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View Full Version : Writing On Your Palm's Thoughts On Tweaking Windows Mobile 5


Ed Hansberry
08-07-2006, 11:00 AM
<a href="http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/2006/08/tweaking-wm5_115483522220737376.html">http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/2006/08/tweaking-wm5_115483522220737376.html</a><br /><br /><i>"We've all heard it. Windows Mobile devices are more powerful than Palm OS, but they're harder to use. I'm actually not sure how true either half of that statement is. My switch to Sprint's PPC-6700 had more to do with screen size and syncing with Vista 64 and Office 2007 than any disenchantment with Palm OS. PC Magazine's review of the Treo 700w said, "No perfect smartphone solution is available right now, in our eyes. For power, we'd recommend the Sprint PPC-6700 or its Verizon cousin. Both are smaller and lighter than the Treo and have Wi-Fi, a faster processor, and a bigger display than the Treo's, but they aren't quite as usable one-handed."</i><br /><br />Jeff Kirvin as switched back to Windows Mobile after returning to the Palm OS camp for a few years and has some pretty good recommendations on how to make Windows Mobile 5 a bit more useful when used with one hand. One thing I would caution you on though. I have been looking for a decent "Profile" application for a while, similar to what the WM5 Smartphone has. I immediately tried the one he was recommending as somehow I hadn't seen that one before. Upon installation, it proceeded to shut down my bluetooth radio, increase the volume levels on the phone and normal sounds to the maximum level, disable vibrate on my ringer and change the ringer sound. :evil: I am sure I'll find something else it did. I promptly uninstalled it, at which point it put back exactly <i><b>zero</b></i> of my settings. The first thing a Profile application should do upon installation is import your current settings as "Default", not proceed to put in place what a particular developer likes. I guess for now, I'll continue to use the <a href="http://kjamming.blogspot.com/2006/07/toggle-between-vibrate-and-ringer-mode.html">limited two profile selection</a> built into the Wizard.

Phillip Dyson
08-07-2006, 11:43 AM
Ed,

Have you tried PhoneAlarm (http://www.pocketmax.net/phoneAlarm.html)? I haven't used it in a while, mostly because I haven't had a Phone Edition device. But once I'm converged again it will definitely be one of the first programs that I install.

Foo Fighter
08-07-2006, 01:24 PM
I'm considering delving into the world of Windows Mobile (PPC) smartphones, but sadly the choices available today just aren't that compelling to me. The HTC Wizard/Apache never held much interest for me, and I have a strong mistrust of any device that has movable parts...they wear out over time. So that whole slide-out keyboard thing is lost on me. Also the design is simply too thick for my tastes.

So what does that leave me with? The HTC Prophet is a rather anemic device, with weak voice quality (from what the reviews say). So that's off my list.

The only device that looks really compelling to me is the Asus P525...but God knows when that unit will even begin shipping. And when it does finally arrive, I'll no doubt need to purchase a UK model because the darned thing will never officially reach North American shores. Grrrr!!!!!

The HTC TyTn looks vaguely compelling to me (I stress vaguely) but there's that blasted slide-out keyboard and chubby form factor to contend with!

*Sigh* what's a boy to do? :roll:

hamishmacdonald
08-07-2006, 02:01 PM
Me too! My old Orange Smartphone (c500) is breaking down, but I don't want any of the current devices enough to pay or get into a year-long contract for one.

I've been using an Acer n311 since Q1 this year, and loving it. The only thing missing, which would make it the only device I carry, is telephone/SMS capability. So I do finally see the merit of a converged device, but the crop of mobiles fails me on one of two points:

- Size. Those fat 'exec' things with the flip-around screens are like a briefcase for your pocket. A I would never, never use that keyboard for lengthy input. I'd rather it wasn't there.
- Tiny QVGA screen. I write on my Pocket PC, so I need a full-sized, VGA screen.

I haven't heard of any upcoming devices that fit into the Pocket PC Phone Edition sort of category, so I guess I'll stick with my two-device setup.

(I did buy a Motorola L6 for its flat form factor, but it was an awful, awful phone. People couldn't hear me on it, and the interface was painful to use. Suddenly I appreciated the Smartphone UI, which I hadn't been terribly fond of before!)

Foo Fighter
08-07-2006, 02:15 PM
(I did buy a Motorola L6 for its flat form factor, but it was an awful, awful phone. People couldn't hear me on it, and the interface was painful to use. Suddenly I appreciated the Smartphone UI, which I hadn't been terribly fond of before!)

Same here. I purchased your phone's sexier sibling, the SLVR L7, to carry around on weekends and occasions when I don't want to lug around a bulky smartphone. Much to my horror, the phone proved to be a true piece of fecal matter. Motorola's UI is a train wreck. The entire software experience is probably the worst among any mobile platform I have ever encountered. As a result I recently purchased a Nokia E61 smartphone, which is essentially a Blackberry done right. It's the finest smartphone on the market right now, and an absolute steal at $350.

