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Windows Phone |OT2|

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R

RM8

Member
The WP version of Jazz JackRabbit is actually decent, as much as I despise virtual touch buttons. And it's free. Without ads.
 
Hazzard4life

Hazzard4life

Member
Commodore said:
Anybody else ever have the marketplace tile load up a bunch of app update notifications, and then we you fire it up, there's nothing. Right now on my tile there's a solid 10 or so phantom apps that need updates, but nada. This just me?
Click to expand...

For the past three days every morning its saying two app to update, but when I check there's nothing there
 
H

HollovVpo1nt

Banned
What are “Live Apps” and are they coming to Windows Phone 8?

LiveApps1.png


Now that some third-party stores are getting their marketing and display setups for the big Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 co-launch at the end of the month, some new questions are being raised.
First and foremost is what are “Live Apps”? The term comes via a display sign that asks users to swipe up, down, left or right on the screen to explore them at a Best Buy store. The questions is, we just don’t know what they are exactly.
Two possibilities naturally present themselves: this is a new, unannounced feature for Windows Phone 8 or this is just a display-unit addition for demonstrations with no serious implications for the platform. (The tipster who sent the images into Neowin does not believe it’s a demonstration tool, but rather an actual feature for what it’s worth.)
Click to expand...

I think it's some sort of demostration app, judging by 'learn how to use windows phone 8'.
 
H

hwalker84

Member
DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stupid phone in my pocket must've either continued hitting buttons until it reset itself or the button combination for the reset was held down. So stupid for not having a backup and restore option from the beginning. Oh well I'm not installing a damn thing until I get my Lumia 920.
 
TTOOLL

TTOOLL

Member
Hi Gaf,

I set my status in the facebook chat as "apppear offline" on the messaging hub. My friend told me that he could see the cellphone icon on facebook, I asked him to send me a message but I didn't receive it. I had my connection on all the time.

Is this how it works?
 
T

Troll

Banned
TTOOLL said:
Hi Gaf,

I set my status in the facebook chat as "apppear offline" on the messaging hub. My friend told me that he could see the cellphone icon on facebook, I asked him to send me a message but I didn't receive it. I had my connection on all the time.

Is this how it works?
Click to expand...

Here is a good guide to how it's supposed to work.

WPCentral
Once up and running, much like any IM client on Windows, Linux or Mac, you're able to set your status to:


Available - activate both Messenger and Facebook Chat

Busy - appear as "busy" (affects Messenger only)

Away - appear as "Away" (affects Messenger only)

Appear Offline - activate Messenger only, appear "offline" (Facebook Chat is not activated with this option)

Offline - close all connections to the IM services
Click to expand...
 
F

Firestorm

Member
I really wish messages read were synced. I often ignore my messages on phone because I'll assume it's from the MSN or FB conversation I'm having on my computer. Then I'll find out one of the 25 or whatever was a text message from 3 hours ago when I go to clear it out -.-
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Firestorm said:
I really wish messages read were synced. I often ignore my messages on phone because I'll assume it's from the MSN or FB conversation I'm having on my computer. Then I'll find out one of the 25 or whatever was a text message from 3 hours ago when I go to clear it out -.-
Click to expand...

I hate this.
 
C

Cipherr

Member
Cuteness Overload said:
So many people want a Samsung WP8?
Click to expand...

Welp, the colors are nice and interesting, and I think its nice that they are back to provide contrast to the black white and grey slabs, but I'm one of those that likes those slabs. I would buy a Ativ over annnnny of the other WP8 phones. It looks like an S3 with a better chassis. I wonder if it will outsell all the rest.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Cipherr said:
Welp, the colors are nice and interesting, and I think its nice that they are back to provide contrast to the black white and grey slabs, but I'm one of those that likes those slabs. I would buy a Ativ over annnnny of the other WP8 phones. It looks like an S3 with a better chassis. I wonder if it will outsell all the rest.
Click to expand...
But the other phones come all in black too. There's even a matte grey option for the Lumia 920. Very business like.
 
F

Firestorm

Member
If it's anything like the Focus it could use the weight =/ My friend has a Nexus and agrees with me as well. Samsung's phones feel really plastic and cheap. My friend's HTC One X and other friends' iPhones all feel so much better to hold. Looking forward to the Lumia and hoping that the added weight helps with being able to feel it vibrate in your pocket as well... I miss way too many messages / calls.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Firestorm said:
If it's anything like the Focus it could use the weight =/ My friend has a Nexus and agrees with me as well. Samsung's phones feel really plastic and cheap. My friend's HTC One X and other friends' iPhones all feel so much better to hold. Looking forward to the Lumia and hoping that the added weight helps with being able to feel it vibrate in your pocket as well... I miss way too many messages / calls.
Click to expand...

That was pretty much my reaction when I got the Nexus. It's nice that it's light, but it really feels too light. A bit like a toy. And yes, the vibration is getting way too weak on these phones. Sometimes I feel like they shouldn't even bother implementing it.
 
