Mike Calligaro: Batteries or Clocks?

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2006/04/28/586453.aspx' target='_blank'>http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile.../28/586453.aspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Upgrades from WM5 to MSFP (AKU2) have started to hit the streets. One of the major features (direct push) has been a big hit. But one of the smaller features (a battery icon) has been met with ... less enthusiasm. On Pocket PC, AKU2 replaced the clock display on the Title Bar with a battery indicator. The clock was moved farther down into the today page. We've gotten a lot of feedback on the relative usefulness of clocks and battery indicators, and we've gotten a lot of feedback on the usefulness of this particular battery indicator. We're taking both pieces of feedback to heart and ... we need to give users a way to switch back to the previous behavior. The bad news is that there's no way to get the clock back in AKU2. The good news is that there will be a way in the next minor release (AKU2.2). But the other bad news is that I don't know which hardware devices will use AKU2.2. So I can't tell you when or even if you'll be able to make use of this change."</i><br /><br />Mike Calligaro has written up a lengthy post at the <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/default.aspx">Windows Mobile Team Blog</a> discussing the new battery and clock displays in AKU 2. It's a widely-known fact that some of you dislike these new changes, so a newer revision of the update, AKU 2.2, will offer you the chance to place the clock back on the title bar by adding a new DWORD value to the registry. However, as Mike hints, the dependency on OEMs to roll out AKUs means that not all current devices will support this back-door method, so unfortunately, some of you will be left hanging out to dry. :(

[NeilE]

Fascinating. This whole debate takes me back way to the early days of Smartphone when we were trying to figure out what goes in the title bar. The only real thing we had to look at was Pocket PC, and it showed the time on all screens across the device. The problem on Smartphone was the sheer amount of space that took.

When we dug into it more we realized that because the home screen on Smartphone is far more insistent about showing itself (after 5 minutes of inactivity, rather than something like 4 hours on PPC), and that you launch pretty much all applications by starting at the home screen. These two behaviours combined mean that you'll be making regular trips past the home screen. Given that, we felt comfortable just showing the clock there.

This actually worked out really well. We were very concerned that lots of people would complain about the clock not being on all screens, but it never happened. The one small tweak that was made in later versions was to add the clock to the title bar of the reminder screen. It was the one other place where you really needed to see the time, but couldn't.

Neil

[Johnny Bravo RJ]

We were very concerned that lots of people would complain about the clock not being on all screens, but it never happened.

Errrr.... maybe because complaining to MS developers is useless??? Maybe because despite all the complaints about the below list (just to mention a few), we were NEVER heard:
- "X" to really CLOSE running programs;
- sync over WiFi on AS 4.x;
- AS activating itself automatically, even when not craddled;
- allow ClearType in all programs, screens...

Complaints exist (and are still happening). Believe me. Please remove that stupid useless battery icon from Title Bar. It's the least you guys could do.

[Gerard]

Add a DWORD value? Come on. How many users even know what a registry editor is, never mind actually having one installed? So the average user is going to have to suffer... or get something like WisBar, which will display a clock/date just nicely. Chalk another one up for those inventive folks at the Microsoft Mobile Development Team. Yet another inconvenience promoting third-party software. Brilliant. And yet one more item on the list of reasons I'll stick with WM2003SE devices.

[KTamas]

- "X" to really CLOSE running programs;
(bit offtopic)
I think that'd be the other bad thing; there should be a solution for either minimizing OR closing a program such as tap minimizes, hold closes or vice versa.

About the clock, this is a stupid thing indeed, PE devices are NOT smartphones.

[rickmahn]

To: Microsoft

PUT THE CLOCK BACK

Really not liking the joke of a battery indicator here. Johnny Bravo RJ adds some other goods points where MS has failed to step up to the plate. They have the resources, they can do these things, why do they make such lousy decisions?

