Winterface Review
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When I reviewed VITO’s iWindowsMobile’s Communication Suite some time back, I was rather impressed with what they’ve managed to put together that integrates so well to give the user a wonderful experience on their Windows Mobile device. However, I felt that one component of the suite, GoodWin, which was a task switcher and launcher, was rather weak. Considering that it was the core component of the suite, I was hoping that VITO would do something about it.
Well instead of improving on GoodWin, they’ve come up with a whole new application called Winterface. It’s a shell application that can replace GoodWin (I know I would use it to) and a quick glance of it shows a lot of promise. So how does Winterface stand up? Does VITO have a winner here or you better off looking elsewhere?
Introduction
Before I continue discussing the application, let’s cover the basics. Winterface is made for touchscreen devices running Windows Mobile 5 and 6.0 though I assume that it will support 6.1 as well. It’s currently at version 1.01 and this is just 3 days after it was released. Looks like VITO is working overtime to iron out the bugs.
Users who are interested can try it out risk-free for 14 days and after that, they can choose to buy a license for $19.95 if they want to continue using it. Installation size comes up to 1429KB and while you may be tempted to install it to a memory card, I highly recommend that you don’t. Due to the nature of the application, device memory is the way to go on this one.
So why do you want it?
Beautiful Yet Simple Interface
Right from the start, I was impressed. When you launch Winterface through an application shortcut, you are presented with a screen that shows you what you can do. And there are only 3 points there which makes it a whole lot simpler to use your Windows Mobile phone. For those who complain that Windows Mobile has a clunky interface or can be complicated to use, get Winterface on your device and you’ll see just how simplified it’ll become.
Finger Friendly
The icons, which is what Winterface is all about, makes it easier for you to launch and understand the various components you want. There’s no more having to fiddle and figure out where to find the setting to change your Today screen for example. I mean, let’s face it: The icons in Settings are not complicated; they do what they say, but for some users (especially new ones) to find them, can be rather complicated. Well with Winterface, once you set it up the way you want to (more of that in just a while), you’ll have no problems launching the application or changing settings or even calling and texting your contacts. And you can do it all without the need for a stylus, thanks their finger-friendly icons.
Launch With A Gesture
Now here’s a cool part. Because it is a shell, it’s already loaded in the background. But if you, for some reason or other, decide to launch Winterface again, you don’t have to do it like how you launch other programs. Instead, a gesture which starts from the left of the screen and archs to to top before ending on the right side of the screen (see screen shot for better understanding), will launch it for you. Nicely thought out VITO.
Kinetic Scrolling
We’ve heard about it, thanks to Apple who made it (in)famous with their iPhone. It’s a rather useful feature and one that quite a number of developers are incorporating into their applications nowadays.
Well Winterface has kinetic scrolling too. Though you would not use it much except when initially setting up the application whereby you have to go through long lists of applications, settings and contacts and decide what you want to put on the main screen.
Other than that, the only other time when you do use kinetic scrolling is when you move from page to page and pulling up a contact and going through their details. Not much but when you do need it, it’s there.
Smooth Operation
With all this enhancement and on top of Winterface running over the normal Windows Mobile (which some claims to be slow), you’d think that it be slow or laggy as well. Not the case during my experience with it. It responded well and snappy when I flipped through pages tapped on icons. When launching applications, there’s still the slight delay (depending on how big the application is) but that’s normal and Winterface does not impact it negatively.
The only slowdown I encountered was that of the Lock screen (which I will get to in just a moment). Sometimes, after turning on the phone from standby, there would be a delay (about 1-2 seconds) where the screen freezes and it looks like you can’t do anything. The thing is, the device is locked but the lock does not show up. This occurs rarely as I don’t have this problem most of the time. Other than that, operation of Winterface should not have a negative effect on speed and response.
Choose The Icons You Want
What I like most about Winterface is the fact that I can decide which icons I want displayed and where. Be it applications, settings or even my contacts, I can mix and match them to suit my needs. For users who use their device more like a PDA, they might want to choose to have their applications within the first few pages.
For those who use it mainly as a communication tool, then I’d figure that having their contacts within the first few would be a better choice. If you would prefer having settings on the first page, that’s possible as well.
