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There are way too many posts on this board from ppl who r saying "Piece of crap, I'm gonna take it back and stick it up my provider's...". This post is for you!
I'm no expert (just a disciple of ppl like buzz, vj, etc), BUT I am not afraid of a hard reset or 30, and as a result I've tested everything below, and most of the stuff throughout this forum. I've also followed everything on every forum since being the 10th person in my country to get a JasJar. I welcome critisism, corrections and additions. Please post replies by refering to the step you would change, or insert after. Let's try to stick to proven alternatives and additions though, so that this thread can become somewhat of a 1-stop point for new users (and existing users who do not have the time to learn this alone - and let's face it anyone who has a Universal already, is probably pretty hard working, and already spending an awful amount of time justifying their acquisition in front of their BlackBerry collegues...)
This is written with a single thought in mind; what the hell would my wife do if she got one of these. No-one could blame her for tossing it inside of a week, but with a few changes it's perfectly functional - in fact with a few more changes (also listed below) it's quite desirable.
By the end of this process, your Universal should have a reasonable suite of apps, perfect functionality around all issues solved to date (I've not covered networking tho), a screen flip speed of 0.5s or less, and free program memory of over 20Mb
So here goes, a step-by-step process to get your Universal 100% functional, proven and tested on the HTC Universal iMate JasJar, but should all work on any MDA:
ROM Upgrade: First thing's first. Upgrade to the September-30 ROM (JASJAR_WWE_11353_137_10301.zip). It's available somewhere on xda-developers, or on clubimate for imate users. This is a no-brainer - no posts on this board or any others indicate it's a waste of time. Many posts cover O2 users flashing to this ROM, with great benefits. There are ways to re-install the O2 graphics and apps - if you want ;-) If you have ANY issues with your Universal, bite the bullet and do this; you'll see that the following setup process is not as brutal as you'd expect (I can run thro it in about half an hour - but I've done it many times and have all the apps lined up and ready).
Optional soft reset: Some pppl like to soft reset BEFORE the device installs the default apps. On this ROM, there's no performance improvement, no memory imporvement that can't be covered later (backgammon etc), and potentially some important losses that I didn't hang around long enough to discover.
Sync: Now sync with your PC to get your contacts, calendar and tasks. This is only here to get you up and running asap.
Pocket Mechanic: Download (www.antontomov.com) and install this essential app. You have a few days on trial, and it's necessary for the next steps
Notification Queue: This can be done later, but it's nice to get familiar with this process whilst your queue is small. Using PM, open the notification queue. You may already (yes!) find some duplicate (yellow icon) sddeamon entries. These seem to replicate during an activesync. You can/must delete all duplicates from time to time. You will also, in future, find some "\.\\Notification.....SCRIPT..." entries. Keep an eye out for these. Most mature within minutes of you finding them, so let them expire. Many are future-dated and tightly back-to-back. These can nearly always (I've never had a regret) be deleted without repercussions. If you don't manage these, they tend to breed, and anyone with XDA experience knows what happens when your queue fills up (failed alarms etc). I'm unclear as to where these come from - undoutedly an app that is not behaving elegantly (regular registration checks etc), and if you follow the steps on this post you should NOT find any - ie the apps here do not seem to be culprits. But, keep an eye open...
Registry cleanup: Again, this can be done later, however you'll soon see the beenfit of doing it now. Using PM, run registry cleaner. You'll get around 6 entries, all of which can safely be deleted. If you did not follow step 1, you may have to examine eahc entry to see if the O2 ROM is messier. The beauty of this step is that from now on, you can safely clean everything that PM finds in the knowledge that it's a leave-behind from an app you installed, and now you can install, de-install, and provided you clean up the directories (easy) you KNOW for sure that you've completely gotten rid of the failed app. Winner!
Task closer: Now it's time for your task manager. There's a lot of coverage on this, and any of the following seem to do the trick, ranked in order of simplicity thro to possibly problematic:[list:333ba237cf]
Magic Button (free, includes battery line on top of screen)
GSPocketMagic++ (free, includes cascading menu. Some MDA Exec users claim that it closes something awful that O2 installs, and solves a 7 second flip issue. SEVEN SECONDS!!! If you implemented step 1, you should not have this problem to solve anyway)
spbPocketPlus (not free, and do not allow it to show any storage meters. There are some bad posts on spb, but I've found it just as good as the above, altho it takes up slightly more memory)
WisbarAdvance2 (not free, HUGE footprint, definite performance issues BUT it skins your Universal SO beautifully, that I've gone with this and WAD - desktop plugin)
[*]Basic apps: Now there are a few no-brainer apps to install, that no-one disputes and that are all free. NO BRAINERS:
Total commander (free, replacement for file explorer - way way better)
TCPMP (free, replaces media player, more formats, full screen, way way better)
Batti (free, battry bar on top of screen like spbPocketPlus, small footprint, but if u r using MagicButton you already get this)
TRE (free, registry editor, necessary to run .reg files covered later)
IIWPO (free, AWESOME concept; If your owner info is changed, it SMS's the number you've set with new SIM number and new 'owner' details. Great if someone steals your Universal. Don't bother if u r not happy with a little installation effort)
BT icon (free, on this board somewhere, gives u an icon on your today tray that shows BT status and allows u to jumps to settings>connections>BT)
BT switch (free, on this board somewhere, several apps that turn BT on, off, or toggle)
Battery Uptime (Optional: free, today plugin that tells u the battery status BUT it's way more useful: you get to see actual running time vs uptime, and remaining running time. This gives u a good feel for your battery consumption rate under different scenarios and helps overcome a LOT of concerns around thinking you are draining faster when actually you are just using the device more)
apReminderPlus (free, AWESOME repeating alarms. Beauty of this is that is seems to be independent of WM5, in that it keeps an eye open for any alarms, and pops up to do its thing if it sees one. WAY beter than built in repeat system, and makes me feel good that I have alarms covered off in case the old wm2003 bugs start to appear again)
VJSMS (free, on this board, gives u 1-click to send an SMS. Note that .lnk file should read as follows INCLUDING inverted commas:
\Storage Card\Program Files\VJApps\vjsms.exe" "123
Change path and number of course. Number can also be a name.