But I do miss having a full PDA environment complete with touchscreen...hence my interested in WinMob PPC phones. I held on to my Treo 650, but without WiFi, it's little more than a paperweight.

Isis, hear my cry! Build me a compelling Pocket PC phone!

Jon Westfall
08-07-2006, 02:48 PM
Ed,

Have you tried PhoneAlarm (http://www.pocketmax.net/phoneAlarm.html)? I haven't used it in a while, mostly because I haven't had a Phone Edition device. But once I'm converged again it will definitely be one of the first programs that I install.

PhoneAlarm is actually now better than it has ever been. With the recent introduction of "PhoneAlarm Lite", and PhoneAlarm's subsequent porting over to that codebase, it now runs leaner and faster than I ever saw with the 1.3 codebase.

hamishmacdonald
08-07-2006, 03:31 PM
Is Isis the one we appeal to about these matters now? I would have thought Mercury, but they keep shuffling the departments around.

My Smartphone is acting like it wants be ferried across to the underworld.

bacchus_3
08-07-2006, 03:34 PM
My ETEN M600 have a useful 'Scenarios' (aka Profile) tool w/ 4 options (General, Meeting, Outdoor and Silent mode). Nifty built-in tool they got for ETEN devices.

surur
08-07-2006, 03:48 PM
Just to defend my flippy twisty Universal - yes its big, but then you do get that lovely full-sized VGA screen. Also the keyboard is very very usable. It has been very favourably compared to the Psion 5mx keyboard (not as good, but very close) and was thought to be the best keyboard of any currently shipping smartphone, suitable for legthly text input.
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/The_fastest_gun_in_the_west.php

Like a laptop, its very much best used sitting down, but if one-handed usage is not a priority then its the best writers PDA, converged or not, currently being sold.

Surur

Jeff Kirvin
08-07-2006, 05:41 PM
Just to defend my flippy twisty Universal - yes its big, but then you do get that lovely full-sized VGA screen. Also the keyboard is very very usable. It has been very favourably compared to the Psion 5mx keyboard (not as good, but very close) and was thought to be the best keyboard of any currently shipping smartphone, suitable for legthly text input.
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/The_fastest_gun_in_the_west.php

Like a laptop, its very much best used sitting down, but if one-handed usage is not a priority then its the best writers PDA, converged or not, currently being sold.

Surur
Sure, rub it in. Not only are they not sold this side of the pond, but there's no CDMA version...

jngold_me
08-07-2006, 07:05 PM
Jeff Kirvin

Wow, Jeff Kirvin with a WM5 device? I never thought I would see the day. 8O

Marcel_Proust
08-07-2006, 07:28 PM
Just to defend my flippy twisty Universal - yes its big, but then you do get that lovely full-sized VGA screen. Also the keyboard is very very usable. It has been very favourably compared to the Psion 5mx keyboard (not as good, but very close) and was thought to be the best keyboard of any currently shipping smartphone, suitable for legthly text input.
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/The_fastest_gun_in_the_west.php

Like a laptop, its very much best used sitting down, but if one-handed usage is not a priority then its the best writers PDA, converged or not, currently being sold.

Surur
I am thining of getting this to replace my combo of the hx4700 and a blackberry, but it is rather large. yet the HTC TyTn doesn't have VGA. anyone have any idea is going to update the universal - maybe make it slighlty smaller but keep the vga screen size the same.

Silver5
08-07-2006, 07:47 PM
I have to stick up for the Universal here too. The keyboard may just change your mind about using a PPC phone with a keyboard if you don't already. It is large enough to be comfortably used by a guy, without trying to tap with the end of my fingers to avoid hitting other keys, and it feels good as well.

The screen is even more impressive. It just looks much better than the screens on QVGA devices. The real advantage comes when you use OZ VGA or one of the similar programs to put it in real VGA mode. It is stunning. If you don't mind carrying a large device around most of the time this screen in VGA mode will definitely repay you!

If there is an update to the Universal I hope they do just four small things. Add some application buttons for use when in PDA/portrait mode, improve the battery life a bit, cut a 5-8mm off around the edges, and add a small (one or two line) external caller ID display.

Tierran
08-07-2006, 09:55 PM
I have to stick up for the Universal here too. The keyboard may just change your mind about using a PPC phone with a keyboard if you don't already. It is large enough to be comfortably used by a guy, without trying to tap with the end of my fingers to avoid hitting other keys, and it feels good as well.

The screen is even more impressive. It just looks much better than the screens on QVGA devices. The real advantage comes when you use OZ VGA or one of the similar programs to put it in real VGA mode. It is stunning. If you don't mind carrying a large device around most of the time this screen in VGA mode will definitely repay you!