With such customization options, no 2 device would look the same and what’s even better, you can optimize the arrangement based on your needs. How great is that?
Now for the applications and settings icons, when you tap on them, they’ll launch the application or setting in question. Nothing surprising there. But when it comes to contacts, it’s slightly different. Tapping on it would give you a summary of the contact such as the photo, name, phone numbers and email address. You can then choose to either call the contact by tapping on the phone icon or text message them from the message icon. You can even email them (provided your device has been set up to send emails).
Other Features
Winterface has one goal in mind and that’s to make Windows Mobile navigation a whole lot simpler for you. No complicated directory to remember, just set it up and go. Even their settings only has options for you to choose which application, settings and contacts to add as well as what language you want. Nothing else. But that does not make it a sparse application because it does come with other useful features as well.
Lock Screen
Like the rest of the application, it’s simple yet effective. When your device goes into standby, it’ll automatically lock. In lock mode, there’s the date and time and if you look closely at the top, it’s got the network strength indicator, battery level as well as notification setting. And just below the date and time, you see the lock icon that you can deactivate by sliding it across the screen.
Dynamic Icons
Now this does not apply to all icons but it is still a cool feature. If you have an unread text or email message, you’ll see a count on the top left of the icon. Same goes for missed calls. Now you no longer have to wonder if you have unread or missed calls; the icons will let you know.
But that’s not all. The clock icon shows you the current time, the calendar icon is suppose to show you today’s date (I say suppose because as of right now, it does not on my device but VITO is working to fix that). Memory shows you how much free memory is left. Battery shows how much charge is left. Profile shows you if your phone’s sound is set to on, off or vibrate. You get the picture.
Task Manager
It’s also a task manager in case you were wondering. By tapping on the Running icon on the top right, you’ll be presented with a list of applications that are currently running in the background.
Tap on the icon to go to that application quickly. When done, you can just do the left to right gesture to go back to Winterface. But what if you want to end the application? See the small icon at the top right that looks like a square? That’s what you’ll want to tap on to close the application.
To me, I felt that the icon was a tad too small and I had to use my fingernail to close the application. I’m hoping that VITO could come up with an alternative (tap and hold or something) to make it easier for users to end application.
That’s not the only thing that I found wanting in Winterface. Here are a few more.
No Weather Icon
I think one of the icons that Winterface should have would be that of weather and to make it dynamic. So when you look at it, it’ll show you the current day’s weather. Now I know VITO does not have a weather application so this would be a little more complicated to implement but if they could strike a deal with another developer like SBSH and their Pocket Weather, that would be really awesome in my opinion. What do you think?
Unable To Link To Files
While you can link to almost anything on your phone, I say almost because it does not allow linking to files. So for those of you who always access a certain file type, the best thing you can do now is to just link to the application and then open the file when it’s launched.
You Want To Change The Icon’s Picture? Not Now Buddy
Yeah that’s right. Well there’s not much icons you might want to change to begin with considering that most of the applications are well-iconed (if there is such a word). However, for those of you who do not like the grey Internet Explorer picture and prefer the colored version, it’s not possible to do that right now. Another one for the wish list.
No Top Bar
It’s bad enough that the top bar on the lock screen is so faint that one can’t really see it. It’s even worse that it does not exist on the main screen. That means if you need to see the time, you’ll have to go back to the first screen (or whichever screen the Clock icon is on). Would you prefer a small top bar (ala iPhone) on the top of each screen? I know I would.
Does Not Remember Last Page
This is more of a preference as others might not agree with me. When your device comes out of standby, it goes back to the first page, even if you were not on it when the device went into standby. I’d prefer it go back to the last page that I was on so that I could continue from where I left off. However, I am sure there are users out there who would think otherwise so… it’s your call on this VITO.
Can’t Rename Icons
However, I think a feature users would appreciate is the ability to rename the caption below each icon. Sometimes the names are are just too long or you have a preference for something else. Whatever the reason, you can’t do any changes to it right now. It’s been added to the wish list the last time I checked with the developer so hopefully we’ll see it soon enough. Until then, you’ll have to stick with the default caption.
Summary
What I Like About It
- Very clean and beautiful interface, yet keeps things simple for all users.
- Finger-friendly so you can keep your stylus.
