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So, who have had time to look at the UI Design and Interaction Guide? I see everyone's busy discussing and defining multitasking, but isn't this newly released document the most interesting thing to have come out of Mix so far? I think.
I've just skimmed through it but first of all I love that Microsoft FINALLY provied a sleek GUI framework out of the box for app development! Of course, it was expected with Silverlight support and all, but it's nice to get it confirmed. I'm talking about stuff such as
-Gesture support
-Finger friendly controls
-Smooth scrolling panels
I know all these things have been possible before, but not with ease. Coming from the .NET CF world, I've had to spend a lot of time enabling such featurse in my apps. And they're not as slick as I expect them to be in WP7.
The UI is what most needed improvement for the apps on Windows Phones to be competitive with iPhone apps. This will lower the threshold for developers to create smooth, impressive apps. This will increase competitiveness for Windows Phones, which in turn will benefit us, the developers - enlarging our market.
Agree? ..or are most guys at this not that concerned with monetizing on their apps?
I've downloaded it but not had chance to look through yet as I'm at work.
Whilst I'm pretty unsure still about the whole marketplace-only, no FS support stuff, I am quite excited about the new development stuff. Like you say, nice interface controls will be there ready to use instead of having to rely on hacks and third party stuff to achieve something approaching half-decent.
I'm glad this is available already, the more time the better, and it makes sense really as MS will want their appstore pretty well populated at launch to compete with iPhone and Android.
Nilzor said:
So, who have had time to look at the UI Design and Interaction Guide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did. Found out that there are no file open/save controls. Immediately realized that until a jailbreak comes out there's no way I'm buying a WP7S phone, despite the many things I love about this new OS.
Only 4 "accent colors" plus 1 manufacturer color.
The accent colors are ORANGE, RED, BLUE and GREEN.
Why 4? Why cant the user change it from color palette selection?
I would love to use BLACK or DARK BLUE or blue grey ala iPhone !
I just cannot understand this accent color limitation
if found something interesting in the guide. a windows mobile 7 handy have same number of buttons as a hd2 .
1. Power/Sleep
2. Volume
3. Screen
4. Camera
5. Back
6. Start
7. Search
So, the only difference is the layout.
It's a very valuable document, thanks.
We'd like Microsoft deliver more samples to provide a sort of a framework with frequently used patterns.
In any case Silverlight applications look fantastic.
vangrieg said:
I did. Found out that there are no file open/save controls. Immediately realized that until a jailbreak comes out there's no way I'm buying a WP7S phone, despite the many things I love about this new OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your goal here? Do you want to store data for the App or are you trying to write a FileExplorer app?
tyrannus said:
What is your goal here? Do you want to store data for the App or are you trying to write a FileExplorer app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need file storage as a user, not as a developer. Anyone who tried to transfer files to the iPhone for third party programs knows it's a PITA.
Microsoft is simply trying to protect you from yourself and the dangers of unauthorized text files and colors.
MooGoo said:
Microsoft is simply trying to protect you from yourself and the dangers of unauthorized text files and colors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I know first hand just how nasty those text files can be .. omg HAX~
and colors?!?... watch yoursnelves. any more then 5 and we've got a global disaster on our hands.
surely ms wouldnt release an updated version of an os with less features?.. would they?
copenhagen said:
+1
I know first hand just how nasty those text files can be .. omg HAX~
and colors?!?... watch yoursnelves. any more then 5 and we've got a global disaster on our hands.
surely ms wouldnt release an updated version of an os with less features?.. would they?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While lack of colours seems weird, I'm sure it could be easily implemented.
Less features? Laughable, considering what WM6 is.
Lumic said:
While lack of colours seems weird, I'm sure it could be easily implemented.
Less features? Laughable, considering what WM6 is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea just like other other weird things that could be easily implemented, like multitasking, cut & paste, file system access, and having a user accessible SD card slot.
I don't know if you saw the leaked specsheets for the Dell Lightning, but that thing comes with an 8GB miniSD card, user-upgradable.
Yes, it is upgradeable if you don't mind voiding your warranty and tearing apart your entire phone. On the plus side however, removing the battery cover on my Rhodium to get access to the SD slot doesn't seem quite as annoying anymore.
First paragraph:
http://www.techautos.com/2010/03/17/windows-phone-7-series-hardware-requirements/
http://wmpoweruser.com/windows-phone-7-ui-makes-iphone-look-like-a-dinosaur/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQBpiLudT40
Saw this post and absolutely loved it. It's very true. If you think about it, the iPhone UI really is ancient and extremely primitive and really brings nothing exciting or innovative to the table.
Many times when I talk to people about phones seriously I sometimes refer to the iPhone "UI" as the iPhone "List of Apps". There really is very little of a UI to speak of; if I were to design a phone UI, the last thing I would think of trying to pass of as a UI is a list of apps that offers little to no information at a glance, and Apple was really the first company to do this.
If any Apple fanboy wants to challenge me on this, I usually only need to ask them if their device is jailbroken. More than likely, most iPhone users that are serious about their phone are running services that in some way provide what WP7 will be providing it's users: ease of access to information that matters most, a beautiful UI (usually iPhone users try to get as close to "beatiful" as possible with themes), and intuitive interface.
I'm glad that people are recognizing how little of an interface the iPhone actually has, and I can't wait for the launch of WP7 to start opening people's eyes to how fun and productive it can be to use a phone.
djcaston said:
the last thing I would think of trying to pass of as a UI is a list of apps that offers little to no information at a glance, and Apple was really the first company to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess which modern smartphone OS is the closest to this? Is it Android? Meego? No... it's Windows Phone 7!
