a lot more within those six months... maybe we HD2 owners will be among the first to be able to try out Windows Mobile 7
But yes, I fully agree with wacky.banana. There is a relatively high learning curve with Windows Mobile and it can't be denied that there are/were issues with the first devices/software versions that we early adopters have/had to deal with.
On the other hand, we get some great advantages over the unmentionable phone, but of course also disadvantages - there is just no perfect phone - but I personally love the HD2, think it has a lot more advantages than problems. In the end, there probably will never be a perfect phone, and it will always be a personal decision.
kuzibri said:
Sigh, just one another of those "I hate my HD2/The worst phone I ever had, etc. threads. It is just getting boring. I does not contribute anything, so I would like to ask the mods to have a close look to these kind of threads and judge/act on them them as demmed necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree. He has the right to say what he wants. Besides he is asking for help, not whinging.
The whole thread was constructive before you jumped in. Please don't act in such a way as to get this thread closed. The OP has the right to say what he is saying whether you agree with him or not.
That's democracy and is what free speech is all about.
WB
wacky.banana said:
Disagree. He has the right to say what he wants. Besides he is asking for help, not whinging.
The whole thread was constructive before you jumped in. Please don't act in such a way as to get this thread closed. The OP has the right to say what he is saying whether you agree with him or not.
That's democracy and is what free speech is all about.
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fairness mate, you should have just not commented if you felt like that. You can't promote the free speech of the OP whilst telling someone not to post what they think. It's gone already, and not many people took any notice. It's no biggie, so don't make it one
Edit:
I just re-read that post and want to make it clear that I wasn't trying to tell you what to do. I just want to keep the forums as friendly as possible, so offered an opinion.
@onkeldunkel
Tap the notifications bar to bring up the notifications screen, then tap the network icon to open the comm manager. There, make sure 'Microsoft Direct Push' is activated.
If yes, then go to Start --> Connectivity --> ActiveSync (or wherever ActiveSync is in your Start Menu). There, tap on Menu --> Schedule.
This is where you can configure the Schedule for syncing with your Exchange server.
If this is set to 'as items arrive', then every change on your phone should immediately be synchronized with the server.
Let me know if it works.
@those people arguing above
I also hate all those 'I hate/sold my phone' threads, but this one here is not of that kind!
This one is not a troll thread for whining/complaining, it's a constructive thread asking for help, so please stop the fighting and don't destroy it.
johncmolyneux said:
In fairness, he's getting (mostly) constructive responses, so if he gets answers to problems then isn't that what this whole forum is about?
I do actually agree that there are too many "slagging off" threads, but as long as something good comes from it then it's worthwhile. If someone reads it and fixes issues they have with their phone, then who cares about the people that simply agree and flog their phone. That's 1 less person whining on the forums! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
John, you're absolutely right. I have read this post to hastily and thus reacted that way. I apologize to the OP for that.

Comprehensive list of Nexus One and Android suggestions/issues

Hey guys,
so one day I was wondering that we should start a thread on the main issues of the Nexus One and Android. I thought it would be nice if everyone posted an issue or an idea that would be relevant to Google to implement on the next version of Android. I've named some (I am on stock FRF91 btw, so some issues may not affect all users):
Nexus One Specific:
-enable custom trackball and led colors notifications without the need to root (there's an app called Trackball Alert by lilHermit [see http://www.appbrain.com/app/uk.co.lilhermit.android.TrackballAlert ] that does exactly what I mean but you need custom roms to use it)
-720p video recording (already achievable with Cyanogen's mod, but could use Google's help with the drivers and to up the overall quality of the video)
-fix multitouch (I know ClearPad 2000 is not very good at dealing with multitouch but there is room for software/driver optimization)
-improve touchscreen subtle delay after touch (again, maybe a ClearPad 2000 issue, not sure about it)
-trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
General Android:
-enable horizontal homescreen without having to use a dock
-improve kinetic scrolling on the maps app (not really an android issue, it's app-specific)
-isolate images and video files of apps from the gallery app (it is really annoying to see completely unrelated pics from apps in the middle of the pics you've taken with ur camera or copied from ur pc)
-remove the ****ty compression from the pictures on the gallery, contact pictures and album covers
-make the gallery 24 bit colors again (it was 24 bit on 2.1, but they screwed up on froyo [even on FRF91])
-improve the music player (much needed)
-add swipe left and right gestures to switch between emails, songs (just like in the stock news app)
-smoother transition between homescreens and smoother launcher (improve overall FPS rate on the system)
-better live wallpaper performance (using LWP generally slows the system down)
-tabbed browsing (like Dolphin Browser), better history and bookmark handling (bookmarks synchronazation with firefox, chrome, safari and maybe even ****ty ie)
-both the gmail and the email apps need an overhaul, 1st: it is SLOW. It takes AGES to open an email with images even on a fast wifi connection. 2nd. threaded view. C'mon one of the great things about gmail are threaded emails but you cant take advantage of it on your android phone? 3rd. UI overhaul.
-itunes-like, offline backup, firmware updating, music, photos and video syncing (ok, I know I'm prolly getting flamed for this one, but I honestly believe that even with all the efforts from Google to make everything clound-based, I still see the necessity of having an offline organization tool)
-custom account sync time (set a schedule for auto syncing contacts, agenda, etc...)
