[Ankit Nawlakha]

I don't see any use for File Manager in Windows Phone concept. These things need to be totally transparent for users. We don't need a 80's feature in my brand new smartphone, that's useless.

But dude.. dont you download files from internet explorer or any other browser on your Wp..??? Dont you want them to show up somewhere on your phone...??
Lets say i want to download a .rar file... the download begins.. the download completes... and then BOOM.. You have no idea where that .rar file just vanished..!!

[Poirots Progeny]

Precisely - and that goes for any file type. I deal with multiple zips and pdfs and lord knows what else file types on a daily basis. If i am out and need to do something i use my blackberry. I would rather just use my wp8 phone. A file browser, and proper file organisation and manipulation and attachment options (including usb otg) well that would be superb. Not everyone uses the "cloud" - in fact we're not allowed to! Do have a microsd card though, and there is more than just pics and music on it. I would like to be able to interact with it in the same manner one does on windows proper :)

[N_LaRUE]

Not this discussion again.... sigh.

Let's all wait for WP8.1 to be released officially in a couple of weeks then we can see what this so called 'file manager' is. I don't think it will be anything like Android or Symbian.

As for USBOG, whatever makes the masses happy I suppose. I'm sure lots of people will be happy about that.

So we'll have HID support so people can get their keyboards and mice. Now USBOTG for a media HDD. Then you add a file manager and look a computer! So much for smartphones being smartphones....

I did like WP. So much for it being 'unique'.

[Rodrigo Mendes]

But dude.. dont you download files from internet explorer or any other browser on your Wp..??? Dont you want them to show up somewhere on your phone...??
Lets say i want to download a .rar file... the download begins.. the download completes... and then BOOM.. You have no idea where that .rar file just vanished..!!

Well, in this case, like I say, just open some RAR app or click on file in IE (it's open the apropriate app). It's not important for user where's the location of the file, this is a 80's concept. File structure it's a OS job, not mine. We don't need to worry with these things anymore. We already do a lot.

We must also remember that Windows Phone is an extension, an addition of a desktop/notebook. Mobile system need to to be more limited and practical. I'm work with IT support and I know how people still do not really understand Windows Explorer and file structure on Windows.

[eruptflail]

Are you sure a File manager isn't going to operate like a file explorer? My impression is that it will. Hopefully this will let you default apps to open specific files from specific location, ie. alowing the music app to open music files from your skydrive.

[Rodrigo Mendes]

Are you sure a File manager isn't going to operate like a file explorer? My impression is that it will. Hopefully this will let you default apps to open specific files from specific location, ie. alowing the music app to open music files from your skydrive.

I have no problems with File Explorer implementation, I just think we really don't need.

[Poirots Progeny]

Different people use their phones in different ways. Choice is good.

[heat 33330]

Not this discussion again.... sigh.

Let's all wait for WP8.1 to be released officially in a couple of weeks then we can see what this so called 'file manager' is. I don't think it will be anything like Android or Symbian.

As for USBOG, whatever makes the masses happy I suppose. I'm sure lots of people will be happy about that.

So we'll have HID support so people can get their keyboards and mice. Now USBOTG for a media HDD. Then you add a file manager and look a computer! So much for smartphones being smartphones....

I did like WP. So much for it being 'unique'.

So much crap I can't even begin.

[N_LaRUE]

So much crap I can't even begin.

Go for it. I'm sure I've heard everything you said before on the other dozen or so threads on these topics.

I'm excited to hear your new perspective. Dazzle me with your unique insight.

[RustyU]

I did like WP. So much for it being 'unique'.

If being unique is down to missing features that the competition has, then it's uniqueness is a bad thing.

[N_LaRUE]

If being unique is down to missing features that the competition has, then it's uniqueness is a bad thing.

Your impression of what the competition is limited by your idea that WP was competing against Android which was never the case.

MS wanted WP to be the new iPhone. The mistake that people keep making is thinking that MS planned on going to emerging markets, that was never the case, it was Nokia that took WP there, not MS. It is this group which is most vocal about wanting features like a 'file manager', SD app support and things like USBOTG. Don't get me started on background images...

