I didn't see a major thread dedicated to you know...arguing. When you get down to it, that's what this thread is about. I honestly really feel like having a good, friendly argument about Microsoft's upcoming mobile OS.
Here's what I think:
Design-wise, I think Windows 10 Mobile is set up to be a hit. I'm really digging the new Start Screen, and all the new customization options--no two Start Screens can ever be the same again, haha. I like that. I think the Settings page is a huge leap forward in design and intuitiveness. And the Universal Applications by Microsoft? The new Hamburger Menus are hotly debated, but I honestly like them, and understand why they're there. They look clean, and they do work. Maybe they're not the best solution for Mobile, but it's the best solution overall. The circles popping up everywhere are the only thing I'm truly torn on, as I'm not sure I like them. They disrupt the angular, stark OS that I've fallen in love with. However, I understand they're existence and if Microsoft works a bit harder to implement them in the correct place they could look really nice. I would appreciate sped up animations, however, and a more dynamic OS overall (sort of like Android L...but not really. It won't look like Android, but it'll implement some of the same concepts, like dynamic shadows and such).
How about features? Honestly I think it's heading in a fantastic direction. Lots has been added already, and although it'll never please everyone's wish lists (let's face it...some people have the most unrealistic wish lists), it's a good step up from Windows Phone 8.1...or at least it looks like it will be. I look forward to using it, as I think it'll be just that much more intuitive and quicker. Windows Phone 8.1--as great as it is--has a few...holes. Places where you have to take a few more steps than seems logical or quick. It can be frustrating and I really think Microsoft is working and is going to work on patching some of those holes. There are a FEW features that I want to see. There's quite a few that I'd like, and maybe I'll go add them in the dedicated wish list thread or maybe even add them here to see if you guys think it's a good idea or if you want to yell at me instead and not give me any reasons just hate...whatever I feel like at the time, haha.
These are a few features that I've not really seen from anyone else and I think would be great:
Glance screen improvements. More precisely...music controls. Instead of double tapping, then hurrying to get to the controls before the slide up, you can do it all from the Glance screen. Now, traditional taps wouldn't really work, especially since double tapping wakes up the phone, and because to have the phone constantly monitoring for taps would drain your battery. Instead, minimalist icons activated by swipes. Up above the time (near the top of the screen), you have icons arrayed as such: In the center is a dot, I'll explain it's purpose in a second. To the right of this dot is the two arrows to skip to the next track. To the left is the two arrows to skip back. Up above is the two lines/hollow triangle to pause/play. To activate these buttons, you press down on the center dot and slide your finger to the corresponding button. I don't like this song, skip! Hold down on the center dot, and slide to the right to skip the song. I think this would be quick, easy, look rather nice, and wouldn't be such a drain on the battery (no more than double tap to wake, in fact probably a bit less since it's only activated by holding down the center dot), and because you have to press down on the center first, you couldn't accidentally skip songs or whatnot by double tapping (as if to wake the phone).
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I'm really interested to see what people think, as I've not had any feedback about this (I believe I placed this idea in a wish list somewhere but never got any replies and whatnot). My second idea is 'Smart Settings.' Yes, this is LG-esque, but I think it's a fantastic idea, and could be implemented absolutely fantastically by Microsoft. It's a whole separate section in Settings, which is devoted to special options that are devoted to certain circumstances. A great example: plugging in a pair of headphones. 99% of the time, when I'm plugging headphones into my phone, I'm listening to music. So you'd have a Smart Setting with three options; automatically open up the Music app, regardless of what apps are open; open up the Music app as long as no other video or music apps are open (for those who watch a lot of YouTube); and to not do anything (default). Another example would be the lock screen/Glance screen/double-tap-to-wake. You'd have two options here; if you don't have a PIN or password, skip the lock screen and go straight to the Start Screen; go to lock screen (default). These are two things I'd love to see (or at least know why it doesn't work), and I haven't really seen requested from anyone else. A couple other features I've seen and like include:
Lock screen music controls (music controls, artist info, progress bar, etc.).
