Database Develop

Another goodbye Kaiser thread!

Hi all,
Today is the time to depart the formums as an existing Kaiser owner and help out only as a once windows owned device person
I've not contributed THAT much - atleast not using this name but I had another and was forced to change it due to a "run in" with a moderator on here who got kicked out soon after - this was a while ago though so it's been an interesting ride.
So not much of a story - Been a windows device owner since the first Ipaq in B&w screen and slowly moved onto the windows phones as soon as they came out (starting with the XDA). While my main job revolves around business intelligence, I still have a "side job" in repairing phones/electronics and the company I do this for gives me 15% on products hence changing my phone everytime a new one comes out!
I stop at the kaiser purely for a handful of reasons. While the bluetooth issue was somewhat sorted by reg changes, it still was not enough and it was heavily impacting my main job in where consultants require to be mobile on the phone wherever I go. In the car, it became dangerous at high-speeds where I was having to undock the phone and hold it - something now illegal here.
The other reason was purely down to the whole HTC Suit going on and rumours (not one to listen mind you) about HTC stopping production on the kaiser until this blows over.
I thought, while the price is high, get rid of it, migrate to something else and see what the future holds!
What did I get?
Well, last sunday, I was given two N95's to fix, one hardware, one software. The software was easy enough, hardware was interesting as it was my first N95 to rip open to its bare bone (liquid damaged).
Once I got it working, I started to play around with it and before handing it back to the customer, I have to ensure EVERYTHING works - minimum 48 hour testing.
I instantly decided I would want this IF I did not have the Kaiser...a few days later, I had a call in the car and again, could barely hear the person... I decided to use the customer's N95 and it was perfect.
I decided then to buy one and get rid of the Kaiser.
Thats pretty much it! I now have a N95 Nokia in Black (8GB version), loaded what I would use on the kaiser and so far, not had to pick up the kaiser once in 2 days.
Differences?
The biggest is the touch screen... I sometimes get frustrated I cant just select text and have to use keys to do it...something I'll get used to.
The other biggest is the keyboard. I used to be a typical txt'r on the nokia phones when I was a kid and thought it would be fine now - WRONG!
I would say it took me 3 times longer to txt then it would have on the kaiser!
Other than that, phyically, the screen is the same size (2.6") but much sharper and clearer on the N95 (I think the N95 has a much better resolution). And then theres the weight, while size doesnt make that much of a comparison, the weight is very noticable.
Software:
Ok, again biggest is windows vs symbian but speed-wise, no difference at all. It's a bit "noddy" in symbian to have everything in icons almost to spoonfeed even those who know the system but I can live with it.
Bluetooth is excellent, satnav is also good though it cannot handle TomTom unless used with an external reciever (something apparently waiting to be fixed)
Alarms work and is not limited to 3 like Windows. Small things like SMS on rejecting a call, having a delivery reports folder for SMS and so on is default on the N95, something windows still cant seem to grasp (despite numerous requests).
At the same time, you dont have the luxury of the proper Office, you have to go quite deep into symbian to change a theme, windows you dont, then theres the wonderful scrollwheel, something missing in the N95.
Overall, they both are excellent, what windows missed out, symbian got and viceversa. For me, I require bluetooth to work properly and not sound like I'm listening through a glasswindow. As long as this is the case, and GPS/satnav works... I'm happy. The n95 has a lot more features - one of the biggest being the accelometer which is like a motion detector - I can make my phone go landscape simply by moving the phone that way or I could navigate through menus simply by moving the phone in the direction I want to go in.
It's a gimmic but still, its there and its for the consumer to use .. or not to.
Hope this isnt too long and boring you but I didnt want to be like the typical leaver on the forum to say kaiser is crap, nokia is better because on the whole, I still would prefer the windows one if they fixed the issues, but now also if they made it ligher and more ergonomic (not that it already is!)
Based on the closing paragraph above, don't bother replying if all you're going to say kaiser is the best blah blah blah, though constructive comments are also welcome.
WIll pop in now and again and I think I have a few donations to make too!
(I could type the above on the kaiser, but I'll be damned if I have to type that on a normal N95 keypad...another user for the kaiser keyboard )

Yeah. Sorry to say, mine's hitting the road as well, but I'm not a smartphone kind of guy, i need a full-blown mobile office. so I got an E90 instead. Guess Nokia's getting the better side of things, eh?

