WP8 GDR2 Disappointing?


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WP Blog just published some information about GDR2:

Windows Phone 8 update coming this summer

Speaking of updates. As I mentioned earlier, the Lumia 925 comes with the latest update to the Windows Phone 8 operating system that includes a small number of improvements and upgrades. (It?s similar in size to the one we delivered earlier this year, which brought new Wi-Fi and messaging improvements like the ability to text a reply to an incoming call.)

The new update, which is expected to start rolling out to existing Windows Phone 8 phones later this summer, brings back support for FM radio (we heard you!) and makes the Data Sense feature of Windows Phone 8 available for more carriers to offer. The update also makes it easier to select, download, and pin tunes in Xbox Music and improves the accuracy of song info and other metadata?something I know music fans will appreciate. (FM Radio and Data Sense availability depend on your phone model and carrier.)

The update includes hundreds of other small quality improvements. One final one worth highlighting, as we announced earlier, is that the update also ensures Windows Phone continues to work with Google services by adding support for the company?s newest sync protocols?CalDAV and CardDAV.

http://blogs.windows...-lumia-925.aspx

Maybe I'm jumping the gun but does anyone else feel a little disappointed with WP8 GDR2? By the time it releases in July, WP8 will already be 9 months old. What happened to that notification center which MS said that they couldn't include in WP8 since they ran out of time, I'm thinking 7 months is a lot of time to build a feature.

I have heard a lot of arguments for and against notification center but the thing is that I have more than 50 apps and I can't pin each and every app on the start screen just to see the notifications.

FM Radio? Really MS? This was already there in WP7 which you decided to disable it in WP8 :/

Bringing DataSense to more carriers? What happens to those like me whose phone is not tied to any carrier? Shouldn't I be getting this feature too :s

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Its a decent update. We expect a major refresh with the upcoming WIndows Phone Blue aka 8.1, most likely (almost definitely) it will get announced next month at MIcrosoft's Build conference.

Like you, my biggest concern is the lack of the Notification Center (both in WIndows and WIndows Phone).

I love the platform but I am will hardly stay with WP8 if they do not add Notification Center with 8.1.

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I'm going to guess the notification center is a WP8.1 feature.

This is what I think, though the post does say that there are lots of other smaller updates so I expect a few more niceties. I always expected the GDR updates to be minor though.

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The General Distribution Releases are minor updates to slowly re-introduce features from WP7, like FM radio, and to refine the OS. Portico was the first update (GDR1) and we'll likely see GDR2 by July. After that, we'll get GDR3 (hopefully by the end of the year) which should add support for 1080p displays and new Qualcom processors.

Windows Phone Blue (WP8.1) is rumoured to be released in early-2014 but I think Microsoft should do everything they can to release it alongside GDR3. That way, Nokia and other WP manufacturers can release new flagship devices (e.g. successors to the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X).

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the super slow progress of WP8 is sad. one would have thought , MS would have sped up development and dropped substantial updates.

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the super slow progress of WP8 is sad. one would have thought , MS would have sped up development and dropped substantial updates.

I'd say its faster than iOS and Android frankly. Especially considering that pretty much most of the WP8 phones get the updates as soon as they're out.

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Rumor has it GDR3 will be a bigger one compared to GDR1 and 2. Right now they're talking about GDR3 adding new hardware support, aka, screens 5"-6" and maybe 7"? This also means it'll bring 1080p support with it and probably unlock support for quad core ARM SoCs. Hardware aside it should also bring updates to some, if not all, of the core apps. I expect IE11 to come with it for example.

As for WP 8.1 I think that will be bigger as far as APIs goes, it should be the version that brings us full compatibility between WP and Windows store apps.

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I'm going to guess the notification center is a WP8.1 feature.

Yeah, I have to agree with the OP on this one. I look forward to these updates to add something that I will use. GDR1 did that and I was hoping to see something like the Notification Center (Or VPN Support or something) added in GDR2. For the number of months that lead up to a GDR release, I think that something rather decent should be included...

I'm hoping that it's in 8.1 and I am VERY eager to see what comes in 8.1 but there are things that should be worked on for these GDR releases as well. Has the Other Storage Issue been fixed? If not, maybe that should be in here too...

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It really does seem that GDRs will have a few big features and are mostly fixes and a large number of minor tweaks. Basically a service pack if you think about it. The wait for WP 8.1 sucks but I think it's being held up more by Windows 8.1 than the Windows Phone team not working fast enough. If the goal of Win 8.1 is to add support for WP8.x apps to run like the rumors say then it makes sense.

