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Please help. Looking for widgets to replicate WM Today screen.

N

NeoGrandizer

Android Expert
Hi all,

I've been looking over widgets and trying to find one that will give the same functionaliy as the WM Today screen. It looks like I'll probably need a few different ones to accomplish this. I'm stil a newb with this Android stuff. I moved from PalmOS to Windows Mobile to Android. I'm still lugging around my trusty x51v for some things. Hopefully once I've settled in with Android, I can retire the x51v after many faithful years of service.

I've settled with Pimlical as my main Calendar (seems like the only one that plays nice with my irregular recurring appointments) and trying out the beta of SoftMaker Office for an Office solution.

I used PocketBreeze for WM but skipped Android version because it lacked features of its WM counterpart. What I enjoyed most was being able to glance at my schedules start and end times with description and location. I also like weather forecast integration in the schedule. Tasks showing under the day its due, etc. all on one screen.

Any of you experienced users out there can point me to a few widgets I can look into and try? I'm equally fine with free or paid apps.

TIA.
 
chanchan05 said:
It would help if you post pictures. Some of us never used WM.
Click to expand...

Hi, sorry about that. I didn't think about it at the time. :o

Well here's a screenshot of what I want to hopefully accomplish on Android. It was SBSH PocketBreeze on WinMo 6.1. I like the filter via categories, integrated weather forecast, tasks, clicking on the calendar icon to get a pop-up calendar (on the same screen), etc.

The question is, can I duplicate this on Android and use it as my home screen (just 1 screen and not spread out on multiple screens)? It's extremely useful for me especially when I really need to know where I am supposed to be for my next shift.

capture_20120405_225954.jpg


capture_20120405_230047.jpg
 
I've never seeing anything like that for Android, which is amazing considering that Android apps's ratio is almost 7:1 (450,000 to 70,000) vs. Windows. You'd have to use more than one screen to accomplish that, I suppose.
 
sanibel said:
This one looks similar, no?
Click to expand...

Yes, thank you. But not liking some of the reviews also looks like development stopped (last updated in 2010?).

I guess I really have no choice but to spread it out on a few screens. I saw Pure Calendar widget. It looks like it can accomplish a little bit of the things I'm looking for.

Sad to say, it feels like I took a step back using Android. It's not bad, just doesn't feel as robust and functional as WM.
 
I wouldn't judge Android OS and phones' functionality on a widget or two. Read Walt's review (below, in my link). Coming from a very accomplished and reliable writer, I think Windows Mobile is playing catch-up with Android and iOS phones/tabs. But, opinions are just that, right? Cheerios and good luck ;)

sanibel said:
I've never seeing anything like that for Android, which is amazing considering that Android apps's ratio is almost 7:1 (450,000 to 70,000) vs. Windows. You'd have to use more than one screen to accomplish that, I suppose.
Click to expand...
 
Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I hated Android. It's just different and still grasping it. It just feels less powerful than WM in certain aspects. I'll have to adapt to how it works. I only had it for a few weeks (okay, close to a month). ;)

Edit: Oh and WM stopped development at 6.5 and is put out to pasture. WP replaced it as the next OS. None of the WM apps are compatible with the new WP. Hence finally jumping onto Android (with better hardware). I really will miss WM.
 
The first pic can be accomplished using Android Agenda widget. The second pic just looks like the calendar app when you open it. So on a single screen, just put Android Agenda plus Calendar shortcut.
 
chanchan05 said:
The first pic can be accomplished using Android Agenda widget. The second pic just looks like the calendar app when you open it. So on a single screen, just put Android Agenda plus Calendar shortcut.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, it's rather 'weak'. A lot less functional than WM's Today Screen using PocketBreeze (it really spoiled me).

