Expectations vs Reality for Windows Phone 8.1

DaveGx

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I think expectations should definitely be a bit lower now. Sure, some great things are coming in 8.1 but much improvement is needed still.

I have to wonder just how many employees at MS even use Windows Phones. If you are a MS dev/tech, and you use the device regularly, there should be a lot that jumps out at you that needs improvement or just things missing. The email app alone should really embarrass them. Its so basic. And in 8.1, it seems they improved or changed nothing.
 

Jazmac

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Cool story, bro.

Please note however, that the very same 'showmanship' you speak of has taken Samsung to a position of absolute supremacy in the smartphone market (excluding the USA). You may have never seen anyone using Samsung's features but that doesn't mean nobody does, unless you are God. I have, for example, seen many doctors who purchased these devices specifically for the ability to answer calls without touching the screen, because their hands must remain sterile at certain times.

With all these hominies about "stay in your lane" and 'be satisfied with what you have'... God, how can you come to a technology site (see, I can use bold too!) and spout all this. Tech is always about evolving, changing, pushing out new things. If everyone were like you, Mankind wouldn't have progressed beyond the discovery of fire.


edit: also, Candy Crush is not yet on WP so by your thesis it isn't fit for the average smartphone buyer.

In in short, you like your SG4. Got it.
 

DreadVenom

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I think expectations should definitely be a bit lower now. Sure, some great things are coming in 8.1 but much improvement is needed still.

I have to wonder just how many employees at MS even use Windows Phones. If you are a MS dev/tech, and you use the device regularly, there should be a lot that jumps out at you that needs improvement or just things missing. The email app alone should really embarrass them. Its so basic. And in 8.1, it seems they improved or changed nothing.

Once again, not everything has been shown. As someone else said, this is mainly dev based reveals which is what build is.

As for those disappointed that the os is released to a similar method like apple has with ios. Come on, really, are you serious?? Apple has the ability to so this because they forced providers to adhere to their methods(lucky for them it was wildly popular and a game changer) but since then providers have vowed never to let it repeat. So if Samsung and their wildly successful Galaxy series cant get the same treatment as Apple why the hell did anyone think MS and WP could??? Also keep in mind Apple makes it own HW and SW so management and testing is far more simple. The only way around this that MS could find is allow pretty much everyone to grab the dev preview of the OS. Which i felt was really good way to speed the development of not only the os but also app as wells.
Re the email app, i highly suspect that this has been improved. If MS and Nokia want to be more prominent for businesses they would be silly not to look at this.
 

psiu_glen

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Without reading the whole thread, just want to chime in on the "disappointment" side, especially when it comes to improving things.

One that will have a daily impact on me will be the new calendar views -- hey great, they added week view WAIT WHY THEY DID **REMOVE** AGENDA VIEW?!?!

Things like that.

The email app has needed some tweaking for awhile. Not sure how much work is being done there. Seems like a lot of the "leaks" will now be in 8.2, or 8.5, or 9.0 or whatever.

I remember the emphasis on Hubs is one of the things that fascinated me and brought me to WP in 2011. Now they are going away...but we are adding a status bar always on, even though that was another of the calculated decisions back then.

(aside: I love watching the symbols drop down from right to left and then disappear off the top from left to right, then again, I loved the "gutter" as well ;) )

RIP beautiful Photo Hub...

Edit: the real question for me is how much work has been done separating the core "apps" from being system level update required. Like...why the hell does the Calendar app require a system update, subject to manufacturer and carrier approval?? You know?
 

Jazmac

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Without reading the whole thread, just want to chime in on the "disappointment" side, especially when it comes to improving things.

One that will have a daily impact on me will be the new calendar views -- hey great, they added week view WAIT WHY THEY DID **REMOVE** AGENDA VIEW?!?!

Things like that.

The email app has needed some tweaking for awhile. Not sure how much work is being done there. Seems like a lot of the "leaks" will now be in 8.2, or 8.5, or 9.0 or whatever.

I remember the emphasis on Hubs is one of the things that fascinated me and brought me to WP in 2011. Now they are going away...but we are adding a status bar always on, even though that was another of the calculated decisions back then.

(aside: I love watching the symbols drop down from right to left and then disappear off the top from left to right, then again, I loved the "gutter" as well ;) )

RIP beautiful Photo Hub...

