Yeah, I found this on uninstalling my old PSSReader. I haven't investigated in detail enough to see if I was having the other problems too.

I also found that installing PSSReader (abeit an old version) caused services.exe to crash repeatedly, slowing down my phone, hence the deinstall.


D

Probably a weird co-incidence, but I came back from holiday to find a similar problem: my V1615 would connect to the cell OK, but when I tried to place a call (data or text) on 3G, it would attempt, and then fail, and then completely lose the signal altogether.

GSM voice / GPRS work OK.

This is on a Voda 1615 (Kaiser), but with WM6.0 and no updates at all (Operator stock ROM). In fact, this is why I complained to Voda and got a new WM6.1 phone in return.

Voda Networking Team's theory during 2 days of troubleshooting was that my phone hadn't registered on the data network correctly, and I should manually roam to another operator (eg. O2), and then switch back - and that should right things. It didn't - hence the new phone - but I guess upgrading firmware could have a similar effect of leaving something lingering somewhere. I guess you could do worse than try this 'resolution' yourself.


D

I just got a new V1615 as a warranty replacement from Vodafone UK - it came with WM6.1, ROM version 3.28.161.1 WWE.

Generally the few changes seem nicer, but I'd agree it's no great leap over 6.0

Hi folks,

I'm just back on the forum after a long absence - I first joined when I bought the TYTN, but then tailed off a bit...

Anyway - a nice man (?) from Vodafone called today and offered me a TYTN II, or rather their equivalent... since I tried out an SE P1i a few weeks ago and came away unimpressed, I said yes. But I do wonder if those annoying hardware bugs have been sorted like:

- Screen flashing on and off occasionally and randomly (I expect this is fixed)
- 'NumLock' (the red dot) playing up occasionally, requiring several presses to get out of numerical entry mode

- And the big one that was more like a 'feature': Keyboard only permits numerical entry, when in a call; which made typing notes while in a call (eg. on a bluetooth headset) impossible.

I've tried searching for postings on these, but the last one is pretty tricky to Google because the keywords are pretty common.


D

Hmm.. Very quiet in here :-)

I've started using my Vario II again, and have a problem that I've not been able to Google a fix for.

If you're in a call, then it's impossible to type any of the letters which has an alternative numerical value - it'll always choose the number. ie. if I press H, it'll type '4'. If I press 'G', it'll type 'G'. This is regardless of the numerical lock, or anything else. It seems the phone locks the numerical keys to numerical mode, regardless of what you're doing or which app you're in.

So - if you're using a headset, and you want to make some notes on your PDA, then tough: typing "Call Steve" will come out as "Ca== S#e*e".

Does anyone know of a fix for this. I've seen it in a few firmware versions. The On-screen keyboard is unaffected - you can tap out "Call Steve" until your hearts' content.... but just very slowly!

Thanks!


Damian

Well, I received my Nokia E61 on Vodafone on Friday... so far it's been reasonably steady, although I haven't added many third-party apps yet. I have noticed that with Good Messaging installed (essential for me), it's reporting out-of-memory errors if I open a couple of other apps plus a few web pages; not promising!

Anyway, I'm transferring my PIM functions to the E61, and then sending the Vario2 back to TMO for a refresh. Hopefully they'll magically provide the firmware update that is unavailable for download, it'll be more stable, and I can switch back. The Vario2 hardware is definitely more usable, with the softkeys, nicer keyboard (although the audible click is distracting to others in a meeting), scroller, and touchscreen.

For hardware that's stable, usable, and can run 10 major apps without the user even noticing, it seems there's still only one P910i. I'll see how I get on with the E61 and replaced Vario2, however.


[d]

No, there isn't one... that's the problem. Most other operators and HTC themselves have released improved firmware in the past few months, but not T-Mobile.

If you want, there is a version of firmware that will give you an unbranded interface AND SIM unlock your phone (see other posts). I haven't done this as I may want to return mine, and it invalidates the warranty.


(d)

I see the bugs/issues thread has been locked now (I'm afraid I've been off the forum for several weeks, and am pretty out of touch), so I thought I'd just have a quick rant:

Currently, my Vario II is piling unrelenting love and unforgettable joy upon me, in the form of:

- The keyboard sometimes becoming completely unresponsive, including softkeys, but not buttons; sometimes it comes back, sometimes not
- The backlight occasionally flashing off and then on with consequetive keypresses
- The lack of keyboard buffer meaning that it misses odd keyboard presses every time the CPU goes under load, meaning I get typos anywhere from every 40th, to every 2nd, word.
- CAPS lock inverting, so a "C" ends up representing Caps Off
- Function/CAPS becoming confused, such that it can take 20-30 keypresses and fiddling to get it back into lowercase text mode
- Bluetooth switching itself off for no reason
- Being unreachable for incoming calls, quite a lot
- *NEW* : The buzzer switched on, and refused to turn off the other day, until it vibrated off the end of the table and fell to the floor. Never seen a cat so scared!
- *NEW* : It decided to dial "Unknown" number today. Pressing the END key had no effect, and neither did turning the phone off/on
- *NEW* : ActiveSync is starting to ignore Tasks syncing between the two devices, even though I cleaned out and refreshed the PIMs recently
- Skype is now more reliable; meaning it still requires a memory flush, and then will load 1 in 4 times
- Just hanging. 2-3 times a day.

