for the love of.....volume

[jdd77]

I think it's a perception thing. Sure, MS could include dozens of user defined settings without much trouble, and most users would never touch them or even know they are there. But reviewers and critics would point them out, showing long lists of settings and "claim" that Windows Phone is complicated, which it isn't.

That's where legal jailbreaking could help though. Allow experienced users the opportunity to change some things that won't screw up the phone, like a custom color or volume setting, but give experienced users some satisfaction. And give us something to blog about.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

I'm mainly talking about basic things that by far wouldn't be the least bit complicated for even a first time smartphone user. Settings and customization options that are found on nearly every cell phone, brand, os, etc. that I've ever used or seen over the last decade are missing from this platform, and it bugs me because it's an intuitive os. Having "1" way to do things is not really a good way to attract people to use wp7.

 

[rabit1]

Must say I love wp7. I do however have a huge gripe. How in the **** is there not task specific volume settings? 1 volume setting for everything is super weak. How does something this simple continue to be overlooked?

Exactly what I was thinking..

I feel like Microsoft thinks and treats as as dumb.. by making everything soo simple and not giving us enough tweaks and settings.. (Taste like Apples doesn't it, why i don't like apple).
Sometimes it's really frustrating

Coming from WM6 with more tweaks and ways to set your OS to your liking,
is really frustrating where everything in WP7 is out of our control...

Granted Mango improve a little such as Setting custom ingtone and Hidden IP setting...
but hey.. Setting for Static IP is tooo complicated for users I guess... or MS thinks we're too dumb to understand how to set our own IP.... (I still can't believe we can't set our own IP).
For us corporate users, I wouldn't even go to setting VPN here... or outlook syncing.

Here's what MS think of us:

Let the users set Volume themselves?? noooo thats too complicated for WP users.. don't give em to users that abilty... they'll just confuse themselves with different volume setting..

Let them know which apps is eating Bandwidth?.... nooooo..
Let them set which apps allowed to access the net at any one time?... Whoa.. nooo way... too complicated...
Let them Set their own notification custom sound?... nooooo.. why would they want to?
Let them have more vibrate setting.... noooooo..
Let them set static IP?... what.. **** no
Let them have forward buttons in IE?... .. noo.. users are so dumb, they dont' need it...
Let them easily clicking tabs in IE.... NOOO... WP users don't use tab.. (This is actually an Official statement from Microsoft designer)..


Don't get me wrong.. I like WP.. I'm using and choose WP7.
But hey.. I don't like being treated as dumb... I want to be able to control my device the way I want to.

We want control Microsoft.. Let us have more Advanced settings.... !!!!!

 

[jdd77]

So what's gonna happen with all these complaints, as valid and necessary as they may be? Do we have to wait for another update or will all the revisions come on wp8 devices?

 

[VernonEL]

This is something that we have to consider: We here on the forums are not the average Windows Phone user. Microsoft is trying to carve out a market that is more like iOS than Android: Simple.
Now, simple doesn't mean stupid. I have been a Windows Phone user since the early days, and am thoroughly impressed and satisfied with it. Don't get me wrong, there are things that I would love to see added or modified, but overall I am satisfied. More important to Microsoft, my wife and daughter like Windows Phone. They do not frequent these forums, but they are a bigger slice of the smartphone market.

Now to the topic at hand: I am really disappointed that Windows Phone doesn't have the option for different volume settings. I came from WM6 and 6.5 and just LOVED the customization that was available to me. When I first used my Quantum I griped about the volume, but very quickly I found that it really wasn't that bad. It is not that hard to just adjust the volume. For the last decade I have worn a two-way radio while at work. As I walk in and out of high noise areas I automatically adjust the volume on my radio. It is just a habit. Now, I hope that Windows Phone has customizable volumes in less than a decade, but you see my point.

