Related
Dear developers,
Do you have examples (source code) that could be used / modified to create custom on-screen keyboard (SIP)?
Inspired by the iPhone keyboard and the latest HappyTappingKeyboard:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=296455
I created my own design (attached) that I believe could be a better on-screen keyboard for our beloved WM device:
- It has a clean layout
- Maximized towards 240 pixels wide
- Relatively good looking
- Have the most important keys in the main layout
- Plan to have "custom keys" in the 3rd layout (the "..." button)
What do you think?
But as you probably know, I am not a WM coder/developer.
So, I am just wondering if someone can provide an example or even better to pick up this project.
gogol, I really like the look of your keyboard design/layout! I've been trying to get HappyTapping to work (well, it "works" but can't be skinned) for the past week on my Axim X50v. Anyway, I don't see much hope for HappyTapping, so naturally I'm excited to see someone looking to develop a keyboard similar to it (and hopefully in the English language). I have no experience developing SIPs for Windows Mobile, but I do have Visual Studio 2005 and have done some WM apps before.
I hope some others with knowledge of SIP developement can chime in and help this thing take off!
cavyman said:
gogol, I really like the look of your keyboard design/layout! I've been trying to get HappyTapping to work (well, it "works" but can't be skinned) for the past week on my Axim X50v. Anyway, I don't see much hope for HappyTapping, so naturally I'm excited to see someone looking to develop a keyboard similar to it (and hopefully in the English language). I have no experience developing SIPs for Windows Mobile, but I do have Visual Studio 2005 and have done some WM apps before.
I hope some others with knowledge of SIP developement can chime in and help this thing take off!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here's a link to HappyTapping keyboard skins (but in Japanese)
http://briefcase.yahoo.co.jp/bc/tf_....src=bc&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.co.jp/
NNagendran said:
here's a link to HappyTapping keyboard skins (but in Japanese)
http://briefcase.yahoo.co.jp/bc/tf_....src=bc&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.co.jp/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I have about every skin out there for Happy Tapping and have tried them all. For some reason, the skin is just never applied to my keyboard. I don't know if it's a conflict with my ROM or with WM5. I know it is skinnable and many have done so successfully without any problems...it pretty much just hates me. Thanks anyway for the link!
Here you got a link about Soft Input Panel. You get a code example when you download the SDK for mobile 6. I'm still working on trying to learn my self C++ and mabye manage to make on my self. But we will se what i manage in the end .
I love Blimkeys. Unfortunately, there has not been an update of it that uses predictive T9 like the T9 SIP pad that's built in into many phones. Maybe you can do something similar to Blimkeys, but w/ 9 and skinnable keyboards?
ialu, thanks for that, I will try to get my hand dirty as well (I am not familiar with C++, but I know other Windows programming language to help me learning).
People are complaining that WM phone is difficult to use, iPhone owners brag their UI.
But I saw a lot of progress on improving the WM user interface.
The finger friendly contact from "tene" is one example (very nice app!).
However, I still cant find a good on-screen keyboard, until we found that HappyTappingKeyboard. But again, I think it can be improved. That's why I started this project.
ialu, please let me know if you can compile that example and then use it in the emulator.
ialu said:
Here you got a link about Soft Input Panel. You get a code example when you download the SDK for mobile 6. I'm still working on trying to learn my self C++ and mabye manage to make on my self. But we will se what i manage in the end .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gogol said:
ialu, thanks for that, I will try to get my hand dirty as well (I am not familiar with C++, but I know other Windows programming language to help me learning).
People are complaining that WM phone is difficult to use, iPhone owners brag their UI.
But I saw a lot of progress on improving the WM user interface.
The finger friendly contact from "tene" is one example (very nice app!).
However, I still cant find a good on-screen keyboard, until we found that HappyTappingKeyboard. But again, I think it can be improved. That's why I started this project.
ialu, please let me know if you can compile that example and then use it in the emulator.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i have managed to run it on the emulator
This is also a good example:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms881221.aspx
And this :
http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/02/10/370355.aspx
http://www.marcusperryman.members.winisp.net/BlogStuff/NewSIP.zip
Thats the example that follows the SDK for mobile 6
gogol said:
Dear developers,
Do you have examples (source code) that could be used / modified to create custom on-screen keyboard (SIP)?
