05-06-2006, 04:30 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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How Would You Change Windows Mobile 5.0?
With MEDC 2006 fast approaching, let's wind the clock back to MEDC 2005 and reminisce Bill Gates' official announcement of Windows Mobile 5.0. That's right - it's been one whole year since Windows Mobile 5.0 was unveiled, and now many of you own (or at least, have played with) a Windows Mobile 5.0-powered Pocket PC or Smartphone? Whether your experience has been a positive or negative one, there's certainly something about the new version of the platform that you'd love to change. What is it?
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05-06-2006, 04:33 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 303
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Isn't it time for a true close button?
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05-06-2006, 04:38 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 93
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You know the messagebox that is displayed when you receive a call or alarm? Why is the messagebox's bottom hidden or seems to be chopped off? It annoys me so much and I've had WM5.0 since its early release.
I want that box to be complete and show in its entirety, so I can be happy.
Also, messagebox's that contain two or less options (OK and Cancel, Yes and No, etc) should be accessible from softkeys. It's just common sense!!
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05-06-2006, 04:58 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 102
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1) Better graphics for the user interface. For example, allowing the program icons to be defined with more colors. Text and line antialiasing for smoother appearance.
2) A better navigation bar, with more shortcut buttons. The Palm TX has a very nice nav bar-like control that looks good and works very well.
3) A very simple way of switching from Portrait mode to Landscape mode (i.e., using a shortcut button on the nav bar). Having to go to "Start Menu->Settings->Display" take too many taps.
4) A program close and minimize button for applications.
5) Better looking controls (e.g., dropdown lists, buttons, date pickers, etc.)
6) Better handling of the "Compaction thread" used by the OS, which appears to be causing slowness on some WM 5 OS devices.
7) Event alarms that WORK.
8 ) An OS setting that will turn off a device after so many minutes (to save on battery power). The current OS seems to have this, but it doesn't always work.
9) A more robust Pocket-Outlook API so that developers can have hooks into displaying standard input screens, etc.
I understand that there may be some 3rd-party apps that can do some of the above, but it would be nice if it was all contained in the OS.
ppcinfo
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05-06-2006, 05:41 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 113
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(1) An alarm system that works RELIABLY!!! I mean seriously, you had it working in PPC2002. What did you do, MS, to screw it up so badly? My X5 was 100% reliable with alarms until it was upgraded to WM2003. My X51v with WM5 suffers the same problem.
(2) A FREAKING CLOSE BUTTON!!! Why does the PPC team at MS refuse to listen to its user base? I have yet to hear one user say, "Gee, I really like how my PPC minimizes my programs instead of closing them." Get a clue Microsoft. :roll:
Of course many have requested these issues be addressed for the past three or so years, so I doubt Microsoft will listen now.
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05-06-2006, 05:55 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4
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How about an ActiveSync that works........I had been pretty happy with 3.8, then I got a Treo 700w and had to upgrade to 4.x. What a step back, no wireless, it will not reliably sync to more that one computer without dropping the partnership and then duplicating calendar and contact entries. I would go back to PPC 2K3 SE in a heartbeat to get away from AS 4.x
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05-06-2006, 06:12 AM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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Put a 400MHz processor in the iMate JAMin, and WM5 couldn't be better. 
__________________
iPhone 4! ☠☠☠ Mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro! ☠☠☠ Gateway LT2102h! ☠☠☠ Dell XPS M1210!
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05-06-2006, 06:19 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49
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Faster internal flash memory. Damn, even Sandisk cards are faster.
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05-06-2006, 06:57 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 17
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Throw it away and start again. All PPC o/s's or Windows Mobile (whatever you prefer to call it) seem to suffer long term problem whether it be missing close buttons or poor event/alarm handling.
Psion had this licked years ago in the early 1990's - why can't MS get it right many years later? :roll:
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05-06-2006, 08:15 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 67
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1. A real close button. I can't live without vBar, but unfortunately vBar has problems on my PDA phone with WM5 (works better on Win2003/SE).
2. Real VGA image support for IE.
3. Native video call support.
4. Less memory utilization. WM2003 was able to run on as little as 16 MBs of RAM, WM5 requires 48 MBs as minimum (on a pda phone).
5. A more robust Today plugin system that doesn't screw up the system so much when a buggy Today plugin is loaded.
6. uPnP support (Nokia has that on its latest handsets).
7. Better Bluetooth UI and more Bluetooth profiles (A2DP is still buggy on AKU2 -- some stereo headsets don't work also as handsfree even if they have this ability).
8. Force some OEMs to create hardware buttons next to the D-PAD for "Start" and "Close app". And maybe a real "Hold" slider too.
9. A better File Manager (I have to use Total Commander currently which has its own share of problems).
10. An RSS reader that doesn't suck (like the buggy pRSSreader does).
11. Able to turn on/off bluetooth and IrDA from the networking icon in the menu bar, as I currently can for WiFi and EDGE/GPRS.
12. Ability to view the battery load on the menu bar without having to hack the registry to enable it.
13. Create an API to standardize the hangup/answer buttons so the VoIP guys can use them on their apps (e.g. Skype, SJPhone etc)
14. Fix the damn WMV support on ARM CPUs. It's slow as hell. Running a QVGA WMV video on a 200 Mhz CPU (that many phones use) is close to impossible currently (with either WMP or TCPMP), while MP4 and DivX run without a problem.
15. Ability to assign applications to "long press" buttons.
16. Ability to lock the PDA using its soft-lock function but only come ON again if you press the power button. This is a must-have if the device does not have a hardware lock button and you need to listen to music with the display staying OFF guaranteed.
17. Ability to assign a second language to the keyboard. I need Greek for example so I had to get Resco Keyboard.
18. Set the backlight when the device is on Power. This feature was removed from my pda-phone's WM5.
19. Add a backup application as it used to exist in the past.
20. Ability to format cards from inside the WM5 OS. You see, there is a bug with 2 GB miniSDs on the current WM5 AKU2 when are formatted via XP (the OS can see all 2 GBs but can only use 1 GB). I had to get the StorageTools utility to format it from inside my phone in order for WM5 to behave.
__________________
PDAs: x50v, rx3115, PalmV, TH-55, SL-5500, T-615C (previously owned: Axim X5-Adv, h2210, e800).
Phones: QTek 9100, W810i, M600i, E61, A780, 6288, SLVR L7, U8500, KG800, ROKR E2, D840, K300i, 3300, K700i, i-Mate, T310, (previously owned E680i, E398, MOT M1000).
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Linear Mode
