Criticize our project/www.wp7lab.com - Windows Phone 7 General

Hi,
In January 2011 me and two other friends started our first web-based project: a website about Windows Phone ecosystem.
Things are going relatively well but there is room for improvement.
Can you please check out the website and tell us what you think is missing, what is surplus, etc. We would love to hear your sincere opinion: if you think it sucks, don't be afraid to say it
Thanks

since there was no link, I. used copy/paste :_)=

URL for easy linkage:
http://wp7lab.com/

As for the website, I think it looks pretty nice and functions as it should.
Most of the material is just duplicate to what's on other WP7 blogs but I do like the game reviews. If you keep reviewing lesser known apps, I'll definately continue to check it out.
Following you on twitter.

trying links on the site and they keep timing out.
site looks nice though.

Related

Changes at XDA, Please Read

Hey Everyone,
I’ve been an XDA user (under another name) for a long time, but now I’ve been appointed a new role to work with Flar and the moderators to make the user experience here better. For example, some of you may have noticed that the site has gotten faster in the last several days and that there are fewer 502 gateway errors. This is no fluke—we’ve employed an expert server administrator who has been restructuring the database to allow for quicker access speeds and far fewer errors. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we’re off to a pretty good start.
Beyond improving site speed, number two on our list is to cut down on spam. We’ve already experimented with a few tactics that have had varying levels of success, and we’ll keep at it until we get it right.
We’re also working on a home page redesign (or the “portal” as some of you know it). Our goal is to make it a useful destination for finding the best content in the forums and to make it easy for users to find new information about a particular device without having to scan through dozens of threads. We are recruiting volunteers to help identify and "promote" content to the main page, which requires some writing skills (see the "news" posted to the home page in the past couple of days). If you're interested and serious about helping, send a PM to Flar; she is organizing the effort.
Finally-- and hopefully this doesn't cause a mass uproar-- we are considering the idea of selectively adding non-HTC device forums (focused on Windows Mobile and Android devices). Every day we get requests from users for this, and there's really no good reason why we cannot oblige them. Already the discussion is happening in the general forums. That said, we will only add new forums if: 1. We are confident added traffic won't cause site speed to suffer; 2. We can recruit quality moderators; and 3. The content and discussion is of high quality. The only way to know these things for sure is to try it out. So, within the next 14 days we are going to add two or three non-HTC forums. The delay is to ensure the site continues to operate at a reasonable speed and so we can figure out where to put the new forums (the forum homepage is already absurdly long and cluttered). We are open to suggestions as to deserving devices for our first non-HTC forums, so give us your ideas in this thread.
I look forward to working closely with you to bring about exciting new changes to XDA that will make the experience better for you.
Hi Svetius
I asked a while ago for a forum for the Roadster, HP iPAQ HX4700, unfortunatly i received no more information on the topic since I sent a PM to Flar, if this could be added as a new forum, i would be happy to moderate it
svetius;5335158
The delay is to ensure the site continues to operate at a reasonable speed and so we can figure out where to put the new forums (the forum homepage is already absurdly long and cluttered). We are open to suggestions as to deserving devices for our first non-HTC forums[/QUOTE said:
It's not that bad Just make a Bookmark
Thanks
Badwolve1
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XDA in 2010
Great to know about all this changes and modifications!
XDA is the number one forum on it´s genre
Personally I think adding non HTC devices could add a lot of intensive traffic and may deviate the main objectives and efforts from what this site was created, but I will support and promote any final decision made by Owners & Admin
Count with my help if required.
Just my 2 cents
Long live to XDA!!
It's great to see another Admin aboard XDA, and a very ambitious one at that! These sound like very exciting changes XDA will be going through, and some are much needed, like spam control and an update to the portal. I look forward to watching these take effect
Amen to non-HTC devices!
As a longtime HTC fan, I appreciate the great community we have here at XDA. But I'm looking to branch out, and I recenlty purchased a Toshiba TG01 that is a powerful device and I'd love to see a forum for that if there is enough demand.
