My problem with all of this (including Touchflo 3d) is I just hate this naff idea of running one interface on top of another, and "hiding" the actual UI that will always show through the surface in the end - when the "shell" inevitably crashes, or gets sent to the background, or fails to cover up some nuance or other.

Yes the WM UI could be improved, but until it is, that is the UI, there's no getting away from it - Touchflo, and SPB etc, are just applications running alongside it, trying to smother what the OS itself is trying to do and hide it all behind a pretty curtain. Silly.

I think things have to go one of two ways with WM7. Either they completely abstract the UI from the OS and its data, so the likes of HTC and Toshiba can genuinely replace the standard UI with their own (kind of like a really advanced theme), or they redesign the standard WM UI itself to bring it completely up to date, at which point all these little customisations and propietary apps will become redundant and unwanted by most people. I'm sure MS could manage that quite easily, if the will is there.

Last year I flat out ignored the Iphone, it was massively overexpensive and "closed", lacking too many features which couldn't (at that time) be added.

Things have moved on since then - they're opening up to developers, have added a couple of must-have's (like GPS, 3G and Exchange support), and the price is coming right down too. This time I'll seriously think about it, depending on what (if anything) Vodafone offer me when my kaiser contract is up in the Autumn, although the move to O2 does put me off quite a bit.

If they dropped the exclusivity altogether and Apple were freely selling these on any network, I think they'd really start flying.

I think what the OP found out the hard way is right - you can't restore a backup from 6.0 to a 6.1 ROM, as there are too many changes between the two ROMs. It's quite unhealthy to restore a backup from one ROM onto another anyway, since you may be restoring settings etc that actually conflict with the new system - it's best to use backups only for restoring data to the same device, not for transferring to something new (which is what your Tytn II essentially is, after it's software has been upgraded).

The best (but longwinded) way would indeed be to restore the 6.0 ROM, then restore the backup, then find another more manual way to copy the data off in some way that can be copied back after an update. Personally I copied all my documents to the PC, sync'd my calendar, contacts and mail with Exchange, and then used software called PIMBackup to just backup my SMS and my call history. Then, after upgrading to 6.1, an Exchange sync restored much of the data, documents could just be copied back over, and the PIMBackup restored my SMS and call history quite happily (although MMS attachments, eg pictures, were lost).

PIMBackup is freeware, just google for it. For the 6.0 Rom, try a search on XDA Developers forum, they have links to pretty much every rom released there.

Does anyone know if the X1 is any good at still images and video recording? I think it's all guess work right now until either of these phones are actually out there in people's hands. Given that there's no difference in resolution between this and the Kaiser, I wouldn't imagine there's any great difference, but it all depends on the software really.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'll give this one a miss. It's really not a substantial upgrade to the Kaiser, and I don't think I like some of the changes they've made (particularly the loss of the tilt and various buttons). I like the WinMo interface and I'm not sure I'm ready to swap it all for Manilla, either.

With the 6.1 update, the Kaiser is already bang up to date, doing everything the new phone does, and generally working better than ever. I'll stick with that until there's something really new out there (or my Kaiser falls apart).

Agreed, I think that's a real backwards step - although the actual qwerty keyboard is better, it looks like a lot of the more common functions will actually be less easy to access on this device (although I'm sure HTC would argue we should be jabbing at the Manila interface on the touchscreen for all the rest).

I answered this in another thread, but Kaisertweak can do it. It's just a registry switch.



To select an individual message within a conversation, scroll up and down with the wheel or the d-pad - you'll see the current message highlighted in pale blue. When the message you want is selected, just press Menu, then select either delete, forward, etc.

For some reason you can't just point to the message you want with the stylus and select it that way, but nevermind.

Very true. SE are obviously gunning for the "premium" market with the X1, leveraging their much more recognised brand name, posh metal casing etc. It'll be pricier than the HTC branded version of the Raphael, let alone the operator branded versions like the Vario IV etc.

My branded "V1615" was a £50 upgrade on Vodafone and the Raphael might just possibly be the same; the X1 will never be pitched at that level even assuming Voda carry it.

