HELP! need note taking app + ability to attach docs easily - Xoom Themes and Apps

first off, i'm wanting to use my tablet for business use. i go to a lot of corporate meetings and i want to:
1. take notes
2. have attachments to those notes (documents, pdfs, spreadsheets, pictures, whatever)
3. be able to attach files from the local storage and access both the note AND the attachment even if offline (if i'm somewhere where there is no wifi)
4. organize my notes into folders so that i can sort them by whatever the meeting is abount
ive been trying various note taking apps such as handrite, evernote, catch, springpad, etc but i've yet to find one single app that will do all that i want.
evernote -nice but you have to pay a subscription fee in order to put attachments on your notes...lame.
catch - the best app for attaching local files on my tablet to the note itself. i can attach pdf's, pics, etc so when i my note open about that meeting, i can touch the attachment and it launches in whatever app i want it to launch with. awesome. problem is that the organization stuff sucks.
springpad - LOVE the interface and it makes it easy to organize stuff. they have a chrome extension so i can add notes and things from my browser which is cool. the only problem i have with this app is that it doesnt allow the local file attachment like catch does. you can attach anything, but it then links to the springpad cloud service to pull the message down...not ideal if i'm offline.
handrite - this just does handwritten notes obviously, but the ideal situation would be to take handwritten notes and then send it to my other note taking app of choice.
SO...i'm still kind of feeling this all out, but i'm hoping that you guys can give me a good solution to my problem. as of right now, im torn between springpad and catch. the two big kickers here are offline usage and attachments. i need to access all of my attachments and notes if offline with no hiccups. thoughts?

Look up GoogleDocs. I haven't used it but try it out and see if it helps.

gqstatus0685 said:
Look up GoogleDocs. I haven't used it but try it out and see if it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have Google Docs and it works for note taking and organization...but it doesnt allow me to attach files to notes. if i create a note and save it, i want to be able to take a pdf or any kind of other file and attach the file to the note. basically i'm wanting to emulate the pen/notepad experience. in the past i've taken a notepad and pen for note taking...and also printed off any documents (price quotes, slides, emails, etc) that i need for reference, and stuck them in my notebook. so i could have all of my various printed docs ready for reference during THAT particular meeting. i want the same thing with an app and i feel like springpad is almost there...just need a little more.
any other ideas?

Yeah. Install evernote.
Its cloud based so you'll need to register. It allows you to attach files from the file system or photos from the camera. Also arrange your notes into folders (I have a meetings folder)
Plus the big plus is that any notes I write are auto synced with evernote on my PC and vice versa so I don't have to do anything to get what I wrote back to my main machine
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

...oh, you can also record the audio while notetaking which I find really useful in some meetings
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MrGinger said:
Yeah. Install evernote.
Its cloud based so you'll need to register. It allows you to attach files from the file system or photos from the camera. Also arrange your notes into folders (I have a meetings folder)
Plus the big plus is that any notes I write are auto synced with evernote on my PC and vice versa so I don't have to do anything to get what I wrote back to my main machine
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have evernote installed and had planned on using it until i found out that they require you to pay a yearly subscription fee to upload attachments. $45 a year i think it is. its not crazy expensive or anything...but i dont really care about having my attachments in the cloud. i just want the ability to attach them from my local device or other service (dropbox for instance). i guess you are paying for the evernote storage capacity, but if it would just like to the local device or dropbox, i wouldnt need to pay.
yes its valuable and yes i would probably use it and swear by it, but i was just HOPING to find another solution that wasnt a subscription based model.

Last thing. If you're going to be going without wifi and want to be able to access an existing note or a pre-prepared empty note with your reference material attached, just open the note on your tablet in advance whilst you have wifi and it'll cache it locally so you can access it even from the moon!
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Sorry, didn't notice that. I swear I've done attachments without paying... haven't needed to sync them tho... email the attachments to yourself and use the power of multi-tasking!
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MrGinger said:
Last thing. If you're going to be going without wifi and want to be able to access an existing note or a pre-prepared empty note with your reference material attached, just open the note on your tablet in advance whilst you have wifi and it'll cache it locally so you can access it even from the moon!
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the tip...this is basically what I want to do. and btw, i just read on evernote's "premium" stuff that the subscription stuff allows you to upload all types of files...but that means that the free version does allow for some types to be uploaded. didnt know that, so i just uploaded a pdf attachment to a note. works well enough. although i'm not really sure why loading a pdf or picture is okay but not a .docx or .xlsx i could see mp3's and what not, but word docs? really?
worst case scenario, i have to convert all of my word docs to pdfs

No worries. Personally I use dropbox to transfer reference material onto my xoom to a folder on the internal storage in advance of the meetings and don't tend to use the attachments in evernote. Hope you find a good solution
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