These tiles waste screen real estate like it's their job, and barely display any info. Compare it to Android and tell me it's not a step back.
He mentioned turn-by-turn navigation using Bing and that's the first I've heard of it supporting that. I figured at some point it would but not at launch. Can anyone confirm this?
Ren13B said:
He mentioned turn-by-turn navigation using Bing and that's the first I've heard of it supporting that. I figured at some point it would but not at launch. Can anyone confirm this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bing has offered turn by turn navigation for a while now on wm6.5.... I'd assume it will also on wp7.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Pickx said:
These tiles waste screen real estate like it's their job, and barely display any info. Compare it to Android and tell me it's not a step back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the tiles are large but the vertical scrolling it does makes that a non issue for me. Just flick your finger and you can get to anything you have pinned quickly.
If you don't like that then I'm sure someone will make a hub with a familiar grid layout you are used to for launching applications and whatever else similar to what htc did with sense on WP7.
zarathustrax said:
Bing has offered turn by turn navigation for a while now on wm6.5.... I'd assume it will also on wp7.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know I use it all the time. That mention on the video was the first I've heard of it on WP7 and that functionality seems like it would be something that Microsoft and the reviewers would have mentioned by now.
Pickx said:
Guess which modern smartphone OS is the closest to this? Is it Android? Meego? No... it's Windows Phone 7!
These tiles waste screen real estate like it's their job, and barely display any info. Compare it to Android and tell me it's not a step back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The icons in the iPhone UI are static images that display zero information. The tiles in WP7 display some information, and the lock screen also displays information. The purpose of the tiles is to show you a small amount of information, and tease certain data to make you click on the tile and look at more status updates, foursquare check-ins, tweets, whatever it is the application handles. Its far better than nothing, so I wouldn't say it's very bad at all.
The problem with the android UI is that it doesn't really offer a unified, organizaed homescreen. The homescreen is a collection of different widgets, applications icons, and notifications that run across the top menu bar. If you ask me, it's a very unorganized way of dealing with things, and it's part of the reason that android still seems unfinished and not very polished in comparision to other phone operating systems. Where everything is unified and organized on the WP7 homescreen, you have a collection of jumbled information on the android homescreen.
Haha, this is so true. Ever since I got my zune HD I've been saying this, it is so ironic that Apple used to market the Mac because 'windows looks like a spreadsheet' when that is exactly what iOS looks like.
chex13 said:
Haha, this is so true. Ever since I got my zune HD I've been saying this, it is so ironic that Apple used to market the Mac because 'windows looks like a spreadsheet' when that is exactly what iOS looks like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same with iTunes. It's such a boring, non innovative program. Zune works much better and is a lot more exciting
djcaston said:
Same with iTunes. It's such a boring, non innovative program. Zune works much better and is a lot more exciting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree with you. I am use zune (software) for some time, and i just love it! not because I 'm just another geek, but cause it's just works fine!
djcaston said:
The problem with the android UI is that it doesn't really offer a unified, organizaed homescreen. The homescreen is a collection of different widgets, applications icons, and notifications that run across the top menu bar. If you ask me, it's a very unorganized way of dealing with things, and it's part of the reason that android still seems unfinished and not very polished in comparision to other phone operating systems. Where everything is unified and organized on the WP7 homescreen, you have a collection of jumbled information on the android homescreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can say the exact same thing for WP7. The homescreen is a collection of Tiles, application icons, and notifications that run across the top.
For those that don't understand that a Live Tile is the exact same thing as a Widget on the homescreen look below. The only difference is what happens when you click on them.
Android Widgets (pick one)
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
WP7 Tiles (showing the same info as a widget would)
janneman22 said:
i agree with you. I am use zune (software) for some time, and i just love it! not because I 'm just another geek, but cause it's just works fine!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the things that I absolutely love about the zune software that a lot of people don't even consciously notice is that you can browse by artist, song, or album instantly, from the same screen.
See, with iTunes, you have to pick what you want to alphabetize by on the regular spreadsheet view, or you can pick album view and only view by album, or artist view and only view by artist.
With the zune software, when you're looking at the collection screen, you can choose to go through alphabetically by artist, album, or song, all from the same screen at the same instant, or you can change the sort order and order them differently.
Other great zune innovations include:
- the search bar, which searches not only your collection, but the marketplace at the same time
- the quick search thingy - if you're in the artist section and start typing, it'll take you to the artist that matches what you're typing, just like when you type in explorer
- Zune Pass, which allows you to stream the entire song, any song, on the zune marketplace, or through their web interface, and soon through WP7!
There are more but I don't feel like listing them right now
If you don't have Zune get it now and find out for yourself!
vetvito said:
You can say the exact same thing for WP7. The homescreen is a collection of Tiles, application icons, and notifications that run across the top.
For those that don't understand that a Live Tile is the exact same thing as a Widget on the homescreen look below. The only difference is what happens when you click on them.
Android Widgets (pick one)
WP7 Tiles (showing the same info as a widget would)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In some ways, what you say is true, but I disagree with you because of the way that the information is presented. For me, the reason I like WP7 better is because it provides a far greater level of organization and unification. Everything is arranged in tiles, and they all follow a similar visual style, and are sized in multiples of the standard block size. The end result may be the same information, but the way that it is organized and arranged looks MUCH better (IMHO) than a whole bunch of widgets that are different sizes, different visual styles, different fonts, and are ultimately not all pulled together. To me the end result looks like an unfinished and rather ugly operating system, like android.