-enable online browsing and managing of apps, music, photos, contacts, call log... all in a single website, like Microsoft wants to implement on Windows Phone Series 7 (see http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/windows-phone-live-to-offer-remote-wipe-location-and-sync-for/ )
-Keyboard and Languages:
-tweaks on the keyboard including multitouch support (like the Droid X)
-make the keyboard not take the whole screen (eg. you can see the actual app you're using while typing instead of seeing only the text box - really needed for chatting apps)
-portuguese dictonary (I'm from Brazil, but I mean adding more languages to Android's dictionary) [the OS is already available in portuguese]
-more voice commands (like the iphone) with support for more languages
-Marketplace:
-better looking games and apps (this issue goes much deeper then just the UI)
-isolate the CRAPPS (soundboards, sexy japanese girl wallpapers, 50 cent ringtones, etc) in a different category
-create an approval process (completely debatable, but if it's ever created, it should not ressemble apple's flawed approval process and should not run away from Google's open philosophy)
-improve developer finantial gains with their apps (see: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/07/05/report-over-half-of-all-android-apps-are-free/ ; http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...gaming-on-android-and-how-openfeint-may-help/ ; http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010 ; http://nanocr.eu/2010/06/27/googles-mismanagement-of-the-android-market/ )
-find a way of reducing pirated and stolen apps (for example, blocking backing up paid apps: today, users can simply buy an app from the market, back it up using astro or some other tool, then they uninstall it to get a refund then they'll install the backed up app and keep both the money and the app)
-better organisation of cateories and better browsing and searching (search suggestions)
-GODDAMN GOOGLE MAKE THE MARKETPLACE PAID APPS AVAILABLE IN MORE COUNTRIES
-The comment below was copied from Android Central, originally posted by credo on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 12:08, as I thought he had some great insights on the market from a developer's point of view (see: http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010#comment-47392)
" 1) Being able to purchase an app off the web. The big reason I have for this is marketing -- currently there's no good place for me to link a banner ad or other promotion to. This means the user has to manually search for my app in the marketplace to buy it, or scan a QR code. Not exactly impulse-purchase friendly. This is being taken care of with 2.2, but it won't be something I can rely on for a long time after that (the vast majority of the phones would need to be on 2.2).
2) Better descriptions in the listings. Not even much longer necessarily, but a dedicated changelog space (for example) would be fantastic, especially if it maintained history. Dedicated space to link to a video, or a free/paid version, etc could help a lot.
3) Tagging for the listings ("aquarium", "live wallpaper", "fish", "etc"). Currently, not only am I limited to 325 characters (about 30 of which have to go to my current changelog entry) but that couple of sentences I DO have had better include as many relevant search terms as I can manage! A place to enter a dozen or so tags would go miles to making the description space good for actual description. Come up with a big list of standardized tags and put them in a drop-down to help keep it organized.
4) The ability to respond to comments. I mean really, if I'm the developer let me post comments/replies freely. I'm thinking the eBay feedback mechanism here. It's agonizing to see somebody post a blatantly wrong negative comment and there's nothing meaningful I can do about it.
Personally, I've been doing okay with the market overall, but that's because I've focused on something of a niche with some definite consumer appeal (I've made several live wallpapers, like Silhouette, Galactic Core, City at Night, Aquarium Live Wallpaper, etc. Check here if you're interested.). It IS hard to find things on the market and with only the 325 character description to convey ALL your information, it's hard to explain all your features even when the customer does find your item."
That's it guys, hope you like the idea. Waiting for users input.
EDIT: Mods, please feel free to move this post if deemed necessary. I was not quite sure about where I should post it.
Wow. I like the ideas but to this point Google hasn't exactly been interested in acting upon any request, no matter how obvious, necessary or simple, and that's an ass load of requests. But sure I agree 720p recording and all the rest would be great.
wholeheartedly agree with you on every point...
Google is a few major DUH points from having a relatively perfect OS...some things just make zero sense whatsoever...like not having a simple add button and a check box contact list to send a text to more than one person in the stock app...1.0, 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.1, 2.2 and still this simple feature has not been implemented.
also the music player is ridiculous...seriously...like for real...wtf?
Hey so you're Kittehface.
Good list.
Please add:
-GODDAMN GOOGLE MAKE GOOGLE VOICE/GOOGLE NAVIGATION AVAILABLE IN MORE COUNTRIES.
Granted more countries are having navigation but most Asian countries are still left in the dark.
Launcher pro transitions is so much smoother between home screens, it must be hitting 60 fps easily. Google could easily fix their stock launcher to match it
fiuza91 said:
-both the gmail and the email apps need an overhaul, 1st: it is SLOW. It takes AGES to open an email with images even on a fast wifi connection. 2nd. threaded view. C'mon one of the great things about gmail are threaded emails but you cant take advantage of it on your android phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No threaded view? Uh, what?
fiuza91 said:
-fix multitouch (I know ClearPad 2000 is not very good at dealing with multitouch but there is room for software/driver optimization)
What exactly is wrong with it. i havent had any issues, but other people seem to
-improve touchscreen subtle delay after touch (again, maybe a ClearPad 2000 issue, not sure about it)
same as above
-trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
this is more of a feature. the trackball is pressed easier than the power button, meaning the screen can be turned on by accident and use more battery
General Android:
-isolate images and video files of apps from the gallery app (it is really annoying to see completely unrelated pics from apps in the middle of the pics you've taken with ur camera or copied from ur pc)
This is the fault of the app developer. They need to a) use googles API for external storage and b) they need to put a .nomedia file so it doesnt show up in in gallery or music player
-better live wallpaper performance (using LWP generally slows the system down)
i personally havent had an issue with this either
-tabbed browsing (like Dolphin Browser), better history and bookmark handling
i personally dont think tabbed browsing is that great on mobile devices. i would like a dedicated button to show open windows next to the bookmark button though
-both the gmail and the email apps need an overhaul, \ 2nd. threaded view. C'mon one of the great things about gmail are threaded emails but you cant take advantage of it on your android phone?