The LG Expo is also poised to be a big seller here in the states; already there is work going on with that here at XDA, so perhaps that deserves a forum (it's one of the first WinMo Snapdragon devices after all).
Long live XDA!
PS Maybe a different color scheme would be nice, the yellow has been giving me lots of eye strain recently...
chambo622 said:
Amen to non-HTC devices!
PS Maybe a different color scheme would be nice, the yellow has been giving me lots of eye strain recently...
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If you use Firefox you might want to try this.
Very glad to hear XDA is dropping their completely non-sensical rule of not allowing non-HTC devices (oh, but we will allow Android on a WM-centric site? pfff)
Aside from l3v5y, none of the better known people on XDA I talk to on a regular bases agree with this rule (most think it's a really stupid move), so I'm sure a lot of people will be happy there will be change.
If I might be so bold as to make a couple of device suggestions:
- Samsung Omnia 2 I8000 GSM & I920 CDMA
- Samsung Omnia Pro B7610 & Giorgio Armani II B7620 (pimped pro)
- Toshiba TG-01 (aka T-01A)
- LG Expo (aka IQ, Monaco)
- Acer F1 (aka neoTouch S200)
Of course there are lots of others but most of them are quickly getting old... At least from my perspective these are the most important devices... Then again, what do I know, ey?
Nice to hear that you guys are so busy in making the experience better on XDA.
But I think we should not include those other non-HTC phones.
Personally I hate those Omnia's, they're in my opinion just crappy phones.
Sad to see it happen but you Mods probably know what's best for the community...
Sounds great to me!
It means my SE X2 will have your support!!!
Bravo!
Chainfire:
The main reason I've been opposed to extra forums is because it would impact the rest of the fora here. If the speed of this site is the first priority, and if this site can still achieve what it was made for (it's in the name really, XDA developers) then I can't really disagree.
Also, it would make a significant increase in the workload for the existing moderators, unless we recruit more....
I think it would work well if the devices selected were only ones that pass muster and are as feature rich as their HTC counterparts (e.g. Omnia II, Toshiba TG01 etc).
I'm fairly new to here, but one thing I do like is that this site is heavily slanted towards Windows Mobile. So while I think it would be great to welcome other Windows Phones into the community, I do not think that Android devices outside of HTC phones should be accepted.
This is absolutely awesome, thanks so much. Having the support of Xda-Devs is absolutely a must when buying a phone. until today buying a Samsung-device was completely unimaginable!
Maybe you can add some JS/AJAX to the page, so all device-specific subforums are folded, except the devices the user needs (multiple devices would be nice).
And IMHO you need a really good and catchy logo.
If you want me to help with designing feel free to send me a PM
What a great Decision
I am really happy to hear this. With my second smartphone (TD) i entered the world of xda developers and found answers for every question i ever had. I think it is the best place for discussions about htc devices. When i bought my Samsung Galaxy i was i little bit f***d up because of no more xda developers and it is great to hear this news now.
...hopefuly there will be a section for Galaxy Users?
I was crazy about xda back when I had an Apache/ppc 6700. But I am also a person who likes to try new things and move on to better things. There is no reason we should be penalized for buying a MOTOTOLA DROID or SAMSUNG GALAXY. Show us some love.
Great News Indeed
Wow! Just an awesome news! I think this is a realy good idea and the right way to became thes most important source for ALL Winmo (and Android) devices.
It's not nonsensical to focus on HTC devices on a website that is FOR those devices.
Imagine people asking for help with their Honda's on a Ford Mustang Forum.
As a long time XDA user, I love this website, when I got the Wizard, then the sapphire, I was insanely grateful to have such resources available to me on this site.
Eventually I got the DROID, at which point I had to abandon this forum, and all it's resources, which sucked, but I understand this isn't the place.
With that said, I am excited to see this forum open up for non HTC devices, as I will directly benefit from it. I am worried however that the forum may suffer not just in speed, but in focus. Think about those Chinese food restaurants that sell Italian food, hamburgers, and burritos, they make everything, but they don't make any one thing well. XDA forum is the equivalent of the BEST burger shop in town, so I think it is a very good idea to run a "Trial Period" and I hope for the best!
.... and yes svetius welcome on board mate
This site keeps getting better and better, I appreciate you guys taking time to consider and address suggestions (adding other popular phones-Android and Windows based) to the site. Keep up the good work guys and gals!
samsung galaxy

