Proof of the Pudding - WP8 Skype 2.8 Update

[UseLess]

Hi Neowininas,

 

I have always believed that while the OS is highly efficient, and is able to run like butter on a dual, or even single core processor, when it comes to "heavy" apps...the phone would always struggle. Big games, computationally complex, and feature packed apps like Whatsapp and Skype have always been in this area - slow to load, slow to run, and nightmares on the battery.

 

Skype I said? Well, there was a new update "2.8" promising the world ?Improving the start and resume experience has been the main focus of this release?. Hardie-har-har I thought, another promise of grandeur. So now it loads in 2.9 seconds, instead of 3?

 

I cranked up the store, dug out the update and installed it on my cellular data (oops!). When I opened Skype?a true "halleluiah" moment! It opened like a native app ? INSTANLY! This was incredible, the lumbering giant has turned into a speed racer.

 

While the benefits for Skype itself are numerous (I can answer a call now, before they hang up while its loading!) the implications for the rest of the community are momentous. Apps like Whatsapp now have no excuse for taking ages to load, and destroying the battery ? It is simply poor programming. We deserve better!

 

I tell you friends, the proof of the pudding is in the eating?and this Skype shaped pudding is simply delicious!

[123456789A]

That's good news. Thanks for sharing your experience with the update.

[Azies]

The pudding still tastes terrible though... :/ I prefer Jelly Beans to be quite honest with you. It's nice to see WP8 getting ..... apps.....um... Skype updates... I just hope developers notice the platform, it really has potential, especially with that nice tile interface. 

[BajiRav]

It is still crap though. It now sucks (somewhat) less is a better way of describing the update.

 

Still slow and clunky

Fast resume doesn't seem to work if I launch it from a contact's info

Skype still hates Windows Phone.

 

Nothing has changed, really. :p

[George P Global Moderator]

Skype aside I've started to see more official apps coming to WP8 these past 2 months or so then ever before.  I think developers are taking note and while it still lags behind in US share (growing slow) it's at least caught the attention of people in other parts of the world with equally large consumer bases to target. 

 

I hope Nokia posts another good gain for Q2,  i'm guessing they'll come in around 7million or so Lumia sales for the quarter, developers take note of this.   While it's true that overall it's only a fraction of iOS and Android sales we're still talking about millions of users to target.