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Am I the only one who doesn't need a notification center? The live tiles do a fantastic job of letting me know what I missed.

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^ There is no debate that live tiles don't do a good job but the problem is that you can't pin each and every app or game for that matter on the start screen. Imagine pinning 20+ apps and seeing each and everyone just to see if there is a notification or not.

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^ There is no debate that live tiles don't do a good job but the problem is that you can't pin each and every app or game for that matter on the start screen. Imagine pinning 20+ apps and seeing each and everyone just to see if there is a notification or not.

I have the ones that matter the most on a cell phone. The basics: Calls, texts, emails, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. A quick swipe down reveals News, and Weather. I honestly, have yet to meet anyone simultaneously keeping track of more than a handful of apps.

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^ There is no debate that live tiles don't do a good job but the problem is that you can't pin each and every app or game for that matter on the start screen. Imagine pinning 20+ apps and seeing each and everyone just to see if there is a notification or not.

Agreed. Not to mention notifications that might be missed because they were replaced with a more recent notification...

I agree that Live Tiles are great, I don't think anyone is disagreeing with that, but a Notification Center does fill a need as more and more apps are released that offer up a lot of notifications...

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I hope they at least fixed whats sucking the batteries dry on Lumia 920's. Phone will do fine and then start draining power like crazy for no reason.

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I could still care less about this notification center silliness (aka updates to the ME/People app). It doesn't need to be its own app, that just reeks of droid perversion.

My primary concern remains that MS can not push out updates in a fast enough manner or actually respond to other more critical fixes. I'm simply tired of promises that don't materialize until they throw that initiative under the bus and force another re-imagining. Or maybe I'm just bitter about the WP7 fiasco, which I would hope we can all agree was abysmal and WP8 has done nothing to change that so far.

Color me pessimistic, but I'm betting the 'enthusiast' system doesn't make it in either which could add back that lost value.

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I'd say its faster than iOS and Android frankly. Especially considering that pretty much most of the WP8 phones get the updates as soon as they're out.

Yes, but they're still too slow. They're so far behind they really can't afford to be holding features back for a 'big' update, they should be constantly updating the thing.

How about custom sms/email tones, which is the most requested feature on the WP8 Features site. It's already partially in the People Hub with custom ringtones. How about making the Windows light on the phone blink for notifications? And a whole host of relatively minor things people want fixed with the platform.

To most people it seems Nokia is doing all the leg work with Windows Phone, it was them who eventually pulled finger and 'fixed' the Other Storage issue.

As Paul Thurrott (who otherwise loves the platform) said on Windows Weekly not long ago, the Phone teams new slogan of "shut up and ship" after all their talk and no action, actually seems to be "shut up and don't ship".

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Being behind isn't that much of an issue since you can catch up quick with a few major updates. WP7.5 was a big jump, 8 was another. 8.1 will be another big jump. The platforms that have already matured like iOS and also Android are the ones who have a harder time. When you have to start coming up with new features and not just crossing things off of a list your competition has things become way more harder for you.

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I have the ones that matter the most on a cell phone. The basics: Calls, texts, emails, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. A quick swipe down reveals News, and Weather. I honestly, have yet to meet anyone simultaneously keeping track of more than a handful of apps.

It's useful to, for example, swipe down a panel and see an overview of all new work emails, personal e-mails, and texts.

I also don't want things like Facebook on the start screen, but would like to know if I have a new message.

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It's useful to, for example, swipe down a panel and see an overview of all new work emails, personal e-mails, and texts.

I also don't want things like Facebook on the start screen, but would like to know if I have a new message.

I just don't get that usage scenario, just swipe up. ;) When someone tells you the home screen is explicitly for notifications, you say you don't want Facebook of all things on it? (not that its needed anyway since Facebook integrates with Messenger) It clearly does give an overview, the only quibble is if the 'large' tile size is content dense enough for general use (it is and it isn't, but that is a known design choice that I will happily live with). Email(s), messaging, scores, weather, phone...FB, check.

iOS's and its derivative's need for a notification center, and the Pavlovian insistence on one, is simply misplaced in WP. Now, I'm not denying there are some special use scenarios, specifically involving toast/push notifications for people with, ahem, 'hundreds' of apps, that will never fit will in that round hole, and I'm ok with that too.

MS has the cloud tools to be a better content aggregate natively, which is much more important to me than reliance on bleeps and bloops.

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