[link68759]

So! I swear this exists but I can't find it for the life of me:

Pin media control tiles to home screen. Like, prev play/pause next.

Also, a QR generator app that is actually useful and efficient. By this I mean it can be shared to- when you press share contact in people or share page in IE, the QR app should be in that list.

I'd be interested in any app that uses Bluetooth connectivity. For example, Cardash can connect to Bluetooth obdii scanners, Remoter 8 can use Bluetooth as the medium for touchpad data, etc.

Last- games! I like Tiny Death Star's concept of running in the background and you open it (frequently) to manage a few things. If there is a time based game like that which perhaps needs less nannying, I want it. Tiny Death Star needs too much attention, I'd rather have a Sim Earth type simulation that runs by itself and I can change things as I please, when I please.
Also, bullet hell. Losing Dodonpachi Maximum is a huge blow to me- it's the only game I actually played and really liked on WP7. All other bullethell games that I can find on this platform are slow, easy, dumb, landscape instead of portrait, and just look bad. Teslapunk is *close* but that also has this cheap feel to it with the bad textures and lack of color palette. Moreover there's no sense of progress in that game- you have one shot to play through 4 levels and you start at the beginning every time unless you pay for continues. Leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Thanks in advance.

[mase123987]

No live tile can directly control something like a widget. Pressing the volume buttons while playing something gives you the controls.

[link68759]

No live tile can directly control something like a widget. Pressing the volume buttons while playing something gives you the controls.

There's absolutely no reason a live tile can't open up an app which knows it was launched from the next song tile, proceed to the next song, and the exit. Every system shortcut app works in this way. The launching/exiting is so fast that the homescreen just does a pretty flip and you don't see it.

[troylytle]

There's absolutely no reason a live tile can't open up an app which knows it was launched from the next song tile, proceed to the next song, and the exit. Every system shortcut app works in this way. The launching/exiting is so fast that the homescreen just does a pretty flip and you don't see it.

I have to reply with a question and ask how many apps have you developed for Windows Phone 8?

[link68759]

I have to reply with a question and ask how many apps have you developed for Windows Phone 8?

How many apps have you used? As I said, all system shortcut tile apps do this. Any app has the ability to change the music song. Put two and two together. Hell, how do you think "stop music" apps work? They do exactly what I'm requesting, just stopping rather than navigating.


Why is this harmless search for apps turning into a "I don't know how WP works and OP must be wrong" thread?

[troylytle]

You are looking for a fight so continue having an unanswered thread.

[link68759]

You are looking for a fight so continue having an unanswered thread.

No, I'm looking for apps, and I could do without your snotty retorts. If you don't want to fight, contribute. If you have nothing to contribute, leave.

[Reui]

The media controls would only probably work if that is also the app that plays the media, i can't remember a method to tap to the xbox music.

[troylytle]

I contributed clearly. I asked a question and you assumed you were being treated poorly. I asked the question to know your background with apps. You can only control your own application's media with developer API's. You can use stop music to clear your music dropdown because it opens its own and then removes it.

[link68759]

The media controls would only probably work if that is also the app that plays the media, i can't remember a method to tap to the xbox music.

music player pro, swipe tunes, cool music player, hey DJ, music+ .... And voice butler even has explicit voice commands for "next song" and "previous song". You can start playing the music *in any app* and control it *from any other app* if the source is the system music library. This is one of the basic features and benefits of WP's tightly integrated system.

It can be done. Easily. Let the next poster try it for him/herself instead of pointlessly and incorrectly doubting.

Troytle, asking irrelevant questions is not contributing to my search. Asking me "how many apps I developed" is a rude, snotty way of implying I am unqualified to comment on the subject. If that's not what you intended to say and you truly wanted to know what my experience is, you could have, I don't know, *asked me what experience I have* instead of tunneling into a very specific corner of your now revised query in a curt way.

[vishnu ambili]

There's absolutely no reason a live tile can't open up an app which knows it was launched from the next song tile, proceed to the next song, and the exit. Every system shortcut app works in this way. The launching/exiting is so fast that the homescreen just does a pretty flip and you don't see it.

it's true that any app can determine the way it was launched, a secondary tile, primary tile or by other deep links. It can do exactly as you described too. Change the song, exit right away. But being "so fast that is unnoticeable" is pretty much impossible. For example, we are talking about a music player app that has a 'play next song' tile. When user clicks it following happens (assuming you know architecture of wp apps
1.OS invokes the constructor of app main page. You cannot determine whether the launch was from tile here, there is no way for that. You have to do that in onnavigatedto() method. So constructor has to finish execution and main page will be displayed. Then the onnavigatedto() is executed and you determine launch is from "play next" tile. You change the song and self terminate the app and go back to start screen. Pretty much simple huh!!
by the way, to change a song you need to load MediaPlayer class along with a dispatcher service for Mediaplayer Xna message pumping.
2. The transition effects that happens when you start and kill an app also adds to the time. Adding the time required to execute two methods in your app with this, you have a solid 4seconds(least) before a song changes.
why would someone bother to do this, when they can change song in volume bar in half a second.

