Health app now with live tile

[gwinegarden]

How is your Betamax working for you? Or your quadraphonic sound system, RCA video disk, EL Cassette, HD DVD, or any other contender that fell by the wayside? I've ridden my share of technology into the dust. I'm not real keen on making it a habit.

Eons ago, back when people had to decide what computer to buy, the standard advice was to find the apps you wanted, and then buy the computer that ran it. Who cared if one had a superior OS if it didn't have the apps you need? Much has changed - but that advice still applies to mobile devices.

Please! People just absolutely have to have whatever everyone else has or they will just die. Live free! Try something different.

 

[Davide Carozza]

Sorry, but I think it is fair. North Americans all want the same stuff. If your friends have it, you must. The rest of the world seems to have less of an issue and is, probably, why Windows phones sell better there.

Stop with the sweeping generalizations. Nate gave you a concrete example of someone who wanted to stay on Windows Phone, but couldn't because it still lags behind other platforms in many ways. He's hardly the only person who feels that way. As someone who has never owned a non-Windows smartphone, I'm also worried that it just won't be viable to stick with it much longer. Has nothing to do with what other people have. That's two counterexamples for you right there. We both have tried "something different," but it may not be good enough for our purposes.

 

[gwinegarden]

Stop with the sweeping generalizations. Nate gave you a concrete example of someone who wanted to stay on Windows Phone, but couldn't because it still lags behind other platforms in many ways. He's hardly the only person who feels that way. As someone who has never owned a non-Windows smartphone, I'm also worried that it just won't be viable to stick with it much longer. Has nothing to do with what other people have. That's two counterexamples for you right there. We both have tried "something different," but it may not be good enough for our purposes.

Two whole examples mean nothing. I can give you examples of people who just have to have something, simply, because everyone else does. This issue seems to affect North Americans much more than others. It is not restricted to phones.

I don't care what you have. I just wondered why this happens. Many refer to Apple users as iSheep, and Android users as Androids. I wonder why? Doesn't that tend to say much of what I said?

 

[Davide Carozza]

Two whole examples mean nothing. I can give you examples of people who just have to have something, simply, because everyone else does. This issue seems to affect North Americans much more than others. It is not restricted to phones.

I don't care what you have. I just wondered why this happens. Many refer to Apple users as iSheep, and Android users as Androids. I wonder why? Doesn't that tend to say much of what I said?

You seem to need a refresher in logic. If you say "all" North Americans want the same stuff, then yes, two counterexamples does mean something. Clearly not "all" people think that way.

More to the point, your post ignores many other possible explanations. To begin with, the 4 major US carriers barely offer any Windows phones. Don't you think that might have something to do with them being unpopular? And the ones they do offer have terrible support. I bought a Windows phone from Sprint after they explicitly promised to support it and not only did it never get any updates, they never even fixed the firmware level bugs it shipped with. Few options to begin with and terrible support for customers is a difficult combination to overcome. Add in the fact that phones are largely tied to carriers here in a way they are not most places in the world, and it really isn't surprising that Windows Mobile isn't doing so well. The icing on the cake is that many sales people here actively steer customers away from Windows phones.

That's a much better explanation than yours, for which you didn't offer any actual evidence.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Back on the original topic. Does the live tile only work if you have Band 2?

 

[luxnws]

Back on the original topic. Does the live tile only work if you have Band 2?

It works for original Band and Band 2 on W10M and WP8.1.

 

[DroidUser42]

I just wondered why this happens. Many refer to Apple users as iSheep, and Android users as Androids. I wonder why? Doesn't that tend to say much of what I said?

Going back to the "old days", even before IBM, when people would ask what computer to get, one of my standard questions was "What do your fiends use? What do you use at work?" People tended to be happier when they had the same computer. Unlike TV sets and toasters, computers need support. And usually if they got a computer different from their support network, they ultimately would be alone and unhappy. As for work, if they intended to "bring home work", they needed a computer that was compatible with what they had at work. Same principle.

I bought my first computer off of a guy who discovered the hard way that just because a C-64 and Apple II uses the same CPU, that doesn't make them the same computer.

So yes, there is a strong "bandwagon" effect going on with OS choice. And for developers, you're either with the masses, or you've somehow got to find a profitable niche with the less popular ones. Which is not easy to do.