My Vodafone contract is up in November, by which time I suspect they'll have this badged up as the V1715 or whatever... I'm happy to stick with the Kaiser until they're able to offer this cheap.

There's a half-truth to it, but in reality you can save to 2003. It's like this:

By default, any new documents are created as a ".docx" file and can only be "saved as" docx, RTF, txt etc - there's no Office 2003 option at the point you're trying to save anything.

HOWEVER - under Tools -> Options you can set the default template to "Office 97-2003", meaning any new documents are now created and saved as good old .doc format (or .xls if you choose 97-2003 Workbook in the Excel options).

Personally, I can't imagine why anyone would want to natively create Office 2007 versions on their WM device, so I've set both my defaults to 97-2003 mode, safe in the knowledge that virtually anyone can use them without issue.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure this isn't a WM6.1 issue, but an Office Moble 6.1 issue, since I'm 99% certain it was same on my Kaiser with the old 6.0 Rom.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.p...mp;postcount=24

There's a switch for it in the latest version of Kaisertweak - I've not tried it (I quite like it threaded) but it claims to switch between threaded and normal on 6.1 ROMs.

You'll need the latest XML file here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=349009

I got excited enough about this yesterday to post a handy how-to guide on XDA - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.p...mp;postcount=24

It really is pretty easy.

Just a few weeks ago actually - I got impatient and decided to try one of Dutty's 6.1 ROMs, didn't get on with it at all, and ended up going back to the original 6.0.

I don't mean to suggest that this update is any kind of performance miracle, but it is snappier IMHO. The pauses and occasional unresponsiveness I always had with the original ROM, and which initially worsened considerably with the 6.1 ROM, are now completely gone after the SPL change, and that's a real gain for me - but your mileage may vary.

I don't think the portrait->landscape switch is slower, it just pauses before doing the whole switch at once, while the old ROM took a similar time to do the same job in stages.



Interesting. I'm sure the devs over on XDA would be interested in a ROM extract of that - if it's genuinely a newer/better version there's no reason why we couldn't all be running it.

I have a Vodafone V1615, which had HardSPL installed six months ago, allowing me to the flash the original HTC Rom back then (Win 6.0).

Of course with HardSPL installed I could install this new 6.1 update on my branded device, and did so at the weekend. On the whole I felt it was an improvement to the original, but it was freezing in quite an irritating way - button presses getting ignored, then coming back to life a few seconds later, that kind of thing.

It now turns out that this behaviour is caused by HardSPL - HTC have updated the SPL in the new Rom, which HardSPL users weren't getting. I re-flashed my phone with just the SPL portion this morning (without losing any data happily) and it's now running perfectly.

For me, this update definitely is much better - aside from the few new features of 6.1 (threaded SMS and the new IE are both nice) the whole thing feels much snappier and more responsive. Screen changing (portrait to landscape) is more pleasant, tho not any faster, and there are less delays generally. It's no miracle cure for the driver shortcomings, but it's a step in the right direction, and I'm definitely sticking with it.

I'm holding out for the official release of this on the HTC site - I find it a bit dubious that this has already been knocking around on XDA Devs for a couple of days, and the response both there and here seems a little mixed. If it is the final release then so be it, I'll probably upgrade anyway, but I think it's worth waiting a few days to find out.

Good point, I should add that I only chanced my arm because it's my own personal phone, I got it quite cheaply and, well, I felt lucky - obviously if you're concerned about maintaining your warranty, or having to explain yourself to work, then you might want to leave the HardSPL alone!

I got my V1615 back in October, and almost immediately flashed to the stock HTC original ROM, thereby losing all the uneccesary Vodafone guff and gaining a few extras like WorldCardMobile and Live Messenger. I never really looked back from that point on, the stock ROM is stable, quick, fully featured, and pretty much fine.

About two weeks ago, after reading about all these new Win 6.1 ROMs that people like Dutty have been cooking up, I bit the bullet and tried Dutty's latest (at the time, he's probably six or seven newer versions since then). Personally, I hated it - it felt unstable, I hated all the "kewl" customisations that had been made, and I could see no real benefit to it at all - I didn't even keep it long enough to find all the bugs, but the posts on that and every other cooking thread over on XDA show there are plenty. Personally I just don't think it's worth it, I'd rather stick to the properly tested generic version that just works.

