Windows Phone 8.1 StartScreen Customization

[Boris Lozac]

Fcking love it..

 

[X0LARIUM]

You do realise there is "awesome" and "awe-inspiring" among those words?

And somebody shoot me for saying this but, looks like as cheap Android launcher.

Sent from iCeborg's iPad.

 

[osoalex]

I think the parallax scrolling makes the name "Windows" have more sense. It should've been named Tiles instead.

 

[Twitter@Firas_MD]

Well, I think this is stupid idea to make the tiles transparent with the parallax effect image, its so disturbing. One thing that can be good about this, is when I use a solid color background.. So I can use any color I want, maybe with some texture on it... Would be great to have the color I want for the live tiles.

What I really had in mind is something similar to window 8.1 where the background is behind the tiles and a little bit blurred. Maybe MS will pay some attention to that after some user reviews.

 

[Zulfigar]

Well, I think this is stupid idea to make the tiles transparent with the parallax effect image, its so disturbing. One thing that can be good about this, is when I use a solid color background.. So I can use any color I want, maybe with some texture on it... Would be great to have the color I want for the live tiles.

What I really had in mind is something similar to window 8.1 where the background is behind the tiles and a little bit blurred. Maybe MS will pay some attention to that after some user reviews.

With Windows Phone though, you wouldn't have much of the background to be seen. I think maybe have the background change solid colors and keep the titles hoe they are, that way you can mix it up a bit (like how in Windows 7/8, the taskbar changes color with the background).

Either way, I'm going with the way Microsoft is doing this over the true background due to lack of see able space on the main page.

To each their own.

 

[smoledman]

I think adding transparency to the tiles are brilliant. People can put a beautiful image, enable tile transparency and presto you have the most beautiful smartphone UI out of the 3.

 

[JimWPan]

Not sure about the background thing. Never needed, live tile is more important than cosmetic thing like - background. I have company email, two email clients and it covers half of my screen. I can careless about the background.

 

[alex_froilan]

With transparent tiles, wouldn't that also allow you to have custom theme colors? Just with the tiles, but not accent color. So like for example you can have maroon tiles by applying a plain maroon background, but your accent colors would still be limited to 20.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Personally, I don't mind the transparent look, as long as it applies to all live tiles when you use it. Maybe I like the ideal of uniformity, but having that mixed crap look as seen in some of the pictures is a bit bothersome.

If they give us the option and devs add the parallax to their apps, that'd be nice. I'd also love a truly minimalist look where you could have all lives tiles pinned to the start screen be colorless, but that's just me.

Still, I'm happy with more options. If they could give us 3-4 shades from dark to light per accent color, that would be awesome too, as that would mean 80 colors.

 

[X0LARIUM]

All they had to do was bring the Desktop themes and customisation to WP..that's it..


Sent from iCeborg's iPad.

 

[jojoe42]

For those who are all in believing that Start screen actual backgrounds work, here are some (poorly photoshopped) renditions that I made quickly to show you wrong:




3rd column of tiles:

I mean some generic backgrounds work (like the lumia coloured tiles, for example) but if you want actual backgrounds it would block up 80% of the picture; and with the so-called 3rd column of tiles you get even less of the background. So personally good call Microsoft for making the 'tilegrounds'. I would agree with others and say that perhaps a few more solid colours instead of just black and white for backgrounds couldn't hurt, but then I can see why they wouldn't (imagine if you had a bunch of blue tiles with a similiarily blue background with a blue 'tileground'. Not realistic but you get the point - it would be hard to distinguish anything).

 

[anon(7900571)]

Thanks jojoe42 , images you posted are great but in reality they look horrible. Good move by Microsoft.desktops , surface have large canvas and so they don't have such problems but woth mobiles I can clearly see the results

 

[cbreze]

If we had a transparent tile option more of the background could be seen. It would require one to be creative with placing certain transparent tiles in specific positions when used in conjunction with certain backgrounds. Of course not any background pic would necessarily work well. I'd just prefer the option of having options. A solid background would work for most people probably.
I ran a wp user interface on a former android phone and had a nice black cube background with certain tiles transparent with only the icons visible. It was quite unique and looked very nice. This sort of option is what I would like to see. It would only be an option, the original set up could still be utilized by those who prefer status quo.

 

[Zulfigar]

Yeah, I can barely tell what the backgrounds are suppose to be, so if happily take Microsoft's path over this one. Sorry jojoe42, and anybody else who is up for customs backgrounds; they just don't work on this OS.

 

[jojoe42]

Yeah, I can barely tell what the backgrounds are suppose to be, so if happily take Microsoft's path over this one. Sorry jojoe42, and anybody else who is up for customs backgrounds; they just don't work on this OS.

I never really agreed that they did in the first place

 

[Zulfigar]

Then sorry to everybody else that thought so xD

 

[MSFTisMIA]

For those who are all in believing that Start screen actual backgrounds work, here are some (poorly photoshopped) renditions that I made quickly to show you wrong:
View attachment 60869
View attachment 60870
View attachment 60871
View attachment 60868
3rd column of tiles:
View attachment 60872
I mean some generic backgrounds work (like the lumia coloured tiles, for example) but if you want actual backgrounds it would block up 80% of the picture; and with the so-called 3rd column of tiles you get even less of the background. So personally good call Microsoft for making the 'tilegrounds'. I would agree with others and say that perhaps a few more solid colours instead of just black and white for backgrounds couldn't hurt, but then I can see why they wouldn't (imagine if you had a bunch of blue tiles with a similiarily blue background with a blue 'tileground'. Not realistic but you get the point - it would be hard to distinguish anything).

Great examples as to why it would make the start screen so busy. For sample, the people hub would only be parallax or transparent as a small icon, as making the medium and wise tiles that way would have it be visually a jumbled soup.

 

[Ankit Nawlakha]

For those who are all in believing that Start screen actual backgrounds work, here are some (poorly photoshopped) renditions that I made quickly to show you wrong:
View attachment 60869
View attachment 60870
View attachment 60871
View attachment 60868
3rd column of tiles:
View attachment 60872
I mean some generic backgrounds work (like the lumia coloured tiles, for example) but if you want actual backgrounds it would block up 80% of the picture; and with the so-called 3rd column of tiles you get even less of the background. So personally good call Microsoft for making the 'tilegrounds'. I would agree with others and say that perhaps a few more solid colours instead of just black and white for backgrounds couldn't hurt, but then I can see why they wouldn't (imagine if you had a bunch of blue tiles with a similiarily blue background with a blue 'tileground'. Not realistic but you get the point - it would be hard to distinguish anything).

Exactly my point..!! It will look terrible..!!

 

[GoodThings2Life]

All I'm going to say is... Thank goodness it's just an option, right? I mean, nobody is making you use it, so why outrage over it?

I think the tile approach is freaking awesome, and I can't wait. I'm already thinking about how I want my new tile layout to be! I think having actual backgrounds would be hideous, since I'd never be able to see them anyway. Then again, I also like the option that I can just leave it alone and stick with what I have today too.

And really, that's what's important to me... options and flexibility.

 

[Ma Rio]

I just realised how much will skinned tiles make WP better. Can. Not. Wait.