Lumia GDR2 preview

[anon(123856)]

I'm with you on this. It doesn't need to be (shouldn't be, actually) an Explorer style file manager where you can access the system files and everything on the drive.
But it should be a simple file manager where it would let you create folders and store media/document files. That's really all most of us are asking, I think. When you get an email with a PDF document in it, let us save it to the phone, and allow us to attach it to a new email. Etc. Not complicated, and lots of cheap dumb phones have had this for years.

MS has en extreme fear of security breaches, and I appreciate their efforts to keep the OS safe, since I have a lot of information on there, or it allows access to such information. But there must be a way to expose a partitioned off area of the phone to the users for saving files. That really can't be that hard!

GDR2 is obviously not an update that will even begin to address this though.

I agree. I'd like a file manager myself but would be happy if I could just access my stuff. Keeping system level files and folders restricted is probably a good idea for a lot of reasons.

 

[Nabkawe5]

If this is really GDR2, its awful. 6 months to add Flip to silence!??? Is it very hard to implement feature?
Nothing interesting. Seems MS doesn't care about WP at all.
At the time when we receive file manager inside WP, competitors (iSO and Android) will have teleporter inside.

While MS is creating Blue (which unites all of their OSs even further), they are releasing a quality of usage upgrades GDR2 + GDR 3 and then BLUE, I must admit that MS nailed the best thing a user would want a unified experience across many platforms , Blue is just a step further down that road and i'll welcome it when it comes , till then I think your eyes and mine should be on APPS. specially when WP is gaining so much traction lately .
Don't worry about the competition , Apple didn't get to where it is by having a complete set of OS features, Android is starting to lack innovations (although its highly capable of adapting to almost any hardware ) It drove Sammy to open a research facility in Finland (i.e ; steal Nokia's ideas at home)
HTC is suffering
Chinese phones are killing Android for big companies and soon even Sammy will not be able to dominate Android.

Flip to silence = a major change in a very stable and fluid code , this is why features are being introduced slowly.
who said that GDR2 has just flip to silence ? , Dare I ask whats the change log on JB4.1 versus JB4.0 , its almost nothing specially in your way of thinking (btw I know what the changes are i'm just making a point.) .

 

[chinlj]

I'm kind of think it is almost doesn't matter at all with the GDRx and Blue when so many so called killer features are US only or restricted to just a few countries.
Try telling others u don't have podcast support and the story ends there immediately. No Xbox music, no local scout, no ...

 

[Jupast]

I was almost considering getting an HTC 8S each for my parents, but Nokia are fast turning Windows Phone into a one choice platform.

Looking forward to their Amber update for my 820, at least someone is adding features to the platform...not looking at anyone in particular..Microsoft.

 

[Residing]

Are you sure this is GDR2 and not simply Nokia Amber? I thought fixes for the Xbox music and possibly the 'Other' storage where in there as well.

Does the Sleeping Screen have notifications like it did on Symbian?

Nice to see some new features though.

I had to take a second look at that first pic - I really don't think that that is Nokia Sleeping Screen; it looks more like Always On (Lumia 925) and Always On with a wallpaper (Lumia 920). I remember Nokia Sleeping Screen being an app that I had to download from the Ovi store for my N8.

However, with that said, I guess it's possible that Nokia was able to combine 'Always On' with Sleeping Screen

 

[KiGaI Rin]

Original Source from:新旗舰，新面貌-LUMIA 925 国行版独家首发上手体验-数字尾巴

 

[Motor_Mouth]

If this is really GDR2, its awful. 6 months to add Flip to silence!???

What? My HTC 8S has had flip-to-silence since I bought it last December, AFAIK. It certainly has it now.

 

[Dustin Hodges]

OT:

Huh? That makes no sense.
What I think they did wrong with Kids Corner was the fact that they designed it as a "lend it to my kid" feature. It would've been much better as a "Guest user" feature. There are lots of times when people want to hand over their phone for someone else to use temporarily (like in a store when scanning Groupons, etc) but don't want that user to have access to the whole enchilada, so to speak. THAT would have been a much cooler feature to advertise - and it would work great for the kids as well.

I actually use it in a sense like that. You can rename the word "Kids Corner" that is displayed on the lock screen, and I had set it to "Guest Mode" and only enabled apps that I wouldn't mind other people using (alarm, games, basic stuff.)

First let me clarify one thing. I came from Symbian not Android.

The idea of a file manager (or whatever you wish to call it) has several functions and integrates in many ways into the OS. It's not purely about having 'file storage'. In essence I would be using it for a storing files not normally used by the OS. This could be rar, zip or exe files or whatever files the OS doesn't like to use. I would be able to access this file area to email those files to other people, tap to send or bluetooth. I would be able to download from IE into this file area as well while on the move. I would be able to move files around and access them like I would in Windows Explorer. I would also have access to them via USB when the phone is connected. Along with this would be apps I can use with this file area too.

Now there are those who have different ideas and different levels of what they want out of a 'file manager' but I would be happy with this.

All of this I was able to do on Symbian. (except for the tap to send)

I would prefer an integrated file chooser, like that of Windows 8. It would/could allow apps (such as email) to choose any type of file (within limits) to use or attach, and the files would be stored and categorized within one location on the phone. This way, one doesn't need a file manager for a number of things, and can still easily manage content within reason. Case scenarios: Music+Video access to downloaded Videos & Music through IE, downloading of media other than Images through IE, Sending files through a file transfer application.

