One thing I wish they would do is get rid of the Start Menu button and Ok button on the screen - they are redundant on all new devices. They require the manufacturer to have a hard key for both in all new devices - so why do I need them on the screen too? this will allow the different software writers to have room to put 4 buttons on the bottom as opposed to just 2. This will make it much more finger friendly alone.
Agree. But that is a requirement of WM7 devices. There is no start/ok buttons in WM7 screen shots. Perhaps they are keeping the start ok buttons here so devices that dont have hardware buttons can be updated.
Like OEMs would give us updates anyway tho..
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Originally Posted by epdm2be
This is not Microsoft's fault. It's all the device-manufacturer's fault. THEY ought to provide at regular intervals firmware updates to their fones. M$ provide the building blocks and then it's up to the manufacturers to get new firmwares out. It's the same with those dumbfones. Everybody is always waiting to get new features (or at least genuine improvements) in newer firmware but in the end users always complain that their fone isn't being suported much to soon.
In the case of winmo-devices those stupid manufacturors have it easy because majority of the OS development is done by microsoft. In fact look at what rate forums like XDA churn out new winmo-updates. Every new build gets notices by these forums and worked on the get on many devices. While the manufacturors don't even bother. So I think we really ought to stop blaming Microsoft and start targetting Samsung. HTC and all those other greedy bastards who GET the new builds from M$ but don't channel them down to us, paying customers!!!
Tru. At the same time MS could do their part by making an OS that can be updated without going through OEMs. All they need to do is allow the OS to be updated while leaving OEM bits in tact. Which they may have done with WM7. If they pull off direct to user updates in WM7 credit to MS for taking care of their customers.
I think I've got one in a closet somewhere, from when the company I was working for evaluated several devices by having a group of us pass them around. When the music stopped I was left with the Velo - which I haven't used since.
As much as I like the finger-friendly navigation, they've also got to be prepared to scale the text on the screen so you can actually read more than 5 words. I've just spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for a (free) photo dialer for the Today screen of my Touch Pro2 - all of the older ones give you these impossibly tiny icons, because they were built for lower-res systems. I've found one for cheap but not free. And no, I don't want SPB Mobile Shell - too much stuff and clutter, and I know just what I want on the home screen all at once.
But the smaller scale is what you need for really reading something - think Kindle in your phone. eReader gets it about right, but I'm nearsighted enough that I take off my glasses to read small text, and it actually makes the reading more pleasant to be able to scan more than a sentence.
This is not Microsoft's fault. It's all the device-manufacturer's fault. THEY ought to provide at regular intervals firmware updates to their fones. M$ provide the building blocks and then it's up to the manufacturers to get new firmwares out.
So I think we really ought to stop blaming Microsoft and start targetting Samsung. HTC and all those other greedy bastards who GET the new builds from M$ but don't channel them down to us, paying customers!!!
Sorry, we have it all wrong, the manufacture have plenty of updates. They are being sent out to all the unlocked phones that they sell.
the real culprits are the providers ( ie., ATT, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) they are the ones locking down the phones and restricting access to GPS (Verizon), and only allowing programs that they can charge more money for!!!!
the manufactures only provide their interface on top of "Mobile Phone 6.X.X" it is the providers that change the options on hardware and software that are available in a provider locked phone.
the real culprits are the providers ( ie., ATT, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile)
This is absolutely right.....and unfortunately not going to change anytime soon. With Microsoft struggling to hold marketshare they are in no position to be putting demands on their partners to allow an easier upgrade path, regardless of how much we the end user want to see it. We've beat this poor horse to death over the years, and have gotten no where. It's just not going to happen in today's market. Maybe...hopefully....somewhere down the road when Microsoft feels like they have a stronger position they will be able to push this at the carriers with more success.
What finally convinced them to send you a Pure? That is too bad that you aren't doing a review, I'd love to read it.
I think you can chalk it up to determination and lots of emails. ;-) As for my review, I'll be reviewing the Pure, so I'll talk about WM 6.5 in that, but I won't be doing a stand-alone written review of the OS.
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the real culprits are the providers ( ie., ATT, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) they are the ones locking down the phones and restricting access to GPS (Verizon), and only allowing programs that they can charge more money for!!!!
Indeed...but it's Microsoft who has created this system whereby the operators and the OEMs decide not to offer upgrades, and it's the consumers that get burned in the end. So it's up to Microsoft to fix this, because it's their operating system after all.
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This is absolutely right.....and unfortunately not going to change anytime soon. With Microsoft struggling to hold marketshare they are in no position to be putting demands on their partners to allow an easier upgrade path, regardless of how much we the end user want to see it. We've beat this poor horse to death over the years, and have gotten no where. It's just not going to happen in today's market. Maybe...hopefully....somewhere down the road when Microsoft feels like they have a stronger position they will be able to push this at the carriers with more success.
Dave
IMO MS should reverse course ASAP; the longer they wait the more it will cost to correct the trend. As it is the situation will only get worse....
IMO MS should reverse course ASAP; the longer they wait the more it will cost to correct the trend. As it is the situation will only get worse....
Good luck with that, my friend. I'm not trying to defend MS. I'd really like to see the update path change as well. Imagine being MS and meeting with carrier X trying to make sure they stay with you, with all these competitive options available such as iPhone, Android and so on, and telling them that if they do stay with you they must agree to allow MS direct access to their phones which are in the hands of the carriers customers, not MS's, so that MS can do updates. It's just not going to happen soon. Microsoft don't have anywhere near a strong enough position to make demands like that. If I were carrier X I would be showing MS the door and making room for the Android guy to take a seat.
I don't like it either, I'm just looking at it from a very realistic point of view regardless of how much you/me or the rest of us want it to change.
That cannot be fixed with a minor update like this one. They need to change the whole backend of the Operating System.
What they really need to do is change the backend so the GUI can be addressed completely separately without a ROM update at all. I mean, honestly, why should this be so difficult?
Updating ROMs is pretty disruptive, and if the GUI were a separate entity, they wouldn't have to custom build everything for every manufacturer.
I was never really annoyed with the submenus until I got the HTC Imagio. No scroll wheel, no d-pad. No getting around using the fingernail or stylus.
Good grief - someone else who remembers a Velo!
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