Questions from a future User

[jasqid]

Hi all!
I wanted to ask a few questions to those of you that are currently using a WP7 device. I've been doing a lot of reading on blogs, several forums, and several posts in here that have left me wanting to know more details specifics.

I read the post here about deleting a windows live ID and users saying they wanted the device to sync to google. Well, I have a LiveID and also an exchange account. I'd prefer to have the exchange account as the primary for calendar and contacts.

1. Does the device allow you to choose an actual exchange account as the primary for calendar and contact sync? I currently have my LiveID mail fwd to my exchange account. I understand that I will have to use my Live ID to setup the phone for many of the features, but can that primary save be changed? (I currently have a palm pre and have the option to choose the primary sync accounts for calendar, contacts and email separately.)

2. Can you beam pictures to another device (i.e. Notebook) via bluetooth? I've read about the issues with WP7 Bluetooth recently, but havent seen anything about OBEX file transfers. I've also read that the device can auto upload to your skydrive, which actually may not be so bad.

3. When will I be able to upgrade to WP7 on my sprint account? (Okay... this is a rhetorical ? Early 2011...) Just dont say, "in the coming months." LOL

 

[Rico]

The only question I can answer in confidence is regarding Bluetooth support. The're's no OBEX support, only headset and A2DP it seems, with the possible exception of AVRCP. I was annoyed when I couldn't pair it with my old Windows Mobile handset to send a few pics over. I guess it's to be expected, but it's the iPhone experience all over again. More specifically, it's the iPhone experience that I poked fun at iPhone users for years ago. Fortunately, this isn't something that causes me to eat crow very often.

Regarding Exchange support, I'm gonna take a guess and say that you can't use it as your primary sync account. I'm sure Microsoft would prefer people to use Windows Live versus their own hosted solutions, even if they're running Exchange. I've seen no way to do this, either on the phone or via Live.com. A minor consolation is the abilty to view and hide multiple calendars, including the ability to hide your Windows Live calendar.

 

[Jay Bennett]

Hi jasqid, welcome to the site.

I can answer your question to a degree, I currently have a Windows Live ID and an Exchange account configured on my phone. I can sync contacts, email and calendar with both of them.

When I create or save an attached calendar entry I can decide which calendar to save it to.
When I create a contact I can chose which account they should belong to.

Every time you chose to create an e-mail (including through sharing images, webpages etc) you can chose the account to send from.

The definition of 'primary' is a little difficult here, yes your Windows Live ID will be associated, and it will be used for billing and for skydrive when uploading your photos, but it is possible to tell the phone not to sync e-mails with it at all, which effectively would allow you to use Outlook as your primary (although you would have to be choosing that account for contacts and calendar as stated above).

There is no bluetooth transfer, but you can attach though e-mail and upload images (only images) to skydrive and Facebook, personally I've been using DropBox for standard file transfers.

It's also worth noting that the device's picture hub will automatically show your skydrive and facebook albums as stored on the cloud.

My answers stop there as I'm in the UK, obviously Sprint don't operate over here

Hope that helps!

 

[jasqid]

thanks for the replies guys! And yes that helps clarify some things for me. Since BT doesn't work for me on my pre, I guess I really won't miss it on wp7. Although, my instinct did it and I loved using it.

is there a setting to have the phone sync or auto save your photos to your skydrive automatically then? Or is this something you have to manually do to sync the newly captured photos?

 

[L3vi]

There is a setting to automatically upload photos you take to Sky Drive. The first time you start up the camera it asks you if that's ok. You can toggle the option in settings as well.

 

[Jay Bennett]

Yeah as L3vi said, although I do wish there was an option to autoupload photos only when on Wifi (batch upload new ones etc), otherwise you're eating into your data plan with the click-then-upload system

 

[NickA]

3. When will I be able to upgrade to WP7 on my sprint account? (Okay... this is a rhetorical ? Early 2011...) Just dont say, "in the coming months." LOL

Just found this article: Sprint To Release HTC Arrive And Kyocera Echo Windows Phone 7 Devices Soon? – Mibz.com

So maybe you'll have your WP7 sooner then you think. Maybe it will be announced at World Mobile Congress in a few weeks.