AFAIK threaded emails have been there since atleast 1.5. I have it on FRF91 for sure
-enable online browsing and managing of apps, music, photos, contacts, call log... all in a single website, like Microsoft wants to implement on Windows Phone Series 7 (see http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/windows-phone-live-to-offer-remote-wipe-location-and-sync-for/ )
This is coming with gingerbread
-Keyboard and Languages:
-make the keyboard not take the whole screen (eg. you can see the actual app you're using while typing instead of seeing only the text box - really needed for chatting apps)
froyo has this in browser, i think other apps have to be updated for this not sure
-more voice commands (like the iphone) with support for more languages
there are a lot of voice commands that work fine with the voice dialer (but they still require manual confirmation)
-Marketplace:
-better looking games and apps (this issue goes much deeper then just the UI)
lol if its about looks then its about UI. Android has already added opengl libraries. devs just need to use them now
-create an approval process (completely debatable, but if it's ever created, it should not ressemble apple's flawed approval process and should not run away from Google's open philosophy)
cant be open AND have an approval process
-improve developer finantial gains with their apps (see: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/07/05/report-over-half-of-all-android-apps-are-free/ ; http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...gaming-on-android-and-how-openfeint-may-help/ ; http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010 ; http://nanocr.eu/2010/06/27/googles-mismanagement-of-the-android-market/ )
Just because they are free doesnt mean that there is no incentive to have paid apps on market, people will buy better products. i do agree that they could be better paid for ads though
-find a way of reducing pirated and stolen apps (for example, blocking backing up paid apps: today, users can simply buy an app from the market, back it up using astro or some other tool, then they uninstall it to get a refund then they'll install the backed up app and keep both the money and the app)
This is already implemented......
-The comment below was copied from Android Central, originally posted by credo on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 12:08, as I thought he had some great insights on the market from a developer's point of view (see: http://www.androidcentral.com/can-developers-make-money-android-market-mobilebeat-2010#comment-47392)
"
2) Better descriptions in the listings. Not even much longer necessarily, but a dedicated changelog space (for example) would be fantastic, especially if it maintained history. Dedicated space to link to a video, or a free/paid version, etc could help a lot.
dedicated changelog space is provided in the version area of the market. most devs dont know how to use it though =/
4) The ability to respond to comments. I mean really, if I'm the developer let me post comments/replies freely. I'm thinking the eBay feedback mechanism here. It's agonizing to see somebody post a blatantly wrong negative comment and there's nothing meaningful I can do about it.
gingerbread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree with most of the points though
trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
this is more of a feature. the trackball is pressed easier than the power button, meaning the screen can be turned on by accident and use more battery
- True, but we should be one to decide that right? At least give us the choice.
fiuza91 said:
-horizontal homescreen (you can have it with custom launchers, but would be nice to see Google implementing it with some cool transitions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Horizontal homescreen is already in stock standard android 2.2. Without any custom launcher. It is just that you need to dock the N1 in the car dock, before it will activate. Point is - it is there - issue is that you cannot activate it outside the car dock.
4) You CAN post comments on your own application and you have been able to on every version of android. It's a bit messy but it works:
Firstly, log in to your google account on your phone and try to purchase your own application. It should say something about it failing. Then, close and re-open the market, navigate to your app and, hey-presto, you can comment
I noticed that most of your points are not "issues" but "suggestions for improvement".
If so please change the post title.
Paul22000 said:
No threaded view? Uh, what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's threaded view on the Gmail app, but not on th email app. I know threaded view is something from Gmail but it would be nice if implemented on the email app (I don't know if requires any server-based modification so I don't know if it's possible)
logger said:
Horizontal homescreen is already in stock standard android 2.2. Without any custom launcher. It is just that you need to dock the N1 in the car dock, before it will activate. Point is - it is there - issue is that you cannot activate it outside the car dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Edited my post.
Meltus said:
4) You CAN post comments on your own application and you have been able to on every version of android. It's a bit messy but it works:
Firstly, log in to your google account on your phone and try to purchase your own application. It should say something about it failing. Then, close and re-open the market, navigate to your app and, hey-presto, you can comment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you think there should be a way of doing it "natively"? I'm sure it would help devs out a lot.
britoso said:
I noticed that most of your points are not "issues" but "suggestions for improvement".
If so please change the post title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Call me an idiot but I can't see any way of changing the thread title. And, "suggestions for improvement" suggest there's something not quite right about whatever, so it is an issue nonetheless.
fiuza91 said:
You're right. Call me an idiot but I can't see any way of changing the thread title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click Edit, then change the title.
---
In any case, the only issues I see with the Nexus One are the touch screen is terrible (have to turn off/on to recalibrate lower right corner of screen; multi-touch axes snap together) and the four soft buttons are not aligned correctly with their respective labels.
Other than those two, the Nexus One is downright amazing in my eyes. Everything else is software, which can and will be fixed over time, either by Google or by developers like Cyanogen. ie Nexus One first to receive 2.2, probably the first to receive Gingerbread etc.
Aside from the touch screen being subpar, almost everything else you mentioned is more of a suggestion rather than an issue, as britoso mentioned.
I'm not sure if they can even fix the screen issues with the nexus one. Because I don't really see anything wrong with the phone except for the horrible touchscreen.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Mokurex said:
trackball wake and unlock for non-rooted users (is it THAT hard to implement?)
this is more of a feature. the trackball is pressed easier than the power button, meaning the screen can be turned on by accident and use more battery
- True, but we should be one to decide that right? At least give us the choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol if we had a choice for every little setting in android, then we would be flooded with the amount of settings available in the ROM. people are already complaining about how you have to have a "PhD in Computer Science" (i call BS. I only have a bachelors in SE ) to use android...adding more options will make people think WTF
most people want someone else to take care of everything for them and give them a product that "just works" (i hate you steve jobs)
Paul22000 said:
Click Edit, then change the title.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had already clicked edit, but I can't change the title.
