Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions. Can I please get some help?

Lucius Snow

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Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Hi all,

I've been using a HTC HD2 running WM 6.5 since 2009. I'm still happy with it but it becomes more and more obsolete for many things (no 4G, unable to browse "modern" website, no HTML email support etc.). Now i think about purchasing a Lumia 950 for WM 10. However, there're many functions that seems lost or deeply changed since 2009. I need a new phone for professionnal use. I don't need social networks, games or entertainment things (what Android do very well by the way).

1/ I use Outlook 2010 on Windows 7 and i need to sync all my calendar and contacts with no cloud at all for privacy reasons. I have no exchange server. I'd like to do this through Bluetooth as i do it everyday with WM6.5. This seems impossible nowadays! Even between Outlook desktop and Outlook mobile. This is a hudge regression to me. I'm still stuck with my old WM 6.5 mainly because of this. I've heard of a software called Akruto but it works with a USB cable (another regression). Plus, and i can't find any feedback about this software. Is it really cloudless or not... we don't know.

2/ I need to sync many files by keeping the original tree with folders, subfolders etc, with no cloud again, between my desktop and my mobile. And i need this data being crypted in AES in case I'd lose my phone or some people try to access it. For now with my HD2, i use FreeOTFE which crypts and mounts a drive with a letter (i.e : G: ) on the desktop from a file stored in the microSD card inside the phone. After that, i can sync the files with a special software on Windows 7. This software needs a letter to be mounted for working. But again, it seems the MTP protocol has become the standard, and it's not possible to get a letter with it... Another regression.

3/ I need visual notifications when there's a miss call, a voicemail or a new mail without sound pop-up and without having to turn on the smartphone screen . The LED was very useful but i disappeared too. It was replaced by the glance thing which looks interesting. Does it work with the Lumia 950? I've read the glance doesn't exist (or doesn't work well) with AMOLED screen. By the way, can you choose what kind of notification exactly you need? To avoid draining battery for not useful things.

4/ I've been using Tomtom for GPS for 10 years now. And i'm sad to discover it doesn't exist on WM. What good alternative would you recommand? With of course point of interest customing and lansdcape mode switching automatically. Or, would you think the method to make working Androids apps on WM10 would work with a GPS software?

5/ Does Google maps exist on WM10? I don't want any alternative, but the original one for many special reasons.

Thank you very much.
 

xandros9

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Offline sync has gone the way of the dodo, makes me think of Palm OS as an alternative.

regardless, I think with those needs you will not be happy with Windows 10 Mobile. Best to try to tailor Android to your needs.
 

BSobotta

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Offline sync has gone the way of the dodo, makes me think of Palm OS as an alternative.

regardless, I think with those needs you will not be happy with Windows 10 Mobile. Best to try to tailor Android to your needs.

Probably right on this.
 

ashram

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Wait, and hd2 since 2009? You deserve a reward as you missed most of the modern smartphone era. Also shows that Windows Mobile 6.5 wasn't as bad as some make it sound!!!
 

mrvmrv

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

I jumped from WM 6.1 to Windows 8. Windows 10 is not much different from 8. You can sync your Outlook contacts by connecting the phone to the computer with USB cable, I don't know about Bluetooth though. My contacts' photos didn't transfer that well, they were too small for my new big screen phone, so I had to download them separately. I'm not sure about synching, but you can copy all files through USB connection, the phone shows as a portable drive on the computer. As for notifications, they come out on the lock screen, and you can turn off the ringer if your want. Windows phone comes with several maps apps like Here Maps, Maps (former Bing Maps), they are OK. But I share your feelings, I liked WM 6.1 much more. It seemed much more customizable and less locked down. On the other hand, it's much easier to add other languages to the Windows 8.

BTW, I didn't like Android at all. It seems to be even more locked down and less customizable than Windows.
 

anon(7929613)

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Windows 6.1? Please upgrade ASAP! The best thing about Windows 10 is the UNIVERSAL app. So go for it.
 

Lucius Snow

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Wait, and hd2 since 2009? You deserve a reward as you missed most of the modern smartphone era. Also shows that Windows Mobile 6.5 wasn't as bad as some make it sound!!!
I have never considered that offering all your professionnal data to the cloud is "modern" step, but it's a personnal and rare opinion of course.

Yes i used the same phone during 6 years, thanks to the removable battery. That's why I'm interested into the Lumia 950. But you're going to tell me this is not "modern" too because you lose a few millimiters thickness :)
 

Lucius Snow

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Windows 6.1? Please upgrade ASAP! The best thing about Windows 10 is the UNIVERSAL app. So go for it.
Yes i've been waiting for WM 10 to jump. It looks a great O.S. But if there's no way to keep my data synced, then i refuse.
 

Marko Marjanovic

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

We still don't know about those ,,universal" applications; i've waited for this so long and i'm going to wait even more if i had to.
In your case, there is a problem being fbi/cia agent like yourself and try to keep with tech you love. My best answer, after waiting a little (hope) more is get two phones. One for..business (android most likely but it's open and hackable, or keep hd2) and one for pleasure/usual things (try new 950 or older 1520/930.. Some nexus or LGG phones to keep with ,,tech stuff").
 

xandros9

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

Also I wanted to note:

2) I'm not sure how well you can do this syncing thing honestly. The current lack of mass storage is a serious impediment, which would be a big plus for Android although what I might recommend is using OneDrive and hooking it up with Boxcryptor which encrypts the files end-to-end.

3) Glance might be exactly what you want. Glance is indeed on the 950 and it is something that was practically made for AMOLED.
Here is a guide I wrote on Glance. It's outdated, but almost all of its information still applies.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-8-how-guides/294703-[guide]-glance.html

Battery drain for notification stuff wont be a concern.

4) HERE Drive has been the de facto GPS turn-by-turn navigation solution, but W10M does have a default Maps app capable of it.
There is no longer an Android on WM solution at this time.

5) No official Google Maps, however there are a handful of third-party apps. I cant vouch for their information though.
 

Lucius Snow

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Re: Switch from WM6.5 to WM10, a big step and a lot of questions

The way Boxcryptor works sounds perfect to me since it encrypts the data in a local mounted virtual drive before going to the cloud. And it encrypts the filenames too. In these conditions, I may start to use the cloud :)

The glance system looks perfect too.

About Google maps, i still use it - the official Google app - with WM6.5. So it disappeared too... Well, I've looked into Gmaps+ alternative. Does it use all Google data (maps, local business, live traffic) ? I can't find any info about the 2 last of them. And i don't know also if autorotation in landscape mode works...

EDIT : It seems Outlook tasks and contact categories also disappeared from Windows mobile 10 (while they were inside the old WM 6.5). This is terrible for professionnal use. I've got 1000+ contacts in 10 categories and a lot of tasks for work. Regression, regression :)
 
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