Im the same mate ! Ive gone back to the Treo 750 and if not anything else , backto a rock solid phone thats works well all the time.
Just carried out HSPDA update on it and the speeds on net is fine . Email collection is spot on .
And on going back ive realised that i should never have jumped from it in the first place .
Still a HTC handset , but one thats working 100% for me

Can't comment on Symbian - never tried it. I used to use Palm OS and switched to PPC a few years ago.
Had a Dell X50v with VGA screen. Going to the Tilt/Kaiser was a step way down on screen resolution, but many steps up in other ways (like it fits better in my pocket and I don't have to carry a separate phone anymore, GPS, HSPDPA, nice keyboard, up to 32 gb memory card, lots of custom roms, ect...).
If I could do it over I would stick with the Tilt. Treo 750 lacks too many features (screen size, screen resolution, keyboard, GPS and doesn't sit nicely on a table for reading, 2GB max storage card). I want a Pocket PC 1st and a phone 2nd. But I'm not a business user. I could care less about talking in the car. Proven dangerous anyway, even when hands free, and those bluetooth headsets make you look like a cyborg.

I just came to the Kaiser from the S620. The Kaiser is really lacking in usability while "on the go". It was much easier to navigate the S620 I could respond to a text message with barley a glance at the phone. The S620 was also faster for most common tasks like making a phone call replying to an email etc... I find that I really like the kaiser as a data device and am very happy with it in that capacity. Surfing the web with opera mini is great much better experience than O-Mini on the S620 The keyboard is nice if you are using it with 2 hands the extra flexibility of WM6 on the PPC vs WM on the SmartPhone is also nice.

I can appreciate why you are peeved with the kaiser, I would be too if I was trying to use it as an all features phone.
However I do not, and I always view windows devices as a PDA with a phone built in, or as an add on in the software. Therefore it will never out perform or match a well specified Nokia mobile phone for example.
My solution is this:
Run the Kaiser as a device, for email internet and controlling your diary, schedule and files etc. Run it on a data only tariff, for example for £15 a month at the moment with vodafone uk you can get 1GB a month.
Then run a well equipped Nokia mobile phone as your phone, you get great call quality, good handsfree support when in the car as well as being able to leave the Kaiser at home if you do not want emails etc.
I do this, I run a Kaiser on data only, it does my gmail via imap as well as outlook email and internet plus in control my diary on it.
I then run an Nokia E65 which does my phone, test messaging etc etc etc. I also run my gmail via the Symbian onboard email client which means if I am out I can check headers and download an email if I need to read it.
I think for the small extra monthly outlay the kaiser is a fantastic device for what its designed for and I am not going to blether on about that.
Food for thought.
Tom

Tom Williams said:
My solution is this:
Run the Kaiser as a device, for email internet and controlling your diary, schedule and files etc. Run it on a data only tariff, for example for £15 a month at the moment with vodafone uk you can get 1GB a month.
Then run a well equipped Nokia mobile phone as your phone, you get great call quality, good handsfree support when in the car as well as being able to leave the Kaiser at home if you do not want emails etc.
I do this, I run a Kaiser on data only, it does my gmail via imap as well as outlook email and internet plus in control my diary on it.
I then run an Nokia E65 which does my phone, test messaging etc etc etc. I also run my gmail via the Symbian onboard email client which means if I am out I can check headers and download an email if I need to read it.
Tom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you could just get a laptop with a built-in 3g card from whatever provider you want. I heard they have pretty nice qwerty keyboards on those. If that's too expensive, there's always an EEE PC + USB card, especially since those cards are usually free if you sign a contract.
Then you could drop the smartphone and just get your choice of free crappy samsung/motorola flip phone for phone and text.
The point of these devices is convergence. To re-split them is to go backwards in time.

