My O2 Live Tiles for Windows Phone Beta - Experiment by The Lab at O2

[iangriggs]

Hi,

The Lab is a team within O2 that create proof of concepts to research and develop various ideas before they potentially evolve into full products. One of my current projects involves experimenting with the use of Live Tiles and My O2 allowance data on Windows Phone. I've developed a Beta app that we would like to offer out to O2 customers soon to trial and gather some real customer feedback.

Note that this is a beta app and not an official 'My O2 for Windows Phone' app. It has no guarentees or warranties associated with it for reliability but hope you find it useful and the interest and feedback gathered will feed into the creation of an official app.

If you have a Windows Phone 7 or 8 and would like to be trial the Beta then please register your interest via the sign-up form by clicking on (or cutting and pasting into your favourite browser) the following link:

Beta Registration Form

A few important points to mention...

• You will need the same My O2 credentials you use on the My O2 website or that you may have used in the My O2 apps for iPhone or Android.
• The app may not work for some O2 customers on Business tariffs but if you can sign-in on My O2 and see your allowance information you should be ok.
• This is a closed Beta and there are no guarantees that this app will become a full product.

If you have any questions please reply to this post or you can email them directly to: myo2livetiles@o2labs.co.uk.

For added interest here are some screenshots of the app:

Showing My O2 Account Allowances Screen
Showing Example Live Tiles Screen
Showing Home Screen Tile Shortcuts Screen

Thanks

 

[martinmc78]

Finally - will be able to see how much data im using - please put this through as a full app.

The screenshots look great by the way - keep it up.

 

[ArguableChutoy]

A very nice looking app.. better than Data Sense in some respects.

Too bad I'm no longer with O2... the black 32 GB 925 was just too tempting. I hope though O2 customers check this out.

 

[iangriggs]

Thank-you both for your comments.

I hope though O2 customers check this out.

ArguableChutoy: Your last point is very pertinent. Hoping that people will get involved so I can prove customer interest with this Beta. Real usage data will be the best route to a fully supported product that has the same features, and potentially more with Live Tiles ;-), as the existing iPhone and Android versions.

 

[sdc1]

At last an O2 app. I have two Windows Phones on O2 now and I would love to see this app released.

 

[TechFreak1]

oo i've been looking for this for ages!, even contacted customer support via web chat about it . Anyway i've signed up when do you we get the link sent to us??, would love to see this as a full app.

 

[csd_images]

Sadly I can't join the Beta as I'm a business customer (different portal). Still nice looking app and hopefully something like this will come along for business customers, it something that's desperately needed to manage bandwidth usage.

 

[iangriggs]

[TechFreak1] Aiming to get a download link out this week.

[csd_images] Yes, unfortunately the API reflects the consumer rather than business portal hence the restriction - sorry about that.

Please mention this Beta to any friends who are also O2 Customers and use Windows Phone - NEED MORE TESTERS!...Thanks!

 

[Gergolos]

Hey iangriggs,

sounds really great!
Once question though: I am a o2-customer, but from Germany (o2 Germany), so I guess I will not be able to use your app. Do you have any information about o2 Germany releasing an App like yours?

Thanks in advance and good luck with your project!

 

[iangriggs]

[Gergolos] Unfortunately you are correct in that this is aimed at O2 UK primarily because the API I'm using is against the UK systems. I'm not aware of anything similar from O2 Germany but I'll ask when I get a chance. Apologies for not being clearer at the start about UK focus and getting your hopes up but thanks for the positive post!

 

[Gergolos]

Thanks a lot iangriggs!

I really hope someone like You has the same idea in Germany!

 

[TechFreak1]

We need more converage on this thread! on that note I sent a message to Daniel Rubino . Hopefully he reads it as we really need apps, like these especially with the introduction of 4g this year by O2 and Vodaphone.

 

[iangriggs]

[TechFreak1] The WPCentral post has made a big difference in getting the message out and I've much more healthy number of testers now. Real numbers to back up the interest are the aim of this trial. Hoping this will set the scene for future experiments with other O2 apps.

Thanks to all those that have shown their interest so far. Doing some additional smoke tests on the current version and hoping to get a link out this week.

 

[TechFreak1]

[TechFreak1] The WPCentral post has made a big difference in getting the message out and I've much more healthy number of testers now. Real numbers to back up the interest are the aim of this trial. Hoping this will set the scene for future experiments with other O2 apps.

Thanks to all those that have shown their interest so far. Doing some additional smoke tests on the current version and hoping to get a link out this week.

Glad to know the WPCentral Post has made a difference and thank you for all your hardwork!. I know I speak for most of us at WPCentral that are O2 customers that it is most appreciated. -).

Hopefully your colleagues in other countries will follow suit and release an app for their native country too.

