Is the people hub still pertinent?

[dlalonde]

Now don't take this as a sarcasm or a troll. It's an actual question in case I'm missing something.

With the release of quite effective and interesting apps for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, what is the point of the People Hub now? It lacks several functionnalities and hasn't been updated in a long time, is a little messy and confusing when looking at both Twitter and Facebook at the same time in the "What's New" section, etc.

I'm the kind of user that will try to make the most out of built-in apps or software before going for a third-party. I've been using the People Hub for 2 months now and, although I like the fact that I can easily share on both Facebook and Twitter at the same time, I see myself logging into the mobile websites a lot to get some functionnalities that I think should already be in there. Delete or like a comment for instance.

So now that we have those official apps, is the People Hub still pertinent?

 

[windev]

First question, do you know what the people hub is for?

 

[ohgood]

First question, do you know what the people hub is for?

well, if users prefer stand alone apps to a hub, it doesn't matter what the peoplehub is for.

that point is being made by thread after thread asking for better facebook and similar official apps, instead of asking for features in the hub.

to answer the op's question, no, in app centric smartphone worlds, its not

 

[N_LaRUE]

I think it just comes down to how you use it.

I only have Facebook on my feed so it's simple. The idea behind People is to be able to look at recent news and particular contacts. It sort of acts like a notification centre more than anything else and I guess if you have lots of feeds going in it can get messy. I would recommend filtering so that you get only the information you want. But I agree wholly with you that it needs a serious update to add the functionality otherwise it is sort of pointless.

 

[dlalonde]

windev: Well other than being a contact list it's supposed to show you all in one place all your contacts info and updates and allow you to update your own. But if there is another functionality then no I am not aware of it and this is sort of why I'm asking. I fail to see how having everything in one place with limited functionalities is a plus.

ohgood: I got the impression that people preferred the People Hub. But I understand from your reply that this is not the case?

N_LaRue: Exactly. I see a lot of people using both the People Hub and an official app for Twitter of Facebook and I don't understand why. Reading everything in only one app but having to switch to different other to get some functionalities doesn't really seem logical to me. I'd much rather open up 2-3 apps to get through all my social feeds but get all the functionalities the service offers.

But like I said this isn't a thread for bashing or anything. I'd like to use the People Hub but I don't like having multiple apps for things you're supposed to be able to do all from one place.

 

[Justin429]

In addition to being the place where you create contacts, groups, etc, the people hub is an aggregator for all of the social networks that the phone natively supports. Yes, there may be a nice twitter app, facebook app, but within the people hub, you see all of the recent updates from all of these rather that going into an app to see the updates from just one network. Some people don't want to open a data hog (app) to see these updates, so the people hub is a quick/easy way to do this. To answer your question, yes the people hub is still pertinent.

 

[jfa1]

which is one of the things I like over iphone. If I wanted to just look at twitter or facebook or linkedin alone any phone os would do. I like the aggregation in the people hub.

 

[dlalonde]

The aggregation is great, don't get me wrong. But it would still be nice to add the same functionalities as the native apps so we can have it all in one place, which is the point of the Hub itself.

 

[Huime]

The aggregation is great, don't get me wrong. But it would still be nice to add the same functionalities as the native apps so we can have it all in one place, which is the point of the Hub itself.

You know, MS still pretty much the old MS we know so well in the old PC days. Updates for them are like security patches, not functionality.

 

[spaulagain]

You know, MS still pretty much the old MS we know so well in the old PC days. Updates for them are like security patches, not functionality.

Really? Have you seen what Windows Blue (8.1) has packed in its upgrade?
Most of the updates for WP have added functionality: 7.5, 7.8, 8.0, 8.1, etc.

 

[fc000]

I only open the People Hub when looking for a contact, other than that, other apps fill the role much better (twitter has inline images and vines now, and facebook displays comment likes).

More than anything, like apps on other platforms, I feel the third party devs are starting to take "metro" and evolve it. The people hub feels dated compared to apps like the new Foursquare. The big titles at the top of fist party apps, and the large sub-section titles waste a third of the screen real-estate. I'm hoping Microsoft gives these UIs a refresh in their next update.

 

[PhilR8]

I still use the people hub on a regular basis because it loads much quicker than the facebook and twitter apps. It has a fraction of the capabilities but speed is my primary concern when I just want to quickly scroll through and see what's going on. I also like that everything is aggregated into a single stream.

Still, it's annoying not to be able to view twitter conversations or like facebook comments via the people hub.

 

[dlalonde]

fc000: That's what I think too. I'll be the first to get rid of the official apps if the People Hub is updated because in itself it is great.

PhilR8: I completely agree also.

 

[neo158]

The people hub lacks functionality, I agree on that, but you have to remember that it also acts as the phone book as well.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

It's a phonebook and aggregated feed. For example my friend on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I can go to their profile, swipe to "What's new" and I get all their Facebook statuses, tweets, and LinkedIn updates, all in one feed. It allows for you to focus on what a particular person is doing (for example if you want to see what a dodgy ex-partner is doing)

 

[jleebiker]

I like the Hub since it is SO much faster. The thing I don't like is I can't do things like tag people when I do things like checkins. If they could get that working, it would be een more useful.

 

[metalchick719]

Well, I personally LOVE the People Hub. It's absolutely one of my favorite features in WP. I love the convenience of having all of my contacts in one spot and having all of the various ways to contact them there as well.

 

[dlalonde]

Oh I love it too! It's really awesome. I also removed the official apps because after installing them my battery started running out quickly. The People Hub is great. I just wished it had more functionnalities!

 

[Internaut]

The People Hub is a bit like HTC's Friend Stream, except far nicer and more functional. I find my self using it regularly, even though I have Facebook and Twitter for WP.