Hmm.. if HTC doesn't fix this soon, I'll get the Meizu M8 (IF it will be released that is..).
Finally a sleek WM phone, 16 million colors baby!

akash_84 said:
Hi all,
Other than that, phyically, the screen is the same size (2.6") but much sharper and clearer on the N95 (I think the N95 has a much better resolution). And then theres the weight, while size doesnt make that much of a comparison, the weight is very noticable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate your story, but just a little note - the N95 has the same 320x240 screen resolution as the Kaiser, and the Kaiser is 2.8 inches of course (same as the latest N95 of course)
I wish the kaiser had a better camera, and proper graphics acceleration, (and that accelerometer seems more and more useful each day) but mostly I appreciate the N95 is more of a phone than the Kaiser.
After years of WM however I find other phones (and especially the N95) completely unintuitive, and cant really see myself switching away from the rich ecosystem soon.
Surur

meorah said:
The point of these devices is convergence. To re-split them is to go backwards in time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldnt have said THAT better myself.
who in their right mind would carry loads devices for music, taking pictures, sat nav, a mobile, a pmp, thats just stupid

I'm sorry that the Kaiser didn't work out for you, but each person is an individual, and what works best for me, may not be good for you. That's why we have hundreds of models of phones available. Personally I love my Kaiser, and I think its far better than my old PDA phone, the HP iPAQ hw6515. The RF reception is just as good as a good regular handset, not like the iPAQ which was only good in urban areas where you were surrounded by plenty of towers. I used to keep a Motorola A845 and a V551 in my truck and when in rural areas I'd have to take my SIM out of the iPAQ and put it into another phone to be able to make a clear call. I haven't had to switch my SIM card once since I bought my Tilt.
Sorry this hasn't worked out for you, and I wish you luck in finding the perfect device for your needs.
-Jay

That was an interesting read. It's a shame that the kaiser isn't all everyone wants it to be. I like my kaiser, sometimes I love it other times I find it incredibly frustrating. For example when sitting in my living room playing around with it, it's great.
But I was out and about over the weekend, standing on a very cold football touchline texting the results to my wife. The kaiser was running like a dog. Sloooowwww to update while entering contacts into the search as you type 'To:' field. Then the text failed to send (despite a full signal). I really started to think about other options such as the N95 or SE P1i - you know, devices that just WORK!
But last night I was traveling on a coach to the Wales v Normay match and decided to play with my google maps and built in GPS on the Kaiser and I fell in love with it again. I arrived at the game and shot some images on the camera and blogged to through Shozu. It all worked well. I then turned to Opera Mini to check the England v Switzerland scores and the thing froze on me. SR later and I couldn't get a data connection on T-Mobile despite my sons' N73 having a full signal and gprs connection. (also on T-Mobile)
I know I am going to have a love/hate relationship with this phone, but hey! Thats Windows Mobile.
Now....... how much is that P1i on Expansys....Hmmm £284

Haven't bitten the bullet yet but seriously considering E-Ten X650. Won't satisfy those wanting a fast data connection or a keyboard, but it does have an FM Radio and VGA screen. My biggesst concern is smaller RAM. Anyway, I am looking to get something a bit smaller with better video and it seems like it will fit the bill. Before the driver thing came up, I was thinking of going to the Touch Cruise, as I don't use the keyboard all that much but I since have vowed to never again buy an HTC device. I think the lack of drivers may have been excusable if handled properly, but the disrespect they have shown their customers and this community is in my opinion deplorable.
Now if we could just get E-Ten devices into this forum. Maybe they would appreciate the awesome support this community provides.

