Windows Phone 7 missing functions/features

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Jim Coleman

Senior Member
Sep 11, 2008
793
32
Tasks.

Where are they?

Now, I know that Microsoft never really did a good job of Tasks in WM6.5, but they're not there at all in 7! I've tried three third party Apps for this, but non sync to my Exchange Account, where all my Tasks are.

What have MS got against Tasks and how can I manage my life in their absence?

Just out of interest, where do these third party task apps sync to? Do they sync at all, or do you lose all your task data if you hard reset or lose your phone?
 

feygor

Senior Member
May 11, 2009
119
14
Middlesbrough
Missing features:

Any kind of customisable ringtones (even iphones can have ringtones, even if they try to make you pay extra for them)

Outlook sync with PC (again, every other device seems to do this these days)

Full rotation support (they keyboard is ever so slightly bigger in landscape, so why do you have to type most things in portrait mode, such as IE)

Some kind of file system (WP7 feels like we've went back into the 90s with the limited phone interface, its not a PDA anymore!)

backgrounds

a *real* GPS program (no bing maps does not count)

someway of switching between the multitasking programs (yes i know, January update, this still could have made it into the release)


In essence i'm not sure what WP7 has *added* from WM6, sure multiple exchange accounts, but I only need one, sure it's faster (ok i don't have a clever comeback for that, it is a lot faster) but it seems to have removed many many features...

I still love it though, makes me feel happy that it's been out 1 month and is already nearly as gud as an iphone, way to beat them at their own game!
 

shamreez

Senior Member
May 30, 2008
226
5
bristol
Missing features:

Any kind of customisable ringtones (even iphones can have ringtones, even if they try to make you pay extra for them) Even WP7 let you have custom ringtones if you are ready to pay for it just go to the market place pay and get your ringtones

But the simplest thing which MS did not include and which bugs me is in WP7 we are not able to receive any contact details from other phones via sms.. I tried sending a contact info using my Touch Diamond 2 and the sms did not arrive. Tried the same thing with one of my friends i-phone. The message did come but it just told that the message has some media and hence would not be displayed..

Dont know if it is a flaw or if I am missing something
 

paulf707

Member
Sep 1, 2005
15
1
Ringtones?

Even WP7 let you have custom ringtones if you are ready to pay for it just go to the market place pay and get your ringtones

I've searched on Zune Marketplace and can't find any ringtones - has anyone found any?
When I search I just find bands / songs with the word 'ringtone' in the title....

PaulF
HTC Mozart
 

arkatis

Senior Member
Dec 24, 2008
1,071
415
Cyprus-Nicosia
I think Windows 7 is very disappointing.. I don't like it and i will not upgrade to it... I will make an exception though if XDA will make changes and customize it! ;)
 

chubnut

Senior Member
Apr 19, 2009
97
1
Thakeham, Pulborough
Even WP7 let you have custom ringtones if you are ready to pay for it just go to the market place pay and get your ringtones

I've searched on Zune Marketplace and can't find any ringtones - has anyone found any?
When I search I just find bands / songs with the word 'ringtone' in the title....

PaulF
HTC Mozart

I did a search for ringtones in the market place and found hundreds there (some in compilations) although IMHO pretty crap or at least not what I want or had on previous phones. At least I haven't found what I'm looking for

However........I do understand that come Jan this facility maybe available. Also I've read that there was an app that allowed the creation of folders on the device but don't take my word for it, have a search on here and some of the other forums. :)
 

N8ter

Senior Member
Sep 1, 2010
3,008
122
Sorry, regarding Tasks in WM6.5, they were there and you could filter them and mark them complete etc, which was fine. but it was always through a program that was under-developed compared with their email and calendar applications. The implementation was fine, but it was obvious that it was just a token gesture.

I don't want to set my Tasks as Appointments, that makes no sense at all as I wouldn't be able to see my actual appointments in the Calendar then, it would cripple the Calendar on the phone.

There are plenty of situations, mine included, where using Tasks in Outlook is a perfectly legitimate way of managing work. It's ideal for situations where you need to track Tasks, but you don't need huge amounts of detail or inter-dependencies. it's killer benefit was syncing with WM, which you can't do with MS Project etc. You can do some pretty good reports from Outlook too if you know what you're doing and categorise your Tasks with that in mind

Now Tasks don't even sync to the phone, so it's not just a case of there being a missing application. I've obviously lost the ability to have Task-based reminders on the phone, which is a total pain.

Tasks were managed by outlook in 6.5 unleas the manufacturer modifies the OS.

I've had like 2 vanilla 6.5 devices. I know this for a fact. Outlook did pretty much everything, including sms, unless the carrier/manufacturer modified the os.