I just hope you're not all too disappointed when things aren't what they seem. There won't be a file manager like Symbian or Android. It will be integrated within Onedrive where Onedrive is more integrated into WP. This is something that's been said for some time. As for the rest of what this thread is about, whatever. USBOTG, I had it on my N8. Used it once. Only people who have any need of this would use it. Same goes for a file manager.

Be clear on another thing. iPhones don't have a file manager. They are also very similar to WP in the way they function. The difference between them WP and iPhone has been the opening of the SDK to allow better apps. This is what WP needs to do and appears to be doing. This IS what is most important. Features come and go but a good open SDK to make killer apps is what is needed. This is where WP has fallen down so far.

Also for my friend up there. With the Nokia N8 you could hook up a powered external hard drive, HDMI cable out to a monitor and use a mouse. It was literally a small computer or a media player. People did it. I prefer that we move away from this idea personally as smartphones have become something unique in themselves but people keep wanting to return to this idea.

WP is a great platform. Different in its own way from the competition, however, many only see the negatives. It needs to be updated, it needs better features. Does it need the kitchen sink too though? That's my question for you.

[pranav rai]

Your impression of what the competition is limited by your idea that WP was competing against Android which was never the case.

MS wanted WP to be the new iPhone. The mistake that people keep making is thinking that MS planned on going to emerging markets, that was never the case, it was Nokia that took WP there, not MS. It is this group which is most vocal about wanting features like a 'file manager', SD app support and things like USBOTG. Don't get me started on background images...

I just hope you're not all too disappointed when things aren't what they seem. There won't be a file manager like Symbian or Android. It will be integrated within Onedrive where Onedrive is more integrated into WP. This is something that's been said for some time. As for the rest of what this thread is about, whatever. USBOTG, I had it on my N8. Used it once. Only people who have any need of this would use it. Same goes for a file manager.

Be clear on another thing. iPhones don't have a file manager. They are also very similar to WP in the way they function. The difference between them WP and iPhone has been the opening of the SDK to allow better apps. This is what WP needs to do and appears to be doing. This IS what is most important. Features come and go but a good open SDK to make killer apps is what is needed. This is where WP has fallen down so far.

Also for my friend up there. With the Nokia N8 you could hook up a powered external hard drive, HDMI cable out to a monitor and use a mouse. It was literally a small computer or a media player. People did it. I prefer that we move away from this idea personally as smartphones have become something unique in themselves but people keep wanting to return to this idea.

WP is a great platform. Different in its own way from the competition, however, many only see the negatives. It needs to be updated, it needs better features. Does it need the kitchen sink too though? That's my question for you.

​You are too sensible to be commenting here :>

[tgp]

With the Nokia N8 you could hook up a powered external hard drive, HDMI cable out to a monitor and use a mouse. It was literally a small computer or a media player. People did it. I prefer that we move away from this idea personally as smartphones have become something unique in themselves but people keep wanting to return to this idea.

A few of my colleagues and I were discussing the future of tech last week, and we agreed that this is exactly where we may find ourselves in the future.

At the moment hardware & OS (mostly the OS) aren't quite ready for a smartphone to replace a PC, but that day could be here soon. You would have a docking station for your phone on your desk, and your phone is your mobile device AND your workstation.

[N_LaRUE]

A few of my colleagues and I were discussing the future of tech last week, and we agreed that this is exactly where we may find ourselves in the future.

At the moment hardware & OS (mostly the OS) aren't quite ready for a smartphone to replace a PC, but that day could be here soon. You would have a docking station for your phone on your desk, and your phone is your mobile device AND your workstation.

Well, it's closer than you think. Could possibly be done with W8/WP8 mix. Two interfaces. One when in 'mobile mode' another while docked in desktop. Not too far fetched really.

Question will always be though, is it a good idea? We need prices of SSDs to come down to make it viable. We know things are getting smaller, thinner, more powerful and so on with the tablet market so next step... ? Can a smartphone replace a computer, really? Heat issues and all?

When I was first getting into smartphones I remember lots of people showing the 'future' with all kinds of neat things. I thought that was neat then. Now though, not too sure. There is some value in the different ecosystems while at the same time allowing them to merge.