Inspired by the iPhone keyboard and the latest HappyTappingKeyboard:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=296455
I created my own design (attached) that I believe could be a better on-screen keyboard for our beloved WM device:
- It has a clean layout
- Maximized towards 240 pixels wide
- Relatively good looking
- Have the most important keys in the main layout
- Plan to have "custom keys" in the 3rd layout (the "..." button)
What do you think?
But as you probably know, I am not a WM coder/developer.
So, I am just wondering if someone can provide an example or even better to pick up this project.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks very good, thanks for sharing.
But I would like to use this one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427913
Basically I need the bigest keys possible. And only letters.
Anyone can help?
Thanks.
Hey all
The PocketCM keyboard isnt working with wm2003! Can anybody tell me why? I love this app, but it do not work with my device... that sucks so bad... Please mr. developer sir:
MAKE A wm2003 VERSION! PLEASE!!!
I totally agree with you! i´ve got wm2003, too... I donno why he don´t want to make a wm2003 version...
hm.. I think think many people are sad, because of this (including me!) The developer should share the source code with someone who has a wm2003 device so he could make a special version, but somebody told me he don´t want to give it to anyone.
Open source would be cool !
I own a WM2003SE device, and would love to see this app ported! the built in keyboard just doesn't cut it...
we should start a poll to find out how many people are interested in a wm2003 version!
Great Idea!!!
I've been pleading for this within the existing thread, but I don't even get a response let alone a wm2003 version!!!
I'll sign....
RR
FYI,
I had a reply from the creator. He only has a WM5 SDK installed. That generates THUMB code, that will not run on WM2003 (needs to be ARM)
But he promissed to give it another thought when the project reached final state.
Cheers
sounds like good news!
Can´t wait!
Well, I'll answer
You have to put yourself a little bit at the place of the developer: simply ask you thee basic question: how, when and why.
How?
- developing for 2003 device require (at least): a 2003 device (which I don't have), that the application is actually compatible (WM5 changes lot of stuff, some API used in the keyboard aren't the same or simply do not exist for 2003 device), a 2003 development environment (which takes time to setup) and a huge amount of time to test.
When?
- is it more interesting to develop 2 applications, maintain to application and try to make them stable, or do it later, when one version is stable? Here you have to think long term, not the simple "I want it now", but more what's the most efficient way to get a stable version for 2003, WM5 and WM6?
Why?
That seems to be the aspect your ignore the most, and for me, the most important:
- It takes me lot of time to develop my applications
- I'd like to keep them free, but I also want to get something in return, that's why I use Google Ads on my website, and I encourage donation... but that's not enough. That's also why I don't authorize people to redistribute it, I need your visits and that's why no version of the keyboard exists without time limitation.
- And most importantly: call me greedy or whatever, but what would I get in return?
For WM6 dev: I get a better app for myself, some fun developping it, and hope to get some money back.
For 2003: I don't need it, I don't get a better application, it's not fun to test and port, the fun part is already done.
So I'm simply (and honestly, it's not a trap,I'm just trying to explain my view of the things, maybe you can, considering this, explain me your view of things) asking you the question: what would be the motivation for me? considering the "glory and proud" of making it WM2003 compatible isn't really a turn on for me. Have you thought about that?
That doesn't mean I'm opposed to it, if you can put in place some "motivator", we can of course discuss it.
Well I do understand what you're saying, however from where I sit (and thats having no programming knowledge or experience!!) I'd be more than happy to pay for this app if it was ever developed, and Im sure Im not alone. (c'mon guys, back me up here!!)
The fact is, from what I've seen of this app, this looks as if it is one of the best input methods available, and believe me, I've pretty much tried em all!!
So for you to be asking for a motivator, I put to you COLD-HARD-CASH!!!
I know you're currently accepting donations, but like I said, Im sure other wm2003 users would be quite happy to pay a small fee for having this app up and running on our devices.
yes I do take into account the time and effort (and a wm2003 device) that would be needed to get this out, but seriously, is this impossible.
Even if you couldn't devote the time to it, surely there are other developers out there that (with your help, or code at least) could take this up and continue development.
Just venting my ideas bro, you've made a seemingly great app, let the rest (and im sure its a considerable community) of the non wm5/6 world share this functionality!!!
Other than that, well done on your achievements, I'll be watching the development of this very closely!!
