WP8 Experts please help a former iOS user out.

[Shadedsoul]

I'm not new to the forums (I've been reading them for months to see if I wanted to switch to WP8) but this is my first post. I have searched for some of these answers but I think they are obvious to most users so they aren't discussed.

1. Favorites? I understand you can pin a contact to your start screen and access that contact from there. Although if I do that it still takes 3 taps to get a call fired off. Is there a way to create a list of favorite phone numbers? Each time I select a person I get all their information including SMS, Email, Etc...Even if I select them from the "history" list under my phone icon. If I click on a "History" phone call it still asks me to select the phone, sms or email for that person. I would think it would dial right out but...is this making sense? It seems like extra tapping.

2. Volume control? Is there just the one control for everything? It changes the volume of everything on the phone to the last thing you were doing? I'll have to keep an eye on that.

3. A clock live tile that actually updates the time? I was sure I saw one in pictures and video and it turns out it was the HTC 8X model. Does anyone know of one for the 920? I mean...is this the biggest oversight in smartphone history? One of my biggest complaints about the iPhone was the tiny clock at the top of the smart screen. I needed my reading glasses to check the time or I had to lock the screen. With "Live Tiles" I would think this would have been one of the first things released by some developer.

4. Live Tiles? More like "Active Tiles". They don't seem to update very well at all. They move a lot which is kinda neat. Bing rarely updates the lock screen. CNN or ESPN updating is crappy at best. I found a couple terrible live tile clocks that won't update. The Weather Channel doesn't update. Is this a setting I'm missing? Or is it the "WiFi goes to sleep"? WTH is that all about? Save the battery at the expense of data charges?

Sorry...I really do love my phone, I'm just in my forties, a little tired of life and wasn't expecting a learning curve. Does anyone know settings or shortcuts that can help me out?

 

[Kebero]

1. I just use Tell Me for calling. Its simply faster than anything else. Press and hold on the Windows button, then say 'call and so' after the prompt. Once you get used to Tell Me, you'll use it for plenty if tasks.

2. There is only one volume control.

3. I don't know of any apps with a clock live tile, but I've never looked for one in the marketplace.

4. Live tile issues are app-specific. Some are good, some are not, and sometimes an update to fix a bug breaks the feature. I've had great luck with Amazing Weather, WP Central and CNN (the non-Nokia version).

 

[ncxcstud]

In history - tap the phone icon not the name to dial directly.

 

[crav4speed]

1. It's actually 2 taps. Pin the person to Start. Tap their name on the Start screen, then tap the number you want to dial or sms or email from the person's info. If you're dialing directly from the History in the phone app, you can tap the phone icon next to their name and dial directly instead of tapping their name.
2. Volume control is still one for all. If you lower the volume during song playback, remember to higher the volume for ringing.
3. Why would you need a clock live tile when the clock on the status bar is always showing?
4. Live tiles are meant to automatically update every 30 min or so or whatever you set it to in the app's settings. The Weather Channel app updates fine on mine and Bing only updates the the lock screen once a day. Make sure you have background apps enabled in the settings.

 

[Shadedsoul]

Thank you so much for your responses. I figured you guys knew the secrets

1. That's super helpful! I was tapping the name but if I tap the phone it goes right to calling the person...excellent. I also realized there are apps for speed dialing as well so very cool!
2. Eh...I'll get used to it.
3. I need a clock tile cause I'm old and goin blind! That tiny clock at the top don't cut it any more you young whipper-snapper!
4 I will check my settings on my live tile apps. I will also try some of the suggestions you all offered for other apps.

Thanks so much! This is a great community!

 

[Cpfoxhunt]

In a similar vein, I'm a former IOS user and one thing in particular is driving me a bit nuts - is there no way to globally lock the orientation for every app?

 

[jimski]

Third party devs can only update a tile every 30 minutes, unless they use a push server. And using a push server for a clock tile would be nuts. OEMs (like HTC) and Carriers have full access to the OS, so you will have to rely on Nokia for a clock tile.

Most apps will update their tile every 30 minutes (or longer if they choose) and most work well, provided you have a data connection running all the time. Uses very little energy to keep those tile updated so no worries there. Some sports and stock apps use "push" to update their tiles, which can happen as often as every 10 seconds. Now, that's really "live". I would pay for a News app that used push and almost ran a ticker across a wide live tile. If it was only text on the tile, would use very little data and bandwidth. Any devs out there.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[pjs37]

One thing to try (and I haven't done it yet on my new Lumia) but I made a group called favorites on my old phone and pinned the group to my start screen. That may help too.

 

[SaabBrat]

You can also use Settings > ease of access > Screen magnifier to enable screen magnification for the built-in clock or anything else.

 

[steeleblue]

I found one app called Lightening Dial. It lets you put shortcuts for phone numbers, send SMS, and a whole bunch of other stuff. You then can pin the Lightening dial to the start screen. It still takes 2 taps but I find it pretty nice. I can pin just one tile and cover up to 36 options. There's a free version and a paid version. I liked it so much I actually bought it.

And I agree about the clock. I'm 61 and really, REALLY need a big clock on the lock screen and on the Home screen. Hate to pull out my reading glasses just to check the time. That's really my biggest complaint. Hopefully Nokia will come up with something.

 

[octavian90]

RAPDIALER! t9 and favorites list are both boss.