[Anton Sugar]

You haven't actually explained the problem well, or at least this part: is it just the live tile or the music hub as well that fails to update with artist background?

Both the live tile and Music background. The actual album art loads on the artist tiles within the app, but the Music background and live tile don't.

EDIT: Yeah, just pinned an artist who normally has an artist portrait, to my Start screen, and the tile is just solid blue :-| Great.

EDIT: Ah, problem solved. For anyone else with the issue: http://forums.wpcentral.com/lumia-900/189620.htm

Here is what you need to do. I've had this issue on my HTC Trophy (1.5 gen) and now my Lumia 900... You sort of have to 'jumpstart' the artist images. When listening to adele, tap the marketplace arrow on her artist page. This will present all the albums you could download for her. Tap on one of the albums and preview the song. It will force download the album art. After you see her image in the background, go back to listening to a song that is already on your device. You should see artwork in the background on the now playing page. It will also display the art on the live tile. Repeat this step for artists as necessary. Usually it's fixed after the first artist, but you may have to do it for others.

[Brettison]

Dear WP-GAF,

You guys and gals need new high res amazing screens ASAP.

Signed,
Brettison

[Commodore]

Dear WP-GAF, You guys and gals need new high res amazing screens ASAP. Signed, Brettison

Ok, cool, but I'm gonna have to wait till later on. I pinky swear I will though.

jealous

[Brettison]

Ok, cool, but I'm gonna have to wait till later on. I pinky swear I will though. jealous

It's funny because I didn't feel like the 800 x 480 res on my focus was holding me back at all, but then you see some of the new stuff which makes me question my original judgement. LOL

[Commodore]

It's funny because I didn't feel like the 800 x 480 res on my focus was holding me back at all, but then you see some of the new stuff which makes me question my original judgement. LOL

Ignorance is bliss. Once I replace my battery on my Focus, I kicked up my brightness to high because that screen goes into awesome mode when its up there and I've been happy since. I don't want to think what an HD screen in high brightness mode would do, and its better that I don't know. Yet.

[antiquegamer]

ZD Net report most loyal fans doesn't care about not able to upgrade their first gen phone to Windows Phone 8 but according to Microsoft this was plan from the get go. Someone must forget to tell poor Nokia.

To be honest it doesn't really bother me at all even with my Titan ... this to me differ than back before NoDo and Mango where the phone was still missing much of the features and full of bugs.

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-of-co...us-7000000222/

So who going to step off the lane next not to get hit by Microsoft bus ... since even our Brot has gone to Google.

[Fjolle]

ZD Net report most loyal fans doesn't care about not able to upgrade their first gen phone to Windows Phone 8 but according to Microsoft this was plan from the get go. Someone must forget to tell poor Nokia. To be honest it doesn't really bother me at all even with my Titan ... this to me differ than back before NoDo and Mango where the phone was still missing much of the features and full of bugs. http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-of-co...us-7000000222/ So who going to step off the lane next not to get hit by Microsoft bus ... since even our Brot has gone to Google.

Nokia knew from the start.

And I agree with the notion that people bought their phones for what they are able to do right now, not what some blogger has fantasied that they will be able to do in the future.

Also outside USA (Most of the world) you aren't necessarily forced into a two year contract when you buy a subsidized phone. Here for example it's 6 months max.

[brotkasten]

It's funny because I didn't feel like the 800 x 480 res on my focus was holding me back at all, but then you see some of the new stuff which makes me question my original judgement. LOL

Eh, I still don't think it's a big deal.

Also, don't get a pentile HD AMOLED screen. I don't care what everyone else says about pixel density on those screen. It might be 720p on paper, but you can still see that it's pentile. Though it's not as bad as with the older WVGA screens (like the Lumia 800, OG Focus or Omnia 7).

[Cuteness Overload]

Eh, I still don't think it's a big deal. Also, don't get a pentile HD AMOLED screen. I don't care what everyone else says about pixel density on those screen. It might be 720p on paper, but you can still see that it's pentile. Though it's not as bad as with the older WVGA screens (like the Lumia 800, OG Focus or Omnia 7).

I have to agree with you on that. The serrated reds and blues on these PenTile screens are quite the eyesore and I noticed that I'm extremely sensitive to it. Even though it's the same resolution, I've noticed that reading text is much easier on my Lumia, since the PenTile fuzz is gone.

I think I can even notice PenTile matrix hijinks on a 720p screen... It's either normal RGB or just a plain LCD for me when it comes to screens.

