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.
Hi Community,
does anyone have a idea how to access my notes taken with the notes app on my PC? I have setup syncing with my Samsung account but cannot find a web application. The Win10 notes app in the MS store is not compatible with my Dell. Ideas?
Thanks much
You can in a limited way, by sharing them as PDF.
I installed s-note and enabled sharing with evernote. That way I can use my webbased or pc based evernote app to access my apps on all my computers. I went back and forth with other apps and found this to be the easiest way. I also have a surface book with which I take notes and tried onenote for a while, but came back to evernote.
Google Keep would probably be the easiest solution. DL notebuddy and set it to auto-launch keep instead of stock app. I've been very satisfied with this setup.
Fast-T said:
Hi Community,
does anyone have a idea how to access my notes taken with the notes app on my PC? I have setup syncing with my Samsung account but cannot find a web application. The Win10 notes app in the MS store is not compatible with my Dell. Ideas?
Thanks much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Share and send to email
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
tacticalhillbilly said:
Google Keep would probably be the easiest solution. DL notebuddy and set it to auto-launch keep instead of stock app. I've been very satisfied with this setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find onenote to be very good for syncing between different devices (i have a laptop, an android tablet and the note 8, not to mention guest login to various other devices), it seamlessly syncs so no need to be messing around with exporting and importing data, it's free and the PC version can OCR your scribbles too. Its free (even the desktop version which is miles better than the metro version), only downside is you need a live account.
SteelPicori said:
I find onenote to be very good for syncing between different devices (i have a laptop, an android tablet and the note 8, not to mention guest login to various other devices), it seamlessly syncs so no need to be messing around with exporting and importing data, it's free and the PC version can OCR your scribbles too. Its free (even the desktop version which is miles better than the metro version), only downside is you need a live account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use OneNote for now but really like the Samsung Note app in terms of features. I often run I to situations where I accidentally touch the screen with my palm and OneNote is very sensitive to that. I end up in looking where I was noting things down. It's a distraction since I take a lot of notes during meetings. Samsung notes also let's me easily rearrange parts of my notes. I always keep action items on top so I see what still needs to be done in the notes overview screen.They expand while I add items and my notes move down along with that. It's the little things I guess.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Fast-T said:
I use OneNote for now but really like the Samsung Note app in terms of features. I often run I to situations where I accidentally touch the screen with my palm and OneNote is very sensitive to that. I end up in looking where I was noting things down. It's a distraction since I take a lot of notes during meetings. Samsung notes also let's me easily rearrange parts of my notes. I always keep action items on top so I see what still needs to be done in the notes overview screen.They expand while I add items and my notes move down along with that. It's the little things I guess.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always find the palm rejection quite good, but you are right the composition and inking ability on the android version is frustrating, i just wished they would bring the android version closer in line with the desktop version (which does want your asking plus more), ultimately i end up cleaning up my notes on the PC version.
My workaround for the time being to use SideSync and access my Samsung notes via PC and a USB cable. A little cumbersome in setup but I can write directly into Samsung Notes. I just wish there would be clipboard sharing between my PC and the SideSync app.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Google Keep usage instead of Samsung notes
johnwayne27 said:
Share and send to email
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HI, I am a fan of google keep, however, it has become so unstable that it crashes on all my devices in the middle of my work, only on my tablet works better, it too crashes but less frequently. I have tried all forums, could not find the answer except for rolling back, then I have stop autoupdate for all apps :crying:
Hi anyone still looking to do this
I've just found that Samsung Notes in the Windows Store works now
Finally I'm a happy man this was driving me nuts, no idea why it took them so long to sort it
Samsung Notes on Win 10
Fast-T said:
Hi Community,
does anyone have a idea how to access my notes taken with the notes app on my PC? I have setup syncing with my Samsung account but cannot find a web application. The Win10 notes app in the MS store is not compatible with my Dell. Ideas?
