Windows Phone 8.1 Features

awec

mark_m360 wrote: »

Unfortunately we are not counted as the same region. There is many different dialects here that they need to adopt as well. If you change your region to UK you will be able to access it.

Though be aware that this has implications - you will not be able to pay for apps in the store unless you have a card with a UK billing address.

liamog

awec wrote: »

Though be aware that this has implications - you will not be able to pay for apps in the store unless you have a card with a UK billing address.

But remember you can switch region now without hard resetting the phone.

Switch to Ireland, buy app, switch back to UK enjoy Cortana.

Alternatively you can buy a UK Xbox Gift card and load the credit into your account. This will only work when the region is set to UK but will avoid you needing to swap regions.

awec

liamog wrote: »

But remember you can switch region now without hard resetting the phone.

Switch to Ireland, buy app, switch back to UK enjoy Cortana.

Alternatively you can buy a UK Xbox Gift card and load the credit into your account. This will only work when the region is set to UK but will avoid you needing to swap regions.

You still have to reboot the phone after changing region, no?

liamog

awec wrote: »

You still have to reboot the phone after changing region, no?

Sorry it's a term we used to use in work, hard-reset was a wipe and completer reinstall as against soft-reset which was a reboot. In WP7 you had to Hard Reset to change regions.

beauf

How useful is Cortana?

Can't see myself using it tbh.

awec

liamog wrote: »

Sorry it's a term we used to use in work, hard-reset was a wipe and completer reinstall as against soft-reset which was a reboot. In WP7 you had to Hard Reset to change regions.

Aye I know, was just saying that it's still annoying having to restart.

That said it's probably not much of an issue unless you actually pay for apps. Most people stick with the free stuff.

awec

beauf wrote: »

How useful is Cortana?

Can't see myself using it tbh.

It's very cool. It's the sort of thing in 5 years we'll be wondering how we ever had phones without something like it.

kayos

awec wrote: »

It's very cool. It's the sort of thing in 5 years we'll be wondering how we ever had phones without something like it.

Not until they allow her to work without GPS enabled. Sorry but forcing Location Services is daft. For location based queries we need it, for things like quiet hours we dont!

theothernt

kayos wrote: »

Not until they allow her to work without GPS enabled. Sorry but forcing Location Services is daft. For location based queries we need it, for things like quiet hours we dont!

Actually, it's needed for region monitoring as well, which doesn't technically use GPS - only cell tower triangulation or wifi positioning.

Tinie

I really wish there was a toggle tile in the notifixtoon drop down menu for mobile data. How could they omit this one, its one of the most used I'd imagine as most people don't leave they're 3g on all day.

Czarcasm

Tinie wrote: »

I really wish there was a toggle tile in the notifixtoon drop down menu for mobile data. How could they omit this one, its one of the most used I'd imagine as most people don't leave they're 3g on all day.

I can't see much reason for it myself as I leave the 4G, wifi and location on permanently. I get about a two days out of a full charge, unlike phones before where you'd only get a few hours out of a full charge with the big three turned on.

I haven't had much time with the more modern android or ios phones, but I can't imagine their power management even comes close to Windows phones, and mine is the budget end of the spectrum - a Lumia 625.

It's useful to keep them switched on for features like Cortana which tracks your daily life and locations over time so that it becomes more useful over time too the more information it collects. I'm not overly concerned about privacy issues as the benefits by far outweigh the possible privacy concerns.

g0g

The one thing I want (without installing an app for it) is the ability to display more than my next appointment on the lock screen. Surely this is something loads of people would want - a quick way to see your agenda for the rest of the day!?

beauf

Tinie wrote: »

I really wish there was a toggle tile in the notifixtoon drop down menu for mobile data. How could they omit this one, its one of the most used I'd imagine as most people don't leave they're 3g on all day.

+1 so annoying. Don't understand how they left if out of the 8.1 swipe down bar again. I use an app called System tiles to add tiles for things that.

Czarcasm wrote: »

I can't see much reason for it myself as I leave the 4G, wifi and location on permanently. I get about a two days out of a full charge, unlike phones before where you'd only get a few hours out of a full charge with the big three turned on....

I'm on prepaid data. 90% of the time I'm on wifi. So I have to watch how much mobile data I'm using or it chews it all up. Hence the toggle.

g0g wrote: »

The one thing I want (without installing an app for it) is the ability to display more than my next appointment on the lock screen. Surely this is something loads of people would want - a quick way to see your agenda for the rest of the day!?

I don't get how this is missing either. It makes the calendar useless for many I expect.

TBH my old Nokia S60 (even Palm PDA) was far more advanced for things like this.

liamog

beauf wrote: »

+1 so annoying. Don't understand how they left if out of the 8.1 swipe down bar again. I use an app called System tiles to add tiles for things that.

