[jdd77]

^^^ These aren't complaints, they are facts and opinions....there's a difference.

[Big Supes]

My Focus can easily do internet sharing with a simple hack. I don't need the function, because I never plan to use my phone that way. Some people do. Live tiles are simply a fun option of the OS - the "experience" of WP7 is in no way degraded by not having them.

I wholehearted disagree. Live Tiles are a key component to the Metro UI. They're also unique and separate WP from all of it's competitors.

You think its fun and not distracting to have live tiles, I prefer them non-live. And the great thing would be, for MS to make simple options, not complicated with hacks etc, to turn off the live functionality.

I just don't see why the 95% of people off the street would want or need this option. Hackers and people who blindly order with zero research don't fulfil the demand criteria.

A perfect example - the Zune tile. For some reason, you can't get it to go back to a static "Zune" logo once its synced and you have your music in there. I don't need to see a picture of the Foo Fighters zooming in and out on my home screen. So now I have to unlock my phone, download Supreme Shortcuts or Themes, and get my Zune tile back. Or I can wipe my phone and on new install simply not connect with Zune. Or, I guess, I could unpin my music player from my home screen, and have to swipe then scroll down to launch the app.

Or... you could just leave it.

Why is all this necessary? Can't there just be ONE simple "off" toggle switch in "Zune" settings?

Forgive me for my lack of empathy, but I find it really quite odd that you would want to make such changes. Honestly.

But the core functionality of the home screen is the TILE, not the "live" nature of it.

The two go hand-in-hand. The tiles are live; "Live Tiles".

Does it separate WP7 from the other OS options? Sure. When you take the "live" aspect away from tiles does it just become an iOS like icon launch pad? Sure. But either way, that doesn't affect YOU and how you use the phone. It affects ME because I'm the one choosing to lose the functionality. You know what I mean?

I'm with you, but I don't think many others are (IMO). Live Tiles are the selling point of WP. Having an option to disable them is like asking for an option to incline a car seat. Sure, a minority of folk may like to "lose functionality", but that doesn't mean that anyone should or 'would' recognise them.

And, again, I'm not trying to be a *****, I just don't understand how having options to customize the phone in the way I want hurts YOUR experience. I'm really trying hard to see your point how more options are bad, but I can't. The option is there, its your choice to utilize it. If turning off live tiles is an option deep in the settings menu, how does that ruin your phone or suddenly make WP a "cleverly thought out OS" to a "minefield"?

Personally, at the moment, I like it when I go into the settings to change something and - wallah - I can instantly see the option I need. No messing around. No clutter with needless settings geared towards an extreme minority.

I'm all for more options, but I could pick a handful that would be more of a priority over disabling core Live Tiles.

This is all merely my opinion on how I see the demand from the target demographic.

[bigkevbosky]

I just don't see why the 95% of people off the street would want or need this option. Hackers and people who blindly order with zero research don't fulfil the demand criteria.

You're right on that, 95% of people don't want or need it. But then, 95% of people don't research which phone they're going to buy either. That's why WP7 has something like 6% of the market. Pretty much all of us are the people who researched. If you're just one of the "uneducated masses" you go with an Apple device, because everyone else has an iPhone, or you go with an Android device if you want to save some cash. Seems to me very few people walk in off the street with no research and pick up a Windows Phone.

The two go hand-in-hand. The tiles are live; "Live Tiles".

Again, you're right, and I get why MS is pushing it, as its unique to the OS, but my original point was you can lose the "live" part and still get mostly the same experience. If you lose the "tile" part, that's the core functionality. There's no real way to navigate the main screen without the tile.

I also think that live tiles are, at this point, used poorly. It seems only Microsoft themselves has really done a great job incorporating information you'd actually want to see into a live tile. Most 3rd party live tiles are pointless and flip just for the sake of flipping. I would argue that the people tile flips just for the sake of flipping, without adding any additional helpful information. You could convince me its useful to see upcoming calendar appointments and missed calls and texts and such, but I think the Zune tile and the People tile and the Xbox Live tile are animated pointlessly. But that's really me being picky, I understand that.

I'm all for more options, but I could pick a handful that would be more of a priority over disabling core Live Tiles.