I think HTC recognizes this and shares my view as well, which is why they provided sense for android. By placing sense over the rest of android, they can present a phone that looks much more "finished". I'm sure that when HTC puts there name on a phone, they want to make sure that the operating system is up to par as well, since thats what the user will be interacting with while they use the phone. Apparently, while they thought android was good, they didn't think that it was good enough visually, which is where sense comes in.
That's what gives WP7 it's wow factor; it's so well put together.
djcaston said:
In some ways, what you say is true, but I disagree with you because of the way that the information is presented. For me, the reason I like WP7 better is because it provides a far greater level of organization and unification. Everything is arranged in tiles, and they all follow a similar visual style, and are sized in multiples of the standard block size. The end result may be the same information, but the way that it is organized and arranged looks MUCH better (IMHO) than a whole bunch of widgets that are different sizes, different visual styles, different fonts, and are ultimately not all pulled together. To me the end result looks like an unfinished and rather ugly operating system, like android.
I think HTC recognizes this and shares my view as well, which is why they provided sense for android. By placing sense over the rest of android, they can present a phone that looks much more "finished". I'm sure that when HTC puts there name on a phone, they want to make sure that the operating system is up to par as well, since thats what the user will be interacting with while they use the phone. Apparently, while they thought android was good, they didn't think that it was good enough visually, which is where sense comes in.
That's what gives WP7 it's wow factor; it's so well put together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totaly agree.. not to mention the adverage user will not know how to really customize their phone so wp7 answers this challange..
^ huh? You pin a tile,app, and bookmark to the Start screen the exact same way as you would on Android.
Did you notice that the discussion wasn't about function, but about visual design and consistency.
I don't like android because it's terrably inconsistent, and it feels unfinished. That you more or less need Android 2.2 with JIT activated to even come close to the performance of WP7 or iOS doesn't make things better.
^huh, what loads faster a text only web page or one full of different graphics and pictures?
vetvito said:
^huh, what loads faster a text only web page or one full of different graphics and pictures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This day in age? There isn't much difference with high-end hardware, which is what we will be dealing with in WP7. Additionally, it matters much more whether the OS is efficient and highly optimized to handle things like graphics and animations, which, from the testing thats been conducted by several well respected blogs and individuals, seems to be the case with WP7
Also, calling WP7 UI text only isn't a fair assessment. It's very heavy on animations and has dynamic images and backgrounds. It also pulls data from the Internet so to make UI fluid you need to really master asynchronous APIs all around the place. It feels lightweight but it's not as light as it seems.
I recently jumped the ship from iOS to Android, and being dissapointed by the "Android-Experience" (Overall esthetics, User-friendliness, etc etc..), I was considering changing to WP7. Would it be possible for someone to list the major pros & cons of WP7, 'cos I haven't been able to try it out yet.
Thanks in advance.
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
For me its about the user interface and the stability. To give you an idea - I have an iPad and was an iPhone user from the first until the 3GS. I then used a Nexus One for 18 months.
Windows phone offers a better interface than iOS in that it puts emphasis on the information rather than pointless Chrome and interface elements like buttons etc. Its the only mobile OS thats actually innovative in its approach to displaying info.
In terms of stability it knocks the socks off of android because the thing actually does what it says it will all of the time. With Android i always feel like its hit and miss.
However what i will say is that the quality and the reach of the apps needs to improve. now Ms has sorted out the multi tasking and notifications service with Mango it will take some decent competitive apps to keep me here as i have been flirting with Android again recently. ( for example the Twitter app has no notifications, birdsong aint bad but only polls every 5 minutes).
Hope this help!
Jay
I dont want to spam, but i am a Android Xperia Neo (2.3) and a WP7 Mango (with the HTC Trophy user) and i recomend you to see this video I made up youtube.com/watch?v=NNo13-LUlHo (if it inst allowed than i will remove the link). Well i prefer WP7 because of its estability and interface and smoothness. Sorry for my bad english
Jay_uk1185 said:
For me its about the user interface and the stability. To give you an idea - I have an iPad and was an iPhone user from the first until the 3GS. I then used a Nexus One for 18 months.
Windows phone offers a better interface than iOS in that it puts emphasis on the information rather than pointless Chrome and interface elements like buttons etc. Its the only mobile OS thats actually innovative in its approach to displaying info.
In terms of stability it knocks the socks off of android because the thing actually does what it says it will all of the time. With Android i always feel like its hit and miss.
However what i will say is that the quality and the reach of the apps needs to improve. now Ms has sorted out the multi tasking and notifications service with Mango it will take some decent competitive apps to keep me here as i have been flirting with Android again recently. ( for example the Twitter app has no notifications, birdsong aint bad but only polls every 5 minutes).
Hope this help!
Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Kim
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Kim
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will be on to a winner with WP7 to be honest. It certainly presents the information in a far better and more innovative way than any of the competition and certainly works far more reliably.
The only caveat is that up until you have Mango - the live tile updates are terribly unreliable. (These are the widget-type tiles on the start screen)
Jay
WP7 is pleasure to use but is at an earlier stage in its life than ios or android, it has the potential to be a leading smart phones but I'd wait a few weeks to see if mango manages to push us to the forefront ?
Yeah, I was gonna wait a month or two to see how Android fares with me, and then eventually jump ship ... again
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
yup can't go wrong with wp7 everything is much faster and cleaner while android and iOS are just offering specs and graphics, wp7 is offering real usability and features.
Pro:
The performance is superb. No Android phone (even with dual-core) can match Windows Phone's. Apps rarely crash and rarely lags.
The whole WP OS UI carries a unified theme and even 3rd party apps seem to use the same theme.
The OS itself is very integrated. Many features that come build in to the WP OS are separate apps on other platform.
