Microsoft fails again on Notification Center

[anon(5335877)]

Microsoft wants you all to drink the kool-aid that no Notification Center is "just fine" and that the pinned tiles somehow replaces it. Go ahead, drink deep.

I'm sorry, but just because someone doesn't see things your way, doesn't mean they're drinking kool-aid.

That being said, I don't absolutely need a notification center, but I wouldn't mind seeing one being thoughtfully implemented.

 

[selfcreation]

Microsoft wants you all to drink the kool-aid that no Notification Center is "just fine" and that the pinned tiles somehow replaces it. Go ahead, drink deep.

I love kool-aid , witch Flavours is Androids? staberry my fav , seems like you like it too

 

[brmiller1976]

I believe that one should chase happiness in life. If a Notification Center is the key to happiness for some users, and WP doesn't have it, why not choose the OS that does? There's no shame in going Android or iOS to get an NC, if it's that important.

Complaining that Microsoft doesn't have a notification center and really should is a bit like complaining that Apple hasn't adopted the Metro Design Language in iOS. Rather silly, since the UI goals are so utterly different.

 

[twint7787]

iOs has little counters next to their icons and they have a notification center. Why is wanting a notification center for WP make someone anti-WP? I think especially because of how busy the new start screen could potentially be it would be nice to have a neat area where you could see your latest notifications. To the poster before; webOs is so good but is seemingly dead. MS should steal whatever they can from webOs and call it a day.

 

[brmiller1976]

It's not that it makes them anti-WP, I merely think it's a bit antithetical to the design aesthetic of Windows Phone. WebOS was lovely (I was a die-hard), but its aesthetic is also not that of WP.

Notification Center is an Android concept that got copied by Apple. If it's *that* critical that a device is otherwise unusable for a particular user, it's important he choose that device. I'd rather see him happy than very angry that he's not getting what he wants. I'd also like to see the WP aesthetic pursue its own path based on its core design principles, rather than simply glom onto every concept from Android, iOS, webOS, Symbian, BlackBerry 7, or other competitors.

 

[1jaxstate1]

WebOS was overrated. A lot of ideas thrown together but not implemented very well.

So I guess it's a matter of taste from person to person.

 

[brmiller1976]

webOS was awesome. Very usable and snappy on the right hardware. Way ahead of its time, too.

The card metaphor and gestures were genius (and copied by just about everyone).

For months after I stopped using my Pre, I was swiping back and forth with my thumb on other devices and swiping up to go into "card mode." That's the sign of a good UI.

 

[cckgz4]

Microsoft wants you all to drink the kool-aid that no Notification Center is "just fine" and that the pinned tiles somehow replaces it. Go ahead, drink deep.

Just because you and a few others feel that way doesn't mean it is generally true. If it don't work for you, it doesn't work for you.

 

[1jaxstate1]

People complained about copy n paste when it wasn't there. It was implemented.

People complained about faster app switching when it wasn't there. It was implemented

People complained about running backgound apps. It was implemented.

So I think recommending wanted features/actions may be a good thing for people who like the OS but find areas lacking. I don't think notification center is keeping anyone unhappy in life. It's just a feature request, that is much needed.

I believe that one should chase happiness in life. If a Notification Center is the key to happiness for some users, and WP doesn't have it, why not choose the OS that does? There's no shame in going Android or iOS to get an NC, if it's that important.

Complaining that Microsoft doesn't have a notification center and really should is a bit like complaining that Apple hasn't adopted the Metro Design Language in iOS. Rather silly, since the UI goals are so utterly different.

 

[Big Supes]

Where other features have lacked, Microsoft has delivered them. I can't help but sense Microsoft are reluctant to join the notification centre bandwagon though. It's like taking a hammer to tune an engine. It's taken from quite rudimentary/customary OS's and doesn't feel very personal to Windows Phone.