By the way, thanks for the input everyone! This is part of what makes a community like XDA great.
fiuza91 said:
I had already clicked edit, but I can't change the title.
By the way, thanks for the input everyone! This is part of what makes a community like XDA great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure you not hittin quick edit lol. it should be under title
flybyme said:
make sure you not hittin quick edit lol. it should be under title
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found it. I had to click "edit post" twice actually. I know that me not being able to change a simple title sounded noob, but I was just blind or something lol
logger said:
Horizontal homescreen is already in stock standard android 2.2. Without any custom launcher. It is just that you need to dock the N1 in the car dock, before it will activate. Point is - it is there - issue is that you cannot activate it outside the car dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone write application to emulate that the phone is in car dock without physically being in the dock?, this will enable the horizontal stock features

2.2 Review

*** True Story ***
I am a member on Dell's community forum and have watched Dell's mouthpiece, Amy-B, post the lies and put up the smoke and mirrors regarding this for a while now. When she first announced that the update would begin on 11/15, I paid closer attention. By the end of the week when there was no update, I commented that users may have a potential class action suit. With that, I got a scathing email from Dell saying I violated their terms of use, some left handed subtle threats, and my post was deleted. I still laugh about that.
End True Story, my ongoing review below
I put 2.2 on last night and played with it for a little while before bed, then really started putting it to the test today. here's what's happened until now.
First, when I applied the update, it kept a lot of previous settings and applications rather than clean wiping. It also bypassed forcing me to login to google account, so when I tried to use the market, it couldn't. With that, I used my credentials to login to my google account and immediately started having some google calendar syncing error. It became a loop, each time asking me to report it, then asking me to force close the app, and then over and over the same thing. So I rebooted the streak, and it came up with the same exact issue not allowing me to do anything with it. I had to pull the battery to shut it down this time and when I get it all together to power up, I simply held the up/down volume keys and told it to do a factory reset.
The rom cooks itself into the streak as the factory install and 2.2 came up on the next boot, this time asking for google credentials. It worked that time, and I was ready to put the phone through it's motions.
Issues I've found
1. Voice Dialer via Bluetooth crashes each time I try to use it. It crashes to the point that it tells me to restart my phone. This is without fail.
2. swiping to unlock the phone, or pattern unlock are flaky. it will start then stop as if I've taken my finger off. I have to do it multiple times and crazy ways to make it work. Pattern lock same thing. Especially after coming out of my pocket... as if the heat from my body makes my finger not be recognized on the whole screen. This build makes the touchscreen no longer responsive as it was in 1.6... update, I've tested this over and over and over. yes, it seems to be the temperature, because if I blow on the screen to cool it, or something similar, the screen becomes instantly responsive to my touch. I never had this problem with 1.6 regardless of when I pulled it out of my pocket.
3. sometimes, changing screens gets choppy or laggy.
4. No widget bar or tray/drawer that allows you to turn BT or Wifi on or off. You have to get something from the market to do this (updated, this is available as a widget, I should open my eyes a bit)
5. Can't change the number of screens; can't add or subtract screens, stages, rooms, or whatever you choose to call it. You're stuck with 7, the center one being the default.
6. Multiple FC's for variety of reasons, many are while simply browsing the market. With that Microsoft-esque error reporting thing always popping up, I think they anticipated feeding garbage to the masses.
7. Have tried a few alternate launchers. Some are better than others, more functional etc.. .but no matter how weak an alternate launcher appears to be, they pretty much ALL beat StageUI
Likes
1. Have always liked the live wallpapers that we were introduced to in 2.1
2. landscape mode rights itself regardless of which side is facing up. could be a caveat since it puts the home/back/menu buttons upside down on the left instead of right with the hard buttons on the bottom, but still kind of cool nonetheless.
4. Support for Exchange is native and doesn't require additional software/applications.
the long and the short of it.. Dell is useless as an OS developer/tweaker and StageUI blows.
Samsung hit the homerun with it on its Galaxy S series. I was just at best buy, and the Galaxy Tab is pretty sweet but the price tag is ridiculous. Comparing 2.1 of my Vibrant with 2.2 on my streak, the Vibrant wins. no contest.
Day one of having the new 2.2 update on there and it's clear that this OS needs some patching already. I can only imagine what the people on O2 in the UK had to go through with their 2.1 fiasco
more to follow...
Here's a couple of things that I like in this build but before I list the items I wanted to address the comment you made about being able to turn of BT, wi-fi, GPS, brightness, etc. Under apps you can select Power Control and that will give you those options in a form of a widget. You do, however, will have to delete one of the Stage widgets to free up the room. Or you can just open the widget via apps. For my use, I currently prefer a different launcher than Stage. I am using the LauncherPro but there are a lot of other free choices like ADW, Zeam and so on.
Here are the things I like about this build:
1. Ability to hang up the call by pressing the power button ( you have to go to Settings-Accessibility-then check the mark for that option)
2. Radio feature - is absolutely great. The thing I don't like is the web ad that seems to pop every time I start listening to a station. If anyone knows how to turn/block that pop-up you would make me very happy )
3. Keyboard is awesome. Love the size, the options to switch to symbols, just love it. Haven't messed with SWYPE but I love the Andriod KB right now.