Sad to report that VJDailer doesn't work on the universal. This would be awesome
[*]Settings: Time to do your basic settings:
speed dials
power and backlight
voice dials
Owner info
ringtones and notifications
DO NOT set regional settings if u r using PI (below)
[*]PIM: OK, time to replace the CRAP calendar built into WM5. CRAP CRAP CRAP! Disgracefully, embarassingly CRAP. Hell, symbian ship better default apps with the OLD Psion S3 and S5 than this! Now, I use PocketInformant. Latest release works well on JJ with 2 livable issues: Landscape flip screws up Monday/Tuesday in week view, and you MUST NOT set any regional settings what-so-ever, else you get the blank calendar view bug. AgendaFusion is due for a WM5 release any day now. Other than that, I don't think there is much that works on the Universal - correct?? :?:
[*]Reg fixes: Now there are a few no-brainer registry hacks that you should run. You can find these as cab files on this board, as registry keys under the wiki page, else as .reg files on one of my earlier posts (fastest method):
Buzz's BT headset (prevents BT from turning off over night - no brainer! Thanks buzz!!)
"Always on GPRS" (search this board - keeps GPRS/UMTS turned on - awesome!)
Date & time in title bar (why not)
Menu and popup fonts 700 vs 900 (it's cosmetic, but on our nice VGA screens, it seems daft to have a look n feel that's SO QVGA)
PIE homepage (prevent 'e' button from going to clubimate page)
Terminal services cache (increased cache uses memory during terminal services, but it's WELL worth it to eliminate black blocking issues)
Turn IR off (unless you have a good reason for keeping it on)
[*]Extra apps: There are several very useful apps, that work reliably and do not have an adverse impact on your Universal.
eWallet (not free, desktop sync does not work, but rest is very useful)
Pocket sudoku (not free, but it's SO much fun!)
Mobipocket reader (skinny version is free, for mobipocket ebooks - ebooks fully being 25% of your devices functionality along with PIM, phone and internet access. Google beta 5 version with full VGA support)
uBook (more eBook formats. Not free but usable. VGA support)
1-calc (cos built in calculator is SO crap)
GPRS traffic monitor: We need a GPRS/3G monitor. spbGPRS monitor does NOT track the usage of yoru device as a 3G modem - which is where u chew up traffic costs. IP Dashboard has similar issues.
[*]Memory:Now, I'm the first to say that I don;t fully get this yet. There are a few things that the posts suggest should reduce program or storage memory - but don't really seem to do so. Try them and let me know results with more scientific before and after checking please:
Remove backgammon & skype, and re-install to SD card
Remove the 1Mb .tsk themes from the \Windows directory. You cannot delete them, you have to create new files that are smaller and copy them into \Windows and overrwite the larger files. Search this board for some sample small files provided. I didn't find that I got any memory back...???
Ditto for .cab files in \Windows
Do not use these big theme files - by using smaller themes you should get more program memory.
A couple of dudes have started threads on getting more memory and clearing out \windows files - but there are no good responses yet...
[/list:333ba237cf]
Right, that's it! As I said above, I welcome input and feedback - but let's keep it hi quality so that this post perhaps gets stickied and we can get less of the "Buy my JasJar before I post it on eBay posts". Of course there are a load more apps you can add, but most give issues (eg TomTom) and posts on this board cover working around them for ppl who have to have these apps. This was a good, strong, basic config.
Hope this is helpful to some.
Some well-thought out words there, craigiecraigie4. However, I'm a firm believer that it's a bad move to install anything that I REALLY don't need. So far, my MDA Pro has a default installation. None of these "essential apps" are necessary. Indeed, half of them seem to only exist so that you can add other "essential apps" :wink:
If/when a better browser comes along, I'll investigate. Other than that, I find the messaging client perfect (works nicely against Exchange server); Terminal Services could be better - just giving me true full-screen support would be enough. And I'd like better Wifi support - I want, for example, to be able to name my SSID. IMHO, with desktop PCs as much as with PDAs, every time you install a piece of software, it ultimately makes the system *worse*. ie the result is a damned site less than the sum of the parts.
so, taking each point with my (possibly unique, certainly cynical) POV
1. ROM Upgrade
Didn't bother. It adds nothing that I'd use apart from MSN and that would just suck up time that should be spent on worthwhile things :lol:
2. Optional soft reset
Yeah, I may do this but, TBH, T Mobile install very little stuff and it seems to work, so I ain't fixin' it.
3. N/A
4. Pocket Mechanic
I can't see that I need this.
5. Not quite sure what the problem here is. I've been using XDAs since day 1 and never encountered the problem. YMMV
6. Registry cleanup
Never assume that some badly-written software doesn't depend on some default or illogical registry setting. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
7. Task closer
OK, not a "two-click" operation, but in Settings/Memory, I can close running applications. No new software needed.
8. Basic apps
Total commander - erm, yeah, it's nice and everything and does a better job than the standard affair. However, 99.99% of the time, error: +/- 0.01%, I find I don't actually need any of that extra fluff.
TCPMP - granted, I only use MP to listen to WMAs I record off the radio to listen to later.