RR
Well, from your point of view, there is no real motivation for him to port his apps for wm2003 and i really understand why. your arguments are very good...
so it´s hard for me tell you why the developer should make a wm2003 compatible version, because when i was in his position i wouldn´t do it, too...
But i will try to explain my ideas
Why:
Richierich is right when he said that it is one of the best input methods available and many people would be happy if they could use it with a wm2003 device!
How:
Share the source code with a developer with a wm2003 device (well i don´t know who this could be, but this community is very big so we can find someone)
When:
when the app works stable he could give the source code to another developer.
I´m no developer, so i have no idea about the amount of work... i just try to explain what i think about it from my point of view.
Thank you for reading.
I'm a developer myself, and trust me, if it's no longer fun. I stop doing it (unless it's work related and my boss requires me to do it).
And I'm sure, not even money (or any form of bribery) can be give enough motivation.
How about sexy gorgeous women? If you can give that, I might even do it myself!
hahaha.. just kidding guys.
I have a better idea... Howabout instead of you writing PocketCM for 03/SE, someone out there ports WM5/6 to my device
That would actually solve many of my other problems too
dito
my message needs to be longer than 10 charakters so i have to write this ****...but i just want to say "dito"
hope there will be a project of this for my imate jam.
I can understand tene (the developer), he is not interested to develop PocketCM Keyboard for WM2003 because he does not have motivation.
Well, there is nothing you can do unless he is motivated, considering this is a free application.
Maybe, you can bargain with him, and "hire" him to build the application
Ask him, how much do you need?
And then, find some people here, collect money, and pay him
That would work ... if tene is willing to be "hired".
If not (not now?), then yeah ... there are still several options:
- Ditch your WM2003 device and upgrade to a newer WM 6.0 model
- Find other onscreen-keyboard alternative, like "TouchPal" from www.cootek.com which people say it is better than PocketCM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=334437&highlight=touchpal
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=335988&highlight=touchpal
Which is still FREE until Dec !
I would love to have a touch keyboard for Wm2003. there are still plenty of Wm2003 users. H4150 was one of the slimmest pda. I would love to have a touch keyboard for it....
i wait for this http://www.iwindowsmobile.com/
it´s propably similiar to pokcketCM keyboard
guys and all,
are you all unhappy of not having pocketCM 2003? well, please consider me also..
That works on my IPAQ HX4700 Win2003SE
try this. that is not easy to install but that works fine.
sorry for my english, i am french.
- edit PocketCM.reg with notepad to edit our options (language)
- Copy files on pocket pc in folder Program files
- execute regsvr_arm.exe and look for folder of pcmkeyboard and choose pcmKeyboard.dll
- The most difficult : Import PocketCM.reg into Register with a software like SKTools
http://s-k-tools.com/index.html?m_downloads.html#tools
- If the skin is not ok, who can download others on the http://www.pocketcm.com/theme.php?application=2
Hi guys, I'm new to this forum and it's a pleasure to be a new member! As a brief introduction, I'm completely new to HTC, Windows Mobile and any non-Symbian device! I've used Nokia's, Sony Ericssons & Motorola's all my life and Symbian is all I know, I think you get the picture......
Anyhow, I should be getting my HD2 within the next few days because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and I just want to know where to start?! This looks like the most comprehensive forum I've seen on the net and I couldn't think of a better place to start learning. I know it's a bit of a broad question and I have had a look through a number of posts to get my bearings, as such. I've seen posts about Roms, registry modifications, patches...... and it all sounds very interesting and I want to know all the functions and information I can about my new device.
Coming from the Symbian background, everything is pretty straightforward but Windows Mobile sounds a lot more technical and something I'm looking forward to learning about. Any information or tips about what I should & shouldn't do to help improve performance/tweak the device would be much appreciated and I'm a fast learner. PS I've seen this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
and will work my way through it when I get the device, but it seems to be aimed at people with some previous experience with this platform. I'm sure you guys see these tpye of 'Help Me!' posts all the time but thanks in advance.
Hello Gargon, welcome aboard!
I too am new to these forums and I've spent a not-insignificant amount of time browsing threads on the HD2 since I made the decision to finally ditch the venerable nokia 6030 that has served me so well all these years. Being a self-confessed techie the HD2 appealed to me the very instant I first caught a glimpse of it in all its Kubrick monolithic glory and as soon as O2 release info on their tariffs I will be seriously weighing up my options.
Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty. As a disclaimer I've only been here a short while so I wouldn't be surprised if I get a few facts wrong. Hopefully someone will correct me if I do!
The HD2 is powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 edition and as you might imagine it's not too dissimilar in how it operates to the PC desktop version. You have a desktop, start menu, program files etc. with all the various settings held by the registry. The beauty of WinMo is that it is far more customisable than the iPhone OS/Symbian in that you can change pretty much everything you see and also how you interact with the device. For example, a developer on these boards has released an application which enables the vibration feature on almost every keypress whereas the default HD2 only goes so far. Another dev has released an app which changes HTC's desktop from a 3x3 grid of shortcuts to 4x4. You can even do away with HTC's superb frontend entirely and install something like SPB Mobile Shell which has a snazzy rotating cube effect desktop and many other alternative enhancements (although you will have to pay for this). And this is only the tip of the iceberg! There are thousands of applications and games out there on the internet, and with Microsoft finally getting into the appstore gig we can expect a well-stocked central repository for software sometime in the near future. Failing that, google is our friend
With the help of the talented and selfless developers here at xda-dev almost anything is possible, including the potential for changing the operating system entirely, so you can't rule out the HD2 one day running Android or WM7 somewhere down the line, however this depends on one crucial bit of software -- the Hard SPL. Without this essential bit of kit, peons such as myself are unable to reflash the device to a different operating system or even a different version of the current OS (e.g. a lite version to save valuable ROM space, or an enhanced version with greater functionality). Everything hinges on this being developed by the code masters behind the scenes however such projects require a lot of skill, time and effort and such is the support of the community here that monetary donations are pledged in gratitude for past endeavours and in the hope of new enterprise.
As for installing applications themselves, I haven't yet delved deep enough to give you a comprehensive answer, however I suspect that there are FAQs on the parent forums which will give you all the information you need. From what I can tell, applications are released in .cab format which are executed from the phone and self-install. I can't wait until I can get my grubby paws on this masterpiece and get busy pushing buttons! I'm sure I've missed a whole lot of information but my lids are getting heavy and my battery needs charging. I hope this wasn't too patronising for you and I'm sure some other people here will gladly fill you in on anything I've missed.
Welcome aboard, great first posting. Showing the threads you read already makes many people want to help you more.
If you come from Symbian, some stuff will be the same, i.e. you use icons for programs.
What differs the most is the customization possibilities and the level of deep control you have over the behaviour of your new machine.
Get to grips with Microsoft Mobile Device Center, (syncing your data).
Do you have an Exchange account or Gmail ? You can setup your device to have pushmail connectivity with GMail or Exchange.
If you don't own an Exchange Server, you can setup your own free
Custom Domain at http://domains.live.com and have your own email adress as a LIVE-ID and have pushmail with it (free).
Then, I would dig in to the many cool free applications around.
Yes, hunt for .cab files as they will install over the air (OTA) and from your device.
Another tip: When you get your device, start at the first Icon, view it, try and dig deeper in the menu's, always. Press and hold the screen/text to see if there are context menu's.
Then work your way through all the settings and icons available. It will take you about 3 days to see all the menu's and options, although the first 80% you will discover the first day
Hope you will enjoy the transition.
Hey guys
First off, this a awesome site with heaps of help. And advice which is great
Secondly I amnew here too and hopefully getting my hd2 soon. Can't wait!!
Thanks a lot for the replies guys, very informative H2D2 and thanks for the tips lucid. It's good to know that there are other people in a similar situation to myself! If anyone can post any relevant links to any apps or roms/cab files that might be useful for a first-timer then it would be much appreciated. In the meantime, I'll keep doing the research and, if I find anything myself, I'll post it here. Thanks again.
Well I'm new as well so hi everyone!
I used to have a wm phone but that was a few years ago and things have changed a lot since then... so have a bit of catching up to do. Been browsing on here the last few days and ordered the HD2 this morning.
Gargon, I'm sure you'll get used to it all in no time, I know it all looks confusing at first but really it's not that bad and I'm sure the nice people on here will help if you're stuck.
