• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Windows Phone 8.1 |OT| Update 1

S

SonofdonCD

Member
I'm reposting this since no one replied to it the first time:

So I cracked my screen on my Verizon HTC 8X. It is barely readable, and so I am for sure getting a new phone (I am not spending $100 in insurance to replace this old of a phone). Between the HTC One and Lumia Icon, I much prefer the better camera (even though a MicroSD card slot would be useful) so Icon it is.

But I would like to see if I can find a deal somewhere to get it cheaper than buying it outright. My upgrade date is five months from now, and though I am eligible for the Edge program, I would like to see if I can find a cheap refurbished/used Icon and save my upgrade, on the chance that a much better high-end phone comes out by March next year.

Where can I find some good phone deals online for the Icon?
 
juliushandle

juliushandle

Member
Me thinks the 1030 will be a launch phone with Windows Phone 9 Threshold with Windows.

I'll probably hold on to my 1020 until then unless the 830 is dirt cheap.
 
N

noquarter

Member
Well my 920 got the 8.1 on Thursday and so far in very happy with it. Wish it would have been this way since I bought it.

I like the the columns, nice to be able to have everything on the main menu and still have live tiles. The data sense and storage sense are pretty nice as well. Took a little bit to get used to the new IE on it, but like the tans button a lot more than having to go to the menu.

Still getting used to swipe, but is a nice feature as well. Really don't have any complaints with it besides the podcast app. I've been used to going to music for podcasts and still have trouble remembering that they are desperate seperate apps now. Also the podcasts terms to start over for some reason, never had a problem before, but about half the time I have to guess where I was and scan for my spot.

All in all, nice upgrade and what WP 8 should have been.
 
R

RayStorm

Member
I decided to jump into the wonderful land of Windows Phone, coming from Android and Desktop Windows 8 I have some questions and would be glad for any pointers:
  • On my 1020 everything is soooo large even with the smallest font size, is there any way to actually zoom out/make the text and other things of menus smaller? And the built in facebook app... there's so little information per screen, but what info there is is incredibly large. :/
  • Contradicting that on my 520 (where text of menus also seems a tad or ten too large) buttons within programs are tiny. Like in the camera app: the button to the gallery (and for that matter all other buttons too) are about 5mm in diameter, about half the size I'd consider ideal.
  • Any way to actually sync my emails between Windows 8.1 (Desktop) outlook and WP 8.1 emails? I'd like to have the emails I marked on desktop Windows show up as marked on WP as well.
  • How does zooming in Internet Explorer work? Right now it appears as if there's just a minimal zoom going on (when pinch zooming) as long as my fingers touch the screen. That (the minimal zoom) is rather useless to me.
  • Without having tried the music app as of yet: Is there a music player that automatically resumes playback when headphones are plugged in, and stops, once they are removed?
  • How do I go about synchronizing ebooks/pdfs between my Windows 8.1 tablet (where I currently use the reader app) and WP8.1? Ideally it would also synchronize the page I was reading on last.
 
n64coder

n64coder

Member
RayStorm said:
Any way to actually sync my emails between Windows 8.1 (Desktop) outlook and WP 8.1 emails? I'd like to have the emails I marked on desktop Windows show up as marked on WP as well.
Click to expand...

Who is your email provider and are you using Exchange Active Sync? My company uses Exchange and I use EAS and it just works as expected. My primary email is gmail so for that, it syncs every 2 hours unless I press the manual sync.
 
N

Nero3000

Member
RayStorm said:
I decided to jump into the wonderful land of Windows Phone, coming from Android and Desktop Windows 8 I have some questions and would be glad for any pointers:

  • I'm assuming you are on WP8.1 here.
  • On my 1020 everything is soooo large even with the smallest font size, is there any way to actually zoom out/make the text and other things of menus smaller? And the built in facebook app... there's so little information per screen, but what info there is is incredibly large. :/ - you can't make the size of tezt smaller, but you can increase the number of columns on the start screen to 3
  • Contradicting that on my 520 (where text of menus also seems a tad or ten too large) buttons within programs are tiny. Like in the camera app: the button to the gallery (and for that matter all other buttons too) are about 5mm in diameter, about half the size I'd consider ideal. - can't really change this, you get used to it i guess
  • Any way to actually sync my emails between Windows 8.1 (Desktop) outlook and WP 8.1 emails? I'd like to have the emails I marked on desktop Windows show up as marked on WP as well. this should be automatic. Make sure you are setup correctly on both systems syncing via IMAP or ActiveSync protocol (rather than POP3
  • How does zooming in Internet Explorer work? Right now it appears as if there's just a minimal zoom going on (when pinch zooming) as long as my fingers touch the screen. That (the minimal zoom) is rather useless to me. -im not sure what you mean here. When you load a page, its zoomed out as much as possible. From there you can double tap to auto zoom, or pinch to custom the zoom
  • Without having tried the music app as of yet: Is there a music player that automatically resumes playback when headphones are plugged in, and stops, once they are removed?not as far as i know. But most will do the latter
  • How do I go about synchronizing ebooks/pdfs between my Windows 8.1 tablet (where I currently use the reader app) and WP8.1? Ideally it would also synchronize the page I was reading on last.- i dont know if there are any Windows apps that do this across desktop and phone, but you could store PDF's on OneDrive
Click to expand...

