Manila TF3D - What's The Point?

[dr g]

Originally Posted by jazee

Points well taken. My view of TF3D being a 'halfway' solution that is has only a very shallow integration with the O/S is a widely accepted view amongst professionals who review phones for a living.

I don't see this in reviews, most reviews I see praise TF3D. I don't know of many other solutions that integrate significantly more deeply with the OS. Everything is a front end.

[pjsnyc]

Originally Posted by jazee

...A giant clock and a couple lines of info isn't very useful...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder my friend. That goes for practicality too! I find it to be more practical to be able to see the time (BIGGER IS BETTER!), missed calls, voicemails, and email count in a very simple manner. The screenshot in the first post gives me a seizure!!! But thats just me

Originally Posted by jazee

You're missing my point. There's a lot I like about the TF3D interface. ...Sure would be a lot better/cleaner if I could have all the info on my standard Today screen appear on the TF3D Today screen though. ...HTC could have at least built in the ability to switch between Today screens instead of having to download some 3rd party app to do it.

I'll agree with you on that one! Shoulda just made a TF3D tab that IS a today screen

[Deimoss]

Originally Posted by pjsnyc

I'll agree with you on that one! Shoulda just made a TF3D tab that IS a today screen

See that's what I'm talking about, bring in the constructive criticism, get the ideas going, and get back to work!

[tonyh750]

spb mobile shell is still one of the best put together interfaces I have seen yet. It's fast, and allows you (with a little setup time) to have all the interfaces you could really ever need. I don't know if you've looked at it yet, but it might be a nice alternative for you.

[schettj]

Well, ok, I'm now officially a TF3d user for all of about 13 hours, 7 of which I was sleeping. Here's my initial reaction (and keeping in mind I've been a winmo user since the Apache days, late 2006, and I;ve hacked and customized and flashed and worked very hard to get it just so.... *and* I've had an ipod touch for more then a year, just updated that puppy to 2.2 firmware...)

And the verdict is... I like it. Sure, it's a cartoon interface, and it's not information dense. Using the touch for both media and for in-home browsing/email has broken my addiction to shoving as much data as possible onto a handheld device. I get that what works best there is *just enough* info, not *everything possible*.

So I see TF3d as the HTC version of *just enough*. I can see what's happening in my digital world pretty easily (today's meetings, message notifications and a peek at them, txt messages/quick reply, phone stuff...) and if I must, I can drop into WinMo for the heavy lifting. And I *can* use this interface with my fingers.

Dropping into winmo still bites, but hey, whatchagonnado?

I'd say for joe-average-user this could work pretty well indeed.

[jmorton10]

Well put schettj, I agree 100%

~John

[jdume]

Originally Posted by jazee

I just got an HTC Touch Pro (AT&T Fuze) as the Tilt I had for over a year finally starting getting unreliable. Happy with the Fuze so far, but I'm sort of perplexed with this whole Touch Flo 3D (aka Manila) deal.

Essentially as I see it HTC decided to leapfrog Microsoft and slap their own Today interface on top of Windows Mobile which makes their phones look and operate more like an iPhone. But HTC is a phone designer, not an operating system designer. We all know Microsoft makes buggy products, especially operating systems (I've been a Windows Mobile/CE User for about 5 years now.) I can't switch to an iPhone though because it doesn't have all the apps that I need, yet. But what a slap in the face from HTC - or really just a half-baked solution to Windows Mobile users who have some sort of inferiority complex that there phone isn't as "cool" as an iPhone.

So, as I, and many others have probably discovered, the TF3D Today Screen is woefully lacking in configuration options. I have both the PhoneAlarm and PocketWeather apps which cannot be displayed on the TF3D display. You have to use an additional app (2nd Today for example) or enable the Touch Flo option in Phone Alarm so you can toggle between the two different Today screens. What a joke.

So I installed a really nice looking skin for my PhoneAlarm App called 'My Touch VGA' which has a similar look to Manila. Granted I have only had the phone a couple days but I am having a hard time seeing what the BIG BENEFIT is of using Manila versus the regular WM Today screen? Wow you can flip through pictures and contacts sort of like an iPhone. Real cute. BIG DEAL. The weather app is a joke as you can't see forecasts on the Today screen without scrolling to it and it will only show you one city at a time. And that stupid clock is using up a ton of screen real estate that could be used to display snapshots of much more valueable information.

Here's a screen shot of what my WM Today screen looks like.



Can someone tell me what the REAL BENEFIT is of Manila is aside from looking cool? I don't consider "cooler" a REAL benefit. Is it faster? Does it let you perform tasks twice as fast? Is it more useful? I just don't get it. It looks to me like it is just some half-way slapped together wrapper that's been slapped around the Today screen which gives you far less control of what appears on the Today Home Screen in exchange for making people think they have something that works more similar to an iPhone. How pathetic.

I'd love to be surprised if someone can explain some major beneficial features I've missed?