This is all merely my opinion on how I see the demand from the target demographic.

I agree. For example, why can't I pin "podcasts" as a group instead of each individual podcast? Or, even better, pin "new" so I could just click it and see all my new content. Why is it when I make a new note with Office its friggin purple? I don't want a purple tile. But what I really like about the OS is that all my complaints are minor. I've used iOS and Android both for years and I had MAJOR problems with the core of those operating systems. I have no major problems with WP7. I just think this is an interesting and fun debate we're having.

[PG2G]

but I think the Zune tile and the People tile and the Xbox Live tile are animated pointlessly. But that's really me being picky, I understand that.

It's actually one of my favorite things about the OS. If you pick up a Windows Phone it just feels personal. You see me, my friends, the last artist I listened to, my calendar, pictures I took or saved, my avatar, and so on.

It gives it a personality where the most you can do in something like iOS is arrange icons (and add wallpaper, which i'm sure we'll get soon enough).

[skillit0]

I think it will be really interesting when people see live tiles everywhere, windows 8, Xbox 360, windows phone...., I'm pretty sure MS will keep pushing them. Personally I like them and they really do make everything feel more personal

Sent from my T7575 using Board Express

[jdd77]

I haven't really been involved in this argument, just wanted to put in my 2 cents.

I understand everyone's wants and needs are different and it'd be nice to meet everyone's. Unfortunately, software development is an act of balancing cost, schedule, and resources. Them spending time to implement and test options for the 1% that want that option takes away from the resources that could have been used to implement and test options that are desired by 90% of users.

Would you say that an option to turn off tile animation is as important as the ability to control volume separately for music and ringer? how about more important than integrating new services into the people hub?

On top of everything else, this is the most aggravating thing: its MICROSOFT. A software company that has developed many user interfaces, and has been around long before Google and the iPhone. The argument that "its only a year old, give it a chance" just doesn't cut it. Weather your part of the 1% or 99%, its most likely that 100% have used Windows at some point in their lives... so would be expecting much more.

How could a company that has created the Xbox, set the standard for writing documents, and developed Internet Explorer..release a device that lacks things like separate volume controls or more customization in its UI? Who was on the Microsoft developing team upon the release of Wp7...people that never used a cellphone before? And who are these people..8th grade school girls? What business man is gonna want to pull out this phone among his colleagues, with a magenta or baby-blue interface? What business man wants to look at their home screen full of applications that move up and down or flip and spin? Its like a playground.

So yes, it is more important to spend the time and energy to implement the option to turn off live tiles...to include 100% of the demographic. Unless of course you're ten years old.

[PG2G]

How could a company that has created the Xbox, set the standard for writing documents, and developed Internet Explorer..release a device that lacks things like separate volume controls or more customization in its UI? Who was on the Microsoft developing team upon the release of Wp7...people that never used a cellphone before? And who are these people..8th grade school girls? What business man is gonna want to pull out this phone among his colleagues, with a magenta or baby-blue interface? What business man wants to look at their home screen full of applications that move up and down or flip and spin? Its like a playground.

So yes, it is more important to spend the time and energy to implement the option to turn off live tiles...to include 100% of the demographic. Unless of course you're ten years old.

If you could release software that did everything the first go around there would be no need for updates, yet... most software gets updates. Look at the evolution of iOS and Android, equally obvious functionality has been left out of those operating systems but we expect Microsoft to be where they are with a fraction of the development time.

Regarding business, Windows Phone is a consumer product as it is. Apollo (per Microsoft's own leaked slides) is where it will become more business oriented. We'll have to wait and see what that means (though I doubt it means turning off live tiles).

You just need to understand that this option is something an overwhelming majority of people don't need and thus it won't be a high priority. You can say they should cater to everyone, but they need to catch up in core functionality first.

[Justin.TV312]

You're right on that, 95% of people don't want or need it. But then, 95% of people don't research which phone they're going to buy either. That's why WP7 has something like 6% of the market. Pretty much all of us are the people who researched. If you're just one of the "uneducated masses" you go with an Apple device, because everyone else has an iPhone, or you go with an Android device if you want to save some cash. Seems to me very few people walk in off the street with no research and pick up a Windows Phone.