Batti - On my Today screen, there's a little icon I tap and it shows me my battery state. I can also see this using Settings/Power (or whatever it is)
TRE - See previous warning about effing about with your registry
IIWPO - nice idea :lol: but no substitute for insurance or taking care
BT icon, BT switch - I've never used Bluetooth in my life. YMMV
Battery Uptime - See prior comment about battery state indicator
etc
I'm sure that more people will find your advice usefull than mine, but just like to point out that, out of the box, these devices (at least MDA Pro) seem not to be too wide of the mark. For me, at least.
This is very helpful...thanx!
You mentioned that the soft reset before installation of imate stuff may lead to some problems in the long run. As I have opted for this strategy and have only installed two cab files (btpatch and a file that brings up the smart dialing), I would appreciate it if you could tell us what kind of problems we might confront. Also, is it too late to add these cab files after the fact (that is given we have synched contacts and added other programs)?
Cheers, apap
craigiecraigie4 - very useful advice, I think for everyone with a PPC. I don't have a universal, but good tips either way.
I didn't realise VJDialer doesn't work on WM5. I'll look into updating it when I get a new version of Visual Studio (or a WM5 device!).
Good work man!
V
Hi VJ - yeah, I'm afraid that there are a couple of posts on your primary thread about the "no command line specified" - no matter what combinations we try in the .lnk file. Saw your comment that another crowd charges for such an app. I'd happily contribute for the benefit of quick-dials - would be awesome along with WAD. You might want to mention your app on the WAD (lakeridgesoftware) forums - many 2003 users there who would LOVE this. With WAD u can have popup boxes on your skin, so with vjdialer one can popup and view of quickdials. awesome.
craigiecraigie4 said:
[*]Buzz's BT headset (prevents BT from turning off over night - no brainer! Thanks buzz!!)
[*]Menu and popup fonts 700 vs 900 (it's cosmetic, but on our nice VGA screens, it seems daft to have a look n feel that's SO QVGA{)
/quote]
where can i get the 2 things above...looked but cant find
thanks
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vijay555 said:
craigiecraigie4 - very useful advice, I think for everyone with a PPC. I don't have a universal, but good tips either way.
I didn't realise VJDialer doesn't work on WM5. I'll look into updating it when I get a new version of Visual Studio (or a WM5 device!).
Good work man!
V
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Click to collapse
hi vijay!
I'm running on wm5 on my xda2....and am using vjdialer and vjsms extensively!
I dont think there are any problems with VJDialer's compatibility with wm5....
S
spbPocketPlus (not free, and do not allow it to show any storage meters. There are some bad posts on spb, but I've found it just as good as the above, altho it takes up slightly more memory)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this running on my Exec and have storage indicators for memory and SD card on today screen, or are you talking about something else?
Btw, I found that my Exec runs faster with pocket plus than it did with magic button and pocketmagic++
Cheers
J
craigiecraigie4
Thank you VERY much for your extensive effort - this really does helps a lot :!:
That's an awesome post craigiecraigie4, some hard work went into that one dude.
Now my post below is not intended to be better than the original, merely another option. craigiecraigie4's use of the device is obviously a lot different to mine, as I work in an office, and am out of connectivity for maybe 3 hours of travel a day max, and never at weekends unless I go out. I'm on a scooter or a tube train so no connectivity is possible during travel for me.
What we are describing is our comfortable loadsets or configurations of our little systems, and that's what the stuff down here is, the Bongo configuration if you will. :lol:
I have made my comments against craigiecraigie4's original titles, and added a few apps of my own that I have.
[*]Weirdness for Hallowe'en :shock: After a hard reset, then sometimes the crosshair pointer setup would be real slow, and others it would be fast. Just in case, I did it until I had a fast one and proceeded from there. Don't know what/if any difference it makes, but that's what I do.
[*]ROM Upgrade: As there aren't any upgrade ROM's out there execept for the iMate one, I wouldn't until the new carrier ROM's are posted. I agree with CraigieCraigie though. Sooo, why not then? Warranty is the answer. Although I think in reality they wouldn't wash their hands of you just because you dared to use someone else's ROM, the carrier techies are generally not allowed to instruct you in the art of repairing your device with anyone else's ROM except their own, and so you would need to wait until your carrier released an upgrade and they could tell you how to do it.
[*]Optional soft reset: Definitely. And be selective about the manual .cab installs (installing total commander or the like first to see the Ext ROM). There's generally something in there that forces the device to behave in a way you don't like. An example is the internet button taking me to the t-mobile home page all the time. I hate that so I didn't install the relevant .cab.
[*]Sync: Now sync with your PC to get your contacts, calendar and tasks. This is only here to get you up and running asap. <-yeah man
[*]Pocket Mechanic: Download (www.antontomov.com) I bought this. It's good meaty tools you would get in a full Windows OS that M$ didn't put in WM5 yet.
[*]Notification Queue: Did it once, didn't do it after my last hard reset and TBH, haven't felt a need. I probably would do if I installed it and saw a gazillion notifications spamming my inners up. :lol:
[*]Registry cleanup: Haven't done it, but a careful look and selective delete may be of some use. Can't be arsed is the honest answer
[*]Task closer: Haven't bothered this time to minimise my number of concurrently running programs (absurd logic eh :wink: ). I only use a certain few apps, and as they're few don't notice a big slowdown from having them minimised if they don't close fully
[*]Basic apps: Here are Craigie's apps with my comment, and my loadset apps
Total commander - yeah man, schmokin
TCPMP - I only use mp3's so no point for me. Perhaps if I need to watch videos I will reinstall it.
Batti - I use Spb GPRS Monitor, v2.3.0, b525, and it has a battery icon, and I have the icon on my today screen, and I can guess it most of the time.
TRE - I use BitsInside Regedit. Also free and I like the Win 98 feel to it.