[VanMardigan]

720p Metro. Those hubs in HD will be glorious.

Can't wait.

[Doffen]

Nokia knew from the start. And I agree with the notion that people bought their phones for what they are able to do right now, not what some blogger has fantasied that they will be able to do in the future. Also outside USA (Most of the world) you aren't necessarily forced into a two year contract when you buy a subsidized phone. Here for example it's 6 months max.

The last mobile I bought on contract was Samsung SGH-Z500.

[Cuteness Overload]

Also outside USA (Most of the world) you aren't necessarily forced into a two year contract when you buy a subsidized phone. Here for example it's 6 months max.

Heh. My contract in Singapore does last for two years, but I'm eligible for upgrade one year in, and I'm eligible for free upgrades after 18 months. Guess it works differently in different countries - in Malaysia and Singapore, I've only seen 2 year contracts for everything but USB modems.

[Brettison]

Eh, I still don't think it's a big deal. Also, don't get a pentile HD AMOLED screen. I don't care what everyone else says about pixel density on those screen. It might be 720p on paper, but you can still see that it's pentile. Though it's not as bad as with the older WVGA screens (like the Lumia 800, OG Focus or Omnia 7).

There's a reason I got the One X. The screen is boss. Super IPS LCD2 FTW!

Though I didn't notice the pentile problem that much on my OG Focus. It was more the saturation problem especially towards blue that always stood out to me.

PS: It's a big deal when you get in the right situation I've found.

[frontieruk]

This is more for my fiancé to use and give me my damn focus back.

It's a solid little phone then, call quality is a bit lacking compared to my Titan, but other than that it's as good (bar the camera)

Also outside USA (Most of the world) you aren't necessarily forced into a two year contract when you buy a subsidized phone. Here for example it's 6 months max.

Here contracts are 30days for sim only to 2 years with a handset. The longer the contract the better the handset subsidies.

But then again you can get most handsets on payg here so if you shop right you can pick up decent handsets for less than half the oem cost but as an oem handset so what ever floats your boat.

[PG2G]

http://www.wpcentral.com/new-lock-sc...indows-phone-8

We’re not sure if Microsoft will have an actual notification-center on board (ala Android's "drawer") but we do know they solved this problem another way in Windows Phone 8—by giving developer access to the Lock screen with the added ability to have custom notifications. There are actually four options for developers to choose from with one of them being extremely creative as it will give you a fresh look to your Lock screen numerous times a day. We won’t say much more on the matter for fear of raising Microsoft’s ire but hopefully this tease will get you excited for what’s coming in Windows Phone 8.

Hrm... I'm curious

[VanMardigan]

I am irrationally hyped for Apollo considering how little we know.

I.can't.wait.

Which begs the question: who is doing the new OT?

[SCHUEY F1]

I can't wait as well. I hope Nokia has a phone at launch though.

[brotkasten]

I can't wait as well. I hope Nokia has a phone at launch though.

Of course they're going to have a Lumia at launch. The question was always if they'll have a Lumia with PureView ready for October.

[SCHUEY F1]

Of course they're going to have a Lumia at launch. The question was always if they'll have a Lumia with PureView ready for October.

I don't need really need pureview (even though it is pretty awesome), but a camera that can allow more light in than the 900 would be nice. It better be HD have NFC, etc. though.

[Doffen]

Which begs the question: who is doing the new OT?

I might do it, if no other hero takes the challenge.

[hwalker84]

I don't need really need pureview (even though it is pretty awesome), but a camera that can allow more light in than the 900 would be nice. It better be HD have NFC, etc. though.

Yeah I don't exactly need pureview either for October just something that knocks it out of the park in other ways.

[VanMardigan]

I'm sure if I go back through brot's post history, I can show he had previously committed to it, but I'll let him off the hook since he bailed out....


....unless he still WANTS to do our OT. /shamelessbegging

[Copernicus]

Will you guys post in my Windows 8 Phone Edition thread if I make one?

[Commodore]

Will you guys post in my Windows 8 Phone Edition thread if I make one?

I will post in such a thread.

[Milchjon]

Will you guys post in my Windows 8 Phone Edition thread if I make one?

Man, how often have you been banned over the past few months? Seems like every other week is a timeout for you.