MrGinger said:
No worries. Personally I use dropbox to transfer reference material onto my xoom to a folder on the internal storage in advance of the meetings and don't tend to use the attachments in evernote. Hope you find a good solution
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm....okay well....hope you dont mind if i ask you some questions?
you sound like you use your tablet in a similar way for business so i'm curious just as to your general "process".
1. walk into meeting with xoom
2. sit down and open up....Evernote and Dropbox?
3. do you type on the virtual keyboard or the bluetooth keyboard? or do you use Handrite with a stylus?
4. when referencing docs, do you have dedicated folders in dropbox for specific meetings or maybe just organized based on project?
as you can see, i'm really wanting to have everything digital, but i want to get down the process so i'm not fumbling through various apps and what not during the meeting itself. sounds like you have this down pat...so i'm open to your suggestions! thanks again.

I tend to have no more than 2 meetings in a day (they tend to be long!) I have a page on my launcher dedicated to my productivity stuff so...
Email widget,
shortcuts to...
Evernote
QuickOffice HD
FileManager HD
Droid scan pro
Remote Desktop Client
Dropbox
I tend to keep my downloads folder very cleared out and organised so I just leave my meeting stuff in there. Saves me having to move stuff after downloading files from Dropbox or email.
I tend to just open evernote and filemanagerHD (which has a nice shortcut on the left hand side to the downloads folder). The xoom with 3.1 is quick enough for me to just open my reference material as I need it from file manager. I then use the honeycomb task switcher to swap between notes and reference
If I'm working on a project longer term I setup a folder for the reference material to keep it separate.
Another useful feature of filemanagerHD is the ability to bookmark files on your xoom for easy access. I do this alot. Often bookmarking the files ill need just before the meeting or as everyone is coming in.
In terms of note taking I use thumb keyboard 4.0 beta in one handed mode (where the keyboard only takes up one side of the landscape screen) so all the keys are withing fingers reach of my hand without me having to move it much. Love thumb kepyboard !
Hope this helps!
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Oh. I also regularly take photos of whiteboards from my notes in evernote! That syncs without subscription!
Waiting to see what this leather folio case with built in keyboard will be like when released too! Could be useful!
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Thanks man. I really appreciate you taking through time to write all that out for me. I think I finally have a game plan now...thanks again.