Con:
Lack of customization. You don't like how the WP OS looks? Too bad.
day2die said:
Pro:
The performance is superb. No Android phone (even with dual-core) can match Windows Phone's. Apps rarely crash and rarely lags.
The whole WP OS UI carries a unified theme and even 3rd party apps seem to use the same theme.
The OS itself is very integrated. Many features that come build in to the WP OS are separate apps on other platform.
Con:
Lack of customization. You don't like how the WP OS looks? Too bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OS's look is the first reason I'd move to wp. The integration astounded me, we're only seeing it appear in iOS 5 (I'm a beta tester), and as for Android ...
I'd heard of the hardware stability, that'd be a definite plus+. Can't wait to try it out !
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
I look at WP7 as having the best of both iOS and Android.
On one hand you have the Android approach of different handset makers and a choice in hardware. Like Apple, Microsoft is showing tight control over the OS. So between two WP7 handsets you aren't going to see a huge difference in terms of how the OS performs. The biggest problem I have had with Android in the past is how the user experience is vastly different between two phones, especially when hardware manufacturers start skinning the OS.
You honestly can't go wrong with WP7, especially with the Mango update around the corner.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Would it be possible for someone to list the major pros & cons of WP7, 'cos I haven't been able to try it out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What type of user: "consumer" or business or both?
Your level of computer skills: basic or proficient?
CSMR said:
What type of user: "consumer" or business or both?
Your level of computer skills: basic or proficient?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
User: both, private/business 30%/70%
Computer skills are rather mediocre in the ms/linux world, I'm more of an os x guy.
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
Pros:
WP7 is fast & stable
Does what it does very well
You can get in & get out fast
Integration
No "real" need for flashing custom ROM's
The UI is clean & easy to read
Cons:
If you're like me & like "hacking" your device, Mango killed Homebrew (Hopefully we'll find ways around this)
Customization (If you like the UI exactly as is, not an issue for you)
Lack of choices in certain functionality
3rd party apps are a bit immature
In the end I suggest going to your local carrier's store & playing with a display model or if a friend has one play with it. The best thing about WP7 is it's performance. Someone said that touching the screen is like touching the pixels. This is a very good analogy, because what ever you do (in most cases), the device reacts to your inputs almost instantaneously. You can't really see any lag except in maybe some 3rd party apps & especially homebrew, but with homebrew, that's performance issues of the hacks currently being used. The last couple days I've been playing with my ex's Android & it feels so slow. Granted it's a cheap no name $50 Metro PCS one, but still. When I try to scroll throw the apps list, it takes a few seconds for my touch inputs to actually be displayed. The screen has a delay of input of scroll to it actually scroll. Everything I try to do takes so long to do.
Than again, I don't understand why she even has an Android device or smartphone in general. She never setup a Google account, which i had to do to access the market for an app for her. She wants to record a couple voicemails. So, I installed a call recorder app for her. She never setup her home screen. It has 5 "tabs" or what ever their called on Android & she only has the stock icons on the main tab & a music player on another. Nothing else setup.
As for 3rd party apps on WP7, yes they're a bit lacking, but I hardly ever use any. I have a few games & 3rd party apps installed, but most of what I do is handled by the core WP7 functionality.
EDIT: Just a little correction to the person who mentioned Chrome. WP7 does indeed have the "Chrome" element of the UI. The Status Bar at the top that auto hides is Chrome & so is the Menu Bar. It just auto hides & in some apps, isn't there at all (aka fullscreen mode).
drkfngthdragnlrd said:
Pros:
WP7 is fast & stable
Does what it does very well
You can get in & get out fast
Integration
No "real" need for flashing custom ROM's
The UI is clean & easy to read
Cons:
If you're like me & like "hacking" your device, Mango killed Homebrew (Hopefully we'll find ways around this)
Customization (If you like the UI exactly as is, not an issue for you)
Lack of choices in certain functionality
3rd party apps are a bit immature
In the end I suggest going to your local carrier's store & playing with a display model or if a friend has one play with it. The best thing about WP7 is it's performance. Someone said that touching the screen is like touching the pixels. This is a very good analogy, because what ever you do (in most cases), the device reacts to your inputs almost instantaneously. You can't really see any lag except in maybe some 3rd party apps & especially homebrew, but with homebrew, that's performance issues of the hacks currently being used. The last couple days I've been playing with my ex's Android & it feels so slow. Granted it's a cheap no name $50 Metro PCS one, but still. When I try to scroll throw the apps list, it takes a few seconds for my touch inputs to actually be displayed. The screen has a delay of input of scroll to it actually scroll. Everything I try to do takes so long to do.
Than again, I don't understand why she even has an Android device or smartphone in general. She never setup a Google account, which i had to do to access the market for an app for her. She wants to record a couple voicemails. So, I installed a call recorder app for her. She never setup her home screen. It has 5 "tabs" or what ever their called on Android & she only has the stock icons on the main tab & a music player on another. Nothing else setup.
As for 3rd party apps on WP7, yes they're a bit lacking, but I hardly ever use any. I have a few games & 3rd party apps installed, but most of what I do is handled by the core WP7 functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u earned a thanks from me. I do believe that th apps will get better once the mango ones hit the marketplace. I rarely use them tho as like yourself almost everything I do can be done in the OS on its own
I am on mango, here is my list:
Pros:
Smoothness
The live tiles (I know it sounds like the windows phone catchphase but mango upped the info and style of them and made them a powerful tool)
Social network intergation (having the people and messaging hubs allow you to do 80% of the stuff that you do on it I.E. Facebook and having the cache locally instead of waiting for an app to pull it live from the site.
