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  #1  
Old 10-13-2009, 03:00 PM
Pete Paxton
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Default WM 7 RTM and Office Mobile 7

http://www.ppcgeeks.com/2009/10/09/...ice-mobile-7-3/

"Is Windows Mobile 7 right around the corner? It would seem so after Stephen Chapman, owner of Microsoft Kitchen, came across some documents that indicate an updated RTM of April 2010. If this is true, the general population will most likely have to wait until September-October of 2010 to have WM 7 on their phones."

Really, Almost a year? That seems so far away especially when we all know Windows Mobile needs a new OS now. And yes I mean 7.0. If it's true that Microsoft doesn't have Windows Mobile 7 out to RTM until April and we don't see it until September or October of 2010, are you going to hold out for a Windows Mobile device or are you going to look into other OS's? Honestly, I think WM 7 is going to be awesome. I just hope they don't wait so long that they lose a huge market share. For such a huge company, I really expected to be dazzled by now. I wonder if Microsoft's dazzle is going to turn into fizzle by next year.

 

 

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Old 10-13-2009, 05:10 PM
virain
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Paxton View Post
For such a huge company, I really expected to be dazzled by now. I wonder if Microsoft's dazzle is going to turn into fizzle by next year.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
What exactly do you expect from WM? How should it "DAZZLE" you? Do you expect fireworks, peace on earth, or save all the whales and other almost instinct creatures on earth? Following this blog and some others that cover WM I get an impression that most blogers here don't really want WM, they want iPhone, Android, Maemo, or any other trendy OS with a Microsoft logo on it. Some times it's just a hybrid of either all, or some of them. IMHO, WM is WM, that means the most capable OS for smartphones in the market as of today. 6.5 upgrade brought necessary finger friendly action that was missing, but on the other hand took away some things that made Windows unique and useful. From what I understand, you can't create folders to organize your programs that installed on a device anymore, and that's a shame. Now, like with Android, If you need to open some app., you have to fish for it from that program menu, and if you have enough apps installed it make take more time to find what you need! So now, I will find my banking software to some Bubbles game, and skype to sudoki, sex, sync, or whatever else. Not really "user friendly" I would say. Hope it is not true. My point is WM is WM let it be and let it do what it does the best! Not to be some flashy surface to wow teenage girls, but productive platform that can be replacement of my laptop or desktop to some point on the go. And in spite of all the trendy bushing that was going on since iPhone came out it is still the best PRODUCTIVITY mobile platform. Yes it has its pitfalls, but so does iPhone and Android, I know, I have and I use both. Although. I prefer G1 over iPhone, which is pretty much collecting dust in my draw.
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  #3  
Old 10-13-2009, 06:40 PM
doogald
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At least in the US, I'm not sure that a year is a disaster. People generally have two year contracts, they try to update their devices every 18-24 months (I know that Verizon allows you to extend your contract with a discount on a new device after 20 months, for example), so WM7 just puts that decision further on down the road. If it truly is good, people whose contracts are eligible for upgrade will do so.

I'm not planning to get another WM phone - I find the thing I'm using so mediocre that I cannot believe that I'll ever get another - but, if I were a WM fan, I'd rather see them take the time to get it right than rush a solution that leaves out features that Microsoft could not add in too short a time, just to have WM7 done sooner.
 