Greetings our new community members
I was in the same situation as You guys half year ago when I purchased my first WM device, the Diamond2. And now Im awaiting my HD2 already ordered
As for the Windows Mobile platform, it is the most powerful, sophisticated and versatile mobile platform ever made, and that's why it has always attracted more advanced users. But on the other hand, it is in many ways very similar to Windowses on your PCs At first you may feel a little overwhelmed of all the functions, tips, tricks, registry hacks and so on. But what's great about Windows Mobile platform, is that once you start to "feel" it, then playing around with your phone becomes extremely addictive. I remember my first week with the Diamond2, it was nothing else than playing with it, installing and testing every trick i could possibly find
Moving on to the relevant stuff:
First of all, you should equip your device with a decent file explorer, as the native WM one is a bit clunky. I recommend Resco File Explorer. Second, equip yourself with a registry editor, as you gonna need it for tweaks. Resco Explorer has a plugin for registry editing and there are even desktop PC editors which you can use when device is connected to the PC.
As for application installation, it can be performed in 2 ways:
1).cab files. These are like .sis in Symbian. You run them directly from the device just by executing them from any file manager.
2).exe files. Those can be installed from your PC when the device is connected to it. Sometimes developers make small apps for phones which are in form of exe files which are designed to run directly from the device. This is possible because every app after installation usually has its folder in Program Files where an exe file of the app itsself is stored (exactly the same as on Your PC Windows)
Moving on to the interface. One of the biggest advantages of Windows Mobile is that it enables you to change practically the whole interface with minimum effort. The native WM interface is unfortunately very old and not finger friendly, and thats why every major company designed their own interfaces. On the HD2 it is called Sense. In fact Sense is only a further developement of an interface which was called TouchFlo 3D. And one thing more you should know. Developers on this forum use the code name of this interface, which is Manila. HD2 has the latest Manila v2.5. So basically Manila=TouchFlo=Sense.
Feel free to ask any questions, everyone of us was a newbie at first I personally am very happy to see new people being attracted by new fantastic WM devices. I myself was a Nokia/Symbian fan for many years, untill half a year ago I discovered that I was living in the darkness all these years
The XDA-Developers is one of the greatest, biggest and oldest communities on the whole internet. This makes this community concrete, mature and serious. This means that members are very helpful to each other and they always communicate with a certain level of etiquette, so You surely won't hear any offensive words, swears or any vulgarisms
So enjoy your new devices and this community, as it will bring you many happy moments, i guarantee this to You
the wiki is a great tool (not much on the HD2 in there yet) but background reading on other devices is good.
As long as you're willing to take time to learn to use the search (often searching around the term you're looking for) then you'll solve issues you may have quickly as well..
several of us are happy to discuss stuff on PM as well..
and don't forget if you find something that you think others would find useful,
The WIKI is always there, to be edited at your leisure
Welcome
Very nice attitude from Gargon01 and H2D2.
You are on the right track about the winmo os.
In itself it is clunky on the surface but the structure sits on the registry database which is accessible through a registry editor.
This forum is quite unique and must be the largest of It's kind, that is, a community of smartphone developers/hackers.
I have been dropping in for 4 years but only started flashing recently after buying an HD.
The HD came with an earlier development of Touchflo and I saw rom versions on Youtube etc of more advanced versions from XDA Devs.
I took the plunge in flashing roms and have been addicted ever since.
I am running the latest version of sense on my HD but am awaiting an HD2 from clove tech on the uk for which sense was made.
There are many brilliant people in this community who generously offer their creativity, time and energy.
You are in the right place. More will be revealed.
Thanks a lot for the responses guys, exactly what me and I'm sure a lot of other new users are looking for! I'll look for the Resco File Viewer jgal, there was a similar app called Modo on Symbian that was also used for deep-file exploration/modification purposes.
Also, it's good to know that there are a lot of similarities to the desktop version of Windows. I'd like to think that I'm pretty proficient with that so I'll look forward to taking that knowledge and applying it to the HD2.
A big thanks to all the other users who have contributed to the post as well! I was pretty sure that my thread would fade away into non-existence but it's good to know that people seem genuinely interested in offering help and advice.
I should hopefully be getting the handset on Monday so I'll give it a good examination and keep you all posted should I run into any problems. Keep the tips/links coming though, my brain is like a sponge!! Cheers.