I have to say, I'm surprised that the E-Ten devices don't get much credit around here. I've never used one (maybe that's why I'm surprised!) but on paper it seems like devices like the M800 have the Kaiser pretty much licked. I mean, not only do they appear to have the drivers and performance, but VGA too? Okay, they don't look quite so nice, and maybe the button arrangements aren't so good, but surely they're Kaiser killers apart from that?
I kind of got my Tytn II by accident, and stumbled into the world of Windows Mobile, and on the whole I'm happy with it - but if I was putting serious research into it now I'd definitely have to take a serious look at e-ten.

I left, then came back at the refurb price.
I love the phone, but not worth $400....I'll take $150 tho

Note: for anyone considering E-ten. don't get it. First and foremost, build quality sucks. and it's... I don't even want to go there.

Hey im thinking of leaving the kaiser 2 can any one sugest a few devices that might make a good replacment? checked out the P1i metioned above really im thinking iphone after they give it 3g but will it have hsdpa? xda had to unlock it on the kaiser didnt they?

there may be hope yet:
http://msmobiles.com/news.php/7085.html

I put my Tilt on the shelf for now and picked up a Blackjack II. It works for now, but I still visit the forums hoping for a fix. I am kicking myself for selling the 8525. That thing was really running great with the latest cooked ROM's.
Dave

very interesting comments, I was half expecting immature comments about my own thoughts on why I was leaving windows/kaiser but these were very good constructive comments
So I've been using the N95 for almost a week now.
I've still not had to use the Kaiser once though I have kept it at arms reach just incase.
The only time I used it was for TomTom until I get my Garmin software for the N95.
What do I think so far?
Well after a week of intensive use... I do really prefer it to the Kaiser. Yes I still miss the keyboard which still takes 3 times longer to type an SMS compared to an N95 and I miss the touch-screen time2time but aside from that, I've got used to it and it does everything I need to.
For those who considered the Ericsson P series... I used to be a P series fan a while back having owned a P800, P900, and a P910. I was not however impressed with the P1 at all and found it more of a chore to use than anything.
But each to their own- I've just gone of the UIQ symbian software yet I still like the Nokia s60 symbian software.
If anyone wants more information about the N95, Kaiser or any other phone that exists - do let me know and I can try and answer them.
I work part-time as ahobby in a phone repair place so I get a chance to mess around with a lot of the units!

HTC S730 recommended for business purposes?

We are going to give all the employees in our 15 persons company a mobile phone with a least these requirements:
- 3G, UMTS (in Europe)
- Mail, calender etc. with easy syncronisation with MS Exchange server
- QWERTY keyboard
- More phone like than PDA like
- Use as modem for notebooks
- Able to use Skype
The S730 is an obvious choice, however, it scares me that apparently there are some problems with this model.
Do you think the problems are so serious that we should consider alternatives?
Thanks.
Jan

Going back I would not have purchased the HTC S730. Overall it was a bit of a disappointment. I will be replacing it with a iPhone or BlackBerry.
Hope this helps,
Cheers

Thanks.
What specifically was the disappointments?
Jan

I bought this phone 6 months ago, and I'm quite satisfied.
I use it for:
- phone (obvious)
- a bit of email
- calendar (whit Exchange sync)
- messenger
- voip (sip and skype)
- gps navigation
- internet browsing
It's not perfect, but good for business purpose as you ask; it may not shine for multimedia - due to a lack of memory and accelerated video drivers - but if you don't care that's not a problem.
I came from a pda phone, and I was missing the good old number pad.

I agree with np247 and would not recommend the S730.
This is my first smartphone so I cant compare it to others (nor do I know much about other phones).
My top 5 reasons I would not recommend it are:
5. Coming for a PDA, I would prefer to also have a touch screen.. (Personal preference)
4. The battery life is pretty bad. I check emails, occasionally surf, make a few calls and need to fill her up every day and a half at best.
3. It is slow.
2. Known memory problems.
1. HTC support is terrible.
There are good things about the phone but I always have the feeling it should still be in beta and was released to soon.
Good Luck.

