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Still no widgets!
- Thread starter Simacca
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In the notification settings of iOS 5, the weather and stock summarys in the notification center are referred to as widgets. I can really see Apple enabling devs to bundle widgets for this area in with their apps. If you want them there, switch them on.
As for me, the weather app is in a folder somewhere on my device. A flick down on the screen is much faster to see the weather (instead of two taps). Sure, it's being picky but it's a nicer way to do it. No way would I want facebook or twitter there. A reminders or calendar overview would be great there though.
As someone else pointed out, widgets are great for some things, terrible for others. For example, the guy who has the full screen twitter widget....just use the app! You swipe once to get to it, I just tap the icon. There's really no true benefit to be had with the twitter app so it wasn't a great example.
I'm for widgets but lets not go over board in declaring them a cure-all. Great for some things, bad for others. Would be a nice little enhancement to the OS that the dev can choose to include or not. Wahey. Everyone wins. Also, let's stop this 'us vs. them' mentality between Android and iOS. To be blunt, it's really stupid. We all love tech...let's enjoy that common ground.
As for me, the weather app is in a folder somewhere on my device. A flick down on the screen is much faster to see the weather (instead of two taps). Sure, it's being picky but it's a nicer way to do it. No way would I want facebook or twitter there. A reminders or calendar overview would be great there though.
As someone else pointed out, widgets are great for some things, terrible for others. For example, the guy who has the full screen twitter widget....just use the app! You swipe once to get to it, I just tap the icon. There's really no true benefit to be had with the twitter app so it wasn't a great example.
I'm for widgets but lets not go over board in declaring them a cure-all. Great for some things, bad for others. Would be a nice little enhancement to the OS that the dev can choose to include or not. Wahey. Everyone wins. Also, let's stop this 'us vs. them' mentality between Android and iOS. To be blunt, it's really stupid. We all love tech...let's enjoy that common ground.
The original iPhone patent bears mentioning here. It talks about user created widgets, using a widget generator app.
It all depends on Apple's assessment from a User Experience perspective. If they cannot be implemented effectively, efficiently, and without impinging the the rest of the user experience then it won't be done anytime soon.
Put it this way, I'd rather have iOS without widgets than an Android with widgets.
It's not about bullet list of features. It's about how well the features that are already in there work. For example, Google needs to get the barebones basics right in their ecosystem *first*, before doing anything else. They haven't done that. At least Apple has all the critical functions and ecosystem elements nailed - from updates to smooth touch-scrolling.
Put it this way, I'd rather have iOS without widgets than an Android with widgets.
It's not about bullet list of features. It's about how well the features that are already in there work. For example, Google needs to get the barebones basics right in their ecosystem *first*, before doing anything else. They haven't done that. At least Apple has all the critical functions and ecosystem elements nailed - from updates to smooth touch-scrolling.
That's a wonderful concept.
Unfortunately it doesn't explain the original, ineffective, user-experience-impinging, obviously quickly thought up, blankety-blank notification method.
That's fine, but the rest of us are talking about rather having iOS with widgets.
A developer has created a Hello World widget in the Notification Center, and it's possible that Apple will allow this functionality in the future.
well, that's before the AppStore, isn't it?
i think what they, back then, thought of as 'widgets' turned into 'apps' over time
After all, the weather and stocks app pretty much offer the same functionality as the weather and stocks dashboard widgets from OSX, just in full screen.
when these patents were filed, i don't think they had actual widgets in mind, but the things we call 'apps' nowadays. I'm very sure of that
on a sidenote: this patent has the iPod function split into VIDEOS and MUSIC
That could very well be.
Of course, if so, then not only does it negate the idea that "apps" is a long term iOS name, but Apple would now be trying to trademark "Widget Store"
on a sidenote: this patent has the iPod function split into VIDEOS and MUSIC
Oh ho! Good find.
Vwalla!!!
http://www.ispazio.net/213274/uisettings-ios-5-in-anteprima-su-ispazio-le-immagini-e-le-novita-della-prossima-versione-del-tweak-che-sostituira-sbsettings-su-ios-5
Not exactly a homescreen widget, but I'll take it. This could get interesting.
http://www.ispazio.net/213274/uisettings-ios-5-in-anteprima-su-ispazio-le-immagini-e-le-novita-della-prossima-versione-del-tweak-che-sostituira-sbsettings-su-ios-5
Not exactly a homescreen widget, but I'll take it. This could get interesting.
I am confused. the iOS5 beta comes with two WIDGETS. The stocks and weather widgets in the notification center. They are even called the "Weather Widget" and the "Stock Widget" in the Notification settings. I am sure we will see plenty others soon.
I particularly like the weather widget which allows for some interaction. If you do a swipe on the widget, it changes to a 6-day forecast.
I particularly like the weather widget which allows for some interaction. If you do a swipe on the widget, it changes to a 6-day forecast.
I have little doubt we will see all types soon. From sports scores, to twitter and facebook updates.
I think its funny that some people in this thread who want to use widgets want to enforce that upon other people. Classic.
Did I just...?? Yep. That made it move.
I likey.
For sure, that makes me excited. Little SBSettings action right there in the notifications panel. Niiice.
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Uh, no they don't. They want the *option*.
Which means that if you don't want widgets, you just turn it off. Especially since not everyone will want the same widgets even if they agree they want widgets (so basically what they want is to be able to choose widgets which means the ability to turn them off if they don't want them).
Simple, right?
Really? That's pretty nifty! More I hear about iOS 5, more I'm looking forward to it (and I hope it is found to be true that Apple is going to allow developers to make their own widgets that go in the notification screen. Though honestly I really wanted a settings widget and I'm not sure you'd get one through a developer or that that would be something apple owuld have to make. Any developers want to tell me if it is possible for an outside developer to make a widget that would let you change the settings on the phone?).
If you want widgets so bad get an Android. Not everyone likes widgets. Get it? And, if widgets were such a big freaking deal why does the only phone without widgets outsell every other phone in the world?
Just like os5 allows you to do right now. If you dont want the stocks or weather widget, you can turn them off.
Yep, really like the weather widget. I don't own any stocks, so I turn the stock ticker widget off.
After reading through that iPhone patent, it turns out that the widgets they showed were indeed widgets, of the desktop Dashboard type. To quote Apple:
"In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML file, a CSS file and a Javascript file.
In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML file and a Javascript file (e.g. Yahoo! Widgets)."
So it looks like they originally intended for users to create or download homescreen widgets, but pulled the idea before introduction.
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It may be too chaotic to enable widgets on a "Dashboard" at this time until Apple creates ground rules on what can and cannot be used as a widget. While this may mean slower access of specific information such as RSS feeds, Facebook/Twitter feeds, weather, world clock, text messages, chats, and e-mails, Apple's stance on such a Dashboard is that it is possible but not practical in all instances. While I'm disappointed that Apple doesn't release this kind of software tech to normal users, I'm thankful that I can get a jailbroken application to handle all of this directly on the lock screen. It would be great if iOS supported widget based mobile computing but I think it would make more sense if it was launched as an application instead of default.