C

Cipherr

Member
brotkasten said:
But the other phones come all in black too. There's even a matte grey option for the Lumia 920. Very business like.
Click to expand...

Its not just the color, its the overall phone design. I prefer the Ativ over the HTC and Nokia 920 designs so far physically. They all run the same OS. In the end its just minor hardware differences. If I had to choose one, I would go with the Ativ, and thats saying alot considering all the cool software and hardware stuff Nokia brought this round.
 
T

Troll

Banned
A VERY welcome change to multitasking in WP 8.

WPCentral

One pet peeve that many users have with Windows Phone concerns how apps multitask. Specifically, if the app has already been launched. If you use the hold-back button method, you can go back to your app right where you left off—brilliant.

But, if you were to tap the app’s Tile it effectively re-launches the app, even though you already have it running. It’s an odd behavior as sometimes that Tile is faster than cycling and switching apps—it’s just not intuitive.

We have now heard from a good source that this behavior is now fixed in Windows Phone 8. Launching an app that is already running will bring you to where you left off, not restart the app.

In fact, if you scour some hands-on videos out there, you can on occasion see this happen (the Pictures Hub is one instance). Combined with the ability have up to eight apps running (as revealed in an earlier video) users should hopefully be happy with the new changes.
Click to expand...
 
M

maeh2k

Member
HollovVpo1nt said:
What are “Live Apps” and are they coming to Windows Phone 8?
Click to expand...

Unsurprisingly just a new term for apps with live tiles: http://www.wpcentral.com/live-apps-microsofts-new-language-live-tile-functionality

Interestingly this article also says:
We have now heard from a good source that this behavior is now fixed in Windows Phone 8. Launching an app that is already running will bring you to where you left off, not restart the app.
Click to expand...

I'll believe it when I see it.
 
Cute Dragon Here

Cute Dragon Here

Member
So I've just bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and from what I've used, Android 4.0.3 with Google Chrome seems like a laggard compared to the Nokia Lumia 900, Windows Phone 7.5 and Internet Explorer 9. I guess there are things that are just more optimized on the Windows Phone side - the tablet has beefier specs.

I have some newfound respect for the developers at the WP team.
 
T

thirty

Banned
hope WiFi automatically turns on when I'm at home or in the area of my other WiFi networks. shame wp7 was so behind with this.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
I refuse to believe they've changed the multitasking behavior for third party apps. Cause if they did, that would make me insanely happy.
 
M

maeh2k

Member
I still don't believe they've changed it. All wpcentral has to back this up is one small moment in an old video that, to me, looks like he just accidentally touched the back button instead of tapping the tile.
 
G

giga

Member
Update: We have some more clarification on the the resuming/re-starting issue. In Windows Phone 8, first party apps can do this e.g. Pictures Hub and Email, etc. But third party apps cannot officially do this behavior, unless they do a trick. The trick is for developers to mark their apps as "GPS apps", which can then take advantage of running in the background. What is not clear is if regular third-party apps that do this will pass certification. The good news is that apps like Nokia Drive or anything that does use GPS can take advantage of this feature. -Thanks to another unnamed source for the info
Click to expand...
Knew it was too good to be true. Stop turning into wmpoweruser, wpcentral.
 
M

maeh2k

Member
From a consistency perspective it's okay the way it is and changing the behavior introduces some issues, yet I'm not that fond of the current implementation, either. Using the multitasking view isn't as effortless as it should be and people who aren't as familiar with the OS just restart their apps all the time. E.g. restarting WhatsApp every time they get a new message... Not ideal.
 
H

HollovVpo1nt

Banned
From what we know so far, I think it's safe to say the the upgrade from Windows Phone 7.5 -> 8 is mostly under the hood work, transferring kernels. I think we'll get a proper feature update with the features people want most now in Windows Phone 8.X
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
VanMardigan said:
Big shot reviewers may be getting their phones this week.

I can't wait for the Verge's "I wish the 920 ran Android" review.
Click to expand...

Considering it's the iVerge, that would be an improvement over 'I wish the 920 ran iOS'. Their reviews of Galaxy Note II and iPhone 5 are hilarious when you put them side-by-side and read them, the entire iP5 review sounds like an apology to readers that they didn't like it enough for Apple and the entire GNII review sounds like an apology to readers that it's actually a good device not made by Apple.

HollovVpo1nt said:
From what we know so far, I think it's safe to say the the upgrade from Windows Phone 7.5 -> 8 is mostly under the hood work, transferring kernels. I think we'll get a proper feature update with the features people want most now in Windows Phone 8.X
Click to expand...

I just don't understand the mentality at MS. How long do they plan to keep punting the ball down the field? They've already missed the first billion smartphone users, and they're going to miss the second billion too. There's already 99.5% no hope for them at this point, are they waiting until they have 99.995% no hope before they make their move?
 
P

PG2G

Member
Unknown Soldier said:
I just don't understand the mentality at MS. How long do they plan to keep punting the ball down the field? They've already missed the first billion smartphone users, and they're going to miss the second billion too. There's already 99.5% no hope for them at this point, are they waiting until they have 99.995% no hope before they make their move?
Click to expand...