Search and bing vision, audio, local scout (having it all at your fingertip)
Tellme! The voice command is awesome and I sometimes use it to show off =)
Metro UI, simple and clean and easy to look at
IE it is the smoothest browser around, no checkering
Cons:
Customization
Playing app catchup (mango should fix it and see a lot of ports from iOS and android very soon)
Video scrubbing
No way to bring back toast notications
The biggest thing is once you start use wp7, it grows on you and you find ways to do what you want and most of the time it is a better way than on any other device.
hardcoreplur said:
The biggest thing is once you start use wp7, it grows on you and you find ways to do what you want and most of the time it is a better way than on any other device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is probably one of the best descriptions I've heard about WP7 & couldn't be more true. While WP7 is not perfect. It does indeed grow on your & 99% of what you need to to you can figure out how to do in some ingenious ways. It is a beautiful thought out OS.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GUI and the essential smart-phone stuff (email, calendar, contacts, social media integration) work really well. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!
Bad things you'll discovered compared to iOS is lack or apps, and lack of google maps and other google services. Remember WP7 uses Bing, which is very USA-centric, and Microsoft keep regions very cut off from each other. So if you do live in France as your avatar suggests, you may find several features (such as maps and local scout) don't work, and the French app store may be pretty sparse (and no you won't be allowed to access the UK or US one).
I 2nd that. WP7 as far as services go is a worse experience outside the US, & something you should look into before making a decision.
Many people complains about the need for Zune Sync instead USB Mass Storage. I am the opposite one - I like this better. Why?
You are sure, that the phone will play the music or movie (converting 1.5 hours long movie took 3 minutes on my PC).
Also, when you are watching movie on phone, then close it somewhere during the movie, sync the phone to PC and open the movie in PC (through Zune), it will continue where you left off - that is something that without Zune Sync can't be done.
I use Zune for listening to music anyway. Just drag & drop the music on icon of your phone and once you connect it, it synces all the changes and adds music and what not.
And major PRO for WP7 is the UI. Best UI around. UI designed for phone from beginning, that is not just rows and columns of icons.
My friend is an avid iPhone user and doesn't even bother looking at other devices really, but took a look at my omnia 7 and stated that while the interface looks far better, the home screen contains LESS information than the static icons with numbers next to them...
How do other users feel, do the vast amount of icons with numbered notifications, i.e. 20 icons on page 1, feel like more useful data than having about 6 tiles which can potentially hold more data overall and have the data be dynamic, more than just that there is a change in the app.
So simply, large amounts of static data or smaller amounts of dynamic data?
Michael_W_L said:
My friend is an avid iPhone user and doesn't even bother looking at other devices really, but took a look at my omnia 7 and stated that while the interface looks far better, the home screen contains LESS information than the static icons with numbers next to them...
How do other users feel, do the vast amount of icons with numbered notifications, i.e. 20 icons on page 1, feel like more useful data than having about 6 tiles which can potentially hold more data overall and have the data be dynamic, more than just that there is a change in the app.
So simply, large amounts of static data or smaller amounts of dynamic data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you open up a can of worms
it's personal taste I believe. I personally prefer the tile UI. I have relatives who currently own an iPhone and are very impressed with the WP7. The OS is only a year old and can only grow in user experience and performance. iOS seems to be an outdated OS IMHO. Very often it's what you got used to that works best for you and it's difficult to change to something new. iOS dominated the smartphone market for a long time. Give it 2-3 years and WP7 or WP8 will look outdated....
A poll in a Forum topic dedicated to WP7 that asks which UI is preferred will not provide any insight because most of us here decided to use WP7 for the very reason.
derausgewanderte said:
you open up a can of worms
it's personal taste I believe. I personally prefer the tile UI. I have relatives who currently own an iPhone and are very impressed with the WP7. The OS is only a year old and can only grow in user experience and performance. iOS seems to be an outdated OS IMHO. Very often it's what you got used to that works best for you and it's difficult to change to something new. iOS dominated the smartphone market for a long time. Give it 2-3 years and WP7 or WP8 will look outdated....
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Click to collapse
I like both, though, if the double sided tiles are used properly, tiles will win in my eyes. Having only a number as a notification got bland quickly to me, I liked that I knew exactly what had updates, but to do anything, I had to open an app. Tiles allow for you to see something, see if you want to reply now, or just leave it.
Smaller tiles woildn't work though, tiles will always have less items on the main display than icons.
I guess that it depends on how quickly you want to access your apps! I mean there are only about 5 notifications I can think of that are important tbh. App updates(that can rather be on the lower segment, news possibly weather possibly, messages, IM app email phone.
I was attracted to wp7 because of c#, and the panoramic UI, the tiles were a non-sequitor. At least it was fast, unlike the home screen of the 5800 I usd, which gives me nightmares still!
Michael_W_L said:
My friend is an avid iPhone user and doesn't even bother looking at other devices really, but took a look at my omnia 7 and stated that while the interface looks far better, the home screen contains LESS information than the static icons with numbers next to them...
How do other users feel, do the vast amount of icons with numbered notifications, i.e. 20 icons on page 1, feel like more useful data than having about 6 tiles which can potentially hold more data overall and have the data be dynamic, more than just that there is a change in the app.
So simply, large amounts of static data or smaller amounts of dynamic data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The iPhone home screen isn't static icons. When you get notifications in, there's a ticker by the application icon similar to the stars that appear by icons on a Blackberry. Android skins like TouchWiz 4.0 and Sense 3.0/3.5 use similar tickers.
It really depends on how you look at it, TBQH.
Tiles are big so you cannot see as many application icons/tiles on one screen in WP7 as you can icon on an iPhones, so if they have all their most-used applications on their home pane, they may very well see more information on their home screen than you do.