Sent from my LG Quantum using Board Express

 

[rabit1]

Like I said in the other thread. We need 2 ver. WP & WP PRO

Sent from my HD7 T9292 using Board Express

 

[Rodolfo#WP]

I have my own 7-10 "let-them"s, but I don't think not granting them to me is because I'm considered dumb. I'm on my 6th smartphone OS, and I've never had one without a personal set of why-can't-Is. My first-or-so wpcentral post was an "I-can't-believe-I-can't-do X,Y,Z"; but, as my signature reads...

these "dumb" software developers and hardware designers have never understood me.

 

[rabit1]

Yes. back to the topic at hand, which is about one volume setting for everything.

What could possible be the reasoning behind this? What was microsoft designer thinking? That users don't need separate volume for listening to songs? This is just as unbelievable as not letting users set custom ringtone (before mango)... What do you guys think the reasoning behind this?.

Do they actually think this is a smartphone? Even a dumbphone can do both of those easily.

Go figure...

(Someone should get fired at Microsoft for making this silly & bad decisions..)

 

[jeremyshaw]

I'm holding off buying a HTC Titan to replace my Focus (which replaced my ZuneHD, but ended up replacing my Atrix while it was at it) SOLEY because of the volume control. It's annoying the heck out of me, and how I use it (in car: music, calling, and maps, in order of importance). Maps has a teeny voice, calling is even less loud, and music is deafening.

All this over the 3.5mm jack-->car stereo. Doing this on my Atrix, Inspire, and Aria was perfect. Much better than my old BT Car speaker, which simply didn't have enough speaker power to overcome road noise while driving. Focus... it's annoying me very much.

I swear, stilly stupid oversights like this lead me to question whether MS really cares about the smartphone market at all, or is this just a "next gen Kin" push to them? It only took until Mango for a proper TradCN IME pad, too... (and even so, it's still worse than my 1st gen iPod Touch's).

 

[failmatic]

This sucks. I cant listen to my music or watch video at night because the volume are all tied together. Playing video at night at x volume with alarm/ringtone/notifications at max is my preference. For the love of fap, independent media, ringtone, and alert in the next update please.

 

[jdd77]

I would listen to the music player at night but alerts and ringtone have to be down at volume 6 too, which is ridiculous. Maybe someone can develop an app that allows for separate volume controls... especially for the keyboard. I'm surprised there isn't an app already in marketplace for this problem..

 

[VernonEL]

I would listen to the music player at night but alerts and ringtone have to be down at volume 6 too, which is ridiculous. Maybe someone can develop an app that allows for separate volume controls... especially for the keyboard. I'm surprised there isn't an app already in marketplace for this problem..

One of the reasons that Windows Phone is so much smoother and more stable than Android is that Microsoft build the OS not allowing developers access to core device controls like volume.
I still think that it is unacceptable for there to be as little volume customization as there currently is. It definitely needs to be improved.

Sent from my LG Quantum using Board Express

 

[jdd77]

One of the reasons that Windows Phone is so much smoother and more stable than Android is that Microsoft build the OS not allowing developers access to core device controls like volume.
I still think that it is unacceptable for there to be as little volume customization as there currently is. It definitely needs to be improved.

Sent from my LG Quantum using Board Express

If developers had access to core functions, and I buy a new windows phone, it won't run smooth? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to have the option to download things that suits an individual's needs? If it doesn't run smooth anymore its because of what you as a phone owner put on the phone..not because developers are "allowed" to develop things. Don't see Microsoft's rationale.

 

[VernonEL]

You see people using Android loading their devices up with all kinds of deeply integrated and controlling apps, and then they b!+?? about the device being slow. It is still a computer. Microsoft just knows what people want; a better user experience, even if they are going about it the wrong way.

Smartphones are progressing. The percentage that consider themselves "phone geeks" is becoming overshadowed by those that just want to effectively communicate with the people in their lives.

Sent from my LG Quantum using Board Express

 

[jdd77]

You see people using Android loading their devices up with all kinds of deeply integrated and controlling apps, and then they b!+?? about the device being slow. It is still a computer. Microsoft just knows what people want; a better user experience, even if they are going about it the wrong way.

Smartphones are progressing. The percentage that consider themselves "phone geeks" is becoming overshadowed by those that just want to effectively communicate with the people in their lives.

