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Windows Phone 7 |OT|

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kharma45 said:
And I'm back again. After selling my HD7 two weeks ago, managed to get a brand new Mozart for £130, hard to say no at that price.
Click to expand...

How are you liking it so far? I know another guy who got it too. The screen is a huge improvement over the HD7.
 
Can you guys recommend me some, if possible, free apps. I am from germany, so please no US specific stuff

I need an ebook reader which is not kindle, since I dont get how I can buy books there with my german account.

And I need some random cool apps that I probably dont know exist yet. The app recommendation thread only has 3 pages, so this is my best bet on getting some infos!
 
Sleeplessnights said:
How are you liking it so far? I know another guy who got it too. The screen is a huge improvement over the HD7.
Click to expand...

Hasn't arrived yet, probably won't get it until Wednesday or Thursday. Looking forward to it though.
 
Commodore said:
So in a few ways, the updates we've wanted within the Zune software are happening online. Didn't expect that, but it's certainly welcome. I'm still wondering when/if this is going to happen, as stylistically as they managed here:

PrcYv.jpg


Kin Studio to be Reborn As Windows Phone Mobile Studio

Now I'm intrigued at what this new website design might entail. I'd love to have all my messages, contacts, phones, videos automatically backed up and easily viewed on a well designed website. That was the one thing they got right with KIN.
Click to expand...

yes.
YES.
YESSSSSS.

common Microsoft. don't let me down. you can do this!
 
Earl Cazone said:
Can you guys recommend me some, if possible, free apps. I am from germany, so please no US specific stuff

I need an ebook reader which is not kindle, since I dont get how I can buy books there with my german account.

And I need some random cool apps that I probably dont know exist yet. The app recommendation thread only has 3 pages, so this is my best bet on getting some infos!
Click to expand...

Try freda for ebooks, the description says it supports downloading .epub files from dropbox, you can convert your books to .epub with the windows program Calibre.

You should be able to purchase kindle books from amazon.de with no hassle though, what exactly is the problem?

Also try pocketpc.ch for german language app & game discussion:
http://www.pocketpc.ch/windows-phone-7-apps/
 
talkinghead said:
Try freda for ebooks, the description says it supports downloading .epub files from dropbox, you can convert your books to .epub with the windows program Calibre.

You should be able to purchase kindle books from amazon.de with no hassle though, what exactly is the problem?

Also try pocketpc.ch for german language app & game discussion:
http://www.pocketpc.ch/windows-phone-7-apps/
Click to expand...

when i start the kindle app to visit the store it shows some message that i need to link accounts or something to buy books there.

will check out freda now!
 
Earl Cazone said:
when i start the kindle app to visit the store it shows some message that i need to link accounts or something to buy books there.
Click to expand...

Hmm, try logging in to amazon.de on your computer and downloading a sample book excerpt, it should show you the devices you have registered and offer you to push it to them.

Edit: Obviously you need to login to your amazon account from the phones kindle app first once.

Edit2: It seems you need to buy the books on your pc from the german amazon.de site and then sync them over from there to your phone, the app doesn't work with the german kindle store yet.
 
VanMardigan said:
I don't get it, didn't they just fold that app into the games hub? I got the update, but it's just the avatar part now, and I can't fast app switch back to it.
Click to expand...

This part makes no sense to me as well. I'm like WTF. I never understood why these were separate to begin with.
 
I'm seeing some Japanese people tweet that they want the WP7 but don't want to switch to au/KDDI who are the smallest carrier of the big three. What would be a megaton is if Docomo starts to carry WP7, which has been rumored but they are probably focusing on building up Android phones for the meantime. The funny thing is the most recent Android phones are made so that Japanese can have an easy transition from their normal cell to smartphone...in the end, they are making them look like a thin cell phone instead of a wide smartphone :P The salarymen like that I guess, and having keys instead of touch to type. Japan has a natural resistance to change
 
I have a concern about fast app switching. I updated Wonder Reader just to confirm, but right now, this is the scenario in a nutshell: You load up an app (takes some time the first time), you have to visit another app for some reason, so you hit home (or follow a toast) and load up another app. The problem in NoDo is that, when you want to go back to your first app, you have to load the app again. Mango's solution for this is to press/hold the back button. You get a list of five or so apps, then you can select your previous app and you won't have to load it again. So far, so good, right?

Here's the problem I see: If you don't use that (hidden and non-obvious) method of holding the back button, the way you'd go back to your original app is to hit home, then tap the icon for the app you were working with previously. Unfortunately, doing that will cause the app to load from scratch again, even if there's a "version" of that app fired up and ready to go in the app switcher view!