I would consider Samsung Blackjack II, Palm/BB-like design and more free RAM for running applications than S730. S730 is faster than BJ II (400 MHz vs 260 MHz) but it should be still so so ok for VoIP.

Well, count me in on those not recommending you purchase these units. I had a Treo 700p and complained a lot about it, and thought, this S730 was going to be the greatest phone. However, multiple memory issues, applications locking, and a whole new set of issues I did not have with the Treo. I need to be efficient and on call 24 hours a day, this thing is not helping.
To tell you the truth, I did not go back to the Treo because they still have propietary plugs for USB. Everyone has their own reasons I guess.
I have to admit that with the WM 6.1 from this forum things are better. But I would not put my guys into all this trouble for a phone.
J

[Q] Do you advise me to buy this phone ?

Hi everyone
I want to buy this phone, but before that I would like to know from you guys
if you found any disadvantages of it ??
and is it really that I cannot use bluetooth to send file and music ...atc things
because WM 7 dont support it ????
wish you all to help me..

Hi, I got my HD7 delivered this afternoon and have traditionallly used HTC hardware from the HTC Exec upwards. The thing about the so called all singing, all dancing HD7 is that it's made in the guise of an iphone which means that unlike previous HTC's and windows OS you cannot interrogate this phone at all.
You have no access to the storage space, you can't arbitrarily use certain types of apps other than the limited few on the market place. Any exchange or updating of information has to be done via Zune or Windows Live.
Example : A great little app by the name of PIM Backup. Backed up email, sms's, any callse made that day, tasks, contacts.....basically any change of information was backed up automatically that day when you scheduled. You could even port the back ups to other HTC devices. Now, unless you've got a windows live account, you can't back up or sync previous information........not even via active sync as the usb on the HTC is purely for charging the phone and not for communication.
Windows Media Player has always been piss poor on all HTC devices so a beautiful little app call TCPMP allowed you to do all the things windows player couldn't do i.e play various types of media files without the need for conversion.......now, you can't use it because there's no way to port it onto your device.
In a nutshell you've got no controll over the device or the hardward and the phone itself is frustratingly poor.
Will happily sell this phone to anyone who wants to buy it off me as can't send it back now as it's my second choice after returning an equally poor Dell Steak.
Go for the HD2..................beautiful piece of hardware and fully customisable and can be plugged directly into PC via usb which gives you access to the storage on the phone itself.

I think the best option would be to read the many reviews online and also look at videos on Youtube. There are also websites that allow you to browse the Windows Market place so you can get a feel for what apps are available.
I have had my HD7 for 2 months now (since launch) and even though there are a few bugs and like the poster above said this phone is locked down, I wouldn't part with it now. Apps are appearing all the time (remember it's 2 months old, so pretty much a baby, Android and Apple are much older and dated looking systems), MS hasn't yet released any bug fixes or improvements but they are on the way.
Unlike the poster above, I think the HD7 is much better than the HD2 with WM 6.5, I have been a Windows Mobile (WinCE) users for about 10 years, the HD2 finally was the best Windows Mobile phone ever! The problem? Windows Mobile is dead! If you buy an HD2 now you're wasting your money. Outside of xda-devs, no one is developing for it anymore. Yes you can fudge Androind onto the HD2 (which I have), but that's just like having Windows Mobile anyway. Go figure!!!
If you want something to customise to hell, go for Android, if you want a phone that is groundbreaking go for WP7, if you want a phone with a well (and now looking dated) echo system, then go for Apple.
Or why don't you find a store that will let you hold one to try?

There is also this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847822 (note: it is the sticky of this forum) to look at.
Closed because there are enough of these thread.

