Review: W1060 7-inch MID by WireLession

[Simyager]

I have a question:

Does the new A81-E support a 3G USB-stick? Because I know it has a USB OTG and I can find an male mini-usb to female USB so I was wondering whether it can connect to internet through a 3G USB-stick?

I don't really mind if I have to use WINCE or Android for it though :P .

Another question has anyone tried to put some other flavours of Linux on the new A81-E? Like Ubuntu or something ?

Because that would be even better .

Many thanks in advance for anyone who answers my questions .

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by Ken Herrick

1. Do you still find iPhoneToday to provide the best UI, to your liking? My 1060 currently runs plain-vanilla CE & by itself I find it pretty tedious to use. My CE is v. 6.0, Build 3122.

2. From http://code.google.com/p/iphonetoday/downloads/list would I download the cab or the zip? What do I do with it then? Copy it to the SD card, I suppose, but then...?

3. Do you still have problems with CorePlayer, Suspend and freezing in the A81? If so I suppose they might problems in the 1060 as well.

4. As to CorePlayer, post #116 poses a question as to whether to use the Mobile or CE v. I didn't see a definitive answer. Also, kathy in post #280 mentioned the need to first download (and, I assume, install) a Raysource file. But that site is mostly in Chinese which I lack. What to do?

5. I noticed when downloading the Iris cab (I haven't tried installing it yet) that the Win Mobile OS was cited but not CE. I gather that there's a difference between those, but is it OK for CE as well?

6. And lastly, you mentioned a Japanese "Mem" app. Could you provide a link to that?

1. I love iphonetoday interface, but at the moment I have it disabled since it seems to use too much memory. I have doctored-up my Wince interface with colored text and boxes and am using it most of the time now.

2. Both cab and zip work. Once loaded to your card, simply click to open, it runs beautifully.

3. The Coreplayer which works on mine is an older version, newest doesn't work. Only bothersome thing is it only plays the lowest-rez videos... quite bitmapped.

Yes, suspend drives me crazy. It only works about 50% of the time and freezes the rest. I have noticed that with a fresh system install, suspend works much better. The more apps and tweaks I make, the worse suspend behaves.

4. See 3.

5. I can't remember where I got the working Iris cab... seems like it was part of a bundle. It works great. If yours doesn't work, let me know and I can email a copy of mine.

6. Mem.exe is a great little utility. I can't remember where I found it but it can be downloaded as part of a big bundle of free software. Link is: http://extratorrent.com/torrent_file...+Software.html

It's in Japanese so you have to play around to get the setting where you want it. I leave mine running all the time since I wouldn't remember how I got the setting to where it's at now. ((I keep the slider close to the left... seems to be the best overall setting))

[Ken Herrick]

Zealot et al re #557-

I did go ahead with the cab v. of iPhoneToday and it installed beautifully. I subsequently attempted a cab install of several other app's I found here & there on the4 Web. Not a one of them would install even tho all were characterized as working under win CE.

But I think I will not use iPhoneToday; too much trouble to a) install (& perhaps have to find elsewhere) the appropriate icons and b) then associate each icon with the respective app. The old familiar CE-type GUI is, relatively, good enough for now for what I've had in mind.

I had tried installing iris-browser-1.1.9.cab to no avail. But I may not have used the proper technique. I can't remember just how I got iPhoneToday to install--whether via disk-drive or active-sync mode and whether I first loaded it to the SD card & then installed from there or installed from the file while in the desktop; whatever I did, I did it with just a few clicks and bingo!--there it was up & running in the 1060. But nowhere can I find instruction on how one is supposed to do that kind of thing! Would you have info on that? And if you have a later v. of Iris, I would appreciate it, to try again. Let me know if so & I'll get you my email addr.

I've wanted to use the W1060 primarily for displaying slideshows of my stored photos. But the 1060's image viewer, unhappily, lacks a means of establishing "favorites" of the saved slideshows; One has to click thru folders every time, 1 by one til the appropriate one is reached, then click again to summon up the slideshow's parameter file, then click more times to start the show. In the meantime, one's audience will have snoozed off. What I'd like is a desktop icon for each slideshow; 1 click and off it goes.