Related

Buisness users: Office Suite Pro versus Documents to go

Both Officesuite pro and Documents to go 3.0 are $14.99.
Suggestions on which on to purchase for permanent use?
Thanks
Want to know too....anyone have any feedback which one is better?
I have a Viewsonic G and Archos 101
I'm looking for the same info as well.
For relatively unimportant spreadsheets, google docs is great. I finally have Touchdown emulating outlook 2003 well enough to take on most of 90% of my work email. Having the rest of the office suite covered would mean I could stop the cumbersome process of using VNC to remote into my dektop for word and powerpoint.
I am waiting on a tablet-friendly office suite, something with toolbars to take advantage of the screen real estate. I expect we won't see this until Honeycomb makes an appearance.
all i know is that i have been using doc to go since i had a green screen palm and they have never disappointed me. im sure as they did with the iPad they will tablet out their software.
Office Suite Pro Vs Documents To Go
I've used "Documents to Go" on Palms, blackberrys, and now Android. I've got it on both my Evo as well as my G-Tab, and it has always performed as needed and Dataviz is always offering updates and enhancements to further their products...but I again state I have not used the other office suite... never had to ...
-Shaun
I now have the trial versions of both. Documents to go looks nice but its view only. Since I KNOW office pro suite is working in the way I want it to I might have to stick with that (don't want to buy BOTH)
Keep the feed back coming I have three weeks to decide.
Installed documents to go some time ago and everything was working fine. We i just purchased the unlock key for $14.99 and now my battery drains very quickly. I was getting 24 hours on one charge. So now i uninstalled the key which i suspect will greatly improve my battery life.
Quickoffice HD
What about the quickoffice rip from notion ink tablet that gojimi posted. I installed it and it is pretty nice but I haven't used many features in it. Syncing with Google docs is nice.
+1 for Docs to Go, been using it for years now and it handles anything I need it to.
Sent from my Viewsonic G Tablet running TnT Lite 4.2.2 w/ Pershoot's Kernel using Tapatalk Pro
I have been using OSP, and it works well for my text and spreadsheet applications, until I decided to buy it, and the key hasn't worked. I'm trying to get this resolved, but for now my data is locked.
hodad37 said:
Installed documents to go some time ago and everything was working fine. We i just purchased the unlock key for $14.99 and now my battery drains very quickly. I was getting 24 hours on one charge. So now i uninstalled the key which i suspect will greatly improve my battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use doc to go and don't notice a change in bat life. It sync via usb so should not do anything when not connected. Also with key it is not read only
i use the quick office that gojimi ported from the adam and it works very well! read edit and all!
I have both. i got docs to go first and like it except for the fact it will not show or let you edit headers or footers in a word type document and quick office will. I only use quick office now. It syncs with google docs and dropbox.
I have both Docs to Go and Quick Office HD (tablet version).
I have used DtG for a long time and it works really well. However I have some small issues around headers and footers, etc. But it does many of the other things quite well. Although by itself it does not sync with Dropbox, if you have the Dropbox app you can open the docs straight through there. Minor annoyance, but there it is.
I had a great deal for Quick Office HD for under $10 so I grabbed it to try it. It really is a great office system, but has some minor / major flaws. Now to be honest I have used DtG for many years so I may just be missing something. However it seems that QO can't do bullet list. I van not for the life of me figure out how to create a bulleted list. That to me is a major oversight as it is quite important when trying to put together a document you plan on handing off to a client. However it can do headers and footers and directly ties into many cloud based storage systems.
So right now I am using both depending on what I am doing. I am hoping one of them puts it all together. I would like to see a more desktop like layout for tablet versions. QO is headed that way with HD, but not quite yet. We have not see what DtG will do, but they are pretty good about putting out quality.
I am going back and forth between QuickOffice and OfficeSuitePro
I am a grad student and have replaced my laptop with my gtablet (for most things). I create/edit docs heavily (for notes, essays, group minutes, etc..).
I find that I like the OfficeSuitePro's ability to render different things a little better (more noticable for ppts). Also a huge plus is it supports standard keyboard shortcuts (select, copy, paste, save, cut, etc...) It does not have native dropbox support like Quickoffice does, but if you use the dropbox app to access your files, and save the file as is (instead of save as) then it uploads to DB automatically.
I've also lost a couple sets of notes wth QuickOffice because I forgot to save a file, or the save to dropbox failed and it didn't tell me before i closed/shut off the tablet - document gone. OfficeSuitePro has a built in recovery for most stuff like that when I've done it.
With OfficeSuitePro I seldom have to reach up to the screen to perform an action (save, edit, etc) because it supports keyboard shortcuts. THIS IS HUGE! I can't tell you how annoying it is to have to reach up to the screen every time I want to save, select, copy, or highlight anything. Not having to leave the keyboard is a big deal if you plan on doing some serious typing with a usb or wifi keyboard.
Lastly, OfficeSuitePro has a 30 day trial. I have 7 days left and I have to purchase it. I probably will, even thought I have quickoffice.
I still use them both kind of interchangeably as once in a while something renders funny on one and not the other (usually only a problem with ppts). I've noticed Quickoffice squeezes them, but OfficeSuite doesn't do a very good job rendering research poster presentations (usually I do these on ppt, and they're 3ft by 4 ft).
I like Office Suite Pro better. I use it to display music charts on my g-pad that are in .doc, .docx and .pdf format. Works better for me than Documents To Go. I have been using the trial but I am going to buy the full version.
My vote is for docs to go. I got it off the Dataviz site when it was $9.99 a bit ago. Handles big word docs and spreadsheets. Reviewing a draft 10-Q document on my G-Tab without an issue. Quickoffice from the Adam wouldn't even open it.
Vegan 7 ROM comes loaded with Quick Office Pro HD. It seems pretty nice.
I've been using QuickOffice since I got my gtab in November. It does, MS Office and PDF's. It works great for me. The only issue that I've found is that tables developed in Word, can't be edited in QuickOffice. I typically, move an adgenda to the gtab, add any notes during a meeting, move the file back to my desktop PC, format and email. I no longer take pen and paper to business meetings. I haven't found anything that I need it to do, that it can't but I will admit that I don't ask a lot of it. You can save documents to internal storage, USB or SD card or you can email them right from the app.
Just as a note, I'm running the gtab as it came, I haven't rooted it.