CMS-based directory for all member-created apps, themes, skins and tutorials

Should there be a dedicated section where all xda-members can submit their stuff through a pre-defined form? Like with the following features:
Subcategories
for themes: WM 6.5, Titanium, Sense, WAD, Mobile Shell, lockscreen, boot animations, icons etc.
for ROMs: per device (every device gets its own subcategory)
Pre-defined fields, for example
compability (WM 5, 6, 6.5, 6.5.3)
resolution (QVGA, WVGA etc.)
CAB install (yes/no)
for ROMs: build, free RAM etc.
Filter by fields (for example only WM 6.5.3 and QVGA)
additionally presets for common devices, like WM 6.5 and WVGA for HD2 (already implemented in the current frontpage)
Rating system (which should not be placed in some drop-down nearly out of view like on the forums)
Sort by rating, views last x days, last update etc.
Featured entries which show up on front page
Provide file hosting space
I think you get the idea, it's vaguely similar to freewarepocketpc.net. The main benefit would be that it's a lot easier, especially for new people, to find the things they're looking for, and a forum thread isn't exactly the best and easiest-to-maintain way to show off your apps/themes/ROMs. Fields additionally ensure consistency among all posts.
Also, right now the more posts, the more attention a thread gets. This poses the problem that, for example, an app where many users post to report a problem gets more attention than another app where everything just works fine, as only a small minority bothers to post a "thank you". As almost no one rates threads (on the average there is less than one rating for 10,000 views) and even fewer people sort threads by views or rating, these apps (or themes or whatever) do not get the attention they deserve. With a rating system and the ability to sort by it, this problem could be solved.
Of course, the implementation of such a system could be somewhat challenging. I only want to hear what others think of this idea.
What do you think? Like the idea or not? Leave a comment and vote, thanks !
I think this is a brilliant idea, it's like an app store, but with apps ETC... will support in anyway i can
Badwolve1 said:
I think this is a brilliant idea, it's like an app store, but with apps ETC... will support in anyway i can
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Yea idd! Like an app store, but with apps!
No seriously, good idea. The more active a post is, the more visitors it will get. Lots of good stuff after page 10 of the dev category aswell haha.
Yep, not only that but also the consistency and accessability, especially for new people, will be a great advantage. I also contacted svetius and he seems to like this idea, so I hope this will be done in the future. Thanks for your support guys!
Livven said:
Yep, not only that but also the consistency and accessability, especially for new people, will be a great advantage. I also contacted svetius and he seems to like this idea, so I hope this will be done in the future. Thanks for your support guys!
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We need to put this in our Sigs who has photoshop (He says to the theme designer )
I think it's a great idea - especially for noobies. I don't have developers skills but have learned much over the years just reading and browsing threads. Enough to even add some simplistic help here and there. But most people don't have time to look through many threads hoping to find some glitter of gold they are looking for. This might slow down the "Is there an app for this?" threads. Not everyone has time to just sit and browse but those of us who want to might not have so many uninformative threads to look at.
I would suggest a link to the initial thread where support could be given and all the "Thank you" responses kept in the new posting. And with all the needed information posted up front it might also stop all the "Will this work on my XXXX?
Hope it can happen!
That´s a great idea, I miss this database here..would help a lot!
A very good idea to have a database here & it's references!
yeah it would be great
We've gotten many requests for this, and it's clearly something we would like to do. There are two (obvious) issues:
1. Figuring out the best implementation method -- Can we somehow use Wordpress (which is what the portal runs on now)? If not, what CMS? Exactly how should the database be structured? That's not exactly a simple question given all the different permutations of devices/operating systems/resolutions that are supported by different software.
2. Figuring out how to keep it updated -- Do we rely on the devs to post their creations both in the forums and the database? Or do we have volunteers scan the forums daily to pull stuff into a app database? That sounds like a boring job . Anyway, we don't want to spend the time building something unless we have a sustainable and affordable model for keeping it going.
Anyway, if anyone is serious about helping us implement something (conceptual design, development, etc), send me a detailed PM. Or we can discuss it here.
As it is, this is definitely on my list to figure out, but there are also 5 or 6 other things (some front-end stuff like the forum re-design and other back-end server stuff). Plus to the extent all these projects have some cost, we like to spread them out.
1. I don't think WordPress, as a blogging tool, is suited for something like this. Drupal, with the module CCK, provides this kind of funtionality out of the box, and you won't need to worry about how the database is structured. Then we'd just need a custom theme (perhaps the same ones who are currently redesigning the forum).
2. If new things are only posted in the new section, then a forum thread with a summary, link etc. should be created automatically in the right subforum. So, threads will only be used for discussion, not for presentation.
For any further discussion of this idea, I'd like to suggest we keep it in this thread, so everyone can see it and comment.
Great idea! As already mentioned, I guess the maintenance/upkeep would be the sticking point.
mic_888 said:
Great idea! As already mentioned, I guess the maintenance/upkeep would be the sticking point.
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i think ppcmods.com is making some progress on this subject
mic_888 said:
Great idea! As already mentioned, I guess the maintenance/upkeep would be the sticking point.
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That shouldn't be a problem as the entries will be maintained by the respective creators like forum threads.
So, whens it going to be up n running?
willing to BETA test
YES! I'd strongly recommend Joomla and DocMan or any other similar component. I've used it successfully on other sites and it's terrific.
app store, what a great idea!