- Kinetic scrolling when you need go through a long list of items.
- Almost no (negative) impact on device speed and response.
- Easily launch an application with just a gesture.
- Ability to choose icons from a range of applications, settings and contacts.
- Has a lock feature to prevent accidental activation of icons when device is in your pocket or bag.
- Icons are dynamic.
- Comes with built-in task manager.
What Could Be Improved
- Lock screen can be slow at times when device comes out from standby.
- Support for weather program.
- Ability to link to files directly.
- Unable to change icon’s picture and caption.
- Have a top bar and make it more visible when the screen is locked.
- Preference to remember last page?
Conclusion
I think Winterface is definitely a step in the right direction for VITO. Some may shrug it off as copying the Apple iPhone’s interface but I say if something works great, why not take the idea and improve on it? That’s just exactly what VITO has done in this case. What’s great is that if you don’t like the interface, you could always uninstall it. The beauty of Windows Mobile.
Anyway, back to Winterface. There are some missing features in the application but considering it was just launched, I am sure VITO has a long list of requests sent in from the users who have used it and that they would consider them for the next version. From my discussion with VITO, I’ve been told that they are looking into some of these features which is good news. I just hope they can implement it soon enough.
If you’re looking for a finger-friendly shell and have yet to find out one that works for you, give Winterface a go. Even if you already have a preferred application, why not take it for a spin. You’ve got 14 days with no obligation. But if you do decide it’s the application for you, then go ahead and purchase a license for $19.95.
Have you used Winterface? What do you like or not like about it?
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Thanks for the excellent review. It was a fun read!
Which one would you recommend more - SPB’s Mobile Shell, or Vito’s Winterface?
Well I would say it depends on your needs. Mobile Shell is a lot more eye candy while Winterface is simple yet effective. I’d say give both a shot and see which works better for you.
Nice review. I have contacted Vito and suggested that more information be made available from the lock screen. The date/time is nice but it would be extrememly useful if missed calls, voice mail, and emails were showns in counts on the lock screen. The weather would also be nice. Also, it would help that caller id information be shown when a call comes in, and that the call can be answered by sliding the slider. Basically, do all the things that S2U2 does. I absolutely love that app, and it’s one of the best apps I have added to my Touch Cruise.
I do agree if they could make the lock screen as informative as S2U2. In fact, if that is not possible, I would have preferred that they give us an option to select our lock program.
So let me get this strait… People didn’t like GoodWin because it was just a task launcher/manager with a lot of extra functionality built in. (Time, date, signal strength, new email/sms, running apps, pinable favorites, lock screen, etc…)
So they make this new Winterface… With is a program launcher with less functionality (displayed information) than GoodWin?
I really don’t get it. Is it supposed to be better because it looks like the iphone? Honestly? I really do not understand this program.
It’s not as straightforward as that in my opinion.
I can’t speak for everyone but there are users, like me, who felt that GoodWin was a rather weak application. Sure it had a lot of functions, even allowing you to uninstall application from the main screen but the really long list of applications and programs just did not sit well with me. Sure one could add it to favorites but I did not really like that.
However, I prefer Winterface over GoodWin. It might have less function but it’s a fresh release and there’s a lot of potential for it. Right now, the ability to add selected contacts as shortcuts is really awesome. And of all the applications and settings in your device, how many do you use frequently? For those applications, you can then add it to pages and arrange them accordingly.
It’s not supposed to be better because it looks like the iPhone. There’s no points there. It’s better (in my opinion) because I can customize it a lot more than GoodWin without compromising speed and response.
Dear Jason Lee,
Winterface is not a launcher. Winterface is a Mobile Shell of next generation. And I feel absolutely right saying this because it is trully something new in Windows Mobile interface. What do I mean by shell? I mean you do not need Today screen or Start Menu; you turn to standart WM interface ony when launching default applications.
Besides, some like horizontal scrolling (between screens in Winterface) more than horizontal one (in GoodWin)
Btw, current GoodWin users, check out iWindowsmobile.com next week. We’re going to provide you 50% for Winterface.