Support please . Samsung focus i677

Hi all, I bought a samsung focus i677 for my little sister, very nice phone but, i really disappointed because i can´t transfer files via bluetooth, also the mode usb storage like android does`t exist . This Os sucks. . . . is very smooth but is a ****. . . Anybody can guide me if this Os can be convert in Os better, Is possible install a custom rom with optimizations like bluetooth conection, usb storage.
Any support will be apreciated
Sorry by my minimal english. . I learning

Betho180 said:
Hi all, I bought a samsung focus i677 for my little sister, very nice phone but, i really disappointed because i can´t transfer files via bluetooth, also the mode usb storage like android does`t exist . This Os sucks. . . . is very smooth but is a ****. . . Anybody can guide me if this Os can be convert in Os better, Is possible install a custom rom with optimizations like bluetooth conection, usb storage.
Any support will be apreciated
Sorry by my minimal english. . I learning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at the risk of sounding slightly cheeky my friend, you do realise that everything you said there is,..
A) Well documented from day 1 as not being supported
B) The vast majority of users don't ever use such features
C) its all easily found out within a few seconds searching via google
Now leaving that aside, does your sister really need those features or are you imposing your needs on her?
USB storage is handy i agree but not a deal breaker, the device is primarily a phone which it excels at
Bluetooth Transfer is another "feature" that was hardly used by the masses outside if you want to get all picky we can say the same for Android as it doesn't support the full BT stack either, therefore Android is also crap and Windows Mobile is the best ever OS.
No, the OS doesn't suck, it does exactly as it was designed to do, and what it does do, in my opinion, is several times better than iOS or Android.
Yes it could have more features, but firstly its new, secondly MS has decades of usage date available which has told them where they need to focus and what your wanting isn't anywhere near the top of the list.
Remember, WP is a PHONE OS, its designed to be a phone first and puts phone priorities above all else.
Im not ranting, im just pointing out that you should firstly find out what your sister actually wants rather than what you want and secondly, read up on stuff before you buy it.
in answer to all your questions
For that device as it stands, NO, kinda and no
BT transfer is available on SOME custom ROMs, namely HTC 1st and now 2nd gen devices, if fully unlocked any device "should" be able to use BT transfer.
USB storage, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1069568, check that out, its not my idea of working but its handy
To date, I believe (correct me if im wrong) that the HTC HD2 is the only phone where we have different OSs on the same device (android, WM and WP)

Thankss
dazza9075 said:
at the risk of sounding slightly cheeky my friend, you do realise that everything you said there is,..
A) Well documented from day 1 as not being supported
B) The vast majority of users don't ever use such features
C) its all easily found out within a few seconds searching via google
Now leaving that aside, does your sister really need those features or are you imposing your needs on her?
USB storage is handy i agree but not a deal breaker, the device is primarily a phone which it excels at
Bluetooth Transfer is another "feature" that was hardly used by the masses outside if you want to get all picky we can say the same for Android as it doesn't support the full BT stack either, therefore Android is also crap and Windows Mobile is the best ever OS.
No, the OS doesn't suck, it does exactly as it was designed to do, and what it does do, in my opinion, is several times better than iOS or Android.
Yes it could have more features, but firstly its new, secondly MS has decades of usage date available which has told them where they need to focus and what your wanting isn't anywhere near the top of the list.
Remember, WP is a PHONE OS, its designed to be a phone first and puts phone priorities above all else.
Im not ranting, im just pointing out that you should firstly find out what your sister actually wants rather than what you want and secondly, read up on stuff before you buy it.
in answer to all your questions
For that device as it stands, NO, kinda and no
BT transfer is available on SOME custom ROMs, namely HTC 1st and now 2nd gen devices, if fully unlocked any device "should" be able to use BT transfer.
USB storage, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1069568, check that out, its not my idea of working but its handy
To date, I believe (correct me if im wrong) that the HTC HD2 is the only phone where we have different OSs on the same device (android, WM and WP)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Bro . . I will

[Q] Old git needs advice.

