[bassbum]

How about adding an "APPS" area under "Collections" in the ZUNE application so we can keep track and re-install apps into the phone a LOT easier!

Agreed!

[prophetfp]

I'm a WP7 owner from the last 24 hours and i'd like to put my 2 cents on easy UI improvements:

- We need a fast way to scroll contacts / music lists. maybe the "little letters column" as seen in ios. searching is nice (also tapping the beginning letter), but scrolling is usually faster and more pleasing ("look, i have a billion albums")

- We need independent volume levels for headphones plugged in and plugged out.
i think it's two very different levels, usually. ios has this.

- We need a seek function in zune! we can't jump in a song at a desired time, we just have ff/rwd buttons..like this it works like a portable cd player from the 90s.
This feature is needed the most especially when listening long files, eg: podcasts.

:)

[rijc99]

If you tap the letter in the blue square you will be able to select the letter you want. Its not a letter bar on the side but equally easy to use in contacts.

[electricbopeep]

I have a comment that sort of relates to the topic. It's obvious that Microsoft put some thought into their WP7 displays at wireless stores - the large touch screen, the xbox. However, it seems like they overlooked something - loading the display phones with a dummy account and multimedia content. Is this an oversight on Microsoft's part or are individual ATT stores just not doing their part?

At the first ATT store I visited, the display WP7 phones didn't have ANY content or 3rd party apps and weren't connected to the internet. They did seem to have a dummy account loaded in xbox live but once again, no content. At the second ATT store I visited, the Focus was linked to a Live/Facebook account (I think it might've been an employee's or a customer's) and was filled with related stuff but no media, and once again, no internet connection, no 3rd party apps. This phone also had a dummy account similar to the ones at the first store.

A large part of consumers "getting" the appeal of WP7 is experiencing a phone filled with all the rich content that the OS capitalizes on. It just seems odd that this would be overlooked since a lot of people (esp the "dumbphone" users who Microsoft is targeting) wouldn't buy a smartphone sight-unseen.

[rijc99]

The letters works in album view. Its pretty good because it only shows the letters that are used.

[prophetfp]

Thanks for the tip :)
Have i missed the audio seek too?

[electricbopeep]

Thanks for the tip :)
Have i missed the audio seek too?

there's no scrubber but if you hold down << or >> it will remind and fast forward. Is that what you're referring to?

You can't play audio back at .5, 1.5 or 2x like the iPod though.

[prophetfp]

there's no scrubber but if you hold down << or >> it will remind and fast forward. Is that what you're referring to?

Yeah, i was referring exactly to a scrubber, i didn't know the proper term :)
It's a shame, because - as i was saying in my first post - it's very nice to have especially in long files, like 1h+ podcasts.

That's my feature request! :D

[MarcMaiden]

In our store, all the working phones have a working sim card in them so users can browse the internet/dl apps. but honestly, I always put my phone in their hands. Thats what I did with the captivate (when i had it) as well. I try my best to show the customer that there are other options out there besides the Iphone, and 9/10 times, customers end up buying a smartphone other than an Iphone once they realize whats out there.

I have a comment that sort of relates to the topic. It's obvious that Microsoft put some thought into their WP7 displays at wireless stores - the large touch screen, the xbox. However, it seems like they overlooked something - loading the display phones with a dummy account and multimedia content. Is this an oversight on Microsoft's part or are individual ATT stores just not doing their part?

At the first ATT store I visited, the display WP7 phones didn't have ANY content or 3rd party apps and weren't connected to the internet. They did seem to have a dummy account loaded in xbox live but once again, no content. At the second ATT store I visited, the Focus was linked to a Live/Facebook account (I think it might've been an employee's or a customer's) and was filled with related stuff but no media, and once again, no internet connection, no 3rd party apps. This phone also had a dummy account similar to the ones at the first store.

A large part of consumers "getting" the appeal of WP7 is experiencing a phone filled with all the rich content that the OS capitalizes on. It just seems odd that this would be overlooked since a lot of people (esp the "dumbphone" users who Microsoft is targeting) wouldn't buy a smartphone sight-unseen.

[electricbopeep]

thanks for that insight. If only more employees were like you. :)

Still seems like Microsoft should have a formal dummy account for att to load on the phone.

In our store, all the working phones have a working sim card in them so users can browse the internet/dl apps. but honestly, I always put my phone in their hands. Thats what I did with the captivate (when i had it) as well. I try my best to show the customer that there are other options out there besides the Iphone, and 9/10 times, customers end up buying a smartphone other than an Iphone once they realize whats out there.

[MarcMaiden]

thanks for that insight. If only more employees were like you. :)

Still seems like Microsoft should have a formal dummy account for att to load on the phone.

yeah I agree with you. Its funny too because I had 2 Microsoft employees come into my store to buy Focus's for testing purposes. I asked them why didnt they just get them from microsoft. they said that they were only given 400 test phones, and they didnt make the cut hahah

[Light Speed1]

i hear IE has no homepage setting. Maybe ask about that?

[GP07]

I dunno if anyone said this yet but can we actually get a Stop button on Zune and the Zune PC software as well? Play and Pause only isn't enough at times.

[Light Speed1]

a stop button is more clutter.

[GP07]

a stop button is more clutter.

Opinion noted, yet that doesn't change the fact that at times you need one.

