Telus TP2 app & game reccomendations and additional pros/cons/questions

[pistol44]

Ok so after having serious amounts of testing, researching, installing and uninstalling I found many things that work great, not so great or can't figure out. I kept all my games and apps that I had from my previous HTC Diamond just incase some of them were useful on the Pro 2. Here's my findings:

Essential Apps that I recommend:
- Advanced Config (tweak tool)
- Comic Reader Mobile
- Facebook app for Windows Mobile (works in WVGA)
- HD Tweak (designed for the Touch HD but is almost identical so 95% of the tweaks work and work very well. Plus it includes an app to soft reset your device with one touch)
- Opera Mobile 9.7 beta (incase you have web pages that you want to be able to open super quickly. Yes the new beta is MUCH quicker that the pre-installed one, especially with Turbo enabled.
- PIM Backup (used to backup your text msgs, call history and more if you choose. I was even able to restore all my data from my Diamond on to my TP2)
- Pocket RAR
- Regedit
- Resco File Explorer
- SPB Radio
- TaskMgr (to end apps that don't really close when hitting the "X"
- TCPMP for playing avi files a little better
- Cab files to change the colors of the SMS and Email notification bubbles

Games that work great:
- Arcade Park (fullscreen WVGA)
- Atomic Cannon (fullscreen WVGA)
- Bejeweled 2 WVGA (fullscreen)
- Boom Blox (fullscreen WVGA)
- Mini Putt 2 (fullscreen WVGA)
- Monopoly - Here and Now (fullscreen WVGA)
- Morphgear (however some bugs with assigning keyboard instead of touchscreen and needed a WVGA virtual keyboard skin for it)
- NBA Pro Basketball 2009 (only VGA but decent game)
- Pocket Bowling (only VGA but can't find a better bowling game)
- Resco Bubbles (fullscreen WVGA)
- Shoot Me! (not really a game but fun to use, it uses the accelerometer)
- Spiderman - Toxic City (fullscreen WVGA)
- Spore - (fullscreen WVGA but seems to run laggy for some reason)
- Trivial Pursuit (but is VGA)

Things I wish I could figure out:
- Why Opera Mobile crashes no matter what when loading the websites "Pocketnow.com" or "WMPoweruser.com"
- How to use keyboard keys when using Morphgear.
- Why I cannot add a shortcut of the Games folder to the new Start menu. Add when I do it gives an error msg when trying to open it.
- Why I can install the cab file for the FM Radio (since it's missing from the TP2). get it to open and works fine except no stations are picked up at all. Assuming the TP2 is missing something else to make it operate.
- Why it gives messages that it can't charge well with a USB plugged into my PC and have to use the wall charger to charge instead
- Why closing Opera doesn't really close it but only minimizes it. And it doesn't even show up as running in the background even though it is
- Why I cannot create more than 2 open tabs on Opera (Answered!)
- Why avi files are so choppy. However converting movies to MP4 plays them perfectly.

If anyone else has any recommended programs/games that work great too please feel free to share. Or if you came across any work arounds for some of the above problems!

[banjoeball]

Originally Posted by pistol44

Things I wish I could figure out:

- Why I can install the cab file for the FM Radio (since it's missing from the TP2). get it to open and works fine except no stations are picked up at all. Assuming the TP2 is missing something else to make it operate.
- Why it gives messages that it can't charge well with a USB plugged into my PC and have to use the wall charger to charge instead
- Why closing Opera doesn't really close it but only minimizes it. And it doesn't even show up as running in the background even though it is
- Why I cannot create more than 2 open tabs on Opera

Radio: I think you have to have the headset plugged in, as it works as the antenna. Without it, you won't get any stations.

Charger: I wouldn't recommend charging through USB, it's better for the device to use the wall charger. You'll charge faster through the wall charger too.

Opera: The TP2 caches opera, so it can load it up quickly. Have you tried hitting the bottom tab in Opera and pressing 'close'? that usually does it for me.
The 2 tabs is probably a memory saver, so you don't cache too much. If I do recall, there is some way to increase this.... I'll get back to you if I remember.


**EDIT**

If you type OPERA:CONFIG into your opera bar, it will take you to the super-options.
Right near the bottom is "User Prefs'. Click this. Then you will see an option "Max Allowed Tabs".
Here you can change the number of tabs openable in Opera.