Edit: the real question for me is how much work has been done separating the core "apps" from being system level update required. Like...why the hell does the Calendar app require a system update, subject to manufacturer and carrier approval?? You know?

On your last point, it seems this is the direction MS is going. But there are still a lot of unknowns to discover and we won't know how this all fits together until we get it. Do you know if 3rd party apps can still show the calendar agenda view?
 

psiu_glen

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On your last point, it seems this is the direction MS is going. But there are still a lot of unknowns to discover and we won't know how this all fits together until we get it. Do you know if 3rd party apps can still show the calendar agenda view?

Dunno. I've never used any because the built in one worked fine and never had any problems both reading and writing to calendars.

Would hate to "upgrade" and have to use a 3rd-party app as a consequence. But if they are separated...could be a lot easier for them to add things back in.
 

mihirt7

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Here are some examples of what I expected and leaks confirmed having:

  1. A file picker, similar to the one found in Windows 8.1, with better file management (ability to send and receive files other than pictures and Office documents, with apps ability to access those files and attach/share them within).
  2. Actionable notifications: it was mentioned many times that in the action center, you would be able to interact with notifications, for instance: replying to a text message withing the action center), this is similar to what Android currently offers in this department.
  3. Making a full backup of your phone (similar to Windows 8), a backup that mirrors your phone and restores it completely the way it was, it lays your tiles with apps that aren't even downloaded yet, and whenever you press on one it downloads the app from the store and restores it's data.
  4. A new Facebook app that is designed by Facebook itself.
  5. Changing your default SMS app. No one even knows how this works, but it was promised through leaks but never delivered.
  6. Muting threads in the messaging hub.
  7. No mention of the new Bing search app, similar to what is found in Windows 8, it performs a hero search of popular keys of interest ( a city, an artist, etc..)
  8. Not so much enhancements to the People hub and the built-in Facebook and Twitter integration.
  9. No tab-handling enhancements in IE 11, it's still the same wicked way of handling them.( I read some where that there were enhancements in that regard, and I am not talking about in private tabs or them being included in the multi-tasking pane.
  10. No mention of the USB OTG ability.
  11. No Bluetooth keyboard support.
  12. No data shortcut in the system apps toggles.
  13. Some of the toggles like Wifi isn't even a TOGGLE! It's just a shortcut for the app.
  14. Not so much enhancements to the default Xbox music app (still no scrubbing).
  15. The default media player haven't got all of the tools to make it full featured (there was a screenshot earlier that showed a fully featured media player).
  16. The update was expected to reach phones in June, now with these vague statements, it can hit them somewhere around October!
  17. I expected that since Semantic Zoom API was included, that it would be also available on the Start Screen, but I guess this isn't the case.
  18. No smart dialer, though there is enhancements and speed-dial things, but a smart dialer isn't one of them.
  19. Cortana is a work in progress, through my estimation, it still needs a year to two years before being really usable.
  20. There was a mention that many of the core apps (including the store and the people hub) where changed to being un-related to the core system itself, so even the store can be updated through app-updates. This was meant to enhance the system reliability on those core apps as updating them won't take a year or so with each OS update. There was no mention of that except the Calendar app.
  21. A color picker in themes. Though this may sound stupid, but it shows that there are still some basic stuff that aren't getting done yet. I know you can achieve this now by selecting a background that is a solid color, but why do we have to go this route to do a simple thing that is already there in WP registry. Like COMEON!

​There are also more stuff but I can't remember all of them, I'll keep updating this comment for the things that was suggested through leaks but didn't make it (my full list of needed stuff in 8.1 is far, far bigger than this one).