The PocketBreeze on WM that I have displayed allowed me to view a month ahead and plan my schedules accordingly. The tasks were directly integrated into the Agenda. If I completed the task, I just clicked on it and voila, it's checked and done. Also the icons showed if any of my tasks or appointments had notes or alarms attached. I clicked on them and a small window will show without the need of launching into an app. It was my quick view and immediate reference. The weather integration helped in giving me some advance notice in case I needed to account for bad weather and leave earlier to reach my next destination in time. Also flagged me to double check as weather is always unpredictable. Robust in fuctions and features, yet simple at the same time.

I could also filter my agenda, collapse days that I don't need to view at the moment, etc. I can't find anything this powerful on Android. I wonder if any developers are able to do this? I'm sure they can, but it'll probably involve a lot of resources.

At the moment I will have to settle with multiple widgets/screens and launch into apps to do the things that I have accomplished on one simple and elegant screen in WM. This is the reason why I feel like I took a step back. As of now, for work purposes, I still use my WM device because of this.

I'm still working on slowly retiring WM and going with Android.

Hopefully I'll adjust. It's a different OS and I do like certain aspects of it. But it does have certain shortcomings that left me a little disappointed too. Again, it's only me. WM may be an old OS, but it's still pretty powerful in its own right. Sad to see it go.
 
NeoGrandizer said:
Thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, it's rather 'weak'. A lot less functional than WM's Today Screen using PocketBreeze (it really spoiled me).

The PocketBreeze on WM that I have displayed allowed me to view a month ahead and plan my schedules accordingly. The tasks were directly integrated into the Agenda. If I completed the task, I just clicked on it and voila, it's checked and done. Also the icons showed if any of my tasks or appointments had notes or alarms attached. I clicked on them and a small window will show without the need of launching into an app. It was my quick view and immediate reference. The weather integration helped in giving me some advance notice in case I needed to account for bad weather and leave earlier to reach my next destination in time. Also flagged me to double check as weather is always unpredictable. Robust in fuctions and features, yet simple at the same time.

I could also filter my agenda, collapse days that I don't need to view at the moment, etc. I can't find anything this powerful on Android. I wonder if any developers are able to do this? I'm sure they can, but it'll probably involve a lot of resources.

At the moment I will have to settle with multiple widgets/screens and launch into apps to do the things that I have accomplished on one simple and elegant screen in WM. This is the reason why I feel like I took a step back. As of now, for work purposes, I still use my WM device because of this.

I'm still working on slowly retiring WM and going with Android.

Hopefully I'll adjust. It's a different OS and I do like certain aspects of it. But it does have certain shortcomings that left me a little disappointed too. Again, it's only me. WM may be an old OS, but it's still pretty powerful in its own right. Sad to see it go.
Click to expand...

I am able to do a lot of the same things using Android Agenda Widget, in a single widget.

As I said, I have a single Android Agenda Widget in my screen. I have set it up to link to both Astrid Tasks and the Android Calendar, so both my tasks and calendar show up on a single widget.

Tapping on the specific event in the calendar either takes me to the calendar entry or the task list, where I can check the tasks I have finished, or view the details for my schedule.

Android Agenda widget also has buttons for adding tasks and adding events as well as showing up to a month in advance. For tasks, it also reads Astrid's priority status, showing if its high priority or not.

From your description, the only thing my setup can't do is the filter thing and collapse of certain days.

Honestly, its not really that Android is weak, its more of app developers did not think of the features you are after. You have to remember that WM was designed to be a a PDA, whereas Android developed from the OS of phones and moved its way to acquiring PDA functions. In an essence, while Android phones have more powerful hardware, its OS development had taken another direction from PDA systems, which developed as a downgrading of PC systems. Eventually, they'd probably meet in the middle.
 
Thanks chanchan05 for your feedback.

Is this the app you are referring to?

It sounds like what you described. Sorry, I think I mistook your reply as the default agenda widget. The built-in mini-agenda widget on the GNote is not really useful to me. :o

It does look like what I'm looking for and you're right that WM and Android are different OSes. Again, I just need to adapt to it. I'm still a biased WM lover that's all. I just need to be a little more creative with Android. Thanks for tolerating it...

