[PaulOBrien]

Are you moving / have you moved from WinMo to Android?

If so, then you may well have the same issue as my wife, whereby you have a bunch of SMS on your WinMo device that you want to keep as you migrate across to Android. Now, I scoured every corner of the internet trying to find a solution to this particular problem - to no avail - so i've hacked together a solution for devices with ROOT access, that you can find in this topic.

As well as solving this particular issue, writing WMSM was an interesting exercise in checking out the Android development environment (Eclipse = FREE), the SDK / emulator (= FREE) and the Market submission process, all of which, frankly, put Windows Mobile to shame...

While we're talking Android, i'm interested to hear the thoughts of those here who have had a play with the OS. How serious a competitor do you feel is it to Windows Mobile?

P

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[Syphon Filter]

Any plans to port CamerAware to Android?

Could influence my next purchasing decision...

EDIT: Also, will licenses be transferable?

This post has been edited by Syphon Filter: 11 June 2009 - 02:12 PM

[Rado]

This is a bit off-topic, but my biggest problem when migrating from my previous WinMo device (Orange SPV C500 smartphone running Windows Mobile 2003) to my current HTC Touch Diamond were my SMS messages. In the end I gave up, I've tried a few utilities but everything failed. I don't need this anymore, but is it possible to migrate the SMS messages from a WinMo 2003 Smartphone device to a WinMo 6.1 Pro one?

[Syphon Filter]

I didnt realise that people valued their SMS messages so much?!

[Rado]

Syphon Filter, on Jun 11 2009, 17:51, said:

I didnt realise that people valued their SMS messages so much?!

In my case, it's just like with emails - I just don't delete them and keep a personal archive. I don't really use it, but sometimes it is useful to search in old emails. It's similar with SMS messages - I almost never accessed the old ones, but sometimes it helped me remember something, or if I needed to find the exact date of a past event, I could usually find it in some SMS message.

That said, I gave up my attempts to back up my old messages when I last upgraded a few months ago, and didn't need them ever since.

[PaulOBrien]

Syphon Filter, on Jun 11 2009, 16:51, said:

I didnt realise that people valued their SMS messages so much?!

Sometimes people want to keep SMS for sentimental reasons. For example, my other half has a number of SMS sent by her dad who has now passed away...

P

[PaulOBrien]

Syphon Filter, on Jun 11 2009, 15:10, said:

Any plans to port CamerAware to Android?

Could influence my next purchasing decision...

EDIT: Also, will licenses be transferable?

Yes, I am looking into this. Licencing is undecided atm.

P

[PaulOBrien]

Rado, on Jun 11 2009, 15:30, said:

This is a bit off-topic, but my biggest problem when migrating from my previous WinMo device (Orange SPV C500 smartphone running Windows Mobile 2003) to my current HTC Touch Diamond were my SMS messages. In the end I gave up, I've tried a few utilities but everything failed. I don't need this anymore, but is it possible to migrate the SMS messages from a WinMo 2003 Smartphone device to a WinMo 6.1 Pro one?

This should definitely be possible, not tried tho of course!

P

[efjay]

Rado, on Jun 11 2009, 11:30, said:

In my case, it's just like with emails - I just don't delete them and keep a personal archive. I don't really use it, but sometimes it is useful to search in old emails. It's similar with SMS messages - I almost never accessed the old ones, but sometimes it helped me remember something, or if I needed to find the exact date of a past event, I could usually find it in some SMS message.

That said, I gave up my attempts to back up my old messages when I last upgraded a few months ago, and didn't need them ever since.

Try Microsoft Myphone, backs up your SMS, contacts, calendar for free.

[gs_london]

I hold my hand up yes I switched to the Google G1

I have been a windows mobile user from about 2003. I used to write some very basic software and enjoyed the power of the device.

I bought the MDA Vario II (hermes) after seeing someone with the predecessor and also bought the Vario II (kaiser).

I did think that windows mobile have not really updated their o/s that much with the same rather tired icons and start menu.

There were a couple of developers who made software that made winmo look like it has an iphone interface and even HTC themselves took to creating apps to bolster the pretty dated system

When I saw that the next release of windows had not changed fundamentally I decided to change sides.

The android is magical, the interface is a delight to use the integration of the net is something to be seen. Everything works. Just imagine, every clickable thing is finger sized no more training your fingernail to hit that tiny tab or getting the stylus out just to click one thing.