*Most* WP7 "Live Tiles" are nothing more than a number that appears on the icon.
iOS5 will have a completely revamped Notification System, though, so things get interesting when you look forward. Heres to hoping Microsoft gives us a useful notification system cause Tile Counters/Live Tiles and Toasts aren't nearly enough. Apple seems to have found that out, so hopefully Microsoft will - eventually.
Not voting in the poll cause the options are ignorant.
N8ter said:
The iPhone home screen isn't static icons. When you get notifications in, there's a ticker by the application icon similar to the stars that appear by icons on a Blackberry. Android skins like TouchWiz 4.0 and Sense 3.0/3.5 use similar tickers.
It really depends on how you look at it, TBQH.
Tiles are big so you cannot see as many application icons/tiles on one screen in WP7 as you can icon on an iPhones, so if they have all their most-used applications on their home pane, they may very well see more information on their home screen than you do.
*Most* WP7 "Live Tiles" are nothing more than a number that appears on the icon.
iOS5 will have a completely revamped Notification System, though, so things get interesting when you look forward. Heres to hoping Microsoft gives us a useful notification system cause Tile Counters/Live Tiles and Toasts aren't nearly enough. Apple seems to have found that out, so hopefully Microsoft will - eventually.
Not voting in the poll cause the options are ignorant.
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Click to collapse
I see icons with tickers as static data. I see tiles with just numbers in the same way. Sadly alot of tiles are just oversized icons with tickers. Double sided tiles should make for more active tiles, but I completely agree that most are just basically icons with tickers.
The poll isn't wp7 vs iPhone, the poll is static data vs dynamic. The static data type gives consistent data which can be viewed in only one way. This is a nice general type, combine that with the ios notification system, or bada's current one and you have glanceble data with the possibility of seeign it all quickly.
Dynamic data on the otherhand would be like pinning a person and seeing their latest updates OR their latest pictures. Multiple possible data types which contain more information immediately. But it uses far more real estate as well.
Next version of apple's os will steal android's notification system so its a moot point imo. Tiles are cute, but as the cornerstone of the wp7 notification system its pretty terrible. I'm still in awe that they did nothing to improve notifications in mangos. I just cannot believe it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Its personal taste (as someone else said). For me the best notifiactions system came with WebOS, I also like the android system and the WP7 system. I don't like the current ios notifications (on my ipad) but I guess when ios 5 comes (with android style notifications) that will be OK too. For me, the main plus point of WP7 over the other UI's is the simple uncluttered view. I am forever "losing my place" on my ipad screens, it was the same with my Android Desire too.
How can you lose your place when you have dots that tell you what pane you're on?
N8ter said:
How can you lose your place when you have dots that tell you what pane you're on?
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Click to collapse
Could never remember which pane I had pinned an app on, my eyesight is not brilliant and the small app icons (even on the ipad) are difficult for me to pick out sometimes - like I said though, it is a personal thing.
One thing remind me.
Windows Phone 7 + Apple's Store apps = WIN.
Apps is one of the main reason people choose iPhone.
Strike_Eagle said:
Apps is one of the main reason people choose iPhone.
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Click to collapse
And, unfortunately, one thing that is starting to come out more and more in customer surveys is that most people who own iPhones are reluctant to switch to another platform because of their investment in their apps. Not only have they paid for them, they spent the time to learn how to use them (and let's face it, most apps behave differently on WP7 than they do on iOS, because of the differences in the OS itself).
Yep and developers give ios versions preferential treatment on top of that. Faster feature updates, bug fixes, etc.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
EDIT: And this is a big issue since developers do not allow you to transfer licenses you've already bought on one platform to another. With some apps costing $9.99 or more in some cases (really once you get to $4.99 people start feeling locked in if they have to repurchase), this becomes an issue quite quickly.
Bought 10 apps over the span of 2 years on another platform that you use a lot. When you move to another one, you have to repurchase them immediately. You don't get 2 more years to do it, unless you want to cripple your usage patterns for inordinate amounts of time. That can be anywhere from 10 to 100 bucks, more in some cases, right off the bat.
One thing that isn't true with mango anymore, and I love it, is the one to one mapping from app to tile/icon.
Now I only map the content that I care about from apps to my main screen. Even multiple things from one App. Instead of having just huge app Icons.
So for the first time, Tiles start to be really different to being just big App-Icons. They start to be Content-Tiles. It's a huge difference, and something the iPhone right now does not provide.
RoboDad said:
And, unfortunately, one thing that is starting to come out more and more in customer surveys is that most people who own iPhones are reluctant to switch to another platform because of their investment in their apps. Not only have they paid for them, they spent the time to learn how to use them (and let's face it, most apps behave differently on WP7 than they do on iOS, because of the differences in the OS itself).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, i still remember the version of Angry Bird on Android and iOS are free. and we have to pay for it.
N8ter said:
Bought 10 apps over the span of 2 years on another platform that you use a lot. When you move to another one, you have to repurchase them immediately. You don't get 2 more years to do it, unless you want to cripple your usage patterns for inordinate amounts of time. That can be anywhere from 10 to 100 bucks, more in some cases, right off the bat.
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Click to collapse
It's unbelievable how cheap people can get to see this as a problem.
vangrieg said:
It's unbelievable how cheap people can get to see this as a problem.
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Click to collapse
Most people (as in, the overwhelmingly vast majority) don't have unlimited disposable income. They get their phones on contract, so they can get heavily subsidized prices. Further, most people aren't thrilled at the prospect of paying a second fee for their apps, just to move from one phone platform to another. Purchasing a second license to add a second device would be a different matter, but that is not what we are discussing here. It would be paying an additional fee simply to maintain what they already have. When faced with that choice, most people will stay where they are. It is basic human nature.
