Custom Hubs. The solution.

[Ebuka Allison]

So I had this idea before and I'm going to say it again. Custom hubs. What if Microsoft allows the user to create custom hubs and groups apps together. That way the apps can still be updated, we get a native hubs feature and everyone's happy. I think. What do you guys think?
Edit: Added uservoice link to vote
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/f...m-hubs-option-to-replace-the-removed-native-o

 

[rockstarzzz]

Microsoft is onto something even better - their games, music, messaging, photo hubs will let third party hook into these.

 

[Ebuka Allison]

Microsoft is onto something even better - their games, music, messaging, photo hubs will let third party hook into these.

Read the idea on the link I posted on User Voice. Yeah Microsoft's on to a good thing. But added user control is not a bad thing, it'll also add a USP

 

[Saksham Sharma]

Wish that devs can take advantage of the hook-ointo permissions now, it'll be a part-relief from the current mess.

I like it that music and gamed hub can now be updated, but what's bad it that they made them simple non-uninstallable apps.. They dont have the special permissions they had to ensure fluidity.. Like the old music hub was a native thing so it could resume without resuming screens, didn't need any splash screen, and had separate memory allocated to it. The new hubs are simple apps. MS controls the OS, the should've made it such that these apps, despite being store apps, should've been granted the old permissions only.
I'm talking about things like:
1) updating live tile artist image without opening the app on song change (i know this might be hard to achieve now that music is not a native app)
2) greater memory allocation
3) better caching of song lists so that the 'loading' in song lists is avoided.
4) faster resuming
5) uninstalling games from games hub (you cant expect an app to be able to uninstall other apps)
6) accessing recent music/games (how does an app know which games you played last ? Its now an app so if you open some music from some other app, or the internet, it wont know that you played it unless you open the xbox music app).
7) non-standard type of live tiles (like the old music and games tiles, i suppose third party devs cant do such things, that's why they're having trouble making them. Probably hard to get system permissions)

The intentions were good (yes, this also allowed third party apps to hook into them), but sadly they shouldn't have made the music and games hub separate from the OS, that was a blunder ! They could've found a way to update them via store without delinking them hubs and the OS

 

[Ebuka Allison]

Strange thing is,doesn't Nokia update its system apps via store?

 

[Saksham Sharma]

Strange thing is,doesn't Nokia update its system apps via store?

they are system apps, not native apps. Native apps have much better memory access. I wish MS had made music a store app but had somehow kept it a native app

 

[Ebuka Allison]

Yes but think about it this way. Imagine Microsoft provided a frame,work where you could go into settings and create a hub. For example, Music. It suggests apps which could go into that category on your phone and then creates the hub. You now get all updates in that hub in the traditional panorama form,with Spotify feeding band suggestions into the hub and Xbox Music notifying you of new album releases by bands you follow.
Or another example, I create a Media hub and link both Music and Video apps together.
The choice is in the hands,of the consumer.

 

[Ebuka Allison]

Here's how I pitched it in Uservoice "Windows phone 8.1 provided is with many new features but took one much loved one away. The hubs. Now many people are complaining about the degraded Music+Videos and photos hub. The reasoning behind this was soundish, needing to update system apps from the store.However, the hubs design was a pretty good feature to show off to many people. Especially the photos hub.
Many people would love the hubs to return, perhaps they can in the form,of,custom hubs. Creating an option in settings (Hubs+Groups) or something. Apps in Windows Phone which perform a certain task,identify themselves as for example; photo editing apps, media apps or business apps. You could have this feature break down all the app categories on the phone and generate a panoramic hub for the user. Allowing them to choose the overall design and apps which can feed into or connect into that hub.
For example, I create a custom hub called Work. I add Adobe Reader, Pdf reader and pocket file manager. The hub surfaces app content and displays it in a section. The possibilities are endless.
As a bonus, the individual can create their own Media hubs and leave you guys to get on with your app development."

 

[Saksham Sharma]

Yes but think about it this way. Imagine Microsoft provided a frame,work where you could go into settings and create a hub. For example, Music. It suggests apps which could go into that category on your phone and then creates the hub. You now get all updates in that hub in the traditional panorama form,with Spotify feeding band suggestions into the hub and Xbox Music notifying you of new album releases by bands you follow.
Or another example, I create a Media hub and link both Music and Video apps together.
The choice is in the hands,of the consumer.

nice idea ! If only MS could think of something like that (and implement it too).
I just wish they hadn't kept music as non-native, its too bad !
P.s. Nokia is going to correct the photos hub mess with their Lumia cyan update, fingers crossed.

 

[Ebuka Allison]

Really? I've been hearing about that but I haven't seen it anywhere(the photos hub thing)

 

[Saksham Sharma]

Really? I've been hearing about that but I haven't seen it anywhere(the photos hub thing)

i think there were some screenshots at the BUILD but no leaks etc which I've seen. I wasn't that excited about it at that time because i didn't know the stock hub was going to be a disaster.