Xbar Beta 4 for Smartphone Released

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.ppcw.net/?itemid=1465

"Xetra has developed a handy tool for Microsoft's Smartphones which is available in Beta 3 now - xbar. It's a graphic oriented task switcher (reminds me a little bit on SideX for Pocket PCs) for Smartphones which lets you switch and close tasks as well as it provides you information about phone memory used. It uses the record button on the left (which is useless anyway - at least for me and I even re-assigned it to a task manager) to launch/hide the GUI..."

This looks like a cool little application! I'm really struggling with task management on the Smartphone - switching from one application to another is painful and cumbersome, and once again I'm left wondering what the heck Microsoft was thinking when it came to this element. Let's say I'm playing a game, and leave it to go make a phone call - is making me drill back down into my programs list really the best they could do?

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.ppcw.net/?itemid=1465

"Xetra has developed a handy tool for Microsoft's Smartphones which is available in Beta 3 now - xbar. It's a graphic oriented task switcher (reminds me a little bit on SideX for Pocket PCs) for Smartphones which lets you switch and close tasks as well as it provides you information about phone memory used. It uses the record button on the left (which is useless anyway - at least for me and I even re-assigned it to a task manager) to launch/hide the GUI..."

This looks like a cool little application! I'm really struggling with task management on the Smartphone - switching from one application to another is painful and cumbersome, and once again I'm left wondering what the heck Microsoft was thinking when it came to this element. Let's say I'm playing a game, and leave it to go make a phone call - is making me drill back down into my programs list really the best they could do?

[TANKERx]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

Let's say I'm playing a game, and leave it to go make a phone call - is making me drill back down into my programs list really the best they could do?

That's why I always make sure to have an MRU on my homescreen.

But even if you don't have the MRU up, you can just press the 'Back' button from the home screen and it will take you back to what you were doing before making the call.

No knocking X-Bar, it's cool, but I find using the 'Back' button easier.

[Neil]

Yes, what TankerX said. That's what the back button is for After your call just press back-back and you'll be on whatever you were doing last. This works well for most task switching. Reading mail and need to check your calendar? Press home, MRU to calendar, then use back 2-3 times to get to your mail again.

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by Neil

Yes, what TankerX said. That's what the back button is for

This might have worked well in the test lab Neil, but in real life it's not a very pretty solution. :? Back works well some of the time, but quite often it doesn't. It's not a replacement for a real method of switching tasks, which is apparently beyond the scope of either the Pocket PC or Smartphone teams to accept or understand. Where this stubbornness comes from, I don't know.

As for the MRU, it's great if you're using a home screen that has one, but I'm not. If the home screen configuration was, oh, a little consumer friendly, this might not be an issue. The XML concept is powerful, but hostile to someone like me that knows nothing about XML. At least on a Pocket PC you can create your own today screen by checking a few boxes...

[TANKERx]

The problem with the 'Back ' button is that it can change function depending on the application running, but combined with the 'Home' button, it can be a faithful friend. Once you get your head around it, it's Ok - but I still rely on a task manager to free up memory when things get hairy.

8O I never would have thought that I'd be defending a feature of a Microsoft Product! Whatever next? People will think I've gone soft, so I'd better point out that the 7650 has a great built in task manager :lol:

[Arne Hess]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

This might have worked well in the test lab Neil, but in real life it's not a very pretty solution. :? Back works well some of the time, but quite often it doesn't.

nfire: uppydogeyes: So true! Same for me. In around 50 % of my situations "Back" doesn't works for me as a proper/best solution!