I just purchased a license for Winterface, of all the interfaces that i have tried on my Tilt ( HTC Tytn II )
this is the easiest to use, and to customize to my liking,
I like the fact that i can add contacts to the user interface for instant calling or messaging, and being able to re-arrange the icon sorting to my liking is great. I have tried a few other interfaces for my WinMo device ( SBSH, iFonz, Touch Cube Mod.) and this is the best that i have found.
That’s great to hear Shimo. I do agree that the customization options available is what makes this a really great application.
Tariq, thanks for a nice review. It is indeed a fun read. You get the exact idea: no iPhone copying, just borrowing nice ideas and taking the benefits of Windows Mobile to implement them.
I would also like to answer the Cons in the review:
1. It depends on the device and to tell you the truth, this is all WM fault when this happens
2. Support for weather program - sure.
3. Ability to link to files directly - give me a good real life example from your own experience when you need to link to a file. Please, make it real. I do understand linking to, say, executables of some applications that do not have icons in standard programs but linking directly to a Word, Excel, or some other file is beyond my comprehension, really.
4. Unable to change icon’s picture and caption. - Well, we are going to redraw icons for all default applications and make them look like our standard icons (IE, phone, Email, Calendar, etc.). Caption is taken from the system. If the system call this item Calendar, we want to call it calendar as well, why change rational? Again, you would go for a long name or something - a real life example, please. About icon pictures - I’m sure if we give the option to edit icons: 1st, it will complicate interface; 2nd, you will ask us to give you the tool to paint these icons
I prefer the option of adding skins in the further versions. Now Winterface looks complete and very straightened up but because icons more or less look the same, but whn you get to editing them, this will be broken. 
5. Have a top bar and make it more visible when the screen is locked. - Now, something really interesting. In the wish list.
6. No reason for this, really. And one reason against. The lock screen is transparent and behind it you can see icons with count like phone, sms, etc. - so you know you have missed calls or new messages.
@ 3 - I can step in here. I’ve started using BatteryStatus (search XDA-Developers) a while ago and I’m working on my own themes. They are .xml files, and I have two ways of opening them: Opening my XML editor and going to File > Open. This will give me a list of ALL my files, so it takes a long time to load and then I need to scroll. The other option is to open File Explorer and navigate to WindowsBatteryStatus and open the .xml file. We all know that the Windows folder takes a long time to load in file explorers. So in this case having direct access to my theme file would save me a lot of loading time.
Now I may not be the typical user, so here’s another example: I can imagine that a lot of the business users keep an Excel file with their driving distances and what they pay for gas. Having direct access to this Excel file is very useful because you can quickly enter the information after you reach your destination.
Thanks for considering!!
Hi Konstantin
It’s great to hear that you are putting some of the cons into wish list (like the weather) and I am definitely looking forward to them.
As for the rest that you requested examples, here they are:
3. spmwinkel has provided a great example. For me, I have a few files which I am working with such as budgets, notes I take when reviewing products and some ideas I like to note down to act on later. These are just some of the examples that I use the same file many times so in my scenario (and those like me), being able to link and launch files directly would be a much welcome feature.
4. I can understand not changing short names and I agree with that. But I have a few applications which are long (like Satellite Data Update, Mocha FTP Server and Cash Organizer 2008). I’d prefer to just call them Satellite Update, FTP Server and Cash Organizer. As for icons, well I can go either way on it. I am cool if the default icons (Internet Explorer and Phone) are used instead so no worries about changing icons then.
6. Good point about the lock screen though. I did not look at it that way.
By the way, there are users who are asking why Winterface does not launch immediately after a soft-reset? Is there a reason for this?
Looking forward to the changes as well
Konstantin,
I know you and I have discussed this, but I still feel very strongly on point three. I can think of countless reasons that it would be helpful to be able to link individual files onto the pages (heck, I do it in Pocket Plus all the time). Here are a few:
1. create a page of photo thumbnails for easy photo sharing.
2. link to apps that do not appear in the programs menu
3. link to Internet shortcuts
4. link to a video or music file for easier access. I could envision having a whole page of music so you could just tap on the one you want to hear.
5. Well, Tariq and SPM already hit on Word/Excel type files.
I think this is a glaring omission in Winterface. Even if it is something which you would not use yourself, I think it is something a lot of users might benefit from. Additionally, unlike some of the other suggestions, it would not negatively impact the ui. From the user perspective, it would only require an additional entry point from the menu options.