Again, you're right, and I get why MS is pushing it, as its unique to the OS, but my original point was you can lose the "live" part and still get mostly the same experience. If you lose the "tile" part, that's the core functionality. There's no real way to navigate the main screen without the tile.

I also think that live tiles are, at this point, used poorly. It seems only Microsoft themselves has really done a great job incorporating information you'd actually want to see into a live tile. Most 3rd party live tiles are pointless and flip just for the sake of flipping. I would argue that the people tile flips just for the sake of flipping, without adding any additional helpful information. You could convince me its useful to see upcoming calendar appointments and missed calls and texts and such, but I think the Zune tile and the People tile and the Xbox Live tile are animated pointlessly. But that's really me being picky, I understand that.



I agree. For example, why can't I pin "podcasts" as a group instead of each individual podcast? Or, even better, pin "new" so I could just click it and see all my new content. Why is it when I make a new note with Office its friggin purple? I don't want a purple tile. But what I really like about the OS is that all my complaints are minor. I've used iOS and Android both for years and I had MAJOR problems with the core of those operating systems. I have no major problems with WP7. I just think this is an interesting and fun debate we're having.

jaja does having a purple tile make you feel less of a man?

On top of everything else, this is the most aggravating thing: its MICROSOFT. A software company that has developed many user interfaces, and has been around long before Google and the iPhone. The argument that "its only a year old, give it a chance" just doesn't cut it. Weather your part of the 1% or 99%, its most likely that 100% have used Windows at some point in their lives... so would be expecting much more.

How could a company that has created the Xbox, set the standard for writing documents, and developed Internet Explorer..release a device that lacks things like separate volume controls or more customization in its UI? Who was on the Microsoft developing team upon the release of Wp7...people that never used a cellphone before? And who are these people..8th grade school girls? What business man is gonna want to pull out this phone among his colleagues, with a magenta or baby-blue interface? What business man wants to look at their home screen full of applications that move up and down or flip and spin? Its like a playground.

So yes, it is more important to spend the time and energy to implement the option to turn off live tiles...to include 100% of the demographic. Unless of course you're ten years old.

once again look at the customer reviews. You don't see the things you're complaining about, WP7 has the highest satisfaction rate among it's customers and it made it here without separate volume controls and customization. You represent 0.000001% of the demographic that MS is targeting if that,the rest of us simply could careless and your complaining will do nothing about it so just stop.

[bigkevbosky]

jaja does having a purple tile make you feel less of a man?

jaja no I just don't really like the color jaja jaja

Seriously, after the decent discussion we have going on here, that's something you actually took the time to respond with?

[PG2G]

Absolutely. But at this point in the timeline of cell phones, core functionality should not need catching up. If I was a phone developer, I would have nailed all the major aspects that involve navigation, settings, and functions that involve usability as a cellphone..before I released it into the market. The software end of it of course, would be followed up with updates..

That would have been nice, but what would have happened if Microsoft had to wait for the equivalent of Apollo (2012) for that? They would have had even less of a chance to gain marketshare from iOS and Android than they do now. At some point you gotta put out a v1 product and get it out in the market, unfortunately.

[Justin.TV312]

Absolutely. But at this point in the timeline of cell phones, core functionality should not need catching up. If I was a phone developer, I would have nailed all the major aspects that involve navigation, settings, and functions that involve usability as a cellphone..before I released it into the market. The software end of it of course, would be followed up with updates..

Looks like you need to apply to Microsoft then since you think you know it all.

[jdd77]

Not complaining here, just a question if you could turn them off. I pinned Spotify to my home screen and to my dismay the thing started flipping.. Some people said you could turn it off in third party apps, but I can't find it in the settings.

[Big Supes]

Yep, it also appears that Spotify seem to think that having options to turn off the live tiles is retarded.

;)

[PG2G]

I think Microsoft requires that apps allow the user to turn off push (to save bandwidth). I don't think there is any such requirement for tiles, which can be updated locally as of Mango

[newiconuser]

The only way I have been able to turn off the active People tile on the Start screen is to re-size the tile to the smallest size. The tile is small but at least it is not cycling through all the pictures. If you size the tile to medium or large it becomes Live again.

The small tile is tiny but at least it stays on the Start screen.