[Anton Sugar]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[kn1ves24]

I know I'm sort of LTTP for all of this, but I bought a used Samsung Focus Flash off ebay. I know its not the most impressive phone out there but its good enough for what I want to use it for, and it will hold me off till WP8 and the new phones in the fall. I still don't have the phone yet, should be here within a day or two, but I had a few questions.

I remember reading somewhere that MS was offering free cloud storage space to WP owners. Is this for the upcoming WP8 or does it apply to the current gen phones? Also I'm assuming its tied to a windows live account, so if it is available to current phones, will I get access to it even though I have a used phone?

[Steelyuhas]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

I need to get a job in the Windows Phone division at MS. With how fast people jump ship, I could be running the place in no time.

[Copernicus]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

oh my.

[Doffen]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

There are a lot of people who are bailing on Microsoft these days, and it’s not because of the products.
According to what I’ve heard is it because of the new “review your co-worker” deal that has made Microsoft quite an exhausting place to work.
This leaves Microsoft with allot of competing within, which will divide the “teams” and create tension.

[thirty]

messed around with the GS3 today. nice phone; impressive screen size without being obnoxious like the galaxy note, build quality feels good but galaxy nexus feels better(maybe due to its aluminum back plate), lastly Verizon LTE is smoking fast.

nokia better bring its A game. Samsung will have a WP8 equivalent in the coming months but by then the GS3 will be free. pureview is the differentiator. nokia better bring out a GS3 thin phone with a pureview bump.

[VanMardigan]

I know I'm sort of LTTP for all of this, but I bought a used Samsung Focus Flash off ebay. I know its not the most impressive phone out there but its good enough for what I want to use it for, and it will hold me off till WP8 and the new phones in the fall. I still don't have the phone yet, should be here within a day or two, but I had a few questions. I remember reading somewhere that MS was offering free cloud storage space to WP owners. Is this for the upcoming WP8 or does it apply to the current gen phones? Also I'm assuming its tied to a windows live account, so if it is available to current phones, will I get access to it even though I have a used phone?

You're probably thinking of skydrive, that was an offer for anyone, though picture and document integration on windows phone means its more useful to us. If you had a hotmail and skydrive account for anwhile, log in and see if they offer you the expanded storage.

How much did you pay for the focus flash? My brother wants one.

[kn1ves24]

How much did you pay for the focus flash? My brother wants one.

~$130 shipped. Not exactly cheap, I know. I probably could have got it for less if I would have waited around and bid on a few but my impatience got the better of me and I jumped at a "buy it now" one. I saw a some on there a few days ago that were going for around ~$80-100 but they looked fairly beat up.

I've had a live account for several years, I see it says I have 7gb of space on skydrive. That's not bad then, I'm assuming WP just hooks into it better than just a normal app, similar to how iCloud works.

[giga]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Just a matter of time before Belfiore joins RIM.

[Brettison]

On the note of a high res screen. I don't really notice a big different just making calls, sending texts, checking e-mail, listening to music, browsing the app store, rolling through the UI ect... etc... (well at least I don't think I do).

Where I notice it is in Chrome browsing webpages, running the youtube app and watching "professional" video such as the Gymkhana race video through San Fran in HD, and browsing through Facebook. Things just look sooo crisp and high res. It really stands out even compared to other stuff on the phone.

I think most WP users who switch to a WP8 device with the higher resolutions will also notice it even if it won't be immediately apparent on the new metro home screen.

~$130 shipped. Not exactly cheap, I know. I probably could have got it for less if I would have waited around and bid on a few but my impatience got the better of me and I jumped at a "buy it now" one. I saw a some on there a few days ago that were going for around ~$80-100 but they looked fairly beat up. I've had a live account for several years, I see it says I have 7gb of space on skydrive. That's not bad then, I'm assuming WP just hooks into it better than just a normal app, similar to how iCloud works.

Sort of. It's got some hooks in say the office app or when you take a picture you can upload to your skydrive.

That being said it's not as ubiquitous as it could/should be. That'll be rectified like a ton of things in WP8.

[kn1ves24]

Sort of. It's got some hooks in say the office app or when you take a picture you can upload to your skydrive. That being said it's not as ubiquitous as it could/should be. That'll be rectified like a ton of things in WP8.

I sort of expected that. Honestly for me, any of this cloud storage stuff is just a bonus. Its nothing I really need. I'm sure I'm part of the minority when I say it really makes no difference to me if my phone would just instantly get wiped at any given time. Sure I use it everyday but nothing of real value is stored on it for me.

