Windows Phone 8 & The Start Screen [My Take]

[cedarlog]

i think the small sized tiles exist on wp8 because they are going to introduce smartphones with qwerty keyboards something like BB but that's just me

 

[ejb222]

I love the new Start Screen. I think this agruement has been beaten to death. I think we should just accept the new start screen the way it is and do our best to customize it to how we see fit. They listened to us on the last start screen to get us this far. But we have ZERO experience with the new Start Screen to be able to give MS viable feedback for future changes. I'm sure phones will ship with SIMPLE Start Screens to start in order not to confuse those with their very first WP. But to the rest of us who "get it" the new Start Screen is NOT confusing. If it is, it's your fault. You customized it that way...sort of like losing your own keys in your own house.

3 Months after you have your new start screen lets take this topic up again.

And as far as the Metro philosophy...the new start screen is every bit as Metro as the old one. Taste is a funny thing..every one has a different taste...but don't mistake it for fact.

 

[AngryNil]

Taste is a funny thing..every one has a different taste...but don't mistake it for fact.

Explain to me how the new start screen achieves the visual balance of the old one, without the gutter. Explain to me why I'm going to be downgraded from eight visible medium tiles to six without an option to switch back.

These aren't areas which you can simply dismiss and try to strong-arm the opposition into submission. We clearly have opinions about it, and guess what? Some of them are based on pretty solid ground. There's nothing wrong with arguing the points out.

Also, slightly ironic how you make a million assumptions and definitive statements in the same comment where you're telling people to get over themselves (i.e. "don't mistaken [your opinions] as fact").

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of resizable tiles and the small tiles. I'm just sick of Microsoft providing no options and then a horde of fans defending such anti-consumer decisions to death.

 

[SnailUK]

I like the new start screen. I've certainly never understood the wasted screen space on WP7, so WP8 looks perfect to me.

What i would like to see, is more screen examples. Just small tiles, just medium tiles, just large tiles, see how they all look on their own.

 

[12Danny123]

I like the new start screen. I've certainly never understood the wasted screen space on WP7, so WP8 looks perfect to me.

What i would like to see, is more screen examples. Just small tiles, just medium tiles, just large tiles, see how they all look on their own.

I agree with you! you can look at my signature if you want

 

[ejb222]

Explain to me how the new start screen achieves the visual balance of the old one, without the gutter. Explain to me why I'm going to be downgraded from eight visible medium tiles to six without an option to switch back...

Are you serious...it's a phone! You don't even have the new start screen and y'all are complaining like they murdered your children! MS gave you MORE options! It's not a downgrade! You have NO option presently to change anything but how many tiles and the color. Soon you will have 3 different size as well. And somehow thats a downgrade?

Look man, your attitude speaks for itself. I don't really need to argue with you. Some of your arguements are valid. But your attitude reeks of whiny child. Since you've claimed to know a thing or two about Metro design and design in general, I assume you would have the aptitude to design your own new Start screen in a way that suits what ever need you have. If you can't, maybe you really don't know anything about design. And until you have the new start screen and mess around with it a bit and actually try to get what you're looking for, please stop the whining...it's a stupid phone! It's a start screen on a phone! No one keyed your car. No one eveicted you from your house. You didn't get demoted(downgraded) at work. Take it Easy Killer!

 

[twint7787]

I have to ask a question about the new start screen. I believe I read that you will only be able to have 3 rows visible at any given time, is this true? I mean three rows of live tiles, or tiles that can show information. I know you are now allowed to have more tiles in theory because of the small tiles, but what's the point? Why take out a row it doesn't make sense. While I'm typing this I might as well ask if anyone thinks/was expecting MS to implement horizontal scrolling in WP8. I know vertical scrolling is what makes WP a WP, but I can't help but feel it would have been faster and more efficient to scroll horizontal. Its in line with the panorama scrolling we already have. Idk what do you guys think?

 

[jfa1]

Hey! Look at the examples of the new live screen! Do they have more than three rows visible at one time? YES!