Regrets, I’ve had a few. Been a lurker here for many years, after I purchased my XDA many moons ago. Really happy with it at the time and the custom roms and bits you cleaver guys developed for wm5, updated to wm6…but the phone was frustrating slow and had a habit of crashing.
I upgraded to a HTC HD Mini, again thank you for all the upgrades you guys did… wm6.5, something I wouldn’t have the first clue about. I recently damaged the LCD with isopropyl and had to replace the LCD and digitiser….whilst waiting for parts, and with the pretence that I potentially couldn’t fix the phone I ordered a Nokia Lumia 820.
I’ve had the Nokia 820 wp8 for 48 hours, I feel as if I’ve purchased a box of chocolates but can’t get past the cellophane.
I had to sign in to my Hotmail account to download a unit converter app, now the phone is receiving my Hotmail emails and I can’t uninstall it. Just done a factory reset.
Every time I pick the phone up it wants me to sign in, connect to wifi or gsm…I can’t even explore the files on the phone. Before I send the phone back is there a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel or have I made a mistake sticking with Microsoft, as an old fart I was hoping for some familiarity.
Charlie.

orbitalschool said:
Regrets, I’ve had a few. Been a lurker here for many years, after I purchased my XDA many moons ago. Really happy with it at the time and the custom roms and bits you cleaver guys developed for wm5, updated to wm6…but the phone was frustrating slow and had a habit of crashing.
I upgraded to a HTC HD Mini, again thank you for all the upgrades you guys did… wm6.5, something I wouldn’t have the first clue about. I recently damaged the LCD with isopropyl and had to replace the LCD and digitiser….whilst waiting for parts, and with the pretence that I potentially couldn’t fix the phone I ordered a Nokia Lumia 820.
I’ve had the Nokia 820 wp8 for 48 hours, I feel as if I’ve purchased a box of chocolates but can’t get past the cellophane.
I had to sign in to my Hotmail account to download a unit converter app, now the phone is receiving my Hotmail emails and I can’t uninstall it. Just done a factory reset.
Every time I pick the phone up it wants me to sign in, connect to wifi or gsm…I can’t even explore the files on the phone. Before I send the phone back is there a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel or have I made a mistake sticking with Microsoft, as an old fart I was hoping for some familiarity.
Charlie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry. What is wrong with what you've just said? android and ios are the same. You can't use a marketplace without signing in. and the files are mostly subordinate to the apps that can read them, android is an exception for what as been for a long time in the phone market, but it does the whole contacts/gmail/etc thing as wp8. You might be able to disable email syncro though, if you dislike that much reading email on a phone. Can you explain to us WHY did you buy a smartphone if you don't use any of the characteristics that makes one so?
The wp8 experience is one of seamless integration with social networks, work networks (email, office documents),apps services, you can't have that without a Microsoft account.

sireangelus said:
I'm sorry. What is wrong with what you've just said? android and ios are the same. You can't use a marketplace without signing in. and the files are mostly subordinate to the apps that can read them, android is an exception for what as been for a long time in the phone market, but it does the whole contacts/gmail/etc thing as wp8. You might be able to disable email syncro though, if you dislike that much reading email on a phone. Can you explain to us WHY did you buy a smartphone if you don't use any of the characteristics that makes one so?
The wp8 experience is one of seamless integration with social networks, work networks (email, office documents),apps services, you can't have that without a Microsoft account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply,
I guess I was hoping wp8 was going to be more like windows, for example the phone has built in gps but I have no way of accessing it…ie grid reference.
The reason I went for a smart phone, ie htc hd mini is ease of carrying a single device when traveling. I don’t need wifi or a GSM reception to use the htc for satnav (map grid and tomtom), radio or to watch films or listen to mp3’s.
For work, I need a phone, camera, gps, removable sd, replaceable battery and entertainment when stuck in boring hotel rooms.