IIWPO - Great idea, I didn't know it worked on Universals. I will do this cos you never know if it might lead you to a thief. They'd have to be non-savvy theives of course else they'd hard reset it before using the new SIM
BT icon - I use the FN + -> combination to get there or the connectivity icon on the status bar.
BT switch - as above
Battery Uptime - If you want to learn then great
apReminderPlus - I don't use the alarm function
VJSMS - Inbuilt in WM5 is fine so far for my needs
Agile messenger - very thrifty use of bandwidth, like <10% of MSN (really) and free at the moment, but will pay for itself in bandwidth charges very quickly for most people. Suck it and see
GPS Viewer - because I have a Holux GPS and want to verify connectivity sometimes
Pocket Hack Master - because I like to crank it up to delightfully unstable 624MHz sometimes, but haven't need to with my installation as described here oddly enough. It's fast enough for me so far.
Pocket MSN because I want the Hotmail to appear in my messages application. I use Agile to IM people as above
TomTom Navigator 5.1 because it's awesome
[*]Settings: Time to do your basic settings:
speed dials
power and backlight
voice dials
Owner info
ringtones and notifications
DO NOT set regional settings if u r using PI (below)
[*]PIM: OK, time to replace the CRAP calendar built into WM5 - I agree it's crap, but I don't need a decent one. I am a simple soul.
[*]Reg fixes: - If you want to
Buzz's BT headset - haven't noticed this issue yet, bet I will tomorrow morning now though
"Always on GPRS" No good for me - 40megs/month tariff limit
Date & time in title bar (why not) - cos I know the date and time.
Menu and popup fonts 700 vs 900 - haven't done it yet. I like the size
PIE homepage - is done for me through my selective Ext ROM install
Terminal services cache - I don't use it yet
Turn IR off - yeah agreed waste of space most of the time.
[*]Extra apps:
eWallet - I don't keep details like that on my phones.
Pocket sudoku - I read books, so insert MS Reader for me there
Mobipocket reader - doesn't support .lit (MS format), and I read .lits and .docs so far. Wait until I run out of books though... :lol:
uBook - haven't needed it ....yet
1-calc - but the inbuilt calc does +, -, * and / so it's cool for me. I'm not a physicist
GPRS traffic monitor - spb is fine for me as I don't use it as a modem due to bandwidth limitations and being surrounded by connectivity in London.
[*]Memory:Haven't done these, but they look sensible if you can be arsed
Remove backgammon & skype, and re-install to SD card - I don't have them or use them anyway. How do you play backgammon? I went to a comprehensive school
Remove the 1Mb .tsk themes from the \Windows directory. I only have 3 default ones and use the standard blue theme. Functionality and not form is my motto :wink:
Do not use these big theme files - Good advice bro' (or sis)
Hope this is helpful to some other people :lol:
hi
Does ROM update invalidates the manufacture warranty?
Jatt
Menu and popup fonts
can anyone explain how to change the Menu and popup fonts from 700 to 900. Is it a registry hack?
jatt said:
hi
Does ROM update invalidates the manufacture warranty?
Jatt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would need to ring them up and enquire. With t-mobile, the tech dude just said they wouldn't be able to help me if I bricked my MDA until t-mobile released a ROM that I could download and use to revive the MDA. So, not invalidated for me, just much reduced support. Until a new ROM si out, all they can do with misbehaving devices is offer a replacement at the moment.
Illwil - the font size is a registry hack - search as it's here on this site somewhere.
joebongo: nice perspective. now users can see 2 extremes; O2 with much office usage, vs HTC with much out-n-about usage. Thanx 4 the effort.
illwil : search for my post on reg tweaks and run the .ren file 2 got 700->900 or rather 900->700
codiac: agree. I fiund spbPP 2 b perfectly well behaved, but there is so much bad press on it in this forum. perhas it's an O2 rom issue - pretty sad 4 them actually
xiasma: there truly do see 2 b an awful lot of ppl who think their universal is junk. this is intended 2 help them get up n running. some ppl got lucky (htc rom or just happy with functionality that actually works well) and they probably should not fix what aint broke. But one day they may want 2 push the envelope a little...
craigiecraigie4 said:
codiac: agree. I fiund spbPP 2 b perfectly well behaved, but there is so much bad press on it in this forum. perhas it's an O2 rom issue - pretty sad 4 them actually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PocketPlus is working OK for me on my O2 Exec...
Hello Everyone.
I proudly received my Exec this morning, only to find that it ran like a bag of S**t.
I removed the connections.exe, and the active files from my windows/start up folder and things improved dramatically.
However I am having a problem with the activesync.
I have set up the partnership with my laptop running activesync 4 and when it communcates it does it without any problems, however as soon as I connect my usb cable between my Exec and my laptop it takes a few minutes for the charging LED to come on on my Exec, and a while longer before Activsync on my pc recoginses it.
Does anyone else suffer from this problem?
Cheers
You removed connections.exe and now u have a connection problem...
Try removing things 1 at a time.
I definitely don't have this problem.
FYI, on my HTC all I have under startup is:
sddeamon.lnk
batti (i installed)
apreminderplus (me)
iiwpo (me)
O2 is definitely adding stuff that does not seem 2 b required by htc.
The only shortcut I have in my Windows\Startup folder is 'Services' and I have no problem with ActiveSync, voice dialling (with the built-in dialler) or anything else. I have no idea what the sddaemon one does but mine runs fine without it.
fatspark, your problem might lie with your laptop rather than the Exec? As a test though, are you able to try ActiveSyncing over Bluetooth? See if it's any quicker. If so then maybe it's a USB problem. Dunno.