4. Flash - yes it works and it works well.
5. Speed - significantly faster. Whether navigating or downloading. Wi-fi speeds are faster than 1.6 or 2.1 I use to have.
6. Bluetooth volume is louder. This one was high on my priority list.
7. Music widget - looks nice and clean.
8. Camera works fine. I don't see an option for 720p though.
9. Security is beefed up by adding the option for PIN or password on top of the normal sliding lock. My slider works without any issues. But I prefer the pattern lock which also works great.
10. Haptic feedback can't be completely turned off, or you can turn off certain features alone like keyboard. I have mine off so the three main buttons don't vibrate any more. I don't think that option was available in the previous builds but I could be wrong.
These are the ones that I can think of right off the bat. I may add more as I remember them.
streak4m3 said:
Under apps you can select Power Control and that will give you those options in a form of a widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long press home, then under widgets, then power control... thanks tons. that's what I was looking for.
So my quick review:
The good:
Loving the out-of-the-box Exchange support. Yay. Mobile e-mail/calendar/contacts without having to use Touchdown and the hassle of 'pushing' Touchdown contacts to the phone's contacts.
w00t. Ability to grab requiring apps from the market which require 2.x.
2.x features like portrait home screen, better multi-touch, etc.
The bad:
The Stage UI is just lame. Giving it a few days before I toss it in the bin.
I miss the old video playing app. I dunno what it was called, but there isn't even a shortcut for the new one. I installed ASTRO File Manager, browsed to my video directory and the file launched with some less-than-basic video player. What I liked about the old one was the order-by-date view which I have become used to but isn't the end of the world, the resume where you left off feature, and the delete from within the app feature. I guess Rock Player is the video player most people seem to be recommending, so I hope it has this.
For all its faults, I liked the old keyboard. I suspect it's still there, but I have yet to look. Using 2 (To/two/too) and 4 (For/four), etc in txt/IM/tweets now takes extra keypresses.
I never really knew how handy the Dell notification area was for 1.6. I'd turn off the cellular data and run Wi-Fi only, with just a couple of presses and it wouldn't interrupt the app I was in. Now I have to go to the home screen, press the menu button, and that's only to turn off wireless. I have yet to find the equivalent enable/disable for 3G.
Yet to check:
I've found the Streak's camera has taken pretty lame photos. I'm not photophile, but our 5 year old, 4MP camera takes better photos than the Streak. I've had the Streak set to the best quality (Lowest compression or whatever it was) and if you zoom in on a picture while viewing on a PC, it gets pixelated very quickly, while our 4MP pics are much nicer looking and they are twice the file size (4MP pic twice the file size of a 5MP pic?), so I'm interpreted this as 'The Streak takes crappy pics'. Been waiting to see what, if anything, the upgrade to 2.2 does for this.
So I guess it seems to lack polish, BUT, I think the reason for this is because it's actually near-to-bare Android, so I'm not going to criticise the roughness when the other option is more polish (Which one may or may not like) from Dell that means OS updates take 6+ months. I'm sure I'll be able to overcome anything I'm not liking with apps or through tweaking some options somewhere. Isn't this why we have Android?
But yeah. Stage is coming off pretty quick I suspect.
PS - You all might laugh: http://i.imgur.com/ULMLx.png
This build was far too laggy for my tastes. 1.6 was faster on some of the processes for me. I'm happily back on DJ Steve's build which is soooo much faster and has virtually the same features.
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Something I'm surprised is:
2.2 doesn't have separate sounds for incoming:
E-mail
Texts
Reminders
...I dunno if iOS does, but my old Windows Mobile device did. I'd like a different sounds for these events, as I'll respond to them differently. Now I don't know if it's a calendar reminder which I can't ignore, a text which I might ignore or an e-mail that I can ignore...
streak4m3 said:
8. Camera works fine. I don't see an option for 720p though.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got fooled by this. check 'Custom' for 720p. I can verify it is 720p too. pretty good quality.
Edit: Check it out. cant post link so you'll have to type the youtube code in manually
watch?v=Xm-jbOqIUiU
Enjoy! pretty sweet.
Format : MOV
Dimensions: 1280x720px
Video codec: MPEG4
Audio codec: AAC
htnprm said:
I never really knew how handy the Dell notification area was for 1.6. I'd turn off the cellular data and run Wi-Fi only, with just a couple of presses and it wouldn't interrupt the app I was in. Now I have to go to the home screen, press the menu button, and that's only to turn off wireless. I have yet to find the equivalent enable/disable for 3G.
PS - You all might laugh: http://i.imgur.com/ULMLx.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try "Quick Settings" which puts an icon in your status bar so when in an app, just drag down the status bar click on it and all your settings are there. Or, try "QuickDesk". Not sure if this is out of beta yet but its also an awesome app for doing exactly what you are talking about.....and much more.
Cant wait to get my Streak and to start rockin this 2.2. Would love to have vanilla 2.2 though.
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
- can the flashplayer play activescript ?
- is activesync (not exchange) working ?
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. I was wondering about many of these. Hopefully I get the first real sit-down with the phone sans-children jumping all over me, so I'll get back to you.
htnprm said:
Yeah. I was wondering about many of these. Hopefully I get the first real sit-down with the phone sans-children jumping all over me, so I'll get back to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cheers, appreciate it
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the led can work as a flashlight. I used the N1 Torch app and it worked fine.
Yes it does have wifi tethering.
I really miss the 1.6 menu bar/notification bar. Stage blows compared to the old ui. The swype keyboard is great. I have mixed feelings about the update mainly because of the ui changes.
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Spectre51 said:
Yes the led can work as a flashlight. I used the N1 Torch app and it worked fine.
Yes it does have wifi tethering.
