Will Windows Phone continue to avoid to make a File Manager?

[chris mostert]

Personal My Documents File manager. Got up to a hundred Folders named, Director, Teacher, Cook, Builder, Construction, Dealer , Etc, Etc. people I got to deal with, with up to 20 Spanish conversations in each Folder, that I need for a range of transactions. in a language I am not proficient enough in. Got it on my old Omnia i900. why did I not find it in my new Nokia Lumia 920. Disappointed. Oh, Thanks, Dave Blake, It's a project for underprivileged kids. I'm a first timer her.

 

[Mahdi Ghiasi]

Personal My Documents File manager. Got up to a hundred Folders named, Director, Teacher, Cook, Builder, Construction, Dealer , Etc, Etc. people I got to deal with, with up to 20 Spanish conversations in each Folder, that I need for a range of transactions. in a language I am not proficient enough in. Got it on my old Omnia i900. why did I not find it in my new Nokia Lumia 920. Disappointed. Oh, Thanks, Dave Blake, It's a project for underprivileged kids. I'm a first timer her.

In your case, I think this thread may help you: http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...e-who-saying-wp-should-have-file-manager.html

The suggested app in that thread is named "Pocket FTP Server", which is a file manager in its local storage, accessible via FTP, which may help you organize your documents.

 

[Dave Blake]

Personal My Documents File manager. Got up to a hundred Folders named, Director, Teacher, Cook, Builder, Construction, Dealer , Etc, Etc. people I got to deal with, with up to 20 Spanish conversations in each Folder, that I need for a range of transactions. in a language I am not proficient enough in. Got it on my old Omnia i900. why did I not find it in my new Nokia Lumia 920. Disappointed. Oh, Thanks, Dave Blake, It's a project for underprivileged kids. I'm a first timer her.

A good answer for this would be Skydrive. The WP Skydrive app works like a file manager you can move your documents in to files to separate them. Upload your documents to Skydrive set all that up on your PC then you can access them anywhere and work with those files however you need.


Welcome to the WPC. Keep asking questions we will help if we can.

 

[phing77]

Request for a file manager.... some guys just want me to quit the platform.....

 

[Sqlserverguru]

I still think this OS needs a file manager of some sorts for personal files; for example, with my GS2, I could connect to my home network and stream any of the movies on my media server. Here, I'd either have to sync with Zune (I'm on WP7.8), which is a PITA since my phone only has 16gb or upload the file to SkyDrive then redownload it. Why? My home network is very secure and any device allowed to be on it should be able to access files from it. Also, in my spare time I record music for local music acts. A lot of times a band will email me a song of theirs to check out. I used to download it while on my GS2, connect my phone via USB, then listen to it while driving. This doesn't work because 1, any media not synced into the Zune player doesn't actually play more than once without having to redownload it again and again, and 2, WP7.8 doesn't play nicely with my car's USB mass storage read... which to me is stupid. My crazy, secure WP device can't be read by my $40k car (meaning I don't have some cheap deck in a POS car) but my GF's IPhone plays just fine, and everyone who plugs an Android phone into the USB ports has no issues either. Kinda hard to fathom an update to the newer platform if these basic (and yes, in 2013, being able to access my personal media is a BASIC requirement of a device that costs more than $200) functionalities aren't built in.

 

[Gaichuke]

Being able to access media files using car stereo USB mass storage read is anything but an essential feature to have. If your car stereo has a USB input, it probably also has a 3.5mm input or BT as well which you could use.

But anyhow, any WP8 with a SD card should connect to that USB just fine.

 

[Sqlserverguru]

Being able to access media files using car stereo USB mass storage read is anything but an essential feature to have. If your car stereo has a USB input, it probably also has a 3.5mm input or BT as well which you could use.
.

That's a MAJOR problem. If you've been following the news about distractive driving, you can now be ticketed for using your phone at all while driving, not just for texting or talking. Skip a song while driving? Why pick up my phone and risk getting ticketed when I should just be able to operate it from my steering wheel? And being that most of the flagship phones not having SD card slots, is this even a solution? Granted, I don't have a WP8 device yet and I'd love to keep supporting the platform. However if some of the basic features from other phones aren't accessible or implemented half baked, I'll deal with " a less secure eco-system" and just use common-sense about what I download.

