just ordered diamond - need advice

[stravy]

hello all,

i just orded my htc diamond from sprint today. first off, i am a new windows mobile user so please bear with me here. i decided to get the diamond for its size and so i wouldn't have to carry around my mp3 player and my garmin 350 everywhere i go. i travel a lot with my job and thought that would mean 2 less items i needed to pack around and worry about recharging cables. i have been looking over these forums the last few days trying to determine what i can and cannot modify in the phone. also, i am a little hesitant because i am unsure if a hack i am reading is for the gsm version or the cdma version of the phone or if it makes a difference. anyhow, here is what i would like to be able to do. any information would be greatly appreciated.

1) customize the screen
2) modify the gps to its fullest potential. sometimes i am out in the boonies i do not get a signal (if it is even possible to use the gps when not on the sprint network)
3) be able to transfer *.wma from my computer (i have the napster to go subscription service) and play them on the phone.
4) i am not a fan of perloaded programs, but i do not want to lose the functionality of sprint tv, wi-fi, messaging, voice dialing, push mail and msoffice viewing/editing.
5) have an alarm clock - any cool application recommedations unless there is a good one on the phone.
6) one glaring problem i seem to keep reading about is the screen orientation lag/bugs. is there a way to fix this.
7) anything else to make this device enjoyable and easy to use. it was pretty nice in the showroom.

I am assuming there is nothing wrong with the opera browser for websurfing. I have not seen any complaints regarding this.

I realize that all of these items have probably been addressed but i am just worried about frying a brand new phone before i really get a chance to break it in. so if anyone responds with a link to a current topic with a fix or suggestion that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

[Success100]

well welcome to the dark side:

my recommendation? if you have never used windows mobile, you need to learn the ins and outs of it b4 u go hacking it. NOt saying your not capable, but u can really hose ur device if your not sure of what ur doing.

to answer your questions,

1) TouchFlo3d is customizable out of the box to a certain extent. It can be toggled on or off. Windows mobile is one of the most customizable platforms out there. There is a tool that will enable you to change the way TF3d looks though, its called the TF3D config tool. I can post it if needed. If you prefer not to use TF3D, then Windows mobile can be customized beyond your imagination, but like I said, it takes time, skill, and know how to do it. You definately came to the right place to learn how to though.

2.) GPS works great out of the box great with the Sprint Version. MOst other 3rd party GPS work great on the Sprint version. Sprint Navigation is an awesome software though. BUt yes, Tom Tom, iGo, all that stuff will work fine. See the "stickies" for registry tweaks to improve on top of what it already has.

3.) Windows mobile phones have Windows Media Player intergrated. In fact, if you open up Windows Media Player on your computer, and plug in your diamond, it will let u sync right from there, and very easily. There are also other 3rd party players out there that will support that format as well as all other formats.

4.) There isnt much bloatware on the Sprint version besides what u said above, and i wouldnt even call it bloatware, for the most part, its all amazing software that most of us Sprint Diamond users love

5.) pretty robust alarm clock built in. 3rd party apps are available for alarms also. Some free, some not.

6.) There isnt alot of lag in any of the models anymore, HTC released an update to improve everything and speed everything up. The Sprint version is plenty snappy, but if u would like to make it quicker, tweaks are available. Id say try it out first b4 u jump into registry editing, as the Sprint one doesnt have much lag (i sound like a damn sprint spokesperson lol)

7.) Its enjoyable out the box! Arguably one of the best windows mobile devices ever made! Everything else you will find here!!

Hope this helped.

-S100

[stravy]

S100:

All Of That Info Helps Out A Lot.

I Really Appreciate It!!!

[O'Neil Mitchell]

Welcome, might I suggest before you do anything you backup your phone first. That way if you mess it up, you can restore it to what it was before you started poking around.

[stravy]

any recommendations of backup software? i saw sbpbackup and sprite backup in these forums.

[blazin-asian]

PPC Pim Backup - http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php?soft=1806

backs up the most important stuff like contacts, calendar, tasks, etc.

i believe its included in Juicy's ROM.

[rollrsk8ter]

PPC Pim Backup only backups your contacts, calendar and tasks? I found creating a free exchange email account at mail2web.com and setting up the direct push allows you the same thing, backing up all the same stuff including your emails. You can then edit, add contacts, and even email, etc from any web browser and one sync with your phone and its updated there. Wish there was a backup of my weather database, and all my other various settings (wifi settings, mail servers, tweaks and registry changes.

[Success100]

Originally Posted by rollrsk8ter

PPC Pim Backup only backups your contacts, calendar and tasks? I found creating a free exchange email account at mail2web.com and setting up the direct push allows you the same thing, backing up all the same stuff including your emails. You can then edit, add contacts, and even email, etc from any web browser and one sync with your phone and its updated there. Wish there was a backup of my weather database, and all my other various settings (wifi settings, mail servers, tweaks and registry changes.

yep mail2web is great, no html email but who care its free back up

[O'Neil Mitchell]

When i first started poking around, i used Spb Backup. I really screwed things up a couple times. Spb Backup puts it all back the way it was, registry, themes, all settings,contacts, everything

[rainfreak]

+1 for spb Backup. Still use it regularly.