It doesn't have integrated weather, but I can probably stick a weather widget under it I guess. I can't really tell from the screen shots, but can I configure the tasks to appear under the date and can it integrate with PimliCal/A?
 
Yes that's the app. I don't use PimliCal so I can't say. It can display all calendars in your Calendar app, so if you PimliCal syncs to the onboard calendar, or your Google Calendar, it can show it. Tasks that it can show however are dependent on the supported task apps. Its free anyway, just download it, test it if it can do what you want.
 
Thanks again chanchan05.

I'll look into it. If I like what I see, I'll probably go with the paid 'plus' version to support the developer.

Much appreciated. :)
 
Less powerful, how? I think it's not WM's capability that you miss, so much as particular app, at least in this case. The only reason it looks like it'll take more than one screen is because no one has built the app that'll replicate what you're looking for.
 
RyanB said:
Less powerful, how? I think it's not WM's capability that you miss, so much as particular app, at least in this case. The only reason it looks like it'll take more than one screen is because no one has built the app that'll replicate what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

Again, I am trying to learn Android. WM apps seem more mature and functional than Android. SoftMaker Office was an excellent app on WM. I was glad to hear that it was making it's way to Android. But even with that, it still lacks some features and functions in comparison to the WM app. The WM app was close to using a fully functional office suite in the palm of your hands. Multitasking was a little easier to accomplish with the right app. Less navigating and key presses to get things done.

WM also allowed me to do registry edits like a computer and customize it further.

I'm sure it's just me still trying to grasp things. Again, I don't hate Android. I just need to think differently.
 
I get that, and I'm not saying you hate it, so much as I'm confused about where you're coming from when comparing one OS to the other. That being said, I didn't know you could edit registry on the older WM, so that is news to me, and pretty cool news at that.
 
The main difference is that WM is a stripped down version of Windows on PC, that's why it has all those features from PC OS. So basically, to get WM, they took Windows and stripped it down.

Android on the otherhand came from OS like the ones used on the 3310 etc, and evolved its way to come closer to PC OS.

The different directions in their evolution is the reason why their inherent capabilities are different.

However, to say WM is more functional is wrong as well. What's more correct is that WM has more functional apps for your purposes than Android does.
 
Okay, I've put my foot in my mouth. I wondered when I started mentioning WM is more powerful than Android... They both have their own pros and cons. And each will vary according to the user's opinion.

"It's not bad, just doesn't feel as robust and functional as WM." Just my feelings about it initially. I just need to understand it more and adapt to it. Should have avoided saying this I guess. Sorry.

"It just feels less powerful than WM in certain aspects." Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said this, but I did. Sorry again.

"Unfortunately, it's rather 'weak'." I wasn't referring to the OS here. Just the built-in agenda widget.

"WM may be an old OS, but it's still pretty powerful in its own right." I did not mean to say it was more powerful than Android here. Just in a category of its own.

"I'm still a biased WM lover that's all." I've been using WM for several years and Android close to a month. Human biases and faults (we're not perfect beings). I am very inexperienced with Andrioid and a bias towards WM can cloud one's judgment. I hope you understand.

"I find WM apps to be more functional and powerful than Android apps". Not a comparison between OSes, but apps I'm finding.

Again, sorry about all this. :(

I do appreciate you pointing out my flaws in thinking as I want to be open-minded in the possibilities I can do with Android now.
 
OK, I think I understand you better than I did before, and hope my disagreement with you didn't come across too harsh. More to your original point, I'm looking at your pics that you posted and I'm unsure about something. Are you looking for JUST a calendar, or do you need the other bells and whistles that I see down the left hand side? For the calendar widgets that I've seen, they are just calendar views of various sorts. For example, you could check out aCalendar, as one of the pics on its page in Google Play seemed to resemble part of what you're looking for.
 
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