I really miss the 1.6 menu bar/notification bar. Stage blows compared to the old ui. The swype keyboard is great. I have mixed feelings about the update mainly because of the ui changes.
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thnx for the info
yeah me too, but you can allways install one of these :
http://myandroidworld.in/posts/android-launchershome-replacement-apps
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
- can the flashplayer play activescript ?
- is activesync (not exchange) working ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes, I use StreakLight from Market (free)
2. Yes, there´s an option for this and I checked it, and it seems to work. But I haven´t connected a device yet.
3. How can I check this?
4. Dunno, cause I use Exchange and some Imap
gavelis said:
1. Yes, I use StreakLight from Market (free)
2. Yes, there´s an option for this and I checked it, and it seems to work. But I haven´t connected a device yet.
3. How can I check this?
4. Dunno, cause I use Exchange and some Imap
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thnx
ad 3 : http://www.playerversion.com/ and http://jrgraphix.net/research/flash-dock-mx-2004.php and http://flowplayer.org/plugins/streaming/rtmp.html
da_jojo said:
as you are on 2.2 now , can you check something for me ?
- can flashled from camera be used as torchlight ?
- it should have usb tethering now, but does it also do wifi-tethering ?
- can the flashplayer play activescript ?
- is activesync (not exchange) working ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. Others have answered, but I'll pass on what I know. If you're talking Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) not talking to an Exchange server, a la Hotmail, I'm getting a "cannot connect to server" error... My EAS to work's Exchange is working flawlessly though.
And USB/Wi-fi tethering are working grand. I'm tethered by Wi-fi as I write this, so I can pass my 3G USB modem on to a colleague. w00t.
I am a little concerned about battery life. I haven't done that much with the phone today, unlike a normal day where I might squeeze in a few calls, texts, tweets, bit of web browsing, and three+ hours of video and have the battery at 20% at the end of the day. I'm at 20% left now, and I haven't done any of those things.
thnx
have you tried hotmail through POP3 ? it worked with k9 client.
what i meant is activesync on windows 7 64bit with office 2010 32bit.
yeah batterylife concerns me also. i have a habit of draining these in godspeed (A)
You can create a shortcut to the wifi & networks popup from launcherpro activities.
1. Long press on the desktop bsckground
2. Select shortcut
3. Select Activities
4. Select wireless & networks
You now have access to the old dell popup to disable data, 3g etc.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
this is exactly what people where missing , thnx
rodjordan said:
You now have access to the old dell popup to disable data, 3g etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda. You still have to go from the app you're in out to the home screen, turn it on/off, and then go back to your app. But thanks for the info.

[Q] Thinking of getting a focus

Hi, I wanted to know what you guys think of the Focus and is it a worth getting?
What are the ups and downs of windows phone 7?
Is there any major hardware issues that I should consider before getting one?
Thanks in advance
I bought the phone outright from Rogers for $630.00 and I don't have a single regret! I think WP7 is gonna be a VERY strong competitor against ios and android by the end of the year. Microsoft needs a few updates to give the devs more control to create better apps, it needs some more user customization, and as most complaints would be it doesn't have copy & paste (which I dont care about at all)
All these are coming in updates soon and once the ball really starts rollin' I think WP7 will be a major success.
Is it worth buying the Focus? ABSOLUTELY! I love the phone, its so fast, fluid, and feels great.
I have new hopes for MS now, and I think Im currently leaning towards WP7 more than android and ios.
just my opinion,,,,hope this helps.
Sweet! You won't regret it IMHO.
My top 5 tips for the Focus (extra important for someone like me outside US warranty cover):
1. TAKE TREMENDOUS care clipping on/off the rear plate-phone back. It is plastic, with a couple of tiny plastic clips holding it in. Break these.....replacment back plate or blu-tac required!
2. Think long and hard over a case (I got a body glove - review on this site). This can be a slippery little sucker once the back plate gets some natural body oils / sweat / humidity etc on it. It has such a small form factor – cases do not weight it down too much in my opinion.
3. Add expandable memory at your own risk until MS offer a certified list / approved card process. If you do – load up the phone above the 8GB limit ASAP to test stability over a week or so. If you add heaps of apps and custom info and then need to hard reset, you've wasted a decent amount of time.
4. Use the Samsung Profile app (marketplace) to move the MMS capability over to your preferred carrier if outside US (eg Telstra Australia = worked for me).
5. Remove the AT&T bloat/software if outside US App support.
From one very happy Aussie Focus owner.
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
Think again
Noz85 said:
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are, like me, a former WM 6.5 guy who liked to flash custom ROMs and are thinking about a WP7 device, you are on the wrong path my friend. Custom ROMs on a WP7 device? Have you not read anything in these threads? I went to the Focus from a FUZE with a 6.5.5 Energy ROM, and tweaked and upgraded constantly, including my apps. I did this becuase I wanted to and thought I needed to. It was insanity and I realize this now that I have the Focus. I no longer need to do that, and no longer want to do that. My apps update on their own, the OS will too, and I would like to see some OS updates but don't need them. If what you want to do is tweak, customize and burn new custom ROMs, look elsewhere than WP7.
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
Call quality
mcorrie1121 said:
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
wspaw said:
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
that I can definitely agree with! Excellent call quality!
Samsung Focus WP7 pros and cons
Check Youtube video: "The Dark Side of the Samsung Focus"
I am hearing some a mono tone noise in the background while using my Bluetooth headset, such as Jawbone Icon, Sound ID5 etc.
The App store is still at its infancy. The interface is sometimes sluggish and crash without response especially on 3rd party apps. There is no VOIP applications yet because MS hasn't released the API. The screen of the Focus is sometimes way too sensitive that I have to do a factory reset or complete shut down of the phone.