ColorNote

Hi,
Am pretty new to Android and came across this really nice App/Widget called ColorNote. An all in one package that has a lot of features and comes in a reasonably sized package.
I'm sure many of you are already using this. The reason for the post however is not to promote this, but to ask if anyone either knows of a way to contact the author or know of an alternative to this.
What I need is an app with all the features of the above, but with a widget that is NOT a sticky post, but with something like a flip pad. That is the widget shows page 1 of the notes and then I either click an up/ down arrow to move between pages or click on the tip of a page to move between them as in the app here -> http://www.appbrain.com/app/simple-notes/hu.monsta.simplenotes
Can someone help me?
Thanks
Evernote is one of the best note taking apps. You can do voice notes, text notes and pictures. Web, desktop and phone apps. My only real complaint is that you can't write checkable lists on the phone app, but they are adding new stuff all the time. Oh and it doesn't have a widget, but you should still check it out.
springpad is also pretty good.. has awidget where you can scrol through different notes...
I use colornote for checklists. I like it. Its very clean and easy to use.
I have been trying to embrace the cloud using Springpad on my phone, CR-48 (meetings/note taking computer at work), my W7 work desktop and my Macbook Pro personal laptop. It's been working out well so far.
Colornote is nice for taking quick notes, like during a meeting or something.
For everything else, I also use Springpad. In the past I've gone through Catch (formerly 3banana) and Evernote both but I feel that Springpad is superior to all of them.
Just to add an extra choice, I've been liking Simplenote
Andronoter is a free Android client of it, www.simplenoteapp.com is the web interface.

[Q] App to take notes & save/export to pdf?

Hello guys,
My gf is using the note, and in the office she has found it rather useful for taking notes on the go during a meeting, using the app included from Samsung. She can rapidly take the phone, snap a picture (of the product being presented in the meeting), then either write some annotations with the pen or using swype (the pen is also cool, as she can make arrows or lines to sketch up some ideas). But the problem with the samsung app: It can only save as JPEG. Also, once the note is saved, it cannot be edited anymore (or doesn't look like, at least you can't move around the pictures she snapped...you'd need to create a new note and reimport the picture or something).
Is there any app to save to PDF? We tried Evernote, but it's a pain in the ass (upload, then sync from PC app, print, use pdfcreator). Onenote for android doesn't seem to have any export options. What do you guys think?
Thank you!
There is a Adobe PDF Creator app. Its not free though, but could be a solution?

[Q] HTC One as a business phone - advice / thoughts (ex BB Curve user)

