Related
Not with all the live stuff (would be nice though) but when I flip something up it goes into trash or closes it (think it is nice interaction) also with only pages/programs open shows up in screen slides with this interaction. Could possibly make winmo perform a little better. Sorry for bad wording and such but pressed for time at work Hope someone takes interest in this .
A really good simple app idea for Windows Phone 7
Its funny how one always has a great app idea after the event (read; http://www.windowsphone7.com/ineedt...2526pmodex253D1x2526gridviewx253D0#pbbh21054p),
An app I thought that would be really cool is a supermarket price comparison. The 'story' is that you visit you local store with your shopping list on your phone; the phone checks off the items on the list when you scan their respective barcodes, also as you scan the barcode it brings up the price for the product and the price from the competitor supermarket chains. I think this app would really sell well, and people will buy it because they know they will make their money back in their first shop
What do you guys think?
i would definitely use it
+1 !
but the problem is: who will update the price and the product list?
I believe there already is an API available (for the web -UK supermarkets) which does this for you...all a coder/dev needs to do is build the app.
an API for worldwide would be perfect... i think google provide such api for US/europe?
otherwise, maybe somebody can find an agreement with online stores to provide prices and models ...
really the idea is interesting and someone should start coding it (personnaly i don't currently have enough time )
I remember hearing of the Iphone porting of apps a while back
I was just wandering is anyone actually doing this? I know there is an windows equivalent every now and then but sometimes the apple app works better. I know I am a 6'4 guy that 270, and I love the Lose it App (my fiance has) and I know about vita one (no were near the build in database). And other things that help communicate with others and such. I am not going to apple been there 2x and always perferred windows mobile for the last 6+ years just wanted to ask this. If someone took it up to port apps I am pretty sure there would be hundreds or thousands of people willing to donate/pay for your hard work. Just a thought.
Problem with porting certain apps, is it requires you to actually have a iPhone
If you got some links to apps you would like ported, with screenshots and so on, I'd love to check it out, as porting apps is a good challenge to get familiar with the development environment.
Thanks I meant to put this in the development and hacking section in general not just windows 7 , here is a link to one of them I thought about creating a bounty or reward system for people to request apps and pay developers here to port them? Here is the link for one http://www.loseit.com/
really nice app because the database is constantly updated with nutrition facts from most of places we eat. I will have more later when I repo my girls phone for a while.
I would totally use this. I have the Shopaid app and it is okay, but doesn't update the price and such
The thing is with applications like that, is it depends more on the data that's available. Duplicating the interface into a Metro styled hub for weight-loss and exercise could be done in a day or two, but getting the actual data setup is a completely other story.
Beyond that, you can be totally sure people will duplicate that type of app.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_A4TdEV3Sk
Looks like someones already getting the ball rolling.
Someone is already developing that app actually, just go to Youtube and type "windows phone price check app" and you'll see. I can't post the link because I'm new here! The app looks amazing so far.
My company, with decades of experience with Windows development, is looking to break into mobile development in a big way with the launch of WP7. We have a couple of original ideas we are working on, but we would also like to officially port a successful iPhone app or game for some additional credibility.
I've approached a couple of different iPhone app developers with this proposal:
>>Let us port your app at our expense and we split the proceeds 50/50.
>>You retain all ownership and have quality assurance approval before launch.
I have tried every phrasing I can think of to convince them I am legitimate and that I want to create an arrangement where I take on 100% of the risk, but we share equally in the reward.
So far, not even a reply.
Any ideas?
Regards,
Jason
ebook readers
I curently have an HD2 and will probable end up with a WP7 device at some point when they come out. However I'm a big ebook fan and at the moment i'm tempted to get an android phone so that I can use he Kindle app. I'm waiting to see what developers come up with for WP7.
Do you think there's a good chance of a kinde app or something like it being made for WP7?
Cheers
Steve
I think so. I think the amount of sales will be suprising, and that there will be more hardware with WP7 on it than critics give it credit for. There are alot of peopl ethat HAVE an iPhone that want out. My father just got the AT&T Galaxy S (Captivate) and loves it, diching his iPhone 3G.
I think they would be silly not to. I'd prefer a Nook app on WP7 myself, but something to start would be nice!
Brandon Watson said they were worknig with developers who already had WM apps - that means B&N for sure. MS also has an eboo reader but it's unclear if they are going to bundle it with the phone (not likely). Based on the ease of writing WP7 apps I'd suspect all of the large developers to write a WP7 app and they are permitted to have their ebook stores.
Let's hope that you guys are right and there is a strong enough uptake to make all the big players developer readers for WP7. competition is a good thing after all!
Cheers
Steve
I relay like your idea…
After all because I had nearly the same
But I would give it more features…
X Online Service for the markets where they can register the products with barcode and price
-„POI“ Database with geodata of the markets
-Markets can enter special offers
X Online „Community“ section
-Users can Post reviews and vote for products
-Users can vote for markets / stores
-Users can enter alternate products
X Private section for Users
-You can make your grocery list an search for alternate products
-You can enter an amount of saving and a distance you would go for
So the system could give you a shopping tour
Now to the Phone App
X The App can download your grocery
X You can make a Live price comparison with the barcode
-The app could give you a market / store, it would consider your amount of saving and a distance you would go for
X You can do a live vote for Products and Stores
X You can enter a grocery list
X You can search for alternate products
X The app would use the geodata and GPS
SHOP NAV!
I thought of an app years ago called shop nav.
You type in your shopping list and your phone guides you around the store in the correct route.If your in your local then you know where everything is.but how many times have you shopped in a different store one only to find everything is in a different place.You spend most of your time doubling back on your self and walking up the same flaming isle 3 times!.Supermakets are getting bigger and if an app like this was possible it would save everyone time and ease shop congestion.
Is it just me that's noticing this? Nowadays most of the new apps are just terrible. For example "IM Buddy", I can't fathom how this piece of shift passed certification. It's mind boggling.