1. You can already do that .. someone has already posted this earlier in the thread..
2. This is a missing feature, maybe it will be added in GDR1 or 2.
3. This has been implemented as well. Check it out here Dealing with Data: Storage, Roaming, and Backup on Windows and Windows Phone | Build 2014 | Channel 9
4. The Facebook blue app is designed by facebook. thats why they removed fb integration into the messaging hub since fb wanted to promote their own fb messenger.
5. I am not sure what purpose will it serve if you change the default sms app. Again I dont really understand the feature, so lets count it as a missing feature.
6. Missing feature.
7. This can be updated on the back end. I remember in wp8, they updated the layout to show local info in the scout for sometime then removed it and then added it back. So this can always be done. You dont need an OS update IMO.
8. The new people hub will not have fb/twitter integration, but you can tie in apps into the people hub, so as and when these apps get updated.. your people hub features for these apps will also be updated
9. There are tons of browsers available. WPC did an article on it today. Check out all the browsers. Also IE has new functionality like tab syncing with windows.
10. Missing feature. The one that i miss the most.
11. Missing feature. Although, I am not sure why would you want to use a phone with bluetooth keyboard. I assume if you are near a bluetooth keyboard, you would also be near a tablet or a PC. phone's are usually for on the go experience. Again just my usecase.
12. This could very well be included by the time dev preview gets out.
13. Again as I mentioned in another thread, even Android takes you to the wifi settings page when you click on wifi toggle. IMO, this is how it should be so that you can select which network you want to connect when you click on wifi toggle.
14. They have implemented scrubbing in video, they could have in music by the time dev preview is out or it is already there. So far i havent seen any review videos that show the music hub and especially the scrubbing part.
15. what do you mean by fully featured media player.?
16. You can always download the dev preview to get the 'final' version of the OS bug free. My logic, if they had bugs then they would have given out anyways and not waited till the actual dev preview release. Waiting to release the preview helps them ironing out the last few bugs. So you should have no reason not to update using dev prev.
17. I am not sure what semantic zoom api is. Sorry.
18. You have a smart dialer app on the store. If those are you needs you can always download them. Not all OSes have all of these features. You always rely on third party apps.
19. If you want a fully tested out app, then you should wait for it. But given this list, i am not sure people really want to wait. So having a beta is better than having nothing.
20. the music, fm, podcasts and video are separate apps and they can now be updated. the store layout, what they show on the main screen when you launch can be changed from the back end, I watched some video on the build where this was discussed. Peoples hub as i said earlier is fully updateable via the app approach.
21. Your suggested method works, it is a bit of a hassle I agree.
 

rockstarzzz

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Well, I know Microsoft never promised anything, and I quiet understand how leaks goes, but that still doesn't mean that you won't get frustrated if some of the things that were found in the SDK earlier (it's leaks, not rumors) didn't make it to the final product.

If you read the interview that was made with a senior Microsoft Developer on Reddit, he mentioned this thing, that one of the things that is holding Microsoft's progress is some short-sighted managers that could scrap out much work done with a blink of an eye. Here is his quote:
"[–]samcode7
I have to apologize for my ignorance first. I’m not a software engineer. But why does it take so long (1.5 years) for 8.1 to come to fruition.
BAADFOOD
reorgs and bad management. As a Principal SDE ( I write code, have managed, know the ins and outs) it’s purely bad management and too much of an Ego"

also: "we can do the code. we are all the pick of the litter. It’s a matter of resources. not engineering.. engineering here is the best of the best (yes I’m cocky) it’s about the way Microsoft works and that every major feature gets tested by a second pair of (sadly uneducated) eyes."

It's like when they even have shown Data Sense, but then it was no where to found in the WP8 update. This is what's frustrating.


Hahah! You are one person on the internet who *should not* read any leaks!
That guy from reddit isn't any sort of senior Microsoft developer that any credible source can validate. Also he has nothing to do with Microsoft. So, even though this website ran an article on the front page about this guy, not much from what he has ranted about stands true, at least on a believable scales. The reason things were earlier there in the SDK was to test it, then probably removed when they thought it wasn't reliable enough at this point and trying to make it better may hold up the entire launch. Hence, it is only wise to remove the features that you think aren't suitable enough for launch and bundle them along the line in future updates. Data sense was announced and in the same sentence was told that feature will be available via operators. Believe what comes from Microsoft, if you want to play the blame game. For everything else, don't take it too seriously! Internet will ruin you ;)
 