 

[vish2801]

A good answer for this would be Skydrive. The WP Skydrive app works like a file manager you can move your documents in to files to separate them. Upload your documents to Skydrive set all that up on your PC then you can access them anywhere and work with those files however you need.


Welcome to the WPC. Keep asking questions we will help if we can.

And I have to waste my data behind skydrive. What the purpose of so much space in the phone then ???

 

[Arsynic]

No file manager. A phone is not a PC or a replacement for a PC. I'm glad it died with Windows Mobile. We want this OS to be smooth, fast and mainstream so it needs to be as streamlined as possible.

 

[vish2801]

No file manager. A phone is not a PC or a replacement for a PC. I'm glad it died with Windows Mobile. We want this OS to be smooth, fast and mainstream so it needs to be as streamlined as possible.

With file management options, OS still can remain smooth and think beyond US, many people in 3rd world countries where Nokia has the strongest position don't have pc or lappy....Think about that, I wonder why people don't want a feature in wp...If you don't want, don't use but many people need it.

 

[neo158]

With file management options, OS still can remain smooth and think beyond US, many people in 3rd world countries where Nokia has the strongest position don't have pc or lappy....Think about that, I wonder why people don't want a feature in wp...If you don't want, don't use but many people need it.

We don't want a "feature" that would compromise security, what happens if a rogue program gets access to your contacts and starts texting them without your knowledge. Believe me, this has happened on Android devices!!!!

 

[OzRob]

...many people in 3rd world countries where Nokia has the strongest position don't have pc or lappy....Think about that, I wonder why people don't want a feature in wp...If you don't want, don't use but many people need it.

I don't think the issue is that people don't WANT file management capabilities in WP, the issue is that people don't want the security concerns and overheads associated with providing general file management capabilities within the OS. So even though I can choose not to USE a feature, I can't choose to be free from the implications that feature may have on the underlying operation of the system. File management is not an add-on app or a bit of bolt-on code, it's a deeply rooted function of the OS itself.

I'm interested as to why Nokia's WP devices have such a strong position in countries where you say general file management on a phone is a necessity. Surely cheap Android devices would be a much better fit, as they act much more like general computing platforms. Why aren't Android devices eclipsing WP and Nokia in these countries?

 

[N_LaRUE]

I'm interested as to why Nokia's WP devices have such a strong position in countries where you say general file management on a phone is a necessity. Surely cheap Android devices would be a much better fit, as they act much more like general computing platforms. Why aren't Android devices eclipsing WP and Nokia in these countries?

I'm not in a third world country but the answer here is quite simple. People are loyal to Nokia in those countries because they were the first to bring out low cost but high quality phones there. The Symbian platform has a file manager and none of the security issues that people go on about on this thread (not that I ran into anyway). Nokia brought out low cost WPs and people want them and probably didn't realise that they didn't have a fille manager system that is usable in the phone until the have it. Believe me, going from Symbian to WP has felt like going backwards somewhat. I used to own an E63 and a N8. Now I feel slightly crippled by what I can do on my 920. I used the file manager a lot on my Symbian phones. If MS doesn't allow for a file manager of some sort (aside from Skydrive) in the future I'm sure someone will eventually jailbreak the phone and allow for one, especially in those countries where they really want it.

 

[neo158]

That's because Symbian had such a small userbase that no one really bothered to exploit security flaws. WP8 is based on an NT core which means that with a minimum of adaptation a PC virus could, potentially, cause major issues. Not only that but a file manager would give the virus an attack vector into the OS.

 

[N_LaRUE]

That's because Symbian had such a small userbase that no one really bothered to exploit security flaws. WP8 is based on an NT core which means that with a minimum of adaptation a PC virus could, potentially, cause major issues. Not only that but a file manager would give the virus an attack vector into the OS.

First before dissing Symbian please read up on it so you know what you're talking about as I don't really have the time or energy to correct people all the time. Symbian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Second, though WP is NT based I believe that it's possible to fix the securiy holes they may have issues with? Is that not what these programmers are supposed to be doing? You know, fix bugs and security issues?

Everyone goes on about how mobile technology is the next big thing but if it's crippled to the point that I can't download any file on my phone or attach any file to an email then what's the point? Is the mobile platform the new computing or not?