IIWPO
Can someone explain how to install the IIWPO in the extended ROM on the JASJAR ?
I think it is different than the EXEC, where can I find instructions ? I am willing to handle the hassle
Cheers SiliconS
The problem is a driver issue on one of my laptops, I installed activsync 4 onto another one and all is ok.
Cheers.
Fatzzz
For background to this post read http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=175027#175027.
This is an experiment to see just how usable this device actually is. There seem to be differing opinions and experiences and all hold water. So I'm going reset my device and start from scratch. Each time I encounter a shortfall on the device, I'll post what I think is wrong and wait for responses/advice on what to do. On group concensus, I'll then make a change/install 3rd party software/change my way of doing things etc and post the results.
This, of course, may go absolutely nowhere.
The rules:
It's an academic experiment, I have no agenda here.
Ok, All gone! Also, did a soft reset at the point that the device started "Customizing for O2". It's come back all clean and new.
ROM version: 1.13.48 WWE
ROM date: 09/19/05
Radio version: 1.04.02
Protocol version: 42.37.P8
Ext rom verion: (nothing because I reset it I guess).
Off the cuff free program memory is 31.33, Storage is 40.12
Fiddled with a couple of standard settings (cleartext is on, fonts are smallest, O2 gprs settings set up etc, etc).
Is this a safe basis to start with, or do I need the ext rom for something?
What I really need right up front is:
1. A GPRS monitor (SPB Gprs monitor is supplied on the accompanying O2 CD)
2. Tomtom navigator
Any alternatives, warnings before I install these?
Installed a couple of applications:
- SPB Gprs monitor
- Clearview PDF viewer (provided by O2 along with the unit)
- Microsoft Voice command. This most definitely has a bug in that you're unable to see the contact you're about to call. It is still useful however.
So far things still looking fine.
Still, was reminded yesterday evening in a random conversation about the fact that windows 95 used to run (slowly but usably) on a 486 with 16 MB Ram. My Exec runs slowly but usably on a lot more.
daveb1976 said:
2. Tomtom navigator
Any alternatives, warnings before I install these?
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Click to collapse
YOU'RE D :roll: :roll: M E D
I decided to keep my old XDA (Wallaby) and continue to use TomTom on that. Better safe than sorry
daveb1976 said:
Installed a couple of applications:
-
Still, was reminded yesterday evening in a random conversation about the fact that windows 95 used to run (slowly but usably) on a 486 with 16 MB Ram. My Exec runs slowly but usably on a lot more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually had a 200Mhz (Gateway) computer with 64MB of RAM and 4MB graphics card and 5GB HDD. My monitor had a higher res then the JJ/Exec. This worked really well on Win95 and Office. It was also used with Win98SE later on.
What the hell has M$ with WM5? It has a 520Mhz processor on-tap and about 50MB of RAM. It really does not feel as snappy as my old (10 years old) Gateway!
TomTom 5.1 works Ok on the Exec - the only problem is what to do with the Exec in the car. The Exec doesn't have a holder. It just slightly too big for my cheap Halford holder that suited my XDAII and IIs. Blue Tac wouldn't last too long on the dashboard Exec - it'll proably dry out too quickly. Velcro might work....
JJ Tweaks
Would suggest the following quick n easy adjustments:
1. Turn off error reporting
2. Turn off aut accept beams
3. remove pocket skype if you dont use it, big n cumbersome, or at least move it to storage card
4. Did you remove the startup file to your original voice dialer sddaemon?
5. have you done any other registry tweaks for MSVC from bluetooth?
6. Consider setting your theme to simply, some of them are big.
7. I prefer to use SPB to close the application properly, but if you do not add monitors to anything other than RAM.
What speed do you get on screen rotation?
Day 2
Day 2 I guess (only the first full day of actually using it)
Here's what I've found so far. My overall opinion is that things ARE running more smoothly than before. I LOVE a couple of the features - particularly MS Voice command when it works. I've used it extensively to check email, a bit to browse the web, once to watch a couple of small windows media videos. So it's been useful, but that's not the point of this excersise. I want to see if it works as we should be able to expect a device and an OS that we're paying good money for. Here's what I'm not happy with so far. Please post suggestions to whether you agree or disagree with my opinions, and suggestions for how I should be things better.
Bugs:
1. I have on 4 occassions been given an error stating that there is not enough memory to perform an operation. Once was when I tried to open the camera, once when I tried to access the MS Voice command config, once when trying to use Voice command to access contacts (I didn't actually get the error, but it didn't work. A quick look on MSVoice command troubleshooting says this is a memory problem. Now, the whole point of this is to use the device as MS planned us to. SURELY if within a day of user testing the device complains about memory issues, then their memory management DOES NOT WORK. Showstopper in my humble opinion. Of course, I'm bound and chained so they'll release anyway. This was the same problem with 2003SE, so why did they release 2005 with the same problem? Don't tell me I need to go into settings and shut down all the programs. What kind of end-user should think they needed to do that?
2. Bluetooth has switched itself off about 4 times. I know this is a well known bug on this forum, my question is how did the device make it to release with this so easily identifiable? Showstopper.
And appart from the fact that it's ludicrously slow for what it is accomplishing there are these annoyances - but not bugs.
1. No task switcher. This may only be me, but I think going through the menu to switch between applications every time you need to copy and paste or something like that, isn't great design. This is just my opinion of course, not a bug.