As far as "rar, zip, or exe" files, dude(tte), this isn't Windows Mobile. There is no practical use for managing those file types on a Windows Phone. If you need to manage those files, use a computer. Windows Phone shouldn't be like a pocket pc (that's what android is for). Yes, smartphones are supposed to be an extension of your computer and allow you to do certain tasks on the go, but we don't need our entire computer on it. In fact, the original ads for Windows Phone said "...designed to Get in, Get out, and Get you back to life". Smartphones are about keeping in touch and doing important tasks, not spending all day using them as a pc. If not we would be doing entire presentations on our phones (we all know Office for WP, and alternatives for iOS and Android are not as powerful and advanced as the pc app).

In summary, a file chooser (which for certain apps would require dev. implementation), similar in design to windows 8, with the restrictions mentioned above, would probably be the best thing. It would allow some basic file access and management, and files could be renamed/deleted through the storage info menu in settings. No fancy file formats (which allowed file types would expand as supporting applications are installed), No odd file explorer, No mess, No hassle, No clutter.

What happened to the early adopter program ? I wish we could get this now...

I wonder too. I am starting to think this only applies to Blue 8.1, and similar to Windows 8.1 and its upcoming preview release, the "early adopter program" will be done via device registration and a update download for a "preview release" of Windows Phone 8.1 (or a download via the Windows Store) a few months before its public release.

At least, that's the only logical explanation I can come up with seeing as Microsoft mentions it once and never speaks of it again.

 

[tungha]

^^ Since you are pro file manager, can you tell how are you going to use it use it?

simple, I'll download everything I want On-The-Go when I don't have my tablet/laptop with me. When i'm back to my tablet/laptop, I can simply transfer the file back to my main storage. You may say: "Why don't you use cloud?", yes, cloud is good but not for all situation, especially when going somewhere with slow connection speed.

 

[Huime]

I actually use it in a sense like that. You can rename the word "Kids Corner" that is displayed on the lock screen, and I had set it to "Guest Mode" and only enabled apps that I wouldn't mind other people using (alarm, games, basic stuff.)



I would prefer an integrated file chooser, like that of Windows 8. It would/could allow apps (such as email) to choose any type of file (within limits) to use or attach, and the files would be stored and categorized within one location on the phone. This way, one doesn't need a file manager for a number of things, and can still easily manage content within reason. Case scenarios: Music+Video access to downloaded Videos & Music through IE, downloading of media other than Images through IE, Sending files through a file transfer application.

As far as "rar, zip, or exe" files, dude(tte), this isn't Windows Mobile. There is no practical use for managing those file types on a Windows Phone. If you need to manage those files, use a computer. Windows Phone shouldn't be like a pocket pc (that's what android is for).

I was about to see whats worth such a long post, then I had to stop here. Windows Phone shouldn't be like a pocket pc?! So WP should see itself the same league as gameboy 20 years ago stays as a time killer with no intention for productivity?

 

[flair77]

Will this update include FM Transmitter in addition to tuner?

 

[N_LaRUE]

As far as "rar, zip, or exe" files, dude(tte), this isn't Windows Mobile. There is no practical use for managing those file types on a Windows Phone. If you need to manage those files, use a computer. Windows Phone shouldn't be like a pocket pc (that's what android is for). Yes, smartphones are supposed to be an extension of your computer and allow you to do certain tasks on the go, but we don't need our entire computer on it. In fact, the original ads for Windows Phone said "...designed to Get in, Get out, and Get you back to life". Smartphones are about keeping in touch and doing important tasks, not spending all day using them as a pc. If not we would be doing entire presentations on our phones (we all know Office for WP, and alternatives for iOS and Android are not as powerful and advanced as the pc app).

So let me get this straight, in your eyes I need a laptop to transport and work with files 'other' than those used by the phone? That productivity should be limited to a PC/tablet? That my phone, which I consider a portable computer, cause that's what it is, should be nothing more than some sort of task/media/social networking hub? That if I don't like that about WP then I should adpot Android instead cause, as you put it, it's more powerful and useful for the things I want to do?

You're doing an excellent job of selling WP, is this what you tell your friends?

You appear to be having trouble thinking outside your little world and thinking about adopters in other countries who may not have loads of data allowances or WiFi and use their phones differently than you do. If WP wants to appeal to the masses they have to have a product to do so. There's no reason why some form of a file manager like I described shouldn't be in WP. I am not asking for a complete file system manager (there as some that want that) but some sort of file storage manager with some extras. They made cheaper WP for a reason, they now need to make it work for those who they wish to sell it to.

Lastly, as I stated I used Symbian. Never used Windows Mobile. I had no issues with Symbian which has a flie system, it wasn't clunky and it did what I wanted. It also wasn't the malware disaster that Android got into but for some reason continues to be the best selling OS on the planet. I wonder why?

 

[N_LaRUE]

Will this update include FM Transmitter in addition to tuner?

I've just seen FM radio tuner, not transmitter. I'm not sure if the hardware is there for the functionality. Did it exist in WP7?

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

So... is the screen auto brightness fixed?

 

[nikhilr51]

So... is the screen auto brightness fixed?

That was fixed in 1314/1308

 

[Jonathan Piferrer]

Thanks for the information... but what about the Realease date????

 

[froi francisco]

even no rumor for CUSTOM SMS TONE?.. MIcrosoft, NOKIA AND TELCO PARtNERS needs to enable this to every singe Windows Phone.

 

[Divair]

Can't wait for GDR2.

 

[WorzelGummage]

Thanks for the information... but what about the Realease date????

All Nokia announced for the release date was later this summer so I'm expecting to get the update by around September

 

[pezman726]

There have been a couple of threads on this. Are you syncing your camera photos (meaning pictures taken with your phone) to SkyDrive? I have this feature turned off and my data consumption isn't radically different that it was with my Android phone, about the same as yours.

No syncing, very few things on my start screen. I just think the weather channel app for WP must take up more data than it did on webOS. And maybe the browser is pulling more data as well.