If you think that's bad, just look at 90% of the iPhone's app store! This is why quantity doesn't trump quality.
iPhone and Android users keep quoting the NUMBER of apps in their stores as being somehow the best indicator of how a store is doing, but in the end a store with 4,000 top quality apps is far better than a store with 300,000 rotten eggs.
I mean, does the music business tout how many records they have? Is Sony BMG better than EMI because they've put out more music? Of course not. It's all down to the quality of the artists.
Same with apps.
All app stores will end up with some dross. I pray the WP7 store will end up with less of it. All the dross does it make the cream harder to find.
This is the problem now that MS has where they are being judged by quantity when it comes to apps more than quality so they will put stuff through that they otherwise would not had the media let up on the bashing. Though its worth noting that android has a lot worse and is flooded with pure rubbish.
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks the marketplace is full of mostly crap-ware. Other than games, I haven't bought a single thing from the marketplace. The majority of the apps on there regurgitate stuff you could find by doing a simple goobing search. Most of the decent stuff is freeware anyway, like YouTube, Facebook, IMDB, Adobe Reader.
And how many tip-calculators are there!! Do people really calculate their tips based on how much they paid, how many people there are and what percentage tip they want to leave?? You could just calculate how much your meal was and then round the figure off like every other completely sane person.
Solutions looking for problems if you ask me.
masadav said:
And how many tip-calculators are there!! Do people really calculate their tips based on how much they paid, how many people there are and what percentage tip they want to leave?? You could just calculate how much your meal was and then round the figure off like every other completely sane person.
Solutions looking for problems if you ask me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
sometimes it's really difficult to calculate a 10% tip.. i have 5 tip calculators just in case one of them messes up.
I'm hoping that once a month or something, they get their interns over there at MS to go through the apps and delete the crap/ duplicate apps and notify the developer that they need to up their game.
Do we really need 8 different live-book apps from the same guy, one of which is about a bridge they put up near him?
pillsburydoughman said:
Is it just me that's noticing this? Nowadays most of the new apps are just terrible. For example "IM Buddy", I can't fathom how this piece of shift passed certification. It's mind boggling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's any worse than it's been from the start. It's always a lot of crap and some good stuff. I can't agree with the guy who said he'd never purchase anything that's not a game. I've purchased Pictures Labs, Stocks Tile, Cocktail Flow, iKamasutra, Personal Shopping Assistant, Word Explorer Dictionary, and I'll give the $3 to Seymour whenever the trial asks me to. I have another 20 or so free apps installed that are pretty good, too.
i don't think we should be worried about what apps go in. what really needs to happen is that the market place itself needs a bit of a revamp in terms of functionality. Possible things that could be put in which would easily make the market place stand up above all rivals are... an advanced search for it, change logs, friends using app, trial/buy ratio, most downloaded/purchased in last day/week/month, feature requests (with rating for request), dev interactions (someway that the dev can get feedback on a particular feature), app beta testing (e.g. one of us makes an app, and we want just the xda community to beta test it before we ship it out for the masses).
all of these are just little ideas that could easily improve the market, help devs bring better products, and ultimately separate the crapware from the awesomeware.
Where I have spent $$$ on apps..
Games: Many - mostly XBL but a couple not XBL worth buying (try a game called Decent... it's really great looking and fun)
Apps: YomoMedia - it's a good RSS feeder and reader... Converter Pro... very cool app for converting everything including currency. Thumba 2 - best image editor on WP7... bar-none. Morfo - because it's retarded and fun. Metro Web Browser - it's cool but it was kind of a waste - it does add some novel features to browsing but not having it integrated is kinda well... worthless. Collage - another great picture app. Picture Frame - another good one for displaying pictures. Picture Labs... not as good as Thumba. Presenter - cool way to control my powerpoints alas not the best solution without Bluetooth however!
Let's think for a minute. The iPhone App Store is filled largely with...garbage apps. Same with Android Market (perhaps more so). What made you guys think that Windows Marketplace wasn't going to suffer the same fate?
wish they would let US, the community, screen the apps i.e. which gets approved or which gets trashed. just wishful thinking
hboos said:
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
sometimes it's really difficult to calculate a 10% tip.. i have 5 tip calculators just in case one of them messes up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if u had a 3rs grade education.
Just move the decimal one place to the left... It's not hard and involves really no math skills.
I can't believe you posted this crap...
Tip calculators are useless.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
N8ter said:
Only if u had a 3rs grade education.
Just move the decimal one place to the left... It's not hard and involves really no math skills.
I can't believe you posted this crap...
Tip calculators are useless.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehehe, N8ter, I think he's just posting a sarcastic or joke about tip calculators
N8ter said:
Only if u had a 3rs grade education.
Just move the decimal one place to the left... It's not hard and involves really no math skills.
I can't believe you posted this crap...
Tip calculators are useless.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks n8ter. i never knew you could do that. what if there is no decimal to move to the left? but if you move the decimal to the left and the left way is right and the right way is wrong what is left is just the wrong way through the centre and it all becomes mind bottling...
i know it's sometimes difficult to sense sarcasm but you'd think that common sense would factor in somewhere..
but seriously...
there are lots of useless apps in any marketplace but you need that base of useless apps which draws in more users (just because of publicized numbers of apps) and this in turn will attract more developers.
so i welcome all these useless/junk apps.. i won't be using them but they are good for inflating the number of apps in WP7
There was nothing in that post to indicate sarcasm. No emoticon or anything. If you were being sarcastic, you failed at indicating it.
If you actually read this forum, you'll notice that lots of people say lots of things you may think is sarcastic, but they actually mean it.
N8ter said:
There was nothing in that post to indicate sarcasm. No emoticon or anything. If you were being sarcastic, you failed at indicating it.
If you actually read this forum, you'll notice that lots of people say lots of things you may think is sarcastic, but they actually mean it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I clocked it as sarcasm but you're from the USA aren't you? I think Americans don't get or use sarcasm as much as we do in the UK. Or something.
