Windows Mobile 5.0: Vibrating Profiles and Missed Calls

[Kris Kumar]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/07/23/442574.aspx' target='_blank'>http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/07/23/442574.aspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"As a long time Smartphone user, I'm really excited about the quality of Windows Mobile 5.0 and most of the feature changes that have happened over the years. But I'll be honest and say that I personally find a couple of the changes we had to make a bit... frustrating. This particular one bit me again today when I missed a call so I decided to post about it now rather than wait for it to come up in the newsgroups after 5.0 devices ship."</i><br /><br />Robert Levy over at Windows Mobile Team Blog is talking about an improvement in the Windows Mobile 5.0 that has turned into an annoyance. I am sure all the existing Smartphone users will feel Robert's pain <i>once</i> they get their hands on the Windows Mobile 5.0 based devices. :-) The good thing about the blog is that it mentions that Microsoft relies a lot on user research and feedback. What irks me is that even in the new mobile OS while viewing the details for the call log, the time when the call was received is at the bottom of the list and you have to scroll down to see it. I am surprised that the shell team users missed that. :roll:

[jfreiman]

I'm surprised at that as well.

I seem to use the Call History feature about 2x a day - sometimes more - just to look up the time the call was received.

[Jason Lee]

It's not a perminent change, they just changed the default setting for the silent profile to match evey other phone on the planet. :) You can change it back if you want.

[cdcooker]

Right now, it is in this order, Name, Phone#, Method, Duration, Date, Time. For me, it should be in this order, Name, Phone#, Time, Date, Duration, Method. If 5.0 still put time on the botton and I have to scroll the screen, I will not upgrade mine, no matter how good the other stuffs are. Don't forget, Smartphone is supposed to be phone first, PDA second!

[Mike Temporale]

It's not a perminent change, they just changed the default setting for the silent profile to match evey other phone on the planet. :) You can change it back if you want.

I still don't understand why we are limited to 8 profiles. It would be great if we had a couple more that we could customize whatever way we like and not have it effect the default profiles. :(

[Jason Lee]

I still don't understand why we are limited to 8 profiles. It would be great if we had a couple more that we could customize whatever way we like and not have it effect the default profiles. :(

I dunno. I think I still prefer fewer profiles. less to scroll through that way too. ;)

i usually have:
*silent - no sound from device at all.
*vibrate - all possible notifications set to vidrate.
*normal - all sounds on and set to a volume i can hear in the car and outside.

sometimes i will drop the normal for:
*loud - loud or full volume and set to ring and vibrate.
*office/inside - same as normal above but with slightly lower volume.

I can't think that i would ever need more than 8. Maybe one that does not ring and only alerts me of txt, sms, email, or vmail...
but i do agree that i don't like limits. I should be able to make as many as i want. :)

[egads]

The good thing about the blog is that it mentions that Microsoft relies a lot on user research and feedback.

Microsoft does not listen users, they listen to big corperations that have lots of money. I've been trying to get some basic email features added to Outlook for years (like only quoting selected text in a reply). I actually got to talk to a Outlook developer once and he said they have a huge list of small features they would like to add but their main goal is to keep the exchange users happy. He said most of usablilty features would be added over the next few years. That was 4 years ago and the nice features all of the other email clients have are still not in Outlook.

PocketPC people have been wanting a close button that ACTUALLY closes the running program for years. Will we ever see that?

Slightly off topic I know, but when I see people make that statment above it REALLY gets under my skin....