CONS:
- Bluetooth + 3G call interfere with WiFi signal.
- Camera Settings are Not Saved after usage. I have to re-set 720P for video everytime!
- No video upload to social network nor Youtube yet.
- No dedicate Youtube app beside the mobile web interface. I really like the latest Youtube app in Android where you can have full screen in landscape and a small video still running on top with comments and related links at the bottom.... too bad it's only limited to Froyo or above version.
- Bluetooth Remote Control Protocol (No track change, No Volume Control)
- No Hidden WiFi SSID
- No native multilingual input support such as Chinese text and voice input yet.
- Voice control sometimes forces you to quite to the home page and need to press and hold the Windows Button again.
- No HTML5, Text rendering engine is sometimes very slow which results in unreadable pixelated form when zoomed in.
- Lacking confirmation before shut down when press and hold the power/sleep button. Both iOS and Android prompt for shut down not WP7.
- Charging time is very long. Sometimes it takes 8 Hours to charge from 0 % to 100%.
- Volume Button sometimes gets stuck depending on the surrounding temperature such as too cold at around 56ºF.
- Capacitive Buttons at the bottom are sometimes too sensitive which causes quitting a game and need to be restarted all over again.
- No Multitask or limited multi-task yet.
- A lot of games need to start from the beginning instead of pausing the state when quitting the app accidentally.
- No free turn-by-turn Navigation system.
- No Skype, fring, not even official Windows Live Messenger client yet (Zune HD has Windows Live Messenger already).
- No Front Facing Camera for video call
- Cannot change theme by default (without jailbreaking)
- Only Vibrate twice then ringtone instead of vibrating and ringtone simultaneously.
- No Threaded email
- Hard to manage tons of apps if MS still keep the same Metro UI without implementing some kind of folder system.
- Apps only sorted in Alphabetic order
- Text Message does not show nor highlight the phone number of the contact. I often get confused on which number did the caller call from, Google Voice, Mobile, Office, or Home??
- Cannot SMS to pager, home, and other category number except Mobile. Unless you type it in manually or go through the contact list.
- SMS doesn't use two colors or styles to distinguish you or the person you are trying to SMS to.
Pros:
- (Just Discovered) Able to record HD video with voice during any phone calls! No other Operating System can do that well and smooth. iPhone blocks the video capture during phone call, Symbian doesn't allow voice but video, Android camera is totally disabled, while the iOS allows you to take picture at least but not video.
- Thinnest and lightest WP7 phone
- 4" Super AMOLED screen
- Nice and loud speaker
- Chrome bezel and back cover.
- in-line and in-ear headphone with mic and volume control included
- Pin Apps, Songs, Website, People, etc to Home screen
- Large icons for touch
- Fast loading for MS's native interface
- Great Start for version 1.0 of the WP7. There are plenty of improvement and I'm sure MS will tackle the above issues in future updates.
Nice review, squarejp - thanks for sharing that.
User experience on the Focus is somewhat varied, I would say. Some prefer the plain glass "feel" versus having a third party screen protector like Zagg's InvisibleShield (my preference) on it, for example.
My experience with the Focus is that is an awesome phone. WP7 has some challenges ahead but I am optimistic (even if naively so) that most, if not all, of the issues will get hashed out over time. I'm very pleased with this phone and can't wait to see what the future holds for it!
Thanks guys looks like a solid device. I wasn't really looking to mod it just figured I'd ask. I got the aria for Modding anyways.
sent from my HTC Intruder
squarejp:
Some of Your cons seem to be a matter of personal preference, not an actual limitation of the phone. two colour sms? c'mon, if you can't tell that the bubble on the right is you and the bubble on the left is your sms partner, then Metro is obviously lost on you.
The best thing about this phone is what JamesAllen has said. it just works, you don't have to dicker around with it (that is unless of course you're taking it from one network to another).
If you want something to enable you to use the features most people expect in a smartphone while being able to enjoy an unlimited data plan, this is definitely a great phone.
Check out the Real CONS on Youtube.
Search "The Dark Side of The Samsung Focus"
Bluetooth + 3G interfere with WiFi signal.
Highly recommend this device and OS.
Put my nightmare X10 right back in the box.
can I chime in
the ONE thing that drives me crazy about the phone is the small landscape keyboard. I can live with almost all of the other nuances. My captivate keyboard spread accross the bottom of the screen and was really easy to type on. the landscape keyboard on WP7 is just too small.

UK Retail Gingerbread Review

I hope Motorola reads this thread so they can start working on the next update. I reserve the next post for adding future updates by me or other members.
Fingerprint Scanner
Pros
It works pretty good to the point I have decided to actually use it again. In Froyo you had to unlock the screen before using the scanner but in Gingerbread the scanner automatically unlocks the screen too which is very nice and practical.
Only if Motorola made it to work on Froyo then they didn't need to remove this feature in Atrix 2 because of the bad feedback.
Cons
When the screen is unlocked the left icon on the bottom dock gets highlighted with a rectangular border around it.
Email
Pros
I have never managed to get hotmail to sent emails on Froyo. Everything started to work on Gingerbread with very easy way to setup hotmail accounts -- just enter the email and password and the email client does the rest. I'm very pleased to have one account per email now instead of two in Froyo.
The emails in Outbox that requires to be resend due to a connection failure for instance has a new feature that let the user to know what the app is doing. A green arrow on the left side of the email appears while being send. Also a long press on an email would pop-up a menu with various options including Resend option.
Cons
Disabling the suggestions does not stop the email client to show suggestions. I always found Motorola does this where disabling something does not work until the next update. I wonder why? Are you collecting data on us Motorola?