About the screen resolution stuff, I understand what you mean. I have an iPhone 4 and in just general use you don't really pay much attention to the resolution nor do you really notice it (least I don't) but in certain situations, like looking at pictures or HQ videos the screen does improve the overall experience.

[VanMardigan]

Sort of. It's got some hooks in say the office app or when you take a picture you can upload to your skydrive. That being said it's not as ubiquitous as it could/should be. That'll be rectified like a ton of things in WP8.

I'm going to agree that skydrive could and probably will be more ubiquitous in Apollo. That said, you're kinda selling the built in integration short. You gloss over the Office hooks, and maybe you have no use for that software suite on your phone, but I do as a student, and its fantastic to have your word, excel, and powerpoint documents in sync effortlessly. Its like dropbox for Office on the phone. If you use OneNote like I do, its even better, probably the best note taking tool on any platform if you have the PC software as a compliment.

Besides the low res picture uploads, which I don't like, SkyDrive integration into the pictures hub means you can view any albums you upload from your PC. So, for example I used the desktop SkyDrive tool to upload pics from my previous phones and now, in the pictures hub, they show up alongside the native pictures I took and the Facebook pictures I've uploaded. You can tag, set as wallpaper, and save to phone, its pretty neat to just have those photos show up.

They'll probably expand that functionality to the music and video hub for Apollo, but I won't have much use for it given the network speeds where I live, so picture and document integration, which already exists, is pretty much all I need anyway.

Edit: oh yeah, they'll probably include full device backup including app save states in Apollo, that will be hugely important.

[ElNino]

I'm going to agree that skydrive could and probably will be more ubiquitous in Apollo. That said, you're kinda selling the built in integration short. You gloss over the Office hooks, and maybe you have no use for that software suite on your phone, but I do as a student, and its fantastic to have your word, excel, and powerpoint documents in sync effortlessly. Its like dropbox for Office on the phone. If you use OneNote like I do, its even better, probably the best note taking tool on any platform if you have the PC software as a compliment.

Yeah, I didn't think I would care about the Office integration until I started using it. I do 24/7 on call support that I get overtime for when I get paged (usually in the middle of the night), but to get paid I need to record the ticket number associated with the call. Before, I used to have to remember to look up the ticket numbers the next day, but now I just use the built in time sheet template in Office hub to record my work. Then when it comes time to submit my time sheets at work, I just go to Skydrive on my work PC and grab all my work from the spreadsheet there.

There are other ways to this of course, but the built-in Office approach is very easy and works right out of the box.

[Complex Shadow]

Just a matter of time before Belfiore joins RIM.

more like till RIM joins MS
#amirite

oh god giga your avatar. i thought you were man with taste and standards. i wrong. so very wrong.

[brotkasten]

After a year and a half with Windows Phone and a week with Android 4.0 (+half a day with Jelly Bean):

I miss metro apps.
I miss Segoe WP.
I miss the better looking animations.
I miss the OS wide media controls for music apps.
I miss the People Hub with Facebook integration.
I kinda miss the live tiles, but mostly because Google's widgets are ugly.
The OS isn't in any way more functional for me.
The phone is, because it doesn't reboot few times a day.
Who gives a shit about apps, really. Especially when they're inconsistent with the OS design and just ugly and ewww.
With Jelly Bean, smoothness is finally a thing on Android. No free pass for Windows Phone anymore.

[mescalineeyes]

After a year and a half with Windows Phone and a week with Android 4.0 (+half a day with Jelly Bean): I miss metro apps. I miss Segoe WP. I miss the better looking animations. I miss the OS wide media controls for music apps. I miss the People Hub with Facebook integration. I kinda miss the live tiles, but mostly because Google's widgets are ugly. The OS isn't in any way more functional for me. The phone is, because it doesn't reboot few times a day. Who gives a shit about apps, really. Especially when they're inconsistent with the OS design and just ugly and ewww. With Jelly Bean, smoothness is finally a thing on Android. No free pass for Windows Phone anymore.

Android die-hards are suffering from collective delusions. I am sorry. Windows Phone and iOS both shit all over it.
but hey HUGE ASS WEATHER WIDGET ON THE HOME SCREEN!