The Android market is gathering pace and it's great to know you no longer have to hunt for good free software, it's listed updated and ready for download whenever your ready.

Talking of downloading, the system handles updates seamlessly. My handset was supplied with android 1.2. Within two weeks there was a new version out 1.5 and I was prompted to install new o/s. It took 4 minutes to download and 5 minutes to update. Very clever, I remember on windows mobile you have 3 choices. Hope the vendor provides updates to download, learn how to flash you phone and step into the world hacked and customised rom images, don't upgrade.

As a developer myself i was curious so downloaded the sdk. Again the android team have shown the way to do things with a complex language simplified and abstracted so much that anyone can build an application in minutes.

So I have no hesitation in recommending this device.

Anyone else?

[Radix999]

Pimbackup is the best way to backup and restore sms messages/contacts/calendars/etc on WinMo - it's also free and is easy to install and runs on any version of WinMo afaik.

gs_london, on Jun 14 2009, 18:50, said:

So I have no hesitation in recommending this device.

Anyone else?

I'm in wholehearted agreement with gs_london: I switched to Android only a few days ago when I purchased a HTC Magic to replace my HTC Touch Diamond and must say that it's like night and day. Within minutes I had apps at my fingertips thanks to the Android Market and was ssh'ing, ftping and reading ebooks on my mobile. Data connections just work.. the browser is magically fast and incredibly usable - unlike any WinMo device I ever used - and I have every app I need. Plus it's synched with my gmail/contacts/calendar and exchange at the same time.
I feel like I'm in heaven and REALLY glad I made the plunge into Android.

The ONLY thing missing was the htc keyboard - which I missed... but I found a solution for that a couple of days after getting the phone and posted up a video of it all at:

http://radixgadgets.blogspot.com/

Yes, I'm a convert. And this after owning numerous WinMo phones through the years and being a preacher for that platform.

[PaulOBrien]

Deets on the HTC input method:

http://android.modaco.com/content/android-...od-for-android/

Don't forget to hang out at MoDaCo Android Radix!

http://android.modaco.com

P

[d3viou5]

Rado, on Jun 11 2009, 15:30, said:

This is a bit off-topic, but my biggest problem when migrating from my previous WinMo device (Orange SPV C500 smartphone running Windows Mobile 2003) to my current HTC Touch Diamond were my SMS messages. In the end I gave up, I've tried a few utilities but everything failed. I don't need this anymore, but is it possible to migrate the SMS messages from a WinMo 2003 Smartphone device to a WinMo 6.1 Pro one?

Microsoft Myphone

http://sn1-p1.myphon...rt.po?mkt=en-US

Don't know if it'll work on your SPV, but its worth a try.

[Rado]

d3viou5, on Jun 16 2009, 06:39, said:

Microsoft Myphone
http://sn1-p1.myphon...rt.po?mkt=en-US
Don't know if it'll work on your SPV, but its worth a try.

Thanks for the tips d3viou5, Radix999 and efjay.
MyPhone looks interesting, but it seems it requires WinMo 6+, the PIM backup should work, I'll give it a try.

[Egmel]

gs_london, on Jun 14 2009, 11:50, said:

So I have no hesitation in recommending this device.

Anyone else?

+1

I had been an htc win mobile user for quite a while, I loved the full qwerty keyboards and the ease of synchronisation with exchange. However when I came to upgrade this time round there wasn't anything that fitted the bill on my network. So I took the plunge, changed networks and got a G1 about 6 months ago.

It hasn't been without its teething problems and I'm still looking for decent, cheap exchange support. I currently use TouchDown, it does the job but the interface doesn't feel as slick as it could. It just seems out of place. I only use it for the email side of exchange, I synchronise my gmail/outlook calendar and contacts using a cheap little program called gSyncit it has the advantage of handling multiple gmail calendars and linking them to categories on the outlook one. Again, a program not without its teething problems but the guy who makes it is quick to respond to support requests. As with all sync programs I would advise making backups before using it and double checking all the settings the first time round. Unlike some I've tried, this one manages to get the birthday format the right way round and I didn't have to go through re-adjusting birthdays eg 09/01/1980 to 01/09/1980.

SMS Backup is neat, it backs up your sms messages to to your gmail account. It's an open source project and will probably extend to other things being backed up to gmail at a later date.

There are some neat little apps to make use of the GPS and there's a barcode scanner for if you're out shopping!

But that's all about the apps and not about the system...