There are numerous 3rd party battery indicators, if MS thinks they will come up with something as useful, they are sadly mistaken. There really is only one format for a clock and they had it nailed in the previous implementations - come on guys, put settings options in PPC to allow the user to decide what goes in the title bar - its the only way.

[IpaqMan2]

It's nice to see the WM team respond to this in a blog, but it's sad that it still has to go through the Microsoft's way of thinking before it gets to this which is.. (Oh, Our way is the only and Best Way of doing things). I mean if some common sense was used first or if the WM team actually tested this with other people who actually use the OS besides it just being on the phone they use they could of figured thisout long ago with out getting their end users frustrated.

[Ed Hansberry]

I like the new behavior. It doesn't matter to me if the clock is in the bar or on the Today page. the K-Jam and JasJar allow you to put the clock back in the title bar for all apps, just not the Today Screen.

What is lame though is the battery indicator itself. [i]Two&lt;/> levels? 8O How useful is that? :?: The Smartphone has at least 3 or 4 bars. The PPC could easily have 4-5 on a QVGA device and more on a VGA.

To those of you complaining about the clock movement... are you saying you can't add the clock back to all other application windows in the Clock control panel (3rd tab) or you just don't like the fact that on the today screen, it is about 15 pixels below where it was?

[Patrick Y.]

There are numerous 3rd party battery indicators, if MS thinks they will come up with something as useful, they are sadly mistaken. There really is only one format for a clock and they had it nailed in the previous implementations - come on guys, put settings options in PPC to allow the user to decide what goes in the title bar - its the only way.

Agree...Users can easily found some freeware that shows the battery level, but better.

Anyway, I don't think I will have to worry about this. Dell is not going to implement AKU2.0 on Axims anyway. :roll:

[Gerard]

The funny part is in the timing; with WM6's flash-based storage, battery levels are supposedly a lot less important to users. So why now put a (lame, 2-bar) battery indicator in place of a far more useful clock? Why not leave it out altogether, since data loss due to power failure is a thing of the past? And if they're going to do this, why not build a battery performance logger (like BattBench .NET for example, or BattMemTime, or Pocket Battery Analyzer...) and use that to display a numerical battery life countdown estimate? .

[dma1965]

The funny part is in the timing; with WM6's flash-based storage, battery levels are supposedly a lot less important to users. So why now put a (lame, 2-bar) battery indicator in place of a far more useful clock? Why not leave it out altogether, since data loss due to power failure is a thing of the past? And if they're going to do this, why not build a battery performance logger (like BattBench .NET for example, or BattMemTime, or Pocket Battery Analyzer...) and use that to display a numerical battery life countdown estimate? .

Precisely! Now that I no longer give a crap about my battery dying, Microsoft decides its time to make us all aware. What a bunch of lame a$&amp; geeks!!!!

[IpaqMan2]

The funny part is in the timing; with WM6's flash-based storage, battery levels are supposedly a lot less important to users. So why now put a (lame, 2-bar) battery indicator in place of a far more useful clock? Why not leave it out altogether, since data loss due to power failure is a thing of the past? And if they're going to do this, why not build a battery performance logger (like BattBench .NET for example, or BattMemTime, or Pocket Battery Analyzer...) and use that to display a numerical battery life countdown estimate? .

Precisely! Now that I no longer give a crap about my battery dying, Microsoft decides its time to make us all aware. What a bunch of lame a$&amp; geeks!!!!


If I had to guess.. I suspect the battery level was placed (not for power users like you or I), but for Mobile Phone users who happen to buy a smartphone that has WM, cause as we all know... one of the most important things a mobile phone can display for phone geeks or others is the battery charge. Sad thing with Microsofts attempt here is that 2 bars don't tell you crap and still leaves you guessing how much time you have left before the phone really runs out.

[Jason Lee]

I don't like the battery on the today page because I never had the "date" plugin turned on before. now I have to and have lost 2 valuable rows of my today screen.

plus what ever they changed makes it so that if you add in the TBOpt = 3 reg hack to get the date and time, like I must have, it does not display correctly. :(
I need my date and time on the bar and visible on every screen.