[Cuteness Overload]

After a year and a half with Windows Phone and a week with Android 4.0 (+half a day with Jelly Bean): I miss metro apps. I miss Segoe WP. I miss the better looking animations. I miss the OS wide media controls for music apps. I miss the People Hub with Facebook integration. I kinda miss the live tiles, but mostly because Google's widgets are ugly. The OS isn't in any way more functional for me. The phone is, because it doesn't reboot few times a day. Who gives a shit about apps, really. Especially when they're inconsistent with the OS design and just ugly and ewww. With Jelly Bean, smoothness is finally a thing on Android. No free pass for Windows Phone anymore.

Heh. I've always been a sucker for Metro on my phone, and Segoe whatever is just beautiful on a screen, especially when you're not on a 90~ PPI screen. Integration is done exceptionally well on the WP platform - I can't say the same on Android whatever. It's just a jumbled mess; that's probably one of the reasons why I decided to jump ship to WP. I think even Google's own widgets looked out of place on an Android device.

[derFeef]

Uhuh... the display part in my Lumia 800 is shifting in it's case a little bit if you put a preassure to it (noticed during gaming) - guess it's only the glass cover, but still...

[VanMardigan]

Uhuh... the display part in my Lumia 800 is shifting in it's case a little bit if you put a preassure to it (noticed during gaming) - guess it's only the glass cover, but still...

That's a workmanship issue, I'm pretty sure Nokia will fix that for you.

[hwalker84]

Dammit the Fiance wont give up my Focus (backup). Even though I got her a Lumia 710 with the Pink Nokia back and she'd have her normal data speeds back. Oh well I'll probably sell it.

[giga]

more like till RIM joins MS #amirite oh god giga your avatar. i thought you were man with taste and standards. i wrong. so very wrong.

It's temporary. NBA-gaf inside joke for the offseason.

Besides, wtf is your avatar.

[Brettison]

After a year and a half with Windows Phone and a week with Android 4.0 (+half a day with Jelly Bean): I miss metro apps. I miss Segoe WP. I miss the better looking animations. I miss the OS wide media controls for music apps. I miss the People Hub with Facebook integration. I kinda miss the live tiles, but mostly because Google's widgets are ugly. The OS isn't in any way more functional for me. The phone is, because it doesn't reboot few times a day. Who gives a shit about apps, really. Especially when they're inconsistent with the OS design and just ugly and ewww. With Jelly Bean, smoothness is finally a thing on Android. No free pass for Windows Phone anymore.

I don't miss not having access to all of these apps
I don't miss one volume control to rule them all
I don't miss Internet Explorer 9
I don't miss people hub or standalone metro FB app
I don't miss not being able to keep wifi always on when my screens locked

I do miss the mail app ALOT
I do miss certain live tiles
I do miss zune pass

OS is a shit ton more functional to me purely because the #1 thing I do is browse the web on my phone, and Chrome shits all over IE9 to hell and back again so far.

Outside of that hard to compare because the hardware in my One X just shits all over my Focus, but that's to be expected and not a fair comparison. I fully expect there to be no gap when WP8 hits.

[PG2G]

I was just thinking about WP8 and the whole high res display thing. What is the smallest 720p display we've seen out there? I don't believe we've seen anything lower than 4.3", which might mean a sizeable number of Windows Phones (everything 4" and below) will still be the current resolution. Unlike Android, there is no support for qHD.

[giga]

I don't miss not having access to all of these apps I don't miss one volume control to rule them all I don't miss Internet Explorer 9 I don't miss people hub or standalone metro FB app I don't miss not being able to keep wifi always on when my screens locked I do miss the mail app ALOT I do miss certain live tiles I do miss zune pass OS is a shit ton more functional to me purely because the #1 thing I do is browse the web on my phone, and Chrome shits all over IE9 to hell and back again so far. Outside of that hard to compare because the hardware in my One X just shits all over my Focus, but that's to be expected and not a fair comparison. I fully expect there to be no gap when WP8 hits.

What do you miss about the mail app?

[brotkasten]

OS is a shit ton more functional to me purely because the #1 thing I do is browse the web on my phone, and Chrome shits all over IE9 to hell and back again so far. Outside of that hard to compare because the hardware in my One X just shits all over my Focus, but that's to be expected and not a fair comparison. I fully expect there to be no gap when WP8 hits.

IE9 was never an issue for me. Every site I visited worked well. Speed difference in rendering is obviously there, but it never really bothered me to begin with. It doesn't matter to me if I have to wait 5 seconds or 8 seconds for the browser to load GAF (lol). But what do I know, I don't like Chrome and use Dolphin, because I like the UI much more (just like on my iPad).

Also, you got a phone with Sense, you opinion isn't valid anyway.