[pistol44]

Originally Posted by banjoeball

Radio: I think you have to have the headset plugged in, as it works as the antenna. Without it, you won't get any stations.

Headset is plugged in (since it wont open until you do) but no radio stations are picked up.. not even the slightest static sound.

[pistol44]

Originally Posted by banjoeball

If you type OPERA:CONFIG into your opera bar, it will take you to the super-options.
Right near the bottom is "User Prefs'. Click this. Then you will see an option "Max Allowed Tabs".
Here you can change the number of tabs openable in Opera.

Yes I tried this as well, and I did set the # up from 2 to 3 and saved the changes. However it said I needed to close Opera in order for the changes to take affect. Since you can't truly "close" Opera even when hitting the "X" I assume the changes cant be applied. So instead I choose to soft reset which has no affect on saving these changes as once I open Opera fresh again only 2 tabs can be opened still.

[kidFromBigD]

Originally Posted by pistol44

Headset is plugged in (since it wont open until you do) but no radio stations are picked up.. not even the slightest static sound.

Ok, so your previous device, the Diamond, has a bluetooth chip with FM radio circuitry in-built that apparently the TP2 does not. Even so, there were some tricks the ROM chefs had to play to activate the FM radio for the Diamond. Someone correct me here, but I think a hard SPL had to be unlocked and whatnot.

FM radio relies on the actual circuitry embedded somewhere on a chip in the TP2. When you install the .cab to make FM radio work, well you're using software that assumes Diamond chipsets which is clearly not applicable to your new hotness.

I think we're going to have to "Wait-and-See" if the FM radio exists in the TP2's coming to CDMA markets. But make no mistake: if anyone can find it, unlock it, and exploit all its capabilities, it's the ROM chefs on PPCGeeks that will do so(with an assist from the good folks at xda-developers).

[vakbrain]

Originally Posted by pistol44

Ok so after having serious amounts of testing, researching, installing and uninstalling I found many things that work great, not so great or can't figure out. I kept all my games and apps that I had from my previous HTC Diamond just incase some of them were useful on the Pro 2. Here's my findings:

Essential Apps that I recommend:
- Advanced Config (tweak tool)
- Comic Reader Mobile
- Facebook app for Windows Mobile (works in WVGA)

...

Do you know what would be awesome ? Having the links to download the apps/games (if it's possible)

[pistol44]

Originally Posted by vakbrain

Do you know what would be awesome ? Having the links to download the apps/games (if it's possible)

Was thinking of doing that but not sure I'm allowed to here since most of the games and programs were off warez sites.. Could link the free apps tho..

[vakbrain]

Originally Posted by pistol44

Was thinking of doing that but not sure I'm allowed to here since most of the games and programs were off warez sites.. Could link the free apps tho..

Oooh you're right. I'm used to the Linux/Ubuntu and open source community. I forgot that most of windows apps are not free.

[pistol44]

Originally Posted by kidFromBigD

Ok, so your previous device, the Diamond, has a bluetooth chip with FM radio circuitry in-built that apparently the TP2 does not. Even so, there were some tricks the ROM chefs had to play to activate the FM radio for the Diamond. Someone correct me here, but I think a hard SPL had to be unlocked and whatnot.

My Telus Diamond had the FM Radio from stock. However I just assumed that if you couldn't get the FM Radio cab installed and open on the TP2 that it simply meant it wasn't capable of working. So the fact that I got that far made me assume it should work. But I'm sure you're right that some other hack or tweaks are needed to enable it IF it exists on them.

[slaman]

Originally Posted by pistol44

Things I wish I could figure out:
- Why closing Opera doesn't really close it but only minimizes it. And it doesn't even show up as running in the background even though it is

It's because Opera service is running in the background. HTC did this to ensure fast Opera start-up time. You can install a number of apps from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...26&postcount=1 - they will show Opera in the task manager, enable you to exit the app by pressing the X, and disable push internet completely, removing Opera as a service and freeing up 9.5MB of RAM.

- Why I cannot create more than 2 open tabs on Opera

Copy opera.ini to your desktop. Modify the Maximum number of tabs field to whatever you'd like (I'm using 6) and then copy it back to your phone.