So if purchased apps keep someone glued to a platform Microsoft must be betting on getting the lion's share of users coming from a 'non' smartphone; like me.
Unlimited income? We're talking $10-100 here, and since you mention subsidized handsets, "first world" countries. I understand that people don't like paying (twice) but this isn't money we're talking about, it's pocket change.
What a world.
That's the thing, iOS notification on the home screen isn't changing. It will still be static little bubbles. Live tiles could change how they work, what they do and show, they already are animated and double sided and get push notification. And I have mango and some changes on how they work is great to see.
I have my tiles set up like this: phone and alarm tiles on top, messaging and people hub, my personal linked email accounts and then my work, xbox hub with 7 more tiles of the games I am playing, Zune and resco radio, calendar, ie9 and maps, arkwords, weather apps with live tile, and so on. 40 tiles in total, and all of the info I need on one screen that scrolls smoothly. I love it ^_^
All I have to say is that I have purchased Fruit Ninja on ios,iPad ios,windows phone,android,android tablet tegra version. People need to stop being cheap. Plus it's not like if you don't use it, you lose it lol
http://wmpoweruser.com/iphone-theme-gives-a-taste-of-windows-8-on-a-smartphone/
Apple fanboys so excited for windows 8 they have a full theme on iphone first... but aren't they supposed to be supporting Apple products? LOL
Besides, the whole theme is wrong. I asssume Apollo will look exactly like WP7 metro interface, only with background colors and whatever just as long as its not horizontally positioned.
Tap that!
Looks nice! You gotta give iOS users, hackers, and developer props for being able to do amazing stuff with Apple's OS. All fanboyism aside, this Win8 iPhone theme truly showcases iOS' power and capability.
KimWinter said:
Looks nice! You gotta give iOS users, hackers, and developer props for being able to do amazing stuff with Apple's OS. All fanboyism aside, this Win8 iPhone theme truly showcases iOS' power and capability.
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Click to collapse
It's too bad we can't do that with WP.
man those ios guys are quick !
not a bad looking or responding theme either.
sinister1 said:
It's too bad we can't do that with WP.
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Click to collapse
Of course we can. We just need Windows Phone to become as popular as iPhone. Hackers seem to be able to get into anything man made nowadays.
From what I saw I did not see the tiles being live. Yes, I saw labels on the tiles but that does not make them live. Give me live tiles!
I don't know about live tiles - that Win8 theme was a Dreamboard theme, which takes a lot of memory from the phone. If you try to play iOS games that are memory intensive e.g. Infinity Blade 2 or Dungeon Defender, the game will crash (if Dreamboard is enabled). So if you try to add live tiles to your Dreamboard theme, your iPhone might explode.
KimWinter said:
I don't know about live tiles - that Win8 theme was a Dreamboard theme, which takes a lot of memory from the phone. If you try to play iOS games that are memory intensive e.g. Infinity Blade 2 or Dungeon Defender, the game will crash (if Dreamboard is enabled). So if you try to add live tiles to your Dreamboard theme, your iPhone might explode.
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Click to collapse
And that also means that the iPhone needs to be Jailbroke.
I got kind of excited, because i would love the larger tiles/icons on my iPhone, but am not going to jailbreak a work issued iPhone.
There are other Windows Phone 7 themes for it as well, but the same issue. Phone must be jail broke.
sinister1 said:
http://wmpoweruser.com/iphone-theme-gives-a-taste-of-windows-8-on-a-smartphone/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably because OSX Lion is a remake of Windows Millenium.
Apple has been doing themselves such a disservice sticking with such a static, boring UI. it makes me wonder why.
nicksti said:
Apple has been doing themselves such a disservice sticking with such a static, boring UI. it makes me wonder why.
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Because it sells in outragous numbers, without changing anything ?
ohgood said:
Because it sells in outragous numbers, without changing anything ?
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Click to collapse
Yeah, Apple doesn't really have to worry about making a theming app or whatnot because hackers and other developers are more than happy to do all those (customization, tweaks, hacks, etc) for FREE. I mean look at redsn0w, greenpoison, ultrasn0w, and other jailbreaking tools for iPhone - they're FREE!!
Still, it makes you kinda wonder why with all the power of iOS and WP7 as a stable and working mobile OS, they chose to limit it's customizability - even the most basic functions (like custom themes or background wallpapers or the ability to change icons).
ohgood said:
Because it sells in outragous numbers, without changing anything ?
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Click to collapse
Complacency is one way to end up bankrupt (general statement). And Apple did see the need for a notification center and a camera from lockscreen.
Every iOS that has that UI is another year that opens the door for Android and WP to gain more customers.
nicksti said:
Complacency is one way to end up bankrupt (general statement). And Apple did see the need for a notification center and a camera from lockscreen.
Every iOS that has that UI is another year that opens the door for Android and WP to gain more customers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
complacency= yes, look what that did with wm6.x.
The ios ui , I don't know... maybe it's great, or maybe people don't care and it isn't. Either way, it has developer mindshare, I haven't heard of devs falling away in droves to android or wp.
If/when you see that mass exidous, something is up.
ohgood said:
complacency= yes, look what that did with wm6.x.
The ios ui , I don't know... maybe it's great, or maybe people don't care and it isn't. Either way, it has developer mindshare, I haven't heard of devs falling away in droves to android or wp.
If/when you see that mass exidous, something is up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think with the iPhone, alot of people have invested alot of money in other hardware that works very well with the iPhone.
docking stations, car mounts, chargers, cases, etc.