Hi All
First post, had a look at the search and couldn't find an appropriate post already so here it goes:
I am so close to ordering the HTC One (Tmo) as a significant upgrade from a cruddy old BB Curve. Although the BB is anitquated, it does some things very well like email exchange (multiple accounts) and contacts, calendars etc.
Will I find the HTC to be as good in these aspects?
What about microsoft tools etc?
I have seen a slick 'portfolio' style app for iphone (yuck) to display projects on to potential clients etc - is there something similar for Android?
I heard the bluetooth is a weaker antennae - is this true?
Any particulalrly good features about HTC One that I can capitalize on as a business user?
I would like to use it as a hot spot for my next purchase (a tablet) - can I keep everything else stock and easily ensure FREE hotspot usage and avoid nasty TMo charges - if so where do I go to learn about that?
Finally - I am getting a tablet to go with it, again for a lot of business use (and a lot of personal use) but the tablet will be a BYOD so can be a bit more expqerimental with tweaking it with the goodies on this fourm - so what would be a better pairing - a Kindle Fire HD, or possibly the next Nexus - the specs for it sound amazing. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance
I'm a heavy business user but have only ever used Android as my main device. The company issues BB devices but I refused to take one & more and more other people I know I moving away from BB.
As a Business Device I find it very satisfactory. I have receive my Exchange Email on it and I have to say I quite like the Email app (I keep my personal email separate and receive that through the dedicated Gmail app).
Previously I had used Pure Calendar as a widget for quick access to my calendar as I seem to have more and more meetings and need to keep track of things. Since getting the HTC One I use mainly the dedicated HTC Calendar App which I find very good.
I don't really use Bluetooth significantly expect for in my car so can't really comment on any issues with it.
Working for a company with offices in many different locations, I also find the quick access to Dropbox and ease to share documents, CAD files, PDF's through it excellent.
As well as the HTC One, I also have a Galaxy Nexus 10 - this is an absolutely beast of a tablet. Again I have my Exchange Email on it, Dropbox for sharing files etc. I also have Quick Office Pro (Polaris is also good) for opening any Office documents. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by a 'Portfolio' App but when giving presentations I always load the PowerPoint onto my tablet as well so I can have a side-meeting if required with the presentation easy to flick through. As a frequent traveller also, the Nexus 10 is a great Multimedia device to just watch a movie or TV show while hanging around airports.
I would also say that the ability to easily 'drop' files onto either device using the traditional drag and drop method when connected to my desktop is a massive time saver. I find the iPhone absolutely terrible in this regard.
Hope this helps.
squire
Awesome feedback, thank you Squire!
The portfolio app is a very impressive way to demonstrate your past projects using slide show format, but on the home screen, it has your entire 'portfolio' arranged by project/industry or whatever you need so you can quickly go to that type of project depending on the type of client you bump in to/present to. I have to do a lot of business development as well as my day job so this is quite important but not a deal breaker for the phone. More likley I will have it on the tablet anyway.
The drag and drop of files between devices /PCs etc is absolutely critical for me too - I need it to be quick, easy and painless , which it is not on the IPhone/Pad to PC as you rightly say. I noticed that you also deal with CAD files means that base is covered, do you have a CAD viewer also? Is it an expensive app to get?
Does the HTC calendar app and contacts sycn with Outlook or will I have to migrate to a new system?
I think if these two things are seamlessy integrated into Outlook, I think I am going to take the plunge and place the order today.
Can you point me in the direction of that Portfolio app - it sounds interesting.
adams.an.android said:
I noticed that you also deal with CAD files means that base is covered, do you have a CAD viewer also? Is it an expensive app to get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an official AutoDesk app called AutoCAD 360 which is free on Google Play.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.autodesk.autocadws
adams.an.android said:
Does the HTC calendar app and contacts sycn with Outlook or will I have to migrate to a new system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Contacts & calendar sync perfectly with Exchange (i.e. Outlook). I essentially have 3 sets of contacts on my phone - current work contacts from Exchange, personal contacts from my private Gmail and old work contacts from what I call my "professional" Gmail (i.e. the one I don't mind telling people I work with about). I also have 5 different Calendars syncing - Exchange, 2 x Gmail, Tripit & another internet calendar which gives me local Religious holidays.
Just another note - in general I find editing Office files on the tablet very cumbersome. This goes for both Nexus 10 and iPad (my gf has one). What I find it most useful for is quickly accessing email attachments and commenting on them. You're certainly not going to be writing a Technical Report or Business Proposal on it.
These are generally the 'work-related' apps I use
AutoCAD 360
Box (similar to Dropbox)
Dropbox
File Station Tablet (best Windows Explorer like File Explorer for an Android Tablet)
Gmail
Google Keep (I'm not a great lover of Evernote; this is basically Google's version of it)
iSyncr for iTunes - PC (essential for syncing your iTunes Library to your Android device)
Maps (living in the Middle East, you often have to rely on Maps to find places rather than incomprehensible directions)
OfficeSuite Pro 7 (PDF & HD)
Sendspace (for 'public' sharing of large files to my Client)
Skype
Thumb Keyboard
Tripit (absolutely indispensable app to organise your traveling life)
Plus various news readers etc.....
Just figured out the thanks/karma thing so have given props - thank you for the info and the links. I will definitely load them up when my phone comes!
You seem to have extremely similar usage profile to me, several calendars, several address books, do a lot of business travel and receive a ton of attachments that you need to be able to call up on the fly.
Re the portfolio app: I haven't broken my 10 post limit yet however, if you add the http you should get to the following page
//ipadportfolioapp.com
I have seen it in action on the IPad only so far, but the splash page is cool - put your company logo as the backdrop, and your projects load up below that. The reviews of Android equivalents haven't been overly positive, but I haven't hunted down every single similar app yet - and still need to conduct my own test for my particular needs.

[Q] Considering WP8...

