Too much empty space at the top

[untitled007]

Anyone here annoyed by the free space at the top of the screen when pressing the windows button? i think ms should adjust it, it just it almost available for 1 tile , its too low, thwy should move it a bit higher, and its kinda annoying looking at a big white space at the top after pressing win button

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

You mean the top where the time is? It doesn't bother me as I barely notice it.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

It's roughly half a tile.

It's there to provide space for the toast notifications, to have proof that you can indeed scroll, and as some sore of space for the Start Screen to breathe.

While I'd personally let it slide, it is getting annoying (the space and all these threads about the space)

 

[Mr Lebowski]

If you use dark background it's just black so the big white space is not even noticed. :wink:

I might hate it if I used the light background, so I don't.

 

[tgp]

It's there to provide space for the toast notifications, to have proof that you can indeed scroll, and as some sore of space for the Start Screen to breathe.

Yes I've heard it's to make space for the toasts, but I guess I don't quite follow Microsoft's reasoning. The toasts appear for a few seconds, but yet they keep that space blank. To me it doesn't matter if it covers half a tile for a few seconds. I must be wrong...

 

[Jupast]

It is annoying, there should be an option to lock the Tiles up into place.

The Toasts thing probably isn't the main reason. The best one i've heard for the gap being there is so the half tiles at the bottom are a pointer to new users that they can scroll down. Once people know of course, they're stuck with it.

 

[jmerrey]

One thing I noticed on the 1520 is that space is reduced by quite a bit. Maybe it's an optical illusion though...

 

[Wide opeN]

I'm new to WP, and believe the answer to my question is no, but I'll ask anyway: is there anyway to make the network and signal indicators persist!?

Has there ever been any discussion around this on the part if Microsoft!?

 

[WanderingTraveler]

I'm new to WP, and believe the answer to my question is no, but I'll ask anyway: is there anyway to make the network and signal indicators persist!?

Has there ever been any discussion around this on the part if Microsoft!?

There's no way to always keep then there. Unless, of course, the app you're in is coded to do so.

 

[neo158]

I'm new to WP, and believe the answer to my question is no, but I'll ask anyway: is there anyway to make the network and signal indicators persist!?

Has there ever been any discussion around this on the part if Microsoft!?

You've already answered the question, the answer is no. The reason behind this is that Microsoft want you to concentrate on using the phone not the status of it all the time.

I also prefer to have the gap at the top, it just looks weird with no gap there!!

 

[jfa1]

Yes I've heard it's to make space for the toasts, but I guess I don't quite follow Microsoft's reasoning. The toasts appear for a few seconds, but yet they keep that space blank. To me it doesn't matter if it covers half a tile for a few seconds. I must be wrong...

Nope you are entitled to your opinions.

 

[SwimSwim]

It is annoying, there should be an option to lock the Tiles up into place.

I disagree. Well, I agree with the point of getting rid of the "gutter," so to speak, but it shouldn't be a toggle. The settings are crowded enough and completely lacking organization as it is.

The Metro design is supposed to be fluid, elegant and simple, and while it is on the surface is terms of looks, I must admit, at times it's far more unintuitive to use than necessary. Seriously, I feel like we're only two toggles away from being as messy and over crowded as Android!!!

Windows 8.1 settings do a far better job of organizing everything, and so until Microsoft gets Windows Phone on par with that, NO MORE TOGGLES!!!

 

[Squachy]

I'd prefer to remove the gutter as well. I always thought the toasts were just an overlay anyways. I mean, they still show up in any other program you use that doesn't have that gap. Besides, if they removed that gap you can actually fit an additonal full row of small tiles onto the screen.

Those status indicators...theres no reason they shouldn't be displayable full time. The indicator space is always there in every app.

 

[neo158]

I'd prefer to remove the gutter as well. I always thought the toasts were just an overlay anyways. I mean, they still show up in any other program you use that doesn't have that gap. Besides, if they removed that gap you can actually fit an additonal full row of small tiles onto the screen.

Those status indicators...theres no reason they shouldn't be displayable full time. The indicator space is always there in every app.