I'm on prepaid data. 90% of the time I'm on wifi. So I have to watch how much mobile data I'm using or it chews it all up. Hence the toggle.

I don't get how this is missing either. It makes the calendar useless for many I expect.

TBH my old Nokia S60 (even Palm PDA) was far more advanced for things like this.

I'd rather they spend time adding actual innovative features and opening API's than building in multi line calendars that can be achieved with apps.

Adding a weekly limit to data sense could be a good idea for helping to spread out allowances.

beauf

The limit on the tiles also applies to 3rd party apps. Its a system limitation. Of 3 items. 1 on the stock app.

liamog

beauf wrote: »

The limit on the tiles also applies to 3rd party apps. Its a system limitation. Of 3 items. 1 on the stock app.

I could make an app that showed more than 3 items, it's just the case that the wide tile format does not lend itself to showing more than this at once.

Would you like a calendar app with secondary tiles to show multiple entries?

beauf

You're right I suppose. Its the one place I really miss multiple home screens of Android. Obviously you don't want it on the lock screen for privacy issues.

Tinie

Guys how do you change the apn settings for your 3g data connection?
Running 8.1. Have searched all through settings but can't find it.

Czarcasm

Tinie wrote: »

Guys how do you change the apn settings for your 3g data connection?
Running 8.1. Have searched all through settings but can't find it.

SETTINGS -> System -> access point

From there, hold down your finger on the apn listed and select "view".

I'd be fairly sure you can change it if you put the phone in offline mode first.

Fingleberries

You could use the Windows Phone Feedback site (http://windowsphone.uservoice.com). There are a number of people who have asked for this and the Windows Phone team at Microsoft often use this to help prioritise features for future updates.

A similar suggestion has approximately 21,000 votes (http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions/suggestions/5536817-mobile-data-on-off-option-to-quick-settings)

You can add your weight behind it to help move it up the list.

beauf

Good tip cheers

g0g

liamog wrote: »

I'd rather they spend time adding actual innovative features and opening API's than building in multi line calendars that can be achieved with apps.

Adding a weekly limit to data sense could be a good idea for helping to spread out allowances.

Personally I'd prefer an official MS version of the calendar. I quite like the lock screen that comes with the phone if I could just have more entries.....and also maybe more status "counters" (2 rows?) as 5 isn't enough to cover 2 emails, calls, texts, whatsapp, facebook and whatever else I can't think of now!

Thanks to the person who linked the website for suggestions - that's a great thing to know about!

awec

Tinie wrote: »

I really wish there was a toggle tile in the notifixtoon drop down menu for mobile data. How could they omit this one, its one of the most used I'd imagine as most people don't leave they're 3g on all day.

Why do you turn 3g off?

Tinie

awec wrote: »

Why do you turn 3g off?

To save battery

3g uses a lot of battery.

smacg

Seems you cant delete or change the folders in Internet explorer are you have synced it with your Outlook settings. Is the Quiet hours feature only available with Cortana, can't seem to access it?

awec

Tinie wrote: »

To save battery

3g uses a lot of battery.

If you are having battery problems because of 3G being on then there's surely something wrong.

I don't know a single person who turns off 3G. Mobile data stays on 24/7, same as wifi.

beauf

You are kinda missing the point. If you have a limit data allowance, PAYG for example, you'll turn it off to save your balance. Also if you want to extend your battery, 3G is one thing that you can turn off.

Not everyone uses their phone the same way.

Tinie

awec wrote: »

If you are having battery problems because of 3G being on then there's surely something wrong.

I don't know a single person who turns off 3G. Mobile data stays on 24/7, same as wifi.

Er what?

I'm not having battery problems, I turn off 3g to conserve battery. I also have a limited monthly allowance which I can't gl over. How can you not understand this?

You know its almost like I use my phone differently than you do! What a shocker, people use their phones in different ways.

Btw, do you go around asking people if they turn off their 3g setting?...

awec

Tinie wrote: »

Er what?

I'm not having battery problems, I turn off 3g to conserve battery. I also have a limited monthly allowance which I can't gl over. How can you not understand this?

You know its almost like I use my phone differently than you do! What a shocker, people use their phones in different ways.

Btw, do you go around asking people if they turn off their 3g setting?...

I was only curious - not criticising or anything. Your phone should easily last morning to night with 3G on constantly so I was surprised when you said you turned it off to save battery. It seems now that you turn it off for a different reason. - fair enough obviously.

The reason it's not in the notification centre yet is because it's not something that people do that often. Remember that having a smart phone on a PAYG plan with a very low data limit is not the norm. Most Irish carriers offer 500mb as their low end data limit, even with their cheap month-to-month sim only plans.

I'm sure it will come at some point though! Hopefully it's something that third-party apps will be able to make use of as well.

KingOfFairview

Xbox music is still abysmal. Can't wait for a replacement