Android is easy to use and the switch from winMo wasn't as difficult as I expected. The buttons are all easily tap-able and everything is easy to get at. I would question the lack of folders on the menu as once you've installed a few apps it becomes more difficult to organise but I think that might just be me liking folders!

I like the multiple desktops and the ease of switching between them.

It would have been nice for exchange support to have been inherent, it would have made everything a lot easier. I'm obliged to use it for work so I can't just switch to gmail (which I already use for my personal email). However I also see the point that it shouldn't necessarily be Google's job to make their phone microsoft compliant. Trouble is Microsoft are never going to do it and the 3rd party apps leave a little to be desired at the moment.

As previously mentioned the browser is faster and sleeker, as is the general interface, the background tasks thing is brilliant as is problem/crash recovery. I don't think I've ever had to pull the battery out in anger.

So for everyday ease of use it gets better marks than winMo, for expandability it gets better marks, in fact the only thing it falls down on is the exchange support... oh and the volume but I think that's a hardware thing!

[rav1patel]

i've had six winmo phones since 2004. three smartphones and three pocket pcs. i recently got a magic on vodafone and was converted in a day. it's so lovely to use and everything's so fresh. it really is a joy. the only thing i really miss is exchange and the different htc keyboards. that's the only reason i gave it back. i'm waiting for the hero now which fixes all this. will be the perfect device for me.

[dandv]

d3viou5, on Jun 15 2009, 20:39, said:

Microsoft Myphone

http://sn1-p1.myphon...rt.po?mkt=en-US

I wouldn't have my SMSes migrated somewhere online, for privacy reasons.

PIM Organizer is a piece of freeware that exports SMSes to text files. It probably can import them too, but I haven't tried that. Exporting worked perfectly and I periodically export my SMS Inbox and move the files out of the PDA to my computer.

[chancer1]

gs_london, on Jun 14 2009, 10:50, said:

Hi



have you made any knew programs for the android system , or have you went away from the android as i am waiting in the wings for a new android maybe the htc hero which is due out very shortly, what is your opinion on these thanks, how is the android market too is it any good on the g1 thanks, and when i access the android market on the pc why does it only have 14 pages of free apps but on the phone is it different thanks for all your help in advance.


kind regards

Ian mccully

[Croccy22]

Hi All,

Well I've been a Windows Mobile user since the very first SPV and have pretty much every SPV/HTC phone since then! When the G1 first came out there was something about it that I thought I needed so I went and bought one SIM Free.

Since then I've never looked back. I still have my diamond sat here but I just don't want to use it any more. The Android experience is just so much more Fun! The main thing is obviously the Android Market. It makes applications so much easier to obtain. You can be sat on holiday in the middle of nowhere and find a new application that you want to try, so you just hit download and there you go. I know you can install cab files fairly easily on WinMo but finding then is the first place is just so much of a chore!

I also find navigating around the phone is just so much simpler as it's all been designed for use with fingers rather than having to use the Stylus.

Unfortunately I have just stuffed my G1 by trying to replace the case after dropping it I ended up breaking the keyboard connector so I have no keyboard anymore. But even so I still find myself using the G1 instead of the diamond. And not having a keyboard is good practice for my HTC Hero which is on order (Really think I am gonna miss the qwerty keyboard though especially going to miss all the emulators :'( )

And then of course there is the development community. I have already written a couple of small test apps and the whole process was a dream! (See what I did there?). I'm now trying to learn how to program the phone properly instead of relying on other peoples code to hack stuff together. I have this feeling that the android platform is going to be around for a fair while and being able to develop for it could be a good way of making a few quid!

Publishing apps to the market again is such an easy task, just register yourself as a developer, upload your app and tick a few boxes. All of a sudden your app is listed on every Android phone in the world! Even the small test app I wrote had around 60,000 downloads within a month!

Anyway in conclusion I am now an android user and unless Microsoft work some serious magic (3d acceleration in phones, market place, better ui) I don't think i'm going back

Matt.

[Rado]

Rado, on Jun 16 2009, 11:29, said:

MyPhone looks interesting, but it seems it requires WinMo 6+, the PIM backup should work, I'll give it a try.

Just a small update for those interested - PIM Backup 2.8 supports WinMo 2003, but only works on PPC, not Smartphones, and while PIMOrganizer 1.1 seems to support WinMo 2003 SE for Smartphones too (it installs and starts successfully) it will crash soon after starting with a "CeOpenDatabase failed" message. Looks like my SMS archive is doomed! :-D

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