In Android and iOS, you have the equivalent back button app switching method (double click home in iOS, hold the home button in Android). But you ALSO have the ability to go home/app launcher, then open the app again, and it will load up instantly (provided it was one of your recently used apps).

This is WAY BETTER than the mango solution, because it is how MOST people switch between apps, and is way more natural. I suppose we can train ourselves to always hold the back button instinctively, but most of us are going to unlock our phones and hit the Facebook app icon and wait for it to load. Most users won't unlock and immediately hold the back button, remembering that they used the FB app recently and can get back into it much more quickly that way.

Many people have compared the app switcher view in Windows Phone Mango to WebOS, and while they are similar, here's the key difference: in WebOS, that app switcher view IS the home screen, while in Windows Phone Mango, it's a hidden functionality that, if you don't utilize, will have you waiting for your apps to load even though there's an instance already dehydrated and waiting to be resumed.
 
VanMardigan said:
I have a concern about fast app switching. I updated Wonder Reader just to confirm, but right now, this is the scenario in a nutshell: You load up an app (takes some time the first time), you have to visit another app for some reason, so you hit home (or follow a toast) and load up another app. The problem in NoDo is that, when you want to go back to your first app, you have to load the app again. Mango's solution for this is to press/hold the back button. You get a list of five or so apps, then you can select your previous app and you won't have to load it again. So far, so good, right?

Here's the problem I see: If you don't use that (hidden and non-obvious) method of holding the back button, the way you'd go back to your original app is to hit home, then tap the icon for the app you were working with previously. Unfortunately, doing that will cause the app to load from scratch again, even if there's a "version" of that app fired up and ready to go in the app switcher view!

In Android and iOS, you have the equivalent back button app switching method (double click home in iOS, hold the home button in Android). But you ALSO have the ability to go home/app launcher, then open the app again, and it will load up instantly (provided it was one of your recently used apps).

This is WAY BETTER than the mango solution, because it is how MOST people switch between apps, and is way more natural. I suppose we can train ourselves to always hold the back button instinctively, but most of us are going to unlock our phones and hit the Facebook app icon and wait for it to load. Most users won't unlock and immediately hold the back button, remembering that they used the FB app recently and can get back into it much more quickly that way.

Many people have compared the app switcher view in Windows Phone Mango to WebOS, and while they are similar, here's the key difference: in WebOS, that app switcher view IS the home screen, while in Windows Phone Mango, it's a hidden functionality that, if you don't utilize, will have you waiting for your apps to load even though there's an instance already dehydrated and waiting to be resumed.
Click to expand...
astute observation. however some people have a problem with the iOS implementation as there is no clear path to 'quit' and 'reset' the app; for example, Dan Benjamin had to downgrade his kid's iPad from iOS 4.x to 3.2 because the kid couldnt learn how to use multitasking tray kill app badge. in wp7.5 there is not to my knowledge a method for killing an app. this crutch at least preserves one method for resetting an app.

(and yes both ios and wp7 are poor compared to webos in this regard :/ )
 
VanMardigan said:
I have a concern about fast app switching. I updated Wonder Reader just to confirm, but right now, this is the scenario in a nutshell: You load up an app (takes some time the first time), you have to visit another app for some reason, so you hit home (or follow a toast) and load up another app. The problem in NoDo is that, when you want to go back to your first app, you have to load the app again. Mango's solution for this is to press/hold the back button. You get a list of five or so apps, then you can select your previous app and you won't have to load it again. So far, so good, right?

Here's the problem I see: If you don't use that (hidden and non-obvious) method of holding the back button, the way you'd go back to your original app is to hit home, then tap the icon for the app you were working with previously. Unfortunately, doing that will cause the app to load from scratch again, even if there's a "version" of that app fired up and ready to go in the app switcher view!

...
Click to expand...
just puttin it out there. but iOS multitasking is also hidden and non-obvious. i knew a person who didn't realize his iPhone had multitasking.
 
Greyface said:
astute observation. however some people have a problem with the iOS implementation as there is no clear path to 'quit' and 'reset' the app; for example, Dan Benjamin had to downgrade his kid's iPad from iOS 4.x to 3.2 because the kid couldnt learn how to use multitasking tray kill app badge. in wp7.5 there is not to my knowledge a method for killing an app. this crutch at least preserves one method for resetting an app.

(and yes both ios and wp7 are poor compared to webos in this regard :/ )
Click to expand...