Best WP7 Websites

Was just wondering which websites people follow for their fix of WP7 news. I myself have found a couple of good ones, but none of them are big enough to be my only source of news.
Anyway, here's my list:
WMPowerUser - Great site that does a couple of app and game reviews daily and usually has the best coverage about WP7 news. Only negative is that sometimes they seem just a tad biased, but I guess that's a given with a dedicated site.
WP Central - Good site that also does at least one review daily. But also lacks in comparison to the amount of news found on WMPU.
PocketNow - One of the only mobile sites that does an equal amount of coverage for WP7 as the other platforms. Plus there's a filter above their article previews which means you can choose to only read about WP7 news if you want.
Best WP7 Games - Bad name, but a truly excellent site. I just found it a couple of days ago and it's my new favorite for game reviews and news. I have discovered a lot of great games I literally had no idea about.
So, what are yours?
nice find. knew about a couple of them, but best wp7 games looks cool.
wp7applist.com
great for statistics and it has an awesome rss feed.
loopyeyes said:
wp7applist.com
great for statistics and it has an awesome rss feed.
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Wow, I completely forgot about all of the Marketplace alternatives!
WP7 App List
AppsFuze
Marketplace Browser
I myself prefer AppsFuze, but that's just me.
I haven't heard of the other two until now. I'll be sure to check them out!
Glad you guys like BestWP7Games.com , its my second site for Windows Phone. The first one is 1800PocketPC
Marketplace browser sites
OGCF said:
Wow, I completely forgot about all of the Marketplace alternatives!
WP7 App List
AppsFuze
Marketplace Browser
I myself prefer AppsFuze, but that's just me.
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WP7 App List looks great. It gives a very nice statistics:
http://wp7applist.com/stats/
AppsFuze gives you direct links to an application page + shows app rating.
Marketplace Browser is easiest to be found in Google It allows posting comments/answers.
Nice topic !
Personnaly, mine are MonSmartphone.net with it's nice design (it reminds me of my smartphone WP7). It covers main news about Windows Phone 7 (and WP7 enabled smartphones) and some games/apps weekly.
It has everything about WP7, even a marketplace. The bad : only in French :'(
I also like Engadget, really awesome, a reference ! Covers nearly everything about gizmos and technologies.
Finally, MobileTechWorld for his nice articles, reviews and news about Windows Phone 7
there is also mobilitydigest.com and wpcentral.com
Obviously these 3 websites:
- www.pocketnow.com
- www.wmpoweruser.com
- www.1800pocketpc.com/
the0ne said:
Glad you guys like BestWP7Games.com , its my second site for Windows Phone. The first one is 1800PocketPC
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Haha, I visit both sites daily. They are really nice.
news+forums:
xda-developers.com
www.wpcentral.com
www.1800pocketpc.com
www.windowsphonethoughts.com
www.wmpoweruser.com
news only:
www.pocketnow.com
www.bestwp7games.com
for looking at apps:
www.appsfuze.com
www.bing.com/visualsearch
www.wp7applist.com
www.marketplacebrowser.com
wp7.apphab.com
for aggregating reviews:
http://wp7reviews.tomverhoeff.com/
Yes yes I use all of these sites and they are great for now, but I have a vision for something a lot greater
That's why I am actually releasing a new site: Windowsphonespot.com
Can't spill all the details right now, but I've already registered the domain and am hard at work on the design. Just know that when the site does open (Around January) it will be THE site to visit daily for all WP7 owners.
OGCF said:
WMPowerUser - Great site that does a couple of app and game reviews daily and usually has the best coverage about WP7 news. Only negative is that sometimes they seem just a tad biased, but I guess that's a given with a dedicated site.
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WMPoweruser.com has to tone down their ads though. I particularly hate that big block of ads separating the blog post and the comments section. Not to mention the irrelevant Goodyear tire ads (which Pocketnow also displays).
I know the ads support the site, but there's a point where too many ads make the ads themselves ineffective/irrelevant.
i agree. best thing to do is to have an adblocker installed. though it might be hard to find a good one for IE, but they're out there.
http://www.everythingwm.com/
I like to add two apps
1. app finder http://sorokoletov.com/ztop/
2. review reader http://wp7reviews.tomverhoeff.com
I personally check daily:
For news:
www.wpcentral.ccom
www.wmpoweruser.com
www.pocketnow.com
www.engadget.com (rarely)
For apps and stats:
www.windowsphoneapplist.com
OP should add in all/some of the links in to the first post and mods should sticky this! Could be useful to people new to WP7 and dont know where to find more info about WP7 news. This thread certainly did help me!
I'm working on making my website the premier site for WP7 game news and reviews. http://www.m-arcade.com/ - I haven't officially launched it yet. I plan to do that sometime next week, but from that point forward I hope to provide frequent game reviews (with video) and also relevant news.
One thing I did with my site was made it incredibly easy for people to log in and comment, both in the blog and the forums, which I hope encourages discussion that will lead to better game updates, and also more informed game purchases.