 

[neo158]

Those fixes take time and even then they don't get released in time to prevent ALL security issues, remember the problems with Windows XP before SP2. I'll put it simply, a file manager WILL compromise the security in Windows Phone because it gives access to every area of the OS, not just personal files.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Those fixes take time and even then they don't get released in time to prevent ALL security issues, remember the problems with Windows XP before SP2. I'll put it simply, a file manager WILL compromise the security in Windows Phone because it gives access to every area of the OS, not just personal files.

Then that's the fault of the OS then, it should be fixed. If locking it up is the only way to deal with it then it's a shame. It is the main feature on Windows Phone that I am missing the most and like I have already stated on this thread a lot of people with iPhone complain about the exact same thing. So it's not only us who are complaining about this. If the OS they use on the phone is that vulnerable to attacks then they need to start looking at a better system. My understanding of WP OS is that it was developed from the ground up. They should have put the security in as part of the kernel.

 

[vish2801]

I'm not in a third world country but the answer here is quite simple. People are loyal to Nokia in those countries because they were the first to bring out low cost but high quality phones there. The Symbian platform has a file manager and none of the security issues that people go on about on this thread (not that I ran into anyway). Nokia brought out low cost WPs and people want them and probably didn't realise that they didn't have a fille manager system that is usable in the phone until the have it. Believe me, going from Symbian to WP has felt like going backwards somewhat. I used to own an E63 and a N8. Now I feel slightly crippled by what I can do on my 920. I used the file manager a lot on my Symbian phones. If MS doesn't allow for a file manager of some sort (aside from Skydrive) in the future I'm sure someone will eventually jailbreak the phone and allow for one, especially in those countries where they really want it.

I'm waiting for that very moment when someone jailbreaks

this OS. I love Nokia and UI of wp and I bought Lumia 520 because of Nokia only and I love the phone because its fluidity but OS is big let down, hell even my s60 v2 Nokia 6681 has more functions than wp, and I can vouch that the MS fanbois here who defend MS for its faults must have hard reset their wp a number of times than I've done in my 6681. Most people need features, if people really do care so much about so called security then android wouldn't have captured such huge market share in couple of years.....

 

[a5cent]

Second, though WP is NT based I believe that it's possible to fix the security holes they may have issues with? Is that not what these programmers are supposed to be doing? You know, fix bugs and security issues?

I gave you the opportunity to discuss your ideas in detail. An opportunity to find out why your thinking is wrong. You didn't take it. But here you are again, back to complaining about topics in regard to which you and vish2801 are entirely clueless.

Obviously you believe that if MS would just finally stuff WP's remaining security holes, then WP would be secure (whatever you imagine that to actually mean) and could tolerate a file manager.

It is hard to overstate just how misguided that view is. For the millionth time: every OS exposes an attack surface, even if programmers get everything 100% right. No amount of fixing or patching can reduce the attack surface any further than what the security model is intended to achieve. That is true of any OS, it's just that the tolerated attack surfaces differ. WP is intended to expose the smallest attack surface, by design, which is where these file access restrictions come from. They have absolutely nothing to to with programmatically incurred and lingering security holes just waiting to be patched.

 

[N_LaRUE]

I gave you the opportunity to discuss your ideas in detail. An opportunity to find out why your thinking is wrong. You didn't take it. But here you are again, back to complaining about topics in regard to which you and vish2801 are entirely clueless.

Obviously you believe that if MS would just finally stuff WP's remaining security holes, then WP would be secure (whatever you imagine that to actually mean) and could tolerate a file manager.

It is hard to overstate just how misguided that view is. For the millionth time: every OS exposes an attack surface, even if programmers get everything 100% right. No amount of fixing or patching can reduce the attack surface any further than what the security model is intended to achieve. That is true of any OS, it's just that the tolerated attack surfaces differ. WP is intended to expose the smallest attack surface, by design, which is where these file access restrictions come from. They have absolutely nothing to to with programmatically incurred and lingering security holes just waiting to be patched.

I was going to say something but I really don't care. Yes you're right we're stupid and our opinions are meaningless. We're complete novices and clueless to the tight need of security of the WP OS and the desire for wanting to use it like a proper 'mobile computer' that we thought we were getting.

I will live with my crippled device oh master and like it!