2. Decided to search for large files to see if I could free up space. Lovely option to search for files bigger than 64k (although it takes damned AGES - Google could search the entire web 100 000 times in less time). Finally get a list of files...but I CAN'T DELETE THEM from here. And there's no way to find out where they exist that I can see. Please someone tell me I'm doing something stupid here and that there is a way. Not a bug of course, but TERRIBLE design. Showstopper
Ok, now hit me...[/b]
Just to address a couple of other posts:
Would suggest the following quick n easy adjustments:
1. Turn off error reporting
2. Turn off aut accept beams
3. remove pocket skype if you dont use it, big n cumbersome, or at least move it to storage card
4. Did you remove the startup file to your original voice dialer sddaemon?
5. have you done any other registry tweaks for MSVC from bluetooth?
6. Consider setting your theme to simply, some of them are big.
7. I prefer to use SPB to close the application properly, but if you do not add monitors to anything other than RAM.
What speed do you get on screen rotation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Have turned this off
2. Have turned this off
3. Didn't get installed. I made sure this was JUST the MS supplied CAB. It has no O2 software installed that I can find - not even the smart dialer (which is a pain). Strangely, the menu option for smart dialer options is there, but does nothing when i click on it. But this might be because SD is expected to come from the OEM.
4. No i didn't, but it doesn't appear there anyway. But I'm not trying to tweak the device anyway, I'm trying to use it like an end user.
5. No, no tweaks. I don't believe you should have to tweak things like this within the first few days. I do, because i find it interesting, but my argument here is that MS have released a rediculously low quality product.
6. Standard windows theme.
7. I'm trying to use it as they intended.
Xiama: tomtom not installed...yet. I've had it running a few times though and it seems pretty good.
Darkblack: I've found a standard gps holder from Maplin worked fine.
Hello,
i have visual c# express, is there any chance to get a template for mobile development? or any other good ide without downloading 200 single files to get embedded visual c++ 4.0 working?
i mean something simple like visual c# full version?
i want to start programming but i dont get it, because no right ide is out there only this ms ****
got it worked,downloaded evc++4.0, dont like it
im more into assembler/basic progrmaming languages
is it possbile to use assembler for programming? something like nasm to the desktop pc world?
If you want to do assembly, use evc to start you off then put assemble into that. I used to do this on the desktop (pc) all the time when I was writing a program to controll some hardware over a parallel port. I see in the evc4 documentation some info on inline assembly so it should be fine there (its part of the c++ language to allow this).
What is it you need that low level for? To do an entire project that way must be very hard.
thanks for the info
i only asked for imformation, later i want to write my own bootloader,l simple kernel,like i did for pc, maybe getting more into the low level programming, which i like more than the high level stuff
is there no basic language for windows mobile that allows you to create easily applications, for free
sometimes i dont understand the developers, doing some weird stuff like evc++ where you need so much sdk/extra stuff only to develop, why not packing everything into a basic language and give this language all the apis which are needed
well thats something i think should be more supportet :lol:
Confused
I thought of starting it myself. I'm not very into "Visual" products, I'm a C++ to Java converted person More of a Java person. Anyway, was trying to step my foot into this realm and I've found a few SDK that can be downloaded and use, what should I start first? There are several choices that I've for from M$
1. Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK for Pocket PC Genuine Windows download
2. eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0
3. SDK for Windows Mobile 2003-based Pocket PCs
Confused...
Wow, writing a bootloader. What do you intend to do with it? Custom OS or something else?
Guys, this is unlikely to be helpful for assembler etc., but I wrote an opus about an introduction to programming, from a beginner's point of view (ie mine!) a few days ago. Might be helpful to some.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=209136#209136
V
Hi everybody,
I'm a really-confused guy about programming PDA...
I have a PocketPC 2003 device. I have to use TAPI for my university final project and I want to establish a data call through GSM from this device to a desktop PC with a GSM USB device working as modem.
Now...
-I've built a dll with TAPI functions with eVC++ 4.0
-I've built a wrapper in c# with VS2005, a smart device application that calls the functions I need stored in the previous dll (using p/invoke).
-I installed pocket PC2003 SDK from Microsoft.
Am I right?does the pocketPC support TAPI or not?I'm really confused b/c I'm reading tons of forums and some say it works and someother say the contrary...
please, only tell me if I'm using the right method of programnming.
thanx
looki here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=38223
That question would probably have been better put in one of the other tapi threads.
I know you want to do ppc to pc but give that a try first. If you can borrow someone else's phone because you will need two ppc for this test. If you can communicate ppc - ppc then ppc -pc should be easy.
Every ppc phone I have had can make and receive data calls, but I have not rewritten the program to work with wm2005 so if thats your os don't bother.
There is another way to get a connection between a ppc -pc over a call. One of my phone/gprs cards had a gprs config tool that let me manually enter the number for gprs. After that I was able to use the terminal services client on ppc to take over my pc. The ppc tries to connect via the gprs and that dials my home phone then I set up the pc to accept incoming phone calls. After logging in it worked very well as long as some data was being transfered. The problem was that if no transfer occured for more than a few seconds the connection dropped out. I think its because the modem was treating a regular call as gprs, ie doing nothing when its not needed.
well vijay, i only want to get some outputs on my pocket phone, testing stuff etc
the problem is i dont have any experience about the bootsectors of the sd card (i think thats the only way not to erase wm2003), else i dont have any experience about the architectur
on pc its easy, because you have much references and some forums about this stuff, but for ppc i dont think there is any forum about os developing.
on pc you can easily use a floppy , writing the bootloader in the bootsector and let the bootloader call the kernel, thats it (for the beginning)
has anybody some stuff about it? some informations, would be helpfull
thanks
Have you seen itsme's posts (I think) in the wiki, and generally on google. The kernel stuff there was whoosh, right over my head. Incredible work, definitive I'd say. The founding fathers of XDA devs have done quite a lot of work on this stuff I think.
V
Since this has always been a "hot topic" on this forum, I have a simple question for all you Magician users.
What are the top 3 reasons you want it / don't want it for Magician.