[Paragon]

Just_let__ME_decide_what_I_want!!

Why does Microsoft always need to be so damn arrogant that they feel they know better what we want? The little X that can't is a perfect example of pure arrogance. This clock issue just adds another notch to the complaint list. At the outset giving people an option would likely be rather easy. Now folks are forced to do registry edits to make it work.......very user friendly, don't you think? :roll:

The number one complaint I hear about Windows Mobile is that it is NOT user friendly. Doing stupid things like this, then suggesting registry edits to FIX the problem is arrogant, frustrating, and something you would expect from a second rate hack trying to develop his first application. Yet another find step backwards by Microsoft. Keep it up and we will soon be using tin cans and string. :wink:

Two or three years ago there were issues and complaints as well, but the feeling was that MS was doing something about many of them. There were positive vibes about the platform, but recently they seem blind to many issues and ignore them or remove the function altogether rather than spend the time and resources needed to fix them. Pile that on top of the fact that they are trying to blend PPCs and Smartphones into one platform which meets their needs, not ours, makes it incredibility frustrating and disappointing.

Please Microsoft, it's time to start listening to your long time core users who know and understand your platform, and relate to the people using it. Just look at what they have stated in this thread.

Blending two platforms into one at the expense of both can be a disaster, sending you down a road that is very difficult to come back from. Are you really sure you want to muck up two platforms because in the end it is a bit easier for you to develop yet more difficult for your end users? It seems to me that Smartphones and Phone Edition devices are very different, and appeal to very different audiences, yet here you are trying to give both the exact same product. How wise is that?

This "clock or battery" issue strikes at the heart of it. Smartphones have a smaller screen and need to use every pixel properly, so putting a cheezie battery indicator in the top bar seems to be a good idea, and one that has been accepted from the beginning. Pocket PCs have a much bigger screen and can afford to use some space in the body of the screen for a better functioning battery indicator. Pocket PCs are higher functioning devices that are used less as a phone and more a part of our everyday life....knowing what time it is a very important function of our everyday life.

It seems so simple.....just give us the option to easily choose what works for us in matters like this.

Dave

[sixsixty]

i am a ppc-6700 user and i hate the battery icon on the top. i would love the option to put the clock back there. the end.

[Darren Behan]

I can't stand the battery meter either and agree that it was an ill conceived and unwelcome addition with the solution not being much of one so far as I can see. I also have had the usual issues (read: extreme frustration) with Microsoft products and PPC's specifically through the years. I've also had the good fortune of working directly with some of the folks at Microsoft and they were fully committed to delivering the best product that they could and were anything but arrogant.

Regardless, does any of this really rise to the level of name calling? Not trying to be preachy or anything, but I am proud of this community and it's contribution to making PPC's what they are today (though they remain admittedly imperfect). That said, I think we can dial back the tone a bit and still make our point.

Stepping off soapbox now...

db

[Janak Parekh]

What is lame though is the battery indicator itself. Two levels? 8O How useful is that? :?: The Smartphone has at least 3 or 4 bars. The PPC could easily have 4-5 on a QVGA device and more on a VGA.
Or... they could make it like Palm's, which has a high-precision battery gauge -- 10 levels or more, it's a continuous design and done right. It becomes a lot more useful then. As a Pocket PC Phone user, I really appreciate having the battery gauge at the top. In fact, Pocket Plus' inclusion of the battery gauge above the Start bar was a very popular feature for previous Pocket PCs -- believe it or not, people really like to know what the battery life is so they can decide when to charge it.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

Just_let__ME_decide_what_I_want!!
I think it's pretty clear by now that Microsoft's philosophy is not that. Their attitude has always been that we are power users, not the average user. &lt;shrug> At this point I try not to get angry about it, since Windows Mobile is still the best choice out there for me, and try and remain constructive about what I can. I'm also less bitter, I think, because the Palm has a nice battery gauge... :P

Keep it up and we will soon be using tin cans and string. :wink:
I do disagree with this. WM5 did add a bunch of features that make the platform far more useful for me. I do get frustrated by the two steps forward, one step back approach too, but I don't think we're moving strictly backwards either.