 

[PepperdotNet]

It works for original Band and Band 2 on W10M and WP8.1.

I have original Band but no live tile, that's why I asked. How to turn it on?

 

[luxnws]

I have original Band but no live tile, that's why I asked. How to turn it on?

Check to see that you have Microsoft Health app ver. 1.3.20217.2. Make the tile large or medium sized. The live tile should show battery level, calories and steps after you sync.

 

[gwinegarden]

You seem to need a refresher in logic. If you say "all" North Americans want the same stuff, then yes, two counterexamples does mean something. Clearly not "all" people think that way.

More to the point, your post ignores many other possible explanations. To begin with, the 4 major US carriers barely offer any Windows phones. Don't you think that might have something to do with them being unpopular? And the ones they do offer have terrible support. I bought a Windows phone from Sprint after they explicitly promised to support it and not only did it never get any updates, they never even fixed the firmware level bugs it shipped with. Few options to begin with and terrible support for customers is a difficult combination to overcome. Add in the fact that phones are largely tied to carriers here in a way they are not most places in the world, and it really isn't surprising that Windows Mobile isn't doing so well. The icing on the cake is that many sales people here actively steer customers away from Windows phones.

That's a much better explanation than yours, for which you didn't offer any actual evidence.

You know, it's really funny that you are spending so much effort trying to prove me wrong.

 

[uselessrobot]

Sorry, but I think it is fair. North Americans all want the same stuff. If your friends have it, you must. The rest of the world seems to have less of an issue and is, probably, why Windows phones sell better there.

That's not how it works. The rest of the world is open to more options because they don't have the disposable income that Americans generally do and electronics are typically much more expensive. A good deal trumps everything else. However, the world over, but particularly in Asia, the iPhone is still the thing to get. The iPhone is thriving in China while Windows phone has taken a dump. There's a bit more platform diversity in Europe, but certain preferences exist.

In some ways the iPhone has managed to cross over into being a status symbol and that cuts straight across cultural and economic lines. However, it's also nice to have the assurance that you're going to get any potentially popular app first and that it's going to be best optimized to your platform.

That and the guarantee that something like an Apple Watch is going to work flawlessly with your iPhone. Unlike my Band 2 and Lumia 950.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Check to see that you have Microsoft Health app ver. 1.3.20217.2. Make the tile large or medium sized. The live tile should show battery level, calories and steps after you sync.

2.3.20217.0, store says up to date last update was some time ago. Tile is large and wasn't live but strangely it just now started working while I was checking all this info. Hasn't worked before.

But this is a 950XL on build 10586.107, live tiles seem to have a very limited lifespan and just stop updating until you have some screen activity like swiping it up and down.

 

[wgs84]

It's a lot better than a static MS Health icon for sure, but I really wish you can customize the live tile. I would customize the tile to show just my steps and stop flipping away.

 

[luxnws]

2.3.20217.0, store says up to date last update was some time ago. Tile is large and wasn't live but strangely it just now started working while I was checking all this info. Hasn't worked before.

But this is a 950XL on build 10586.107, live tiles seem to have a very limited lifespan and just stop updating until you have some screen activity like swiping it up and down.

If you mean the live tile flips, it is the same on WP8.1. If you mean updated battery, calorie, step data, the app only pulls down the new numbers when synced so they will be static. I keep Bluetooth off to extend battery life and only turn it on when syncing anyway.

 

[Anamnesis]

Now if only they would make the damn thing transparent as well...the 'live' part is, but not the icon grrr

 

[evdel]

Problem with the live tile is the slow refresh time. Another question.. do i have to leave Healt in memory to get a reliable result? Often the battery percentage does not seems to sync with other apps showing the percentage. So who's right?

 

[Davide Carozza]

I got the new firmware today and looked at the What's New? section. It had a picture with the live tile showing steps, calories burned, and battery percentage all at once. Sadly, the actual live tile does not do this. A shame, as that would be so much more useful.

 

[Anamnesis]

I noticed it said transparency too and didn't do this, but low and behold... turned the function off and on again... rebooted my device and it does indeed now have a transparent tile and displays the required info (though only on the larger two sizes of the tile)