I have to disagree, why would removing the "gutter" make any difference?

As for the status indicators, this isn't Android so we don't need to see the status of the phone every 5 seconds. The phone alerts you with icons in the status area when you need to be alerted of no signal or a low battery anyway. Not only that but the indicator space isn't in EVERY app otherwise you would have access to the status indicators in every app, which you don't.

 

[Jupast]

I disagree. Well, I agree with the point of getting rid of the "gutter," so to speak, but it shouldn't be a toggle. The settings are crowded enough and completely lacking organization as it is.

The Metro design is supposed to be fluid, elegant and simple, and while it is on the surface is terms of looks, I must admit, at times it's far more unintuitive to use than necessary. Seriously, I feel like we're only two toggles away from being as messy and over crowded as Android!!!

Windows 8.1 settings do a far better job of organizing everything, and so until Microsoft gets Windows Phone on par with that, NO MORE TOGGLES!!!

Ummm, well in the unlikely event this did happen, it wouldn't be until WP 8.1 anyway. I wasn't suggesting Microsoft were going to add this tomorrow.

Maybe by 8.1 they'll have organized Settings better. I agree, at the moment, they're a mess.

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

It is an odd thing, and I've wondered about it more than once. Frankly it isn't bothersome enough to actually complain about. Certainly won't if they change it. Since I do keep my screen on dark settings, I really don't notice it.

 

[neo158]

I disagree. Well, I agree with the point of getting rid of the "gutter," so to speak, but it shouldn't be a toggle. The settings are crowded enough and completely lacking organization as it is.

The Metro design is supposed to be fluid, elegant and simple, and while it is on the surface is terms of looks, I must admit, at times it's far more unintuitive to use than necessary. Seriously, I feel like we're only two toggles away from being as messy and over crowded as Android!!!

Windows 8.1 settings do a far better job of organizing everything, and so until Microsoft gets Windows Phone on par with that, NO MORE TOGGLES!!!

Why shouldn't it be a toggle, options are great and I don't want to see WP going the iOS one size fits all route. That would go completely against what WP is, a phone that's as unique as you are!!

I do agree that Settings is a mess and needs tidying up a bit, maybe the categories idea from Android with a Metro twist.

 

[Paul May]

I agree that I think it should be a toggle. It is annoying with the White background, it's not so noticeable with the black so it doesn't bother me as much. Options are always good to have in my opinion.

 

[SwimSwim]

While options are good, you've got to be careful with adding too many toggles for everything. I also hate Apple's, "We know what's best" mantra, but I also hate how much of a mess Android is. Sure, you can make Android something that is truly yours, but it comes at the cost of being a mess of options and menus.

Hence why I like the hybrid approach in Metro. Not being forced to look exactly the same as everyone else, but also not having an overwhelming amount of options, sliders, switches and toggles.

Seriously, when it comes to something like the gutter, that's such a small design detail that it's not even worthy of a toggle. Save that for the big stuff, perhaps like if you want your Start Screen to be extra wide?

Choice is good, but too much can be overwhelming and a bad thing. Take a look at Android for a prime example of how choice can become a big mess, real fast. (Thankfully, newer versions of Android ease this pain, but it's still too messy at times [similar to how Windows 8 often still bounces you back to the desktop, outside the clean Metro environment]).

 

[tgp]

Choice is good, but too much can be overwhelming and a bad thing. Take a look at Android for a prime example of how choice can become a big mess, real fast. (Thankfully, newer versions of Android ease this pain, but it's still too messy at times [similar to how Windows 8 often still bounces you back to the desktop, outside the clean Metro environment]).

While I agree that Android could be called a mess, I don't think there's any bigger mess in the mobile world than WP's Settings menu. And it's not nearly as functional as Android's. The Android Settings menu is at least organized in a logical way. But there is a lot in there which makes it more difficult to be intuitive. And to be fair to Android, the Quick Settings enable quickly toggling the most used settings without even going into the menu. That probably cuts using the Settings menu in half at least.