The Woe That is Technology

I've used and recommend to the laughter of all my friends how I enjoy and like the look of the current Windows Phone. I have a HTC 7 Mozart for the last two years which has been a good handset for the time I've had it. As such from what I was hearing about the Windows Phone 8 has been good to at least my ears. So with my mobile service being ported due to coverage, among other reason I picked up the HTC 8x in the process. So new phone in hand and all sort of fun to come in setting it up for use.

It appears that now I've sent around 8 hours with I found new phone is missing a few things I used from Windows Phone 7. One being due to a third party and the other being Microsoft being Microsoft.




Most of what I use it for is there but Google appears to be removing their version of Exchange ActiveSync (Google Sync) from service for free accounts and leaving it for paying users only (Found a way to get the rest of may calendars to appear before the shut off)

Google for all I can find is looking to use IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV for the free Google service to support mail, calendar and contacts respectively. IMAP is bearable as it does provide a subscription to select folders but it must manually check rather then use a push service. CalDAV and CardDAV is not something Microsoft appear to have any interest at this stage to include, given that the current version of Mail on Windows 8 does not appear to have these services (from what I can find there is support for them via Outlook not much else)

For the time being my current setup is working so it should stay working unless I switch device. Either be it to an Android based one to continue using Google services or pay to use them with my handset of choice.

Then with a little more time with it the handset I find the current beta software they are using for sync does not include Podcasts unless

A - You are in the US where you can subscript to them via the in built store. The Music+Video Hub under Podcast mocks you with "It's lonely in here, Go to the Store to add some podcast."

B - If you are outside the US you install iTunes - which I will not do for the life of me

C - You can use Windows Media Player but it will group Podcasts into Music Genres apparently. A more messy solution is apparently to

In all hindsight I just don't see why Zune support was dropped from WP8. MS could have just rebranded i the desktop client as Xbox Music and kept a lot of the same function from WP7 but it seams as with Pocket PC 5 to Windows Mobile 6 going from ActiveSync To Mobile Sync Center. Microsoft will always aim to reinvent the wheel every time as shown with Windows Phone 7 to Zune and Windows Phone 8 to Windows Phone for Desktop.

Sigh