But anyway, yeah it was definitely sarcasm.
sometimes it's really difficult to calculate a 10% tip.. i have 5 tip calculators just in case one of them messes up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that line screams sarcasm imo..
Agreed. That was a very successful troll.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Well, I'm going to add three QUALITY apps to the Norwegian market as soon as it opens. Might even have to release them as free apps on the american/english markets until the Norwegian one opens, as licenses are bound to the country you buy it from. So...if I sell through foreign market, users will lose their license when they move to the domestic one :S
Crap apps are easy to make
Good apps take time
This is why there were good apps at launch, but now you see more crap. Give it another month or so, and the tides will turn. Keeping the Zune market from being plagued like the Ios store and Android store, that will be hard to do.
As posted at L337Ware
I'm not some kind of communist hippie but I have to admit it's nice to get a high quality free application that isn't marred by Ads every once in a while. I've noticed a trend of sorts lately that alot of applications I originally downloaded aren't offered for free anymore or now have Ads plastered about them. In a matter of fact I probably need to consider how I'm going to update some of the reviews already on this site.
This leads me to wonder why? Is this a sign of things to come? We are already being charged a premium for XBox Live games in comparison to the titles on other platforms even in the light of some missing features. I've kind of attributed that to supply and demand though and know the prices will drop as things become more competitive. Perhaps the initial offerings were a simple test of the waters? I've considered this as developers are still trying to get their footing on this new platform. Regardless it still kind of feels like a bit of a bait and switch to the end user.
That being said I understand the need to cash in because I know some of these applications took a considerable amount of time and effort on the developers part. Honestly I wish as much consideration was placed on developing new business models as producting new products in the mobile market. Creative uses of Geotagging, cameras, and perhaps even social networking could be used as opposed to damaging the user's experience.
Since I kind of dropped the gauntlet there I will cough up a few examples.
Geotagging - The user has to go to say a store in order to unlock an application. This would also work with a setup where a purchase has to be made if a code was offered on the receipt.
Cameras - Scan a bar code for this product using your phone to unlock application. This could even change from month to month as the app relocks.
Social Networking - Like this page on Facebook and keep it liked to keep app full featured or follow this entity on twitter to unlock app.
I'm not saying all of these ideas would be easy or even effective but the current models could definitely use some work. At the end of the day I don't really blame the developers as they are doing what they need to in order to justify their hard work. I believe the burden really falls on the creator of the platform to step up and separate themselves from the pack. In this case I hope Microsoft moves a bit faster than their competition.
L337Ware said:
I hope Microsoft moves a bit faster than their competition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lol'd.....
Seriously though, I noticed on the app store the other day that there's a Lego game where you can unlock in game items by going to a shop and scanning the bar codes on actual Lego products so what your suggesting is probably already happening on a small scale, if not its right around the corner.
MS will probably catch up in 3-4 years ....... just kidding.
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
Given the three alternatives you proposed, I'd take ads in the app over all of them. All of those would be far more annoying requirements than a minimal ad that I most likely won't respond to anyway. In those cases, I have to go out of my way to locate a product and allow someone else to be aware of my activity.
All things considered, I think I'd rather keep things as they are. Many of the ad-based apps I have now only display the ads on title, setup, and other ancillary screens, not during the main functions of the app. That seems like a reasonable approach.
I can see where you are coming from. Thing is I tend to get very annoyed when I accidentally click an ad while trying to use an application. Seriously I'm not really a professional in the field of digital marketing but if I can come up with alternatives that easily there definately has to be a better way.
L337Ware said:
I can see where you are coming from. Thing is I tend to get very annoyed when I accidentally click an ad while trying to use an application. Seriously I'm not really a professional in the field of digital marketing but if I can come up with alternatives that easily there definately has to be a better way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never accidentally clicked an ad in an app. Either you need to start using higher quality apps or finetune your motor skills
Sure, your alternatives are interesting, but how exactly would developers get paid using them? Take the FB/Twitter like/follow scenario for example - sure, you gain a bunch of followers but there's no money changing hands.
Scanning a barcode could work for branded apps, i.e. the app is commissioned by the manufacturers of the product in question. But apps like these are generally free anyway - unless we are talking e.g. Lego Games where this approach would be great (although, including a code INSIDE a box of Legos would be better in terms of revenue).
I really like the GeoTagging idea though, but again I'm not entirely sure how you, as a developer, would leverage this. You could do what Cocktail Flow has done and sell your app for $$$ but include an in-app code-redemption (or in this case, Location-based) system of sorts where the full app unlocks. It sort of limits your reach though as you will either have to contact retailers (or theme parks, coffee shops, etc etc) all across the globe to strike deals with them about kickbacks.
Generally speaking, using GeoLocation or Barcodes is pretty smart, but not for the average developer. Too much overhead in terms of administrating the scheme. For branded apps I definitely think we'll see more taking advantage of this to unlock "special" features or offers though.
As an interesting side-note, there are fairly huge discrepancies between countries in terms or trial-to-paid conversions and the like. The US seems to be very low on the list in buying apps at all whereas Australia is on top when comparing the same app, with an equal price. As a "desktop" ISV I've never come across this before (the US has always given very high trial-to-paid conversions for me) so there is something about the mobile sector that makes people vary about purchasing apps. Even comparing a $20 desktop app with a $1 mobile app the desktop app has higher sales. My take is that the app "bubble" is about to burst.
how dare the devs make money???
Research has shown that ad supported apps do better than paid apps. I would gladly pay for any app over an ad supported, but apparently I'm in the minority on that one.
Just ask the indie developer Elbert Perez, over 100k made on ad revenue...
ad free - the wonderful application that blocks ad related sites systen-wide. love it !
emigrating said:
I've never accidentally clicked an ad in an app. Either you need to start using higher quality apps or finetune your motor skills
Sure, your alternatives are interesting, but how exactly would developers get paid using them? Take the FB/Twitter like/follow scenario for example - sure, you gain a bunch of followers but there's no money changing hands.