I'm considering a move from another OS to a Lumia 925, I won't say which one because I tend to find that people have preconceived notions of what iPhone and Android people are looking for and whether they'll be able to deal with the way Windows does it.
Just some questions...
1. I'm entirely in the Windows world for productivity (Word, Excel, Outlook, SkyDrive) so I imagine that will be seamless on a Windows Phone? I mean, is there anything that is actually not doable when operating documents, spreadsheets, etc? I just want to make sure it's not like with Google Drive/QuickOffice where you technically CAN open and work on docs but there are always formatting issues and tiny bugs that crop up from time to time.
2. How does file management work? I'm referring to copying files, music, pictures to and from the phone.
3. Can one save email attachments, attach anything one wants to an email, open any kind of file (pdf, office, images, audio, video, etc)
4. Can I use my own music files and set them as ringtones and notifications?
5. Will the email app allow for an IMAP account from my own email server and let me see all of its folder and subfolder structure?
6. If my wife and I both have Windows Phones and I assume we each will have our own accounts on our phones, how can we each connect to our PC at home? Will it mean having to have two different profiles of Windows on the tower?
7. Is there a way to know which phones will get the 8.1 update? I want to make sure the Lumia 925 gets it.
If anyone can help with these things, I'd really appreciate it. Unfortunately, mobile phone customer service reps in stores simply don't know these things well enough to give any kind of help and these are the kinds of things that really matter to me, not how many apps there are in the market or whether a phone's camera has a certain number of megapixels.
Thanks!
Here are some answers to the questions you have.
1. The Office suite on WP8 is obviously a stripped-down version compared to the desktop counterparts. However as long as you don't use anything advanced you should be fine. On the phone you will have Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote available. OneNote is especially useful on a phone.
2. It's different. Once you connect the phone to the PC you will find the following pre-defined folders:
- Documents - for Word, Excel, Powerpoint files
- Music - for.. well, music
- Pictures
- Ringtones - for ringtones and notification sounds
- Videos
There is no file manager on the phone itself, however there are apps, which handle files from each of these folders, through which you can rearrange or delete these file types. The system has an API (thus some apps developed as well) for handling new file types like zip, rar, ebook types, etc., which can be registered. You may attempt to open any file type you just downloaded, if an app on your phone is registered to it, it will open the file using it.
Copying the files into the folders I just listed is as straightforward as copying any file using your favorite Windows file manager.
3. Saving email attachments isn't supported out of the box - however you can open them if an app is registered for that file type, and if the app supports saving the file, then you may do that there too (this will save the file to the app's work folder). Once you're in the email app you can only attach photos, but I'm pretty sure you can attach other file types using their own apps and the share button (if any).
4. The short answer is yes. I haven't actually tried this, but I know music ringtones are supported and custom notification sounds are/will be supported with GDR3 (which is an update you can already download if you're a developer or will be getting soon through OTA updates). The way to actually do it is by copying the files to the Ringtones folder, but I think there are some apps, which automate this process (I'm not sure).
5. I'm currently using 2 google IMAP email accounts. I'm pretty sure you should be fine here.
6. Yes, you will have different accounts on the phones, but you don't HAVE to have different ones. I never actually tried sharing accounts, but I know logging in from the same account on several phones is possible, this way you'll get synced contact list, app list, you'll only need to purchase an app once for both of you, and some other benefits. No, you won't necessarily need two different accounts for it on the PC. I use the same account on my phone and on my home (and work) PCs (running Windows 8 and 8.1) and I haven't really seen much syncing between the phone and the computer other than the contact list and account list (email accounts, facebook, twitter, linkedin, microsoft accounts).
7. We're in the same ballpark here, I'm currently enjoying my Lumia 925, I personally think it's a great phone. All of the current devices running WP8 were promised to get 8.1, however we don't really know much details about the update.
People coming from a different major OS generally experience Windows Phones differently, than people coming from feature phones. Android users usually miss the Notification Center and Multitasking, which works differently here (the Live Tiles are your notification center and multitasking works by different rules), and iOS users might miss Siri? Actually I have no idea, since I've never actually owned one.
The sheer number of apps in the store is considerably lower, however there are hardly any apps, which don't have a counterpart in the WP8 store, some are even better than the originals on Android/iOS.
I wish you the best and I hope I helped. Choose wisely
That's a great overall description! A few more comments:
1) The phone should be able to *open* any Office document just fine, but you won't have anything close to the full Office suite's power to make changes; it's mostly basic edits only. For example, you can add or delete slides to a Powerpoint deck, and edit their text, but I don't think you can create or edit custom themes.
2) Documents, music, and pictures are no problem. The phone connects via Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), same as most modern Android phones do; all major OSes can access it, but it is *not* the same as USB Mass Storage. You can't just use it as a USB drive. Additionally, this kind of access only works for the built-in "Libraries" (in the Windows "My Documents", "My Music", etc. sense) on the phone; if you, for example, use a third-party app to handle a file type, that won't show up. One example is ebooks; you can open ebook files on the phone if you download them from the web or open them from attachments, but you can't just copy a bunch of .MOBI files into (or out of) the Kindle folder, for example. Note that this assumes no special hacks; we've been able to get full filesystem access on Samsung phones (such as the ATIV S, which I have).