If there is an update to the Universal I hope they do just four small things. Add some application buttons for use when in PDA/portrait mode, improve the battery life a bit, cut a 5-8mm off around the edges, and add a small (one or two line) external caller ID display.

No, the small size of the MDA is what changed my mind. I don't care how good the keyboard is...I'd never carry a large PPCPE around

pgh1969pa
08-07-2006, 11:46 PM
I find it interesting that someone who was so pro-palm and anti-ppc (wm) would switch. I found so many of his arguments about how palm is better to be somewhat entertaining but little more than propaganda. This 'switch' is somewhat curious and I wouldn't be suprised if it were short lived. How could someone be so strident in their opposition at one time and open minded and willing to try it again later?

Palm and WM are tools...select the one that works best for you and use it.

Jeff Kirvin
08-07-2006, 11:58 PM
Jeff Kirvin

Wow, Jeff Kirvin with a WM5 device? I never thought I would see the day. 8O
I guess you weren't around from 2000-2003 when I used nothing but Windows Mobile devices and was even a contributing writer for Pocket PC Thoughts!

Jeff Kirvin
08-08-2006, 12:07 AM
I find it interesting that someone who was so pro-palm and anti-ppc (wm) would switch. I found so many of his arguments about how palm is better to be somewhat entertaining but little more than propaganda. This 'switch' is somewhat curious and I wouldn't be suprised if it were short lived. How could someone be so strident in their opposition at one time and open minded and willing to try it again later?

Palm and WM are tools...select the one that works best for you and use it.
Define "short-lived". If you actually check my history, I tend to switch every 3 years. I used Palms from 1997-2000, then Pocket PCs from 2000-2003, then Palms from 2003-2006 and I'm now back to Windows Mobile. I use what works best *for me* and *at the time*.

When I was on my most recent stint with Palm OS, Windows Mobile lacked a lot of features Palm had *at the time* like easy and reliable landscape, greater than QVGA resolution, well-designed and usable smartphones. (I did use the original XDA for quite some time in 2002 before switching to the much smaller Viewsonic V35, my last Pocket PC of that era before switching to the Zire 71.)

Windows Mobile has since caught up while Palm OS has begun, again, to languish (I switched in 2000 because the first gen Pocket PCs like my beloved Jornada 465 were so much better than the Palm m505 of that era). Palm OS 5, while stable and simple, simply cannot meet the demands of 3G networks like UMTS. So again, I switch.

It's mobile technology, people, not religion.

jalex
08-08-2006, 12:41 AM
So what does that leave me with? The HTC Prophet is a rather anemic device, with weak voice quality (from what the reviews say). So that's off my list.
Just to defend the HTC Prophet -- my imate JAMin's voice quality isn't that bad and, as I use a bluetooth headset a whole lot anyways, it's not a big/good enough reason to discount it that easily.

I must say my JAMin has just been so freakin' good I wanna shout it from the rooftops. After going through two M500's and an M600 before I found my new device-of-choice (the E-TEN units all proved defective) I can tell you that the JAMin has everything you need in a solid, reliable unit that can only be criticized for being a little slow, but gives you epic battery life in return.

You might want to take a(nother) good look at the Prophet/JAMin before moving on for good.

ctmagnus
08-08-2006, 01:41 AM
Just to defend the HTC Prophet -- my imate JAMin's voice quality isn't that bad and, as I use a bluetooth headset a whole lot anyways, it's not a big/good enough reason to discount it that easily.

I must say my JAMin has just been so freakin' good I wanna shout it from the rooftops. After going through two M500's and an M600 before I found my new device-of-choice (the E-TEN units all proved defective) I can tell you that the JAMin has everything you need in a solid, reliable unit that can only be criticized for being a little slow, but gives you epic battery life in return.

You might want to take a(nother) good look at the Prophet/JAMin before moving on for good.

I concur with you whole heartedly my [deleted*] American brother. ;)

* Based on your avatar ;)

Ed Hansberry
08-08-2006, 11:30 AM
Ed,

Have you tried PhoneAlarm (http://www.pocketmax.net/phoneAlarm.html)? I haven't used it in a while, mostly because I haven't had a Phone Edition device. But once I'm converged again it will definitely be one of the first programs that I install.
No, but I may give it a shot. Thanks.

adamz
08-08-2006, 08:46 PM
I concur with you whole heartedly my [deleted*] American brother. ;)

* Based on your avatar ;)

Same here. Another thing that not many people know is that the JAMin (http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&amp;t=reviews&amp;id=783) has the best Bluetooth radio out of all the HTC Windows Mobile devices (though I havn't tried the Tytn yet). That means you have much better bluetooth headset range and clarity.

Though there aren't any VGA Pocket PC phones on HTC's roadmap right now, the Trinity looks to be my next device. It's the size of the JAMin but with the addition of HSDPA, front camera, GPS/AGPS, and a faster Samsung processor. Yee Haw!