Microsoft attempts to improve Android?

[Dusan Randj]

Please read:

Microsoft attempts to improve Android with new 'Garage' apps | The Verge

I thought title of article is funny, but then I do realize it is kinda sad. Maybe lots of you had read this article, but this makes me feel betrayed, looking no further than first app: Next Lock Screen.
Microsoft made fantastic Lock Screen for Android, which clearly needs a lot of work, but for Windows Phone it can't make simple Live Lockscreen! It haven't been updated for months but on other side MS makes good free apps for competition. It's not like Office, where you have few features more on iOS and Android, this is like real punch for themselves. And slap in our faces. If something doesn't change soon I think Microsoft will lose customers. And me. And new stats already shows declining of purchases...

 

[SoapBox3000]

try tetra lockscreen for windows phone its better then MS's first attempt

 

[plot_almighty]

You do realize its far easier to make a great customization app for android, known for near infinite customization options, than for a halfway locked down OS like Windows Phone right? I can't dispute the updating thing, but I feel most of us here already know and accept that MS is primarily services, cloud, and business.

If nothing else I find it personally amusing that legions of die hard Googlers are using a MS app to customize their lockscreen. Nicely breaks some of the negativity MS has going on. Might make some of them wonder what the experience on a WP is like.

 

[Donny James]

Vote:

https://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions/suggestions/6596994-next-lock-screen-app-for-android-functionality-fo

 

[Dusan Randj]

You do realize its far easier to make a great customization app for android, known for near infinite customization options, than for a halfway locked down OS like Windows Phone right? I can't dispute the updating thing, but I feel most of us here already know and accept that MS is primarily services, cloud, and business.

If nothing else I find it personally amusing that legions of die hard Googlers are using a MS app to customize their lockscreen. Nicely breaks some of the negativity MS has going on. Might make some of them wonder what the experience on a WP is like.

Yes, as former Android user I know and realise that. But, is it good excuse to not make a good product for your customers? Since there is Live lockscreen we know it is possible, but we also can see that they aren't putting effort in it. If they are, it doesn't look like it is enough.

try tetra lockscreen for windows phone its better then MS's first attempt

I have it, and while it is better, it still isn't good.

 

[Nicholas Maguire]

As said, it's easier to do on Android, in fact, it's possible that Next Lockscreen is currently impossible to do on Windows Phone. Microsoft is trying to get rid of their reputation of being a boring corporation, that way more people will start seeing them as cool, and possibly be okay with buying Windows Phones.

 

[plot_almighty]

I find the Live Lockscreen and Tetra apps to be plenty. My only beef is optimizing them to drain less battery (Live Lockscreen), add functional variety (Tetra), and to reduce the resuming (both). Tetra does a better job with the resuming by far though.

To use your words, these apps are "good" services and add customization without breaking from the design philosophy WP has too much. Are they great? No, but android has the customization area dominated in spades. I don't want android like customization if it means sacrificing the core OS design that drew me in and captured my heart.

In my eyes MS is differentiating. Truly. They're not playing selfish with their services nor are they buckling under the doom and gloom tech press releases that call WPs premature demise. It's still going right on with establishing it's platforms.

So no its not good in the short run for MS to satisfy the gratification monsters Android and iOS grew in most of us. In the long run though? MS will solidify and have a stable user base regardless of the numbers.

All I see articles like this do is cater to the impatient child mentality in people who want it now or never.

 

[Dusan Randj]

Yes, you are right about customization. But customization isn't only thing. These apps are barely usable if any, lag, battery drain, slow, often unresponsive, crashing and there were users which had to reset their phones to bring them back to life (last report I did read for tetra, I think guy wrote he had to do hard reset.) These are just a signs of half-finished and silly work. If buy a car and it is provided with air conditioner which sometimes work, sometimes heats instead of cooling, once in a while makes your car stop, will you buy from same manufacturer? Will any? And that's why sales are declining..
And it isn't just lockscreen. Office is also subpar. And those aren't only things, sadly.

 

[Karthik Naik]

i wouldnt give up all hope yet
Microsoft unveils Skype for Web but still has no love for Chromebook users- The Inquirer
maybe its preparing for windows 10 in full speed