[link68759]

it's true that any app can determine the way it was launched, a secondary tile, primary tile or by other deep links. It can do exactly as you described too. Change the song, exit right away. But being "so fast that is unnoticeable" is pretty much impossible. For example, we are talking about a music player app that has a 'play next song' tile. When user clicks it following happens (assuming you know architecture of wp apps
1.OS invokes the constructor of app main page. You cannot determine whether the launch was from tile here, there is no way for that. You have to do that in onnavigatedto() method. So constructor has to finish execution and main page will be displayed. Then the onnavigatedto() is executed and you determine launch is from "play next" tile. You change the song and self terminate the app and go back to start screen. Pretty much simple huh!!
by the way, to change a song you need to load MediaPlayer class along with a dispatcher service for Mediaplayer Xna message pumping.
2. The transition effects that happens when you start and kill an app also adds to the time. Adding the time required to execute two methods in your app with this, you have a solid 4seconds(least) before a song changes.
why would someone bother to do this, when they can change song in volume bar in half a second.

Thanks for the explanation, but your conclusion that "it's pretty much impossible" is wrong, as evidenced by (I feel like a freaking broken record here) any given shortcut tiles app.

Go try "skinery themes", or wiztiles. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Search the store for any shortcut app you please- I just looked at "shortcut tiles free", a terrible ad ridden thing that pins tiles which bring you to a tile context specific settings page instantly with the intermediate app loading and exiting so quickly you cannot see it.

[vishnu ambili]

Thanks for the explanation, but your conclusion that "it's pretty much impossible" is wrong, as evidenced by (I feel like a freaking broken record here) any given shortcut tiles app.

Go try "skinery themes", or wiztiles. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Search the store for any shortcut app you please- I just looked at "shortcut tiles free", a terrible ad ridden thing that pins tiles which bring you to a tile context specific settings page instantly with the intermediate app loading and exiting so quickly you cannot see it.

Glad here. I wasnt discouraging you at all. just telling my opinion. I said pretty much impossible was on the basis of shortcut you were asking for. Playing, changing songs. It requires loading of classes from XNA libraries and also require dispatcher services. In addition you also need to check whether music is playing or not before changing it. You cant move to next song, if there is no active songlist queue in MediaPlayer. All these are time consuming. But we can make tiles for other options that are simple enough to notice and non time consuming(you already know and used that before, guessing from apps you mentioned). For example bringing you to Bluetooth settings page or something like that only require a single method call unlike changing a song. You might notice the time when you load a lens app in camera. It takes a few seconds before loading. Just like that, more complex the operation, more time it takes to load. But with higher spec'd phone, time will reduce. But as a dev, you can't rely on that. I've been developing enterprise apps and server side services for a year now.

[mase123987]

There's absolutely no reason a live tile can't open up an app which knows it was launched from the next song tile, proceed to the next song, and the exit. Every system shortcut app works in this way. The launching/exiting is so fast that the homescreen just does a pretty flip and you don't see it.

I simply said a live tile can't work like a widget. Opening up and app that automatically does something and then closes is not how a widget works.

[mase123987]

Curiously Link, is the controls you get from the lockscreen and when you press the volume buttons not quick enough? It seems like both of those would be quicker in most situations.

[mcivor88]

Just hit the unlock button then a volume button and you'll have ur option for next song.

You'd have to unlock ur phone, swipe up (maybe passcode?) and find your app anyway. Hardly be a shortcut

[troylytle]

Troytle, asking irrelevant questions is not contributing to my search. Asking me "how many apps I developed" is a rude, snotty way of implying I am unqualified to comment on the subject. If that's not what you intended to say and you truly wanted to know what my experience is, you could have, I don't know, *asked me what experience I have* instead of tunneling into a very specific corner of your now revised query in a curt way.

I wanted to know specifically for Windows Phone 8. Otherwise I would have asked how many apps have you developed. Also, everyone else in here seems to agree that it is not happening. Since I explained what I meant and you are still edging hostile and not only to me, WHY DON'T YOU MAKE THE APP YOURSELF AND LINK IT BACK HERE WHEN IT IS RELEASED?

[link68759]

I simply said a live tile can't work like a widget. Opening up and app that automatically does something and then closes is not how a widget works.

Right, but I said nothing about widgets; you were the one who brought that up.

[link68759]

Curiously Link, is the controls you get from the lockscreen and when you press the volume buttons not quick enough? It seems like both of those would be quicker in most situations.

