Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1
So, I got update 1 on my phone this morning and had a chance to poke around a bit. Overall, I think it is a better update for the timeframe between this and 8.1 (which isn't even officially on most phones for most carriers at the moment) than any prior update.
This release cadence is a little on the insane side of things. And, I happen to know for a fact that these features are really just the left overs that they couldn't fit into the original 8.1 in time to get it to carriers and OEMs. But, that being said, this is STILL lightning fast. And I hope it is a sign of things to come. Windows gets weekly updates (which are pretty much exclusively bug fixes, but those are still good things to get) and the Xbox One gets monthly updates. It would be awesome if some sort of tighter schedule of release were put in place for Windows Phone as well. I know carriers and OEMs present a barrier, but even fixes monthly and feature releases quarterly would be appreciated by all.
But this isn't what this post was meant to be about. This is meant as a quick fly-by of the new features a Canadian like me with an existing phone would notice. And those are Cortana in alpha form and folders for the start screen.
The Cortana one is nice. It has been possible to use it before now, but it required changing your region and language to US appropriate settings. I hate having my Canadian spelling corrected/rejected by my phone and I have in the past run into problems in rare scenarios when my phone region settings didn't match those on my Microsoft account. So, I preferred to wait until they released it officially. But this is even better. Getting it early without breaking my settings.
Outside of that, there isn't a ton to say. The feature has been hyped to death practically long before now. That being said, I feel things like quiet hours (+ inner circle), and geo-fenced reminders make it a very useful feature. I also LOVE the ability to type instead of talking to it. Even IF voice recognition software were at a point where I could use it even out doors or in a crowded place like a mall with near 100% accuracy, I would STILL feel like an idiot barking commands at my phone. This is the saving grace; enabling this functionality without the need to use voice interaction.
The folders feature was other one existing users would notice. I have to say, this was implemented even better than I had expected. I still prefer my hubs idea. But what was delivered is about a billion times better than I feared and a couple of times better than I had expected. For instance, I assumed the feature was an after thought just to shut up the whiners and that it would invalidate Live Tiles. It doesn't. The folders do have a live tile that cycles through the tile updates from the apps in the folder. I still contend... if you actually care about your tile updates they shouldn't be in a folder though, since you would have to hope that the right tile was showing when you looked, let alone any tile at all.
The UI is also better/different than I expected. When I think folders, I was think navigation to a new start screen essentially with just those apps. What actually happens is the folder expands right on the start screen. And tiles can be organized and resized within a folder just as they can outside of them. Lastly of note, tile updates are shown inside of the folders.
I also still contend, for continuous vertical scrolling of the start page makes for quicker access than folders for probably 99.9% of users (if not 100%).
I'm using it at the moment for the tiles that I don't use regularly. But not sure how long that will last. Regardless, I think the feature ended up being implemented in a way consistent with the Windows Phone user experience. While I'll agree that the idea came from Android/iOS I can safely say that it seems like a wholly unique and refreshing approach. It isn't just ticking off a check box on a feature list. And I think that matters.
For those who felt it was missing, it is here, and I think you'll be happy with the form it has taken.
This release cadence is a little on the insane side of things. And, I happen to know for a fact that these features are really just the left overs that they couldn't fit into the original 8.1 in time to get it to carriers and OEMs. But, that being said, this is STILL lightning fast. And I hope it is a sign of things to come. Windows gets weekly updates (which are pretty much exclusively bug fixes, but those are still good things to get) and the Xbox One gets monthly updates. It would be awesome if some sort of tighter schedule of release were put in place for Windows Phone as well. I know carriers and OEMs present a barrier, but even fixes monthly and feature releases quarterly would be appreciated by all.
But this isn't what this post was meant to be about. This is meant as a quick fly-by of the new features a Canadian like me with an existing phone would notice. And those are Cortana in alpha form and folders for the start screen.
The Cortana one is nice. It has been possible to use it before now, but it required changing your region and language to US appropriate settings. I hate having my Canadian spelling corrected/rejected by my phone and I have in the past run into problems in rare scenarios when my phone region settings didn't match those on my Microsoft account. So, I preferred to wait until they released it officially. But this is even better. Getting it early without breaking my settings.
Outside of that, there isn't a ton to say. The feature has been hyped to death practically long before now. That being said, I feel things like quiet hours (+ inner circle), and geo-fenced reminders make it a very useful feature. I also LOVE the ability to type instead of talking to it. Even IF voice recognition software were at a point where I could use it even out doors or in a crowded place like a mall with near 100% accuracy, I would STILL feel like an idiot barking commands at my phone. This is the saving grace; enabling this functionality without the need to use voice interaction.
The folders feature was other one existing users would notice. I have to say, this was implemented even better than I had expected. I still prefer my hubs idea. But what was delivered is about a billion times better than I feared and a couple of times better than I had expected. For instance, I assumed the feature was an after thought just to shut up the whiners and that it would invalidate Live Tiles. It doesn't. The folders do have a live tile that cycles through the tile updates from the apps in the folder. I still contend... if you actually care about your tile updates they shouldn't be in a folder though, since you would have to hope that the right tile was showing when you looked, let alone any tile at all.
The UI is also better/different than I expected. When I think folders, I was think navigation to a new start screen essentially with just those apps. What actually happens is the folder expands right on the start screen. And tiles can be organized and resized within a folder just as they can outside of them. Lastly of note, tile updates are shown inside of the folders.
I also still contend, for continuous vertical scrolling of the start page makes for quicker access than folders for probably 99.9% of users (if not 100%).
I'm using it at the moment for the tiles that I don't use regularly. But not sure how long that will last. Regardless, I think the feature ended up being implemented in a way consistent with the Windows Phone user experience. While I'll agree that the idea came from Android/iOS I can safely say that it seems like a wholly unique and refreshing approach. It isn't just ticking off a check box on a feature list. And I think that matters.
For those who felt it was missing, it is here, and I think you'll be happy with the form it has taken.
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