Sorry for posting this here but there is no Tattoo section. I just got my GF a Tattoo on Orange and there are a couple of observations I'd like to share:

1. Orange have modified the ROM a lot more than the Hero
2. Orange appears to have removed the Googlemail application! So you can set up all your googlemail details as normal but then they don't actually provide you with the ability to read your gmail emails unless you set up and Exchange or POP account using your google account details. That doesn't seem right to me.
3. It has the Donut version of Market but appears to show a very different selection of Apps (many are the same) than if I do an identical search on my Hero but I dont know if this is an issue related to the Tattoo, Donut, or Orange.

Would welcome peoples thoughts on this.

3. I think that is because the Tattoo screen size is unusual so many apps will not work on the Tattoo until the app developers have updated their apps to work with the new screen sizes.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/200...nal-screen.html


Thinking about it, it could be that Googlemail is not there because Google have not updated the app for the smaller resolution?

Yes a bit more digging on XDA revealed that it is the smaller screen that is preventing some apps from showing. I really hope the devs are able to provide their apps at the lower resolution as there are some cracking apps out there.

I'm not convinced this is the case with the Gmail app because I downloaded both the generic Tattoo and Orange user manuals. The generic HTC one has a whole section devoted to using gmail on the Tattoo the Orange unsurprisingly has absolutely no mention of it.

Hello,
I have exactly the same problem -- no sign of a Gmail App on my Orange Tattoo, and going to m.google.com/mail yields no download link, only browser-based access to Gmail.
I've contacted Orange, and I'd be interested in any progress you've made...
Cheers,
Edwin

Glad its not just me then It would be great to hear from some non Orange owners of the Tattoo so we can at least confirm the generic model does have Gmail installed.

I also sent them a long email asking them what their reasons for this are. No response yet.

well, the ones that we have at work are HTC branded and not orange, and they have all the usual Google apps present and correct!

Thought as much. Why on earth would Orange remove Gmail? Its not like they have their own email app theyre trying to push.

I fear it could be down to the contract between Orange and Google, see this article:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/g...s-by-years-end/

I can see why Orange might not want to be forced to package the Gmail app as standard... but I can't understand to whose advantage it would be block you from downloading it from Google...!

(Do you find this too, that m.google.com/mail only allows you to go the the browser-based version, rather than a download?)

Interesting. I suspect you're right with that article. Though i'm not sure about browsing to the url you posted for googlemail, i browsed to it on my Hero and it also just takes me to a login for web based gmaIL, albeit the mobile version. Dont have the Tattoo handy at the mo.

The main reason for 1.6 update was to support different screen resolutions. That said some apps may not be compatible I guess, but they should still be in the market.

I installed the 1.6 Ion image on my hero yesterday, and the market was also missing apps, so I would think this is something market related?

I've had my response from Orange, which wasn't terribly helpful. They said first

"I can confirm that the configuration of Orange branded handsets may differ from the generic versions which is usually due to our software. If the application in question is not on your device it may be on the accompanying CD ROM or if not you would be able to download it from their website."

(which is pretty useless, especially since no CD ROM came with the phone) and then on further questioning

"I have enquired about the Gmail application and been advised that we do not block it and that you should be able to download it. For further assistance please contact Google."

Anyone know where exactly I can download the Gmail application from, as none of the links I've tried yield anything?!

(Branwen, I don't think this is a Tattoo or screen resolution issue, as plenty of people appear to be using the Gmail app successfully on the Tattoo. Unless it's a software version issue...?)

EddersC:

Please see my post here:
http://androidforums.com/htc-tattoo/13248-....html#post77681

I explain where a version of the GMail, GoogleTalk and YouTube apps can be found, however only the GoogleTalk and YouTube ones work and having done some debugging I think that Orange have indeed blocked GMail by turning off the read/write permissions low level.

I've also emailed Orange a couple of times, but just keep getting apologies from people who have no clue about the actual problem, and no offers of a solution at all.

My temporary solution is to enter the Activesync exchange settings for gmail into the HTC Mail app but its nowhere near as slick or effective as the native gmail app imo.

Well, keep an eye on that other forum I am posting in, since I'm trying to determine if official tattoo packages for the GMail application will work instead of the ones I extracted from the HTC Dream image.

I had a play with a Tattoo in a Vodafone store on Saturday and that definitely had the gmail app installed... all looked pretty much the same set up as my Orange Hero. Seems odd that Orange have removed it from the Tattoo, but not from the Hero. Possibly they are trying to find good reasons for people to pay the premium for the Hero/Dext?

Hopefully this may be of some use to people:
http://androidforums.com/htc-tattoo/13765-...plications.html

I've finally had a sane response from Orange to this issue. They say that it is caused by choosing to skip setting up Gmail when initially starting up the handset (which I did do, assuming it could be done later...).

The solution is to perform a hard reset on the phone (making sure that contacts are saved to the SIM card, and that the SD card is removed; all phone memory will be erased), and then enter the Gmail settings on start up.

They also say that "The Gmail application is core to the Android Operating System being used on this phone, it can only be bypassed by user error" and that not setting up the Gmail account on start up "will also mean that your marketplace will not work either."

I haven't tried this hard reset, but will do sometime soon...

Ok so how does one perform a hard reset on a tattoo? And can anyone confirm that this works? Sounds reasonable though.

From the user guide:

"10.4 Resetting the Phone
Resetting the phone deletes all data, including downloaded applications, and resets the phone back to its initial state—the state before you turned on the phone for the first time.
Important Make sure to back up important data you have on the phone before you reset your phone.
To reset the phone
1. Press HOME > MENU, then tap Settings > SD card & phone storage > Factory data reset.
2. On the Factory data reset screen, tap Reset phone and then tap
Erase everything.
To reset the phone using phone buttons
1. With the phone turned off, press and hold the HOME and BACK buttons, and then briefly press the END CALL/POWER button.
2. Press the ENTER button to begin the reset process.
Tip If your phone hangs or freezes, remove the battery then wait for a few seconds, and then re-install it. After re-installing the battery, turn on the phone."

Well, I wouldn't recommend doing what I said.
I've now tried the hard reset Orange suggested, entered my Google account details, and the GMail app is still not there. So I'm no further foward, and I've lost all my settings etc...
Grrr, back to Orange.