It's pretty stupid and not intuitive, but it works most of the time.

Switch to another app, switch back, hit the back button, the app is closed.

e: Just hit the back button until you're on the start screen. The app won't show up in the task switcher.
 
brotkasten said:
It's pretty stupid and not intuitive, but it works most of the time.

Switch to another app, switch back, hit the back button, the app is closed.
Click to expand...

there should really be a little X like the tabs in IE
 
NotTarts said:
Apparently Mango will allow you to remotely re-install purchased apps. Very cool.


http://wmpoweruser.com/japanese-microsoft-website-leaks-new-windowsphone-com-features/

Nice to see they've revamped the website interface as well.
Click to expand...


Great news. One of the majors faults of the WP Marketplace/Zune right now in my opinion is the lack of a purchase history. This is bad specially with delisted aplications/games. Without a purchase history how could you download a purchased app that is not on the marketplace anymore? Sure a problem if you switch phones and a potential flow of complains.

I believe a webstore without connection to Zune is also planned for Mango, now only two things I need is missing from it:
- More payment options, including the use of MS points;
- A way to backup/save your application/game data, in case you need to delete the application or move to other phone you do not loose your progress.
 
Complex Shadow said:
just puttin it out there. but iOS multitasking is also hidden and non-obvious. i knew a person who didn't realize his iPhone had multitasking.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter because they can hit the Facebook app, and as long as it was one of their recently used apps, it'll load up quickly just like fast app switching. So the back-button multitasking is there, but also the more obvious method of hitting home then the app works as well. That second piece is missing in Mango.

however some people have a problem with the iOS implementation as there is no clear path to 'quit' and 'reset' the app
Click to expand...

I don't actually care about that. There are some niche situations where you would want to reset an app by closing it completely, but for memory management purposes, WP7 has it right. So does iOS, as far as I'm concerned, I never felt that I needed to close apps to improve performance. If an app doesn't have an obvious way to get back to the home page, that's more the apps fault than the OS. That kid app should just have a button to start over rather than having to close the app to reset it.
 
Chiaroscuro said:
Great news. One of the majors faults of the WP Marketplace/Zune right now in my opinion is the lack of a purchase history. This is bad specially with delisted aplications/games. Without a purchase history how could you download a purchased app that is not on the marketplace anymore? Sure a problem if you switch phones and a potential flow of complains.

I believe a webstore without connection to Zune is also planned for Mango, now only two things I need is missing from it:
- More payment options, including the use of MS points;
- A way to backup/save your application/game data, in case you need to delete the application or move to other phone you do not loose your progress.
Click to expand...

The purchase history is hidden in the Zune software.

Start the client
Go to settings
Click on Account
Then on "purchase history"

In other news:

The HTC Omega/Radar shows up on an auction site and it's pretty ugly. I hate the double chin.

PDejU.jpg
 
VanMardigan said:
It doesn't matter because they can hit the Facebook app, and as long as it was one of their recently used apps, it'll load up quickly just like fast app switching. So the back-button multitasking is there, but also the more obvious method of hitting home then the app works as well. That second piece is missing in Mango.
Click to expand...
i know. i am just saying is all =/
brotkasten said:
The HTC Omega/Radar shows up on an auction site and it's pretty ugly. I hate the double chin.

PDejU.jpg
Click to expand...
god that looks ugly.
 
brotkasten said:
The HTC Omega/Radar shows up on an auction site and it's pretty ugly. I hate the double chin.
Click to expand...

I loved the render, but those pics make it look hideous. Yuck.

edit: I don't mind the double chin, but the back looks like two different phones melted together. Awful.
 
VanMardigan said:
I have a concern about fast app switching. I updated Wonder Reader just to confirm, but right now, this is the scenario in a nutshell: You load up an app (takes some time the first time), you have to visit another app for some reason, so you hit home (or follow a toast) and load up another app. The problem in NoDo is that, when you want to go back to your first app, you have to load the app again. Mango's solution for this is to press/hold the back button. You get a list of five or so apps, then you can select your previous app and you won't have to load it again. So far, so good, right?

Here's the problem I see: If you don't use that (hidden and non-obvious) method of holding the back button, the way you'd go back to your original app is to hit home, then tap the icon for the app you were working with previously. Unfortunately, doing that will cause the app to load from scratch again, even if there's a "version" of that app fired up and ready to go in the app switcher view!

In Android and iOS, you have the equivalent back button app switching method (double click home in iOS, hold the home button in Android). But you ALSO have the ability to go home/app launcher, then open the app again, and it will load up instantly (provided it was one of your recently used apps).