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Old 10-13-2009, 07:10 PM
alese
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Quote:
Originally Posted by virain View Post
... 6.5 upgrade brought necessary finger friendly action that was missing, but on the other hand took away some things that made Windows unique and useful. From what I understand, you can't create folders to organize your programs that installed on a device anymore, and that's a shame. Now, like with Android, If you need to open some app., you have to fish for it from that program menu, and if you have enough apps installed it make take more time to find what you need! So now, I will find my banking software to some Bubbles game, and skype to sudoki, sex, sync, or whatever else. Not really "user friendly" I would say. Hope it is not true. My point is WM is WM let it be and let it do what it does the best! Not to be some flashy surface to wow teenage girls, but productive platform that can be replacement of my laptop or desktop to some point on the go. And in spite of all the trendy bushing that was going on since iPhone came out it is still the best PRODUCTIVITY mobile platform. Yes it has its pitfalls, but so does iPhone and Android, I know, I have and I use both. Although. I prefer G1 over iPhone, which is pretty much collecting dust in my draw.
You can do whatever you want with the folders and shorcuts in Start Menu on 6.5, just like you can in all previous WM versions - there is no difference there, the only difference is the lack of Start menu. So organizing your shotcuts is no problem.
As for finger friendy action, the 6.5 is more or less the first step, and the so called 6.5.1 version (the newest builds on XDA-Developers) are much more advanced in this regard.

One thing about the linked article. I doubt that the screenshots on the pictures are "real", but what interests me more is the info on the slide - ability to synchronize files (I assume over the air) and integration with Share Point. At least for me this would be excelent if true and would make my WM device much much more usable.
Oh and the timeline is not really something new, I was under impression that the fall 2010 WM7 devices are more or less confirmed, yes they are at least a year late, but we can't really do much here.
 
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Old 10-13-2009, 07:12 PM
DFurey
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Quote:
Originally Posted by virain View Post
From what I understand, you can't create folders to organize your programs that installed on a device anymore, and that's a shame. Now, like with Android, If you need to open some app., you have to fish for it from that program menu, and if you have enough apps installed it make take more time to find what you need!
One of the benefits of using WM is that there are so many developers out there that have created software or modifications that allow the user to do what 'they' want versus the OS. By default you can create shortcuts to any app, the shortcut can be accessed from the start (window) menu (if you want). You can also create folders and add/move shortcuts (using a third-party app) to those folders and then add them to the start (window) menu, if you want.
 
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Old 10-13-2009, 07:19 PM
Gerard
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Originally Posted by alese View Post
You can do whatever you want with the folders and shorcuts in Start Menu on 6.5, just like you can in all previous WM versions - there is no difference there, the only difference is the lack of Start menu. So organizing your shotcuts is no problem.
Um... not quite. The user is free to create new folders under \Windows\Start Menu\Programs and to move shortcut files to these folders to arrange into categories of programs. But the new menu, launched the same as always by tapping the Start Menu 'Windows' icon, is not alphabetically ordered. Further, un-foldered or 'root' shortcuts can be above, below, or between folders in this display. And the only user options for ordering the view are Move Down and Move To Top. If you wish to have a partular order, it requires a lot of careful planning, first moving your least-favourite shortcuts/folders to the top, then gradually working up the list to at last arrive at your most-favoured links along the top and those below in progressively less-favoured order. I have Settings at the bottom, for instance, as once set up I need this the least. I keep apMemo, my mail app (nPOPuk), TotalCommanderCE, NetFront3.5, Google Maps, Calendar and Communication nearest the top, with folders for Accessories, Media, Communication, Files next, then System, Office, then finally Settings. I use an xdadevelopers-supplied modification to the start menu which changes it from 3 columns to 4, to cram more into the space without scrolling.
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Old 10-13-2009, 07:34 PM
alese
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerard View Post
Um... not quite. The user is free to create new folders under \Windows\Start Menu\Programs and to move shortcut files to these folders to arrange into categories of programs. But the new menu, launched the same as always by tapping the Start Menu 'Windows' icon, is not alphabetically ordered. Further, un-foldered or 'root' shortcuts can be above, below, or between folders in this display. And the only user options for ordering the view are Move Down and Move To Top. If you wish to have a partular order, it requires a lot of careful planning, first moving your least-favourite shortcuts/folders to the top, then gradually working up the list to at last arrive at your most-favoured links along the top and those below in progressively less-favoured order. I have Settings at the bottom, for instance, as once set up I need this the least. I keep apMemo, my mail app (nPOPuk), TotalCommanderCE, NetFront3.5, Google Maps, Calendar and Communication nearest the top, with folders for Accessories, Media, Communication, Files next, then System, Office, then finally Settings. I use an xdadevelopers-supplied modification to the start menu which changes it from 3 columns to 4, to cram more into the space without scrolling.
Well that's true, but only to an extent. It depends on the WM 6.5 build used. I don't have any device with official WM 6.5 ROM (I'm waiting for HTC to release one for my Touch Pro2), but most of the builds I have tried from XDA-Developers have the capability to move the icons in the start menu to whatever position you want - you simply drag an icon to another one and it moves there.
 