 

[TechFreak1]

I have just downloaded the App and I have quickly gone through the app, I must say it is clean and very easy to use . I appreciate the small live tile support as most developers just stick the logo on the small tile, to those of use who prefer small tiles for some apps can be a nuisance sometimes..

I know these may be asking for alot however I want this App to be THE App where other operators look to as inspiration:
1) Custom colour for tiles and font via a colour pallette - is that possible?
2) Billing screen - that shows when last bill was taken and amount, when next bill is due and amount? (not sure how that would be fitted on a small tile maybe a variation i.e one tile will show amount and next bill date if reduced to small and on medium with another showing last paid date and amount on medium with a small tile option for those who prefer the flexibility -))
3) Manage Bolt-ons Screen
4) Option to show phone number on tile or not on medium tile - would be nice.
5) Wi fi hotspot location / sign-in - presume that is in progress?

Anyway Keep up the great work!

 

[iangriggs]

I have just downloaded the App and I have quickly gone through the app, I must say it is clean and very easy to use . I appreciate the small live tile support as most developers just stick the logo on the small tile, to those of use who prefer small tiles for some apps can be a nuisance sometimes..

I know these may be asking for alot however I want this App to be THE App where other operators look to as inspiration:
1) Custom colour for tiles and font via a colour pallette - is that possible?
2) Billing screen - that shows when last bill was taken and amount, when next bill is due and amount? (not sure how that would be fitted on a small tile maybe a variation i.e one tile will show amount and next bill date if reduced to small and on medium with another showing last paid date and amount on medium with a small tile option for those who prefer the flexibility -))
3) Manage Bolt-ons Screen
4) Option to show phone number on tile or not on medium tile - would be nice.
5) Wi fi hotspot location / sign-in - presume that is in progress?

Anyway Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the positive feedback - much appreciated.

1. Yep..a number of suggestions have referred to tile colours, high contrast version for accessibility - all great suggestions and on 'the list' ;-)
2. Billing information would be something to expect from a fully featured 'official' version - I doubt that I'll include it in this experimental version - we'll see.
3. As (2) really.
4. A popular suggestion and likely to be another option on the Tile Creation screen along with colours etc. Some people (me included) like it as we have multiple numbers under the same My O2 account. Knowing which tile refers to which number is useful. Nevertheless I can understand some will not benefit from that and don't want their number in full view.
5. That is in some way a larger separate feature/app. O2 have a separate app called 'O2 Wifi' for other platforms but I can envisage some clever, potentially more integrated ways of exposing this information within a WP device (as a result of the flexibility of the WP platform) without needing to be a separate app potentially - maybe another experiment for The Lab ;-)

Thanks again,

Ian

 

[martinmc78]

Signed up for the beta but not had a link for app download sent out yet.

 

[iangriggs]

Signed up for the beta but not had a link for app download sent out yet.

Apologies...checking

 

[iangriggs]

Signed up for the beta but not had a link for app download sent out yet.

Hi. I've sent out another batch of Beta emails with the download link. It's difficult to know if you were definitely on that wave of emails as I only have your martinmc78 from your post here to compare. If you still don't receive anything then send me an email with your Windows Live ID/Microsoft account directly to myo2livetiles@o2labs.co.uk and I'll add the WLID again.

Thanks,

Ian

 

[TechFreak1]

Thanks for the positive feedback - much appreciated.

1. Yep..a number of suggestions have referred to tile colours, high contrast version for accessibility - all great suggestions and on 'the list' ;-)
2. Billing information would be something to expect from a fully featured 'official' version - I doubt that I'll include it in this experimental version - we'll see.
3. As (2) really.
4. A popular suggestion and likely to be another option on the Tile Creation screen along with colours etc. Some people (me included) like it as we have multiple numbers under the same My O2 account. Knowing which tile refers to which number is useful. Nevertheless I can understand some will not benefit from that and don't want their number in full view.
5. That is in some way a larger separate feature/app. O2 have a separate app called 'O2 Wifi' for other platforms but I can envisage some clever, potentially more integrated ways of exposing this information within a WP device (as a result of the flexibility of the WP platform) without needing to be a separate app potentially - maybe another experiment for The Lab ;-)

Thanks again,

Ian

Your most welcome Ian, thank you for your point by point response really answered my queries . Hopefully you will be able to incorporate point 5 into one single App .

For those who are wondering the live tile does indeed update every 30 minutes, (I will update this post with a screenshots later) way more helpful than the O2 Mobile website. Also it refreshes if you tap the tile to open the app. I have only have the data tile as have got unlimited minutes and texts so I can't confirm on those.

A quick question I noticed there is an expiration date in the live tiles screen is that when the App will stop working or is that when the auto-login credentials expire?

Have another suggestion, after using the App for a day now would it be possible to add a usage screen (showing calls made, mms sent etc) - for which I presume the same principle about the billing and bolt-on screen would apply?