Answers above in bold
 
R

RayStorm

Member
Thank you both for answering.

1) Yes, I'm on WP8.1.

2) That's a shame about font size. When holding the phone upright, some of the menu-headlines are cut off due to the large text size. Which wouldn'T be too bad, but all the other (to me) wasted space. Oh well...

3) IMAP! I see, I think I might have set my mail account (which is of my small local Internet provider) up as Pop3 on the WP8.1 whereas I probably used IMAP for my desktop Windows 8.1 PC and tablet. I had hoped that by using my Microsoft account it would actually synchronize the email setup-settings as IIRC it did between the desktop Windows-computers I have in use.

4) In fact, is there a way to automatically synchronize app-installation between Desktop Win8 and WP (provided they are offered for both)?

5) Zooming in IE and Double Tapping: Perhaps I haven't set it up right or misunderstand, but double tapping does nothing for me.
When IE loads a website it is as far zoomed out as possible (which is good). But when I either double tap (which is quickly tapping the screen with one finger twice, right?) nothing happens. When I pinch zoom it zooms in a small amount, but only as long as I keep my fingers on the screen. When I remove my fingers it is once again zoomed out as far as possible. And again, the pinch zoom is paltry. Is there an update to IE that I might have to install separately or settings I might have to change?
 
L

LukasTaves

Member
RayStorm said:
Without having tried the music app as of yet: Is there a music player that automatically resumes playback when headphones are plugged in, and stops, once they are removed?
Click to expand...
Xbox music does this for me when using Bluetooth... No idea with earphones that are actually plugged in though.
 
H

hadareud

The Translator
RayStorm said:
2) That's a shame about font size. When holding the phone upright, some of the menu-headlines are cut off due to the large text size. Which wouldn'T be too bad, but all the other (to me) wasted space. Oh well...
Click to expand...

The text is cut off by design, that's metro for you.

4) In fact, is there a way to automatically synchronize app-installation between Desktop Win8 and WP (provided they are offered for both)?
Click to expand...

Not that I know off, but you should be able to see universal apps you purchased or even downloaded as owned in the W8.1 store. On WP you'll have to install them manually afaik.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
don't remember if this was a problem before 8.1 or not (probably was)

Using bluetooth in-car, the drive app won't speak turning instructions. I assume it *is* speaking them, but it is transmitting them over bluetooth and my car doesn't support bluetooth audio (and anyway I'm listening to the radio). I have to turn off bluetooth to hear guidance, and then obviously I can't receive calls.

Also on the in-car topic, I wish they'd improve cortana. It is neat you can call her from your car (she puts herself in your contacts list), but you can barely hear the 'pling' to tell you that you can speak (when using it in your hand you are prompted by the spinning circle too). She should speak to you and say something like 'what do you need help with?' so you get a cue to talk.

I still miss how windows phone used to read out incoming text messages. If I can pretend dial Cortana, she could easily call me in the car and use that to read things out to me.
 
H

hadareud

The Translator
Still reads out text messages for me.

Agree on the pling though, it's far too quiet in the car. Also, speech recognition is still less than ideal when driving. It's fine up to 40 or 50 (depending on the road surface), but if you drive faster nothing is being recognised anymore.
 
D

derFeef

Member
hadareud said:
Still reads out text messages for me.

Agree on the pling though, it's far too quiet in the car. Also, speech recognition is still less than ideal when driving. It's fine up to 40 or 50 (depending on the road surface), but if you drive faster nothing is being recognised anymore.
Click to expand...

Damn Dacia's and their driving sound.
 
H

hadareud

The Translator
True story:

A friend of mine had a Lada 4x4 and had a frontal collision with a Mercedes C-Class. The Merc's bonnet was reduced by about half a meter. On the Lada, the number plate fell off, other than that, there wasn't a single scratch.
 
N

Nero3000

Member
RayStorm said:
5) Zooming in IE and Double Tapping: Perhaps I haven't set it up right or misunderstand, but double tapping does nothing for me.
When IE loads a website it is as far zoomed out as possible (which is good). But when I either double tap (which is quickly tapping the screen with one finger twice, right?) nothing happens. When I pinch zoom it zooms in a small amount, but only as long as I keep my fingers on the screen. When I remove my fingers it is once again zoomed out as far as possible. And again, the pinch zoom is paltry. Is there an update to IE that I might have to install separately or settings I might have to change?
Click to expand...

