SPV E650 - customisation for middle age blindness

[Guest hardlyworthit]

I have just received my E650 after having used the C500 for some years. Firstly may I say what a disappointment Windows Mobile 6 is. Its slow ( I know about the memory management thing but its still slow ), they have moved a few buttons about needlessly ( in sms 'new' is now 'delete'), the T9 is now the most awkward I have used ( I guess that's why you need the silly keyboard and fingers of a 5 year old) and its incredibly slow going between entry modes and lastly, some things are now in incredibly small text and where as I could use the C500 easily without my reading glasses, the E650 I can't (I've tried the useless accessiblity thing - the font is stupidly big). Also you still have to install another application to cut and paste.

So I have a few days to make up my mind whether to send it back or not, and I wondered if the forum could help me try and make a few changes:

1) when the keypad is locked the back light is only at half brightness, which means you can't read it in daylight and you can't read the new clock thing if you have it enabled for the same reason. Is there a registry hack to make it full brightness.

2) Can I change the Accessibility font size somewhere? EDIT Have found the HKCU\ControlPanel\Accessibility but it only alows 1 for normal and 2 for large - you can not adjust the size properly.

3) On the C500 when you had an incoming call the name of the caller was in big letters. Now, and if the keypad is locked at half brightness, the name is in small font. Could you direct me to the XML file where I can change this ... if its possible.

4) is it possible to have a start menu like the C500 where you can put in the number of the application from the keypad instead of having to fumble with the joystick thing and clicking the icons.

5) it would be nice to have the 'new' softbutton rather than the 'delete' softbutton in sms. Where is that XML file and is it easy to change.

Finally, the only reason I have stuck with microsoft is because I like the homescreen showing me what my next appointment is. Does any one know of any other phone operating systems that can do this.

Sorry about the rant and hope you can help

Edited July 20, 2007 by hardlyworthit

[Guest hardlyworthit]

No reply to my post... Oh dear I think the phone will have to go back then.

I'm amazed that no one's interested in getting the backlight to come on full when the keypad is locked to read the clock like the C500/550... Maybe everyone stays in doors these days..

[Guest Samsonite]

No reply to my post... Oh dear I think the phone will have to go back then.

I'm amazed that no one's interested in getting the backlight to come on full when the keypad is locked to read the clock like the C500/550... Maybe everyone stays in doors these days..

i do agree with you about the backlight thing - but i havent got a clue as to how to change it. i'm not a fan of altering the Registry and find myself locking/unlocking the phone just to check the time - madness!!

i looked about before committing to the E650 in terms of diary management etc. and nothing comes close, not if you use Outlook and sync the phone to a PC. The Nokia suite is better than it ever used to be but you cant have the information on the screen on the devices i was looking at. Maybe the all singing all dancing N95 is different but i didn't want that one.

the size of the incoming call can be sorted with a skin cant it? I'm sure I've seen bigger incoming info screenshots somewhere - if not, how about a photo app that shows you who it is?

as for some of your requirements, i have plumped for Facade as a today screen plugin (about 6 quid from the FairDeal shop here) and have a fixed Launcher on the today screen. It can be made to have bigger icons as a preference but that involves a bit of messing about i cant be @rsed with. maybe give that a whirl to solve your start menu quandary...

the New SMS button is not something i find myself wanting as you can get to a new txt by entering the first few letters of the contact you want to SMS at the Today screen and then its a couple of clicks.. whether its less than New, Recipient, start typing etc i dont know - i've never felt the need to count!!

hope you stay faithful to the cause... :)

[Guest hardlyworthit]

the size of the incoming call can be sorted with a skin cant it? I'm sure I've seen bigger incoming info screenshots somewhere - if not, how about a photo app that shows you who it is?

Its not part of the skin unless someone knows something I don't. Have upped the default font size on the home screen and it works a treat. Have had a good search on the web and there is a system font in the registry but the powers that be won't let you change it.

Will try the Facade thing..

the New SMS button is not something i find myself wanting as you can get to a new txt by entering the first few letters of the contact you want to SMS at the Today screen and then its a couple of clicks.. whether its less than New, Recipient, start typing etc i dont know - i've never felt the need to count!!

You may be right - I hadn't tried it like that before. could be a way forward.

As to the cause.... I still love the C500 - it did everything I wanted with the addition of smartphone notes. A little clumsey on a few things but all in all a robust, well thought out and well designed piece of kit. Pitty the membrane keypad used to go a bit wonky. ( on both ones I had )

Might buy another and stay faithful that way... Oh and thanks for replying.... :)

Edit->(a little later) I have packed up my E650 to sell and plugged my old battered C500 back in ( have ordered one of the clearence ones from modaco). Have uninstalled the horrible activesync 4.5 that fought with zone alarm and reinstalled 3.8. How fast is synchronising, well I didn't measure it but a whole lot faster. I can read all the screens without my glasses. But the thing that strikes me most of all about the C500 is the key spacing. you really can type accurately and quickly, something that was lost with the C550 with its cheaper construction and closer buttons. I'd be glad to give up a few pixels of resolution anyday for actually being able to use the thing properly.

A friend of mine who was a product designer said most of the time things were redesigned when they didn't need it. Design of phones is done to seduce us at the point of sale and not anymore than that.

The C500 is dead....Long live the SPV C500........ Here's to the designers, testers, investers and managers who between them created a great phone.... I can only assume they all we fired after it was released!... here endeth the thread.

Edited July 22, 2007 by hardlyworthit