Live wallpapers coming to Windows Phone 8

Posted by in WP on Oct 27, 2012 | 5 comments

 

Live wallpaper for lock screen is seemingly coming to Windows Phone 8 looking at the pictures Nokia Innovation got into it’s hands. These live wallpapers will show information for the Microsoft or 3rd party app you have assigned for the task. Like you can see on the picture above ESPN will naturally show game results and USA today will show latest news.

Will those pictures cycle, move around? Can you assign multiple apps that they cycle on the lock screen? Just how much information will these show? That all is not known, but fortunately you don’t need to wait long as full Windows Phone 8 reveal is happening in couple of days (October 29).

 

 

Via

  • Toink

    This is good – but I’m wary of the Ads creeping in our WP8 devices pretty soon :(

    • Nokiagadgets

      That’s possible, but that could also mean developers can more easily get free apps to the store. Most of the people have been complaining that there’s not enough free apps on the Windows Phone Store.

      So far there’s nothing pointing that the live wallpapers would include ads, but just added function. Neither do i believe company like MS would ever force them to us. They don’t live from the ad revenue like Google.

      • jiipee

        Could someone explain what use the “wallpapers” on WP or lockscreen on N9 are used for? I dont really see the reason, why I always have to swipe the lockscreen away when I can see the exactly same info on homescreens. This was first on Iphone, or? It would make more sense, if one would be able to get back to it in other means than by shutting down and waking up the device.

        It these are really needed, there is something wrong how the homescreen system works in different systems. What is seen in those screen captures is exactly the same information as one would have on tiles – dynamically changed general information that the user cannot act upon, only open the related application.

        • Nokiagadgets

          As TS phone LG Prada had lock screen before iPhone and i’m sure there’s plenty more. Symbian non touch screens had lockscreen as well.

          Maybe there could be technical reasons, like saving ever so slight on battery life?
          Personally i do see need for lockscreen. It’s still the best and most clear way to see what the clock is and do you have (and how many) txt messages, calls, emails etc.

          You are right that the tile UI might be the closest UI where you would not need locks screen, but that would tie you as a user as well.

          It would make me put my phone, txt message, email (i have 3 email tiles) tiles on top of the screen as those you do need to see on the first glance. That’s not how i have my tiles setup because i can see if i have received txt messages or email from the lockscreen and then scroll to those tiles. So that lockscreen actually gives me more freedom.
          Idea is still that when i’m walking to Helsinki streets i don’t need to scroll or anything, just push a button and see those most important points right away.

          To me this new lockscreen is brilliant most of all because of the 3rd party support. I could maybe get ~3 days weather or sport results to that lockscreen as well.

          • jiipee

            Well, I love the Swipe homescreen on N9 that has all the updates that I need. The lock screen just doubles the information.

            In fact, what makes the lock sreen obsolete for me is having the most important info on stand-by screen. For that the device needs to have amoled, which can be problem for some. Having Billboard (http://n9-apps.com/billboard-standby-screen) setup to show date, battery status, network status, currently playing song and next 3 appointments has cut down more than 50% of the times I need to activate my phone. That is something they should be working on instead of lockscreen.

            I wish that this is something Jolla has meant by cutting down the opening and closing apps. Add there the option to directly write eg. a sms on the home screen would cut off a lot of the unnesseccary app launching. Ofcourse one could still open the app and have more options available there, but having the possibility to interact with the device on the home screen would be a big step forward.