NOTE: By "No Keyboard" I just mean that this method does not involve a KB of any kind.... I do NOT mean to imply that this is a total replacement for the physical keyboard...... rather I think of it as a one handed on-screen text entry method to be used when convenient
I think someone should port Dasher to Android.
Dasher is free software, that takes an extremely unique approach to achieve 'information efficient' text entry. It allows lots of different input methods, and is very adaptable, and customizable.
Here is a description from the Dasher Website.
Dasher is an information-efficient text-entry interface, driven by natural continuous pointing gestures. Dasher is a competitive text-entry system wherever a full-size keyboard cannot be used - for example,
[*] when operating a computer one-handed, by joystick, touchscreen, trackball, or mouse;
[*] when operating a computer with zero hands (i.e., by head-mouse or by eyetracker);
[*] on a palmtop computer;
[*] on a wearable computer.
...using a mouse/trackball/touch pad, experienced users can write at 39 words per minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick video, just to show it work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d6yIquOKQ0
An hour long video, that goes into detail, as to how it works, all the different ways it can be used.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5078334075080674416&ei=caEsSZiUGZOwqwL306zQCA&q=dasher
Dasher on an IPAQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jxhJjkwleo
The Dasher Website
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/
Also -- I have seen posts around the net asking for chinese input methods. And thought I would point out, that Dasher already has support for all sorts of languages, so if someone ported Dasher to Android, it would give it another unique option for text input in all sorts of languages.
Here is a link that shows the language files already available for Dasher.
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/download/alphabets/ALPHABETS.html
I like it. the interface may have to be reconfigured a bit. but in general, i think it is inovative. and i like it
This is a great idea. I hope someone picks up on this for Android!
This was brought up sometime early last year.
Nothing came of it, but no objections were raised, so afaik its not impossible. And I agree it would be pretty good to try out
/shameless bump
This does look very interesting. <quick google> Hmm, maybe worth keeping an eye on this blog entry & this comments section too.
Lol -- I hadn't tried googling it in a while -- thanks for the heads up!! Glad to see someone is on it!
FYI Here is a video of it working.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25-t80ld8MY
Yup, looking good. I hope there'll be something we can beta test soon. I'm curious to find out what kind of speed it can manage. Also how the size of the keyboard will impact on usage.
Wahhou
Dasher is awesome !!!!
Please, tell me when you will have finish with Dasher for Android! I can't wait !!!!
Sure, I would like to help you, but I haven't any skills in programming, so I*could make beta testing.
Thanks a lot,
Have a good day
awww did this thread die?
There is a java version on the dasher website, don't know if that would make it any easier to port.
If it was done it would need a left handed or right hand option so your thumb doesn't cover suggestions, or maybe working from the bottom of the screen as opposed to the left.
I hope someone does work on this, I can imagine it is very fast once you are used to it.
I searched and got nothing in the forum about homebrew, so i figured i'd ask about it. Is it possible for us with this phone to do any of the homebrew stuff out there? I have been without my laptop so cannot really try anything yet, but I see articles about little apps and aesthetic changes people are doing to their Samsung and HTC wp7 phones and i want in on it too.
I loved that homebrew community when i had my Palm Pre back in the day and had it hacked to my liking. I really hope we can do this with our phones too. I have looked into it a little but, but i don't think the guys who have done the unlocking and developing for wp7 have used, tried or have access to our phone. I really hope I'm wrong and just haven't had any luck searching for answers, but so far i haven't really found anything specifically stating whether anything works on the DVP yet.
If they have, could someone point me in the right direction and i'll continue learning on my own? If not, then i hope we can some day.
Thanks for any help y'all can provide.
I'm looking to attack this problem from the other end. I'm the developer of one of those "little apps" you mentioned; specifically the one that lets you change the Search function in IE (when you hit the Search button or mis-type a URL).
I'm working with a homebrew library that more-or-less handles HTC, Samsung, and LG, but completely doesn't support Dell. I'd like to get it working with Dell so that
A) You all can use my app
B) More homebrew apps can be written for the DVP
Some questions that I have (answers to any are appreciated):
How can I programmatically identify a Dell phone? (On an HTC, you can check for HKLM\Software\HTC in the registry.)
Does anybody have ProvisionXML working on the Venue Pro yet? (This is a really handy way to make changes to the OS.)
