First look: BlackBerry 10 preview
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 30th Nov 2012 11:42 UTC, submitted by martini
PDAs, Cellphones, Wireless "Once you've got used to it, and that the Hub is the home screen, BB10 is by some distance the most brutally efficient multitouch interface I have used so far. It makes the others look like hard work. Yes, the odds are stacked against RIM - and when it comes to the as-yet unseen hardware, it needs to pull some crackers out of the barrel. But phones sell on the user interface, and this is very good indeed." Basically how I feel about Windows Phone. Much more pleasurable and fun to use than the childish and condescending iOS, and the at times confusing and messy Android (more Holo please, developers!), but sadly, the rest of the world doesn't really care.
E-mail Print r 0   16 Comment(s) http://osne.ws/ki5
Thread beginning with comment 543677
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
about these recurring WP8 comments
by rsmithers on Fri 30th Nov 2012 12:53 UTC
rsmithers
Member since:
2011-08-03

I generally respect Thom's opinion, and I do want WP8 to succeed, but I gave a WP8 device a try this past weekend, and simply couldn't get into it. The interface seemed flashy and ADD (especially those live tiles), configurability was extremely limited (and, really, what's with every solitary on/off config option being nested under its own list item?), and the excessive transition animations took such a long time to complete that I found the experience frustrating.

I'm typically an Android user, and the Android interface can be frustrating and clunky at times (how is it that recent interface updates actually _increase_ the number of touches/clicks that it takes to get things done?), but this was a picnic compared to WP8, which seemed to consistently both annoy the hell out of me and put me on edge. Additionally, unlike typical reviews, I didn't find the touch interface any more smooth and "buttery" than Android 4.0 (sic) -- certainly not as smooth as iPhoneOS -- and I got the feeling that Microsoft was trying to cover this up with flashy transitions to make the device _seem_ smoother and faster reacting. The _slight_ lack of smoothness and lag doesn't bother me, but those transitions do.

I haven't seen any reviews that agree with me, and Thom regularly praises WP8's interface. Am I missing something obvious? Is there an easter egg that I can activate that will enable additional device configuration options (which might at least make the menu structure less useless)? Can I switch out the flashy, time-consuming transitions by tweaking a registry setting when attached to some debugging interface? Can I use live tiles in an interactive manner without them flipping and flitting every second? Does everyone have this initial reaction, but somehow find it fantastic after a week of use? Or is the WP8 interface simply not for me?

Throw me a bone here.

Reference device: HTC 8x

Reply Score: 6

Luminair Member since:
2007-03-30

you aren't missing anything. it is just kind of pretty. art from on high. like a happy meal, your main options are take it or leave it

Reply Parent Score: 2

Thom_Holwerda Member since:
2005-06-29

I think it's just a preference thing. It's not that either of us is wrong - just that we both have different preferences. Metro on WP is quite jarring to new users - it was to me as well - but once I got into it and over the initial weirdness, it all just... Fell into place.

With iOS and Android, I have to work to get what I want. In WP things just... Work. They are where I expect them to be. It's really hard to put into words.

Reply Parent Score: 3

helf Member since:
2005-07-06

I'm with thom here. Not everyone *needs* a lot of customization options. I absolutely adore the simple UI in WP. It gives me what I need at a glance and that's that. I generally dislike UI transition animations, but the ones in WP generally do not annoy me, oddly enough.

Reply Parent Score: 3

FunkyELF Member since:
2006-07-26

but this was a picnic compared to WP8, which seemed to consistently both annoy the hell out of me and put me on edge.


I've never been a user of OSX or any version of Windows beyond Windows XP.

I feel the same way when I use OSX, Windows Vista, Windows 7, etc.

I'm sure it just takes time to get used to. I know there are people who are comfortable with OSX, and Windows 7... to me, because I don't use them regularly, they often make me angry.

The worst thing you could ask me (and my mother-in-law did this over thanksgiving) is to set up a printer on a Windows 7 machine. 2 things I despise.

Reply Parent Score: 4

fatjoe Member since:
2010-01-12

So you admit despise your mother-in-law?

(you said two things)

Reply Parent Score: 2

fatjoe Member since:
2010-01-12

windows phone is "acquired taste", you need to use it for more than a weekend to learn to appreciate it. Have it with you next time you are on vacation


and for gods sake, if you are going to use wp8, get a Nokia. Nokia Maps alone will make your smartphone experience (and your vacation) far far more pleasant.

Reply Parent Score: 3

swift11 Member since:
2012-08-23

Nokia Maps alone will make your smartphone experience (and your vacation) far far more pleasant.


Nokia Maps ( = Navteq maps) is a disaster in Europe.

Reply Parent Score: 1

Read more of this thread... >