Kashan Osama

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1. You can already do that .. someone has already posted this earlier in the thread..
2. This is a missing feature, maybe it will be added in GDR1 or 2.
3. This has been implemented as well. Check it out here Dealing with Data: Storage, Roaming, and Backup on Windows and Windows Phone | Build 2014 | Channel 9
4. The Facebook blue app is designed by facebook. thats why they removed fb integration into the messaging hub since fb wanted to promote their own fb messenger.
5. I am not sure what purpose will it serve if you change the default sms app. Again I dont really understand the feature, so lets count it as a missing feature.
6. Missing feature.
7. This can be updated on the back end. I remember in wp8, they updated the layout to show local info in the scout for sometime then removed it and then added it back. So this can always be done. You dont need an OS update IMO.
8. The new people hub will not have fb/twitter integration, but you can tie in apps into the people hub, so as and when these apps get updated.. your people hub features for these apps will also be updated
9. There are tons of browsers available. WPC did an article on it today. Check out all the browsers. Also IE has new functionality like tab syncing with windows.
10. Missing feature. The one that i miss the most.
11. Missing feature. Although, I am not sure why would you want to use a phone with bluetooth keyboard. I assume if you are near a bluetooth keyboard, you would also be near a tablet or a PC. phone's are usually for on the go experience. Again just my usecase.
12. This could very well be included by the time dev preview gets out.
13. Again as I mentioned in another thread, even Android takes you to the wifi settings page when you click on wifi toggle. IMO, this is how it should be so that you can select which network you want to connect when you click on wifi toggle.
14. They have implemented scrubbing in video, they could have in music by the time dev preview is out or it is already there. So far i havent seen any review videos that show the music hub and especially the scrubbing part.
15. what do you mean by fully featured media player.?
16. You can always download the dev preview to get the 'final' version of the OS bug free. My logic, if they had bugs then they would have given out anyways and not waited till the actual dev preview release. Waiting to release the preview helps them ironing out the last few bugs. So you should have no reason not to update using dev prev.
17. I am not sure what semantic zoom api is. Sorry.
18. You have a smart dialer app on the store. If those are you needs you can always download them. Not all OSes have all of these features. You always rely on third party apps.
19. If you want a fully tested out app, then you should wait for it. But given this list, i am not sure people really want to wait. So having a beta is better than having nothing.
20. the music, fm, podcasts and video are separate apps and they can now be updated. the store layout, what they show on the main screen when you launch can be changed from the back end, I watched some video on the build where this was discussed. Peoples hub as i said earlier is fully updateable via the app approach.
21. Your suggested method works, it is a bit of a hassle I agree.

I would just say,it is funny actually (no sarcasm) that WP8.1 still doesn't have a smart dialer even though it owns the patent for it
 

LillWicke

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Gentlemen, be sensible.

No one in here can make full lists of what's in WP8.1 or what's not in it.
You have seen this thru emulaters and beta MS phones right? When the real thing comes out (dev preview) the emulatos will be uppdated as well. Untill then everything is just plain speculations.

At build they told us that there are 100 new features in this build and we have merly seen a fraction of it yet. Lets wait a week or so till it comes out and then wait a little more till all the crucial apps are uppdated, first then we can diskuss the real thing.

:smile:
 

cjcampbell

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Ok... so this is my first post here. I'm doing a little research for a failsafe "just in case" scenario (still on contract so not going to move before the end of the year). I'm not familiar with WP and have never touched/held/used one but it has, up until now, been my first choice in a decision to switch (won't go iPhone period, Google freaks me out.. lol). With that said, I have a couple of concerns that I was not aware of and by reading the first few pages here, was brought to light....

Is there really no file manager?
Can you really not add PDF docs and/or multiple documents/attachments to an email?
Can you not edit a forwarded message?

I watched the keynote and it seemed like they were making some really nice headway but I'm, well, not so sure anymore. Cortana seems SUPER cool and well beyond the other options, but that's only a part of what I need. My main use is messaging, email, and phone calls. The rest is, well, fluff, but I like fluff when I want it.

As a disclaimer, I'm a BB10 user and do like it, but, as we all know, the future is "uncertain" (please... no bashing me or the platform. It really serves no purpose). I just want to know, will this satisfy my needs an extension of my desktop and phone. Will I be able to email like I do from my desk, have multiple functions open and operating at the same time, and be able to, not only edit Office documents, but PDF's as well.

Thanks for your time all and look forward to some insight.
 

THE_Lawnboy

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Cool story, bro.

Please note however, that the very same 'showmanship' you speak of has taken Samsung to a position of absolute supremacy in the smartphone market (excluding the USA). You may have never seen anyone using Samsung's features but that doesn't mean nobody does, unless you are God. I have, for example, seen many doctors who purchased these devices specifically for the ability to answer calls without touching the screen, because their hands must remain sterile at certain times.