3) Generally, opening any kind of attachment is possible. If the phone doesn't have an app to do it yet, it will offer to search the Store for compatible apps. If it has multiple compatible apps, it will ask which one to use. However, where attachments get saved is up to the app. The built-in Office programs and image viewer can save to the system libraries. Not so sure about videos or music, although they will open using the built-in apps (for recognized formats, at least).
4) Yes, using your own music works fine. Copy the clips to the Ringtones "folder" over USB, or use one of the many apps (they can do things like trim the file for you, too). Some notification types require GDR3, which your phone may or may no come with but which you can upgrade to easily.
5) IMAP works great. Switching folders is a *bit* more annoying than I'd like - three taps - but it works, and you can control which ones automatically sync to the phone. I use a private IMAP server without any trouble.
6) You really *should* have different user profiles on the PC (for unrelated reasons), but the phone OS doesn't require it. I don't know for sure how well the "Windows Phone App" handles the situation, but I do all the stuff manually anyhow (using Windows Explorer and other tools) and that works fine with multiple phones.
7) No way to know for sure. It's pretty well guaranteed that a phone released so recently as the 925 will get the update, though, and these days Microsoft allows developers and enthusiasts to get updates without waiting for them to finish carrier testing and customization (you'll get the customizations once they're released too). T-Mobile US is pretty good about releasing updates anyhow, though, and the phone's specs are easily good enough.
If it helps, the Samsung ATIV S (SGH-T899M, not the other models) works great on T-Mobile frequencies. The only problem I've had is with the WiFi tethering (USB tethering is unofficial but works fine and is built in if you can find it; instructions are on the forum) and everything else works including LTE. Can't get the loan from TMo for it, but you can find a SIM-unlocked one online for cheaper than the 925 anyhow.
Many people asked me to be more specific on these questions on a WP forum I found so I'll paste those more specific questions here just in case someone can help further...
I'm coming from 3 years on Android after 3 years on Windows Mobile. I've rooted every phone I've ever had, principally to be able to flash a different ROM to the stock version on the phone. There are any number of features you can play with on a custom ROM but my only concern was to get rid of Touchwiz, HTC Sense, and other ROMs I hated in favour of a more pure Android experience. So, no I wasn't rooting my phone for access to millions of "hack-y" applications.
I'm concerned about burdening people with a long post but I'll try to expand on my questions.
1. Office - Aside from the obvious limitations of not being able to put an ENTIRE version of the Office programs into app form on a phone (cause you'd need a computer) do all the Office apps offer view, edit, create, email, save to phone/cloud, share to other apps.
2. Files - Basically, can I take (non-DRM) an ebook file, music, video, document, pdf, photo on and off the phone by using a USB cable and Windows File Explorer on my PC/laptop.
3. Email attach - Can I get an email with any doc, pdf, photo, image and open/save it. Can I attach any file from my phone into an email? Even if it means doing it from within the adjoining app. A PDF by sharing through a PDF viewer, a photo(s) through the WP gallery app or other camera/photo apps, an Office document through Word.
4. Ringtones - I think I got the answer I wanted but I have several ringtone mp3s I've used for years for specific people, SMS, Email, Whatsapp that I'd like to keep using by copying to the phone. Yes? No?
5. Email - I have a private email server on bluehost. I have found very often that some email clients that are too basic will let me add these accounts with IMAP but won't let me define the IMAP Path Prefix for folders and subfolders to appear correctly. If you've done this and you have slightly nerdy email organisation, you know what I'm talking about. It comes down to all the email folders appearing as they do on your Windows email programs/clients as opposed to appearing as though all those folders are floating within the phone's inbox. It looks like hell and creates a very messy email experience.
6. Accounts - This is something that comes from being an Android user that never sat well with me for various reasons. For those that don't know, the entire Android experience is based on your phone being constantly connected to one gmail account at a time which is tied to your all apps and basically all other user info on the phone. Logout, everything is gone. The question is... at home we like using Windows without having to keep two different profiles/accounts/etc. except for in Outlook. Android doesn't really play well directly with the Windows productivity world (one of the reasons we don't want Android anymore). But now that Office and other elements of Skydrive will sync for us beautifully, we want the link to be easy as possible. So, to that end, does Windows Phone have the same concept of signing into your phone to operate it and how does that affect BOTH of us having instant access to all of Windows on our PC and Laptop? Will we each have to sign in to Word when we're sitting here? Will only the profile logged into in Windows see their files? Will we be constantly logging into and out of Windows? If I'm logged in will my wife not see her files? Hope that makes it clear?
Additional things...
- I'm going to the Lumia 925 from the Galaxy S3. I was on a Google AOSP ROM so there is nothing TouchWiz that I'll be missing. I don't even know what was on there to be honest. It was flashed pretty quickly. Anyway, if there are any opinions about the 925, limitations, problems.
- Most important, crucial must-haves for us on a phone are: strong camera quality, photo apps, phone call quality, good maps app, email and web browsing. Pretty much nothing else.
- My use is about 95% camera, ebook reading, web browsing, Twitter, light gaming, Whatsapp, SMS, note taking, recipe saving and working on documents. I never use mobile phones for any kind of music or video playing. I don't watch video on anything smaller than a TV, and I only listen to music on a dedicated audio media player that plays specific file formats.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, if you do. I appreciate it.