Having said all that, the lastest news (over on MSMobiles and elsewhere) is that HTC are about to release a whole new ROM for the Tytn II, supposedly improving graphics performance etc, so it might be worth waiting at least a week or so to see if that will emerge. If it takes any longer then it's almost certainly just another wind up (there have been a few) and never going to happen, so just go ahead and flash the stock rom.

PS - Note that you'll need to use "HardSPL" for the Kaiser to unlock your phone's rom for flashing before you can change the Vodafone rom - you'll find this and the HTC Rom over on the XDA Developers forum.

I think it's safe to say it's not meant to - that would be the Raphael, will obviously will appear at some point, just not today.

The "Diamond" is just the poster boy for this new Touch line, the most cuddly and consumer-facing arm of their WinMo line. The Raphael (or Tytn III if they call it that) will be all hard-nosed business, taking the best from the Diamond and putting it in a more feature-heavy suit.

That sounds ideal but I don't have anything like that in my battery settings - just a menu which points to backlight, and then from backlight back to power again. Or is "Battery status" something else, some third party software?

I don't really want to turn off notifications, because then I wouldn't get any, well, notifications...

I did try Slide2Unlock, but really wasn't keen at all. It really seems overcomplicated for what I want - I'm not trying to turn my phone into an Iphone, which is basically what that does, and I hate the whole fake-today-screen approach it uses. It also failed the first basic test by allowing a missed call notification to flash up after I'd deliberately missed a call, even though it was supposedly "locked" at the time. I don't know if it was a bug or some wrong setting somewhere, but either way I lost faith!

We don't know the exact arrangements of the deal, but both SE & HTC have made it pretty clear in interviews and reviews that it's an SE designed, SE product. Why go to HTC? Why not? SE outsource the manufacture of all their phones, and in the case of a new WM product HTC are the obvious OEM to choose.

Mind you, as a happy SE owner in the past, and an equally happy HTC owner right now, I don't really mind either way. My point is just that the X1 and Raphael are, potentially at least, two quite different products - and from what I've seen of both so far, the X1 seems a bit classier.

They're manufactured in the same plant somewhere, but designed by two different companies. I'm not suggesting that the Raphael will fall apart or anything - build quality is probably the wrong term, I'm generally pleased with the quality of my Tytn II - I'm just wondering if the "Tytn III" will be designed to the same high specification as the X1, eg with an all-metal case etc, or be more like the Tytn II it replaces - ie plasticky, though not in a bad way. They're two different products coming from different design houses, filling two different niches in their respective brand's portfolios, so we can't assume that they'll be the same in anything but paper spec - if that.




I understand the concept, I just can't think of too many practical uses for it. I guess it's useful if you make a lot of presentations, but I can't help thinking you'd be more likely to just use a laptop, or whatever equipment is there already, rather than waving your phone's usb lead around.

The G900's quite neat, but lacks HSDPA. To be honest, although the camera is slightly better (5mp vs. 3.2) the G900 really adds very little to the current range's P1, which is getting on for a year old now. The P1 may be older, but it's got a higher quality feel, and a full qwerty keyboard, all in a similar weight/size/form factor.

I like SE's UIQ phones, before the Tytn II I had an M600i which was again very similar to both the G900 and the P1 except without the wifi or camera, but they're all quite underpowered compared to WM, and the software support is very very slim.

From the looks of the pics so far, I think the X1 will still win out on build quality and size (although the Raphael may well be cheaper). I've yet to see the point of TV out, personally - doesn't register on my want list at all.

To be honest, given the vague "H2" release date we've had till now, September is actually pretty good going for Sony Ericsson - I'll be impressed if they get it out by then. They have a tendency in the past of turning the second half of one year into the first quarter of the next, or at least leaving general release down to the very last minute.

A dissapointment for those who were expecting it in July I guess, but I'm afraid they were always going to be dissapointed.