I get that the volume shortcut is plenty fast, but what's wrong with options and customizability? Personally, I would rather have the buttons lower towards the bottom of the screen. Pressing a volume button then reaching for the top of the screen is shifting between two different grips of holding the phone.

[link68759]

http://imgur.com/ia4ylzV

Well now system tiles updated and added this just now (what timing!), and it works *exactly like I said it would*; it loads and exits so fast you never see the app. The homescreen just does a pretty flip.

That puts an end to the pointless bickering I hope, let's move on to other parts of my list: anyone have any app that uses Bluetooth? There's a serious lack of apps taking advantage of Bluetooth in WP. I know of three total.

[mase123987]

imgur: the simple image sharer

Well now system tiles updated and added this just now (what timing!), and it works *exactly like I said it would*; it loads and exits so fast you never see the app. The homescreen just does a pretty flip.

That puts an end to the pointless bickering I hope, let's move on to other parts of my list: anyone have any app that uses Bluetooth? There's a serious lack of apps taking advantage of Bluetooth in WP. I know of three total.

Piece of advice: Dont get so defensive with people who want to help, no matter what you think of the answer.

I just checked out the app you mentioned. It does work for songs played through the built in media player, aka xbox music. It does not work with any other app like Pandora or Nokia Music. The controls you get from pressing the volume key work everywhere. Just so everyone knows.

If you like it, cool. Glad it works for you. I personally dont like the flip animation in this case.

As far as Bluetooth goes, are you looking for a specific use or just anything you can find for fun?

[link68759]

Piece of advice: Dont get so defensive with people who want to help, no matter what you think of the answer.

I just checked out the app you mentioned. It does work for songs played through the built in media player, aka xbox music. It does not work with any other app like Pandora or Nokia Music. The controls you get from pressing the volume key work everywhere. Just so everyone knows.

If you like it, cool. Glad it works for you. I personally dont like the flip animation in this case.

As far as Bluetooth goes, are you looking for a specific use or just anything you can find for fun?

Re: defensive. You've been nice. Others I didn't perceive as wanting to help. Plus, the perpetual doubting of something that was pretty clear to me (and people not believing me nor trying out the examples I kept citing) made me really frustrated. Sorry. I envisioned a thread of sharing apps, not doubt and misunderstanding.

Re: music. I said in a previous post "any app can control the playback of any other app so long as the source is the system music library". I don't know how much clearer I can be in regard to that.

Bluetooth: just for fun. I like exploring systems to see the limits of the functionality (which is partially why I know WP well enough to know what can be done- I'm pretty intimately familiar with how things are done in abstract, and the limitations). I'm a power user with programming experience, it's what I do. Bluetooth on WP is still something of an unknown to me- it seems like there's no simple API which is why apps supporting it are few and far between- working with Bluetooth COM must not be that fun. But if indeed it is just the COM devs have access to, it should be plenty powerful and capable. I just want to play with some apps to further my understanding.

[mase123987]

Re: defensive. You've been nice. Others I didn't perceive as wanting to help. Plus, the perpetual doubting of something that was pretty clear to me (and people not believing me nor trying out the examples I kept citing) made me really frustrated. Sorry. I envisioned a thread of sharing apps, not doubt and misunderstanding.

Re: music. I said in a previous post "any app can control the playback of any other app so long as the source is the system music library". I don't know how much clearer I can be in regard to that.

Bluetooth: just for fun. I like exploring systems to see the limits of the functionality (which is partially why I know WP well enough to know what can be done- I'm pretty intimately familiar with how things are done in abstract, and the limitations). I'm a power user with programming experience, it's what I do. Bluetooth on WP is still something of an unknown to me- it seems like there's no simple API which is why apps supporting it are few and far between- working with Bluetooth COM must not be that fun. But if indeed it is just the COM devs have access to, it should be plenty powerful and capable. I just want to play with some apps to further my understanding.

Big reason for all of this is that you werent clear in your OP. Your wording (based on my and others responses) indicated you wanted a widget like performance out of a tile. Also, you didnt mention "system music library" until a few posts into the thread which is why I missed it.

Anyways, 4.0 Bluetooth support is just now coming to WP. You should start seeing apps taking advantage of the "low energy" mode I think it is called. I imagine that means more support from things like health monitors.

[link68759]

I didn't describe *how* it would work in my first post, true, I just described what the end result I desired was. I think it's silly that in the absence of detailed information, y'all jumped to the conclusion that I wanted the end result done in a specific way that can't be done, instead of a way that can be done. And it didn't even transition that smoothly! We went from can't do it, well you might be able to do that but it can't control music, well you can control music but it'd be too slow, well that example shows it might not be too slow but there's a bit more to it... then I ended up finding the damn app.

Is this forum really so riddled with android users that I can't be given a benefit of the doubt?

[eric12341]

Well this thread is a mess, in the trash it goes.