 

[bigkevbosky]

Explain to me how the new start screen achieves the visual balance of the old one, without the gutter. Explain to me why I'm going to be downgraded from eight visible medium tiles to six without an option to switch back.

When your phone prompts you to upgrade to 7.8, just hit the "decline" button if you hate the new look so much. Nobody is forcing you to upgrade. Just like nobody is forcing you to use any specific size tile.

And we'd love to explain it to you, but none of us are Joe Belfiore. Complaining on this forum is getting you nowhere but into arguments with other forum members. Its not doing anything to help your cause.

 

[CJ Thunder]

Directupload.net - 5dvg94ag.jpg


I this one very much but I have a big screened device, what about...Focus Flash sized devices?

In the end:
who does this belong to MS or the Users?
What will sell more?

Options are never bad, I hope they give us the option...and if the do will that option be on 7.8 and 8.0...oh brother! maybe that option is only on 7.8...hmmmm....

 

[twint7787]

Hey! Look at the examples of the new live screen! Do they have more than three rows visible at one time? YES!

No they don't...Not three regular sized live tiles. The little tiles won't do s*** for you so IDC about them.

 

[AngryNil]

Look man, your attitude speaks for itself. I don't really need to argue with you. Some of your arguements are valid. But your attitude reeks of whiny child.

So, you resort to ad-hominems. Pot calling the kettle black.

Microsoft is a company that, like any other company, aims to make money. Why do you feel the need to try and shut up any opposition when you clearly like something and other people don't? Wake up, in the real world you don't need to have a solution in order to critique.

That said, I have a solution: the gutter. Anyone who complains about that "wasted space" should also be annoyed at the whole implementation of Metro on Windows Phone. The panorama layout is a complete waste of screen real estate, and the pivot layout is inefficient for navigating through a number of screens.

This is an enthusiast site. You're telling me to essentially piss off because I'm annoyed that the design of the home screen is changed? This is beyond belief. Yes, I just lost two medium-sized tiles fitting on my screen and there's no guarantee that my current apps will be updated to take advantage of the extra vertical space. I think it looks too visually heavy, but my opinion is wrong, isn't it? Because the likes of you haven't been able to rebut, just turn to insults and straw man arguments.

Might as well change the site to WPFanboys, because anyone who disagrees with a move by Microsoft is labelled as an irrational, self-centred, overreacting, whiny child.

I assume you would have the aptitude to design your own new Start screen in a way that suits what ever need you have. If you can't, maybe you really don't know anything about design.

You're out of your league here. You seriously think that a user magically "design" the start screen into showing two medium tiles with a gutter next to it? The layout options are far too limited to reach a reasonable compromise. Creating horizontal white space will further impede the number of tiles visible, and upset the vertical-horizontal balance even further. Vertical white space requires the compromise of one medium - one small tile, which is far less useful and may I say, ugly. This is plain ridiculous, are you reading what you're writing?

When your phone prompts you to upgrade to 7.8, just hit the "decline" button if you hate the new look so much. Nobody is forcing you to upgrade. Just like nobody is forcing you to use any specific size tile.

Has it occurred to you that I might want to stay up to date and 7.8 is not going to cut it? My Omnia 7 contract ends in August. I guess all of you are telling me to leave for Android, despite the fact that I've been an extremely vocal Windows Phone fan since Backstage in February 2010.

As for arguing here? I'm on an enthusiast site expressing my opinions. My deepest apologies for disagreeing with you, I'll just go and create a "you should all be so thankful you get an update" thread and get back to circlejerking with fanboys.

And, last point. Look at the original comment I replied to and the pull-quote you're addressing from me. If you have a problem dealing with what I'm saying, ignore me. Don't tell me that my arguments are invalid or irrelevant because you can't reasonably counter them.

 

[KingCrimson]

The screen only becomes as cluttered as you want it to be. Remember you can leave gaps, you don't have to fill every square inch of it.

 

[AngryNil]

The screen only becomes as cluttered as you want it to be. Remember you can leave gaps, you don't have to fill every square inch of it.