Interactive Live Tiles (like what we saw a few weeks/months ago...the Live Tiles explode into other tiles at a tap to display extra information; and controls for certain apps like music (the larger the Tile the more controls there is)
Multitasking ability (like Snap, accessible by either a swipe from the left (Samsung-esque), or from the multi-tasking menu, or both (this could possibly be customizable as well, and could hopefully work with a large amount of apps))
Quick start apps (long press of the home button which brings up a little menu of apps that you frequently use or that you set there to quickly start up from anywhere in the OS)
A more organized Action Center (all apps that have notifications are arrayed under the title of the app, and you can either swipe away individual notifications or swipe away the title to get rid of all of the notifications)
Transparent/aero/more customizable Action Center (I like the Action Center but feel like it has a lot of room for improvement...such as being able to have the same Aero affect as in Windows 10, and such stuff as that)
Interactive notifications/more informative notifications (again...lots about the Action Center...this means you can type replies from the notification. I actually quite like the idea of this and it means I don't have to open the app and wait for it to do it's thing then tap the bar. Basically it's saving me like two taps but still. Also, if you get a picture you should be able to preview it. Maybe you could tap a "Preview" button or turn it on or off in Settings or something)
Okay that's just a little bit that I have. Most of my wish list is just tiny tweaks and such but this isn't a wish list it's a discussion. Or it's supposed to be.
Now I want to talk about Continuum. I think this is GREAT. I hope that there's still a lot of Continuum for the lower powered phones like my wonderful Lumia 830, because I want seamless syncing between my devices. I would love to be typing on my laptop and get notifications on my laptop and my phone instantaneously. That would be marvelous. And possibly even being able to answer calls and texts from my laptop. I really hope this turns out to be supported by all Windows Phones, and only the awesome "turning your phone into a PC" is locked to the flagship devices (which are as of now nonexistent). Great feature by Microsoft, I'm really psyched about it.
Now I'm pretty sure this is the last segment...performance and optimization. Oh no I'm going to talk about the Universal Applications a bit after this. Oh well I'm just going to ramble for a bit longer. For those of you who have read this far (if anyone even bothers with this at all), you're great. This is something I REALLY hope Microsoft fixes. Just tighten your code. Oh I know that's SO much work, I understand that. It's such a difficult thing to do, and it's so tedious, but those frustrating "Resuming..." screens have angered all of us at one point or another. It's understandable on budget devices (which have fantastic performance for their hardware) but it shouldn't happen on any flagships (1520's and 930's) or really even devices running Snapdragon 400's such as my own Lumia 830. ESPECIALLY when just running OS apps like Messaging. For goodness sake I've had a "Resuming..." screen when returning to the Start Screen! Now THAT sucks. And some battery improvements would be nice (I haven't had battery issues ever but it's always helpful to have longer battery life...just in case. Or to play another hour of that awesome video game). Oh and two stages of Battery Saver! The basic one that you can run all the time without any major detrimental effects on usage (kind of like we have now) and a major one to be used when you seriously just need your phone to last a bit longer.
Okay...Universal Apps. A great idea...to an extent. Oh I think it's wonderful to have similar experiences on all devices, and to be able to do something here and continue it there...but I hope very much that developers realize you can't have the same UI on all devices. Desktops and smartphones, no matter what...is hugely different, haha. Microsoft is going to have to regulate this, as there's a fine line between beautiful and practical...and just bad. One thing I am enjoying is the universal Microsoft apps. I think those are great, and will continue to improve. I would like to see default Microsoft apps to be baked a little more into the OS. And total Cortana integration with all Microsoft apps.
Alright I think that's everything. That I can think of right now. Honestly it's late and I'm tired but I'm really feeling the need for arguments so feel free to disagree with me. I'd appreciate some honest feedback and I'd love to hear your ideas and opinions. Like it? Please tell me, and tell me what you'd improve, or if you agree, etc. Hate it? Well go ahead and yell at me, and hate me, and all that jazz. And to those of you who don't like it and provide a logical, reasonable argument against whatever it is, I love ya.