Scanning a barcode could work for branded apps, i.e. the app is commissioned by the manufacturers of the product in question. But apps like these are generally free anyway - unless we are talking e.g. Lego Games where this approach would be great (although, including a code INSIDE a box of Legos would be better in terms of revenue).
I really like the GeoTagging idea though, but again I'm not entirely sure how you, as a developer, would leverage this. You could do what Cocktail Flow has done and sell your app for $$$ but include an in-app code-redemption (or in this case, Location-based) system of sorts where the full app unlocks. It sort of limits your reach though as you will either have to contact retailers (or theme parks, coffee shops, etc etc) all across the globe to strike deals with them about kickbacks.
Generally speaking, using GeoLocation or Barcodes is pretty smart, but not for the average developer. Too much overhead in terms of administrating the scheme. For branded apps I definitely think we'll see more taking advantage of this to unlock "special" features or offers though.
As an interesting side-note, there are fairly huge discrepancies between countries in terms or trial-to-paid conversions and the like. The US seems to be very low on the list in buying apps at all whereas Australia is on top when comparing the same app, with an equal price. As a "desktop" ISV I've never come across this before (the US has always given very high trial-to-paid conversions for me) so there is something about the mobile sector that makes people vary about purchasing apps. Even comparing a $20 desktop app with a $1 mobile app the desktop app has higher sales. My take is that the app "bubble" is about to burst.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Way to be disingenuous...
Desktop apps are easier and better to use, and are usually worth the extra cash. Higher rez graphics, better graphics in general (even with Integrated cards) and generally of higher quality with better support IME.
But it's not hard to misclick an ad when apps seem to have them on the bottom on one screen and at the top of others, and some apps randomly change ad positioning.
It's part of the reason why I uninstalled AlphaJack. There aren't enough people on the platform to not have a ton of "dead" games in your list, and the Ads move from top to bottom on different screens. Also, Ads on the top of the screen in Metro are just terrible, and prone to misclicks because the gesture area is up there (to see your Wi-Fi status and Reception level)... Ads on the bottom are prone to misclicks because the menu and app control buttons are down there. Ads generally look pretty bad and do not fit within the GUI, either...
All those ideas are pretty terrible and with gas prices these days it costs more to go to the store to unlock an app than to just buy it. For me and where I'm located, I could probably buy 10 apps with the gas I wasted just to unlock one app...
How about they just give longer trial periods so that we don't have to buy basically every app on impulse. Very short time limited trials (i.e. Android's 15 minutes), and feature limited trials (many WP7 apps) do not give me incentive to buy anything.
Most functionality we need on a smartphone is trivial to obtain via stock apps, anyways, besides games.
Your options 1 and 2.. Have the user buy something else, or get close to a for-purchase product, to make the app free. Your option 3.. follow them on a social network, never give them any money.
Why not just skip a burger/beer/brownie and give the dev a couple of dollars for the app? I don't understand people.. they'll pay $10-$15 to sit in a movie theater for 2 hours but won't spend $2.99 to use an app everday forevermore. YOu said you respect their time and effort, do you really? Don't forget that they have to pay to be in the Marketplace.
Look, I'm a regular user too... I'm hesitant to spend on something when I don't know if it's good or if free alternatives will do it. That's why MS put trials in. Unfortunately MS wasn't smart enough to have a 3rd category between "paid" and "free" called "trial", so people just browse free apps and devs have to do ads to make money.
This still isn't a big deal. The app's free. The devs support their users for free. Maybe we should be telling Google etc to find a revolutionary new complicated business model and stop sticking ads in our web pages
MSdoes have trial apps.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Add suported model is also the easiest to gain money, no paperwork with ms. A few clicks and your good to go, plus you can serve a much larger crowd since a lot of people can only use free apps on wp7.
Even a big part of europe does not have the possibility to buy apps yet and you dont want to exclude your own countries people ( in my case), your friends and family.
Mango is enough to compete well against other major platforms. But I personally believe they need to market more. Android didn't quite get popular even with good updates and a handful of devices. But it wasn't until the DROID ad that it started to penetrate the market. Everything is solid, and it even beats Android in customer satisfaction(57 %) but the scary fact is, it still lack brand awareness.
The youtube channel and the videos produced are excellent in showing off its elegance and unique features but they fail to present it on TV, Billboards, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/user/windowsphone
C'mon Microsoft! You got everything, now use some marketing skills to get your brand out and market share up!
maybe the one thing they don't have is marketing skills?
Aerik said:
Mango is enough to compete well against other major platforms. But I personally believe they need to market more. Android didn't quite get popular even with good updates and a handful of devices. But it wasn't until the DROID ad that it started to penetrate the market. Everything is solid, and it even beats Android in customer satisfaction(57 %) but the scary fact is, it still lack brand awareness.
The youtube channel and the videos produced are excellent in showing off its elegance and unique features but they fail to present it on TV, Billboards, etc.
C'mon Microsoft! You got everything, now use your marketing skills to get your brand out and market share up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, we'll see how currently complete mango is with general smartphone users.
Here's a test:
I live in a city and just bought a Windows Phone. Cool!
Once I'm done class, I've got to visit a museum in the core of the city. Should be fun. Let's get some directions.
Current Location ->to-> Royal Ontario Museum
Cool, it's showing me driving directions. I'm not driving there.
Where are the public transit directions? I live in a city, where the hell are my public transit directions?
No public transit directions.
So I call my friend asking them if their smartphone has transit directions. Yep, their iphone and android are hooked up to google maps. So I visit the app marketplace to download google maps. But I can't. So I visit the google maps website on IE, but google maps is banned on windows phone devices.
So I look for an alternative maps app on the marketplace - one that has transit. But there are none for my area.
-
Seriously, recommending a windows phone is hard once people tell you they need their smartphone to "do what my current smartphone does."