I guess I should clarify, I realize Touch Flo inn general is more referring to the ability to do gestures with your fingers instead of using a stylus. I guess what I'm referring to more specifically is the Touch Flo Today plug-in. Here's some examples of drawbacks I immediately saw:

1. Can't add 3rd party plugins to Touch Flo Today screen (HTC provided no API - dummies)
2. No easy way to switch between Touch Flo and WM Today screens without installing 3rd party app
3. No lock screen
4. Home screen provides little 'at a glance' information due to big clock taking up too much room. It limits you to only 2 or 3 lines of appointments even in collapsed clock view.
5. The photo flipping is gimicky. In the Contact manager, it looks great, but is only practical if you have 3 or fewer favorite people. You might use photo flipping to show off the phone, but for all practicality, when you actually want to call someone the slider is better.
6. SMS and Email are lumped together
7. Weather takes up the whole screen instead of just being part of the Home Screen whether you are looking at current conditions or a 5-day forecast. Weather is like time, it should be something you can quickly glance at on the home screen.
8. No way to add/remove or reorder the selections at the bottom

Bottom line TF3D LOOKS slick but looks don't translate to real world significant efficiency/functionality improvements/benefits. Once you get past the iPhone'ish glitz, you realize it is not much better, if better at all than a re-skinned standard Windows Mobile Today Screen because there's no way to integrate 3rd party apps with the Touch Flo Today interface. And most of us know, probably the main benefit (if the only benefit) of Windows Mobile is the HUGE selection of very useful 3rd party apps.



5.

Sounds to me like you should have selected a phone that better suits your needs....... like a Blackberry

[TreyBeno]

To the OP I feel ya. TF3D is complete garbage in my personal opinion. Its very limited and the traditional today pludins are far more useable. Im very disturbed that this is a forum to state opinions, but when someone states an opinion different from the group mentality they get roughed up. Some people can call it a "rant" but in truth its stating an opinion. Im no saint here myself as Ive told people that there ideas or whatever is stupid in my opinion. And yes it did cause a ruckus but I dont care bcuz I stated my opinion. I saw alot of hypocrits while reading this thread and that disturbed me as well. As someone who has never really fallen for the "eye candy" sales gimmick, I bought my TP only for the increased resolution and tons of memory. Ur using whats under the UI most of the time so just pick what u like. I like UltimateLaunch myself and as a joke can make it look and act like TF3D ( just no slider over the tabs). In all reality TF3D is just the UltimateLaunch that they saw all of us were using and modding our phones with and HTC said hey we can do that. I really do believe it was HTC trying to give us what we want, but just in baby steps. And I personally think that ur fooling urself if u dont think this is directly influenced by the iphone. Apple decided to do one thing very well while Microsoft is trying to do alot at an above average level. To me the iphone is a 12 year old girls phone. Perfect for calls,texting,sending pics, and gossiping. Its applications arent that ground breaking and most can be done on windows mobile too. Some people want fun while others want function. TF3D is fun but in real world terms UL or the other commons are better. TF3D was a way to fool people into thinking they got there moneys worth and that this generation of phones is superior to the last. Even with better resolutions and bigger memory its still windows mobile 6.1 no matter how hard they try to "hide" it. So to sum it up TF3D is pretty but very limited. Its funny how people say its so useful but have second today or something else bcuz TF3D is lacking. If U could use whatever plugin u want in any tab then TF3D would be something major. Until then its still a joke that might have some benefits in the future.

[Machinehead]

Originally Posted by jazee

I'm a surveyor and work outside all day. That's why the weather forecast is important to me. Plus I wear a wrist watch for the time. Your contention my use of the weather forecast on my phone is laughable is both insulting and demonstates YOU don't know anything about who I am or what I do.

The field guys (Unless you're a PLS, you're not a surveyor in my book.) I've worked with barely know how to use a computer, let alone own a smart phone.

By the way, your today screen set up is completely useless to me. Too much clutter on one page, no app launch, crappy phone alarm skin. But that's a personal preference and I prefer multi-paged today screen options like Wisbar Advanced Desktop and Ultimate Launch.

[jdume]

Originally Posted by TreyBeno

To the OP I feel ya. TF3D is complete garbage in my personal opinion. Its very limited and the traditional today pludins are far more useable. Im very disturbed that this is a forum to state opinions, but when someone states an opinion different from the group mentality they get roughed up. Some people can call it a "rant" but in truth its stating an opinion. Im no saint here myself as Ive told people that there ideas or whatever is stupid in my opinion. And yes it did cause a ruckus but I dont care bcuz I stated my opinion. I saw alot of hypocrits while reading this thread and that disturbed me as well. As someone who has never really fallen for the "eye candy" sales gimmick, I bought my TP only for the increased resolution and tons of memory. Ur using whats under the UI most of the time so just pick what u like. I like UltimateLaunch myself and as a joke can make it look and act like TF3D ( just no slider over the tabs). In all reality TF3D is just the UltimateLaunch that they saw all of us were using and modding our phones with and HTC said hey we can do that. I really do believe it was HTC trying to give us what we want, but just in baby steps. And I personally think that ur fooling urself if u dont think this is directly influenced by the iphone. Apple decided to do one thing very well while Microsoft is trying to do alot at an above average level. To me the iphone is a 12 year old girls phone. Perfect for calls,texting,sending pics, and gossiping. Its applications arent that ground breaking and most can be done on windows mobile too. Some people want fun while others want function. TF3D is fun but in real world terms UL or the other commons are better. TF3D was a way to fool people into thinking they got there moneys worth and that this generation of phones is superior to the last. Even with better resolutions and bigger memory its still windows mobile 6.1 no matter how hard they try to "hide" it. So to sum it up TF3D is pretty but very limited. Its funny how people say its so useful but have second today or something else bcuz TF3D is lacking. If U could use whatever plugin u want in any tab then TF3D would be something major. Until then its still a joke that might have some benefits in the future.

I didn't bother to read your hole rant, but I can tell you like I told the other guy get a Blackberry and stop complaining here at ppcgeeks we can do what ever we want with whatever phone nothing is imposible thats why we all come here "Microsoft makes the software we just make it better"