Sent from my LG Quantum using Board Express

I wanted a smartphone simply because they are made nicer than regular phones... and to have the convenience of checking e-mail and internet. I got the Trophy because its made by HTC and it was cheap. Ordered it over the phone through Verizon and when I got it, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I've been trying to get used to it though, and I keep running into alot of what's, why's, and how's...and not to mention, alot of wtf's...lol

 

[VernonEL]

I wanted a smartphone simply because they are made nicer than regular phones... and to have the convenience of checking e-mail and internet. I got the Trophy because its made by HTC and it was cheap. Ordered it over the phone through Verizon and when I got it, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I've been trying to get used to it though, and I keep running into alot of what's, why's, and how's...and not to mention, alot of wtf's...lol

Frequenting this forum is a good start to adjusting to using a smartphone.
Most people here are very willing to help out with serious questions. If you are not satisfied with your experience, just go back to what you had before. (I mean that in a good way.) I think that most here would rather see a happy user of something else, than a disgruntled user of Windows Phone. I bet Microsoft feels the same way.
Good luck!!

 

[jfa1]

Amen Burn Ethanol!

 

[failmatic]

The problem is Microsoft is missing a basic feature in phones, let alone smart phone feature. Im just here to criticize for the betterment of the platform. Really, I hope Microsoft is listening and give us more volume option soon.

 

[jdd77]

Frequenting this forum is a good start to adjusting to using a smartphone.
Most people here are very willing to help out with serious questions. If you are not satisfied with your experience, just go back to what you had before. (I mean that in a good way.) I think that most here would rather see a happy user of something else, than a disgruntled user of Windows Phone. I bet Microsoft feels the same way.
Good luck!!

First off, ever since I got this phone I been posting questions or visiting in these forums and I can't believe how helpful you people are... As someone using wp7 that had no idea what it was before I got it, this is my observation (and by no means am I criticizing): this phone is made for people who are involved with or love Microsoft, and want a device made by them because its not your run-of-the-mill phone. It demands involvement (pinning and arranging tiles) because without doing that you wouldn't have much of a phone. There isn't a hard key for the phone dialer or even a dedicated soft key..its just another tile that must be pinned somewhere on the home screen. Which brings me to my next observation: wp7 is first a media player/networking tool before it is a phone. And again that's not a criticism, its what you would want getting this phone. ...So on top of being someone not knowing what this was before getting it and adapting to this different country ( so to speak) I at least would want some basic familiar settings and customization. Microsoft needs to reach out to a broader audience (while keeping the things that sets them apart from the rest) if thay want this OS to survive.

 

[failmatic]

Dude. Every touchscreen phones now do not have decided phone button. THey are pin to the screen somehow. As default on IOS you get the icon on the luancher when you first boot up the phone, you can remove it once you get the system going. Same with Android. WP doesnt have a launcher so its pin as the first tile on the homescreen. I don't know what you are talking about. When you first get the phone new or reset, the phone app is there, top tile.
Also, every OS has a learning curve. Every os has some level of involvement, e.g. getting itunes/zune. Pinning apps to homescreen, Android/WP. ETC.
Of the three major platform in the US, WP is the most elegant and the easiest to get your information quick. On IOS, you have to open the apps to get your info eg. fb app, twitter ap. Android is a little better with custom widget. Complaining about learning a system is just stupid. If you dont want ot learn, go back to a simple phone.

 

[jdd77]

You missed my point entirely- Im not complaining at all about learning the system..its very easy to figure out maybe too easy, because I keep running into questions like' why can't I do this?' or 'where's that function?' What I mean about the phone dialer is there's nothing that differentiates it from the rest of the apps/tiles that are all together on one screen (except that there's a pic of a phone on it.) Its just odd and unfamiliar to me. There are things wp7 does better than android and vice versa but I'm pretty sure android has a dedicated phone icon, usually next to a dedicated app icon at the bottom of the home screen. I don't know about iphone because I never used one. Staying on the subject of this thread, Microsoft should allow more customization like being able to control the volume of the keyboard, media, etc...if they want more people to convert to their platform.