Because lots of people need things like public transit directions, for example. I mean, a huge market for smartphone users lies in metropolitan cities.
Bing Maps, and the Windows phone as a result:
1) doesnt support public transit, and
2) is highly unsupported outside of the US.
I love the windows phone OS, but MS is taking their time, and until they catch up, the phone simply doesn't provide a number of critical features. Not 'fluff' features, but important make-or-break features.
I'm aware Nokia Maps is 'coming'. But until it has, and until it proves itself to be comparable to google maps, users switching from other smartphones to Mango will feel like they're downgrading in some areas.
Users who switch from android to iOS, and iOS to android, don't feel that - they get, at the very least, basic critical map and navigation functions thanks to partnerships with google. MS's obsession with the underdeveloped BING service is hurting the windows phone (and imo will hurt Windows 8 as well) since you're forced to using bing within the OS whether you want to or not).
google maps does not an OS make - or break. There are other things that make WP7 worthwhile, like local scout, Zune, Xbox, Office. Each platform has their pluses and minuses, none of them was born complete.
If I wanted to control my Xbox from an iphone or android I couldnt but could on WP7 (when the app is released), does that make those OS's less functional to their owners?
And really, continually bringing up the lack of google applications on WP7 is pointless, why not ask google why they block WP7 users from their services? MS just released Hotmail for android, why isnt google as considerate of their services USERS and provide their services to all smartphone platforms, rather than try and punish users of WP7? Gits.
ammarmalik said:
maybe the one thing they don't have is marketing skills?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I so would've bought windows after seeing this advertisement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sforhbLiwLA&feature=related
And let's be frank everyone else would after seeing Ballmer's performance. More iconic than developers developers DEVELOPERS
efjay said:
google maps does not an OS make - or break. There are other things that make WP7 worthwhile, like local scout, Zune, Xbox, Office. Each platform has their pluses and minuses, none of them was born complete.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Local scout, only works as advertised in the US.
You also have to change all your settings to US on your phone in order to perform bing map searches outside of NA and UK. Pretty user friendly.
If I wanted to control my Xbox from an iphone or android I couldnt but could on WP7 (when the app is released), does that make those OS's less functional to their owners?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xbox Live functionality is not a 'critical' feature I was referring to. I'm talking about things like transit directions, worldwide map search support, audio file support, email inbox search, etc.
Also, re: "(when the app is released)" - my understanding is people don't buy phones based on what apps it may have 6-12 months from now.
Can we NOT turn this into a bash wp7 thread like the countless others and actually discuss how MS could improve their marketing stratergy?
They hired Brandon Foy who did the gorgeous wp7 fan video. They should have him do a flashy 30 second spot with the HTC Titan
madmaximillian said:
Yeah, we'll see how currently complete mango is with general smartphone users.
Here's a test:
I live in a city and just bought a Windows Phone. Cool!
Once I'm done class, I've got to visit a museum in the core of the city. Should be fun. Let's get some directions.
Current Location ->to-> Royal Ontario Museum
Cool, it's showing me driving directions. I'm not driving there.
Where are the public transit directions? I live in a city, where the hell are my public transit directions?
No public transit directions.
So I call my friend asking them if their smartphone has transit directions. Yep, their iphone and android are hooked up to google maps. So I visit the app marketplace to download google maps. But I can't. So I visit the google maps website on IE, but google maps is banned on windows phone devices.
So I look for an alternative maps app on the marketplace - one that has transit. But there are none for my area.
-
Seriously, recommending a windows phone is hard once people tell you they need their smartphone to "do what my current smartphone does."
Because lots of people need things like public transit directions, for example. I mean, a huge market for smartphone users lies in metropolitan cities.
Bing Maps, and the Windows phone as a result:
1) doesnt support public transit, and
2) is highly unsupported outside of the US.
I love the windows phone OS, but MS is taking their time, and until they catch up, the phone simply doesn't provide a number of critical features. Not 'fluff' features, but important make-or-break features.
I'm aware Nokia Maps is 'coming'. But until it has, and until it proves itself to be comparable to google maps, users switching from other smartphones to Mango will feel like they're downgrading in some areas.
Users who switch from android to iOS, and iOS to android, don't feel that - they get, at the very least, basic critical map and navigation functions thanks to partnerships with google. MS's obsession with the underdeveloped BING service is hurting the windows phone (and imo will hurt Windows 8 as well) since you're forced to using bing within the OS whether you want to or not).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, if MS want to success in this world and earn big bucks, they have to look after the needs in different places instead of just in US.
Being international means the service has to be accessible from anywhere, and the information should be fully descriptive in any countries. (esp. the maps and search engines)
Google has invested vast amount of money in placing servers in different continents and gathering information for its international class services, e.g. mail, maps, search engines. Where are MS's efforts? I would like to see.
Smartphones do require a good infrastructure as a support. Apple and Android uses google services, and MS use Bing services. Is Bing services well structured? If not, should they either improve themselves straightaway or let people use other services temporarily?
---------- Post added at 12:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 AM ----------
sayonical said:
Can we NOT turn this into a bash wp7 thread like the countless others and actually discuss how MS could improve their marketing stratergy?
They hired Brandon Foy who did the gorgeous wp7 fan video. They should have him do a flashy 30 second spot with the HTC Titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Improving its service availability in the world is already their best marketing stratergy.
henry084 said:
Really, if MS want to success in this world and earn big bucks, they have to look after the needs in different places instead of just in US.
Being international means the service has to be accessible from anywhere, and the information should be fully descriptive in any countries. (esp. the maps and search engines)
Google has invested vast amount of money in placing servers in different continents and gathering information for its international class services, e.g. mail, maps, search engines. Where are MS's efforts? I would like to see.
Smartphones do require a good infrastructure as a support. Apple and Android uses google services, and MS use Bing services. Is Bing services well structured? If not, should they either improve themselves straightaway or let people use other services temporarily?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. MS seems to be pairing with Nokia for their maps service, but still Nokia has even worse international data. They have better maps, but MUCH worse directions, hardly any locations information, and Nokia software isn't linked to anything (such as your contact lists).