What is missing that is worth complaining about?
 
S

Steelyuhas

Member
maeh2k said:
From a consistency perspective it's okay the way it is and changing the behavior introduces some issues, yet I'm not that fond of the current implementation, either. Using the multitasking view isn't as effortless as it should be and people who aren't as familiar with the OS just restart their apps all the time. E.g. restarting WhatsApp every time they get a new message... Not ideal.
Click to expand...

When you hit a toast notification it starts a new instance of the app correct?
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
Tomcat said:
correct but with the new hardware the apps could open really quick so i hope it wont be as much of a hassle as it is now
Click to expand...

Probably only on wp8 apps, the 7.5 third party apps will likely be as slow as ever on first instance. That should fix itself as more apps become native, but it's still dumb to open a fresh instance of an app every time. I've spent a lot of time on that though, so I'll move on.

I think having more apps stay in memory will definitely make my day-to-day usage better on Apollo. That, along with a high def screen, are what I'm most excited about. Though, there are a couple of things that MS could reveal that would be awesome:

-The rumored song matching/song locker/streaming library from Xbox Music.
-Improvements to the People Hub
-Complete online and offline phone backup
 
C

Commodore

Member
So I loaded up the Release preview of Windows 8 last weekend. Just wanted to give it a try, see how the phone UI philosophy has filtered through. While I think ultimately it will work far better as a touch interface, (at least the new start overlay) and which makes me a little more prone to take a good look at a Surface tablet at some point early next year, I do love how the live tiles still bring 'you' into the interface, like the phone, where as soon as you enter your info, the interface comes alive with stuff that is relevant and immediately identifies the OS as yours. Plus the apps themselves, design wise, built to move horizontally, and simply being a complete breath of fresh air (stylistically) when I think of my years working with boring old Windows, just feels a tad bit invigorating.

But speaking of apps, while I hear the release preview stopped having any new apps for a while now, one app made by the guys that did the MetroTube youtube app for WP7 was excellent. Tweetro is definitely worth checking out whenever any of you upgrade to W8, just fused really really well with the design language Microsoft has set up, very clean, very efficient at checking out tweeted content with a built in browser that loads off to the side. Great app.

We'll have to see how the sudden amount of users getting W8 will filter down, and how apps will be brought down to the phone, or brought up to the desktop. But I'm interested in how one app available on both will translate or be different. Either way, I can't see how Windows 8 can be anything but a boon for the Windows Phone platform.
 
S

Steelyuhas

Member
Tomcat said:
correct but with the new hardware the apps could open really quick so i hope it wont be as much of a hassle as it is now
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess.

Depending on the app, it's not really a big deal now. When I look at the apps that I commonly use, Rowi starts a new instance really quickly, but something like Facebook takes a damn hour to start up.
 
I

Izuna

Banned
I currently have an Omnia 7 and I'm looking to upgrade to Lumia 920 next month.

My wifey has a 4S and I use it often for exclusive Apps, so I won't upgrade to iPhone 5 no matter what. I love Windows Phone (and dead set on getting Surface Pro) but I have a few questions:

1. Will I (finally) be able to set a static I.P?

2. Will there be Sim-Only EE plans? (UK)

3. Will my Zune Music Pass subscription carry over to Xbox Music?

4. What exactly is Beats Audio, and should I consider HTC's 8X because of it?

5. Any news on Japanese (Fujitsu) WP8 devices yet? Will the Lumia 920 be released or work (unlocked) in Japan?

A 24-month contract sounds horrible since Nokia are likely to roll out new WP8 phones before it ends, and my Omnia 7 is poo in comparison to my brother's Lumia 800.

I almost can't wait for the 29th. I'm literally losing sleep over my own excitement over it.

Thank you for reading!
 
C

Commodore

Member
XBOX MUSIC PASS hitting tomorrow for Windows 8.

Xbox Music General Manager Jerry Johnson described Xbox Music as the best of all music services: à la carte options akin to iTunes, streaming options à la Spotify, and a Smart DJ radio option similar to Pandora. As such, Xbox Music offers three ways to use the service: free, ad-supported streaming (for Windows 8 only), a $9.99 monthly subscription (dubbed Xbox Music Pass) that allows unlimited play, and the pay-per-song model via Xbox Music Store that lets you purchase and download 256kbps DRM-free MP3s (streaming music plays as 192kbps WMA files). Current Zune subscribers can jump right in tomorrow with Xbox Music Pass; everyone else can opt for a free 30-day trial.
Click to expand...

Nice trifecta. Welp, that guarantees I'll be upgrading to W8. This won't be available if you're using the Release Preview will it?
 
H

hadareud

The Translator
Have to say that not making it available on WP7 is a very shabby move on MS's behalf.

Windows 7, alright, you have the option to upgrade to Windows 8 relatively easily. On Windows Phone you do not, at least not without buying new hardware.

They should not be able to get away with this.
 
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