That is why office mobile 2010 did not update outlook. It was deeply tied into Windows mobile.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
 

N8ter

Senior Member
Sep 1, 2010
3,008
122
You have no clue what you are talking about here

Nope. I have a $300+ router. All my computers use static IPs and I can set my phone to use a static IP ny putting the MAC in and assigning it an IP address. I can do this for any device for which I know the device's MAC address.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
 

chubnut

Senior Member
Apr 19, 2009
97
1
Thakeham, Pulborough
Tell you what would be good... the ability to set the device to have the screen permanantly on when on charge (mains or usb).

Also, fast switching of settings (in abscence of automatic profiles) so being able to switch BT/WIFI etc on and off without having to constantly diving into settings
 

mbamenra

Member
Nov 12, 2006
6
0
You don't have a valid argument.

The other two companies were NEVER in the mobile business before.

That is the dumbest statement I've ever read. Because Google was not in the mobile business before, it made sense for early G1 adopters to fall in love with Android back then when it looked and operated like crap, but because MSFT has been in the business, then early adopters to slick looking WP7 with stated commitment to addressing deficiencies are disingenuous idiots?

Early adopters to Android had know certainty as to how robust the platform would become, but that did not stop them from jumping on the wagon. With WP7, MSFT has jumped in feet first and is committed to taking the OS to another level. Early adopters may have even more comfort in taking the plunge as well.

Your argument should not even be classified as logical, and I should be shot for even letting myself getting baited into responding.
 

efjay

Senior Member
Nov 18, 2004
1,549
64
I never said anything about you liking or disliking the OS. I simply replied to your mentioning of other companies version 1.0.

Well that was purely the context under which my statement was forumlated. So you took part of my statement out of context so it doesnt apply as you are interpreting it.
 

nicksti

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2009
686
107
Let me try to inject some sense into what vetvito said and label it what vetvito should have said:

When what we now know as iOS first came out it lacked features. When Android was first presented to us on the G1 it lacked quite a few things as well. Now both OSes have become mature and feature-rich (Android at quite a fast rate).

So are we being unfair to Windows Phone 7 for lacking features in its initial offering? My answer is yes.

But here is the real problem:

When Apple came out with its iPhone, all the non-business consumer had was crappy Symbian with all its freezing and crashing. Apple paved the way for the Smartphone / PDA to have mainstream appeal.

Android filled in the gap of the consumer that wanted to have a choice in their device and still have a smartphone with mass appeal. Or the consumer that did not like Apple.

Where does WP7 fall? That is the problem. WP7 is now in a saturated market fighting for space. Someone asked a good question in another thread and there is no easy answer. Why choose WP7 over Android? I think it is for some to be different. I love the hubs, the email, and the gaming possibilities but I do not want to be a guinea pig. I will probably wait until version 1.3 comes out.
 

brummiesteven

Senior Member
Aug 29, 2008
1,322
29
Birmingham
Interaction between apps and services needs to be introduced.

I want Last.FM to be able to scrobble music I play in Zune. I want an app to be able to view my SMS messages and back them up somewhere etc etc
 

vetvito

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2007
3,154
181
That is the dumbest statement I've ever read. Because Google was not in the mobile business before, it made sense for early G1 adopters to fall in love with Android back then when it looked and operated like crap, but because MSFT has been in the business, then early adopters to slick looking WP7 with stated commitment to addressing deficiencies are disingenuous idiots?

Early adopters to Android had know certainty as to how robust the platform would become, but that did not stop them from jumping on the wagon. With WP7, MSFT has jumped in feet first and is committed to taking the OS to another level. Early adopters may have even more comfort in taking the plunge as well.

Your argument should not even be classified as logical, and I should be shot for even letting myself getting baited into responding.

No you should not be shot, but seated like a child. As I do not understand your response at all.

Apple, and Google were never in the mobile business. Their 1.0's were truly 1.0, they didn't change the name, change the looks, or even have a previous blueprint to go off of.

I will not sit back and accept mediocrity, and neither should any of you.
 

nicksti

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2009
686
107
Name-calling never furthers a discussion so let us start fresh.

vetvito,

I think some of us do not fully understand your point of view I am am hoping you would be able to explain it to me. I will go through the things I have gathered from your posts and feel free to correct or clarify:

You do not like what you see from WP7 so far. You think it is a mediocre mobileOS offering from a company that has been doing mobile OSes before.

You think that it was at least understandable why Google and Apple came out with a mediocre OS because it was a first attempt.

That is what I have gathered. But you are looking at it too black and white.

Windows Phone 7 is nothing like the pocketpc of old. So because Microsoft was very experienced at writing iterations of WinMo for phones does not mean that they should have magically made a complete first offering of WP7. You are suggesting that coding is all the same. This is not like Vista to Windows 7. This is from the ground up. Which I read they did in less than 2 years.

Yes they had experience to build on but we are also talking about Google and Apple. They make software too. And if coding is coding is coding then Apple and Google also have the infrastructure and people to put out a mobile OS too.