So, I've explained that I think presenting the white space vertically is a better idea for the home screen. The problem is that with the fixed three tile sizes, you can only add this space uniformly by restricting the tiles to:

25% (one small)
50% (two small / one medium)
75% (three small / one medium, one small)

75% is the best bet, as the other two are overdoing it. However, with this layout it is kind of limiting to only have zero to three medium tiles visible - I have eight right now. It's also not as simple to remember and get, as the old layout was medium-tile based and I think I will likely keep a similar layout (ie, I'd ideally want to put small tiles in a 2x2 arrangement in place of a medium tile). I also think 75% leads to a bit too much white space, to the point where it looks wasted.

 

[DontHate707]

i like that fact that screen will look even more alive and i think ppl will actually notice now!

 

[dannejanne]

i like that fact that screen will look even more alive and i think ppl will actually notice now!

Yeah I love the new screen and want it NOW! Gonna be so much fun fiddling with it. I've always wanted different tile sizes ever since i bought my WP phone.

 

[bigkevbosky]

Has it occurred to you that I might want to stay up to date and 7.8 is not going to cut it? My Omnia 7 contract ends in August. I guess all of you are telling me to leave for Android, despite the fact that I've been an extremely vocal Windows Phone fan since Backstage in February 2010.

Wait...wait....your contract ends in August? So you can upgrade after August for a subsidized price? So what are you b*tching about? You can upgrade when WP8 comes out. What's the problem? You have an Omnia 7 apparently, which was released in 2010. So you're pissed at Microsoft changing the look of the start screen TWO YEARS later? Apparently TWO major updates for your phone aren't enough (7.5 and 7.8).

As for arguing here? I'm on an enthusiast site expressing my opinions. My deepest apologies for disagreeing with you, I'll just go and create a "you should all be so thankful you get an update" thread and get back to circlejerking with fanboys.

And, last point. Look at the original comment I replied to and the pull-quote you're addressing from me. If you have a problem dealing with what I'm saying, ignore me. Don't tell me that my arguments are invalid or irrelevant because you can't reasonably counter them.

My point isn't you expressing your opinion, its the manner in which you're doing it. You can make your points, but when you seem like you're crying and whining it changes the responses you're going to get.

You have three options currently :

1) Get a new phone when WP8 hits.
2) Upgrade your Omnia 7 to WP 7.8 and deal with it.
3) Leave your Omnia 7 on WP 7.5 and it will continue to work.

You arguing with me might make you FEEL better, but it doesn't change your three options. So pick one of the three and deal with it.

 

[Markyyy]

I'd like to be able to personalise the colours of the tiles individually, not just choose one accent colour that colours everything the same colour. I have an iPad, so I'm used to certain apps having certain colours for their icons. On my iPad, the music app icon is orange, and it'd be great to have my music app on my windows phone orange also, so there'd less confusion and more intuition. That's just one example, but you could customise the colours of each app to suit the colour you naturally identify that type of app as.

To those of you saying the sample images of the W8 startscreen looks cluttered and confusing: That's how one person would customise their start screen. To that person it probably looks all organised and clean and very very useful at the same time! You'll be able to put your own start screen in your on preferred order, and trust me, you will like your own result very much

 

[bigkevbosky]

I'd like to be able to personalise the colours of the tiles individually, not just choose one accent colour that colours everything the same colour. I have an iPad, so I'm used to certain apps having certain colours for their icons. On my iPad, the music app icon is orange, and it'd be great to have my music app on my windows phone orange also, so there'd less confusion and more intuition.

Thank you - I agree with you and want to point out to irlju - this is how you make a post people will read and actually respond to the point you're making.

I do think personalizing colors might make it seem cluttered, but I hope MS eventually caves in and allows the customization option. Again, more options are not a bad thing.

 

[thed]

For anyone interested, I made a full size mockup of the new screen with the current gutter's size added so you can test it on your phone and see how it looks. Personally, I think everything looks a bit too small on the gutter version, especially the small tiles. But I'm looking at it on a 3.8" screen.