orbitalschool said:
Thanks for the reply,
I guess I was hoping wp8 was going to be more like windows, for example the phone has built in gps but I have no way of accessing it…ie grid reference.
The reason I went for a smart phone, ie htc hd mini is ease of carrying a single device when traveling. I don’t need wifi or a GSM reception to use the htc for satnav (map grid and tomtom), radio or to watch films or listen to mp3’s.
For work, I need a phone, camera, gps, removable sd, replaceable battery and entertainment when stuck in boring hotel rooms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol first.. what use is gps without a map. and wp8 has native offline maps ready to download. you're trying to use a modern smartphone like a nokia 6600, that's why you're having problem. Try using it the way it's supposed to - the modern always online world.

By the way, yes, you absolutely can disable email sync (not sure why you'd want to; email sync is incredibly handy, one of the things I use every single day on my phone, but OK) either when you set up the account, or by going to Settings -> Email + Accounts and tapping on the account in question.
Installing apps does, indeed, require store access (OK, mostly; there's limited support for sideloading, and one of the things the hacking community is working on is improving that). Store access is tied to you Microsoft account (as on Win8 or Steam or something like that).
The old days of "it's a handheld computer!" (not that that was ever entirely true) are largely gone, although, again, this is the kind of thing that we're trying to bring back.

If you download the maps onto the device it includes a license for worlwide offline navigation (in supported countries - that means: if they have the mapping data, which they have I believe for ~ 80 countries worldwide). The same Maps are used in Here Maps and if downloaded work offline as well.
There is no file explorer though. If you transfer files to the Documents folder they will show up in the office hub. If you put files in the music folder they will show up in the Music Hub, etc.
So all in all you can't be completely offline due to the application store but otherwise you should be able to do everything you want with your WP8 device, although it works differently.

GoodDayToDie said:
By the way, yes, you absolutely can disable email sync (not sure why you'd want to; email sync is incredibly handy, one of the things I use every single day on my phone, but OK) either when you set up the account, or by going to Settings -> Email + Accounts and tapping on the account in question.
Installing apps does, indeed, require store access (OK, mostly; there's limited support for sideloading, and one of the things the hacking community is working on is improving that). Store access is tied to you Microsoft account (as on Win8 or Steam or something like that).
The old days of "it's a handheld computer!" (not that that was ever entirely true) are largely gone, although, again, this is the kind of thing that we're trying to bring back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many annoying things about my HD mini wm6.5, but since I've fixed the screen and got the reception back as good as new (antenna connection) I've found a new respect for the phone. I'm thinking about sending the Nokia wp8 back, prematurely it feels as I haven't received the new sim or sd card yet, so I haven't actually used it. I'm also considering purchasing another HD mini as back up.
I wish I had the level of understanding you guys have, I'd love the ability to be able to program and customize the device to my liking but the reality is I'm hanging on coattails. I was hoping wp8 would be an improved version of wm6.5.
Thanks for the advice.
Charlie.

The difference between Windows Phone and Windows Mobile is deeper than the branding, but the branding is intended as a tip-off that they are *not* the same thing.
Windows Phone is a smartphone in the sense that iOS is a smartphone; it's pretty "smart" for a phone, but even Microsoft wouldn't have marketed it as a "PocketPC".

orbitalschool said:
There are many annoying things about my HD mini wm6.5, but since I've fixed the screen and got the reception back as good as new (antenna connection) I've found a new respect for the phone. I'm thinking about sending the Nokia wp8 back, prematurely it feels as I haven't received the new sim or sd card yet, so I haven't actually used it. I'm also considering purchasing another HD mini as back up.
I wish I had the level of understanding you guys have, I'd love the ability to be able to program and customize the device to my liking but the reality is I'm hanging on coattails. I was hoping wp8 would be an improved version of wm6.5.
Thanks for the advice.
Charlie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is that there is very little amount of "personalization" possible. Try to use it instead as it is.