Here's what I think:
Design-wise, I think Windows 10 Mobile is set up to be a hit. I'm really digging the new Start Screen, and all the new customization options--no two Start Screens can ever be the same again, haha. I like that. I think the Settings page is a huge leap forward in design and intuitiveness. And the Universal Applications by Microsoft? The new Hamburger Menus are hotly debated, but I honestly like them, and understand why they're there. They look clean, and they do work. Maybe they're not the best solution for Mobile, but it's the best solution overall. The circles popping up everywhere are the only thing I'm truly torn on, as I'm not sure I like them. They disrupt the angular, stark OS that I've fallen in love with. However, I understand they're existence and if Microsoft works a bit harder to implement them in the correct place they could look really nice. I would appreciate sped up animations, however, and a more dynamic OS overall (sort of like Android L...but not really. It won't look like Android, but it'll implement some of the same concepts, like dynamic shadows and such).
How about features? Honestly I think it's heading in a fantastic direction. Lots has been added already, and although it'll never please everyone's wish lists (let's face it...some people have the most unrealistic wish lists), it's a good step up from Windows Phone 8.1...or at least it looks like it will be. I look forward to using it, as I think it'll be just that much more intuitive and quicker. Windows Phone 8.1--as great as it is--has a few...holes. Places where you have to take a few more steps than seems logical or quick. It can be frustrating and I really think Microsoft is working and is going to work on patching some of those holes. There are a FEW features that I want to see. There's quite a few that I'd like, and maybe I'll go add them in the dedicated wish list thread or maybe even add them here to see if you guys think it's a good idea or if you want to yell at me instead and not give me any reasons just hate...whatever I feel like at the time, haha.
These are a few features that I've not really seen from anyone else and I think would be great:
Glance screen improvements. More precisely...music controls. Instead of double tapping, then hurrying to get to the controls before the slide up, you can do it all from the Glance screen. Now, traditional taps wouldn't really work, especially since double tapping wakes up the phone, and because to have the phone constantly monitoring for taps would drain your battery. Instead, minimalist icons activated by swipes. Up above the time (near the top of the screen), you have icons arrayed as such: In the center is a dot, I'll explain it's purpose in a second. To the right of this dot is the two arrows to skip to the next track. To the left is the two arrows to skip back. Up above is the two lines/hollow triangle to pause/play. To activate these buttons, you press down on the center dot and slide your finger to the corresponding button. I don't like this song, skip! Hold down on the center dot, and slide to the right to skip the song. I think this would be quick, easy, look rather nice, and wouldn't be such a drain on the battery (no more than double tap to wake, in fact probably a bit less since it's only activated by holding down the center dot), and because you have to press down on the center first, you couldn't accidentally skip songs or whatnot by double tapping (as if to wake the phone).
II/>
<< . >>
I'm really interested to see what people think, as I've not had any feedback about this (I believe I placed this idea in a wish list somewhere but never got any replies and whatnot). My second idea is 'Smart Settings.' Yes, this is LG-esque, but I think it's a fantastic idea, and could be implemented absolutely fantastically by Microsoft. It's a whole separate section in Settings, which is devoted to special options that are devoted to certain circumstances. A great example: plugging in a pair of headphones. 99% of the time, when I'm plugging headphones into my phone, I'm listening to music. So you'd have a Smart Setting with three options; automatically open up the Music app, regardless of what apps are open; open up the Music app as long as no other video or music apps are open (for those who watch a lot of YouTube); and to not do anything (default). Another example would be the lock screen/Glance screen/double-tap-to-wake. You'd have two options here; if you don't have a PIN or password, skip the lock screen and go straight to the Start Screen; go to lock screen (default). These are two things I'd love to see (or at least know why it doesn't work), and I haven't really seen requested from anyone else. A couple other features I've seen and like include:
Lock screen music controls (music controls, artist info, progress bar, etc.).
