topic Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango) in Other/General

Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:57:31 GMT

CoolDesign started one of these for the Mini, although I love my phone I thought it was a good idea so decided to start one for the Mini Pro (2011 version). Check out the other thread too (http://talk.sonyericsson.com/message/107847#107847) as I'm sure alot of features will be shared, I've copied some into this thread.

Please post enhancements only, not bugs or issues with your phone... unless of course it is something that needs enhancing! I'll try to copy them into this post to keep them all at the start.

Screen flickering - ambient light sensor on/off option, or not updating so often.
Photos seem over-compressed - don't compress so much or give options.
Video seems over-compressed - don't compress so much or give options.
Fade-in alarm and fade in ringtones options. **
Lock-screen "widget" for the music player. (Surprised this wasn't there). **
Three settings on the "brightness" widget (dim, mid, bright). **
Rotate home screen and app drawer. It does this when the keyboard is out so it can be done, if not by the sensor can we have a widget that rotates the screen. (Anyone know of one?)
Allow for a preview on the lock screen of messages recieved (SMS, etc), theres plenty of space under the clock. **
Use a long press on the included headphones button to activate Voice Search so you can ring someone or navigate somewhere without touching/unlocking the phone.
Include the other two switches (Backlight and Data Traffic) in the Status Switch. (Because of its size it currently doesn't go in the middle so looks weird) Or reduce it to four and allow it to be configured with which ones we want. **
Camera sounds. I know some places have to have sounds by law, but can we have a separate volume for it as I'm not sure which one controls it but its overly loud!! (shutter and focus) If I switch xLoud off it helps but I want this on...
Allow the volume keys to be used for next/previous track/station or volume (setting, either or) when playing music/radio and the phone is locked.

Added (25/10/2011):

Have a setting to control the timeout of the keyboard backlight.
Have a setting to control the keyboard backlight brightness as it is difficult to see in low light (especially on the white Mini Pro).

** Just to add uliwooly-wooly posted some useful apps which provide this functionality (the starred items). See here and here or scroll down.

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:37:18 GMT

I agree with everything there... But would like to.... besides the "long press" headphones button to enable voice search, if the media player is running, it would go to the next song instead.

(In older phones like the Naite or Cedar, the physical buttons for the volume (on the side of the phone) worked as "Next" or "Back" in the media player too... would be GREAT to bring that feature back)

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:43:15 GMT

I believe you can do this already ... but you just do a quick double press... I'll try it again tonight but pretty sure it works.

Maybe double tap forward... long press back when music player is running?

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:51:36 GMT

Don't need this one anymore .... don't read me ... oh too late!

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:40:32 GMT

Yeah, I've tried everything, it doesn't work ... haha and yeah this "Forum" really needs an Edit button ..

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:52:11 GMT

Hi, good idea I'd like to help an active participant in the 'cricket' forum: Login, then on the right side press 'Edit thread' - and you'll see the miracle

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:30:32 GMT

lol ... why is it over there!! Thanks

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:40:46 GMT

Hmm .. strange... I've just tried it, basically works like this for me:

(Locked or unlocked doesn't seem to matter)

If last player used was music player (the one that comes with the phone), one press plays the track then one press pauses the track. While playing, a double tap on the button on the headset skips to the next track.

If the last player used was the radio (again the included one), one press starts the radio and one press stops the radio. While playing, a double tap on the button skips to the next scanned station.

The volume keys do the volume... camera key does nothing.

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

uliwooly-wooly — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:22:45 GMT

at least your ambient light sensor is working, with the Arc (the flagship phone ) it's not working and it hasn't worked since it was released, not even after all the updates, what a shame

photo/video compression we are all experiencing this (seems to be an xperia issue, at least with the new generation 2011)

fade in alarm with ringtones can be done with apps

like this one

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mix1009.ringtoneat&feature=search_result

lockscreen widget to control music it's also available on the market

apps like this https://market.android.com/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.widgetlocker&feature=search_result

3 settings for brightness

use this widget

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.siriusapplications.eclairwidgets&feature=search_result

landscape homescreen, I agree that it should be included not only to slide out phones but to ALL Xperias

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

uliwooly-wooly — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:30:01 GMT

preview sms you can install this app

https://market.android.com/details?id=de.lulusoft.locale.lockscreen&feature=search_result

backlight and data traffic

check the other POWER CONTROL widget I suggested above

camera sound

you need to flash a Global Generic firmware to your phone to have the option to turn off the sound

or use Quick Settings app -> volume control-> system volume

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.bwx.bequick&feature=search_result

volume keys to control the music player its a great idea but you can use the headphones to do that, press it once to stop/play the song, press it twice to skip a song, press it thrice and you'll go to the previous track

or you can use the app above and add this feature to the lockscreen

Now you will probably say, now come SE didn't included all this features, some of them make sense, but the others are features that aren't used by most users, like I don't want to have a notification message on my lock screen but it is there, and I wouldn't want to have a preview SMS on my lockscreen but some users do, the beauty of a Smartphone its not the phone itself is the market, with it's myriad of possibilities to customized your device

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:03:44 GMT

Thanks for the reply and the links... very useful. I've noted in the first post which features can be done via other apps. Thanks for the tip on the 3 taps as well... I only tried up to 2!

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

uliwooly-wooly — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:10:34 GMT

no problem any time

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:40:18 GMT

Just wanted to add this app is a replacement music player which also has player controls available when the phone is locked if it is playing:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.doubleTwist.androidPlayer

Pretty handy and free!

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:04:47 GMT

For the SK17 we need a better lid keyboard...the light is too dimmed

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

uliwooly-wooly — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:32:12 GMT

that will drain a lot of your battery, I'm sure after you use it for a while you'll get used to it, just like a regular keyboard on a computer, you don't really look at the keys anymore once you know where they are. also I don't think SE can increase the brightness of the keyboard, it seems to be a hardware issue rather than software

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:36:29 GMT

Thats strange I find mine quite bright...

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

gcs94 — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:18:20 GMT

Well in custom roms we could increase the brightness to max
so i think SE also can tweak the light level on this phone
I have a Xperia Mini Pro White version and the keyboard backlit sometimes make the letter unseen in certain light conditions eg. a big room with only one fluorescent light

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:51:27 GMT

we're talking about the keyboard not the screen...

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:55:32 GMT

exactly my point...in poor lit situation the light is not nearly adequate i always have to bring the phone cloaser espacially when i need to make an alter selection (i.e using the blue key)...i compare to my other smartphone keyboard..the BB torch...man thats a nice backlit keyboard.i don''t think its that hard to correct if the hardware allows it.

Re: Xperia mini pro (only) FEATURE REQUESTS (SK17i Mango)

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:44:57 GMT

I was talkinig about the keyboard!

Ah I see the difference... do you have a white phone? I have the black one and it is fine on that one.

Added to the list.