Google services are great because they link with each other, and are dependable and work anywhere. They are a crucial part of what makes today's smartphones 'smart' phones.
sayonical said:
Can we NOT turn this into a bash wp7 thread like the countless others and actually discuss how MS could improve their marketing stratergy?
They hired Brandon Foy who did the gorgeous wp7 fan video. They should have him do a flashy 30 second spot with the HTC Titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word of mouth counts as marketing, in a way
Plus, if WP7 gets features that people are used to, people will be more inclined to switch. I know many poeple who know what WP7 is, but won't switch because it 'feels' to them like the first gen iphone. The iphone 1 was great, but you wouldn't switch from an iphone 4 or 3gs to one. And that's how people feel about the windows phone - it's cool, but it doesn't have the features that will make switching to it possible.
Madmaxmillian, I didn't know that. Thanks.
No problem
You're right, word of mouth is a form of marketing. I know because based on my word of mouth, 10 people have switched to WP and another 3 plan to do so, 9 of those are from Android, the others are from the Pre and feature phones.
But, since this is a marketing thread about what MS should do to gain more awareness of the OS (not sure how Android and iphone keep coming up in threads that have absolutely nothing to do with either of them) let's talk about that. I will however wager $20 that the normal handful of windows phone opponents will seek to make this anything but what the thread is about.
The stuff that Brandon Foy is doing is great in a hip, upbeat sense. But, it's far too busy for the average television commercial, at least in the U.S. It would behoove MS to have something that is more straightforward and to the point.
A series of spots showing various features of the phone. Show what's unique about the phone, UI, Live tiles, Hub Concept, Integration. Show this with "real people" in "real situations" using the phone's features.
A Voiceover as a girl sits in her room at her computer. She pops up and starts throwing on clothes.
VO: "A night out with a few friends."
She taps the Bing button and brings up Local Scout. She taps an event.
VO: "Bing Local Scout can help you finds great things to see, do, eat, and drink in any area. And, when you do, you can get in touch with the people who are important to you anywhere, anytime... on Facebook, Instant Messenger, and Text"
How about...?
Show the switch to text from Facebook
VO: "All in the same conversation without ever leaving the messaging hub."
Sounds great!
She steps out of the door of her urban apartment. It's night time. She doesn't walk but somehow moves down the street, the world around her blurs by at hyperspeed. The Phone is in constant view of the camera.
VO: "And, if you need to keep in touch with all the people who are important to you in one convenient place, you've got groups for that."
The Groups Tile shows a kaleidoscope of pics then flips to show "New Messages". She taps the Groups Hub on her phone that reads" The Crew/Guys" She scrolls through to show the people in her group then hits sms.
Text: On my way.
She stops. A dress in a store window with an expensive price tag catches her eye.
VO: "Something catch your eye? Let Bing Vision help you find what you want."
She uses Bing Vision on the tag to pull up a better deal elsewhere. She smiles. That's going to be her new dress.
Again she moves without walking, city lights strafing around her. Suddenly, the world seems to slow down and goes back to normal as she has arrived at her destination.
She opens the door and goes in and...
SURPRISE!!!
A large group of friends shower her with confetti as she enters. A great big smile, a laugh, and hugs.
"Windows Phone. Put People first."
Whatever. Something like that.
For non-US or countries that don't currently have access to Bing services there would be a showcasing of other features.
Also, you could have spots show off several features w/ voiceover and end with the voiceover saying:
VO: "Oh. And, apps... yeah we got those too."
You would then go from a TIGHT shot on the famous Wall of Apps to a quick PULL OUT and REVEAL of the thousands of apps the platform currently has.
Anyway... something along those lines or variations thereof. The main thing is to show WHAT the phone can do and what is unique about it.
madmaximillian said:
Agreed. MS seems to be pairing with Nokia for their maps service, but still Nokia has even worse international data. They have better maps, but MUCH worse directions, hardly any locations information, and Nokia software isn't linked to anything (such as your contact lists).
Google services are great because they link with each other, and are dependable and work anywhere. They are a crucial part of what makes today's smartphones 'smart' phones.
Word of mouth counts as marketing, in a way
Plus, if WP7 gets features that people are used to, people will be more inclined to switch. I know many poeple who know what WP7 is, but won't switch because it 'feels' to them like the first gen iphone. The iphone 1 was great, but you wouldn't switch from an iphone 4 or 3gs to one. And that's how people feel about the windows phone - it's cool, but it doesn't have the features that will make switching to it possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better maps is already better than maps with limited information, now Bing maps is still rather empty in East Asia region. (They have just fixed the Japan ones recently.) I hope they can combine those two together to form a better one.
For me, like Mango which can filter your contact lists is already fine as far as I can filter out the phone list for use, since a smartphone is still a phone. I have my facebook acc, e-mail acc, and dial lists. I don't want to search things in a mixed pool as it is inefficient, also I don't want to reconstruct the whole list as the work is enormous. (Just imagine when you have 500 entries in your Facebook account, 200 entries in your e-mail/MSN account and 150 entries in your phone book, then you will know how painful it can be.)
---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 PM ----------
Wyn6 said:
You're right, word of mouth is a form of marketing. I know because based on my word of mouth, 10 people have switched to WP and another 3 plan to do so, 9 of those are from Android, the others are from the Pre and feature phones.
But, since this is a marketing thread about what MS should do to gain more awareness of the OS (not sure how Android and iphone keep coming up in threads that have absolutely nothing to do with either of them) let's talk about that. I will however wager $20 that the normal handful of windows phone opponents will seek to make this anything but what the thread is about.
The stuff that Brandon Foy is doing is great in a hip, upbeat sense. But, it's far too busy for the average television commercial, at least in the U.S. It would behoove MS to have something that is more straightforward and to the point.