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Old 10-13-2009, 08:12 PM
Gerard
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Really? I've only used dsixda's versions of WM6.5, about 20 of them if memory serves. Stopped upgrading at Onyx beta 45, as this version is plenty stable and perfectly refined for my tastes.

But I am rather puzzled by your statement that you can "simply drag an icon to another one and it moves there" - tapping and dragging in the Start Menu of WM6.5 results in the whole icon set sliding up or down. It won't drag sideways, though certain other programs will such as the list view in nPOPuk (somewhat uselessly, but it does anyway), or TotalCommanderCE (again, uselessly, as only vertical dragging does anything meaningful). If I hesitate a bit before dragging, the pop-up appears asking whether to move up or down. That's it. Nothing else possible in this interface. A tap launches a shortcut. A drag moves the whole works as one unit. A tap&hold presents the limited options. Would you mind saying whose build of 6.5 you are using where this dual-drag functionality is offered? And further, could you try to explain how dragging a finger or stylus can both scroll the icons and move them? It seems contradictory to me that the same gesture is able to do both, unless the machine is somehow reading your mind, deciphering your intent as you drag an icon and performing the appropirate function. Some sort of 'special' drag operation?
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Old 10-13-2009, 08:16 PM
virain
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alese View Post
Well that's true, but only to an extent. It depends on the WM 6.5 build used. I don't have any device with official WM 6.5 ROM (I'm waiting for HTC to release one for my Touch Pro2), but most of the builds I have tried from XDA-Developers have the capability to move the icons in the start menu to whatever position you want - you simply drag an icon to another one and it moves there.
Actualy, HTC released official 6.5 ROM upgrade for TP2, WWE, EU, European carriers as well. T-Mo USA users are screwed...again! Here"s the link: http://www.htc.com/uk/supportdownloa...0&act=sd&cat=2
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Old 10-13-2009, 08:35 PM
alese
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerard View Post
Really? I've only used dsixda's versions of WM6.5, about 20 of them if memory serves. Stopped upgrading at Onyx beta 45, as this version is plenty stable and perfectly refined for my tastes.

But I am rather puzzled by your statement that you can "simply drag an icon to another one and it moves there" - tapping and dragging in the Start Menu of WM6.5 results in the whole icon set sliding up or down. It won't drag sideways, though certain other programs will such as the list view in nPOPuk (somewhat uselessly, but it does anyway), or TotalCommanderCE (again, uselessly, as only vertical dragging does anything meaningful). If I hesitate a bit before dragging, the pop-up appears asking whether to move up or down. That's it. Nothing else possible in this interface. A tap launches a shortcut. A drag moves the whole works as one unit. A tap&hold presents the limited options. Would you mind saying whose build of 6.5 you are using where this dual-drag functionality is offered? And further, could you try to explain how dragging a finger or stylus can both scroll the icons and move them? It seems contradictory to me that the same gesture is able to do both, unless the machine is somehow reading your mind, deciphering your intent as you drag an icon and performing the appropirate function. Some sort of 'special' drag operation?
I'm sorry for beeing a bit unclear about moving the icons on start.
What you do is tap and hold, it "activates" the icon and then you can drag it to another icon/position and when you lift the stylus it "drops" there.
It works just fine on my Advantage with WM 6.5 Build 23060 and as far as I rememeber (not 100% sure) it worked the same on my Diamond with build 23016 (this I think was one of the last builds with "old" layout with start and close/minimize buttons on top).
I guess older builds (before 230xx maybe?) had the functionality you describe.
 
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