Hope you will consider this.
Doug
Dear spmwinkel,
The example you provide with xml files is so rare that I think other than you this is nly happening to the guys from XDA-Developers who are always developing, modding and implementing something new
Hardcore users, in other words.
Excel files. First of all, when you provide example I try it myself to see how it sees in practice. So, I created a couple of Excel files and then launched Excel from Winterface (I completely gave up Start Menu already, just a gesture to start Winterface and off tapping I go) by tapping the nice Excel icon. So, what do I see immediately - I see the list of these two files I just created. Tap on the necessary and here you are entering info about distances and gas (in Russia prices’re also growing
). So, the point - is it so necessar to have a link to a specific Excel file rather than to the list of all of them?
Tariq, notes. There is also a single icon Notes that takes you to all the list of your notes. The same as the Excel example. You may argue you note is in the end of the list and you need to scroll but being an experienced user you know that it takes just putting a couple of !!! marks in the beginning of the name of a note for it to appear first in the list.
Doug,
1. easy photo sharing? Like if you just took a photo isn’t it convenient to send it right away from the photo application. and if it is already xisting photo, then a tap on staandard icon Pictures & Video will take you straight there, to all your pictures, not just one and you can easily share them from this default application present on all WM devices.
2. Yes, agree.
3. Completely different story - adding bookmark is in the wish list already.
4. Well, difficut to argue. Interesting, to wish list. Meanwhile through Windows Media Player.
Ok, I have a preapproval for this feature of adding files
Tariq, the names. Are they really such a bother? I hear it only from you and’ve been receiving huge feedback recently via email. Please, send me a screenshot with the most cluttered screen because of the names.
No auto-start. This is not correct. After soft reset you can make a gesture and go to Winterface. Or you can turn off and turn on device and see the lock screen.
You see, when we immediately displayed lock screen in GoodWin people did not like it. So, now we are all for freedom. Besides, the gesture is very easy and launches Winterface in a twinkle of an eye
Again, thank you for the feedback and I welcome all readers to articipate and share their thoughts. Just share your opinion; it is not only about arguing, it is about everything you like/dislike about Winterface. Comparison to rivals is also welcome.
Yes absolutely, the .xml example is very rare. That’s why I came up with the Excel example. And you’re defenitely right about the fact that it only saves 1 or 2 clicks to immedately open a file, but it’s the small improvements that can make small differences, which combined can be quite important to some.
I´ve put my favourite apps in the Start menu so that I only have to press the Start button and then pick it from the list. However, I hardly ever use that because I also have these apps in a launcher on my Today screen and I can launche them with only one tap. So this one additional tap that is required to open something from the Start menu makes a lot of difference.
(When I´m in a different application, it´s another story. Then it is often quicker to press Start and launch the app than to go back to the Today screen and launch the app from there.)
I appreciate that you´re wondering exactly how useful shortcuts to files will be, but as Doug said as well, there can be quite some uses for it.
The only thing that I would like to see is the status bar on the lock screen needs to be brightened up a little, it is almost invisible, I also notices while snooping around that there is a skins folder, i would love to see a brighter colored skin for Winterface. I would also like to see Internet shortcuts added, this would simplify many things. other than a few minor cosmetic changes, this is by far the best shell for WinMo that I have experimented
with in a while, looking forward to future updates
Dear J Shimo,
Can’t but agree about the status bar. We’re thinking hard on lockscreen optimization.
IE favorites are coming and about skins. So far the skin looks very unanimous with our other applications: SMS-Chat, FunContact and ZoomBoard. But we also plan to maybe roll out a set of brighter icons, the fun way
Spmwinkel, it is very important that you can launch Winterface from any, completely any screen with a gesture, and then start you favorite with one tap.
So, basically you have the same amount of movements: click start, then click an application or make quick gesture and tap an icon. I’m sure you will choose the second variant as it is so convenient to tap large icons in Winterface rather that tiny application icons in the Start menu. Again, stylus is in its place.
Hey, Konstantin. Thanks for taking such an active role in this conversation. It is really interesting to hear your thoughts. Like I have said both here and in my own review at JAMM, I think Winterface is a great program with a lot of potential.