A series of spots showing various features of the phone. Show what's unique about the phone, UI, Live tiles, Hub Concept, Integration. Show this with "real people" in "real situations" using the phone's features.
A Voiceover as a girl sits in her room at her computer. She pops up and starts throwing on clothes.
VO: "A night out with a few friends."
She taps the Bing button and brings up Local Scout. She taps an event.
VO: "Bing Local Scout can help you finds great things to see, do, eat, and drink in any area. And, when you do, you can get in touch with the people who are important to you anywhere, anytime... on Facebook, Instant Messenger, and Text"
How about...?
Show the switch to text from Facebook
VO: "All in the same conversation without ever leaving the messaging hub."
Sounds great!
She steps out of the door of her urban apartment. It's night time. She doesn't walk but somehow moves down the street, the world around her blurs by at hyperspeed. The Phone is in constant view of the camera.
VO: "And, if you need to keep in touch with all the people who are important to you in one convenient place, you've got groups for that."
The Groups Tile shows a kaleidoscope of pics then flips to show "New Messages". She taps the Groups Hub on her phone that reads" The Crew/Guys" She scrolls through to show the people in her group then hits sms.
Text: On my way.
She stops. A dress in a store window with an expensive price tag catches her eye.
VO: "Something catch your eye? Let Bing Vision help you find what you want."
She uses Bing Vision on the tag to pull up a better deal elsewhere. She smiles. That's going to be her new dress.
Again she moves without walking, city lights strafing around her. Suddenly, the world seems to slow down and goes back to normal as she has arrived at her destination.
She opens the door and goes in and...
SURPRISE!!!
A large group of friends shower her with confetti as she enters. A great big smile, a laugh, and hugs.
"Windows Phone. Put People first."
Whatever. Something like that.
For non-US or countries that don't currently have access to Bing services there would be a showcasing of other features.
Also, you could have spots show off several features w/ voiceover and end with the voiceover saying:
VO: "Oh. And, apps... yeah we got those too."
You would then go from a TIGHT shot on the famous Wall of Apps to a quick PULL OUT and REVEAL of the thousands of apps the platform currently has.
Anyway... something along those lines or variations thereof. The main thing is to show WHAT the phone can do and what is unique about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell, without the backup of such services can be fatal to a smartphone, esp. when people are relying on maps and search engines nowadays. iOS and Android can success because of this. MS would fail if they are still limiting their services in US, and WP7 would be just an American pride, like the sports car Corvette.
I think what Microsoft really should rely on is the features that are directly built in Windows Phone. Sure, Android and iOS can do a lot, most definitely still more than WP7 can do. But they heavily depend on apps. You need apps for every single **** you wanna do with these devices. The out of the box experience is pretty low in my opinion. That's where WP7 makes the difference. And that's what Microsoft should show people.
A lot of people are buzzing about changes to Google's privacy policies. From my understanding, they pool all of your Google things together to make the Google experience a little more streamlined. I looked at my Google dashboard and saw no surprises, and am completely fine with everything I saw there. A lot of sited like Gizmodo, Washington Post, etc, are claiming that this is a downward move for Google, and that it portrays corporate evil. They claim (and users who post in comments) that they're going to rid themselves of everything Google... why?
Am I missing something?
I love Google, I love their free services, I love their phones, I love Android. I can't just quit it all like these websites are saying people should.
Now, I don't fall in line with others or follow, for lack of a better term, but I feel like I'm missing something very large.
Google has access to my searches. Emails. Contacts.
Google can see my phones, what apps I download, where I am via Google Maps, etc.
Google knows who I am as a human.
This doesn't bother me, but I feel like it should. Please tell me what I'm missing, and tell me why its bad that they have access to all these things. Because right now I'm OK with that fact. Who am I? Why am I so important to them that they're looking at me out of the millions and millions of other people using their services, all equal with me?
Please help me understand this.
Sent from a yakju GSGN
Immediately following your post, I went to Gizmodo to read their article about Google's privacy changes (Google's Broken Promise: The End of "Don't Be Evil").
Being an occasional Gizmodo reader, I was surprised to see the moderator's reaction to the comments below the article. He used some pretty foul language and insults, very unbecoming of a Gizmodo employee.
Most of the commenters' quips seem to be questioning the sensationalism of the article, usually defending Google's stance. The majority of the comments are actually just backlash against the moderator, who in turn threatened bans against commenters whose opinions collided with his own.
I'm a die-hard Lifehacker fan... but it seems the Gawker network needs to clean house and hire some professionals.
PolyOlefin said:
I'm a die-hard Lifehacker fan... but it seems the Gawker network needs to clean house and hire some professionals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I do enjoy reading some Gawker sites, but they're getting really *****y and obnoxious lately.
So to the subject, should we be worried?
ztm.000 said:
So to the subject, should we be worried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't this fall to a matter of trust?
Admittedly, I'm firmly in the Google camp when compared to the spectrum of its competitors. However, I'm also innately suspicious of corporate business, as their loyalty to profit trumps any consideration for their users/employees (Google is better than most).
They explicitly state they're not selling your information to third-parties; it's being used to improve their own services, which any company would do. Facebook is doing similar things, but people aren't going to abandon Facebook. As long as Google remains an anonymizing proxy between myself and other companies, I'm fine with it.
Ultimately, the average user doesn't have anything worth keeping secret from Google's algorithms. What's that? Google's ad-targeting you for dog collars because you posted a YouTube video of your basset hound swimming in a pool? Nobody cares.
In a Big Brother, "1984" sense, I suppose you could argue it's a slippery slope. Again, doesn't it boil down to individual trust? There are certain companies I trust more than others, and Google ranks pretty high on my list.
Am I being naive? Is my bias keeping their transgressions out of the light? Perhaps we need a Google-hater to weigh in for some perspective.
ztm.000 said:
So to the subject, should we be worried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know, should you? Do you care that data Google took from you in Gmail is now being used while you're using Chrome? Because that's all that is changing.
They're not taking any additional data.
They're not removing anything.