Thanks much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem. It says Samsung notes for Win 10 and available on PC (among others). My build is much later than the minimum required - I have green ticks against all the requirements. Then it says "Not compatible with my device"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope someone who built the thing sees this and puts it right!
Seadart said:
I have the same problem. It says Samsung notes for Win 10 and available on PC (among others). My build is much later than the minimum required - I have green ticks against all the requirements. Then it says "Not compatible with my device"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope someone who built the thing sees this and puts it right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tired a few days ago and cannot install in it on my surfacebook or surface pro 3 and even the latest surface pro
I think it might just be meant for samsung laptops ???
Edit : I just tried on my old acer and voila it installs... Holy sh*t
Edit: Oops got it wrong.. It was S note and not samsung notes... Samsung notes need Arm architecture... Most of the pc's are intel based.
Samsung Notes does not need ARM, as it works perfectly on my Notebook 9 Pro, which has Intel processor...
OnnoJ said:
Samsung Notes does not need ARM, as it works perfectly on my Notebook 9 Pro, which has Intel processor...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was looking at the requirement for the app in Microsoft store and for Samsung Notes it says ARM only...
S Note on the other hand needs x86 or x64
Are sure it is Samsung note and not s note?
Edit : it may be that it is a Samsung laptop... So I guess they can bypass the requirement
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
What is the best app for Android to Windows 10 PC connectivity? MS Your Phone, AirDroid?
The features of Your Phone or AirDroid look fine but are there more robust ways to connect and work with my phone during the business day?
Are any of the TeamViewer products good at this?
Samsung Sidesync used to be good but the new version is very stripped down.
Have now switched to Dell Mobile Connect. Works very well, and has all features - notifications, mirroring, calling and texting, document drag and drop.
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
samsung flow works good between my S3 tab, SB2 and GN9. give that a try.
Dell mobile connect is great. Phone companion is great as well.
You could also have a look at vysor.. works over wifi aswell as wired
But pro version needed for all features
I'm looking for a good PC <-> Android Sharing app too (mostly for sharing link, text, files etc) . I used to use Pushbullet but ever since they went "Pro" the free version is useless.
Try Your Phone Connection by Microsoft if you have a Windows PC
Vysor seems really cool, especially if can do over wifi
Is it the best of that type (literally an emulator of your phone in a window)?
Android File Transfer?
Simple & reliable.....
WiFi File transfer Pro. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smarterdroid.wififiletransferpro&hl=pl easy to use and i have this for long time now.
I Found an app called "Join" (by Joaoapps the Tasker app developer). So far seems very good...
Can I make calls with Note 9 and Your phone on Windows 10 with bluetooth dongle?
Dude2 said:
What is the best app for Android to Windows 10 PC connectivity? MS Your Phone, AirDroid?
The features of Your Phone or AirDroid look fine but are there more robust ways to connect and work with my phone during the business day?
Are any of the TeamViewer products good at this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Phone Explorer is the best I've found
https://www.fjsoft.at/en/
I have an Airdroid subscription, but lately I use Join.
I havent seen any better app than KDE connect/GSConnect
I started using File Manager by Mobile Clean System Lab. I feel like I get a lot of ads on it, but I just BACK out of those.
With it, there's an option to start a FTP server, which I do. Prior to this, you have to have your Wi-Fi turned on, and connected to the same network as your Windows 10 PC. Then, on your Windows 10 PC, you navigate to your phone's IP address (preceded with "ftp://") to view your phone's folders (i.e. ftp://192.168.1.23:2211, where 2211 is the default port number). I still haven't figured out how to navigate to the MicroSD Card, and I'm not sure there is a way without root. Basically, though, you would use Windows Explorer to navigate to this window, and then open up another instance of Windows Explorer to Copy To/From files.
Mind you, this solution works for me, from home. Not sure how it would function within a business environment, considering you'd have less control over port access/firewall settings.