Lumiappaday #251: W Phone 8 demoed on the Nokia Lumia 900
In case you wanted to see a little bit of what it was like to get WP8 on your current Lumia (or at least WP7.8) this is W Phone 8. It simulates the homescreen in upcoming WP8 and the 7.8 update.
You can move the tiles around as well as change their sizes and colours. It’s limited at the moment (so only some tiles can go large whilst for WP8/7.8 all tiles can change to all three sizes?). Some tiles don’t actually link to what they depict. I’m liking it. For those not a fan of lists, you could just have the generic grid of 4×7 icons in view.
#251) W Phone 8
Price: Free
Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/64fde631-3f99-449d-8149-28e33084dde6
Developer Blurb:
Do you like the new Windows Phone 8 start screen? If you do, then wait no more! This app is a very realistic simulation of the new start screen. You can resize into the new small and large tiles, “install” apps and change theme colour! Design your favourite layout and show off to your friends before Windows Phone 8 is here!
Impt note: this app is a simulation and its just for fun. It is not created by Microsoft and is in no way related to the company.
Features
- Resize tiles (just hold on to the tile until it pops out)
- Install new app by tapping on the marketplace tile
- Change theme colour through the settings tile
Rating:
Design: 8
Usability: 8
Performance: 7
Price: 10
Cheers Arts for the tip!
Category: Applications, Lumiappaday, Nokia, Video, Windows Phone
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Yeah, I like this little app as it gives a rough idea of what the new home screen looks like.
I am not yet sure I will find a lot of use for the two bigger sizes of the tiles.. beyond the picture hub, not sure I will want to use so much screen space. But this will depend a lot on how much control developers will have on the content of the tiles. Say e.g. a good weather app might warrant a medium sized tile or even the largest one.. Or the Zune/new music app. Or a news reader…. well, we’ll see.
Also wonder if the color choises are the ones WP8 will have? Hopefully there is a pure black or some sort of very dark charcoal grey available.
Me neither. I’ll keep the picture tile as large too, but otherwise will stick to the standard. Unless of course, as you mention, the developers are allowed to do a little more to the live tiles.
Black/Grey seems to be a popular request. It should defo be there. Or even allow us to choose the particular colour of individual tiles.
IIRC, they did mention that developers will have more control over the tiles content.
By “standard size” you mean the medium or small? To me even the medium seems a little too big for more than a few uses.
I am sure for folks who do a lot of messaging and emailing on their phones or that have a lot of events on their calendar (again, IIRC, the calendar tile will show more than one event at a time) the bigger tiles will be quite useful.
as i’ve seen in the official WP8 videos the calender tile will not show muultiple events but it will animate through mutiple events but still shows one at a time
I like to use pinned family or favorite nature places short video pinned to the start screen, accented with blank space and app tile accents. All these size tiles will be great. If you want different color tiles or pictured background tiles push skinny or skins on this demo app and you can create your own tiles. Just take a picture of the color you want though and use it as background. Really like the arrow and empty strip gone. This opens up the whole canvas.
Microsoft and Nokia setting up Windows Walls at retailers in Europe. Going back to Nokias Sept.announcement at Finland store, Nokia/Microsoft(Surface, Xbox,etc.)Store? If Microsoft said the Surface was to be only available at “their” retail stores and online(where you can’t see or touch it), this would be a global retail partnership if they did and a major help getting customers to see Nokias accessories line.
i really hope it happens, joint ms/nokia retail outlets,
that would be a significant challenge to the apple stores,
mabe the big news are that Moody’s and Fitch downgraded Nokia company to “junk” category !
Tiles ui is still love or hate kind of thing.
i hate those small tiles with a passion. clutered mess, and even if you use the old layout is still kinda ugly. i liked the negative space. i don’t understand why they didn’t evolve on the tile concept. there are a few fan concepts online that really shine, instead we get the same ui virtually. hope they will reveal more features soon and maybe even change a little or refine how the menu and hubs look.
move your ass nokia, customize that start screen a little, tweek those tiles, make them look more interesting
Well, everybody has his/hers own taste and there is no point of arguing about it. But where does this unnecessary hatred towards an UI comes from? I mean, give me a break but actually you HATE an UI?
Personally, I like the Metro UI as it is and I prefer it aesthetically to all the grid based UIs out there. An I really hope that Nokia will not be able to tweak it on their phones because it simply doesn’t make sense.
“Personally, I like the Metro UI as it is and I prefer it aesthetically to all the grid based UIs out there. An I really hope that Nokia will not be able to tweak it on their phones because it simply doesn’t make sense.”
Same, but I really doubt Microsoft will bow down to pressure from OEMs to open it up for some major modifications to its Metro UI. So far I haven’t heard of Nokia clamouring for something like this. I remember reading on WP Central that Taiwanese OEMs were the ones pushing for further customisation.
Jay, a bit off topic question but still about apps; why is the new ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Rises’ game not available in the Marketplace?
The game is already there for iOS and Android but not for WP.
I thought Nokia had a ‘special relationship’ with this movie, there were a lot of Nokia banners during the world premiere and there’s even a special ‘Batman phone’ but the most important part is lacking: the mobile game.
that game is developed by Gameloft….they don’t release games for windows phone
would be nice if they ported that over to symbian
There are seven Gameloft titles on WP.
most of them are very old ones.
that doesnt change the fact that yu lied about gameloft not developing games for wp
then where is amazing spider man HD for windows phone? where is Nova series?….. list goes on about latest games which Gameloft won’t release now or they may release it for wp8 but next year
full use of the display makes the ui look much more polished,
Ewww,fugly as hell
Android>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Good bye nokia!!!