They're taking what they already did, and applying it to all aspects of your Google accounts. IE: you'll see more similar ad's.
APOCALYPSE NIGH! Gizmodo is a joke.
I don't think we need to be worried.
Question is, what does Google want from us, our money they just want to sell us products. By combining data from all different Google services, they are just trying to create a profile for me, that will help them better identify what I may need, and try to sell it to us.
The problem lies with the fact that the aggregated data may become too incriminating if one has something to hide. But for me, the only fear is with that data being hacked and sold to those who like to operate above the law.
So is Google back to being evil? Nope, they never were. But they have a lot if power, and with great power, comes great responsibility.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
To sum it up, Google is simply taking all the information it already has of you throughout its services (Gmail, G+, YouTube, etc) and letting these services share this information between themselves.
Google is probably the only company I trust with my privacy. I suggest you take a look at Google's Policies & Principles page, where they list the new (and current) policy and how it affects you. Don't be afraid to read it, they're not hiding behind legal mumbo jumbo, they make it very easy to read and understand.
I'm pretty sure all of these sites are making a huge deal out of this because Google has consistently been pumping out successful services one after the other, and they're using this policy change to:
1) Get pageviews, and thus money, and
2) Its "fun" to try and see the "perfect kid around the block" fail.
Also, Gawker Media f* sucks and has for a very long time now.
We are not in position to point fingers and take positions. Nothing we know (at least for sure) about what google do with our data.
We just cant forget one thing: When the product is free, YOU are the product.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Google could be a government front for a division of project echelon and I wouldn't care. I love their products and they give everything away for free with the exception of adwords. Win win for consumers when a company raises the bar and doesn't charge you for it.
The Google’s Broken Promise: The End of "Don’t Be Evil" article reminds me why I only ever visit Gizmodo a handful of times a year.
I don't care what Google do with my info if I'm honest, as long as they aren't selling it, and I'm not getting my inbox spammed with 100's of 'Canadian Pharmacy' e-mails I really couldn't give a ****.
Wow, I read article heading this morning and was saddened by the fact that Google had "gone Evil". I often skim the titles in my RSS feed (which includes Giz) when I've only got 10 minutes during breakfast to read the news.
After reading this thread, then that thread with its comments, I've lost a lot of respect for Gizmodo and its moderators. What sensationalist garbage. The authors never say what has even "changed" in the privacy policy, only that it was rewritten and the sharing of personal data between Google services is emphasized. Honestly, I had assumed that all of Google's services would be running the same ad targeting code anyway.
As one commenter in the Giz thread mentions, take a look at Facebook. Now that is scary. A network that defaults to public sharing whenever they roll out a new feature? I've lost count of the number of times I had to log on to Facebook specifically to check my privacy settings. Even so, I've erased as much of my personal information as possible, messing up my own experience, simply because I don't trust that Facebook cares even a little bit about me.
Yes, Google's a public company, and has first loyalty to its shareholders. However, it does that by cultivating a user base that trusts it. If they wreck that by sharing users' data with third parties or messing up search results (cough cough, get it together guys), they could see their entire company go down in flames. And that wouldn't be profitable at all.
Some of the editors in Gizmodo are terrible apple fan boys. I remember one article of one of them where he wrote that he had 2 ipads and how fantastic they were. He also said he had an android tablet that he claims gave him such a bad user experience that he had even forgotten where it was...
So many of these "news" websites are run by trendy hipster people that have no other choice than loathe Apple.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
PolyOlefin said:
Immediately following your post, I went to Gizmodo to read their article about Google's privacy changes (Google's Broken Promise: The End of "Don't Be Evil").
Being an occasional Gizmodo reader, I was surprised to see the moderator's reaction to the comments below the article. He used some pretty foul language and insults, very unbecoming of a Gizmodo employee.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gizmodo has always been an unprofessional, sensationalist blog. I intentionally quit reading after the iPhone 4 "stolen phone" debacle. It's like a bunch of high schoolers started a blog together.
As to the subject, if you don't see why you should be concerned, then don't worry about it. Everyone has different beliefs about privacy. Personally, I'm not very concerned about whatever data Google has, but I can understand why others do.
The End of "Don’t Be Evil"
blackdub370 said:
The End of "Don’t Be Evil"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read this thread, you would see that we're actually about The End of The End of "Don't Be Evil"
Google knows my name
Google knows my screen names
Google knows my location
Google knows my devices
Google knows my home
Google sees my conversations
Google sees my emails
Google sees my search history
Google sees what I type
Google hears my voice
Google sees my face..........
Google now takes (what they already know) emails/gtalk and enhances my searches (which they already see), then can narrow it down by my location (which they already have).....
I fail to see a problem. Guys (not you... mostly opponents) we signed up for this when we entered the digital age. Our info is out there and have signed up to give it out. Quit *****ing and go live in your hole for the rest of your life. Here's a fact:
I opened my gmail, yahoo and Hotmail accounts at roughly the same time. Yahoo has become completely unusable due to spam, I'm obviously some Saudi Princes relative on Hotmail...... but gmail is spam free... there's a reason for it. I trust Google, I have to.
But I know there's a price for free service. 20 years ago we all had AAA subscriptions because we wanted the maps. Those maps we paid for didn't have street view, and we couldn't ask the map where the nearest restaurant was. We don't pay for these services... they are available for us for free.......
That's just my. 02
Sent from my CM9 TouchPad
I have absolutely no issue with this. I think it's obvious that Gizmodo wrote this article in this way to be an alarmist. It was designed to get readers and that's exactly what it did. In the end though, the article is really a POS.
Not sure why anyone, especially android fans, read gizmodo anymore. Check out the verge. They have much better and much less biased editors and writers.
lucasmalaguti said:
We are not in position to point fingers and take positions. Nothing we know (at least for sure) about what google do with our data.
We just cant forget one thing: When the product is free, YOU are the product.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't disagree with you, but you are essentially describing the Internet as a whole.