It's a hard one.

[tgp]

Can a smartphone replace a computer, really? Heat issues and all?

At the moment, no. But we see constant progression. It doesn't seem very feasible now, but hardware keeps changing. The modern high end smartphone has hardware that's just as powerful as the PCs from 5 years ago. That's why I say that the OS is probably the biggest restriction right now.

Awhile ago I saw a YouTube video that someone posted showing how a Note II could replace a desktop. What he displayed was indeed very impressive. He attached a mouse, keyboard, and large screen. With multitasking and split screen he could in some ways emulate a PC. But Android is still a mobile OS. And while Android is the most capable of all mobile OS's, it's still not anywhere near ready to replace a desktop OS. Microsoft could get there first if they can successfully combine Windows, RT, and WP. Apple has both a desktop and a mobile OS, but as far as I know they're not even trying to merge them.

The question remains: is it realistic to have an OS that is ideal on screen sizes that range from 4" to 27"? I think that there might need to be different modes, based on screen size currently used.

[Saksham Sharma]

People, there's a pocket file manager app, it does 95% of the things you can ask from a file manager ever, try it...

[Ezhik]

File manager? I doubt it. The apps in the WP use sandboxing meaning that every app owns its storage. A file manager only could deal with files in the SD card and maybe (I doubt it too) dealing with music and photo files.

It's exactly the same problem than in iOS.

If only Windows Phone was adopting WinRT's APIs that allow apps to access files that the user picks. OH WAIT.

[Ezhik]

Not this discussion again.... sigh.

Let's all wait for WP8.1 to be released officially in a couple of weeks then we can see what this so called 'file manager' is. I don't think it will be anything like Android or Symbian.

As for USBOG, whatever makes the masses happy I suppose. I'm sure lots of people will be happy about that.

So we'll have HID support so people can get their keyboards and mice. Now USBOTG for a media HDD. Then you add a file manager and look a computer! So much for smartphones being smartphones....

I did like WP. So much for it being 'unique'.

'unique' is slang for being crippled now? Smartphones ARE computers, nothing wrong with that as long as they can include all those features in a user friendly way.

[pranav rai]

'unique' is slang for being crippled now? Smartphones ARE computers, nothing wrong with that as long as they can include all those features in a user friendly way.

Smartphones are computesr, but they are not your desktop PCs. To ask for the same old experience even on your mobile devices of the present as compared to the PCs of old is living in the past. Recognise that the explorer is not a piece of software that makes or breaks an experience. While it may satisfy some people whining about PC features on their phones, I sure hope that MS dosnt keep dumping "features" for features sake. All I care for is for usability, and not for features. The is a _difference_.

WP is unique, let it be so. And have some patience and more importantly a respect for choice. If you want an android-like windows phone, why not just go out and get an android phone ?

[Ezhik]

Smartphones are computesr, but they are not your desktop PCs. To ask for the same old experience even on your mobile devices of the present as compared to the PCs of old is living in the past. Recognise that the explorer is not a piece of software that makes or breaks an experience. While it may satisfy some people whining about PC features on their phones, I sure hope that MS dosnt keep dumping "features" for features sake. All I care for is for usability, and not for features. The is a _difference_.

WP is unique, let it be so. And have some patience and more importantly a respect for choice. If you want an android-like windows phone, why not just go out and get an android phone ?

Take a look at Windows RT, which supports files properly - all it lacks is a Metro file manager. It will work the same way here. There will be a file explorer that will also let you look at cloud storages you have. I think it is a very good feature. With Microsoft merging Windows RT and Windows Phone, there's no point in not bringing something like that over.

[Poirots Progeny]

Agreed - the icon and 1520 have, pretty much, the surface 2 specs. It isn't that much of a stretch of the imagination to see win rt on there. And those devices could conceivably be docked and thus do the job of the surface in its entirety (via usb otg, wireless data transfer or whatever).

Choice is a good thing. Give people the choice to - within reason - use their devices in the manner they are accustomed to, in their work environment. Win mo 6.5 did all of this and more. There is a reason blackberry dominates rue enterprise market, and why people are turning to android in droves. Wp8, as an eco system, could make it big and this level of choice and file manipulation is a big assist. I understand people may not use it but there are professionals out there that live by these feature sets, and that is why they are using blackberry. For now.