That sounds wrong.

On mobile website, the zoom may be fixed (like mobile gaf). Go to a desktop website like football365.com. If thats still the case, then it seems like a hardware or software bug.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
KageMaru said:
Looks like older phones won't get the camera speed improvements with denim due to the older chips they run on:

http://www.nokiapoweruser.com/2014/...the-camera-speed-improvements-with-lumiadenim
Click to expand...

830 it is, then.

Milchjon said:
WP vindicated.
Click to expand...

I remember when I first got my iPhone (3GS) and being so excited to download and try a ton of apps.

Even if I switched iPhone/Android, I'd probably just find my standard go-to apps and leave it at that, nowadays.
 
H

hadareud

The Translator
The app fad was always going to be just that.

The vast majority of apps are absolutely useless and companies would be far, far better served to invest in web design and have better web apps. I have 150 or so apps on my phone and I'd be surprised if I used more than 30 on a regular basis. On a tablet this is even more true.

Games are a different story. I don't really play mobile games, but they are huge.

And WP is definitely lacking there.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Windows Phone 9 Dev Preview could arrive in Jan 2015.

Among some of the features that we have heard, Windows Phone 9, or the mobile SKU of Windows Threshold will come with split-screen multi-tasking, and actionable notifications. Split-screen multi-tasking will allow users to run several apps at the same time, placed adjacent to each other on the screen. This feature will however only work on handsets with 4.9-inch or larger displays. The actionable notification will supposedly allow users to interact and respond to notifications without having to open the app. It’s worth pointing out that a similar feature is being added to iOS devices with iOS 8, which is arriving to the public tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I wonder if they're confusing actionable notifications with actionable live tiles...although both would be great.
 
N

Nero3000

Member
Anton Sugar said:
Windows Phone 9 Dev Preview could arrive in Jan 2015.

Among some of the features that we have heard, Windows Phone 9, or the mobile SKU of Windows Threshold will come with split-screen multi-tasking, and actionable notifications. Split-screen multi-tasking will allow users to run several apps at the same time, placed adjacent to each other on the screen. This feature will however only work on handsets with 4.9-inch or larger displays. The actionable notification will supposedly allow users to interact and respond to notifications without having to open the app. It�s worth pointing out that a similar feature is being added to iOS devices with iOS 8, which is arriving to the public tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I wonder if they're confusing actionable notifications with actionable live tiles...although both would be great.
Click to expand...

Again 930 ftw.
 
K

kazinova

Member
All this is confirming that getting a 1520 was the right decision for the time being.

Just sucks that the refurb through eBay is all messed up and the seller is being non-responsive. If eBay gives me my money back I'll definitely be grabbing a new one through a reputable dealer.

Lesson learned. Always buy new with fragile tech.

Edit: the wait for 9.1 begins today...j/k
 
N

Nero3000

Member
I would like to see the following on the next Lumia flagship:

- fingerprint login as seamless as the iphone
- IR blaster
- slomo video
- zenon flash
- waterproofing
- interchangeable covers
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Nero3000 said:
I would like to see the following on the next Lumia flagship:

- fingerprint login as seamless as the iphone
- IR blaster
- slomo video
- zenon flash
- waterproofing
- interchangeable covers
Click to expand...

I still don't understand why HDR and high-fps video isn't in the Nokia Camera app.
 
R

RayStorm

Member
Once again, thank you all for replying.

Nero3000 said:
That sounds wrong.

On mobile website, the zoom may be fixed (like mobile gaf). Go to a desktop website like football365.com. If thats still the case, then it seems like a hardware or software bug.
Click to expand...

You are right, it was actually an issue with the website I was testing (skygo.sky.at with the faint hope of Silverlight being available for WP). I really ought to try more than once before getting confused and asking for help.
 
NeOak

NeOak

Member
RayStorm said:
Once again, thank you all for replying.



You are right, it was actually an issue with the website I was testing (skygo.sky.at with the faint hope of Silverlight being available for WP). I really ought to try more than once before getting confused and asking for help.
Click to expand...

Silverlight was already taken to a back alley and shot in the back a long ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Verge: Microsoft wants to make the Xbox app the home of PC gaming
Platform 2 3 4 5 6
294
12K
Gamezone replied
Windows 11’s new gamepad keyboard lets you type with an Xbox controller
4
951
Magic Carpet replied
The "Bing Wallpaper" app is malware
Business
1
533
Trogdor1123 replied
Microsoft rolls out Windows 24H2 update
2 3 4
193
18K
Kenpachii replied
[Verge] Microsoft is combining ‘the best of Xbox and Windows together’ for handhelds
2 3 4
152
8K
Kazekage1981 replied
Top Bottom