Help
First of all, when used with a large (2M) outline, WinMo Bonsai is much faster compared to Palm version--at least in some of the mainstream scenarios. It is very responsive in: applying filters (for both selecting 3% or 70% of items); browsing an outline tree back and forth with a filter applied; adding items when simple filters applied; indenting-outdenting items having no childrens.
However, there are many issues that don't allow even a top performing WinMo device to compete with old good Palm Treo 680 at the moment.
I marked with (!) the items that are stoppers for me in moving from Treo to HD2.
Functional bugs
1.(!) When outdenting a branch, its parent item gets duplicated: the parent item alone stays at the original position, while the whole branch also appears at the outdented position.
2. Sometimes, new record / new sibling creates an item but that item immediately disappears if it's not allowed by a current filter. Ideally the new item should be displayed without deactivating a filter for existing items--until a filter is re-applied (when the new item should disappear).
3.(!) With some filters, new records/new siblings are created but not displayed even though fit the filter applied.
4. For Item details multi-screen window, switching screens with a menu doesn't work--i.e. screen is not changed.
5. In some cases, copy/paste doesn't work for items/notes text (i.e. not for whole items and branches).
Performance issues
1.(!) When unlocking a device (with Bonsai active last time), it frequently takes about 8 sec before I can work with an outline.
2.(!) Outdent of a branch with 10 items in it takes 20 sec when 3% filter applied, intend of the same branch with the same filter takes up to 10 sec; move up/down of the same branch -- 13 sec.
3.(!) Collapse a branch with 20 items in it takes 8 sec when 3% filter applied.
4. Indent/outdent and move up/down of a branch with 10 children in it takes up to 4 sec when 80% filter applied.
5.(!) When activating/deactivating on-screen keyboard, it takes 1-2 sec of waiting when 3% filter is applied.
6. Splitting an item takes 4 sec with a 3% filter applied.
Usability issues
1.(!) An active item frequently disappears from the viewport when opening an on-screen keyboard (and effective screen height reduces). It then takes an extra effort to bring it back to the current window.
2.(!) For note editing, a full-screen mode would be much more usable than a single-line(!) text field under an outline.
3. For Item details multi-screen window, custom font size is as needed as for outline tree / notes window. Alternatively, font size is better nearly as large as menu. This is especially critical for editing notes, until the previous issue exists (i.e. single-line notes editing).
4. Support for HTC's suggest / auto-correction would definitely rock.
5. For some multi-line items, when I select an item (i.e. make it active and edit-mode), the item changes its height (as the text is re-flowed slightly differently)
6.(!) For Note column, an icon/empty space would be much more usable than True/False currently displayed.
7. Smooth scrolling of outline tree similar to HTC's Start Menu would be fantastic, but that's really about polishing.
8. View setting menu is very condensed, it takes half a minute to hit the right arrow / to select (and activate editing) of a right column width field. And of course, drag-n-drop of column widths would make it much easier to work with.
9. Zoom in/zoom out with a multifinger gesture would rock :-)
Some notes:
* everything was experienced with a 2M outline (desktop-side file size)
* the outline was always in HD2's internal memory, not on a flash card
* "3% filter" above means that out of total 1000 items in outline, roughly 30 are active with this filter (i.e. only 3% of items active)
On-screen vs physical keyboard?
I haven't finally decided whether I will choose HD2 or a WinMo device with a physical keyboard when WinMo Bonsai is ready for prime time.
From a day worth of using HD2, it feels like it's more productive to type and command with a physical kb. Interested in hearing others: anyone managed to be as productive with onscreen kb as you were with a physical one?
Thanks!
This post has been edited by yurkennis: 29 May 2010 - 07:36 AM