WP7 Gamers

Hi all, with the current lack of global leaderboards, or any specific WP7 Gaming community (that I've found) I've set up WP7 Gamers.
At present, we're on Facebook and twitter (search out WP7 Gamers). A fully fledged website may follow later should interest deem it worthwhile. Also as this is done in my spare time (which I lack enough of!) - if anyone is interested in becoming an admin/mod/poster - please feel free to drop me a message!
Not wanting to upset the mod's on here, this is not run for profit! Just couldn't find what I was looking for! so set out to make it myself. Also for the dev's out there wanting to promote their titles, please feel free to send any information/screenshots/video's and I'll make sure they are shared
Hope this is ok?
gr8 idea dude
Hey sHAYM4N I'm trying to message you but it's not letting me, can you send me one that I can reply to? Thx man.
If you want, I could lend you my website.
It was supposed to be a site dedicated to game news/reviews for WP7 that I started as a school project, but I couldn't find the time to continue it. If you and a small group wanted to take charge more or less, I would give you guys all the info needed to moderate the forums, and if you wanted to, you could even post news and get the front end going again - assuming people posting news were literate.
Let me know.
tiny17 said:
If you want, I could lend you my website.
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Cheers for that, but I may have to look at designing from scratch for what I have in mind.
I don't really want this to be another new/reviews website if it goes that way. I want to try and create something that I see as an extension to XBox Live. Something different...
Having a quick search around it appears Microsoft don't have an open API for XBox which is a real shame tbh, because there are a lot of things that could be done further which I don't think are yet being taken advantage of.
In a perfect scenario I would like to see members register for the website using their gamertag, from there they could access leaderboards, compare gamerscores, compete in challenges, whilst also being an active social forum for indie developers.
I'd also be looking for the site to be run by 5-10 people - preferably from different timezones!
If the idea took off and interest grew, challenges could turn into competitions, advertising into supporting the site etc...
When I get chance I'll mock up some designs. I'm more of a designer than a developer - so if anyone has got any advice, or want's to get on board so to speak - feel free to let me know!
For the time being there will be weekly challenges on the Facebook Page. Get the highest score by the closing time, and your gamertag/pic will be crowned on the Profile Pic.
I'll also be posting information about Indie Games, so if you want your game featured please let me know! They won't be reviewed so to speak, just information/screenshots. The idea is to provide the information, and let the community review the game.
sure haven't said:
Hey sHAYM4N I'm trying to message you but it's not letting me, can you send me one that I can reply to? Thx man.
Click to expand...
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Have dropped you a PM If it's not working feel free to drop me a message on Facebook or Twitter
Be sure to check it out if you want to get involved http://www.facebook.com/wp7gamers
Whoa that's weird, sHAYM4N.
I messaged you back the day you wrote me, was getting heartbroken that you hadn't written back
Can you PM me an email and I'll email you instead?

(question) is there a good review site?

are there any sites that compare phones beyond just hardware? something that gets updated but shows software problems with different phones?
It's really hard to find something like this, problem is most of them have the following system of reviewing:
1- Get an equivalent Apple product.
2- Find features on the Apple product that do not exist on the actual reviewed product.
3- IF there are features on the other product that you can't turn a blind eye to talk it down.
Then mark it accordingly...
----
I would recommend The verge review though, Josh knows what he is talking about.
The issue is it is a huge undertaking to keep all of these reviews on a site up to date. They publish 100's of device reviews and it would be pretty impossible to keep them up to date.
Even if they wanted to keep them up to date, 99% of the time the devices are review units that are returned a week later and there is no long-term evaluation of it.
You kinda gotta trust new news stories will come out if something serious effects the device.
What you can do is read lots of reviews and make a list of the good and bad things, then you'll a pretty accurate opinion of the phone.
At least for me works fine this method

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