Here's mine to start you off:
1. I don't want to be left behind
2. New Mobile 5 looks better
3. I want to be able to use charts in Pocket Excel
Let's avoid the WM5 upgrade saga again. We know we won't get an upgrade for Magician. Well, not until May at any rate. (!)
OK - Here's my why not:
1. WM2003SE is stable
2. It already does what I want
3. I can wait till I'm due for an upgrade from my network.
No WM5,
1. 2003 is stable
2. the screen is too small for specials
3. I can wait for a new provider offer (WM5 should be stable by then)
Why not WM5:
1. It's a lot slower, especially at starting programs
2. Not all software is yet WM5 compatible.
3. You have to buy the latest versions of many of your software to have it WM5 compatible. Most updates are not for free.
4. The Magician just doesn't have enough ROM to run WM5 properly
I can't think of any compelling reasons to switch to WM5 that are of a positive significance (btw, I can't count to 3):
-CF 2 works on both.
-Security signing is a pain in the bottom.
-It's slower.
-Ok it has some useful networking functions, but it loses wifi Activesyncing. WTF? Not to mention ActiveSync.
-WM5 interface, perhaps the most potentially useful idea with the softkeys, but inconsistent execution. And I have some ideas about bringing some of the benefits to Wm2003.
-I have the Magician and the Universal. I was just telling my better half about the Universal users' experience with dropping phone calls being able to answer. It's a beautiful device, but once again, what were they on?
Ok, too many others, I'm starting to http://www.ladyofthecake.com/mel/space/images/alien.jpg]sweat and convulse[/url]. Better stop for now.
V
With a device like the Magician where the size is more phone-ish than pda-ish, I'd be inclined to say that most people use it primarily is a mobile phone with the additional functionality of a PDA, MP3 player, etc.
I upgraded to the HTC Prophet just because I want to have the latest. But now that I had it for over 2 to 3 weeks I can say that I would never switch back to WM2003. Single-handed operation with WM5 is very easy, intuitive and practical to say the least.
And when the battery is really low, like less than 30%, I feel safer listenening to the last few MP3s, knowing that I will not lose anything when the battery goes flat.
With regards to performance, I find it suprising how people find loading prorams on Wm5 noticeably slower than WM2003. I was using my old magician yesterday and the performance is just about the same. Th onlt thing I found slower on WM5 is changing the SIP.
Plus, WM5 can do without 3rd party programs like Caller Id, Photo Contacts, etc. cause they are all integrated with the OS. For example, there were times when a picture that I assign to a contact won't show up during a call with the Magician. This never happened to me since I started using WM5. And since contact pictures are synchronised with Outlook I don't need to re-assign them again after a hard-reset.
Finally regarding stability, yes there is software that is not compatible with WM5 yet, but most of the best software is already compatible. I'm using the following software and never had to reset my PPC:
SPB Diary
Resco File Exporer 5
psShutXp
Hitchhiker
MDict
TKCreator
MS Voice Command
and a couple of games
Personally, I think it's quite a stable platform. The only thing that annoys me is that sometimes Wm5 (or the Prophet) loses the storage card after being on standby, and the media stored on it is not always immediately available. You'd have to wait those 3 sec sometimes. But this will hopefully be fixed in the next ROM update. If not, I'm still happy with the overall package
Just my 2cents!
Meh.
Hokay. Regarding WM5... I have never come across an OS that actually requires a file that YOU OWN signed by an EXTERNAL AUTHORITY instead of yourself, and that purposefully ignoring this warning to install said files doesn't necessarily mean it won't be blocked when you try to run it (goodbye backward compat). I thought this technology was strictly for web only.
Stick to WM2003, at least it has the decency to trust its own owner. -.-'
Re: Meh.
Ultimate Chicken said:
Hokay. Regarding WM5... I have never come across an OS that actually requires a file that YOU OWN signed by an EXTERNAL AUTHORITY instead of yourself, and that purposefully ignoring this warning to install said files doesn't necessarily mean it won't be blocked when you try to run it (goodbye backward compat). I thought this technology was strictly for web only. '
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont understand - what situation is this coming up?
Well, I have some games on my O2 Xda mini. I tried transferring them to my sister's new Atom.
Message I got from installing was the generic 'this program is not signed by a trusted source'. I ignored it and installed anyway.
But when I tried to run it, guess what? 'Program cannot be run because it is either not signed with a trusted certificate or some files are missing. Please reinstall...'. This was from an installer works perfectly on my Mini.
Did some research, Win Mobile 5.0 will also generate this error when you attempt to execute something with a DOS parameter at the back. It also blocks stuff that do not require installation; Scummvm 8.0 was halted with the same error message. I know the latest Windows OS's have File Execution Prevention but it was never as anal and obnoxious as to go 'I do not want to let it run. So there. Nyah.'
Seeking the Caller ID (Photo Contacts)
kta said:
Plus, WM5 can do without 3rd party programs like Caller Id, Photo Contacts, etc. cause they are all integrated with the OS. For example, there were times when a picture that I assign to a contact won't show up during a call with the Magician.
Just my 2cents!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I was using the I-Mate Jam (Magician) I really liked the "Photo Contacts" program they had, which was actually "Caller ID 1.6" allegedly from IA Styles of late. But it cannot seem to be found anywhere. I have looked from freeware sites to pirate sites and cannot find it. I downloaded and used "Photo Contacts 4.1" for a pretty penny, but it did not allow for animated .gif contact images. I REALLY liked that. Does anyone know where this program can be found? Can any of you remove and distribute it from your phone or from a ROM?
papakeithjenkins said:
When I was using the I-Mate Jam (Magician) I really liked the "Photo Contacts" program they had, which was actually "Caller ID 1.6" allegedly from IA Styles of late. But it cannot seem to be found anywhere. I have looked from freeware sites to pirate sites and cannot find it. I downloaded and used "Photo Contacts 4.1" for a pretty penny, but it did not allow for animated .gif contact images. I REALLY liked that. Does anyone know where this program can be found? Can any of you remove and distribute it from your phone or from a ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why don't you download it from the xdadevs FTP server? There are the ExtRoms for Magician with the cab files.
