[Opinions] Which Windows Phone apps need the most improvement?

[Rahul1234]

dude install it, its amazing. The android apps run so much more faster and the phone is so beautiful and pretty.... just do it

the app thing is massively overhyped,(i have a L720 as my main phone)
btw hows BB10.3 leak? my 2nd phone is a Z10 and im thinking of installing 10.3 leak

 

[savagelizards]

In another note, I want to nominate the Cyan Update app. I know it is only on WP and its really Verizons fault that it just says "under testing," but I can't help but feel that the app doesn't actually do anything, and doesn't even try to offer additional information. It really feels do hyper specialized as to be pointless.

I'm just saying...

 

[Nandakumar Kesavan]

I like the sentiment, but I have to disagree.

Race car drivers (I am generalizing here, but work with me) cannot design and build race cars, but they can certainly review cars and tell you if they are fast. The definition of fast is constantly a moving target, of course, so fast means faster, as in faster than their opponents cars on race day. Therefore, fast is a relative term, and used on a comparative basis. Fast means something different today than it did in 2010 or in 1950.

@savagelizards - i do agree with your example of race car. there is one small difference between what you say and what thread is going through. what you provide to your technical team is a feedback which helps the team to fine tune the car to be more precise to your needs so that you can race faster, do you think if you keep on complaining would it actually encourage your team to be proactive and look into your needs?

the same way, there are a lot of factors come into play when an application is being development, not to forget the time taken for the application to mature in an eco system. with few people on board in an eco system the dedicated people assigned for developing an application would be limited.

Maybe some developer will see their app mentioned in this thread and realize that they solved a certain problem on another platform and can quickly and simply apply the same fix to their WP port, and if so this thread served a great purpose. But even if all it does is create an outlet for a few rightfully unhappy users I think that can be cathartic

what if the developer gets pissed off and stops developing for WP?

I hope you understand that I am not devaluing the hard work of developers, but if the product isn't up to the quality of the same application on another platform, I don't believe you have to be a developer to have the right to say so.

i certainly understand that your motive isnt to deviate from the topic and to have a healthy discussion but what i want to emphasize is that given the low market share, they need to give time for the applications to mature and i can hear people say that we have been waiting for more than 1 to 1.5 years to get some of the functionality or something get fixed. i can understand the frustration but terming a thread with title "Pathetic" won't go with developer well (as far as i can know). we can still ask a few developers here in the forum what they would do if there application is listed in a thread titled pathetic.

my whole intention is that the title of the topic isn't a good one and doesn't go well. what the developers would love to hear is constructive feedback.

i myself a developer with 14 years of experience in C# and wanted to develop some application for WP and i'm looking for ideas. last week i helped a guy with an WP application for his college cultural. but when read this thread i just had a feeling that 'Will my application termed as pathetic?', 'should i spent my personal time in developing something which would end up in a list like this', 'is it worth to spend my quality time on building application for WP rather than spending time with my family and friends'

my whole point is be constructive with your feedback which would encourage developers, calling their application as pathetic doesn't go well with every developer.

IMHO

 

[Nandakumar Kesavan]

Thank you so much for changing the title which is more appropriate

 

[SammyD97]

Why?
What's wrong with this thread.

You want only goodie goodie WP thread?

Because all I see here is mud slinging which will sooner discourage devs than encourage them to keep developing for windows phone.

 

[shauntipson]

Ebay

 

[Dk92]

Amazon

 

[savagelizards]

@savagelizards - i do agree with your example of race car. there is one small difference between what you say and what thread is going through. what you provide to your technical team is a feedback which helps the team to fine tune the car to be more precise to your needs so that you can race faster, do you think if you keep on complaining would it actually encourage your team to be proactive and look into your needs?

Point taken, but I would be remiss not to mention that there are many times that a race broadcast will play audio from a driver-pit crew communication where drivers will complain about their cars in very colorful fashion. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, frustration that has built up over time comes to the surface quickly and forcefully. Our best selves might later wish that our issues had been phrased more tactfully, but to dismiss the underlying issues because of the tone of the message would be a mistake.

What if the developer gets pissed off and stops developing for WP?

I think that ship has already sailed. The primary reason why the WP version of apps are often buggy or inferior is that a developer hasn't devoted any effort to refining/improving WP apps the same way they do on other platforms. A lot of these are 1.0 versions w/o the care and attention they need. Microsoft is playing defense here, so they simply want a given app to exist.