It's one reason why people stay iPhone customers, once they are iPhone customers.
I even considered buying a new car stereo, because I could not get A2DP Bluetooth audio to play from my iPhone into my Pioneer DEH7000BT car stereo.
I have since found info on how to do it. I made a YouTube video illustrating how. There were a couple not obvious steps. It still isn't perfect. AVRCP does not work (can't control the iPhone - next / prev from the deck) and I need to manually go through a process on the stereo and the phone every time I want to use it.
In the end, the fact that there is app to accomplish almost anything is still the big seller.
We use PGI at work for creating teleconferences. I never can remember my host code or participant codes for others or even the number to dial. Sure enough, on the iPhone, there's an app for that. It starts the conference and calls you either on the iPhone, or a number you enter at the time. It even lets you invite others to the call. And you can store participant codes for others and join with it. It is difficult to join a teleconference on the road without this, because you need to memorize the participant code. Now it is a 1 button deal.
There's an app for webex that streams the video.
The other day, I bought ForumRunner, so that I can post on xda when away. It works great.
When companies make apps, they almost always target the iPhone first.
I really hope that attitude changes with Apollo.
I personally think alot of the restrictions that will remain in place until Apollo has contributed to developer reluctance. Devs know how to dev for iPhone. It has not changed in a long time. They know how to dev for Android. Same thing. Windows Phone 7 prevented devs from doing things the way they knew how to do them. So, it was either relearn alot to get your app to a small percent of the smart phone market. Or just dev for iPhone and Android and see if Windows Phone gains enough market share to care.
I love Windows Phone 7 with Mango. I never would have tried an iPhone if work had not forced me too. And now, I also love using my iPhone. There's a few things that are annoying (AVRCP and dismissing every email). But it does a good job.
Really hoping that when the Apollo SDK is released, we see a surge in quality app development.
But which would you guys choose:
1. iPhone with a grid of boring icons from screen to screen
2. iPhone with a more dynamic UI like Android or Windows Phone
The iPhone sells inspite of the UI, not because. I remember all the rumours floating around that iOS 5 would come out with this dazzling new UI. That was a letdown to me.
I think if a blank slate customer saw 3 phones on display, the iPhone would not grab that customer like the rest. However, there are no blank slate customers.
nicksti said:
But which would you guys choose:
1. iPhone with a grid of boring icons from screen to screen
2. iPhone with a more dynamic UI like Android or Windows Phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're giving the launcher, or home screen, or start, or desktop (whatever) way too much eye-time. No one stares at live tiles, or app lists, for 20 minutes. They use applications, and do things. The app list, tiles, whatever are only an icon, yes a shortcut, to the main event. It doesn't matter if the tile/icon flips in 3D, spins, or does cart wheels, its still very limited in what it can do. You have to access the application to _do_ things.
Let the icons/tiles/shortcuts/whatever debate die.
ohgood said:
You're giving the launcher, or home screen, or start, or desktop (whatever) way too much eye-time. No one stares at live tiles, or app lists, for 20 minutes. They use applications, and do things. The app list, tiles, whatever are only an icon, yes a shortcut, to the main event. It doesn't matter if the tile/icon flips in 3D, spins, or does cart wheels, its still very limited in what it can do. You have to access the application to _do_ things.
Let the icons/tiles/shortcuts/whatever debate die.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with much of this. Turn on the phone do what you want. Move on. I don't turn on my phone to stare at animations because they are cool, just like I don't buy a car because its shiny and red. Anything distracting should not be just to be flashy. It should serve a purpose as well.
But there is something to having the ability to display some information with current data on the icon / tile / widget.
Apple's response is the curtain, which solves most of the problem, but differently.
Constantly seeing 73 degrees and sunny could eaily be replaced with an icon that accurately reflects the current weather conditons for a default or current area. This is one reason people used HTC Sence with the home screen weather. A double wide icon for this would be great.
It would be nice to have the clock icon display the next alarm time, not 10:15:00 or the very least have that on the curtain. A double wide icon for this would be cool too.
An icon for music that reflects the Album art would be nice, but doen't really help you do anything. A contact pic on the email pic for the last unread email would be really cool.
Microsoft solves those problems with Live Tiles and Hubs, but does not solve the problem of seeing all missed notifications in one place. For me, there never has been a time when I missed any notification that was important.
Apple doesn't have any double wide icons. And other than the Calendar, the only thing that can be modified on an icon is a number
I think both Apple and Microsoft have areas to improve on both of these aspects.
ohgood said:
You're giving the launcher, or home screen, or start, or desktop (whatever) way too much eye-time. No one stares at live tiles, or app lists, for 20 minutes. They use applications, and do things. The app list, tiles, whatever are only an icon, yes a shortcut, to the main event. It doesn't matter if the tile/icon flips in 3D, spins, or does cart wheels, its still very limited in what it can do. You have to access the application to _do_ things.
Let the icons/tiles/shortcuts/whatever debate die.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each his own, but I rather look at a home screen and see information instead of having to launch something. And widgets and tiles deliver useable information without having to press.
After all, that is the point of Siri right?
nicksti said:
To each his own, but I rather look at a home screen and see information instead of having to launch something. And widgets and tiles deliver useable information without having to press.
After all, that is the point of Siri right?
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Click to collapse
Useful information is great.
I think most people agee that Siri is more of a cool bell and whistle to get people to buy the iPhone. It's good at somethings, but bad at others. In the end people play with it for a while, and then go about normal phone usage.
Some go so far as thinking each icon on the phone needs to be exciting or unique, but many are really just to launch an app.
I will never want an animated background.
But, useful info on the icons on my iPhone, would be very welcomed.