Does anybody have a way to get access to the file system, even read-only, on the Venue Pro?
Thanks a bunch. In the meantime (and possibly helpful to this cause) there's a homebrew project called "Functional Webserver" in the WP7 Hacking forum. It should work on Dell phones (I think) and means you should have at least Socket (networking) APIs. It also gives (read-only) access to the \Windows directory, which may be very useful for getting other stuff...
GoodDayToDie said:
I'm looking to attack this problem from the other end. I'm the developer of one of those "little apps" you mentioned; specifically the one that lets you change the Search function in IE (when you hit the Search button or mis-type a URL).
I'm working with a homebrew library that more-or-less handles HTC, Samsung, and LG, but completely doesn't support Dell. I'd like to get it working with Dell so that
A) You all can use my app
B) More homebrew apps can be written for the DVP
Some questions that I have (answers to any are appreciated):
How can I programmatically identify a Dell phone? (On an HTC, you can check for HKLM\Software\HTC in the registry.)
Does anybody have ProvisionXML working on the Venue Pro yet? (This is a really handy way to make changes to the OS.)
Does anybody have a way to get access to the file system, even read-only, on the Venue Pro?
Thanks a bunch. In the meantime (and possibly helpful to this cause) there's a homebrew project called "Functional Webserver" in the WP7 Hacking forum. It should work on Dell phones (I think) and means you should have at least Socket (networking) APIs. It also gives (read-only) access to the \Windows directory, which may be very useful for getting other stuff...
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Click to collapse
I would like to submit my services to help you get that information... However, I'm not really sure how to get that to you. If you'd be happy to lay out directions so I can get you that information, I'll happily do it on my Dell Venue Pro.
Thanks for the help!
@nabiscuit Thanks for the offer. The first step is making sure your phone is developer-unlocked, so you can side-load (install directly, not from Marketplace) XAP application packages. All homebrew apps are distributed in this way. The official way to do this is to have a Microsoft developer account (http://create.msdn.com/) although for the next few weeks ChevronWP7 should also work.
For the first question, try installing a Registry Viewer or Registry Editor app - there are a number of them available, both on this site and on TouchXperience (I like the TouchXperience one a lot). Go poke around for anything that looks like a distinctive registry key or value. The most likely place is under HKLM. You could also just do a registry search (the better apps have at least some capability for such searches) for "Dell" as *anything* with that string is probably distinctive.
For the second, it will take access to native code. Using the "Functional Webserver" app you can download some file from the phone's /Windows directory. Checking them for useful COM exports would be helpful, although I'm not the person to ask about doing that - I can do NT drivers and I can do managed code, but COM is not my thing. Try asking for help with this in the general Windows Phone 7 Development and Hacking forum (http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=606).
For the third question, I could actually whip up a small app that *might* work already. You could also try Advanced Explorer (XDA) or TouchXplorer (TouchXperience) although I don't think either is guaranteed to work outside of HTC phones. If you're willing to try running an app that will check for read and write in a number of harmless parts of the file system, I can code one up for you to run and report results back.
Thanks again!
I'd love to get some homebrew development going, is there anything I can do to help?
Try getting in touch with notebookgrail (http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=3174632) as he seems to be pulling apart the DVP native libraries and finding lots of cool stuff to do with their COM interfaces. I don't know if he has registry write yet - one of the core functions that a lot of homebrew apps want - but if so I can work on getting it integrated into a nice cross-device library for writing apps which (should... grrr Samsung) work on any phone.
GoodDayToDie said:
Try getting in touch with jessej (http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=3220709) as he seems to be pulling apart the DVP native libraries and finding lots of cool stuff to do with their COM interfaces. I don't know if he has registry write yet - one of the core functions that a lot of homebrew apps want - but if so I can work on getting it integrated into a nice cross-device library for writing apps which (should... grrr Samsung) work on any phone.
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Click to collapse
Did u mean to point it to me as i was the one who did pull apart the native libs.?
If not, sorry for the intrusion.
Yes, send your request to notebookgrail. I am not on his level for development purposes. But I do appreciate the comment.
Whoops, sorry about that notebookgrail! I must have looked at a response instead of the OP by accident. I've fixed my post above. Thanks a bunch for the work you've done. Any word on registry writing?
any progress?