While I like the sweep for those times when you have to leave the interface, I would like it to load automatically when I start my device. Take a look at Mobile Shell. They start automatically, and then a motion closes the app and reopens it. That would be ideal.
Glad to hear that you are starting to come around on files. I know you don;t see this as something you would use, but I think it is obvious from the discussion here that a lot of people could have different uses for this function. Personally, I think it is one of the biggest missing features (along with weather) in the program.
BTW, in October, I am going to do a shell program Shootout with Winterface, Spb Mobile Shell and maybe PointUI. It will be interesting to see how they go head to head.
Doug
Doug
This thing simply rocks! It is responsive and attractive, it’s clearly the start of something big and Konstantin is being cool about listening to users while avoiding feature bloat.
I think I’ve got a major issue that no one else has noticed.
The fact that the launch gesture is always waiting there (daemon?) means that when you play games that involved dragging pieces it sets off Winterface and off you go to Winterface home.
Try to play Crosswords on it and whenever you drag a piece onto the board it bails out and you’re back at the home screen.
Some ability to adjust sensitivity to clicking would be nice.
It always takes me several clicks to launch a program.
Otherwise it’s so speedy, very nice!
Reminds me of how a Palm PDA used to respond.
Click something and BAM! it’s up. Now if we could only get the underlying Windows Mobile to be so responsive. This program has me teetering on the edge where I just might keep my Samsung i760 instead of going back to my old workhorse Motorola E815.
Hi Ken
Thanks for the heads up on this.
I tried the gesture when I was in Pocket Informant 8 Month view but what happens is not Winterface launching but I zoom in on those days selected, which is the expected result of PI8. And this was with the PowerDaemon.exe running as well.
Not sure if it’s just for selected applications or in general but like you say, hopefully there’s a way around this.
Doug,
This is gonna be great. By then Winterface will get all featured up like weather and other useful applets (icons-indicators) and we’ll make sure to hire a good jockey to win this race of shells
Ken,
I’m not sure what we can do about this right now but one solution seems to let users choose the gesture. I will check it out with the apps you mention. Give me the link to this exact game you’re playing with words. I just wanted to let you know you are heard and we will take this into account for further relases.
Frankly, we expected this. Looks like folks at PI also decided in favor of this easy gesture
PS Doug, rest in peace about linking to files. Looks like you guys won this one
Developing team says it’s gonna be fun!
I haven’t installed it on my primary phone yet (don’t want to waste my demo time until there are more features added) but does the guesture interfere with say scrolling side to side in opera mobile, or scrolling side to side in pocket ie using HTC TouchFLo?
or how about side scrolling in resco explorer 2008?
Or for that matter while in pocket word trying to select text? This sideways guesture seems very problematic.
the guesture should start in a location where tapping and sliding would have no other function like on the start menu button (like spb Mobile Shell) or on the SIP button (like HTC cube).
Wow! Very interesting discussion! my experience is that the gesture interfere with every application (opera mobile and mini, games etc.)but not the htc cube (i have a htc touch cruise so i am using winterface for its 14 days on it).
This is the only problem that made me decide to wait another release to buy it.
But anyway it is a very good beginning, great job
I would like to add a word of warning: I’ve purchased Winterface two days ago and still haven’t received an activation key. Also, I put some issues to support and haven’t heard from them either. If this is how they treat customers…
Dear bartveld,
This is how we spend weekends
Contact me via konstantin@vitotechnology.com and you will get your code and answer to all your question right away.
This program is awesome. The interface is very responsive using an Atom Life device. Easy to pick, install and arrange programs you normally use in an IPHONE manner. And the program allows you to select contacts and arrange them by pages without limit. You can allocate a page of contacts for Business, another for Friends and so on.
What is missing is a Calendar,Weather and a Lock icon. The program automatically locks when the unit is suspended. I prefer an icon to manually lock and unlock the unit.
“I would like to add a word of warning: I’ve purchased Winterface two days ago and still haven’t received an activation key. Also, I put some issues to support and haven’t heard from them either. If this is how they treat customers…”
OK, I take back these earlier remarks. It’s nice to see a developer taking the trouble to communicate directly with users. Also, the issues I had are resolved in version 1.01. If I could delete my previous post I would.