Nevermind.. mistake post
tinpanalley said:
1. Office - Aside from the obvious limitations of not being able to put an ENTIRE version of the Office programs into app form on a phone (cause you'd need a computer) do all the Office apps offer view, edit, create, email, save to phone/cloud, share to other apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can. Currently I could use the Share feature for email or bluetooth, but I suppose it's possible for other apps to show up there if installed.
tinpanalley said:
2. Files - Basically, can I take (non-DRM) an ebook file, music, video, document, pdf, photo on and off the phone by using a USB cable and Windows File Explorer on my PC/laptop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer is: no, yes, yes, yes, yes(only through the office application if placed in the documents folder), yes; but remember, these answers are for STRICTLY using the Windows File Exporer.
The easiest ways to handle file transfer for ANY file type is either SkyDrive or downloading the file from the internet(for example: through a web-browser using an ftp server over local Wi-Fi). Pocket File Manager is a great app for downloading stuff (and opening) from anywhere including ftp, SkyDrive, GDrive, Dropbox, etc.
tinpanalley said:
3. Email attach - Can I get an email with any doc, pdf, photo, image and open/save it. Can I attach any file from my phone into an email? Even if it means doing it from within the adjoining app. A PDF by sharing through a PDF viewer, a photo(s) through the WP gallery app or other camera/photo apps, an Office document through Word.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can attach anything if you have a handler app for the specific file type, which supports sharing through email (like the Office app for office documents).
tinpanalley said:
4. Ringtones - I think I got the answer I wanted but I have several ringtone mp3s I've used for years for specific people, SMS, Email, Whatsapp that I'd like to keep using by copying to the phone. Yes? No?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have the option to select ringtones and SMS sounds for individuals using the People hub. I haven't used Whatsapp, so I can't help you there.
tinpanalley said:
6. Accounts - This is something that comes from being an Android user that never sat well with me for various reasons. For those that don't know, the entire Android experience is based on your phone being constantly connected to one gmail account at a time which is tied to your all apps and basically all other user info on the phone. Logout, everything is gone. The question is... at home we like using Windows without having to keep two different profiles/accounts/etc. except for in Outlook. Android doesn't really play well directly with the Windows productivity world (one of the reasons we don't want Android anymore). But now that Office and other elements of SkyDrive will sync for us beautifully, we want the link to be easy as possible. So, to that end, does Windows Phone have the same concept of signing into your phone to operate it and how does that affect BOTH of us having instant access to all of Windows on our PC and Laptop? Will we each have to sign in to Word when we're sitting here? Will only the profile logged into in Windows see their files? Will we be constantly logging into and out of Windows? If I'm logged in will my wife not see her files? Hope that makes it clear?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the limitation here is the computer/laptop. I just read up on having multiple SkyDrive accounts and it seems it's not officially possible without logging in/out for each switch. HOWEVER you can actually choose which SkyDrive account you want to log in to from the phone(using the official SkyDrive app or the Pocket File Manager app, or others), it doesn't necessarily have to be the same as your phone's microsoft account.
The Lumia 925 is an awesome phone, has great camera quality, has included navigation with offline maps, has lens apps(for photo modifications), has photo post-processing apps in the store, it has 4G LTE for quite a few networks. Overall, I love this phone and I hope you'll love it just as much
GoodDayToDie said:
You can open ebook files on the phone if you download them from the web or open them from attachments, but you can't just copy a bunch of .MOBI files into (or out of) the Kindle folder, for example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So is there not an ebook app that will read any .mobi or .epub files you place on the phone somehow? There's really no way to do this at all?
Not without hacks, no. I use Bluetooth to transfer them, rather than USB; the phone accepts files via BT and opens the appropriate app to handle them, and there are several apps that can do that handling. However, while the apps can save the files to their local folders, those files can't be subsequently accessed either from the PC or from other apps.
The exception to this limitation is SD cards. Apps can open files on SD cards if those files are of the same extension that the app registered for (such as .MOBI, .PRC, .EPUB). You can also load up the phone's SD card over USB from the PC. Of course, if your phone doesn't *have* an SD card, that's not much use.
GoodDayToDie said:
Not without hacks, no. I use Bluetooth to transfer them, rather than USB; the phone accepts files via BT and opens the appropriate app to handle them, and there are several apps that can do that handling. However, while the apps can save the files to their local folders, those files can't be subsequently accessed either from the PC or from other apps.
The exception to this limitation is SD cards. Apps can open files on SD cards if those files are of the same extension that the app registered for (such as .MOBI, .PRC, .EPUB). You can also load up the phone's SD card over USB from the PC. Of course, if your phone doesn't *have* an SD card, that's not much use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So strange, I just read about 2 apps that can read epub and mobi files off SkyDrive and Dropbox and without the need to use sd cards. Freda and Raccoon Reader.
That's not on the phone in any way, shape, or form. Of course any app that wants to (assuming the ubiquitously declared ID_CAP_NETWORKING) can open a TCP socket to dropbox.com and send some HTTP traffic over it and download files. That has nothing to do with the OS capabilities, though. The question was about "files you place on the phone somehow" and my butt doesn't count.

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