But be careful, you seem to run a WM5 device, it might not run (and force you to hard reset)
Actually WM6
In reality I have upgraded my system to WM6 Pro now and I will let you all know how loading this cab on my Hermes does with WM6. I loved this program when it was running on my Magician (which I gave away to my friend/biz partner) and have tried Photo Contacts Pro 4.yada.yada, and was not happy with THAT. Even got a refund.
Thanks a bunch Dude
Only took a minute
I found it right where you said I would and downloaded it and installed it and soft reset and . . . when I tried to asign a photo it got a headache and gave me a message about being unable to use the program for somereason.
I unistalled it from the system and did another soft reset and while I don't have menu access to assign photos, I can open the edit screen on a contact and assign a photo there.
Maybe I should reload the program again and try accessing it from the Edit screen too? We shall see.
Otherwise, I think I shall attempt installing it on my wife's Blue Angel.
littld said:
We know we won't get an upgrade for Magician. Well, not until May at any rate. (!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what makes you think we will get an upgrade then ???
sorry n00b magician owner here only had it for a week
any tips?
Greatest 'Photo Contacts' ever
I installed the photo contacts on my wifes Blue Angel - WM2003 - and it was excellent - I only wish someone could make the same program work on my Hermes with WM6. It has the unique ability to use animated .gif images and I LOVE THAT!!!
If anyone could pull this one off I would be overjoyed. I have attached the version with which I am familiar. And if you can't make it work for WM6 - or WM5 - it already works on WM2003 really well. I have loaded it on a couple of Wallabies, a Magician with a new ROM and a Blue Angel - all with great joy in its application.
TIA,
littld said:
Let's avoid the WM5 upgrade saga again. We know we won't get an upgrade for Magician. Well, not until May at any rate. (!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's happening in may!!!!!
why dont we have it yet?
PharaohSam said:
what's happening in may!!!!!
why dont we have it yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As we can clearly see and hear from this video, there will be rain in may!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKKCmNVISwQ
"Rain in May, wipes your worries away"...
Hallo!
I'm working on an application called hTorch and although it is my first vb.net app I was quite successfull so far (at least I hope so ). But one think I'm just not able to achieve: Preventing the device from going into standby/suspend while the app is running.
In C++/C# there semes to be a system call "SystemIdleTimerReset()" but either there is no equivalent for vb.net or I was not able to find it.
Another thought was to modify the according registry key (HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\Timeouts\BattSuspendTimeout) and to restore the original settings on program exit. This works fine except that WM does not apply the settings change immediately when it's done via registry. Again I did some research and again I only found a solution for C++/C# only. A system call named "NWUS_MAX_IDLE_TIME_CHANGED" tells the OS that the settings have changed and should be reread. I wasn't able to find something similar for vb.net though.
Does anybody know a solution for my needs?
Maybe someone could provide me with some sample code how he achieved this within vb.net?
Maybe some C++/C# programmer has build a library to access the power functions?
I would be really thankful for any help/hint you can give me!
Thanks in advance,
DeepThought
The standby mode is in the registry. Make a timer in VB.net and set it with an interval of about 5000 ms. Then make sure that ever time the timer ticks the standby mode will be disabled in the registry
Thank you for the quick response!
But the change via registry doesn't work. When I change the BattSuspendTimeout to 0 that does change the setting correctly. But they become not active. Only after a soft reset. It seems, that you somehow have to notify windows, that the settings have changed. Otherwise the will not be reread.
Any Idea how to achieve that?
I would also like to know if there is a way to prevent suspend.
I think only the pocket pc winmo versions do a real suspend where wifi and applications stop processing, and the smartphone winmo devices only kind of black the screen.
The only software I know is S2U2 which successfully can prevent "real suspend" and let e.g. my led notification work correctly.
Cause i cannot really use it on ks20 due to compatibilty issues i would be very interested in a reg hack, or (if there really is no reghack, i tried alot) some code snipets with which i could build a little app.
There's a pretty good article on CodeProject covering power.
*digs out link*
Here you go - http://www.codeproject.com/KB/mobile/WiMoPower1.aspx
It covers:
* Displaying the voltage, current, and temperature of your device's battery
* Changing the power state of hardware within the device
* Enumerating the hardware in a Windows Mobile Professional device
* Enumerating the power modes that a Windows Professional device supports
* Preventing a device from sleeping
* Toggling the state of the screen's backlight
* Waking up the machine to perform work without alerting the user or turning on the screen
[solution]
Thanks to AndyZap I can now answer the question myself
It is so simple, that I'm really ashamed now.
The magic word for me was PInvoke. Since I new the function I was searching for was an available win32 systemcall the missing link was how I can make this system call within vb.net.
So the actual solution are just two lines:
Code:
Declare Sub IdleTimerReset Lib "coredll.dll" Alias "SystemIdleTimerReset" ()
where "IdleTimerReset" is the name I've given the Sub. Which than just needs to be called like:
Code:
IdleTimerReset()
NOTE: This just resets the Idle timer once. So if you want to prevent the device from going into standby you have to reset this timer every time before it reaches the threshold. (The windows default setting is 60 seconds AFAIK).
THANK YOU AndyZap for your Help via PMail!
DeepThought
Thank you for your answer Northernmost!
I really love this community!