My Suspend works OK, it seems, but I have issues with the USB feature: After suspend, it seems I have to reboot if I want to use the USB connection to the desktop. Also, sometimes when I unplug the USB, then re-plug it, the computer no longer recognizes the Sd card--even tho I (sometimes but not always) hear the audible "chime" in the desktop indicating the connection. Then I have to reboot the 1060--but reboot only w/out the USB plugged in; that's another annoyance. Further, of course, the USB:desktop connection is only between the SD card and the desktop--and the card is rendered inaccessible within the W1060 while that connection is in effect. And still further for me, occasionally the desktop freezes when I do such a re-plug--but I find that if I cycle my KVM switch (to another computer) several times it recovers. That's odd...

What the W1060/A81 and/or Win CE ought to provide is an easy way to put a shortcut on the screen that will lead right to an image, or an image-set, or a document, already presented in whatever app is appropriate for it or them. It would seem like a simple task to implement--but "simple" has never been Microsoft's strong point in my view. Except for CE: that's tooo simple!

And finally while griping...I'm wondering if any CE-based app would be able to make use of the 3 left-side buttons and the top rocker-button of the C-type 1060 (and I suppose the later A81 model)? Or would one have to go to Android or the like? I understand from Lencho Lee that Wirelession (or perhaps the A81 people) is working on a customized Android 2.2 UI. I'll be interested in that when & if it's available as a download.

KCH

[Ken Herrick]

Has anyone noticed the following anomaly and is there a solution? I have a number of wmv video files on the 1060's storage card (16 GB). In both of the bundled WM Viewers a few load almost immediately but many others take minutes to start. One, of ~16 MB, starts within a few seconds. Another, of ~3 MB, takes over a minute to begin. But while (seemingly) loading the latter one, I can move the slider along, with the stylus, and the image will freeze at the corresponding spot--so somehow the whole thing is available to the app; it just won't start running for a long time.

I have the memory slider set to the far left. Can that be fixed, anyone??

Ken

[martini]

Originally Posted by pphilipp

The fastest web browser yet...
UCWeb!

I've had the Chinese version running for some time... but now have English running. Problem is, it seems to go through a Chinese server and automatically blocks-out certain sites, such as Facebook and any social site. (Mobileread comes through fine.)

Overall, it's quite fast (very much) and has smooth finger-pressure scrolling. If 'blocked sites' could be accessed, it would be best browser of all for Wince.

____________________________________

FOOTNOTE:
Dang! Someone explained why this is so much faster than anything else... it only goes to a Chinese 'proxy server'. It's not really going-out to the entire internet, just to one server where things are stored.

Oh well, it was good while it lasted (my delusion, that is).

I have a Wince 6.0 Embedded vehicle too. Some weeks ago there game a new Opera mini 5.1 for Windows phones. The normal cab.file for PPC 5/6 do not suite, but the version for PPC 2003 cab. file installs very well. It works landscape quite well. Very small bugs. I recommend to try. The cab file is ´mini5wm_unpacked´ abd is about 1.95Mb in size. As good as UCWeb but it works normally.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by martini

I have a Wince 6.0 Embedded vehicle too. Some weeks ago there game a new Opera mini 5.1 for Windows phones. The normal cab.file for PPC 5/6 do not suite, but the version for PPC 2003 cab. file installs very well. It works landscape quite well. Very small bugs. I recommend to try. The cab file is ´mini5wm_unpacked´ abd is about 1.95Mb in size. As good as UCWeb but it works normally.

Thank you Martini.
I had tried to run the previous version of this app and it would not run, but you are absolutely correct in that the newest update runs on the A81... I just loaded it.
Since I don't have a wifi connection at the moment, I can't really test it yet. I will give an opinion later on this browser... when I have a chance to compare it to the other five browsers already on my device.
It looks like it's going to be a real winner.

Thanks for giving a heads-up on this!!

[pphilipp]

Update to previous post:
It's taken almost a year for the A81 to run a superb browser but it was worth it. The newest update to Opera mini runs great! It has a few minor bugs but the speed and smooth finger scrolling make it the best of them all. It's the first web browser on the A81 to keep up with a fully muscled computer.