[MichaelBanning]

Hey Marc, I haven't received my LG Quantum yet, but I have two recommendations based on what I've been reading and researching:

1.) Landscape tile view: it wouldn't even have to change the size and shape of the tiles; just make the tiles rotate 90 degrees and then instead of scrolling up and down, you're scrolling left and right. The panel to see the list-view of apps instead of tiles could stay right where it is and be pulled down, and the list-view could also be scrolled either up and down or left and right. Whatever's easiest, but landscape definitely needs to happen.

2.) Holistic "MyPhone-esque" data transfer from one phone to the next: a singular, simple, and superior customer transition of data (including text messages, which can't currently be transferred via zune) from one Windows Phone to the customer's next Windows Phone, that comes standard on the Phone, would be a HUGE help, and would increase the longevity of my relationship with and use of these phones. It also makes sense with their vision, which seems to be for each person to easily access and express their Windows persona/data anytime anywhere, making the phone (as well as the pc, the xbox, etc.) simply a channel or medium (dare I say, a "window?") than it's own entity. If the focus is shifting away from just the physical products to the customer's data and life with and through Windows and the products, then something to help improve and streamline the transition from old phone to new phone seems to me be just as important as streamlining the transition from phone to pc to xbox.

[MarcMaiden]

Eggleston,

those are some good ideas! Ill also add them to the list. When I go into the store today ill send the list out and see what kind of response we get from our dear friend from microsoft

[Light Speed1]

i think they tested the homescreen landscape view and decided against it.

anyways, how would it work? I think theres a reason the iphone doesnt have landscape view. what would happen when you leave the phone flat on a table, how would the accelerometer decide to go landscape? or what if it goes landscape and you dont want that? its not failproof.

[spitothec]

I'm just gonna throw this out there.. I think there's a lot of misinformation in this thread and I think we're putting a little too much trust in the OP and his "source". There's a lot of things mentioned, and I don't see how it would be even remotely possible for them to include that many updates in a single patch 3 months after launch.

In fact, I doubt we'll be seeing Turn by Turn navigation next year at all.. that's not something I've even seen on the horizon and a HUGE task for MS to take on when they still have a list miles long of EASY things to correct.

[MichaelBanning]

i think they tested the homescreen landscape view and decided against it.

anyways, how would it work? I think theres a reason the iphone doesnt have landscape view. what would happen when you leave the phone flat on a table, how would the accelerometer decide to go landscape? or what if it goes landscape and you dont want that? its not failproof.

Your argument seems to be less against a landscape tile view and more against how a landscape view of anything could work. Other people - including Windows, which has a landscape view for their email, etc. - have figured out the answers to your questions already, which (I think) is that the phone keeps whatever view it had before being laid flat. All I'm asking for is for them to apply the same thing to the Home/Tile screen.

[Light Speed1]

Your argument seems to be less against a landscape tile view and more against how a landscape view of anything could work. Other people - including Windows, which has a landscape view for their email, etc. - have figured out the answers to your questions already, which (I think) is that the phone keeps whatever view it had before being laid flat. All I'm asking for is for them to apply the same thing to the Home/Tile screen.

it wont happen because it removes cohesiveness in the design. it could cause confusion too. All the other mobile OS do not function like this (except android) its prob been tested thoroughly .

[Light Speed1]

I'm just gonna throw this out there.. I think there's a lot of misinformation in this thread and I think we're putting a little too much trust in the OP and his "source". There's a lot of things mentioned, and I don't see how it would be even remotely possible for them to include that many updates in a single patch 3 months after launch.

In fact, I doubt we'll be seeing Turn by Turn navigation next year at all.. that's not something I've even seen on the horizon and a HUGE task for MS to take on when they still have a list miles long of EASY things to correct.

I disagree with you that navigation would be a "huge task." Windows Mobile had Bing Navigation but you apparently didnt know that. All they would have had to do is spruce it up for Windows Phone 7.

[MarcMaiden]

I'm just gonna throw this out there.. I think there's a lot of misinformation in this thread and I think we're putting a little too much trust in the OP and his "source". There's a lot of things mentioned, and I don't see how it would be even remotely possible for them to include that many updates in a single patch 3 months after launch.

In fact, I doubt we'll be seeing Turn by Turn navigation next year at all.. that's not something I've even seen on the horizon and a HUGE task for MS to take on when they still have a list miles long of EASY things to correct.

I dont blame you for not "trusting" me. I even said that all the info i got was preliminary and is not 100%.

that being said, I do not think 3 feautres is "too much" for one updage. Like the above post says, Bing navigation already exists.

[Daniel Rubino]

In fact, I doubt we'll be seeing Turn by Turn navigation next year at all.. that's not something I've even seen on the horizon and a HUGE task for MS to take on when they still have a list miles long of EASY things to correct.

While caution and skepticism is always warranted in these situations, the turn-by-turn stuff was mentioned in another rumor/leak weeks ago.

I'm actually leaning towards that part being true as Bing as been undergoing quite a change lately.

Also, it's not just a patch. Or rather there will be patches and then there will be firmware upgrades with the latter being quite large (~80mb+) and the former being quite small.

I expect the January update to be firmware and quite large.

[spitothec]

I understand that 6.5 had turn by turn, but 6.5 also had about 1.8 million things that WP7 still doesn't have. I don't see that being one of the larger things on MS's plate when there are so many things that people consider essential, that 6.5 had, that we haven't heard anything about.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it and to some degree I hope I'm wrong, but when so many simple, necessary things are still missing from the phone, I can't see why they would be pulling people to work on something that's highly desired, but not really needed... and I hope they aren't.. because if we get turn by turn navigation before we get things as simple as searching for apps/music seperately or taking a screen shot, I'm going to start questioning my trust in this platform.