Add to this T-Mobile's wonderful service:
- Orb streaming video over WCDMA still working for 30 seconds at best, unless you're standing still in an area with excellent coverage. When it might last a few minutes.
- The CSAs repeatedly telling me that the Vario 2 update was right there on the website. Of course, it wasn't.
- Being advised to switch my lovely HSDPA device to GPRS mode, to avoid it crashing/locking/being unable to get a data connection
... although I do still like them a lot, overall.

I expect many of these are old hat, but I have been away - sorry if I'm repeating much of this! Most of these have been long-standing problems for my phone - but they've been brought to the fore by the continuing absence of a firmware update from TMO, and my renewed need for a device that actually improves productivity.

Anyway, I've decided there's nothing for it but to call T-Mobile and get into a replacement cycle. I'm hoping that after three or four, they might offer me a different phone....

:-(


[d]

Depends what it's been working on so far. I bought an (alledgedly) Sandisk 2Gb MicroSD, and it seemed to be one of the poor quality ones out there. For these, they tend to work OK with FAT, but start causing problems with FAT32 (ie. failed reads, corrupt disc, etc).

I reformatted mine back to FAT32 recently during a rebuild, and it's lost virtually the entire disc once since then. A PC-based recovery program brought it back, good as new, in a second, however - so it's not necessarily a total loss.

Ironically, I'd decided to store my important files on the 'non-volatile' flash ;-)


[d]

Maybe the data rate where you are is so low that it can only manage audio. If it's happening consistently, it could be a setting on your phone, or on the streaming device.


[d]

It could be a network problem. I did phone up TMO to see if they could help - and they did. They talked me through how to switch the Vario2 into GSM-only mode!

You may laugh, but it does actually work! I've not had a connection failure in 24 hours. The CSA's explanation was, effectively, that although I had a WCDMA pilot signal, there wasn't enough power for the data channel, so it couldn't connect to one.

All this took place in the centre of Leicester Square at 9pm last night, with 5 3G bars on the phone. Hmmm....

Anyway - it works, and so far I seem to be getting a better, more reliable data connection - given the number of connect failures or genuinely poor 3G signal areas I was getting. I'm often getting 10kB/s - enough for effective web browsing.

Of course, I'm locked out of videocalls, Skype, streaming media and simultaneous voice/data (the Hermes is Class B(?) on 2G, it seems.

So, why did I get this thing again?

I use PIE as standard, although I prefer Opera for rendering. Unfortunately the start-up time and lack of mapped Back button are enough to make it way slower than PIE for Ad-Hoc use.

I've also tried Opera Mini briefly, and it made me wonder why I need a smartphone at all! Ironic that the Java lightweight version is more usable and capable than the full PDA version. However, again, the lack of one-button fast access and hardware button navigation make it less useful.

Opera's the better browser for me, but PIE is better integrated. Also, I've not used PIEPlus before (just seen the page), and that seems to fill the gaps quite well.


[d]

Hi,

Does anyone get the "Cannot connect for an unknown reason" error when using their Vario in normal use, and if so, have you found a reason? I get it occasionally when the data connection has been disconnected (maybe while out of coverage for a while), and it's trying to re-establish the GPRS/3G link.

It happens maybe once a day or so - and it normally requires either a phone connection cycle, a power off or a soft reset to get working again. However, right now it's just refusing to work despite three resets. I'm not sure if it's the network or the phone, or both.

It shows "Connecting to: T-Mobile Internet" twice in succession, and then gives up and reports the error. I have default APN settings at the moment.


Damian

Two very insightful articles - one from last month, and one yesterday:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/23/iphone_will_fail/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/10/ip..._is_the_market/

I would... but for many people, it would probably be enough to have Dashboard widgets (which iPhone supports) performing the task. Things like Currency Converters, Flight Planners, Weather display, Note Takers, ToDo Managers...

I'm not sure about that... WM devices are marketed and sold on their integration within the Office/Exchange environment. ie. a powerful mobile office suite. Since Apple don't have any presence in the desktop or server side, there's no synergy to be had from an iPhone that provides mobile PIM. I see iPhone and Windows Mobile 2005 having almost zero overlap; one's a consumer device, the other's a business tool. And if you want something that does both (and here I'm talking about things like Walkman and Carl Zeiss branding), Nokia and SE are happy to oblige.