It seems to me that Smartphones and Phone Edition devices are very different, and appeal to very different audiences, yet here you are trying to give both the exact same product. How wise is that?
Well, many people have speculated that the standalone PDA market, long-term, is dead. If that's indeed the case, and that's what Microsoft's market research suggests, then melding the two platforms is a sound strategy for overall success, despite what you or I may want.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

Regardless, does any of this really rise to the level of name calling? Not trying to be preachy or anything, but I am proud of this community and it's contribution to making PPC's what they are today (though they remain admittedly imperfect). That said, I think we can dial back the tone a bit and still make our point.
I agree with you, but many power users feel like Microsoft hasn't listened through their polite pleas. People tend to become not so polite when they're repeatedly not listened to.

--janak

[Paragon]

Regardless, does any of this really rise to the level of name calling? Not trying to be preachy or anything, but I am proud of this community and it's contribution to making PPC's what they are today (though they remain admittedly imperfect). That said, I think we can dial back the tone a bit and still make our point.

Darren,

I apologize to you or anyone one at MS who took that comment at a personal level. It was pointed more at the overall corporation, far from any single individual. Even with the very limited exposure I have had with the folks developing for the Windows Mobile team they are a very dedicated bunch of folks.

As Janak mentioned it does become frustrating when for years you see certain issues where many individuals mention a problem with an issue or express dissatisfaction with a possible change to see all those opinions ignored time and time again. For me the past few months in the Windows Mobile community have been very frustrating and I think I have overstepped my bounds a couple of times.

Dave

[Darren Behan]

Paragon,

I appreciate the honest response and there is no need to apologize. Please understand that I wasn't trying to address on anyone in particular as much as I was commenting on the overall tone of the thread which struck me as a bit more vehement than usual. Maybe it's spring; maybe my meds are kicking in ;) but I just felt like we are better than that.

That said, if anyone knows about being so frustrated with a PPC that you mentally calculate the satisfaction value of throwing it against the wall vs. what you paid for it, I certainly do. And yes, Microsoft's two steps forward one step back approach that has marked PPCs since they first were introduced leaves me tearing my hair out.

This just caught me on a day where my PPC is actually doing what it is supposed to, how it's supposed to for the most part - rest assured that'll pass...

[Paragon]

Paragon,

I appreciate the honest response and there is no need to apologize. Please understand that I wasn't trying to address on anyone in particular ............................................................This just caught me on a day where my PPC is actually doing what it is supposed to, how it's supposed to for the most part - rest assured that'll pass...

No problem, Darren.....all is cool. :)

[Gex]

The 700w has a nice battery indicator that really changes according to the battery level....and the time in the title bar with the option to always display it.... if you tap on the battery it shows you a ballon window with the %.

[ChristopherTD]

I like the new behavior. It doesn't matter to me if the clock is in the bar or on the Today page. the K-Jam and JasJar allow you to put the clock back in the title bar for all apps, just not the Today Screen.

It seems that the AKU2 update broke even that. On my orange SPV m5000 (JasJar) the battery icon appears when the Today screen is displayed. I for one find it infuriating! I don't wear a watch and had come to rely on my Jam to show me the time quickly. It is a lot more bother with the JasJar.

I look forward to getting the time back!

[Miz]

I really do wonder, though, how is it that the development personnel concerned do not realize a 2-bar indicator is next to useless? I suppose they do, since all of them should own at least a cellphone or two. I appreciate the comment on the windows mobile blog, but it leaves out the important thing - it does not explain how come it has only 2 bars.