[martini]

Originally Posted by pphilipp

Update to previous post:
It's taken almost a year for the A81 to run a superb browser but it was worth it. The newest update to Opera mini runs great! It has a few minor bugs but the speed and smooth finger scrolling make it the best of them all. It's the first web browser on the A81 to keep up with a fully muscled computer.

I have the same opinion with You. It is the best web browser in my Smart Q7. I do not need any other browser after this Opera mini and now after one year using my SQ7 I give almost 10 points to SQ7-Wice. Actually I have two of them.
Which keyboard people are using in W1060? I am using PlumSIP.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by martini

I have the same opinion with You. It is the best web browser in my Smart Q7. I do not need any other browser after this Opera mini and now after one year using my SQ7 I give almost 10 points to SQ7-Wice. Actually I have two of them.
Which keyboard people are using in W1060? I am using PlumSIP.

I do have a question...
I synced (linked) with my Opera account assuming it would find all my bookmarks and info. I can't see that any of that has been added to this device. Is this a possibility that you know of?

[martini]

Originally Posted by pphilipp

I do have a question...
I synced (linked) with my Opera account assuming it would find all my bookmarks and info. I can't see that any of that has been added to this device. Is this a possibility that you know of?

I use Opera mini browser only in my mobile and tablet. And both sync very well my favorites. Use mylink service via opera.com http://link.opera.com and register first.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by martini

I use Opera mini browser only in my mobile and tablet. And both sync very well my favorites. Use mylink service via opera.com http://link.opera.com and register first.

Okay. I did that and can access the bookmarks.
Is there any way of importing them into the mini browser?
I can copy and paste them individually, but I have hundreds... organized into relevant folders, so I'm looking for a way to bring them together, as a bulk.
Possible?

Thanks.

[martini]

Originally Posted by pphilipp

Okay. I did that and can access the bookmarks.
Is there any way of importing them into the mini browser?
I can copy and paste them individually, but I have hundreds... organized into relevant folders, so I'm looking for a way to bring them together, as a bulk.
Possible?

Thanks.

I have only some dozens of bookmarks and the syncing is easy. In case You have files, go in the files and You maybe found the favorites there. Maybe this helps: http://www.opera.com/link/faq/

I took three captures Operalink>Bookmarks>Operamini>Bookmarks in list

I think these captures helps You.

I am so happy that You also found Opera mini so useful.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by pphilipp

Is there any way of importing them into the mini browser?
I can copy and paste them individually, but I have hundreds... organized into relevant folders, so I'm looking for a way to bring them together, as a bulk.
Possible?

Thanks.

By organizing all the bookmarks on the desktop computer, a new folder which is called 'Opera Mini' appears within the list of other bookmarks, it allows all other bookmarks to be dragged into it. It copies the bookmarks instead of moving them.

The next time I opened the WinCe Opera Mini browser.... there they all were.

Makes the A81 browsing experience quite fantastic!


((Now, if Opera can only work out the bug where the open browser kills all access to the taskbar and other open apps.))

[knfevg]

I was about to post a question about what browser do you use on Wince A81E, but the last couple of posts answered my question will try Opera mini in a sec. till far I tried IE (old, as the latest firmware Wits provides doesnt include IE_NEW), I tried FTXBrowser and Iris. Between these 3 Iris is the fastest + tab-enabled and PIE is the most compatible.... Unfortunatly, Iris is no longer supported
What applications, if any, besides the browser, do you use to access GMAIL?
How do you make use of the hardware buttons on the A81E? I found an application called Wince-Remapper... it enables to configure some of the hardware buttons and generaly does what I like, but these is no way to make it run in the background it starts up and takes the whole screen....
I also tried Iphone-today but didn't like it. Is there any app that will stay in the tray-bar and will have a list of quick-lunch applications? (something like a quick-start in WinXP)?
Last thing is the bug with the BT "disabled" setting in the Wits Configuration: on evey power-up, BT is enabled and I have to set it back to disabled....

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by knfevg

Is there any app that will stay in the tray-bar and will have a list of quick-lunch applications? (something like a quick-start in WinXP)?

Yep. There's several such apps. I have three or four on my device but don't use them much.

Next time I'm using my A81 I'll post and let you know what they are. They're part of the big software bundle I've posted on here several times and won't cost you anything to use them.