Ok, Bart! You’re customer number one after reposting
Folks at Vito are quite nice people. I send in some suggestions about Winterface 1.0 and some other of their applications and they gave me speedy answer and quite a little surprise.
I used to use SPB Mobile Shell but now I constantly coming back to Winterface for that shortcut I need rightaway. The advantage of accessing any shortcut very quickly in winterface is un-beatable by anyother application.
Dear Konstantin, I have some more suggestions here about the user interface, after further usage with the program:
The sliding gesture to call out winterface can be annoying sometimes when other programs also use the same gesture for some of their functions. For example, the TouchPal softkeyboard use horizontal sliding gesture to switch between different keyboard layouts, and every time I slide it, 50% of time winterface pops up! Another instance is HiCalc calculator application, it also uses some simple horizontal sliding gesture to switch between function pages and that would almost always bring up winterface… My suggestion for improvement here would be the ability to customize the gesture (Like the way mouse gesture works in Opera browser), say “going down, then go left” or maybe “go up, then go right” to bring up winterface and that would be fantastic!
Also, the slide to unlock key is sometimes quite laggy when the machine just woke up from sleep/standby mode, and sometimes the sliding key would simply just disappear and requires a softreset to bring back! (I can however still slide from left to right on the sliding bar to unlock)
Li, thanks for the feedback.
We’re already thinking about optimizing the gesture and letting users choose which gesture to use may be an option.
But please note that our gesture is not straight line from left ot right it is a curve, like a rainbow
Keypad, got it. I think we will incerease its size.
the problem is that winterface comes up when the gestures is straight line too and not only when i make a curve…
At least on my htc cruise, i dont know if it can depend on the device.
I second the request for linking to a file or internet shortcut! I have several URLs that I use frequently (I visit a list of metro station times constantly) and that is one of the main reasons I haven’t picked this app to use full time.
Also, PLEASE let us change the icons!
Regarding the gesture issue - playing solitaire and sliding cards around does dump you out into Winterface constantly. Not a big deal to me, but some others may find that to be a problem.
I passed quite a bit back and forth with Konstantin on another board and he has been very nice to communicate with.
Konstantin has promised a voicemail count on the phone icon for me!
Matt
When I used the winterface, I found something not correct.
- When I launch the game and try to move the card, somehow the screen is automatically switch to main page and I have to restart the game again. I think it may be due to the “easy start” program - when moving the fingure from left to right or another way.
- Wish come out the buttom customized bar (maybe the call button, reject button) more like a iphone..
Maybe give a page tittle and configurable will be nice. for example, favour page, game page, setting page, contact page.
I the the lock screen but I can not configure password (let say I don’t want to use windows default lock function). Hope to get the feed back from developers.
Thanks
Dear Fenguy,
- the easy start gesture takes you to Winterface indeed. So, we’ll be either changing the gesture or letting users choose the gesture.
- write about this bottom customized bar to me in email and send a pic that you can make in Photoshop. I can predict this bottom bar will eat a chunk of the screen space thus allowing less space for icons. Phone buttons would be useless as you won’t be able to use them when the deice is turn off and you receive a call. The buttons are behind the lock screen and Window Mobile OS doesn’t give as any rights to change this weird small notification appearing in the bottom with answer button.
- why loose space on title, fill it with icons, they are quite self explaining if you oranize them by topic.
- I didn’t get it about the password. you just need to slide the padlock to unlock, no passwords
Dear Konstantin,
Thanks for your quick reply. Your explaination is reasonable. I just want to share my idea:
Windows mobile has own lock interface. If I choose winterface, every time I need to unlock from windows password protect and some times this interface is hiden behind winterface transparent screen, I need to guess where is 1234567890 postion is. If winterface can provide prompt windows to key in password (meaning winterface with password protect option)will be nice. I would rather to use winterface password option than windows default one. This is my wish list. Thanks
I see now. added to wish list
Thanks for your kind support
I think it would be nice if there were an option to “pin” the bottom row of icons so that they would appear on every tab.
That way i could have the same 4 very important icons at the bottom of every tab. Just like on the iphone. Its bottom row of icons stays on every page and can be customized.
Then I could put some of the dynamic icons down there like email and sms so i would always know mesage counts and have quick access to them from every tab.