I want wp8 to succeed - to do that the mobile computing gamble is something they should and perhaps must bet on.

Whether commercial users want or like it, or not.

And being unique by having not having something can work perhaps once, in a burgeoning over saturated market place. And that is taken by apple (though they are opening their feature set up each time an update comes out).

Wp's best play is to replace blackberry as the must go to system. They need to get on this fast, as apple and google are making inroads already.

I cant wait for windows phone 8.1!!!!

[akthelonelyman]

file manager seems to be dividing opinions in this thread. imo winp8.1 does not need a file manager like symbian or android as a must. if its there great. but 8.1 needs better file management, like integration between apps. kinda like how its done in ios. i used an ipad before , in it u can transfer the files from one app to another, upload a file {pdf ,video ,mp3 or whatever} to box,dropbox,g drive ,skydrive, save videos from one app to another.send an email from pdf app attaching a pdf. and MOST IMPORTANTLY NO ACCUMULATION OF OTHER STORAGE OR TEMP FILES USING UP MEMORY ..
ios doesnt have a file manger perse but it had provisions for managing files with in its limits without bothering a casual user like me.

dont mistake me ,i like wp8 ,but problems arise due to total lack of provisions for file management. for example i downloaded a pdf and i use dropbox most.i noticed u can only link the pdf app with one drive.u cant save it to dropbox like in ios. this kind of stuff cripples the usability.\
what iam saying is u dont need an app which says file manger and u dont need the provision to access every corner of os. but a better management of files ? its essential. ios is an example tht u can do it without providing an file manger like android. thats the best i can explain

and usb otg..its a great feature. imagine if u could transfer a movie from ur friends pc to ur phone by getting it to a flash drive? im certain ill find such a feature very useful.

[Ezhik]

Stop acting like it's open to discussion anymore, Windows Phone is getting a file manager and it's final. It was bound to happen ever since Microsoft announced it was merging Windows RT and Windows Phone. If you use Metro apps in Windows 8 or RT, you can see how they will work in WP8.1. I think it is a very good implementation - apps can't do things to the file system without user's permission. Most apps will still behave the same way they do now, but apps like photo or text editors will be able to properly access files not only from your phone, but also from Dropbox (once an app launches) or OneDrive without you having to sign in to them every time.

[N_LaRUE]

Stop acting like it's open to discussion anymore, Windows Phone is getting a file manager and it's final. It was bound to happen ever since Microsoft announced it was merging Windows RT and Windows Phone. If you use Metro apps in Windows 8 or RT, you can see how they will work in WP8.1. I think it is a very good implementation - apps can't do things to the file system without user's permission. Most apps will still behave the same way they do now, but apps like photo or text editors will be able to properly access files not only from your phone, but also from Dropbox (once an app launches) or OneDrive without you having to sign in to them every time.

I'd love to see your proof of your statement that it's 'getting a file manager'. Just because there is a merging happening doesn't mean anything.

There are many ways to do things without a file manager. iPhones seem to work perfectly fine without one and appear quite popular. So your assumption, and it is that, is unfounded.

A file manager as most people want it, will not exist in WP, ever. If anything, it will simply be an extension of OneDrive and that's it. Not much else is needed.

[Ezhik]

I'd love to see your proof of your statement that it's 'getting a file manager'. Just because there is a merging happening doesn't mean anything.

There are many ways to do things without a file manager. iPhones seem to work perfectly fine without one and appear quite popular. So your assumption, and it is that, is unfounded.

A file manager as most people want it, will not exist in WP, ever. If anything, it will simply be an extension of OneDrive and that's it. Not much else is needed.

First, there is a local picker that allows to pick files from the local file system in the 8.1 emulator.
Second, WP will have to gain a file manager to merge with Windows RT at some point, it is inevitable.
Third, the merge I speak of is almost complete - the relevant APIs are already added.
Fourth, there is literally a file manager app hidden in the leaked 8.1 SDK:


Face it, this is not an assumption I have. It already happened, and saying that iPhone works well without a file manager will not change it.