Interactive Live Tiles (like what we saw a few weeks/months ago...the Live Tiles explode into other tiles at a tap to display extra information; and controls for certain apps like music (the larger the Tile the more controls there is)
Multitasking ability (like Snap, accessible by either a swipe from the left (Samsung-esque), or from the multi-tasking menu, or both (this could possibly be customizable as well, and could hopefully work with a large amount of apps))
Quick start apps (long press of the home button which brings up a little menu of apps that you frequently use or that you set there to quickly start up from anywhere in the OS)
A more organized Action Center (all apps that have notifications are arrayed under the title of the app, and you can either swipe away individual notifications or swipe away the title to get rid of all of the notifications)
Transparent/aero/more customizable Action Center (I like the Action Center but feel like it has a lot of room for improvement...such as being able to have the same Aero affect as in Windows 10, and such stuff as that)
Interactive notifications/more informative notifications (again...lots about the Action Center...this means you can type replies from the notification. I actually quite like the idea of this and it means I don't have to open the app and wait for it to do it's thing then tap the bar. Basically it's saving me like two taps but still. Also, if you get a picture you should be able to preview it. Maybe you could tap a "Preview" button or turn it on or off in Settings or something)
Okay that's just a little bit that I have. Most of my wish list is just tiny tweaks and such but this isn't a wish list it's a discussion. Or it's supposed to be.
Now I want to talk about Continuum. I think this is GREAT. I hope that there's still a lot of Continuum for the lower powered phones like my wonderful Lumia 830, because I want seamless syncing between my devices. I would love to be typing on my laptop and get notifications on my laptop and my phone instantaneously. That would be marvelous. And possibly even being able to answer calls and texts from my laptop. I really hope this turns out to be supported by all Windows Phones, and only the awesome "turning your phone into a PC" is locked to the flagship devices (which are as of now nonexistent). Great feature by Microsoft, I'm really psyched about it.
Now I'm pretty sure this is the last segment...performance and optimization. Oh no I'm going to talk about the Universal Applications a bit after this. Oh well I'm just going to ramble for a bit longer. For those of you who have read this far (if anyone even bothers with this at all), you're great. This is something I REALLY hope Microsoft fixes. Just tighten your code. Oh I know that's SO much work, I understand that. It's such a difficult thing to do, and it's so tedious, but those frustrating "Resuming..." screens have angered all of us at one point or another. It's understandable on budget devices (which have fantastic performance for their hardware) but it shouldn't happen on any flagships (1520's and 930's) or really even devices running Snapdragon 400's such as my own Lumia 830. ESPECIALLY when just running OS apps like Messaging. For goodness sake I've had a "Resuming..." screen when returning to the Start Screen! Now THAT sucks. And some battery improvements would be nice (I haven't had battery issues ever but it's always helpful to have longer battery life...just in case. Or to play another hour of that awesome video game). Oh and two stages of Battery Saver! The basic one that you can run all the time without any major detrimental effects on usage (kind of like we have now) and a major one to be used when you seriously just need your phone to last a bit longer.
Okay...Universal Apps. A great idea...to an extent. Oh I think it's wonderful to have similar experiences on all devices, and to be able to do something here and continue it there...but I hope very much that developers realize you can't have the same UI on all devices. Desktops and smartphones, no matter what...is hugely different, haha. Microsoft is going to have to regulate this, as there's a fine line between beautiful and practical...and just bad. One thing I am enjoying is the universal Microsoft apps. I think those are great, and will continue to improve. I would like to see default Microsoft apps to be baked a little more into the OS. And total Cortana integration with all Microsoft apps.
Alright I think that's everything. That I can think of right now. Honestly it's late and I'm tired but I'm really feeling the need for arguments so feel free to disagree with me. I'd appreciate some honest feedback and I'd love to hear your ideas and opinions. Like it? Please tell me, and tell me what you'd improve, or if you agree, etc. Hate it? Well go ahead and yell at me, and hate me, and all that jazz. And to those of you who don't like it and provide a logical, reasonable argument against whatever it is, I love ya.
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