It is all about the foundation. Some people here believe WP7 has a very solid foundation which they can build on. Michael Dell said a WP7 phone is very easy to build. Easier than Android. It will get there and could be better than the others.
 

paulrockliffe

Senior Member
Sep 2, 2004
198
1
Tasks were managed by outlook in 6.5 unleas the manufacturer modifies the OS.

I've had like 2 vanilla 6.5 devices. I know this for a fact. Outlook did pretty much everything, including sms, unless the carrier/manufacturer modified the os.

That is why office mobile 2010 did not update outlook. It was deeply tied into Windows mobile.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I don't really know what point you're making? 6.5 syncronised Tasks, 7 doesn't. Whether Microsoft calls one or both systems 'Outlook' doesn't seem relevant to the fact.

Information synced by Active Sync in 6.5 was available to third party applications if necessary and there were third party applications capable of managing Tasks other than the Outlook Tasks application, which itself was a stand-alone application compared with the rest of what you refer to as 'Outlook' on the device.

I asked why Microsoft aren't supporting Tasks on the device anymore, which seems to be a common complaint (without answer) over on the Microsoft forums. I've not seen a good reason other than that the iPhone generation don't use tasks.

Hopefully features like this that are clutter to the general user, but important to business users will be added through the Marketplace, so the individual can choose whether they want the feature there or not.
 

vetvito

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2007
3,154
181
Let me try to inject some sense into what vetvito said and label it what vetvito should have said:

When what we now know as iOS first came out it lacked features. When Android was first presented to us on the G1 it lacked quite a few things as well. Now both OSes have become mature and feature-rich (Android at quite a fast rate).

So are we being unfair to Windows Phone 7 for lacking features in its initial offering? My answer is yes.

But here is the real problem:

When Apple came out with its iPhone, all the non-business consumer had was crappy Symbian with all its freezing and crashing. Apple paved the way for the Smartphone / PDA to have mainstream appeal.

Android filled in the gap of the consumer that wanted to have a choice in their device and still have a smartphone with mass appeal. Or the consumer that did not like Apple.

Where does WP7 fall? That is the problem. WP7 is now in a saturated market fighting for space. Someone asked a good question in another thread and there is no easy answer. Why choose WP7 over Android? I think it is for some to be different. I love the hubs, the email, and the gaming possibilities but I do not want to be a guinea pig. I will probably wait until version 1.3 comes out.

Almost right, but we are not being unfair to WP7 initial offering. Its BS to consider this a initial offering from MS. If Ford or Chevrolet made a new vehicle, and it lacked cup holders there would be an uproar.

This is not about Android or Apple, its about MS and their ridiculous policies.

No one should accept this mediocre OS. They could've EASILY included those missing features and removed some of those stupid policies for us so called geeks.
 

chubnut

Senior Member
Apr 19, 2009
97
1
Thakeham, Pulborough
I don't really know what point you're making? 6.5 syncronised Tasks, 7 doesn't. Whether Microsoft calls one or both systems 'Outlook' doesn't seem relevant to the fact.

Information synced by Active Sync in 6.5 was available to third party applications if necessary and there were third party applications capable of managing Tasks other than the Outlook Tasks application, which itself was a stand-alone application compared with the rest of what you refer to as 'Outlook' on the device.

I asked why Microsoft aren't supporting Tasks on the device anymore, which seems to be a common complaint (without answer) over on the Microsoft forums. I've not seen a good reason other than that the iPhone generation don't use tasks.

Hopefully features like this that are clutter to the general user, but important to business users will be added through the Marketplace, so the individual can choose whether they want the feature there or not.

I received the following answer on another forum which may go a way to explain some of the issues here.

Hello John.

I don't know the feature set that will be included in future updates, but when Microsoft first announced Windows Phone 7 back in March (through Ballmer) it was stated that the business/enterprise needs were were second priority after the consumer needs they were targeting. The thing to take away from that is that business/enterprise needs are on their list of things to satisfy, just not in the initial release. Other information on blogs and in presentations of Microsoft employees make mention to information on business/enterprise features for WP7 to be made known in 2011. I have to emphatically state that I don't know if those forthcoming features will address your needs or not.
I myself am a long time user of Outlook. But I imagine that synchronization to the Cloud won over Outlook syncing in this first release since not every one has access to or uses Outlook. But whether through carrier data subscriptions or public and home ISPs access to the Internet is quite ubiquitous.
As for conflict resolution, I've yet to see conflicts occur on the phone. I don't know if this is from my sync settings or typical, but upon updating contact detail from one source the changes replicate to my other computers/devices that access my accounts within a few moments. So the window of opportunity for things to get out of sync has been relatively small.

Gash answer me thinks but an answe none the less
 
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lqaddict

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2010
1,347
71
NYC
Nope. I have a $300+ router. All my computers use static IPs and I can set my phone to use a static IP ny putting the MAC in and assigning it an IP address. I can do this for any device for which I know the device's MAC address.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
What you are describing is a dhcp static lease reservation, some ppl do not run dhcp server in their environment


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