It's a chicken and egg problem. Without a good app experience, market share won't grow, and without market share, WP apps aren't getting their due attention. I believe that Microsoft's conclusion is that they have to continue to develop and update their own WP apps, which I generally am happy with, and build market share at the low end of the smartphone market until they have enough users that they can revisit the quality issue with developers.

That may indeed be the only way for WP to move forward, but the until the market share improves substantially, WP users will be left with what charitably could be described as a sub-optimal experience.

 

[Willyman]

• Facebook - difficult for some reason ... I don't get it
• Flipboard - I quite like it already really, but its lack of functionality vs. iOS/Android is painful
• Instagram - not even close to iOS/Android...

Those are the big ones that stick out most I imagine, with Facebook being in the lead. My wife's using my 1020 now. She actually loves the phone... but hates it as well. "Why can't I do *this* on Facebook, like on the Android tablet". Ugh... I've gotten sick and tired of trying to defend WP. I've got little hope left for the platform ever picking up slack with the big boys.

 

[Willyman]

I believe that Microsoft's conclusion is that they have to continue to develop and update their own WP apps, which I generally am happy with, and build market share at the low end of the smartphone market until they have enough users that they can revisit the quality issue with developers.

That may indeed be the only way for WP to move forward, but the until the market share improves substantially, WP users will be left with what charitably could be described as a sub-optimal experience.

This summarises exactly my thoughts, but expressed better than I could. Spot on.
Perhaps there is hope... but WP will need a few big hitters to get a REAL mass of consumers that can attract the developers.

 

[Karthik Naik]

dude install it, its amazing. The android apps run so much more faster and the phone is so beautiful and pretty.... just do it

ohh is it stable on STL-100-1?

 

[Nandakumar Kesavan]

Point taken, but I would be remiss not to mention that there are many times that a race broadcast will play audio from a driver-pit crew communication where drivers will complain about their cars in very colorful fashion. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, frustration that has built up over time comes to the surface quickly and forcefully. Our best selves might later wish that our issues had been phrased more tactfully, but to dismiss the underlying issues because of the tone of the message would be a mistake

yes, i do agree that it happens but is it really necessary in this scenario where developers are not supporting WP. As you said we cant dismiss the fact that WP lagging behind interms of updates to apps but it has to be communicated in a healthy way which would result in proactive support and not in abandoning the application itself

As you said, its a chicken and egg problem and i do agree with your comment on Microsoft. There seems to be progress (with some mistakes) on how the mobile OS of microsoft is going towards. Universal Apps is one such initiative which would help grow the mobile platform. having a huge desktop user base, microsoft is planning to leverage that area to bring in more applications into the windows store. who knows soon the windows 8 desktop application facebook could make into windows phone in 2015 and also other few applications.

i have already started enjoying a few universal apps like AoE... End of 2015 would let us know how its going to turn around

 

[ali235]

MXPLAYER and VLC

 

[D M C]

Because all I see here is mud slinging which will sooner discourage devs than encourage them to keep developing for windows phone.

So, we shouldn't say a word whether app is good or bad?
Or actually if it's bad.

I and most wp users prefer quality over quantity but your comment is saying that you prefer quantity.

 

[D M C]

MXPLAYER and VLC

We are commenting on available apps not imagine apps or dream apps.LOL!

 

[Lance_WPCentral]

Amazon, iMDb, Facebook, edjing, Skype, Flipboard, Pinterest, 9gag, Instagram.........and the list goes on and on. :asleep:

 

[SammyD97]

So, we shouldn't say a word whether app is good or bad?
Or actually if it's bad.

I and most wp users prefer quality over quantity but your comment is saying that you prefer quantity.

At what point did I say I prefer quantity over quality? I said this would discourage devs from continuing their development on the platform. Continued development of an app does not equal new apps therefore your quantity over quality comment is null and void. I'm very much for quality but not so much for using words like "pathetic" and "crap" in describing the work of devs. I would choose to constructively criticise an app not what some people are doing here. As someone who's never written a line of code in my life, I try to filter my vocabulary in criticising an app.

 

[spazzmeister]

If it's a bad app them they should strive to improve it. Some of these apps never received an update. You're concerned about the devs feelings? The dev probably doesn't even check his/her app reviews. :-(

 

[Laura Knotek]

If it's a bad app them they should strive to improve it. Some of these apps never received an update. You're concerned about the devs feelings? The dev probably doesn't even check his/her app reviews. :-(

Many of the apps mentioned aren't from small, independent developers anyway. A lot of apps people are saying need improvement are Microsoft apps (Skype, Facebook, Lync).

 

[DalekSnare]

Kindle. Audible.