I preferred the ability to add email(s) at composition time from contacts in Froyo. If I am sending an email to someone that don't remember any part of the email Motorola has made it very difficult by using the suggestions feature. Now Motorola force me to think contacts before think about the email itself. How about sending to multiple recipients? Not a good implementation Motorola. Please return the old style please.
Launcher & Menus
Pros
I like the new Dock far better than the old one that I was even embarrassed to show my old screen to anyone. The simplicity of it works for me very well and if I needed something more fancy I know where to find one.
Haptic feedback now works correctly when is disabled. I often disable this feature to save battery (every mV counts).
Cons
Putting Battery Manager and Data Manager under the same menu item didn't appear the best of options.
Cellular Radio
Pros
I really can't comment about the signal quality as I think T-Mobile have major network issues in central London, UK. However, I'm yet to notice battery overheating due to signal problems.
Cons
Noticed this a couple of times where setting the Network to 2G only didn't change the cellular icon on status bar.
Wifi
Pros
The slow download with Market app is solved.
The Wifi appears to play much better coming back from sleep.
Battery
Pros
The battery life noticeably last longer than before. I would estimate additional 2 to 3 hours over the same usage pattern. I'm very pleased about this improvement. Still carry three spare batteries though.
Cons
Even though the new battery driver manages the faulty batteries Motorola produced and sold, hundred of thousands of them, better but the problem is still there. The improvement can be found when the phone is restarted. The new driver reads the correct charge level but still fails to maintain the charge level correctly during the use.
Dialpad
Pros
Just did a quick test for this review and very pleased to report the previous problem with punching numbers during a call is sorted now.
I don't mind the new look either.
Contacts
Cons
I don't like the integrated contacts the way has been implemented. The old one was much better.
I don't like the bold fonts with contact names. Any chance an option is added to the settings to turn it off please?
Those also don't like the new contacts have you managed to find alternatives?
Camera
Pros
I have previously mentioned about the noise level the camera app adds to the taken pictures in comparison to other camera applications. It seems the problem is gone.
Cons
The new camera driver seems too sensitive to the lights now. Cameras are not the subject I'm good at maybe someone else with better understanding of cameras can contribute to this thread please.
Performance
I don't feel any noticeable difference between the two in home launcher term. I freeze a lot of applications that is why.
Opera Mobile on Gingerbread is incredible. With strong 3G signal I cannot tell if I'm on Wifi or 3G really.
Apps opens up much quicker, very noticeable with heavy duty apps like camera, navigation, and media players. First time ran quadrant benchmark I scored 2501.
I'm really happy with the performance of my Atrix for the remaining of my contract, over a year to go.
Task Manager (OS feature)
Pros
It looks better than the same offering in Froyo.
Cons
Am I the only one thinks some apps are actually not being shown when view the list but a minute or so later the app shows up in the list?
Market App
Pros
For one very strange reason I was never able to view the second screenshot of the app in the gallery. This problem has been resolved.
Unexplainable Issues
1. Rebooted the phone and the startup process never passed the boot animation. Pulling the battery didn't solve anything but wiping the cache from Android Recovery Mode did.
2. After changing a hotmail email settings all email accounts stopped sending out emails including non-hotmails. Wiping the cache and resetting up the emails solved the problem out. I removed all the accounts before wiped out the cache, maybe that wasn't necessary. Also maybe at that very moment T-Mobile had issues. Took me a while to re-setup everything again.
3. Out of the blue the phone restarted itself. I have frozen many apps so I didn't expect that one. I have noticed one reboot so far. Is there any boot logger app where I can monitor if my phone reboot itself when I'm not using it? I guess a good project for me as soon as I get the time to learn the Android development environment.
Boot time
Cons
The startup of Atrix on Gingerbread is considerably slower than when it was on Froyo.
Also examining the dmesg log using OSMonitor app I noticed constant warnings about the CPU clock speed, all sort of debug messages, and error messages. Is anyone else has noticed them and are these messages something to worry about?
Edit: attached few screenshots for the sharp eyes of kernel developers. Thanks.
Text Messaging App
Pros
The layout improvement are a welcome and always liked what Motorola offered.
Cons
The character counter disappears while typing. It is an important feature to work properly all the time.
Home Launcher #2
Cons
While in Messaging app upon returing to the home screen the shortcuts disappear. Navigating to next or previous home screen and then returing back to the original screen then the shortcuts reappear again. I have experienced this twice so far.
Further testing revealed defrosting blur.res was not the solution. Also the shortcuts disappearance has nothing to do with which app was being active.
I hate to burst your bubble but I doubt Motorola checks here without reason...
And this was sent to my email from motorola when I wanted to get them the idea of selling Factory Cables and SBK's to fix hard bricked Atrix's:
Motorola said:
We are always gathering input from owners from calls, e-mails, the Web and other sources. We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and want to assure you that Motorola does value your feedback. We open a record for all consumer contacts which are then routed to the proper department for any further research.
However, if you would also like to submit any ideas you may have regarding the design of our future products, you may contact our new ideas group in one of three ways:
Mail:
Motorola, Inc.
External Relations
Intellectual Property Section
Law Department
1303 E. Algonquin Road
Schaumburg, IL 60196
Telephone:
847-576-5184 (This is a voice mail system that is reviewed weekly)
Email:
[email protected]
Please note that to protect the rights of our customers and Motorola, our New Product Idea line requires customers to submit the following information and then they will send you a packet to properly submit your idea.
First and Last name
Complete mailing address including state, province, country and mailing code if applicable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus: People have made custom ROM's that fix the problems that you listed...

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