This is WAY BETTER than the mango solution, because it is how MOST people switch between apps, and is way more natural. I suppose we can train ourselves to always hold the back button instinctively, but most of us are going to unlock our phones and hit the Facebook app icon and wait for it to load. Most users won't unlock and immediately hold the back button, remembering that they used the FB app recently and can get back into it much more quickly that way.

Many people have compared the app switcher view in Windows Phone Mango to WebOS, and while they are similar, here's the key difference: in WebOS, that app switcher view IS the home screen, while in Windows Phone Mango, it's a hidden functionality that, if you don't utilize, will have you waiting for your apps to load even though there's an instance already dehydrated and waiting to be resumed.
Click to expand...

Not that I am disagreeing with you but just because apps have been updated for mango doesn't mean they are doing it right. I would almost expect the first mango apps to maybe not support the multitasking fully (or completely). The reason I question this is the included apps (like IE) do support the method you are talking about (reopening from the start screen) so it seems like they understand that idea and how it should work.
 
Looking at the Japanese auction sites. The Fujitsu IS12T is only selling for 400+ usd? That can't be right can it? It is waterproof, it has 32GB storage, and it IS sexy. It has GSM and CDMA too but someone needs to find out if you can use it outside japan...
 
Totakeke said:
Looking at the Japanese auction sites. The Fujitsu IS12T is only selling for 400+ usd? That can't be right can it? It is waterproof, it has 32GB storage, and it IS sexy. It has GSM and CDMA too but someone needs to find out if you can use it outside japan...
Click to expand...

It doesn't have a front-facing camera, right?
 
the entire mango lineup is going to be shit if they're all only 512mb of ram.

i want kick ass multitasking, kick ass web browsing, and more ram to eat up faster hspa+ data. more ram helps with all of the above. sure games and the UI won't take advantage of it but with the features i listed, more ram does matter.

try using an android phone with more ram, both google search and google maps perform so much better.
 
thirty said:
the entire mango lineup is going to be shit if they're all only 512mb of ram.

i want kick ass multitasking, kick ass web browsing, and more ram to eat up faster hspa+ data. more ram helps with all of the above. sure games and the UI won't take advantage of it but with the features i listed, more ram does matter.

try using an android phone with more ram, both google search and google maps perform so much better.
Click to expand...

Android =/= Windows Phone.

Try using an Android phone using the same hardware as the first gen Windows Phone and just compare, the difference is huge. Does better hardware help? Sure does. Does it really matter? Not really. It's good enough unlike Android.
 
Yeah, using Android as an example of why specs matter is pretty wrongheaded. I love great specs, but performance on WP7 and iOS smokes Android for OS performance.
 
Every single one of my friends whom I showed my Omnia 7 were wowed by its fluid OS. "fast!" was a common remark.

I really love wp and hope it will catch on sometime, I dont get why it should not, since it is so fresh and intuitive. especially with mango coming out soon.
 
thirty said:
the entire mango lineup is going to be shit if they're all only 512mb of ram.

i want kick ass multitasking, kick ass web browsing, and more ram to eat up faster hspa+ data. more ram helps with all of the above. sure games and the UI won't take advantage of it but with the features i listed, more ram does matter.

try using an android phone with more ram, both google search and google maps perform so much better.
Click to expand...
I can honestly say that I have kick ass multitasking, kick ass web browsing, and fast data with 512MB, at least about on the same level as the Evo 3D, whose hardware kicks the shit out of my poor Venue Pro.
 
Agreed. Windows phone devices don't need the same specs as high-end android phones to run well.

Sure, better specs are always welcome.. but my Focus doesn't feel slow at all. It boots faster than my SGS II and smokes it in general OS performance.

The SGS II is the first android phone that I've had that has no major UI lag.
 
i have yet to use mango. perhaps my gripes are with bing search and bing maps. on my friend's mytouch 4G (768mb ram, hspa+), the performance, the way it caches, the speed of google search/maps blow away bing on my HD7.
 
Totakeke said:
Looking at the Japanese auction sites. The Fujitsu IS12T is only selling for 400+ usd? That can't be right can it? It is waterproof, it has 32GB storage, and it IS sexy. It has GSM and CDMA too but someone needs to find out if you can use it outside japan...
Click to expand...

Hummm.... taking a look at some auctions there are some with buy it now at 31.800 yens, which means US$ 410 (but for the black version).

Now searching to find out if it works outside Japan and if it can be unlocked.
 
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