I usually swim against the current, but I eventually got an iPod video because you can ask "Has anyone got an iPod charger" and usually get a more positive response than "Has anyone got a Zen Vision:M charger"? I use my own, black, headphones though :-)



Yep, agreed.

Ouch!

I've been more cautious with my Hermes than my P910i; mostly because of the larger screen area, and plainer form. I suggest the same as me - use a jeans pocket, and attach a wrist strap so that it's easier to grab and take out


[d]

...or not.

OK, I should have waited for those replies first

Yeah, that's interesting. I didn't see any PIM apps there - did anyone? I wonder if Apple are still working out the details with the Calendar, Task List, and Notes apps; I didn't even see an icon for these on the demo UI.

Then they have to worry about:
- PIM synchronisation to desktop
- Push PIM sync, including 3rd-party apps
-....

'Nuff said. This is definitely NOT something your IT department buys you; they might let you sync to Outlook when docked, via iTunes, but Apple won't touch the Mobile Office space, and so MS aren't under threat on the business side of things. I suspect most people buying MS smartphones do it for the PIM integration, either because of ActiveSync, or because of the numerous ads focussing on exactly that.

So - when they say "Smartphone", they mean a phone with high-end CPU and OS - but not necessarily a classic smartphone as we see them now. No-one's going to be typing long emails on that screen... and if they do, hopefully Apple include a screen duster to clean it afterwards


OTOH, Jobs wasn't lying: this is revolutionary, and blows everything else clean out of the water on first impressions. I think the hardware choices are a good compromise... why use 3G if it halves your battery life, why choose a 5mp camera with poor quality over a 2mp camera that gets things just right, etc.

As for the operators... I think they'll be very happy with this. People may even be willing to pay full whack for the device, saving '00s in subsidies, and if Apple offered even a tiny share from the direct-to-mobile iTunes downloads, the volume would make their current download revenues look like peanuts. People would also really start using Data Services en-masse, and enjoy it, and we're seeing the necessary flat-rate tariffs already with T-Mobile's Web'n'Walk. They've also stolen a march on Windows Live and Nokia Widsets.


But I won't get one, because I can't get my work email, or install loads of convoluted free apps on it


[d]

I was going to post an update.... I gave up on mine. In the end, I think it was the fiddliness of getting to the bottom D-pad key and bottom corner keyboard keys, along with it being slightly harder to pull out of my pocket due to the friction of the case. I never did get used to the shielded hardware keys either - I'd end up pressing the Voice Dial button instead of the Connection button.

I've now opted for a simple wrist strap, and no case: when in my pocket, it's easy to grab, and I can put it over my wrist (or usually a couple of fingers) if I'm wary of dropping it, such as when walking. As for protecting against wear and tear, I have a screen protector, and keep it in a pocket devoid of keys or coins, and it seems to be holding up pretty well.

If you're dropping your Vario, I don't think the silicone would help that much - I think it would pop out of the case too easily, or land screen-first (no protection here). You're better off with a full case... or something more rugged, like an E61


[d]

I was going to post an update.... I gave up on mine. In the end, I think it was the fiddliness of getting to the bottom D-pad key and bottom corner keyboard keys, along with it being slightly harder to pull out of my pocket due to the friction of the case. I never did get used to the shielded hardware keys either - I'd end up pressing the Voice Dial button instead of the Connection button.

I've now opted for a simple wrist strap, and no case: when in my pocket, it's easy to grab, and I can put it over my wrist (or usually a couple of fingers) if I'm wary of dropping it, such as when walking. As for protecting against wear and tear, I have a screen protector, and keep it in a pocket devoid of keys or coins, and it seems to be holding up pretty well.

If you're dropping your Vario, I don't think the silicone would help that much - I think it would pop out of the case too easily, or land screen-first (no protection here). You're better off with a full case... or something more rugged, like an E61


[d]

Hmm... probably all the early P990i/Hermes adopters switching back ;-)

I just dropped in to find the answer to this question; at least it's not me missing a configuration option!

Hopefully Skype will resolve this in their next version. I have tried calling people with Skype from my handset a few times, usually eliciting responses like "Why can I hear myself", "There's around a 4-second delay!?" and "Can you call me back from a proper phone?"

It'll be interesting to see whether the Symbian version is any better when Three release it on their X-phone in a couple of weeks, since they tend to have more CPU/memory constraints.


[d]

I've also found mine hanging while in suspend mode, such that it won't turn on when I pick it up again. That's the most annoying, as I might have had a half-finished document in RAM at the time... It happens once every few days or so.

I am going to rebuild it, and slowly re-install the apps; hopefully I'll find any troublesome ones in the process. So far, Skype seems to be the worst offender.


[d]

I found the same myself; I hard-reset it, and am part-way through rebuilding it, and it's been better.

As I installed apps, I found one that seemed to affect speed and startup stability was Fitaly v4.0 (touchscreen-optimised pop-up keyboard). It's their first version for WM2005, so it could have a few bad bugs in it.


[d]