With all these hominies about "stay in your lane" and 'be satisfied with what you have'... God, how can you come to a technology site (see, I can use bold too!) and spout all this. Tech is always about evolving, changing, pushing out new things. If everyone were like you, Mankind wouldn't have progressed beyond the discovery of fire.


edit: also, Candy Crush is not yet on WP so by your thesis it isn't fit for the average smartphone buyer.

What brought Android to supremacy was Google giving their **** away for free.
 

Kashan Osama

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Ok... so this is my first post here. I'm doing a little research for a failsafe "just in case" scenario (still on contract so not going to move before the end of the year). I'm not familiar with WP and have never touched/held/used one but it has, up until now, been my first choice in a decision to switch (won't go iPhone period, Google freaks me out.. lol). With that said, I have a couple of concerns that I was not aware of and by reading the first few pages here, was brought to light....

Is there really no file manager?
Can you really not add PDF docs and/or multiple documents/attachments to an email?
Can you not edit a forwarded message?

I watched the keynote and it seemed like they were making some really nice headway but I'm, well, not so sure anymore. Cortana seems SUPER cool and well beyond the other options, but that's only a part of what I need. My main use is messaging, email, and phone calls. The rest is, well, fluff, but I like fluff when I want it.

As a disclaimer, I'm a BB10 user and do like it, but, as we all know, the future is "uncertain" (please... no bashing me or the platform. It really serves no purpose). I just want to know, will this satisfy my needs an extension of my desktop and phone. Will I be able to email like I do from my desk, have multiple functions open and operating at the same time, and be able to, not only edit Office documents, but PDF's as well.

Thanks for your time all and look forward to some insight.

Yes everything you heard is true...considering your main use is email and texting etc...i would suggest you to continue using BB :) buy a z30 if you already haven't:)


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LillWicke

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Yes everything you heard is true...considering your main use is email and texting etc...i would suggest you to continue using BB :) buy a z30 if you already haven't:)


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No, everything he heard is false, exept for the "editing mail thing" which we don't know yet. It depends on the updating of the mailklient.

:asleep:
 

Kashan Osama

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No, everything he heard is false, exept for the "editing mail thing" which we don't know yet. It depends on the updating of the mailklient.

:asleep:

Seriously?

There is no file manager in WP8

We cant add attachments other than photos in mail just like iOS

We cannot edit mail Which is to be forwarded...

Stop misleading people




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LillWicke

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Seriously?

There is no file manager in WP8

We cant add attachments other than photos in mail just like iOS

We cannot edit mail Which is to be forwarded...

Stop misleading people

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

WP8 ?? I tought we were talking about WP8.1 ??

No, it's you that's misleading people.
As I already said in many other threds, in WP8.1 there will be 2 sufficiently good file managers, one for the cloud and one for the phone.
And you will also be able to attach multiple documents to a mail.

:straight:
 

Kashan Osama

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WP8 ?? I tought we were talking about WP8.1 ??

No, it's you that's misleading people.
As I already said in many other threds, in WP8.1 there will be 2 sufficiently good file managers, one for the cloud and one for the phone.
And you will also be able to attach multiple documents to a mail.

:straight:

Well yes you can get the benefit of doubt as one who asked didn't mention it...but it is still not "proved" that there is a file manager/picker so i am not misleading him...sure when wp8.1 is released he may ask it again..


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LillWicke

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...but it is still not "proved" that there is a file manager/picker so i am not misleading him...

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Sorry Kashan, but it is very much proved.

I just can't understand why Lagdroids, Crashdroids and Appleians are shivering so much?
Even till the extent that they are trying to plant false statements everywere.

:eck:
 

Kashan Osama

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Sorry Kashan, but it is very much proved.

I just can't understand why Lagdroids, Crashdroids and Appleians are shivering so much?
Even till the extent that they are trying to plant false statements everywere.

:eck:

No it is not proved...and honestly i hope it has that feature,and i am iOS user and i don't like it as much as i don't like wp/bb/android and i like it as much as i like bb/wp/android..so it was not about that...apple really has a stupid stance regarding exclusion of a file manager


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