Personally, I'd like to see some alternatives before slapping this on WP.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Where other features have lacked, Microsoft has delivered them. I can't help but sense Microsoft are reluctant to join the notification centre bandwagon though. It's like taking a hammer to tune an engine. It's taken from quite rudimentary/customary OS's and doesn't feel very personal to Windows Phone.

Personally, I'd like to see some alternatives before slapping this on WP.

Yeah, I do think a notification centre could be implemented but not implemented in the way people expect, if you know what I mean. WP7 is meant to be a Glance and Go OS (and sorry MS, but the Glance and Go design concept is lost on me, I'm never off my WP7 because I love it that much!) and I feel a notification centre like those of Android and iOS would defeat the whole G&G concept. Improved live tile notifications I believe are what's needed. Or maybe a double tap to view notifications of an individual app, or something like that.

 

[Big Supes]

Yeah, I do think a notification centre could be implemented but not implemented in the way people expect, if you know what I mean. WP7 is meant to be a Glance and Go OS (and sorry MS, but the Glance and Go design concept is lost on me, I'm never off my WP7 because I love it that much!) and I feel a notification centre like those of Android and iOS would defeat the whole G&G concept. Improved live tile notifications I believe are what's needed. Or maybe a double tap to view notifications of an individual app, or something like that.

I think the only real issue regarding notifications are the missing toasts. Where toasts don't get logged I can relate to those who complain when they miss them. I'd be happy to see the Me tile pick up toast logs or have something similar to how the lock screen bounces when you tap it... any missed toasts would stay in the toaster (effectively). You would see the bar bouncing slightly at the top of the screen... simply gesture down and then swipe it away once you've read it.

I agree improved live tile notifications is needed. Hopefully the improved hardware will help.

 

[sconrad308]

I think that the big thing for toast notifications and things like that is to just have the designer actually use a live tile. For instance, CNN instead of just their little toast notification could put something on their tile to let the user know there is breaking news. Like what the weather app does.

 

[Big Supes]

^^You may find that it still leaves someone in the dark, if they have missed a toast. For example, you could have been outbid on the ebay, get the toast, not see it, then mistake the breaking news on the CNN tile on for the toast you've just missed.

 

[sconrad308]

^^You may find that it still leaves someone in the dark, if they have missed a toast. For example, you could have been outbid on the ebay, get the toast, not see it, then mistake the breaking news on the CNN tile on for the toast you've just missed.

But you would have both tiles pinned to your start screen if they are that important and would look and see that they both have notifications. To me the problem isn't so much MS's lack of notification center, but the fault of the app designer's not using the live tiles for all that they can be.

 

[Big Supes]

But you would have both tiles pinned to your start screen if they are that important and would look and see that they both have notifications. To me the problem isn't so much MS's lack of notification center, but the fault of the app designer's not using the live tiles for all that they can be.

I had (phone is dead) 36 tiles pinned to my start screen, and Wp8 will enable even more with ease. I'm not really that keen on the idea of having to check through them all to find the toast you've missed. Just my opinion...

 

[sconrad308]

I can understand not wanting to check through each of those but to me the live tiles if the developers implemented their toast into it would make the issue a little easier. I don't miss the notification center from iOS or from Android at all.

 

[Big Supes]

Yeah, I'd also like to stay away from those basic notification centres. Absolutely! I guess I'd just like the 'toast notification' to retain their function as an alert. Combining them with the standard push/pull kinda makes them redundant, IMO.

 

[tk-093]

^^You may find that it still leaves someone in the dark, if they have missed a toast. For example, you could have been outbid on the ebay, get the toast, not see it, then mistake the breaking news on the CNN tile on for the toast you've just missed.

This is a perfect example, Supes. There needs to be a central location that gathers those toasts. It's doesn't need to a pull down notcenter, just something central location.

If I got 10 notifications, while I was in a meeting or something, I don't want to click inside of every app to see what they were. I wan't to start in a central location where I can then determing which one I need to deal with first.

 

[tk-093]

How about an option that you can turn on or off that makes the toasts stay visable until you swipe them all away?